Getting Saved?
I posted a week or so ago about the meth lab across the street. As I have talked to some of my friends, they have said, "Too bad you couldn't have gotten him saved." I have also heard comments like, "You can bet if he had been saved, he would not have done that." The next question, "Are you trying to get the family saved?"
I have grown up as an evangelical. I have had some of the greatest spiritual moments in my life come out of this tradition. I have also had some of the greatest guilt trips of my life laid on me by my friends, who wanted to get me "saved." I do believe that people need to be transformed by the grace of our Lord. As noted, a few posts back, I am wondering if our definition of getting saved is really what it needs to be.
So, where does that leave me? I am struggling these days with living a life that is authentic as a Christian. While wanting people to love our Lord and be His disciple, I am thinking that my relationships ought to be about more than getting them saved. I don't need a notch in my evangelism belt. This overwhelming desire to "get people saved" seems to be more a conquest than an actual concern for a soul. The Kingdom, to me as Jesus explained it and lived it, was not about conquest.
I want to build relationships with no expectation. I want to love people just because they are loveable in the eyes of God. Am I concerned about their souls? Yes.
There is so much more to our lives than being saved. Salvation is not necessarily the answer for poverty. There are many saved people living in poverty. Salvation is not necessarily the answer for our environment. There are plenty of people who claim to be saved who pollute and have a huge carbon footprint.
Does that make salvation unimportant? No. What I am thinking these days is that we ought to think less about building relationships for the purpose of people getting saved and more about loving people as God did and sacrificing for them like He did. If they get saved, then it is really up to God working through us.
So am I wrong? Should I be about getting people saved? Should I be about working on the relationships that God has intended so that somehow, there might be transformation?
I have been somewhat vague so as to stir some dialogue. So with all my posts, I want to know,
What do you think?
I have grown up as an evangelical. I have had some of the greatest spiritual moments in my life come out of this tradition. I have also had some of the greatest guilt trips of my life laid on me by my friends, who wanted to get me "saved." I do believe that people need to be transformed by the grace of our Lord. As noted, a few posts back, I am wondering if our definition of getting saved is really what it needs to be.
So, where does that leave me? I am struggling these days with living a life that is authentic as a Christian. While wanting people to love our Lord and be His disciple, I am thinking that my relationships ought to be about more than getting them saved. I don't need a notch in my evangelism belt. This overwhelming desire to "get people saved" seems to be more a conquest than an actual concern for a soul. The Kingdom, to me as Jesus explained it and lived it, was not about conquest.
I want to build relationships with no expectation. I want to love people just because they are loveable in the eyes of God. Am I concerned about their souls? Yes.
There is so much more to our lives than being saved. Salvation is not necessarily the answer for poverty. There are many saved people living in poverty. Salvation is not necessarily the answer for our environment. There are plenty of people who claim to be saved who pollute and have a huge carbon footprint.
Does that make salvation unimportant? No. What I am thinking these days is that we ought to think less about building relationships for the purpose of people getting saved and more about loving people as God did and sacrificing for them like He did. If they get saved, then it is really up to God working through us.
So am I wrong? Should I be about getting people saved? Should I be about working on the relationships that God has intended so that somehow, there might be transformation?
I have been somewhat vague so as to stir some dialogue. So with all my posts, I want to know,
What do you think?
posted by Larry at 8:01 PM
17 Comments:
I could not agree more. We should be building relationships with people in all aspects of our ministry (Ad board, community, neighbors, corps members, etc.) The relationships should be built because we love as Jesus did. Then we allow God to use us as He chooses. People that have a relational ministry sometimes spend years builing a relationship with an individual beofore they get "saved"
Rick
To some, "I couldn't keep a job as an officer having 8 appointments in 8 years." Who knows how many people became "saved?" Perhaps I might've planted those seeds and someone else cultivated them?
Wherever I lived during that time I knew my neighbors.
Andre
rick,
thanks for weighing in. i guess my issue is with those who build relationship, just to get people saved. while salvation is the hoped for and prayed for outcome, isn't it somewhat shallow to not love for the sake of loving.
exactly thats what I'm saying! We should build relationships for relationship sake, and let God do the rest. It all reminds me of the "who's our neighbor" bit. It is what Jesus told us to focua on, loving God, and our neighbor.
as I read your post today, I could feel my heart beating stronger within my chest. Somehow, the truth of loving people for the sake of love and allowing God to do the rest through that love rings truest in me. I think perhaps that to really love each other is what being saved really and truly is.
In a sense I agree with Jeff. I’ve come to believe that “salvation” encompasses more than just an eternal salvation from hell. As I’ve been writing about lately, we seem to have whittled out much of what Jesus seemed to be talking about when he discussed “The Good News”.
That said, I do believe in balance and find that, from one cultural shift to the next (whether it be a major or minor shift), we seem to jump for one extreme to another. With that in mind, I wonder if our grandchildren (or possibly their grandchildren?) will wonder how we could have possibly spent time building relationships with non-believers without the ultimate goal of introducing them to Christ.
I love because I call myself a Christian. I spend time trying to do my part in fighting injustice because I’m starting to believe that God’s plan really is to build His kingdom here on earth. I’m trying to learn how to be a better care taker of this planet because I believe that God entrusted it to me and that all of my environmental choices affect somebody else’s ability to live in the kind of environment that God intended for them. And my goal is always to introduce people to Christ and HIS Good News through all of the above actions. Without that, wouldn’t we have just shifted to the other extreme? Just as a salvation that only deals with eternity comes up short, a salvation that only deals with the here and now comes up as equally short.
Jumping to the opposite extreme is a bad reaction to somebody else’s extreme choices. Surely there’s a wiser way to live?
I like this post. Personally, I love my unsaved friends for who they are. I haven't ever pressed upon them being saved and I didn't become their friends to get them saved. But I think and hope that the way I live my life shows them Jesus. Sure I have invited them to special Christmas events at my corps but did I say you need to be saved if you don't you are going to hell?..no! I think I make a bigger impact on their life by loving them even though we don't agree on many things rather then pressing religion on them and losing them as a friend.
I don't know if any of that made sense. I hope it did.
allison,
:-)
I agree with you, Larry. Our relationships with people have a starting place and it relies upon getting to know them. Knowing someone's schedule (Works nights, don't call until after 3) or their pet's names (Eeny, Meeny, Miny and Moe)or in which war they served their country in the military line of duty - these are not trivial pieces of information. These are the morter for the bulding blocks which will construct our connection with them. If we cannot ever remember the name of their wife, we have showed them that their personal information is meaningless to us.
Building relationships includes God's activity and God works through the vessels, the relationships, which are present. If we have a vessel we have neglected or carelessly constructed, we do not bring honor to the person we "care" about and we do not bring honor to God.
God will do His work and His divine activity of salvation will happen - but we have robbed ourselves completely of a deep blessing if we have not found ourselves within a deeper connection, a deeper knowing of these new friends, new relationships.
so as i read some of these responses, i am wondering if people are thinking that heaven is not really important.
maybe i really stirred things up...
OH gosh Major. You love this! haha.. Heaven IS important. But how are you going to help get someone there if you don't have a relationship with them first? Relationships are key into leading someone to Christ.
Allison,
If heaven is important does that make salvation more about me and less about living life abundantly here? Does that mean we just shoot for a reward instead of bringing the Kingdom to earth?
the people I am thinking about right now, friends, are so put off by the are you saved line, it is impossible to talk to them about it. So I have to just be real with them, and trust God to supply the right moment to talk to them on that level. Have you ever tried telling a non believer they were going to hell and being able to continue the conversation from there? Jesus and the disciples had a tangible power of the holy spirit to back up what they said about God. I know I can't call up miracles when I share. Can anyone else out there? All we seem to have is our words. And in this day and age, talk is cheap. So relationships become more important because it shows people you really care about them. That is the best way into someone elses life. If I truly live in a Christ like way, they will come to me. I hope that doesn't sound like a cop out. I'm really seaching for the right answer in this....I appreciate this post perhaps above all the rest. I hope people continue to comment.
Heaven is important, but an eternity of worship and communion with God starts at conversion. Living abundantly, or being 'saved' means that we will love people around us. I believe that this means intentionally building deep relationships. And out of those relationships, Christ should shine off of us.
Colossians 4, baby! Make the most of every opportunity. The lost need saved, but that cannot be the basis for our love. Love must be the basis for love, otherwise its not.
or,
Have you ever seen the mime where the boyfriend didn't tell the girlfriend about Jesus and they die, and get to talk to each other? I think that sums it all up. . .
I agree with Sean.
You make me think too much major!! :)
I think there is a bit of confusion between being “saved” (i.e. going to heaven when you die) and entering the “Kingdom.” There is a difference.
For example, Israel was delivered (saved) out of Egypt. But it’s at Sinai that they enter the Kingdom when they pledge: "We will do everything the LORD has said." (Ex 19:8)
If Israel had said, “No . . . I don’t want to go to Sinai . . . I want to go my own way,” would they be any less delivered from Egypt? Would the lamb have died for nothing?
And too, with the Rich Young Ruler . . . He wants “Eternal Life” . . . what’s Jesus’ answer? “Obey the commandments.” Jesus answered this way because to a first century Jew, “Eternal life” was not necessarily an extension of life, but rather a dimension of life- a “full life” that can only be obtained through obedience to God.
And so it is with us . . . This is why discipleship is so important.
When Israel yielded to God He gave them the Torah and taught them how to live in oneness with himself. When Jesus came, he did what his father did — he taught his followers how to live. He then commanded his followers to do the same.
I see a big difference between being “saved” and living in the Kingdom.
Great post!
Blessings,
Thanks Bret. You have nailed it.
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