Rediscovering the Heart of Faith: The Transformative Power of Union with Christ
Nehemiah 8-9; 2 Corinthians 3; Proverbs 11
What’s the point? What is the point of our faith? Have we signed up for some kind of hell-insurance, or some sort of ethereal system to keep us from feelings of guilt or shame? What is the point of it all?
Why did Jesus come? What is the invitation provided from His suffering on the cross?
Surely, we have been handed down more than principles and programs! The invitation to us is nothing short of glorious!
My friends, don’t you know that once you are reconciled to the Lord, once your heart turns to Him, that His finished work, your perfected place, is completed in you. There’s nothing left to be done. Jesus has done it all! Our Jesus has done it all.
Why do we struggle with sin? Why do we fall back into that old familiar rut? Only because we have not been taught, or maybe we have not believed, the truth! Our Jesus has done it all.
Once you turn to the Lord, yielding your heart to Him, you are indeed a brand new creation. Selah.
Not just a new you, but a brand new kind of creation. You are a redeemed one. You aren’t under the old yoke of the law. No! You have been set free from all of that. Look at what Paul says here:
2 Corinthians 3
16 But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. 17 Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.
18 We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil, we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
There is nothing separating us from the love of God. Absolutely nothing! Our hope is not in a program. Our hope is not in a kingdom system. No! My friends, we have been invited into union with Jesus. We have something far better than kingdom principles. We have been invited to relate to the Person of God.
Our life is now about Christ in us, the very hope of glory!
Every day, as we continue to peer in, we are invited to look into His beautiful face. He is perfectly lovely. And this union, this perfect union with the risen Son, is what transforms our lives into that very same transcendent beauty.
You don’t have to DO a thing. Because there’s nothing left to do. He has done the work! He has perfected the covenant. All that’s left for us is to look and see! And as we do, His work is completed in us.
Amen?!
I want to invite you to join me in something near and dear to my heart. I believe God is calling us back to our first love. Many of us have done the stuff. We’ve prayed the prayers, we’ve done the events, and yet, our lives were not changed. Our marriages were not healed. Our families and friendships were not transformed.
For the last several years now, as I’ve considered what I’m sensing the Lord would have me do for the next leg of my race, I’ve felt more and more drawn to the small. Over the last several years, during this season of being pulled back from all the “big stuff,” I’ve realized more than ever that our marriages, our children, and our closest relationships are the big stuff. The way I dialogue with God all alone is the main thing. You know what I mean?
God has been bringing me back to the basics. Maybe He’s bringing you back.
I’ve been tracking on a dream from my friend, Chris Berglund, for the last several years that I want to share with you.
Chris’ The Lord’s Prayer Dream 3/8/22 – In the dream I heard a voice say, “I Am is preparing to answer the disciples’ prayer worldwide, The Great Communion Prayer”. Then I was in a massive theater with a choir was singing The Lord’s Prayer. The voice continued saying “Envelope this with two witnesses” and somebody with me said, “John 17 and Psalm 23.” The voice simply said, “Good”. I could see the words of the Lord’s Prayer (the Disciple’s Prayer) floating in the air. John 17 and Psalm 23 were floating in the air and wrapping themselves around the disciples’ prayer.
Together, we’ve had a growing sense that the Lord is giving a strategy for lasting and true personal revival that has the potential to shift our nation. God is bringing us back to the small, back to union. Which as it turns out, isn’t small at all!
Chris and I have been working on a prayer guide that connects to this dream. Alone, or gathered together with your family or friends, we believe the Lord is calling us back to communion and back to the simplicity of praying the Lord’s Prayer. As I’ve spent time meditating on each phrase from how Jesus taught us to pray, I’ve seen that each phrase holds an invitation and supernatural provision for us to live revived. This is His invitation: To behold Him with an unveiled face.
I want to invite you to sign up with us. We’re almost ready to send out this guide, and we would love to have you join us. Our sense is that God is ready to visit our hearts and homes in this season. Small is indeed the new big!
If you would like to join us, please sign up here.
Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompts
- Reflect on the concept of faith as more than just “hell-insurance” or a system to avoid guilt. How has your understanding of faith as a glorious invitation from God transformed your spiritual journey?
- Consider the truth that, through Christ, we are a new creation. How does this realization impact your daily life and decisions? Reflect on moments when you’ve truly felt like a brand-new kind of creation.
- Paul talks about the freedom we find in the Lord and being transfigured into His image. Journal about a time you experienced this freedom and transformation. How does it encourage you to seek even closer union with Christ?
- Reflect on the role of simplicity in your spiritual life. How can embracing the simplicity of communion with God, through practices like The Lord’s Prayer, enrich your faith and relationship with Him?
- The invitation to peer into Jesus’ beautiful face and the promise of transformation through this gaze is profound. How does this image inspire you to seek intimate moments with God daily? Share your thoughts on how beholding Him with an unveiled face might change you.
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Additionally, we are excited to introduce “Prayer Altars” — our new initiative that embodies the belief that prayer alters our reality! In these intimate groups of 2-3, we’re fostering a revival in our everyday lives and surroundings. Our mission is to cultivate deeper connections with God and each other, united in communion and guided by the Lord’s Prayer. Build your Prayer Altar to experience firsthand how prayer can transform not just your life, but also the lives of those around you. Learn more and join the movement here.
