Until We’re Fully Known

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

In relationships the failure to communicate can be extremely frustrating. But, the failure to commune leads us to despair.

Communication is usually about sharing information; at its most basic level, the transmitting and receiving of meanings.

Communion, however, is about sharing life. It’s about knowing and being known, caring and being cared for on a deep and personal basis.

Perhaps the most pressing need each of us has is to know that we are fully known and, yet, still deeply loved. That, despite our failures and weakness, regardless of our successes and strengths, we are still unconditionally loved.

Some of our families did a fairly good job of this while others failed miserably.

But God, the Father, is perfect in his love, and we are already fully known by him. He created us with a desire for that “fully known” love and so he draws us to himself, where we are face-to-face with him, where one day we will know fully even as we are now fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).

And our objective-in-Jesus is to carry this fully known love into our relationships, modeling for others a Christ-like communion that that emerges in a place where it is safe to be fully known and still be loved.

Discover how God can work through the worst of circumstances in Jon Walker’s new book, “Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.” Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story, this book shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall.

A Leader Who Serves or a Servant Who Leads

“But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32 NIV)

When Jesus tells Peter he’s prayed for him, he explains this specific prayer was because “Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat” (Luke 22:31 NIV).

Now, to me, it begs the question: Lord, did you have to say “yes”?

There may be days when you wonder if God is letting Satan sift you. But, if that is true, we can choose to believe God is still in control and that his presence inside us is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

A sifting brings glory to God, such as when Job still praised his maker, even when everything seemed lost and even his wife was telling him to give up on God.

A sifting also probes your weaknesses, revealing where you’re still thinking, “I can.” A good swift sift will push you to “I can’t, but God can.”

In allowing you to be sifted, God is scraping away all the distraction and things that might hinder you from fulfilling your purpose.

The way that Jesus tells Peter about the sifting has always held a special meaning to me. Jesus didn’t just say, “Get ready for a whirlwind of hurt! I know you’re going to let me down.”

Instead, Jesus points to the future: Peter would survive the sifting. He would return humbled, but stronger, with the purpose of strengthening his brothers. In a sense, “When you turn back from your turning back, you’ll be a servant who leads.”

Thoughts:

What is the difference between a leader who serves and a servant who leads?
Discover how God can work through the worst of circumstances in Jon Walker’s new book, “Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.” Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story, this book shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall.

Truth: Sailing on God’s Spirit-Wind

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

In faith, I know this to be true:

God wants me to succeed in my walk of faith.

He shaped me exactly how I need to be in order to succeed at my purpose in life, and he’s placed the Holy Spirit within me to guarantee I succeed.

His power works within me to do immeasurably more than I can ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20 NIV). He planned me to succeed at my purpose, created me to succeed at my purpose, and is now going before and coming behind me as I fulfill my purpose (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:5).

In my frustration, I may see his plans as evil, but they’re actually plans full of “hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). He is not a thief come to “steal and kill and destroy”; he’s come to give me life, a life full and complete and with purpose (John 10:10 NIV). His plan is to “make my joy complete” (1 John 1:4 NIV); his joy within me coming full cycle, completing the connection between me and him.

God enlightens the eyes of my heart so that I can see the hope to which he’s called me, “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18 NIV).

In God’s grace, I can open my faith sails, and he will blow me to his destination through his mighty Spirit-wind.

Discover how God can work through the worst of circumstances in Jon Walker’s new book, “Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.” Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story, this book shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall.

Truth: My God Since Birth

From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Psalm 22:10 (NIV)

In faith, I know this to be true:

God spoke me into my mother’s womb, and he has anointed me to teach his ways to others.

Before I was formed in the womb God knew (Jeremiah 1:5). He “created my inmost being; [he] knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13 NIV).

From my birth, while I was still in the womb, I cast myself into God’s loving hands. He has been my God since I was in my mother’s womb (Psalm 22:10). From birth I have relied on him; he brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise him, My God and Heavenly Father (Psalm 71:6 NIV).

My objective-in-Jesus is to live a life shaped by God, not by my feelings or thoughts, or one shaped by peer pressure. I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10 NIV).

I will trust in the Lord with all my heart; I will lean not on my own understanding; in all my ways I will acknowledge you, Lord, knowing, since I was in my mother’s womb, you have straightened the oath for me (Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV).

Discover how God can work through the worst of circumstances in Jon Walker’s new book, “Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.” Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story, this book shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall.

You Are Unique — Believe it!

“My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24 NIV)

You’re the only person in the world who can live your life. No one else can live your life for you, and no one else is in competition with you to complete the task Jesus gave you.

Take a deep breath, and rest in the truth that God created you with such a unique mix of spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences that only you can be you. No one else can duplicate you, and you cannot, should not, imitate another. You are an original masterpiece from the Master’s hand.

Your uniqueness means you’re the only one who can fulfill the mission that God assigned for you to complete.

God’s graduate assistant, Paul, says, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24 NIV).

We shouldn’t waste a precious minute of life doing things that don’t matter if that means the most important thing we can do is left undone.

It’s never too late to start faithfully pursuing the mission God has set before you — the one he designed you to complete.

You may think you don’t have skills God can use, but the truth is, God designed you with the very skills he needs in you to do what he asks of you. You are uniquely, wonderfully, and fearfully made.

Thoughts -

Everything God has done for you, including redeeming you from your sinful failures, will support your success and bring glory to God. Think back on your life. In what specific ways has God been preparing you to accomplish his goal for your life?

How would you live differently if you truly believed God created you for a unique mission, one that only you can accomplish?

Discover how God can work through the worst of circumstances in Jon Walker’s new book, “Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.” Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story, this book shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall.

Jesus Never Looked Down on Others

“Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.” (1 Corinthians 1:26 NIV)

Jesus never looked down on others, and that gave him the ability to see them as people. They weren’t users, consumers, or customers. They were people in need of a relationship with him, not a dos-and-don’ts religion.

Once we understand our identity in Christ, we will begin to see people in a similar way. We will see that they are eternal beings, created in the image of God. We will no longer use their circumstances or sins to define who they are; we will see who they are through the eyes of Jesus.

This perspective, so different from our natural tendencies, brought out the best in the people Jesus met. He saw their true value, and, as a result, they came to know their true value.

Consider:

• Jesus saw a woman who would sin no more when others saw a woman caught in adultery.
• Jesus saw a man who was able to see when others saw a blind man.
• Jesus saw a man picking up his mat to walk when others saw a cripple.
• Jesus saw a huge yet hurting heart when others saw a wee little man named Zacchaeus.
• Jesus saw an articulate disciple when others saw a tax collector named Matthew.
• Jesus saw a woman of willing sacrifice when others saw wasted perfume.
• Jesus saw a stable rock for building the Church when others saw an impulsive, impetuous disciple named Peter.
• Jesus saw men who did not know what they were doing when others saw evil men pounding nails into a cross.

Our objective is to stop seeing others from our limited perspective and to start seeing them in the way God sees them, encouraging the best of others, bringing them to the one who wants more than all the world what is best for them — Christ the Lord (Luke 2:8-10).

Thoughts -

Think of someone that you have looked down on. When God looks at you and this person, what similarities do you think he sees?

Try to spend one day seeing and hearing through the eyes and ears of Christ. How does it change the way you see others? How does it change the way you treat others?

Discover how God can work through the worst of circumstances in Jon Walker’s new book, “Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.” Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story, this book shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall.

Embrace Your Identity in Christ

“He has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Corinthians 1:22a NLT)

Your faith will grow stronger as you focus on your identity in Christ (Galatians 2).

What this means is that you abandon any image of yourself that is not from God. You stop accepting what others have said about you, how others have labeled you, and how others have defined you.

You start believing what God says about you, that he is pleased with how he created you, and that God defines you.

You’re not defined by your feelings. You’re not defined by the opinions of others or by your circumstances. You’re not defined by your successes or failures. You’re not defined by the car you drive, the money you make, or the house you say you own when the bank really does.

You are defined by God and God alone. He identifies you as his own (2 Corinthians 1:22).

The thing is, if you don’t know who you are, then you’re vulnerable to other people telling you who you are. But the concrete, solid, gospel truth is that you are who God says you are, and no one else has a vote in the matter.

This “identity issue” is an important part of living the abundant life. Jesus was able to face the incredible demands of his mission because he knew exactly who he was. He knew that he mattered to God, and that gave him confidence to move purposefully in faith.

You are now identified with Christ and have the power of the Holy Spirit within you. You are God’s precious child, and he created you in a way that pleases him.

Thought -

What does it mean to move forward “purposefully in faith”?

What is the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in your life?

Discover how God can work through the worst of circumstances in Jon Walker’s new book, “Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.” Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story, this book shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall.

Jesus Requires Total Abandonment

“When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:4 NIV)

We’ve taught people it’s OK to let Jesus have a significant place in their lives, a moderate place in their lives, or a compartmentalized place in their lives. We know discipleship involves growth, so people need to grow into “Jesus defines my life.”

But the growth isn’t happening among so many followers of Christ. Why, instead of the abundant life, do so many of us end up living lives of quiet desperation?

We go to church, we read the Bible, we pray, we try to be good people and serve other people. Yet, for many of us, Jesus isn’t central to our increasingly complex lives, where we’re over-stretched and now seem to be facing a tsunami of uncertainty in many areas that for so long have seemed relatively secure, such as our finances, our jobs, our homes — even our fundamental safety.

God never intended for Jesus to be an important part of our lives; he is our life. Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (NIV). If you try to find your life apart from Jesus, you will lose it; but if you lose your life in Jesus, then you will live an extraordinary life energized by the life of Christ within you.

Jesus will not tolerate wishy-washy disciples. Clearly, what we call radical obedience here on Earth is the obedience expected in the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, our lukewarm discipleship is actually radical disobedience.

Jesus has his eye on the endgame, and so he intends to break through every program, every ideal, and every form of legalism that keeps us from following him in total abandonment.

Thoughts -

In what ways have you allowed your life to be over-filled with things that keep you from growing in discipleship?

What radical steps do you need to take so that you can follow Christ in obedience?

Discover how God can work through the worst of circumstances in Jon Walker’s new book, “Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.” Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story, this book shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall.

Learn to Think Like the Father

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declares his followers citizens of the Kingdom, and then he outlines the shift we must make to Kingdom thinking:

“You are living in the far country, and I have come to bring you home to the Father. We have a difficult journey ahead of us, but I will be with you for every step, and as we journey, I want you to learn the ways of the Kingdom so you will be fully prepared as we enter the gates of Heaven.

It is critical that you learn to think like the Father, and that means you can no longer live with this delusion of self-righteousness. You have to stop thinking you can be good enough for God. Trust me, and I can guarantee you’ll make it through the narrow gate.

And if you choose to follow me, this is what it will be like:

Dependent

You’ve been told to think that you can bring your goodness to God, but I’ve come to teach you that in the Kingdom of Heaven, God brings his goodness to you.

Mourning

You’ve been told to think that your security is in your jobs and homes and retirement accounts, but I’ve come to teach you that the world is spinning into disaster. Get your head into the Kingdom of Heaven so you can see the world for what it is.

Meek

You’ve been told you must cling to your rights, but I’ve come to teach you to patiently endure, trusting with absolute certainty that our Father is looking out for you.

Just

You’ve been told to think you must demand justice now, but I’ve come to teach you that justice is part of my endgame. Justice will prevail in the Kingdom.

Merciful

You’ve been told to think that your reputation is more important than the people who need your help, but I’ve come to teach you to be a friend of sinners.

Pure

You’ve been told to think God is about a religion of image management, but I’m here to teach you to become absorbed in God, not our own intentions — even the purity of high intentions.

Peaceful

You’ve been told the way to peace is controlling your circumstances, but I’m here to tell you that you will only find peace in me. I am the Prince of Peace.

Righteous

You’ve been told that righteousness comes from your own efforts, but I’m here to teach you that righteousness comes from God.”

Thoughts –

I borrow this question from Dallas Willard, who asks it in his book, The Divine Conspiracy: Have you ever considered that Jesus is the smartest man in the world? Would the very fact that we follow conventional wisdom instead of the commands of Jesus indicate that we don’t believe he is?

Discover how God can work through the worst of circumstances in Jon Walker’s new book, “Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.” Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story, this book shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall.

The Cost of Discipleship

“Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!” (Matthew 5:10 TEV)

We are called to bear the sins of others, just as Jesus bore our sins. We bear the sins of others when we forgive them, regardless of what their sin costs us. We bear the sins of others when we’re willing to pick them up and carry them home, even if it means we will have to sacrifice for helping them.

Were the divine privileges Jesus gave up to bear the costs of your sins worth more than bringing you home to the Father? Of course not! Jesus knows you are worth every bit of his sacrifice.

We pay a cost when we help others find freedom in Christ. Bearing the sins of others, even when it means suffering and rejection, is one of the ways we become like Christ.

The truth is, as we follow Jesus down the narrow path, he will lovingly and ruthlessly place us on the anvil of his grace and then hammer us into the shape of Christ. Jesus became the Christ because he was rejected and suffered, and for us to become his disciples — to become like Christ — we must share in his suffering and rejection.

Thoughts -

How does the fear of rejection keep us from becoming more like Jesus?

Matthew 5:10 says, “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires” (TEV). What is your response to persecution?

Discover how God can work through the worst of circumstances in Jon Walker’s new book, “Breakfast with Bonhoeffer.” Gut-wrenching honesty, real world faith, not just another ‘feel good’ Christian story, this book shows how God works through the worst of circumstances, including disease, divorce, and financial downfall.