As St. John recounts his first meeting with Jesus, it is a day he remembers right down to the very hour it happened ("four in the afternoon"). John the Baptist had just pointed out Jesus as the "Lamb of God." St. John and Andrew approach Jesus and ask him, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" The scene could have ended very quickly if Jesus had said, "I'm heading over to Galilee," and left it at that. But instead, Jesus said, "Come and see," and invited Andrew and John into the adventure of a lifetime.

The Importance of Process

Imagine you asked me what you need to do to be an elite weightlifter and I responded just by saying, "You need to bench press over 300 pounds." If you were to go out and try bench pressing 300 pounds you would literally get crushed. Getting to that point requires a process, a training regiment where you build up to the desired weight. The answer of "bench press 300 pounds" might give you a target to aim for, but what you really need is a personal trainer to guide you through the process.

A New "Religion"?

Most of us are probably familiar with the popular and somewhat new self-identification many people embrace in calling themselves "spiritual but not religious." This was originally a term primarily used by those who had disassociated with traditional organized religions in favor of a personal privatized spirituality. But in recent years it seems that a great many Christians have embraced the "not religious" designation as an important part of how they view their own experience of Christianity.

The Perfect Christian

What does it mean to be a perfect Christian? What would it mean for someone to have achieved perfect maturity as a follower of Christ? Perhaps certain associations come to mind for you immediately. If we consult St. Paul on the question, we'll find that we actually receive two different answers.

Love Is More Than Sacrifice

"The essence of love is sacrifice." When I read these words some time ago, something in me recoiled. It was a blog post from a Christian author and had all the best intentions. But it was a lie, and one that I have seen repeated over and over again by well-meaning Christian authors. The falsehood of this statement is unmasked easily through the observation that, if sacrifice (read: "suffering willingly accepted") really is the essence of love, then there can be no love in heaven. And there can be no love within the Trinity.

TheologyJim SchusterJune 7, 2014kingdom life, love, page 2 Comment