I've Been Strobel-ized!

This weekend Lee Strobel preached at Central Christian Church in Vegas. If you get a chance, go to Central's website and listen to the message. It's a good one. For those of you who, like me, can't imagine sitting down and listening to a sermon on the computer I thought I'd give you some highlights. I think it's especially important for church planting wives.

The theme of the sermon was based on his new book, "The Unexpected Adventure." He posed the question, what if Jesus physically lived in my house? Would He treat my neighbors differently than I do? What would He and I do the same? What would we do differently from each other? He had three points:

1. Before Jesus talked to his neighbors about God, he talked to God about his neighbors. He talked about how important it is to bring our relationships before God. He used the example of Jesus being crucified and how, even during His agonizing pain, He prayed for those who were crucifying Him. "Father forgive them..." Even on His deathbed He was talking to God about the very people in his life that were killing him.

He also told a powerful story about the importance of praying for our lost family and friends and not giving up...ever!

2. Jesus would make it clear that His door was always open for questions. It's pretty clear in the Bible that Jesus doesn't mind people asking him questions. We sometimes get the idea that God is annoyed by us and our questions, lack of faith or understanding, etc. In Luke 7 John the Baptist questioned Jesus' identity. Jesus didn't get mad at John for his questions, and later even said that no one was greater than John.

He shared an awesome story about a debate between a Christian and an Atheist that took place at Willow Creek. Click here if you want to watch the debate.

How open is your "door" to questions about God? We don't have to have all the answers; we have to listen, pray and be available to our non-Christian friends and family.

3. Jesus would be authentic in His relationships with His neighbors. He would be 100% authentic, full of integrity, with no signs of hypocrisy. He talked about how non-Christians scan the lives of Christians (especially those in ministry) for discrepancies and in-authenticity.

He shared a story about a girl named Maggie who hated church because she had been abused by people who called themselves Christians. After joining a small group and hanging around Christians she became a Christian. She said that she decided to become a Christian because , "I ran into a bunch of people who were like Jesus to me." They were humble, gentle and they loved her.

So a few questions ran through my mind during the sermon. I thought I'd share them with you.

How's my prayer life? Do I regularly pray for my lost friends and family? Is there anyone I've given up on praying for?

How accessible am I to people? Is my schedule so full that I don't have time to sit down with a neighbor and talk? Am I known as someone who is a good listener? Am I approachable?

Are there any signs of hypocrisy in my life? Is there anything I do that I would be embarrassed if people knew? Is my private life consistent with my public life?

Do I live a life of love?

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