I remember early on in my accelerated faith journey that begin 3 years ago, I met a dear friend whose theme was "whatever I get involved with it has to be all about Jesus". These words would prove to be timely and prophetic as I transitioned from one "it" to another "it" of a different brand. At the end of my involvement with this church plant that later died, the Lord revealed to me that I had helped to construct yet another golden calf.
Now roughly 18 months into a ministry the Lord has called me into, another friend was faithful to share with passion THE TRUTH the Lord graciously used to recalibrate his walk. His friend listened to an audio book by Frank Viola that deeply impacted him. At the end of the book, the conclusion was nothing less than transformational. As my friend joyfully recounted this truth that JESUS must be our preeminent preoccupation and pursuit, the Lord reminded me of my time with Him that morning. I read the story of Peter and John's arrest for preaching the gospel. At the end of the chapter, despite a second warning to stop teaching in Jesus' name, Acts 5:42 records that "every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
As I listened to my friend, the Father also reminded me of a message Frank Viola shared right here in Charlotte in the Fall of 2009. It was essentially the same truth he communicated in the book. So on a sleepless morning at 4am I listened to that message again to advance this recalibration in my heart. Now minutes later, I'm sharing it with you again. (this was originally posted in 2009)
After listening, I would love to hear how the Lord speaks to you about shifting our focus away from "its" back onto Him.
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My friend Jeff Lefevre recently posted this:
Today, especially in emergent circles there is a caricature of God's grace that is void of His cross. The idea is that we are recipients of His salvation simply because He loves us and all of Humanity. This idea is 100% foreign to the scriptural revelation of God's love that was manifest at Calvary. We need to always remember that God's love for us and his acceptance of us are 2 different things, Yes, He loves us but He does not accept us because He loves us, He accepts us because we come to the cross.
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