7 What Now?

7.1. The Call

So here is the call:

Do not settle for the wax museum, even if it comes with a rap and a light show and a sports celebrity.

Seek the Ecosystem. We will talk more in the expanded version of this book, Volume 2, if you are one who Cares. You need to know how to get there, and what NOT to do on the way there. As in, don’t you dare tread all over sincere folks who just have never had the Opportunity to Live IN Jesus and His Life, rather than attend and leave.

7.2. His Plan for Us

Here’s His Plan, in the Bible:

Daily. Deeply. Together.

As priests. That’s YOU, IF you are fully His. “Saying a little prayer” (also not in the Bible or the first 1,700 years of Jesus’ church), is not the same.

There must be a Covenant of Faith…

Jesus wants it all, so He can take you, day-by-day, deeper to explore His Father’s House, “which has many rooms” of Treasure to be found.

As brothers and sisters. As those who walk in the Light.Because Jesus deserves what He died to give us.

And Gen Z—Generation Zoe—may just be the first generation in centuries bold enough to rip the wires out of the puppet-master’s hands and say:

“This IS Jesus. We found this ‘Pearl of Great Worth’ and sell everything for Him.”

That is the basis for an Ecosystem, rather than a System: Actual “Saving Faith.” We will live for Him who died for us.

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
– Acts 2:36-47

When making this change towards ecosystem, whether it’s a “Bible study” or “congregation” or “parish”—a good philosophy is… Be additive not subtractive! Get involved in each others’ lives way off-schedule in addition to whatever your organized thingy might be.

Go places, do things, engage in life and make Jesus central in every little thing with each other. Notice life or lack of life. Talk about it together. No policing but also no spiritually brain dead world-seeking, fun-seeking nonsense. Not little cliques, but everybody, or some unassigned ever-changing subsets of everybody. Talk about your spiritual life and what you are learning. Let Jesus cease to be a topic on a schedule, but rather “live and move and have your being” in Him. Be vulnerable, not teachy or weird.

Let the previous so-called clergy become just a brother or sister in the middle of a family. Maybe with extra gifts, maybe not, but that’s not even relevant. As Jesus said, nobody is special, “you are all just brothers,” Matthew 23.

Just let Jesus be center of all of the “extra” times you are also together, and much of the other system stuff will melt into an ecosystem. And “when revelation comes to the second one, let the first sit down!” will become a way of life every day. And, in fact, “Bible studies” and “services” will no longer exist in your mind. You’ll never think of anything again as “going to church” or “something to attend.” You will have outgrown that concept.

Live life. Jesus centered. None of us have it altogether, but all together we have it all. You will discover some amazing things about each other and about Jesus. People will come to crossroads in their lives that they didn’t know they needed to come to. Not everything will turn out great, but amazing things will happen for those who really do want Jesus with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. We all will be set free to discover gifts and horizons we were previously unaware of in ourselves and others.

As Jesus said, “100 mothers, brothers, sisters, lands, possessions, and Zoe life.” Ecosystem Life, Together. For “whosoever will.” “This is My church that the gates of hell can no longer prevail against.” Who has Oil? You’ll find out.

You won’t be able to turn a system into an ecosystem, because you will lose the majority of your friends when you start living for Jesus this way. Many will hate it because they hate the light. Still, you are doing what you need to do and finding out who is real or wants to be. That is powerful! Take your time. And… God could do a God could do a Jonah thing, and then everyone—from the King down—will grab a hold of Jesus’ cloak.