I received this email the other day, which the writer wanted me to pass along to you as an encouragement. It’s amazing what God does in lives as they turn toward him:
I’ve been reading your book The Naked Church, which is probably why I’m emailing, because I’m so glad and incredibly grateful that I’m not alone in wanting more from my life with Jesus than I feel the institutional church can offer. I have close friends in a similar situation, one of whom I believe you met in Victoria (Australia) last year.
I think what I want to say is that through these recent times I’ve become more aware of Jesus in my life and that I love so much that He is my rock. There is so much chaos in the world and even in peoples everyday lives (which I identified in my new house mate) and I’m glad to have the stability of God in my life because I think life would be horrendous without Him. Anyway, maybe you could share this with people through your website, just as an example or an encouragement. I just really wanted to share this.
So, be encouraged. God wants to work in the reality of your daily life. But also, look to encourage others. This is not an advertisement to send me more encouragement. I get lots of it in the course of a week. But perhaps you could think of someone else around your life that could really use some encouragement and give them a call, pay them a visit, or write them a note. Hebrews 13:3 admonishes us to look for ways to encourage each other daily so that we will not be hardened by sin’s deceit! It’s one of the most important things we do as God’s family in sorting out life in this age.
I’ve been thinking of that passage in Hebrews a lot lately as I’ve been reading Galations. I"ve been discovering all over again the amazing good news of God’s grace, but also how easy it is for me to twist it back to my own works. I wonder if part of being hardened by sin’s deceit is not just sinning, but the way sin deceives us into trusting in our works rather than God’s grace. This was enough of a problem in the early church that Paul was continuously encouraging them to continue as they began. Just judging from my own life, I think such daily encouragement of each other is just as important now as it was then!
I’ve been thinking of that passage in Hebrews a lot lately as I’ve been reading Galations. I"ve been discovering all over again the amazing good news of God’s grace, but also how easy it is for me to twist it back to my own works. I wonder if part of being hardened by sin’s deceit is not just sinning, but the way sin deceives us into trusting in our works rather than God’s grace. This was enough of a problem in the early church that Paul was continuously encouraging them to continue as they began. Just judging from my own life, I think such daily encouragement of each other is just as important now as it was then!