What is it? Extreme Soul Make Over: Hope Edition (ESMHE) is an adult spiritual development program that seeks to bring small groups of people together both to renew their personal faith and to help the church grow together as a community of believers. As part of this program small groups of seekers led by clergy and lay leaders come together for discussion, spiritual exercises, and Bible study. The program is designed to address both the needs of new Christians and of those who are more familiar with the faith. What is the Body of Christ ? As Christians we are all members of the Body of Christ. We are the community of believers who come together to do God’s work in the world. We seek to live into the ideals of the Kingdom of God, both in our church community and in the larger world. It is our task as “Kingdom people” to grow into deeper relationship with God and with each other. It is our work as Christians to follow the teachings and walk “The Way” of Jesus Christ. We are guided in this work by the Holy Spirit.
We are the Body of Christ. We are Christ’s face, arms, hands, heart, and feet to a broken world that longs for peace but is locked in struggle. We are the seekers, a light burning brightly that confesses Jesus’ love and hope for humanity. Charged with bringing light to injustice, and love and kindness to all with the help of God, we proudly proclaim a new way of life is possible. Why Renew it ? However, though we are the Body, and God has given us everything we need for this journey of faith, it is often difficult to live this out, inside and outside the church community. Our own lives develop “wrinkles” - disappointments and tragedies, pain and confusion, times when we feel separated from the Divine Presence. Our church family starts to have “fine lines’ - we experience breaks in our relationships, anger that is not dealt with, and frustration we can’t let go of. We may find that over time we need a “makeover”, a chance to look at the places in our lives and faith that may need repair or rebuilding.
Jesus spoke of a “Way” not an “Arrival”. When we become Christians we do not arrive at the end point of our spiritual journey. Rather we begin a long walk of faith. Long walks require sustenance for the journey. ESMHE is designed to help people identify areas of spiritual needs and to assist in developing practices and beliefs, a plan or blueprint if you will, that will help address those needs. For each believer this may require a different plan, but the true joy of being a Christian is being able to work within a church community that supports each person’s walk with Christ. While we walk together we truly become the Body of Christ to a world in desperate need of our vision of hope.
Explanation of the Structure ESMHE is broken into three main categories. The foundation of the program are two small groups, one designed for Christians new to the faith, and the other for those who have gone through the first small group and/or have determined that they are farther along on their spiritual journey.
The small group called Developing a Spiritual Design is for those new to the faith. Meetings will begin focusing on learning to identify the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life and identifying daily spiritual practices to help keep you connected to God. We will then move into the basis for our faith, Scripture. The Bible is an incredibly rich collection of stories, poems, and deep truths that form the foundation of our faith and helps us discover how we understand God and Jesus Christ. After briefly exploring the story of the Bible we will move to focusing on the story of Jesus. Why do we follow this teacher, prophet, healer, and call him Son of God? What exactly is the “Kingdom of God”? Finally, we discover that Christianity is a call to transform our lives—to repent, to literally turn our lives around towards God. How do we live that out individually and as a community of faith?
Our second small group, Discovering a “Blue-Print” for living in the Body of Christ, is for those who are further along on the journey, will go deeper and help you transform your life and the life of the community. Meetings begin with the spiritual practice of prayer and identifying those things that separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Then we delve deeper into the scripture more fully exploring what Jesus said about the Kingdom of God and how we should live it out. Kingdom theology has huge implications for our community, and for the way we live our lives in the greater world. What is God calling you to do in this world? How are you being Christ to others?
When you have completed the “Blueprint” small group the next step is to continue this growth and the rest of the small groups of the ESMHE is designed to further nurture, equip, and empower you to live effectively in the Body of Christ. Small group meetings will focus on topics like learning your spiritual gifts and finding God’s call for your life, Christian leadership within the church, further exploring spiritual practices that bring you closer to God, Christian parenting, and exploring injustice and Jesus’ call to love your neighbor.
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Classes are resuming soon!
ESMHE Blog
1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, The members in the body of Christ are called to a purpose.
We in the Body of Christ are the community of God’s people and are drawn together in the name of Jesus Christ. Living in the Body of Christ begins with an awareness that God is moving in our life and calling us into the brokenness of the world. This awareness and calling challenges the cultural assumptions of individuality that keep us separated from one another. While it is not easy to lead a life “worthy of this calling” together we help each other discern the calling and presence of God in our lives.
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Living in the body of Christ is the call of building relationships of love. The Church, which is the Body of Christ, is called to live together in such a way that Christ’s way is lifted up. Paul describes this way as the “way of love” (I Cor 12:31- 13:13). This love that draws people together into small groups, teams of ministry, and mission opportunities demands a love that is patient, gentle, and bearing of one another.
The community of God’s people is also diverse because we know our God lives in the world through many different kinds of people. Love that moves beyond tolerance to one of living in deep relationship with others is one that necessarily requires humility. Only in the discipline of humility can hospitality of welcoming the other be born. It is because of this diversity that the love of the body of Christ must seek to maintain a unity that can only come in and through the Spirit of God.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. 7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.
The goal of the Body of Christ is to find unity while respecting diversity. The Spirit of God that lives above, through, and in all of humanity is the same one that desires that all people, with their differences, come together in harmony. It was in Jesus’ prayer that all in the community of God’s people came to see the unity that connects and unites us all (John 17:20-21). Allowing diversity to exist in the body of Christ, and yet finding that in all diversity is the same Spirit of God, shakes the foundations of a church that believes only certain people embody the Spirit of God. Through the Holy Spirit we are able to embrace the Body of Christ as one diverse, but united and whole body. 8 Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people." 9 (When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) Ascending and Descending in the Body of Christ
The Body of Christ holds together both internal spiritual transformation and external works of service and justice. To ascend high into the love of God where we are transformed by love means that we will descend out into all parts of the world that God has calls us to heal and love. Jesus shows us this in his life. What enabled Jesus to go out into the broken world and give himself away was his deep love and closeness he felt with God. Jesus ascended into the heart of God and descended out into the hearts of the world. 11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
God gives to all members in the body of Christ different spiritual gifts
Spiritual gifts are different from talents. A talent is something that we develop based on upon personal preference. Spiritual gifts are abilities given to us by God that speak to the very identity of who we are, as one of God’s children. Our spiritual gifts speak to where we are helping to build the body of Christ with our own uniqueness. To live in the Body of Christ the church helps one another become aware of God’s presence and calling, and also gives them tools to act on those callings. Collectively we have a responsibility within the Body of Christ to help everyone discover his or her spiritual gifts.
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
The work of the Body of Christ is to build community.
The community of God’s people is a place where healing, compassion, peace, and justice are valued. There can be no community when brokenness, prejudice, or division occurs. The spiritual gifts that the Spirit gives to us helps to build community where healing, forgiveness, peace, and justice can occur. This is the vocation of all members in the Body of Christ and the vocation of the Body of Christ as it works collectively in the world. To come to know Jesus means desiring this type of community. To use your spiritual gifts to grow into maturity in this vision of Jesus is to deepen our awareness of God’s purpose for our life and the world. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.
The Body of Christ must confront false truth
The world would have us believe that ideas such as individualization, privatization, and consumerism can lead us to the salvation we seek. However, these ideas leave humanity broken, isolated, and living in fear, doubt, and dismay. The Body of Christ speaks the truth of love in the face of these false doctrines and provides a vision of life that holds up love and community. Choosing to live into the central vocation of love in Body of Christ means choosing not to live by the doctrine of other choices around us. In doing so, those that following the Spirit of Jesus end up shaking the foundations of people’s fear of love, compassion, and justice.
15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.
The Body of Christ requires transformation
To grow up and mature in the vision of Christ requires an internal transformation of our values and worldview. This transformation leads to a justice where by people choose to live in a different way in life. The justice of the Body of Christ comes in the body’s willingness to live by the path of love. To live in love means overcoming our fears that separate humanity, and passing over into a new world where we intentionally and willfully give ourselves for the sake of others. To live in love means choosing a path of humility, gentleness, compassion, and peace. The good news is that this transformation of our selves, of the church, and of our world is never done alone, but always with others.
2 Foundational Small Groups to Renew the Body of Christ
1) Developing A Spiritual Design – for beginners new to the faith