1. Open Door Celebration at Pocahontas Park: June 14
2. All you can eat Meat (Guys night out) : TBD but planning in progress
--special invites go out to Phillip Brown and Steve Smith for their "reply all" courage..
Sunday school and the sermon presented powerful messages today.. I hope we can get some more great commentary going..
CLASS NOTES
Peace and harmony is a choice. Hardship and Persecution is certain is we are standing up and testifying for Christ.
Hardship and conflict does not equal despair.
When we choose to seek God first and do kingdom work, we are provided the power to endure and prosper, for Christ has conquered this world indeed. We must LOVE one another.. in practice, not just in theory. This is not easy, and it gets even harder when in conflict but the imperative from scripture is the same.
Key Words to think about
ABIDE, ENDURE, LOVE, GENTLENESS, FAITH, COMMUNITY, QUARREL
Our full thread of recent emails is on the blog at http://hrbcopendoor.blogspot.com
Key scriptures from class today...
James 4:1-3
1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures
John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
1 Timothy 6:11-12
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
John 15:12-17
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
Key Words to think about
ABIDE, ENDURE, LOVE, GENTLENESS, FAITH, COMMUNITY, QUARREL
Our full thread of recent emails is on the blog at http://hrbcopendoor.blogspot.com
Key scriptures from class today...
James 4:1-3
1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures
John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
1 Timothy 6:11-12
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
John 15:12-17
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
3 comments:
Focus of the group/Purpose should be outward not inward. Without an outward mission, the group will ultimately self destruct and implode...
FROM STEVE: This message raised interesting questions, which led me to yet another: Do all ministries in your class, or church, or community lead toward joy and love and gentleness?
I've concluded that the answer is often "no" and it can be more or less so, depending on your calling and gifts.
We first need to understand what we are in the middle of a war. Jeff mentions that we will face hardships. Though we seem to want to avoid talking about them, spiritual battles are quite real and anything but the metaphor some scholars would have us believe. We face a real enemy. He knows our greatest weaknesses and exploits them. There are no rules of engagement, and if you think he is going to play fair, you're kidding yourself. So, if you are going to engage and try to make a difference in the Kingdom, you can expect to draw the enemy's attention. You will face opposition, even from your own people - especially from your own people - if they are not paying attention. They will likely not even recognize the role they are playing, and they are certainly in a position to do the most damage. (Only a friend can really betray you. You guard yourself against your enemies.)
I believe, too, that some gifts set you up as a target more than others. Gifts of healing, helping and mercy can be endearing, but teachers and preachers draw fire. Prophets are treated most harshly.
So, where's the joy? In some cases, it's only in knowing that you're doing what you are called to do. There will be times when we never get a clear picture of why God has us in a place. At those times, it has to be enough to know that God knows why, and that he will not release us (give us peace about leaving) until we have fulfilled His purpose. It has to be enough to know that it is for the sake of His Kingdom, and His Kingdom alone.
I believe, too, in the "theology of presence," meaning that our very presence in a place at a given time changes the dynamics and outcome of what goes on there. Remember, sometimes it's not enough to know WHY. Just know that God is working His purpose through you, and that He will continue to do so as long as you seek to follow Him to the best of your ability.
You may never know the impact your life has had on the people around you. The story for your Sunday School class or your church or your community may not play out as you have dreamed it would. But, it will play out in a much more positive way for many of the people there because you are there and allowed God to touch their lives through you.
It can be hard at times, but keep in mind that God doesn’t promise a life, here, without struggles – even tragedies or sorrows. Instead, He offers an eternity without them. In the mean time, as Jeff pointed out, He gives us the strength, wisdom and hope that we need to cope with the challenges we face.
Steve
Steve, Very beautiful writing.. and well presented. Thank you for that...
Three things in particular got me excited about your response...
Betrayal can really only come from "friends/confidants" -- totally agree, betrayal is a state of mind. That said, we must continue to expose ourselves, repeatedly and trust in the holy spirit to guide us. I get caught up here with "don't cast your pearls before swine" and I recognize there is a line, but I'd rather err on the side of outreach with some pain, than being conservative and missing opportunities to demonstrate Christlike love.
Persecution is real, and we rarely want to talk about it. -- Satan is insidious and very, very good at blowing up relationships. creating controversy...and diverting attention inward, when it should be focused outward on a shared mission. We rarely talk about the real root cause of issues. There are consequences to standing up.. We should be ready for them and trust. Using prayer, and humility.
We can't assess the impact of our presence on the world. -- We can't because the Holy Spirit works through us not to us.. We must focus on the journey, not the objective... Hard for us in our Type A, objective driven culture and society.
James 4:7-12
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
Have a good week everyone.. more thoughts.. keep em coming.
jeff
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