Why we insist on staying connected (basic protocol):

Isolation in our thinking is how the enemy keeps us subjugated.

The destruction in our personal lives and the energy we have wasted protecting and hiding our idolatry is a testimony to the effectiveness of isolation as a scheme of our enemy.

Therefore…

One of the major tools for coming out of a lifestyle of isolation is having in-depth, candid conversations with people who can offer wisdom from their own journey out of addiction/idolatry. This is done primarily on the phone.

Breaking a lifestyle of self-protective pride is accomplished through making a priority of building time into our day to connect.

Merely modifying the behavioral acts of the flesh will not facilitate deep healing. In the content of our phone conversations, the attendees bring unbiblical thoughts and attitudes to the surface by talking about the state of their hearts. When bitterness, rejection, insecurity, fear, anxiety, and depression rear their heads (and they will), the attendee begins to receive Godly insight and revelation from the Spirit Himself through the discipline of “walking in the Light”.

God does not heal us in a vacuum, but in relationships and community. By walking in the light as He is in the light, then we will have the ‘fellowship’ (koinonia) that constitutes the intent and Spirit of 1st John.

This ‘fellowship’ (communion) brings the purification of our hearts which actively begins the process of conformity to the image of Christ. The confession of our sins to “each other” is a major part of the “working out” of our salvation. It is only in His light that we will see the Light of Truth about ourselves.

Walking in the light is no easy task for men who are coming out of a lifestyle that demanded isolation and birthed shame. As a matter of fact, it is impossible without the grace of God, which comes through brokenness and humility. Making daily phone calls to stay connected is the outward expression of our repentance before God and man. In these phone calls we are exposing the darkness of our heart where we have lived for so many years. When this Scriptural precedent is consistently employed, the darkness of our heart is exposed much faster. This type of encouragement can only come through brothers who have walked the walk and are actively removing the log from their own eye.

To the casual observer, the construct of this protocol may appear as if a New Testament law is being created – quite the contrary; a New Testament precedent is being insisted upon for the service of the individual who is bound and seeks freedom. Moreover, it is necessary to consider that “walking in the Light” is not an option for any man or woman who desires to live Godly in Christ Jesus.

Let’s put this in the context of our Western church culture…

The Biblical term “fellowship” (koinonia) has been casually misused through the vernacular of the Western Church. Generally speaking, when topics of conversation include Scripture, Spiritual matters, ministry, etc. they are rarely dedicated to communicating who we are and how we stand (or fall) before the Lord. It is this relational dynamic of real talk that we work toward restoring in the milieu of the body of believers. This makes some (if not many) feel uncomfortable.

“Good fellowship”, as it is generally applied, usually means that it was a “good meeting” with a “good message” and “good music”. This misrepresents the original intent of Biblical “fellowship” and has enabled generations to remain isolated no matter how often they attend “service”. Some common queries are: “Are you plugged in?”, “Are you connected?”, “Are you in fellowship? If the answer is “yes”, it is understood that the individual is receiving all that is necessary to be a “well fed” Christian. It also implies that the regular congregant is experiencing horizontal communion (koinonia). These questions will not birth the true intent of the query, and that is this: Does someone (anyone) really know your life?

Brethren seek what true fellowship promises - purification (catharidzo) from sin. Scripture is clear: “If we walk in the Light as He is in the Light (Truth = Light),

We have fellowship with one another, and
The blood of His Son purifies (catharizo) us from all sin….

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive

us our sins and purify (catharizo) us from all unrighteousness.”

1st John 1:7-9

This approach is not armchair theology; it is has been proven through the years (approx. 2000) of application and our personal observation of the Lord’s people being set free.

Brethren want to be shown how to “work out their salvation”. It is through “walking in the Light”, and staying connected that the church will function as she was intended, and that is: intimately.

Having said that…

This is why we at GFF insist that new attendees make at least two phone calls per week to other group attendees and (at very least) one call to a group leader. Without applying this basic tool for emerging from isolation and building Biblical relationships, the new attendee’s invitation to remain in GFF will be rescinded.

Ultimately, the goal for the attendee is to establish and nurture healthy transparent relationships within His family, beginning with his wife and children, and then the greater family of God. Idolatry has done serious damage to what was meant to be close relationships, yet it has first and foremost systematically estranged us from the Lord Himself. Through the gift of daily repentance and daily death to self, the healing process begins as the fruit of active repentance purges our hearts.

The body of Christ is built with real relationship and a belligerent posture toward any unbiblical thinking that seeks to oppress or control our thinking. Our weakness will rapidly become our strength when we begin walking in the grace and Truth already given to us. Christ Himself is then glorified, the church is edified, and the Kingdom is established on earth as it is in heaven.

Be encouraged!