Comments on: The Gospel in a Somali Apartment Complex

By: Snoring

Snoring — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 12:23:00 +0000

Indeed

By: Snoring

Snoring — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 07:32:00 +0000

Jesus taught good works

By: newpolitiq7

newpolitiq7 — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 04:30:00 +0000

Maybe you protesteth too much, Mr. Hamilton? Your choice, I guess. Great article, D.L. Mayfield. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing experience. In Minnesota, we’ve seen similar situations. And thank the Lord that many of us are on a similar course to care for our neighbors, especially our Muslim neighbors, now. Thank you for this powerful piece.

By: Snoring

Snoring — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 12:55:00 +0000

Unfortunately our country the USA are the biggest terrorists on the planet I pray this will change . Good article very thought provoking

By: JDK

JDK — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 13:51:00 +0000

i don’t think and didn’t mean the perspective coming from Jesus as the most important Word, expression of God is against Trinity or the Bible as word of God. But I think Jesus is the wholest revelation of God on earth (and the Bible firstly lead to him John 5:39).
About your point on salvation, I agree (even if works shouldn’t be cut from the gift of faith and grace, see James 2). But I don’t think good deeds can only be words expressing a salvation by works. They can really be words of grace, leading, revealing the grace and freedom we can have in Christ (what I think she seemed to have lived in her situation). An example from my life: in a 3 weeks trip I did with a non-christian organization, what seemed to me the best witness I gave from Jesus and his grace was not the night where we talked 1-2 hours about my faith, but when I proposed and gave a massage to a girl who was rejected from the group. Again, as Jesus did, I think the both, words of mouth and of deeds, are important.

By: Boanerges

Boanerges — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 00:53:00 +0000

I really cannot follow your statement. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is the word of God. Jesus, as stated in John 1, is the Word which created all things and was made flesh and dwelt among men. In other words, Jesus is the Word incarnate. Jesus is God, part of the Trinity or God-head. My concern is I have read and heard, of and from, some who seem to believe good works is the path to salvation. It needs to be emphasized good works do not equal salvation, as Paul made clear in Ephesians 2:8-9. Good works do not save the worker or the beneficiary. Possibly some who read her article and are not Christians may have this misconception. I am somewhat perplexed that in her lengthy article, she did not even allude to a time when she spoke the Gospel message to them in conjunction with her deeds.

By: JDK

JDK — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 20:39:00 +0000

Thank you for your answer which ask me a question I have:
What is the word of God in a biblical perspective? I think the spontaneous answer we have (and maybe the best one but I’m not sure) is either the Bible itself either some words about God, the human, the salvation coming by Jesus. But if we follow the orientation of the word of God as Jesus himself, it seems that God speak with word, but more widely and wholy by a whole person, doing, speaking, loving. So his deeds are words of the Word of God.

It’s stil a question to me, but it seems me a better orientation. In this perspective, godly deeds are words of the gospel, words of God (and I’d say the author could say these words). But again, I still think that word of mouth witnessing the salvation and the purpose of God for humans are important too in this whole.

By: Boanerges

Boanerges — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 17:48:00 +0000

Interesting that she made no mention of speaking the Gospel, as she made it a point to describe the many activities she engaged in with them, and it would be expected she could and would relate that which is most crucial. Romans 10:17 states, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” I agree it is important to show the love of God in action, but without the spoken testimony of salvation in Christ which must be emphasized, all good works are in vain.

By: redletterchristians

redletterchristians — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 14:49:00 +0000

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By: JDK

JDK — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 01:46:00 +0000

I think she used the term “gospel” in the title to make her story tell about what is also the gospel, beside words.

I also think that when our preaching of the gospel is only words but isn’t associated with personal involvement in people’s life and suffering (as Jesus did!), there is a big problem in our witness of Jesus. But I agree with you we should be witnesses of the gospel of Christ in our words too (and maybe she did!)