In this summary of the series, consider:
Christians have generally taken side-door, back-door approaches to witnessing: designing worship services to attract and convince the lost. That approach more masks God’s glory from unbelievers than revealing his glory in Christians. God hasn’t left us that alternative. Our worship services, and any community outreach, may be the public face of the church, but only Christians remain the public face of Christ. God isn’t concerned that the unsaved will reject his call. That is, after all, possible. He is concerned that the saved will fail to be Christ-like, for that’s our calling and obligation. If we want God to convert the world, he must begin with individuals; and if we want him to convert individuals he must begin with US. For the renewal of the world begins after judgment falls on the church. And since we must speak to the age for God, not to God for the age, we must learn that we’re called to live UP TO our faith, but not just to LIVE IT UP as if we had no purpose but to exist. While the word Christian has a single meaning, remember that Emerson said language is like a ferry boat, not like a house. It offers a conveyance for ideas but not a place for them to live. I’m quite sure he didn’t realize the terrific spiritual truth in his statement, for it MEANS that language needs substance that experience alone grants. Not even the word Christian, then, can be exhausted by claiming it. It has to be lived. That’s why John 1:14 said, after saying the Word was with God, the Word was God, the Word created, the Word overcame darkness…John said the WORD became flesh and lived…and we have SEEN his glory. The very glory the lost must see in us. Jesus who took on his flesh, now takes over ours—with the same purpose…to show God’s beauty as the means of removing the veil of unbelief in the unsaved. That’s the challenge to Christians: if we claim the name Christian to vow to ourselves: “This week I’m going to be like Jesus!” Committing to this Christ-likeness will: drive us to the Bible for instruction and to our knees for inspiration. It will certainly multiply conversions from our witness. Fini
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