2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NLT)
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
Yesterday, we studied a phrase that was much more than just a catchy slogan. The same can be said about today. When you look below the creative and meaningful Refuge logo, you’ll find the phrase “experience something different…experience something real.” Maybe you’ve never noticed it. Maybe you’ve read it and thought, “That sounds cool and relevant.” Maybe you’ve even pondered it on a deeper level, only to struggle for the right words to explain. Or maybe, as I’ve witnessed firsthand, you understand it and live it out. No matter what category you fall into, permit me to elaborate on these words for a moment. Because far from mere words, these bits of truth will radically change us - and Refuge - if we live them out.
Whether in or out of church in your younger years, a desire for something different drew you to Refuge. You were the kid from the broken home and needed a different family. You were the alcoholic or addict and needed a different life. You were the soul-searching, empty vagabond and needed a different purpose. Or perhaps you reached the point I was at.
When the Lord romanced me back to him, my desire was to forget everything I had heard He was like, what I was supposed to do and be, and how every one else acted that supposedly followed him. My prayer was a fresh start. A clean slate. A new beginning. Discarding all the unrealistic expectations and scuffing away the gilded covering over glamorizing Jesus. I wanted the Savior of Scripture, who loves unabashedly, forgives completely, sacrifices enthusiastically. Forget everything I thought I knew: about who God is, who I am, what church is supposed to be like, what church people are supposed to act like. That’s what “experiencing something different” and “experiencing something real” means to me.
Now its your turn to respond. Have you experienced the Someone who is different and real? I challenge you to forget everything you think you know about God (unless you’ve already been through this process) and experience him by falling head over heels in love. For the first time or in renewal.
