In Chapter 2 (“The Inverted Gospel”) of All In, author Mark Batterson reminds us that, in the sixteenth century, astronomer Nicholas Copernicus challenged the prevailing belief that the earth was the center of the universe. He turned the scientific world upside down by proclaiming that the earth revolved around the sun.
Likewise, Pastor Batterson states, each of us needs to experience our own Copernican Revolution by coming to terms with the fact that the world doesn’t revolve around us:
“At its core, sinfulness is selfishness. It’s enthroning yourself- your desires, your needs, your plans- above all else. You may still seek God, but you don’t seek Him first. . . . it’s not Christ-centric, it’s me-centric. It’s less about us serving His purposes and more about Him serving our purposes.”
Pastor Batterson refers to this as the “inverted gospel”, noting that at one time he thought he was following Jesus when, in reality, he was inviting Jesus to follow him. He quips: “Trust me, I didn’t want to go anywhere without Jesus right there behind me.”
Eventually, Mark grew tired of calling the shots. Besides, he wasn’t very good at playing God either! The whole process was exhausting. To truly follow Jesus, we can’t simply buy in. We must sell out. Straddling the fence means that we’re half in and half out.
Just as the Israelites circled Jericho, Mark encourages us to pray a circle around the promises of God- and keep circling until He answers. Through the Holy Spirit, we can be all in!
Today’s question: Following your ministry downsizing or vocation loss, how have you been intentional in maintaining your focus on Jesus? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Consecration or boredom?”
Coming Tuesday: the new Short Meditation. “I Sing for Joy”
