Hunger First: The Onramp to an Amazing Relationship with Christ - and a Conversation with Mike Van Pelt(EP 33)
This episode is about hunger. Not hunger for cookies or a nice pastry. Hunger for Jesus.
And I want to state that without hunger, you’ll get caught up in performance again. You won’t be pursuing the relationship from your heart, but out of duty. And that’s bad. That’s the hamster wheel again. You don’t want that. Spiritual dryness, ups and downs, distance from God, lack of purpose, frustration. Those are all results of performance Christianity.
There are three books in my life that have changed my trajectory. One of them transformed my thinking about how to live the Christian life. Eric and I talked about it last week. It’s called With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God, by Skye Jethani. My friend, Jeff, handed me the book and said it had changed his life. It changed mine, too, so I went on to buy several copies and gave them away.
The bottom line in the book is this: We fall into one or more of four traps in the way we relate to God. These traps kill our spiritual vibrancy, health and freshness. They actually distance us from Jesus instead of drawing us to him. Jethani makes the strong point that God wants us to enjoy a relationship with him.
A relationship with God. This simple concept really shook me up. The light went on. I realized I had lived my Christian life as a faith-performer for God. I wanted this new life with him. It immediately shifted my thinking.
God gave me a simple set of statements that I call my Statement of Faith. It’s not about what I believe, but it’s about who I want to become as a Christian.
For an entire year, I focused on the first statement:
My relationship with God is the most important thing in my life.
I still feel a sense of relief when I read and say that sentence. It’s like taking a deep breath and exhaling. It has revolutionized my relationship with God.
The Lord gave me two Bible verses to anchor my statement. The first was, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV) That’s what life is all about. Loving God. With my heart. With my soul. With my strength. Not with my performance. My service for God is an outgrowth of my love relationship with him.
Couple that verse with this next one and it epitomizes a fully committed, loving relationship. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” (John 3:16 NIV) The Father gave his only son because he loved me so much. Jesus died for me because he overflowed with love for me. Praise the Lord that he took the initiative to move towards me when he went to the cross.
I invite you to come along. If you’re hungry, satisfy the hunger by knowing Jesus. Know the Christ of the cross, the one who has been here since all eternity and who will be here for all eternity. There’s so much of him to know.
Hunger. It’s the key to escaping the bondage of performance Christianity. Get started by setting an appointment with God where you can wait on him. I know it’s just a beginning, but you have to start somewhere. At FRESH FAITH 24/7, there are resources inside that help make this a continuous habit.
I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about this whole topic of hunger. Tell me about your journey. This is so important. Email me at [email protected].
FEATURED GUEST: Mike Van Pelt
We can talk about escaping performance Christianity, but it’s always good to hear the story of someone who has. Mike Van Pelt is that man in this episode. Mike was an ordinary guy serving in his church. You’ll hear how God revealed to him that something was missing in his relationship with the Lord. And how Mike responded in a healthy way. He hosts a podcast and a ministry called True Man.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Take the Spiritual Self-Assessment
Questions about today's content? Contact Jon with questions
Contact Mike Van Pelt by email:
Or call him at 864-266-2058
