John 17:17

NASB	NLT	VOICE
17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.	17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.	17 Immerse them in the truth, the truth Your voice speaks.

Learning to be Sanctified

Sanctify means to make something set apart for a holy purpose. In John 17, Jesus is praying for His disciples. He asks God to consecrate them for their mission in this world. It’s not just a moral cleansing, aligning ourselves for God’s purpose, but it’s a dedication to serving God. Sanctification comes from the Old Testament, where priests and certain objects were separated (set apart) for worship (the holy purpose.) In the New Testament, this is a process that involves the Holy Spirit (set apart) and is essential for us to fulfill our calling (the holy purpose.)

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What does it mean to you to be set apart for a holy purpose?

The Transformation from the Word

The “word” describes the message of God, shown tangibly through the words in the Scriptures and through the ministry of Jesus. Claiming that God’s worth is truth shows its reliability and authority. Our world is full of false teachers and those that use God’s word for their own agenda. However, what we read about in Scripture and through the ministry of Christ shows as the ultimate standard. How we read and understand God’s Word with how it applies to our daily lives transforms us to being a righteous reflection of God to all of those we come across.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How have you seen God’s word transform you?

Living Out that Sanctification

Sanctification is often seeing within the context of a Christian community. Often done through receiving accountability and encouragement from fellow Christians. Unfortunately, the church body has had issues with this. The church can be a place where people, especially outsiders, feel judged or isolated. They feel unwelcome as they are. There may be an aura of feeling like you have to be “right” to belong. How does this happen? Personally, it’s the discomfort of sins. What I mean by that is that it can be uncomfortable for us to see or hear the sins and baggage that people bring into church. People struggle hearing stories about drug use, sex addictions, gambling problems, pornography and more. It’s also harder to not just hear them but go in depth with them. Understand why and how people developed these struggles and addictions. Is there a reason or a cause of this? It’s hard to say. The biggest thing that I have seen is the lack of awareness and training to have tough conversations. Churches aren’t having discussions with there leadership to say simply: these are the problems going on in our world, and here’s how we can talk about them. I had this experience when in Youth leadership, when the behaviors of certain kids was being called out as rude and disrespectful. Once, I was able to share some backstory about the child and why they may have been acting that day – a shift went from judgment to compassion and empathy. We also lack the training of having tough conversations. Some pastors want to be the only one to have the conversations and teach that we just need to guide people to the Pastor. However, the Pastor may be unavailable at times. We may need to be that person to listen or at least fill in until the Pastor becomes available. The more we are taught and experience how to have these difficult conversations, the more we can be inviting and visibly compassionate and empathetic to those unfamiliar with the church. Many people have been hurt by the body of Christ due to perceived judgment and risk of vulnerability. It’s time we changed the world’s image of the church. It’s time we go back to sharing the same love and compasssion that God shares with us. May we go and be the hands and feet of Christ.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you help spark the change in your church? How can you be sanctified to have these tough conversations?

PRAY Action

Praise God for the transformative change through His word.

Read Hebrews 4:12

Ask God to look at our heart. Ask for His judgment to look at our thoughts and intentions, and sift out what doesn’t align with Him and invite what does in.

You are sanctified. You are set apart for a purpose greater than anything we comprehend. May you find your purpose soon.

Next slice of manna: Breaking the Cycle of Sin || Psalm 1:1-2 || Manna for the Mind #301