Spiritual Community?
One of the most interesting opportunities afforded to me while in Haiti this past month was to help create spiritual community among our AIM Staff. I can still remember the spiritual empowerment I felt when I walked into a room filled with 50+ World Racers who had just landed in Haiti – www.theworldrace.org. Pouring into other followers of JESUS is the passion of my life.
Spiritual Community is both an enactment and an experience. It is the expression of unconditional love of one another while recognizing the image of God within each. It is all about Spiritual Formation – learning to trust who God says that I am and walking in that identity.
Spiritual formation is tied to knowing Christ deeply with others. This is why Spiritual Formation happens best within community. The goal of God is to “form Christ” in the believing community (see Galatians 4:19).
The marker for spiritual formation is living by an indwelling Lord rather than by trying to imitate His outward behavior. What the Father was to Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is to you and me. He’s our indwelling Lord. The Lord declared, “As the living Father sent me, and I live because the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me” (John 6:57).
The Apostle Paul later wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Jesus Himself said that without the Father, He could do nothing (see John 5:19). Jesus then said to us, “Without Me, you can do nothing”(15:5).
Spiritual Community is about learning how to live by the indwelling life of Christ. And
therein lies what being a follower-a disciple of Jesus is all about.
As I reflect on our AIM Haiti Staff, I am excited that God has provided a launching pad for them to go deeper into developing community among one another. I pray for Seth Barnes, Jr & Aaron Brunner as God has anointed them to take this development to the next level.
Thank you for your prayers, Lanny! It’s such a privilege to be here taking on the group you left.
Love you man of God, thanks for all that you’ve poured into this community. God has given you a father’s heart and it is so evident in how you’ve loved on this group. We miss you and we’re praying for you!