The Church What Is It All About..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Church What Is It All About

Dr. Charles Stanley

Colossians 1:18-24

Church buildings are plentiful in our country. Locating one may be easy, but wisely deciding which to join involves more effort. God's Word gives us some specific instructions in this matter.

First, let's explore the original biblical meaning of the word "church." The term ecclesia meant a group of people who are called out of the world's system by God's grace for the purpose of assembling to worship and serve Christ. Ephesians 5:29-30 further specifies that believers are the body and Jesus is the head of such a fellowship. Under His leadership, we can enjoy the unity and purpose that He intended.

God's design for this sacred gathering involves worship, instruction, encouragement, evangelism, and ministry to those in need, both within the fellowship and outside its walls. A healthy, vibrant congregation is possible only when members rely fully on the Holy Spirit's guidance. The work of the church is to be done in His power, in humble, prayerful submission to the Lord.

To help you determine whether a church is following the design laid out in Scripture, here are some important questions to ask: Do they believe God's Word is infallible and inerrant? Is the church disciplining her people? Does the fellowship have some kind of missionary or evangelistic program?

Joining a congregation is an important decision, as a fellowship of believers is one tool God uses to mature and encourage His children. Those three questions can be helpful in discerning God's will. Listen for His Spirit to warn or direct as you prayerfully investigate your options.

Living Courageously..... Craig Denison

 Living Courageously

Craig Denison 

Weekly Overview:

In response to knowing the heart of God we are called to share the wonders of his invisible nature with a world in desperate need of him. God has chosen to use us to reveal himself. He’s filled us with the Spirit and empowered us to proclaim the good news of salvation and restored relationship with our Creator. May you discover this week that you were made to share God’s heart. And may you find joy and passion in God’s longing to use you in powerful and unique ways.

Scripture:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Devotional:    

To live as an authentic disciple of Jesus is to live courageously. Jesus didn’t call us to a life of shrinking back. We’re not commanded to sit on the sidelines. He didn’t call us to to pursue comfort, stability, approval with man, or societal status. He’s called us to love unconditionally, give sacrificially, obey him unreservedly, and to live courageously.

In John 15:19 Jesus clearly says, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” To be of God and practice the things of God is in powerful, direct opposition to the things of the world and its ruler, our enemy. For this reason God offers encouragement to those who face trial—to those who live courageously. 1 Peter 4:12-14 says:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

God is calling you to a life far greater and more important than comfort and worldly pleasure. He’s calling you to live by faith, believing that true blessing and true pleasure is found in him alone. He’s calling you to step out of your former ways and live in accordance with his will that you might experience fullness of life in him.

For this reason Scripture says in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” In the midst of any trial you can have transcendent, tangible comfort in God. In this midst of any suffering or pain you can find rest in the loving arms of your heavenly Father. And in the face of great opposition you can choose to live courageously. Your God is with you. He will never leave you. Courage comes from acknowledging the reality and power of God’s nearness.

As we finish this week on sharing God’s heart, find courage today to boldly love others. Take time to receive God’s unconditional love and grace that you might share him with a world who desperately needs transcendent comfort and peace. Live courageously today and see heaven come to earth around you. Seek life and love in God alone. May your time of guided prayer be filled with encouragement from the Holy Spirit and the word of God.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the call of God to live courageously. Reflect on his promise to be with you always.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." Hebrews 10:39

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

2. Assess your own life. In what ways are you seeking worldly comfort over living courageously in God? What fears do you have about sharing God’s heart that are winning out over courage from God?

“And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.” Luke 8:14

3. Go to God with your fears and receive encouragement in him. Take time to rest in God’s presence. Ask him for his perspective on that which hinders you from sharing his heart and living courageously. Journal his response.

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

When you choose to respond to God’s call in faith, know that he will fill you with courage and boldness. The disciples were not naturally courageous people. Prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit they were weak, selfish, and cowardly. But in God they were made strong. In God they accomplished the impossible. In God they were used for eternal purposes that bore fruit you and I are still experiencing. Decide today to partner with God in seeing his kingdom come to earth through your life. Decide to jump in and be an active part of the spiritual awakening happening all around us. Decide to get off the sidelines of the Christian life and share God’s heart with all those he leads you to. May your day be filled with boldness and courage in the Holy Spirit.

Extended Reading: Luke 8

When Joy Feels So Very Unrealistic..... LYSA TERKEURST

 When Joy Feels So Very Unrealistic

LYSA TERKEURST

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3 (NIV)

There’s no part of me that wants sorrow to be a part of my story.

There isn’t any plan God could present where I would willingly agree to heartbreak and pain.

But the longer I walk with God, the more I see what a tragedy that would be. Picking and choosing what gets to be part of my story would keep me from the ultimate good God has in mind.

If that seems hard to fathom in the midst of your own difficult circumstance today, I want to share some verses found in James that have helped me in my hardest seasons. I have to warn you: It might not feel good at first glance. But as we dig in together, I think you’ll see that it’s better to wrestle with Truth than to stay stuck in turmoil.

James 1:2-4 reminds us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I confess I like these verses. Until I don’t. These words are easy to pull out when your worst issue is the drive-through coffee joint got your order wrong. They frappéed your latte and waylaid the start of your workday.

But what about those other things we walk through? The ones that hurt too long? Or disappoint too deeply? Or feel devastatingly permanent?

To slap some “we should be joyful about this” platitudes on top of the hard things feels cruel. Like a bad joke about something excruciatingly painful. It’s just too soon for that kind of nonsense.

That’s why I’m glad these verses don’t say “feel the joy” but instead “consider where some glimpses of joy might be even in the midst of all the hurt.”

Our understanding of joy rises and falls on whether we truly trust God in the middle of what our human minds can’t see as good at all. It’s hard. So I like to think of it in terms of baking. Imagine if we decided to make a cake from scratch today.

After going to the store, we set out all the ingredients: the flour, butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, baking powder and a pinch of salt. But then maybe we felt too tired to mix it all together and make the cake. Instead, we thought we could just enjoy the cake one ingredient at a time. The thing is, we don’t like some of the individual ingredients, so we’d rather leave them out.

The flour is too dry — leave it out. The sugar, butter and vanilla are all good — leave them in! The eggs are just gross when raw — definitely leave those out! And then our cake would never be made “… mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

We are so quick to judge the quality of our lives and the reliability of God based on individual events, rather than on the eventual good God is working together. We must know that just like the master baker has reasons to allow the flour and eggs in right measure into the recipe, Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, (Hebrews 12:2, NASB 1995), will do the same with dry times and hard times.

And yes, we may have to go through some chaos in the mixing and some heat in the baking, but soon we will rise and live lives that are a sweet offering of hope, grace, peace and comfort to others. That’s how we can consider it pure joy today. We can also make peace with the fact that sorrow and celebration can quite authentically coexist together in a heart. Mixing them together is part of the recipe of life.

We can sit with and tend to all that still needs to be healed and at the same time laugh, plan for great things ahead and declare this a glorious day.

To have both sorrow and celebration in our heart isn’t denial.

It’s deeming life a gift — even if it looks nothing like we thought it would right now.

Our sorrows make our hearts more tender and allow us to grieve. Our celebrations tend to our heart’s need to recognize what is beautiful about our life, get back up and go on.

Let’s embrace the mix of all that’s worthy of celebration while fully allowing sorrow to add what it brings as well — knowing we can trust Jesus’ recipe of purpose in both the pain and joy.

Father God, when joy feels so very unrealistic, help me consider where glimpses of joy might be found throughout my day today. Help me bring the perspective of both sorrow and celebration to my circumstances, and keep reminding me that Your plans for me are still good. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
James 1:12, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” (NIV)

4 Ways to Pray About Anything in Every Situation..... By Lynette Kittle

 4 Ways to Pray About Anything in Every Situation

By Lynette Kittle

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6

Over the years I’ve been growing in my understanding of prayer and how God wants to have an ongoing dialogue with me throughout my day, where I am accessible to Him in every aspect of my life.

Through prayer, I invite and involve God into my everydayness. Below are four ways I’ve been learning to include prayer into my daily life.

1. Seize the Moment

Instead of telling people “I’ll pray” when someone asks for prayer, my goal is to take time to actually pray right in the moment, because it’s easy to forget. Also when someone asks for prayer, it reflects openness on his or her part towards God, something that may not be present later on.

Sometimes the simplest of phrases can touch a hardened or hurting heart. Psalm 49:3 reassures me that God can help my mouth speak words of wisdom.

Even if words are awkward and don’t come easy, or if they flow easily, I trust God to give me words to speak that will encourage, comfort, and touch hearts.

2. Let God Lead

Scriptures states as a child of God, I’m to be led by His Spirit (Romans 8:14). Doing so helps me in so many ways such as recognizing when someone is open to prayer, situations where prayer is needed, and how to pray.

In asking the Lord to guide my prayers, I find myself praying in new and unexpected ways and places, trusting Him to lead my thoughts and prayers.

Letting God lead also frees me from things such as feelings of self-consciousness and trying to impress with well-expressed words or phrasing. Psalm 25:6 states that the Lord guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.

3. Take Time

When someone asks for prayer through an email, Facebook, or Twitter, take time to respond. Find a few minutes to send or post a thoughtful response to requests for prayer, trusting God to minister through your words.

Even with all of social media’s issues, there are still opportunities to bring a refreshing word.

Like Proverbs 15:23 states, “A person finds joy in giving an apt reply and how good is a timely word!”

4. Be Available

Let God know you are available, willing, and asking Him for opportunities to pray. When you do, commit to being on-call to pray 24/7, along with being open to surprising situations.

Unexpected opportunities in my life have included praying with a stranger outside an amusement park ride, during a Christmas party, on a crowded airliner, in a store’s check-out line, and more.

Like 2 Timothy 4:2 urges, I aim to be prepared in season and out of season, ready to reach out to others.

A Prayer to Be Thirsty No More..... By: Alisha Headley

 A Prayer to Be Thirsty No More

By: Alisha Headley

Jesus said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I shall give them will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” - (John 4:13-14)

Many of us have a thirst deep in us. A longing to feel whole, to feel complete, to be loved. We strive after things in life such as a spouse, career, children, possessions, or power in hopes that the emptiness and unfulfillment we feel inside will one day be fulfilled. Perhaps you finally obtain what you thirst for, yet the fulfillment only lasts but a moment, and you’re still left thirsting for more.

We live in a fallen world where being fulfilled by other people or things isn’t possible, but we seek so hard in trying to obtain it. In today’s Scripture, Jesus reminds the woman he meets at the well who tried to obtain such fulfillment that she will thirst again running after the water of this world. This woman went from man to man, husband to husband, and five husbands later, she still didn’t feel complete. Her longing and brokenness could never be fulfilled by anyone but the Lord.

Our gracious Jesus tells her it’s because she is drinking from the water of this fallen world. This sin-filled, sickness-filled, hurt-filled, heartbroken-filled, broken, empty world -- will always leave us thirsting for more.  Jesus then goes on to say that the water and life He offers will spring forth water that is overflowing. He promises that those who drink from His cup, will never thirst again.

Unfortunately, many of us too, run to lesser loves to fulfill what God was only intended to fulfill.

What, or who, are you searching for in hopes of feeling that wholeness? Stop searching in all the wrong places and start seeking the Lord and the living water He has to offer. He’s fulfilling, He’s complete, and in this scarce world you will be thirsty no more. Let’s pray.

Dear God,

Lord, how we love you. We thank you for the powerful stories from your Word about real people with real struggles, problems we still experience today, generations and cultures removed.

Thank you, Lord, that we can feel a sense of wholeness and completeness while still walking the messy path in this fallen world. Thank you that we can experience your living water and be thirsty no more.

Lord, we empty our cups out. Our lesser loves: the things or people, the idols we have placed before you; we empty them out before you.

We ask that you would forgive us for turning to lesser loves when we should have been turning to our one true love in you.

Holy Spirit, we ask that you would now fill us with your love, your peace, your truth, and with your perspective as we navigate this world we live in. We ask that you would give us wisdom and prompt us in moments we are searching in the wrong places. We love you so much Lord and know that no one person or thing can give us a love like yours. Thank you for sending your one and only son to free us from this fallen world forever. We look forward to the day we unite with you.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.