Once you're saved, you don't matter anymore

[timf]

I have never come across a baptist church that is only interested in getting people saved.

Every Baptist church I have ever attended stresses "getting saved" to such an extent, I have thought suppose for a moment that everyone here is saved, is there like a step 2 in the Christian life.

I suspect that the emphasis on salvation is perhaps in part due to a poverty regarding what step 2 might be.

 

[com7fy8]

at the two Baptist churches

Each pastor, each member is different; so it won't be the same with everyone. It is good to get to know people, and share with the ones who do minister God's word and good example to you. These can be in baptist churches, and others.

Now in the United States we have leaders making a big push to recruit people so we will stop the wrong things that are getting a lot of political attention. So, getting ones "saved" can translate into trying to get recruits for public activism for morality. And try to get already saved ones into more vocal activism. So, saving the country can be what it is about . . . keeping the "Christian" ways going.

Of course, those ways have been around for quite a while. And they have not kept the wrong stuff from showing up like we see now. All along, there has been preaching against the sins being fought over now. "Christianity" has not stopped us from seeing what we see now. So . . . taking people back . . . to what did not stop this from happening . . . might not work.

Getting more Christians to act like they have type-A outspoken personalities . . . then . . . is not what will work. I now suppose there are "called" type A's who can fill even very large churches; but such have been around for quite a while; and now type A not-Christian ones are getting more active for things they want. And *their* things were around when I was a kid in the 1950's . . . by the way; but they were not getting the kind of attention we see now. "Christian" culture did not stop that stuff, back then.

And so . . . more outspoken and more political church culture "might" not stop it now.

So . . . what has Jesus been doing, all along? Jesus has personally taken care of His sheep, and has been maturing us in how to do what really works >

prayer

personal example

generous forgiving

doing what God has us do, and God brings His all-loving results with whatsoever He has us doing

This gets people saved and maturing in how to be submissive to God and how to relate in His love. And this spreads to make others the same way.

So, just jumping on the end-products of what's happening in Satan's kingdom is not enough. What we see in public is the products. We need to deal with the things that help kids to get started, so they learn how to love, at home. And then they know how to love so they don't move on to that stuff.

 

[Fervent]

The fault largely lies in an over-emphasis on justification as if it were the whole of salvation. When the only thing that matters is getting that one-time decision, there's nothing left for the church to do as far as discipleship goes. When sanctification and glorification become optional extravagences, they cease to matter and discipleship becomes empty. There's no reason to put any focus on those who are already in the church, because they've had their balance shift.

 

[com7fy8]

Still Waiting

Not only waiting > but we need to be >

doing what God has us do, and God brings His all-loving results with whatsoever He has us doing

With Jesus, we are about being all-loving. So, there is always something for us to do.

And if you keep doing what God has you do . . . this can connect you with someone who is doing what you are doing.

One thing that helps, I think, is to prepare in prayer to love each and every person. This way, you are ready for love. Even if ones do not want you and do not love you, you are ready, so when you do share with someone else who is genuinely loving you are ready. And then, in God's way of marriage, you keep on being all-loving though while sharing so tenderly with the one you belong with.

"if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" (in Mathew 5:46)

Because ones have married in not an all-loving way, they have turned out to be deeply weak so they can give in to fighting and frustration and unforgiveness and deep weariness of boredom and loneliness. So, we need to be strong in God's all-loving love. And with Him our Creator we can be creative, no matter how even our own companion might do things. Instead of struggling, be snuggling with our good example to encourage each other.

 

[Sabertooth]

Different churches have different emphases. Read Romans 12:4-8 .
Baptist churches like the one I got Saved at are the "kindergarten" of Christendom. That is what they do and they do it well.
Next-level churches (like Vineyard, Assembly of God & Foursquare Church) build on that.

 

[com7fy8]

an over-emphasis on justification

To me, it seems there is "justification" that is "imputed". This means you trust in Jesus and God "declares" you to be righteous. Well, this does happen > it is like if you have been on a losing high school football team, but then you become a water person on a Super Bowl championship team. You gain the standing of your championship team, just by joining. Like this, when a person first trusts in Jesus, yes we become part of God's kingdom with His righteousness and Jesus Christ's "track record" now as our background history >

"old things have passed away" > in 2 Corinthians 5:17.

But then the water server needs to grow and develop in relating with the coach and players and other servers. And this brings right standing which is more than what comes just with membership. And, like this, in Jesus we need to grow . . . in God's love, how the grace of this love has us submissively sharing with God and sharing as family with one another while the grace of God's love keeps curing and maturing our character so we become more and more gentle and humble and all-loving like Jesus.