Last Adam, Second Man

As we have been looking at the theme of doing life with God, we have talked about:  how accountability among believers can foster personal growth and intimacy with the Lord, the importance of realizing that God is not calling us to work for Him but to work with Him in what He is already doing, and the need to examine our lives daily to avoid the pitfalls of Christian atheism (believing in Christ, but acting as though we don’t).

But, I think we need to look at doing life with God from another, higher vantage point.  Remember during creation that God said, “Let us create man in our own image?”  Not once, but three times in Genesis 1:26 and 27, we are told that God created man in His image.   But something dreadfully tragic happened.  Man in his desire for more was tempted to covet against God, leading him to disobey, distrust and rebel against Him by eating the forbidden fruit.  As a result, he forfeited his life and his godly image.  Along with Adam and Eve all nature came under a curse and fell into corruption, as well.  We call this the Fall. 

What Is A Christian Atheist?

An oxymoron?  Two contradictory words that describe the same thing?  Not according to Craig Groeschel, author of the book, The Christian Atheist.  By his definition, a Christian atheist in someone who, although he or she claims to believe in Christ, lives as though God did not exist.  Or, to put it another way, the lives of Christian atheists look no different from those of others who claim no belief or affiliation with God at all.

Doing Life With God -- Part 2

As a child I remember thinking that pleasing God seemed to be connected somehow to numbers in the church where I grew up.  A sign that displayed the Sunday School and church service attendance and the amount of offering received each Sunday was prominently posted as if to say this is how well we’re serving God. 

Later, in my early adult years as a follower of Jesus I recall hearing a frequent theme from sermons and articles I read that carried the message: Get busy for God.  These always had the effect of making me feel guilty because I probably was not doing enough for the Lord and needed to get motivated if I really wanted my life to count for eternity and be obedient to Him

Doing Life...With God?

In our church we have many small groups that gather in homes to study the Bible and pray.  Over time, in flourishing groups there is a lot of sharing of personal issues, caring support among group members and resultant personal growth.  As many of you who read this know, we also do fun events together and go into the community to serve children or youth, or the homeless and other needy people.  We call all this “doing life together,” hence, the name:  Life Groups.

The life group model may be much closer to what church was actually like in the first century than the traditional, well-organized format in today’s typical church setting.  Yet, in spite of its seeming value and greater potential to foster authentic relationships and a deeper spiritual walk, I am aware that even life groups can fall short, degenerating into little more than social clubs or therapy groups.