Leading people to a more intimate friendship with God
“This is the message we can bring to those suffering and in pain: ‘The evils done to you were not God’s will, and none of this suffering and pain is ultimately God’s will. All that God did through Jesus made a way for us to reconnect to the One who cares, who has compassion, who …
“Not only does a person from our post-Christian world need to encounter someone with the heart of Jesus and meet several Christians loving and serving like Jesus, they also need time! They need time to learn and understand the way of Christ because they really don’t know much more than hearsay. We can’t expect people …
“When Jesus encountered people, he had spiritual vision to see the river of hurt and pain flowing beneath the surface of those who drink and drug to numb the anger or hide the loneliness. He saw beneath the surface of people who get entangled in degrading relationships because they fear being alone. He could see …
“Everyone hurts; not everyone cares. But Jesus cares — of that you can be sure… Jesus entered into people’s pain, hurt, and places of deep need, and he showed them how much God cares. Picture what Jesus actually did the most: He spent morning to evening for three years meeting people at their greatest points …
Continue reading “God Cares about Your Pain — A Quote by John Burke in “Mud and the Masterpiece””
“Love, adoption, security, stress-free living, burden-free responsibility, joy from within, a soulful peace, worth, value, and guidance from his ever-present Spirit lead us into overflowing Life, and forgiveness from all sin and freedom from all condemnation too! That’s the Life in God’s kingdom we invite people into! We’re not selling fire insurance to keep people …
“Many people mistakenly believe that God’s goal is to get people to do the right things and stop doing wrong things (as if this has somehow all gotten out of his control!). Pharisees try to assist God by forcing, cajoling, or shaming people to obey… God wants our hearts even more than our obedience. If …
“Jesus offered mercy to people who needed mercy. He brought good news about God’s heart for people who felt condemned, judged, thinking God saw no hope for them. He offered people relationship that restored. As followers of Jesus, do we first bring something ‘good’ relationally to people in need of good news, or do we …
“Jesus not only pictured this Masterpiece in every encounter, he called out the Masterpiece. He pointed out the true identity of people that God wanted to reveal by chipping away everything that wasn’t the image he imagined. We must learn to do the same… God wants his followers to call out the valuable uniqueness God …
“Do you realize that Jesus is not shocked by the shocking things people do? Jesus knew Zacchaeus had robbed people blind and profited off much unethical behavior, yet Jesus was not shocked. He did not offer Zach correction, but relationship. ‘Come down, Zacchaeus. I’m staying at your house tonight’ (see Luke 19:5). That shocked everyone! …
“Why do we struggle to treat people like the immensely valuable, one-of-a-kind Masterpiece God created with his own hand? Do you see the mud? Or do you see the Masterpiece God wants to restore? What you focus on determines who you become and the impact you have on people around you!” “The Pharisees primarily focused …