OK Y'all - If you haven't already, please take a few minutes to read chapter 1. Then respond here to one or more of the following:
1) Any line in chapter 1 that stuck with you? hard to shake? or simply inspired you? Share the line and the page reference
2) Pg 12-13 "What About Us?" Not necessarily the easiest read... Where are we in danger (personally or as a church) of Americanizing Jesus?
Page 7.
ReplyDeleteI could not hlep but think that somewhere along the way, we had missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable.
I guess this one really stuck out to me because sometimes I just don't get the "I'm too busy to serve" mentality of people. I mean, I really really REALLY (did I say REALLY) don't get it. I am not comparing myself to anyone but I do look around and it appears that those who work the most and are already the busiest make time to serve. I even think that not serving, when the going gets tough and God is where you should turn, I see people give up church first. Maybe I'm too new at this and it will change for me but I really struggle with this. It isn't like you guys are asking us for 3 full days a week, you really are asking for a maximum of 2 hours a week. If someone chooses to serve every other week, that is 1 hour a week. Seriously, if you are soo busy, you can't serve God for 1 hour a week, please call me and I'll take something of your plate. (sorry - Judge McSoapBox just inhabited my body). Anywho. When I leave on Sundays, I am typically tired, Kristina, you know, sometimes, the kids aren't "cute" any more, but I am full. Let me get my night or two away from Hammy town and I am counting down the days till it is time to go back. (holy run on sentence batman)
2. What about us?
"Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image." - A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
I heard a pastor once say (and no it wasn't Judah - although he was filling in for him) that if you try to conform God to your image, you erase God's ability to surprise/amaze/awe you.
How disappointing would it be for us to never be amazed or in awe of anything. How tragic would it be for a God moment to pass you by but you were too busy looking in the mirror to see it? There is a video on youtube of some people in China receiving bibles. They are holding these bibles, crying, treating them as if someone had given them a check for a million dollars. We walk into a church every week where we are told if you don't have a bible of your own, feel free to take one as a gift.
What if we treated our bibles as the sacred gifts from God they are? What if we considered them million dollar treasures. What if we got tears in our eyes just knowing we owned a bible and could read the word of God in our very own home. More importantly what if we looked at the word of God as the absolute truth it is. What if the word of God does ask us to leave everything and follow Him?
I am studying for the New Testament class coming up and one of the questions I wrote down was What sort of personality must Jesus have had to convince people to drop everything and follow Him? Would I be willing? I would like to say yes, I would. Can I say yes without any doubt, unfortunately I can't.
What I do know is that I want to live my life as the christian mentioned in KQ's recent sermon. William Borden. I want to live with No Reserve, No Retreat, and No Regret. I am ALL IN and I am asking you ladies at this very moment to push me, to ask me the tough questions, help me become the Christian that will give up everything and follow Him.
I love you and I love this! (I know I talk and type too much but bear with me, I will try to get better!)
Posting this for Stephanie Taynor: (if you would like to email me your replies, I'll post for you!) Page 20 - 21 really stuck with me. "The second, you need to commit to obey what you have heard. The gospel does not prompt you to mere reflection; the gospel requires a response. It the process of hearing Jesus, you are compelled to take an honest look at your life, your family, and your church and not just ask, "What is he saying? but also ask, "What shall I do?" This really struck me because I have the reflection part down, but the what shall I do, sometimes I get caught up in the "What does this mean and how does it apply to me?" and miss the "What shall I do?" part.. This makes me realize that I need to ask that question much more and I need to not only ask how it applies to me, but also how does it apply to a more global scale in life.
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