This blog entry contains notes from and a link to the message I preached at Living Hope this weekend, entitled “Reclaiming the Wild.”
Primary Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:12
Central Theme: The church should look more like a jungle than a zoo. But the contemporary church has become a zoo as believers have become more and more domesticated.
Three marks of domestication:
1. Dependence: While lions in the wild must hunt for their food, lions in captivity are brought pre-killed meat each day, and so they forget how to hunt. Domesticated believers are dependent upon others to feed them spirituality. Reclaiming the wild will require believers to learn how to take responsibility for their own spiritual nourishment.
2. Safety: While lions in the wild must defend their territory against other predators, lions in captivity are kept safe inside of cages. Domesticated believers are never willing to step outside of their “comfort zone” for anything; they demand safety above all. Reclaiming the wild will require believers to learn how to take risks as they actively pursue their destinies in God.
3. Comfort: While lions in the wild are constantly living on the alert, lions in captivity are lazy and do nothing more than lounge around. Domesticated believers hunger only for greater comfort . . . bigger houses, nicer cars, more money. Reclaiming the wild will require believers to learn how to hunger for conquest, rather than comfort.
You can find the audio of the message here.
