MONTH THREE | SESSION TWO

WHAT ARE SOUL ENVIRONMENTS?

Every living thing has an environment where it thrives. 

As a child, I loved animals.  We lived close to a swap meet where they sold all types of normal and exotic pets at low prices.  I had lovebirds, iguanas, rabbits, ducks, rats, exotic fish… you name it, I had it.  The acquiring of the animals wasn’t the difficult part, it was setting up their habitats.  I spent most of my allowance on terrariums, heat lamps, rocks, sticks, grasses, ponds, water bowls, water bottles, etc.  Every animal had a unique environment where it thrived, and without those environments they would start to die.

In the same way every living creature has a specific environment to ensure its well being, our souls have environments in which we thrive. There are specific practices and perspectives that allow us to become fully alive, and be transformed into the image of Christ.  They also empower us to live out the mission that is in our lives to build the church and seek the lost.

Those environments are:

  • COMMISSION:  Mission is why the church exists

  • COMMUNITY:  Love is the context for all mission

  • CONNECTION:  Structure must always submit to Spirit

  • COMMUNION:  Relevance to culture is not optional

  • CHARACTER:  Creativity is the natural result of spirituality

These may not all make sense right off the bat, but they will as we go through them.  These “soul environments” are also the core values of Humanity Church.  They are one in the same.  It turns out that what is healthy for your soul is also healthy for the larger movement of Jesus

Have you ever found yourself soul sick?  Perhaps you’ve gone through seasons of anxiety, having a lack of peace or a general feeling of apathy?  Chances are, your soul was not engaged with one of the environments it needed to thrive.  Just like any living thing, when we disengage from these soul environments, our soul begins to wither.  We grow spiritually weak and will eventually find ourselves in a type of spiritual atrophy.  

For example, looking at the five environments above, if you attempt to live out the mission for your life, but aren’t motivated by love, you will get soul sick.  If you attempt to develop your character, but have no connection to the Spirit of God, you will get soul sick.  If you attempt to have communion with God and people without a clear mission, you will get soul sick.

As we go through these core values, know that this isn’t just another human resources conversation for you to know the “company culture.”  We firmly believe that as you engage these core values, they will start to transform your soul.  You will find yourself living in the environments that your soul was made for, and thriving in new ways.

Each of these soul environments have a natural metaphor that we use to explain them.  These are visual devices to help you remember them, but they also hold really powerful lessons in how these core values might play out in your own life.  

Here are the natural metaphors connected to each soul environment:

  • COMMISSION:  WIND

  • COMMUNITY:  WATER

  • CONNECTION:  WOOD

  • COMMUNION:  FIRE

  • CHARACTER:  EARTH

Over the next few weeks, we will go over each of these, and how these metaphors fit in. 

READ ACTS 2:42 - 47

Based on this passage, what type of environment was created in the church?  How would living in this environment impact your soul?



READ PSALM 1:1 - 3

Notice how David talks about the environment we place ourselves in, and the future it creates for us.  Spend some time writing down the following:



What have been some healthy environments from your past that your soul has been in, and what has been the result of those environments?
Example:  My friendship with Jennifer.  I have been encouraged and supported.     



What have been some unhealthy environments from your past that your soul has been in, and what has been the result of those environments?
Example:  My work environment.  There was a lot of gossip and backbiting.       


PRAYER

Spend some time asking God to open your heart to the new soul environments that you are about to engage in.  Pray for the following:

  • Ask Him to prepare you for the mission he has for your life

  • Ask Him to fill you with His love for humanity

  • Ask Him to hear his voice clearly, and give you the courage to respond

  • Ask Him for a deep connection with Him that would impact your world

  • Ask Him to begin revealing areas of your character that need transformation

DISCUSSION STARTERS

  • What have been some healthy environments from your past?  How did they impact you?

  • What have been some unhealthy environments from your past?  How did they impact you?

  • What do you sense is the new thing that God is wanting you to do in your life during this season?