If you will indulge me for a moment this is the purpose of this space. To process thoughts.
We are in the final stages of producing “Rescued” John’s fiction work in audio theatre. It has been brought up that one of the characters didn’t say the words of repentance in the moments before she died and yet she goes to heaven in the end. The worry is that we are going lightly on her sin and we are portraying something that is not scriptural.
Why have we as evangelicals placed so much emphasis on “praying the prayer” or saying the right “words”? Are words magical? Can we miss heaven by not saying the right “words”? Is God really concerned about the right verbiage?
Jesus never taught us to pray a specific prayer for salvation. He always talked about the condition of the heart. As a matter of fact the bible talks about saying the right things and having a heart that is far from God in Isaiah.
I know a number of people who can’t point to a specific date and place that they came into relationship with God. I can promise you however that they are walking with God. The fruit is nice and sweet.
What happened that we are so concerned about words and appearances, I’m not talking about judging fruit, just what things look like. Now see I already hear some of you going literal on me. “we should avoid the perception of impropriety”. That is not what I am talking about. We are so concerned about what people will say or what our actions may look like that we don’t repent, we don’t speak the truth in love.
I have told many people not to ever sacrifice my future on the alter of my feelings. Why are we so concerned with how someone may feel today rather than where they will spend eternity or even how they will spend the rest of their lives. Would you rather have someone not speak the truth in love to point out that your thinking or your actions may be flawed and have you damage other relationships and not be able to live a fruitful life?
We must first examine the log in our own eye so that we can speak the truth in love when it is necessary without our own logs getting in the way. Jesus never spared someone’s feelings. Think of the rich young ruler, the Syro-Phoenician woman in Luke 7, what about Peter? “get thee behind me satan”. The enemy has crippled us with worrying about how imperfect we are and rendering us impotent at speaking the truth in love.
Examine the log in your eye and deal with it and then get with God and walk in His love so we can speak the truth when needed. Let’s not be so concerned with the right word or appearance and start being concerned with eternity.
What do you think?
