Last week we introduced the concept of Surrendering our Status. Francis Chan encouraged us to give up our constant desire for popularity in the world’s eyes, in order to truly follow Christ. Today, we’re going to dive deeper into that concept.
Over the past couple of weeks in our Surrender series, we’ve looked at what it would mean to “Surrender Stuff”. Specifically, we’ve explored the tough truth that many of us are “Possessed” by our possessions. This week, Francis Chan is going to move us into the theme of “Surrender Status”.
Youth pastors are always contemplating, “How can I foster a committed, unified youth group?” Many church attenders would judge a youth group’s success based on numbers, perhaps, base it on a unique and exciting program schedule.
What’s your favourite Narnia story (or movie)? I thoroughly enjoyed The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It’s an incredible story and for me, the film made it even better.
Platt is pushing me to think completely differently about my faith. I’ve been reading “Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream”. In a previous post, I told you a bit about this book by David Platt and how it has really challenged my Western church mindset.
I’ve been working through a challenging book by pastor and author, David Platt. The book is titled, “Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream.” I’m not sure that I really know how to best describe it, other than explaining what has been stirring inside of me.
How are you at loving others? I wish I was better at it. A common reason people love others is to be liked. It sounds shallow, I know, but at the root of far too many acts of kindness is a desire to be accepted or embraced by others. When we love our neighbours, it’s almost always for us, in some way.
The rise in universalism is concerning. There’s always been an element of it, but it never hit popularity in the evangelical world until recently, brought about by a book by pastor and author, Rob Bell titled “Love Wins. Thankfully, one pastor responded to the masses. Francis Chan released a counter book to Love Wins titled, “Erasing Hell”.
I feel convicted and a bit stuck. I can say that I truly do want to live as Jesus did. I have a passion for Jesus and for His church. I can easily state with certainty, that I desire greatness for His kingdom. Nevertheless, I’m just not making the mark. I am not living as Jesus did. Hence, I feel stuck. This is not my intention at all, but it’s my reality.
Not long after Bell’s book started to gain traction, Francis Chan released a video on social. It was a promo clip for his new book “Erasing Hell: What God said about eternity, and the things we’ve made up.” As I watched, it was clear that Chan was attempting to recentre Christians who were being pulled toward this false doctrine.
Throughout this journey, my trust in God’s sovereignty has become easier to grasp. It’s not that I haven’t experienced conflict and trial. The difference is that this concept of God’s great Story has driven me to pray in ways that I don’t normally experience.
There has been a lot of controversy about Rob Bell’s new title “Love Wins”. Many a believer has been up in arms at the thoughts surrounding Mr. Bell’s statements and insinuations, resulting in the reader questioning whether or not Bell believes in Hell and or the ruler of Hell, Satan.