tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-415462951121361307.post3104177561244533102..comments2023-10-09T05:47:43.350-05:00Comments on An Open Door Blog: What if we really followed Jesus?Jeff Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01851404940918850330noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-415462951121361307.post-72098767812625646392008-01-28T06:33:00.000-06:002008-01-28T06:33:00.000-06:00Me thinketh thou art onto something!Me thinketh thou art onto something!Jeff Bergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851404940918850330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-415462951121361307.post-36181227875867952382008-01-28T01:51:00.000-06:002008-01-28T01:51:00.000-06:00Hi all,One biggie unbelievers HAVEN'T seen from us...Hi all,<BR/><BR/>One biggie unbelievers HAVEN'T seen from us is how we "love one another." Remember, "Behold how they love one another?" What ever happened to that, anyway?<BR/><BR/>To get really personal, what about all the name calling, even within the ranks of our own tradition?<BR/>Anyone ever referred to a brother as a fundamentalist? Hmmm? Purely academic...I think not. Do we think of these folks as socially inferior to us, perhaps? Can we repent of this sin or is our pride going to be make this the acceptable sin of the day?<BR/><BR/>Point is we need to restore the love of the brothers and sisters, and this will no doubt be a miracle of which outsiders will take note -- a good starting place, indeed.<BR/><BR/>Sincerely,<BR/>Your sibling in ChristAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-415462951121361307.post-40188010906403133542008-01-18T09:36:00.000-06:002008-01-18T09:36:00.000-06:00I'm certainly no expert--and I'd love to hear comm...I'm certainly no expert--and I'd love to hear comments from others on this very question--but the only thing I know to do is to befriend them, show them unconditional love and humble integrity (and all the other things that should be the fruit of God's presence in our lives) and try to contradict all the negative things they have concluded about Christianity and Christians. I suppose you could say that is the real subject of this first sermon series of the new year...trying to respond to unbelieving people in the way Jesus did.Jeff Bergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851404940918850330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-415462951121361307.post-67970671991944965522008-01-16T22:40:00.000-06:002008-01-16T22:40:00.000-06:00This will be a challenging series for you, Jeff, b...This will be a challenging series for you, Jeff, but what a topic. . . I am looking forward to 2008 Sundays. Just today, someone said to me, “Southern Baptists seem to think they are better Christians than I am.” Religion vs. Christianity? Every day, I need to ask if my religion has made me better than anyone else. It has not. But I thank God that He holds me in His hand.<BR/><BR/>I also enjoyed your sermon this past Sunday, January 13. About 70% of the people I work with are non-Christians (Muslim, Hindu, Jewish), agnostics who were raised in the church, or atheists. I know people who want to be Christian, but think it is not OK. So, they hide. I know people who were raised as fundamentalists and who now think that all Christians believe in a young earth (or a similar belief), and that you can’t be a Christian if you don’t. How do we reach people who have rejected Christianity because of religion?tommonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04818279302632901868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-415462951121361307.post-28979737528786361332008-01-08T09:52:00.000-06:002008-01-08T09:52:00.000-06:00Jeff--Your blog was really helpful last week as I ...Jeff--Your blog was really helpful last week as I was preparing the Sunday School lesson. It was amazing how God pointed out the similar trends in the lesson and your sermon. Nice to have a 'preview'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-415462951121361307.post-43775149086935097102008-01-04T16:57:00.000-06:002008-01-04T16:57:00.000-06:00No, Martha, I haven't read that book. The title s...No, Martha, I haven't read that book. The title sounds familiar, though. Right now, I'm reading one called, "They Like Jesus, But Not The Church," by Dan Kimball. It's about how younger adults (ie, under 35--guess I'm not young anymore...sniff, sniff) are leaving or avoiding the Church in droves, but they are very interested in learning more about Jesus. It is a disturbing, challenging book which I will certainly mention this year in some of these messages.Jeff Bergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01851404940918850330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-415462951121361307.post-75958374834464976972008-01-04T16:11:00.000-06:002008-01-04T16:11:00.000-06:00Hi Jeff,Happy New Year! Glad you got some well-des...Hi Jeff,<BR/>Happy New Year! Glad you got some well-deserved (and I am sure much needed) rest and family time after Christmas. I love your topic for 2008 and it should provide each of us with opportunities for thought provoking soul-searching, as well as an opportunity to reevaluate and restructure how we believe and act. On my Amazon wish list I have this book that I am intrigued by...have you read it yet? (I haven't or I could give a better assessment of its worth...)! It might be an interesting adjunct to your 2008 topic, I don't know:<BR/>"The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church", by Gregory Boyd. Just a thought. And by the way...as you thank us, let me thank you for following that call of God and for being our pastor!<BR/><BR/>January 4, 2008 12:45 PMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-415462951121361307.post-53802823376395305462008-01-04T12:49:00.000-06:002008-01-04T12:49:00.000-06:00Ouch! You are painfully correct, Jeff. When I re...Ouch! You are painfully correct, Jeff. When I read the gospels and really try to put myself into the setting, I have to admit that my initial reaction to people and situations is, candidly, often the very opposite of what Jesus does. Following him in His ways does not come naturally.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com