Thurdsay, April 5, 2012

Thought I'd spice this one up a bit and change the text color and the background color. You know, for fun. 

I feel like the Lord has placed a lot on my heart these past few days. Some of it was very frustrating to me and some still is. Going on walks seems to be an almost daily occurrence for me. (It's the best way I process things). One of the things that the Lord has placed on my heart is Community and what it looks like and how to pursue it. It comes straight from Acts.

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and

many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who

believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling 

their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any

had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread

in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising

God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number

day by day those who were being saved."  -Acts 2:42-47

This shows me what true community is. A joyous union of believers who enjoy the company of the people they are with because they are united in God. "All who believed were together and had all things in common." "...praising God and having favor with all the people." Sometimes I feel like there is no awe in Christian communities. We expect the Lord to work in a certain way within our community and that takes away from the overwhelming presence of our Lord. Our expectations lower His power in our minds, we belittle God and take away from the awe of who He truly is. Here is a key part of community; devotion. "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship..." The definition of fellowship is, according to dictionary.com:

1. the condition or relation of being a fellow: the fellowship of humankind.

2. friendly relationship; companionship: the fellowship of father and son.

3. community of interest, feeling, etc.

4. communion, as between members of the same church.

5. friendliness. 

They devoted themselves to the community, their relations, their communion. The definition of communion according to dictionary.com is:

2. a group of persons having a common religious faith; a religious denomination: Anglican communion.

3. association; fellowship.

4. interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication: communion with nature.

5. the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation.

 

The people have to be willing to devote themselves to the group in order to have community. If they are unwilling to do this, there is no community, just a work place environment. And it has to be the majority group. In order for a community to grow in God they must be devoted to His teachings and devoted to the fellowship of the group. A superficial group will not grow. They may grow in numbers, but their hearts wont grow. And I am not saying that God can't and wont use these groups. God can do whatever He wants because He's God. I'm just saying that He will be displeased.

Community is a wonder gift that God has given us to enjoy and grow in. Personally, I've seen the most growth in my life when I am in a strong community of believes who are united with one another know only in God, but united in each other. A desire to get to know them and what God is doing in their lives spurs me on. It's a spur that I only get from community. This type of community only comes from spending time with other believers, acknowledging their faults and striving towards God together. 

Romans 12:9-10
"Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other."

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

This is the passage I've been meditating on throughout my day. 

Psalm 113

Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!

The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!

One of the things I noticed in this passage is the word "PRAISE" is used 5 times and three of those times were within the first 3 lines. What I got out of this passage as an overall theme is never stop praising our Lord. "Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high"? No one! So, the only conclusion to draw is that He deserves all of our praise and that it should be continuous. Not just at church, not just in the morning, not just at night, not just at bible study, not just before you eat dinner, but always and forever.
I know that I don't do this. My mind wonders from Him and onto other things in my life. I've started writing the verses that God has placed on my heart on my wrist so that whenever I see it my mind returns to Him and what He is teaching me.

Suday, April 1, 2012

Well, this is my first time posting like this and I really don't know what I exactly want to say, so I'm going to just type and see what comes out of it. I want it to focus around what I'm learning/ what God's teaching me, prayers, experiences with God and things of that nature. We'll see. Also, my grammar stinks so please don't pay any attention to it. Also, I'm not trying to say anything profound or act like I know everything or anything like that. This is mainly for me, but I also know that we aren't suppose to keep with the Lord is doing in our lives to ourselves. It is to be shared in community. So, now that that is over with... let's begin with my day.

"You make beautiful things, You make beautiful things out of us..." I always enjoy worshiping to this song. Sometimes I forget that I am a beautiful creation of God. And that while I am definitely not perfect, He is making me more and more into the man He has created me to be. It's definitely a beautiful song.

At church today our speaker was Michael Gaye and he always has something good to say. He talked about how seeing and recognizing were two completely different things. That fear can keep us from recognizing who God is. I think this is definitely true, it seems that fear is a cloud and it masks truth. People act funny in fear and their reasons never really make sense. Fear destroys, it makes us doubt in the power and strength of the Lord. It makes us doubt who He says He is. He also talked about how the Gospel of John isn't about seeing a man named Jesus, but recognize him for who he is and what he does. The Cross would mean nothing with the Resurrection. With out the Resurrection, Jesus would have just been another martyr who was punished by crucifixion. You recognize who Jesus is by who you're with. That those around you should spur you on towards Jesus and you should do the same to them. Recognize Jesus through his peace (Shalom). This peace is the initiating steps of putting things back together to the way it was; the Garden of Eden. That is why Jesus came down. To give us peace in him that will bring us back to the way things should be. An eternal relationship with our Father filled with praise and worship. We don't recognize God on our own, the Holy Spirit reveals and opens us to Him. The Holy Spirit shows up characteristics of God so that we can have an understanding, granted it's a limited understand, but an understanding none-the-less, of who our God is and what He is speaking into our hearts. Then the last thing in church that went through my mind was that Jesus pursues me. I forget that he is constantly by my side and constantly there. I find myself in the mindset that I have to pursue him and that if I don't he's not there. But, that isn't true at all. He is always there because he is always pursuing. All I have to do is look for him, he isn't hiding from me and is only going to reveal himself if I win at Marco Polo. He is always within a whisper's length and I find that truly amazing.

So, I'm reading this book called, "The Knowledge of the Holy" by A.W. Tozer. It is a phenomenal book so far, but the chapter I just read is titled "The Holy Trinity" and in a nutshell it talks about how God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three in one. It talks about how people, including Christians, have trouble conceiving this because they don't understand it. They need hard proof that this can be and that removes the component of faith. "What God declares the believing heart confesses without the need of further proof." "We harness the mighty energy that rushes through our world; we subject it to fingertip control in our cars and our kitches; we make it work for us like Aladdin's jinn, but still we do not know what it is... We cover our deep ignorance with words, but we are ashamed to wonder, we are afraid to whisper 'mystery'." (A.W. Tozer) A few other quotes that I really enjoyed in this chapter are:

"I believe that Christ died for me because it is incredible; I believe that He rose from the dead because it is impossible."

"Reflection upon revealed truth naturally follows the advent (birth) of faith, but faith comes first to the hearing ear, not to the cogitating mind."

Prayer:

Father I pray that I don't fear. That you extinguish any fear that may dwell in me. That you are a powerful God and that you love me and have my best interests at heart. That I don't fear the unknown, but go forth in confidence in you. I pray that faith is enough for me. That you will increase me in strength so that I may not fear, but have confidence in you. I pray for wisdom and a listening heart so that I may hear you when you speak and a willing heart so that I may follow your commands and wishes. I pray that you fill me up and that I don't seek to be filled by anything or anyone but you. I pray for my family and friends that they may grow deeper in your love and understanding. I pray that you make me a stronger man in you. I pray not to fear man and its judgements. I pray that you reveal to me what your plan is for the things in my life and a certainty that comes with those revelations. I want to thank you for everything and everyone you have put in my life and for sheltering me through the storms that life and myself have put me through. Thank you for your undying love and your continuous pursuit of my heart. Much love Father.