In my last update I talked about how the Lord has really been showing me the importance of relationship within the body.  More than just the importance, but the essential necessity of it!

While praying a couple of months ago the Lord gave me a little teaching vision to help me understand this.  Here it is and my interpretation of it:

I saw an easel with a painting on it.  I couldn’t see what was actually on the painting but there were people gathered around staring at it.  All of the sudden one person would pop up and say “I see Red, Blue and Green…”.  Another person would shoot up and say, “I see Yellow, Pink and Purple”.  And another person stood up and said, “I see Brown, Aqua, and Orange”.  Then it ended.

After this the Lord started to unpack the interpretation.  The painting is representative of the Kingdom of God.  The people surrounding the painting are the people of God.  Each person could see the painting (the Kingdom) but every person saw different colors in the painting.  While one person saw red, green and blue, another person saw yellow, pink and  purple.  All of these colors were in the painting but not one single person could see all the colors.  But, if all the people sat down and shared what they saw, then, AND ONLY THEN, would they get a complete picture of what the painting represented.

This is what the Kingdom of God is like.  Every person has a certain spectrum that they can see in the Kingdom of God, but not one person can see it all.  It’s only when we come together and each of us share what we see that we actually get an idea of what the Kingdom of God actually looks like.

This isn’t something specific to preachers, teachers, or pastors, this is everybody.  Every single person has a piece of the Kingdom of God planted inside of them and for us to not engage with these people is missing out on a certain fruit of God.  And for us to think that the “colors” we see are the only colors in the painting is selling not only God short, but ourselves.

Our church culture works against this idea.  We have rows and rows of people all facing one man.  There is no discussing or sharing, it’s all listening, one way.  Somehow we need to create an environment where our gathering is conversational instead of dictatorial.  I personally don’t think it’s possible to convert what we currently have to this model…because it’s not a model at all.  The model is life and relational.  It’s inviting people over to just talk and share.  Not a bible study or even a structured meeting, but simply being friends and doing life together. 

A great new friend I met here in Oklahoma City has a small house church gathering that he meets with on Tuesday nights, his name is Tony Jenkins (Diane who is seen commenting here is a part of that group as well).  But he has made a huge impact on how I view “church” and christian living.  He’s said something that I’ve mentioned before but I want to bring it out in fullness here.  He says, “Sermons don’t disciple people, people disciple people.” 

For us to think that our current church model is successful at discipling people is ridiculous.  We don’t need sermons about money, marriage, and relationship.  We need to be able to discuss them with people, and share our complicated life with them and in that process we will disciple and be discipled.  Why does someone that is going through a horrible marriage crisis need to sit through a 45 minute sermon on angels?  That person needs someone to talk to about their problems, and “church” isn’t conducive to it.

Unfortunately relationships are hard.  It’s hard to be honest with people.  I think we’re so enthralled with reality TV because it creates an artificial relationship.  We get to know someone intimately without ourselves being known.  It’s safer that way.  I’ve realized just recently how deceptive I am in relationships, not because I want to lie or be deceitful, but because I have such a fear of shame that won’t allow me to share the slightest bit of intimate opinions.  I’m working very hard on this and I’ve been in this darkness for so long that I’m not even honest to myself.  I’m so codependent that it’s kept me away from genuine relationship.

What’s the answer?  I think it’s simply talking to people and developing relationships on any level…not everybody has to be best friends, we just need to get to know each other.  This isn’t something you can program or organize.  Just gather around some food and talk about life.  God is in all things and His message speaks loudly from even the rocks, nothing will have to be forced or structured because the Kingdom is always available and ready.  Life has enough teaching opportunities that we wouldn’t have to hear another sermon again :-).