Deep in Thought

I just started reading "The Challenge of Jesus," by N.T. Wright. Beginning with the first chapter he has me deep in thought.

If N.T. Wright is on to something here, it has huge implications for how we present the gospel . . . Huge implications for how we lead someone to repentance . . . And huge implications for how we disciple followers of Jesus. I don't think the significance of this understanding of repentance could be overstated. It could . . . Well . . . Change everything . . . Even the world.


"Martin Luther rightly reacted against the medieval translation of metanoeite as paenitentiam agere ("do penance") and insisted that the word referred originally to the "repentance" that takes place deep within the human heart, not in the outward actions prescribed as a quasi-punishment. He could not know that his reading would be used, in turn, to support an individualistic and pietistic reading of Jesus' command to repent, which does no justice at all to the meaning of the word in the first century. Jesus was summoning his hearers to give up their whole way of life, their national and social agendas, and to trust him for a different agenda, a different set of goals. This of course included a change of heart, but went far beyond it." (p.27)

Thoughts?

Listening

Today I read an article from Christianity Today by Martin Accad who is the academic dean of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Lebanon. He was teaching at Fuller Seminary when the bombing started and is now unable to return home to his family.

This article presents a different view on what is happening in the Middle East than we are use to hearing: Which is why it is worth the read.

Revelation

I am reading Revelation, and I find it interesting. In the first few chapters Jesus is judging 7 churches. All of them focus on what the church has done. Several times he says, I know your deeds, other times he talks about their deeds. It made me think of Matt. 25 where Jesus judges based on how people interacted with the poor, the stranger, the prisoner, etc.

I know in our theology we say that good works can not save you. It is only by the grace of God. I believe that, however, we might also say that you will not enter into salvation without them because they are the true test of your love for God.

"If you love me, you will obey my commands."

How Crazy is This?

This is amazing. Look at these to pictures while sitting close to your monitor. You see angry man on the left, and calm man on the right. Now back up about 12ft from your monitor. Calm man is on the left and angry man on the right. How weird is that. I have no idea where this came from it was just forwarded to me.