Reflections on My Last Poll

Just so you guys don't think that I've forgotten to talk about the poll on salvation experiences, I wanted to say a quick word. The poll was almost uniform in the number of people who said that they had had a salvation-type experience as a child that they did not consider to be their true saving entrance into a relationship with Jesus Christ. One person replied that they had always kept following Jesus since they had been saved. I was surprised that I did not have a reader that was saved at a young age and that fell away for a season and then returned, through repentance, to Christ. Frankly, I expected more than one of these responses.

My main question that I want to ask on this subject next time is this: How can a young professing Christian tell the difference between the discipline of God on their life for unfaithfulness and regular pangs of conscience and guilt they feel for violating a norm of their childhood?

Now in one sense, the only answer to any wayward person is "repent...now!" In this way, Baptists and Methodists have more in common than one might think at first, regarding their view of how to deal with unfaithful professing Christians. However, when we get back to my main question, something else important arises:

Can we know the difference between the troubled conscience of a religious lost person and the conviction of sin and discipline that attends the disobedience of the faithful?

I'll give you a chance to sound off. I'll post next time on my studies of this topic.

Saved!? part 2

Back in June, I made a post on a witnessing opportunity in which my pastor got to lead a young lady to Christ. I put in that post that we didn't know at the time if she would stay in the church. Praise God, she is still coming! Of course, we would like to see her grow more, and become more involved, but she and her boyfriend talked with my Pastor today about some important spiritual issues.

I am excited that God is working. I still believe exactly what I wrote about witnessing in June, but I have had my joy renewed by seeing her continue to show evidence of being a Christian. This is what we truly ought to hope and work for in our churches--doing the right things continually, based on our conviction that the Truth is powerful and works in God's timing to bear fruit. Of course, this is not as gratifying as assuming people are always converted immediately during our verbal witness, but hey, who said God should stroke our egos? Wasn't our job faithfulness to His commands and worship anyway?

Soli Deo Gloria

Saved!?

Christians...

Are you witnessing? Have you gotten into a state of discontent? I had, but lately I have felt that I must share the good news no matter what.

Earlier today:

Pastor and I went witnessing. Visited a young lady who had attended our church services. Pastor shared the Gospel thoroughly. She became convicted that she had sinned against God and prayed to the Lord to save her! We rejoiced!

Later:

Pastor and I both admitted that we cannot know for certain if this young lady will remain faithful--that's the rub...its difficult to evangelize when we know that many will not follow through on commitments made in a moment. Yet, when we are witnessing we cannot get enough.

Conclusion: The Parable of the Soils (Matt. 13) and The Great Commission (Matt. 28) are both true! Keep on witnessing.