We Are In This Together

“She’s talking rudely to me.” He utters as tears fill his eyes.

“Well I’m tired of you hitting the back of my chair!” She quickly counters with that harsh tone that paints a picture of eyes rolling.

I continue driving, praying for words and an attitude of peace. They carry on back and forth, back and forth- who can injure the other more; who will have the last word?

Finally I’ve had enough and proclaim “No one leaves this car until this is settled.”

We continue down the familiar road in silence. One minute goes by, then two, then five. Who will speak first? Who will confess their unkind words and selfish heart? Who will ask forgiveness?

Neither.

Lord, where have I gone wrong?

We are just minutes from the school. “No one has anything to say?” I demand.

“Sorry for my attitude. Will you forgive me?” She finally says.

“Yes. Sorry for being rude.” He replies.

I exhale. I suppose that that will do, Lord. But I was hoping for a little more.

She exits the car and heads into the school. I look back at my son and the tears come again. Ugh, I thought we settled this.

“What’s the matter, buddy?”

“She’s not sorry for calling me THAT name.”

“What name?”

“A big fat liar.”

I remind him that she said she was sorry and asked forgiveness. I tell him that he doesn’t know his sister’s heart and is wrongly judging her motives.

“But I know she’s not sorry for that.”

Do you know how difficult it is to send your children off to school in this state? Do you know that feeling- like you’re watching opponents in a boxing match, each examining the other’s weaknesses, attempting to take their rival down with the hardest blow?

They are family! They are siblings! They are not enemies!

And this is what the Lord is telling ME this morning. YOU are family! YOU are siblings! YOU are not enemies!

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

-Ephesians 2:4-7

God’s people are my family. His servants are my siblings. Those He loves, I must love also, because we are in this together. We were dead in trespasses together, He made us alive together, He raised us up together, and He made us sit together. And when we walk together, the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us is made known for all to see because they will know us by our love (John 13:35.)

Do I portray a God of love and unity, or a God of anger and division? How often I wrongly judge another’s motives and heart’s intent. How many times has He said to me “Don’t you have something to say to her?” And how many times have I remained sitting in silence, walking among the world with division stirring in my heart. How difficult it must be for Him to send me out into the world carrying hatred and anger for His children, my family, my siblings.  We are in this together!

The Grand Canyon 8/2011

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

-John 17:22-23

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The Power of Relationship Part II

If you haven’t read The Power of Relationship Part I, go there now.

Yesterday I compared the electricity running through a city’s electrical lines to the power we find in relationships. Today I want to talk just a little more about these relationships and a thing called discipleship.

When we think of disciples, our minds automatically envision the twelve close followers of Jesus: Peter, Andrew, James (son of Zebedee), John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Lebbaeus (also known as Thaddaeus), Simon, and last (and certainly least), Judas Iscariot. This word disciple appears 268 times in 252 verses in the King James Bible and is defined by Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance as a learner or pupil. If we were to look at all 268 uses of this word however, we would see that Jesus had far more than twelve disciples. Luke 19:37 reveals a multitude of disciples rejoicing and praising God, and Acts 9:36 tells us Jesus’ disciples were not just men, but women, in this case Tabitha. Finally, in Matthew 28:19 Jesus commands His disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Conclusion- Jesus had many disciples and we are commanded to make more.

The fellowship I attend focuses heavily on discipleship locally and globally. One of our elders shared his passion regarding discipleship using the idea of a checker board and grains of rice. He explained that each square on the board represents one year and each grain of rice represents one individual. This individual

takes two other individuals, spends time fellowshipping together, praying together, teaching about developing a quiet time, and about sharing the faith. This process is called discipling. After about a year, each of these two individuals go and do likewise with two other individuals. If this process were to continue until all 64 squares were covered, you would have enough grains of rice to cover the entire state of Oregon 13 feet deep! In fact, he goes on to explain that by the 33^rd year (or square) you would exceed the number of people on the earth!

Do you see how much power there is in relationship? Do you see how effective discipleship is? Jesus left us with a command that is not only vital to the church but completely doable. If each of us takes the time to share our faith, our testimony, our time with two others, we have the potential to reach the world for Christ in less than 33 years! We have the ability to make a difference in our town, our state, our country, the world, and most importantly, the Kingdom of God. I would love to hear how you are discipling others and what your fellowship does to encourage  discipleship. Please share your vision with us. And if you need prayer in this area, as I certainly do, leave a comment and I will pray for you.

“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, a foal of a

donkey.’” So the disciples went and did as

Jesus commanded them.

-Matthew 21:5-6

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The Power of Relationship Part I

Have you ever wondered just how much power runs through these lines? Sometimes when running, my brain begins dwelling on things that wouldn’t normally receive a second thought. After all, as long as I can turn on lights, blow-dry my hair, watch Food Network, and run the microwave, I’m good to go. Lately however, these darn little lines have been on my mind. And not just when I run anymore, but as I’m driving, walking into a store, even when I open my fridge and miraculously have cold food awaiting us. This whole power thing is pretty amazing really! So, back to my original question: have you ever wondered just how much power runs through these lines? Haha, I thought so!

If you do a little Googling, you will find that neighborhood street lines run about 330V of power through them.  You will also discover that under the right conditions a 9V battery could kill you. The whole death issue pretty much depends on something called amperes, or amps. Now, I’m no rocket scientist, but if a 9V batter has the potential to take human life, what will a 330V power line do? Well, power a city, that’s what! And this leads me to my rabbit trail because, when I consider these power lines, my brain somehow concludes that they work a lot like people. And not only people, but relationships.

God is all about relationship. He desires that we have a relationship with Him and with each other.  And these relationships must be person, to person, to person.

Relationships don’t happen on Sunday morning, in the Mega Church, or even meeting for a bible study once a week. Relationships are intimate, raw, and real. They are daily. Another word for these relationships is DISCIPLESHIP. When I think of Jesus’ relationship with His disciples, I imagine them walking for hours together, eating three meals a day together, praying daily together, healing people together, preaching the word together, even getting into a boat and fishing together. These guys did everything together! Their life was each other.

This is what relationships are. I think this is what God’s heart for His people is. After Jesus was crucified, resurrected, then raised into heaven, the result of these relationships began to manifest and in one day three thousand souls were added to God’s kingdom (Acts 2:41)! Talk about power! My mind envisions 330 volts charging through the electrical lines above my house, and I begin to get a little freaked out. As I consider the incomprehensible power of the Holy Spirit at work in relationships, I start feeling anxious and overwhelmed. This is some serious power.

Because we rely so heavily on electricity, the city takes great measures to assure nothing obstructs its path. However, disaster does strike, leaving our power poles and lines in a heaped mess. When this happens, thousands can be left with no power resulting in dangerous situations for hospitals, the elderly, and those with no other heat sources. Electricity is vital to our everyday life and sometimes we don’t even realize it until we are without.

Likewise, relationships are vital to our everyday life and we must take great measures to assure nothing comes between us and those we are to be in relationship with. We may need to cut something out of our busy schedule, or set an alarm everyday reminding us to make a phone call. And like the electricity in our homes, sometimes we don’t realize the power of a relationship until we are without. This is where I find myself today, and I am convicted that I need to take action and make changes in my relationships. However, I know relationships take work, and time, and sometimes they are downright inconvenient. Please pray for me, and if you are in a similar struggle, leave a comment so I can pray for you.

Stop by tomorrow for The Power of Relationship Part II.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

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