JR. Forasteros - August 25, 2013
Evangelism
When we hear the term "Evangelism" we think of guys standing on corners with signs, yelling through bullhorns. But that's not how Jesus taught us to share the Good News about him and the new life he brings us. In Matthew 10, we see his followers sent out as guests, about visiting and staying a while, living life with those far from God and showing them what Jesus' new life looks like. We're not evangelizing until both our words and our lives announce who Jesus is!
From Series: "Priceless Kingdom"
How easily do we reduce Jesus' new life to 'spirituality'? We think of God's Kingdom as one area of our lives - what we do on Sundays, or with a small group, or when we're engaging in religious activities. But Jesus tells us stories that invite us to imagine a Kingdom so big it encompasses our whole lives. A new life that can't be measured, can't be quantified because it's too big, too excellent. This kingdom is worth everything we have and more. It demands everything from us and when we give it all, we wish we could give more. This new life Jesus offers is priceless!
More Messages From JR. Forasteros...
Powered by Series Engine
Today’s about Ghost stories. Though they appear in many forms, the quintessential ghost story involves the spirit of a dead person who’s stayed around (usually a haunted house) because they have unfinished business. Maybe they have to deliver a message or ensure proper burial or get revenge. Whatever the case, once their business is complete, they leave into the afterlife.
Unlike our previous two monsters, today we’re not ghosts. Rather, to quote Peter Rollins,
We are the haunted houses. — Peter Rollins
We move through life collecting hurts, wounds and scars, evidence of pain inflicted on us by other people. Some may be slight, exaggerated in our heads – maybe someone who cuts us off or says something cruel or who causes us harm by accident. Others could be huge, life-altering. A spouse who left. An abuser. And there’s a whole range of hurts between.
Whatever their source, however legitimate or not, these people, these hurts don’t just exit our lives.
We carry them around with us, in our heads and in our souls. They haunt us, returning again and again out of the ether to drag us through the past, to relive history, to reopen old wounds.
The problem is we don’t know what these ghosts want. We don’t know how to resolve their business and get them to leave us. We can’t escape their haunting – especially if the person who hurt you is still a part of your life.
