bout bleevin

I think that sharing the good news of the Kingdom of God with people involves inviting them in, involving them in an experiential process. The kind of experiences I’m talking about are so compelling that they change behavior and form new beliefs. This is salvation, it’s messy and in some cases prolonged. I would even suggest that it isn’t individual, it's communal. If we really practice loving community, there would be a collective salvation experience. 

Consider these three different styles of teaching: you can tell someone about something, you can demonstrate the idea, or you can involve them, even immerse them in the idea. To believe, as I understand it, is having so much confidence in knowing something, that it changes your behavior. So what does it take to gain that level of confidence. I don’t think there are very many people who have thrown themselves into a body of water, having read about swimming. As wonderful as words are I don’t think they are enough to create belief.

In most cases Jesus simply invited people to follow him. Was he suggesting that if you hang around, you will begin to see the truth lived out, and it may be easier to believe having seen it demonstrated?