Dallas Willard has described our modern version of Christianity as the “Gospel of Sin-Management”, because of our propensity to think in terms of “what do I do about my sin?”. How do I stop, it? Is it sin if I…? What do I do when I do sin? How do I control my “besetting sin”? All these seem to be the central focus of christian practice. If not preventing or managing bad behavior, we are trying to foster “good” behavior. Read your Bible, Pray more. All these things seem so different from what Jesus seemed to say and do for people. How odd that the religion we named after Him promotes itself differently than He did.
Archive - March, 2010
Focusing on your problem or focusing on God?
From Alan Smith.
“I can’t afford to be more conscious of any problem than I am of his presence.” –Bill Johnson.
How often do I pray from a place of being conscious of a problem rather than of His presence? Too often.
When I am problem-focused rather than Kingdom-focused, I usually end up striving from a place of fear and unbelief. This usually produces fruitlessness in prayer, which then magnifies the unbelief. This process may produce louder and more fervent prayer, but rarely does it produce more effective prayer.
Faith comes from hearing God. Revelation results from turning toward Him, not toward a problem.
I’m most effective in prayer when my focus is upon pursuing divine encounter rather than relief from a difficulty.
Think Again
From Bob Hamp.
“Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” So simple, yet so many ways we can misunderstand. I think the key to understanding this phrase, is understanding who it is is that spoke it and how He might be thinking.
Men and women who have spent a lifetime, (or even a day) in church are so bent towards connecting Scripture with behavior control, otherwise known as “The Knowledge of Good and Evil”, that almost all our experience and perception comes through that lens. Continue Reading…
