Spiritual Transition

Luke 17, 21: “nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is! Or, ‘There it is! For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.’ (lit. inside you)

My friend Jim Spivey posted on his blog rcdailyjournal.blogspot.com this morning a quote from Sandy B. It says, “There is always only ONE problem – a conscious disconnection from God; there is always only ONE solution to that only problem that ever is – a conscious re-connection.” I think that I might rephrase it a little. I think it should read, ‘There is always on one problem - - an unconscious disconnection from God; there is always only one solution to that only problem that ever is - - a conscious reconnection.”

This conscious reconnection is what I like to call kingdom awareness. It is the act of practicing His presence as I have so often written about. My friend Russell might call it the perpetual being filled with the Holy Spirit or Him abiding in you. However you want to define this “conscious reconnection” based on your experience is up to you. But what is exciting about this act of consciously reconnecting is that it leads to the place of “staying connected.” By consciously reconnecting over and over again after every unconscious disconnect we are transitioned to that place of His abiding presence.

And so this unconscious disconnection actually becomes critical to the reconnection and ultimately the abiding connection. Richard Rohr I think would describe the second half of life as coming to the place of abiding connection. Whereas the first half of life (spiritual not age) would be the place of constant disconnect and occasional reconnect.

Let me see if I can’t give a more practical example. Let’s look at “church.” Not the “Church” as Christ describes, but “church” as the institution, denomination, and doctrine. The church is largely man’s institution. It does serve some godly purpose, but by and large it is the opinions and taste of men gathered about some socially appealing style, or intellectually justifiable position. This is not to say that church is bad. I believe quite the contrary and attend every week. After all when two or more are gathered in His name then He is in their midst. (Matt 18:20) But in no way to I put my faith in the church. My pastor is not my savior. The doctrine is not my god.

And so Christians have this life in the church, even if only Christmas and Easter. We/they believe that we are connected to God because of the church. And invariably the “church” hurts us if we are there long enough, often enough, and involved enough. We can, and do think that the hurt is from God, or that the leader’s we have been following have misled us. But reality is the hurt is nothing more than the awareness that we are disconnected. The disconnect happened unconsciously. But God is calling for a conscious reconnection with Him.

I see so many who are hurt by the church, and know there is something more. They know God’s plan is not the man’s plan they are witnessing, and yet they carry man’s doctrine away with them. They don’t see God calling them to a deeper relationship, but continue the Gnostic tradition of learning more, of looking for the formula, of identifying what is wrong when God is calling them to a higher connection with Him.

Those that remain in the institution of the church do so for a multitude of reason. One is that they experience the presence of God in that place. But God is saying here is just a foretaste of what we can have together 24/7. We think that this presence of Him in our midst because of worship, prayer, or ministry together is the ONLY presence.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a presence of God INSIDE you. If right here, right now you cannot stop and immediately be aware of God’s presence in you then you are not to the place I am describing.

And this is spiritual transition. Awaking from an unconscious disconnect caused by those shouting 'here it is' into a conscious reconnect with God in our midst.