I Approve These Messages « Echoes of Fire

I am escaping the primary trap of all aspiring writers (to write more about writing than anything else, only to fall into the most deadly trap of bloggers:  to not generate content, but rather link to and direct other people to content that others have produced.  These articles, however, are too good to just let pass, and I don't have time to do anything else with them- and I certainly don't have time to write something myself.  The articles are essentially topically unconnected, but I think they each address a different, common, significant, largely overlooked problem in the American church.  However particularly because of the fact that the only thing  these articles have to connect them is the fact that they are written by the same, well known author, the first should be taken as a preface to the others.

1)  Celebrity Status In the Church

Significant quote:  "In many ways, we are conforming to the pattern of the world. While it is good that people are talking about what they have learned from "Piper, Driscoll, Keller, Chan, etc," I am concerned about how much we speak those names rather than the name of Jesus."

2)  Public Passion Versus Private Devotion

Significant quote:  "Last summer I came to a shocking realization that I had to share with my wife: If Jesus had a church in Simi Valley, mine would be bigger. People would leave His church to attend mine because I call for an easier commitment. I know better how to cater to people's desires so they stick around. Jesus was never really good at that. He was the one who said, "He who loves father or mother … son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." (Matt. 10:37 NIV) I'm much more popular than Jesus."

3)  Think Hard, Stay Humble

Significant quote: "Some of you could be brilliant and worthless. You could be like a great basketball player that never misses a shot but always shoots at the other team's basket. He's a great shooter, but he's killing the team."

4)  Why We Need To Throw Out the Term "Good Christian"

"Dan explained that the whole experience was so eerie because he kept thinking to himself: "If Jesus were still walking on Earth in the flesh, this is what it would feel like to walk alongside of Him!" After that discussion, I kept wondering if anyone had ever said that about me-"The day I spent with Francis was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus." The answer was an obvious "no." Would any honest person say that about you?

What bothered me was not that I hadn't "arrived," but that I wasn't even heading in the right direction."

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