Monday, January 28, 2013

week 1 recap

In a wrap up of this past weeks message I listed 4 basic categories that we find ourselves in during the course of our spiritual journey to be a follower of Christ.  These came from the book "Backward:  Created to live sent" by Gary Kendall.  As a reminder or for those who were not there, I asked you to rate yourself as one of these categories as we begin this 12 week series and we will re-rate ourselves at the end of it.  As a reminder, here is the list and the descriptions to choose from:

Exploring
  • We all start here.  I am not sure what I think of God/Christianity.  I am exploring but haven't really made a choice to follow Jesus.  Faith is not really a significant part of my life
Beginning
  • I believe in Jesus and I am just beginning to explore what it means to get to know him.  I've accepted Christ's invitation for forgiveness and grace.  God is part of my life, I'm excited about it  but its still really too early to tell what the choice means.
Following
  • I've identified my decision to follow Christ through baptism.  I have welcomed him into the daily routine of my life.  I depend on him daily and I'm involved with regular spiritual practices … prayer, study, solitude, tithing, serving.  God is a big thing and I'm learning what it means to be in relationship with Him
Sent
  • I am not only following Jesus, but I am dedicating myself to allow him to replicate his life in mine.  I am serving and loving sacrificially and willing to intentionally share the reason for the hope that I have and the life that I lead with those in whom I have a relationship.
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3 comments:

  1. I find myself bouncing back and forth between Following and Sent. Just when I think I am moving along strongly in the Following stage and ready for Sent, I find myself needing God even more in my heart and life. I am praying that I will learn from this series how to be confident and strong. "Sacrificially and Willing", now those are two words that cannot be misunderstood or watered down to my comfort level.

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    1. I agree and can relate to the bouncing back and forth. I think that everyone does this and no one will probably really be permanently at the "sent" level until the journey is over. The key probably is your statement of "needing God even more in my heart and life", which shows an attitude of humility....that will go a long way in moving forward

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  2. To me the call to be missional represents a decision point, and with this understanding given the context of the study, it is a decision that I face each day. When reflecting on this, I come back to the foundational understanding that at the root of all the action is the heart. It is God who changes and transforms us from the inside out. Out of this transformation we try to comprehend the nature of God and come to realize several things: that we know love because He first loved us, that we are made in His image, that we are not worthy, and that God is a God that restores and reconciles all brokenness unto Himself through His Son. Knowing such, our response is missional and relational, the essence of outpouring one's heart. My prayer is that we seek individually and as a body with hearts that are aligned with HIs will and His will only, leading to the transformation of hearts and minds made ready to hear His missional call.

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