Transformation Blog

THE MAGNIFICENT JOURNEY by James Bryan Smith Chapter 3—Living from Above 1.  Opening Prayer, from a position of full pardon, full acceptance To be born “from above”, in New Testament language, means to be interactively joined with a dynamic, unseen system of divine reality in the midst of which all of humanity moves about—whether it knows it or not. Dallas Willard 2.  We live in a Sacred World Where God Is Near ·        God always hears us. He is closer to us than we are to ourselves. ·        Listening “from above” ·        John 3:3; John 8:23; Colossians 3:1-2 ·        What are some other ways to express “above” and “below”? (p. 43) 3.  Awakening Our Spiritual Senses ·        What are the differences between physical senses and spiritual senses? ·        Note John Wesley’s language on p. 45 ·        Can we really have freedom from worry and fear? o    Matthew 6:25 o    Hebrews 12:28 o    Romans 8:28 o    John 8:52 ·        Amy Carmichael

THE MAGNIFICENT JOURNEY by James Bryan Smith Chapter 2—Growing in Grace and Knowledge 1.  Opening Prayer, from a position of full pardon, full acceptance Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now  and to the day of eternity. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18 2.  The hour I first believed ·        Do you remember the moment you first believed? ·        How was it different from your intellectual understanding of the gospel? ·        God waits for “the fullness of time” to reveal  Himself to our hearts, just like he waited for the moment in time to reveal the Son to the world. 3.  God hides until we seek ·        Mystical experiences—what are they?  The root word is “mystery”, something            we can’t fully explain. ·        We have a need, and we ask God to act.  He responds. ·        What result is real, but we can’t put it into words.  When have you had that happen? ·        Faith is not based on n