What Matters Most
How We Got the Point but Missed the Person
1st Edition
Published on 13. March 2012
256 pages
978-0-307-73058-9 (ISBN)
Description
Belief can exist in isolation, but faith requires a relationship
Why wade in the shallows of belief when you can plunge into the depths of faith? Belief involves a different way of thinking, but faith brings about a new way of living. It grows through direct experience and a close relationship, both of which come as you follow Jesus.
As Christians we often talk about developing a "personal relationship" with Christ, but instead of pursuing a relationship, we pursue knowledge. We are tempted to place confidence in our definite, settled beliefs, which offer a pale substitute for the daily adventure of an honest relationship with Jesus.
In What Matters Most, Leonard Sweet presents a challenging and compelling approach to belief that is joined by dynamic engagement with God. You are invited to explore the uncharted regions of faith by following Jesus, completely on his terms. Once you begin, you will never go back to mere belief.
Why wade in the shallows of belief when you can plunge into the depths of faith? Belief involves a different way of thinking, but faith brings about a new way of living. It grows through direct experience and a close relationship, both of which come as you follow Jesus.
As Christians we often talk about developing a "personal relationship" with Christ, but instead of pursuing a relationship, we pursue knowledge. We are tempted to place confidence in our definite, settled beliefs, which offer a pale substitute for the daily adventure of an honest relationship with Jesus.
In What Matters Most, Leonard Sweet presents a challenging and compelling approach to belief that is joined by dynamic engagement with God. You are invited to explore the uncharted regions of faith by following Jesus, completely on his terms. Once you begin, you will never go back to mere belief.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
03/2012
Waterbrook Press (A Division of Random House Inc)
€38.56
Shipment within 10-20 days
Book
09/2004
Waterbrook Press (A Division of Random House Inc)
€36.08
Article exhausted; check different version
Person
Leonard Sweet, PhD, is founder and president of SpiritVentureMinistries and is a professor at Drew University in New Jersey and a visiting professor at George Fox University in Oregon. A leading social critic and cultural observer, Sweet is considered one of the most influential Christians in America. He is the chief writer for Sermons.com and has authored numerous books that have changed Christian thinking, including The Gospel According to Starbucks, Soul Tsunami, and Jesus Manifesto (with Frank Viola). An internationally known speaker and preacher, Sweet lives on an island in northern Washington state.
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Where Did We Miss the Person and Get the Point Instead?
- Part I - Faith Is a Relationship
- 1 A Life That's Beyond Belief
- 2 The Truth About Committing
- Part II - Our Relationship with God
- 3 Abraham's Big Break with God
- 4 The True Test of Relationship
- Part III - Our Relationship with God's Story
- 5 The Truth in Text
- 6 Open Yourself to God's Story
- Part IV - Our Relationship with Other People of Faith
- 7 Loving the "One-Anothers"
- 8 Rituals of Right Relationships
- Part V - Our Relationship with Those Outside the Faith and with Those Who are Different
- 9 Loving the "Others"
- 10 Jesus and the Outcast
- Part VI - Our Relationship with God's Creation
- 11 Getting Right with Divine Handiwork
- Part VII - Our Relationship with Symbols, Arts, Artifacts, and "Things"
- 12 The "Things" That Draw Us to God
- Part VIII - Our Relationship with the Spiritual World
- 13 Clear Signs of Unseen Things
- Interactives: Questions for Personal Contemplation and Shared Conversation
- Notes
