WayneJacobsen
RECONCILIATION NOT SUSPICIONBy Wayne Jacobsen
Our God is a God of reconciliation. Jesus died on the cross so that he could reconcile all things to himself (2 Corinthians 5). Those who grasp that purpose will also share his passion to see the family brought together in him, not divided by institutions or differences in how we view church. We have had enough broken relationships, enough division, enough of those who worry more about defining their distinctions than sharing the life we hold in common.
How do we do that, by encouraging our institutions and denominations to work together for greater unity? As if that has ever worked! Those who lead such things may talk about it from time to time, but denominations are about dividing and few at the top of those institutions will ever give up the power, money or prestige necessary for them to appreciate the true unity of this incredible family.
No, reconciliation happens simply by you loving each and every believer God allows to cross your path and look for ways to encourage them to know him better. We have to live as if the divisions don’t exist, recognizing Father’s fingerprints in each other’s lives, even if we don’t see eye to eye on every issue. This is where the unity of the body of Christ is celebrated. It is the stuff of grass roots actions, not organizational decrees.
Wherever you find believers near you get to know them. Celebrate Jesus together and see where the relationship might lead. Don’t feel you have to convince them about your idea of church, rather fan the flames of their passion for Jesus. You’ll find some amazing things happen in relationships that institutions can never touch.
When Paul traveled back through the people he’d help establish in the faith during his journey in Macedonia, Luke says that he “gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope.” (Acts 20:2). Can you imagine a better description of fellowship? Paul was able to love them so freely, not because he wanted something from them, but because he wanted to encourage them where they were and make their journey lighter.
The Great Gathering
It is the nature of the Shepherd to gather—first to himself and then alongside others who belong to him as well. That’s what I see happening in the world today. Jesus is gathering people to himself and letting them link up with each other. When you find his heart in this, you too will have a heart for the great gathering that is going on among all his followers. Whether or not people are in a traditional congregation is an irrelevant question. What matters is whether or not they are growing to know him and find life in him. That’s the real question on which the family is based.
A few years ago a friend of mine was on a flight home. He discovered he was sitting next to a believer from his own city whom he didn’t know. For an hour they shared about their life in Jesus, how they had come to know him, what he was doing in them and what they were learning about him. As they approached their destination the other man asked my friend, “Where do you go to church, anyway?”
My friend thought for a moment and then answered, “For the last hour we’ve been talking about the most unifying person in all of history and have had a marvelous time. Do we really want to trade that conversation to discuss the most divisive question the body of Christ has ever known?”
His seatmate thought a minute, smiled and agreed, “Let’s not!”
What a perspective! Trading congregational brand names or models only takes the focus off of Jesus and leads us to assumptions about people that are rarely valid. We join this great gathering by loving those God puts in front of us every day. We won’t then seek for the like-minded, but the like-hearted, and then we’ll be closer to his truth for doing so. And once we’ve a connection with others that shows our love for them and our respect for Jesus’ work in them, then we will be able to discuss those things we see differently in ways that will draw the family together, not tear it apart.
As a father of older children, nothing brings me greater joy than watching my children love and laugh together even in the face of their differences. I can’t imagine that the Father of all doesn’t enjoy that as well.
AN EVER-PRESENT VOICEBy Wayne Jacobsen
Perhaps the greatest joy of intimacy with God is how present God wants to be in our every-day lives. He has not asked us to live the Christian life without him. Christianity was never meant to be a list of principles to which we conform our behavior; it is living reconciled to God in active communion with him every day.
Many believers, however, miss this incredible facet of our relationship with him. Thinking God has given us guiding principles to live by, we grow accustomed to living days or weeks without ever listening to hear what Father has on his heart for us. We make decisions by listing pros and cons, instead of sitting down for any extended period to ask that he make his desires known to us.
Without growing in our ability to recognize what God speaks to us, we can't live to the freedom and joy God wants for us.
Without an ear that listens to God's voice what we call trust is nothing more than presumption; what we call obedience, nothing more than legalism. David knew that. I love his agonizing prayer in the first verse of Psalm 28: "To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit." In other words, "I can't live without you, God. My own wisdom isn't enough. My own resources aren't enough."
That's the joy of living in God. We need him. We want his active engagement in every phase of our lives. We know that without it we are left to our own devices which bring certain failure and pain. No, that doesn't mean we have to ask him permission to brush our teeth or to read the paper, but it means we never get comfortable in life without asking him to reveal himself and his will to me in the situations I face.
Help Me Do That!
I realize that nothing can be more frustrating than trying to hear God's voice, especially if you feel like he never talks to you, even when you listen diligently. I know that many of us have been convinced that we're not good enough, mature enough, or wise to hear God's voice and instead must trust others to tell us what God's mind is.
Don't read these words and take on the burden of having to be good enough to hear from God. I'm not passing out burdens here. God wants you to live the same way Jesus did by every word that comes from his mouth.
To do that, he will have to teach you how to hear his voice. It's not the same for all of us. I can't give you three pointers that will work like sticking a decoder over your Taco Bell game piece.
I can tell you that he wants you to know his voice more than you want to know it. I can encourage you to ask him to help you discover how he is doing that with you. For thousands of years he has been making his voice known to men and women who want to hear it. He is really good at doing so.
For us, it simply means that we take an extra moment before rushing headlong into our next, best idea and pause for some time with Father. "What do you want, Lord? What will bring the most glory to you and fulfill your heart in these things?" Then stop and just listen. Do it when you're in the car, waiting in line at the store or doing yard work.
If you don't sense his direction, don't move ahead. It is better to wait until you know than rush off assuming you know best. He'll show you by a conviction in your heart, something you read in Scripture, a comment from a friend or even stranger, by the way circumstances sort out, or by a combination of those.
Learning to live by every word that comes from God was never meant to be a test of spirituality or a merit badge for maturity it's just the way Father wanted his kids to live. If you realize you're accommodating yourself to living without that, maybe now is a good time to remind yourself how involved he wants to be with you.
Seek his face. Talk to him throughout your day and listen and watch for God to make himself and his will known to you. Nothing delights him more.
An excerpt from BY EVERY WORD
#ANEVER-PRESENTVOICE, #WayneJacobsen