A Renewed Creation: A Living Encounter
On Sunday, Pastor Brion said:
““As the centuries go by…as Christians, we can become heavy on ‘metaphor’ and light on ‘the actual’. Sometimes, looking back, we can take the literal, actual commands of God…and somehow we’ve made a lot of these into ‘metaphor’ and, in one sense, it’s safer to have it metaphor. Today, I want to talk about how (the bible is demonstrable), and what I’m saying is this is not only real, but (is) very much God’s idea.””
Have you considered this before?
What in Jesus’ life or in the book of Acts do we refer to as only symbolic?
Do we consciously or unconsciously avoid the real-power of what God was doing through Jesus in that moment?
For example, we read that someone was physically healed, and say, “Just like that, Jesus makes us feel better when we’re feeling sad.”
Or we say, “Just like that, Jesus is approachable when we feel like outcasts,” or any variation thereof.
These are true statements, but they’re not totally accurate to what Jesus was doing, teaching, and training His disciples to do.
One High Street member recently summarized this as, “We can live our Christianity and church life so much in metaphor, too much I think. When God wants to do something real.”
And in our current series, I wonder how much Renewal can I, can we, experience now?
Watch “A Renewed Creation” from Sunday with Pastor Brion Burkett here
This wasn’t a sermon one could stay neutral about.
These stories and scripture break out of mere “metaphor'“ and rise in us thoughts of God renewing all creation, including us, including our bodies.
“The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God....we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit”
“ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
These promises in Romans 8 arrive as glimpses of hope.
While, at the same time, they also can surface our own baggage around God’s involvement in our lives.
What stood out to you as you listened to these Scriptures?
What stirred in you during the stories Brion shared?
What reactions did you notice surrounding these vivid pictures of God’s Renewal?
In a similar way, we see a variety of reactions when people encounter Jesus in the gospels.
From some, we see great faith. In others, we see disappointment. And in others deep-seated fears.
The Renewal of God’s presence brings out all of these reactions in us.
God doesn’t expect perfect faith. Nor does he deride disappointment. Nor does he dismiss fear. His Holy Spirit engages all of it. And, in order to be renewed ourselves, we need Him to address each facet. His Holy Spirit is present to minister and restore every area of our hearts.
Which reactions do you resonate with?
Do you experience your…
1. Faith Increasing – like blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52– who rushes Jesus shouting, “Son of David have mercy on me!”
2. Faith Affirmed – like the blind man and the Pharisees in John 9:18; 24-41 – who said to them, “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
If so, ask yourself, what do I notice as God is stirring me? What am I drawn to about Him?
Or maybe you experience…
3. Disappointment with Desperation – like the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:24-28 – “A woman…had a discharge of blood for twelve years…suffered much under many physicians…spent all that she had…but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and…said, ‘If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.’”
4. Disappointment with Weary Faith – like the man at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5:1-15 – “A certain man…had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’”
If so, ask yourself, what area of disappointment or grief seems most present to me? What would it be like, in light of His power, to talk with God about that thing that’s coming up?
Or perhaps, you notice…
5. Fears Rise Around Being Deceived – like the Pharisees in John 7:45-52 - “The Pharisees answered them, ‘Have you also been deceived?’”
6. Fears Rise Around Division – like the crowds in John 7:40-44 - “So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.”
7. Fears Rise Around Rejection – like the parents of the blind man in John 9:18-23 – “‘This is our son...he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes…’ [they] said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.
If so, ask yourself, what are those fears coming up for? Are these from the Lord or from my own struggles or concerns? What would it be like to share these fears with God right now?
Take a few moments, now, and share your heart with the Lord.
If you’re like me, you have a spectrum of reactions to God’s power.
And like those who surrounded Jesus, we face a variety of different reactions depending on the circumstances, those involved, the season, and the needs.
And Jesus so wisely handled all of these reactions, culminating in His Cross, death, and resurrection.
But His cross wasn’t just 'metaphor' either.
What Jesus did on the Cross changed the availability of God’s power for us.
It allowed every reaction, every fear, every grief, every hope to come into a living encounter with the One called the Holy Spirit.
I’d encourage you to speak with God, the Holy Spirit, now.
He is the counselor. The guide. The anointer.
He comes alongside. He encourages. He helps. He reveals.
Share with Him your heart. And let Him encourage you wherever you are.
He will make Jesus more and more and more real to you, if you just journey this season with Him.
And take a moment, if it’s helpful, to listen to this video and speak with Jesus….
RESOURCES
Jesus Have It All – Music Video – Jesus Have It All, by Jeremy Riddle, is our theme song for our Renewal Series. The lyrics invite us to lay each area of our hearts and minds before Jesus once again. Asking for Him to bring Renewal in His Presence. The second verse focuses on Him renewing us as a Church and taking His place, being worshipped as His is, by every tribe and nation and tongue. Such a beautiful anthem for us as we pray, “God, bring Renewal.”
Brion’s Healing Testimony – Bloodwork 1 (Problem) & Bloodwork 2 (healed) – Brion shared his healing from a genetic disorder this last Sunday and he meant to bring this bloodwork that shows evidence of the healing in his body (“The firstfruits of the Spirit….the redemption of our bodies,” Romans 8:23). He gladly sent copies to me for those who would like to see the physical diagnostics.
The first one (Bloodwork 1), shows his homocysteine levels at 17, highlighted in red, which is very bad (yellow is not good, and green is good). This means toxins aren't being processed in Brion's blood and instead are affecting his heart and body health. In the second one (Bloodwork 2, it's purple), after being prayed for, this shows a test specifically of the homocysteine levels in Brion's blood, and they have dropped down to 9.6 (and below 13 is considered normal). Praise God! Take a look and see just how real this Renewal can be in us!