When I was in college, if there was an essay test, you would buy a "blue book" to use during the essay test. A blue book cost a dime and was 8 or 10 pages of blank lined paper. You wrote down the question when given by the professor, and then you wrote your answer. As long or as short as it took, you wrote. Your ideas filled blank pages.
Now, I heard from somebody the other day who does not agree with my definition of the Christian faith. I am too "outward focused." I am too interested in missions. We bantered for a while. I guess I just don't understand how you can have the Christian faith if you are not missional.
I also got to feeling that sometimes people like to pick at this sermon or another, but they do not have a competing idea to offer. So, it can sound like, "I don't like your answers, but I have no other answers to give."
So I got to thinking about the blue book. The clean slate. The you get a chance to say whatever you want forum about what it means to be a Christian. Here we go. Take some time, sit down and write what you believe. Here are my questions:
1. what does it mean to be a Christ follower?
2. What role does missions [giving one's self away] play in the Christian faith?
3. what have you given up, what are you willing to give up to follow Jesus?
You have 30 minutes to answer those questions. At the end of that time, please put your pencil down and bring your blue book up to my desk. Be sure to write your name on the front of the blue book.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
3 comments:
One the first clues to a Christian needing an inward change of focus, is their tendancy to pick on anthing and everything. It's always bettr to build up than tear down. Why the need to pick?
The Bible seems pretty clear to me, in pointing out that "pure religion (Chrisitanity) and undefiled before God...." is to help those in need. (James 1:27) So, what really matters is that we are responsible to God, for whether our Christianity is real. The whole of Jesus' life was about being missional. Nothing more, nothing less.
No coincidence that the verse just before that challenges Christians to keep in mind that they are just fooling themselves if they consider themselves to be a Christian, and don't bridle their tongues. Hmmmm.
I decided to kill two birds (no pun intended) with one stone, and posted my response over on http://ten10branch.com .
1. John 13:35, 1 John 4:20
2.Mark 16:15; John 16. Some are sent, some have earning power to support those who go, others support with their talents.
3. There is nothing we can give that matches the sacrifice of Christ, and we are so unlike him (Is 55:8) Try to live out #1 and #2 as best as i can.
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