Part 4 of 4
We now see our God in a different light…
He is not an angry dictator, who wants to wack us.
He is a:
We now see our God in a different light…
He is not an angry dictator, who wants to wack us.
He is a:
RECLAIMER
RENEWER
RESTORER
His desire is to restore us to the life he intended…
His desire is to restore all men and women to the life he intended…
To make us all into the people whom he created us to be.
We see people in a different light…
We understand that all people are made in the image of God.
We don’t see a man without a home and disregard him as a worthless bum, but we realize that he is a fellow image bearer…and he is worthy of being:
RECLAIMED / RENEWED / RESTORED
We don’t see the prostitute as a whore who has no self-respect, but we see her as a fellow image bearer…who is worthy of being:
RECLAIMED / RENEWED / RESTORED
We don’t see those in a different economic bracket or of a different race or nationality or those who align themselves with a different political party as less than ourselves, but we see them as fellow image bearers…who are worthy of being:
RECLAIMED / RENEWED / RESTORED
We understand that all people have been created in the image of God.
We see our culture in a different light…
We understand that sin has marred God’s creativity…
But we also understand that much of our culture is worthy of being
RECLAIMED
RENEWED
RESTORED
We understand that we are not to abandon culture, but redeem it.
For the Christian life is not about abstention, but redemption.
We are commissioned to throw ourselves into culture so that all that God made is reclaimed to be used in ways he intended .
And the way we redeem culture is by using and cultivating culture rightly in a way that brings glory to God.
Being a Christian is not cutting yourself off from real life; it is entering into it more fully.
Whether it be music or art or dance or film, as Christians we understand that these things are from God we are free to
RECLAIM
RENEW
RESTORE
We see God’s creation in a different light…
We understand that this earth is our home.
We’re here for the long haul…
We understand that litter and pollution are spiritual issues.
We understand that we cannot live independently of the world God has placed us in.
We understand that when it comes to God’s good creation, we are called to:
RECLAIM
RENEW
RESTORE
In his book, Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell writes: “The point of the cross isn’t forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to something much bigger: restoration. God isn’t just interested in the covering over of our sins; God wants to make us into the people we were originally created to be. It is not just the removal of what’s being held against us; it is God pulling us into the people he originally had in mind when he made us….The goal here is not simply to not sin. Our purpose is to increase the shalom in this world, which is why approaches to the Christian faith that deal solely with not sinning always fail. They aim at the wrong thing. It is not about what you don’t do. The point is becoming more and more the kind of people God had in mind when we were first created. It is one thing to be forgiven; it is another thing to become more and more and more and more the person God made you to be.”
May we all be changed by the power of our God.
May we all experience what it is to be reclaimed
May we all experience what it is to be renewed
May we all experience what it is to restored
That we may all go forth to reclaim, to renew and to restore.
Amen.
RENEW
RESTORE
We see God’s creation in a different light…
We understand that this earth is our home.
We’re here for the long haul…
We understand that litter and pollution are spiritual issues.
We understand that we cannot live independently of the world God has placed us in.
We understand that when it comes to God’s good creation, we are called to:
RECLAIM
RENEW
RESTORE
In his book, Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell writes: “The point of the cross isn’t forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to something much bigger: restoration. God isn’t just interested in the covering over of our sins; God wants to make us into the people we were originally created to be. It is not just the removal of what’s being held against us; it is God pulling us into the people he originally had in mind when he made us….The goal here is not simply to not sin. Our purpose is to increase the shalom in this world, which is why approaches to the Christian faith that deal solely with not sinning always fail. They aim at the wrong thing. It is not about what you don’t do. The point is becoming more and more the kind of people God had in mind when we were first created. It is one thing to be forgiven; it is another thing to become more and more and more and more the person God made you to be.”
May we all be changed by the power of our God.
May we all experience what it is to be reclaimed
May we all experience what it is to be renewed
May we all experience what it is to restored
That we may all go forth to reclaim, to renew and to restore.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment