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What are the implications of the Trinity to the Christian life?
The question is often asked, “What are the implications of the Trinity to the Christian life?” "Why even bother with the doctrine of the Trinity?" This doctrine is the cornerstone of the Christ religion—God as Sprit, God as Father and God as Son, all equally God and all the mystery associated with that. The church needs to recover this doctrine and understand its implication for human community. God has called us to form relationships like the Trinity—in a Trinitarian pattern.
What does this mean to the church?
A brief response is relationships that must exist be radical “others” centered. In the mouth of Jesus is His desire to glorify the Father. The Father wants to glorify the Son. The Spirit wants to whisper you have Abba Father. Radical “others” centered relating.
What does this look like in the church?
Maybe it’s possible to have substantial movement towards “others” centered relating. If there were to be Trinitarian relating among the ministry leader in a church (this could be any spiritual leader in the church or home), the ministry leader might start a meeting by asking;
Who in this room feels their giftedness is not given opportunity of full expression?
Who feels there is a frustration within you that you’d like to move in the direction that maybe I, as the ministry leader, am holding you back in?
As your ministry leader, I want to release all that you want to be to glorify God.
This might be movement in the right direction.
Maybe the disgruntled associate leader who is jealous of the senior leader because he hogs the pulpit all the time, because he never gives him a chance to preach, maybe the disgruntled leader would say to himself, “The senior leader is on an ego trip, trying to build his own kingdom and there’s problems here in the church…but is there some way God could use me to touch this man’s soul in a way that would bless him as opposed to just sitting here and being frustrated all the time, making little comments about him to my friends that he doesn't preach very well.”
There are all sorts of ways we
could be there for someone else.
Small Groups
Trinitarian relating in small groups needs prolonged curiosity . When listening to others who go on and on, your desire for that person is to feel heard, that the person feels the group is there for them. If not, do we give someone a few minutes, waiting for our turn to be heard? Are we willing to sacrifice and shift the conversation over to another or to ourselves?
Trinitarian relating is radical “others” centeredness and when we see how shallow our relating is through brokenness, maybe we will move to other ways of relating.
What are the obstacles that keep us from moving in this direction?
Most of us are committed to an immediate experience of satisfaction. We want to leave a conversation feeling good about “me” in the conversation. The members of the Trinity didn’t seem committed to feeling good about themselves—they understood joy doesn’t come from gathering things unto themselves, but joy comes form pouring out who you are to another.
It’s the Father saying to the Son at his baptism, “You are my son whom I love; I am so pleased with You.”
It’s the Lord at hearing the Father at the transfiguration saying to Peter, You want to glorify someone else at the same level of my Son? How dare you…listen to Jesus, He’s the One.”
It’s the Father saying my concern is to listen to my Son and make sure He receives all that is His due.
That’s not how we live!
The obstacle to radical others centeredness, without sounding too simplistic is radical self-centeredness. We foolishly believe our deepest joy is getting others to center around us and our needs. Maybe in our churches and small groups, if we entertain the idea that brokenness over our self-centeredness, which can be a very, very painful thing to face, is something we can value and share with each other…to be known as a community of brokenness over self-centeredness and discover that there really is the life of the Trinity within us and we could actually relate in “others” centered ways.
1 comment:
EXCELLENT!
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