Simplicity.
I'm always amazed at how complex life can become. How easy it is for us to miss out on the simplicity of faith, relationships, and love. It is my belief, as it relates to my own personal life and the Pioneer Family, that a return to simplicity is in order.
One of my favorite definitions of simplicity is "freedom from complexity." Complexity is generally used to characterize something with many parts where those parts interact with each other in multiple ways. It's unfortunate that our lives tend to be characterized by this word. It seems as though our joy, our freedom, our relationships, and even our faith becomes complex. Difficult. Hard to manage and/or understand. For some people, even the simple can become complex when we are trying to fit it into an established mindset. What the Lord is wanting to do in our lives is not complex. It may be deep sometimes, but He always has a way of using the simple things to confound the wise.
2 Corinthians 11:3 has always been a favorite verse of mine. It constantly reminds me to focus on the "simplicity of Christ." A word that often gets translated as simple and pure devotion. It describes the one that is free from pretense or hypocrisy, and one that is not self-seeking and possesses an openness of heart. Paul's warning to the church at Corinth was to bring to light those who were seeking to draw them away from genuine faith in Christ. Seeking to complicate the faith, enslave them to rules and rituals, and to blind them to the reality of the grace of God at work in their lives. The example of Eve being deceived by the serpent was given to awaken the church to the subtle way in which those with ulterior motives can move among us.
How does this relate to the faith? Quite simple really. What the Lord had done among the Gentile churches was nothing short of phenomenal. Corinth was no exception. They were a melting pot of diverse cultures and backgrounds. While they had their difficulties, Paul seemed to take an approach that would allow the members to work through their issues. Love would be at the core of all they would do. He had written them at least on one other occasion to deal with the majority of the problems. He guided them through it, gave detailed instructions when necessary, and believed that the grace of God would take care of the rest. What he dealt with, primarily, was the ones who sought to control this community of believers, to manipulate what the Father was doing among them, and the division that it was creating. He had witnessed a community rising up in pure faith, being led astray from the simplicity of Christ. Something that is all too easy to lose.
How do we return to simplicity?
We allow love to be the driving force in all that we do.
We become dominated by the mindset of relationship.
And we demonstrate this lifestyle in our everyday lives.
Go back and read 1 Corinthians 13. This was not something Paul wrote out to be read in a wedding service. It was a defining of love in action among the body. Rather than allowing ourselves to be driven by other forces at work among us, we allow love to dictate in every circumstance. Love keeps us from being performance driven and self-seeking. Everything changes when we do what we do from a position of love.
Being dominated by the mindset of relationship, reminds us that this was at the core of all that Jesus taught His disciples. When asked about the greatest commandment, He summed them all up in two statements: Love for God and Love for Our Neighbor. He showed us that all of the Law and Prophets hung on these two things. John also believed that this was vitally important. Which is why he reminded the church that you cannot say that you love God whom you have not seen and hate your brother who has been made in His image and likeness. It's impossible. Why? Because love for God is demonstrated in our love for others and vice-versa.
Demonstrating this lifestyle in our everyday lives keeps us from become building centered. This is a much more difficult task for the Western Church because when we say the word "church" we often visualize a meeting place. Something amazing happens in us when the word "church" is accompanied by the vision of people in our lives. We begin to see the church as she was always meant to be. More than a meeting place. Greater than an organization or a business. A living, breathing, Body with many members. Not only does it move us away from a building centered mentality, but it reminds us of the holiness of every day of the week. That God is not limited to an hour on Sunday but is able to move in our lives 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days in a year. We find that every moment can be holy, every relationship important, and every opportunity life changing.
The Early Church was not birthed in a Temple but from the overflow of an upper room experience. Men and women filled with the Holy Spirit, preached as the Spirit gave utterance. People of different languages heard the Good News, were convinced of the finished work of Christ, and sought to join themselves to the fellowship. God, once again, demonstrating that His greatest works were not performed in man made things. Proving that He simply needs a people who will be sensitive to what He is doing at any given time.
Simple - yet profound.
Pure - yet incredibly deep.
Discovering the reality of faith in every area of life. Loving God with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. And loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. This is the heart of our faith. This is the simplicity of Christ. Not a religious exercise with hoops to jump through and rules to satisfy, but a deep abiding reality of the Father's love among us. A return to the simplicity of relationship that began in the Garden. God as Father - us as His children. Eating from the Tree of Life which is Jesus. All made possible through the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
Simplicity - the state, quality, or an instance of being simple. Freedom from complexity.
2016 looks to be a time of refreshment. I trust that you will enjoy the journey.
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