Creating Environments that Connect us with Jesus and People

Last year Jay Barrow told me about Andy Stanley's podcasts on leadership called "Practically Speaking" (http://www.practicallyspeaking.org/) - All seven podcasts are great and I've listened to them several times. One of the many things that Andy Stanley and his leadership team talked about was creating environments. Stanley had summarized every role and goal in his mega-church to one sentence and every description talked about creating environments. So, I've been thinking about this a lot. I've been praying that God will help me. During a conversation with Allen Meadows who leads our small group ministry, Allen was preparing for a small group leaders meeting. It was just a simple phone conversation and I don't know how it evolved but I know that God was in the conversation. We were trying to reduce our mission into a single sentence that captures what we believe Jesus wants us to accomplish in our small group ministry. Allen ALWAYS emphasizes Jesus. He even counts how many times "Jesus" (his name) is used in the Bible, in conversations with people, in sermons, in classes - I mean, he really wants Jesus to be the center of everything. And I do to. So, we are talking about this and Allen is emphasizing how the mission of small groups has to focus on connecting people to Jesus. He said it over and over - the purpose of our small groups has to focus on connecting people with Jesus (that's why I love talking to Allen!). Well, as we talked we decided this sentence captures what Jesus wants us to accomplish in our small groups: "our purpose is to create environments that connect us with Jesus and people." That's it! Eureka! Thank you Holy Spirit! That's exactly what Jesus wants us to do. And I am convinced that it applies to every ministry in our church. That summarizes our purpose. Now we have a mission statement (our purpose is to know him, follow him, share him, and worship him) and that's great. I will continue to repeat it and encourage others to let it inspire and give direction. It's painted on our walls. It's on every piece of literature that we produce from bulletins, to CD covers, to letters. It's a good mission statement because it focuses on Jesus. But this "new word", for me at least, captures it because it summarizes how we can accomplish the four points of our mission. It answers this question: How can we know him, follow him, share him, and worship him? By creating environments that connect us with Jesus and people. Even more, it answers the deeper question that I've been struggling with every since Jay challenged me. The deeper question is: What problem are we trying to solve? That question lodged in by brain. I had no answer other than scattered ideas, all of them OK, but scattered ideas that left me feeling like I was trying to do everything at once and nothing well. So, I have wrestled with that question: "What problem are we trying to solve?" for months. It's a great question. If you were able to ask the people in Nehemiah's day "What problem are you trying to solve?" the people would answer together with one voice "The walls are broken down and we are building a wall for God!" Today, if you ask anyone in AA (who has some time under their belt and knows the purpose of AA): "What problem are you trying to solve?" they will respond together with one voice: "Our primary purpose is the take the message of AA to alcoholics who still suffer." Now that sentence inspires me. That's it! That says it all! Or at least, it captures our primary purpose and what we are trying to accomplish. AA exists for alcoholics and the only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking. Underneath that statement lies all the richness of a relationship with God, the 12 Steps, the 12 Traditions, the Big Book, and the fellowship of AA. The point is this: we need to know what problem we are trying to solve. For me (and many others), the problem relates directly to our lack of connection with Jesus and people. By "connection" I mean "relationship". Connecting with Jesus means so many things to me: Worshiping. Loving. Repenting. Obeying. Learning. Changing. Engaging. Enjoying. Receiving. Giving. Praising. And on and on. Connecting with Jesus means we have a close, personal, dynamic relationship that puts Jesus at the center of everything in life. Not only on Sundays but every single day, hour and minute so that our entire life is a sacrifice of worship - so that everything we do is to the praise of his glorious grace! Connecting with people is similar to connecting with Jesus (excluding worship of course) because the connections we make with people is nothing more or less than Jesus connecting with people through us. Understand? We are channels for God's love. I love people but the love I have comes from God. God loves and connects with people through us (1 John 4:7-21). Jesus' love is so dynamic that we not only receive it we share it with other people. So, it's really not our love, it's the love of Jesus Christ and the Father. It's the love that the Holy Spirit has poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5). I will get back to "creating environments" in a minute but first I want to get this idea of connecting out of my head and into my computer. God's eternal purpose is so amazing! He chose us in Christ before creation! In love he predestined us to be adopted as sons and daughters. He did it to the praise of his glorious grace so that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace and love. God is working out his eternal plan according to the purpose of his will (read Ephesians). He loves us with a love that is beyond anything we can imagine. He has accomplished it all through his Son Jesus Christ who prayed that through the message of the gospel believers would be one so that the world would believe HIM! Jesus prayed "Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them" (John 17:21-26). That's what I mean my connecting. It's more than a word. It's God's eternal purpose. "Connecting with Jesus and people" means that we are one in Christ like the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. Even more, I don't know how to say it other than how Jesus prayed: "I (Jesus) am in you (the Father) and you are in me and they (people) are in us because the Holy Spirit is in them." Now that is connection! It's a ONENESS that cannot be topped. It's a connection that cannot be stopped or disrupted because the power that keeps us connected is God's love that is so deep and high and wide and long and NOTHING can separate us from his love in Jesus Christ. Nothing in all creation can stop it! It's the most powerful force that exists. It's older than creation. God's plan is wrapped up in a man, Jesus Christ, who came to connect us and give us eternal life. The cross is the center and stands eternally as the ultimate demonstration of love. Now, back to "creating environments". Well, not yet. One more thing. The reason this grabs my heart is it's theological foundation. For me, it's not the latest fad. For me, it's like stepping into the flow of God's eternal purpose - the redemption and reconciliation of all things. I must admit that my interest peaks when I read leadership material, but deep in my heart I want something more than the principles of the world. Something more than "Seven Habits" or "Good to Great" or even the principles found in Christian literature (including Andy Stanley's podcast practically speaking). I'm not saying anything bad about these things - I like them and I see their value. I just want more! I want to know what God is doing right now. I want to join him and make it as simple as possible. Simplicity. It needs to be simple. Powerful, dynamic, God-driven simplicity without all the jargon. No esoteric language understood by only a few. God's message to the world is not helped with wise and persuasive words. God's message is simple and clear because it is revealed i.e., we can't figure it out with reason or logic. It is revealed. The Holy Spirit reveals it - he illuminates it and the cross of Jesus Christ stands at the center! God's ultimate demonstration of love - the climax of everything meaningful is focused on the cross of Jesus Christ by which God connects with us. That's why I want to keep it simple and I, like Paul, resolve to know nothing but the cross of Christ. That's my theology. That's my message because that summarizes everything God has to say. It's all about God loving us, saving us, and connecting with us. In response, we desire to connect with Jesus and all people. Now, back to "creating environments". I think of it like this. God was the first to create an environment. He created earth. Eden was the perfect environment for connecting with God and people but we messed everything up and we fell. The earth became so corrupt that he destroyed it with a flood, with the intention of re-creating another environment for Noah and his descendents. Then God called Abraham to leave his idol-worshiping country and move to an new environment which would be occupied by his descendents. Eventually, Israel occupied this new environment - the Promised Land, which was intended to be a "type" or a model of what God was planning to accomplish for everyone on planet earth by sending his Son Jesus. God made covenants, promises, and revealed his plans throughout history. Every covenant God made was focused on connecting with people, first with the Jews and then with us (Gentiles). We (Gentiles) can gain incredible insight into the importance of God's creativity by studying the Old Testament. For instance, the Sonshiners (the seniors at our church) and I spent several months studying Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus. We're taking a break through the winter because of weather but will pick up in Numbers and Deuteronomy in March. We've learned so much about God's creativity by studying the Old Testament, especially the book of Exodus. God's instructions for how to construct a tabernacle is amazingly detailed. It is so comprehensive and detailed that, at times, it left us scratching our heads in wonder. Why is this so important to God? Why did he choose the colors (e.g., gold, blue, purple, scarlet)? Why did he choose the fabric? Why did he choose the particular wood and metal? Why did he give the craftsmen special gifts to make it just like he wanted? Why did he prescribe the incense? Why did he give detailed instruction for so many different offerings and animal sacrifices? Why all the attention to diet and holidays? Why? Because he was creating an environment for people to connect with him and each other. Worship was central but it generalized to every aspect of life. Worship engaged all the senses; seeing, hearing, touching, and even tasting the fellowship offerings. And the beauty of the model does not compare with the glory of what John describes in Revelation - our eternal home. In the fullness of time God sent his Son Jesus. When Jesus saw how the religious leaders had ruined God's temple he drove them out with a whip. Twice! They had ruined the environment by turning it into a den of thieves. He accurately predicted it's destruction and pointed us to heaven. Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for us but before Jesus takes us to this perfect environment - our home in heaven - he made is home in our body. Jesus lives in me and you. The Holy Spirit leads us to others as the Father calls them. I've seen him work in AA meetings, restaurants, city streets, homes, hospitals, and jails. When I went to jail God set me free. Ironic? Not really. God shows up everywhere if you look for him. He's made his home in me and he wants me to create safe environments everywhere I go. I do it with a smile. I engage people, smile on them, brag on them, praise them, and when the Holy Spirit opens their heart I put in a good word for Jesus. It is just that simple. No matter where you go or where you are Jesus is with you. He wants to connect, not only with you, he especially wants to make his home in the hearts of those who do not know him. So create warm safe environments in small groups, homes, coffee shops, schools, AA meetings, hospitals, jails - wherever you go love people and keep it simple, easy to understand. Just go about doing good things for people and put Jesus Christ in the center and watch the Holy Spirit work. He will connect you with Jesus and people. Connecting. Loving. Healing. Encouraging. That's what Jesus wants us to do. Don't ruin the environment with a bad attitude or a critical spirit. Target pain. Pay attention to their hurt and meet their felt needs. Divorce. Depression. Anxiety. Addiction. Guilt. Grief. Find where they hurt and show them you care. Create the environment by being completely humble, patient, loving, and empathic - then, once they know you care and understand – asked Jesus to make the connection.