Love For Jesus – 12/14/2018

WARNING PREACHY… (preaching to the choir)

In his excellent book Six Word Lessons to Discover Missional Living[1], Dr. DeVries wrote in the fourth chapter “Love people until they ask why.” 

  

In 1994 I moved to N.J. for work and I met a young family that basically adopted me and gave me a segregate family since mine was so far away.  I was a 23 year old kid from Detroit and yet they still took me in as one of their own.  Even to this day I am amazed that they loved me as they did.  They loved me because they were Christian and through their love I saw clearly the reality of Jesus and I became His disciple.  All these years later I’m still amazed because it could have gone badly for them as I was quite rough around the edges if the Jesus bit hadn’t stuck.  I never needed to ask “why” they loved me but because they did my life was radically transformed with a visible demonstration of Jesus.

I’m personally challenged by DeVries’ fourth lesson as I know that the love of Jesus is sacrificial in nature and I struggle to love others as He first loved me.  So I suggest that you get a copy of DeVries’ book as it is sure to challenge you to develop the mind and mission of our Lord.  

(Order a copy from Amazon here:  http://a.co/d/1CropEG)

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[1] Six-Word Lessons to Discover Missional Living: 100 Six-Word Lessons to Align Every Believer with the Mission of Jesus by David DeVries; http://a.co/d/1CropEG

Search For Jesus – 12/13/2018

WARNING PREACHY… (preaching to the choir)

In his excellent book Six Word Lessons to Discover Missional Living[1], Dr. DeVries wrote in the third chapter “People are searching to know Jesus.”   

I remember when I was young, every September I would sift through the Sears catalogue and circle every toy I just had to have for Christmas--in December.  During the process I would wind up circling everything but there was always that one-thing I just had to have and I would spend three amazing months fantasizing about it.   I was very much like that kid that had to have the Bee-bee gun for Christmas.  Well, Christmas morning would arrive and more than likely I would not get that new dirt-bike, but once in a while I would get something I just had to have.  And you know what, after a few minutes that thing that I just had to have lost its luster and I was back looking at the other toys in the Sears catalogue.

As I grew up this pattern grew with me and I found that my relationships with the women in my life was very much like all those toys I just had to have; none of them satisfied for very long before I was looking at the catalogue again.  It wasn’t until I met Jesus thatI discovered reality and a love that lasted, it was not until then that thewomen in my life were no longer play-things and people to be loved, cherished,and died for.

Not everyone’s story is like mine, but I believe DeVries is correct, people are all searching for Jesus and they don’t even know it.  Get DeVries’ book and join in the work of the harvest.  

(Order a copy from Amazon here:  http://a.co/d/1CropEG)

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[1] Six-Word Lessons to Discover Missional Living: 100 Six-Word Lessons to Align Every Believer with the Mission of Jesus by David DeVries; http://a.co/d/1CropEG

Love Like Jesus – 12/12/2018

WARNING PREACHY… (preaching to the choir)

In his excellent book Six Word Lessons to Discover Missional Living[1], Dr. DeVries wrote in the second chapter “Love Others Like Jesus Loves You.”   This chapter begs the question; How did Jesus love you?

Jesus was the incarnation of God, meaning that God became man (John 1:14) and was born and laid in a manger.  Then Jesus grew up and spent his public ministry showing men how to be reunited with God through faith (read the Gospels).  And then finally Jesus went to the cross to die and defeat sin and death, thus redeeming us (Romans 8).  

Jesus loved us by total self-sacrifice then He called us to follow in his footsteps…

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Matthew16:24-26

This is Jesus’ plan for church growth; self-sacrifice for the others’ sake.  I’ll admit it, I rather like the plan of just improving the music offering of the church and increasing the friendliness of the greeter-team as the church growth strategy, but it seems that Jesus had a rather novel idea; sacrificial love.

So how does Jesus love you?  He sacrificed his being for you and now DeVries is reminding us that Jesus has called us to go and do likewise to others. 

Are you ready to dive into the waters of making disciples for Jesus?  Get DeVries’ book, it can be a bit daunting but Jesus is in the boat and he calms the wind and waves (Matthew 8:23-27). 

(Order a copy from Amazon here: http://a.co/d/1CropEG)

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[1] Six-Word Lessons to Discover Missional Living: 100 Six-Word Lessons to Align Every Believer with the Mission of Jesus by David DeVries; http://a.co/d/1CropEG

Follow Jesus – 12/11/2018

WARNING PREACHY… (preaching to the choir)

In his excellent book Six Word Lessons to Discover Missional Living[1], Dr. DeVries wrote in the very first chapter “Follow Jesus. Help Others Follow Jesus.”   He asks a question that might be offensive to some but I believe it had to be asked; “If you aren’t helping anyone to follow Jesus – are you really following Jesus?”

Um, wow, did he just ask that?  

The question ignores the fact that I go church every week, that I give a 10^th of all my spices (Luke 11:42), and that I have said the Sinner’s Prayer, been baptized, and cast out demons and prophesied in his name (Matthew 7:21-23); but yeah, he just asked that. And if you are like me it stings a little to hear.

DeVries' book wants all of us Christians to be intentional about the Great Commission and of making disciples for Christ. (Matthew 28:16-20)  His mindset steps-up the causality of most American Christians and challenges us into action.  It forces us to become active players in life as Christians instead of just servants in the service church organization.  He’s not at all opposed to the church; his attitude is just that the church exists because disciples are being made rather than the “build it and they will come” attitude that is popular among many church planters.

I suggest that if you are interested in getting off the bench and participating in the Christian life as a disciple of Jesus, you should get DeVries’ book and join the game.  It’s quite the adventure that our Lord calls in to.  

(Order a copy from Amazon here:  http://a.co/d/1CropEG)

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[1] Six-Word Lessons to Discover Missional Living: 100 Six-Word Lessons to Align Every Believer with the Mission of Jesus by David DeVries; http://a.co/d/1CropEG