Ministry News

When Christians Do 'Fascinating Things'

Details: Friday, 24 July 2009 09:14

QUOTE: "Given the demographics, dominant status is not a 'problem' that's going to afflict Portland's evangelicals anytime soon. That's hardly stopping them from doing what has always served Christianity best. Shane Claiborne, a Christian activist based in Philadelphia, described it this way when he came to speak in Portland earlier this year. The best way for Christians to make people know about Jesus, Claiborne declared, is by 'doing fascinating things.' That's clearly what's happening here in 'Jesus' favorite city.' And more and more of the nonevangelical rest of us are becoming fascinated. —Portland, Ore.-based writer and USA Today columnist Tom Krattenmaker, on the noticeable shift in how Christians in his city are perceived. Through such initiatives as the "Season of Service," which brought together more than 500 area churches to serve the community through various means, Portland's believers are becoming known for their "show, don't tell" approach to sharing Christ and their partnerships with unlikely camps (including Portland's gay, liberal mayor, Sam Adams). " Although Portland is hardly the only place where evangelical Christianity is evolving (and making new friends in the process), there is little doubt that evangelicals here are on the front end of a deep-change trend that is taking Christianity into its new future," Krattenmaker writes. "What's especially interesting is the 'why?'—the strong likelihood that Christianity's best face is showing up here in the unchurched mecca not in spite of the city's secularism and skepticism, but because of them." [usatoday.com, 7/20/09]

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Comments

0 #11 Jason Jeffery 2009-07-31 08:54

One of my favourite verses of Scripture "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17. Praise the Lord for the word of Christ! :lol:

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0 #10 sgthappyg 2009-07-31 05:39

Preach the Gospel, but use words only as a last resort!! :-)

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0 #9 Phil Miglioratti 2009-07-31 02:43

I appreciate your clarification ... We all need a balance of scriptural truth ...

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0 #8 Jason Jeffery 2009-07-30 20:46

I agree, Christians definitely need to go out into the world and demonstrate the love of God by coming alongside the unsaved and living out the Gospel. This will open them up to hear the Gospel then being spoken. But sadly too many ministries involved I've come across never get as far as speaking the Gospel of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ once that point has been reached. By the way, please understand when I say the Gospel of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ I don't mean telling them to 'repent' with the first words we speak, I preach to them why the need a saviour by using the Scriptures in the right context by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Cross of Jesus then allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work of convicting them of their need of repentance and faith in Jesus.

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0 #7 Phil Miglioratti 2009-07-30 02:36

The content of the Gospel never changes but the context always does. Each encounter is unique and must be Spirit-led. Watch Jesus; he does fascinating things all the time to disarm sinners BEFORE he calls them to repent. He heals, he loves, he speaks respectfully to outcasts. Paul, told the jailer to believe AFTER the jailer asked him.

When the fist words out of our mouth are "repent, you sinner!" we may be speaking truth but it is devoid of love; love as perceived by the sinner. Our goal should be to woo the person toward the truth so that when they hear it they are ready, willing and able to respond.

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0 #6 Jason Jeffery 2009-07-30 01:23

Quote " The best way for Christians to make people know about Jesus, Claiborne declared, is by 'doing fascinating things."

What?!? That is a dangerous statement indeed! Doing fascinating things might be a way people can know Jesus but Jesus doesn't want people to know Him (even Satan knows about Him!) BUT people to OBEY Him! Preaching the Gospel of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the BEST way of winning people to Christ and making faithful disciples.

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0 #5 PaulBaker 2009-07-25 09:37

The Christian community can take lessons from the believers of the great state of Oregon. This is how you confront sin: with love, not anger or predjudice, as the church has been accustomed to.

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+1 #4 Lurlene Madsen 2009-07-25 06:06

Kudos to Portland's Evangelicals!!! They "get it". Sharing the Gospel Message means we "go" out there. We actively pursue being Relevant and Innovative. We work at Being Fresh as we join hands and reach across boundaries with the Love of Christ and the power of God's Word. No matter the differences. No matter the ethnicity, sexual orientation, profession, or any other economic/social/cultural/denom inational differences. Like it or not this is an MTV, microwave society. Fascinating. Relevant. Innovative. While ministering to the Whole Person: mental, physical, spiritual. Portland's Evangelicals are reaching people for the Lord and getting good press. Let's be honest, good press for Christians, for Christ, is hard to come by in today's atmosphere.

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+2 #3 Roy Proctor 2009-07-25 02:57

I agree that we must physically help those that are in physical need. But we need to understand that many ministires of the past started out with amazing miracles occuring as in the book of Act. But over the years, many of them have become watered down to where they are nothing but social agencies.

So, unless you provide the full gospel to everyone, we are in danger of becoming just another social agencey.

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+1 #2 Phil Miglioratti 2009-07-24 09:31

Bravo!

God's Spirit is at work in many cities, including the 17 who are walking together in Loving Our Communities to Christ. An increase of collaborative praying, caring and sharing of the Good News of Christ is touching and transforming people's lives.

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