Living LIFE as Jesus' Family

7/19/2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I have been reading your articles with delight, since I have long recognized the pitfalls of the organized social structure referred to as the “church”. I teach a group of believers, all of whom live 30 miles apart. Our emphasis is on the trustworthiness and application of Scripture and holy living, but we do not experience true Body Life, in honesty, as we should.

Where would you suggest we begin in order to make a transition from a weekly attendance based group, to the kind of Body Life that Jesus desires? He deserves what He desires. I have not read anything in your material with which I disagree, but I need to learn more about the logistics of how to implement this, given our miles apart.

Thank you for giving as you do and have done on your sites!

Bless you as you glorify Him.

In Christ,

—Carter

Hi Carter……I would resolve your hearts into several things to begin to See the graceful “Move” towards living LIFE as Jesus’ Family—as “a People”—rather than sincere “persons”. : )

First, I’d make sure that you all……totally and actively IGNORE the famous Heb.10:25 about “not forsaking the meeting”……IF you all also ignore Heb.10:24 (and vs.26-27)—the “context” as you know. : ) Meaning, when “EVERYONE comes together” (whether that be in a huge hall, or someone’s home for dinner, or to a soccer game where a number of Saints will be) IF they come together—we really need to come with a LIFE prepared, as well as a Revelation, a song, a poem, a struggle, a thought from the HEART in interchange with God, “deep to Deep” (1Cor.12-14). “And when revelation comes to the second one, let the first SIT DOWN” (or pipe down : ) ) so that JESUS can be preeminent. Contrast that with the common and failing paradigm of “a mere human” expected to “lead” or “facilitate” or be a “hero” of the “meeting.” That will always be weak and predictable, at best. It’s not Jesus’ way, of course. : )

Each of us must be exerting COURAGE and LIFE PREPARATION to be a GIVER whenever Saints (or not-yet-Saints) are near, “meetings” or not. A KINGDOM of Priests, where “in the Race ALL the runners run.” No spectators or laity.

We HAVE to get OVER the “bask in my glow” and “sit UNDER ‘my teaching’” or uninterruptible official sermon-giver bit. That is both unBiblical in its basis as well as PROVEN to NOT truly Change lives—after generations of 75% lost teens and 25-50% broken families, statistically. Speeches, meetings, conferences, books, bible studies…it all SOUNDS so good, and often the “content” IS okay. Except, there were no such things as “services” and “bible studies” and “conferences with assigned speakers with 45 minute time slots and assigned topics” in the New Testament. AND the “fruit” of these good intentioned efforts “for” Jesus but seldom “IN” Jesus by His Spirit and trust “like the Wind”—has been about as lasting in your own lifetime as sucking on a helium balloon is “life-changing” according to Promise Keeper and George Barna statistics. The “bask in my glow” of such “events” and props is about as lasting as the time it takes to get out of the meeting room, just like the helium balloon effects are life-changing, for a few minutes only. This is an irrefutable fact, Barna and Hamm and others have made clear, for those of us who care more for “fruit that will LAST”—than for the glow of a meeting or speech or conference or book. : )

So, “ALL” of us with JESUS living Inside (Acts 2:42-47 “ALL the Believers were together and totally intertwined in life”) being purposeful about loving the future and Life of everyone else is tied in pretty closely, Jesus said, to the “Greatest Commandment.” This “second great Command” was, He said, a close second and proof of the first. All of the Law and Prophets and God Himself are all summed up living Inside of us, and refusing to take Cain’s way of disConnect from one another. Second, like unto the first, as God said in Heb.3:12-13, we ALL must recognize and act on the fact that it’s an EVERYDAY thing to care for one another. To have a mother or brother or sister (Acts 2:42-47, Luke 18:28, etc) means we can’t wait until the next “meeting” to show love or creativity or Revelation or care to each other, and be in each others’ LIVES. God said, “our meetings [conferences, books, services, bible studies] do more harm than good” (1Cor.11) if we don’t discern the BODY AND LIFE, the ONE LOAF that is to be our “wave offering” for the Father. “Sick and dying” is the alternative, Paul said, to being truly One Loaf (1Cor.10-11) and sharing our lives and needs and supply: DISCERNING the BODY of Jesus in “one another.”

Those two things together, intertwined inseparably with each other, involve DAILY love and refusal to ignore the “thorns” and “weeds” that are choking the Life out of one another. Do we REALLY want to see thirty, sixty, and a hundred times MULTIPLIED LIFE OF JESUS for His sake and His Lambs and Testimony? What “CHOKES” that off, according to Jesus? If we won’t daily help each other pull the “weeds” and “thorns” of “the cares and worries of the world, and deceitfulness of riches” and “love of the world”—then we don’t really love God or one another VERY much. And, at that point, “how we meet” becomes incredibly irrelevant.

Does that make sense so far, Carter? I don’t think you would have asked what you did with the depth in your wording you offered above, if you didn’t See a LOT of this already. Count on hundreds and hundreds praying for you all! The thirty miles is about TENTH on the list of “important things”. There’s no reason to worry about that right now, I bet. : ) It will become obvious when the Principles above (nothing more or less than “take up YOUR cross DAILY” for others, as Rabboni Said) are being walked out daily. The “details” emerge beautifully when the Truths of OUR cross are being walked out. : ) We can dialog as much as you’d like about this or anything. : )

Love and much respect in Christ!

Mike, Tim, Andy, Dan, Bryan, Jason, Dave, etc