Love intersecting Life...

"...we loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. "

1Thessolians 2:7-8

This may sound kind of weird coming from a pastor, but here it is... I finally understand now what Paul means by this verse. Over the past 4 months Debbie and I have had the amazing opportunity to share not only Christ with some friends of ours but our home, our family, our marriage, our very lives! We have seen this sweet couple not only embrace the grace of our God through Jesus Christ, but we've also gotten the chance to walk with them through this journey. We have shared intimate details of our marriage, revealed the missteps in our own past, as well as our own current spiritual struggles, and how sweet that journey has been. Bottom line- we shared our very own lives! All of it! The good, the bad, the ugly.

We didn't simply share a FAITH outline (nothing wrong with that) or pat them on the back after they prayed a "prayer" & tell them to go and attend a "New Believers' class so they could try and figure this whole Jesus thing out on their own. No, instead we invited them to know the Jesus we knew. We invited them into our very own lives. We invited them to come and watch what we do, to hear what we say, to see how we love, to follow our pattern of life in Christ. It meant many late nights, a ton of questions, and a lot of transparent & real dialogue. But isn't that the way Christ meant it to be though! The very presence & person of Christ intersecting people right where they are...His Love intersecting Life! Can I tell you that this couple has not only become a new brother and sister in Christ, but they have become a part of my family, a part of my marriage, they have become a part of our lives forever. Simply put they have "become dear to us."

The reason I share all this is because I feel a sense of responsibility now for their lives. I carry a constant burden for them. I feel drawn to them and extremely committed to making sure that the Christ in me is formed in them! I pray for them and share my life with them not because I'm a pastor but because I deeply care for them. I have a stake in their spiritual lives. What an amazing blessing! This couple has become so dear to me & Deb that we are committed just as Paul was in Galatians 4:19 "Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives." I so understand Paul's heart, passion and desire for the church now. I get now why Paul writes with such passion for the church. He cared so much for the church because he was heavily invested into people's lives. He had so much deep love for his brothers and sisters in Christ who were struggling spiritually, who were being persecuted for their faith, because he didn't want anything to cause them to drift away from a pure and simple devotion to Christ. Just as Paul felt personally responsible for the early believers he was entrusted, so should we! We should do whatever it takes, go to whatever length in our lives so that we might fan the flame of Christ in those God has entrusted to our lives!

It's amazing how different you live, and how deep you love when others faith are at stake in your life. And you see I get the sense that this is exactly how Christ meant it to be! Disciple-making was never meant to be a spectator event, a church growth formula to be put on paper, or a task reserved for the super-saints, but rather an up front, close and intimate experience between those who are connected to Christ and those who are far from God.

So here's my question for you. Where's that kind of relationship in your life right now? Whose life do you feel spiritually responsible for at the moment? And if you still don't have an answer, then what are you waiting for?


Not Ashamed...Bill