mission

Out of Your Comfort Zone

May 18, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

Recently my pastor said something that I have found to be true. He said, “Passion for Christ will always take you out of your comfort zone.” If you’ve been a follower of Jesus for any amount of time, you probably recognize this and consider it a no-brainer. But recognizing something to be true and accepting it are two very different things.

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image © Jusakas

Let’s face it: most of us will do about anything to maintain our comfort. In fact we aggressively pursue it through the purchase of entertainment, clothing, food, and other vices. None of these crutches have anything to do with being a follower of Jesus; but we ignore that point so we can get on with our lives.
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The Rich Young Ruler Revisited

May 14, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

I have always been drawn to the story of the rich young ruler found in three of the four gospels (Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-23). I love the black and white of it (or so it would seem). I love the way it lays down the gauntlet and demands everything from us in exchange for Jesus.

rich young ruler,Matthew 5:40,Matthew 8:20,Luke 18:18-23,Matthew 19:16-22,Mark 10:17-22,Acts 2:44-47,Acts 16:14-15,Matthew 27:57,Philippians 3:7-9,commitment

image © vladimirfloyd

So much has been written about this story already. Yet still I keep coming back to it. What does it mean to you and me and the lives we lead on a daily basis? How does it apply to those who profess to follow Christ 2,000 years after He walked on this very earth?
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We Categorize What We Fear

April 30, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

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.
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Imitating Jesus

April 27, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

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

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.
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Countercultural

April 23, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

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

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.
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