Secondhand Jesus ::: Part 1

Now that I'm done with Butterfly in Brazil, I thought I’d continue with Packiam and his new book, Secondhand Jesus (Subtitled: “Trading rumors of God for a firsthand faith”). Pastor Don had read this book late last year and was really challenged by it and recommended all of us on staff at Bethany to read it as well.

The premise is simple: do we truly know God or have we simply believed the rumors we heard from our parents, teachers, pastors, friends, etc. Glenn’s (see how we’re on a first-name basis now!?) catalyst for the thoughts here began on “that Thursday” when he along with the rest of the staff and members of New Life Church learned, along with the rest of the world, that their beloved pastor, Ted Haggard had fallen. The hard-to-ask questions and harder-to-come-by answers led him to question pretty much everything he believed and how he had acquired his faith.

It’s a difficult thing for a man to be stretched in his faith in such crisis...no doubt about it.

I’m just glad there are men around willing to be honest with their difficulties and questions and let the rest of us in on their journey.

A few of the standout quotes so far really speak to me about our “Christian” culture, and just how Christ centric it really is....or isn’t.

Speaking of the difficulty to explain the fact that we believe “obedience begets blessing” and yet there is still pain/suffering/etc, in the world, he says,
“There are things in life beyond our control. And God is the first among them. God will not tolerate being used as an instrument to control our lives. Obedience isn’t some sort of magic code, an “Abracadabra” that moves God to action--or worse forces Him to action.”

and further...
“There are some things only God knows and understands. To deny as much is to have reduced God into our image.”

Yep. I’m challenged by this....

Do I believe in an “obey=blessing” formula?
Do I think that my action can in any way force God to act?
Or do I truly believe God is true, and obey, no matter the outcome or response to my obedience?

Anyone else wanna wrestle with this with me?

So i guess i never finished my discussion on "Butterfly in Brazil"...

The problem is, if you look at my copy of the book, i probably highlighted 2-4 lines on every other page! And honestly, it's not that the ideas presented in the book are terribly unique or ground breaking, it’s the fact that they’re right. Accuracy is never cliché to me. If accuracy or the truth ever gets cliché, the Word loses it’s potency and we lose the power of our faith (...if “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word...” and if the Word has become cliché then it has lost it’s power...)

So let me summarize my thoughts on the book by quoting one section...

(p.90)
“We look at a church service, or a conference packed with people, and call our job to disciple others done. We sell books and CDs and convince ourselves that our calling to train people is being accomplished. ... But sales is not the same as impartation. An attendee is not a disciple. Mass communication doesn’t automatically mean personal transformation.”

I pray that our heart to change the things around us never falls to the level of numbers=discipleship, sales=impartation. O God, never let it be. God give us (the church) disciples, those who are fully devoted followers, LEARNERS UNDER DISCIPLINE.

Oh God,
Let change begin small (with me)
Let change begin locally, wherever I am.
Let change be gradual because if it’s big flash in the pan it won’t last.
Let the change that is given be exponential in growth...
for the glory of God and the growth of the Kingdom.