Cleaning House Guide
This guide accompanies our Cleaning House series and will help you to reflect, process and pray as we move through all the rooms of our lives, inviting Jesus in to do His work in each one.
We have printed copies of this resource available for pickup at BP, you can download a pdf, or we have created an interactive web version of the guide below.
Already read the introduction? Click here to skip down to the list of room worksheets.
Jesus comes to do a new work in you, to renovate and restore every area of your life.
Imagine your life is a house.
And each room represents one area of your life. The kitchen represents what you consume, the living room represents your entertainment, the bedroom is your sexuality, etc. What do your rooms look like? Are they a mess? Wait, do some of them look exactly like they did before you met Jesus?
“Hold, on.
You’re losing me with this whole house thing. I believe in Jesus, but what do the rooms in my house have to do with anything? Are you talking about Jesus living with me?”
Yes.
The Sovereign God, the Creator of all things, the King of the universe–He desires to live with you.
Check it out:
• In the Old Testatment, God created Adam and Eve to live with Him, He walked among them in the garden.
• Then He dwells among the Israelites through a pillar of fire & smoke in the wilderness, in a tabernacle when they settled, and then in the Temple when they became a nation.
• In the New Testament Jesus took on flesh and “made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)
• Later Jesus said, "Abide in me, and I in you." (John 15:34)
• After Jesus died for our sin and rose again, the Spirit came to dwell in those who believe and Christians were called "the Temple of the Holy Spirit" where God lives in us (1 Cor 6:19).
So, yeah, if you believe, Jesus dwells in you. He's in your house.
But, wait. Jesus is not there to compliment and cheer on your unchanged life.
Jesus comes to do a new work, to renovate your life and restore the good that is lost everytime you try to live your life apart from Him. Jesus' goal is to restore every part of your life so you can experience God's goodness and reflect His glory to the broken world around you.
“That sounds nice—but it isn't happening.
I'm frustrated, my relationships are a mess. I'm worn out and burnt out. Parts of my life lack joy and purpose. Maybe the Spirit's not powerful enough? Maybe my life is just too much of a mess? What's the problem?”
Get ready, I'm not sure you want to hear this, but...
You're the problem.
You're not letting Jesus in to put your house in order.
Maybe you're keeping Jesus waiting on the porch because you haven't made a decision for Him yet. (If this is you, click here).
Maybe you let Jesus into your house, but just about everything is off limits. Or maybe there are only a couple of rooms with the door shut—but you definitely have no interest in Jesus poking around or rearranging in there!
It's time to stop hiding your mess.
It's time to deal.
It's time to stop trying to do it on your own .
But hold on, Jesus is not the maid.
Jesus isn’t your house keeper. Because He loves you so much, He will come to work with you to clean up and make your life all He intends for it to be and you have an active role to cooperate with Him.
That's what our teaching series Cleaning House is all about– welcoming Jesus in and working with Him on all the parts of your life.
We hope this guide will give you a place to process and work through what God wants for you. Use the links below to go through each room. You'll have space to identify what Jesus wants for you in that room and figure out what your part is.
If you keep up and follow along, this resource will equip you with a framework for living your whole life with Jesus and for Jesus.
Let's go!
Make a decision!
Is Jesus on the porch waiting for you to let Him in? It's your decision whether you let Him in or not. It's important to understand that life with Jesus begins with a decision. You're the only one who can make the decision to let Him in.
Here's how you do it:
1. Belive
Belief is the basis for a decision—acknowledging that Jesus is God, Savior, and Lord.
2. Repent
Belief leads to repentance, which is agreeing with God about your sin and acknowledging your need for forgiveness through Jesus. Repentance includes a change of direction, as you stop living in sin and start living for Jesus.
3. Baptism
The Bible is also clear that belief and repentance, which are internal, should be expressed through baptism—being submerged in water to identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and to indicate that your whole life now belongs to Him.
If you haven’t done so yet, making a decision to begin life with Jesus is the place you should start. Visit our baptism page to see what steps you should take or email us at info@bridgepointechristian.com to speak with a pastor.