Sermon Central
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Who Will You Reach? Blind Auditions
Contributed by Ken Pell on Apr 6, 2013 (message contributor)
WHO WILL YOU REACH? BLIND AUDITIONS
In 1997 Princeton University conducted an experiment using orchestra auditions as their guinea pig. It was discovered that different people were selected when the auditions were performed from behind a sheet or curtain rather than when the orchestra auditions were performed in view of the conductor and his committee. When the musician in question could not be seen, but simply heard, the best musicians were often chosen without other prejudices factoring in. For example, women have a 7.5 percent better chance of being selected for a trombone section if they audition behind a curtain where their gender cannot be discerned.
Today, more orchestra auditions are conducted in this manner. They are called "blind auditions." The Vienna Philharmonic uses this method as part of their selection process and so does St. Lawrence University.
(source: http://www.princeton.edu/pr/news/97/q2/0425orch.html)
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We want to reach people for Jesus but if we are not careful we will want to reach people like us or people with a certain social status or political slant or manner of dress, etc. Why? Because people who are different from us can be taxing -- they affect us and require from us.
God's love is practiced in a similar manner as these "blind auditions." When God's love fills a congregation (or an individual follower), the church will love like this. The church will love all people simply because they are ones "for whom Christ died;" not because they are like us and easy to love.
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