Comments on: Getting Up In Each Other’s Business! http://davidgoss.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/getting-up-in-each-others-business/ A Church Planting Journal Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:20:10 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Nancy Irwin http://davidgoss.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/getting-up-in-each-others-business/#comment-136 Nancy Irwin Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:03:22 +0000 http://davidgoss.wordpress.com/?p=97#comment-136 I love this dialoge. I am so clear today that God wants peace for us all. I don't believe the sin is to be confessed and washed away because we confess it rather because we ADMIT. In admitting comes the peace and opening of the heart to recieve God. As this takes place and our hearts are open we CAN'T HELP but hear God. So small group, big group, one on one.. if there is a secret or a sin to be released from DO IT.... God is waiting so our hearts will open up to his love, it's not that he isn't there we just can't hear it because we are blocked. I maybe simple and nieve perhaps but keeping it simple is my moto. I love this dialoge. I am so clear today that God wants peace for us all. I don’t believe the sin is to be confessed and washed away because we confess it rather because we ADMIT. In admitting comes the peace and opening of the heart to recieve God. As this takes place and our hearts are open we CAN’T HELP but hear God. So small group, big group, one on one.. if there is a secret or a sin to be released from DO IT…. God is waiting so our hearts will open up to his love, it’s not that he isn’t there we just can’t hear it because we are blocked.
I maybe simple and nieve perhaps but keeping it simple is my moto.

]]> By: David Goss http://davidgoss.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/getting-up-in-each-others-business/#comment-115 David Goss Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:51:57 +0000 http://davidgoss.wordpress.com/?p=97#comment-115 It was certainly strict. Wesley was also convicted of the call to "Christian Perfection" (his most outspoken and oft-defended theological understanding). Whether Wesley really understood the words you quote which Jesus spoke to Paul is another matter ("My Grace is Sufficient"). It is thought that he might not have. Yet I wonder if Paul and Wesley (and Luther and...) were similar in this. The men and women who write history all have some kind of 'burr in their saddle' that keeps them restless, laboring and dissatisifed with the way things are. I agree with your assessment of small group relationships. 2-3 is a good number. The big groups lend themselves to sin-masking all the time! We have to address that it seems. Perhaps once we put to rest the cult of testimony, where we celebrate the former gangbanger/drug dealer who gets saved but don't celebrate equally the 60 year old retiree who drew near to God at a spiritual retreat for the first time. God doesn't rank sins! (even if Milton did.) It was certainly strict. Wesley was also convicted of the call to “Christian Perfection” (his most outspoken and oft-defended theological understanding). Whether Wesley really understood the words you quote which Jesus spoke to Paul is another matter (“My Grace is Sufficient”). It is thought that he might not have. Yet I wonder if Paul and Wesley (and Luther and…) were similar in this. The men and women who write history all have some kind of ‘burr in their saddle’ that keeps them restless, laboring and dissatisifed with the way things are.
I agree with your assessment of small group relationships. 2-3 is a good number. The big groups lend themselves to sin-masking all the time! We have to address that it seems. Perhaps once we put to rest the cult of testimony, where we celebrate the former gangbanger/drug dealer who gets saved but don’t celebrate equally the 60 year old retiree who drew near to God at a spiritual retreat for the first time. God doesn’t rank sins! (even if Milton did.)

]]> By: reformedfred http://davidgoss.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/getting-up-in-each-others-business/#comment-114 reformedfred Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:27:22 +0000 http://davidgoss.wordpress.com/?p=97#comment-114 It's interesting that the 5 questions were asked of "recent converts". It has been my experience that "sin" with maturing believers becomes increasingly subtle and easily masked. Either way, these questions would be best kept between 2 or 3 people in a private, mutual,accountability-style relationship, rather than within the small group environment. Also, if Wesley truly wanted to see a HOLY and sinless group of people, it would seem that this speaks more to Wesley's feelings of inadequacy and need for perfection rather than one who fully embraced the idea that "My grace is sufficient for you". It’s interesting that the 5 questions were asked of “recent converts”. It has been my experience that “sin” with maturing believers becomes increasingly subtle and easily masked. Either way, these questions would be best kept between 2 or 3 people in a private, mutual,accountability-style relationship, rather than within the small group environment.

Also, if Wesley truly wanted to see a HOLY and sinless group of people, it would seem that this speaks more to Wesley’s feelings of inadequacy and need for perfection rather than one who fully embraced the idea that “My grace is sufficient for you”.

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