June 2023: You are a Soul
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28-31
At Garden Church, we believe that you do not have a soul, but that you are a soul. Souls are characterized by windows/aspects: spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, and relational. It is important for us to recognize this, because in our efforts to be “good Christians” we may overly emphasize our pursuit of the spiritual and deny the rest of our soul. This practice, which many of us can fall into, doesn't leave us more holy, but rather it leaves us more empty.
Followers of Jesus are asked to love God and love neighbor as themselves, “[with your whole being]” (Mark 12:30). For Jesus, there is no compartmentalization in discipleship. Our whole lives and souls are offered in worship. When this is ignored, we stumble into heresy.
As Christians, it becomes so easy to fall into one of the oldest heresies of docetism. The belief that defines docetism is the denial of Jesus’ humanity. Followers of this belief see Jesus’ physicality as something to be shameful of, that he only “appeared” to be a human, and that Jesus was 100% God with no humanity. This is deemed a heresy, because Jesus was in fact fully divine and fully human.
I bring this to attention because, as leaders, we may mentally believe that Jesus was both fully God and a man; yet, when we offer him only with the spiritual parts of our soul, we do something worse than mentally believing a heresy, we live out docetism in our discipleship. This kind of practical discipleship will limit God from meeting in the entirety of life. When we do this, we do not lead well. We must lead from a place of intimacy with God, where we are taking care of our souls in their entirety.
God wants all of you. God cares for all of you. God’s desire is that your whole soul would be offered to Him.
Do not lead out an anemic soul. We must lead from a soul that is overflowing with God’s presence.
In his ‘Confessions,’ Augustine wrote “How can you draw close to God when you are far from your own self?” He prayed: “Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee.”
Additionally, in 1530, John Calvin wrote in the ‘Institutes of the Christian Religion:’ “Our wisdom…. consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.’
Slow down. Allow God into every aspect of your soul. How is He delighted? Where does He want to grow you? How does He want you to invite others into it? This slowing down to take care of your soul is really an invitation to know yourself, so that you may truly know God. This process also is the key to discipleship. For those who you are leading and discipling, in and out of House Church, the biggest thing that will form them will be how you are formed by being with God. Someone who lives out of their being with God, allows their souls to be fully known, and then partners fully with God with their whole being will produce Kingdom fruit that those around them will be able to enjoy.
My prayer for you as leaders is the same for those in our House Churches, echoes Augustine’s:
Lord, would you draw yourself close to those under our care
Invite us towards your table with you Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
May we
In the fullness of your holy hospitality
In the light of your presence
See where we have not allowed you to heal
Understand how we still need to grow
Know our souls as you know us
From this place
May we be a people of love
Where there is no performance, but relaxing in you God
Tend to our souls, so that we may flourish
That we may bear the fruit of the new heavens and earth here and now
Amen
God’s desire is that your whole soul would be offered to Him.
•••
This month, may we stop doing for God the things He isn’t asking of us to do. Rather, may we be with Him.
Community Plan a Retreat
Nothing is more effective in growing a group of people together than escaping the normal rhythm of life to head on a retreat. We have seen a few House Churches go on either a summer or winter retreat to mark each new season.
Bring this idea to your House Church and find a weekend to get out and enjoy a night or two away this summer.
Formation Emotionally Healthy Discipleship
For leaders, it is important for us to recognize how to be emotionally healthy so we can also be holistically healthy. I would recommend reading Pete Scazerro’s newest book, Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, as a first step toward soul health.
Presence Personal Retreat
While getting away as a whole House Church is fun, and it will build a deep community. I would recommend leaders find time to regularly escape on a personal retreat. Take whatever you can, a few hours to a whole day away at the beach or in the mountains, whatever you do make sure it is just you and Jesus.
God is longing for us to be with Him no distractions. He invites us to withdraw with Him whenever we can.
Mission Honor Fathers
June is typically associated with the international celebration of mothers known as Father’s Day. This is a great opportunity for our House Churches to serve and honor fathers that are in our vicinity. Find a way to bless and honor your neighbors who are fathers.