Soulmates in Jesus.
Giving testimonies about our victories and blessings - is wonderful. Not being able to open and share confidently about my struggles, mistakes, failures and defeats to my small group is a shame - the absence of a true community?
My heart grieved so much when I hear of someone telling me that it will be shameful to return to a small group to share about a defeat after sharing about a victory some months back. A true community can only truly happen when there is a safe place for vulnerability and honesty.
Striving to build a real, honest, authentic, transparent, transformational community of God lovers must be an ongoing quest for FCC.
We do not want a plastic, artificial, phony, veneered, respectable crowd where every person tries to look good to outshine one another of how blessed they are with God on their side.
Today people are looking for truth, real & honest relationships, real spirituality, authentic God-encounters. They are fedup with entertainment, celebrity preachers, programmes and endless activities - they want real, genuine, transformational encounters with God and fellow-men.
The church must be a safe place that we can bare our souls, our pain, our struggles and find others who also baring their souls holding our hands and walking together on the road of grace and transformation.
posted by Luke Chan @ 4:22 PM
3 Comments:
i dun know how much i can write, but hopefully this is able to contain it.i realised tat pride is mainly da reason y ppl dun wan 2 show their weakness, especially 2 those who look to u as the Christian example. i dun find tis helpful at all b'cos it would indirectly duplicate others to b jus like tat, being afraid to share n 2 seek help whehever they really need it.i belive in sharing our current difficulties with not only with our mentors or accountable partners, but oso with those who r looking up 2 u.. by doing so, we r able to educate them tat Christians r no perfect humans, but tat we r made perfect through the eyes of Jesus. Let them know tat all of us cud equally fall, n tat we all need da grace of God to embrace us.
Thanks lifern for your response. Pride may be one reason,but when there is a safe enviroment even pride gives in to the cry for genuine "knowing". To be known truly and be loved at the same time is a very precious gift that we can give to each other. Perfect love cast out all fears.We serve in the capacity of God's redeemed priests and wounded healers, washing each others' feet right under the foot of the cross. Paul say in Philippians - that I may know Him as I am known by Him.
I'm so glad that I'm part of FCC, an authentic church. I'm still waiting for my cell group to start here in NZ. Sometimes, even in church you can meet lots of people that are polite and friendly but at the same time also keeping a distance. I've met a Fiji couple and a Chinese couple fr M'sia that are truly friendly. Now looking forward for the cell group to start.
jingxiu
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