“Don’t settle for the full life- go after the filled life.”- Kyle Idleman Still another said, “I just got married, so I can’t come.”- Luke 14:20 Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 5 of The End of Me by discussing the third guest to decline the banquet invitation. Pastor Idleman quips that this guest might be the […]
Today Kyle Idleman discusses the second guest in Luke’s account of the Parable of the Great Banquet. The second guest has purchased five yoke of oxen and wants to try them out. His excuse reveals his true concern is with work, responsibility, and busyness- all a hedge against emptiness. Pastor Idleman cites a June 2012 […]
Kyle Idleman continues Chapter 5 of The End of Me with an in-depth discussion of the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:16-24). Pastor Idleman states it is important to understand that, in the Bible, a banquet often is a metaphor for the way God addresses the deepest needs of His people. Jesus often used […]
Kyle Idleman continues Chapter 5 of The End of Me by exploring the difference between a jar being full or filled. He draws on Luke’s account of Jesus at a Pharisee’s house, during which Jesus tells the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14). As the dinner commences and Jesus is being carefully watched, a […]
“The measure of filling we receive is in direct proportion to our level of emptiness.”- Kyle Idleman In Chapter 5 (“Empty to Be Filled”) of The End of Me, Kyle Idleman begins by boldly stating that God loves to fill empty things, whether it’s a widow’s jar (2 Kings 4) or a measure of hope. […]
Kyle Idleman continues Chapter 4 of The End of Me by noting that, in God’s kingdom economy, much is determined by the audience you choose. If your primary interest is in what other people think, your reward is their applause or attention. In Matthew 6:1, Jesus says, “Be careful not to practice you righteousness in front […]
In Chapter 4 (“Authentic to Be Accepted”) of The End of Me, Kyle Idleman observes that no one like it when someone advertises one thing and delivers something entirely different- whether that is a business or an individual. Businesses with false advertising claims are one thing, but when we apply this standard to ourselves, however, […]
Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 3 of The End of Me with four ideas he has found helpful in enabling us to take ownership of our humility. 1. To humble myself, I voluntarily confess sin. Pastor Idleman states God promises to exalt those who, like the tax collector, voluntarily confess their sins. If we confess because […]
“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross!”- Philippians 2:8 In the final section of Chapter 3 (The End of Me), Kyle Idleman focuses our attention on four words from the end of the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector: […]
“Pride is best buddies with insecurity.”- Kyle Idleman Kyle Idleman states in Chapter 3 of The End of Me that the key to understanding your inner Pharisee’s power is that your inner Pharisee is all about performance. In contrast, one of the central themes of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is: God looks at the […]
In Chapter 3 of The End of Me, Kyle Idleman concludes his description of six verbal symptoms of a prideful heart. You may be a Pharisee if . . . 6. you catch yourself saying, “It’s not me; it’s you.” Although this seems like the mirror image of a famous breakup line, the reference here […]
Today Kyle Idleman continues his description of six verbal symptoms of a prideful heart (Chapter 3, The End of Me). You may be a Pharisee if . . . 3. you catch yourself saying, “It’s not fair.” Pastor Idleman emphasizes there is a major question here: how do we objectively define fair? A lot of things […]