Chris McAlister
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It’s Your Journey Not Theirs- pt2
Part 1 here
While thankful for the many voices that speak into our Christian experience…Christ is in you. Follow His leadership first.
One confusing point and overreaction for many is in regards to their purpose or mission.
The wisdom of the day encourages an emphasis on discerning where is God working in one’s external circumstances. Find where God is working around you and join Him there or something like that.
The problem is that this keeps the focus on the mission.
I can tell you where God is at work. Always. He is at work conforming you to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. He is always at work building your identity. The enemy is at work lobbing lies into your identity. This is the battleground. Look for the internal clues.
A secure identity will overflow to a clear and focused mission…just like it did for Jesus.
Focus your discernment and exploration on who God is building you to be. Then you’ll have clarity in the what you are to do.
Thoughts?
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Your Path
We all face pressure to be/do/believe/behave.
While there is only one pathway to the Father (Jesus) there are many pathways to Jesus.
Walk your path not somebody else’s path.
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It’s Your Journey Not Theirs- pt1
The most liberating and climactic truth for Christians is that Christ is in you…this is the hope of glory.
Thanks to the New Covenant you have the Spirit and can follow Christ’s leadership of you.
And I’m very thankful for all the accessible discipleship in our current culture. The numerous authors and leaders help us follow Jesus.
But it does create a potential pitfall…when I make their journey my journey. This series is dedicated to a few potential pitfalls:
The current voice of Christianity overemphasizes the need for community without addressing the equal need for individualism. (It’s both/and not either/or.)
The pendulum swings wide.
Authors/speakers/leaders will rightly emphasize the need for community in our lives. They will explain much of the teachings of Jesus can’t be lived without community. They will also rightly emphasize the flow of the Biblical story as a communal one. All of this is spot on. But if we under emphasize the need for individualist experiences we miss the thrust of Christ’s development and our own.
Jesus was alone in the wilderness. If you follow Christ and His leadership in your journey you will have times and periods of wilderness. And it will feel very lonely.
- The loneliness of these deserts will teach you to experience deep solitude with Christ.
- That deep solitude will refine your identity in Christ against temptations to build who you are around what you can do or have.
Your mission and relational communities will continue to shape and form your identity but the foundation is your experience with Christ.
The desert is a beautiful period of time that teaches you how to experience a secure identity in Christ. This secure identity equips you so you can participate with God to build healthy communities.
Thoughts?
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Attracting/Building Community
Stop searching for mission.
Stop grasping for community.
Experience a secure identity in Jesus through bringing Him your pain.
Over time an overflow of a clear mission will develop.
The clarity of your mission will attract community.
The loneliest, the most jealous, and the hurting are looking to belong. If you feel like you’re looking on the outside in of close relationships then pause. Bring your pain to Jesus. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Step out into the work you feel you are supposed to be doing. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.
Look around at who is doing the work with you. There is your community.
Comments?
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Trained To Feel
I’ve written before about how important your emotions are for your growth. Here’s a couple places.
I want you to think today about what your baseline emotional state might be.
It’s your default. Your standard. You return to this emotion like a favorite shirt even though the emotion may not be comforting.
You’ve been trained through painful experiences to have a negative baseline emotion. One more reason you need the Gospel of Jesus. His mission is for your freedom and restoration. You were designed for perfect care taking and nobody gets that. All it takes is one deeply impacting negative experience or small ones repeated over and over to give you a negative baseline.
My baseline feeling was shame. I say “was” because it is often still there but I’m learning to be aware of this and let Jesus rebuild me so joy can be my new baseline.
Your baseline emotion might be: shame, lack of worth, feeling dirty, feeling like you never measure up, feeling unlovable, feeling that you are a bother/nuisance to others, uselessness, feeling without support left to fend for yourself, feeling that you will be trapped in pain, feeling that you will be controlled by others, feeling disconnected from others.
You’re somewhere in that list.
Jesus wants to speak truth so you can feel, hear, and see the lies losing their power.
His life and story are about restoring the opposite of those lies. You need to hear Him say: You matter. I won’t abandon you. You are clean. You are loved forever. You are worthy. You will be taken care of. I will protect you. And on and on we could go.
He’ll spend eternity showing us His kindness (Ephesians 2) but He’d like to start now.
What is your baseline emotion? Invite Jesus into it.
Thoughts?
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Overflowing Mission
As you follow Jesus you will overflow His mission through you.
And your mission might look differently than mine.
Follow Jesus first in bringing Him your pain, fears, and vulnerabilities.
Most Christians seem to skip following Jesus in their personal transformation and try to jump into living with mission and purpose.
God will refine your identity in the desert of life. Your pains will provide direction for your mission.
If you skip your transformation then your search for mission will have a frantic feel.
Jesus promised His life would overflow through us in John 7. Stop searching for what you’re supposed to do. Ask Jesus to meet you where you are in your brokenness and hurt.
Thoughts?
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Why We Experience Disillusionment
Disillusionment occurs when we build our identity around anything that can be gained or lost.
Our core gets rocked and we can’t withstand the pressure.
If we build our identity around the only reality that can’t be shaken then we can live with the freedom, passion, and clarity of Jesus. Transformation awaits.
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Following Jesus
Following Jesus
isn’t…
- moralism
- conforming to set behaviors to be accepted
- hyping yourself to believe
- reading your Bible (this can help or it can entrench legalism)
- going to church
- forcing your belief on someone else
- being “more” disciplined
is…
hearing the still/small voice of Christ and responding.
It may include some of the above list but it doesn’t have to.
Your path with Christ is your path. There is only one path to the Father and that’s Jesus. But there are many pathways to Jesus.
Any you’d add to the list of “isn’t”?
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Faith, Doubts, And Being Right (bonus version)
Not only do we have doubts in relating to Christ: pt 1
and we have doubts that suffocate our mission in the world: pt 2
but we have doubts about how we relate to others: pt 3
Bonus version:
When through Christ you’ve made peace with the chaos and uncertainty of your life then you can make space for the doubts/fears/uncertainty of others.
This applies to parenting (parenting with a secure identity), pastoring, and leading in general.
In the college classes I teach I see this at work also.
Apply these to those around you:
1. Give them freedom to search out all issues but have different conclusions on non-essentials: 6 day literal creation vs. evolutionary process started by God, men and women in ministry, is salvation about God’s glory or our transformation, etc.
2. Don’t force behavior that is not in their heart and attached to performance. Don’t force church attendance on your kids. Please don’t make them read the Bible as a punishment.
3. Don’t feel pressure to give answers for deep evil. Death of loved ones and divorce are the top 2 reasons I’ve seen that students abandon a faith in Christ. Often that is precipitated by a church leader feeling pressure to give an answer for their tragedy. But please do take them to Christ. Walk them through Psalm 23.
Create the same space for others you would want for yourself.
Comments?
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Faith, Doubts, And Being Right- pt3
Not only do we have doubts in relating to Christ: pt 1
and we have doubts that suffocate our mission in the world: pt 2
but we have doubts about how we relate to others.
Want to know how to recognize when you’re unsure of how to move forward in a relationship? When you attempt to power up and control.
This applies to parenting. This applies to how you treat the sales clerk. This applies to how your boss goes off in a meeting. (Picture a 2 year old boy or girl…never mind
I’ll save that for a retreat).Things are not in your control. Control is an illusion. But when you feel that lack of control what is your default? Mine used to be that I would take over when things felt chaotic. What a way to kill relationships.
I am not over-bearing, heavy-handed, or anxious. My defaults aren’t powering up or lecturing. My defaults are attentive and relaxed.When things feel out of control…- Pause.
- Ask Christ to show you what you’re afraid of.
- Ask Him for comfort.
- Proceed attentive and relaxed.
You can be centered and focused through Christ when everything feels out of control.Comments?
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