Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Discipleship

Are You a Spectator Christian?

by

A spectator is someone who attends an event and watches from the sidelines. They don’t actually get involved, but they want to be near it. That’s as far as they want to go in being part of it. So I ask you: are you a spectator Christian? Have you filled yourself up on knowledge about Jesus without ever actually internalizing it?

spectator christian,spectator Christianity,get in the game,love,commitment,discipleship,the person Jesus created you to be,the person God created you to be

image © luis_escriv

Of course the knee-jerk reaction of most would be to bristle at the question. Why would anyone ever admit to such a shallow commitment, right? So keep this just between you and God when you answer. Let’s all be honest here. Are you actively engaged in following Jesus or simply a spectator Christian?
[Read more…] about Are You a Spectator Christian?

We Categorize What We Fear

by

Fear categorizes. Perfect love casts out fear. Therefore there is no categorization in love. We categorize people we fear. We categorize them as terrorists, homosexuals, liberals, conservatives, etc. When we categorize them, it means we do not love them. When we don’t love them, we are not living in the way Jesus instructed us.

we categorize what we fear,love,fear,mission,discipleship,love as Jesus loves

image © Ashley van Dyck – Fotolia

In fact we are living in a way that is totally opposed to the way Jesus did. That’s a dangerous place to be.  If we love everyone we will fear no one. Love, as God defines it, is indiscriminate and unconditional. The groups of people we are most likely to categorize are also those whom we have the most difficulty loving.
[Read more…] about We Categorize What We Fear

Imitating Jesus

by

The goal of every Christ follower is to live as He did. When others look at us, there should be no doubt that we are imitating Jesus. While I don’t have the data to back it up, I’m confident most people who are truly passionate about Jesus would agree with that. I am just as confident that most of us have no idea what that really means.

imitating Jesus,mission,mission of Jesus,God's character,the truth about God,commitment,discipleship,Matthew 8:20

image © Christin Lola – Fotolia

I know that because if we did, we wouldn’t be confusing Christianity with the American dream.  Do you really want to know what it looks like to imitate Jesus? It’s all right there in the New Testament of the Bible.
[Read more…] about Imitating Jesus

Countercultural

by

In a recent sermon, Greg Boyd said, “You can’t live out the Kingdom and not be countercultural.” Living the way Jesus lived will make you stand out from the crowd. You’ll definitely look weird compared to the standards of your society. Of course, for those of us who have committed our lives to serve Christ, we don’t mind the long stares, awkward conversations, or sometimes outright hostility.

countercultural,Jesus,discipleship,mission,love,peace,priorities

image © WavebreakmediaMicro – Fotolia

We understand it comes with the territory and realize the mission of Jesus is far more important than any of that. Still, too many professing Christians want to build God’s kingdom, but they want to build their own along the way.
[Read more…] about Countercultural

Living in Love

by

In a recent post (see “When All is Said and Done”) I discussed how it is vital that we live our lives with an eye toward retelling our story to Jesus. This is an important concept to grasp, because each of us will one day have to give an account of our lives to Him (Romans 14:10-12).

living in love,greg boyd,servant God,I Corinthians 16:14,Romans 14:12,Romans 14:10-12,Ephesians 4:29,love,discipline,discipleship

image © Nikki Zalewski – Fotolia

With that in mind, I wanted to look at practical ways we can live to ensure we have a pleasing story to tell. This isn’t a list of “do’s and don’ts”, but rather a motivation that must invade every aspect of our lives. That motivation is love.
[Read more…] about Living in Love