Did you know that in Hebrew there is no word for obedience? “Shema” is as close as we get. In Hebrew, to listen and to obey are two sides of the same coin. There is no room for the idea of hearing from God and not being obedient to God. Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV) begins with the word “hear” which in Hebrew is “shema.” When Jesus gives the famous Sermon on the Mount the final illustration in chapter 7 of Matthew is about a house built on sinking sand which He equates to someone who hears God’s instructions but chooses not to obey. This illustration would have been especially poignant for His largely Jewish audience. Jesus came for many reasons but one most certainly was to restore our shema! In this series we will examine what theologian Don Gelpi describes as the 5 conversions: affective, intellectual, moral, sociopolitical, and religious. I believe that if our shema is going to be restored, then we must partner with Jesus as He works within us to heal our past hurts (affective), correct our false thinking (intellectual), align our behaviors with our virtues and values (moral), shift our focus from self to others (sociopolitical), and embrace The Gospel (religious). This is my invitation…stay with us through this entire series and begin the work of shema in you!
by City Life