Leading people to a more intimate friendship with God
“One of the most challenging tasks of leading a culture of acceptance is determining how to provide acceptance yet also confront unloving or destructive behaviors. Part of the solution is taking a ‘process’ view of growth. All people are in process, and if they are willing, God is going to be gently cleaning the mud …
“Creating a culture of dialogue does not mean you never confront wrongdoing or challenge people with truth. It means you respect the will and opinions of the other person, you seek to listen as much as you speak, and you encourage where you see the work of God’s Spirit. And at times, when you sense …
“How many people have the stereotype that Christians ‘love’ them only if we sense we can get them to be like us or believe what we believe? When a culture of dialogue gets created, people far from God who do not typically trust Christians feel safe enough to hang out and explore… A culture of …
“According to Scripture, the church is to function like family. We are to be that supportive community, that extended family to one another. We have a tremendous opportunity to teach people how to live in healing, life-giving relationships with one another. No one else in society can better meet this need. I find it awe-inspiring …
“Honestly, I don’t think most people consider loving God a net gain in life. But if you ask them, ‘How would you like to experience such confidence that you almost never felt insecure? How would you like to have moments of feeling so loved by God you couldn’t contain it? How would you like to …
“Try to see all people as a work in process. God is seeking to do his work in all of our lives, and none of us are fully compliant. Those who don’t know Christ as Lord have not responded to the first decision of trust — to trust him for forgiveness and relationship. But this …
“Even though Jesus had all the answers, he still respected and valued the opinions and free will of others. He often asked questions to get people to search rather than just telling the answer. He taught in parables to pique spiritual curiosity of those truly seeking. Though he proclaimed truth with authority, he did not …
“Culture creation that allows dialogue requires immense trust in God. It requires letting go of the need to fix, change, or control others’ beliefs or actions. It requires trusting that God’s Spirit can work behind the scenes in people’s hearts as we create a culture where they are free to question, doubt, and explore faith …
“I find our generation [i.e., the young people of the post-modern or emerging generation] incredibly open to spiritual truth and dialogue, but they have grown up in a world of competing beliefs. People just check out when they feel that Christians are arrogant and unwilling to consider the ‘truth’ claims of others as well. But …
“If you saw a Rembrandt covered in mud, you wouldn’t focus on the mud or treat it like mud. Your primary concern would not be the mud at all — though it would need to be removed. You’d be ecstatic to have something so valuable in your care. But if you tried to clean it …