[aron]

Originally Posted by Redeemed

... One of my first experiences of this was when I went to a basketball game on a Friday night when my students invited me to their first game – and missed the meeting. It was not only ok, it was God! God cared for those boys, I cared for those boys. Most of my church life memories are like that – finding God, and sometimes it was in the unexpected places.

One of the nice things about experiencing God in the "Local Churches" was when it really was local. You weren't there for "the Body" or "the central lane of the Lord's move" or some "high peak" from "the ministry". You were just there, paying attention to those whom God had placed next to you. That really was "finding God", as you put it; just as real, or moreso, than some doctrinal "teaching" or "truth". Just watching some boys playing basketball, or talking to some person on the street. Look at how many otherwise small and random encounters Jesus had. For Jesus nothing was common, nothing (and no one) was ordinary.

.. I looked at 1 Corinthians 8 again - “we know that we all have knowledge, knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know, but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.” Wow. It seems love really is key.

Love edifies. Amen to your 'Wow'. Loving God, and being known by God: these are lifetime pursuits. While I remain in the flesh it would be wise not to suppose that I know anything, as Paul wrote. In a sense, Paul erected a firewall against gnosticism: he wrote that we are to know God, or to be known by Him; but we should never presume that we know anything.

Related to pagan culture: I have a good Christian friend, "Fred", who is very upright. Fred never smoked or drank. Very strict upbringing, very self-disciplined. Very aware of righteousness, not in a legal way, but in a kind of intrinsic way; he defines his very self via his behavior. He instinctively and reflexively cringes at the thought of loose, worldly, and immoral behavior, as if he were contemplating a physical assault on his parents.

All well and good, except that he continually fights with people at work, or on the bus, at the checkout counter, etc, who he deems sloppy, loose, lazy, immoral, and foul-mouthed. I listened to his tales of woe, how all these people are so horrible, and I told him, in summary, that first the sinners need to feel God's love. God's righteousness will not find them through Fred, but only through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, mercy triumphs over judgment (Ja. 2). God loved us so much that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5; 1 Jo. 4). So I told him, don't judge and condemn these people. Find God's love for them, and the righteousness part will follow.

I am awed by your responses. Thank you. I didn’t know I would find such a community here. I hope I haven’t written too much – I seem to remember reading about a limit on the length of a post?

Yes, there is a community here. I don't know if we can "love one another" electronically, but at least people care. If someone struggles, or has an opinion or question, people care. People pay attention.

Regarding length: for your first 8 or 10 posts they are somewhat indulgent. After that - watch out! They will drop the hammer. (insert smiley face here)

Last point regarding Christmas, or any human social/cultural event: it isn't sin if you participate, per se. But if you get crushed, and your spirit lies bleached and dead in the sand, then don't go. I stopped going to the office holiday parties after a couple of feeble attempts. There was just too many of "them" and not enough of "me". So I remembered Jesus' counsel about having 10,000 troops and meeting an enemy coming with 20,000. So I decided, Just sue for peace while you are yet at a distance.

But culture is there, and it's inevitable. Our very reality is culturally and socially derived. Like the flesh, it is there. As Igzy said, if we hide from "the world" with all of its impurities, where are we? Likewise, the church at present is not free from contamination. But remember that Paul didn't flee from the Corinthian church: he engaged them. With love.