Growth!

Jesus displayed countless miracles in a three-year time span, it is said that had all of the miracles he performed been recorded it would not fit within the pages of the bible. He gathered followers and enemies alike during that time. After every great exploit, be it healing, deliverance or a soul renewing encounter, more and more would follow him. These weren’t simply consumers standing by waiting to see it all pan out. No, these people were desperate to be in Jesus’ space, they wanted to be near him to hear the life words dripping from his lips. He was the answer to decades of worry, and desperation; everything, he alone satisfied their souls. It seems as if they pressed in and pulled from all that he was. At the end of the day, he wisely retreated to commune with God, knowing that’s where his sustenance came from.

Crowds. That’s what Jesus yielded everywhere he went; though at times a crowd could easily transform into a mob. Growth is the desire of so many; more specifically, community growth. What was the key to Jesus’ attraction? It could be as simple as good news, the gospel must’ve wafted out of him as he entered cities or even regions. What’s more, he didn’t just create growth, it has sustained over 2,000 plus years later. Perhaps it doesn’t look or feel the same, but those who call themselves by his name are vast in number and increasing. Could it be that the Prince of Peace, the Waymaker, offered good news alone and that was attractive? We are talking about the man who hung in the place of a murderer, flesh shredded, thick thorns stabbing his skull, spikes driven through his hands and feet, and still firmly declaring all of humanity forgiven. We don’t fully grasp this scene, this act, but we should at least attempt to grasp and declare, “He is me”, I have the same spirit in me, taunting me to take ownership of my metron--empowering me to forgive my enemies and help shift their minds into the knowledge of their right standing with God.

In a community disgruntled with a lack of growth, the continuance of violence and severe lack in finance, could the answer simply be good news? There is nothing new under the sun, everything we experience today is age-old, there are older ways of wisdom that would bring about the desired change and we also have access to renewal. At the end of the day, it looks like love. Defaulting to loving your neighbor will always be the answer, we can infuse wisdom and offer injections of hope to bolster that, but it will never boil down differently. Love brings change. Love is good news. Love yields growth. Sustainable community growth is completely dependant on the biblical principle of loving your neighbor and becoming an offering of good news in every situation.

Perhaps at times, good news feels trivial, not enough. The problem with agreeing with that perception is that it disagrees with the purpose of Jesus’ death on a cross. He took on the world’s pain: mental, emotional and physical, as well as our disdain for God. He swallowed up the entirety of our fallen nature so that we could live in fullness. Ironically, so that we could frolic about as blameless lambs offering bleets of bewilderment because of our ridiculous, free existence. Slaves no more. What if I told you that freedom was at the door of your heart, yours for the taking? Freedom from sin-habit, from short-comings, from the, ‘do it yourself’, lifestyle. Free to live full-tilt, to run after all your heart desires, free to believe it really is a gospel of good news. Free to let loose, knowing the great expanse of creation runs along the boundary lines of Papa God’s hands. We are held. ALL! Whether you measure up or not. No matter your lifestyle, your crutch, your fix, you are included. What Jesus did was an announcement for the ages--Come up out of your grave, you are brand new!

It’s an awakening! Lover’s of God should be so attractive in spirit and in truth that their shadows awaken a greater existence for each individual they pass. Filled to overflowing, loving by default is our most influential source of power. The Church needs an awakening, zombie Christianity is a fault-finding, judgmental fortress. It’s not for a lack of trying, our try is simply tired, the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil drips with slumber. For growth to be life-giving it has to exude the fragrance of freedom. Perhaps the secret to Jesus’ great following was the enticement of and awakening to freedom. It’s also what got him killed, freedom was always the mission. Free to believe you are in!

Today, consider what fragrance your existence is offering your world--what are you growing in life’s garden?