Discipleship or obedience is not something we have to cajole people into by obligation or gratitude ("after all, Jesus died for you; the least you can do is deny yourself happiness for a while on earth"), it is simply the process of learning to enter into the good, with-God life. The gospel becomes social as well as personal—not because individuals don't matter, but because to be "saved" means (among other things) to be delivered from the chronic selfishness that contributes to the world's hurt and to my misery.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Gospel and the Happiness Paradox
You may like to check out this article by John Ortberg (author of 'If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get out of the Boat'; source of all good sermon illustrations) talking about 'The Gospel and the Happiness Paradox'.
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3 comments:
Hi Matt,
I am happy that as the Church Missionary Society you are attempting to write both the bible (might be done already though) and Sydneys Public transort (what a rollercoaster ride of emotions that novel will be)
The canon is technically not closed. I just need to find an early church council that will agree to it.
Great quote. Happiness is what happens when you're not trying to have it.
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