 "The crisis of self surrender has always been, and must always be, regarded as the vital turning point of the religious life." -William James We have been talking about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. In preparing for these messages, I was reminded of something I learned back in seminary that made a profound impact on me. Like any seminarian, I had my favorite authors and developed a theology based in no small part on what they wrote. There was C.S. Lewis, the theologian Emil Brunner, a Jesuit priest named John Powell and a Swiss physician named Paul Tournier. One day, totally by accident, I discovered that these men (who as far as I could learn had never met one another) all had something remarkable in common. They were part of the Oxford Group. The Oxford Group was a movement of like minded individuals who committed to a life of spiritual disciplines, such as meeting and confessing sins to each other. Could it be that this was the reason that they were so influential spiritually? Wanting to know more, I found out that there were a number of principles that guided this movement. The One I’d like for us to consider this morning is, the need for us to surrender our lives wholly to the Lord’s purposes. Saying it is one thing. Doing it is quite another. We need the Lord’s power and His help. Let’s believe Him for both. Pastor Jim |
