Luke

Stop Being Busy

August 13, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

Eugene Peterson once said, “Busyness is an illness of spirit.” I think not only is busyness an illness of the spirit, but busyness will also cause your spirit to be ill. Given this, I would implore you to stop being busy! I’m not certain when being busy became a badge of honor, but it seems like it has been in my lifetime. I hear my father tell stories of people sitting on porches and just talking with their neighbors, passing the days as if they had all the time in the world.

stop being busy,busyness,Eugene Peterson,message translation,discipleship,priorities,mission,Matthew 28:19-20,great commission,Luke 10:2,workers are few

image © estradaanton via Fotolia

Previous generations seemed to put a lot more stock in building relationships than we do today. And no, Facebook and WhatsApp do not count in this context. I’m talking about deep, personal, and lifelong relationships. I believe our obsession with busyness is killing our ability to forge true relationships with others.

[Read more…] about Stop Being Busy

We Need a Revival

July 26, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

I am currently going a through a Bible reading plan that guides me through thirty-one days of praying for my nation. It pains me to see how far the country in which I live is drifting from God. To be clear, I don’t believe there is any such thing as a “Christian Nation” (for an excellent, in-depth study on this topic, see “The Myth of a Christian Nation” by Gregory A. Boyd). The history of my country is filled with atrocities which should never be associated with the name of Christ. Still, growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, it seemed my Country had a far greater reverence and respect for God. My parents feel their generation was even more dedicated to God, and I do not doubt this to be true.

we need a revival,we need revival,revival,aw tozer,tozer,a.w. tozer,Matthew 10:39,anyone who loses his life,stewardship,passion,mission,Philippians 3:7-8,consider everything loss,Luke 14:26-33,count the cost,Matthew 8:18-22,foxes have holes,Matthew 28:18-20,great commission

image © Rawpixel.com via Fotolia

Even in the 1960’s, A.W. Tozer made this comment: “We need a revival! We need a revival of consecration to death, a revival of happy abandonment to the will of God that will laugh at sacrifice and count it a privilege to bear the cross through the heat and burden of the day. We are too much influenced by the world and too little controlled by the Spirit.”

[Read more…] about We Need a Revival

Believer or Follower?

June 28, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

Laurie Cole makes a great distinction between Christians and disciples. The first is a believer, the latter a follower. I want to be a follower. I choose to be a follower. Indeed, there is no other way to become a disciple of Jesus. If you too want to be a disciple, you must choose to be one. This goes beyond mere belief. Anyone can believe in Christ. It takes but a moment, no effort, and need not have any demonstrable proof of our decision.

believer or follower,Christian,Christianity,disciple,belief in Christ,believe in Jesus,commitment,discipleship,church,local church,body of christ,sinners prayer,easy salvation,cheap grace,John 14:15,if you love me keep my commands,Luke 9:57-60,foxes have holes,Matthew 10:32-33,if you acknowledge me on eart,John 14:2-3in my fathers house are many mansions,i go to prepare a place for you

image © Eugenio Marongiu via Fotolia

Discipleship, on the other hand, takes a lifetime. It takes an extraordinary amount of effort and commitment on our part. There will be evidence of a dramatically changed life whose sole purpose becomes dramatically changing the lives of others. So, you must choose; will you be a believer or follower of Jesus?

The Curse of Mediocrity

June 21, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

The curse of mediocrity has infested the Western Church. Instead of blazing a trail of fire for the sake of the Kingdom, or even disappearing from the scene with cold hearts, we do just enough to let people know we’re still around, but never enough to make a difference. It’s disgusting to me in my own life and it’s intolerable for Jesus (Revelation 3:15-16). I learned the word mediocre has its origin in two Latin words which, translated literally, mean “halfway to the peak.” Half-way. Unfinished. Lazy. Uncommitted. This is the curse of mediocrity.

curse of mediocrity,mediocre,mediocrity,passion,purpose,priorities,commitment,John 14:12,you will do greater things,Joshua 24:15choose this day whom you will serve,Luke 10:19,I have given you authority,Revelation 3:15-16,spit you out,vomit you out

A.W. Tozer noted of the origin of the word mediocre: “This makes it an apt description of the progress of many Christians. They are halfway up to the peak…. They are morally above the hardened sinner but they are spiritually beneath the shining saint…. Do we really think that this halfway Christian life is the best that Christ offers—the best that we can know? In the face of what Christ offers us, how can we settle for so little?”

Settling for Less

June 18, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

Are you settling for less than what God has for you? Do you even know if that is true in your life? How does one know if they are settling for less if they are not certain about what they have been created to do? I would say if you cannot answer the question of whether or not you are settling for less with an emphatic ‘No!’, then you probably are. People living out their God-given mission know because they are so in tune with God there can be no doubt.

settling for less,mediocre,mediocrity,commitment,gifts,mission,purpose,Luke 9:57-62,foxes have holes,John 16:33,in this world you will have trouble,Ephesians 3:20,more than we could ask or imagine,Revelation 3:15-16,spit you out,vomit you out

For the rest of us, we either suspect we are settling for less or we know for a fact we are. So, we have a two-fold problem: first, how do we know if we are settling for less, and second, what do we do about it if we are?

[Read more…] about Settling for Less