Eric Zeller of FoolishBlog has an interesting post based on Mark Driscoll's last sermon. I have taken the liberty of posting it in its entirety as his template is broken so you cannot read it there!

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 says:

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Here�s a few quotes from Mark Driscoll�s sermon on this text last Sunday. (My quick transcription may not be 100 per cent accurate.)

If he was alive today, Paul would say to the indie rockers, �I did indie rock!� To the hip-hoppers, �I did hip-hop!� To the tech guys, �I had a blog!� For the families, I talked about marriage, and kids, and parenting. For the business guys, I did financial seminars and connected it back to God. For the environmental-rights activists, I told them who the Creator was since they enjoy His work so much. Paul is saying, �I tried to figure out how to articulate Jesus in as many ways as I possibly could, to as many people as I possibly can, to win as many people as are possible.�

I did all these things why? For the sake of the Gospel! Shame on those churches, shame on those pastors, shame on those theologians who are nothing but contenders! �We defend the truth, we refute the heretics, we fight all false teaching in the name of the Gospel.� Great! You have the Gospel, what are you going to do with it? Who�s getting saved, who�s meeting Jesus, who�s repenting of sin, what churches are being planted? And some of you from more reformed-type backgrounds will say, �But God saves people.� He does, through you! And through me! God not only predestines people for salvation, he predestines you and I to be the means by which people learn about Him!� Don�t just believe the theology of Paul, live the lifestyle of Paul!

Shame on those who have conferences and write books only about what they are against, and never call their people to mission, and never spend their money on church planting, and don�t care about lost people. That is nothing like Paul! That is nothing like Jesus! That�s a sin � to fight for the Gospel and then do nothing with it. Jesus says that�s like having a lamp, and then covering it so no one can see the light. It benefits no one . . .

What gets in the way is tradition. Churches continually choose their past over their children . . . It�s a sin to change the message, but it's a sin not to change the methods. The message of the Gospel is unchanging! The death, burial, and ressurection of Jesus for our sin, according to Scripture - but the methods by which that is communicated constantly, continually, must change, for the sake of that same Gospel. And some people love their methods and they lose sight of the importance of the message . . .

What are your thoughts about what he is saying? Agree? Disagree?