Today’s encouraging Bible verse from the Bible app with an image I shot off the coast of Kittery, ME.
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When I listened to the Our Daily Bread devotional this morning, it all came back to me. Somehow very early in my walk with God, He gave me a unique perspective on a critical topic.
I couldn’t quote the Scripture or explain the theology behind it at the time. I was in my mid-twenties, new to the faith, and had lots to learn (and still do). But I remember being surprised when I heard a much older believer say that she didn’t get much out of the service at a particular church.
I still remember the setting – almost forty years later. It was a Bible Study group that met in the person’s home. She was the leader. With as much gentleness and humility as I could muster, I shared that even though I didn’t feel I had much to offer, I still felt that I went to church more for what I could give than what I received.
Back to that Our Daily Bread devotional, John Blaze wrote:
I grew up the firstborn son of a Southern Baptist preacher. Every Sunday the expectation was clear: I was to be in church. Possible exceptions? Maybe if I had a significant fever. But the truth is, I absolutely loved going, and I even went a few times feverish. But the world has changed, and the numbers for regular church attendance are not what they used to be. Of course, the quick question is why? The answers are many and varied. Author Kathleen Norris counters those answers with a response she received from a pastor to the question, “Why do we go to church?” He said, “We go to church for other people. Because someone may need you there.”
Now by no means is that the only reason we go to church, but his response does resonate with the heartbeat of the writer to the Hebrews. He urged the believers to persevere in the faith, and to achieve that goal he stressed “not giving up meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25). Why? Because something vital would be missed in our absence: “encouraging one another” (v. 25). We need that mutual encouragement to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (v. 24).
Brothers and sisters, keep meeting together, because someone may need you there. And the corresponding truth is that you may need them as well.
Our Daily Bread
Long before Marie Kondo’s “Does it spark joy” advice, people have been asking a similar question. It’s understandable. It’s natural. We evaluate everything from our perspective. So, it’s natural to evaluate things in our life by asking how something benefits us. Is this object, activity, or relationship making my life more enjoyable or not?
Part of following Christ – being “born again” – means that we no longer have to settle for “natural.” We’ve been called to a different way. A better way. A SUPERnatural way. As we grow in our faith walk, we learn to ask if our thoughts, actions, relationships line up with God’s call on our lives. Rather than asking if we get enough out of an activity, ask God, what would you have me do? God, is there anyone here (or there) that you want to encourage through me? Please lead me.
A friend shared this on Facebook. Normally, I would simply click Like and maybe even Share. But this one seemed too important not to share here.
I did not write this! In fact, I do not know whom to credit as the author. If you know, please post in the comments. (Thank you!)
Have you ever been surprised by God? You’re following along in a passage and you think you know what is coming next. But then…
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This probably happens more than I’m aware of. But I was reminded again this weekend. I was preaching on one of my favorite passages in the Gospels. Matthew concludes a section of his Gospel that featured Jesus in action teaching, preaching, and even healing people. The writer is about to shift the focus from Jesus ministering to the multitudes to Jesus building into His disciples.
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:35-38
Study Deeper
If you dig deeper, you’ll be richly rewarded in your study of the nuances of the original language used here. For now, I want to focus on the obvious because I am afraid we are in great danger of missing the core truth while we allow ourselves to be fascinated by the fringes.
Stay Focused
When reading and studying the Bible, it can be helpful to take special note of the commands. There are a lot of great stories, events, and principles in the Scriptures. We can be refreshed, encouraged, and learn much by reading and meditating upon them. However, there are times that God wants to make sure that we get the point. Therefore, He often summarizes the concept in a command. We should enjoy the story but be sure get the point too. Continue Reading…
The Apostle Paul wrote
Give thanks in everything for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess 5:18)
As I write this, Thanksgiving Day is just a few days away. You might already be in preparation mode to visit with or host family and close friends. As you work to assure that everything is ready, can I suggest you plan to check your own Gratitude Quotient? No, I didn’t make that up. It is a thing.
It’s amazing to me how easily we can overlook the obvious or take the main point for granted. Have you ever gotten to the airport for an international flight and had to go back home to the passport you left on the nightstand so you wouldn’t forget it? No, I haven’t done that but I did drive at least one person who did.
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The question I have for us today, especially as we are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, how is YOUR Thankfulness level? After all, it is THANKSgiving Day — a day for giving thanks.
Here’s your chance to see where you are on this continuum and to seize the opportunity to grow in thankfulness.
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Level 1: Ungrateful
Maybe you consider yourself a self-made man or woman. Nobody gave you anything. In spite of the deck being stacked against you, you made it to the top. You see no need to be thankful. If anyone did happen to help you along the way, you figure they did it for their own benefit. So, you see no need to be thankful. Continue Reading…
In Jeff Goins’ bestseller, Real Artists Don’t Starve, he set out to dispel the myth of the “starving artist”. Likewise, in my last post, I began exposing the lies that many people who seek to wholeheartedly follow Jesus Christ may have treasures in Heaven but will probably never enjoy much success here on earth.
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Passivity and Complacency Are Not Necessarily Spiritual
I assure you, I am NOT crossing over to the Health & Wealth Gospel. I have no delusions that God owes me anything! Nor do I believe that God has to provide something just because I “Name it”.
However, I am concerned that while rejecting the excesses of one extreme, we can drift, ever so spiritually, to the other extreme. We can focus so much being humble and on not appearing proud, manipulative, or materialistic, that we limit the blessings God may long to give.
Success and Spirituality Are Not Mutually Exclusive
I am concerned that sometimes, Christ-followers can make the mistake of equating success with impure motives or tactics and a lack of success as being spiritual. I understand if you have trouble believing that statement. I had to read it again myself. But, I assure you, I have seen it over and over. Continue Reading…
If you’ve ever worked or volunteered much at a church, you know there are many aspects of ministry to balance. It can be overwhelming and balls can get dropped.
There are four major components to my personal philosophy of ministry. There will be aspects of ministry that may not be included here, however, the following helps me organize my thoughts and efforts.
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Focus
Based on John 10:10, as well as ministry and life experiences, I am convinced that in any Christian endeavor two supernatural beings are always at work. God is at work to promote life and our enemy is at work to thwart life and growth and sabotage spiritual progress. Therefore, we need to actively choose to focus our attention on what God is doing in any given situation rather than on what Satan is doing. I am firmly convinced that our attitudes in life are greatly controlled by the one on whom we set our focus. That is the one we actually serve. Therefore, my personal philosophy of ministry is to first maintain my own focus on what God and what he is doing and then to help others stay focused upon God and be an asset to what He’s doing in their lives.
Feed
In the practical outworking of the above principle, I see God entrusting a flock to a pastor’s or teacher’s care with the expectation of their being returned to Him having been well fed, strengthened and protected. Col 1:27-29 speaks of bringing the flock to maturity for God in Christ’s strength. Eph 4:11-16 paints a picture of believers being equipped for works of service so that the body would be a built up, unified, mature, loving and growing organism. I believe these goals are best achieved by sound biblical instruction given in an atmosphere of acceptance and inclusion. Efforts will likely include:
- Opportunities for people to evaluate where they are in their walk with God along with suggestions and resources to grow during the upcoming season.
- Expository preaching of Bible books and occasional topical, yet expository, messages.
- Relevant and engaging teaching during Sunday School/Adult Bible Fellowship or other opportunities (seminars, webinars, workshops, conferences, etc.)
- Small Groups that help people discover God’s word and his people in a deeper way.
- Specialized small groups designed to offer a forum for the questioning and a support for the struggling.
- Well-planned prayer meetings would also help maintain focus in, and excitement about how God is working in and through the various ministries of the church.
Find
The choice of the word “find” for ministry to unbelievers is deeply rooted in my philosophy of evangelism. I often view the evangelist as a kind of spiritual midwife. We are not the parent, but we are there to aid in the birthing process. The relationship of the pre-natal child and the parent has long been established and the midwife would not think of doing anything to hinder that relationship. Therefore, rather than striving for a decision or to manufacture spiritual sensitivities, prayerful efforts should be made to discern those in whom God is already working and seek to be an asset in that process.
We need to teach evangelism as a lifestyle proving ourselves good stewards of God’s grace. Teaching on evangelism should be careful to equip the experienced without overwhelming the novice. Telling people about God’s involvement in our lives should be a natural outflow of a child in love with her Father. We must also reinforce the truth that we are in partnership with God and not resemble a multi-level-marketing strategy.
While many choose to focus their efforts on the saved or the unsaved, I am greatly indebted to training from Child Evangelism Fellowship who taught that you may never really know where your audience is spiritually. Therefore, each Bible teaching should include a point of application for the saved and a point of application for the unsaved.
Family
I am thoroughly convinced of the communal nature of the Body of Christ. Not only does God save us, he also adopts as children into his family where we can be encouraged, nurtured, and developed to maturity. The sheer volume of “one-another” passages in the Bible clearly show that Christian fellowship is not just a nice fringe benefit but an essential dynamic of God’s plan.
Hebrews 10:19-25 also show how this should be a key component of our regular gatherings. I am concerned that this could be a missing ingredient in many churches in our day. Beyond the obvious reason of meeting to worship God, the author of Hebrews helps us to realize one of the purposes of meeting together is to encourage one another. We are to follow Jesus’ example and come together to serve rather than be served. Interestingly, if everyone comes together with that mindset each member will leave having served and having been served as well.
“Let us encourage one another” is not just an empty or fluff command. Webster defines encouragement as “to impart courage.” Then defines courage as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear, and difficulty.” This is exactly the spirit the author is trying to instill in his readers. As we encourage each other, we are to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. I can’t help but wonder what God could do in our world through bands of believers who regularly leave our gatherings encouraged by the body and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
A few years ago, I felt a stirring deep within that God was getting me ready for something new.
Change isn’t always easy. Overcoming fear or procrastination can make Goliath seem like a cub scout. But like the expression goes, sometimes it’s “Change or Die!”
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I wasn’t quite sure what it would look like and where He would lead but it was clear that something new was coming. I knew that God had given me a message to share. Somehow, I had a sense that it would include writing and maybe speaking.
Over the next couple of years, I spent a lot of time seeking God and learning new skills. In many ways, I am still learning and still on that journey. Let me share some of the people and resources that have helped me tremendously.
Writing
I attended a workshop with John C. Maxwell and Michael Hyatt about Continue Reading…
What comes to mind when you hear the term, The Battle Is the Lord’s? or The Battle Belongs to the Lord?
Does the military imagery trouble you? Are you OK with the military imagery but troubled that our part seems to be too passive?
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Do you ask yourself, if the battle belongs to the Lord, then what do l DO? Do I just sit here and do nothing? Well, sometimes the answer is yes. Other times, the answer might be different.
Be Still
When the Israelites were rescued out of slavery in Egypt, God was setting a trap for their captors that would include rescuing His chosen people while punishing their captors but His own people couldn’t see past the obstacle in front of them.
When they saw the vast Red Sea before them, they complained to Moses that they should never have left Egypt. Continue Reading…
Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
