What is God really like - Steve Swain - Big Gathering 11th October 2009

Steve started with the story of a missionary to the Masai warriors. When he asked them what they would do if they ever met God, one warrior replied that he would run his spear into this stomach.

We then talked about we would describe God. The list we came up with was: Love, Relationship, Majestic, Entirety, Big chest (for said spear), Protector, Holy (pure), Just, Merciful, Compassionate, Community, Involved, Likes honesty, Integrity, Living, Forgiving, Teacher, Lifter.

But we also came up with things that the Masai warrior would relate to: Untrustworthy, Ogre, Unforgiving, Judgement, Removed.

Steve then related to us the plot of the novel The Plague by Albert Camus. In it, a plague devastates a community and the priest believes that God has allowed it, to punish the wicked.

Ecclesiastes covers this issue. It brings the message that northing is worth living for, this life is finite nad you can’t take it with you. Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego are thrown into the fire for note bowing to the King’s statue - they believe that their God will save them, but if he doesn’t, they don’t care, he is their God regardless.

God is good, but we need to be honest in our relationship with Him - he knows anyway.

The Bible says God is love. Its intrinsic. Love does not demand its own way. God doesn’t stop a lot of things. We want him to stop some things, but not stop us from doing things.

Examine all we think about God - ask questions, wonder. God doesn’t insist on Him own way.

Evangelism is not about finding needs and fixing it. It’s about showing people that the meaning of life is wrapped up in God.

God is the most unreligious being that exists. We drift to religion because its safe.

Brad made three points - we have an intuitive sense of what God is like, but only a practical experience of some of it, regardless of this, Jesus makes it all a bit more real.

There is no easy answer in all of this and we will talk about it more, but in the meantime, the gospels give a good insight.