Thursday, 29 May 2008
Posted by Bart on May 29, 2008
Last night our church started a biweekly outdoor movie night. Free Market Jesus by Donald Miller was the first flick. I liked it and am still digesting some of the content. The main point went something like Jesus is not a product to fix you and me. He loves us and will change us to the extent that we follow Him.
breadandsham said
What I heard were several other messages.
1. He said that we are bombarded with 3000 ads daily telling us that we are not happy, but with this product we can be. Has Jesus been marketed to us as a product in this way? The danger is that we seek the product of Jesus as a way of obtaining complete satisfaction rather than finding ourselves at his disposal and for His pleasure and His purpose according to His infinite wisdom and plan. With this in mind, we are evidentially most complete when we understand this.
2. He gives us a near-history lesson to explain the cultural shifts that have taken place within society and the way it has influenced the role of men and women at home and the workplace in a post-industrialized nation. He follows, then, that the shift in the roles has influenced our thinking as Christians as well.
Interesting changes such as these have always contributed and possibly distorted the reality of Christian Spirituality. He suggests that we may view The Church of Christ as a corporation. If we are an asset to the company, we become promoted. If we are not, we are demoted or fired. What Don points out is both interesting and a tragedy. Have we seen God as CEO of a giant corporation from which, if I fail to perform well for, I could be fired?
3. Christian Spirituality is like a tree. He talks about the process of growth in a tree “firmly planted by a stream.” With 30 seconds, some veggies, and a “Magic bullet,” we are guaranteed to get the perfect salsa. Instead, when it comes to spirituality, this instant concept is sure to be let down. What Christ calls us to will take a lifetime to perform.