Choose to follow Jesus – and then to keep following Him – and I propose to you there’s one thing for sure: you’re going to bump into mystery.
In fact mystery is the new normal in the Kingdom of God. The unexplainable; the un-usual; the miraculous; the utterly astounding.
When the Gospel of Jesus begins to permeate and to take root, then things happen that are beyond human reasoning.
This is mystery, and it’s a given!
When Jesus came to earth on that first Christmas heaven and earth collided. In His coming was seeded a juxtaposition of the natural with the supernatural that would have transformative ramifications for all eternity.
And this is what I’ve noticed: when the realm of heaven touches earth it’s always earth that gets changed; not the other way around.
Why? Can I propose to you that the Kingdom of heaven is a superior reality.
And the good news is – the government of Jesus reign is increasing!
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His mane will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward and forever.
Isaiah 9:6,7 NKJV
Relational revival
This is part 2 of three blogs in which we seek to communicate some of the values which we feel the Holy Spirit is emphasising as we approach 2023. As we reflect again on the heart of Jesus for His bride – the church – and on the nature of His redemptive design for relationships, we quickly land in the realm of mystery.
Here’s an example:
For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave His father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:30-32 NKJV
An apostolic family
For some years, we have sensed God impress on us as a faith community His high value on relationships – in marriages, in families, in communities, in cities, in nations and in the church.
We believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ speaks revival and transformation to each of these contexts.
Notice in the Ephesians scripture how the apostle Paul addresses simultaneously several relational realms:
- the community of believers as members of His body who become His flesh and His bones;
- a man who leaves his parents to be joined to his wife in marriage;
- the joining of a husband and wife who become a one flesh unity;
- the joining of Christ to the church in marriage who likewise become a one-ness unity
I propose to you that Paul is teaching that what is true for each relationship realm is in a measure also true for the other; in other words; each is in some way or another a demonstration of the other.
Belonging & agency
So what’s the point?
As we head toward 2023, we believe God is calling us to help build a community that is marked with relational mystery; a people who can simultaneously declare two things which are fully integrated truths in the Kingdom:
- I belong AND
- I’ve got agency
Another way to say this is: I belong to this community (this is my body) but I’m also released to be sent because I’ve got agency.
The thing is, in practical terms to have agency often means leaving, or at the least not being present all the time.
This happened in the early church: both because of being ‘sent’ on a missionary journey for example, and also due to ‘scattering’ because of persecution.
In each of these examples, a sense of belonging none-the-less existed and in fact flourished.
Both the relationship ‘hub’, and also those who were ‘sent’ (or scattered) from the hub thrived.
The mystery of inter-dependency
Could it be that the Ephesians 5 passage we’ve been discussing speaks to this?
The relationship between a married person and his/her parents is summed up in the scriptural phrase ‘leaving and cleaving’ (see Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31).
This is God’s intended design.
The married man and woman having come of age (of sufficient maturity to leave and be to married) now begin to establish a new identity. They still belong to their family of origin, but they have agency to leave and to become more fully who they are created to be in their calling as a married identity.
This is a mystery.
As we step toward 2023, could it be that that we can both leave and cleave?
‘Leave’ as we exercise agency to walk in and develop in our callings and giftings; and ‘cleave’ as we remain in relationship with the community of believers to whom we belong.
By My Spirit
We believe God is calling us to step into more mystery.
Whereby just like the graphic that heads up this blog, we can each be led by the Spirit to diverse and different places of calling and at the same time keep a unity and one-ness and a mutuality of belonging.
May it be that we experience a greater measure of personal and also collective identity; that as a community we experience both gathering (in varied forms & locations) and also sending (according to gift and calling and readiness).
Here is our working definition for you of what it means to be an ‘Apostolic Family’:
We are an organically formed, Spirit empowered, relational hub. Our focus is Jesus Christ, and we exist for the proclamation and the expansion of His Kingdom until the restoration and fulfilment of all things (Ephesians 4:10).
A working definition of an Apostolic Family by David Nathan
Feedback
We invite your thoughts, feedback and questions. Please email info@thehivechurch.com and most of all reflect with Godly imagination about being part of a community where you experience both belonging and agency.
