Wrestling with faith, scripture, and culture

This past week was a blast. Throughout the week we did scenarios that prepared us for potential things in the feild, team building exercises, a man hike, and a fitness hike up Yonah.

 

God has been revealing His majesty to me so much this past week. In christian community, through nature, through people being lead by the Spirit, and revelation in his scripture.

 

I’ve always been a type of person who is not afraid to learn, grow and have my beliefs challenged. The Holy Spirit has been challenging my faith, my thought processes, and relationships in darastic ways.

 

I describe it as a wrestle because there is conflict in theology in what have been taught, learned, experianced, and developed against the different theologies brought into the equation by everyone else who is a part of the world race.

 

The Lord is teaching me unity and agreement are to very different things. There can be unity as the church ( the entire Christian body ) in the midst of different theologies. We all have the same goal and that is to share the Gospel. It puts a whole new meaning into Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 2:2-4 “I decided to know nothing among you accept Christ crucified.”

 

The difference between what is scriptural and what is conviction has been a big theme in this wrestle. Learning not to judge in times where there are convictions that line up with scripture on either end. This has also had me re-thinking relationships in general. When Jesus tells his disciples to love one another, he is telling them to be deliberate about how you love the members of the body. If love is patient and kind, does not end or boast, or is not self seeking, or insist in its own way, does not rejoice at wrong doing, but rejoices with the truth. It reminds us to hold each other accountable when things are done opposing to scripture but not to insist on one’s own preferences. And this is all to be done to lift each other up so as a church we may function and as ministry can most lovingly, scripturally, and in the most God honoring way can worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23 – 24). So from there can can proclaim the Gospel according to the will of the Father.

 

The community in our squad is filled with an amazing group of people who desire to know the Lord and build his kingdom. I am so blessed to have them and have the ability to teach and challenge them and be taught and challenged by this God fearing squad.

 

The Lord is preparing us as we go about disciplining in the nation’s and soon where ever God puts us in our futures.

 

Thank you every one for your prayers and support for me and X squad. The Lord is faithful!!!