Defining Our Context

by Jon Goings

Dennis and I recently attended a conference on worship. There were so many things taught and discussed I feel like my brain is about to explode. I may have to sit down with the podcasts, re-listen to everything, and digest what I took in. I will say that God had a lot to say, and now all I can do is pray that God will work a little Isaiah 55:10-11 in my life.

So what do I mean by “Defining our Context”? A lot was made about putting the text into our context. The “text” being the Word of God. Our “context” being where we do life.

For several months I’ve been wrestling with trying to figure out my context.

This area of the country is often referred to as “The Buckle of the Bible Belt.” I disagree. This seems to indicate that we have things together. This seems to indicate we have a good handle on the things of God. This seems to indicate God can rely on us to keep things up.

This seems to be an inaccurate assessment.

I would consider this part of the map “The Kiddie Pool of the Kingdom.” The most interesting thing about the kiddie pool is that it is very difficult to make a distinction between the urine and the water. It all looks the same. Everything is so saturated by “Christianity” in this area ( i.e. the chemicals that keep the pool looking pretty) that it’s real easy for people to exist without feeling like there is anything wrong.

How do we stop concerning ourselves with looking pretty and start worrying about Revelation 3:15-16?