Jesus Cropped from the Picture

The First Cropping Tool: Individualism

expect to see believers choosing from a proliferation of options, weaving together a set of favored alternatives into a unique tapestry that constitutes the personal ‘church’ of the individual.... It seems that God doesn’t really care how we honor and serve him, as long as he is number one in our lives and our practices are consistent with his parameters. If a local church facilitates that kind of life, then it is good. And if a person is able to live a godly life outside of a congregation- based faith, then that, too, is good. 12 For many like Barna, being a “Christian without the Church” is no longer dubious, but encouraged. The problem is that the Story of Christ and his Kingdom makes no sense outside of a local church. Gordon Fee said: More than anything, the church is a group of former sinners joined together in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, on a mission … In fact, the New Testament knows nothing of individualistic salvation; much of what God calls us to do cannot be done apart from community. People are always saved into community. Helping each other, working together in a common cause, praying together, teaching one another, and supporting each other in our weaknesses and trials all mean that we become deeply involved with each other’s lives. Church is not a place we attend. Church is a community we belong to. 13

The Role of the Individual The cropped picture that makes Self the SUBJECT is a recent American invention, having no biblical precedence. Still, some try to express

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