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The Dwelling Place

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22 ESV)

Although many of us have accepted Christ in our hearts, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we dwell with Him daily. Often, we don’t know how to host, stay, or abide with God.

Do you feel like you’ve let God in, but it doesn’t feel like He has stayed “in”?

Do you love God, but you’re not sure how to keep Him there?

“It’s one thing for God to visit and enter, but it’s a whole different thing to have Him dwell in us,” Pastor Bryan says.

In Genesis, God creates the first dwelling place and places Adam and Eve in the garden where He communes with them.

God never had a problem creating a space or placing us in a space where we can meet Him.

The problem, rather, is us.

The problem is whether we want to maintain our relationship and dwell with God.

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?'” (Genesis 3:8-9 NIV)

God doesn’t want to just come to visit you. God wants to make us His dwelling place.

So how do we dwell with God deeply? How do we let God in daily?

In order to dwell with God, we must be willing to go the distance and go a little deeper, each and every day of your life.

How do we do that?

We give Him access and authority, and we abide with Him.

“One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” (Luke 5:1-11 NIV)

Having God dwell in you requires that you give Him access.

“He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.”

You have to let Jesus into your “boat.”

Your boat is your everyday life.

The mundane workings of your daily rhythms.

Your job.

Your schedule.

Your relationships.

You have to let Jesus into those areas of your life.

“Encounters happen at a bush, but Dwelling happens in a boat.”

— Pastor Bryan H. Kim

Having God dwell in us, requires us to give Him authority.

“… he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’”

What Simon is saying to Jesus is: We’ve worked hard all night, like we’re supposed to, but haven’t caught anything. We are disappointed and feel tired from failure. Can’t you see that we are cleaning our empty nets?

What do empty nets look like in our lives?

“I don’t want to forgive again God, won’t it happen again?”

“I don’t want to pray again God, I don’t know why it’s not happening.”

“I don’t want to try again God, it’s too embarrassing, it’s too tiring.”

“I don’t want to love again God, it hurts too much.”

“I don’t want to fish again God, I’ll fail again.”

“I don’t want to try living for you again God, I’ll fail you.”

Often these are rooted in these fears (adapted from “The Wisdom of the Enneagram”):

1. What if I try and prove that something’s “wrong with me”?

2. What if I obey and this proves I am not valuable, lovable?

3. What if I am exposed as unaccomplished, worthless?

4. What if this shows I’m not as unique as I hoped others to view me as?

5. What if I end up helpless and inadequate?

6. What if I’m left to myself again, without support or guidance?

7. What if I can’t handle the pain and the suffering that comes from this?

8. What if I’m harmed or controlled?

9. What if I lose what I love, those I love, and experience separation?

But having God dwell in you, your boat, your life, means to give Him authority, 
 even when it hurts, doesn’t make sense, or seems foolish.

It means saying: “But because You say so, I will…”

It means trusting in His authority. His word.

Having God dwell in you, requires you to Abide with Him.

“When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees…”

If we want God to dwell in our hearts, we must abide with Him. We must fall at Jesus’ knees.

God wants to dwell in us, will we give Him access and authority. Will we abide with Him?

What is the boat you need to invite Him into? How is He taking you farther and deeper?

In order to dwell with God, you must be willing to go a little distance and go a little deeper each and every day of your life.

Pray with us this week:

Come, Lord.

Speak, Lord.

Stay, Lord.

I will obey.

I am Your dwelling place.

You can listen to the sermon The Dwelling Place from the Ephesians series that inspired this post here.

All images and materials are copyright protected and are the property of EKKO Church unless otherwise noted and credited to their maker. Please do not copy or distribute without permission.

To read more about the Enneagram, check out “The Wisdom of the Enneagram.”

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Time’s A-Wastin’ Pt. II

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5: 15-21 ESV)

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about how when we lack the understanding of what God’s will is or what the bigger picture is, we get discouraged, distracted and deflated. We don’t make the best use of our time and we waste the seasons God has placed us in.

Edmon De Haro

We waste time by “binging” on wine (or screens) because we’re bored and want to kill or fill our time, instead of seeing time as precious.

Time is a Holy Gift from God: It is God’s possession. It is Holy. Remember the Marbles in the Jar example?

Instead, we are to look at our current season, the time frame we are in and ask: Why am I here? What is God’s assignment for me today?

And to this, we are to respond: “I get it, I understand.” I am alert, aware and anticipating your direction.

We received the charge to Worship & Worship. Because by worshipping with others and worshiping by ourselves, we become primed for God’s will.

But this week, we talk about the second part of Paul’s instruction:

“…but be filled with the Spirit… giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Give Thanks.

Say Thanks.

Take Thanks.

Give Thanks: Thanksgiving is tangible; It’s love expressed. We give thanks by doing what we did on Anniversary! We literally give thanks.

We sought to raise $20,000 in partnership with charity: water for clean water in Rwanda, and that night we announced that we doubled that amount. But when we counted everyone’s giving (including those who were serving and gave later), we actually tripled that amount and raised $60,000 in one night!

That means we went from being able to provide clean water to 700 students to 2,100 in one night!

When we give thanks, we begin to understand the Lord’s will. We say, “Ah, this is what my gifts are for, our time and talents as a Church, my resources and money. I understand Lord, I’ll be on the lookout for more of your will now in my own private life.”

Say Thanks: Saying thanks gets you in “range” to God’s voice. It’s like increasing the bars on your data. It helps you to “hear” God’s voice clearly. It does this by changing your posture from one of pride, to one of humility.

And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 NLT)

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8 ESV)

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” (Psalm 100:4 NIV)

Say thanks throughout the day. Pray this with us this week: Thank you, Jesus, for loving me, without condition. Thank you for the price you paid for my life. Thank you for ransoming me from slavery to darkness. Thank you for delivering me from evil. Thank you for protecting me from myself. Thank you for watching over me each day, and each night, in this world. Thank you for being my God. I worship you with gratitude. I thank you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”  (Reeves, Canyon Road)

Then say what you’re thankful for. “Lord, today, I am thankful for…”

Take Thanks: Take communion. Participate in the Eucharist.

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you…” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22: 17-20 NIV) 

Every time we take communion, we are thanking God for His son, Salvation and for the Sending.

Three types of communion:

Holy Communion: Some Christians call communion the Holy Communion because this reminds us that we are called to live as His Holy people. To live wisely, making the best use of our time, to understand and do His will. We are in Koinonia; fellowship around Christ, for Christ, because of Christ.

Eucharist: When we take communion, we are thanking God for His salvation. Some traditions call it the Eucharist, to thank God for delivering us from evil, sin, and bondage and into a relationship with Him. “Eucharisto” is Greek for thank you.

Mass: When we take communion, we are thanking God for His holy purpose of sending us into the world to bless it. Some traditions call it mass, because it reminds us that when we take Christ’s body, all of our hunger is satisfied, and we are given the power and strength to feed the hungry and thirsty in our world. This is the meal that ends with us being sent out, commissioned.

When we take thanks by communion, we are reminded of whose we are and who we are. To live wisely, make the best use of our time, and to live out God’s will.

Recently, Eugene Peterson, the author of The Message Bible translation, passed away. His son Leif said at his father’s funeral that his dad only had one sermon. That he had fooled everyone for 29 years of pastoral ministry, that for all his books, he only had one message. It was a secret that his dad had let him in on early in life, a message that Leif said his dad whispered in his heart for 50 years. Words he had snuck into his room to say over him as he slept as a child:

“God loves you. God is on your side. He is coming after you. He is relentless.”

When we take communion, we are inspired to live for His Kingdom. Because every time we take communion, when we break the bread and drink from the wine, we hear God whisper to us:

“I love you. I’m on your side. I’m coming after you. I am relentless.”

You can listen to the sermon Time’s A-Wastin’ Pt. II from the Ephesians series that inspired this post here.

All images and materials are copyright protected and are the property of EKKO Church unless otherwise noted and credited to their maker. Please do not copy or distribute without permission.

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Time’s A-Wastin’

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,  addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15-21 ESV)

Do you find yourself discouraged at work? Deflated or distracted in life? When we don’t understand what God’s will is in our every day, it’s so easy to lose sight and to waste time.

We waste time by palliating ourselves with screens or other distractions. Hours binge-watching seasons of television or scrolling through feeds of social media melt hours away so effortlessly. At work, we might feel like we’ve done our job, but we might walk away from the day feeling unfulfilled or unsure if we gave 100%.

Paul says it like this to the Ephesians in verses 15 through 17, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of this Lord is.” (emphasis added)

When we understand why God has us doing what we’re doing or being where we are, we become energized with a sense of mission and purpose.

We are to spend our time investigating, praying, searching to see what God is up to in our work, in our relationships, in our children, church, friends and communities.

We can ask ourselves:

What are You up to here with this person, group or workplace?

What would Jesus want me to do with this person or place?

What would bring God the most glory and respect in this situation?

And when we continue to ask these questions or look for God’s desires in our everyday lives, we should be responding to Him, “I get it, I understand.”

Remember the Wheel of Spiritual Formation we learned about last week?

These spiritual disciplines help us develop a new “sight.” A desire to look for God’s will in situations and the courage to execute it.

So when we don’t live with this mission to understand God’s will in mind, time becomes something we use. A thing we consume for our own benefit.

That’s why Paul says to “look carefully then how you walk.”

Time is not something to be killed, wasted, or squandered.

Time is a gift. 

Time is God’s possession. 

Time is holy.

“Now what was the first holy object in the history of the world? Was it a mountain? Was it an altar? The mythical mind would expect after heaven and earth have been established, God would create a holy place—a holy mountain or a holy spring—whereupon a sanctuary is to be established. Yet it seems as if to the Bible it is holiness in time, the Sabbath, which comes first. When history began, there was only one holiness in the world, holiness in time.” — Abraham J. Heschel, The Sabbath

There is an illustration for parents called, “One Marble At A Time,” that illustrates time this way: Imagine if you were to take out a marble each week for the 18 years of your child’s life.

“Marbles displayed in the container is a visual reminder to keep playing for keeps. Because, when you see how much time you have left, you tend to do more with the time you have now.” (An excerpt from the website, TheParentCue.org)

Are you looking to understand what God is up to with your child at this stage of life?

Are you making the best use of time with your children?

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:17-18)

When we live for ourselves it’s ultimately unfulfilling, it’s boring—hence we have to pack it with more activities, hangouts, and distractions. We become foolish and occupy ourselves with addictive activities to ignore the pain of lacking a sense of mission in life.

When we are bored or stressed, we try to escape. Being “drunk with wine” can mean other things than actual wine. It is escapism. It’s the way we fill or kill our time.

Boredom tempts us to walk away from being ourselves, being a person after the will of God.

And a boring, purposeless life leads to binging.

Binge-watching entire seasons of TV shows on Netflix. Normal.
Spending four thousand dollars on a trip to Europe. Normal.
Training hours a week to maintain our looks. Normal.
Joining a fantasy sports league and tracking it like a Wall Street trader. Normal.
Devoting your life to serving Jesus. Extreme, probably unhealthy.

— Jon Tyson

Screen time = Wine

We spend so much time with our eyes glued onto the screens, even in the early years of our child’s lives when it is filled with hours of feeding or late-nights. Those hours that were meant to help us bond with our children have become opportunities to fill with more screen time.

A teacher commented on a discussion about social media and “every single one of the students said their parents spend more time on social media than they do talking to their child.”
In the interview, a student said, “I don’t like the phone because my [parents] are on their phone every day… I hate their phone and I wish they never had them.”

“Boredom is the root of all evil—the despairing refusal to be oneself.” – Soren Kierkegaard

Instead, we are called to be filled with the Spirit. Instead of escaping through different wines or distractions, we are called to be engaged with God’s mission.

We can seek God’s Will today because our past is forgiven and our future is secure.

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. “(Ephesians 5:19-21)

How do we start living out engaged and purpose-driven lives for God?

We worship. And worship.

We worship with others, and we worship by ourselves.

We GATHER: “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Start your week with Worship with God’s House (Sunday).

We practice SPIRITUAL FORMATION: “singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” Start your day singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.

“Worship does not satisfy our hunger for God; it whets our appetite.”
— Eugene Peterson

We worship because it makes us hungry for God. It makes us want to look for His will every day. It gets us out of our boredom and into an awareness of God because our appetite begins to stir for Him.

Worship gets us filled with the Spirit, so we crave more of Him.

You can listen to the sermon Time’s A-Wastin’ from the Ephesians series that inspired this post here. 

All images and materials are copyright protected and are the property of EKKO Church unless otherwise noted and credited to their maker. Please do not copy or distribute without permission.

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Training Wheels No Mo

“… He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.” (Ephesians 4:11-15 MSG)

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul is telling us to grow up.

All of us.

As Christians, we are sometimes marked by weakness, ignorance, lack of discipline and are driven by hunger (our flesh and desires). We often can’t handle process, pain, patience or discipline.

How do we know that we’re still infants in the Lord?

Do you still believe that if you get the right person or the right things, you’ll be satisfied? Do sins still bring you pleasure than deep grief? (Perhaps you’re regrettable, but not repentant).

Do you still believe you can do all things by yourself? Or do you believe helping others is a waste of time and money?

Is the gospel still small, and not worth sharing? Do you find that you compartmentalize your faith?

Or, do we try to skate by with our talents, not building our character with disciplines and power?

We are like babies, and we need to grow up.

God wants us to grow up. (Eph. 4:15)

We need to get rid of our training wheels.

Alain De Botton writes, “To have made any progress will mean looking back on who we were last year with a degree of embarrassment.” Are you able to look back and think, “How could I have thought I needed God any less?” “How could I have not been deeply grieved by my apparent sin?”

So how do we begin to mature?

Nancy Duarte writes in her book, Illuminate, that any kind of growth starts with a leap, an attempt. And as you leap and make attempts, that’s how skills are attained. It takes courage, determination, and discipline. And eventually, you’ll achieve a new level of maturity of skill after many tries.

For example, Pastor Bryan recounts that he used to have difficulty hearing God and praying in the Spirit. So his leader pushed him to pray 2-3 hours a day in tongues. Through the discipline of following his mentor’s direction, he had to be okay with being a novice. He had to keep attempting and trusting that as he practiced, God would teach Pastor Bryan to listen for His voice.

If you find that you have become comfortable, it’s time to take a leap again. We must try to go deeper, longer, higher and take a leap of faith by trying it again on a new, sometimes scarier levels.

What is God inviting you into?

Now, you’re getting ready to jump, but what are you supposed to attempt?

“The single most obvious trait of those who profess Christ but do not grow into Christlikeness is their refusal to take the reasonable and time-tested measures for spiritual growth.”

— Dallas Willard

Our calling in life is to become like Christ.

That means we are invited to attempt, attain, and achieve disciplines that shape us into Christlikeness. We can learn the time-tested habits and disciplines as seen from the Wheel of Faith adapted from the Spiritual Formation Workbook by Smith & Graybeal.

These are disciplines modeled after the life of Christ: Devotion to God, Virtue in thought, word and action, Empowerment by the Spirit, Compassion toward all people, the Proclamation of the good news, and Harmony between faith and work.

Now, these six spokes of Jesus’ life gave way for six respective traditions in the church: The Contemplate, The Holiness, The Charismatic, The Social Justice, The Evangelical, and The Incarnational Traditions.

“The history of the Church has been marked by movements, a word used to describe how God’s Spirit has moved upon (God’s people) with a particular mission. Usually, such a movement emphasized one of the six areas… often called the Six Traditions…” (Smith & Graybeal).

These traditions are expressed as disciplines in our lives.

The Contemplate Tradition is expressed as a Prayer-filled Life. In the 4th Century, men and women fled city life and found cloisters and monasteries where they emphasized the importance of solitude, meditation, and prayer. This is a discipline focuses on our intimacy with God, allows us to abide in loving fellowship with Him and draws us into daily attention with God.

If you want to grow in this area of your life, try spending 10-minutes in your quiet time with God conversing with Him and listening for His voice. You can also look out for Selah Advance offered in the Fall at EKKO every year.

The Holiness Tradition focuses on the need for Christians to overcome sinful habits. In the early 18th Century, The Wesleyans developed the Methodist movement and the church once again took sin seriously. This is expressed through a Virtuous Life.

Do you want to grow in virtue? Meet with your Red Pen holders and get into the habit of confession and repentance and having editors in your life.

The Charismatic Tradition came from the new outbreak of the Holy Spirit during the 17th century in the lives of men and women called the Quakers. The Holy Spirit had an active role and propelled them into evangelism, missions, and social concern. This is an example of the Spirit-Empowered Life, where we have a desire and the discipline of allowing the Spirit to work in and through us.

Do you want to practice listening and responding to the Spirit? Start by coming and praying with our Intercessors before service every Sunday. (Email Pastor Isaac at Isaac@ekkochurch.com), pray with those serving on the first Sunday of each month at Pre-Service Kavannah, or get in the habit of praying with us as a body during Abide Sunday.

The Social Justice Tradition was started by St. Francis of Assisi in the late 12th century when he and a group of his followers abandoned their former lives to go about the Italian countryside caring for the sick, poor, and lame. Countless men and women followed his lead. This is an example of the social justice movement and a Compassionate Life.

You can grow in this area of your life by signing up to be a Safe Family through our Mary and Joseph Initiative or by becoming a rEcess volunteer.

The Evangelical Tradition was sparked by Martin Luther in the 16th century. He and others proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ after discovering its message freshly in the Bible. They shared the message of hope and victory through sermons, mission, efforts and personal witnessing. This is a Word-centered Life that is expressed by the desire and discipline of sharing the good news to others in word and deed.

Want to grow in this area? Read the ESV Study Bible or “Nudge” by Leonard Sweet.

The Incarnational Tradition started with Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf when he allowed those of the persecuted Moravian Church to build a village on his estate. They experienced a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit after Zinzendorf led them in daily Bible studies. The Moravians learned to joyfully serve God in the midst of baking, teaching, weaving and raising families. This is an example of the Incarnational movement and is shown in our lives when God manifests Himself in His creation. A Sacramental Life is one marked by serving God, praying, and evangelizing to others, even in the midst of mundane activities.

Grow in the Incarnational Tradition by asking God how to serve Him in your day-to-day. Allow Him to speak to you and ask Him to help you view your work, study, and relationships through His eyes. You can also read from Pastor Bryan’s blog about work, The Grind, here. Or check out these resources from the Theology of Work.

Look at the wheel again, and see your own strengths and emphases as a Christian. How uneven are your spokes?

What are the disciplines you need to grow in?

On the left, you can see Pastor Bryan’s wheel. What do you need to practice more of to balance out your wheel so you can ride smoothly?

“We should not only want to be merciful, kind, unassuming, and patient persons, we are also to make plans to become so.”

— Dallas Willard

In order for us to grow, to become disciplined, to mature… we have to plan.

Have you planned and promised to serve at rEcess or provide a home for Safe Families? Make time in your calendar. Have you planned out your finances in order to tithe and be financially disciplined and mature enough to upkeep this house? Make plans to budget. Has your Ekklesia planned to offer time or volunteer on outreaches? Plan to be there and show up.

Make time to attend, practice, with the Church and by yourself.

Every healthy strong wheel has a hub, and the spokes are rooted in the same one.

At the center is Jesus Christ Himself.

When we go deeper into our lives, at the heart of our hearts… at the root of our motivations and drive, there should be only one thing at the center: Jesus.

At the Hereford Cathedral in England, the architect wanted to show this in a grand and illustrious way. When you walk into the cathedral, you find at the heart of it is a large crown suspended from the ceiling.

At the center of this beautiful cathedral is the Crown of Thorns. He is at our center, at the altar, at the center of our hearts.

The artist says that at first glance, the crown looks like a royal crown, but when you look closely, it’s also the crown of thorns.

There was a cost for Jesus, but for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.

Our focus has to be Jesus Christ, our King. He must become the center of our lives,

towering above all things,

filling up every corner of our lives.

Pray this with us this week:

Heavenly Father, show me the ways I am stunted,

the areas where I need to grow.

Holy Spirit, help me to go beyond this desire to grow

and give me the power to exercise the disciplines. 

Jesus, be in the center,

I will take my lead from You. 

I commit today to plan,

for You are the hub of everything I do.

I will find You in the center of my being.

for I want to be more like You.

You can listen to the sermon Training Wheels No Mo from the Ephesians series that inspired this post here. 

You can get the Spiritual Formation Workbook here.
For more insight on taking leap and risks, read Nancy Duarte’s book, Illuminate.

All images and materials are copyright protected and are the property of EKKO Church unless otherwise noted and credited to their maker. Please do not copy or distribute without permission.

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Resurrection People

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1-7 ESV) 

Before Christ, we may have looked alive on the outside but inwardly, we were dead and rotting. We were zombies!

But Paul reminds us that because Jesus died and resurrected for our sins, we were actually raised up with him. Paul writes that we were “made alive together with Christ” and we get to experience the glory of the resurrection. We are constantly in the process of resurrecting!

But many of us unwittingly revert back to our “zombie” nature, our old selves, because resurrection life isn’t necessarily automatic — it takes the daily intervention from the Holy Spirit!

So we either end up a ravenous zombie or a religious one.

If you are a ravenous zombie, you live out the desires of the flesh. Not simply sins of lust, but sins that exhibit control over our conduct or self-indulgence.

You know you’re a ravenous zombie if you’re: Jealous, Boastful, Lying, Angry, Greedy or Ruthless. You become hardened to God’s voice and to His presence.

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” (Romans 1:28-31)

A religious zombie is one who lacks gratitude and doesn’t remember their own resurrection story. They try to live out their holy lives with their own human efforts.

You know you’re a religious zombie if you’re: Bitter, Judgmental, Burnt Out, Competitive, Comparing and Frustrated. You begin to see the commandments of God as burdensome and a way to compare yourself with others.

“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness… So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:2-4, 27-28)

So how do we stop living as ravenous or religious zombies? How do we live as Resurrection People?

“… to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

— Ephesians 4:22-24

We have to first, put off our old self. We must make a conscious effort to deconstruct the lives we used to live. Ask God to give you eyes to see what is still part of your old nature.

We must be renewed in the spirit of our minds. We must ask for ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us, to become attentive to His voice and intentions. Listen for His voice. What is He speaking to you about?

We have to put on the new self, by practicing the ways of Jesus and obeying His commands. What are His commands? Read the Word to get to know our Savior.

And as we practice being resurrection people, we’ll find the disciplines of God to be life-giving, We will become people who drink from streams of living water. We will resemble Jesus more and more in moments of stress or frustration.

Pray with us this week:

You lifted me from the grave. 

You traded my heart of stone for a heart of flesh. 

So I’ll keep taking off the old layers that run deep, 

and I’ll keep putting on the new self that You have given me. 

Each morning, renew my mind. 

Restore me. I want to look more and more like You. 

Amen.

You can listen to the sermon Resurrection People from the Ephesians series that inspired this post here.Â