Wednesday, May 06, 2009
A Modern Parable
Alex Sims recently penned a modern parable at CGO. It concerns a pastor, and IRS agent, an airplane, and the subtlety of communication. To reprint it here would be to "steal" an entire post, so please, go read it - I'll wait.
Welcome back. By the way, I'm not joking here - take a minute and go read it, or the rest of this will make no sense to you.
OK, good, now we are all on the same page.
What this parable illustrates, quite well, is that the gospel is not words, ideas, sermons or theology. It is people and their actions.
But the parable not only teaches us this, it tells us something about the nature of the church. Pastors are called to be about the Word. They are bookish people, by definition. But that also means that they are not the best people to spread the gospel. You see, the world does not need more thoughts, words, or ideas - They flow aplenty. The world needs people that are filled with the Holy Spirit and live the gospel.
That's a lot harder work, isn't it?
There are two ways to approach hard work - avoidance and getting busy. I like the later. It is amazing how easy hard work becomes once you get to it.
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Welcome back. By the way, I'm not joking here - take a minute and go read it, or the rest of this will make no sense to you.
OK, good, now we are all on the same page.
What this parable illustrates, quite well, is that the gospel is not words, ideas, sermons or theology. It is people and their actions.
2 Tim 2:14-15a - Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless, and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed,How often do we "wrangle about words" and fail to be good workman. Sometimes it is just easier to argue Arminianism and Calvinism than it is to talk to the idiot next to you on an airplane.
But the parable not only teaches us this, it tells us something about the nature of the church. Pastors are called to be about the Word. They are bookish people, by definition. But that also means that they are not the best people to spread the gospel. You see, the world does not need more thoughts, words, or ideas - They flow aplenty. The world needs people that are filled with the Holy Spirit and live the gospel.
That's a lot harder work, isn't it?
There are two ways to approach hard work - avoidance and getting busy. I like the later. It is amazing how easy hard work becomes once you get to it.
Technorati Tags:parable, church, gospel
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