Here's my teaching notes for the final part of the relationship series.  It is about living as fully integrated, whole and therefore wholesome individuals in wholesome healthy relationships -- a reflection of reproducing God's character in our lives.   You can listen to the teachings by clicking on the links to the right of this blog.

Relationships ... It's Complicated

Introduction: Week 1: The Big Picture – Created in God's image, relational, unity & Dominion Week 2: Applied this Romance and Marriage; Week 3: Applied to Sexuality

This Week: Integration, Eph 4:1-6 NLT Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. (2) Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. (3) Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. (4) For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. (5) There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

Integration

• World English Dictionary: “an act or instance of combining into an integral whole. ... Psychology . the organization of the constituent elements of the personality into a coordinated, harmonious whole.
• Medical Dictionary: “the combining and coordinating of separate parts or elements into a unified whole: as coordination of mental processes into a normal effective personality or with the individual's environment of association and failure of integration take place among neurotic individuals — R. M. Dorcus & G. W. Shaffer >
• Fragmentation (the opposite)

• The act or process of fragmenting; state of being fragmented.
• The disintegration, collapse, or breakdown of norms of thought, behavior, or social relationship.
• Illustration: Glass whole: useful, beautiful, productive – Broken: harmful, useless, waste. Plant Whole: alive, growing, fruitful – chopped up: dying/dead, fruitless, vulnerable to rot

Living Integrated

• All of the parts of our life are in their proper place and proportion → being whole, healthy, useful, productive, beautiful, reflecting the image of God.
• Being whole, or fully integrated, enables us to have wholesome relationships that are healthy, productive, beautiful and reflecting the character of God
• Being fractured or fragmented causes us to have (or to make) broken, harmful, useless, wasteful, fruitless and corrupted relationships.
• If you see the fruit → look for the root

Understanding the Parts

• If living integrated means having all the parts in proper position and proportion, what are the parts?
  
• 1Th 5:23 NKJV Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 1Th 5:23 MSG May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together--spirit, soul, and body--and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.
• 1Th 5:23 NASB Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely (“complete to the end, wholly); and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete (“complete in every part”), without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One way to look at the nature of mankind (Nelson & Eunice Good) “God desires that we develop our personal spirit through intimacy with Him which enables us to live a victorious life. All of our problems are the result of our recreated spirit not being in control. Rather, we are giving in to the appetites of our soul and body. Our flesh rather than our spirit may be dominating us.
Body: The part of us that relates to the natural or “seen” world. As a result of the fall of man, it is temporary, imperfect and subject to malfunction, degeneration and disease. It is the temporary container which our spirit briefly inhabits while on earth.
Soul: This is our personality which includes our mind, will and emotions. It is the part of us that relates to other humans. It is shaped by all our accumulated life experiences. These experiences both good and bad, shape our personalities and determine how we relate to others.
Spirit: The eternal part of man. This is the true inner, unseen self which God places in us at conception. It is the part of us that relates to the unseen spirit world which includes both God and Satan.”
Integrated Dynamics of Man

Aspect	Language	Condition	“Dis-ease” Management	Treatment
Body	Feelings	Illness	Physician	Medical &/or Homeopathy
Soul	Reason	Mental Illness	Psychologist	Counseling, therapy
Spirit	Conscience, Revelation	Unregenerate	Clergy, ministry of the saints	Salvation, Healing, Deliverance

*(end of Good's reference)

Kingdom of God: God's intention is to bring complete sanctification to all three aspects, and to bring all three aspects into a united whole which will live eternally in unity with Him, and will all others in the resurrection. (Heaven On Earth)
Begins At Salvation:

• God's Part: our spirit is a new creation, 2Co 5:17 NKJV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
  
• Our response: Our soul is transformed through a continuing process, Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
  
• And our body is brought under subjection, 1Co 9:27 NKJV But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
  
• In the resurrection, at Christ's return all three aspects of our being will be fully renewed and continue free from sin, satan and the influence of the world, living eternally on a renewed earth.
  

The Goal – Life as we should live it: Joh 17:20-23 NKJV "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; (21) that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. (22) And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: (23) I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

• That we would be “re-created” in the image of God (NOW) – vs. 21
• That we would experience total “unity” -- “made perfect in one” NASB: that they may be perfected in unity
• That we would share in God's dominion:
  • a.) that the world may believe/know
  • b.) God's glory shared with us.

Now this actually happens when:

• We live integrated as individuals: our lives in order, no sin or contradiction to our nature
• We live in unity with others
  • All our relationships reflecting the unity we have with God, ourselves and others.
  • No divisions, fragmentation, striving, or undermining, or personal agendas
• We live CONSISTENTLY
  • Integrity – same on the inside as on the outside
  • Same @ church and @ work and @ home, in prayer, on the street, alone, etc.
  • Our Intra personal relationship (our relationship with ourselves)
  • Our Interpersonal relationships
  • Our sexuality, our friendships, our romantic relationships, our spiritual relationships, our professional relationship, all of them consistent, whole, INTEGRATED.
• This must TRANSFORM every relationship, into an expression of God's character reflected by YOU.
• Every part of you – in perfect agreement with every other part of you, in perfect agreement with God and all of those who agree with God = AT REST
• It's your choice – do you want to be a salad, or a living being; a pile of broken pieces or a beautiful creation.