Let me start out by saying this is not aimed at you, the reader. I'm trying to sort out thoughts here and you get the privilege (?) of watching it happen.
I recently talked to a fellow believer who was convinced from Scripture that it was God's will that every Christian speak in tongues and prophesy. Every Christian. Both gifts. In fact, he was pretty sure that it was God's will that all Christians have all the spiritual gifts. Now "convinced" refers to "the state of being convinced" or "to be convicted." So it begs the question. If this friend is under the conviction that God wants all believers to have all spiritual gifts and quite clearly not only do not all Christians have all gifts, but many run from some of them, what is keeping this friend from standing on the courage of his convictions? Why is he not on a personal crusade to get all Christians to have these gifts?
Here's the idea. I'm not talking about the particulars of his convictions. It goes more like this. "I believe that God wants A." Okay, so far. But God is the authority in this existence (as if there's another one, right?), so if God wants A, it would seem best if we would pursue A. Now if A is something that God wants for everyone and if we are convinced that what God wants for everyone (or anyone) is good and right and best, what does it say about us if we don't pursue it? It seems as if we could reasonably conclude that either we don't actually believe God wants A for everyone or we don't really care about everyone.
There are some pretty straightforward things that we might be able to fill in for that "A". I'll just pick an easy one. Does God desire that everyone be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4)? (I provided the reference for you there so you could easily answer the question.) Since God clearly desires that, it would seem as if every believer who 1) believes in God and 2) loves his neighbor would be doing everything in their power to see to it that everyone hears, that everyone is told, that everyone gets the opportunity -- preferably multiple opportunities -- to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Do we? I'll be honest. I don't. And that doesn't speak well of me. So the question is what holds us back from the acting confidently on what it is that we are convinced God wants?
I think there are several things. Obvious ones include the blatant "Apparently we're not as convinced as we think we are" and "Apparently we don't love others as we should." In fact, at the top of the list one or both of those would have to be the case. But I think this fellow I talked to really is convinced and he does seem to care about others, so what else is going on here (on top of one or the other or both of the first two)? He expressed a concern when I asked him. "What will people think? How will they receive it?" Oh, yes, that's a big one. But why? I ask why because we're not talking here about your convictions regarding a border wall or taxing the rich or gun legislation. We're talking here about what God wants. It is on one hand of utmost importance (since God is of utmost importance) and on the other hand it is wanted by God so it is supported by God. Shouldn't that empower and encourage us to stand and act on our convictions? Or is "God is sovereign" not one of the convictions we hold?
I have to think about this. If I am truly convinced that God wants A, either for me or for others, and I love me and/or others, what is preventing me from pursuing A for me or for others? Is it a lack of conviction or a lack of love? Am I questioning God? Is God not able? There are very few answers here that do not reflect badly on me. I just thought I'd share the pain. Because frankly I know very, very few believers who hold such convictions and act on them without regard for the consequences. You may be the exception, I suppose. I'm not.
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