Date

Theme

Handout

Audio

June 15, 2008

Seeing as Jesus sees;

Praying as Jesus prays

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And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

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When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Compassion:

Harassed:

Helpless:

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Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

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therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Pray earnestly

When we see others through human eyes

How did Jesus see people?

“sheep without a shepherd” behavior is a result of

Typical questions we ask:

Matt. 7:1f

James 4:11-12

Augustine’s understanding of sin: sinners sin because they have a sinful nature. They cannot keep from sinning. 

Augustine’s heirs: Luther, Calvin

 Pelagius’ understanding of sin: sinners sin because they want to.  Change comes because the sinner begins to exercise his/her will; change comes when people decide to be different.

Pelagius’ heirs: Liberal Christianity, Modern Evangelicalism

When we pray for others with human motives

When we pray for others with Jesus’ motives

Luke 23:34

Matt 9:37-38

As long as I insist / persist in seeing others from a human point of view,

 I will not be able to begin to see them as Jesus does.

 Transitioning from seeing others through human eyes to seeing others through Jesus’ eyes

1.  No awareness that my thinking is out of alignment with God’s thinking

2.  Conviction of sin: awareness that my thinking diverges from God’s

3.  Repentance (change of mind – Rom. 8; Isa 55:8-9)

4.  Allowing God’s word to filter how I think about others – Col. 3:16, Rom 12:1-2