A Spring of Joy

Glimpses of our world…

What Message Are We Declaring?

Continuing on thoughts from yesterday’s post… I read this today on Of First Importance.

“Jesus’s teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day. However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church. That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did.”

– Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God

(I’m going to have to get my hands on this book!)

angie

January 31, 2009

The Bookshelf

3 responses to “What Message Are We Declaring?”

Heather of the EO

January 31, 2009 at 2:46 pm

I want to get my hands on this book too. Wow. I’m sure that there is much truth in that quote. There are most likely many a layered thing that keep people from church, but in my humble opinion this is number one. They feel no draw, that they don’t belong, and somehow looked down upon. I know. I have been the one to feel that way. This is very interesting.

I hope you’re hanging in there ok, lady. Peace to you,
Heather

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Jessica

January 31, 2009 at 4:22 pm

That is very interesting. I need that book! It sounds like there is a lot of food for thought there. I don’t remember how I found your blog, but I read your struggles and wanted to say I am praying for you and your family.
Jessica

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judieyoung@hotmail.com

January 31, 2009 at 8:08 pm

My dear one,

This book has not missed the mark. Unless our message is only Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and this is all we know. and He is our hope, our only hope we will not see our need for Him or each other. May we have the testimony of how He died for the ungodly, and proclaim it by our total need of Him.

Praise God for the appraisal of His word and the reality of seeing what is happening today.

In His love,
Judie

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