Forge Intensive Tuesday - Baxter Krueger

I thought I'd post up my raw notes from the intensive ... totally unedited I'm afraid, so please excuse anything wrong, offensive or unintelligible.

Baxter Krueger.

God is over here, big gap in between us and him. - all other religions
Jesus has come and embraced us, covered the gap in between us and him. - Christianity

Christianity is not about receiving Jesus into our life, it is about us entering into the life of God because of Jesus coming himself into our lives. We have been given Jesus.

Our job is to capture this vision of the Trinitarian, Incarnational view of God and proclaim it to the world.

John 8:12 - “I am the light of the world (cosmos). Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
- Jesus makes a declaration - I am the light of the cosmos.
- exclusive, politically incorrect, arrogant ... true, fact.
- if we believe in Jesus we will NEVER walk in THE darkness, but will have the light of life.
- when we say who Jesus is then we are actually saying something about ourselves.

- the Jesus we've inherited from Western theology is very small, but in reality Jesus is bigger than all things.

John 1:1-3. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people.

Colossians 1:16. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
- we need to remember that Jesus created all things and holds all things together. He did not set them in motion and is now hands off.

Hebrews 1:1-3. In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
- in, with, through.

- the church is being squashed by religion (which tells people they are separated from God) and secular humanism (which tells people they can fix it all themselves) and needs to be about the task of making space for people to recognise who Jesus is.

- Jesus doesn't tell us to have peace or joy. He gives us his peace, his joy, the peace and joy that come from within the Trinity itself.

- Father, Jesus, Spirit call us into participation with him, in all of life.

- Jesus is the Father's only Son and we are a part of the family. At this point our exclusivity becomes our inclusivity.
- Jesus received the Holy Spirit as a permanent gift, without measure. He is the annointed one in the Spirit.
- Jesus is the one in/with/by/for all things were created

- what does it mean that we are include into Jesus? All these things also become true of us. Also, when Jesus died rose and ascended, this is also happened to us.