Change the World: Daily Inspiration to Make a Difference
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About this ebook
Everybody wants to change the world, and it all starts with a changed heart. As we grow closer to the heart of Christ, we learn to love others the way he did. Passion for justice and desire to serve flows naturally from a faith centered on the message and mission of Jesus: to bring good news to the poor, release to the captive, and sight to the blind.
Grow in world-changing faith with six weeks of inspiring, challenging meditations by Mike Slaughter.
Weekly themes:
1. Hearing Christ’s Call
2. Loving God’s People
3. Becoming a Disciple
4. Living Simply
5. Spreading the Word
6. Serving Courageously
Rev. Dr. Mike Slaughter
Mike Slaughter is the Pastor Emeritus at Ginghamsburg Church. Under his leadership, Ginghamsburg Church has become known as an early innovator of small group ministry, the Church "media reformation," and cyber-ministry. Mike is the author of multiple books for church leaders, including Down to Earth, The Passionate Church, Change the World, Dare to Dream, Renegade Gospel, A Different Kind of Christmas, Spiritual Entrepreneurs, Real Followers, Momentum for Life, UnLearning Church, and Upside Living in a Downside Economy.
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Reviews for Change the World
8 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mike Slaughter's book is a good book for thinking new thoughts and trying to find the message and mission of Jesus for the present times. It is a good read with many thoughts that are unfamiliar to most of us. He presents his message in a skilfull manner and is engaging in his writing.I enjoyed it.J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
Book preview
Change the World - Rev. Dr. Mike Slaughter
MORE CHANGE THE WORLD
RESOURCES BY MIKE SLAUGHTER
Change the World:
Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus
ISBN 978-1-4267-0297-6
Selections from Change the World
(24-page sampler, bundled in packages of 10)
ISBN 978-1-4267-1176-3
Change the World: A Study for Leadership Teams
DVD with Leader Guide: ISBN 978-1-4267-1012-4
Change the World: A Study for Small Groups
Participants' Book: ISBN 978-1-4267-1209-8
DVD with Leader Guide: ISBN 978-1-4267-1140-4
Image1CHANGE THE WORLD
DAILY INSPIRATION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Copyright © 2011 by Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission can be addressed to Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, 201 Eighth Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37202-0801, or e-mailed to permissions@umpublishing.com.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Slaughter, Michael.
Change the world : daily inspiration to make a difference / Mike
Slaughter.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-4267-1482-5 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Meditations. 2. Christian life—Methodist authors. 3. Christianity
and justice—Meditations. I. Title.
BV4832.3. S535 2011
248.4'87—dc22
2010051393
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Scripture noted NRSV is from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture noted NCV is taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Some portions of this book appeared in Change the World: Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus by Mike Slaughter, copyright © 2010 by Abingdon Press. Used by permission.
Some portions of this book appeared in Upside Living in a Downside Economy by Mike Slaughter, copyright © 2009 by Abingdon Press. Used by permission.
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CONTENTS
Introduction
Hearing Christ's Call
On Earth as It Is in Heaven
Jesus' Mission
God's Favored Child
Cruise Ship Religion
The Great Requirement
The Great Commandment
The Great Commission
Loving God's People
Proud to Be a Christian?
Reading the Bible as Jesus Did
Toxic Religion
One Big Happy Family
The Royal Law
God of Second Chances
Holding Grace and Truth in Balance
Becoming a Disciple
A Way of Life
Motorcycle Mantra
Volunteer or Servant?
Priesthood of All
L.I.F.E. Purpose
Radical Priorities
Following the Leader
Living Simply
A Simpler Time
Money Matters
Family Budget
Giving Sacrificially
Community
Investing in People, Not Things
Clutter in Our Homes and Lives
Spreading the Word
Sharing Your Faith
Judging Ourselves
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
Contagious Christianity
A New Kind of Missionary
Seeing and Doing
No Strings Attached
Serving Couragously
Courage in the Age of Anxiety
Your Legacy
Step Out of the Boat
More Than Feelings
Facing Naysayers
Excuses and Expectations
Holy Ground
Notes
INTRODUCTION
Many Christians today profess faith in God, but they embody the values of the dominant culture. They possess a soft-secular worldview rather than the worldview of Jesus. These folks believe in God and profess Jesus, but they trust the materialistic values of secular culture. There is a better Way, and it is Jesus' Way!
The true message and mission of Jesus is this: to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, and freedom to the oppressed. The gospel is good news for the poor. If it is not benefitting the poor and oppressed, then it is not the gospel. Jesus calls us, his followers, to serve the least of these.
He calls us to a lifestyle of sacrificial mission, giving ourselves with him for God's redemptive work in the world.
That is what this book is about: accepting the call to the radical lifestyle of discipleship—a lifestyle that has the power to change the world. As you make your way through six weeks' worth of daily readings, you will be encouraged to
hear Christ's call
love God's people
become a disciple
live simply
spread the word
serve courageously
Whether you read one devotion each day or spread them out over a longer period of time, you will come to see that the world's ability to discover the relevancy of the gospel depends on our willingness to fully embrace and live the biblical mandate to love like Jesus. Each reading ends with one or more reflective questions to help you reevaluate your priorities and habits and make new commitments to do the things that matter most to God.
I invite you to rediscover and reclaim the message and mission of Jesus and, in the process, to change the world.
HEARING CHRIST'S CALL
ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
"Your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven."
(Matthew 6:10)
When we pray these words, do we really mean it? What we are asking is for God's rule and reign to become a reality here on earth, just as it is in heaven. This challenges many of the traditions and paradigms within Christianity today.
Jesus'