Pathways to Intimacy with God - Getting Hugs from an Invisible God, Part 1

Are you discouraged you struggling today, depressed got some conflict can't sort things out.

Need a job, don't you need someone who cares who loves you to come up and just wrapped her arms around you and give you a hug and really mean it's going to be okay. I'm with well that's what God wants to do for you today in your situation I want to learn how to get hugs from an invisible God stay with thanks for joining us for this Tuesday vision of living on the survival feature of this international discipleship program continues a series pathways to see with God answering the thought-provoking question invisible God.

Make himself visible to Living on the Edge sure to check out our website on the edge.org to find information there about shift and the minister hundreds of free resource. Now let's get going with today's message chips in acts chapter 2. One of the most powerful communication tools in all human society is a very simple thing in both your hands, your arms, your shoulders and it's called a hug that you think I'm kid not talking about great research is been done on the power of what happens when one human being. Hugs another human being. In fact, I have a little before me. It says hugging is healthy. It helps the body's immune system. It keeps you healthier.

It helps cure depression.

It reduces stress and it induces sleep. It's invigorating.

It's rejuvenating. It has no unpleasant side effects.

Hugging is nothing less that a miracle drug goes on to say, hugging is all natural, organic, naturally sweet, has no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients is 100% wholesome hugging is practically perfect. There's no movable parts, no batteries to wear out. No periodic checkups has low energy consumption with high energy yield it's inflation proof non-fattening requires no monthly payments has no insurance requirements and is therefore nontaxable, nonpolluting, and of course only returnable you know there's a lot of different ways that we hug powerful donning sure there's the you know the sort of the Christian hug of people that you don't know you now that you have a ghost hi brother sister units are like that but on about you.

I've been where I've lost a loved one or I have been the pastor or someone has lost a baby or one particular friend. I remember who very unexpectedly lost his wife is been like a dad to me for about 30 years, and I'll never forget the embrace that we had. I flew in the moment. I found out, and there's you know how it is the living room and people were in shock at our eyes met and we came and I mean it was.

We just locked wouldn't say anything he just needed to know there was someone there that thick and thin were going to be here for each other, you had one of those hugs before I left. We had a similar hug and I said you know I need to make a couple commitments to me as I knew is going to go through very difficult times. We probably talk on the phone, three times a week minimum for the next year or year and 1/2.

It's one of those hugs that when you're the person in pain.

You put your face in the person shoulder and you just want them almost to hold you up or there's the other kind hugs when your dad or mom when your kids are small and the get real excited. You know, the kind that crush your air pipe that really try to tell you they love you okay honey good night and they go daddy, I love you too honey. And there's the hugs of lovers of expressing thoughts and feelings in warmth and desire and affection. There's the hugs when you go see grandma and granddad are one thing I love to do. I mean I would actually pay for this on bin Laden airport slightly, but I, like it when I have a delay at times and I like to get the place, especially near holidays where families are being reunited and you know you watch them come with wheelchairs and you watch them come with someone on the side and you know I noticed you, you shaved your mustache and you just watching his they come together and it will communicate realistic picture of the grandparents when they come get the kids. What we all do hugging, there's the hubs of belonging, there's the hugs of affirmation, there's the hugs of understanding there's the hugs of depth and intimacy.

There's the hugs of this may be the last time I see you. Isn't that what happens with some of us with aging parents and every time you leave them. There's that, hugs it says how to forget to do this again, but you use your hands. Use your arms and use your shoulders, and two people come together in appropriate ways and is powerful when psychologists say probably apart from listening intently to another person with eye contact, there is few things you ever do on the earth to communicate your love for another person like an appropriate hug inappropriate way. And here's the question I have if God is so loving and if God cares so much for us and if hugging is so powerful. How do you get a hug from an invisible God. How to see how this may have. How does he put his arms around us. How does he tell us were affirmed. How does he hold us when we feel like our worlds fallen apart. How does he say hey you know what it's going to be okay and I like to suggest that the answer to that can be found first in the early church and then right from Scripture, there are certain things that followers of Christ have done for a couple thousand years, and followers of Yahweh have done before that there are ancient well worn path they are not new, but those who have had a heart for God and those who come to know and follow Christ.

These paths are etched into the history of the church and they were continually speaking of the early church, devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer and you might put if you have a pen right before the word fellowship put a little mark and write the fellowship in the original text is a definite article. It wasn't just to fellowship it was. This is not a picture of the early church having coffee and a couple donuts.

Bob, good to see you. This is the fellowship very technical term. The Greek word is Queen and the and will look at it in a minute but just as Jesus touched the lives of the early disciples in his physical body.

So now the Spirit touches our lives through his spiritual body may have never thought about this mean if you are Peter or John or James you think those guys ever had a bad day. Everything they got a hug from Jesus here think there was eye contact and Peter feeling really bad feeling. John 21 when he gets forgiven, forgiven, forgiven, when Jesus said you love me do you love me do you love me.

Can you imagine that conversation not ending with Peter in Jesus arms and feeling the embrace of Jesus going Peter, you did blow it big time and I want you to know you been forgiven big time and and I'm not put me on the shelf like a plan for your life. I can't imagine that happening without a deep warm embrace. When Jesus walked on the earth when he saw little children they would come up into his arms when he saw a woman who lost her only son in the coffins being passed. I can't imagine that he did not only raise the sun from the dead and then go to the mom is says and he restored the son to the mother what he think he did okay go ahead, you gotta believe that he put his arm around that woman said, here's your son back. You see when Jesus was in his physical body the way he would hug people was with his arms and his shoulders and his feet, but when Jesus was resurrected.

He no longer hugs us in his physical body, he hugs us in his spiritual body.

Notice what it says in your notes first Corinthians 12 verses 13 to 14 for we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, labor free, and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.

The word baptism here.

There's no water in the text. The original meaning of the word baptism literally means to dip, but the word also means to have the idea of identification he's talking about the moment you or the moment I when we understood that weed sin, we violated a holy God and that we are in desperate need and we accepted the free gift of Christ's grace on the cross to pay for our sin and we were birthed again. The moment you receive Christ, the spirit of God sealed you for all eternity and then placed you or identified you in this body.

This thing called the church so everyone in this room that has the spirit of God living in them who is born again, that has a new relationship with God through Christ, you are baptized I was baptized or placed identified in this new thing called the church and there are many parts and were part of this brand-new thing. The spiritual body of Christ. Notice it says how does the body work. How does Jesus laugh. How does Jesus touch people. How does he weep today.

How does he comfort people. How does he hug people how does he feed people he doesn't do it through physical body, he does it through his church. When you feed someone when you hug someone when you consult someone when you love someone when you pray for someone when you buy someone a meal when you do it unto the least of them you're doing what unto me, Jesus said so when the body is working when were reaching out and touching and loving and caring the way Jesus would in his body because he lives in us. That's how God hugs us how you get a hug from an invisible God when your need. The spirit has united all believers into one interdependent body or team under Christ. We belong to one another. See what we unconsciously tend to think of church like like a hotel.

It's a place you come and visit you eat get some nutrients. Say hi to a few people and then go on your way, but the biblical picture of the church is not a hotel.

It's a home hotel is a place that you visit to get your needs met.

A home is where you belong and where you both give love and receive love deal with problems and actually create a few yourself because you're human. Notice what the text says Romans 12, four and five says, just as each of us has one body. Speaking of our human body with many members, you know, hands, feet, eyes, head, and these members do not all have the same function, so my eyes have different functions in my ears and my nose and my feet so in Christ we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others you have a pen underline that way you that's an almost unheard of realized concept in the American church.

It says, and each member belongs to all the others.

We are his spiritual body. We are his team. We are his hands were his feet were his eyes were his arms were his ears. We all belong not only to Christ but you see the point we belong to one another because we belong to Christ. The reoccurring theme of the New Testament church is this coin in the more unity that they have the love the affirmation the consoling the comfort Jesus now does it through you to other people because his spirit is expressing his love and his heart to them through you and then he loves you through them because his spirit in them is giving you the love and affirmation and understanding that you desperately need.

And I do to so question why is this so important what why is it critical that we understand that the way God hugs this is through his body. Well the fellowship or coin in the a is the vehicle through which God's people express and receive love. That's what I want you to get this word the coin and never will examine it just a second. It's a Greek word that has a lot of meaning and in ancient Greek language long before one of the New Testament just met a partnership, a union, it had a military alliance. You can have a cornea we have a military alliance.

Our team this Army and that Army really go together and fight them. That's a coin. The but as the New Testament writers picked up the word and they begin to add more and more important to what it meant. Got a couple word studies here quantity is more than a common experience with one another. Cornea is life in the body of Christ. It's communion not only with each other but each other with the triune God. It's our communion. We chat with other believers. That's dependent on your relationship. An active communion with God. It synonyms like sharing to participate to be associated to giving to sharing to be liberal to have a companion, a partner share to be connected in some organic measurable way with other people.

That's what coin in areas in the way God expresses his love in the way we express our love is by this thing called the fellowship is it's God's vehicle for us to express and receive Christ love it. Give it pen handy and have asked to do a Bible study with me. Let me read the text. It's the picture the early church and is an awesome picture to picture of Christians hugging one another emotionally and physically and spiritually trying to read the text in acts 242 throughout 46 and then get that pen or pencil handy to have you circle a few words that highlight the sense of commonality, commitment, belonging, and sharing and see if you don't pick up what's really happening.

The early church. Verse 43 says everyone was filled with all, and many wonders and miraculous signs were being done by the apostles. Verse 44.

All the believers were together and they had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes. They ate together with glad and sincere hearts.

Now are you ready go to verse 44 and circle the word all this is in a special click a special group.

All the believers circle the word together.

They were they were together circle the word common. They had everything in common you know it was not communism there was still the ownership of personal property, but what they said was I belong to God. All that I have belongs to God. So I owned this in its mind to choose to give or not to give but I'm going to take all that I have in all that I am and I make it available to share as anyone would have need. That's the picture what was going on notice after the selling of possessions noticed circle the word anyone they gave to anyone as had need this. This wasn't just the cool people, not just the good-looking people. This wasn't the people that everyone liked. They gave as anyone had need. There was a bond there was a belonging to one another that cut through all were involved in who ever had need to participate. Verse 46. Every day they continued to circle the phrase meet together where first in the temple courts and then they broke bread. Circle the phrase their homes and circle the phrase together. Do you realize in those few verses. Look how many circles are on your notes together all common together. Anyone meet together their homes together and then go back and look at a few of the verbs notice they were glad sincere bait. No one had need. They gave there's a sense of people coming together to major themes emerge in the two major themes are very very simple. Number one. As you read this verse as you read the book of backs and church history. You understand, we express our love for Christ by expressing her love for his people, you might write that down now. Forget write down just live it we express our love for Christ by expressing our love for people, his people, they belong they matter. There his sons, his daughters there are brothers and our sisters the way I say to God, I love you is I give my time and my energy and my resources and my emotions as directed by the Holy Spirit living in me to those of you that God has me rub up against so that the Christ in me could express his love to you. That's how I love you and that's how I love Christ, we express our love for Jesus, not in some ethereal I love God, I raise my hands when I sing I write a check now and then. It's about real life relationships.

All those things are fine but first John said if I say I love God and have no love for my brother. I am a liar and the truth is an enemy. These notes I left her. I thought I left down at the office and was like late afternoon Saturday and who wants to go anywhere by yourself on Saturday and so I kinda said Haywood would anyone ride with me, you know, please, please, pretty please all buy dinner on the way home with your coming I just I will go down that dark building by myself and you have, you know, and and the and so we got down there and it been a pretty interesting day anyway. When I pulled up there's a lady sitting on the steps and thinking you know unit with the toboggan and kind of a funky looking long coat. I got out of the car and I'm thinking I need to get my notes and I said excuse me, she goes. Are you manager here you work here as well. I work here and she was in. If it's okay. Is it okay if I stay here tonight. I said why no. In general, the kind of frown on that and this is not exactly the safest neighborhood but all all I want is that little alcove. It's getting really really cold and and I believe in God not been talking to, and I'm thinking to myself, you know it's been it's been a pretty wild day and what I need is a homeless lady right now because my honest-to-goodness from the heart thoughts.

Not proud of them.

But those were the thoughts and I said will tell you what, could you could you to stay right here about pick some stuff up in the office and I'll get right with you when I get back and so you I open the keys at all. Do set off the alarm turned off find my office and of course I can't find my notes and so I'm coming back and as I'm shuffling things around now and I'm thinking to myself like you would want to do this homeless lady and I've memorized few verses down thinking really memorizes one and the thought came to my mind when you've done it to the least of these, you've done it unto me, as the Lord what what you want me to do just lover's okay so I'm thinking I'm not sure how I'm going to love her, but she's not been asleep here.

One is this way way: she's got a thin coat, number one, number two, I'm afraid.

What might happen. And number three you know the people that keep all the insurance and forms think is big liability her to better make sure you know about the and so I don't know what to do and I came out I collected Teresa in her hand signs okay yeah what what he think we don't think we ought to do, get out and so I said to her I said you know you can't stay here but you know I let me figure out a way to put you up in a hotel and will will get some straightened out what your name are you ready for this Gloria. And so we got in the car and she had a couple bags, and she was proud inside channels a new sleeping bag and we put them in the trunk and she sat in the back with Annie and was very articulate very articulate. As we went down. I said Gloria are you hungry, she goes well and I couldn't accept anything in this and that and along the story universe in a little Mexican restaurant. The four of us in. We had dinner with a homeless lady and you not meant I had one of those days where you know your emotions were all over the map. I gotta tell you, dinner with the homeless lady and dropping her off at look went sharing our testimony about what God is doing in our life and you know you that passage where it says now and then you entertains you know angels unaware. I don't know if Gloria was an angel but she was an angel from God for me. I think my attitude did the biggest 180 and a 24 hour period and I thought, oh Jesus what a privilege to express my love to you by just being your hands. Nothing big, Leno wasn't motivated to do it is not like you and always big super Christian and I just finally got to where I would obey and that lady was a delight in you and we figured out this place and the lady at look went to could figure out was going on and you know gave her the special deal for two nights and we went and took her stuff up to her room and into the three of us drove home and you and you know what I learned I learned we express our love for Christ by expressing our love for his people and you say what you mean his people.

She said I'm a Christian and she said you know, I know it's gonna get recalled and I called down to the shoulders and they've just give me the runaround. She said just before you came up.

I just said God, would you please take care of me today can be really cold tonight. Would you help me and I thought you know what this lady got hugged and she she got hugged. She got a hug from an invisible God, and you know God orchestrates the stuff because I had looked through my briefcase about four times where's my notes where's my notes where's my notes to anxiety and restart On my note so I left on the office like a news for you once we went through all this, I went back up and they were just right there. My briefcase, you know they were right there so I guess God has a way of making you see what he wants you to see you back with but if you chose to do your listening to Living on the Edge. Chip Ingram chips talk today is from the series pathways to intimacy with God of you found it helpful. Let me encourage you to take advantage of the series discounts and order a copy today. There's no way we can catch all the key points just once through, so if you were listening about yourself. You know what I really want to take this more seriously. Don't let your good intentions slip by. Give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 or check it out online at http://livingontheedge.org pathways to intimacy with God. Do it today. It will trip whether it's people God puts right in our past. Like that woman you helped or people we hope indirectly when we respond to opportunities God presents amazing things happen you know I get letters, emails and Facebook messages from people every day to tell me how Living on the Edges impacted their life. People of all ages from I mean every walk of life.

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You don't need to do more or less were just asking everyone do your part and will see God work will of Living on the Edge is ministering to not yet partnered with us financially. Would you consider doing that today. It takes a team to accomplish the ministry God's called us to do and would love to have you join us you can give a gift online that LivingontheEdge.org or if you prefer just call us at 1-888-333-6003 on behalf of Chip and all of us here. Thank you for your prayers and your financial support will now here's trip with his application for today as you listen to today's program. It's a pretty simple concept isn't the way an invisible God gives hugs is through the body of Christ. When Jesus walked on the earth. And if you were down if you were hurting and you were confused and he felt compassion he would physically walk over. We saw many times he did in Scripture, and he would put his arms around people or hug them or take a child into his arms and hold them now were the body of Christ, and rather than talk about anymore teaching why we be an active body. Why want to be a supercharge group of people right now, this moment and let's think out loud together. Who do you know that needs a hug today.

Could you know that's down, discouraged hurting and that hug might be a phone call that hug might be a scent of flowers that hug might be a note.

Could you know that has a financial need that you can take some cash putting in an envelope, no name, no tax deduction, no glory from men, but you could figure a way to get some cash to a person that has a genuine need and it's it's legal. If you want to put a verse in there so they know where the hug comes from. Who do you know that you can take 20 bucks or hundred bucks or thousand dollars and just in the name of Jesus hug someone you know that needs a listening ear to someone it's lonely maybe someone in one of those homes that no one visits or maybe apparent that it's always kind of a drain to call because they talk and talk and talk and you know they listen to you and you little kid babbling.

Maybe it's time to give them 20 or 30 or 40 minutes, maybe by the phone or maybe you just get in the car and take a little drive. You get the point.

Ask God right now, Lord Jesus, who do you want to love through me.

People are crying out to God, like the homeless lady was crying out to God in this self absorbed preacher teacher Chip Ingram running back to the office to get his precious notes to preach about God's word almost missed the opportunity and I ended up getting to feed and hug and find a room and remember just how simple the gospel is love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind with all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself, and according to Jesus anyone in need is your neighbor want you go find a neighbor today, and love them and they will receive a hug from an invisible God, go for it. A great way to stay engaged and connected to chip in Living on the Edge is with the Chip Ingram map will get free access to all of Chip's recent messages is message notes and much more. Not only that, but it couldn't be easier to call or email directly from the F tomorrow. Chip continues a series pathways to intimacy with God will make plans to courtship and the entire team.

This is the thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge