God Is...: Six True Images of God

By Michael Matthew Mercer

God Is… is a book that takes a look at Genesis and portrays six true images of God. There are many ways we think about God that are unhealthy and even destructive. These six images help turn our attention to who God really is and how we might follow him more closely.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781304805317

Book preview

God Is...: Six True Images of God

God Is…

Six True Images of God

Michael Matthew Mercer

Copyright © 2014 by Michael Mercer

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing: 2014

Michael Mercer

3155 Dave Ward Dr.

Conway, AR 72034

www.michaelmercer.net

Dedication

To my wonderful wife, Leah.  She teaches me daily about life, faith, and love.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my family for being so supportive as I used nights and weekends to write this book.  My wife, Leah, has been such a support by taking up some of my slack and helping me work through many of the ideas in this book.  My sons, Dylan and Brody, are a constant source of encouragement and laughter for my soul.  They give me such joy.  And my little, Brynn Leigh is such a delight and though she doesn’t really speak yet, her love is expressed in so many ways.

I would also like to thank Sonya Fritz, who gave of her time to help me with the editing process of this book.  Her comments and grammatical knowledge has allowed this work to read well.  She was extremely efficient and I appreciate all the time she took to work through this book.

I would also like to thank University Church of Christ in Conway, AR for allowing me the opportunity to proclaim the word of God to them each Sunday and allow me to share this book with them.

Preface

I’m excited about the journey that we are about to embark on together.  I look at my spiritual life as a journey.  It has a destination, but unlike a race, a journey allows for lots of time to pass, mistakes to be made and different routes.  Writing this book has been a great journey for me and I hope it will read as a conversation between us.

My hope is that this book will challenge you as it has challenged me.  Jesus always has a way of finding us where we are and taking us to heights we never dreamed we could reach.  God is doing amazing things in us and through us.  We must choose to acknowledge this and act out of obedience to him. 

The different ideas that we will find in this book are not just to be thought about and accepted, but rather are to be an impetus for action on our part.  The people of God are called to being and doing.  We sometimes feel safe in the being and forget that the world is moving around us.  It is a delicate balance of piety and conviction.  However, if we are to look at our Savior, then we know it can be done and in reality has already been done.

We are on a mission to find where God is already at work in this world and join him in that work.  If we are looking at false gods, then we will have a tough time joining him in his work.  I say that to Christians, not to non-Christians.  God is different than the church of today mostly portrays him.  We must be willing to see God for who he truly is and then follow him, his son, his spirit to the cross and then back to the people.  Join me on this journey of finding God and following the truth about him.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Have you ever wondered about God?  Maybe you grew up in the church and you have never had to wonder about him, because to you He has always been there.  Or maybe you have never stepped foot into a church and never really had to worry about him until some annoying bible-beater churchy nuisance couldn't help themselves but go on and on about him.  Or just maybe you had a firm foundation about God and great confidence of who he is until...until things didn't go the way you planned and now your whole world has been turned upside down and doubt seems to be more prevalent than confidence.  This year at our church we have decided to look at Who God is and the pursuit of God.  I like that term, The Pursuit of God.  It could mean that He is pursuing us or it could mean that we are pursuing him.  While that is the focus of our entire year, this particular e-book will keep its focus on the first set of sermons this year called, God is _____.

Commercial Break

I know that some reading this book have been in church all their lives and believe deeply in God.  However, I also know that there are others reading this book who haven't really thought about the idea of God that much.  I'm a preacher (or pastor if you prefer).  So I'm pretty comfortable with the churchy language.  I'm going to do my best to leave as much of that as I can out of this book and just try to focus on this idea of God.  Feel free to ask me questions, challenge my church jargon, or make some comments of your own.  Just so you know I mean it, here is my contact info:

Office Phone:  [phone] (ask for Michael)

email:  [e-mail]

Website:  michaelmercer.net

or feel free to come hear me speak on this subject at: 3155 Dave Ward Dr. Conway, AR 72034 or listen at university-church.org (podcast)

This e-book is simply to be an aide to my presentations from January 19 to February 23 (2014 only on Sundays).  We begin our time at 10am and we typically end by 11:15am.  Just so you know during our assembly time we have singing (no instruments but it is really pretty), prayer, a communion service (contact me if you aren't sure what I mean by that), and my presentation.  Thanks for indulging the commercial.

Questions About God

I was a freshmen in college attending a local junior college when one of my friends Wes was killed in a tragic car accident.  He was 2 months shy of graduating from High School.  What was even more tragic for his family was that 6 years prior Wes' parents lost their first child, Leigh Anne at the age of 15 after battling Leukemia for several years.  Wes and Leigh Anne were the only two children in the family.  It was devastating!  This is a small town and everyone was feeling the searing pain of loss.  I was known for being a good church boy.  I mean I was going to college to be a minister.  During this time I didn't doubt God (disclaimer:  I have at other times, just not this time).  However, I had friends coming to me, asking me questions about God and how he could either allow this to happen or create this happening.  At 19 I didn't have the answers.  Frankly, I didn't much like the questions.  I wasn't upset that my friends were asking these questions, just wasn't sure how to answer them.  Luckily for me I didn't open my mouth to answer.  That would probably have been a disaster.  All I could do was match tears with them and say, I don't know.

As long as we are on this earth, there will be questions for God and about God.  The intent of this book and my presentations aren't to create a list of responses or finding the right answers.  I'm not sure it is our job to give answers for suffering in the world.  I'm not sure we are really all that capable