The man mostly told the truth, but not in love. Love gets to know people rather than shouting at them or using epithets like drunkard or sodomite. The couple dwells on repenting from certain actions while they scarcely acknowledge Jesus. The man only says the word love to tell the young man that he is not loving his friends by staying at the party. He talks of shouting the Good News from the rooftops, but I only hear bad news.
I am glad that this couple did not come to my college. A few years ago, a man came to expound the evils of homosexuality, so the entire campus united against this “preacher”. The turmoil within our Christian fellowship came close to dividing us and destroying our witness. By God's grace, the fellowship is thriving once again.
Because we're in a rural area, much of the school's social life revolves around alcohol. Before classes even started this semester, an underage student was hospitalised for alcohol poisoning; this made the front page of the local paper. Every April, our school has a concert, and the parties that weekend litter the town with empty beer cans and other refuse.
While the Christians tend to have little contact with social fraternities, a Christian sophomore is in such a sorority; while she doesn't approve of everything her sorority does, she has made many friends and seeks to introduce them to her best Friend. I've also had other friends clean up litter, prayer-walk the downtown bar area, and even one who shared the gospel with a young man in a bar. Each of these friends might have been seen by the man in the video as partaking in the revelry, and I resent that judgment.
The "truth" in any context can be as helpful as it can be damaging. "How do I look?" can be answered truthfully and that truth can be answered with "Great" (or something similar) or "Not good" (or something similar.
There is a way to communicate the spiritual truth to people that is much more receptive. "Cold" (uninvited) truth is rarely received well. These people in the video were not in any position to receive what these people had to say. They were "partying" and that is not going to generate a receptive audience.
They would receive a professor trying to tell them about a class the student was enrolled in as well as these people "preaching" at them...that is also a problem, because they were preaching AT them.
I like the fact you talked about a situation that came to your college. That makes the situation "not staged" and that it goes on in places.
Alcohol is an easy "drug" to access. Plus, it has a "legal-ness" to those 21 and over. Where most drugs are never legal.
There is something positive about a Christian being in a non-Christian environment. Though there is some warning about becoming involved the the "worldly" activities around them. However, SHOWING truth (i.e. prayer walking, picking up litter, etc.) can be more receptive to the spiritual truth.
Thanks again for sharing, I enjoyed reading about your experiences!
2 comments:
The man mostly told the truth, but not in love. Love gets to know people rather than shouting at them or using epithets like drunkard or sodomite. The couple dwells on repenting from certain actions while they scarcely acknowledge Jesus. The man only says the word love to tell the young man that he is not loving his friends by staying at the party. He talks of shouting the Good News from the rooftops, but I only hear bad news.
I am glad that this couple did not come to my college. A few years ago, a man came to expound the evils of homosexuality, so the entire campus united against this “preacher”. The turmoil within our Christian fellowship came close to dividing us and destroying our witness. By God's grace, the fellowship is thriving once again.
Because we're in a rural area, much of the school's social life revolves around alcohol. Before classes even started this semester, an underage student was hospitalised for alcohol poisoning; this made the front page of the local paper. Every April, our school has a concert, and the parties that weekend litter the town with empty beer cans and other refuse.
While the Christians tend to have little contact with social fraternities, a Christian sophomore is in such a sorority; while she doesn't approve of everything her sorority does, she has made many friends and seeks to introduce them to her best Friend. I've also had other friends clean up litter, prayer-walk the downtown bar area, and even one who shared the gospel with a young man in a bar. Each of these friends might have been seen by the man in the video as partaking in the revelry, and I resent that judgment.
Jesus_Geek ~
The "truth" in any context can be as helpful as it can be damaging. "How do I look?" can be answered truthfully and that truth can be answered with "Great" (or something similar) or "Not good" (or something similar.
There is a way to communicate the spiritual truth to people that is much more receptive. "Cold" (uninvited) truth is rarely received well. These people in the video were not in any position to receive what these people had to say. They were "partying" and that is not going to generate a receptive audience.
They would receive a professor trying to tell them about a class the student was enrolled in as well as these people "preaching" at them...that is also a problem, because they were preaching AT them.
I like the fact you talked about a situation that came to your college. That makes the situation "not staged" and that it goes on in places.
Alcohol is an easy "drug" to access. Plus, it has a "legal-ness" to those 21 and over. Where most drugs are never legal.
There is something positive about a Christian being in a non-Christian environment. Though there is some warning about becoming involved the the "worldly" activities around them. However, SHOWING truth (i.e. prayer walking, picking up litter, etc.) can be more receptive to the spiritual truth.
Thanks again for sharing, I enjoyed reading about your experiences!
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