Scandalous Freedom Notes

A friend lent me a book called, "A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel," by Steve Brown of Key Life Network. (Thanks Kristen!) While I wouldn't agree with everything said, the following excerpts were either exciting to read as I nodded in agreement or just plain thought provoking. Once again, if you're not interested in my notetaking, feel free to skip on over.





"You see, I'm a teacher, that is my spiritual gift. It is a good gift, and I'm glad the Holy Spirit gave it to me. As with all spiritual gifts, however, there is a downside. The downside of the gift of teaching is that the person who has it wants to correct every error, straighten out every heretic, amend every sermon, and improve every statement. If teachers aren't careful, that desire can become obsessive. Pretty soon, the teacher won't have any students or any friends left. I've been there, and I'm not proud of the way I've disvalued people in my obsessive need to fix them." ~p 161 A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel by Steve Brown


I think this is a valid point. I'm guilty myself. The Lord is showing me that there is both a time and place to speak truth and other times to allow "love to cover a multitude of sin."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I believe that many of us have bought into a neurotic and weak Christianity because we thought it was true Christianity. We have accepted someone else's neurosis as health and have traded in God's freedom for our instinct to pretend and protect. p177

I agree. The first church I attended taught a damaging theology on God's sovereignty. (God is a good God who does not allow bad things to happen to His people. As much as we would want to believe this, it is simply not true.) Scripture is clear on God's sovereignty and one must work their way through this doctrine learning to surrender to the Lord. He does allow bad things to happen to His people so that He can refine and sharpen them to His glory. We are finite creatures unable to understand our infinite God. So we must take faith and trust.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First, offend someone for the right reason. Second, don't apologize for the wrong reasons. Third, accept the result of offending and not apologizing. Finally, take those three steps to Jesus, and you will discover something important. He will say: "Child, been there, done that, and have the T-shirt." P 190

Truth has a way of offending doesn't it? It's not always pleasant to hear and is often difficult to speak. I struggle with being led to speak, knowing that I've said the right thing but feeling the pain of having offended. I want to be liked. I'm thankful that Jesus has been there and done that. I need to think long and hard about this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When was the last time you said no to something someone asked you to do in or for the church without feeling the need to explain yourself? p.173

I'm getting better at this. I do feel compelled to explain myself. But sometimes I feel like I shouldn't. I need to think about this. We recently had a fall festival and I couldn't help as much as I wanted to. I did not explain. I simply did what I could and then went home. I felt guilty about having to leave early. But it was the absolute right thing to do. I won't explain why.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is a direct correlation between your willingness to face the darkness of your own pain and your ability to live freely and fully. p. 203 A Scandalous Freedom

Amen!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Someone has said that a neurotic is a person who builds a fantasy house, a psychotic is someone who builds fantasy houses and lives in them, and a psychiatrist is someone who charges rent. Christians shouldn't live in fantasy houses. By looking away from the reality of pain and suffering in the world, we create a world that doesn't exist and then try to live in it. But the last person in the world who ought to be unrealistic about anything should be a Christian. p 207

Such an excellent point. We must NOT look away from the reality of pain and suffering. We must be light and the only way to do that is to acknowledge the pain, tell the truth and stand firmly in faith, taking courage. Jesus Himself felt the reality of pain and suffering beginning in the Garden of Gethsamane. He wrestled through it and surrendered to His Father. "Not my will, but yours." I hope that I can become more and more like Him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Too often we Christians lose our freedom by taking the clear promises of Scripture, meant to apply to heaven, and trying to force those future promises into some unauthentic, present application. p 210

I've had folks try to encourage me and others with many verses in the context that God will supply my physical needs. Healing for pain or disease for instance. The verses referenced were clearly given in the Word to describe what our future in Heaven will be. What has happened though is that these verses often discourage because they were not speaking of present circumstances but of an eternal future. In other words, God may not heal or deliver as we were told He would. It may not be His will. Don't be tempted to offer comfort with verses taken out of context. If you don't know how to encourage someone accurately...please be quiet. Offer your support and love. A hug often helps more than words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As a preacher acquaintance of mine once said, "People are always saying, 'Jesus is all I need.' But you won't know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have. When Jesus is all you have, then, and only then, will you know that Jesus is all you need." p. 213

Amen! There have been times in my life that Jesus was all I had. I'm thankful He gave me those experiences. And yet, I still think there is room for me to experience Jesus as my everything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A lot of Christians never accomplish what God wants them to accomplish because they don't think they deserve God's good purpose for their lives. p. 222

This is something to think about. I know this is true for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Enough rules, regulations, and laws exist in every religion (including ours) to kill off any hope you have of ever measuring up. You can allow the rules, the regulations, and the laws to create a humble habit (a false one) that will destroy you and what God will have for you. .... In other words, you can define yourself -- listen up, this is important! -- by your inevitable failure to live up to the standards, or you can define yourself in terms of God's love, acceptance, and the great value he has put on you.

Thank you, Jesus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll end my little notetaking session with a quote my husband likes.

"It's Jesus who frees us, I don't care who sees us." ~Supertones Strike Back

At first I didn't like this quote...as it seemed a bit rebellious. After all, aren't we supposed to be "light?" But then I realized that what it's saying is, "Jesus has paid the price for my sin and I don't need to pretend to be something I'm not." I am a sinner. I am not perfect. I struggle with stuff and so do you. As true Christian believers, we're all in the same boat.

Happy Thanksgiving,