- This was an exercise in communication. Expressing the scope of the gospel in modern language without Bible-words is difficult but necessary…for preachers and other folks too.
Do you know that there is nothing you can do to make God love you any more than he does right now?
Do you know that God’s love for you has nothing to do with what you look like, where you’re from, what skills you have or what resources you have at your disposal?
And do you know that the hardest task most people face in their lives is letting God love them as fully and deeply as he wants to love us?
Do you know that regardless of whatever you have done, whatever you are doing or whatever you will do, God is ready and eager to forgive you completely?
And do you know that the second you turn back to God, he is right there smiling in your face, picking you up and twirling you around and already planning a party for you?
Do you know that you were uniquely created to live an amazing, God-powered and God-revealing life?
And do you know that common standards of success and achievement have no bearing on the amazing life God created you to live?
Do you know that despite all our stress and anxiety and grinding effort we were never intended to live our lives under our own limited power and ability?
Do you know that the world around us is set-up to diminish or even destroy that incredible life that God has for you?
And do you know that it can be a difficult but super-rewarding challenge to live the life God has for you despite the unsympathetic world around us?
Do you know that even if – especially if—you are struggling, feel ‘left out’ or are looked down on, that Jesus Christ, with power we can hardly imagine, is eager to stand up for you?
Do you know that if you are amazed by Jesus Christ he welcomes you into his realm right now – even if you are imperfect?
And do you know that his forever realm has already begun and we can begin our citizenship and participation in his realm today?
And do you know that the main task of his realm is loving people? Even people who look speak, dress, smell and behave differently than we do?
And do you know that God cares about you and your life so much that at the end of your earthly life he’s going to assess how you lived it?
Do you know that if you are amazed by Jesus Christ the life you are living now – with your creaky, gooey, freckly, hairy body – is only the first part of your life?
And do you know the second part of you life is a forever, face-to-face adventure with Jesus Christ and all those who love him?
And do you know that the second part of your life will put you in an entirely different body with a wild, new kind of splendor – but you will still be you?
Do you know that the God who created you invented gatherings of people who are amazed by Jesus Christ and these gatherings are typically called churches?
And do you know that these churches, more than anything else, are intended to be loving, encouraging celebrations of people journeying in Jesus’ realm together?
And do you know that there is church like this in your neighborhood?