River’s Edge Church

Perhaps Paul's favorite term for a follower of Jesus is simply one who is "in Christ." But what does it mean to be in Christ? And what's the alternative? 

Whose stage am I on? Whose story am I living? Who am I? These are fundamental questions that every human being must wrestle with. 

Perhaps the most difficult practice, and one of the most radical, is silence and solitude. 

The Word of God represents his heart, mind and nature; his written Word (the Bible) tells us that God sends out his word in power, it upholds the Universe, and it is "alive and active" and full of truth. We humans fear being famished of water and food, but through Amos the Lord God declares of a far worse famine, one where people are famished "of hearing the words of the LORD." (v11). What is the result? Wandering, faintness, falling. In today's teaching, we are encouraged to leave deceptive idols, broken cisterns, and the patterns of the world and find satisfaction in the Word of Life.

One of the primary practices that Jesus taught to his apprentices was that of Prayer. In Jesus' life, it was a frequent and consistent rhythm and his constant conversation with the Father was so noticeable that his disciples came to him and said, "Teach us to pray!" This week, we unpack this core practice in the Way of Jesus and hope it encourages you.

In Job, we read of an exemplar of Faith - of a man who was afflicted by suffering, but remained as one who entrusted himself to the greatness and goodness of the LORD. Job, despite what was happening to him and all around him; despite questions that he had; and despite the accusations of his friends towards him, he maintained his integrity towards God. Looking at Job’s example, whether we are in need or have plenty, sick or healthy, can we proclaim with Job and the Saints who have gone before, “I know that my redeemer lives.”?

A key element of the Church, the community of Jesus’ Followers into his Way, is the habitual practice of forgiving and being forgiven. We follow Jesus’ example of living and walking in forgiveness. He demonstrated forgiveness perfectly - He entrusted himself to the Father and bore on himself the penalty meant for us. Forgiveness is foundational to the lavish grace of the Gospel. We love each other, bear with each other, and forgive each other because He first did so.

Central to the Way of Jesus is the practice of reading and meditating on the Scriptures - the Written Word of God. Jesus, as he brought a new covenant and a new Way, did not do away with this key element Jewish culture, but fully embodied it. He not only embraced the Jewish Scriptures, but fully internalized them, meditated on them, memorized them. In a world today where truth is relevant and circumstantial; where we long to know Yahweh, walk with him, and obey him; and where we recognize that what we give our attention to changes us, the invitation to consistently meditate on the Scriptures is as relevant now as it ever has been.

The context in which we live as apprentices of Jesus is in a new Family. In our world, we have torn and corrupted images of family, yet what is offered to us through Jesus is a new Family, with a perfect Father, and a Spirit that unifies and unites us. In this new, diverse, multi-ethnic Family, we learn more fully what Jesus is like, we get to more completely love him, and we learn more intimately what it means to love one another.

As we continue our study in the Practices of the Way of Jesus, we focus this week on a Practice that is seen tucked between the lines of scripture. We understandably become focused on the ‘what’ of Jesus’ life and ministry and we often overlook the ‘how’ - How did he go about his life? His ministry? Looking at his lifestyle, we see that Jesus lived with a pace or cadence of life that allowed him to love God and others perfectly, be attentive to the Father and the world around him, be interrupted, and be fully intentional in everything he did and said. This pace of life - very slow by our standards - is difficult yet refreshing for us in our cultural moment of speed and hurry.