Postures
pos·ture: “a particular way of dealing with or considering something; an approach or attitude.”
We have three postures that define how we follow Jesus and navigate the challenges of life. We ask ourselves, “are we really doing these things?” as a way of helping us follow Jesus more faithfully for the sake of His world.
Presence Based
We live dependent on the presence and power of Jesus to transform us and lead us in all things.
“Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power.”
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”
These two verses and many others in the Biblical story emphasize the point that we cannot get anything done as Christians, without the power and presence of God at work in and through our lives. We’re all a mess! We need to be transformed by the One who changes everything: Jesus!
So to be “Presence Based” is our way of saying we have to be dependent on the presence and power of Jesus for everything in our lives. Whether its our relationships, our jobs, the way we handle money, serving “the least of these” in our society, we can only do it well when we do it in the power of Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
Practice Shaped
We commit to a way of life which Jesus gave us that shapes our love for God and others.
“Jesus came and told his disciples...’Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”
“For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.”
Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, he commanded his disciples to follow specific practices that were to help shape them and all future followers into His way of life.
Like the practices of Baptism, Communion (the bread and the cup), Studying Scripture, Sharing Life together with other Christians, and Prayer that are mentioned in the scriptures above, these and other practices help us live the way Jesus called us to live.
These are not things we do in order to earn God’s favor, but things we do because we want to be like Jesus and obey his commands. Some of these practices are things like:
Baptism
Communion/Sharing meals together
Reading Scripture
Prayer/Worship
Proclaiming the Gospel
Being with the “least of these”
These practices aren’t just nice things to do, they also help us slow down to see how and where God is really at work in the world. When we can see what God is doing, we are able to join God’s work in the world more fully.
People Driven
We live intentionally for the sake of others, no matter who they are, so that they can meet Jesus too.
“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family...I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others’.”
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.”
A consistent thread running through the Scriptures is how much God loves all the people of the world and wants to be reunited with Creation. As followers of Jesus we are called to be like our our perfect Father in heaven, and love everyone, no matter who they are.
As an outflow of being Practice Shaped we intentionally live in ways to love people in our community well by being hospitable, generous, encouraging, and helpful in any ways that we can.