Comments on: The Kingdom of Soup

By: Nancy

Nancy — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:26:24 +0000

Oops sorry, I meant to add that the other day I was looking at Matthew 25:31-46 you linked to part of above–the Sheep and the Goats passage always makes us ‘grace by faith alone’ people a little squeemish but I noticed that 25:34 says “come, you who are blessed by my Father”.

Blessed to be a blessing, right?

By: Nancy

Nancy — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:14:44 +0000

I’ve been in both those churches before (faith without soup and soup without faith) and it occurs to me that what they have in common is that they either have no real use for the Cross (soup without faith) or they feel like it doesn’t really impact their day to day lives (faith without soup). They won’t tell you that (well, most won’t, Mark Driscoll said he was once told that a particular “Christian church” identified itself as “post-Jesus”). Tedd Tripp says that focusing on behavior and not the heart involves providing a “keepable standard” that doesn’t require the grace of Christ. For some that keepable standard is having the compassion to provide soup without having/proclaiming a heart change. For others it is having a proper doctrinal statement but not being affected by the tangible needs in the world. Only Christ can feed 5000+ (first part of John 6) and then remind them that they need him and not just loaves and fishes (last part of John 6).

I’m pretty sure I agree with you.

By: Frank

Frank — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 22:13:19 +0000

See, this is the thing about fellow Christians that drives me nuts sometimes … I can’t tell if Thaddeus is agreeing with my article or correcting it. It seems to me like I already covered the two things that you said in your comment.

I agree with you.

By: Thaddeus

Thaddeus — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:31:58 +0000

The war is over, but our enemy refuses to quit.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

By: Branan

Branan — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:49:26 +0000

The first thing that came to mind after reading “Soup” was a little number written by one of my favorite local/regional outfits, a quirky funk band from Austin with a most whimsical flair…

Sung in Barber Shop Quartet style:

Will you be ready at the plate
When Jesus throws the ball?
Will your life be a sacrifice fly
Or a base hit off the wall?
When that umpire in the sky
Makes His final call,
Will you be ready at the plate,
When Jesus throws you the ball?

Will you be ready on the line
When Jesus snaps the ball?
Will your life be a touchdown,
Or will it tragically stall?
When that referee in the sky
Makes His instant replay call
Will you be ready on the line
When Jesus snaps the ball

Being prepared to make the soup is important, so we can put all the good stuff in it. Faith Soup is MMM-MMM good!!

And like another Austin landmark gone by, Bergstrom Air Force Base. As I drove by it many, many times on my way back to start a new semester, the words…”Readiness Is Our Profession,” were prominently inscribed on its water tower. A very good message.

I’m Hungry!