Restored Nakedness

Impact people are committed to living in authentic community.
You cannot fulfill the purpose for God outside of community.
You can know God without community and get to heaven without community, but you can’t mature or manifest God’s fullness.
You were created with the capacity for deep connectedness.
Genesis 2:15-23 “And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him …And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

NAKED: they lived in open disclosure with each other and with God without any weird fear mechanisms screwing it up.
Impact Church people are committed to living in deep connectedness.
Genesis 3“Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Fear Ignorance Guilt FIG

Genesis 4 “Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.”

Sin, in one generation, introduces murder into community.
Sin completely fractures our relationships with God and man. Then God introduces the law. First group of 4 address the fracture between man and God. Second group of 6 address the fracture between man and man.

Law leads to one of to things:

1. Defeat — If you’re honest
2. Hypocrisy — If you’re not

The law cannot free you from your relational disfunction.
The law only points you to your need for a Saviour.

• John 13:34“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you,…”
  Trying not to sin does not lead to loving others. Loving others leads to less sin.
• Acts 2:47 “Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
  Jesus is building His church and it is distinguished by the fact that it operates with open and authentic community.
• John 13:35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

3 Qualities Of Loving Community

1. They’re Christ- Centred
   We are one only in Christ. NAKED
   Sin drives people into communities that support there habit. When your habit is Jesus you will find yourself in a community with the same addiction.
2. They’re Intentionally Intrusive
   Celebrate each other without reservation. It should be our Natural impulse!!!
   Criticism is cowardly self praise.
   Speak the truth in love. (You have a piece of lettuce on your teeth.)
   Paul cared too much for the community they were building. It was authentic. There was no room for any form of bigotry or racism. He loved Peter enough to confront his public sin in public. He had a public face to face encounter with Peter to guard the quality of community they had worked so hard to forge.
   Galatians 2:11-13 “…Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him,…”
3. They’re Grace Driven
   Romans 15:7 “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
   “You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out God hates all the same people you do.” Anne Lamott

BECAUSE WE ARE COMMITTED TO AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY

1. Everyone is welcome. Your background doesn’t matter.
2. Nobody is perfect. Bring your Bible and your problems.
3. Anything is possible. Simon can become Peter.

PRAYER DIRECTIVES

• Praying for such a clear manifestation of God’s love among us that it is infectious and people never be the same.
• Perfect love drives out all fear. Being naked will be easy. No pretension just authentic community.
• We pray for a safe place for people to experience the transforming power of God’s love.
• We pray for a community that esteems other better than themselves … Clear of offence … where the norm is, every person is celebrated. We believe in each other and believe the very best of each person.
• Praying for meeting that I don’t have to go to … but I can’t wait to go be with my church family!!!
• Praying that we have a full house for wednesday night prayer!!!

7 COMMENTS

ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014, COLEEN SAID
Amen! Community within and outside the walls of the church.Being the body of Christ everyday in every way. Looking forward to meeting with the body for a powerful time of worship & prayer! Praying our youth will rise up and join in prayer without any fear or hesitation.

ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014, KELLY MICHALCZYK SAID
Thank you Impact Church for already displaying these awesome qualities of authentic community! Really!
I’m continuing to pray the directives with you guys.

ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014, RON MILLS SAID
This is a challenging lesson! How to be naked, and not ashamed… Shame comes from our own view of what we think people think of us, or our concern of what they think of us. It’s based on fear. The antidote, as Pastor Karl pointed out, is love – perfect love. Getting over our fear is something we grow into, and it’s best done in a loving community, where the demonstration of embracing one another, faults and all, is the norm. It’s so easy to look at someone else, and express disdain or criticism, but that action closes us behind the walls of our own hidden faults instead of releasing us to be free to grow and learn as the community takes responsibility to help us in our struggles. Correction is not criticism. Correction takes another in hand and lovingly shows them a better way, and patiently walks the object of correction through to the desired destination. Receiving correction is learning to discern the Body of Christ and allowing the life of that Body to flow into and through us. But let everything be done from a heart that is full of love for one another. I want to be known as His disciple, so I must love. Lord help is to show love at a higher level this year. Help us to see one another’s nakedness, and come alongside and clothe them with Your Glory and beauty. This year, let there be beauty for ashes. Let Impact be a church that loves beyond limit. Amen.

ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014, GLEN AND INGRID GORDON SAID
The enemy can only use against us what we hide (or think we hide) from God. If we’re open (naked) then “no weapon formed against us shall prosper”. Another way of looking at it is: What ever we feed, lives; what ever we starve, dies. If we feed love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, they live. If we starve the alternative, it dies. We pray for a full house for the prayer session. What a wonderful way to start this awesome year!

ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014, DAN SAID
Praying John 3:17 AMP For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
Conflict produces intimacy when believe in God’s ability to flow through us in difficult times; building relationships by continuing to iron out the wrinkles of misunderstanding, fear and shame. Testing is simply proving the value/strength validity of our connection to blessing.
Thank-you Jesus that we win every time in You – may we continue to shine as lights on a hill providing direction and illumination not only for ourselves but also those we encounter daily; walking in the light as You are in the light.

ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014, STEFAN NICHOL SAID
Community is very important. I know the people at Impact would like to see me attend church more, but, perhaps if I share what I do with my time you will worry less. Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 11:30am I pray Rosary with a group in the chapel at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica. Sunday mornings I pray it with the people in Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church(usually leave prior to mass). Tuesday’s I attend the noon-hour organ recital in St. Paul’s Cathedral(Anglican). Thursday/Saturday I pray with people from Impact Church from the healing rooms. Thursday at 2pm is my hour in the Chapel of Perpetual Adoration at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. I also pray with a group of Polish people there Sunday’s at 3pm and the first 3 hours(midnight – 3am) on Tuesday’s. Wednesday nights I learn about Catholicism through the RCIA in the Parrish hall at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Tuesday night’s I was at Impact Training College. Wednesday mornings, if time permits, I attend Pastor Karl’s breakfast group. The Baptist church at Hamilton/Eggerton turned 100 years old last year. That was a sermon I was happy to be able to attend. I had donated some of my time earlier in the year to help with their renovations. I guess my point is: there is opportunity to form community all around us. Far more than just Sunday morning.

ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014, LYDIA SAID
Praying.