As we follow Jesus, we all want to see transformation in our personal lives, in our friendships, with other believers, and in our society as a whole. What does this look like? Holy Spirit took us on an exciting journey last Saturday of what transformation looks like from intimacy with our Father, to unity within His Body, and in outreach to the world around us.
It all begins with our individual pursuit of our Father through Intimacy - living a life of no separation. It isn’t action driven, but motivated by His love. We see the example of Jesus who was always retreating to a mountain top to be with His Father. In John 15:9-10 Jesus says to his followers “I have loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love.” In other words, Jesus says, “don’t timidly approach my love and drink of it sparingly, but get comfy and roll in it!.” – Favor Mitchell. Duty and obligation are not enough to sustain anything, but love is like rocket fuel that presses us passed our fears and into intimacy with Him.
As we spend time with our Heavenly Father we will begin to go out of our way to do things for one another, knowing it benefits His entire body. “When a part of the body of Christ rejects and fails to honor another part of the body, it is like an autoimmune disease within the body.” – Damali Vaughn. Every part of the Church is unique, and through intimacy, God will give us a greater understanding to discover what our focus should be, based on the gifts He gives us, rather than having a critical spirit. We will become healthy to bless other parts of His Body (including different members, cultures, denominations, etc). Many conflicts will be resolved when God gives us His eyes to see how He has uniquely created and gifted others. As we become healthy, growing members of the Body of Christ, we will be able to see things from others perspectives because we will see their unique purpose.
While being united with the Lord Himself and with others in His Body, we are compelled to share Him with others, and not keep what we have received to ourselves. 2 Cor. 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. Jesus also said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” There will definitely be bumps along the way. The enemy sometimes can make us feel tied up when it comes to sharing the love of the Father with those in our daily environments outside of church. Our society can seem intimidating; we can sometimes become too busy and our own problems can take away our joy and passion for sharing Jesus to those around us. Yet in Colossians 4:5-6 Paul wrote to the Body of Christ in Colosse while he was in prison, “ devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful and pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message…Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders, make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer to everyone.” Paul wasn’t worried about his prison, but asked for opportunities to witness of God’s greatness to those around him. This is the result of his intimacy with the Father and his unity with the Body of Christ as he wrote to them while in prison.
Let’s ask God to draw us more intimately toward his love and with each other in unity. When we ask Him, He also will give wisdom and grace for opportunities to share with those around us, no matter our surroundings. From intimacy, to unity, to outreach, He is transforming us from the inside out. |
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