Hello and welcome everybody. Thanks for following along on this Blogger Book Study journey.
Yesterday Genie started us off on our second book titled: Crazy Love by: Francis Chan. She covered Chapters 1-2. Catch up if your behind! And don't forget theirs a really cool video complimentary site that follows the book found here.
Today we will be covering Chapter 3-4. So here we go!
Chp 3 "Crazy Love"
"If you've spent any time in church, you've heard expressed, in some form or another, the idea that God loves us." Chan explains how for years he got the concept in his head but didn't fully understand it in his heart. Most of us to some degree have a difficult time understanding, believing, or accepting God's absolute and unlimited love for us. For Chan It had a lot to do with his relationship with his father.
dad and DAD
The concept of being loved by a father was foreign to Chan. Chan's mother died while giving birth to him. His father showed almost no affection. Chan always tried not to annoy him. He believes a lot of those emotions transferred to his relationship with God. He had no aspiration of being wanted by God; "I was just happy not to be hated or hurt by Him".
But his relationship took a major turn when he became a father himself. "For the first time I got a taste of what God feels toward us". Through this experience he came to understand that his desire for his children is only... (love this though) "a faint echo of God's great love for me and for every person He made." He states: "How could I not trust a heavenly, perfect Father who loves me infinitely more than I will ever love my kids? -Matthews 7:11
In Love with the One I Fear
It was easy for Chan to relate to any verse that would describe Gods overwhelming greatness or His wrath. If there was one word to describe his feelings about God in his first Christian years, it would be fear.
Jesus didn't command that we have a regular time with Him each day. "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" -Matt. 22:37-38. God doesn't want us to respond with a cursory "quiet time" plagued by guilt, but with true love expressed through our lives.
Chan still fears God, but uses words like reverent intimacy to describe how he feels about God.
Wanted
Chan took a trip to the woods with the desire to grow in His love for God. He had been realizing that his belief in Gods love was only theoretical. He ended up spending four days in the woods with out speaking to anyone. No plan or agenda. On the first day he opened his Bible and it fell open to Jeremiah 1. After reading the passage he meditated on it for the next four days. Verses 4 and 5 took him to another level:
"The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart: I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
(WOW) "Take some time to really think about it... God knew you and me before we existed." God has been with us from well before the start. (it gets better) The following assured him he didn't need to worry about failure:
"But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, "I am only a child." You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." -Jeremiah 1:6-10
A Strange Inheritance
The holy Creator sees us as His "glorious inheritance"- Eph. 1:18. And yet Jesus doesn't have to love us. He doesn't need me or you. He is complete and perfect.
The funny part is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but dont't really want Him most of the time.
Do I have a Choice?
"Why would a loving God force me to love Him? He threatens me with hell and punishment if I don't begin a relationship with Him." This was a questioned asked to Chan by a college student. Chan responded: If God is truly the greatest good on this earth, would He be loving us if He didn't draw us toward what is best for us (even if that happens to be Himself)? (i had to read that one like 10 times to get it.)
Chan wraps up Chp. 3 with a series of questions that force us to think about the way that we really love God.
Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you?
Are you in love with God or just His stuff?
How awful would it feel to have your child say to you, "I don't really love you or want your love, but I would like my allowance, please."
How great is it to have the one you love look you in the eye and say, "I love you. Not your beauty, your money, your family, or your car. Just you."
Can you say that to God?
Chp 4 "Profile of the Lukewarm"
Even though we could die any moment and mostly think our puny lives are pretty sweet compared to Him, He persists in loving us with unending, outrageous love.
Jesus would question the authenticity of big crowds when they would start to gather around Him. He would speak in parables so that those who weren't genuinely wouldn', get it. Jesus just wasn't interested on those who fake it.
A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top of it.
Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ? or do the words halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better?
Chan goes on to offer a description on what halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed lukewarm people look like. Their are to many examples to put all down on here. But I will give you the Biblical verses he uses and what it touches on.
Church attendance -Isa. 29:13
Tithe -1 Chron. 21:24, Luke 21:1-4
What God thinks of your heart and lives -Luke 6:26, Rev. 3:1, Matt. 23:5-7
Sin and Salvation -John 10:10, Rom. 6:1-2
Acting radically -James 1:22, James 4:17, Matt. 21:28-31
Sharing your faith -Matt. 10:32-33
Gagging Morality -Luke 18:11-12
These are just a couple. He touches on many more. Bottom line is that a lukewarm, halfhearted following is useless, it sickens our souls. Jesus didn't that if you want to follow Him you could do it in a lukewarm manner. He said "Take up your cross and follow me".
Well that wraps up Chapters 3-4. I know it was a bit long, but I hope you were able to get some good stuff out of it. Tomorrow Stacie will continue with chapters 5-6.
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9 comments:
Good word, man.
I love his honesty in Ch. 3 when he talks about his relationship with his father, because I think all of us, if we think about it, can identify with the ways our relationship with our parents-for better or worse- have informed our understanding of God.
The beauty of community is how God can use other members of the body to fill in the gaps in our understanding (And here is reason number #467 that you should join a connections group :-)
I really liked his example with the Marines on page 80..."Everyone knows that if you sign up for the Marines, you have to do whatever they tell you. They own you." Great reminder of what we're really signing up for when we decide to follow Jesus.
Good job, Yoel! You're the best Maharashi of Luminescence that's also a Book Study Blogger that I know!
OMG this is such a great book! Simple truths but deep (oops I said it) introspective thinking. Love it!
if God is truly the greatest good on this earth, would He be loving us if He didn't draw us toward what is best for us (even if that happens to be Himself)?
Me too bro .. had to read it a few times... haha
Thx for the review,,, I was able to listen to the chapters and read your summary - very good !
Also great weekly bible reading on the lukewarm notes - suggest everyone read it.
-H
great review on chap 3 & 4, Yoel.
loved the "wanted" section in chap 3. thanks for the scripture references in chap 4.
Again, I l-o-v-e this book. And the lukewarm stuff hits me right between the eyes. So far, in my lifetime, I've lived 10 years sold-out for God; unfortantely, I lived 21 yrs, lukewarm for Him. I've got some catching up to do. I'm thankful for his mercy which has allowed me to.
This is a great book and you did a great job.
Thanks for the insight.
Yoel, Great job bro!! man im so behind on all these posts, but im catching up... I totally LOVED when he shared Jeremiah 1. I just finished the book of Jeremiah, and those first few verses, man touched my heart so much... God knows all about me, now if i would learn to simply let go- of all- and just sincerely, humbly live out for Him... thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for sharing - espy
Yoel, thanks for such a good job.
I have always found the whole concept of Jesus using parables or stories that were slightly obscure challenging - why did he actually make it hard sometimes for people to understand Him? I've been thinking and wrestling with that.I know He wants those that are truly seeking to respond to Him, in truth. I've heard it referred to as the doctrine of the hiddenness of God. (Oops, sorry to get too philosophical, but this book has touched some of those nerves!!).
Anyway, thanks for the excellent review...
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