Once you can get a...
Illustration
Once you can get a person to do what you want them to do, it is much easier, then, to get them to believe what you want them to believe.
Many of the new religious groups (or cults) make use of this fact. They get you to go on a retreat before you even know what group is sponsoring the retreat and what goals the group is promoting. Advertisers want you to try their product "NOW!" on faith, because you won't know how good it is until you try it.
When Simon allows Jesus immediately to change his name, having only just met him, is he like the modern young, vulnerable student who goes off for a weekend with a group he knows almost nothing about? Not necessarily. There is, I believe, an important difference.
Jesus comes as the "Lamb of God," as the servant who will give his life for others. He desires to meet our needs and give himself for us, not to have us meet his needs or the desires of his "group." Andrew and Simon respond with actions that lead to faith because they recognize that here is the religious leader who will not manipulate them to suit his purposes, but who will love them for their own sakes without ulterior motives.
Many of the new religious groups (or cults) make use of this fact. They get you to go on a retreat before you even know what group is sponsoring the retreat and what goals the group is promoting. Advertisers want you to try their product "NOW!" on faith, because you won't know how good it is until you try it.
When Simon allows Jesus immediately to change his name, having only just met him, is he like the modern young, vulnerable student who goes off for a weekend with a group he knows almost nothing about? Not necessarily. There is, I believe, an important difference.
Jesus comes as the "Lamb of God," as the servant who will give his life for others. He desires to meet our needs and give himself for us, not to have us meet his needs or the desires of his "group." Andrew and Simon respond with actions that lead to faith because they recognize that here is the religious leader who will not manipulate them to suit his purposes, but who will love them for their own sakes without ulterior motives.
