Vibrance Ministries: VISCERAL - Streams of Living Water

Is your relationship with God VISCERAL? It should be. But what does that mean?

“The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” - Luke 17:20-21

Are you a citizen of the kingdom? Are you, really? If you are, then you are viscerally connected to your God. It is a requirement for citizenship, it is the fruit of the new birth.

Unfortunately many of us who call ourselves Christian, bless our hearts, are not-so-permanent residents of the kingdom. In fact many are not-so-resident aliens. Many of us hop the border wall, get stuck in that no-man’s land between our old selves and the kingdom and never make the transition into residency or citizenship.

We are called to be citizens of the kingdom of the living God, with all the rights and privileges that that affords. We are called to carry the kingdom with us now, even as we reside in enemy territory. For us to do that, we need to be viscerally connected to our God.

In medicine, our viscera are our internal organs, sometimes referred to as our 'entrails' or 'innards'. That's our relationship with God. He should be all up inside us, impacting every major capacity and function in our being. God is our innards.

A visceral connection refers to a deep, instinctive and emotional bond that goes beyond mere intellectual understanding. It is often felt as a gut feeling or an inner knowing. It is instinctual, integral and primal.

Our visceral connection is our ‘gut’ connection with our God. It requires no Hebrew or Aramaic, it cannot be found in any concordance. It requires no reasoning or rationalization, it cannot be measured by human judgement or by any human standard.

It is a wordless knowing of our God that defies any situation or circumstance. Some people remain at peace in the midst of the harshest adversity and they may not be able to tell you why. They simply know. They know God is with them, they know He has their back. They know they will get through it, they know it’s going to be ok. Don’t ask them how they know, they simply know. Even when they don’t know.

In 2016 I walked through the hands-down worst year of my entire life. I was dealing with a major life crisis that pulverized my heart to the point that it simply disconnected from God. Throughout my life I have always known God. Long before baptism I knew God, through the good times and the bad times He’s always just been there. Doesn’t matter if I’m mad at Him, disappointed in Him, angry or frustrated, He’s still there.

Then one day I could not feel Him anymore. This period was the darkest night my soul has ever been through. I reached for my God and there was nothing there. Dead, black, silent, void. There was a hole in my world that all my tears could not fill. Nor could my faith.

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?’”

Humanity has experienced horrific levels of pain. Yet I believe the worse pain that humanity can possibly bear is the pain of separation from God. That is the pain that broke Jesus’ heart.

I believe that what got me through that dark time, and many others to follow was my visceral connection to God. My faith was swiss cheese, my mind gave up many times, my heart disconnected time and time again. Blessedly, He did not give up on me and always drew me back into Himself, so that He could tend, nurture and guide me through every step of it.

It is the way it should be.

‘Thy kingdom come’ does not mean we are dipped in water and studying to show ourselves approved. It means hearts, minds and spirits connected viscerally to God. No words are required, there are no scriptures to study, no sermons, no doctrines, no dogmas. We know His will because we know Him. We know Him from a place that is beyond words, beyond thought, even beyond emotion. It is a gut level, instinctual, integral connection.

Then the body of Christ is one as He is one. There is no filtering through our opinions, predilections or preconceptions. There is no misinterpretation. We are simply are, with our many strengths and weaknesses and in all our differences, one.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Yet still, what does it really mean to be viscerally connected to God? I think the experience is ineffable, I can only describe some of its fruits.

I have a friend who is a member of a denomination that looks down on the ‘spirit believing’ churches and their shenanigans. She will be in church, the spirit moves upon her heart and she responds with enthusiastic expressions of praise. Her fellow church members may turn, frown, or even try to shush her. They’re basically saying ‘shut the hell up and let me hear the preacher’.

My friend is hearing the same preacher, she is in the same church, but in an altogether different realm, having an altogether different experience. She is responding to something that the others are not receptive to at all, so they shush and frown and clutch their pearls. Their connection is intellectual, her connection is visceral.

One who is viscerally connected to God hears beyond words. They understand beyond communication, and know beyond perception. This is beyond intuition, beyond empathy, beyond imparted wisdom. This is not mind submitted to God, it is mind surrendered, possessed, occupied and stimulated by God.

It is heart open, pulsing with the rhythm of God, tuned into His melody and responding accordingly. It is body emanating the glory of God, it is life flowing flawlessly in lock-step with God. Even their setbacks are demonstrations of God’s glory.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17

You are literally a new creature. A visceral connection to God transforms you from the inside out, it rewires you, redefines you and regenerates you. It is indeed a new birth. The person born from this connection has their sensors calibrated at a whole different level. They are receptive to emotional, spiritual, psychological, energetic and intellectual inputs that are way beyond our mind’s ordinary capacity to process.

Sadly, the world demonstrates this integral connection more powerfully than many of our churches. Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, so many inventors, idealists, musicians, philosophers, artists reach into something, somewhere outside of normal perception and bring into earth beauty, knowledge, growth, evolution, joy.

We are walking now in the midst of technological revolution as the designs of God’s heart are brought into physical manifestation not by His church, but by others who are receptive to our God. Even those that do not believe in God.

That is the point of this message. The body of Christ is called to be a new creation, a royal priesthood, set apart to be living demonstrations of the glory of their God. You are emissaries, representatives of the kingdom, carriers of His glory. We should be transforming the world around us in a million different ways, each soul but one candle, but together we enlighten the world.

We have corrupted the message of the great commission. We are not called to spread the gospel by our own efforts through hard work, toiling, sacrifice, fund raising and sanctified scamming. We are called to win souls to the kingdom by our very presence, because we are literally carrying our God inside us.

Where the presence of God is there is healing, there is inspiration and creativity, there is deliverance, there is heart awakening, there is transformation. Eager souls will come in droves to your God because of what they feel on you, viscerally.

Then you get to teach, to open scripture, to minister, to preach. Then you are simply sharing what you have, blessing as you have been blessed. Paul described the experience and Peter demonstrated it.

May we walk daily as they did, in heartfelt, devoted, visceral relationship with our God.