Discipleship is innately awkward. It’s awkward because all of the things that matter most in the life of discipleship are things that our culture prompts us to classify as “personal and private.” Jesus stands inviting each of us into a fuller life than we can imagine–a life that is manifests the fruit of the spirit. A necessary part of entering into that life is the difficult work of dying to sin.
The believer stands before God deeply loved, perfectly and freely forgiven in Christ, and cherished. At the same time, the path of discipleship means movement toward holiness. So many of the things that make us unholy are things that we wish to keep hidden, secret, sequestered from conversation and reflection. Ironically, our impulse to do just that is what causes those sins to have such terrible power over us.
Full life in Christ requires being part of a community where these awkward things are able to come to light. Some of those conversations are ones each of us would rather die than have. Yet, in having them we find release and a fresh sense of God’s presence with us in the presence of another.
That’s why this blog talks about controversial issues and mundane ones. Jesus claims Lordship over our whole person. That means talking about sexual ethics, sexual identity, and many other topics are fair game–they’re each intimately related to our following Christ.
I hope I’m able to host these sorts of conversations with gentleness and respect. So, even if you find yourself disagreeing with me passionately, I hope you’ll find at least something of worth in what I write.
Jeff Gissing 