I want to be a barbarian!!!!

Over the past two weeks, since finishing work, I've had plenty of time to read. I've read 5 books so far. Only one has really left a huge impression though. I read The Barbarian Way last weekend and have been referring back to it since. I was just so encouraged and motivated to change and live like a barbarian relying on the untamed faith within. McManus uses John the Baptist as an example of a Barbarian believer. He talks about how our Christian culture has learned to tame and refine the faith that God intended for us to live by. We have become a civilized society that sees those who act out in faith as crazy or insane. According to McManus the church, has adapted to the civilized way of society and does less than encourage us to be "crazy" believers who allow the untamed faith within to guide us to take action.

As I examined my own faith (a lot of which I have been doing lately) I realized that in many ways since I became a Christian I have been slowly learning how to refine and to tame my faith. At one point in the book McManus refers to new Christians and how they are prime examples of what the untamed faith looks like. They live their faith the barbarian way. On the most part new Christians are bold. They just want to share their new found love with the world and really don't care what people think. I was like that when I first became a Christian. I would walk down the street and practically explode with joy when I found someone to talk to about my faith. I shared with everyone how I was now a Christian and how knowing Christ in a personal way had changed me to the core. I don't know how, but slowly my faith has become less external and more internal. I share less and less and I lack the initial boldness that I had as a new believer, a boldness that came quite naturally.

McManus suggests that a new believer's faith can begin to be "domesticated" by something as simple as the wrong metaphor being applied to the new follower. He refers to John 3:3-8 when Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus about being "born again".
"This, of course, leads us to perceive people who are new in the faith as nothing more than brand-new babes. They're innocent and helpless and incapable of caring for themselves much less serving others. Yet the phrase that Jesus used can also be translated not as "born again" but as "born from above." Jesus connected this birth not with a mother's womb, but with the Spirit of God descending from heaven and moving with power. The point in this: the metaphor of new birth has led us to some wrong conclusions. When we are born of flesh and blood, we are helpless and dependant on others even for our own survival. That is not the case when we are born of Spirit."- McManus (The Barbarian Way)

Just this past winter I tried really hard to tame my passion. Someone in my life made a sincere comment about how overly passionate I can be. I'll be the first to admit that when I do talk about my faith I have a tendency to gush a bit. Not only that, but when I'm passionate about His work and seeing Him move, I've never been afraid to vocalize how I feel or what I see. After several comments about my passion, I actually started to take my passion as something negative. I tried very hard to keep it to myself. I found myself joking about my "passion" and making a mockery of it. Thinking back I don't know why I would do that. I can be so dumb! I see now that it was a good thing that I failed miserably at completely withholding my passion ( I just couldn't keep it in:) While reading The Barbarian Way I realized that by trying to squelch my passion I was in many ways trying to tame my faith.

After reading the book I was encouraged to continue to strive to use my passion and untamed faith to make decisions and to just jump. These days my prayers have been focused on asking for the passion and courage to step out as a bold Barbarian. I don't in any way shape or form want to be indifferent when it comes to Jesus Christ. I don't want to be a believer who rationalizes apathy. I do not want to be a believer who does not step up into action. I want to be a passionate person. I want to embrace that passion and use it to feed my faith. I want to be viewed as a crazy nutbar who will do anything for the sake of Jesus Christ. (In this book I saw that God actually gives permission and encourags us all to be lunatics - yaaaaaaay Crazy!!!!:)

McManus just says so much in this short book. I can't articulate it all. I am convinced that this book carries a strong message from God, not only to me, but to every believer. We were designed to be barbarians who act and fight the battle using our untamed faith to guide us. I have no doubt that when we unleash that untamed faith within God is going to be glorified in such powerful ways.