• About
    • Welcome
    • Prayer Partners
    • Ministry Partners
    • Angel Partners
    • How to Promote
    • Crowdfunding
    • Statement of Faith
    • The Desert Warrior
    • The Temptations of the Cross (A Novel)
    • Jesus was an Alien (and Other Stories of Faith)
  • Desert Warrior
    • Tears of the Desert Warrior – The Absurdity of an Abnormal Existence
      • Prologue
      • Introduction
      • 1. The Secular Problem of Evil
      • 2. The Essence of Religion
      • 3. The Heart of the Human Experience
      • 4. The Moral Interpretation of Religion
      • 5. Finding Life in the Face of Death
      • 6. Reality, Language and Meaning
      • 7. The Myth of Human Morality
      • 8. The Dangers of the Divine Ethic
      • 9. The Religious Problem of Evil
      • Conclusion
    • Whispers of the Desert Warrior – Evidence of the God who is There
      • Prologue
      • Introduction
      • 1. The God Who is There
      • 2. The Breath of Life
      • 3. Pride and Prejudice
      • 4. The Divine Perspective
      • 5. Return to Babel
      • Conclusion
    • God of the Desert Warrior – Evil and the Goodness of God
    • The Desert Warrior – Finding Strength in Difficult Times
    • The Way of a Desert Warrior – How the Desert can give you Courage
    • The Heart of a Desert Warrior – How Reality can set you Free
    • The Life of a Desert Warrior – How a Conversation can Change your Life
  • Jesus was an Alien
    • Preface
    • Created For His Pleasure
    • 1. Charles Benton. Neighbor.
    • 2. The Wedding
    • 3. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
    • 4. Truth in Flip Flops
    • 5. Jesus was an Alien
    • 6. Lucifer at the Cross
    • 7. The Way of the Desert Warrior
    • 8. The Anointing
    • 9. The Tower of Babel
    • 10. The Eight Year Old Evangelist
    • 11. Dr. House. Brilliant. Idiot.
    • 12. The Old Lady and the Giant
    • Return of the Prodigal
  • Seeking Jerusalem
    • Seeking Jerusalem – Days 1 to 10
      • Day 1 – The Plan
      • Day 2 – The Confession
      • Day 3 – The Rebuke
      • Day 4 – The Denial
      • Day 5 – The Judgment
      • Day 6 – The Power and The Glory
      • Day 7 – Holiness
      • Day 8 – The Cost (1)
      • Day 9 – The Cost (2)
      • Day 10 – Transfiguration
    • Seeking Jerusalem – Days 11 to 20
      • Day 11 – Desert Warriors
      • Day 12 – Revealing the Glory
      • Day 13 – Maturity
      • Day 14 – Spiritual Conversations
      • Day 15 – Hard Questions
      • Day 16 – The Weakness
      • Day 18 – Your Life Ministry
      • Day 19 – The Gift of Significance
      • Day 20 – Joshua
      • Day 17 – Spiritual Warfare
    • Seeking Jerusalem – Days 21 to 30
      • Day 21 – True Confessions
      • Day 22 – The Courage of Confession
      • Day 23 – Brokenness
      • Day 24 – The Culture of Grace
      • Day 25 – FaithWalk
      • Day 26 – Dr. House. Brilliant. Idiot.
      • Day 27 – Healing Power
      • Day 29 – Spiritual Unity
      • Day 28 – Spiritual Trust
      • Day 30 – The Anointing
    • Seeking Jerusalem – Days 31 to 40
      • Day 31 – The Sanctification Gap
      • Day 32 – The Sweet Spot
      • Day 33 – Hosea and Gomer
      • Day 34 – The Wedding
      • Day 35 – The Delivery
      • Day 36 – The Struggle
      • Day 37 – The Helper
      • Day 38 – The Secret
      • Day 39 – Messianic Prophesy
      • Day 40 – The Gathering Darkness
    • Seeking Jerusalem – Days 41 to 50
      • Day 41 – Dark Night of the Soul
      • Day 42 – The Divine Irony
      • Day 43 – Truth on Trial
      • Day 44 – The Descent into Hell
      • Day 45 – Death Comes in Darkness
      • Day 46 – The Divine Sting
      • Day 47 – Divine Visitation
      • Day 48 – The Kingdom Come
      • Day 49 – Transformation
      • Day 50 – The Road to Jerusalem
  • Temptations
    • Prologue
    • 1. Death of a Warrior
    • 2. The Old Man in the Temple
    • 3. Memories from the Past
    • 4. Battle Over Jerusalem
    • 5. Passover in the Holy City
    • 6. The Shedding of Blood
    • 7.Messianic Prophecy
    • 8. Ten Divine Words
    • 9. The Days of Artistry
    • 10. Breaking the Alliance
    • 11. The Covenant of Promise
    • 12. Birth Pangs
    • 13. Temptation in the Desert
    • 14. Prophet, Priest, and King
    • 15. Mobilizing the Forces
    • 16. The Gathering Darkness
    • 17. The Dark Night of the Soul
    • 18. The Divine Irony
    • 19. Truth on Trial
    • 20. The Descent into Hell
    • 21. Death Comes in Darkness
    • 22. The Divine Sting
    • 23. Divine Visitations
    • 24. Thy Kingdom Come
    • 25. Transformation
    • Epilogue
  • The Holiness Project
    • The Holiness Project – Days 1-10
    • The Holiness Project – Days 11-20
    • The Holiness Project – Days 21-30
    • The Holiness Project – Days 31-40
    • The Holiness Project – Days 41-50
  • The Roman Road
    • Walking the Roman Road of Salvation – Days 1-10
      • Day 1 – All Roads Lead to Rome
      • Day 2 – “Let me Introduce myself….”
      • Day 3 – “….and my Ministry”
      • Day 4 – The Fight with Peter
      • Day 5 – Getting our Hearts in the Right Place
      • Day 6 – Getting our Heads on Straight
      • Day 7 – ……and the Demons tremble.
      • Day 8 – The Five Pillars of Evangelism
      • Day 9 – Truth in Flip Flops
      • Day 10 – A Conversation with Jesus
    • Walking the Roman Road of Salvation – Days 11-20
      • Day 11 – Jesus Was An Alien
      • Day 12 – Don’t Kill the Messenger
      • Day 13 – The Holy Hiatus
      • Day 14 – The Dilemma of Love
      • Day 15 – The Enigma of Evil
      • Day 16 – Dr. House. Brilliant. Idiot.
      • Day 17 – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
      • Day 18 – No Wonder God is Upset
      • Day 19 – Suppressing the Truth
      • Day 20 – A Law Unto Themselves
    • Walking the Roman Road of Salvation – Days 21-30
      • Day 21 – Intelligent Design for Stupid Fools
      • Day 22 – Evil is it’s Own Punishment
      • Day 23 – The Revelation of Wrath
      • Day 24 – But for the Grace of God
      • Day 25 – I’m A Good Guy
      • Day 26 – The Sin of Jonah
      • Day 27 – Reality is the Ultimate Judge
      • Day 28 – Obedience is the Ultimate Goal
      • Day 29 – The Heart is the Ultimate Standard
      • Day 30 – Blasphemer or True Heart
    • Walking the Roman Road of Salvation – Days 31-40
      • Day 31 – Sin Addiction
      • Day 32 – Friendship with God
      • Day 33 – Breaking the Alliance
      • Day 34 – Religious Virtues
      • Day 35 – Spiritual Warfare
      • Day 36 – The Path
      • Day 37 – The Holy Guarantee
      • Day 38 – Charlie Benton. Neighbor.
      • Day 39 – The Sacred Moment
      • Day 40 – The Nature of Our Struggle
    • Walking the Roman Road of Salvation – Days 41-50
      • Day 41 – The Quality of Our Struggle
      • Day 42 – Walking In The Spirit
      • Day 43 – More Than Conquerors
      • Day 44 – Living Sacrifices
      • Day 45 – Love Must Be Sincere
      • Day 46 – The Secret
      • Day 47 – Resurrection Maturity
      • Day 48 – Kingdom Evangelism
      • Day 49 – Seeking Jerusalem
      • Day 50 – Walking with Purpose

Desert Warrior Ministries

~ A Burden of Glory

Desert Warrior Ministries

Monthly Archives: October 2019

Seeking Jerusalem – Day 30 “Steps to Maturity”

21 Monday Oct 2019

Posted by Bert Amsing in 3. Steps To Maturity, Seeking Jerusalem

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

church discipline, consecration, Jude 21, Jude 24, Jude 25, just keep swimming, keep moving forward, Matthew 7:24, restoration, Romans 7, Romans 8, Romans 8:37, Romans 8:38, spiritual maturity

THE WAY OF THE CROSSThe Way of the Cross – Lenten Season 2018

Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life…..To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen.  (Jude 21, 24, 25 NIV)

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8: 37-39 NIV)

Keep Moving Forward

For those of you who know who Dory is, her words are an inspiration to children and adults alike.  “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming….”  Or in the immortal words of the Robinson family, “Keep moving forward….”

Why am I quoting children’s movies to talk about spiritual things.  Well, because this is not just a spiritual truth.  It is a creational truth.  Keep Moving Forward.  Keep going.  Don’t stop.  These are words to live by and take to heart.  In life a lot of people have stopped and are not going anywhere.  They mill around like sheep in a pen with no direction, no guidance, no interest in going anywhere.  All they do is survive.  That’s no way to live…

Of all things, our walk with God has purpose.  There is a reason why we still live, why we are still here, why we haven’t gone on to glory.  And if there is a reason, a purpose, a point to our continued existence, then we must keep moving forward.

But it isn’t easy.  There is opposition.  It is easier to just stay home, not try, avoid rejection, mistakes and shame.  If the Devil cannot keep you from heaven, he will certainly try to keep you from being effective in your life ministry.  It is a battle after all.  So don’t be surprised.  Keep moving forward.

In fact, if you don’t keep moving forward, keep doing good, keep working for the kingdom of God, then that is also a statement.  Perhaps more a statement of unbelief than belief, but a statement nonetheless.  What do I mean?

The main reason that people stop moving forward is either because they are convinced that their work is ineffective or that they are unworthy.  To think that your work is ineffective is arrogant.  After all, what do you know about the results that God will work through your efforts.  Yes, you can try and improve your ministry but without the arrogance of final answers or ultimate results.  Progress not perfection is the name of the game.

But what about this idea that we are unworthy of continuing our ministry.  Most likely because of some sin or moral failure that we have committed.  Divorce.  An affair that became public.  Misuse of funds.  Personality conflicts with key personnel in your ministry.  Whatever it is, you are ashamed of yourself and cannot move forward.  Restoration is necessary.

The point is to get restored.  That is what it means to move forward.  Move forward in the path that God has set before you.  Perhaps you will no longer lead your ministry.  Perhaps you will need to start at zero again, do something different, go somewhere else.  But keep moving forward in faith and with the Lord.  Do not let sin, even your own, keep you from fulfilling your life ministry.  If you end up in jail, start a jail ministry.  If you end up on the street, start to minister to the street people.  Wherever you are, no matter what has happened, there is forgiveness and there is restoration, even if it looks different and feels strange.  Keep moving forward in your life ministry.

But there is a danger here as well. 

On the one hand, we have talked about the struggle, about surrender, about consecration and how the Holy Spirit helps us in our need.  We have talked about the importance of prayer and the context of grace.  But, on the other hand, the purpose of all of this is to restore us to the joy of our salvation and help us to become effective (maybe even more effective) in our life ministry again.  Without the end goal of restoration to effective ministry, we have missed the entire point of the exercise.

But here is where the danger lurks.  We want that restoration so badly that we are willing (and quite able) to skip the necessary steps for true restoration to happen.

Keep moving forward does NOT mean to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, to cover up the shame, to avoid dealing with the consequences of our sins.  Keep moving forward always means to take the path of the Way of the Cross without skipping a single step.  Restoration without resurrection power is useless and, in fact, may keep you from the very blessing and anointing power that was available to you to mark your restoration with even more effectiveness than ever before.  There is nothing more powerful than a sinner restored through the blood of the cross.  It is what the world deeply desires and needs.

But our tendency is to avoid the cross, to avoid the difficult introspection, the shame, the confession, the brokenness that the cross demands of us.  And that avoidance can be costly.

Our obedience is rooted in love but it must still be obedience.  The path before us is always the Way of the Cross.  The focus is on the relationship, most certainly, but it does not ignore the morality of our lives.  Morality is the symptom, the result, the fruit of our relationship with God.  Most certainly.  That is why we must take the time and make the effort to deal with the underlying relational issues whenever a problem in morality rears its ugly head.

As we obey, we will enter into struggle, no doubt.  As we struggle, God will uncover our idols of desire and our fortresses of fear and we will tear them down in the name and power of the Lord.  But it is a battle and sometimes we will fail, the temptation will take us by surprise, our faith will not be strong enough.  At that point, we must choose brokenness and surrender at the foot of the cross, embracing its shame and exchanging it for the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.  If we take that first step down the path in the Way of the Cross, it will lead us through a process of renewal and consecration that will make us even more effective as we return to our life ministry of obedience to God and struggle against sin.

Obviously, confession and repentance are key elements in the process and forgiveness and reconciliation the result.  This is always true between us and God and also true in terms of forgiving ourselves.  But what about other people….

This is where it gets difficult.  What do you do about other people who may or may not see things the same way?  What if they don’t agree or don’t even know about the Way of the Cross or the process of restoration?  What if they don’t understand that following means struggle and struggle means failure at times and failure needs to be surrendered and a renewed consecration be accepted?

Loving Obedience, Struggle in Faith, Surrender, Brokenness and Consecration are the natural spiritual steps in an ongoing virtuous circle of spiritual maturity.  In fact, if you ignore or deny any of these steps, your spiritual maturity is impossible for their is no spiritual maturity without the cross and learning to stay and walk in the Way of the Cross is the entire point of our Christian walk.

But what if your Board doesn’t see it that way?  They are ashamed of the problems of their pastor, their worship leader, their fellow board member.  They are confused about what to do about it and look to denominational guides and political handbooks instead of trying to understand the Way of the Cross.  I get it.  It has happened to me.

Jesus gave his disciples a simple parable that answers this question very well.  He tells his disciples that they should build their houses on the rock and not on sand (Matthew 7:24-27 NIV).  You do that by obeying his word.  Quite simple, really.  After all, Jesus didn’t say “if” the rains and floods come, he said “when” they come, you will stand, you will survive, if you built your life on the rock.

Of course, the first application of this saying of Jesus is to our salvation and discipleship.  But there is a general truth here as well.  Preparation is key.  If you are not prepared spiritually for the storms that will come, then you will have problems.  If your Board, or your partner, or your family is not prepared for the storms, you will get into problems.

And don’t just think about yourself.  Think about them.  If they are not prepared to understand what spiritual maturity is, or if they are not prepared for spiritual battle and warfare, or moral failure or disagreements in the church, then it can knock them off the path of their own obedience as well.   And that’s not good.

So, your job is to prepare your team, your Board, your family.  Your job is to teach them the Way of the Cross.  Train them in the priority of relationship over morality without excusing sin but learning to deal with it in a certain way, through confession, repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Teach them that loving obedience always brings the struggle of faith and that in that struggle there are sometimes (many times) failures and problems as our idols and fortresses are uncovered and we are sometimes reluctant, sometimes even outright defiant in trying to maintain them because we need them, we want them, we would be lost without them.

It is a process of progressive sanctification.  The quality of our fight is what matters.  It is faith in the promises and truths of Romans 8 in the context of the struggle of Romans 7 that matters.  It is a rocky road on the way to spiritual maturity and many are those who do not find it.

But the solution is not rejection and fear but surrender and renewed consecration.  The goal is restoration.  The power is in the resurrection of our Lord and what that means for us today in terms of forgiveness and reconciliation.

But if we don’t train our team, our family, our church in these truths how will they learn spiritual maturity or deal with the storms when they come.  It isn’t just about us.

That doesn’t mean that we will keep our leadership position if we are in a particularly bad place in our spiritual progress.  Without condemnation, it may still be necessary to step down for a bit (or for good) but with restoration still the goal and faith that our life ministry may become even more powerful in the context of that restoration, and with faith that God has something different, better, more effective for us to do.

The point is to keep moving forward……with God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the truth that He keeps us in the palm of His hand, that our salvation is assured, that our job is to walk in the Way of the Cross and prioritize the relationship we have with Him.

Don’t let sin keep you from your purpose.  But also don’t let your purpose keep you from dealing with your sin.  Neither your sin nor your purpose is anything without your relationship with God.  Walking in the Spirit is our normal, mature place to be but even grieving the Spirit is relational.  We are still in the Spirit.  That makes everything spiritual.  Even our sin is a spiritual issue.  Our sin does not destroy the relationship but the joy of the relationship must be restored, otherwise what’s the point?

Spiritual maturity has to do with your ability to stay right there in that sweet spot at the foot of the cross.  Dealing with sin.  Confession and Repentance.  In the context of Grace.  Forgiveness and Reconciliation.  So that you can have even greater effectiveness in your Life Ministry.  Surrender and Consecration which is Spiritual Maturity.

It’s about the relationship, stupid.  It’s not about the sin.  The sin is a symptom of the relationship.  Sin has been dealt with at the cross.  Our job is to prioritize the relationship and deal with our sin through the cross.  The ability to do that consistently is spiritual maturity.  Spiritual maturity (which is relational) is the foundation and power-source for a life of morality and obedience in fulfilling our purpose and life ministry.

The Desert Warrior

Let’s talk to God…..

Lord, my sin sometimes overwhelms me.  Some of it is private enough to deal with quietly between you and me but other things are more public.  I’m scared of the fact that so few other people really understand any of this and I don’t want to be condemned out of hand.  But then I remember that you, too, were rejected by your own people, abandoned by your own disciples.  And you call me to share your suffering for the sake of the gospel so that I can also share your glory, your character, your spiritual maturity.  It takes faith and it is hard.  Of course.  Why am I surprised.  Like you, I have to choose to please God and follow Him no matter how those around me react or whether they even understand what I am going through.  Thank you that you will never leave me.  I want to stay in your love always.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

 

Seeking Jerusalem – Day 34 “Spiritual Time Out”

13 Sunday Oct 2019

Posted by Bert Amsing in 4. The Way of the Cross, Seeking Jerusalem

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Confession, forgiveness, reconciliation, repentance

THE WAY OF THE CROSSThe Way of the Cross – Lenten Season 2018

“We are fools for Christ……We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored.  To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.  We work hard with our own hands.  When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.  Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world…..therefore, I urge you to imitate me.” (I Corinthians 4:10-13, 16 NIV).

Spiritual Time Out

Ok, let’s take a deep breath and stop for a moment.  That’s a lot to take in.  We need a spiritual time out.  Relax.  Let’s think about this for a moment…

There is nothing that can scare us more than the prospect of admitting our deepest sins and taking the risk of being rejected, shamed or (perhaps worse of all) ignored.

But God makes it clear that He wants us to confess our sins to one another (and to Him) no matter what the risk.  That confession is the first step in the Way of the Cross.  Without confession there is no need for repentance.  Forgiveness becomes a mere formality and true reconciliation, an undefined longing in the night for something that eludes our grasp.  Anointing?  Transforming power?  Forget it.

Without confession (and repentance), forgiveness and reconciliation lose their power.  The cross has been side-stepped, good intentions and a positive attitude are good enough to keep the peace.  Sigh.

Sometimes the problem is simply that people don’t know what they are missing, they have a sense that things were different in the primitive church, that signs and wonders and transformative power were common in the church of that age when being a Christian meant that you were putting your life in danger and so you took it more seriously and transformative power was essential.

They needed it, they wanted it, they sought it, they cried out to God for it, they searched the scriptures for it.  Perhaps the anointing is only for those who want it, who need it, as much as they need food and water, as much as they need to breathe.

We don’t know what we’re missing but maybe we are a bit scared of that power as well.  It is dangerous after all.  Confession always is.  But without it, repentance has no power to transform.  Without it, forgiveness is weak and insipid.  Without it, there is no true reconciliation.  Therefore there is no anointing, no power from on high, and the church remains undistinguishable from the world because, after all, they are worldly.  They have the form of religion but deny its power.

But for those who still long for the glory of God to reveal itself in the lives of His people, those who believe with all their hearts that there is something more, something supernatural, something transformative about this new relationship with God based on the cross and empowered by the Holy Spirit, for them, and only for them, God reveals His path, His Way of the Cross.

Paul said that he preaches only about Christ and him crucified.  Is this what he meant?  The Way of the Cross.  Confession.  Repentance. Forgiveness and Reconciliation.  Each step an act of faith.  Each moment filled with danger and expectation of God’s intervention, the work of the Holy Spirit released in power in the lives of those who have the courage to follow Him into the darkness carrying the light of the good news.  Practical.  Real.  Dangerous.  Glorious.

But let’s make each step clear so that we can take them boldly, and begin our training in the Way of the Cross by taking the first step out of the boat with faith and confidence that this is the path that pleases God, that creates men and women of faith who now have the power of their testimony, their transformation, to be used in the rescue of their children, their family, their friends, their fellow church members out of the darkness and into the light.  Healing will follow.  Healing for relationships.  Healing of body and soul.  Healing with signs and wonders following.

When you discover that you are not right with someone, you must act promptly and sincerely to rectify the situation and regain spiritual unity.  You must care enough to do something about it.  That is the first step.

But more needs to be said.  What does it mean to be out of spiritual unity with someone?  Jesus said that if you have something against someone, or they have something against you, take steps to reconcile.  If it doesn’t work one on one, then get the spiritual leaders of the church involved.  Do whatever you have to do to solve the problem and restore the relationship, really and truly and sincerely, not just as a job to get done, but with sincerity of heart.

And here is where the problem is.  We are accustomed to disunity in the body of Christ.  Nobody says that we have to know everybody in the church or that everybody has to be our best friends.  Not practical.  But those we do have a relationship with, we are responsible for the condition of that relationship.

We are far too comfortable with the status quo, with the disunity that is so common in the church.  The puritan pastors would make someone their best friend if they had a problem with them or they with the pastor.  If the relationship was broken in any way, they would go to any lengths to find a solution, no matter how long it took or how often they had to repent, apologize, explain, talk, cry, ask for forgiveness, give grace, ask for grace.

What they did NOT do is ignore it, accept it, or simply justify it by saying that they did their best to reconcile on their part and the rest was up to the other.  Bullshit.  Yes, there is no other word that is more appropriate to that kind of ungodly thinking.  God expects us to fight for our relationships, for healing, for forgiveness.  He was willing to die to make it possible, we should at least be willing to keep trying, keep arguing, keep talking, keep expecting, keep fighting to make it happen.

But if you insist on reconciliation, if you raise your voice, if you fight to keep it front and centre and are unwilling to give up or give in until it is accomplished, aren’t you the one in the wrong?

One pastor even claimed that I was NOT a peacemaker because I continue to bring the same things up over and over again when it was already forgiven (but not reconciled).  I replied that the peace that Jesus brings is not like the peace that the world wants or expects.  It is a peace based on the cross and is accomplished only through the Way of the Cross.  He didn’t like that answer.

There was something wrong with my insistence that confession and repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation are essential and mandatory and important and the lifeblood of our ministry.  Especially among the leaders.  Without it, there is no anointing and without the anointing…..well, let’s just say that God isn’t pleased.

I would rather make mistakes, screw up and do it all wrong, but TRY to please God than just stay in my comfortable safe zone of pretending to be a real Christian.

If you cannot pray with someone with an open and sincere heart and work together for the spreading of the gospel and the establishment of the kingdom of God in the lives of people using your spiritual gifts in the context of the spiritual fruit that God is growing in your life, then you do NOT have spiritual unity.

If you are NOT right with someone, or someone is NOT right with you, will you do everything in your power to restore that relationship?  Or will you ignore it?

The second step is to be willing to take a spiritual time out and spend some time with God before talking to the person one on one.  If the first step is to be aware and open to the possibility that there is a problem, a lack of unity, that must be rectified, the second step is to talk to God about it.  And do that first.

In our last post, we talked about brokenness and the power of God that is released when we are willing to truly and sincerely ask God to reveal to us whatever sin we may have committed in that relationship.  After all, we aren’t surprised, are we, that we may have sinned?  Something happened.  The person has something against us after all.  Maybe they are wrong.  Maybe they are right.

How will you know unless you talk to God about it and search the scriptures (and your heart) and talk to other spiritual leaders to whom you are accountable.

This is a key point.  The Holy Spirit will convict you of your guilt but the Word of God will tell you whether or not something is a sin from God’s point of view.  We have to be willing to search our hearts and search the scriptures.  The heart is deceitful above all things, the Bible says.  Spiritual blindness still affects those who are in Christ.  Humility and grace will be necessary.

The third step is to go and talk with that person.  It is the first talk not the last.  You need to find out what the problem is from their point of view.  Listen carefully.  Take notes if you have to.  Don’t be in a hurry to get to forgiveness before you go through the cleansing step of confession and the committment of repentance as an act of reconciliation.

On the other hand (see below), God may provide you a short cut to forgiveness, so take it and then circle back to confession and repentance later.  But don’t be so foolish as to think you can skip that step.  It is essential for your relationships and also for your ministry of reconciliation and establishing a culture of grace in the church.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  The point here is to take your time.  This isn’t a one time conversation.  This is a relationship.  Get to know this person.  Make them your friend.  Find out what makes them tick.  The more difficult they are, the more work (and prayer) you will need to do.  But there is a reason why they are the way they are.  Find out what it is.  This is a time of ministry.

Three things that I want you to keep in mind. 

First, the church is watching.  How you deal with the most difficult in the church will reflect on how the rest of the church believes you will deal with them.  This is your chance to create a culture of grace rather than a culture of shame.  We will talk about that in the next post.

Second,  it’s about the relationship, stupid.  It isn’t about what happened.  It isn’t about what he said or she said.  It’s about what it means for the relationship.  It’s about that sinking feeling that what someone said means that they don’t actually care for you.  It’s about that terrible surprise that someone doesn’t actually like you, that they are only putting up with you, that they agree with those who are bad-mouthing you, that you are unimportant, or even worse, never were important to them.  It’s about love.  It’s about feeling the shame of realizing that you care what they think and that you just discovered (through whatever action or words that were spoken) that they think less of you then you do of them, or worse, that they don’t think about you at all.  That you are nothing to them.  It’s always about the relationship.

So, even in the first meeting with the person, make it clear that you value them and your relationship with them.  That you want to understand exactly what the problem is and that you will do everything you can to make it right, whatever it takes.  You cannot confess something you did not do, nor can you repent of something that you don’t believe is a sin before God.  They will respect that, but you must also make it clear that we are all blind to our own faults and that good intentions are not enough.  Tell them that you want to spend some serious time in prayer asking God to reveal the truth to you so that you CAN confess and repent of whatever it is that God reveals to you.

But, and this is the most important part, regardless of whether you come to an agreement on what was said or what was done or what was meant or interpreted by any action, you MUST make it clear that you value them and your relationship with them and that you will confess and repent of any and all things that you can even remotely think of.  That will go a long way towards reconciliation and may even solve the problem then and there.  God may provide a shortcut to forgiveness at that point, so take it.

But that doesn’t mean that you are off the hook.  The opportunity to heal the relationship because of your declaration of love for this person does NOT let you off the hook.  The job is only half done.

First, the church is watching.  Second, it’s about the relationship, stupid.  Third, you can’t forget about confession and repentance.  It doesn’t work that way.  That’s the third and most important thing that needs to be said. 

Even if you hug and give forgiveness and grace to each other, still make a committment to pray and seek God in terms of confession and repentance.  And set a time to get together to continue your discussion and sharing your heart.

God went to all this trouble to bring something to your attention and now you just ignore the process.  Not wise.  This is an opportunity to dig deep and discover some things for you to work on.  And you can invite the other person to do the same thing. 

Did you hear that last thing I said?  You can invite the other person to do the same thing.  In the context of grace.  In the context of forgiveness.  You both can go to the cross and seek an understanding of your sins (yours and his/hers) so that you can confess and repent, so that you can protect your relationship in Christ and the relationships you have with the rest of the church (and that the person sitting in front of you has with the rest of the church).

Do you see it?  DO YOU SEE IT? It’s so beautiful, so glorious! This is what matters!

You just turned a problem into an opportunity to do ministry.  You are creating a culture of grace and demonstrating the power of God to heal relationships.  Now the anointing can come.  Now lives are transformed.  Now the cross has the power to heal relationships.  This is what it is all about.

Every broken relationship.  Every relational problem in the church.  Every time there is a person with a beef, a parishioner with a chip on his shoulder, or needing to lash out at the leadership (who is the most visible and vulnerable), you have an opportunity to engage in the ministry of reconciliation.

If you make it important, if you follow the steps, if you understand the dynamics, if you become a disciple of the cross, if you follow that path yourself, God will anoint your ministry with more power than you will know what to do with. 

That is what it is all about.  Confession is the gateway.  Brokeness is the context of confession.  Grace is the divine ingredient.  Love is the purpose and reconciliation is the result.  Repentance is the proof and forgiveness the bridge.

There is nothing more beautiful, nothing more exciting, nothing more transformative than the ministry of reconciliation but for it to happen, humility and grace, confession and repentance must be your constant companions, whether you are the accuser or the accused, the sinner or the saint (and we are always both), or in the right or not.  What does it matter?

It’s about the ministry of reconciliation and what you are willing to do to get there.  How important is it to you?  That is the question.  It is everything to God.  He died to make it happen.  All of the power of heaven is available to make it happen.  It is the one prayer that is always sure to get God’s attention.  But it all begins with an attitude, an awareness, a way of seeing relationships (as God sees them), broken and insipid and weak when, in the power of the Holy Spirit, they should be strong, and beautiful and powerful.

This is the way God is rescuing the world one relationship at a time.  Welcome to the family of God and the ministry of reconciliation.

The Desert Warrior

Let’s talk to God……

Lord, I have to admit that I have gotten lazy and I have not taken my broken and weak relationships seriously enough.  It is easier just to assume that I did my best and the rest is up to them.  I know that isn’t true.  You fight to the death for our spiritual unity.  I must do the same.  Teach me the ways of the ministry of reconciliation.  Teach me the humility and brokeness of confession so that I am always aware of the relationships around me.  Let me learn to be a champion of the cross and not be satisfied with anything less.  In your name I pray.  Amen.

 

DWM Newsletter Signup

Jesus was an Alien Special Offer

Angel

Recent Posts

  • The Holiness Project – Day 17 “Discipleship is Warfare”
  • The Holiness Project – Day 23 “The Parable of the Religious Deaf”
  • The Holiness Project – Day 22 “The Parable of the Religious Slave”
  • The Holiness Project – Day 13 “Life is Ministry”
  • The Holiness Project – Day 16 “Discipline is Essential”
  • The Holiness Project – Day 15 “Ambition is Expected”
  • The Holiness Project – Day 14 “Everything is Spiritual”
  • The Holiness Project – Day 12 “The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success (continued)…”
  • The Holiness Project – Day 11 “The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success”
  • The Holiness Project – Day 5 “Spiritual Effort”

Archives

Categories

Ransomed Heart Ministries

Become Good Soil

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 3,808 other followers

DWM on FACEBOOK

DWM on FACEBOOK

DWM on TWITTER

  • Forgetting Is No Small Problem wildatheart.org/daily-reading/… via @RansomedHeart Desert Warrior Ministries 1 hour ago
  • Matter of the Heart wildatheart.org/daily-reading/… via @RansomedHeart Desert Warrior Ministries 1 week ago
  • Through the Easy and the Hard wildatheart.org/daily-reading/… via @RansomedHeart Desert Warrior Ministries 1 week ago
  • Doubt Is Not a Virtue wildatheart.org/daily-reading/… via @RansomedHeart Desert Warrior Ministries 1 week ago
  • God Through All Creation wildatheart.org/daily-reading/… via @RansomedHeart Desert Warrior Ministries 2 weeks ago
Follow @desertwarriors

The Desert Warrior

Artwork by Astray-Engel.

All rights reserved by Artist. Used with permission. Click artwork for details of the Creative Commons License.

Copyright Notice

© 2012-2021 vanKregten Publishers and Desert Warrior Ministries. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to vanKregten Publishers, Desert Warrior Ministries and/or Bert A. Amsing with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Specific reprint permission will be granted upon request via email for inclusion in digital and print media.

Scripture Copyright

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2012-2021 by vanKregten Publishers and Desert Warrior Ministries. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Terms and Conditions

Privacy Policy

Spam Policy

Affiliate Disclaimer

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy