If you missed the beginning of our new series, The Continuum, you may be wondering what it’s all about. Senior Pastor Dr. Woody Torrence explains it this way:
God made us to fall in love. But if you’ve ever been in love, can you pinpoint the moment you fell in love?
When I met Nan on a blind date, I remember the moment she opened the door of her Appomattox home... I remember telling her I loved her that first night. I remember giving her my class ring when we decided to “go steady.” I remember when I asked her to marry me.
But can I pinpoint a moment? Or was it more of a continuum? Falling in love is one of the best illustrations of God’s relationship with us.
Understanding the continuum of this relationship is really important to understanding the context of living on mission. Our mission is to seek and save the lost — to make disciples.
For me, it is helpful to understand that coming to Christ, becoming a follower of Jesus is not just a decision, not just a moment in time, but a process that we enter into.
The Bible is clear it’s not just a historical account of something we did in the past. Philippians 2:12 tells us to work out our salvation. That’s in the present tense. It doesn’t mean we’re working for it rather than receiving grace. But it does mean that it is a present and living relationship.
For those who use a decision as “proof” of salvation, there’s not much there in terms of relationship. They are stuck in the past. When I compare that to my relationship with Nan … if there were no current feelings, no willingness to spend time with her, I would question whether that’s really love.
This has helped me over the years. Everybody is on a spiritual continuum. That’s how love grows.
In the book of John, Jesus does this with the woman at the well. He carries her through the process. The Continuum provides context for how to “go and tell” the Gospel to the people in our lives.
Pray that God would show you how to help move closer to Him as you help others on this Continuum.
If you’d like to see Week 1, which shares this overview, you can watch it here.