Communicating With Our Saviour: Part 2

We began this conversation a couple of days ago, focusing on our connection to Christ. What’s next? The second piece to Communication With Our Saviour is to have communion with Him, to be in community with Christ.

And in case you didn’t already know, communion doesn’t just mean the cracker and grape juice that we have one Sunday a month. That communion and those elements are very important, but they’re representation of the communion that we have with Christ.

As an important side note, I want to highlight that the English word “communication”, the theme of this post-series, is actually founded on the word “communion”. Communion or to commune with someone is at the core of what community is and what communication is.

In order to have community, in order to communicate, there is a level of communion that takes place.

Coming Back to John 10:27

After Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice…” He adds, “…I know them…” Jesus knows His sheep. Jesus knows His flock.

If I were to look at a flock of sheep, they would all look pretty much the same to me. But a shepherd knows every detail of his sheep. And not just the physical differences, but also the behavioral differences: The leaders, the followers and perhaps, the rebels of the flock.

The shepherd knows this because he lives with his sheep, dwells with them. The shepherd is at the core of that community of sheep. Therefore, the sheep know their shepherd.

In the same way, we can know our Shepherd by bringing Him into the centre of our lives, by being in community with Him, by communing with Christ, but how?

How to Have Communion

How do we get to know our Shepherd? How do we find communion with our Saviour? Start with the Bible.

Too often throughout my career as a pastor, people will say to me, “I just don’t feel close to Christ,” or “I can’t feel His presence” or something similar. This is of course, a perfectly acceptable problem to speak to a pastor about.

I’m passionate about helping people obtain a closer relationship with Christ. So I usually respond by probing for more information. “What’s your quiet time like?” or “What’s your devotional time entail? What passages of Scripture have you been reading lately?”

That’s when it can get confusing.

So many times people will respond with something like, “I don’t really have a quiet time per say” or “I’ve been really busy so I haven’t really got around to reading my Bible.”

Seeing my confusion and perhaps disappointment, I often get responses like, “But I pray a lot!” or “I find music or art or hiking or fill in the blank, more meaningful to my relationship with Christ.”

I’m often left wondering, “Why are we here again?”

Don’t get me wrong; praying is an essential item to achieving communion with Christ. Furthermore, singing, painting, writing, spending time in Creation and a variety of other things can bring us closer to Christ, but not without the addition of the Bible.

Pastor Batman

For the record, contrary to popular belief, pastors are not Batman.

We don’t have this utility belt full of spiritual weapons and tools. “Pastor Batman Grappling Hook! Pastor Batman Boomerang! Pastor Batman net-gun!” Spoiler alert, the Bible IS a pastor’s utility belt.

Pastors are definitely called to walk with people through life’s difficulties, giving them counsel and guidance, and sometimes even resources. But don’t be surprised when that counsel and guidance all leads back to learning to the study and application of Scripture.

Every weapon and tool that a pastor has, every resource or material they give you, should lead back to Scripture.

We cannot achieve a deep communion with Christ without the Bible. It is the primary way that Christ communicates with us.

Bible Apps

All this considered, as a tech-savvy pastor, here’s a couple of resources that I use on a weekly basis, that can help you dive deeper and more frequently into Scripture. They’re designed to guide us back to the Bible and help us study.

First, (1) You Version’s Bible App for phone, tablet or computer. It’s free with numerous translations and languages. There are reading plans, bible studies, videos, audio versions, social media connection, friend finder and lots of other stuff to bring Scripture to the forefront of our busy lives.

Second, (2) Olive Tree App for phone, tablet or computer. Like the You Version App, it contains a number of Bible translations but Olive Tree brings the user past the daily Bible intake and into a deeper study of Scripture. This app also contains maps, graphics and images, commentaries, historical and archeological documents and lots of other resources to unpack and explore each and every verse of Scripture.

The access we have to resources is incredible. And yet, these resources and a library full of bible study materials are useless without the Bible.

The Bible

All of our tools and resources should bring us back to our true resource, the Word of God. If we’re having trouble communicating with our Saviour, the Bible is the key. If we what to find communion with Christ, the Bible is the key.

Jesus said, “…I know them…” If you dive into Scripture on a regular basis, you’ll be able to say, “I know Him.”

Can I get your feedback?

The Shepherd knows you, but how well do you know Him? How and when do you commune with Christ? What tools or resources do you use?

Please comment below or share your answer on Facebook or Twitter.