Showing Life in Him means growing some ears :-)

ONLY GOD CAN PRODUCE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

As we embrace Him, embrace the life that He longs to give us, we are showing forth Christ, what He has come to show us. We are like a reflection of His love, truth and mercy. We are simply showing that truly He is the way, He is the Truth, and He is the Life.

This is the most effective evangelism tool. This is the most effective way to teach someone that there is life in Jesus Christ. Embrace Him, live Life in Him, live loved in Him. Live free in Him.

God has always been interested in Life. Life to the broken hearted, Life to the desperate, life to the hopeless. This is what is on His heart. To bring Life. And He never changes. Life, and Life more abundantly. We should be careful not to lose this focus. To remember that what man often deems as important regarding religion, church growth, church ministry, programs, may not actually be what is simply on His heart for another. We simply can't get people motivated enough, we can't work hard enough in ministry to finally produce spiritual life in anyone at all. This should be very humbling and bring us to our knees. We are as dependant upon the Father to do it as Christ was. Life often comes out of a valley that is often called a shadow of death. It looks life death and feels like death ... hopelessness and desperation. Life is produced by Him because He is the author of Life. No one could make Life come out of despair but our Saviour. Which brings me to the subject of EARS.

I talked to a gal yesterday that went to a home fellowship, which was part of a larger group/denomination . She had been attending this home fellowship for a few weeks, so at this point, she decided to open up, to share some real struggles she was having. She took the chance to be vulnerable. But before she could even barely get started to share her hurt, ( let alone finish and really have the opportunity to hopefully convey her brokeness,) she was abruptly halted, interrupted, and given a lengthy sermon on the need to "have more faith" and to "repent for her unbelief".

They were not there it seems for any real (life giving) purpose such as to truly listen, to help carry her burden, to encourage her, or maybe even get a sense of how they might respond. To clarify, by listening I actually mean being quiet long enough to let someone else speak, without the need to formulate your religious answer. You know using your ears rather than your mouth for a while :-). When we use our ears more than our mouth maybe we discover that it's not about being right and appearing to have all the answers. Certainly using the ears will help us not interrupt while a hurting person is yet talking and trying to share something that is incredibly painful. It seems in their arrogance they felt that they had every right not only to cut her off - but worse yet, .. no need to actually even listen and let her speak. They needed instead to act like some sort of scavenger by seizing the opportunity to make themselves look all wise and spiritual.  How would they do this? By instructing her on her faults.

Is this the way Christ responds to the broken, hurting, down and out ? Is this the way He responds to us in our deepest pains and hurts? Perhaps if they had been able to see that it is not about us, but about others, then just maybe, they could simply covey some compassion. You know, be quiet and listen. Have some ears!! But no, rather than listen, they have to quickly and professionally come up with the right answer, like a popup on your computer, and then to deliver it back, you know, forcefully, with a blow.

We don't need to act like this. We need instead to be rivers of Life. Flowing = listening = waiting = gentleness. We are waiting on Him to clarify, to understand, to convey, to heal. The sad thing is that in that process they ended up wounding her more out of their need to look and act spiritual. They attacked her faith in her moment of weakness and vulnerablity.

I have also had recent conversations with religious people who telephone me, not to be a river gently flowing with life, offering life. But instead to lash out, hammer, and to loudly proclaim how many study guides and Bible passages and prayer meetings they are so involved in. To proclaim their "spiritual" growth. I could be wrong but I would think that if the 'spiritual' growth is there as they suggest, another will sense it and embrace it, you know, with life and joy to the Father.  His fragrance is unmistakeable!   We certainly don't need to tell someone it's there and be all loud and overbearing about it. Goodness!   Rest assured, if it's there, others will sense it. Or smell it.    People can be so insecure and wound others deeply in all that and so misrepresent Christ.   It's not the false prophets to worry about,  I think it's these unruly zealots who instead have a great need to come back to Him, and to learn from Him who is meek and lowly.  Anyhow as I hung up the phone finally, I took a breath and in all honestly, felt such a relief.  I couldn't help but whisper a prayer in deep anguish, "Father, do they even know you?"

Anyhow, there was no chance for two words by myself in this one-way conversation. In fact, in order to even try to speak two words, I had to interrupt her. She was not interested in life. She was only interested in her own pursuit of righteousness. And in proclaiming that by the worst method out there - by forcefully silencing the listener. It's almost hard to believe, but this really happened. It seems to be all about their holiness. No ears necessary. Message was: shut up and LISTEN to me. What I have to say is so much more important and spiritual than a single word that could possibly be spoken from you. You are not as spiritual as me and I am hear to show you what being righteous is all about and what spiritual life looks and sounds like. How sad to be under such a deception and to forget Christ , forget how lovely He is in all His people.

This disturbed me and makes me want to change my phone number even, (kidding) but honestly, it only makes me want Him even more. I want life for the sheep that are being battered and confused and wounded even deeper by these behaviours. I want some ears in His Body too. I want Him to arise and shed Life in all of us and show us truly what it means to know the Way to the Father. To be gathered unto Him. That we are in Him and He is in us. That He has already made a way, for all of us. We don't need to prove ourselves, prove who God is (like man could do that) He has shown us that truly there is no way to the Father, except by Him. Let's enter in. Let's grow some ears too!