CrossLife Church has become a more complex organization since our founding in 2019. God is good and has blessed us with happy and healthy growth, as well as hard hitting challenges.
With those in play, the old ways of communicating via a quick conversation on Sunday before church just doesn’t work any more. More people are involved.
This has been one helpful verse from Scripture: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
God lovingly and wisely is communicating to us in that verse about how he communicates. Jesus came “from the Father” and “made his dwelling among us.”
Divine communication bends down to whisper in the ear of a child or great grandma lying in a hospice bed. It adjust its own position for the good of the recipient.
When we communicate with each other—in marriage and family, at work or church, on social media—children of God are so full of grace that we adjust our tone, our words, and our sharpness or softness. We do this best when we relate to our recipients, “that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).
Church leaders have noticed that adding more people makes communication proportionately more challenging. More different ears, more different minds, more different experiences, more different schedules, more different expectations.
Did you catch it? Jesus experienced similar complexity as one of three persons of the divine Triune God. He needed to communicate with the Father. He needed to communicate also with the Holy Spirit. Not to mention us.
When you struggle to get the same message across to your 3 kids or 14 team members or 200 people in a church and school, Jesus gets it. He can help.
Finally, God’s biggest and best communication—Jesus Christ—came among us, and what did he bring? What was he full of? “Grace and truth.”
Jesus’ greatest glory is not power, though that is real. Jesus’ greatest glory is not being right, though that is certain. Jesus’ greatest glory is not being noticed or going viral, though that would make our world a better place.
Jesus’ greatest glory is coming to you, in person, and being divine grace and truth. Filling you with divine grace and truth. Becoming the grace and truth you need in order to better communicate with others.
PRAYER: I love listening to you, Lord, your words so full of grace and truth. Lead me away from guessing about your guidance, your purpose for me, and what you think about me. Call me deeper into confidence and clarity that relies on your grace and lives by your truth. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY: In Matthew 17:1-9 Jesus brings 3 of his disciples to witness his transfiguration. They see something incredible, and they hear the words of the Father, “Listen to him.” What happened after that? What is God teaching you?