* “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Jesus Christ
* If I’m not prepared to jeopardise a friendship so that I can tell others about Christ, I can be fairly certain I won’t give up my life.
* If I’m not prepared to miss out on promotion so I can stay & help plant churches, I can be fairly certain I won’t give up my life…
* If I’m not willing to pursue people who are different from me in order to bless them, I can be fairly certain I won’t give up my life…
* If I refuse to give up a holiday abroad so I can support someone in gospel ministry. I can be fairly confident I won’t give up my life…
* If I’m not prepared to give up my bed to go and serve someone, I can be fairly confident I won’t give up my life…
* Can’t ultimately be sure until I’m called on to do so. But there are indicators in what I am reluctant to give up…
* How can I be sure I would lay down my life for sake of Jesus & the gospel? Perhaps I’ll be like Peter in his bravado and subsequent denial?
Monday, January 4, 2010
How to Know You won't lay down your life
Reblogged from The Gospel Driven Church, which retweeted from Steve Timmis, co-author of Total Church.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Good Post Jabe -- However I might disagree with the one having to do with risking a friendship. (depending on how you read it ...)
So often us folks brought up in conservative / traditional right wing faith backgrounds read this as an either or issue (black and white). But I don't think it is. What if witnessing (my negative view of what that conjures up in my nightmares)is a way of easing our own guilt of a religion that doesn't make sense. So we prioritize the act of telling someone our view of religion over actually loving our friends. ...
Something about without love your religion is empty gong show?
I like Rob Bell's analogy of defending a brick wall where if one brick is proven faulty the whole wall crumbles -- whereas he suggests that it's more of a trampoline that you invite folks to jump along side you ... if one spring breaks (gay marriage for example) your faith doesn't crumble you've got hundreds of other springs left holding you up.
- thought provoking blogs will get a few more comments :)
Post a Comment