A Little Understanding – The Protective Wrap

… There is one thing that we find in all protective wraps but in very few protective coverings, windows and doors. Necessary but counterproductive, they invite the outside in. With all the measures taken to keep the outside, outside in both the building of a house and the construction of the Christ follower’s life and the collective of Christ followers, windows and doors by their very design and function can pose a problem.

[note: protective wraps = outside walls & protective coverings = roofs]

I don’t know you personally and you don’t know me… Even though we don’t know each other I have to assume that we treat the openings in our homes the same. We don’t open our windows and doors when the wind and rain are trying to find a way into the house. It should be the same when dealing with the evil that Satan wants us to conform to, we keep the openings closed.

That being said, there will always be times that doors and windows will be opened. Every time you open a door or a window in a building something from the outside will get in. In the same way, we as Christ followers and the collective of Christ followers, cannot be in this world without having some of the world get in.

We open the windows and doors of our lives and churches to the outside…

…not so the outside can influence us but so that we can invite the outside to come in and be influenced by us. We want to be “in the world” but we don’t want to be “of the world”. The problem is that the influence of the outside, once inside, can be far stronger than the influence and resistance coming from the inside…

… Windows and doors are opened to check the temperature, enjoy the fresh air and even invite someone into our homes. It is not our intention to make the temperature or air supply outside the permanent temperature or air supply of our homes. It is usually not our plan to have the person who we invite into our home take over ownership and make it their permanent residence. 

As Christ followers and the collective of Christ followers, it is important to check the temperature of the world around us, to experience the positive things in the climate that surrounds us. It is not our calling to avoid contact with those who are not followers of Christ and shut them out of our lives and churches.

External protective covering and wrap have done their job against the big storms and the constant erosion of everyday worldly influence. The windows and doors have sealed out the unwanted intruders. The insulation has trapped the desired temperature inside and blocked the undesired temperature outside, but at some point we will have to let the outside, inside on purpose. Good insulation will not allow the inside to become like the outside, unless you are going to leave the windows and doors open. The outside temperature may be noticed as it enters the room but the inside temperature is maintained.

The problem is…

…many Christ followers and collectives of Christ followers don’t have good insulation ( for more on insulating the Christ follower and collective of Christ followers see A Little Understanding – Climate Protection (Part 4) & A Little Understanding – Climate Protection (Part 5) ). There is no stability, no mind that is constantly renewed, centred on God. Once they invite the outside, inside, they are overwhelmed. There is nothing to normalize, balance the temperature and stop the outside and the inside from becoming the same temperature.

Insulation gives us a normal temperature, a way to stop the drastic swings from hot to cold and back. A mind renewed, focused on God is not constantly changing but instead is being transformed to view the world differently, with God given discernment.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Safely the Christ follower and the collective of Christ followers can…

…make contact with the outside. Safely the Christ followers and the collective of Christ followers can invite those who are outside, inside. The Christ follower and the collective of Christ followers are safe because they know that God’s will is not a fad or a whim. It is not influenced by the climate of the world or the temperature in our life. We must be transformed to view things through His eyes not conformed to think in the patterns of this world so we can “test and approve” what is “good, pleasing and perfect” or conversely test and reject what is not!

Stay tuned A Little Understanding – Landscape and Décor will be posted in November 2019.

From time to time my blog will include abridged excerpts from my book “Blueprint.” Like any author/blogger, I find it difficult to leave the words I have written in my computer until a publisher can be found. Maybe it’s because someone somewhere needs to read these words now.

For more excerpts and quotes from my book Blueprint find the heading “Categories” on the right side of this page and click on “Blueprint (my book)”