October 27th, 2020
By Mike Bill
One of the subtle tensions present in almost every theological conversation, Bible Study, or sermon is this:
Is the Christian life all about what God has done, or is it about my actions and choices?
My answer is not very helpful: YES.
At the core of the Christian faith is an intersection between a holy, transcendent, and all-powerful God with a carefully-made, deeply loved, and yet incredibly flawed human being. To reduce the Christian faith to mere human action and will is simply religion. To reduce the Christian faith to merely the goodness of God operating in the background is only functional deism at best.
Our study of God Moments is the study of intersections. God Moments, past and present, help us recognize the fact that God is personal, active, and powerful…and that this same God wants to be that inside of my life.
What are your God Moments? Our challenge has been to REMEMBER…because in remembering we RESOLVE and we RENEW ourselves to live differently. Tomorrow looks different because of what took place yesterday.
Not every moment will become a memorable God Moment. Not every day is a day that will stand out in your mind five years from now. But I do believe that this season in which we find ourselves will be a moment that shapes the future of our families, communities, and nation. And it’s way bigger than an election, a pandemic, or whatever key events are going in your life right now. All of these things are big…and new…and create uncertainty…and create challenges. But I also know that our God Moments are not always a direct answer to what we perceive to be the “Big” things around us. But God is often able and willing to use the big stuff going on to get our attention, to shift our focus, to alter our course, and to grow our faith.
I am praying that God meets me…that God meets you…that God meets with the collective family of St. John’s! And my prayer goes beyond the “Big” events of our day…my prayer is that God would grow and use us in the midst of this…not just help us get through it in the manner in which we would like.
God wants to show up and encounter you!
Look for His activity and what He might be up to!
Listen and respond…and then tell someone else!
One of the subtle tensions present in almost every theological conversation, Bible Study, or sermon is this:
Is the Christian life all about what God has done, or is it about my actions and choices?
My answer is not very helpful: YES.
At the core of the Christian faith is an intersection between a holy, transcendent, and all-powerful God with a carefully-made, deeply loved, and yet incredibly flawed human being. To reduce the Christian faith to mere human action and will is simply religion. To reduce the Christian faith to merely the goodness of God operating in the background is only functional deism at best.
Our study of God Moments is the study of intersections. God Moments, past and present, help us recognize the fact that God is personal, active, and powerful…and that this same God wants to be that inside of my life.
What are your God Moments? Our challenge has been to REMEMBER…because in remembering we RESOLVE and we RENEW ourselves to live differently. Tomorrow looks different because of what took place yesterday.
Not every moment will become a memorable God Moment. Not every day is a day that will stand out in your mind five years from now. But I do believe that this season in which we find ourselves will be a moment that shapes the future of our families, communities, and nation. And it’s way bigger than an election, a pandemic, or whatever key events are going in your life right now. All of these things are big…and new…and create uncertainty…and create challenges. But I also know that our God Moments are not always a direct answer to what we perceive to be the “Big” things around us. But God is often able and willing to use the big stuff going on to get our attention, to shift our focus, to alter our course, and to grow our faith.
I am praying that God meets me…that God meets you…that God meets with the collective family of St. John’s! And my prayer goes beyond the “Big” events of our day…my prayer is that God would grow and use us in the midst of this…not just help us get through it in the manner in which we would like.
God wants to show up and encounter you!
Look for His activity and what He might be up to!
Listen and respond…and then tell someone else!
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