Alive - by Dave Smith

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used to refer to romantic or sexual love. In its right context ‘eros’ is essentially a good thing – a gift from God that is to be enjoyed. The problem is that we’re imperfect human beings and so we can tend to make a real mess of it. A bit like giving a child a powerful car to drive, we often aren’t safe enough to handle the potency of this kind of love. When betrayal and break-ups take place, the collateral damage can be massive, leaving a trail of rejection and brokenness that impacts many. And what of those who never end up fully experiencing such romantic or sexual love – either through circumstance or choice – does that mean they are somehow not loved or loving and they miss out on a fundamental aspect of love? Significantly, the main character of this book, Jesus Christ, was celibate and yet was the most truly fulfilled and ‘alive’ person in history. Like many, Jesus experienced a second type of ‘love’, covered <strong>by</strong> the Greek word ‘philia’, which can be translated as ‘friendship’. It has been proven time and again that having a few close friends is a key factor to us enjoying security and flourishing as human beings. 4 There are, though, limits to this kind of love, too, since even the best of friends and closest of family relationships can disappoint and no human being, however good, can ultimately meet our deepest love needs. There is, however, one perfect love that is available to us all: the love of God. To describe this ‘love’ the early Christians primarily chose another Greek word, ‘agape’, and filled it with new meaning. 5 Sometimes ‘agape’ can be used more broadly to simply mean ‘to regard with affection’, but very often it describes a particular kind of unconditional, sacrificial love that is focused on meeting the needs of the other person. This self-giving love is at the centre of the famous passage, frequently used at weddings: ‘love is patient, love is kind…
love never fails’, before concluding that of the three great virtues of ‘faith, hope and love…the greatest of these is love’ (1 Corinthians 13:13). This ‘agape’ love is not something that we can simply generate from within ourselves, but ultimately comes from God himself who ‘is love’ (1 John 4:8). The Scriptures are so full of this theme that St Augustine observed: ‘The whole Bible does nothing but tell of God’s love.’ 6 PAUSE AND PONDER As you look at your life, what has your experience of love been like? Can you identify with the descriptions of different types of love? Have you ever known or sensed the presence of God’s love in your life? In this chapter we are going to be looking at one of the most beautiful stories of love in human literature – the story of Mary Magdalene –at the heart of which is her experiencing the real ‘agape’ love of God through Jesus Christ. So, who was Mary and what can we learn from her about experiencing God’s love in our own lives? THE FREEING POWER OF LOVE Mary was an ‘unlikely candidate’ for the love of God. That is, unless you know what God is really like! Hers was a popular Jewish name, so in their typical accuracy, the Gospel writers distinguished between her and other ‘Marys’, including Mary, Jesus’ mother, <strong>by</strong> calling her ‘Mary Magdalene’ – most likely because she came from the ancient Galilean fishing community of Magdala. Mary Magdalene has become one of the most well-known
Page 2 and 3: Dave Smith invites us on a journey
Page 4 and 5: and fulfilled. A life where it’s
Page 6 and 7: I want to say a huge thanks to a nu
Page 8 and 9: Instagram a while back: ‘You wake
Page 10 and 11: eyond our physical and psychologica
Page 12 and 13: 4. A future life in heaven Widely a
Page 14 and 15: only £150?’ The wife replied,
Page 16 and 17: 3. On the first Easter morning, the
Page 18 and 19: second question of how Jesus’ res
Page 20 and 21: At 2.20pm, 5 April 1982, I ‘fell
Page 24 and 25: and controversial biblical characte
Page 26 and 27: teach us about the seeming absence
Page 28 and 29: testimony of female witnesses would
Page 30 and 31: 16 Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ S
Page 32 and 33: What’s clear is that this was not
Page 34 and 35: THE ETERNAL DIMENSION OF LOVE One o
Page 36 and 37: know how much, in Christ, we are
Page 38 and 39: FURTHER REFLECTION 1. In the light
Page 40 and 41: It was a day not to be forgotten in
Page 42 and 43: group that didn’t survive: ‘The
Page 44 and 45: an all-loving, all-powerful God who
Page 46 and 47: 25 He said to them, ‘How foolish
Page 48 and 49: By the end of the journey, their
Page 50 and 51: deliverer had just suffered the mos
Page 52 and 53: of Paul’s conversion on the road
Page 54 and 55: HE’S WELCOMED Despite Jesus being
Page 56 and 57: Presumably there was something abou
Page 58 and 59: FURTHER REFLECTION 1. Take a moment
Page 60 and 61: The longing for inner peace is univ
Page 62 and 63: For example, it may be that as you
Page 64 and 65: True peace was at the heart of God
Page 66 and 67: sense of release, turn your palms u
Page 68 and 69: esponse to a perceived threat or po
Page 70 and 71: Spirit.’ The word ‘righteousnes
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To fulfil this new purpose, we must
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encounter may be of special encoura
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Spirit) when his followers are meet
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prospect of our long-lost peace and
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CHAPTER FOUR LIVING IN FREEDOM
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• Sweetheart died in 1835. • Ha
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est predictor of future behaviour i
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completely implausible to think tha
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FISH Afterward Jesus appeared again
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PAUSE AND PONDER If you are current
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Bible, he also speaks specifically
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vital that we don’t let it stop u
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‘own’ the problem. Outwardly, P
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ock on which he would build his Chu
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Peter clearly took Jesus’ advice
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FURTHER REFLECTION 1. Are you strug
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I’ve always been a bit of a dream
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Neither - Emmons had hit the wrong
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our meaning, our purpose, our signi
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1. A TRANSFORMED MOTIVATION Saul’
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you may be aware of the Lord drawin
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that was going on in his mind or he
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living life as if there was no eter
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fallen asleep in Christ are lost. I
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of what that this will look like. T
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PATHWAY So far we’ve established
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sanctified by faith in me’ (Acts
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just that we can meet with the rise
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CONCLUSION FULLY ALIVE, FOR THE RES
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utilise the prayer of invitation th
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Even if you are convinced in the re
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his death under Pilate and his gath
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APPENDIX B: HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT
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to the fact he was about to suffer
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TOMB As we look at the accounts of
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• To groups of men and groups of
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them by others. The apostles died f
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ENDNOTES INTRODUCTION: FULLY ALIVE
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The book is also the basis for a sm
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Demands a Verdict (Nashville, Tenne
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FURTHER ALIVE RESOURCES Now you hav
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Alive - by Dave Smith

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