only Jesus

Taken from I Cor 1:

I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.
I bring this up because some from Chloe's family brought a most disturbing report to my attention—that you're fighting among yourselves! I'll tell you exactly what I was told: You're all picking sides, going around saying, "I'm on Paul's side," or "I'm for Apollos," or "Peter is my man," or "I'm in the Messiah group."
I ask you, "Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul's name?" I was not involved with any of your baptisms—except for Crispus and Gaius—and on getting this report, I'm sure glad I wasn't. At least no one can go around saying he was baptized in my name. (Come to think of it, I also baptized Stephanas's family, but as far as I can recall, that's it.)
God didn't send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn't send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center—Christ on the Cross—be trivialized into mere words.”

I am in the middle of a transition – only three more weeks in my present position. I am blessed that I am not merely leaving something – I am going to something, if that makes sense. I am moving out more fully into what I sense God calling me to.

One of the things that have come to light, as I leave, is that things will be done differently in my absence. There will be a different approach, a different philosophy regarding how to approach and guide people in their own spiritual formation. This can create some tension, in both those responsible for handling the transition and for those who will be impacted by the change. In navigating this transition, it is important to honor the process and to recognize that there is not ‘one’ way to invite people into a transforming life with Jesus. This is not a new tension. Check out your closest Christian bookstore – or look into the history and tradition of the church. You will find innumerable ways to approach spiritual formation. And, according to the Scriptures, it was a tension found in the beginning of the church. As humans, who are still impacted by the Fall, we have a tendency to want to divide and separate rather than create harmony and unify; to call one way right and another way wrong. Different teachers or leaders will have a different approach toward leading others into a vibrant life with Christ and there is beauty in that diversity.

Bottom line, what matters is that people are encountering the Living God in new ways and it is changing their lives. People may be drawn more to one way or another and some have deeply resonated with several approaches. As tempting as it might be to want people to follow me or my philosophy, it is not honoring Christ. As soon as I start paying more attention to who is following whom, I am no longer concerned with leading people to Christ but more concerned with leading them to myself.

Thank you, Father, for different leaders, different styles, different approaches and different philosophies - and may we all continue to point people to You – in the way that You have called us to.
Grace and peace-
Deb