You Can Change
I’ve been reading this awesome book over the last month with a few guys called You Can Change by Tim Chester. If I had to compare it with another book the closest book would be Search for Significance on our resource list. It’s all about pealing back the onion and asking/answering the why behind change. Here’s a great paragraph on community’s aspect of the change process, check it out…
Tim writes on page 155,
“One of the great things about living as part of a community is that in community people walk all over your idols. People press your buttons. That’s when we respond with bitterness, rage, and so on. And that gives us opportunities to spot our idolatrous desires.
God is using the different people, the contrasting personalities, in your church to change your heart. He’s using the difficult people, the annoying people, the sinful people. He’s placed you together so you can rub off each other’s rough edges. It’s as if God has put us like rocks , into a bag and is shaking us about so that we collide with one another. Sometimes sparks fly, but gradually we become beautiful, smooth gemstones. Remember the next time some is rubbing you the wrong way that God is smoothing you down! God has given you that person in his love as a gift to make you holy. Sinclair Ferguson comments, ‘the church is a community in which we receive spiritual help, but also one in which deep-seated problems will come to the surface and will require treatment…We often discover things about our own hearts which we never anticipated.’”
Back to Rob, if you’re living in community you know what he’s talking about..unless you really believe that the problem in your group is someone else…. Let me know your thoughts. Rb
I’ve gotta get this book… we were talking about this last night at Roots (our weekly Sr. High Bible Study). This is a great way to shine a positive light on people that are preceived as difficult through our eyes…
Way to bring it RB!
You guys are doing a great job as our community group directors. Thank you for all the time and hard work y’all put into helping us all be more fully devoted followers of Christ.
You all are awesome!!!!!
Sweet Rob-
Bro. Bring it! I didn’t know you were all up in the blog world. I will return for future visits. Keep the good stuff coming! Oh, and I’m thinking I might need to get this book.