It is my opinion that people will not join or stay in the Church because of some great theological insight, but rather because they are hugged. The Church should be the greatest toucher and hugger within society. As the body of Christ in the world, the Church should be the greatest lover of all. But that is easier said than done. In fact if you’ve been around Church much at all you know that most churches spend more time shrugging than hugging.
Most Churches are great “filling stations,” step right up, get your high-test grace. See you next week: same time, same place. Well it is my desire that the Father’s House Churches would not merely be a “filling station,” but a place where God’s people are formed and fashioned into the family of God, the very Body of Christ. That requires reaching out to others, hugging, shaking hands, and lots of amens.
I believe that the Church is a community of disciples, in which lay people share ministry with the ordained. For me the Church is a community where we try to create as many opportunities as possible, on a quasi-sacramental basis, to lead people into encountering some kind of touch from God. I truly believe in the “real presence” of God in the everyday lives of ordinary people – in the eating, the drinking, the singing, the weeping, the birthing, the marrying and the burying.
Our holiness is in the ordinary, our holiness is in loving with everything we’ve got, and in loving the way Jesus loved. The Church doesn’t make me holy. The Church doesn’t make you holy. The Church reminds us of what we already possess.
With all my heart and soul I believe that the Church is the Body of Christ. I also believe that the Church is the family of God and that I am bound to every man, woman and child of the Church because of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. I believe that in Christ I am a part of every member of the Body of Christ and that they are a part of me. I believe that this relationship in the Spirit is as real and as profound as the bond of the flesh and blood. I believe that I am truly part of the Body of Christ. But just believing all these beautiful things about the Church is not enough. If they are to have the influence on my life that they are meant to have, I must also experience what it means to be part of the Body of Christ. Knowing and believing are just not good enough.
Family and relationships have taken on a totally different meaning for me. Relationship is where I primarily find the Lord. My own quest for holiness is to live all the relationships of my life as completely and as lovingly as I can. The call to shepherd for me means to belong to my people and to allow them to belong to me. I see my life as one in which I am called to share my life with brothers and sisters as they become “flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone.”
The only thing that truly touches us is the knowledge that we are “loved.” The “successful” or “effective” pastor touches his people not because of his theology, style or personal gifts. He touches his people only when he loves them and allows them to love him. The successful fellowship is the place where God’s people experience this love – ministers, deacons and lay staff loving others and being loved in return.
Community is the place where I feel loved, accepted, important and known. Community is not just the place where I am told about the love that God has for me in Christ Jesus; it is the place where I am loved and empowered by that community to give that love to other people. Community is far more that correct theological, scriptural and moral teaching. If the doctrines of the Church do not personally engage and touch me, I can never really hear them or respond to them.
People don’t understand and accept Christian teaching because of logical and scientific explanations, as true and as correct as they may be. Somehow these truths must come alive. The only place where this happens today is in a living vibrant community that is always in the process of celebrating the sacrament of friendship and family. In order to become a real community people must pass from mere formal adherence to principle and rule to a living and joyful sharing of faith and life.
My heart is overwhelmed with the knowledge that the enemy has established strongholds, (seats of resistive authority), within our lives in order to keep us from being fully integrated into the body of Christ, the Community of His Love.
Two of the very strongest “holds” on people today are; “individualism” and “expectations.” Everything in this world is designed around the fulfillment of the individual, thus every individual places expectations upon people around him or her. These two factors are strong barriers to the reality of God’s community of love where every person works for the fulfillment of all.
We are called to lay down our lives for the sake of Jesus and the gospel. We have been called to a kingdom that is more than the sum total of the individuals but rather about the family that is being formed in the likeness and image of our father.
It is time to start a revolution of “re-forming” the family of God that is centered around the very revealed love of the Father, Jesus Christ. His sacrifice was for us “all” not merely as individuals with expectations but rather as a family living and loving together.
The children of Israel thought of themselves as grasshoppers. That is in part because they looked at themselves individually rather than collectively. I want to challenge you to see yourself collectively as the Body of Christ rather than individually trying to tackle the entire world alone.
Unity is the forerunner of the power of the Holy Spirit. With that reality in mind let us move to be re-united as the very family of God, empowered together by His Presence for the removal of every stronghold that has hindered the body of Christ.
In His Great Love,
Bp. Quintin
1 comment:
I will be visiting today... but beyond the hug what do you teach? Here is part of what is needed to drink in the grace that we have for our day... because life is a real “Crucible”
Crucible: Testing circumstances, “ a place or set of circumstances where people or things are subjected to forces that test them, often make them change or they find themselves still standing when others have failed and fallen/changed by becoming faultily/distorted.”
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Those who guard a fig tree will eat its fruit, and those who protect their masters will be honored. As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart. Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes. The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise.” Proverbs 27:17-21.
Many times over the my last 30+ years we as men have heard this scripture but only the first sentence and the rest of the verses left out, but they are a wrapped package of crucial verses for us today in the marketplaces of our culture and in the Kingdom.
We are in crucible times. Who will be standing through these times will depended on the elements that we inculcate into our lives as real core expression of Jesus. Jesus practically embodied this passage and so must we if we are to make the journey in this life to our life eternal with Him.
Here is a simple and poignant discussion on this passage. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” When we take this verse and lay it against what we know and read about Jesus in the gospels you see how over a three year process (along with Him breathing the Holy Spirit on them, John 20:22) this is what He did. He sharpened them time and time again, the 12, the 72, the 150 plus to the more than five-hundred. He was capable, look at what we have in the New Testament, the history of Kingdom expansion and coupled with the Holy Spirit of Jesus the transformation of history and billions of people and He is just as capable today! What is the need of sharpening today, just look around dullness abounds in general and where there is a sharp edge be aware and warned there are “righteous” people who look to dull a good edge. Dullness is also added by people who don’t know how to be alone with their thoughts, they fill it with their MP3 or Ipod – CD’s so they don’t have to think or pray clearly to hear God. The sharpening process starts with learning again how to be alone with ones: thoughts, life, and solitude so one can deeply practice the Presence of His thoughts, His voice and His wisdom.
“Those who guard a fig tree will eat its fruit, and those who protect their masters will be honored.” What is it you guard in your life? That which produces fruit that’s rich or pathetically weak selfish sour fruit? What we guard moves us to who our master really is, the quality of our master and his ability to honor us is based on our protection: “the act of preventing somebody or something from being harmed or damaged, or the state of being kept safe”. Now what would Jesus need protection on? Well if we are “His bride” or in other sections of scripture “His body” if we example that which is opposite of who is was, is and will be then we aren’t protecting but allowing His blood to trampled on. So then, no honor will be given, all that fruit you thought wasn’t worth guarding it will another will get its benefit and all you will hear “I do not know you, get away from me you wicked servant.” Don’t we desire and want a “well done, son or daughter.”
“As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart.” How many times do we think that people don’t really see the real us, it is most of the time. And when we do recognize that people see us as we are it is to that embarrassing point in our story of life that we see the reflection and we see our rotting heart. But if you have the others best interest at heart and your life reflects His, with gentleness, respect, with His love He can and does restore your heart to health and washes away the rotten parts. What’s the reflection that others see… that is also where the iron sharpens iron.
“Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes.” As we know from physics –all things break down eventually – so it is with Death and Destruction, by human hands or by nature, both can be totally unforgiving towards all life . The interesting thing is its connectivity with the human eyes of wanting more, more than what one has and its corruption factor which does the same destruction. By, investing into Kingdom heritage items (people, family, relationships) this brings honor, protection, fruit a sharpened living by us in light of eternity. Our need is to invest, invest, invest with an eye and heart towards eternity!
Now our living with this passion of investing in life in this way it will brings trials, “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise.” Our key note for us is what do we praise? That is the real test of the heart. Our crucible, our furnace in our times is not if you know more of the bible which is important, how cunning you are, who you know or knows you, the car you own or don’t, the house you have or don’t, the bank account you have or don’t or position or power you have or don’t. But it is the test of praise in your lack or plenty, broken state or healed state, being loved or unloved do you praise!
“Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,”
'From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise”
“9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9.
“11 If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" [a]
19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
1 Peter 4:11-19
What will God and others see during your - Crucible, furnace, test…do you praise or curse the life you have. Only sharp believers will praise and have a life well lived here and in eternity.
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