Until he was on the Belfast pavement in a stupor . . .
Nah, these are props we found as we made our way around the streets of Belfast. But that we found several empty beer barrels along with various empty bottles littering the streets points to the excessive *consumption of drink that dominates the nightlife of our capital city.
This is but one indication of the lost culture in which we live.
Redeem: Cities
We were attending the first day of the Redeem Cities conference, a conference focusing on how the Church/people of God can reach out to the city in which they live, with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I'm pretty sure the messages of this conference will be available soon for download so i won't place unrealistic demands upon my brain and try to outline them here. But they will be worth listening to.
Even a walk around the streets of Belfast at lunch brought the realization that our country needs redemption.
Yes there's the divided community, but more than that; individual people, regardless of background, are at enmity with God and need Jesus Christ . . . and most of them don't even know this themselves . . . some even deny it.Jesus, the one with all authority in heaven and earth, who is with us to the end, has commissioned us (His Church) to make disciples of all nations. While we, rightly, send missionaries abroad, let us remember that our own neighbours, family, friends & even the strangers that live around us, need to hear the Gospel as well.
It's not about hitting them over the head with a moral code of conduct - thou shalt not drink or thou shalt do such and such. It's about telling them the great news that God, while we were yet sinners and His enemies, in His great mercy sent forth His son to be a propitiation for our sins (That needs some explaining to the average Joe).
We are not out to win arguments or defeat other belief systems, but we are out to convert people.
Mark Driscoll, speaking at the conference warned that the church here is in danger of losing the next few generations. While we focus on our past heritage, our traditions, etc we are neglecting to be both consumed with Jesus and to be loving our neighbours with the Gospel of grace.
Everyone was left with a lot to think about...
...and today (day2) i'm sure we'll have a lot more.
*Nailing my colours to the mast: i don't believe it is sinful to drink alcohol, but that it is sinful (Eph5:18) to get drunk.
