Chapter 3: Living from Above

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’s story.  Where in scripture can you remember a similar story to Lulla’s?
·      How do stories like this one affect you?
·      Julian of Norwich p. 47  “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” 

4.  Mysticism in the Mundane—Living from Above
·      What is another name scripture has for living from above?
·      Walking by _________________________.  Living in the __________________________.
·      Borrowing from the 12-Step Program:  “I can’t, Lord.  But You can. Please help me.”
·      (This can become a “breath prayer”—a short, repetitious prayer that becomes like breathing, like an automatic response in times of pressure.)
·      Examples of p. 48—you have probably done these sometime in your life.  How did your situation turn out?



5.  The Gospel in Unblessable Conditions
·      Grief.  Loss. Hurt. Suffering.  Rejection (extremely hard—Jesus’s greatest agony on the cross; pushes our abandonment buttons)
·      The gospel is not just about managing sin.  It’s about managing suffering.
·      How does suffering change when you are aware that God is there, holding your hand, holding you up from the inside?
·      The problem of Evil.
·      The gap that losing a loved one leaves.  Trusting God while not losing the person.
·      God with us. Every step.  Every breath.
·      Living “already” in a world of “not yet”.

6.  Soul Training Exercise, pp 51-52  Set Your Mind on Christ
Let our chief endeavor be to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ.
Thomas A Kempis

9.  Closing Prayer—The Kingdom of God is Now


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