Today I was attending the L3 training which is loving, learning and leading. The focus on the spiritual formation was becoming alive in Christ. If we are not willing to come alive in Christ than we are likely not going to be effective disciples. The following was one of the scriptures that we used.
Ephesians 5 (The Message)
Ephesians 5
Wake Up from Your Sleep 1-2Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
3-4Don't allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don't talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn't fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.
5You can be sure that using people or religion or things just for what you can get out of them—the usual variations on idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God.
6-7Don't let yourselves get taken in by religious smooth talk. God gets furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but want nothing to do with him. Don't even hang around people like that.
8-10You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You're out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.
11-16Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light!So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!
17Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.
18-20Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.
In particular for me the part of waking up from my sleep, climbing out of my coffin, watching my step, using my head and making the most of every chance I have for these are desperate times.
There was something about hearing this and realizing that today this is so true not only for me but also for the church. Church is not about using religion and people to meet our needs. It is not about being so caught up in our own personal idolatry that we close ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is not about being so stuck in one's way especially of doing things a certain way and at a certain time that we don't take time to understand what God wants.
In other words it is not about me or you it is about God. It is about finding ways that we can invite others to experience God. Even if it means a willingness to be flexible in how that is done.
God open our hearts that we can come alive in you. Pull us out of our own inflexibility so that we can reach others in new and exciting ways. Help us be faithful in Your desire to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world.
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