Until Eden Returns

When God created the heavens and the earth, everything was great. Perfect, in fact. The idea of Shalom permeated the relationship between humanity and God, between fellow humans, and even the relationship between humanity, God and creation itself.

Then Sin entered the equation. Everything changed. Relationships became strained - we began to cower in the presence of God out of our sense of shame. People didn't get along with each other like they did before. Creation itself even took a hit - God sacrificed some animals to provide clothing for his naked children.

The picture of what God plans to do at the end of time looks a lot like it did at the beginning of time - no death, tears, sorrow - everything calibrated to the original design.

To get from the beginning to the end (we're somewhere in between), God has invited us and commissioned us to actively participate in transitioning our current reality back to the Eden reality. When we introduce people to Jesus, and help them live the life Jesus modeled and empowers, they begin to live with more and more shalom, more Kingdom of God, more Eden, and less of the lesser reality. When more and more people begin walking with Jesus, and usher more and more other people to do the same, the world changes for the better.

A fringe benefit of taking the Great Commission seriously is that our lives automatically improve as well - we experience the abundant life Jesus promised by pursuing the life he's invited us to embrace.

May you understand that the Great Commission was not a suggestion. May you take it seriously. May you desire for more and more people to come to Christ. May your heart increasingly beat as God's as you pick up your cross and follow Jesus. May you enjoy more and more Eden as you do.

Questions...

1. Who do you know that is living life outside of Eden?
2. Who do you know that is stuck in a life pattern that is destroying them and those around them? Who do you know that is blind to the things of God, and therefore ignorant of Eden's possibility?
3. How will you show them the love of God in Christ?
4. What steps can you take to help them discover the difference Christ can make?
5. What role will you have in bringing Eden back to reality?
6. What keeps you from being more fully engaged in ushering others into a relationship with Christ?

Stuck to Unstuck

Sometimes we know we’re not living the dream because of the level of misery we’re living with. I wonder, though, if there are times when our complacency blinds us from recognizing how we’ve veered off course from the route to the dream of what our life could be.
Every parent has dreams for their children. Whatever the details, the principles probably boil down to wanting their child’s life to be filled with joy, love, and meaning. For the months leading up to birth, parents fill their minds with such dreams – it helps to take our minds off the costs coming our way!

God had a dream that there would be people who walked so intimately with Him that the whole world would recognize the difference their relationship with God was making and would want to know and follow God, too. The dream was that these people known by God’s name and presence would be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Gal. 5:22). The idea was that individual followers after God’s heart would make up communities of God followers who would evidence these qualities. Such godly qualities cannot be manufactured by human effort alone, however. Knowing this, God imparted His Spirit upon those who believed so that they could live lives that were truly super natural, or, above and beyond natural.

Last week, I drew a connection between our relationship to the cross and the amount of power we allow into our lives. Basically, if we only claim the grace of the cross without its call to sacrifice, we will literally limit the amount of Spirit in our lives. This means we may experience a substandard life, and a weak impact on a hurting world when we could be experiencing God’s dream for us, which happens to be our truest dream for ourselves as well. Daunting reality: if we only claim the grace of the cross, we may, upon approach heaven’s gate, hear God say, “Welcome,” but we may not hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
This week, we looked at stages of spiritual development. No parent hopes that their child remains in diapers, drinking formula for the rest of their lives! Apparently, however, some Jesus followers became stuck in their spiritual development and, according the author of Hebrews (Heb. 5:11-14), were still on the breast when they should have been on solid food!
So, what keeps us from maturing in our spiritual development?

According to Reveal, a recent research project initiated by Willow Creek Community Church which included hundreds of churches, the variables that hinder and propel our faith are somewhat predictable. They divided people into four categories: Exploring Christianity, Growing in Christ, Close to Christ, and Christ Centered. What you need to mature in your faith depends on where you find yourself on your spiritual journey.

If you are Growing in Christ, you may describe yourself this way: “I believe in Jesus, and I’m working on what it means to get to know him.” The keys for you to mature may be found in two variables: small groups and personal devotional practices. It could be that until you integrate these important commitments into your life, you’ll be stuck.

If you are Close to Christ, you may describe yourself this way: “I feel really close to Christ and depend on him daily for guidance.” If this is where you are, and yet you feel stuck, you may need to consider looking at two areas of commitment: service and coaching. Look for ways to serve based on the way you are shaped (see Dar Valencia for help here). You may be ready for more advanced spiritual disciplines as well (get coached by Rodney Owens).

If you are Christ Centered, you may describe yourself this way: “God is all I need in my life. He is enough. Everything I do is a reflection of Christ.” Even Christ Centered followers get stuck! According to the study, you may need to look at two variables: mentoring and a broader service portfolio. You may be at a place in your walk that the primary way you’ll grow is by mentoring someone else in their faith. Or by serving in ways you haven’t yet – a new area, or perhaps serving at Deborah’s House or something like it. My wife’s parents (retired from a lifelong ministry career) have had numerous individual Bible study sessions with a couple who emigrated from another country. Their view of the Gospels has been given fresh wind as they have looked upon familiar biblical text with fresh eyes.

Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, remember that getting stuck may be in your future, and getting unstuck is in your hands. We’re here to help you navigate your way to maturity in Christ. Let us know how we can help!

Questions to consider…
Are you stuck in your walk with Christ? How do you know if you’re stuck or not?
How would you categorize your walk with Christ – Exploring Christianity, Growing in Christ, Close to Christ, or Christ Centered?
What worked once but doesn’t work as well today in terms of helping you in your walk with Christ?
What is your next step in your spiritual maturity? What needs to be altered, modified, replaced, committed, integrated, etc., to help you deepen your walk with Christ?

A Prayer to Pray…
Lord, you are the source of life and all that is worth living for. Help me be honest with myself about where our relationship is stuck. Help me take the steps that will get us back on track so that I live out of my relationship with you. Amen!

Like Dynamite

In the first chapter of Acts, Luke records Jesus telling the disciples of the days to come. Soon, they would receive power from and in the Holy Spirit. The purpose of this empowerment was in order that they would be effective witnesses in Jerusalem (center of their faith and culture), Judea (their country), Samaria (their geographic neighbors whom they despised), and the entire world (everybody else).

The power Jesus referred to comes from the Greek word "dynamis" - the same root from which we get dynamic, and dynamite. This power was not just a little extra boost in their step, or some sort of intellectual strength - this was a power that could not, and was not supposed to be, contained.

The "witness" Jesus referred to is rooted in a legal context, as witnesses give their testimony in court about what they saw and heard that was relevant to the case.

Dynamite-powered, explosive, make-a-serious-impression testimony about what they saw and experienced in Jesus Christ.

How explosive is your witness? How much of an impression does you testimony make on those who are wondering about whether or not Jesus should be convicted as the Son of God, the hope of the world, their salvation/healing/wholeness?

Let's enjoy a moment of accountability, shall we?

Scholars, trend followers, objective onlookers from other parts of the world, and critics of Christianity all agree that, on the whole, the witnesses of Christ in the West are anything but dynamic. Lackluster at best.

How would you rate the potency of your witness of Christ to others? Is anybody compelled to listen? Anybody impressed with Jesus based on your eye-witness accounts of His work in your life?

If your witness is weak at best, it may indicate a more severe problem. You may have been duped into a reality you thought was "Christian," but is actually only the appearance of it. You may look around and compare yourself with others and assume that since you all look and act much the same, you must be on the right track. And yet your heart of hearts is telling you that something is wrong. Certainly there must be more...

The first disciples of were extremely powerful because the Holy Spirit was able to enter into them fully. This full reception of the Holy Spirit was made possible by their complete abandonment to following Christ - they held nothing back. While they certainly learned and grew for the duration of their lives, their desire was to be as Christ in all of their pursuits: mental, emotional, physical, etc.

If they had chosen to compare themselves with the majority around them, they would have abandoned Jesus within a short period of time. But they knew their life was at stake, and they didn't want to throw it away by looking the same as everyone else.

If your witness is unconvincing, it may be because you've allowed yourself to settle for much less than Christ's invitation offered. The life Jesus called you to is embraced only through complete, reckless abandon to His way of life. To pick up your cross and follow. The Cross walk.

Aside: Most whining and complaining I hear from people about their church experience is rooted in self-centeredness. Their focus is on their wants and needs, to the neglect of the needs of those we're trying to reach - those who have yet to embrace Christ. This kind of whining, in my opinion, is sometimes evidence of a person who is still breastfeeding spiritually when they should be on solid food. These grown ups look ridiculous on the breast, by the way! The reality is that a paradox exists that we don't want to see. There is food to eat - spiritual nourishment - that is incredibly satisfying, and comes only when we lose ourselves for the sake of Christ. Jesus alluded to this after he interacted with the woman at the well in Samaria.

Jesus said we would save our lives only by losing it for His sake - a decision to live by Christ's priorities instead of our natural tendencies.

The good news... If just a minority of us started examining our lives using the lens of Christ and began living according to His drumbeat, we could significantly impact Napa, California, Mexico, and the entire world. Why? Because we would open ourselves to a power that is not our own - a potency that defies human limitations.

Will you open yourself to such scrutiny? Will you make a decision, now, that you will follow Christ at all costs? Will you then begin to carefully look at all sectors of your life, correcting attitudes and behaviors which are at odds with Christ? The way you spend your time. Your priorities. Your money. Your dreams. Your plans. Your relationships. Everything.

Will you allow the Holy Spirit to come into your life to empower your testimony, to guide you, to go before you, to turbocharge your faith, to break loose the hardened stone that keeps this world in bondage?

I want to be like dynamite in my testimony about Jesus. I want to see people have their lives changed now and forevermore by the Spirit's work. I want to be a bond-servant of Christ - a slave by choice - no longer my own, but guided by Another.

Will you accept the call of Christ along with me?

What might happen if we help each other become what Christ has made possible. It just might be like dynamite...

Questions...
At one point in history, a person could be thrown in jail for claiming that the world was round and revolved around the Sun. Everybody believed it and lived in that belief, and anyone who didn't was "wrong" even if they were right. Since comparing ourselves to our peers may not be an accurate way to assess how "on target" is our Christ-following, how can we determine where we need to grow?

What are the hardest parts for you when it comes to following Christ: finances, attitudes, anger management, compassion, sacrificing for others at the cost of personal comfort, etc.

What would help you follow the Way of Christ more closely?

What commitments can you make today to begin living more like Christ?

How do you open yourself up to the Holy Spirit?

A Prayer...
Help me see, Lord, where I have fallen unwittingly into mediocrity's mire. Give me the strength and courage to trust you and follow you. May my heart beat as yours so that I might know what it means to live, and others might find life because I've let you work more powerfully through me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afersh on me. Break me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me. Breathe on me breath of God. Fill me with life anew, that I may love what Thou dost love, and do what Thou wouldst do.