Forgotten God Ch. 5 (A Real Relationship)
Posted by Tyler Conrad | | Posted On Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 2:54 PM
Outreach Opportunities:
Christmas Family Sponsorship: Click on the ‘discussions’ tab at the top of the page for more information on this.
Food Distribution for people in need: 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month. Meets at 9:30am at Presbyterian Church (840 South 17th St, Lincoln).
Sonny Day Crafters: This group helps the elderly with craft projects on the 1st and 2nd Saturdays of the month. Dec. 4th, 10am-11am, Lancaster Manor. Dec. 11th, 2:30pm-3:30pm, Milder Manor. For more information, contact Phylis Vosta (326-3511).
This week we discussed the critical role that the Holy Spirit plays in our relationship with God. According to Francis Chan, “When it comes to a relationship with God, there is nothing worse than insecurity and nothing better than enjoying an ongoing intimacy and confidence in your relationship. Most believers understand that Christianity is about a relationship with God. But we don’t always recognize the Spirit’s critical role in that relationship.”
The Holy Spirit’s Role
Read Romans 8:12-17 and Galatians 4:1-7. The Holy Spirit is what testifies on our behalf that we are sons and daughters of God! The Spirit does not make us slaves that live in fear; rather it brings about our adoption into God’s family. The Spirit is what enables us to cry out ‘Abba, Father,’ which is the most intimate form of the word Dad (closely equivalent to ‘Daddy’ in our culture). Because of Jesus’ work on the cross and the Spirit that now dwells within us that testifies that we are children of God, we can approach God’s throne with confidence (Hebrews 4:14-16). This is an amazing truth- let it sink in!
Having a Relationship with God
1. Intimacy:
a. Francis shared a story of helping a girl deal with the death of her adoptive mother. He said she watched the girl as she grieved, and it struck him how much she just longed for her mother and wanted to be near her again. This adoptive mother had established such a close, intimate relationship with the daughter that went so far beyond simply providing the resources she needed to survive. This longing for someone we love is all around us, but have you thought about your relationship with God in this way? If a relationship/ marriage is healthy, you find the same thing. You look forward to spending time with that person and long for time to spend with them. Do you share that same kind of connection with God? Do you wake up each morning longing for time that you can spend time with God through prayer, reading His word, etc. or do you see those things as chores that you probably ‘should do’?
b. It always amazes me how people will tell me that they feel distant from God, but when I ask, ‘Are you reading His love letter to you (the Bible), and spending time with Him in some way (prayer, solitude, etc.)?’ they answer no without thinking twice. How can we expect to feel close to God if we never spend time with Him? James 4:8 tells us that if we come near to God, he will come near to us. Sometimes I think we get this turned around. We need to remember that God is stationary, and we are choosing to come close or move away from Him, rather than the other way around.
2. Unique:
a. In the video, Francis talked about how each one of the relationships with his children is different. He shows love to them in different ways, and he compared this to our relationship with God. We each find intimacy with God in different ways. For some people it is through music, for others it is painting, for others it is in silence, for others it is being with people, etc…find something that works for you and keep it a priority in your life. With all this said, it is hard (or impossible) to teach someone what it is going to look like to follow the Spirit, because it is so unique to each person.
Obstacles to Intimacy
1. Comfort:
a. As Francis states, “…many of us have made our lives so comfortable and safe that we don’t need to be comforted. Usually, it’s not until an unexpected tragedy strikes that we feel uncomfortable.” Have you experienced a time in your life where the Spirit absolutely had to come through for you, or else you were in big trouble? What do you feel in those moments? Does your level of intimacy increase? If you don’t have those moments on a regular basis, find ways to step out and be uncomfortable.
2. Noise
a. We live in a crazy busy world. Computers, text messaging, Facebook, etc…it never stops. Going back to what we talked about earlier, how can we expect to feel close to God if we do not spend time with Him? If we let our distractions completely take over our lives, we often have little time left to spend with God. How you find closeness to God is going to be largely dependent on your personality, but find something that works for you and keep it a constant in your life. For some of us, it is really hard to find down time. I want to remind you that spending time with God does not necessarily have to be you walking out into the mountains with a little cup of coffee and a blanket (it could be)…but it could also be prayer walking, painting, reaching out to others, going about your work in a constant state of prayer, etc. Jesus didn’t have texting or Facebook, but he did have plenty people following him around and asking him to do all sorts of things. It is interesting that Jesus often drew away from everyone to go pray (See Mark 1:35). Continually find ways to spend time with God, and only you and God and figure out what that looks like for you.
3. Feeling Unworthy/ Fear
a. Read Luke 15:11-32. The story of the Prodigal Son is a very powerful story and it is our story. The truth is that we are all unworthy, and there is nothing that we can do by ourselves that makes us right before God. The difference is how we deal with our feelings of unworthiness. When you fall into sin, do you huddle in a corner in shame and push God away because of your feelings of unworthiness, or do you draw close to God in those times, realizing that you are completely unworthy and completely dependent on God to help you fight in the midst of your broken state? Do you fight against God by pushing Him away or do you have a close, intimate relationship with Him where He helps you fight?
I encourage you to take some time to stop. Get rid of all your distractions- turn off your phone, computer, etc., and take time to spend with God. Here are some scripture passages to help you reflect on the truths that we talked about this week.
-John 14-16
-Galatians 3:13-14
-Hebrews 4:14-16
-Luke 12:11-12
-Matthew 28:19-20
-Luke 15:11-32
-Romans 8
-The Book of 1 John
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