See, I don't think Grace is suggesting that anyone be pre-assessed before being engaged with. I think what she meant by "approach someone" was not meeting and engaging with someone for the first time, but rather approaching them in a friendship, or developing a relationship with them after you have already met them. I think if you look at what she's saying with that little bit of difference, you will see this thread a little differently. Avoiding stereotyping people would necessitate getting to know someone first before making a judgment about them.
There are legitimate ways that a mature Christian can be treated differently than a baby Christian. For example, the Bible actually says that an elder cannot be a new Christian. Of course we know that the Bible is not saying that mature Christians are not susceptible to sin or that they somehow know everything there is to know about life and faith, but they are more seasoned and wise to lead. Likewise, you would most likely go to a mature Christian for advice rather than a baby Christian or someone who says they are Christian but lacks the fruit of a believer in their life.
I think your heart in the things you are saying is right, just that your understanding of the point of the thread missed the mark slightly
There is value to garnering where a person is at spiritually, not as a prerequisite to engaging with them, but as a matter of observation as you engage with them, which is basically what you were saying as well. I do think there are ways you would engage with various individuals differently depending on where they are at spiritually. I look at the students in the Bible study that I lead and I see people at different places in their spiritual walk, and I know that they are not going to all benefit the same way from all being told the same things. If I were to disciple them individually, I would approach it differently with different individuals because some simply aren't as spiritually mature as others, which is okay, but it's also good to know as I'm assessing how I can best help them grow spiritually.
There are legitimate ways that a mature Christian can be treated differently than a baby Christian. For example, the Bible actually says that an elder cannot be a new Christian. Of course we know that the Bible is not saying that mature Christians are not susceptible to sin or that they somehow know everything there is to know about life and faith, but they are more seasoned and wise to lead. Likewise, you would most likely go to a mature Christian for advice rather than a baby Christian or someone who says they are Christian but lacks the fruit of a believer in their life.
I think your heart in the things you are saying is right, just that your understanding of the point of the thread missed the mark slightly
There is value to garnering where a person is at spiritually, not as a prerequisite to engaging with them, but as a matter of observation as you engage with them, which is basically what you were saying as well. I do think there are ways you would engage with various individuals differently depending on where they are at spiritually. I look at the students in the Bible study that I lead and I see people at different places in their spiritual walk, and I know that they are not going to all benefit the same way from all being told the same things. If I were to disciple them individually, I would approach it differently with different individuals because some simply aren't as spiritually mature as others, which is okay, but it's also good to know as I'm assessing how I can best help them grow spiritually.
and i really do appreciate your feedback. i'm going to ponder this more and come back to it. perhaps this is semantic in nature and i'm just needing to tilt my head a bit to catch that. at this point, i still am questioning that.
gypsygirl - I can relate to some of your posts. I just glanced over some and I'm going to bed now so I hope to respond in full tomorrow, but just so you know, I'll be elaborating.
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