A series of articles tracking our dependence on God through The Story.
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Jesus tells us that we must give up all our own possessions (Luke 14:33).
By that, He means that we must renounce any notion of ownership toward the things we possess. They are resources entrusted to us by God to fund His agenda.
So, what are the funding priorities of this agenda?
In the previous article, we identified four:
Provide for my needs, and those of my family
Provide for the needs of others within the body
Fund Ministry
Build relationships …
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So, our exploration of dependence has brought us to a very pointed question – “What obligations does Jesus’ requirement that a disciple give up all his own possessions (Luke 14:33) place on us, today?”
We have already established that it doesn’t mean that everyone has to quit their jobs and take a vow of poverty. But we are still a pretty fuzzy about what it does mean.
So, I’m going to share some of what I …
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As I look back over our exploration of dependence, I am a little startled by the realization that the discussion has already filled 16 articles.
Starting with the recognition that we are dependent beings, we have tracked our dependence from the beginning of The Story, following it up all the way up through the Gospels. We have traced it through the stories of Abraham, of the nation of Israel, and of the disciples.
In the unfolding …
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As we explore the issue of what it means for us to live dependently before God, sooner or later, we arrive at the question, “How does this dependence manifest itself today, in our 21st Century lives?”
I mean, God hasn’t lead us into the wilderness where we gather manna each morning. And Jesus probably hasn’t shown up at your job, compelling you to sell everything and follow Him. So, what does this dependence look like …
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So far, in our exploration of dependency, we have discovered that:
We are, by our very design, dependent beings.
Very early in the story, we chose to pursue independence from God. This choice was disastrous, bringing Death in all its dimensions.
Our restoration to Life begins with the recognition of our total dependence. This has been a persistent theme down through The Story.
Our dependence transcends spiritual/physical distinctions. We are dependent on God for both justification and daily …
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We began this exploration of dependence with the observation that, as Christians, we tend to acknowledge our dependence on God in theory, but practically manifest an ongoing desire to live independently of Him.
Specifically, we set out to consider two issues:
The depth of our dependence – It is quite possible to acknowledge the idea of our dependence, while minimizing the degree or significance of that dependence.
The areas and ways in which our independence continues to …
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As we have looked at Jesus’ interaction with the Rich Young Ruler over the last three weeks (week 1, week 2, week 3), some of us have been haunted by the question of how Jesus’ words speak to the issue of whether we will go to heaven when we die, or not.
A simple reading of the story raises the fear that Jesus is saying that, in order to go to heaven, we must do …
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As we resume the story of the Rich Young Ruler, we recall that the main character came to Jesus with a strong confidence in man’s ability to merit eternal life. And we saw Jesus repudiate that very notion. If the young man wanted to find Life, he would have to completely abandon everything on which that confidence was founded, renouncing it all to follow Jesus. That was the path to eternal life.
Unfortunately, this young …
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So, as we began to look at the story of the Rich Young Ruler last week, we noted that, at first glance, he appears to be asking Jesus how to go to heaven when he dies. And it appears that Jesus tells him that there are certain things he must do, as if going to heaven is dependent on our works.
But we also recognized that we need to place this episode in the context …
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As we have followed Jesus’ teaching and the training of the Twelve through the Gospels, we have seen Him emphasize this issue of dependence. Having taught the concept in the Sermon on the Mount, He sent the disciples out in pairs to proclaim the Kingdom, and to experience God’s daily provision for their personal needs. In feeding the multitudes, He stretched them further, putting them in positions where they had to trust Him, not …
