{Hey :) If you don't have time for this you can skip the intro and start at "What is the Church?" or you can just read the last section, which is the main one, "The Family of God"-> A Call to Love. Or you can talk to me. I don't bite lol and I'd love to hang while I'm still at SB!}
INTRO: The Identity Crisis of The Church
So if you haven't yet noticed I kinda went through an identity crisis which thrust me in desperate pursuit of Realness. This journey has been marked by points of achievement as well as major setbacks and failures. But God keeps telling me, "Remember who you are. Be yourself. Share your life with others."The first part is the easier part coz it's easy to find my identity by seeking the One who gave it to me. The next part has been the challenge but God is my help. He is still working on me and I can see some fruit already! It's Homecoming Season and I can feel the familiar Newness! I can feel the Change. I'm going natural! :) I start to flow when I let go. So through my own journey God also showed me that the church has also been going through an identity crisis and the messages He has been giving me to share with the church is the same thing He has been telling me. Here's an excerpt from the "What's Your Name?" post: This is "a time to break down and a time to build up" (#Ecclesiastes 3:3b). I've shared how God has been building me up and yes it is encouraging but it has also brought me a lot of pain. You see when He builds you up in your real identity He also wants to break down all your false identities and tear down all your masks." So that's what God has been doing in me and also through me. That's the thing that made me misunderstood because ♫ it sounds like destruction ♫ but it's actually part of His restoration plan for us. (Posts: Pruning and Family Matters)
Great news! It doesn't end there, there is a time to build up! And Now's the time!!! =)
WHAT IS THE CHURCH? ~ A TIME TO BUILD UP ~
I'll talk more about this video in the last section. It poses the the question: "What is The Church?"So in this post I'll go over The Church as: The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, The Body of Christ and The Family of God <-main section (and in later posts: Children of the Light / Temples of the Holy Spirit and the Bride of Christ).
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The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit
I don't want to repeat myself much so here's part of the first email I sent to Staff on 10/2/11. Focus on what I highlighted: "First thing, I'm really excited about what God is doing in us this year!!! Because before Pre-Fall I feel like a lot of things that we've been doing in InterVarsity has been really work-oriented and "us"-dependent instead of being inclined and fully dependent on the Holy Spirit. We have been concentrating on the last paragraph of Acts 2 too much and we made that our goal but we kinda did not really put emphasis on the rest of Acts 2 and recognizing the huge role of the Holy Spirit in making the community that resulted possible. And that caused a lot of the leaders including me to be burned out, stressed and harbor feelings of dissatisfaction and even bitterness towards leadership. Because we didn't emphasize the Holy Spirit's role that much, the work was mostly on us. We have been planning and doing things based on what we think we can accomplish, what seems reasonable like : let's pray for 20 people to get saved this year, that's a reasonable number right? Because if each leader evangelizes to like 1 of their friends then maybe 20 of them might get saved by the end of the year?- Yes that's pretty reasonable but the problem is that we are basing it on ourselves and what we think we can accomplish with our own strength. But thank God for Prefall and how He poured out His Holy Spirit and showed us that our focus should shift to the Holy Spirit, His purpose in our lives. He reminded us that it's not about us. It's all about Him. That's why He gave us the Holy Spirit coz we can't do it without Him. But with Him, and through His Holy Spirit, He will do exceedingly more than we've imagined. So we may keep our little numbers and little plans just to compare and be amazed by what God can and will do through His Holy Spirit this year. Look at Acts 2: 41 in just one day 3000 people were added to their number!!! In one day! That's something only the Holy Spirit can do!" {For the sake of clarity, I had a talk with staff about this email so to clear things up for you... I wasn't blaming anyone for anything, I recognize how God has been at work in InterVarsity in the past. And it's not a case of structure vs. Spirit. It's about Revival. I go over that in the posts: Unity is brewing up and Restoration.}
So the whole of last year the message God kept giving me for InterVarsity, (especially for the Class of 2012 & 2013 leaders who were there at the "crazy" prefall leaders retreat, and non-leaders as well) is that He wants to do something new. He wants to revive us, heal us and fill us with power so that we can be more alive spiritually (fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace etc) and to activate the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the edification of the body and to be His witnesses. God wants to bring increase in our lives! HOW FUN AND EXCITING!!! :D And all He wanted us to do is wait on Him. And that's the same message He has given me this year. God wants to do something New. Revival is going to happen this year and it starts with His church. So let's Wake Up Church! Let's get together and wait on the Lord please. That's how we prepare the way for revival in the school. Unity is key. Read Acts 1 and 2 and the rest of Acts to get an idea of the New season that God wants us to step into (Acts of the Holy Spirit through the followers of Jesus) We are believers so let's believe and be prepared :-)
♫ We were meant to live for so much more! Have we lost ourselves [Church]? Maybe we've been living with our eyes half open. Maybe we're bent and broken. Broken. We were meant to live for so much more! ♫ Related post: Eyes Wide Open, Time to SEEK, Remember who you are
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The Body of Christ
"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. (1 Corinthians 12: 12-31a) Related posts: A Call for UNITY in the Body of Christ, Unity is brewing up! and Threats to Fellowship.
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The Family of God
Skit: (Family eating dinner together at dinner table at home- 2 parents and 5 children, age range: 2-10 years). Mary, the oldest child, isn't at the table. Family proceeds with the meal. Jane, the youngest asks where Mary is. The mother tells her that she hasn't seen her all day. They all go back to eating then they go to bed. After a week, the brother John shares a funny memory (that involved Mary) with the rest of the family then he stops and thinks to himself "Hmmh, I wonder where she is. I haven't seen her for a week." He shrugs his shoulders and continues with his story. The family listens, laugh then go back to their daily routine. Three months later, the parents take their kids to the park. Helen, 8 years old, spots Mary on a swing and says, "Hi Mary! How's it going? We haven't seen you in a while. Why haven't you come home?" Even without Mary's response can you spot what's wrong with this picture? What's missing?....
Where is the Love? :'("Ohana means family. Family means no one get's left behind... or forgotten!"The above skit sounds preposterous right? What family would treat their daughter/sister that way? Mary had a cell phone yet no one texted her or called her. No one went out to look for her. They totally forgot about her. And what's worse is that they didn't actually forget about her, they just... for some reason, didn't care to look for her. Though they mentioned her they seemed untroubled by her disappearance. Untroubled and unmoved. They just didn't care about her. And look at their response when they saw her after three months... What?!... Unfortunately this is the state of the Church. Some people are missing. Some people are not included (whether or not they have officially been excluded/rejected). I wanna focus on the "building up" part in this post but at the same time I want to be vulnerable. Like Rici said at InterVarsity's Common Ground last year, "Racial rec happens when you share your uncensored self with the rest of the fellowship." So yeah, we just have to be real.
I was going to share more and be vulnerable but I think it'll end up being a repetitive remix of the posts: Who Cares? The Stink Bug and The Harvest. So I've realized all the messages that God gave me last year (and this year) for InterVarsity fellowship and His body at SB were all aimed at unity. I realized that I'm in the minority and so I have a different perspective. I see others in the minority, I see the others who are forgotten and left behind so God was using me to speak on their behalf (and for myself) and shed light on the division that already existed. Anyway, God just wants us (the Church) to remember who we are, His family and for everyone to love each other deeply as brothers and sisters. He wants there to be no division but equal concern. People think "division" just means fighting but it can also be apathy and lack of deep love, lack of equal concern. People get away with it when they focus on friendship rather than family. Like I've heard, "I don't know if this racial rec thing is really going to happen because people are just friends with who they want to be friends with. People are just different. Different personalities, different interests etc. So they choose their friends based on what they have in common."- Charity. That makes perfect sense when it comes to friendship but that excuse doesn't fly when it comes to family, God's family, because it results in division. Division by ethnicity, culture, school year and the like. So yeah, "cliques" form and those who do not fit into one of them because of their differences are left out. Anyway, God is our restorer :)
(Black Sheep Confessions)
Where is the Love? :'("Ohana means family. Family means no one get's left behind... or forgotten!"The above skit sounds preposterous right? What family would treat their daughter/sister that way? Mary had a cell phone yet no one texted her or called her. No one went out to look for her. They totally forgot about her. And what's worse is that they didn't actually forget about her, they just... for some reason, didn't care to look for her. Though they mentioned her they seemed untroubled by her disappearance. Untroubled and unmoved. They just didn't care about her. And look at their response when they saw her after three months... What?!... Unfortunately this is the state of the Church. Some people are missing. Some people are not included (whether or not they have officially been excluded/rejected). I wanna focus on the "building up" part in this post but at the same time I want to be vulnerable. Like Rici said at InterVarsity's Common Ground last year, "Racial rec happens when you share your uncensored self with the rest of the fellowship." So yeah, we just have to be real.
I was going to share more and be vulnerable but I think it'll end up being a repetitive remix of the posts: Who Cares? The Stink Bug and The Harvest. So I've realized all the messages that God gave me last year (and this year) for InterVarsity fellowship and His body at SB were all aimed at unity. I realized that I'm in the minority and so I have a different perspective. I see others in the minority, I see the others who are forgotten and left behind so God was using me to speak on their behalf (and for myself) and shed light on the division that already existed. Anyway, God just wants us (the Church) to remember who we are, His family and for everyone to love each other deeply as brothers and sisters. He wants there to be no division but equal concern. People think "division" just means fighting but it can also be apathy and lack of deep love, lack of equal concern. People get away with it when they focus on friendship rather than family. Like I've heard, "I don't know if this racial rec thing is really going to happen because people are just friends with who they want to be friends with. People are just different. Different personalities, different interests etc. So they choose their friends based on what they have in common."- Charity. That makes perfect sense when it comes to friendship but that excuse doesn't fly when it comes to family, God's family, because it results in division. Division by ethnicity, culture, school year and the like. So yeah, "cliques" form and those who do not fit into one of them because of their differences are left out. Anyway, God is our restorer :)
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"A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord!" (Mark 3:3b)
"And now I will show you the most excellent way." (1 Corinthians 12:31b)
A CALL TO BE THE CHURCH, TO BE GOD'S FAMILY. A CALL TO LOVE, TO LIVE.
Let's go back to the second video: "The Church is you?" -> So last year I was dissatified, dry and thirsty. My life was a mess. My relationship with God was suffering and my relationship with others was shallow. I was like that for quite some time before that but it was last year that everything seemed to go wrong and I couldn't take living like that anymore. I would always hope for change but I realized that doing things the same way over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity (Albert Einstein). So God told me, "You want more of Me? Then come get Me." He called me out of routine to seek Him first and to wait on Him. It's during that time that He showed me how good things such as my desire to be leader (to pour into the lives of others) and even my desire to be in community had turned into idols because I put them before my own relationship with Him. So He first called me out of leadership then also Common Ground so I winded up in "The Desert" and it is there that He satisfied my thirst with His Love as I waited on Him. So through that experience (for more details you can go to this post: Remember) God was reminding what it was all about. It's all about Him. My relationship with Him. God wants us as individuals to be rooted in our identity in Him. To find our identity and security in His Love. He wants to fill us up with more of His Spirit of power and love so that when we come together with other believers we are not just coming to receive but to give. To be ourselves. To fellowship. And I'm not just talking about during set events, but in life. Yeah church, we are meant to be lovers. Lovers of His presence. And givers of His Love =)
We are in a season of increase and a great revival is just around the bend. That's why God wants us to thirst for Him and wait on Him like the apostles did in Acts because He wants to increase in us (fill us with more love) and prepare us for the increase that's coming (so that we can love more). He wants us to fill us up until we overflow. That's why I'm "The Desert" and crying to others to join me. Also God is doing a New thing! so it's a season of New Songs. God wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth and in one voice. :-) "A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." (Isaiah 40:3) GOD IS BUILDING A HOUSE FOR ALL NATIONS!! WOOHOO! LET'S JUST PRAISE HIM!!! =)
- Let's do life together. Refer to the LIFE event I created on facebook. I had thought up the idea at the end of last spring after my observations: we were restricting fellowship to structured events. If we live like that we will be fellowshipping (treating each other as God's family) as well as loving our neighbors, "the lost sheep" and inviting them into a family rather than a club/organization. Love is all we need! :)
- Yeah that's it. Let's be family. Don't wait for a structured event to interact with someone else in the fellowship who's different from you (different year, ethnicity etc). Initiate. Invite people into your life. Share your culture, share your life. Love. This will prevent a lot of "miscommunication" problems and drama that results from not actually communicating.
- Let's wait on the Lord together - Come together to worship, pray and wait. It it the Spirit of God that breaks down the walls that divide us and creates unity, creates fellowship, creates one body. That's why God wants us to wait on Him together. That's how we fight for each other. We love each other with the Love we receive. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes so that we can see more and love more :-) We can use the prayer shed or our own apartments! Just pick a time when you're free and invite others! So simple! And fun! (I'll be going to the prayer shed on Thursdays at 7. Let me know if you wanna join me. Or whenever you're free! :-)
- It's time to be the church without being confined by four walls and set times. God wants to increase in all areas of our lives so let's welcome Him. We don't need to take a break from our identity. Jesus wants to show us that He is Lord, The King of Glory, and He is Fun! Let's beware of the Threats to Fellowship.
- I'm tired of being a victim of circumstances and a failure. God's love is enough for me :) I've been crying out for unity but now it's time to lead by example and I'm finally stepping out this quarter. I'm leading! I'm doing it! It's been exciting and scary. Kinda like walking on water. When I look at the waves I start to sink but Jesus is so faithful. He keeps saving me! This is fun! Let's do it together! More application to come. Oh yeah, now you know my "secret agenda" -> I wanna know you more. I want to share my life. I want to Love! so I'm not letting my fears and insecurities hold me back no more. Love conquers all! :)
Great blog, keep it up.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Will do! by His grace =)
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