Getting, Doing, Being.

Sam Mason

Description

Although the Christian life begins with a single act of faith and repentance, that birthplace was never meant to become a nest where we remain undisturbed for the rest of our days. We were born again to a new life, intended to grow into adulthood. We should be developing and exercising our spiritual wings over a lifetime, concluding with a glorious flight to heaven. Many believers, however, stagnate in spiritual immaturity. Getting, Doing, Being defines three common stages of our growth and urges us to enter into this discipleship training, experiencing the delight of learning just who we are in Christ.My favorite story to teach and preach is that of the Prodigal Son. More than any other text in thirty-six years of pastoring, this young mans story has captivated my attention. And just when I thought I knew all there was to know about this pericop of Scripture, Sam Mason hands me a copy of Getting, Doing, Being.Insightful, challenging and inspiring, all who read will love this newest book from Sam Mason, a great writer, a true Christian gentleman, a gift from God to His churchDarrell W. Waller, Senior Pastor of Winchester Church of God, Winchester, Virginia.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Inspiring Voices
• Date de parution: 28 septembre 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781462412198
• Langue: English

Extrait

Getting, Doing, Being.
 
A Fresh Perspective on the Story of the Prodigal Son Shows Us How We Might Grow in Grace
 
 
Sam Mason
 
 

 
Copyright © 2017 Sam Mason.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
 
Inspiring Voices
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.inspiringvoices.com
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Use of images from Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s “Return of the Prodigal Son” on the cover of this book, courtesy of the National Gallery of Art.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4624-1218-1 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-1219-8 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017914119
 
Inspiring Voices rev. date: 9/27/2017
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 - The Origin Of The Parables Of The Lost
Chapter 2 - A Rebellious Son: Getting (In The Old Life)
Chapter 3 - A Repentant Son: Getting (In The New Life)
Chapter 4 - A Responsible Son: Doing
Chapter 5 - A Restored Son: Being
Epilogue
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
What would life be like without and family and friends? My immediate answer to that question is: lonely . Our journey from earth to heaven is meant to be shared, and friends and family are the earthly companions who share that experience with us. Such sharing flows through mutual love, respect, and support. Two who fall into the category of family and friends have been especially helpful to me when it came to the writing of this book.
The first mention of a “helper” in all of Scripture is of the one whom God created to fill that specific role for the prototypical man, Adam. It was the original woman intended to be Adam’s companion for life: Eve. In my case, the woman’s name is Carol. As my wife for nearly 47 years as of the completion of this book, she has once more has lent her skills to my literary endeavors. Carefully proof-reading the manuscript, she alerted me to typos, spelling or grammatical errors, and passages that weren’t quite as clear as they should be. Thanks, Honey.
A friend of the past 11 years who’s again been generous enough to survey my manuscript and offer his input is my Pastor: Dr. Darrell Waller. I need someone with an extensive knowledge of, and mutual respect for, the Word of God to carefully peruse my work and ensure that it’s faithful to Scripture. He’s done that, and encouraged me in my efforts as well. Additionally, this time around, he’s been kind enough to endorse this book. You’ll find that endorsement on the back cover. Thanks, Pastor.
INTRODUCTION
The image of that memory is still rather vivid. I was a young associate pastor of a church in Bangor, Maine. Noted Bible teacher and author, Judson Cornwall, was with us for a series of meetings in 1976 or 1977. I had heard of him and seen him on Christian television, but had never met him until then. We were heading down the hallway of one of the educational wings toward the sanctuary when it happened.
I’m not sure what prompted me to share with him something that had been on my mind. Maybe it was simply an overflow of the excitement of a fresh revelation I felt the Lord had given me. Perhaps I was looking for some affirmation that what had come to me was really of God. It might even be that in my immaturity I was seeking some recognition that I was an up and coming servant of the Lord. Whatever my motivation, Judson Cornwall’s response would prove to be pertinent and invaluable.
“I feel like God recently showed me that believers tend to pass through three stages of the Christian life: getting, doing, and being,” I blurted out. To my surprise his reply came with no hesitation. “Want an illustration of that?” he inquired. I was happy for his input, especially since it seemed it would validate my sense that I truly had heard from the Lord on the matter. Once more he spoke without pausing for even a moment. “The prodigal son,” he declared. Instantly I realized that I had been the recipient of a blessed insight from a true man of God. My understanding on the matter had been confirmed by one of the most beloved stories in all of Scripture.
Four decades later I found myself writing this book on those common stages of the Christian life pictured in the aforementioned parable of the prodigal son. My respect for the man who guided me to that Biblical demonstration of this principle has remained steadfast over the years. Vast as the gap between his godly character and my own spirituality was, in the little time spent sitting under his teaching and the brief moments experienced in his private counsel way back then, I developed a deep affinity for him. His spiritual influence lingers even though he passed into eternity in 2005.
Similarly, my appreciation for the truths of God’s Word has withstood the scrutiny of the better part of a lifetime. Though there are still many things I don’t understand, my study of the “book of books” has confirmed the veracity of it’s fundamental teachings, and continued to reveal fresh insights into the nature of the Lord and His loving plans for His children. “Getting, doing, and being” are still relevant to our spiritual maturity. Although the details of the prodigal’s narrative will differ from those of our own stories, it’s essential path will be similar enough for us to gain knowledge which will help us learn and grow.
The body of work that follows is an outgrowth of the teaching ministry to which God has called me. Though the primary purpose of the things He has shown me has been to draw me closer to Him and transform me step by step into the image of His Son, Jesus, He’s also meant for me to pass these truths along to my brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s my prayer that the divine principles expounded in this book will find a lodging place in your heart, and a vibrant expression in your life.
CHAPTER 1 THE ORIGIN OF THE PARABLES OF THE LOST
In the opening verses of Luke chapter 15 we discover that this particular topic of conversation began with discontented mutterings. The theme of the stories about to fall from the lips of Jesus did not simply emerge from a vacuum. Nor did any among the crowd of His eager listeners bring up the subject. No… it was His religious opponents who unwittingly turned the discussion in the direction which led to the recounting of a trilogy of symbolic tales. Their murmurings were probably not meant to reach the ears of the Rabbi from Nazareth. They were likely intended only to add fuel to the fire of their group opposition to this religious intruder. At most they may have hoped that their grumblings would be overheard by those who eagerly clung to the Master’s words of life, planting troubling questions in their minds. But as was often the case, Christ somehow knew what was being said even when men thought their words indiscernible.
Now the Pharisees, who opposed Jesus, were a proud lot. In addition to being sanctimonious, the Bible informs us that the Pharisees were greedy and lovers of money as well (see Luke 16:14). The teachers of the law (also known as “scribes”), many of whom stood shoulder to shoulder with the Pharisees during this and other incidents recorded in the Gospels, could also be pompous. There were some in these groups who were open to the teachings of Jesus, a few even eventually became His followers. But on the whole they were self-righteous, arrogant, and closed-minded. They were the dominant sect of Judaism at the time of Christ, and legalistically ruled over the religious institutions of Jewish society. They added their own traditions to the Law of God, something strictly prohibited (see Deuteronomy 4:2). Those traditions often complicated and even contradicted God’s commands. Their philosophy allowed no room for those who would not adhere to their supremely restrictive interpretation of the Law.
This autocratic and artificially limited approach to the worship of God brought them into conflict with the true understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven as taught by Jesus. Over the course of His earthly ministry they repeatedly ridiculed Him. Numerous times the Lord had to rebuke them for their pride and misapplication of the Word of God. They sought to trap Him with trick questions in an effort to discredit His teachings, but were always frustrated by the wisdom of His answers.
Not long before He uttered the now famous parables of the lost, a prominent Pharisee had invited Jesus to share a Sabbath meal at his home. It seems likely that the man’s intent was something less than honorable. Luke 14:1 tells us that at the time Christ “…was being carefully watched.” It looked like a setup.
Knowing He was constantly healing the sick, the Pharisees probably hoped he would do it again so they could accuse Him of disobeying the law by doing such work on the Sabbath. Planted “…in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy” (14:2). Once more the Master discerned their plo