Thursday, June 03, 2010

So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore?


My uncle Rick recommended a book to me a couple of weeks ago. It’s made for some fun spring/summer reading so far. It’s called So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore?. It puts a spin on the passage of scripture in John where Jesus tells Peter that if He wanted, He could keep John alive until He returns. The spin? What if John the Apostle is still alive? What if he never died? Well, it looks like that is exactly who the main character in this book meets. The character (Jake) meets John at various points in his life and they talk about knowing Jesus.

There’s a really big emphasis on the relationship we have with Jesus and how one really lives out that relationship. According to Jake, (this is not verbatim from the book, just my reflection) John lives like He is best friends with Jesus, like he knows what Jesus would do in every situation. To Jake, being with John is like being with Jesus. We are called to live like that too. Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:1 come to mind, “Imitate Christ”. Another example of this call for our lives in found in the Old Testament. Remember Abraham and Moses? There were times they acted out God’s actions on behalf of God for other people. They were in some mysterious way God to others around them. I’m not saying they were actually gods, but that God allowed them to act out the incarnation (which He did Himself later).

I like the emphasis on the relationship between a person and God because that is such a big part of what this life is all about (fulfillment of the Great Command). You gotta have the relationship with Him to really find out what life is about and what you are about.

I’m enjoying this book so far, still got a little more to read. More thoughts when I finish.

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