Walk with God
The implication is that we come to God to find solutions to our problems ... what do you think? Leave a comment ...
posted by Robin at 1:43 PM
Monday, May 16, 2005
The implication is that we come to God to find solutions to our problems ... what do you think? Leave a comment ...
6 Comments:
This all depends on how you take the sign. For me, I think of it in terms of my relationship with Christ--my desire to walk with God (not the reason I walk with Him, but the desire that fuels it) comes from a desire to be satisfied in Him (not in His gifts, but in Him) and He will fulfill that desire because it is impossible for Him not too because He is all-satisfying. There is nothing greater than Him, therefore, if He does not satisfy, nothing can, but the good news is that He does satisfy. If you look at the sign as indicating that we walk with God so He'll solve our problems, then, yes, there are some problems with that idea, but honestly, if you are truly walking with God, this is not your motivation.
Church signs are meant to be read by people who do not go to church and/or are not believers. So I just think this sign is funny because it implies that Christians come to Christ or the church in order to get solutions to their problems (including their fear of an unpleasant, ultimate destination). No one believes that, er... I guess those who watch the Trinity Network ... but even a casual reader of the Scriptures understands that many believers have, and presently do, suffer greatly for their faith. And unbelievers who hear such nonsense rightly scoff at those gullible Christians since it is obvious that Christians get sick, lose their jobs, etc.
Having said that I agree with you that believers will not be motivated by what they can get from God. But would you agree that poorly taught believers may needlessly suffer when they fail to become richer or healthier after they become Christians?
It would be so much nicer and nobler to be able to say, "Yes, I came to God having discovered His exceeding virtues were alone worthy of all my devotion- and having thus seen them- I discover that my own problems are inconsequencial or trivial."
But humans are not nearly so noble. In fact, we weren't made to be such proud things at all. God made us to have profound needs and from the beginning, God intended to be the answer to such needs. The signs' implication is quite appropriate.
I think Jesus recognized that many of those 'disciples' who followed him because he fed and healed them were not true disciples ... when Jesus said 'hard' things didn't they leave him? They were looking to solutions to their physical problems and when Jesus started talking about his Father and the Kingdom of God we see they were not really interested in knowing God.
You've made a straw man ... no believer would say they came to God having discovered His exceeding virtues were alone worthy of all my devotion- and having thus seen them- I discover that my own problems are inconsequential or trivial
All I am saying is that for a church to appeal to 'felt needs' is a manipulation ... conversion comes from the Holy Spirit changing a persons desires so that they will gladly come to Christ. Conversion is a work of God's grace - from beginning to end!
Well, man cannot walk with God unless God grants that man the grace he needs to do so. Once God grants that grace, man's end--his destination--becomes re-oriented towards the ultimate good that God Himself is. God is thus glorified.
I think you guys all Just think way too hard it's a sign it has nothing to do with what the man of God is speaking behind the pulpet, God gives us witty inventions to bring people that would not normally want to come into a church, that is where the real work begins, he said that we shold be fishers of men how can we do that if we are so stuck on using the same bait all the time.
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