How Do We Experience God?
In the last of a series on "The Shack", Pastor Amy talked about the picture we have in our minds when we think of our experience of who God is in the last sermon in the series on "The Shack." God is infinitely beyond our comprehending, He is beyond our comprehension, yet parts of Him are knowable. The image of Him that we carry around with us affects our relationship with Him.
We read
Psalm 18 together which gives an excellent view of how David pictured God. The Bible gives us the most accurate picture of who God is since it is His inspired word.
Question of the Week: What aspect of God was new to you today?
Labels: "The Shack"
Forgiveness
Today at MCC, Pastor Henry read
Colossians 3:1-17 and talked about the challenge of forgiveness, one of the themes in the Shack. Verse 13 says, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Forgiveness is not about forgetting, it's about letting go. People are responsible for their own actions and God says, "it is mine to avenge, I will repay." (Romans 12:19). If we don't forgive people, soon the weight of bitterness crushes us.
Question of the Week: Who do you have to forgive? What makes it so difficult to forgive them?
In a way, I think we have to continually be willing to forgive other people for not being God to us and fulfilling all of our needs. When people hurt us, we should remember that they are broken too.
Labels: "The Shack"
Rules or Relationship?
Today, Jason talked about
Colossians 2: 26-23 where Paul is addressing the problem of legalism. We have a tendency to set up rules so we know what to expect. God did give us the 10 Commandments as a rule for our lives, but He knew we couldn't keep them. We are dependent on His grace in Jesus Christ to fulfill the law. In "The Shack", Mack has a discussion with God about this very thing. God tells him that He wants a relationship with His people and not for them to just be following the rules.
In Christ, we have freedom from the rules that society puts on us - the things that other people might expect to see from what their view of a Christian should be. What does it mean to die with Christ? Perhaps it means to die to that part of ourselves which is trying to gain acceptance from society by following their view of the rules. We are then free to live a life of expectancy to the good things in Christ.
Labels: "The Shack"
He is Always With Us
Today, Pastor Henry started a new series based on a fictional novel, The Shack. In this novel, the main character Mack is faced with unspeakable suffering and is questioning God. Suffering and pain can cause us to forget God's promise, to doubt and to question Him. Henry asked us to think of the questions we might ask God if we were given the opportunity.
Henry told us something a former teacher of his told him... "I am often struck by what God doesn't promise." What He does promise is found in Isaiah 43:2,
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."
What a promise! He promises to be with us no matter what our circumstances are.
Question of the Week: How do you acknowledge the truth of Isaiah 43:2 in your life?
I have this image in my head when I think of what the future could hold of God being with me in even the darkest of times and I am very thankful for the peace it gives me.
Labels: "The Shack"
and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Forgiveness is not about forgetting, it's about letting go. People are responsible for their own actions and God says, "it is mine to avenge, I will repay." (Romans 12:19). If we don't forgive people, soon the weight of bitterness crushes us.