The Purpose Driven Life is over, time for reflection

Well, for the past 6 weeks, the church I work for has undertaken the task of doing the 40 Days of Purpose. I have never been gung ho about the process, but I chose to submit to the authority of the church and my bosses, and move the PDL into campus ministry, and also submissively joined a small group. For campus, I hate mainstream things, so my co-workers and I put together strong Bible studies around the "purposes" (in quotations because I believe we have the sole purpose to glorify God and enjoy him forever, not 5 separate purposes. Evangelism, discipleship, felloship, and ministry are all worship), and our student leaders took those studies to the small groups and led them, to my joy. Not only did we do the revised curriculum, we helped students learn how to study the Bible, not read random verses that "the Bible says" and believe it literally. To me, this was a much more fortitudinous method of teaching purpose.

Anyhow, my beautiful wife and I joined a group because we were asked. Now, by history, I am Baptist, and by belief, I am a Reformed, Dutch, Presbaptist (coinfused? So am I.). Through our group, which had a spectrum of generations, I often heard universalistic talk. I realized after reading the first 3 sections of the book, that Jesus isn't talked about very much. I thought initially that this book was causing people to know Christ, but I don't get that understanding. It is getting people to feel good, and be positive, but the fall is mentioned way to late, when people are pretty high on themselves. There is very little recognition of a need for a savior, which came out very clearly in the words of the members. But even through all of this, God is in control.

The main question in the evangelism talk was, "what does it mean to be born again?" Great question. Our group was full of assumptions. Problem #1, from where does the saying come? Matthew is the answer, but my wife and I are the only people who thought to look at the Bible. "Unless a man is born of water and the spirit, he will not enter the Kindom of Heaven." Pretty clear to me, but not to the people around me. They had all kinds of experiences with outspoken charismatics who said they were "born again," so their understanding of being born again, was based on experienc, not truth. I made it clear that I am born again, but don't speak in tongues or go into trances, and I don't know my rebirth date, like many of whom were spoken.

After this question, we moved to if someone doesn't hear the gospel, can they still get to heaven? What I thought the Bible was clear about was confession and belief being necessary, but apparently, not to the people in my group who were brought up in the church, and who read the purpose driven life.

What was outstanding about this experience and why do I know that God is in control? Well, we have 3 women who were raised Catholic and said that they had barely ever touched a Bible or heard it read. At the end of last night, I had one talking to me about the responsibility we have to share our faith and the knowledge of Christ with others, and another was quoting the scripture that she was supposed to memorize (and did, which is more than I can say for myself) as a part of this study, making connections between the necessity of the Gospel for salvation, and its connection to a way of life, not just little niceties.

Finally, God has opened a door for me to have more conversations with the woman who was adamantly pro-choice when it comes to Jesus, and the other two seem to have a much better grasp of the truth of Christ to the the conversational debate that was had between myself and the other woman.

And in all, Christ is glorified.

DEW

"sic transit gloria" - "glory fades" or does it?