It's been a while since I did a book review...this is not it. At least, not exactly. I was reading an interesting book however. It's called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. And he made two points that were very thought-provoking.
I'd heard a lot about this book, but when I finally got around to checking it out at the library, I was expecting quite a bit of the touchy-feely stuff. While there may have been a little of that, I was overall very pleasantly surprised. So, here's the two interesting points.
The first one was Chan's intriguing question: "Is what you're doing right now what you want to be doing when Jesus comes back? Is this what you want to be 'caught' doing?" Now, while I can't go so far as to say that all things that are pleasureful are bad because it's not witnessing or something (a point that seemed like it might have been loosely made) it is a very convicting question.
Interesting point number two was the author's observation regarding the American/western obsession with 'personal safety.' While he agreed that it was perfectly all right to ask for God's protection during a journey etc., he wondered if we were missing out. If we were so concerned with our own safety that we were stuck in a rut of never going outside of our comfort zone to witness/suffer persecution for the name of Christ.
That point ties into something I heard a few months ago. A young man of my acquaintance was giving a talk about complacency. Are we so stuck on our safety that we have become complacent with that role? It's time to move out. What's happened that world-changers are so rare? Our age has some great preachers, but where are the people who act on that preaching to the sacrificing of our selves?
I've been going to a nearby town to share the gospel with a group of other people. I am amazed at how lost people are. I have met people who are clueless as to the gospel, I have met people who are scornful, antagonistic, stubborn, and hating. But I have also seen people who are responsive.
Reading in John this morning, I read something about how those who are lost are incapable of hearing the word of God. I've seen this worked out. But guess what? The very fact that they are incapable of hearing us apart from the Holy Spirit's convicting power should embolden us to be unafraid of their automatically negative response.
Hmm, I was going to say a lot more about other things, but, I can't seem to form the words yet, so you'll just have to wait. I merely admonish you to do the right thing, because it is right and to love and follow God alone above all others, but to listen also to your spiritual authorities.
Toodle-oo!
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