Meeting 5/14/11

"Live through Him, lives in us, live for Him, lives in Him, etc."  This is how we try to describe walking out our relationship with God.  The phrases try to depict being close to God, good standing, harmony, etc.  Words don't do justice to what we're trying to encapsulate here.  We're talking about the work of the Holy Spirit.  We're talking about a relationship we can't see, with a being we can't see, doing things we can't see, in a realm we can't see.  We don't know how it works, but we know it is made possible only by the Holy Spirit.  We count on God to be faithful in following through when He talked about knocking, coming through the open door, and making a home within us.  So, what does it mean to be living in the Spirit?  How do we get there? How does it look when we get there?

Looking at 1John 4:7-21, we hear the echo of love resounding in the New Testament.  It was for love that we were created.  It was for love that Jesus died and lives today.  It is for love that He calls us to live.  The greatest calling is to love our fellow man and God.  These are the big boys of all the commands.  We must have gone under the knife of the surgeon for this to be possible.  Our eyes have to be changed.  Our hearts must be cauterized to reflect the real truths of how God thinks of us, His children.  We must don our 'Love Glasses' to see people the way He sees them.  When we know that He looks on His people with love, we can now agree to join Him in the kind of life He's calling us to live.  Love is the measure of this life.  This is what it means to be 'living in the Spirit'.  If we live in Love, we live in the Spirit.  Rekindle your love and you will be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Remember His love and you will be led by the Holy Spirit.  Further, this 'filling' must occur daily.  You can't just be filled once and be done with it.  It is always in the present tense.  A continual 'filling'.  A continual choice to love and be loved.  Will you let God love you?

How might this look?  This is more than just personal holiness.  Strategies of improving ourselves and minimizing our negative traits are stealing from God's complete will when it comes to living by the Spirit.  We can focus our entire energy on purifying ourselves and miss the walking out of life and love.  True, considering the fruits of the Spirit being love, joy, peace, patience, etc., we recognize a much improved character and healthy citizen of society.  But when it comes to loving others, does it depend on how 'good' we are?  On how well we have it together?  Love is a verb.  It is about grabbing yourself by the nape of the neck and getting outside of yourself.  It's a bending, relenting, yielding, action of consideration for others.  Even in our weakness, we are called to keep on lovin'. 

One fruit of the Spirit I feel is untapped:  unity.  Jesus prayed for it before He left the Earth.  He talked about God's will being done here as it is in heaven.  We know unity happens in heaven.  Where is it on Earth?  We have some 227 churches in our area.  A lot of them were created from divisions.  Where are the community functions and establishments to bring us together?  Where are the celebrations of our common bonds?  Remember the Divine Grind coffee shop?  What a great opportunity to thrive in the public by bringing our church groups and meetings to one spot.  Instead, we lean towards the superstore environment and have all gatherings at our building.  We fill the moats and draw up the bridges and claim self suffiency.  We could've supported a business and kept something alive that is very special to God.  He wants His children to be unified as one, as He is in His triune relationship.  He wants to bring His people together for His sake and for our sake.  It is what happens in heaven.  It is what community was intended to be.   We have enjoyed this unity at the Firefighters for Christ meetings.  It is neat to have men from different denominations represented and coming together to be encouraged to live for Christ.  That's good stuff.