"House" Cleaning

Our soul tends toward living in a "house" of its own making. Our memories and our beliefs about our experiences acts as a gatekeeper at the door of our hearts—filtering what happens and how others treat us. The house that our senses of intellect, emotion and will have constructed often re-frame true REALITY into our own "realities" (what we believe and feel is real).

 "Guard your hearts for it is the wellspring (gateway) of the issues of life." "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." Dennis Peacocke wrote, "The mind justifies what the heart has chosen."

Holy Spirit comes to renew (make new) our mind and conform our sense interpretations to God's mind and will and his set of values. The Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of Scripture in our hearts as our will is surrendered to God.

But if we do not "soak" our minds in God's word through meditation and if we do not chose to bend and frame our thoughts on God to acknowledge and worship Him in spirit and truth then we continue to be "stuck" in the "ruts" of our own little realities.

A prime example is how we see church. Our minds have been "mapped" into patterns of behavior that see church as something quite different from what Jesus meant in Matthew 16, as the ecclesia which He would build. We think of what is familiar to us—good meetings, a building provided for us, a time and place that fits into our already crowded lives. The world has largely rejected this model of church. It has little impact or appeal. Bob Mumford called it the scaffolding and shadow of Reality but it is not really "Christ in Session." Bob wrote that three things are needed for the Reality of Christ to be in session in the church.

1. Christ's authority:  recognition of and submission to spiritual authority (that would include things like tithing and making ourselves accountable and correctable).

2. Christ's power: small groups as well as large meetings that manifest the power of Holy Spirit through grace given gifts and miracles confirming the preaching of God's kingdom.

3. Christ's character: a people who demonstrate the love and humility and fruit of the spirit of Christ in their unity and conformity to Him.

I would add that to the degree these three are present we will be filled with the Pentecostal power of Christ in mission as his witnesses.

On the other hand, to the degree that our buildings and committees and meetings and programs that serve our own senses and wills and agendas are constructs of our own hearts and minds and are basically empty of the Holy Spirit and Christ in Session and Mission. We are like "Clouds without rain" and "land that drinks water without producing" and "bread and water that does not satisfy."

On the other hand, if we empty ourselves and our "house" and seek to be filled with Him ("the fullness of Christ filling the church and the world") then we may yet be conformed to His REALITY and the world will see our love and unity and power is all in Christ. Then their lite "realities" will be challenged by the LIGHT OF CHRIST.