Highest calling?

Christian ethics and theology with an Anabaptist perspective
Judas Maccabeus
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Re: Highest calling?

Post by Judas Maccabeus »

cmbl wrote:
Paul wrote:The leader, Florens van der Spek already made national television proclaiming Jesus as Lord, impressively handling the mockery and pointing to Jesus as God, and telling everyone we need Him for every aspect of our lives etc. and today in the newspaper he commented like this "Evangelism is the highest calling of a Christian. This also goes for politics.
I'm not aware of the place in the NT where it says that Evangelism is the highest calling of a Christian. I do know that Jesus regularly said "Follow me." I suppose that I should then say that following Jesus is the highest calling of a Christian. Part of following Jesus includes evangelism. Which is not the same thing as saying that Evangelism is the highest calling.

A personal reflection: Recently I stopped attending an evangelical Protestant campus ministry because I am not interested in living how the young men there live. In a later conversation with one of the men, he suggested that I consider how the organization needs people to spread the Gospel, regardless of how they are living. I think that way of thinking and living is the outcome of making Evangelism into our highest calling.
Likely some of them are never rightly saved to begin with.

I came up in college through Campus Crusade, now called CRU. Our mantra was "get to law four at all costs." When people prayed with us, as frequently as not, nothing happened. It was regarded as a sure success if they joined us, got into an action group, and started sharing too. Nobody cared about anything else, like if they were sleeping with their girlfriend or still going to parties....in fact we were told to try to get to know the "Greeks" athletes and student government people, since if we "won them to Christ" they would be more influential. The highest value was whatever made the movement larger and more visible. Church attendance was mentioned.....once, and never really encouraged.

What a farce! Most of my friends from that group did nothing after college, and never integrated into churches. It was more like joining a political party than a transformation into the Kingdom of God.

Blessings,

J.M.
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Robert
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Re: Highest calling?

Post by Robert »

[bible]john 13,34-35[/bible]
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KingdomBuilder
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Re: Highest calling?

Post by KingdomBuilder »

Judas Maccabeus wrote:Likely some of them are never rightly saved to begin with.

I came up in college through Campus Crusade, now called CRU. Our mantra was "get to law four at all costs." When people prayed with us, as frequently as not, nothing happened. It was regarded as a sure success if they joined us, got into an action group, and started sharing too. Nobody cared about anything else, like if they were sleeping with their girlfriend or still going to parties....in fact we were told to try to get to know the "Greeks" athletes and student government people, since if we "won them to Christ" they would be more influential. The highest value was whatever made the movement larger and more visible. Church attendance was mentioned.....once, and never really encouraged.

What a farce! Most of my friends from that group did nothing after college, and never integrated into churches. It was more like joining a political party than a transformation into the Kingdom of God.

Blessings,

J.M.
Sounds common for a lot of campus "ministries", sadly.
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Bootstrap
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Re: Highest calling?

Post by Bootstrap »

KingdomBuilder wrote:Sounds common for a lot of campus "ministries", sadly.
I think InterVarsity is different that way, fwiw.
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Dan Z
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Re: Highest calling?

Post by Dan Z »

If you'd wake me up out of a deep sleep and ask me this highest calling question...

I would reply in one of two ways:
  • 1) To be like Jesus.

    2) To love God and Love others.
The first is who we are to aspire to be, the second is what we are to aspire to do.

Thus, evangelism is built into these things...as an invitation to follow Jesus.
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Re: Highest calling?

Post by MaxPC »

Dan Z wrote:If you'd wake me up out of a deep sleep and ask me this highest calling question...

I would reply in one of two ways:
  • 1) To be like Jesus.

    2) To love God and Love others.
The first is who we are to aspire to be, the second is what we are to aspire to do.

Thus, evangelism is built into these things...as an invitation to follow Jesus.
Spot on, well said, Dan.
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Paul
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Re: Highest calling?

Post by Paul »

Dan Z wrote:If you'd wake me up out of a deep sleep and ask me this highest calling question...

I would reply in one of two ways:
  • 1) To be like Jesus.

    2) To love God and Love others.
The first is who we are to aspire to be, the second is what we are to aspire to do.

Thus, evangelism is built into these things...as an invitation to follow Jesus.
Sure, but will be perfectly be like Jesus in this life? No, even the best of us are not as Holy as the Son of God in this life.

Will we then be able to love God and others to perfection in this life? Again no, even the best of us come short.

Should it be our greatest desire? Yes! Should we strive to enter in through narrow gate? Yes! But we need to realise that the call to be 'Holy as I am Holy' - which was the verse that convicted me of my own unholiness and sin when I was converted - is part of the message of the Gospel the Lord Jesus Christ called us to share with the world so people might be saved. The Apostles understood this, they did not set up monasteries, they went out to preach!

We will be like the Lord Jesus Christ when we die, we will perfectly love God and each other after we pass on, but we won't have the ability to share the Gospel with unbelievers anymore. That is a task that is reserved for this life, and that is the reason why we are here on earth and not up there in heaven. If we are truly living in holiness, and truly love God and our neighbour, what should be stopping us from obeying Gods call to proclaim the Gospel and share Jesus Christ? Except for fear of man, lack of knowledge, and holy-sounding excuses? It's not in any way justifiable to slack this duty even a little bit. And by the way, as Sudsy pointed out earlier, the Holy Spirit can overcome these weaknesses we all have with Gods power, which was manifest in the Apostles and many others since. I have been able to share Christ again today and pray together with someone dear to me for the grace of God in her life, perhaps this thread is having a positive effect on my own sharing of the Gospel aswell, lest I be a hypocrite ofcourse, so thank you guys and please pray for my friend to accept the Lord Jesus Christ in her life! :D
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Sudsy
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Re: Highest calling?

Post by Sudsy »

Interesting thread and I just lost a big thread I had just about completed. :yawn:

I will try to shorten it up and save it this time as I go. :oops:

I had written a number of examples of how we tend to cherry pick what it means to follow Jesus. None of us ever have or could in a most literal sense. I do agree with those who shared that evangelizing includes proclaiming the Gospel and teaching how to live out this new life (discipling).

In my experience with Anabaptists and other groups known more for their holiness (set apart) emphasis there is something that seems to me to be the main stumbling block to proclaiming the Gospel in words.

Open to other views on this but it seems to me that Anabaptists are still impacted by the early North American Anabaptists who were known as the "quiet in the land". In other words, we have escaped terrible persecutions, so don't stick your neck out but rather live as peacefully as you can with all men. However, this is not what Jesus following is all about. Jesus and the early church mingled with sinners where the sinners lived and got persecuted big time by the religious establishment. They did not back away from persecution and the Kingdom grew. They prayed for more boldness and empowerment and the Holy Spirit came along side them filling them with power and fruits of the Spirit. They boldly proclaimed the good news about the Kingdom.

In my Pentecostal background the stumbling block seems to me that feelings were dominant and if it doesn't feel good, don't do it. Being persecuted doesn't feel too good if one is mainly about natural feelings but it is a great experience through the Spirit (i.e. Paul and Silas singing in prison) when we experience the Holy Spirit along side us through persecutions. The focus seemed more on what I feel in my own protected group.

Anyway, to cut this short, can I say I really care for those Jesus died for and came to save if I don't explain to them about the gift of eternal life ? This bothers me and yet not enough to be as bold as I need to be which means I am still too self centered and need more of Jesus working in me via the Holy Spirit.

Here is a quesion for all readers - When was the last time your talked to an unchurched person about Jesus ? Not your church or good deeds but Jesus. Who He was, what He has done to provide us with eternal life. I must admit, too long ago, for me. I need your prayers !
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Josh
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Re: Highest calling?

Post by Josh »

Part of sharing the gospel with words means making sure the hearer understands what you are saying. We are in a society with a lot of noise and a lot of false teachers. The average person aggressively sharing their faith, passing out tracts, going door to door, etc. is typically from a cult. People are simply shut off to listening to what strangers have to tell them about spiritual things.

Obedience and a visible lifestyle works well, and especially works to open the door for people to want to hear what you have to say. Sometimes it will take months or years, but it's a lot more effective than just adding to the noise.
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Valerie
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Re: Highest calling?

Post by Valerie »

When you come from Evangelical backgrounds, you remember 'from where you were fallen'. For me, I was so appreciative of those who shared with me their testimonies and Scriptures, and the Gospel- (good news!) and prayed for my conversion when I was a somewhat rebellious teen going the wrong direction. Of course we had no Anabaptists in my area to observe- but I am thankful for those who took this passage to heart:
Romans 10:
13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14How then can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”…
Personally, I think there is a difference between a calling and a lifestyle- I think following Jesus IS all about sharing the Gospel to people who are in sin, don't know the Bible, the unchurched, and are miserable inside without Jesus. Jesus came to save, so following Him, would be to have the same heart about the lost- we were accustomed to always praying for opportunities to share with people, and to see them through Jesus' eyes. It never occurred to me to live it only, I have always believed it means both live it (imperfectly, which is why Jesus died, it's about what HE did, more than what I do) and share it- we should have a burden for the lost as Christ did-and the Apostles did. I believe the passage 'they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another' is important- but that is not 'instead' of sharing the Gospel- they both are part of our calling.
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