There’s an old saying that a change is as good as a holiday. Well, I have had both a change and a holiday! I am particularly reflecting on my time at New Hope church in Honolulu and what lessons we can learn. Here are three elements, among others, that came through to me
CULTIVATE THE HEART: We are to love God with all our ‘hearts’. Our hearts represent our inner selves, our inmost being. As Proverbs tells us, “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (4:23). Our hearts are to be full of love for God. Such hearts are humble, other-focused, happy to serve, keen to worship, etc.
How do we cultivate the heart? I think we need to hear the heart of God and keep our heart close to His. How might we do that? There is no substitute for some serious interaction with the Bible which reveals His heart for the world He has made. To make this a daily practice, not just to do it, but to place our hearts and minds next to the heart and mind of God, and allow Him to speak to us.
We also need time simply to rest. Our frantic world can distract us or demand so much of us that we can forget who we are and what really matters. Practice a Sabbath!
NURTURE POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Relationships are at the heart of church life. We are family. We are community. It is vital that we be an open, honest and positive place to belong. We see the best in people, and the possibilities and potential. We are living testimonies to Christ in our life together. If there is no love in the church then the world will not see Jesus.
Yet this means we help each other reflect the qualities and standards of Christ and keep growing into it. None of us are perfect. Sometimes we need pulling into line, in a spirit of gentleness. Sometimes we need help to overcome the patterns of behaviour in our lives that hold us back. We need encouragement and people who believe in us. Being a community that nurtures positive human relationships is at the core of who we are.
KEEP PROVIDING PATHWAYS OF GROWTH: In our physical lives there is a continual tendency to drift, to become comfortable or complacent. We may have faith but we have ceased to learn, grow and change. As disciples we need pathways of growth – to keep learning new things, developing new skills, seeing new ways in which we can influence this world for God in our daily lives. It is vital, too, for new believers to have such pathways.
These are three areas for us to keep growing in to be a healthier church here at St Luke’s. We do work on these, yet there is scope for us to do them better. It is my aim to lead us in doing so. Pray that God may take all we are and all we do and that it may be for His glory.