vulnerability in community

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV)

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24)

Vulnerability is not an easy thing. Especially in America in 2009. Our culture is teeming with walled, very individualized, personal individuals. That's fine in one respect, but ends up costing individuals and collective communities in large ways.

I went to a Prodigal God Bible study last night, and this idea came up again and I've been thinking about it.

I feel Jesus was the best model of vulnerability. He left the comfort and splendor of heaven to come down to earth, and yes, while it was His creation, I'm going to say heaven is a far better place to be. He was open with the people He walked and interacted with...how is it that four different men, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record with a unique perspective each ways in which Jesus was vulnerable.

He exemplified this vulnerability by going to the cross, yes, but He also exemplified it by His willingness to talk about others sins. Not only speak of them, but heal them!!

Back to modern day America 2009, I don't think it is our responsibility to heal our brother or sister's sins. That is a ridiculous thought. Only Jesus Christ can do that. Nor am I proposing or am suggesting that people who are uncomfortable to speak about their sins should be forced in any way to speak of their sins. When they're ready. And certain relationships, obviously, sin shouldn't be confessed to the other person, both to protect and prevent further injury.

But if communities are environments of Christ's love, where fellowship is genuine and honest, a willingness to confess sins when appropriate can do so much to strengthen the relationships in those communities! Of course, I don't think it's easy, vulnerability never is, especially not in guard-everything-about-you-America, but it can have a strong cementing, binding, effect to solidify and strengthen communities that they may walk stronger together in the desire to bring Christ's kingdom here to earth.

vulnerability leads to intimacy

I think most people would agree that intimacy is a great thing. Intimacy in relationships that is, above all things, pure and uncorrupted is a deep desire of hearts.

Most of all, our hearts want to be most intimate with Jesus. I believe all hearts are like this. They were created that way. It's only natural for them to be inclined to gravitate towards their founder, and best lover, Jesus.

I think it's just that some hearts have recognized this fact and have responded, either deciding to accept and pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus, and some have responded negatively...for selfish reasons, or possibly haven't responded yet because the enemy has blocked or constrained the joy and pure vision of Jesus from some hearts.

Whatever the case may be, I want to make the point that I think vulnerability leads to intimacy. **Let me caution that by immediately saying that vulnerability is risky too, and can lead to severe pain and hurt, when vulnerability is taken advantage of or abused.

Maybe a more clear expression is that vulnerability when led by the Holy Spirit leads to intimacy, which again, I'm pretty sure most people, deep down, are going to recognize is a great thing.

Think about instances where vulnerability occurs. When someone gets up to share their real and honest testimony, to share different joys and pains, they are opening a wider window into their hearts. They are being vulnerable in many ways, and it's not often easy to share a personal testimony. Yet, I can think of numerous examples where I have benefited greatly from a brother or sister sharing a testimony. I also certainly observe that the gathered body of believers who experiences that testimony seems to genuinely increase the closeness or togetherness of their relationships to each other. The body of believers becomes more intimate when Spirit led vulnerability takes place.

I also think of an example of a guy and a girl going down towards the road of marriage. That process certainly involves vulnerability, and something so intense and important as a process leading towards the holy covenant of marriage I'm thinking definitely is going to have a lot of the Holy Spirit involved. In terms of human relationships, I can't think of anything more intimate than a husband and wife. The intimacy doesn't just happen--it's something that grows after genuine vulnerability happens in each person (whether they like it or not).

Saving the best for last...the greatest instance of where I think vulnerability leads to intimacy was where I started this post. This verse also reminds us to follow the example (of being vulnerable).
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11 NIV)

Jesus, finding himself in the glory of Heaven, in the security of sitting next to God the Father...desired to be more intimate with the hearts of those He had so lovingly created...hearts that had fallen away and been led adrift by sin. Our greatest example of pure vulnerability led by the Spirit was Jesus himself. If the picture of a man beaten and bloody, half-naked, with arms wide open nailed to a cross can't serve as a textbook definition of vulnerability, then nothing can.

And Jesus' gift of salvation to an individual heart, if that is not THE definition of what intimacy really is, then intimacy should be struck from being allowed to be a word.

And so...I think it's true. Vulnerability leads to intimacy. Especially when the Holy Spirit has a heavy hand in the vulnerability part.