CHEW MORE: DEEPER

Saturday 4th April 2015

Chew MoreDeeper

Dr Bex LewisSocial Media & Online Learning, CODECDirector, Digital FingerprintT: @drbexlW: drbexl.co.uk

Dr Krish KandiahPresident, London School of TheologyFounder/Director, Home for GoodT: @krishkW: krishk.com

RootsDr Krish Kandiah

ROOTS

DEEPER

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Ephesians 3:14-17

Paul likens them first to a well-rooted tree, and then to a well-built house. In both cases the unseen cause of their stability will be the same: love. Love is to be the soil in which their life is to be rooted; love is to be the foundation on which their life is built. One might say that their love is to be of both a ‘radical’ and a ‘fundamental’ nature in their experience, for these English words refer to our roots and our foundations.JOHN STOTT

THE RADICAL FUNDAMENTALS

what does it mean to be radically rooted?

what are the fundamentals of our faith?

@krishk

Sitting - waitingDr Bex Lewis

False Gospel?When it comes to issues of contextualization, however, Christians and churches must be careful to not fall to the right or the left. In my last post, I described what I believe to be one of the major issues plaguing American Christianity: obscurantism; that is, obscuring the gospel by emphasizing things that are actually external to the gospel as being central to it. The end result is a false gospel that becomes a stumbling block to those Christians and churches are trying to reach.

Syncretism, in this case, is the mixing of Christianity with something else such that they become a different gospel. Syncretism can take place with a positive-thinking gospel, a nationalist emphasis, or emerging culture. Syncretism happens more than we might know.

When anything is added to the message of the gospel, the uniqueness and sufficiency of Christ is compromised and another gospel can be created that is, well, actually not the gospel.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/june/avoiding-pitfall-of-syncretism.html

WorkaholismAgain, I’m all for reaching past our typical anti-workaholic bias and striving for a healthy “work-life fusion” over a lazy and an overly leisure-obsessed “work-life balance,” but achieving a successful integration demands far more of us than blind self-gratification and finding a job that’s easy to love. Indeed, God will often call us to discover such meaning in a job we currently despise. Without the proper attention and care, the “do what you love” mantra can just as easily be interpreted by excuse-making hedonists as “indulge thyself” as it can be contemplated by Christians as “follow your God-given directive.” Joseph Sundehttp://blog.acton.org/archives/50348-work-life-fusion-re-thinking-workaholism-in-christian-context.html

STOP: DRINK!

Rest

http://www.bible-reflections.net/articles/the-importance-of-rest/2446/

Rev Pam Smith

https://audioboom.com/boos/3047857-talking-about-mary-martha-with-revpamsmith

Wholeness?But when it comes to the subject of wholeness, the unique element that Jesus brings to the discussion is that of transformation into the image of God. Our character is not simply formed through knowledge, rituals and discipline. One is transformed by faith in the work and power of Wholly Jesus. The Imageo Dei is the Holy Grail for humanity. It is what we are in search of constantly. It is how we live the painting of life. We are meant to possess the character of God. Mark Wesley Foreman, Wholly Jesus: His surprising approach to wholeness and why it matters today, p133

https://www.facebook.com/QueenofYourOwnLife/photos/a.117055872566.96947.95823147566/10153053802212567/?type=1&theater

“Accept some of your own limits today – not out of laziness or fear, but out of contentment and assurance”Brian Draper, Lent E-Mail Series, 2015

http://briandraper.org/engage

Image Credit: Purchased from Stockfresh

http://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/

Discuss

• What stops us sitting in God’s presence?

• Why are we so busy? Culture? Expectations? Being needed?

• When God seems to be missing, is it Him or us?

Filled, not shrivelingDr Krish Kandiah

FILLED

DEEPER

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17-19

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE FILLING OF THE SPIRIT?

When do you receive the Holy Spirit?Is being filled a separate experience?What is meant by a second blessing?What are the signs of being filled?What happens if we use a liquid metaphor of the Spirit?

THE SPIRIT

a) Through the Spirit we come to know who Jesus is and what he has done for us and so our conversion is a work of the Spirit

b) Through the Spirit we are empowered to live the Christian life

c) Through the Spirit we are united with Christ

d) Through the Spirit the fruit of the Spirit are worked into our characters

e) Through the Spirit the gifts of the Spirit are operative in our churches today

THE SPIRITis fully God 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 Matthew 28:18-20

is a person (eg only persons can be grieved Ephesians 4:30-31)

is the Spirit of Jesus John 20:11-13

is at work in our conversion John 16:8

makes us part of the church 1 Corinthians 12:13

empowers us for witness Acts 1:6-8

guarantees our future inheritance Ephesians 1:13-14

a) we do not have Christb) we cannot please Godc) we will not be transformed in our affections & behavioursd) we fail to experience life to the full

without the spirit

Chew More: DeeperFind slides: http://www.slideshare.net/drbexl

Dr Bex LewisSocial Media & Online Learning, CODECDirector, Digital FingerprintT: @drbexlW: drbexl.co.uk

Dr Krish KandiahPresident, London School of TheologyFounder/Director, Home for GoodT: @krishkW: krishk.com