Experiencing Intimacy with Jesus
John 15:4-5 Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.
We certainly did this on Saturday, February 1 at the LIJM Conference “Eternal Significance”. I believe the Day was us having the kind of relationship with Jesus that He has with the Father — He shows us divine life in the special times and provides our access to this through His cross and resurrection. Jesus’ word for this divine intimacy is abide. Recall that Jesus said, “Abide in me as I abide in the Father and you will bear much fruit.” (My paraphrase)
The experience shared by each of our five presenters was unique to each person but all embraced interrelated aspects that anyone can experience. Once we’ve had a taste of intimacy with Jesus we find it so wonderful that we want to experience it all the time! We might even secretly desire that we could bottle it! But our experience of intimacy with Jesus is not under our control; it ebbs and flows — varying by personality, the season of life, and the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit.
I believe we can use what was imparted to us and incorporate the aspects that each presenter gave us into our desire to carry-on this time. I have an acronym to help us to A-B-I-D-E.
A -Awe and wonder
Kaitlin Chapell Rogers started the day by challenging us to realize that we are the Bride of Christ – all should be watching and waiting for the Bridegroom while living in the realization that He is our husband here in the present. We should begin each day talking to our Groom and awe that we have been given this gift of worshiping Jesus and his Father — it’s about God, not me! We worship God not just by singing songs of praise to him but by bringing our daily lives into his authority and submitting to Him- doing life together
B-Becoming like Jesus
Patti League challenged us to become more like Jesus in our love and
concern for others. She asked us to strive to show our love for others by
taking the time to listen and taking actions to help them in living this life. We are to allow the Holy Spirit to flow through us and manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit, especially love for one another in the Body of Christ and love for our neighbors, but also love for our enemies. (that are sometimes hard to love)
I-In-Touch with what is God’s best
Simone May reminded us that many times we do not wait for God’s best in
our lives because we are operating in the attitude of Martha instead of the
spirit of Mary. She challenged us to review our priorities and recognize that
spending time at the feet of Jesus sets the tone for everything else in our
life. To be in-touch is more than just head knowledge – it is relying on His
Words through study, meditation, and prayer. We are to live in an ongoing
conversational relationship with God, guided by the teachings of the Bible
(coming to Jesus like Mary but with the ease and boldness of Martha)
D-Devotion to God
Nancy Stewart revealed that she had to learn that having Jesus in her heart
was the way she overcame great physical pain after experiencing a horrendous car accident but that she had to learn that what God wanted was her entire devotion to Him – not just a snippet here and there. Devotion is not just an emotion or impulse that comes and goes, it’s the soul’s longing for more and more of God, to love Him more and to experience Him more. We cry out for God because we need His love to cover our sins, heal our hurts, and empower us to overcome our struggles.
E -Experience the Holy Spirit
Donna Jackson confronted all to examine their relationship with Jesus by asking whether they are following the Holy Spirit leadership or by following rules and regulations. We were questioned about WHAT we possessed in our spiritual closet. She helped us realize that it is only by God’s grace to us through Jesus Christ that we can know him personally and collectively. But grace does not mean being passive. Grace is opposed to earning, but not effort. It’s up to each of us to respond to God’s initiative and learn to operate in Spirit-filled knowledge. We must become a part of the story in order to see our need. She also gave us an acronym for helping in this endeavor.
W. -Wisdom that can only be gained through the study of Scripture.
H. – Honesty with yourself because we can hide nothing from God.
A. -Adoration that cannot be contained because we are so in love with Jesus.
T. – Time which stitches all the other three together. The time we are given on earth is a gift from God and His expectation is that we utilize it wisely and for His glory.
Our day was blessed with great praise and worship through speakers, music from Amplify, Amanda Patterson, Elishaba Larson and Beth Nahkala. An awesome Drama Team from Free Life Worship called Ambush blessed us with two performances. Most of all, we are thankful to all the women that attended because you are the reason we feel compelled to make this available each year. I promise that we receive a tremendous spiritual blessing by pouring out to all of you.
Rebekah Marsh
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#rebekahmarshblogs