Friday February 4, 2011
Theme: Rethink: Authenticity
Weekend Music links on iTunes: No Not One - Brandon Heath, All Because of Jesus - Fee, You'll Come - Hillsong, How He Loves - John Mark McMillan
Read: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, Romans 1:12, Romans 14:13-15
Think: To be able to break through the “wall” that often separates us from the love, acceptance, fulfillment and freedom our hearts long for, we need to connect with God and other people. But, as Pastor Ben pointed out, it’s when we hit a “wall”—a point where we can’t see or feel God’s power or presence clearly—that if we are not careful, the weird stuff can come into our walk with God. We can try to force things in relationships as we search for that intimacy and connection we so long for. Even entire churches can fall into this trap.
I grew up in south Seattle and even though I didn’t go there, I remember this one church that was really on the rise in the 1970s and early 1980s. They grew to have a large campus, even a Bible college. I happened to have met a few people that went there over the years, and found their ideas to be very judgmental, and frankly, weird. It wasn’t until years later that I found out more about what happened at that church. Articles in The Seattle Times revealed the truth: the pastor started this practice of “spiritual connections”, where people were paired off with each other in ways that God never intended. Much later, I met and talked to a man who had gone to that church. He told me how painful and heartbreaking it was to see his beloved church torn apart by these unhealthy relationships that the pastor wrongly encouraged. Many people were hurt, including this man. He didn’t pick up a Bible for several years or even try another church.
Connection is important, but it has to be healthy and line up with scripture. At Timberlake, I love that “No Weird Stuff” is part of the identity of the church. If you’ve felt burned or judged at other churches in the past or know somebody who has, it’s a great, safe place to try again.
Do: Connect with somebody who maybe isn’t going to church this week. Call or e-mail them. Ask how they’re doing. Listen to their response. That’s it. No weird stuff required.
Pray: God, help me to be wise as well as brave in connecting more with others. Amen.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.