Today is the third week (of five)
in our series on the practices that you can see flourishing in the life of
healthy, fruitful followers of Jesus Christ.
We began with Radical Hospitality (welcoming others in Jesus’ name);
last week was Extravagant Generosity (what to do with what God puts in your
hands). Today we are having a
conversation about intentionally developing our faith.
Intentional Faith Development
It will help to define what we
mean by Intentional Faith Development.
Define “Faith”
Faith has to do with your
relationship to God, and the trust-level you have to let Him control
things.
Define “Development”
In Paul’s letter to the Roman
church[1]
Paul begged and pleaded with believers to watch their lifestyles – to make
certain they were not being conformed
to this
world, meaning they were to live like Jesus lived, not like the people who
crucified him; they should be transformed people.
That word “conformed” shows up in
Galatians, where Paul wrote that he was working as hard as he could with
them, and on them, to see Christ formed
in them.
This “conforming” to the image of Christ is
growth, maturation in the faith, and of your faith. The Greek word is telos (telos), meaning
“mature” or functioning in the manner for which you were created. A surgeon goes to school to become telos in
surgery; his goal is to become proficient in his practice of healing. In Five
Practices of Fruitful Congregations, Robert Schnase writes,
Vibrant,
fruitful, growing congregations practice Intentional Faith Development. From
the first generations of Christians to the earliest Methodists to the youngest
generations of faithful members today, the followers of Jesus Christ mature by
learning together in community. Churches that practice Intentional Faith
Development offer high quality learning experiences that help people understand
Scripture, faith, and life in the supportive nurturing of caring relationships.
(Abingdon Press, 2007; p. 62)
Define “Intentional”
“Intentional” may be the most
disturbing of the three words in today’s emphasis. This word debunks the myth that growth occurs
in the Christian journey by osmosis (where it seeps through your skin like
poison-ivy); you just go to church, read your Bible a little, pay your tithe
and stay away from bad habits, and, voilà, you’re a Christian; the Jesus
gene takes over and you go to heaven.
Generally speaking there is a
parallel between the spiritual and physical life. Jesus taught many truths by illustrating them
with physical realities. He said he was
like a vine, we are the branches. We are
sheep, he is the shepherd.
Intentional vs. Osmosis
This is also true with the idea
that our faith (relationship with God) and development (Christ formed in us)
will not happen unless intentionally tended by every
Christian. To clarify this principle,
consider the following comparison of intentional parenting, as opposed to
letting a child do whatever he wishes:
·
Intentional
parents take their children for checkups, shots and make them brush their
teeth. “Osmosis” parents wait until the
child is sick and weak.
·
Intentional
parents involve themselves in their children’s education. “Osmosis” parents raise ignorant children.
·
Intentional
parents train their children in faith and community responsibilities. “Osmosis” parents raise hellish, carnal
children, because they don’t know better.
·
Intentional
parents teach their children manners and how to respect others. “Osmosis” parents raise self-centered,
brutish, obnoxious children who assume there’s no one else in the universe but
themselves.
In each of these, it is not the
children who are at fault, but the parents who sit back waiting for the parenting
osmosis thing to kick-in. We all
know that doesn’t happen!
So, how can you/we be intentional
about spiritual growth? When Paul
addressed this issue, he spoke to the whole church, but he also lifted up the
idea of Christ being formed in you. So it is a personal issue which is before the
whole congregation. This is how we apply
intentionality – it is personal AND corporate; it’s for the individual believer
AND the community.
This is why we covenant together,
agreeing to support all the different functions, such as worship, Bible study,
fellowship and prayer (Acts 2:42).
There are five components to this covenant: We promise each other our prayers, presence,
financial gifts, service and witness.
Medium and
Movement
But here we have to be careful
not to confuse the medium of these activities with the movement that creates
faith development. Medium is what coveys
you to a desired result; movement is the actual, measurable growth BECAUSE you
participated in the medium. Huh? An illustration – My car brought me here this
morning – it was the medium, and it moved me along US64 to US42. The car got me here, but the goal was to be
here, not to ride in
the car! The goal was to be with you all
– to arrive at this destination.
It’s a Journey
Let’s compare once more the
difference between osmosis and intentionality:
Osmosis Faith-Development in the 21st Century
This is not a joke to some
people; it’s an option! Without doing
the hard work of facing your sins and dealing with them, we can opt for
anonymous confession and absolution, without so much as getting off the
couch!
The same holds true for spiritual
faith-development in terms of worship, missions, giving, witness and Bible
study; it’s all on the Internet, just waiting for the click of your mouse to
make you into a Super Saint! You can even donate by Pay Pal! Religion without the fuss, demands on your
time, or all those irritating people…what a deal!
Intentionality
Intentionality in developing your
faith requires a much more ancient app – personal involvement! Incidentally, that’s always been God’s way,
ever since he went looking for Adam and Eve in the Garden after they had
sinned. They wanted to hide; God wasn’t
having any of it! The same held true for
their son, Cain. God came to the first
murderer and confronted him with the question, what have you done? It was the same question God put to Cain’s
parents; it’s the same question he holds before us. God wants “up close and personal” – that’s
why proxy doesn’t work in developing your faith. Nobody else can do it for you, and if you
wait for “osmosis” to kick-in, you’ll have a very long wait.
Intentionality takes time and
doesn’t avoid the steps that promote development of faith. It’s a long….. (Life-long)…process! Pastor Melissa Bailey-Kirk shared in a sermon
something about steps that really sticks in my mind:
Now, some might conclude that the design engineers were either
under the influence of mind-altering chemicals or incompetent. But not the
ancient rabbis. They saw the random, sometimes treacherous state of the
southern stairs as a powerful metaphor for Intentional Faith Development. They
argued that the engineers were not “stoned” but were persons of faith who knew
that to ascend the hill of the Lord hurriedly and without thought would be
spiritually dangerous. Rather, those who would approach God must do so with intention, caution, and measured
steps—paying attention and learning all along the way.[2]
All Along the Way
All along the way! What a wonderful picture of how
intentionality works. Each step is
considered part of the whole. That is
your life; that is your life being conformed
to the image of Christ!
At our church we have the media –
like my car was the medium to get me here.
What we’re involved in right now (worship) is part of the “all along the
way” changing or transforming process. There
are mission efforts, relating to the schools, hospitals and prisons and homebound. You can crochet prayer shawls and help with
Youth. There are various committees on
which to serve.
All of this is part of the
uneven, seemingly random set of steps to help us become persons of stronger
faith. It is intentional; it may seem like
the results are osmosis-like, but God’s way is always step-by-step until Christ
is formed in you!
Father,
like the poet, we have many steps to go before we sleep. Order those steps for us; keep us on the
pathway of developing our faith. LORD,
in this moment place in our hearts the desire to take that next step. Some here should be serving, studying or
learning to pray, because that is THEIR next step. Show each of us how to intentionally
step-into finding that next piece of the journey along the way. We pray in the Name of the Father, Because of
the Son, Cooperating with the Spirit…Amen!
