The Normalcy of Spiritual Abundance: Pursuing a Vibrant Relationship with God

BY CRAIG FRITCHEY
“What do you expect a normal Christian life to look like?” This was the opening question Scott DeGroff (Missionary Prayer Handbook Day 29) asked at this year’s Reaching Higher retreat. Fifty young adults joined us on September 27–29 at the CMML Guest Home in Wall Township, New Jersey. Reaching Higher invites young adults, ages 20–39, to come away from the busyness of life and focus on what the Lord would have them do with their lives.
Our 2024 theme was “It’s Normal: The Abundant Life.” The title came from a conversation Scott and Lynn DeGroff had with Mary Parsons, a member of CMML’s missionary care team. “What you are describing is the abundant Christian life,” Mary stated. “It’s not crazy; it’s normal!” So an idea was born for a series of messages with a simple premise: the normal Christian life is not a struggle between failures and victories but an intimate, personal, and vibrant relationship with the living God.
Scott DeGroff’s first two sessions on Saturday laid the doctrinal framework and explained why it can be easily forgotten. The key point was understanding the Greek words meaning “know” in the New Testament: oida (intellectual knowledge) and ginosko (a familiarity acquired through intimacy, experience, and association with a person). Scott described the difference as a change from identifying with Christ as a servant to relating to Him as a friend (John 15:14–15).
Ginosko is the word used in John 17:3, when Jesus says, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” In fact, it is used repeatedly throughout the New Testament to describe our knowledge of the Lord (see Philippians 3, Hebrews 5, and Ephesians 3).
Following Scott’s messages, Ethan Hanlin (Ontario, Canada) shared his testimony of how he came to understand this difference in his life. The day continued with seminars on the practical outworking of intimacy with Christ. Scott and Lynn DeGroff discussed their ministry with Freedom Teams in Watsonville, California; Ethan Hanlin shared how our closeness with Christ affects our prayer life; and I explained biblical commendation and how our walk with the Lord leads to service for Him, locally and abroad.
Saturday ended with a delicious dinner, a rich Q&A session, and a challenging message, in which Scott used Luke 11 to help believers deal with doubt.
On Sunday, after sharing a sweet time of worship and the Breaking of Bread, Scott gave his final message, “A Vision for What Could Be,” from Matthew 14. It included nine expectations, ranging from miraculous provision to victorious faith, for someone who chooses the normal, abundant Christian life. Scott left us with one final question: “If Christ doesn’t thrill your heart now, what’s so special to you about heaven?”
Reaching Higher is a unique opportunity for us to spend an intentional weekend with the next generation of leaders and workers in our assemblies and for them to learn about CMML’s ministry. Please pray for all who attended. May each enter into a normal, abundant life found through knowing, in a ginosko way, our Lord Jesus Christ. n
Craig Fritchey, CMML assembly relations
Originally published in Missions magazine, December 2024. For more content, sign up for a free subscription (US and Canada) to Missions at CMML.us/magazine/subscribe.