What does the practice of ‘Being with Jesus’ look like?
The principle and practice of being with Jesus is as ancient as scripture itself. We know that ‘Being with Jesus’ will look different for each of us, however we’ll assume that prayer & Bible reading sits at the very foundation of it for you. Rather than focus on the foundations, over the next 2 days we're going to present some other concepts that when implemented will enhance your experience of ‘Being with Jesus’.
1. Make a Radical Decision
A unique group of people called the ‘Desert Fathers' lived at a time when the church had grown shallow & indistinct from the prevailing culture. It was a movement that started in AD 270, where Christian men & women left their cities & villages to live a holy life by separating themselves from the worldly culture that had infiltrated much of the church. One of these men was Arsenius who grew up in a wealthy Christian family. As a highly educated Roman senator, he was chosen by Emperor Theodosius to be a tutor for his children. However, after 11 years of living a lavish life in the palace, Arsenius longed for something different. When praying for guidance, Arsenius said “Lord, show me the way to be saved.” In response, he heard a voice say “Arsenius, flee from people and you shall be saved.” He fled the palace and moved to the deserts of Egypt. Having withdrawn to the solitary life, he prayed the same prayer again and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Arsenius, flee, be silent, pray always, for these are the source of sinlessness.’ Once again, Arsenius did that. That was his radical decision (summarised from Emotionally Healthy Discipleship by Peter Scazzero).
Of course – we're not suggesting that we all sell up and move to the desert .... however, the drastic nature of the decision we must make is similar in that it requires making a clean and total break from our present cultures, systems, and habits. 2. Be honest before God To ‘Be with Jesus’ puts a demand on us to live a greater level of honesty before Him and others. How comfortable are you with expressing your feelings to God? How often do you look at such things as your competitive desires, worst thoughts & inner rages?! More often than not our capacity to evaluate and present our inner world to God and trusted others, is determined by our family upbringing and past experiences. Were you encouraged to discuss, wrestle with and grow through the emotions & feelings throughout life’s challenges or avoid them because they’re too painful and messy to process? Were you confronted with experiences that caused you to close off from ‘feeling’? Evagrius of Pontus, another Desert Father stated “You want to know God? First know yourself?” In other words, the pathway to God inevitably passes through self-knowledge. This was so beautifully demonstrated in scripture by many Biblical characters who regularly expressed their frustration, anger, love, broken-ness, extreme joy and more to God. David was so raw with many emotions throughout the Psalms, Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet, Job ranted about his losses and Moses didn’t hold back on expressing his anguish in the wilderness. Can their example be applied to us in the 21st century? What would happen if you were to ask yourself questions like the ones below on a regular basis and have a conversation with God about them?
- How can I change my lifestyle so that I live out of a Desert heart?
- Why did I feel so uncomfortable in that conversation today?
- Why was I angry that he never asked for my perspective?
- What was the anxiety about when I saw that person?
- Why am I always in such a hurry? Is there an underlying need in me for recognition or significance that can be found in Jesus?
- Why can’t I sit at the lights in the car without picking up my phone?
- Why did I tell her I was ok, when really, I wasn’t?
The degree to which you are still and honest before God and trusted others is the degree to which you can live in greater freedom and truth and enjoy the experience of ‘being with Him.'
