Journey Deeper: Spiritual Depth Takes Us to a Place We're Not Expecting

By Dr. Scott Reynolds

As a scuba diver and pastor, author Scott Reynolds had heard the same phrase on dives and in church: I want to go deeper. Divers always want to push the limits to go a litter deeper, wanting to explore different reefs and wrecks found in the deeper waters. Followers of Christ use the same language and find themselves constantly saying, I want to go deeper.

In Journey Deeper, Reynolds offers a scriptural answer to the burning question for many seeking more from their relationship with Jesus Christ: how can I go deeper in my faith? Its a great question, with a very different answer than the one Christians have held on to for generations. Spiritual depth is not found in the academic information we use to understand theological and religious concepts. Spiritual depth is found in character transformation. Every follower of Christ is called daily to be moving into the image of Christ. The Journey Deeper will help you truly understand what spiritual depth looks like.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781512719697

Dr. Scott Reynolds

Scott Reynolds, DMin, serves as the senior pastor of North River Church. He is a sought-after consultant for church plants and has been recognized for his leadership in the area of new church works. Scott and his wife, Lori, live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and have two children, Ariel and Dean.

Book preview

Journey Deeper

Spiritual Depth Takes Us to a

Place We’re Not Expecting

Dr. Scott Reynolds

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Copyright © 2015 Dr. Scott Reynolds.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-1970-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-1971-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-1969-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015918867

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/07/2015

Contents

Premise

Deeper: I’m All In

Chapter 1

Applying All Diligence: Will We Ever Get to the Good Stuff?

Chapter 2

Moral Excellence: Excited, But

Chapter 3

Knowledge: What Do I Do Now?

Chapter 4

Self-Control: Training Kicks In

Chapter 5

Perseverance: The Battle

Chapter 6

Godliness: Endless Treasure

Chapter 7

Brotherly Kindness: A Whole New Level

Chapter 8

Love: Deeper Than You Think

Chapter 9

Ready for the Adventure Ahead

Appendix A

The Gospel

To my wife, Lori. Thank you for standing by me as the greatest physical gift God has ever given me.

To my daughter, Ariel, and my son, Dean.

I hope to model more than teach you the journey we see in Scripture.

In memory of a great man, my dad, Bill Reynolds.

And we, who with unveiled faces, all reflect the Lord’s glory are being transformed into his likeness

with ever-increasing glory,

which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

Endorsements of Journey Deeper

Great leaders are never content with the status quo. They always want to go deeper – deeper in their relationship with Jesus and deeper in their commitment to serve his people. My friend, Scott Reynolds, not only exemplifies this essential quality of leadership, he also does a great job explaining what it really means in these pages. What he has to say may surprise you.

Nelson Searcy, Lead Pastor, The Journey Church and Founder,

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com

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God never intended for us to live in the shallow end of the pool. Scott Reynolds has been a mentor who has pushed me into the deep end before I was even ready. But I am so grateful he did. And if you read this amazing work, you will be grateful as well!

Clay Scroggins, Lead Pastor, North Point Church

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Journey Deeper is a much needed resource that will move you into a deeper relationship with God. In it Scott Reynolds reveals a step by step biblical process for advancing your spiritual growth. I read every word of it and so should you.

Steve Reynolds, Lead Pastor, Capital Baptist Church, Author,

Bod4God and Get Off The Couch

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My pastor, my brother, and my friend, Scott Reynolds, unpacks the truths found in Peter’s second epistle (vv 4-8) with the gentleness of a shepherd and the bold love of a pastor. In this book you will find the truth that Scott pointed me to in my life 20 years ago - our salvation isn’t a momentary experience aimed at missing hell, but a pursuit to follow Christ, to be more like him, and to proclaim His glory to the ends of the earth.

Herbie Newell, President of Lifeline Children’s Services

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I am delighted to endorse this new book authored by my friend, Scott Reynolds. Actually, Scott serves as a guide for us in a Journey Deeper with our Lord. He takes Biblical principles and makes practical application of them for us. You will experience fresh insight into what it means to be a devoted follower of Christ. Read his book and take the journey. Your life will be enriched.

Dr. Rick Lance, Executive Director of the Alabama

State Board of Missions

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If your desire as a believer is to have a deeper relationship with Jesus, this is a must read

Lex Luger, former WWE Superstar and Christian Evangelist

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I have known Scott for over 20 years as a leader, boss, fellow minister and as a friend. The one constant I have experienced with Scott is that he is not satisfied, in a good way. His desire to grow in his relationship with Jesus Christ and to lead others to do the same drives him. This desire that is in him is fleshed out in Journey Deeper. Our relationship with God does not have a finish line on this earth. It is a journey. A journey that Scott helps us realize and navigate.

Troy Fountain, Lead Pastor, Wiregrass Church

Acknowledgments

I want to thank God for the legacy of my family. I almost threw away the gift of being raised in a home dedicated to the glory of God. Generations of my family have loved the Lord and have provided the foundation for my own spiritual journey. Thank you, Bill and Barbara (Dad and Mom), for never giving up, even when it might have been time.

I also want to thank the faith family of North River Church for loving my family as much as I love yours. God has placed a variety of people together for a common purpose, and I know God is going to continue transforming the world through your faithfulness. Every day I look forward to doing the ministry God has given us. Thank you, Butch Roshto, Mark Patterson, Katie Jones, Nate Herren, Bryan Geer, Jamin Carter, Mike Shaw, Rachel Whitehurst, and Sara Shipp for being amazing partners in ministry. I would not have had time to get these words out of my head and onto paper without your commitment to the ministry and vision of our church. Thank you to the elders and your families for putting in the time to lead our faith family and model for the journey described in these pages. I personally need to say a big thank you to Sammie Jo Barstow, Chip Riley, and Chris Shelby, for helping me get my thoughts out correctly.

Let me also thank you for picking up this book. By doing so, you are curious about the journey to a deeper faith and a more passionate obedience to our Savior. I look forward to hearing about what God does in your own personal journey. Prepare yourself for the journey deeper.

Premise

I’m All In

going

Deeper

Growing up in Florida, I played beach volleyball, went deep-sea fishing, learned how to surf, and did everything you’d expect from a teenage beach bum except scuba diving. Scuba required more money than my dad was willing to fork over based on my academic performance.

Growing up, my two best friends were brothers, Todd and Andy Mignerey. Todd was my age. Andy was two years behind us in school. The three of us did everything together. Their family members were all avid scuba divers, and because I couldn’t dive, I had to man the boat. Of course, being on a boat in the middle of the gulf is not a bad way to spend an afternoon, but I really wanted to learn how to dive.

When I registered for my second semester of college, scuba was offered as a phys. ed. elective. I signed up, hoping my father would not notice until I had already started the class, but the four-hundred-dollar student fee gave me away. Still, Dad thought it might be my only A, so he agreed to pay for the course. I could hardly believe that after so many years, I was going to finally get to dive. Once the class began, however, I learned the majority of our time would not be spent in the water but in the classroom where I had to learn about equipment, safety, and physical challenges. I learned that scuba diving includes lessons in math and science, especially about keeping up with air pressure at different depths. I didn’t like them at first, but these grueling lessons in the classroom were what ultimately helped me understand a lot about scuba and my faith.

Having been diving and pastoring for many years, I’ve heard the same phrase in both circles: I want to go deeper. Divers always want to push the limits and go a little deeper, to explore different reefs and wrecks found farther down. They know that going deeper means hunting among these underwater treasures while facing greater pressure at the same time. The deeper the dive, the greater the pressure.

When you take a beach ball down to one hundred feet under water, it will decrease to one fourth its size. When diving, your entire body experiences something unordinary. Let’s take our same beach ball but deflate it. If we take it down one hundred feet, inflate it to regular size, and begin ascending with it back to the surface, we will have an explosion before we reach the top. New divers are shocked by the effects of pressure, but experienced divers expect to encounter greater pressure as they go deeper. They prepare for the extreme conditions.

In the same way, followers of Christ use identical language to that of scuba divers and find themselves saying, I want to go deeper. Often, when Christians use this phrase, they have little understanding of what it means. They equate going deeper with learning big words like sanctification and dispensation. They fail to understand that going deeper is not something you learn, but something you become. It’s an active pursuit that you undertake and intentionally continue. Because a diver knows the science behind their recreation, they expect pressure as they descend. But oftentimes Christians forget to expect greater pressure as we dive deeper into our faith.

Some Christ-followers fail to understand how to attain spiritual depth. We equate growing in our faith with merely learning religious lessons. But going deeper isn’t so much about attaining information as it is about taking steps toward being transformed into the image of Christ. If the church never learned another new piece of truth about God but focused on living out what we already knew to be true, we’d see unquenchable revival. You see, the deeper you dive into your faith, just as with scuba diving, the greater the pressure you’re going to experience around you.

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If the church never learned another new piece of truth about God but focused on living out what it already knew to be true, we’d see unquenchable revival.

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So as we work through these pages, I want us to discover a more scriptural view of what it means to go deeper in our faith.

Most of us are competitive and goal oriented. We want to succeed at everything in which we invest our lives, our time, and our resources. People don’t want to waste time participating in activities with no measureable