“Getting it right” has to do with getting Him right.
What I hope to do here is to take a step back to a question that was asked of me about 10 years ago now. Here it is in context:
I had just arrived late for a leader’s gathering in Charlotte, NC. I couldn’t help but note a rather common, almost pleasant look on the faces of those already present – like a group of cats who had just shared a canary. Before I could take my seat, the presiding leader asked, “Jay, what does the Church in this city look like?” I hesitated a second or two and then responded,
It looks like the sum total of all of those who belong to Christ in this city, who know who are theirs in Him. Everything else is show business.
I share this by way of further introduction to what I would like to blog about here. The kind of intimacy that we are looking for is not likely to be found until we accept Jesus as Lord of relationship. We need to know and receive one another as from Him. What God calls church, is not about “let’s make a deal” on a human level.
In a subsequent leader’s meeting, but still back in that same time frame, I added that there are places in all of us where we’ve never been. We can’t get there alone because, if we did, it wouldn’t be the same place as it would be if somebody was there with us. The problem is that there is so much garbage between here and there, and we’re afraid to go there, either alone or with someone else. We need to have a place to put the garbage. That is a place only Christ can provide, and has provided. ‘Behold, The Lamb of God who takes away the ‘garbage’ of the world.’
Christ is not only our garbage man, but He wants to make garbage men out of us for the sake of those He has given us to love. We don’t have to take away the garbage of the whole world, but we are called to, and can, take away the garbage of those He has given us to love in Him.
Having said that, which I know sounds very nice in theory, I must quickly add that in my experience, it only happens in the intimacy that is possible when He is Lord of relationship. Unless we discover who we are in Him, and in relationship to others in Him, we dare not get that close.
Jesus wants to give you, and has, in fact, promised to give you significant others in Him! Keep your eyes open, because you never know when He’s going to give you the gift of another person. Opening the package can easily take a lifetime. Oh yes, the package can only be opened in the presence of God’s kind of love, the kind He demonstrated on the day He said, “I love you”…when all His expectations of us were nailed to the tree.
We need this revelation if we are ever going to love like God.
- By Jay Ferris
Loving Like God 
The sentiment Jay expressed reminds me of Og Mandino’s The Greatest Miracle in the World (or was it The Greatest Salesman in the World?) It’s been 30 years since I read his books, but still I’m impressed by the story of a man man who went about lifting people up, helping them with internal sweeping, showing them hope and purpose. The man wore a small bit of old fabric on his coat – held in place by a safety pin – he called himself a “rag picker”.
I’m also impressed that the few real friends in Christ whom I’ve been given, seem to be dealing with the same type of trash in their lives as I am in mine. Strangely, one of them rag-picked me 30+ years ago before the Lord moved him away, and now he’s back where I’m helping him with his burden(s). It reminds me of “cast your bread upon the waters and after many days it will return to you” and “as you sow, so shall you reap”. What truly amazes me, 30 years ago, my trash must surely have been odious to my friend, yet he hung in there and did not flinch. It’s an easier process when we’re dealing with the same kinds of trash, least ways, the odor is familiar.
What sorts of conferences did Jay attend? He doesn’t strike me the type to attend organized and sponsored conferences, rather organic and outside the camp type conferences. Thanks PS!
You got me curious — added the book to my reading queue. :-) Meanwhile, your comment is much appreciated! And I’ll have to ask someone who knew Jay “in those days” about your question. But maybe it’s sufficient to say that he was pretty fearless, and very passionate to share the things God had given him to share. So yes, while he functioned in spiritual family life outside the institutional church system, and spoke mainly at those types of “organic” conferences, he also had a heart (I think it might have been a calling) for reaching leaders in the institutional church. I think he saw many of them “on the fence,” so to speak, and so would engage with them any chance he could–if they were willing. (sometimes even if they weren’t!) But was he ever fully accepted in that arena? No, not at all.
I’ll see if someone else has something to add…
-Pamela
I scanned the Amazon Kindle excerpts and it was The Greatest Miracle in the World I remembered. It’s not explicitly Christian which rankled some of the evangelical types in the reviews … but it is uplifting and tugs at the heart.
What triggered my comment about the seminars – it was in that area – the Carolinas – where an apostolic reformation movement I followed in the early 2000’s got started. I haven’t tuned into any of that stuff for near 25 years – just a curiosity when the baptism was new and I thought I needed training – only to discover the Holy Spirit was my trainer (1 John 2:27). ;^) Former friends were married at one such organic gathering in that area – just the vows with an elder attending and no state marriage license – that’s always an energetic topic among the outside-the-camp folks. ;^)
The “taking out the trash” concept was so new to me when I met Jay. I see how important it is to know who’s ours in Christ…cause it’s not easy handling everyone’s trash. And sometimes people want to hold onto “their trash”.
Equally as important, is to know who to trust with your trash. Thanking God for those he’s put me in life with. Thanks for sharing!
Spot on, there! I remember toward the end of his life, he was getting random phrases in a long list, one of which was “street sweeper.” When thinking about this recently, I thought of, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for your feet.” It seems sweeping a street clean of garbage, is one of the first steps.
Thanks for commenting…whoever you are. (I should change the settings to require names, lol)
– Pamela