The Gospel is Absurd...Unless...

As I mentioned in my last post: I am just captivated with the writing of Brennan Manning. It touches my heart and moves me in a great way. Here is a little more from his book; “The Furious Longing of God”... 

“How is it then that we’ve come to imagine that Christianity consists primarily in what we do for God? How has this come to be the good news of Jesus? Is the kingdom that He proclaimed to be nothing more than a community of men and women who go to church on Sunday, take an annual spiritual retreat, read their Bibles every now and then, vigorously oppose abortion, don’t watch x-rated movies, never use vulgar language, smile a lot, hold doors open for people, root for the favorite team, and get along with everybody? Is that why Jesus went through the bleak and bloody horror of Calvary? Is that why He emerged in shattering glory from the tomb? Is that why He poured out His Holy Spirit on the church? To make nicer men and women with better morals?

The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creations. Not to make people with better morals, but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness and extravagant, furious love. This my friends is what it means to be Christian. Our religion never begins with what we do for God. It always starts with what God has done for us, the great and wondrous things that God dreamed of and achieved for us in Christ Jesus.” 

Oh my!

Grace and Peace!

The Furious Longing of God

In the foreword of Brennan Manning’s book “The Furious Longing of God,” Pastor Mark Batterson writes “If Brennan Manning writes it, I’m going to read it.” You know that is how I feel these days.  As such I have recently started reading this book. I am only 20 pages in, but there is so much in those few pages. Manning starts by telling of a 30 day retreat where he prayed a verse from Song of Solomon every day. The verse was 7:10: 

I am my beloved’s and His desire is for me 

His said his prayer of this verse lead him to believe that God’s desire for us can be best described as a furious longing. That if we through prayer begin to take these words personally a number of beautiful things can come about. These things seemed so appropriate to share at the start of a new year so here they are (these are directly quoted from the book):

1. The drumbeats of doom in your head will be replaced by a song in your heart, which could lead to a twinkle in your eye. 
   
   
2. You will not be dependent on the company of others to ease your loneliness, for He is Emmanuel – God with us. 
   
   
3. The praise of others will not send your spirit soaring, nor will their criticism plunge you into the pit. Their rejection may make you sick, but it will not be a sickness unto death. 
   
   
4. In a significant interior development, you will move from I should pray to I must pray. 
   
   
5. You will live with an awareness that the Father not only loves us, but likes you. 
   
   
6. You will stop comparing yourself with others. In the same way, you will not trumpet your own importance, boast about your victories in the vineyard or feel superior to anyone. 
   
   
7. You will read Zephaniah 3:17-18 and see God dancing for joy because of you. 
   
   
8. Off and on throughout the day, you will just know that you are being seen by
   Jesus with a gaze of infinite tenderness.
   

He closes this section of the book with the statement: "I am a witness to these truths."

How encouraging... 

Grace and Peace!