.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;} <$BlogRSDURL$>

Monday, January 08, 2018

Cycle of Grace - John Ortberg 

Cycle of Grace - John Ortburg from Frank Lake

The Cycle of Grace

"I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete"

Identified by the Christian psychologist Frank Lake with theologian Emil Brunner and rediscovered by Renovaré speaker and author Trevor Hudson and Gary Moon, founder of the Renovaré Institute

1.  Acceptance - like Jesus we are first baptised and given acceptance and identity.  Dallas Willard said "joy is not pleasure, a mere sensation, but a pervasive and constant sense of well-being, hope is the goodness of God in joy's indispensible support".  Nehemiah said "the joy of the Lord is your strength".

2.  Sustenance - like Jesus we have practices we can engage in every hour of every day such as prayer, a close circle of friends, the practice of vulnerability, he went into the synagogue "which was his custom", he fed his mind on Scripture, he enjoyed God's creation (mountain, garden, lake), he took long walks, he welcomed children (he hugged them), he went to parties and was called "a glutton and a drunkard".  "The problem is people think of them as obligations that will actually drain them" says John Ortberg.

3.  Significance - like Jesus we have a place in this world that is for us to occupy.  Collectively we have been told that "your are the salt of the earth... you are the light of the world... like a city set on a hilltop that cannot be hidden...".  The invitation to us is to discover our significance and let it work as salt and light in the world.

4.  Achievement - like Jesus we are able to achieve things in this world.  Jesus did kingdom work out of grace and, therefore, out of joy.  He taught, traveller, healed, explained, recruited, put a team together, developed people, confronted, achieved.  "My food is to do the will of him who has sent me to finish the work".

Faced with huge suffering in the world Rudolph Bultmann said "it is in the nature of joy that all questions grow silent and nothing needs explaining" or, as Jesus put it, "I'm a little while you won't see me (it will seem a ling time) but then you will see me and all will be well...".

#
Comments: Post a Comment


This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?