Hit me with Your Jams Brother -- Redeeming Space and Time with Lively Rhythms of Relational Ministry -- Lovin' How Bailey Captures Christ's Lovin!

Hit me with Your Jams Brother -- Redeeming Space and Time with Lively Rhythms of Relational Ministry -- Lovin' How Bailey Captures Christ's Lovin'!

“The biblical understanding of matter begins with the story of creation. God created matter and it was good not evil. Yes, matter provided the stimulus for disobedience and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden.”  – I love how Bailey ties the actions of Jesus to the broad context of the fall and Christ’s redemption of space and time.

“He addressed that whole person rather than mentally decapitating his listeners with a head trip. This inner connectedness of body and spirit is brilliantly exhibited in the call of Peter recorded in Luke 5: 1-11. First is the text with its rhetorical structure (figure 11.1).” – The emphasis on connecting with a person as foundational to discipleship reminds of our 1st training module in the Staff Ultra Packet – “Sonshine Specialized Camping Ministries is a relational ministry  What we mean by “relational is that we are developing relationships….”


We see  this emphasis on relational ministry in this phrase from the reading as well – “At the same time, Jesus is “fishing” from a fisherman’s boat. That is, he is engaged in catching people and as he does so he bestows new life.”

I felt this emphasis on relational ministry throughout the reading.  From Peter to Naman, to the widow, to the blind beggar to Zacheus.  For me a consistent thread throughout the reading was Christ’s insanely divine ability to build trust and rapport with folks and from that foundation of trust/relationship help them seek, find, and be transformed by His truth and love. 

For me, and perhaps for each of us,  Christ’s Jedi Master abilities in the relational arts are likely not surprising.  Whether I was surprised or not by Christ’s relational prowess, I found myself encouraged/inspired as Bailey reminded me of how the heart of Jesus beat to the lively rhythms of relational ministry again and again throughout His ministry. 

Comments

  1. Lauren ErnstNovember 3, 2017 at 5:54 AM

    Jesus -- the epitome of all things relational. He schools us in the ways of relational ministry by going to the "smelly landing" with the absence of a pretty psalm. I agree with you, not surprising at all but a great encouragement to get out there into the smelly, dirty, fishing holes (all for ministry of course)!

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