Zondervan Inspire

real

A knowledge of the real Jesus is essential, not just for Christians but for wider society, because his influence is so wide. The reality of an individual who has set the western calendar, permeated human thought and history for over two thousand years, and influenced the culture of the dominant nations for a millennium demands to be taken seriously. The huge questions about just who Jesus is are more than mere theological musings.

And getting Jesus right is also vital because those who claim to follow him do so much in his name. When they get his identity wrong, we see the cruelty of the Crusades, the Inquisitions and entrenched political conservatism. When they get it right, they are inspired to lead sociopolitical campaigns, battle slavery, and establish humanitarian services. This Jesus turns out to be far more at home in the issues affecting communities than he is in ivory towers or church politics.

From An Agenda for Change: A Global Call for Spiritual and Social Transformation

by Joel Edwards

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defined

When widowhood or anything else alters a woman's life, the center of her identity doesn't disintegrate, for she is not defined or redefined by circumstances, relationships, her resume, or public opinion. God defines her. If you looked up "woman" in God's dictionary, you’d find the definition he set down as he drew up the plans for the very first woman. He defined woman as follows: "Image bearer; created in God's image and likeness; called to be fruitful and multiply, to rule and subdue." It's the same kingdom definition he gave to the man.

From The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough
to Break the Rules

by Carolyn Custis James

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differently

At a funeral, I once overheard a man say, "Why are people crying? We should be celebrating. We're Christians! This man is in heaven." The comment grated on me terribly then. It sounded so spiritual and yet completely wrong. We may grieve with hope, but we do, and should, grieve.

Standing at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, the Bible simply says, "Jesus wept." I bet he was more than misty-eyed. I bet he bawled. And if Jesus mourned, then mourning is good. If I am to experience a good and sympathetic God in my grief, I must be willing to mourn as well. When the apostle Paul said not to grieve as those who have no hope, I do not believe he meant we should mourn less, but rather differently, without despairing, for we will see our loved ones again.

From When Answers Aren't Enough: Experiencing God as Good When Life Isn't

by Matt Rogers

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pretty good

We should be thankful for how much we have been given. We can become obsessed with comparing ourselves with others—whether it's to brag about how much better we are than "them" or to be jealous of what someone else has that we don't. Instead, why don't we try comparing ourselves with people like modern-day slaves and the oppressed? We'll probably find we have it pretty good in comparison. Thankfully, most of us will never have to know the kind of suffering and hardship slaves endure every day.

From Be the Change: Your Guide to Freeing Slaves and Changing the World

by Zach Hunter

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melody

How desperately the world needs to hear the charming sound that is grace. There's no shortage of harsh noise on this planet, but rather a famine of real music. Daily our ears and hearts are bombarded with the ominous, deep bass sounds of terrorism and war; we are both tormented and tempted by the shrill ditties of commercialism and perplexed by the monotone, haunting chants of fundamentalism. But there is yet beautiful music to be heard in the universe. God longs for the lilting melody of his love to be heard, true music to the ear for those who have ears to hear it.

From Creating a Prodigal-Friendly Church

by Jeff Lucas

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resist

One of the first things Jesus did before starting his public ministry was to go to the desert, where he got tempted real good (Luke 4:1-13). After fasting forty days, he was tempted in ways Israel had been tempted throughout its long history. The Scriptures say he was tempted in all the ways we are (Hebrews 4:15), like settling for a better version of this world's kingdom. As with most temptations (think back to the garden), the most enticing things are the sweetest fruits this world has to offer. The Tempter's best lie is 99 percent true, and his (or her) greatest strategy is getting us to settle for less than God's dream, or for a subtle distortion of it.

From Jesus for President: Politics for
Ordinary Radicals

by Shane Claiborne

Any comments or testimonies today?

critique

Let's examine Jesus' command to turn the other cheek (see Matthew 5:38-42. Our subconscious agenda seeks to legitimize our cultural worldview, that is, the way things are in our culture. Thus, before we even start to explore what Jesus meant when he said this, we place parameters of possibility around the text and eliminate culturally conflicting possible meanings. It cannot possibly mean that if someone bad hits you, you are to let them hit you again. However, by doing this we are placing our culture above the Bible and reading the Bible through culture-colored lenses. In this way we miss one of the main points of the Bible, namely, that the biblical message is from God and is above culture. The challenge is to critique our culture with the Bible and not vice versa.

From Journey into God's Word: Your Guide to Understanding and Applying the Bible

by J. Scott Duvall &
J. Daniel Hays

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proof

When the God of the Bible is rejected, people choose a new god. The postmodern age has anointed secular tolerance as its god. Tolerance once meant listening respectfully to all points of view, freely discussed in our common search for the truth. But the creed for the new god of tolerance is that knowing truth is impossible.

The only thing the god of tolerance hates more than Christians making truth-claims is Christians proving them. University of Pennsylvania researchers reported that InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) graduates had an 8 percent re-incarceration rate versus 20 percent in a comparable control group (and 67 percent nationally). It was the first empirical evidence that this faith-based approach to corrections works—in other words, that the Gospel is true. And that's when Barry Lynn of the Americans United for Separation of Church and State decided to sue. To prove our truth-claims proved an outrage that tolerance could not abide.

From The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and
Why It Matters

by Charles Colson and Harold Fickett

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risen

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightening, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he is risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." (Matthew 28:2-7)

From Inspired By... The Bible Experience

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join

If the cross—willingly suffering at the hands of the powers—is such a central message to the Gospels, the church will need to reconsider its political worldview. the cross wasn't a politically triumphant "reclaiming Israel for God" or a prideful assertion of Israel's privilege in the world. Rather the cross is the sign of God's humble way in the world; instead of ruling the world through a sword, God would wash its feet with a towel. The crucifixion story is not only about Jesus' suffering love. The biblical story carries us from believing in Jesus to imitating him. We join him in his way of the cross (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).

From Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals

by Shane Claiborne

Any comments or testimonies today?