Evaluating 40 Days of Community

[My comments are inline--in brackets--and in blue text]
Subsequent to my earlier posting on Rick's video entitled "What It Means to Follow Christ", I wanted to elaborate on Rick's other gospel presentations.

The following is Rick's gospel presentation in Chapter 7 of The Purpose Driven Life:

Right now, God is inviting you to live for his glory by fulfilling the purposes he made you for. It's really the only way to live. Everything else is just existing. Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ. [Rick provides no explanation of what is meant by "real life"--and that in order to have it, you must first lose your life.] If you are not sure you have done this, all you need to do is receive and believe. [What about repent? (Luke 13:3,5)] The Bible promises, "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Will you accept God's offer? [Presented this way, who wouldn't want to receive this no-strings-attached offer to become children of God? Yet Jesus said "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate...even his own life, he cannot be My disciple" (LUke 14:26, NASB).]

First, believe. [How about "first, repent" (Mark 1:15)] Believe God loves you and made you for his purposes. Believe you're not an accident. Believe you were made to last forever. Believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus, and died on the cross for you. Believe that no matter what you've done, God wants to forgive you. [...IF you repent. And how will they know how to repent if they don't even know what they are repenting of? Is it purposelessness?]

Second, receive. Receive Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior. [But how do you receive Him this way? Don't you have to make Him Lord of your life? Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven... I will declare to them, 'I never knew you...'" (Matt 7:21,23, NASB).] Receive his forgiveness for your sins. Receive his Spirit, who will give you the power to fulfill your life purpose. The Bible says, "Whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever!" [This is John 3:36; see what it says in the NASB: "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."] Wherever you are reading this, I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity: "Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you." Go ahead.

If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God! You are now ready to discover and start living God's purpose for your life. I urge you to tell someone about it. You're going to need support. [Especially with this modern, watered-down gospel message strewn atop the rocks and weeds...] If you email me, I will send send you a little booklet I wrote called Your First Steps for Spiritual Growth.

For Rick's gospel presentation from the 40 Days of Community workbook, see Day 4. It is very similar to his presentation in The Purpose Driven Life.

The following is a transcript of Rick's gospel presentation from the first video in the 40 Days of Purpose series:

Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ? If you aren't sure of this, I'd like the priviledge of leading you in a prayer to settle the issue. Let's bow our heads. I'm going to pray a prayer and you can follow it silently in your mind:

Dear God, I want to know your purpose for my life. [Is "life purpose" what the unbeliever is to hunger and thirst for (Matt 5:6)?] I don't want to waste my life on the wrong things. Today I want to take the first step in preparing for eternity by getting to know You. Jesus Christ, I don't understand it all, ["And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the [person] who hears the word and understands it..." (Matt 13:23, NASB)] but as much as I know how, I want to open my life to you. I ask You to come into my life and make yourself real to me. Use this series to help me know what you made me for. Thank you. Amen.

If you just prayed that prayer for the very first time, I congratulate you. You've just become part of the family of God!

[The following text is adapted from an article by Berit Kjos posted at http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/2003/1-purpose.htm].

Is this a response to the gospel? Where is repentance? Acknowledgement of need for righteousness before God? Confession of and understanding of personal sin against God? Where is the cross and the bodily death and resurrection of Jesus? The Bible says that saving "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom 10:17-18). But none of the scriptures that show the gospel are even mentioned in this first lesson. Biblically illiterate friends and neighbours who join the group would / could pray this prayer without any real knowledge of the cross, of the saviour, or of God's view of sin. In fact, the concept of salvation isn't included in the first lesson. And if it had been there, the context of the lesson would suggest that we are merely saved from a purposeless life--not from bondage to sin.

The first lesson deals with the "consequence of not knowing your purpose"--NOT with Jesus Christ. It warns the group that "without knowing your purpose, life will seem TIRESOM... UNFULFILLING... UNCONTROLLABLE." And it repeats the positive (but not particularly Biblical) promise that knowing the purpose of your life will:

• Give your life "FOCUS"
• Simplify your life
• Increase motification
• 'PREPARE YOU FOR ETERNITY'

Even so, all who pray the prayer will be affirmed and celebrated as new members of the family of God. But are they? We don't know. Yet statistics suggest that most people who call themselves Christians have little understanding of the gospel.

Let us take care not to give false hope to people.

Some scriptures concerning repentance:

• Mark 1:4 - baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.
  
• Luke 5:32, Luke 15:7, Luke 24:47 (good news) => commission.
  
• *Acts 11:18, ***Acts 13:24, **Acts 26:20
  
• 2 Cor 7:9-10 (godly sorrow), **2 Pet 3:9, *Matt 4:17
  
• **Matt 11:20-21 (Repent w/ sackclock + ashes)
  
• *Mark 1:15 (Repent + keep believing), Mark 6:12
  
• **Luke 13:3 (Unless you repent, you too will all die)
  
• Luke 17:3 (if your bother repents, forgive him)

See also my post entitled The Non-Negotiable Gospel.