Reclaiming Intimacy

Brandon Bouldin

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Play Erykah Badu - Phone Down (Past our Lyrics)

Introduction

Last week we started our series entitled “Following Jesus in a Selfie-Centered World.” And I said technology and social media is a gift from a God and can be used in some extraordinary ways. However, if we do not put it in it’s proper place, we will unintentionally give it a power that it is not suppose to have. As such, I said every week I will challenge us to reclaim a power that we may have unintentionally given over to social media. Last week we reclaimed Contentment.

This week we RECLAIM INTIMACY.

As it relates to intimacy, technology can be used to send people daily devotionals and prayer requests to facetiming a close family member in a different state to watch to see their newly born grandchild. When I was in corporate America, on late nights my boss would skype his family while he was eating dinner. Technology can actually help enhance the intimacy of our relationships when we can’t be physically present with one another.

So what is the problem?

The Problem: When technology stops enhancing our relationships, and begins to replace them.

The Problem: Technology is enhancing our relationships, not replacing them.

Demonstration: Have everyone stand up, get their phones out and bury their heads in their phone. The Body of Christ is missing out on a lot of

I want to show you some pictures and I want you tell me what is wrong with them.

We have to make sure technology is enhancing our relationships, not replacing them.

Picture 1: Friends sitting at a table

Picture 2: Wedding

Picture 3: Parenting

How many of you have seen this or have done this? I wonder how many Thanksgiving Day’s, Christmas Day’s or Anniversary Days that look like this.

There is a psychological condition that has been added to the dictionary to describe this. It’s called FOMO.

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) - anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website. What can be more exciting then being mentally present with the people sitting right next to you?

Demonstration: Have everyone stand up, get their phones out and bury their heads in their phone. The Body of Christ is missing out on a lot of

Cellphones are great in connecting us to people far from us, but if we are not being good stewards over the time we spend using them, then it will take us from the people sitting right next to us. And when that happens we miss out on the intimacy that God wants us to have between people. And today I want to share a couple of passages of Scripture that I think addresses this.

Take Paige and I for example. You all know that we love you not because of text messages we send to you, but because of the time we have spent being with you at bible study, being with you after bible study, being with you at your parties and graduations, being with you at conferences, being with you at youth nights and basketball games.

Forsake not your meeting together.

In 2 John, Paul is writing to a lady who seems to be a leader in a local church. Paul is telling her how much it is important to love one another and warning her about the false preachers. Then as he concludes, he says this.

The way they will know me is by your likes…no by your love.

FOMO-the fear of missing out- added to the dictionary

2 John 12 NIV

12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

- 12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

Could you imagine how Paul would say this differently if he lived in the world today? He would probably say I have much to text you, I have much to dm you, I have much to email you, I have much to say to you over the phone, but I don’t want to use technology. Instead I want to talk to you in person...

And listen to why he says this…so that our joy may be complete.

There is a level of joy and intimacy that you can get from being physically present with someone, that you cannot get from being with someone over texting or social media.

And think about the time it would have taken for Paul to get to her. There were no cars, no trains or airplanes. Either he had to walk, or use an animal, so it took a lot of effort to go see somebody, but yet Paul is willing to do what’s necessary because he understands the difference between talking to someone via letter and talking to someone face-to face.

It took them a long time to travel between place to place.

The other passage of Scripture I want to share with you is .

Jesus has just got done washing his disciples feet, and says...

John 13:34–35 NIV

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

: 1-

Again, Jesus has just got done washing his disciples feet and then tells them to love one another just as he has loved them. In other words, just as I have humbled myself to get down and wash your dirty feet, so be willing to do to one another. At that time, they didn’t have any closed toe shoes, they had sandals. Their roads were not cemented, but simply dirt. And at the end of the day, they didn’t have nail shops for someone to do their feet. So open-toed sandals plus dirt road plus no nail shops equaled filthy feet. So when Jesus washes his disciples feet this is great humility and love, and he tells his disciples (referring to us) to do likewise.

Now I’m not saying we have to wash one another’s feet in order to show love to one another, but I want you to look at washing one another’s feet as the amount of attention we give to one another. When you wash someone’s feet, both hands have to be present. It would be very difficult to wash someone’s feet with a phone in your hand.

Now I’m not saying we have to wash one another’s feet in order to show love to one another, but I want you to look at washing one another’s feet as the amount of attention we give to one person. Could imagine Jesus trying to wash his disciples feet today or the disciples washing one another’s feet today? It would be very difficult to wash someone’s feet with a phone in your hand.

Take Paige and I for example. You all know that we love you not because of text messages we send to you, but because of the time we have spent being physically present with you at bible study, being with you after bible study, being with you at your parties and graduations, being with you at conferences, being with you at youth nights and basketball games. These are the reason why you know that we love you, but it has nothing to do with social media.

No matter how many friends you have on social media or how many likes you get, nothing can ever replace the love and intimacy felt in person. We have not been called to give each other Likes, but we have been called to give each other Love.

Lastly, Jesus says in this passage, that the way people will know that you are my disciples is by the amount of LIKES we give one another. No, it says, the way people will know that we are a disciples of Jesus Christ is the love we give one another.

FOMO-the fear of missing out- added to the dictionary

Demonstration: Have everyone stand up, get their phones out and bury their heads in their phone. A lot of people do not understand the love of Jesus simply because when they walk past us, they see us buried in phones than washing each other’s feet.

Challenge to You: Put your phone away. Be present. Give people your Love, not Your Likes.

Demonstration: Have everyone stand up, get their phones out and bury their heads in their phone. The Body of Christ is missing out on a lot of

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