.::The Secret Message of Jesus - PT2::.
ENGAGEMENT: Grappling with the Meaning of Jesus’ MessageChapter Six – The Medium of the Message
quote: “why did Jesus speak in parables? Why was he subtle, indirect, and secretive? Because his message wasn’t just merely aimed at conveying information. It sought to convey something more important: the spiritual formation of the hearers.”
Bumper sticker: let’s stop informing about Jesus and start forming in the likeness of Jesus
Chapter Seven – The Demonstration of the Message
quote: “But when the kingdom of God comes near, when we experience it, the word impossible deconstructs. It melts and evaporates, and its tyranny over us ends.” p. 56
Bumper sticker: signs + wonders = invasion
Chapter Eight: The Scandal of the Message
Quote: “Again and again, Jesus seeks to lure covert systematic evil out of the shadows and into the light where it can be named, exposed, and expelled. “ p. 65
Bumper sticker: the greatest power is in the powerless
Chapter Nine: You Can’t Keep a Secret
Quote: “The whole kingdom of God project, then, began as a community of people learning to love and play the music of the kingdom in the tradition of the Master and his original apprentices.” p. 78
Bumper sticker: 1. the secret isn’t a secret
2. play music baby!
Chapter Ten: Secret Agents of The Secret Kingdom
Quote: “Because Carter wasn’t “just a taxi driver” but instead was “a taxi driver in the kingdom of God” p.87
“there are thousands of carter’s out there, millions. They aren’t on TV. They don’t write books. They don’t need to, because their days are pages in the most important book of all.” p. 89
Bumper sticker: be the church
Chapter Eleven: The Open Secret
Quote: “Paul refers to the kingdom of God as an already present reality…” p. 92
“So, beyond the thirteen direct references to the kingdom, we find in Paul’s writings strong evidence that he is building on Jesus’ foundation rather than laying a different foundation.” p. 95
Chapter Twelve: Hiding the Message in New Places
Quote: “The secret is unspeakably rich and glorious, and here it is –the secret message, the mystery of the kingdom of God: that Christ the King indwells you, which means the kingdom is within you and among you here and now.” p. 101
Bumper sticker: we are the secret
Chapter Thirteen: Getting It, Getting In.
Quote: “Rethinking, believing, receiving, going public, and practicing a new way of life – these seem to be the basic elements of what it means to get in on the secret and let it get into you.” p. 113
Bumper sticker: K.I.S.S.