Barb Totterdell March 3rd 2019 ~ Living OUT

At St Philips we are keen for everyone to be continually living more deeply in a three-dimensional life, individually and corporately, one where we are connecting UP with God, IN with each other and OUT with the world. I wonder how you see your OUT dimension going?Jesus came into the world, lived, died and rose again, that we might have a relationship with God - the ultimate act of self-giving and living OUT for others. He called disciples to follow him in living a three-dimensional life, including going into the world and doing all that he had done.  He commissioned them (us) saying, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).  It’s not an optional commission or only for some of us; it’s to all disciples of Jesus everywhere. And, having come to know and experience the good news found in Jesus, why wouldn’t we want to share this with others?There are lots of ways people within St Philips are living OUT, individually and corporately, sharing the love of Jesus and the truth of Jesus with a world that desperately needs it. We have people on staff and boards of organisations involved in living this out in various ways; we have people passionately committed to doing their part to see justice lived out in the world; we have people who love their neighbours, family and others in their sphere in simple but profound ways; we have people who go into prisons, schools and other contexts. There are plenty of other ways we are actively involved in living OUT.But I wonder how all of us are going in this area - how mindful we all are about it, and what might be hindering us. Are we ready to give a reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15)? Are we actively seeking to point people to Jesus in our interactions with them, looking for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus and for making disciples?  Are we praying for the Holy Spirit to be at work in those that we love and those that we are in contact with for them to come into a living and saving relationship with Jesus?  Are we looking for and asking God to show us the places and people that he would have us actively invest time, prayer and energy in?  Finally, I wonder what you need to do to be better motivated, grounded and equipped in this area. (As always, do speak with staff about any ways we can support you as you reflect on these questions and live in the ways and spaces that God is calling you into.)It’s so easy to get caught up in all that life is and to lose sight of the precious life that we have in Jesus and the living water that we have to share with people in a world that desperately needs it.  So I pray that all of us would grasp more and more how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ (Eph 3:18) and that from that place we would seek to make disciples in the various contexts and relationships that God has placed us.Blessings,Barb