Sunday Musings April 28

I spent time with an awesome group of the family of God called The Promise Friday and Saturday. In most ways it was one of the most encouraging experiences in the Body of Christ that I have had. The worship time was not about show or performance and it seemed that there was a freedom to allow the Lord to be in us what He desired in ways that I have rarely known.

Today there was time for "prophetic word" for those who signed up.  It too was a whole different experience as we were given an 15 minute time slot and each had two people that met with an individual. For the first half of the time, those two individuals drew pictures with colored pencils and then shared with me what they had seen and drawn as it related to me.  It was simple and insightful and I would use the word "precious."  It was truly love poured out from Papa's heart through these two precious brothers and sisters.  There was a real sense of community between the three of us.  

At the same time during this conference I experienced something else that began during the first half hour before the doors opened.  Not knowing how big a crowd there was going to be,  I planned my drive to get there a good hour early only to find the outer doors didn't open until a 1/2 hour before and the auditorium 5 minutes before.  So there was a number of us waiting for doors to open. As I leaned against a post drinking my vanilla frappe from the Holy Ground Coffee Shop, I was very much aware of one of the family.  He came over to me at one point and started talking similarly to how I heard he had talked to others around me.  There is a term that I would be tempted to use, but I don't want to be found using of a brother. being aware that we all have done immature and dumb and ignorant things on our journey of walking out Christ in us. I found it was easy for me to be "disgusted" with this fellow. I think of how often I related to people based on "what I knew" rather than inquire of them or express any interest in another's life?

During two days of services and guest speakers, I found myself struggling further with my own sense of disgust.  This same man found it necessary throughout the services to let the speakers know that he continually thought they were speaking "good messages." Over and over he "affirmed" or made declaration that what the visiting speakers and the senior pastor were sharing were "good messages."  Several others in the audience also echoed what I came to hear s their own "sense of approval" of the speakers' messages.

Yet, I know that it has been only the last few years that I have realized that much of my "approval" has been a disguise of a spirit of criticism. Who am I to pass approval or disapproval on another man's message?  If I say, "good job" or "good message", both are judgements which could just as well be negative as well as positive. If I can verbalize that I think you did a "good job" it gives me the authority to tell you you did a lousy job.  I have given myself permission to judge you right out of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.I am just learning how to relate to people out of a sense of community and identity rather than out of a sense of superiority or inferiority which is truly contrary to the gospel which realigns us with who we are in Papa's love.

And I recognized that this man's interruptions and interjections  were clearly from a sense of judgement  And  I found my own heart struggled not to judge him in like manner. Funny how judgement brings judgement!  Yet to do so  was totally out of harmony with all that we had heard spoken about our relationship as family "in Christ Jesus."  My identity as a child of God puts me into my Father's family.  And as His child I see through my Father's eyes.  This man was my brother, also "in Christ". Loved and valued even as I, both of us "the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus".   Both of us are seen in Him, the I am, our sins and shortcomings paid for and buried in the waters of baptism.  My own heart, fought the battle of thinking God thought, the Word and being in Him and recognizing Him in the brother or I could  revel in my own sense of sin and shortcoming.  

Knowing and seeing always gives us a choice. How will I respond?  Will I respond out of my lostness, my depravity, my "sin consciousness"  or will I respond out of who I AM, who Christ is in me, who I am in Him? That would mean to see you and everyone else in my life who they are in Christ and who Christ is in them also!  And He doesn't see as man sees...He sees as Father sees. So that means I am able to see as Father sees me and how He sees others.  Learning to know "Papa" and His love for me is the journey of the rest of eternity and to walk in that awareness. For He is eternal, and He is Love. Therefore to walk in Him is to walk and live in eternal life!