Monday, August 22, 2005

OK, maybe I am slow...

...but something just occurred to me.

Most of my life, I have been a Christian and I have attended a Church of Christ. An unwritten guideline in the mainstream Church of Christ has been something like this...

One of the main purposes for bible study with those outside of the
Church of Christ is to ultimately "convert" them to be a part of the Church of Christ.


As a "Church of Christ-lifer", this made sense. We had it right, so this was right and good. Even though this was an unspoken guideline, there was a logical conclusion that most members made from this.

A bible study with someone outside the Church of Christ that did not have as a goal to "convert" the subject(s) or one where you knew the subject(s) were not open to the idea was a waste of time and even dangerous.

I bought into this! Probably one reason is that it was easy to do so. To open my mind and subject my own faith to scrutiny was dangerous and "...who knows what might happen?". My whole life, I have been afraid to open the Bible with others that are searching for the truth just like I am, all the while being "spoon-fed" my faith from the pulpit.

Maybe I am slow, and I just got this, but atleast I got it.

I pray that I will act on it.
"...Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:7-18