I recently had the honor and priviledge to co-facilitate a weds night Bible study. We were studying Romans 12 with Chip Ingram in a Bible study entitled. "Living on the Edge. Dare to experience true spirituality." Well, I love a dare! Especially one that will bring me closer in my relationship with The Lord and my brothers and sisters in Christ.
We started out as students in a classroom, seeking to grow spiritually. When Chip challenged us to begin to open up and come to grips with our authentic selves. To actually share out loud some of our struggles in our Christian walk, something "divine" began to happen in our group...
First, We got nervous! One person voiced what many of us were thinking. "Wait a minute I just wanted a nice Bible study, I didn't know we had to share our stuff!" We each struggled in our own way with the questions in our hearts... "Is this a safe place to share?" "What will they think of me?" "Does anyone else feel the way I do?"
Then, in week two, we were challenged with a surrender question..."Are You All In?" We talked about what complete surrender to Jesus would look like. We shared some of our biggest barriers to living a surrendered "All In" type of life. We dropped our church masks, took some risks, and for the rest of the study, "got real" with The Lord and each other. Sharing our stories, our trials, pain and triumphs.
Well, The Lord honored our willingness to be vulnerable with Him and with each other and has knit our hearts together in love...In 10 weeks we went from fellow classmates to a living, active, caring family. We prayed for each other, gave to those who were in need and are going to serve together at a shelter this week. Not because of works but because The love of Christ compells us and honestly, we enjoy being together!
This is "true spirituality" this is the church Christ desires. Nothing flashy, just a bunch of regular, non-perfect people who love Christ and made a decision to trust Him and live authentically. People who took a chance to say "I'm all in" and see what God would do.
He did not disappoint us!
Go on, I dare you....today, will YOU say to God, "I'M ALL IN"?
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in veiw of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. And do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world but BE TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your minds. Then you can test and approve what God's will is, His Good, Perfect and Pleasing will. Romans 12:1-2
Interested? go to LivingontheEdge.org for more info on this wonderful study of Romans 12.
