Kingdom Life

Jesus came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God.  Incorporated in this is the gospel of salvation.  The gospel of the Kingdom carries with it truths that release the love, life and power of the Kingdom of God.  One of those truths is that blessing is released where there is unity;  power is released where there is agreement.

Over time I have seen that unity is expressed in a variety of forms.  For the purpose of the following thoughts I want to propose that there is unity of purpose and unity of heart.  Unity of purpose is often built around the accomplishment of task and/or vision.  Unity of heart is often found through a commitment to relationships because of who we are not what we do.  While unity of purpose is  good, unity of heart is better because God is always more interested in the condition of our heart.

Unity of purpose saw the children of Israel exit the land of Egypt.  If they had also had unity of heart with God’ s purposes they would not have wanted to go back to Egypt when the going got tough.  Equally they listened to the spies who reported against the will of God.  It was unity of heart that ultimately got them into the promised land.  The time in the wilderness was not wasted.  They came to a place of agreement during this time of transition so that what God had promised could be possessed.

It appears to me that many congregations have been pursuing unity of purpose which has been brilliant.  However, I’m observing a time of transition, maybe even a wilderness in terms of results, that could well be for the purpose of highlighting the need to pursue unity of heart.  A unity of heart with the Lord that is built on intimacy, knowing our true identity and influencing our culture by bringing heaven to earth.  A unit of heart with others that is built on mutual honour and respect across our roles, gifts and place in the congregation.  A unity of heart where love continues to motivate our behaviour, attitudes and thought life when there is tension, conflict and disagreement.

What do you think?

Until next time may you be blessed with God’s favour and life.

Intimacy with Jesus (6)

Achievement is a terrible master when it defines our value, self-worth and place in the world.  Achievement is like the shifting sands of a desert as it is not capable of meeting the thirst of an insecure soul.  The culture of the western world bombards us with messages that achievement is the basis for our wellbeing , significance and value.  This is well illustrated by CommSec, the investment and securities division of Australia’s Commonwealth Bank, as their by-line ‘proudly’ declares – you are what you do.

In this post I offer the following table as a tool to think through your own life and mindsets.  How much are you doing life through the framework of achievement (performance) and how much are you approaching life through the framework of acceptance.

Paradigm of Acceptance_Performance

I’d love to hear your reflections.

In the meantime may you be blessed with God’s favour and life.

Intimacy with Jesus (5)

In my second post on this topic I refer to a quote from the forward Graham Cooke wrote in my book A Voyage of Mercy.  Graham says: Anytime we do anything in order to feel loved, accepted and valued by others we diminish ourselves all the more.

As I continue to both write and speak on the topic of intimacy with Jesus I am realising that many people are not always actively doing things to feel, love, accepted and valued by others.  I am hearing in people’s conversations that they have significant “self talk” conversations that show they are looking fo love, acceptance and value outside of how Jesus feels about them.

Many people in their conversations reference experiencing a lack of wellbeing (being loved, accepted, and valued) when they ‘measure’ how life is going or how they believe others perceive their effectiveness.  It seems to me that people are too aware of their ‘success’ as the barometer for determining their sense of wellbeing.  I would imagine that this is a significant contributing factor to many Christians not understanding the vital connection between joy and suffering.

My circumstances can be helpful in drawing me to see the possibility for improvement.  I can measure how life is going and how I believe others perceive my effectiveness and if I sense failure I can have a great internal strength of being loved, accepted and valued.  I maintain great wellbeing because my value and significance are assured because I breathe.  That is, as God’s creation He loves me because of who He is not what I do (or don’t do).  The only life-sustaining measure for my value, significance and acceptance is God’s love.  All other measures may improve my performance but my performance is irrelevant to my value.

Until next time…may you be blessed with God’s favour and life.

Intimacy with Jesus (4)

The story of Mary and Martha recorded in Luke 10 shows Mary choosing a place of intimacy with Jesus and Martha choosing a place of activity for Jesus.  Both are necessary to bring glory to God (love & fruitfulness).  However, is it possible the performance bias of our culture motivates us, even unconsciously, to elevate fruitfulness over love, even though love is the greatest?

A few ways to assess the priority we live with, love or fruitfulness, are found in answering the following:

1.  In my prayer life am I seeking to join myself to what God is saying and doing or am I seeking to get God to join Himself to what I am saying or doing?

2.  When you make two lists:
- What is God doing for me?
- What am I doing for God?
Which is easier to compile and which is longer

3.  How would you answer this question: Was Jesus a servant of the world on behalf of the Father, or was Jesus a servant of the Father on behalf of the world?
There is only one right answer!!

If you have any reflections or questions I would love to hear them.

Until next time…may you be blessed with God’s favour and life.

Intimacy with Jesus (3)

Jesus left us with the commission to make disciples.  I believe Paul captures his understanding of what making disciples means when he writes:

“My children, with whom I am again in labour, until Christ is formed in you – “ (Galatians 4:19)

It seems to me that Paul was inspired to work relationally (my children),  with a sense of endeavour and persistence (again in labour), to see disciples come closer to Jesus (until Christ is formed in you).  Paul builds so much of what he brings in his letters around the foundational commitment to love being the highest priority.  Loved by God, love for God and love for each other.

I wonder whether our connection to the performance bias in our culture has unintentionally resulted in an emphasis in church life in western society towards disciples being overly active in pursuing the “vision of the church”.  Is it possible that a call to be involved in ministry and programmes is the means making disciples.  If so, are we making disciples of church life and culture above making disciples of Jesus?

At C3Whitehorse we have come to see that disciples of Jesus are people who live for intimacy, through their identity of being in Jesus, to influence the people God has put around them towards the kingdom of God.  We have concluded that as “Christ is formed in them” they will be people who are:

• Self governing:  to live from personal responsibility through growing self-awareness
• Innately powerful:  learning to respond to all of life through the fruit of the Spirit
• Inherently supernatural:  knowing that they are called to be like Jesus in releasing the life of heaven on earth
• Living significant lifestyles in Christ:  as the above because in reality they are making a genuine difference in people’s lives

If interaction with the performance bias of our culture creates a Martha, task orientated approach is it possible that Jesus is not being formed in His followers?  Task is necessary but secondary to intimacy, the one thing Mary chose that is still necessary today.

Thoughts?  Reflections?

Until next time… may you be blessed with God’s favour and life.

Intimacy with Jesus (2)

I know what it is like to be a Martha learning to become a Mary.  My book A Voyage of Mercy, chronicles what I encountered in the early stages of my transition.  Graham Cooke captures the key issue in his forward when he writes:

Performance is great.  We have all witnessed the Olympics where men and women have striven above themselves to win the gold. We have gasped in admiration as athletes after many months of training and conditioning have competed with excellence and distinction.

There is another type of performance that does the opposite.  It is dark, destructive and debilitating. It imprisons people in fear, low self-esteem and a sense of worthlessness. Anytime we do anything in order to feel loved, accepted and valued by others we diminish ourselves all the more.

When we believe that God is a hard taskmaster, or stern, unapproachable, angry or frustrated, then we cannot be our true selves with Him. We hide our real self away behind our performance. We put up an image that we think God and others want to see.

Instead of accepting God’s goodness; revelling in His kindness and mercy and realizing that Jesus is our image and that we are in Him by the design of the Father … we try to earn our place in the Father’s heart. We perform because we have not received real love.

Peter has been on a journey out of such a mindset and away from a life that can never know real joy and peace. (I have watched Peter’s metamorphosis from a nice guy with a business like edge, extreme attention to detail and a sense of drivenness … to a great guy who is relaxed, peaceful, cheerful, much more intimate and friendly. Above all else I have seen his love for the Lord go off the chart.)

Martha was distracted, bothered, worried and upset with her sister, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the service alone? Then tell her to help me.“  Our image of the Lord and our expectations of Him can be distorted when the need to perform overrides the need for intimacy.  Many church leaders experience burn out because they have not discovered how to separate themselves from the insidious influence of this performance bias.

Until next time…may you be blessed with God’s favour and life.

Intimacy with Jesus (1)

For the last seven weeks I have been writing under the category of Apostolic Atmospheres & Ways.  It feels like it is time to change gears and begin to explore another aspect of kingdom living.

The tenth chapter of the gospel of Luke introduces us to two sisters, Martha & Mary.  It seems to me that Jesus said His followers on the face of the planet would be known by two things, their fruitfulness and their love.  I see Martha as a strong representative of fruitfulness and Mary as a strong representative of love.

Interestingly Jesus, in this story, observes that “only one thing is necessary”.  Amazing!!  Jesus said the most important thing in life is to choose to set at the feet of Jesus and listen to His word.  Mary chose a place of intimacy with Jesus.  Martha chose a place of activity for Jesus.

This is a story that points to the performance bias in our culture.  Many are seduced by it and try to find their value, meaning, significance and identity in their performance.  One of Australia’s greatest cricketers, Steve Waugh describes his engagement with this performance bias:

Like others, I often equated my overall worth with my performances on the field.  Foolhardily, I believed I was a lesser person if I failed and more worthy if I did well.  For the five weeks from my selection in the first Test to my hundred in Sydney, the cricket headlines seemed to dominate and my field of vision narrowed to a point where all I could see was my name and personality being dissected piece by piece.  Gradually I became more and more agitated and the jaundiced views I formed began to eat away at every aspect of my life.

Many followers of Jesus are engaging with the performance bias of our culture to find their identity, value and significance.  However, I am convinced that they want to be like Mary.   Is it possible that one of the most significant challenges followers of Jesus face is to move from being more like Martha to more like Mary?  Is it possible that church life for many emphasises fruitfulness over love?  How is Jesus being formed in us (Galatians 4:19) or is the church being formed in us?

What’s your experience?

Until next time…may you be blessed with God’s favour and life.

Apostolic Atmospheres & Ways (14)

How much authority should a ‘father’ have in bringing apostolic ministry to a local church?  What should happen if an apostolic influence offers advice which  is not followed and the result is a moral, financial or theological crisis in the local church?  Who is responsible to do what and when?  How much accountability is required to limit the emergence of dictators and/or control freaks?

The truth is that unfortunately these questions inevitably need answering as the growth accompanying apostolic atmosphere occurs.  In stark, simplistic terms will apostolic ministry turn to:

• Grace revealed through honour that underpins mutual accountability amongst elders of a local congregation; or

• Legalism released through policies that result in restricting freedoms that are enforced by structure external to the elders of the local congregation.

Before the growth that accompanies apostolic atmospheres occurs, the leaders involved would be deeply committed to grace and desire to avoid legalism at all costs.  However, history reveals that legalism can unwittingly result if the organising  principle of structure overtakes that of fathering.  The theology of grace can be smothered by the application of structure,  policies, government and functional relationships.

So, it seems to me that a key question is, who is responsible for dealing with the damage caused when free men abuse their freedom?  The New Testament seems to rely on grace released through honour creating mutual accountability amongst elders.  The local church elders (including the visionary leader), are to be responsible together with the influence of the apostolic ministry.

These are complex issues I have only begun to scratch the surface of, but what do you think?

Until next time…may you be blessed with God’s favour and life.