RESTORING GARDEN INTIMACY

Genesis 3:8

Gen 3:8-10

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they

hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"

He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid

because I was naked; so I hid."

ShameFear

Alienation

Shame

Fear

Alienation

Jesus’ Atoning Work on the Cross pays our sin debt,

covers our shame, sets us free, and restores our

intimacy with Abba Father.

Jesus came to Restore Garden Intimacy

Jesus came so we can walk with Abba in the cool of the

day!!!

From another perspective, the destiny of every child of

God is Christ-likeness.

One of the most fundamental aspects of being Christ-like is

INTIMACY WITH ABBA FATHER&

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We are NOT referring to or seeking:

Spiritual GiftsFruit of the Spirit

Spiritual DisciplinesManifestations

We are NOT referring to or seeking:

MiraclesSigns and Wonders

Miraculous

Eph 3:14-19

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from

whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives

its name.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may

dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in

love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long

and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to

the measure of all the fullness of God.”

“…strengthen you… in yourinner being…”

SO THAT:“Christ may dwell in our

hearts”“you may be filled… all the

fullness of God”

As I’ve been drawn into the Deeper Life in Christ, I’ve

noticed that certain people emphasize different things. (i.e. inner healing, soul care,

spiritual formation, etc.)

Personally, I believe what Paul meant by “inner

being” is our Body, Soul and Spirit.

I believe Abba Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit desires to

strengthen/heal/transform our body, soul, and spirit so

that we can be filled with more of Himself!!!

So that we Glorify Himand

Enjoy Him Forever

As an Illustration:

Let’s consider the image of humanity as a tri-part

being, Body, Soul & Spirit.

Spirit

SoulBody

My Personal Testimony

Spirit

At age 11From Death to New Life in

ChristBorn Again/Regeneration

Body

God touched my mind !He healed my mind and delivered me from many

learning disabilities.

Soul

Pastor William WoodDr Paul Holland

Dr Martin SandersDr Rob Reimer

Abba Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit desires to continue the

strengthening/healing/transforming of our body, soul, and spirit

so that we can be filled with more and more of Himself!!!

1 Cor 6:19-20

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who

is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a

price…”

Phil 1:6

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good

work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of

Christ Jesus.”

Rom 8:29-30

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among

many brothers.

And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified;

those he justified, he also glorified.”

We are a construction project!

Construction projects are inconvenient, costly,

time consuming, messy…!!!

What are some of the attitudes that hinder us from allowing Christ to

complete His construction in us?

“No Way”!!!Resistance

Unconfessed SinEnjoying the pleasures of

Sin

“I’m comfortable the way I am”

Luke Warmness

“The cost is too high”Fear

Fear:Loss of Control

Loss of Status/InfluenceFailure

RejectionOver Exposure (nakedness)

“I don’t have time…”Business

Distractions

Perfectionism

So rigidly focused on the “Means” (Spiritual

Disciplines) that we miss out on the true end result,

Intimacy/Abiding with Abba, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Dave Benner’s story of the teacher telling his student to stop looking at his finger and focus on the stars

 Mulholland: "... the greatest single danger in the spiritual

disciplines is the temptation to turn them

into works righteousness. Since the disciplines are

activities we perform,

from the very first performance there is the possibility that we begin to think our performance will make the difference in our growth toward wholeness in

Christ for others.

There is a tremendous tension here. Without the performance

of disciplines, God is, for all practical purposes, left

without any means of grace through which to effect

transformation in our lives.

But without God's transforming grace, our

disciplines are empty, hollow motions, the form of godliness

without the power. The solution is found in the inner dynamics of how we engage

in the disciplines, the deep inner posture of being (not

doing) we bring to the disciplines..." Mulholland, Invitation to a

Journey p. 136 (Emphasis mine)

As with any construction project, there are many

potential starting points.

Abba Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit may begin with either the body, soul or the

spirit.

He meets each of us uniquely.

There is NO ONE WAY!

I’m Not Talking about Salvation

THERE IS ONLY ONE MEANS OF SALVATION– JESUS

CHRIST

John 14:6

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes

to the Father except through me.”

Acts 4:10-12

“It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man

stands before you healed.

He is 'the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the capstone.'

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by

which we must be saved."

THERE IS ONE MEANS OF SALVATION,

JESUS CHRIST

Once Born Again, God’s construction (Sanctification)

can take many forms and He

uses many paths!

We each have different starting points

The Western Pennsylvania

District

You are here! Point B is Mars, PA

Western PA District

Rt 79 SRt 322 Rt 80 ERt 6Rt 376Rt 70Rt 76Rt 119Rt 30Rt 220Rt 422Rt 22

N

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EW

Using the Enneagram Assessment

I tend to exhibit the traits of a

#3 One Who Needs to Succeed

Several key elements of God’s

construction plan for me are:

SilenceSolitude

Being Still in Abba’s presenceJournaling

Surrendering ControlAcknowledge Emotions

PainSuffering

TrialsBeing OverwhelmedHumbling Failures

“The long-term goal of counseling for the heart types must be to

bundle away the peacock and to dock his tail, so that it becomes clear that without his/her finery, he/she is just as much a normal, ugly chicken as the rest of us.”

Rohr, The Enneagram p. 88

Testimonies

Paul Cope

Cheryl Grossoehme

Dave Nagel

Bernie Knefley

Bob Flaherty

Scott Ream

Paul Renicks

Q & A

Response Time

Rev 3:20

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears

my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with

him, and he with me.

Let’s take several minutes to open the door and invite

Jesus in.

Small Group Exercise

In groups of 2 or 3, share with one another what Jesus is saying?

In your groups of 2 or 3, share with one another

what immediate next steps need to be taken in

response to what Jesus is saying?

Testimonies

What are you hearing?

Testimonies

What next steps are being revealed?

As we fellowship around the dinner table, please

share what God is whispering!

The following are Scriptures related to

Intimacy with Abba Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Ps 42:1-2

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the

living God.

Ps 62:1-2, 5-6

My soul finds rest in God alone;my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and

my salvation;he is my fortress, I will not

be shaken.

Ps 63:1, 7-8

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Because you are my help,I sing in the shadow of your

wings. My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

Ps 84:2

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry

out for the living God.

Ps 91:1-2

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the

shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord , "He is my refuge and

my fortress,my God, in whom I trust."

Ps 131:1-2

My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great

matters or things too wonderful for me.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its

mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Isa 43:1-4

But now, this is what the Lord says —

he who created you… he who formed you… "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned

you by name;

you are mine. When you pass through the

waters,I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord , your God,the Holy One of Israel, your

Savior;

… Since you are precious and honored in my sight,and because I love you…

Isa 49:14-16

But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has

forgotten me." "Can a mother forget the baby at

her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

Though she may forget,

I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on

the palms of my hands;your walls are ever before

me.

Zeph 3:17

“The Lord your God is with you,he is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,he will quiet you with his love,he will rejoice over you with

singing."

John 15:4

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you…”

Abiding Dwelling

Living

Our Abba Father, Jesus, andthe Holy Spirit

desires an intimate relationship

with you and me!!!

The Scriptures are literally His love letter to humanity!