I got to speak with my old teacher and friend and mentor the other day and he had asked - he was thinking out loud - trying to connect the dots to see what God was trying to teach him through my strange-to-him presence. He is such a humble and faithful man who is always looking to his heavenly Father. Such an inspiration. Anyway, he asked how to reach people who are not interested in being reached. On the spot I was led to show him how when we push toward people they subconsciously push back even if they don't know what it's about. (I pushed against his hand and he pushed back... instead of taking my hand toward him. Maybe it was a silly example...but it's what came to me.) Anyway, I've been thinking about it and this morning I woke up and had lots of thoughts about this. Maybe I should just let the thoughts move through since it's moving through consciousness and we are all one in consciousness and he could get those thoughts that way... I think we are connected in the spirit and maybe that's the more effective communication method. Probably for everyone. Hm. Thank you for this lesson. Fascinating.
Anyway, I DID write a retort or whatever this is so I'll put it out here. I love to think through this stuff. I see how I try to cater to whoever I'm speaking to to speak their language.
__________
Making Jesus Famous isn’t a thing…. Jesus didn’t try to make himself famous… he DID encourage people to follow his Father’s teachings. He brought a new spin on old law and it was always rooted in truth.
Teaching people to follow Jesus = on point. Teaching people to make Jesus famous is off point.
You are the body of Christ. Embody Jesus. Go out and love everyone. You wanted to know how to share Jesus with people who find proselytizing to be a trigger. Embody Jesus. Jesus didn’t brag about himself (he DID do the OPPOSITE though and told people NOT to tell others about him (well until he ordered up the donkey but he had his orders at that point - all part of the unfolding). It was never about him (to him)… it was always about God…but he was a prophet and acted/lived out what his Father told him to do (think of Ezekiel - same deal having to act out these things as a sign to the surrounding nations (which weren’t Israel, which I think is interesting… I digress)). Anyway, Jesus has been given to us as an example and his story and life inspire us to live (and die) as he did.
The key is always to embody Jesus… live as the body of Christ. (Remember to try to see that differently… Jesus was the man who was part man and part God. Christ is the anointing and anointed (which is also Jesus)).
YOU are also given the opportunity to be part man/ part God. You have the Holy Spirit living in you - you’re activated for the same power and activity that Jesus had/did. You DO walk in it - healing the sick, praying for (in spirit and truth) many, sharing the truth as you know it unabashedly. You aren’t ashamed of the gospel… but keep asking what the gospel was. When Jesus said now’s the time to repent and believe the gospel, what was the gospel? (NOT the story of Jesus’ own death and resurrection since that hadn’t happened… so maybe there’s a bigger gospel…a bigger story that Jesus was pointing to?) Return to me and I will return to you, our Father said. Humble yourself and pray and seek my face and turn from your wicked ways then I will hear from heaven, forgive your sin and heal your land. I guess you know it’s the whole story of redemption, the story of Israel… and Israel is Christ in the bigger sense… (You have to understand that Israel isn’t a nation or land… it is a people… the spiritually alive in Christ. The spiritually alive in YHVH <— the Hebrew world behind “LORD” (all caps)… the word behind “Lord” (lowercase with big L) is Adonai which means master… not the same as YHVH/LORD which is THE God (“God” is Elohim which is plural and can also mean magistrates….we are elohims as the sons of god (apparently… princes really… based on that verse in Psalms 82…you asked if I thought I was God… in that sense I am, haha)… we are not THE ELOHIM which is YHVH which is the God/Leader/Power behind the Pillar of Fire and Smoke for the Israel of the Old Testament.
Annnnnnyway, my example of how people push back when people try to push their beliefs on them was not sufficient. It was interesting and I’m grateful to God for showing it to us, but BEHIND that we need to return to LOVE. People are drawn to Journey because of your LOVE. The spirit of God is there and manifests in love and alights hearts.
You are a light on a hill and people will be drawn to you if you don’t hide your light. It’s not about speaking Light, it’s about BEING Light… BE LOVE. People will come. People are hungry for love and will come and find out how to have it for themselves and when they do, you’ll be the authentic, vulnerable, beautiful, loving human embodying the spirit of Jesus the Christ that will meet their need.
No comments:
Post a Comment