Outrageous Love,Transforming Power

Book excerpt: Author Terry Wardle presents compelling evidence that countless churches are made up of, and in many cases even led by, men and women who seem perpetually caught in spiritual infancy - and it is having a devastating effect upon their lives and the ministry of the gospel to a broken world. The author contends that the heart of the problem rests with our concept of Christian maturity. How that one issue is defined directly impacts the way in which a person seeks to grow and develop in the Christian experience. Many Christians, including church leaders, think that being a mature Christian means believing the right things about Jesus and the faith, behaving like Jesus in daily living, and serving as Jesus did within the Church and world. As a result, a great deal of attention is given to knowing what to believe, how to behave properly, and where to get appropriately involved in Christian service. Sermons are preached, classes are taught, books are written, and ministries are formed to move people toward greater levels of understanding, action, and service. Unfortunately, with this paradigm in place, maturity is measured by a person's movement toward this inappropriately defined end.What does it mean to be a mature Christian then? It has far more to do with what kind of person you are, than what you do. In this book the author explores this question and highlights the foundational qualities that Jesus possessed the point to the standard for Christian maturity.