John Ortberg ‘s call to ‘water walking ‘ is a really antic book to read, written in John ‘s accessible manner and sprinkled with his intriguing sense of temper. I must acknowledge that I truly did bask the temper. Associating a narrative about when he had fainted in the center of presenting a discourse, Ortberg says “ No 1 interpreted it as being “ slain in the Spirit ” . When you ‘re a Baptist, fainting is merely fainting. “ [ p25 ] I love the book, I loved the temper, but I was confronted and challenged by it excessively.
John Ortberg identifies five stairss in stepping out of the boat:
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1.A There is alwaysA a call from God.A We may originate an action, but merely as Peter did.A “ Lord, if it ‘s you, state me to come to you on the H2O. “ A That qualifier is indispensable: “ Lord, if it ‘s you. . . . “ A How do we cognize if it ‘s the Lord? A We learn to listen. A
2.A There is ever fear.A No admiration that the most normally given bid in the New Testament is “ Do n’t be afraid. “ A Almost ever an angel has to state that.A And Jesus says it often to his adherents. A Steping out in religion is normally a fearful thing. A What if it does n’t work? A What if I look like a sap?
3.A There is ever reassurance.A “ ‘Come, ‘ he said. “ A I do n’t cognize how the Lord speaks the word of reassurance every clip, but we need it. A When God calls, even in a susurration, his voice echoes.A We ca n’t bury it.
4.A There is ever a decision.A “ Then Peter got down out of the boat. . . . “ A The difficult determination was non inquiring if he could walk on the H2O ; the difficult determination was acquiring out of the boat.A We ne’er make a measure of religion in this fold ‘s life on the footing of a sudden urge or on the footing of one individual ‘s idea.A It must travel through some hoops.A If we keep hearing that same impulse to travel in a way, we finally give it the green visible radiation and travel.
5.A There is ever life-change.A “ But when he saw the air current, he was afraid and, get downing to drop, cried out, ‘Lord, salvage me! ‘ ” A How will we larn anything unless we ‘re willing to step out? A When we step out we will learn.A We will larn that the same Jesus who is in the boat with us is besides on the H2O with us and sometimes in the H2O with us.A We will larn that he entirely is the saviour.A We will larn that he entirely is Lord over creation.A We will larn there is a better manner than simply choosing for safety.A When Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he walked on H2O.
Based around the Gospel narrative of Simon Peter walking on H2O at the invitation of his Lord, ( “ Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the H2O. “ A He said “ Come. ” So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the H2O… . ” ) Ortberg ‘s book is a call for us to step out in religion, to step out of our comfort zone and to see the sheer excitement of life as Jesus lived and making the things he did. It ‘s about suppressing our frights and uncertainnesss and taking to hold the last word over fright. It ‘s about to the full encompassing the call of Jesus on our lives and sing his power which enables us to make things which we merely would non be capable of making without his power at work in our lives.
Ortberg forces his readers to see what is the ‘boat ‘ that Jesus may name us to step out of? A comfy place? A calling with position? Personal wealth? The blessing of friends and neighbors? Ortberg leaves the reader in no uncertainty that each clip the call comes, we ( the 1s called ) are changed in some manner. It is ineluctable. Those who accept the call learn to walk on H2O ; they grow and become portion of God ‘s program of salvation for this universe. Those who say “ No ” are besides changed. They become a small harder, a little more immune to his naming, a little more likely to state “ No ” once more, following clip he calls them. Far excessively many of us are what Ortberg would name “ boat murphies ” [ p21, p31 ] ; we ‘ve put our religion in a comfy Christian religion that ne’er compels us to go forth our comfort zone, to step out of the boat. And yet, deep within our Black Marias we know that Jesus has non called us to a life of stagnancy, even comfy stagnancy, but has said that he came so that we would hold “ life in copiousness. ” Ortberg ‘s book tells us that you wo n’t happen that “ life in copiousness ” in the boat. Jesus calls us to step out of the boat and to walk with him on the H2O.
Of class, acquiring out of the boat involves hazard. It can be rather comfy in the boat, and it ‘s comparatively safe in the boat. Safe and comfy, but tiring and stagnating! The cost of remaining in the boat is stagnancy and deficiency of growing and there are few things sadder. As you read this book you come to to the full understand that if you choose non to acquire out of the boat you may be losing out on the most fantastic, exciting and rewarding things in this life. For me, one of the most affecting minutes comes early in the book when Ortberg relates the narrative of the rich immature swayer who came inquiring Jesus what he must make to be saved. Jesus asked him to acquire out of the boat ( “ Sell all that you have, give the money to the hapless, and semen and follow me. ” ) [ p18 ] but, as we know, that rich immature adult male decided non to make that. He had a really nice boat. It was comfy in the boat and he liked it excessively much to give it up. “ I wonder sometimes, ” Ortberg ponders “ if he of all time thought about that brush with Jesus when he reached the terminal of his life – when he was an old adult male and his bank history, stock portfolio, and trophy instance were full. Did he retrieve the twenty-four hours a carpenter ‘s boy called him to put on the line the whole thing for one wild stake on the Kingdom of God – and he said no? ”
Ortberg ‘s message is this: You are one measure off from the escapade of your life ; but foremost you have to acquire out of the boat! On April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. , ended a address in Memphis in an unforgettable way.A “ We ‘ve got some hard yearss in front. A But it does n’t count with me now. A Because I ‘ve been to the mountaintop. . . .Like anybody, I would wish to populate a long life. A Longevity has its topographic point. A But I ‘m non concerned about that now. A I merely want to make God ‘s will. A And He ‘s allowed me to travel up to the mountain. A And I ‘ve looked over and I ‘ve seen the Promised Land. A I may non acquire at that place with you. A But I want you to cognize tonight, that we, as a people, will acquire to the promised land. A And I ‘m happy, tonight. A I ‘m non worried about anything. A I ‘m non fearing any adult male. A Mine eyes have seen the glorification of the coming of the Lord. “ A[ 1 ]He stepped out of the boat to contend for freedom for the laden and the following forenoon he was assassinated.
A
At this terminal of this journey when I see the Lord Jesus face-to-face, I do n’t desire to state to Him that I ever chose safety.A That I ne’er took a faith-inspired hazard. A That I hoarded the resources entrusted to me.A That I found the boat so comfy that I was afraid to step out. A I ‘d detest to stand before the Lord in that twenty-four hours bone dry because I was afraid to step out of the boat.A I want to stand before him soaking moisture and clasping his manus and worshiping him.A Peter, do you truly want to acquire out of that boat? A Do you desire to step out of the boat and run into Jesus on the Waterss?
