Hello All,
Some churches have a very healthy community; some do not. Others are anywhere in the middle. Have you ever left an unhealthy environment and were then ostracized, as those you were the unhealthy one? Or, perhaps you were even called a rebel? I know more than a few. Dr. Brad Jersak writes:
"An ever-increasing proportion of believers have been remembering, preaching, singing and experiencing directly what we call 'the Father’s heart.' So much so that a great number have nearly forgotten how threatening, judgmental and condemning the God of our childhood could sound. We really have moved on. Sometimes we forget the multitudes who fled through local church exits decades ago and have yet to receive the upgrade we now take for granted. Or did they flee precisely because, in their own spirits, God was already rehabilitating their picture of him, while the congregations they attended weren’t ready to ‘go there’?
Each of us had to experience this good news for ourselves. The revelation included:
(1) a fresh emphasis on God as the merciful and hospitable Father;
(2) who wins us by love rather than threats;
(3) who accepts and adores us while we’re still a mess;
(4) who sees us as we are and heals us with hugs rather than blows.
We were learning at last that it’s the 'kindness of God that leads to repentance' (Rom. 2:4), and that it is only 'the grace of God that teaches us to say no to ungodliness' (Titus 2:11-12)."
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
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