Jesus is a dangerous man
* “There he is. In the temple again. Causing trouble. Speaking very differently from other preachers. Speaking with authority about sorrow, anxiety, sickness, and death. Penetrating the dark corners of human existence. Shattering illusion. Make no mistake about it; this is a dangerous man.”
~ Martin Bell
* Yet how many churches could be described as a “dangerous place,” a place where someone might warn, “If you go there, your life will get changed! You better watch out”? How are our churches usually described? In warm, comfortable terms.
On God’s sufficiency
* “All you need is what you have, and what you have is what He is! He does not give you strength, He is your strength!” Major Ian Thomas states. He does not give you joy, he is your joy.
* “God doesn’t want our success, he wants us. He doesn’t demand achievements, he demands obedience...For through the ugly defeat of the cross, a holy God is utterly glorified. Victory comes through defeat, healing comes through brokenness and finding one’s self comes through losing one’s self.” ~ Charles Colson from Loving God
* The Christian life is not just one of imitation—but habitation. He’s already within us. The power is there. The choice is ours to release is.
* You gotta start. Yes, but how? ...
1. Start NOW...literally. “If you don’t get started in the next 72 hours,” one very wise man has said, “you ain’t gonna get started at all.”
2. Don’t wait for all the problems to get solved, for all the obstacles to be removed.
3. Change your language. Don’t say, “I have to!...instead “I choose to.”
4. Get a friend to help you start.
5. Don’t make excuses. Period!
6. Stop worrying and start believing. You can’t worry and praise God at the same time.
