Rob Bell describes Paul as a “spiritual tour guide”. What do you think he means by this and how does it apply to you? How is this different than “taking Jesus to” someone?
Velvet Elvis
Repainting the Christian Faith7 Comments »
Peggy Jones wrote @
A tour guide I can relate to. A person who gives historical background information so you can better understand the significance of the place. This is true about Jesus. To the world Jesus is a man who may or may not have done some unusual things. Paul was able to tell first hand what Christ had done in his life and the changes that had occurred; in addition, he was able to to share the historical prophecies leading up to his birth which explained Christ’s role in the world. What a great tour guide he must have been, his passion and excitement were relayed in his talks. Just as Paul is a tour guide to Jesus, I can be one also. Once we realize that Jesus is everywhere and that people just don’t recognize him because they don’t know what they are looking for, then we can step in and fill in the gaps. We sometimes become arrogant enough to think that Jesus doesn’t come before us and that it is our responsiblity to bring him to others, like the cart before the horse.
Mike Powers wrote @
I think Bell’s description of Paul being a “spiritual tour guide” is great. As others have mentioned, God is everywhere. What better way to show people God than using things they are already know.
One problem, in my opinion, with the “tour guide” analogy is that a tour guide can only show you something thats already there. I believe there are some things we can take to other nations/people that they do not currently have. For example, Muslim nations do not know love-at least the unconditional love of God. Love that is spead by followers of Christ.
So, can we be tour guides, and take along a few new things with us?
BTW, I look forward to pointing out Faith Bridge while guiding tours. What a landmark!:)
david wrote @
I agree with Jack particularly about being a tour guide wherever we are. If you think about it tour guides bring people to a place, rather than bring something to the people. Tour guides must know the place well to point out things to others. We are the same in whatever we do on a day to day basis, we must know it well so we can point out things ( God ) to others. Mike makes a great point about tour guides only showing what is there already,but actually in Mike’s example, the Muslim nations have unconditional love in their presence,they just don’t see it.. like Bell talked about Holy Ground that we miss.
melissa wrote @
I will never think of a missionary in the same light again. I grew up thinking a missionary was someone who took Jesus into the world. While a missionary does go into the world, they can’t take something that is already there. Jesus is everywhere and always has been. I love the term “tour guide” because it distinguishes someone who is highlighting the truth that is already there. What a neat way of describing what we are to do every day. We are to be “missionaries” in our place of service – pointing out the truth that is all around us. This chapter reminded me that opportunities to share the truth are always available if we take the time to ask God to use us as “tour guides” for Him.
Ray wrote @
When we “take Jesus” to someone we must use the surrounding that we are in or the culture we are talking to, sometimes we must know their world to use it to point out the truth that is in it. I never thought of taking Jesus to anyone, I mean we tell people about Jesus and what he has done for us and we have Jesus with us, but the idea of taking Jesus to people. So next time you get that hard question, asks yourself did I bring Jesus with me? I don’t think you can be a “spiritual guide” by yourself you need to bring a friend with you to help you on the tour.(Jesus)
Bill Chick wrote @
I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with what most people have written here. Specifically when Bell says the truth is present everywhere in the world, I believe there’s great danger when we start picking and choosing what is truth and what is not. Only God can speak the truth, anything we think is the truth must be measured by His Word. When man speaks truth, it is because God has given him the power to do so.
I think Bell is picking at words when he has a problem with the phrase,” taking Jesus to” he is playing semantics. This is just an expression indicating that we’re taking the gospel of Jesus to other parts of the world. It is not saying that Jesus is not already there, any missionary who is solidly grounded in doctrine, would readily agree with the omnipresence of God, and therefore Jesus. By picking the phrase apart he is implying that these missionaries do not know who God is. If we take this further, then we had better not send them at all, because if they don’t know who God is, they have no business going to other lands to share something they know nothing about.
Now what does Bell mean by the Apostle Paul being the tour guide? In its simplest form, I can agree with this, since Paul does take us into the presence of God, and tell us what we’re seeing, and giving us some history, etc. But now I will pick his analogy apart, when you go on a tour, you go to learn something, you do not go on the tour to be faced with a decision. You go on a tour to be entertained, entertained by the history, by the tour guide, by what you’ll see, by how people react to what you see. Tour guides do not ask for decisions, at least not life changing ones. But Paul certainly does. In this sense Paul is way more than a tour guide, and hopefully we’re way more than tourists.
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He describes Paul as a “spiritual tour guide” as a better way to describe what a missionary is doing. It is not that we are bringing Jesus to someone, it is that we are showing people the truth and guiding them to see that God/Jesus is already at work all around them, in the world, and created the world they live in. I love what this book says about truth, we can affirm it and claim truth where ever we find it, because it is from God, and we belong to God. I don’t have to be timid around evolutionists, or people of other religions, they may twist the truth, but I as a Christian own the truth, speak the truth because God created truth, and has given it to us in his Word. Paul used truth in cultures to point people to Jesus using this truth to help them understand who Jesus is. I can do this today, at work, with my family, and with those around me.