The world is changing. The ways we connect, work, and play are changing. This includes how we do or don’t do church. We need knowledge, tools, and skills to “BE” the church in this new reality.
In this blog, we share more of the why, what, and how of "being" the church according to Jesus. This week, we focus on how to build Christian friendships and work toward unity in the church.
Transcript - Connecting Conversations - An Essential Way of Being
Hello, I’m Bill Burrows. Welcome to another edition of “Be the Church.” We as humans have an ongoing choice in our way of being. In every given moment we have an option, to be resistant or responsive to God and others.
As followers and friends of Jesus, we are his disciples. When we engage in consistent talks with Jesus, the love, joy, and peace of God will be evident.
But, responsive time alone with Jesus is not enough to truly, “be the church.”
A growing disciple also needs soul-connecting conversations with other disciples.
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. John 17:22-23 (ESV)
In fact, Jesus asks God to guide all disciples into perfect unity. In our world and even our churches today, we could easily blow this off as some pie in the sky poetic language. Many do.
But, what if we took it seriously and even beyond that personally? OK Jesus, you want me to be one with other disciples. I'm willing and open to that. But, what does that even mean?
That is a huge and difficult question. Let’s shrink it down to a specific issue to illustrate what oneness could look like. Politics? Ha. Ha. How can all disciples obey the great commandments and great commission in unity? How about family deciding where to go out for dinner tonight? Keep these in mind as we try to define oneness.
Fortunately for us, God gave more information.
Paul asks the Philippian church to; make my joy complete by
1. thinking the same way,
The goal is to get all relevant information out in the open; to suspend a decision until we understand reality from all the perspectives of those involved. Including God’s.
2. having the same love,
This is where way of being matters. We can be responsive to each other's reality, or resist their personhood. We’ll get back to this.
3. united in spirit,
This is when individuals with varied opinions and concerns choose to surrender them to God and say, “Not my will, but your will be done.” The surrendered group seeks God’s direction.
4. intent on one purpose.
Together you are dedicated and determined to fulfil God’s clear purpose.
Churches together in unity working to Love God, love people, and make disciples. Families joyfully agreeing on dinner.
Back to “the same love.” Again, there are two ways of being, we love when we respond we hate when we resist.
How am I toward other believers/disciples? Am I RESISTANT to their reality? Questioning my own virtue is a good place to start when determining my way of being. I’m inviting you to start there.
We reject a person’s God-given identity, when we see them as something less than what God sees. Honestly, I’m guilty of being resistant more often than not.
I sometimes regard believers as barriers to break through or get around. I can see them as obstacles blocking my agenda or even God’s will. They're not.
I’ve seen other disciples as tools and I’ve used them to get what I want. Their opinions and concerns mattered less to me than my own. They don’t.
I have at times seen a ministry leader, pastor, or even a ministry partner as irrelevant in the moment. They appear less real to me than I do to myself. They’re not.
How about you?
When I’m resistant to another disciple’s reality, I invite them to resist me. Spreading my resistant way of being like a virus.
If others resist me, my skepticism grows and I think it’s better just to avoid them.
How about you?
My view of the other disciples justifies my disconnection. I can then protect myself from any real accountability. In isolation I can hide and stagnate to my heart’s content.
Do you hide from real accountability and justify it?
From a place “above the fray,” I can compare disciples, evaluate their performance and rank them according to my standards. I can either condemn or approve of them.
Do you see yourself there?
It’s Not hard to figure out why we're not experiencing the oneness Jesus talked about. But instead of being resistant, we can respond to other disciples’ reality.
It looks like this…
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.
Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 (CSB)
Being responsive means; We see all disciples as God’s masterpieces of unique, purposeful, and intimate design. They are valued recipients of His creation and commands. Every follower of Jesus is a free and responsible creation of God. They are also warped by sin and attacked from all sides by the world, flesh, and devil. But, through repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus, they are saved by grace. Just like you and I.
If we see disciples that way, we don’t demand that they change. We accept them as they are.
Their opinions, concerns, and expectations matter more than our own. In the power of Christ we can love them by responding to their reality.
Being responsive, We can develop trust with hopeful attempts to rely on followers of Jesus again and again.
Based on our confidence in God, we can continue to risk relying on them when trust is broken.
We can pursue really knowing each other. Sharing appropriately over time the good, bad, & ugly.
We see our reality. We want growth and maturity.
We’re inviting each other to a spiritual friendship.
Together we choose to invest ourselves in each other; offering soul-connection and giving our time, energy, and resources for our mutual transformation.
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. Proverbs 18:2
Jesus, empower us to love by being responsive to disciples in soul-connecting conversations.
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Next Blog - Soul-Connecting Conversations: Vital Behaviors