During the last nine weeks of this course, we’ve visited seasons of soul-crushing pain. We’ve asked God to help us learn from that pain. And we’ve walked out of those seasons stronger for it. We’ve considered how God may have equipped us to transform that pain and to use it for ministry.
The challenge before us now is to live in freedom. How do we know if we are really free? And how should we think about pain going forward?
Paul fought to help the brothers who lived in Galatia to stay free after others sought to pull them back into the bondage of religious, rule-focused life. He told them, “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.” (Gal 5:1)
As a father, I delight to see my children make their own decisions. God is the same way. He wants to see us choose. He made us creative; He wants to see us create. He gave us the gift of flight; He wants to see us soar.
Life seems to conspire against the exercise of our freedom. Whenever we organize a government, it begins to encroach on our ability to choose. A local restaurant had to close down its live music piano bar because the permits cost too much. Instead they have to use a player piano.
The church similarly over time is inevitably run by law-making bureaucrats who define theology and praxis ever more narrowly until the abundant life Jesus promised becomes a thin gruel and a crust of bread.
Every new generation has the opportunity to fight for and win its freedoms all over again. It is inevitable that the rule-makers will rise up and find ways to circumscribe freedom. Judicious, Spirit-led rule makers, though they be few, will occasionally fight back and seek an appropriate balance. They must be nurtured and applauded for their courage.
Four points about freedom:
1. Fighting for our freedom or for the freedom of others is messy. Christians who want to stay clean and comfortable will never be liberators.
2. If we make it our mission to set the captives free, we’ll need to test the quality of our own freedom. You must assume safety before you can test it. Finding a place of safety is rarely safe.
3. Wounding tempts you to not risk. But without faith or risk, you’ll not please God. Risk is the path to love. Always commit to risk. You can ignore pain or numb it, but to put pain in your past, the best path is to go through it.
4. Vulnerability destroys the lie that you are alone and cannot be healed. If you know that you need healing, there is no safe alternative to vulnerability. You must expose your pain and let someone touch it.
Application
A few questions about freedom to consider: Are you really free? What price will you put on your freedom? Is the price of dealing with fear too costly to go in search of freedom?
