Chapter Four

Chapter Four

In Chapter Four, Chan discusses the idea of "lukewarm Christians," drawing from the passage in Revelations 3: 15-18 where Jesus describes the church of Laodicea (in modern Turkey).  He presents an inventory of eighteen characteristics that describe the behavior and attitudes of modern lukewarm Christians.  Below is that list, and I invite you to rate yourself on each criterion by choosing a number from one to ten with "one" representing very little resemblance you have to the criterion and "ten" meaning it describes you perfectly.  Then add up your scores and you can file this away and try the same thing in six months or a year and see if your number has changed!

1.  Lukewarm People attend church fairly regularly because this is what is expected of good Christians.

2.  Lukewarm People give money to charity and to the church, as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living.

3.  Lukewarm People tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict.

4.  Lukewarm People don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want to be saved only from the penalty of their sin.

5.  Lukewarm People are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they label these people "extreme" Christians and don't think such behavior is expected of them.

6.  Lukewarm People rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers or friends.  This is only for Bible thumpers.

7.  Lukewarm People gauge their morality by comparing themselves to the secular world, not necessarily to the standards Jesus gives us.

8.  Lukewarm People say they love Jesus, but He is not allowed to control their lives.

9.  Lukewarm People love God, but they do not love Him with their whole heart, soul and strength.

10.  Lukewarm People may love others but they do not attempt to love others as much as they love themselves.

11.  Lukewarm People will serve God and others, but there are definite limits to how much time, money or energy they are willing to give.

12.  Lukewarm People think about life on earth much more than eternity in heaven.  (They try to avoid being "so heavenly minded, that they are no earthly good.")

13.  Lukewarm People are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, but rarely consider trying to share as much as possible with the less fortunate.

14.  Lukewarm People do whatever is necessary to keep from feeling too guilty.  They try to be just "good enough" to get by and impress others.

15.  Lukewarm People are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of security and control.

16.  Lukewarm People feel secure because they do everything expected of "good Christians" but little more: they go to church, read the Bible, associate with other Christians, vote Republican, don't swear, don't drink.

17.  Lukewarm People do not live by faith; their lives are so structured they never have to.  They are self-made, hard-working Americans.

18.  Lukewarm People try to blend in with the secular world and try to appear as "normal" as possible.

Reflections on Pastor Mike's Sermons

(The following are brief comments on notes I made while listening to Pastor Mike's sermons.  Please feel free to add your own responses so that we all can engage in a dialogue to better understand and apply the truth of God's word as guided by the Holy Spirit.)


April 10, 2016

Continuing in his series on Ephesians, Pastor Mike focused on two topics during Sunday's message: (1) The differences between knowledge and wisdom; and (2) The meaning of our inheritance in Christ.

Although we may have gained much knowledge through Bible reading, courses we have taken and other experiences in our Christian walk, if we never apply any of this knowledge, our faith will remain weak and we will never grow-up in Christ as Paul urges in Ephesians 1:17.  Wisdom is the application of this knowledge in the exercise of those "good works" which God has prepared for us before the foundations of the earth.  Rather than become "top-heavy" and satiated with more and more facts about our faith, we need to exercise and develop a muscular and vibrant spirituality.

The second main topic, our inheritance in Christ, was a real eye-opener for me.  Having spent several decades in various churches listening to many gifted preachers and pastors, I had never heard anyone expound on Ephesians 1:18 the way Pastor Mike did. We usually hear about the incredible riches of God's gifts made possible through the death and resurrection of Christ, but I had never been made aware that, through our death to sin in baptism, we are now able to give an inheritance to God.  When we accept Christ as our savior in baptism, we die to sin, we shed the old nature, the Adam nature, and become new creatures in Christ.  This re-birth enables us to become the executors of an estate that we can now give to Christ.  Paul turns the tables, as it were, and stresses how our new life can be a daily gift to Christ.  Rather than a passive acceptance of riches from God as our inheritance, we can now actively consecrate our life as a gift to God, His "inheritance of the saints."

April 17, 2016

Pastor Mike reviewed the first ten verses in Ephesians, Chapter 2.  He stressed that God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. His plan for us was created even before we were born!  From this perspective, our life becomes a wonderful adventure of discovery!  Once we continue to align ourselves with God's will, we can implement His plan for us with increasing regularity and accuracy.  God is not watching passively on His heavenly throne but actively involved in a continuous process of redemption, restoration and direction of every event in the universe.

Pastor mentioned the four promises that God made to Moses in Exodus, Chapter 6, verses 6 and 7:

(1) He will bring the Israelites out of bondage; (2) He will get the Egypt out of their souls, i.e., the sin and corruption; (3) He will be their God; and (4) He will restore them and lead them to the promised land.  These same promises are what God offers us!  While sin made the life of God in us go out, Jesus rekindled that life through His redemptive sacrifice on the cross.  By sending the Holy Spirit, God enables us to engage in the process of sanctification.

Pastor referred to how many try to work out their own salvation through "religious" practices of one kind or another--whether Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, etc.--not realizing that Jesus told us in no uncertain terms that He is the "way, the truth and the life." "No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

Introduction

Hello!  This is the initial post for the Christian Assembly Book Club, started on April 10, 2016.  We met at the church for our first discussion of Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  There were seven in attendance.  We discussed the first three chapters. The purpose of this blog is to allow not only those who attend the book club meetings at the church to comment on the discussion, but also to give those who are unable to attend an opportunity to participate in the discussion of a particular book.

There are just a few rules or guidelines:  (1) Please refer to which specific chapter in the book you are commenting on and/or specific point or topic; (2) If you are commenting on a post of another participant, please identify who that person is and reference the point they made to which you are reacting/responding; (3) And, of course, identify yourself so all participants know who you are.

All comments are welcome!  Please feel free to ask questions which you may wish others to attempt to answer. Here are some questions referenced to the first chapters that you may wish to answer:

Chapter One

1.  Chan lists several attributes of God.  Which of these do you find most significant and why?

2. Chan suggests that many Christians have "spiritual amnesia"(p. 31).  What do you think he means by this?

3. Why is it difficult for some people to love God?

Chapter Two

1.  Why does Chan say "we need to get over ourselves"?

2. Are we sinning when we don't feel like rejoicing whatever our circumstances?

Chapter Three

1. Has your relationship with your earthly father influenced your relationship with your Heavenly Father?

2. Why does God force us to love Him since the consequence of rejecting Him is to burn in hell for eternity?