“There are thoughts which are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees.” -Victor Hugo
You are about to embark on a unique journey. You are about to encounter the Lord Jesus and His love for you in new ways, and have countless opportunities to give that love away through your gifts and passions. Operation Moblization seeks to create “vibrant communties of Jesus-followers among the least-reached” by being vibrant Jesus-followers living in unreached places.
Wherever you are heading, whatever you have to offer the world, we believe that the Good News of Jesus and His love, lived out by willing hearts- has the power to impact the world for Christ. The posture of your soul, as you move in and through each moment of this experience- will have a huge impact on how you both encounter Jesus and how effectively and authentically you make Him known in the lives of others.
Context
pos·ture
ˈpäsCHər/
1. a particular way of dealing with or considering something; an approach or attitude."
syn attitude, stance, point of view, position, frame of mind.
Throughout Scripture, we see many stories where the people of God expressed their inner heart through outward physical postures. When God made a covenant with Abraham, the patriarch recognized his unworthiness and “fell on his face” before the Lord. (Genesis 17:1–22.) And the psalmists often humbled themselves before the Lord and invited others to do the same: “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker” (Psalm 95:6).
Even more important, than the outward postures of the body, is the inward state of the soul. As David reminds us in Psalm 139, ”O LORD, You have searched me and known me. “(Psalm 139:1 NASB). Truly, there is no hiding from our God. He, who searches and knows every one of us in full, wants not just our outward postures, but our inward ones as well. In Romans 12:1, Paul encourages God’s people to offer not just the physical posture of worship…but a continuous life of worship before Him, every day in every area of our lives. To do this however, to truly rend your soul unto God in an all-of-life way… involves continual, heart-work before the Lord.
What are Modules & what is their purpose?
As much as we want you to have a successful experience abroad, we care just as much that your own soul is cared for throughout this process. Each Module will give you an opportunity to learn more about these postures through interacting with Content, Creating something new, and Connecting through conversations. The purpose of these modules is to serve as reminders of what is most important at a heart-level in the midst of all the “new” and “to-do” of this experience. We pray these will be reminders of not just what to do- but of who God wants you to be as you trust in Him to grow your heart, and use your gifts and passions to impact the world wherever you are scattered.
Canon
The Soul in Scripture
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
Psalm 23:3 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
Matthew 22:37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Which passage of Scripture most resonates with you in terms of your soul? What questions about the definition of the soul come to mind as you look at these passages?
Content
“The Great Becoming”
Thoughts on “the Soul,” by Dallas Willard
"Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life." - Proverbs 4:23
“The call of God to minister the gospel is a high honor and a noble challenge…But that will not happen unless the minister's “inner person” (2 Cor. 4:16) is constantly renewed by accessing the riches of God and His kingdom in the inner person. “Soul” is here defined as the hidden or “spiritual” side of the person. It includes an individual's thoughts and feelings, along with heart or will, with its intents and choices. It also includes an individual's bodily life and social relations, which, in their inner meaning and nature, are just as “hidden” as the thoughts and feelings.
The inner dimensions of life are what are referred to in the Great Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27, NASB). This commandment does not so much tell us what we must do, as what we must cultivate in the care of our souls. This is true for all believers and is certainly true for ministers of the gospel. Our high calling and sacrificial service can find adequate support only in a personality totally saturated with God's kind of love, agape (see 1 Cor. 13).
…The people to whom we minister and speak will not recall 99 percent of what we say to them. But they will never forget the kind of persons we are. This is true of influential ministers in my past. The quality of our souls will indelibly touch others for good or for ill. So we must never forget that the most important thing happening at any moment, in the midst of all our ministerial duties, is the kind of persons we are becoming.”
Create
The Soul in Color
Please take a few minutes of time and space to do some soul-reflection with the Lord. Grab a sheet of paper and a box of color crayons. For the next few minutes, take some time to draw a picture of your soul. It could be an elaborate scene, with characters and a backdrop, or just be a mass of swirling colors. After you have finished your drawing, please take a few minutes to answer the following soul-questions in preparation for our time together.
What are three words I would use to describe the current state of or postures of my soul?
What has God been teaching me about Himself? And about myself?
Where are the places in my soul where I feel strengthened and “whole?” Where are the places I feel broken & messy right now?
What have I learned in the last week that has caused me to repent? What is God asking me to yield?
What have I learned recently about my unique story and the shape of my soul that could be used by God to love others well?
“I am convinced that if we are to see significant change in our world through the light of the gospel going out, we need to set a generation free to be all God has created them to be.” -Andrew Scott, President of OM USA