Becoming Like Jesus: CommunitySample

The Power of Vulnerability, Part 2

Pray …

Heavenly Father, thank You for the security that I have in relationship with You. Out of that, will You give me the courage to share vulnerably with others? I want Your grace to flow through me, and I want my vulnerability to lead to greater intimacy in all my relationships. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Consider …

Yesterday, we started talking about getting vulnerable and honest with God. Because we will never get relationships with others right if our relationship with Him isn’t right. And, at the same time, God designed us to heal best in the presence of other people.

So, after we get brutally honest with God …

Step 2: Get brutally honest with others.

This is what James, Jesus’ brother and a leader in the early Church, said at the end of his letter:

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16 NLT

James is telling us that the things we are most ashamed of and embarrassed by—the worst and most icky stuff we’ve done, the things that someone could so easily use against us if they knew—are the things that, when we say them out loud, will be what brings us healing.

How on earth does that work?

From the beginning, God created us to live in relationship with Him and each other totally open and exposed. Literally, the first humans were “both naked, and they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:25 NIV). They had nothing to hide, nothing to lose, and nothing to prove. They had that “all is right in the world” kind of peace in their relationship. Everything was out in the open. And it was good. They were safe with each other.

But, in Genesis 3, the story takes a tragic turn. Sin enters the picture. Shame creeps in. Confronted with the ugliness of what they’ve done, they hide, cover up, and cast blame. It’s the same thing we so often do today. We put up walls. Because we’re afraid if people were to see the real us, including the parts we try to hide, they wouldn’t love us. And we can’t bear that kind of pain. So we retreat. And while those walls might protect us from being hurt, they also prevent us from being healed.

Thankfully, there’s a better way. Jesus demonstrated what vulnerability is and the power it holds. He showed us that it’s not a sign of weakness but of strength, and that vulnerability is actually the pathway back to intimacy.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 NLT

In the ultimate display of vulnerability, God stripped Himself of His divine privileges and took on the status of a human being. A servant. And the Creator opened Himself up to rejection and death at the hands of His own creation. The Roman soldiers stripped Jesus naked and hung Him on a cross, as a criminal, for all to see. Why did He do it? He did it to heal you—to rescue you from the disease of sin, remove from you the weight of shame, and repair your relationship with Him.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 NIV

The pathway to our intimacy was Jesus’ vulnerability.

And we get to follow His example in our relationships with each other. The kind of community Jesus is inviting us to is built on vulnerability. It’s built on acknowledgment of our needs and the truth that, because of Jesus, grace flows freely.

This is what was true of the early Church in Acts:

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. … Acts 4:33-34 NIV

How was the need eliminated? Not by hiding it, but by confronting it with grace.

Because one of the most healing things you can experience is when you say the thing you are most afraid to say, the thing you think confirms your deepest fears about yourself—the deepest need you have, the hardest hurt you’ve experienced, the worst thing you’ve ever done—when you say that thing out loud to an actual person … and they don’t get up and leave the room. They stay. They cry with you. They tell you they’re so sorry that happened, and they remind you you’re forgiven. It is only when we are honest about our sins that we can feel the full weight of grace.

This is how we heal: in community, where we choose to share vulnerably and the grace flows freely. Because a thriving community requires vulnerability, and vulnerability is the pathway to intimacy.

Practice …

In a journal, your notes app, or the discussion portion of this Bible Plan, write down your answer to this question:

What scares you about this picture of community?

It’s time to get honest. Like, vulnerability sounds really good, but when you think about sending that text to a friend that says, “Hey, I want to meet up and talk about _____,” hesitations flood your brain. Write your hesitations down and process them with Jesus. Then, send the text anyway. Do it afraid and watch Jesus and His people meet you with grace.

Listen …

Find a quiet place where you can continue to spend time with God. Maybe you have a favorite chair, a certain spot in your backyard, or a particularly cozy closet. Wherever you need to go to limit distractions, do it.

Set a timer for 5-10 minutes.

Ask God to speak to you.

When you get distracted in your mind, and you will, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, use it as a chance to practice coming back to Jesus by praying this prayer:

Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. Heavenly Father, speak to me. Holy Spirit, breathe on me.

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you spent together and go into your day looking for opportunities to love Him and love others.