Luke 9:23
and Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after me (follow me)......"
Saturday night was the first teaching in our "Doing The Stuff: 101 - Part 2" at Vineyard Recovery Church.
The basic premise of the series is "what next?" after salvation.
VRC is seen as a community of believers whose major aim and focus is to help those seeking to break free from their addiction. While that is true...we are also a community that holds to the truth, that our chief aim is to point to Jesus as the sole answer to breaking free from everything that is wrong in our lives.
It seems as though two opposing views seem to exist when it comes to salvation. On one side, the thought (sometimes unspoken) is that once salvation has been reached, then what? Do we carry on with life as usual? Do we simply attend church and wait for Jesus' return? Merely acting religious. Salvation has been reduced to a "get-out-hell" free card that we keep with us.
On the other hand, you have some who think everyone that is saved should turn into a super-hyper spiritual being. To me, the real truth lies somewhere in the middle of these two opposing views. The place John Wimber use to refer to as the Radical Middle.
This middle ground is a place where real life is experienced under the direction of God's Holy Spirit at work in the believer. Salvation opens the door for the individual to understand who they are in Christ. Understand their position in this new way of living.
Once a person is saved, we must learn to fall in love with Jesus.
John 14:15 - If you love Me, keep My commandments. Funny! It doesn't say "Keep My Commandments" first. It speaks of falling in love with Jesus. We do this by hanging out with others who love Him. Why love first? Think back to the first time you fell in love. I mean really in love. You laid aside your wants and desires in order to do what pleased the one you loved. Jesus is laying out this wonderful dynamic of relationship with Him. We don't "DO" in order to say that we love Him as evidenced by our actions. We love Him, and from this love, the doing comes natural. I don't keep the commandments because I have to. I don't keep the commandments because it will make me look more spiritual. I keep the commandments because I want to. I want to do those things which please Him.
John 14:16 - And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.
Helper? Yep...the Holy Spirit is given to us to be our helper...our guide...our teacher. Yet, this incredible gift of God's Holy Spirit is often relegated to a place of being ignored by some. Not me! He is the Power that is going to make the difference in my life. He guides....I follow. He empowers, recognize my weakness so He can be made stronger in me. It is about me, laying aside my own desire to drive the bus, letting Him take control. I merely follow. The Holy Spirit always has the greater good working in me. Why would I fight against that?
Well...that enough for today.
I will continue with the notes and teaching from our first Doing The Stuff:101-part 2 tomorrow.
God on you..
mb
No comments:
Post a Comment