Tuesday, November 2, 2010

DNA Discipleship

DNA – How the church functions to become restored into a living organism that is structured the way God intended it to be.
 
Divine Truth – becoming like Jesus
 
Nurturing Relationships – caring for others like Jesus
 
Apostolic Mission – being sent like Jesus
 
 
At the heart of the church and its lifeblood is Jesus. As Christians, followers of Jesus, it should be implied that we are striving to become like Christ. What Jesus did just by living, he set the example of what that restored life looks like with God. Before Adam and Eve mucked things up they were living a life with purpose, mission and nakedness. Their identity was that they were made in God’s image and resembled the characteristics of our God. As the story of Adam and Eve unfolds, they made the mistake of buying into the lie that they would become like God even more by eating the fruit that opened their eyes to sin and the separation from God that came with it.
 
As sin entered into the world bringing death, suffering, poverty, destruction and whole list of other crap taking us away from God, He still wanted us to see our identity and the life that He promised through His creation. As He was actively pursuing us with covenants and the Law of the Old Testament it wasn’t enough for us. It presented the life of blessings and Israel was to be the bringer of blessings. Israel failed. Not until Jesus comes in on the scene do we see the promises fulfilled and the restoration that he brings with it.
 
By looking at the D.N.A. we are hopefully and faithfully seeking a God to meet us where we are. Distraught. Separated. Prideful. Ashamed. Spectating. Active. The D.N.A. allows us to pick up on the journey wherever we are. Most importantly that it’s in the direction of life as God intended things to be. The D.N.A. isn’t meant to be sequential, that you must obtain a life like Jesus before caring for others or being sent out. It’s a continuation of all three together. With a renewed heart, mind, soul and strength our agenda, our daily life, is a reflection from that life.
 
Just as the D.N.A is more continual than sequential, you also can’t take anything away from it. If you were to focus more on nurturing and caring for other but leave out becoming and sent like Jesus you mess things up. The D.N.A. becomes retarded. It’s a mutation from what God intended. I reference it to a mental handicap when you leave out the becoming like Christ. A physical handicap when you’re not being sent out into the world. And an emotional handicap when you leave out the nurturing and caring for others. The D.N.A. functions to become that restored living organism of life with God, from the individual to the communal.
  
True Life. True DNA. What was life like before we were separated?
 
Where did God come from?