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"Once, there was a small group of kids who decided to go to a park in the middle of the city, and dance and play, laugh and twirl. As they played in the park, they thought that maybe another child would pass by and see them. Maybe that child would think it looked fun and even decide to join them. Then maybe another one would. Then maybe a businessman would hear them from his skyscraper. Maybe he would look out the window. Maybe he would see them playing and lay down his papers and come down. Maybe they could teach him to dance. Then maybe another businessman would walk by, a nostalgic man, and he would take off his tie and toss aside his briefcase and dance and play. Maybe the whole city would join the dance. Maybe even the world. Maybe... Regardless, they decided to enjoy the dance." Shane Claiborne, the Irresistible Revolution

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

I want to be 3D

I like to pray that God makes me open-minded enough that I can learn but steadfast and passionate enough that I don't flounder. I feel like this has really become a reality for me in the last year or so but there is still a problem...I am often one-dimensional. When I first became a Christian I went to a fairly charismatic church and experienced great outpourings of the Holy Spirit. We prayed passionately, expecting miracles, and experienced the gift of speaking in tongues. Unfortunately, this intense focus on signs and wonders left little room for teachings on the life and words of Jesus. More recently, I have very much become a "Red Letter Christian." I see that Jesus' words are often neglected in the church. We are rarely told to love our enemies in the radical context in which Jesus meant it and we frequently forget "the least of these" when planning church "ministries." With this realization, I devoured the Gospels, wanting to fully understand the lifestyle that Jesus expects me to live if I love Him.

I don't think there needs to be balance between the two extremes...I think we need to give both 100%. We simply cannot live the life Jesus speaks of if we are not filled with the Holy Spirit. The problem that I see with many charismatic churches is that being filled with the Holy Spirit somehow got manipulated into a self-focused experience. This is why we often see the prosperity gospel associated with those churches that believe in prophecy and tongues. On the other hand, many people I've been in contact with who desire to live out Jesus' words try to do it of their own effort. They never allow themselves to be filled up enough that they can adequately pour into others. Their actions are often out of obedience rather than transformation.

I don't want to be one-dimensional. I want to embrace the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit simultaneously...I want to be 3D. I desire to do the work of the Father on this earth by being filled with the Holy Spirit so that I am capable of modeling the life of Jesus.
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