Thoughts on LW Community
Living Wholeness Community
The vision of Living Wholeness Community
Dr. John Warlow
Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes the test of true community.
“Has the fellowship served to make the individual free, strong, and mature, or has it made him weak and dependent? Has it taken him by the hand for a while in order that he may learn again to walk by himself, or has it made him uneasy and unsure? This is one of the most searching and critical questions that can be put to any Christian fellowship.”
In Living wholeness our desire is to ensure that our relationships and the community that we share passes this test. We are bound together in the love of God, supporting, caring for one another but ultimately to guide everyone to become the person whom God desires them to be.
“And provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendour.” Isaiah 61:3
Oaks of righteousness is a wonderful image of what we are to become, deeply rooted in our relationship with God, displaying His attributes as He lives in and through us. It also depicts the journey of transformation that we have been through in our lives marred with challenges, sorrow, loss, and despair. When we are rooted in Him, we will bear fruit providing shelter and comfort to those in need.
The Living Wholeness (LW) mission statement develops the understanding of our God-centred transformation bearing fruit. “The LWC is a community of people who learn, live and give the Christian Wholeness Framework (CWF) leading to God centred transformation (GCT)and growth of the whole body of Christ through the whole gospel, by the whole church, to the whole person in the whole community, through our services, training, products, research, infrastructure and prayer communities.”
Living Wholenessis a Christian community – a group of people who share a common vision and calling from God, and live and work together with Him to see this happen. Living from a full God centred heartof care and value, respect and honour, choice and encouragement, humility, and attuned, being open and vulnerable. We are changed as we grow together and as the body of Christ change the world.
We are a community who shares these values to build stronger connections through honesty, vulnerability in safety. We value diversity and respect our cultural differences. We endeavour to establish strategic partnerships and broadening networks so that we can work more effectively together to proclaim His Kingdom.
The Christian Wholeness Framework (CWF)undergirds our values and vision, the method and common language we share, which indeed has changed our lives for so much better, drawing us closer to Him, and to those whom we reach out to our colleagues, students, clients, neighbours, communities, societies, nations, regions. We know that it is in giving that we receive. It is in our weaknesses that His strength is seen most.
God centred transformation:
If we consider John 15, Jesus outlines what it means for us to be grafted into His body and receive the nourishment of His roots firmly planted in the Father we can bear fruit. We will continue to be pruned by God so that we will become even more fruitful for His glory.
| Abiding in Christ | We draw near to Christ, He lives in and through us, this is expressed through our lives personally and out to all our relationships. |
| Grow in | |
| Intimacy (Love God) | Remain in Jesus, Remain in His love; He is the vine you are the branches – how is your abiding? |
| Imitate (Love one another) | Obey His commands – lay down your lives for each other – how is your caring for each other, and self? |
| Influence (Be fruitful) | Have dominion… go into all the world… love others beyond our community by serving and teaching counselling – how is your serving? How can we serve and empower you to fulfil your calling in life? |
| Growing in God | He is our source, our centre, our home/foundation, our goal, and the head of our community (as illustrated by the shapes). |
The CWF is founded on the Bible, old and new testaments. This is well described in John Warlow’s CURE for Life Book 3. Essentially the LW community is founded on the God of the Word, and the Word of God. It is founded on God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and being in living real relationship with each of these elements of the Trinity.
LW as a Flourishing Community
We walk the CUREe steps with each other.
Connecting in SAFETY building trust, being invitational and attuned to each other. (Mark 12:30, 31).
Seek always to Understanding the other, knowing the other/s. (John 13:34).
Responding as appropriate and with the goal of empowering and facilitating the other/s to live top right corner as much as possible. We are serving from a position where God works through us to bring others to God-centred change.
Engaging help often, seeking others to assist to build team and empower newer people.
Evaluating the progress periodically as we walk together, including being able to have mature grace filled conversations, celebrating the positives but also being able to face any difficult issues together.
“Get into shape” and to grow one’s T.A.S.K, as illustrated in the shapes of the
- Triangle (“God be my source”)
- Circles (“God be my centre”)
- Square (“God be my goal”)
- Shape of the Cross (“God my home and my foundation”)
- Pyramid (“God be our head”)
The Shapes
Triangle
LW community members seek a deepened relationship with God, others, and themselves. Knowing that this happens best in long term safe relationships LW community members will generally have a safe prayer partner, SAP group, or T group, or somewhere they know they themselves can come easily safely without scorn or criticism to process personal issues.
Circles
Spirit
LW community are a people of change, who pray for change in circumstances, and as such hold keys to making history, as they keep the history of the world before the Throne of Grace.
LW members are strong in prayer remembering God’s strength, His love, His grace, His kindness, His healing power, His capacity to work miracles, and His awesome power which can kick in on the cusp when hope is fading.
The so-called God gap – where without God there would certainly be nothing/disaster/failure is well known in the LW community.
In other words, but for God being with us, nothing of eternal value will really happen here. Only He is good, and His love endures forever.
Our connection with God is central to our faith and is obviously an essential aspect of life in the LW community. Every member is encouraged to develop that their awareness of the Holy Spirit in their lives. We encourage the expression of the spiritual gifts but also focus allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us as be draw near to God. The Spirit is our mediator and as we become more attuned to hear God speak in our lives we will strengthen our faith. As a community we believe very much in the power of prayer and bringing our plans and petitions before God in prayer. We encourage the community to seek God’s leading and prayer into situations impacting the LW community. We desire to be in tune with His will and seek His guidance on all that we do.
Heart
Living in a fallen world, we know where to go when we are alone, we fail, we lose hope, we are tempted to fight flight or fake, and when our weaknesses are well in view of others and self. We move to the source of all joy and hope, love, and peace, to the God who loves us and knows us by name.
We are to take responsibility, be optimistic, and hope filled. We know who we are, we know our purpose and calling, we know our identity even in Christ. And we know above and beyond all things we are loved by the gracious merciful kind and wonderful God who made us in His own image.
We are to have a sense of God is my centre, my axis of rotation, my purpose. My life, my first, and He deserves my whole self. Now and forever.
As LW community members we are to seek to address personal trigger points or newly emerged or recurrent issues within ourselves and/or with others by gentle kind facing and forgiving. We also have fun!
Mind
Just as LW community members hold healthy physical habits, so they seek to establish and hold healthy mind habits, processing thoughts and emotions in mature ways. In Community we are encouraged to spur each other on in our faith and renewing of our minds. Part of this is also to develop the gifting in each of us. We endeavour to assist in establishing co-labours gifts and abilities to train, supervise and innovate new programmes to further God’s kingdom.
Physical
Holding healthy habits, lifestyle, communicating clearly with one another, serving one another, seeking to bless those whom we counsel, teach, and lead at all times.
Social
LW community members hold dear the TASK principal and as such seek personal growth and transformation. Living in healthy flourishing real relationship with friends and family; local and other churches and brothers and sisters, often cross culturally, with other lay and pastoral counsellors, and with coaches, mentors, counsellors, supervisors, researchers, product developers and teachers.
Square
As LW community members we should know the square well, we are aware of suffering and flourishing. We can sense when we are under the waterline, they know life under and above the waterline, and are not afraid to leave their position above the water to assist those below, or on the left. We hold on to the truth of our “Home base” at the foot of the cross, where we can return again and again repentant and seeking forgiveness. We are assured of the restoration and renewal through the sacrifice of the Cross and how in Christ we can live once again top right, God-centred and flourishing.
Cross
Living a life secure in our identity knowing that God is our loving creator, Jesus died to Save us, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit our enabler.
Pyramid
Our LW community lives by the pyramid. We are humble and gentle, seeking to help, and seeking help, when appropriate, all under the guidance of Father in heaven. We seek to serve others as an individual but more often seek to engage the healing community we partner with to assist the transformation and growth of others.
God-centred
And so, we seek to glorify His name, not our own fame, fortune, or somehow better future. We seek His will and His purposes and His plans to eventuate. We delight in His invitation to us to be engaged in this LW community and work for a moment in the history of the world. But it is all for Him, to Him, with Him, because of Him, that we are even able to articulate, let alone live, this vision for the LW community.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Heb 10:22-25
In conclusion, this passage reflects the pattern for our Living Wholeness Community with three clear instructions. Let us draw near with a true heart, let us hold fast and let us stir one another to good works. We are journeying together encouraged and challenged towards God-centred transformation through a greater understanding of ourselves and God through the CWF. May we continue to see much fruit in our lives and in the areas, we serve, seeing lives restored and transformed fulfilling His Mission of redemption. May this community of brothers and sisters all over the world grow stronger and stronger.
