Comments on: Preponderance

By: Rick Frueh

Rick Frueh — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:47:59 +0000

And although I get at odds with some of you guys here, especially on some issues, I want to wish you all a happy Father’s Day, and I pray right now that all your children will know and serve Jesus Christ.

* Please note I do not observe “days” but I do observe brotherhood!

By: Rick Frueh

Rick Frueh — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:42:21 +0000

I want to openly and humble confess that before I was saved by Jesus I was a violent racist who sold drugs into the high schools and who could have cared less about any kind of morality. I rode a motorcycle and drove a van and was the kind of person some would have gladly blogged about.

I had many female partners but was never married so I would be clear of the movement Chris linked to. (right…) I was only saved from a murder plot in a planned bank robbery because in God’s providence I was injured in a street fight. So you tell me, how many self righteous legs do I have to stand upon?

I hate self righteousness, mine and others. Here is a little quiz:

Which of these statements did Jesus speak:

1. “If the sins of sinners are lifted up I will draw all men unto Me”.

2. “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me”.

* Help – The answer can be found in the Bible and not so much in the blogasphere.

By: Rick Frueh

Rick Frueh — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:11:17 +0000

BTW Chris – I am ambivalent to the particular moral sins of unbelievers (as Joe nicely articulated), I see their condition as representative of my former self. Screaming critically at a drowning man because he doesn’t swim correctly, without just throwing him a life vest, is unproductive and self righteous, because, someone threw you a life vest.

We already have established the doctrine of depravity, our calling is to exhibit the doctrine of the gospel. Picture the drowing man putting on the gospel life vest and as he is helped upon the ship he grabs a towel and begins the process of drying off (sanctification). As he is drying off he hollars at the drowing men he just left with demeaning names and high browed judgmentalism.

He never even thinks of throwing the exact vest that saved him to another drowning man. For a modern day revelation of this story just read this.

By: Joe C

Joe C — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:38:30 +0000

Most of these relationships seem no different than people who sleep around, the only difference being that the other people know it’s happening. It’s like they took “sleeping around” and “cheating” and turned it in to a new word. Like the article said, most don’t even want the state involved.

By: Rick Frueh

Rick Frueh — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:08:58 +0000

And in keeping with the same principle, the guys at VS have become political windbags. They have even changed their heading to say “Free Iran”. They along with others are blind to the chains in this neck of the woods, only seeing things through liberal/conservative eyes.

And as if the other Iran guy would be any better the church gets all caught up in something that is not our calling. And because there is recent unrest we pounce upon the opportunity to reveal an idolatry concerning democracy, which we attempt to leverage through words and politics.

I rode by the darkened churches this week and their was no more activity than in past weeks. Apparently we also realize that prayer is far subordinate than talk. How many American believers have their debts settled, their bags packed, and their plane tickets purchased so when Iran is “freed” they will immediately be on their way over there with the good news of Jesus Christ??

Yep, that is what I thought, all talk.

By: Rick Frueh

Rick Frueh — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:54:38 +0000

These moral downturns are just opportunities for believers to be graciously different and sodium chloride in the culture. But I realize the political/religious/moral/national/Judeo-Christian police will see this as another opportunity to be redemption-less windbags. One of the reason I believe that the church is more concerned with what the culture is doing than the culture is concerned over what the church is doing is directly due to the fact that the church isn’t doing all that much.

If the divorce rate among believers was significantly lower than the culture, perhaps we would have a platform for chastening. As it stands, perhaps we should address their need and not their symptoms.