Rob Bell says in his book “Velvet Elvis” on page 87:
Missions is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means teaching people to use their eyes to see things that have always been there; they just didn’t realize it. You see God where others don’t. And then you point him out.
If I were to add the words “The beginning of” to the beginning of this quote, I could not agree more. Many have stated that we live in “post-Christian age.” At the very least, it is true that we live in an age where the majority of people do not live out their lives within the context of a biblical world view.
That being said, we must begin our outreach with first article truth. (For those to whom that terminology is foreign, I simply mean the truth exposed in the first part of the Apostle’s Creed which speaks of God the Father) That is to say that we must first convince people that there is a God to deal with before we go on to speak of who that God is. I think this is the point that Bell is making also, and that reminder is well received. I only add the words to his quote to point out that is witness never goes beyond the talk about God the Father, Creator, to God the Son, Savior, is not true Christian witness and does not ultimately do any good that leads to salvation. True saving faith recognizes not only there is a God, but what he has done in Christ Jesus.
Lutherans, and perhaps all Christians, are all too anxious to get to talking about Jesus. And that is only natural. The truth about Him is what defines our lives and brings to us our assurance of our salvation. But we must remember that we must invite people into our world view before we can introduce them to the one who gives it life. They must come to see the creating God all around them before they can understand the saving God seeking them out through his Word.
The great advantage is that all people do know deep down that a God exists. Some may have suppressed that knowledge so deep that they can no longer acknowledge it, but it is true. As God revealed in word written by Paul, “For what can be known about God is plain to them (all people), because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. ” As Rob bell suggest we must excavate the knowledge laying deep inside of them by pointing out his eternal power and divine nature wherever our eyes of faith find it.
In an age where a Christian world view was a collective possession, first article truth was assumed and emphasis immediately could be given to the second article truth. We do live in such a world.
Interesting that you’re reading (have read?) Velvet Elvis. I took issue with several things in the book, but I appreciated the general message.
Have you read “Irresistible Revolution”? That would be an interesting one to discuss with you sometime.
In the interest of full disclosure, Tom gave me this book to read due to a small wager. 🙂 I have troubles with much of it as well, but this point was well made. I am still reading.
Tell me about “Irresistible Revolution.”
Irresistable Revolution… the guy (Shane) wanted to find Christians who really lived out the bible. He thought of Jesus (dead), MLK (dead), and Mother Teresa (still alive at the time). So, he went and worked in a leper colony in India for awhile. Now, he has sold everything he owned and lives in one of the poorest areas of Philadelphia, working for the poor. While I don’t agree with *everything* in the book, either (common theme when Jaime reads), the Shane guy really challenges me with a lot of his thoughts and statements. I read it shortly after my Haiti trip and Jason jokingly banned it in the house when I suggested selling half of our stuff (we have two tables, two beds, two televisions, etc). 🙂