It's Been a Minute...
- Allie Crowe
- Jun 23
- 11 min read
It has been several months since a blog has surfaced for our website. I wish I could blame time management or changes within my professional life. Truly, there is no excuse; it all comes down to choice and prioritizing. When thinking about what I have and have not done with certain areas of ministry, letting the blogs go to the wayside brought different feelings and thoughts.
Blogs may not seem like a significant contribution to the church's ministry. I told myself this to let some of the guilt go. Then I was reminded that one doesn't realize how something is taken for granted until it no longer exists.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to take the Word out of our local gathering places and into our communities. For many of us, this can be intimidating and a struggle. Many do not understand the true definition of what it means to be The Chosen. The Chosen is ANYONE who claims a relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Being a member of The Chosen is not just those who feel called into a specific form of ministry (pastors, deacons, teachers, prayer warriors, etc.). It can be a hard pill to swallow when one realizes that they have a responsibility that goes outside of sitting in church on Sunday, and/or helping with projects for the church. An individual responsibility comes with being a disciple of Jesus Christ, one of The Chosen. What does it mean and what does it look like?
LEARNING AND STUDYING THE WORD
For many, learning and studying God's Word comes with fear. Coming across different folks at various stages within their faith journey, reading the Bible, and learning how to study the scriptures, is one of the most verbalized struggles for anyone in our faith tradition (and for those we try to bring to our faith). The Holy Scriptures, no matter what translation you use, are complicated. Let's start with the struggle of trying to pronounce names and of people, places, tribes, and more. Or maybe we can talk about how Jesus likes to use parables, which are stories that illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." As a disciple of Christ, you must read the scriptures to understand how to fulfill God's commands. If we cannot understand them, how can we take them out to our communities and introduce God's way to our neighbors?
One of the most frequent comments/questions I get is about how to learn to read the Bible. Where is a good starting place? The Holy Scriptures are unlike any other collection of reading material, so telling folks to start at the beginning isn't always helpful.
Do you prefer to read things in order, or are you a Star Wars fan who can watch things out of order?
Do you like history, or are you more of a "current events" person?
Do you like poetry and inspirational sayings?
Are you good with allegory ( a story, poem, word image that can be interpreted to reveal hidden meanings)?
There are two ways to misread the Bible:
1) Reading the Bible through a completely literal lens. The Bible is a collection of writings written in literal and allegorical meanings. One needs to be open to how to "read between the lines" and look for meanings that go beyond the words they see. As a reader, one needs to be willing to look at the context of cultural and historical happenings to understand how and why something played out the way it did. How can one learn to do this if one has never truly read the Bible? The first recommendation is to join a bible study group. This can feel intimidating because, as a newbie, one may feel they are not "qualified" to be part of a group of others who have experience with the Bible. Here is a secret. Everyone started where you may find yourself today. Folks truly invested in continuing their education in Holy Scriptures will tell you you will never be done learning. In a group setting, you can ask questions, get perspectives, see what jumps out to others, and find joy in reading the scriptures. (If you want a group to join, we have one on Thursday Nights from 6:30-7:30 with a Zoom option! Link is on the main page of the website!)
Get a Study Bible that offers explanations as you read. Skim through different translations and find one that feels comfortable to you. So many folks will tell you that a specific translation is THE ONLY translation. God will speak to you in a way that works for you. Finding a translation that you can understand is key. I often recommend a New International Version (NIV) or New Living Translation (NLT) for new readers. If you need some recommendations, here are a few:
Zondervan's NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition (https://a.co/d/fgosQwc)
Life Applications Large Print Study Bible (https://a.co/d/hZZSig5)
NIV Chronological Study Bible (https://a.co/d/2fIoQgn)
When studying the bible, especially if you are trying to do it alone, get a good commentary. Of the several commentaries I have purchased throughout my schooling journey, my favorite commentary is the Africa Bible Commentary. Over 70 scholars wrote this, and it has significant breakdowns of scripture in an easy-to-understand way (https://a.co/d/f5XlBQA). Several online resources exist if you do not want to purchase a commentary. A favorite is the Blue Letter Bible Commentary by David Guzik.
2) Not reading the Bible at all. Yes, a way to misread the Bible is not to read it at all. Think about reading the bible as a dialogue with God. You are reading the inspired Word of God and looking at how it applies to you. If you are trying to develop a relationship with someone and you do not have good communication or don't take time to get to know the person (past and present), how will you grow? Trying to soak up what a preacher may give you on Sunday isn't enough to understand God. You gotta step out of your comfort zone and pick up a Bible.
LOVE GOD AND OTHERS
All you need is love, right? The simple answer is yes. The complicated and more accurate answer is agape! Theologically, agape love is seen as the highest form of love. It utilizes selflessness, sacrifice, and unconditional care for others. The practice of agape love embodies actions and commitments. In regular language, the word 'love' is used so differently that its meaning is often lost in translation. Phrases such as "I love ice cream" and "I love my dog" have a different context, yet the english language cannot seem to really make that contrast known. The Bible used many Hebrew and Greek words that translate to the english word 'love.' The big difference is the type of love that each word means. *Another blogger wrote a post about 5 of the love words seen in the Bible, check it out: https://staging-blog.olivetree.com/5-greek-hebrew-words-love/ * Agape love is a love that heals and demonstrates the practice of sacrifice. That may seem very intense, and it is. Agape love means you never give. Love never fails. Love bears all things. Love doesn't keep score of the amount of right or wrong doings. Love forgives freely and for all things. Love serves, including prayer for those you may identify as an enemy. Love gives generously, without recognition or needing to be paid back. Agape love is an active choice. It is willing, not obligatory. Agape love is the love Christ demonstrated on the Cross. Writer Alyssa Roat explained Agape in this way: "Agape is a choice, a deliberate striving for another’s highest good, and is demonstrated through action. God set the standard for agape love in sending Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners."
We are to learn how to love in the manner the Triune God loves us. To do this, one must first truly accept the love of Christ. Many will say they accepted Jesus into their hearts, yet do not realize that the way they love themselves does not always align with how Christ loves. If one cannot love themself the way Christ loves, how can we go out and love others? I will be the first to acknowledge the struggle with loving oneself. Self-esteem and confidence are not at the highest level in life. As one who enjoys being physically active and fit, my current state has affected how I love myself. There are days it is harder to love the person I see in the mirror because it isn't the person I want to be. I have to remind myself to love who I see in the mirror. I have to love where the person is in the mirror, not judge because the person in the mirror isn't where I want that person to be. The same goes for how we interact with others. We cannot love based on where we think someone should be. We have to love where they are and how they are. Christ didn't love and offer forgiveness to the criminal next to him on the cross because of where he should have been. Christ offered forgiveness and love to the criminal, period. Agape means getting rid of a mold mentality, meaning we need to realize not everyone fits in the same mold as we do or as we think they should.
LIVING A TRANSFORMED LIFE
Everyone has at least one skeleton they try to keep hidden in their closet. If you are like me, you probably have a bone yard full of skeletons in your closet that serve as your testimony and reasons for making life changes. Christ sacrificed himself for generations past, present, and yet to come, so we can learn and grow each day, living a more godly life. Being Chosen means practicing repentance and humility in all that one does. If you do something you know is wrong, or someone brings your attention to something done incorrectly, be willing to be accountable and humble in your response. Sometimes you disagree with the outcome of a reaction to your actions and words. Sometimes, you do not see anything wrong with something you have done. The biggest failure we can have as a disciple of Christ is to be so arrogant that we cannot try to see something from a different perspective. As a disciple of Christ, a member of the Chosen, we are to work on learning how to become more Christ-like in all that we do. When Christ healed Mary Magdalene from her possession, she followed him, learning how to love herself and love others in the manner Christ demonstrated for her. When we called each disciple, just ordinary men, he loved them for who they were, teaching them and lovingly rebuking them, as needed. They learned how to endure and persevere through life trials, whether personal or professional, and used their skeletons in their closet as part of their testimony after Christ's ascension to the throne. This means we must learn how to develop humility and gratitude for overcoming every challenge and bad choice we have made. It is an example of how God uses the broken and imperfect because there are no other kinds of people.
Mosaics are made of random objects or pieces of different-colored glass to make a beautiful picture. Imagine the final image if we take our broken pieces and use them to connect to another's broken pieces. Imagine what beautiful story of faith and healing you could create by mixing your broken pieces with someone else's.
COMMUNITY AND FELLOWSHIP
This one is another hard one to talk about because a good number of folks aren't going to like this point: You cannot be a Christ-follower and do it alone! It is not possible to be a Christ-follower without a community. Those two things are not synonymous with one another. This is talking from experience. In a blog from a while back, I wrote about a time I was without a healthy community because of the hurt I had experienced. I allowed myself to assume I could be a Christ-follower without a healthy community, and I am here to tell you I have never been at my darkest, angriest, and self-loathing place than the years I spent away from a church.
Some folks have been hurt by the "organized institution" and have chosen to leave it, while holding on to their faith in God. Taking the risk and going somewhere after a challenging experience is hard. It comes down to forgiveness, endurance, and perseverance. One cannot blame the entire group of Christ-followers for a few bad apples. Bad apples are in any group of people or state of being. Let us remind ourselves of something: Christ knew what Judas would do, yet he called Judas to be a disciple. He knew he was going to be betrayed, yet he loved until it was done. He knew Judas would hand him over, yet he washed his feet. Being part of the Chosen means learning how to love and commune with folks who may have hurt you in the past. You cannot control what they have done or what they will do; however, you can control how you choose to respond.
Folks need to understand that being a disciple of Christ comes with the understanding and practice of prioritizing. Life is about prioritizing. The hierarchy of what gets your attention demonstrates Christ's place in your life. Is your priority community and fellowship with a group of godly people? Do you give 24 hours throughout the week to God as recognition of the Sabbath? Do you attend church in a church building or a gathering of Christ-followers who meet to study and practice the inspired Word of God?
Society has manipulated and opened the door for Christ-followers to prioritize everything else over God. I have been guilty of it. I am a 36-year-old female who spent 9 years in the Deep South. I remember the churches banding together and fighting the school board to eliminate sports or other extracurricular activities on Wednesday night so their children could attend church. Guess what, it worked! I was an athletic girl involved in sports (constantly year-round) and musical groups. Whether I lived in the Deep South or in Wisconsin, it was instilled in me that church was my priority. If I had a game on Sunday, my parents told the coaches I would arrive after church. If I had practiced on Wednesday after school, I would have left early to be at Church for any commitments.
This practice is long gone. I have seen how churches lose young families when the kids get to be the age for competitive sports. I am sure this is coming across as condemnation for their kids being in sports, and it isn't. It is a fact that people do not see the need for Christ-followers to be in church, so they schedule things, and parents are "forced" to choose either to let their kids play sports or to go to church. If you do not consistently surround yourself with fellow Christ-followers, you cannot grow in your discipleship. It is a lifelong journey that requires the support and encouragement of a body of believers.
Everything you do comes down to choice. You are the one who gets to choose how you move forward in your journey. You are the one who gets to decide how you look at your relationship with the Triune God today, and ask how it can be different tomorrow! Celebrate the fact that you are a Chosen child of God, and you are called to a life filled with rollercoaster rides of highs and lows, yet you have every tool in your toolbelt you need to endure it all and persevere.
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