I
wrote this blog last week, before the news of another pastor caught in
a web of infidelity made its way to the headlines.
Ouch.
That
one hurt my heart.
They
all do, but that one was deep.
Thankfully, the only need we have is Jesus, the only mentor we can fully trust is Jesus. The only wisdom and encouragement we need is found in His word. So with that in mind, here’s the words I plopped down last week:
Hello Friends, new and old.
2020.
Here we are.
On the eve of an election, in the heat of a pandemic, on the
edge of our seats hoping and praying that 2021 will be a new start.
We’re imperfect humans with a perfect God.
We’re simultaneously broken and whole.
We are living in this timeline of fallen humanity and
perfect peace.
Flesh and Spirit.
We as humans are in the constant wrestle of the world and
God, pleasure and pain, jealousy, anger, bitterness, forgiveness, happiness,
desperation, excitement, disappointment.
Essentially, if we are completely honest- none of us are
getting it 100%, right 100% of the time.
We are wrestling and surrendering every day of our lives,
this side of eternity.
We make a mess, we bring our mess to Jesus – He redeems it. A
cycle.
Within this cycle of humanity, comes the Church.
“Church”....
A word for some that means safety and warmth and family. A body that has been the vessel of miraculous healing, restoration and power for centuries!
A word for others that was the forerunner for abuse
mentally, spiritually and even physical. If this has been your experience, I am
so incredibly sorry.
Church is made up of millions of humans over thousands of years, just having a crack. Of mankind getting it right and getting it wrong and God being good regardless. It is millions of stories and of humans doing all they can for the gospel, with the flesh and the spirit at war.
A
perfect God using an imperfect human race.
It’s
bound to get messy.
The
good news is? The Good News.
The
never changing, all powerful, perfect, consistent, agape love, flawless message
of the gospel.
Jesus.
We’ve
been in this tug-of-war for centuries but He’s been making it right.
Him.
Let’s never ever make it about us.
Goodness me, once we do that, it’s trouble.
So we as humans, armed with a timless truth for the world around us- we run our race.
We
run as hard and as well as we can but in the end, only God is perfect. Only God
gets our adoration, only God needs to be the focus of any platform.
I was having a van- chat with a very beautiful and wise 16 year old called Amy O'Donoghue (amy_Odon she’d love you to follow her on insta 😂) this week and as we chatted it all out she dropped this bomb –
“ The
biggest platform Jesus had on earth – was the cross.”
TRUTH. What. The. Heck.
His greatest act was the most selfless, sacrificial, unconditional, servant hearted, passionate injustice.
At the end of the
day, the only thing right and perfect about anything the collective church is
doing – is God.
He is the only empire we build.
Church is never going to be perfect, only God is.
It’s supposed to look different, we all are. Our expressions
will be. But we are one body.
Let's not forget the amazing people who have gone before us, who have forged a way, sacrificed, given their lives and done so much for us to have access to what we have. For the billions of souls in eternity because they ran their race. The church is as strong as its ever been because God is who He says He is yesterday, today and tomorrow.
So
then let’s live it - The Greatest Comission- that was before us, given to us
now, and will come after us.
And when we trip up, when we slip - that’s when we will need our brothers and sisters fighting the same fight, to offer their hand while where down, pull us up and keep. running. together.
In the same way when we’re in a season of thriving and growth, let us make sure we are the loudest cheer leaders for each other!!
Our
fight is not against each other.
We
are coming against a culture so thick, in 20 years of youth work/ministry we’ve
honestly seen nothing like it. We need each other because they need us as
well.
If God
can use the Hot Mess that is the McPhee household, if He can make Himself
perfect in my weakness, then phew...anything is possible. Let’s keep going.
Don’t
look to humans to have it all because we don’t. We all have a funky stuff that
we’re working on. But we are living for and surrendered to a God that has never
failed us, that no only takes the mess but remoulds it for good!
How!? Why!?
Just
because He loves us.
We’re
gonna keep getting it a mix between right and wrong for centuries to come, but God.
He
will keep making it right.
He will
keep restoring us back to the Father.
He
is the Champion.
The
second we think we are...it gets messy.
Always.
Only. Jesus.
The
best bit about the church, albeit broken at times, is that for 2000 years, the
message has never changed! With the millions of short comings the humans have
done in sharing it, still, the truth has made its way to us!!
So
with that in mind, let’s keep running!
Let’s
make sure the generations to come have the same truth available to them.
We aren’t Gods gift to the planet, He is the gift to us. We don’t just need new, appealing, cutting edge, shiny services to bring the people in- we need open hearts armed with the truth to go OUT.
We
are loved, so lets be love.
The
next generation, more than any, want authenticity and boy, they can see it a mile
off!
Love God. Love others.
I’m
cheering for you big time!!!
Love
you
Lis xx
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