The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael McManus
The book I have just read has officially turned my life upside down. I'm ready for a new adventure. Im ready to take life by the horns and not let anything get in my way. Erwin McManus writes about the life of most "Christians" and how they have become civilized as opossed to barbaric! I do NOT want to be civilized anymore. I want to be like my Jesus who was anything but civilized. He was crazy, insane and dangerous. Just like he was supossed to be. An individual. His disciples just as crazy and just as individual. The least in the land. Ex-tx collectors and drunkards. They werent priest but fisherman, they smelled and werent educated. They were perfect.
The Barbarian:
"They live their lives with every step moving forwardand with every fiber of their being fighting for the hert of their King. Jesus Christ has become the ll consuming passion of their lives. They are not about religion or position. They have little ptience for institutions or bureaucracies. Their lack of respect for tradition or ritual makes them seem uncivilized to those who love religion. When asked if they are Christians their answer might suprisingly be no, they are passionate followers of Jesus Christ. They see Christianity as a world religion, in many ways no different from any other regligious system. Whether Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity, they're not about religion; they're about advancing the revolution Jesus started two thousand years ago."
Can I hear an AMEN!! That revolution, Im all about advancing it!! Here's more...
"Somewhere along the way the movement of Jesus Christ became civilized as Christianity," he writes. "We created a religion using the name of Jesus Christ and convinced ourselves that God's optimal desire for our lives was to insulate us in a spiritual bubble where we risk nothing, sacrifice nothing, lose nothing, worry about nothing. I wonder how many of us have lost our barbarian way and have become embittered with God, confused in our faith because God doesn't come through the way we think He should."
Oh the BOX we have decieded to put the Creator of the universe in. Such a small confortable box. My God is way too big for this world even the universe. There is now ay He could ever be contained especially in my mind. Thats why He blows it so often! one part specifically that blew me away was his view on discpleship. Wow. You know when someone just puts in to words what you were thinking...
"Discipleship is translated into standardizing everyone into the same pattern. We have equated the promise that we would be conformed into the image of Christ with a belief that all of us will be the same. Discipleship has beome the mechanism for uniformity rather than uniqueness."
This is exactly what I was thinking. It should not be that way!! The person who disciples you should be more of a coach than a boss. They should faciltate you not dominate you.They should bring confirmation to the things God is speaking to you. Not have them speak and then just listen and maybe go to God with it. If they disagree with a decision you make they should let you make whatever decision you will and no matter what stick with you and be there for you. Your going to make mistakes. God knows that, for some reason people just dont realize that. Even though they make the same mistakes. All in all...YOU DONT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!! Your gonna mess up...HELL YEAH...so lets get on with it!!
Alright peeps, there's 148 pages of amazing things I could write in here. But Then Im sure Erwin would be upset I put his whole book on the net. ;) So lets live differently, let strive to be like Jesus, a crazy son of the GOD!!
Angela