[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-miss-out":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-miss-out-surround":83},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":11,"columnName":63,"date":66,"description":17,"extension":67,"image":68,"meta":69,"minRead":70,"navigation":71,"path":72,"postType":73,"publication":74,"publicationUrl":68,"seo":75,"stem":76,"topics":77,"__hash__":82},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-miss-out.md","Don’t Miss Out",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10],"Psalms","2 Corinthians",{"type":12,"value":13,"toc":62},"minimark",[14,18,21,29,32,35,38,41,47,53,59],[15,16,17],"p",{},"I have a touch of claustrophobia, so I don’t like being in tight spaces. In my college days I went spelunking (exploring caves) and as a young homeowner I didn’t mind squeezing into the crawl space under my house, but today I have less tolerance for anything that makes me feel confined. The thought of being inserted into a full-body MRI makes me shudder.",[15,19,20],{},"No one likes to feel stuck, but that’s how it feels to be enslaved by a bad habit, confined to a joyless career, locked in a loveless marriage, trapped in a malfunctioning body, suffocated by an unhealthy relationship, or enslaved by hopelessness and despair.",[15,22,23,24,28],{},"God offers something better. David told the Lord, “You . . . have set my feet in a spacious place” (Psalm 31:8). The ",[25,26,27],"em",{},"King James Version"," translates this verse by saying God has “set my feet in a large room,” and *The Message *version says God “gave me room to breathe.” Believers are sometimes stereotyped as narrow and repressive, boxing people in and burdening them with religious obligations, but Scripture points in the opposite direction. It’s the Lord who gives us breathing room. Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).",[15,30,31],{},"Pointing Toward Freedom",[15,33,34],{},"Evangelism gets a bad rap. If you talk about faith in Christ, you risk being considered invasive and manipulative. Who are you to push your ideas on others? But Christ doesn’t call us to share our faith because we consider ourselves somehow morally superior or because we want to win arguments. “Christ’s love compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14) to share our faith with gentleness and respect. We want others we love to enjoy the benefits of reconciliation with God.",[15,36,37],{},"If people you care about were stuck in a cave and you discovered a way out, you would do everything you could to free them. If your loved ones were sick, you wouldn’t hesitate to let them know about a cure. If you discovered a new restaurant that serves delicious food, you would gladly tell others about it.",[15,39,40],{},"When Christians are at our best, we don’t share our faith to be pushy or to exert power over others; we’re pointing them toward freedom—trying to help them get unstuck. We want to introduce them to the Redeemer who set our feet in a spacious place so they will enjoy the kind of privileges mentioned in Ephesians chapter one.",[15,42,43,46],{},[25,44,45],{},"A blessed position."," To help us appreciate what it means to be saved, the apostle Paul repeatedly uses the phrase “in Christ” or “in him.” We enjoy “every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (v. 7). We have “put our hope in Christ” (v. 12). We “were included in Christ” (v. 13).",[15,48,49,52],{},[25,50,51],{},"A bright future."," We look forward to the time when God’s plan reaches its fulfillment and “all things in heaven and on earth” come together in unity under Christ (v. 10).",[15,54,55,58],{},[25,56,57],{},"A big family."," We’re God’s adopted children (v. 5), “God’s possession” (v. 14), sharing together in “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people” (v. 18).",[15,60,61],{},"Christ unlocks the door to a spacious place of marvelous grace. We don’t want anyone to miss out.",{"title":63,"searchDepth":64,"depth":64,"links":65},"",2,[],"September 2018","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-miss-out","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":17},"articles\u002Fdon-t-miss-out",[78,79,80,81],"Biblical Theology","Christian Unity","Intergenerational Ministry","Spiritual Formation","5ufBM7_Hvab6wqxTUKgqnRUrQVsMU5e1-eGlvCjnqSs",[84,89],{"title":85,"path":86,"stem":87,"description":88,"children":-1},"DON’T JUST STAND THERE . . . DO SOMETHING!","\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-just-stand-there-do-something","articles\u002Fdon-t-just-stand-there-do-something","The explorer Zebulon Pike’s name has long been attached to a 14,000-foot-high mountain in Colorado. Pike originally named the mountain Grand Peak, but mapmakers labeled it Pikes Peak. Strangely enough, Pike himself never climbed to the top of the mountain that bears his name. His only attempt took place in November 1806. Underestimating the cold and snow, Pike was forced to turn back by a blizzard, and he later predicted no one would ever reach the summit. In the warm weather of July 1820, however, botanist and geologist Dr. Edwin James and two other men successfully climbed to the top. It’s odd that Pikes Peak is named for a man who failed to reach the summit, but Pike at least deserves credit for making the attempt.",{"title":90,"path":91,"stem":92,"description":93,"children":-1},"Don’t Play Favorites","\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-play-favorites","articles\u002Fdon-t-play-favorites","We all have likes and dislikes. Remember Julie Andrews’ song, “My Favorite Things”? The toolbar on my laptop keyboard contains a button called “Favorites.” I have a favorite baseball team (the Cincinnati Reds) and a favorite pair of sneakers (my well-worn Reeboks). I don’t care for eggs, but I like eggnog. You can start a vigorous discussion by getting your friends to debate favorite restaurants, movies, and ice cream flavors."]