Searching for Truth

There are often hard to handle issues in our soul that keep us from relating to others deeply and constructively, and it is easier for us to ignore them, and cover them up with social courtesies and appropriate language. We then, allow superficial behavior to suffice as a barometer of spiritual health. Yet superficial behavior and relationships divert attention away from the troubling realities that exist within our soul. Superficiality helps us get by spiritually because we think that conforming our behavior to whatever standards we set creates spirituality. But change in this case is largely external. It is not from the inside out. And its effect is to increase a deep sense of pressure, not freedom. Change is usually based of human effort, more information, greater knowledge, and more determined attempts at obedience do not necessarily draw us more deeply into relationship with Christ. But Jesus made it clear that doing right in His eyes required far more than the performance of cer...

In our search for intimacy with Christ, we are transformed into Jesus’ likeness and grow into a closer walk with Him through our relationship with the body of believers, the family of God. As Christians, we are members of the body of Christ. Every aspect of our life as a Christian is a body issue. Being a part of the body necessitates community. We are a society of believers in Jesus Christ: the Jesus society. The community of people around us is the incubator in which we grow. The depth and quality of our growth will depend on the community that surrounds us. In living the Jesus way of life together with others in the local body of Christ, we encourage, empower, and enliven one another. In Christ, we share a common life together. One of the most important aspects of community is growing in our relationship with Christ through knowing and being known by others within the body. Nearly everyone seems to have an inherent need to know and be known. The body of Christ supplies the environme...