A Book.

[brinny]

Originally Posted by brinny View Post
Thank you, as i read and think of what you posted, what unfolds before me is the question....

are there any in the Church that are not wounded?

Therein lies yet another point Jesus made...... "Confess one to another...."

We not only have to open our eyes to the pain of others.... we are to let them see ours. Many of us fail in this for fear of.... again.... how we will look, and what others will think of us.

I can often be guilty of doing for others (even to the point of being somewhat prideful about it), but I have to MAKE myself vulnerable by exposing my own shortcomings and failures. This one is VERY hard for me.

It IS hard, isn't it? Yet God brings clarity, doesn't He as we walk on with Him? it's been hard for me, to be honest, to REALLY see my brothers and sisters in Christ as a "part" of me, and that we are ONE Body. God is still walking me through this.....

the word "vulnerable" fits here...i did NOT want to be "vulnerable" around ANYBODY. As a matter of fact, i told God once that i did not like His people.

Yes, it is VERY hard.

 

[brinny]

Originally Posted by brinny View Post
Thank you, as i read and think of what you posted, what unfolds before me is the question....

are there any in the Church that are not wounded?

Good question. I think that all men are and need to be made whole but it is the seriously wounded that l was talking about.

Thank you. Are there different degrees of woundings then? And does any of it tie in with the hurting people hurt people quote?

 

[Willie T]

It IS hard, isn't it? Yet God brings clarity, doesn't He as we walk on with Him? it's been hard for me, to be honest, to REALLY see my brothers and sisters in Christ as a "part" of me, and that we are ONE Body. God is still walking me through this.....

the word "vulnerable" fits here...i did NOT want to be "vulnerable" around ANYBODY. As a matter of fact, i told God once that i did not like His people.

Yes, it is VERY hard.

Preachers fall into this trap far too often. We need to learn to make sure they feel they can be human around us, and sometimes even, outright, fail, without fearing the congregation's judgment.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

We humans have a tendency to think of "I" (me) more than we do, Jesus. And it shouldn't even be a "balance" since Jesus is everything.... with none of us, or himself, (the natural pride of "I") in His love for others.

Ahhh.
The reason I ask is the greek word for Jesus begins with an "i". My bad........

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Strong's Lexicon
(FULL Search by Strong's word number [e.g. 3091 Hebrew] OR English word!)

2424. Iesous ee-ay-sooce' of Hebrew origin (3091); Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites:--Jesus.


.

 

[Willie T]

Thank you. Are there different degrees of woundings then? And does any of it tie in with the hurting people hurt people quote?

Satan loves the dark. I think if we can let our hurts and fears come to the surface, and expose them to the light of God, they will lose much of their terrible hold on us.

 

[brinny]

Originally Posted by brinny View Post
It IS hard, isn't it? Yet God brings clarity, doesn't He as we walk on with Him? it's been hard for me, to be honest, to REALLY see my brothers and sisters in Christ as a "part" of me, and that we are ONE Body. God is still walking me through this.....

the word "vulnerable" fits here...i did NOT want to be "vulnerable" around ANYBODY. As a matter of fact, i told God once that i did not like His people.

Yes, it is VERY hard.

Preachers fall into this trap far too often. We need to learn to make sure they feel they can be human around us, and sometimes even, outright, fail, without fearing the congregation's judgment.

i can relate to being one that used to hold pastors/preachers on a pedestal....

 

[TillICollapse]

Thank you, as i read and think of what you posted, what unfolds before me is the question....

are there any in the Church that are not wounded?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ........ interesting question.

I'm reminded that Jesus, even after rising from death ... still had his *literal* wounds. He even let a disciple put his finger in one of them. Arguably, the leader of any group of Christians should be Christ, and if Christ still has wounds ... hmmm ....

It begs the question, can Christ be wounded again ? Can Christ be crucified again ? I assume the answer is "no" ... yet, the wounds He received before His death and resurrection are still there. Perhaps they serve as a sign to those who wounded Him:

Zecheriah 13:
"If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’"

So perhaps at least some of our specific wounds remain, to serve as a sign.

 

[TillICollapse]

Ahhh.
The reason I ask is the greek word for Jesus begins with an "i". My bad........

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Strong's Lexicon
(FULL Search by Strong's word number [e.g. 3091 Hebrew] OR English word!)

2424. Iesous ee-ay-sooce' of Hebrew origin (3091); Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites:--Jesus.


.

Haha I was thinking the same thing

 

[Willie T]

Ahhh.
The reason I ask is the greek word for Jesus begins with an "i". My bad........

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Strong's Lexicon
(FULL Search by Strong's word number [e.g. 3091 Hebrew] OR English word!)

2424. Iesous ee-ay-sooce' of Hebrew origin (3091); Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites:--Jesus.


.

This kind of comes from the little workplace signs you see that say: There is no "I" in TEAM.

 

[brinny]

Originally Posted by brinny View Post
Thank you. Are there different degrees of woundings then? And does any of it tie in with the hurting people hurt people quote?

Satan loves the dark. I think if we can let our hurts and fears come to the surface, and expose them to the light of God, they will lose much of their terrible hold on us.

Aah, that is quite profound brother......and somehow, possibly ties into that word again "risk", since it would be quite a "risk" to allow our hurts and fears come to Light....

somehow it maybe ties into the breaking of strong holds and "chains"

 

[Willie T]

Aah, that is quite profound brother......and somehow, possibly ties into that word again "risk", since it would be quite a "risk" to allow our hurts and fears come to Light....

somehow it maybe ties into the breaking of strong holds and "chains"

Yep..... brings home some real understand of the earthly part of the concept of having to die in order to live.

 

[brinny]

Originally Posted by brinny View Post
Thank you, as i read and think of what you posted, what unfolds before me is the question....

are there any in the Church that are not wounded?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ........ interesting question.

I'm reminded that Jesus, even after rising from death ... still had his *literal* wounds. He even let a disciple put his finger in one of them. Arguably, the leader of any group of Christians should be Christ, and if Christ still has wounds ... hmmm ....

It begs the question, can Christ be wounded again ? Can Christ be crucified again ? I assume the answer is "no" ... yet, the wounds He received before His death and resurrection are still there. Perhaps they serve as a sign to those who wounded Him:

Zecheriah 13:
"If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’"

So perhaps at least some of our specific wounds remain, to serve as a sign.

Thank you. i'm thinking that perhaps there is no escaping "wounded-ness" in this life.....i'm also wondering if there is a difference between wounding someone when perhaps it cannot be helped and a deliberate wounding of someone who is already wounded?

 

[TillICollapse]

It IS hard, isn't it? Yet God brings clarity, doesn't He as we walk on with Him? it's been hard for me, to be honest, to REALLY see my brothers and sisters in Christ as a "part" of me, and that we are ONE Body. God is still walking me through this.....

the word "vulnerable" fits here...i did NOT want to be "vulnerable" around ANYBODY. As a matter of fact, i told God once that i did not like His people.

Yes, it is VERY hard.

I can relate to this. Almost makes me cry just reading about it, to be honest.

The times I've been "shot" by Christians were mostly when I was vulnerable, or in a weak place, or using my faith, etc. It would be during those moments that I was exposed and weakened, or already bleeding somewhere ... and instead of providing healing, I received a knife wound where I was already wounded, or I was shot and then they turned around and ran the other direction to watch me bleed from a distance. In those instances, though ... those people thought they were doing something *good*. I don't think they realized they were shooting me, and knifing me. They thought they were standing up for God, or protecting themselves, or trying to *teach* me something. Something along those lines. So it wasn't black and white lol ... although I felt like evil was feasting on me and beating on me, they saw it completely differently.

I think when a person is exposed and vulnerable, the way another person handles that speaks volumes about them. Do they see an open wound and use it to cause further harm ? Do they see an open wound and start feasting there like a bloodthirsty predator ? Or do they see an open wound ... and offer healing, compassion, a blood transfusion, a bandage to cover it and protect it from the elements, etc. Does their sympathy seem to drain or restore ? Are you being refreshed or slimed ? Or, if you experience some kind of death with them ... do you come back to life better than you were before ? In other words, is it a pointless death caused by a spiritual murderer, or is it a surgery where something old was taken out and something new was put in it's place ? It's one thing when those who don't even believe in Jesus respond certain ways ... it's another, in my opinion, when people treat the vulnerable poorly in "the name of God", however.

 

[brinny]

Originally Posted by brinny View Post
Aah, that is quite profound brother......and somehow, possibly ties into that word again "risk", since it would be quite a "risk" to allow our hurts and fears come to Light....

somehow it maybe ties into the breaking of strong holds and "chains"

Yep..... brings home some real understand of the earthly part of the concept of having to die in order to live.

Thank you. Care to elaborate?

 

[Willie T]

What would be wounding someone when it can't be helped? Tough love? Or, just inadvertently saying the wrong thing that might affect someone when we didn't mean for it to?

 

[TillICollapse]

Thank you. i'm thinking that perhaps there is no escaping "wounded-ness" in this life.....i'm also wondering if there is a difference between wounding someone when perhaps it cannot be helped and a deliberate wounding of someone who is already wounded?

Most definitely. One is perhaps more accidental ... pushing a button on another person without realizing the button was there in the first place, perhaps. The other is purposeful and opportunistic. Like a predator and prey.

I may argue that accidentally "bumping into" someone's wound may be a way that it is introduced to someone who might actually be able to help the other person with it in the first place

 

[Willie T]

Thank you. Care to elaborate?

Well, a hidden secret is going to affect how anyone relates to others. Fear of being discovered, suspicions of intents of others, etc.

But, for, say... a jock to come out and admit that he had a homosexual experience in middle school, would be to almost really "DIE" in his adored school environment. Yet, afterward, he could begin to learn to live without that guilt and fear.......... UNLESS he is shot by other Christians for being wounded.

 

[brinny]

Originally Posted by brinny View Post
It IS hard, isn't it? Yet God brings clarity, doesn't He as we walk on with Him? it's been hard for me, to be honest, to REALLY see my brothers and sisters in Christ as a "part" of me, and that we are ONE Body. God is still walking me through this.....

the word "vulnerable" fits here...i did NOT want to be "vulnerable" around ANYBODY. As a matter of fact, i told God once that i did not like His people.

Yes, it is VERY hard.

I can relate to this. Almost makes me cry just reading about it, to be honest.

The times I've been "shot" by Christians were mostly when I was vulnerable, or in a weak place, or using my faith, etc. It would be during those moments that I was exposed and weakened, or already bleeding somewhere ... and instead of providing healing, I received a knife wound where I was already wounded, or I was shot and then they turned around and ran the other direction to watch me bleed from a distance. In those instances, though ... those people thought they were doing something *good*. I don't think they realized they were shooting me, and knifing me. They thought they were standing up for God, or protecting themselves, or trying to *teach* me something. Something along those lines. So it wasn't black and white lol ... although I felt like evil was feasting on me and beating on me, they saw it completely differently.

I think when a person is exposed and vulnerable, the way another person handles that speaks volumes about them. Do they see an open wound and use it to cause further harm ? Do they see an open wound and start feasting there like a bloodthirsty predator ? Or do they see an open wound ... and offer healing, compassion, a blood transfusion, a bandage to cover it and protect it from the elements, etc. Does their sympathy seem to drain or restore ? Are you being refreshed or slimed ? Or, if you experience some kind of death with them ... do you come back to life better than you were before ? In other words, is it a pointless death caused by a spiritual murderer, or is it a surgery where something old was taken out and something new was put in it's place ? It's one thing when those who don't even believe in Jesus respond certain ways ... it's another, in my opinion, when people treat the vulnerable poorly in "the name of God", however.

Reading your post is reminding me of the dynamics in the story of the Good Samaritan.

Getting back to your experience, did you get angry at God?

 

[brinny]

What would be wounding someone when it can't be helped? Tough love? Or, just inadvertently saying the wrong thing that might affect someone when we didn't mean for it to?

Wow, good questions.....and not easy to answer....I'm a Tough Love advocate....but i learned i had a LOT to learn about balance with it....

 

[TillICollapse]

Well, a hidden secret is going to affect how anyone relates to others. Fear of being discovered, suspicions of intents of others, etc.

But, for, say... a jock to come out and admit that he had a homosexual experience in middle school, would be to almost really "DIE" in his adored school environment. Yet, afterward, he could begin to learn to live without that guilt and fear.......... UNLESS he is shot by other Christians for being wounded.

To further this example ... one could argue that believers who would require such a person to "sew together fig leaves before presenting themselves before the Lord" would also be shooting the wounded. This is often a kind of shooting that happens LATER, after a person is already in the door, so to speak.

Such a person is accepted, and brought in "Just as they are, no shame," ... but then expected to change immediately, or to forcibly create some new man to put on and clothe themselves with in order to remain, etc. So while honesty may bring them out from hiding amongst the bushes, they are expected to look/act/behave a certain way that might be completely fake in order to be tolerated from there on out. If they simply remain naked and free, so to speak, they may be blamed, or kicked out, or further shown what they need to do in order to fall in line and "please God", etc.

So those who don't get killed by the shooting ... there is the risk they will have others try to forcibly cover over their wounds and nakedness to where, instead of receiving new garments and a new man from Christ, other try to have some Frankenstein man-made version thrust upon them, to cover over what still needs healing, redeeming, freedom, etc.