How do we make horses run faster? Well the jockey will use a whip. You've seen the big races on the tv, they keep hitting the horse, over and over.
Tonight I had dinner with a few friends before I went to a company function. Lee asked me if I knew of any believers that had "real fellowship" after college. I couldn't really think of anybody that had anything close to that. Sure, we have friends we hang out, friends we talk Bible with, and friends we pray with. But do we really have the type of fellowship that causes us to follow Christ closer? That causes us to be honest, almost brutally honest.
We went around the table and started talking about the quirky little things that each of us does. I brought up the fact that Tabronkias always says..."ahhh man shoot." It's so funny. We went around and how Lee always says, "oh yeah." How Rach didn't like to be "touched". Then they were going to talk about me, well I didn't really like that idea.
The Lord has been dealing with me for a long time about joining a church and being an active part of it. Maybe even starting an evangelism training program. I've always felt like I was on the outside and since I was called to the ministry, that'd probably be the best place for me. I was challenged tonight. As I was riding home, I was thinking about what my life would be like in a few years etc etc. What am I doing to get there? etc etc. A close friend calls out the blue. I just spent over 2 hours on the phone being majorly challenged. I don't think in my life, I've ever had someone challenge me and get up close and personal in my grill. Have I fooled that many people into thinking I've got it all together or do that many people just not tell the truth. Probably both. It's rare when I tell someone the truth and really try to spur them on to correct parts of their life. I'm totally rambling. I didn't like the chiding at first. But as I heard my friend keep telling me things and how they have prayed for me, it began to make sense. All the things I know the Lord has been dealing with are coming to surface through a friend I don't even talk to on a daily basis or weekly basis for that matter. How do we know God is real? Well He surely orchestrates these divine appointments.
In all meetings in corporate america, you discuss, then you develop "action items." These are items that you take responsibility of and agree to carry out. So out of this conversation with an honest friend, I'm spurred to carry things out and seek God in a deeper way.
It all goes back to this. How much of this life are we missing out on because we fail to have real believers' fellowship? How is that developed? In two hours, it got easier for me to hear my faults and problems come from another person. I bet if we lived it out daily, it would become a lot easier and actually be somewhat welcomed. My friend tonight didn't come at me to hurt me, but to help me and spur me on to something good.
So I usually write about everything from peeing on a best friend, breastfeeding, tampon commercials, and witnessing. But tonight, I guess I write because I need prayer in this area and I wish I wasn't so prideful. Pride is the reason we don't challenge each other, and pride is the reason we do not like to be challenged. It has to be.
Do you have real fellowship?
10 comments:
Posts like this are what keeps me reading your blog. Of course the tampon commercials, breastfeeding comments, yada yada are great, but this is the stuff that I love.
I will have to agree with Ed, posts like this are what I love to hear from you Justin Tanner. I talked to a good friend of mine yesterday too and she was telling me about stuff she was learning and about how well need a Paul, Timothy, and Barnabas in our lives. So sounds like you got your Paul calling out last nite. Wish we got kicked in the face more like that. Glad to see God is working, and consider yourself prayed for.;)
Justin..thanks for your honesty and sincerity in your blog entry. I truly believe that Pride Prohibits Prayer in our lives. I also feel that when we don't expose our weaknesses we are robbing Christ of the glory He deserves. When we are weak He is strong! Thanks for exposing your weakenesses and testifying to the graciousness of your Father!
Hey Justin -
You should come to DCF. Those people know what freaking fellowship really means and what church really means. See man, I've been avoiding God and church and the people at DCF for the past couple of weeks because I just dont know, I just was avoiding. But my house church people called to see if I was coming to house church last Tuesday and so I went and those people just let me be as honest as I can. I told them I didnt want to be there and I didnt want to go to church and that I had been avoiding and they were fine with that and just talked to me and asked me questions and helped me work it all out. And they didnt get mad or freak out or anything. I think that is real fellowship. A place where you can expose the meanest ugliest shameful places in front of people who care about you and people who want you to be a part of them. They didnt just give up on me, they called and got me back and loved on me and helped me. I want to be your fellowship but I am selfish and put myself first 97% of the time. I wish I would stop worrying about whats wrong with me and be a friend.
Holly, I think you are like all the rest of us. I know when I'm not really following the Lord, I tend to avoid the Godly people that I know, mainly because I know they ask questions. Thanks for being honest!
Justin, you are one of the very few people in my life who isn't afraid of throwing questions at me. Thank you for willingness to help keep me in check. :)
I'm so glad that you let me in on your blog. You have some of the best head thumping posts that help push me on. I appreciate your honesty and your awesome friendship that helps guide people to God. I've always amired your relationship with God, but in some ways knew that this is only the being for you... your potential is awesome! Thanks for the entry.
Good thoughts, man. I had to laugh at the "action points" comment...I am looking at a list of them from one of my meetings yesterday. Good old corporate america...
I think authentic fellowship is mainly a function of being intentional in relationships. It is so easy to live on "autopilot" and only relate with people on a surface level. Being transparent about your own life and deeply interacting with others takes a lot of time and effort.
I have found that my best real "fellowship" is not always with the people I have known the longest. It is with the people who put time and effort into more than just hanging out. Thanks for being one of those guys!
You guys are great. Lee, I think you are exactly right. There are people I can connect with instantly because they are transparent. I admire that quality. I struggle to be transparent and I think many other christians also struggle with that. We are not always doing "good" but we sure tell people that daily.
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