Twelve stumbling blocks, part eight: triumphalism and authenticity
- In the New Testament do we see triumphant, conquest-style posturing in the spreading of the good news?
Numbers eleven and twelve: triumphalism — prayers about 'taking cities back for God' sound like conquest, and the hosts contrast 'we're gonna tear this town up for Jesus' with 'I've been praying that Jesus tears this town up,' since Jesus wins by dying and you can't do anything anyway. Twelve: no community and authenticity — people crave real belonging, not program-based Christianity. Listener additions round out the list: be authentic and transparent; push back on individualistic consumer church culture ('the whole place ain't tuned to you'); organization itself isn't bad — Paul went where people were already organized — but don't take the Holy Spirit out of it; and resist the gamification of faith, where classes become achievement badges instead of a rich introduction to Yahweh.
More on Community
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Do accountability partners actually work?
- Do accountability partners actually do anything?
Mike raises his accountability-partners question: the standard dude-circle advice to get a buddy to hold you accountable for Bible reading, porn, church attendance, and drinking.
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers
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Dear LFTP 2: the neighbors' piling newspapers
- Dear LFTP: at what point can we pick up our out-of-town neighbors' piling newspapers and recycle them?
Mike reads the second letter: new neighbors have been out of town for weeks and their newspapers are piling up — at what point may the writer recycle them?
From No. 595 · Trust But Verify
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Local pastors, mutual refinement, and the 'pods' joke
- What word comes after "community"?
The best pastor for you is the person in your life who can look you in the eyeballs; walk into every room expecting the other person might refine you — that only works locally.
From No. 590 · Theodore Franco
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Dear LFTP: Martha, John, and Jerry
- How should a woman in love with her ex's brother tell friends, family, and his parents?
A host reads the first Dear LFTP letter: Martha dated John for two years, then he kept living with her six months after the breakup; John is an emotionally and verbally abusive alcoholic who burned every bridge.
From No. 584 · When Vanek Was Here | Cambodia Testimony, Church Mission, Josiah Queen