How To Make Following Jesus Attractive to a Perverse Generation, N.T.Wright

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The Christian Chronicle, a newspaper for followers of Jesus, recently interviewed one of the most successful writers in the Biblical arena.  I was impressed with the interview and noted especially these words.


“The Christian faith spread in the early centuries, despite the Romans trying to stamp it out, because of ‘ordinary’ people living in an extraordinary way: --caring for people—especially the poor—even when they were not related to them; giving people medical treatment, education and so on (which had been reserved for the rich or the elite before.)  People were astonished.  They didn’t know it was possible to live like that!

Another particular point was the early church’s insistence on sexual holiness.  Again, people had no idea it was possible or desirable to live like that.”  N. T. Wright, Christian Chronicle, 4/14, P. 23

“many assume that Christianity is about a big bully in the sky who basically hates us but                     (fortunately for us decided to take out his bad temper on someone else instead of us.)  The Bible doesn’t say ‘God so hated the world.’  Many in our world have lived so long with the first vision of ‘God’ that they find it difficult to believe in the real one.”

“devote time every day to reading some of each (Old Testament and New Testament) even if you’re only a beginner.  Whether or not that’s practical (the older you are the harder it becomes), devote time and energy just to reading the text.”

“There’s no reason why any Christian should not get to know the Bible very well indeed.  Read it through in English, if necessary, at least once a year.  (Always have at least two quite different English translations at hand—none are perfect!)  Learn key sections by heart (The Sermon on the Mount, The shorter letters, Isaiah 40-55, favorite Psalms.)  Use what you’re learning in your praying every day.”

“What has always attracted people to the gospel of Jesus is communities of individuals that, in the power of the Spirit, are actually living the gospel.”


“There is a quality of generosity, kindness, gentleness, over flowing love, hospitality and joy—not a shallow happiness, but a genuine—radiant trust in God for everything—which cannot be faked and which remains powerfully attractive….”
“…but precisely because the Spirit produces the fruit described in Galatians 5, it is this quality of life which the Spirit uses as one of the powerfully attractive things” P. 24


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