Shreddin’ the Gnar in Lincoln
Posted on Thursday 19 February 2009 by Greg @ 4:23 pm
Filed under: Rants
Nebraska is known for a lot of things (the Cornhuskers, great food, nice people, cow tipping, the Cornhuskers) but surfing is probably not one of them…until now.
This weekend we are introducing the concept of “Shreddin’ the Gnar” to the 6,700 teeangers who are signed up to attend Dare 2 Share’s Invincible Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska. What does this gnarly term mean? It’s a surfer term that means to go big or go home. We’ve applied it to the idea of evangelism. In other words, we are equipping teenagers to dive into real conversations with their friends about the GOSPEL and risk the riptide of rejection so that they can bring the good news of salvation to each one of their friends.
If you’re interested in learning how to shred the gnar yourself click here. Zane and I will give you a crash course in negotiating those tricky witnessing waves. If you go to the Lincoln conference be sure to tell me your shreddin’ story by commenting below.
Either way pray with me that God does something gnarly this weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska.
I’m SUPERLY bummed.. SUPERLY bummed! But Thanks for being such an encouragement I’m going to miss seeing you all this year but I know that God will do a great work in Atlanta. 
P.S.. Is it ok to boycott youthgroup for a little while? lol.jkjk
Greg Reply:
February 25th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Hey Sean,
I’m sorry that you didn’t have a good experience at D2S. Believe me I am convinced that the call to discipleship is there but that call is to believers not to unbelievers. As you can see in Romans 12:1 Paul challenges the Roman believers to “offer their bodies as living sacrifices.” He calls them brothers and then challenges them to surrender all. You can see the same call to the Corinthian believers, the church of Laodicea, etc. Salvation is either a free gift purchased by the blood of the Lamb or it is something to be achieved which counters the message of Jesus (who uses the word “believe” 98xs in the NT as the only way of salvation…that word in the Greek means to “trust in or rely upon”…faith in other words)or it is a matter of work. It can’t be by both grace and works (Romans 11:6). The “surrender all” message puts the onus on what we do rather than on what Christ has done. It flys in the face of the message of Ephesians 2:8,9, Titus 3:5, much of the book of Romans and all of the book of Galatians.
Here’s what I believe the Bible makes clear: the gift of salvation is free and the next step of discipleship will cost you everything. I do believe there are many believers that have their “get out of hell free card” but haveny fully surrendered to follow Christ in discipleship (again like many of the Corinthian believers) What will God do to these believers? He will get their attention through discipline (Hebrews 12:6) or maybe take them home prematurely (I Corinthians 11:30).
In our quest to see people fully surrendered to Christ we must be sure to not pervert the gospel of grace. Jesus’ call for discipleship (Luke 14:25-35) was for those who already believed He was who He claimed to be.
I have a book called Biblical Mormonism which is written by the top Mormon apologist. He says that he has no problem at all with the “surrender all” message. What he has a problem with is the message of salvation as a free gift through faith alone. I guess I have a problem with a gospel message that a Mormon has no problem with.
Do I think 80% of those in America who think they are Christians are? No way. I think many think they are but most have not genuinely put their faith in Christ as their only hope of salvation.
While I appreciate UnChristian as a book I think the stat men should stick with presenting the statistics and leave the prescribing of solutions to practiioners and theologians.
Once again, my hearts desire is to see teenagers saved and fully surrendered to Christ…in that order. First comes salvation (free gift through faith alone) and then comes surrender (costs us everything.)
Sean, I believe that the call to evangelism does just that. For teenagers to share Christ with their friends in a sense it calls them everything. For a teen their friends mean EVERYTHING to them. To risk their friendships by sharing the good news of Jesus is a call, in a limited sense, to sacrifice it all.
Here are a few books I would recommend as you study this very important subject further:
The Grace Awakening by Chuck Swindoll (especially the first four chapters)
So Great A Salvation by Charles Ryrie
Thank you for your post. This is a very important subject. It is the essence of our faith.
Reply to this comment
Sean Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Greg,
I agree with you that it is all about grace through faith. That is the very core of discipleship. What I don’t agree with that grace through faith can exist without it costing someone their life. Jesus had things to say like “if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).
Do we now say that “if anyone wants to come after Jesus, he must pray a prayer. For whoever wants to save his life will be OK as long as he prays a prayer…” I don’t mean to be sarcastic, but rather make a point. For Jesus, discipleship and salvation were inseperable.
Jesus constantly uses the language of selling all to enter the Kingdom. Now I’m not saying that we could ever earn it, because we can’t. It has nothing to do with our works, it is all grace…but if the Spirit does not cause us to respond to that grace with fruit in our lives, then no salvation happened.
What do you make of the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl? (Matthew 13:44-45) Were not the pearl and the field so valuable that it cost the man all that he had? Jesus’ language is undeniable and messes with the “cheap grace” theology we have created. Could this man somehow have received the field without forfeiting all?
Or what about the rich young ruler? He wasn’t willing to forsake all, so Jesus let him walk away and went on to talk about how hard it is for rich people to enter the Kingdom. He is directly addressing salvation. He is saying that a guy who called Him “good teacher” was not saved because he wouldn’t leave all to follow.
James, Jesus’ own brother, says “what good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” (James 2:14) He goes on to say that this sort of faith is “dead”. I mean does this sound like saving faith? These are people that claim to “trust in Jesus” but really don’t.
You referenced the church of Laodicea. It was the same thing there. They had a bunch of people who claimed to “trust Jesus”, but didn’t really. They were lukewarm. They saw themselves as saved but didn’t do much with it. Jesus says He will “spit them out of His mouth”. These are professing Christians and Jesus tells them that He is going to condemn and judge them.
I don’t see how, in light of all this, you could tell everyone at that conference who raised their hand that “they are definitly saved.” How do you know if they are saved? Can you see into their heart?
Or have we made salvation into a formula by which God has to save? There may have been a few people at the conference who truly were born-again, but I would say that there were probably a bunch of people who didn’t truly receive new birth, but now think they are saved. This is terrible because when they stand before the judgment seat of Christ, He will say “I never knew you” (Matthew 7).
Greg, I’m not saying that it is about being perfect or good enough. We are filthy rags in His sight. It is about losing our life for Him though.
I have a book for you as well. It is called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. He does a great job of getting at the heart of discipleship and what Christ intended in the church.
I hope your hear these thoughts coming from a heart for God’s glory and gospel, not meaning to attack or be accusatory. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and response. Thanks for the time.
- Sean
Reply to this comment