The Answer - Pt. 2 The Wilderness

Need to catch up?
Just Waiting
Part 1

I ended Part 1 with being sure that things were "set up" for me to step off of the KidZone leadership team. I also had shared how I was burdened, as in weighted down, dreaded, did not enjoy, the place/position I was in.

In that three months of me seriously praying, I began a Bible study "Attending the Bride of Christ" by Martha Lawley. I thought this study would be interesting in the fact that it was going to cover some of the Jewish traditions in Biblical times, but I can also say that I wasn't real excited about it. It's not a study I would have chosen off of a shelf.

Much of what was in that study, I already knew and got, yet God revealed to me new things throughout the whole time. He changed my attitude toward the church, His bride. I was convicted on the attitude that I wrote about in Part I. When I started seeing that, I am The Bride, because I am part of The Church, but I am also an attendant to The Bride. Part of attending a bride, is to help prepare them for the bridegroom, who will come to get his bride. My thoughts changed and my attitude changed.

The Church, which is all who believe and are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, is the bride of Christ. That means each local church, full of followers of Christ, and each individual person who follows Christ, is the bride of Christ. Now each individual is not only the bride but they are also the Bride's attendant. We, as part of the body of Christ, are to attend to the Church as a whole, but also attend the local church we are a part of.

attend - 1"to take care of; minister to; devote one's services to"

2"to take charge of; watch over; look after; tend; guard"

We, as believes in and followers of Christ, are to take care of, look after, tend to, help get Her ready for the Bridegroom, which is Jesus Christ, to return. We are to be "dressed" and ready for His return.... What I'm sharing is just the surface, there's so much more to it and there's no way for me to share it here, but I encourage you to get this study and go through it. You can purchase it here or at a local Christian book store.

I shared all of that, and maybe confused you, to say this: I started seeing what I was doing, as my role to "attend" to my local church, to "attend" to each individual believer who came into New Hope. I am helping prepare New Hope Christian Church and each person I touch or have some minute (extremely small, as in size, amount, extent, or degree) influence on, for the return of Christ, our Bridegroom.

When God transformed my thinking, the "burden" of Sunday mornings was no longer there. I no longer have the dread of going. (I do still dread picking out five outfits every Saturday, but we won't talk about that right now.) It doesn't matter as much that I miss 50%-75% of the worship experiences at our church. I don't expect it to always be this way. I know that that the same Spirit that works-in/changes/transforms me, is doing to same thing in everyone else who believes.

After I finished "Attending the Bride of Christ", the next study was "One in a Million" by Priscilla Shirer. Right now I'm only beginning week 4 of 6, but this study is about the Exodus. When God delivered His people out of slavery and bondage, He led them through the wilderness to get to "the promise land".

So far, the focus has been the wilderness. Now there has been some confusion on my own part of what the "wilderness" is, because Priscilla seems to think of it as something different then I always thought of it, but I think I'm finally getting what she is saying. Many times in the study we have to think of a wilderness time in the past and if we may be in one now. The one that I can think of now, is the whole KidZone thing. The whole praying and waiting and silence.

The important things I've learned about the wilderness (and some goes against what I had always believed):

1. God leads you there. (OK, I got that.)

2. It is where we learn a daily dependence on Him. (Getting that, but seem to need reminded.)

3. God shows Himself in a mighty way. (I've seen it, but am anticipating more!)

Are you asking, "What does all this have to do with "The Answer"?"

My God is drawing me to Him. He is "wooing" me. He is loving me so much that He doesn't want me to be bound by this "burden", therefore He is showing me, again, how to live like He wants me to. He is also showing me, once again, that "His ways are not my ways, His thoughts are not my thoughts." He is preparing me.

To be continued...