Friday is for Heart Songs and Weekend Reading
Bill Hull and Larry Osborne are two friends who have been mightily used of God. I love them both. When the history of this generation of the church in America is written, both of these men will have played a significant role in the progress of the gospel and the advance of the Kingdom of God on earth and the salvation of many in heaven. Nevertheless, these two quotes in recent books by them seem to be at odds with one another. What do you think and how would you (if you can) reconcile them? Both books are worth your time and thought.
By the way, both of these guys are Evangelical Free Church of America pastors.
“Can a person be a good Christian and not be highly committed to Christ and his church?
NO!
There, I said it!
However, if you cross out good, you could say it is possible for a person to be a mediocre, disobedient, lousy, stagnant Christian and not be committed to Christ and his church.”
—Bill Hull, Building Commitment in a Low Commitment World, p. 7.
“I had no room in my theology for Paul’s admonition that we make it our ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind our own business, and to work with our hands (1 Thess. 4:11). verses like that made no sense to me. It sounded like a description of a wimpy Christian, the very kind of person I preached against and looked down on. So I put verses like that out of my mind and focused on the ones that fit better with my image of a Christian warrior kicking Satan’s butt and advancing the kingdom.”
—Larry Osborne, Accidental Pharisee: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity and the other Dangers of an Overzealous Faith, Chapter 7.
I agree both of these men have been greatly used in my life and ministry. It’s the old “both and” issue to me. Not “either or”. So many things seem to come back to this. Thanks Marty. Hope you are well!
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