Hello From Tampa!

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by J-Roc

Oh, I get it...so when it's referred to reaching the lost, the refererence is to other Christians who have put their trust in Jesus Christ and not the ungodly folks that are in need of a savior? Nothing new I guess as to what the main focus is for outreach...the attitude is that there is a "corner on truth and it's our job to set the rest straight"

Oy vey...can't the focus be on unbelievers? Isn't that what "taking it to the world" should imply...evidently, it is not.

A lot of what made up the early Apostolic movement ("early" as in "early 20th Century") was a desire by many people from different denominations and backgrounds to "get back to the roots" of the NT Church. Basically we are the spiritual heirs of those who left their denominations, or were asked to leave. Even after all this time we still feel a connection with them and they are usually unavoidable in the society around us.

So how do we interact? That's one of the biggest questions and is really part of the "When is the Blood Applied?" debate. If the blood is applied at repentance then these people are at least nominally "brethren." If it isn't applied until all 3 steps are completed, then these people are the lost.

In the real world this issue is infinitely nuanced to the point that it is difficult if not impossible to clearly separate the "One Steppers" from the "Three Steppers." But people of both persuasions believe that there as fertile a field of evangelism in the church world as there is among "sinners."