Christianity for the CuriousWeek Six: A New Heart

● The dream of God: Salvation is the dream of God for the world and for each of us

● A new social and personal reality in this life: Nothing less than the transformation of self and

society

● Holistic Salvation: The mission of the Church

Last Time Holistic Salvation

Personal Transformation On Being Born Again

●Nicodemus speaks to Jesus in the night: The Greek can be rendered 'born from above' or

'born anew'

●Born in the Spirit: This ancient story → timeless truth for humanity: our need for our old identity

to die and a new one to be born

What might it mean to be born again

of the Spirit?●Dying with Christ: take up the cross daily, die in the waters of baptism, let go of our control over our lives

● Being Raised with Christ: a new creation in Christ, a new life, starting over, being transformed through a lifetime

Why do we need to be born again?

●The beginning of evil: The story of the Fall is a story of forgetting about God and centering on

the self●East of Eden: We are people who dwell East of Eden in a world where self-concern is paramount and the three A's reign: appearance, achievement,

and affluence

●Consumer Identity: We live as people forgetful of God

Questions

1. What role do the three A's of appearance, achievement, and affluence play in your own life?

2. How does the role of these things influence your connection to God?

● Beyond sudden conversion: For most of us, our conversion from a self-concerned life to a

new heart for God and the world is incremental

● Learning to Trust: Luther talked of daily dying and rising with Christ, deepening our trust in God

and not snatching back the reigns once we have loosed our grip on them

A Second Exodus The Long Journey

to a New Heart

How might we be intentional on our journey?●Midwifing our new birth: becoming attentive to

God

●Nurturing the relationship: Offering time, thought, prayerful practice, from the deep place

of our beings●Treasuring and Sharing the Gifts of God:

fruits of the Spirit – the first being love

Question

What intention do you have for your life

with God?