The Perfecting Church

Individualism stems from a determination to get what we want rather than embrace God's will regardless of the outcome. But, it's in our valleys, times of despair when things don't go as we hoped, that we develop a deeper dependence upon God and experience God's power to shelter, protect, sustain and position us in His will now and for what is to come. It's in these moments that we must trust God is a Good Shepherd who according to Psalm 23 leads us, lays us down and restores us, especially When the Rain Doesn't Come.

Listening to God demands radical love that engages a community sacrificially requiring excessive generosity - THIS turned the world upside down - let’s turn our city upside down

Before Jesus dropped the mic ending His earthly ministry, His final priestly prayer for those that would bear His name was a prayer for unity. Of all the things He could have asked of the Father as He left this sin-stained, demon-infested world — His deepest desire was that we would be one. Unity is of far more value than we’ve realized. It’s tied to our destiny here and our destiny in the world to come.

Have it your way, do your thing, just do you, are a few of the catch phrases that’ve become the norm in daily thought and language. We live in a hyper-individualized, materialistic culture that’s all about getting what you want and doing things your way — because after all You Only Live Once. But for many of us the biggest obstacle to our peace, joy and flourishing is the very thing we’ve been encouraged to pursue. What if the three-headed monster of Materialism, Individualism and Consumerism was the silent killer, destroying our lives, our families and our societies? What if the way to fullness and fulfillment was not more of what we’ve been after — but in dropping the M(aterialism) I(ndividualism) and C(onsumerism)?

Philippians 2:1-4

The God we serve is love and He empowers us to love- to answer the call of the great commandment to love, the great commission to go and the ministry to reconcile.

We’ve all experienced brokenness in relationships. Some of us have siblings we haven’t spoken to for years. Others among us are at odds with in-laws. Some know the pain of divorce. But if we’re ever going to live as the reconcilers God has called to be, we have to stop normalizing ex’s and lean into God's grace to be reconciled.

Who hasn't been hurt by the actions or words of another -- a parent who constantly belittled, a colleague who sabotaged a project or a friend who was disloyal? We’ve had traumatic experiences -- being physically or emotionally abused by someone. Wounds caused by others can leave us with lasting feelings of anger, bitterness and even vengeance. If we don’t learn to forgive, we will never experience the fulness of Love. We must learn to embrace and embody a love that forgives.

We’re part of a world filled with people who have lost the way. The way for humanity in the the mind of God has always been the way of love. We were created in Beloved community; we were created by Beloved community and we were created for Beloved community. When we go the self-absorbed, self-exalting, self-glorifying way of this broken world; we become what Love hates – we become the opposite of Love.

The human ego is one of the biggest enemies of God’s love. Ego works to exalt our will, our way and the pursuit of our glory over God’s. But we were made in Love; we were made by Love and we were made for Love. When we refuse to live in love we destroy ourselves. If we’re ever going to recover the beloved existence God intended -- conformed to His will and way – we will have to choose God’s love over our ego..

God is calling us, inviting us and teaching us to love. He knows apart from Love we can produce nothing, become nothing and gain nothing of value. We were made for Love; we were made by Love and we were made in Love. When we give ourselves to real Love, we begin to really live life – a life of real love.