HOW DO WE FOLLOW JESUS?

As we are in the beginning stages of developing a church planting team, we must recognize that our greatest challenge will not be overcoming external circumstances but our inner lives.  Our life with God will determine the health and vitality of our church family moving forward.  We all have an ideal for our own life and we all have an ideal what this church plant will become.  However, regardless of our desires, our pursuit – as individuals and as a church plant – must be understanding our calling to follow Jesus.  Jesus is the God we follow and are transformed by.  Jesus is the center of our origin, being, and doing.  Jesus shows us what it means to be human and what it means to be the church.

So what does it mean to follow Jesus?

A long and complex answer is needed here but we can start with the basics.  The first invitation Jesus gave to his followers is that they would “be with him” (Mark 3:14).  God is a relational God who longs to be in relationship with us.  Jesus provides a way for us to be with him through the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16).  Another invitation Jesus would give to his followers is that they would “abide in him” (John 15).  God wants to dwell with us and us dwell with him.  Jesus invites his followers to experience his life giving and transforming presence.

This invitation comes for our good, so that we can be transformed into the likeness of who we are following.  We are changed – for the good or bad – by what we follow and live for.  Jesus is the one person in the cosmos that we know will transform us for good. He is the only one in history who has shown us what it means to be fully human and live a perfect life.  Therefore, our goal as individuals and collectively is that we would learn how to be with Jesus and abide in him so that we can become people who bring blessing to those around them.

How do we abide in Jesus?

Simply allowing God to fill our attention, direct our actions, and transform our affections.

• Attention
  • The demands for our attention are constant and limitless. Sadly, in the hurry and distractions of life, our attention to God is set aside.  When we keep God present in our minds, we will progress towards him.  As we progress towards God, he will transform us.  We have all experienced how our un-aided mind goes to chaos.  Prayerful attention to God literally transforms and renews our mind.  Over the course of time in prayer our mind can reset to Jesus and to the fruit of the Spirit.  Abiding means the mind aligns to the presence of God in our present moment.

• Actions
  • Nothing of any spiritual, eternal significance is possible apart from abiding in Jesus. Jesus says, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). In other words, we are not dealing here with something marginal or optional. If we are not abiding in Jesus and experiencing life with God, then his life will not flow through ours.  God’s love, God’s words, God’s joy, God’s peace, God’s patience, God’s kindness, God’s goodness, God’s mercy, God’s self-control, God’s faithfulness, God’s gentleness will not be evident in our lives.  Nothing of blessing or lasting value will come from us.
• Affections
  • We are what we love – meaning we worship, we live for, what we love. We become what we desire.  It is not a question of whether we will love, it is much more a question of what we love.  If we our to follow Jesus and abide in him we must experience what it means to love God and be loved by God.  God is not just a mental exercise but he is a relational and personal God.  God longs for friendship with us (John 15:15) and part of abiding in Jesus is developing a familiar friendship with him.   Our affections for God grow and we become more loving as we experience God’s love (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Abiding in Jesus matters because our ministry is never just a function of what we do, but of who we are and who we are becoming.  Whatever is in us overflows to those around us. The person who you are becoming is what you will give to others.

What are some practical ways to “be with Jesus” and “abide in him”?

A practical tool to answer this question is Gary Thomas’ book Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul’s Path to God. It is written with the basis that we all love and connect to God in different ways. God created us all with a certain personalities and spiritual temperaments, which make us gravitate towards certain types of practices and prayers. God wants us to feel free to worship, according to the way he made us.  As we see throughout Scripture and history there are various ways of demonstrating our love for God and developing relationship with him.  Thomas uses 9 sacred pathways to describe the way we relate to God, how we draw near to him. We can identify our sacred pathway and use practices which come naturally to that pathway as an easier way of connecting to God.  These are the pathways:

Pathways of Wonder: There are followers of Jesus who draw near to God and grow to love him more when they are in awe and amazed by who God is, what he does, and all God has made.

• Naturalists say, "Let me be outdoors."
• Sensates declare, "Let me experience."
• Traditionalists cry out, "Let me remember."

Pathways of Contemplation: There are lovers of Jesus who yearn for quiet. Their soul connects to God in spaces where they can reflect, find solitude, and plumb the depths of their emotional world.

• Ascetics request, "Let me be alone."
• Contemplatives ask, "Let me feel."
• Intellectuals say, "Let me think."

Pathways of Action: The Spirit of God has super-charged some Christians with energy and desire  to do things for Jesus. These passionate believers feel the pleasure of God and are most engaged in their faith when they are doing something that honors God.

• Caregivers say, "Let me care."
• Activists say, "Let me conquer."
• Enthusiasts proclaim, "Let me celebrate."

As a Church Planting Team we developed some general values, rhythms, and habits we will incorporate into our lives together to engage all aspects of loving God in relationship.

 Naturalists: Loving God Outdoors

• Environment open space with windows
• Worshipping and gatherings outdoors
• Campfire conversations
• Nature elements in presentations
• Silence in nature
• Prayer walks
• Community Garden
• Scripture that uses imagery of nature
• Fast from Technology

Sensates: Loving God with the Senses

• Smells like incense or candles
• Stations of physical illustrations
• Art/painting
• Dance and movement
• Engaging Stage design

Traditionalists: Loving God through Ritual and Symbol

• Prayers and reading written by others
• Ancient and old hymns
• Church Fathers and catechisms read
• Fixed hours of prayer
• Observing the church calendar

Intellectuals: Loving God with the Mind

• Theological studies for adults and children
• History and Apologetics discussions
• Exegetical studies and sermons
• One on one mentorship

Ascetics: Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity

• Silence/Solitude/Simplicity
• Journaling
• Practicing the Presence of God

Contemplatives: Loving God through Adoration

• Time set aside for personal prayer/silence
• Q+A Conversations
• Memorization of Scripture
• Communion
• Breath prayer/Jesus prayer
• Centering Prayer

Caregivers: Loving God by Loving Others

• Praying for needs of others
• Practical help
• Hospitality
• Greeting/Hosting
• Visitations
• Service Projects

Activists: Loving God through Confrontation

• Street Ministry – Providing for Poor
• Protesting injustice
• Meeting the Needs of the Community
• Prayer in the Public Sphere
• Policy/Procedures
• Recovery Ministry
• Healing Prayers

Enthusiasts: Loving God with Mystery and Celebration

• Engaging worship in gatherings
• Spirit-led meetings
• Atmosphere of Celebration
• Not rushed
• Create space of connection for non-believers
• Creating community parties

Our prayer is that this would be much more than a “to-do” list.  Our prayer is that we would see these values, rhythms, and habits that shape our life with God.  We are limited in our ability to heal and transform ourselves but we can be with Jesus.  We can abide in Jesus.  We can develop practices that deepen our relationship with God.  We can re-orient our attention, our actions, and our affection towards God.  We can experience God’s love and love God.  We can learn how to be with Jesus and abide in him so that we can become people who bring blessing to those around them.  We can be a people of love…if we live and abide in God’s love.