argh cont... nuance, part 2.1

Maybe Chris already participated in tossing an answer to my question, before it was asked.

it's not that labels like discipleship, spiritual growth, service, ministry, evangelism, etc." are bad labels in themselves (though they do compartmentalize what should be whole), it's just that Jesus seemed to measure life more in the round and less along a line.

If the Gospel is what makes me who I am, then it will manifest itself in every area of my life. The trick is not work so hard to make my heart obviously about what its supposed to be about, or to make my presentation perfectly fit the proven efficient communication format that has been prescribed in the evangelism literature. The trick is to allow the Gospel to shape everything about me so that it will be consistent when I make music, have conversation, ask and answer questions. It takes the whole of the scripture to begin to understand the Gospel. Shouldn’t it take the whole of our lives to represent it? I am not yet ready to try to create art that is compartmentalized as if I have to work so hard to include and clarify the Gospel in a specific instance. I am ready to work hard at allowing the Gospel to shape me so that I can’t be seen or heard without bearing witness. I want to go there.
Sure I can package a song that will meet the Christian lyric criteria and be tossed aside. Anybody could do that. Just model one that already exists. You don’t have to know or believe. But what about one that speaks from who you are? An effortless expression of Christ inside you. Religious people may not recognize Christ inside you unless you tell them He’s there. They didn’t recognize Him when He was walking around. He didn’t look like what they’d expected. We certainly expect Him to show up in peoples lives and expressions in perfectly prescribed criteria. My experience is that the people who don’t impose the criteria, still recognize Him.