A time to digest

You know how you feel after you eat a big delicious meal, so stuffed to the point that the thought of food just seems rather disgusting?... It was a delicious meal sure, but at this point only a good nap and digestion will let you think back on the food positively. That has been Venezuela for me. Between my experience first hand, the information I learned while listening to the speakers during the week, and the information I've been reading in my required texts for this class, it feels like I've been drinking out of a fire hydrant of evangelism. And for a guy that requires a lot of processing like me, I'm still trying to work through it all. I'm still digesting....

I keep contemplating, so what does this all mean for me now? What can I apply to my context now or in the future? What do I think of modern evangelism tactics? What do I think of the movement of the Spirit and how it manifests in our churches compared to the church in Venezuela? What do I think of altar calls and their real effectiveness? Is evangelism dying in our churches or is it just looking different? If it's different, it that new way being effective in leading people to Christ?

Those are just a few of the questions that swirl through my brain even in a just a 30 second period as I think about this trip. Slowly I'm working my way through it all.

I finished the book Announcing the Reign of God by Mortimer Arias a few days ago and loved it. It's a book that I felt captures the depth of evangelism very well. It's a challenge to the "plan of salvation" approach to evangelism, and focuses on the message of Jesus about the Kingdom of God. Just as I think about it, the message for altar calls isn't ever about joining the Kingdom of God, its about receiving salvation. It's a personal choice. A selfish choice. A choice that is about my eternal security rather than love of God and neighbor. I know I'll be blogging some more on this book, but I do highly recommend it and just wanted to note it here.