Relationships

Sit, Walk, Stand

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The book of Ephesians is divided by three actions. Each serves as a metaphor for important aspects of the Christian life.

Sit. You are seated with Jesus! At the core you know you are His because of His grace.

4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 2:4-7

Walk. You are walking with Jesus! Your calling to Jesus, profoundly rearranges your lifestyle, your character and your fellowship with Jesus’ church and others.

1I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Ephesians 4:1-7

Stand. You are standing with Jesus! Following Jesus shifts you from being a passive victim of this world’s spiritual conflict to being an active participant in the Kingdom of God.

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Ephesians 6:10-13

Do you care who sees you?

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5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  Matthew 6:5-6

Most of our Origin crowd is so nervous about prayer! They are terrified to pray publicly. It ranks in the realm of public speaking and is one of their greatest fears. I hope this changes.

However, there is something dangerous that can happen to us as followers of Jesus even if we don’t like public praying. We can become more interested in appearing spiritual and worthy of people’s respect than in appearing before God with an open heart.

Jesus wants His followers to appear before our Heavenly Father privately and regularly with a deep desire to be seen and known by Him.

Develop the habit of your secret place and your conversation with our Heavenly Father. It’s worth it! “Our Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

 

 

Two Questions to Ask Yourself

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Dynamics of a life with God

8And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”  Genesis 3:8-9

After the Great Catastrophe Adam and Eve had to learn repentance and belief. It began with God asking a question, “Where are you?”

Two questions we ask when we sense God breaking into to our lives, when He is calling us to pay attention to something in us or in our world:

“What is God saying to me?

“What am I saying to God?”

Repentance and belief. The Apostle Paul expressed the dynamics of Gospel life as repentance and belief.

18And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 20:18-21

In repentance I have a confrontation with truth and grace, the realities of God. I have a choice to change my mind, attitudes, and actions.

In belief or faith I make adjustments to keep in step with Jesus.

What is God saying to you?

What are you saying to God?

What the heart desperately needs

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“Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Mark 2:5

Outrageous! Four friends break through the roof and let their paralyzed friend down through the roof to Jesus’ fee. Jesus had just announced forgiveness for a man let down through the roof by four friends. They wanted healing for their friend.

The first healing Jesus offered was forgiveness for sins. That’s the first miracle.

“And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5

The religious in the crowd were outraged. The social posture toward suffering would have lead them to wonder what the young man must of done to merit such punishment. But Jesus interrupts this thought. “Son your sins are forgiven.”

Forgiveness is outrageous. It always costs.  The cost must be borne by the one giving the forgiveness. The damage must be metabolized by the one who says, “you owe me nothing.” Jesus did not simply speak for God. He was speaking authoritatively as God. Jesus perceives their indignation and says,

Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” (Mark 2:8-11)

The second miracle is what the friends came for. But the first is the deep need of human hearts. Jesus has the authority to meet our heart’s deep need for restoration with God through forgiveness of sins.

Community that heals

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11Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.   1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

I’m impressed at how Paul and his friends longed to be with the churches of Jesus. Paul’s prayer here shows Christian community is not a natural affection or brotherhood. Rather it is a gift of the Gospel through Jesus. As our hearts are turned towards Him, as our hearts are healed and brought into real holiness before God, we are drawn forward into His character together.

Many of us long for community but are unwilling to do what it actually takes. Adjusting is painful and requires honesty, forgiveness, rootedness, servanthood,

and time.

Bastille, sings, of the longing for healing in community:

When all of your flaws and all of my flaws

Are laid out one by one

A wonderful part of the mess that we made

We pick ourselves undone

All of your flaws and all of my flaws

They lie there hand in hand

Ones we’ve inherited, ones that we learned

They pass from man to man

There’s a hole in my soul

I can’t fill it I can’t fill it

There’s a hole in my soul

Can you fill it? Can you fill it?

Jesus is filling our souls and healing us. The mystery is that He has also chosen to bring much of that healing in community and not just in a solitary walk.

Listen to Bastille.