How does a person grow closer to God?Isn't that an important question?
We read and study the Bible, go to church, serve there, and do it again every week. Oh yeah, and you have to believe the right stuff. And tell others about Jesus. All True. And our hearts need to be devoted to God, completely...a love without rival.
Those ingredients listed above are in the recipe for growing in our relationship with God.
What else is in the mix?
How about a vital Connection with each other. Paul called the Church the Body of Christ, saying that each part was connected to and belonged to all the others. True.
God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are so Connected. They are in each other and are One. Jesus prayed in John 17, wanting all the Christians on Earth to be connected, be One, like He and the Father are One.
I'm thinking God and Jesus were tight?
Are you tight with the Body of Christ where you are? Do you have an environment where you give other Jesus Followers access to the real you (over some time, in appropriate steps)?
Do the new people showing up at your Church have a real, strong opportunity to get Connected right off the bat? Have you created and supported environments that go the direction of Creating Community? (Connection is a step toward real Community, which is a God-Given desire of man.)
He wants you and me to be Connected in Relationship with some other Followers around us. Then, He wants the groups of followers (churches) all over the globe to be Connected as well.
Are you Connected? What's your strategy for getting yourself and the Church Connected?
My heart beats fast for Building Community in the Church. It helps us accurately re-present Jesus.
And, Jesus said, when we are One, like Jesus prayed, the People we tell His story to will believe that God sent Jesus!
