Category: Key Growth Posts

heaven

Focusing On Your Eternal Destiny

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In the book of Genesis we hear of the tragic beginning of humans. How they lost their union with their Creator and lost harmonious community with fellow humans. But in the New Testament we hear a happy ending. All our prayers, and suffering, and trusting, and sacrifice finally bring us to our eternal destiny. God wins over sin and evil. After death He will give us new bodies and new souls that can receive all He has for us. And his followers will enjoy living with Him forever. This is a key foundation of spiritual theology and spiritual formation. In Revelation we learn that God restores all that was lost in the fall. The Bible begins with a Garden of Paradise that humans must leave because of their sin. But in the end, God cleanses our sin completely and permanently, and restores us to a paradise in a Garden that Continue Reading →

mask false self

Healthy Relationships Through Letting Go Of Your False Self

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Discovering your false self is very important for spiritual growth. God wants to reveal any falseness and destroy your false or ideal self. Your false or ideal self is the “self” you created since childhood in order to avoid being rejected and be accepted by others. It includes all the inauthentic strategies you develop to cope with your world. Some people create a false self that always smiles and cooperates and agrees with everyone. Others create a false self that prefers to oppose and fight others; their false self is the “tough” self. Some create a false self that escapes rejection altogether by hiding behind hobbies or studies or career. There are endless varieties of false self and we all have our own individual version. Letting go of your false self can be a huge challenge. Of course, the result of adopting a false self is that others do not Continue Reading →

conversation missions evangelism

When Our Society Declines: Being Missionaries Everywhere

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It’s not really fair to expect unbelievers to act like believers. We are in this world as lights, not as adversaries to the world. We are to love our enemies as well those who are not our enemies (which I think covers everyone). Most people do not follow Jesus, so we are to be missionaries everywhere. If we change our mindset then we won’t be so discouraged when our culture becomes destructive. Instead of thinking we have a right to live in the kind of place we want, it might help to think of ourselves as missionaries in our community and our world. We are in the minority and we cannot quickly change our culture. As missionaries we need to understand the culture around us. Since there is such a diversity of views wherever we go, our lives are a constant cross-cultural experience. Even talking to our neighbor is sometimes Continue Reading →

What is Christlikeness?

What Does It Mean To Be Christlike?

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We know that our highest calling is to be Christlike and love God. But what are the essentials marks of Christlikeness? This post summarizes Christlikeness into five categories. This should help us to examine our lives and pursue areas of growth. Christ fully abided in the Father, which produced everything else in his life. He was filled with the virtues of God, and these virtues led to fruitful deeds, which is one of humanity’s original callings (“Be fruitful”, Gen. 1:28). This is an important element of the image of God, for God is the fountain of fruitfulness. This included actively loving people and healing their bodies and hearts. On Earth, Jesus employed all his faculties to impact others with his words and actions and developed disciples who would carry on his work after him. We are to do the same in our families, occupations, communities and societies. Whoever abides in Continue Reading →

new earth, callings

Looking Forward To The Fulfillment Of The Purposes Of Our Lives

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This post is about our future hope, the anchor for our lives. First, think back to the Garden of Eden. Consider the callings (we could also refer to them as missions or commissions) that God gave to Adam and Eve. They lived in a paradise, but God did not want them to just sit and enjoy the scenery. Rather, he made them in his image and likeness giving them tremendous abilities and individual gifts so that they could expand the Garden of Eden and create beautiful societies in a beautiful world. Below are the eleven callings God gave to them; these are the purposes for our existence: The Eleven Callings for Humans in the Garden of Eden Bear the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27) Be fruitful (Gen. 1:28) Multiply (Gen. 1:28) Fill the earth (Gen. 1:28) Subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28) Exercise dominion over animals (Gen. 1:28) Work the garden Continue Reading →