A Knowable God (15 of 26)
Series: How the Church ACTS
Jordan Easley
Acts 17:16-34
Many modern studies have revealed how we perceive people within the first moments of knowing them. Without even realizing it-within just seconds of seeing someone, we make judgments of people and (based off of those judgments) we decide if we want to get to know them further or not.
We judge their clothes, their smile, the way they shake hands and the way they laugh. We judge their body language, their facial expressions, the way they walk, talk, and even the way they smell.
Most of the time, when we first meet someone, these introductory judgments aren't even intentional. They just happen... and when they do... most of the time... if we like what we see, then we continue talking to them. But if we don't have a good first impression, then we typically try to escape the encounter all together.
I know that sounds pretty shallow, but the truth is, most of us make friends in that same way. We determine if we're going to pursue a friendship with someone, based on our perceived judgments about that person.
If our first encounter with them is positive, then we are open to another encounter... and so on.
What you may not realize is that, for many of us, the same is true regarding our perception of God. What was your first encounter with God like?
Some of us had a [Positive encounter] Sunday school as a child. Summer Camp as a teenager. Hearing about God in a sermon or worshipping God in church.
Others of us had a [Negative encounter] As a child, you prayed that God would keep your parents together-then they divorced. You prayed that God would heal your family member-then they passed away.
Those first encounters typically set the course for a person's pursuit of God. Whether it was positive or negative plays into how we see God and whether or not we want to know Him MORE or know Him LESS.
But have you ever thought-how amazing it is in the first place... that ...
Series: How the Church ACTS
Jordan Easley
Acts 17:16-34
Many modern studies have revealed how we perceive people within the first moments of knowing them. Without even realizing it-within just seconds of seeing someone, we make judgments of people and (based off of those judgments) we decide if we want to get to know them further or not.
We judge their clothes, their smile, the way they shake hands and the way they laugh. We judge their body language, their facial expressions, the way they walk, talk, and even the way they smell.
Most of the time, when we first meet someone, these introductory judgments aren't even intentional. They just happen... and when they do... most of the time... if we like what we see, then we continue talking to them. But if we don't have a good first impression, then we typically try to escape the encounter all together.
I know that sounds pretty shallow, but the truth is, most of us make friends in that same way. We determine if we're going to pursue a friendship with someone, based on our perceived judgments about that person.
If our first encounter with them is positive, then we are open to another encounter... and so on.
What you may not realize is that, for many of us, the same is true regarding our perception of God. What was your first encounter with God like?
Some of us had a [Positive encounter] Sunday school as a child. Summer Camp as a teenager. Hearing about God in a sermon or worshipping God in church.
Others of us had a [Negative encounter] As a child, you prayed that God would keep your parents together-then they divorced. You prayed that God would heal your family member-then they passed away.
Those first encounters typically set the course for a person's pursuit of God. Whether it was positive or negative plays into how we see God and whether or not we want to know Him MORE or know Him LESS.
But have you ever thought-how amazing it is in the first place... that ...
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