Core Value of CMA Part 4 - God's Word

Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success.

Read and Reread Joshua 1:1-9

As you read it, I hope you can really jump into Joshua's frame of mind. Moses, their leader out of Egypt, into the wildnerness, the one that brought the commandments from God to them, has just died. The people lost their leader so they felt like they lost their direct lifeline to God. God had been speaking through Moses to them. How would you feel? Words like scared don't do justice to their feelings. They were probably ANXIOUS, FREAKING OUT, SCARED OUT OF THEIR MINDS. Then God comes along side Moses' aide and now tells him that it is his turn now, go be strong and courageous and bring the people to the land I have prepared. SNAPS Joshua was again probably wondering how in the world he is going to do this. Is he the right person? How will people follow him and how could he ever be a leader like Moses was?

Then God gives Him the ultimate kicker - I will be with you like i was with Moses. Verse 5 - "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Amazing! God tells that to us today too. Jesus will be with us always as He calls us to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

Then God gives Joshua this challenge to give to the people - verse 8 - "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

Joshua can't just do whatever he wants, he can't lead however he wants, he has to do it God's way and know God himself. He and the people need to do this by knowing, meditating, speaking of God's Word - AND MOST IMPORTANTLY - LIVING IT OUT!!!!!

We love saying we know stuff in the Bible but we can't just let it be head knowledge. We have to let it be the very way we live our lives.

I know i have encouraged all of you to find God in everything that we do and see. So in our families, in our relationship with our friends, in media (the tv shows we watch, the songs we listen to, and the movies we see), in nature and that is important, but NEVER Neglect time with God's Word which is essential in knowing God and doing what He calls us. "Never let good books take the place of the Bible. Drink from the Well, not from the streams that flow from the Well."Amy Carmichael.

How have you done in this past year in reading God's Word and making that a priority in your life? Were you able to live it out in your life?

How is God challenging you to read His Word this upcoming year? Make goals (to finish the New Testament, finish the Old Testament, finish the Whole Bible)!

Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for our building expansion project. We want to establish a place where people can be discipled and grow in their walks and invite people to come join us in building God's kingdom.

Core Value of CMA Part 3 - Stewardship

First I thought it would be important to explain what CMA stands for to all those that keep wondering what CMA means. CMA - stands for Christian Missionary Alliance. It is the denomination that our church is part of. www.cmalliance.org

Everything we have belongs to God. We are only stewards. Read and reread 1 Chronicles 29:10-14

10 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
"Praise be to you, O LORD,
God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.

14 "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

The context of this passage is that David is challenging all the people around him to support Solomon in the building of God's temple. He is giving all the things that belong to the nation of Israel but also his personal belongings. All the leaders are also challenged to give to God's temple.

Then we see David's praise to God indicating that God is the ruler and owner of everything. All that we possess belongs to Him. Our resources, our money, our lives all belong to God. We often just make God part of our lives and what we are goign to give Him as part of what "our" stuff that we are donating or giving to the chruch. But there is something so much bigger that God wants us to understand. Everything (EVERYTHING) is God's. Look around, EVERYTHING is God's in this world. Once we get that into our heads, then we understand that we need to have that perspective in GIVING, SERVING, and LOVING to build God's kingdom.

We are enormously blessed and I don't think we need to feel guilty for all that God has provided in our lives. But if the things in our lives cause us to just want more and more and more stuff rather than more and more of God then the stuff has become an idol and it is time to get rid of it. Is there anything in your life that you just can't see yourself living without in this world? Even think of something shiny and new that you may have just received, do you see it as yours or God's? Here is the challenge use everything for God's kingdom, your money, your resources, everything.

Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray that your friends will lift up their struggles to God. That they know that He loves them

CMA Core Value # 2 - • Prayer

Prayer is the primary work of the people of God.

Read and reread Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I believe we all believe in prayer. I believe we all don't fully understand prayer. I believe we all struggle with prayer. But i think we all know that prayer is so important and essential so I hope that all of us strive to seek after a prayerful lifestyle. The reason being :Prayer is the primary work of the people of God.

I remember our missionary Evan Evans speaking to us giving testimony of prayer amongst Jr Highers in Africa. They invited the Spirit to come and join their small group and God did amazing things thru their consistent and fervent hearts for prayer. They just made themselves available. Are we making ourselves available?

I am here at Urbana and I was helping setup the bookstore. One of the books on discount for $1 is an audiobook "too busy not to pray". I thought to myself, wow what a great idea. There are people so busy they can't even read a book so give them an audiobook. But then why discount for $1, so more people can have this great resource or because no one is buying it? I think it is the later. We don't make prayer a priority of our lives or of our hearts. We make it an afterthought. Oh we should pray, or we need something from God - let's pray.

So let's pray. However let's find prayer a passion of our heart for our walks with God as individuals and as a group. Be challenged to seek after others that will pray with you. We are going to invite people to join a program we are going to call People in Prayer. If you are interested, sign up on the youth group door. Each week you will be given a different person that you will get to pray with (you determine where - at school, at your homes, at church, over the phone). This is completely voluntary but completely AMAZING - so come join.

Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray for any disunity that you may feel keeps your family’s focus away from God.

Core Values of CMA Part 1

As we approach the new year of 2010, I thought it would be great to reflect on the Core Values of the CMA. It would be good to see how God has allowing us to live out these core values in the past year and how we can be challenged to focus and live them out more in the new year.

CORE VALUE # 1 - Lost people matter to God. He wants them found.

Read and reread Luke 19:10

Luke 19
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "

8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

When you read a passage like this you realize how much God loves people. Not just the people that know God because they have been taught before or
do things that look good". God loves all include sinners. A tax collector was not very well received amongst the people at that time. A tax collector was looked at as a crook, a criminal, a traitor to all the people. He would often take money from his people and give it to the Romans and many times take money for themselves. But Jesus took a tax collector and held him in honor and said he will have a meal with him. Jesus sought out the sinner and showed them that he loved them and wanted to be with them. Do we have the same thoughts about the sinners around us?

In this past year, have we done a good job recognizing that God loves the lost. Have we been a light in shining to unbelievers?

In this upcoming year, think about ways God wants you to reach out to the lost. Who are the people God is putting on your heart?

Pray for Boldness and Pray for Wisdom on how to do this
and
Prayer Calendar
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
You are an amazing, beautiful creation! Thank God for making you his child.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

God’s devastating acceptance and our unthinkable freedom

Read this verse a couple of time and really let it sink in:

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

I hope you have enjoyed your journey through the book of Galatians. I know it has been enriched experience for those that have been preparing these. God’s devastating acceptance and love for us is so overwhelming. But instead of feeling this guilt that hinders us from getting closer and closer to God, we hopefully have found this unthinkable freedom in our lives.

This is an important place for us to begin this upcoming school year. We have to find freedom in Christ and not this feeling like we are going to be tied to a sinful life. God doesn’t want us to live these lives that continue to remember our old life and our life of sin and continue to fall back into that living. God rather wants us to have a new life with Christ, transformed and desiring so much to be FREE!!!! Not the kind of free that we can do whatever we want, but a freedom from following after Christ. It seems we lose freedom if we live by God’s rules and regulations. But once you have experienced a taste of God, you know that these rules and regulations are there not to bind us and keep us from “fun”, but they are given rather to protect us and guide us to true peace and joy in God. Also, hopefully as you have gone through the different passages from Galatians, you saw Paul’s PASSION to make sure you new the true way to God. That is through Jesus only. We don’t act like a Christian, or follow all these rules so that God will love and accepted us. It is God loves us and has given us Jesus, so that we are able to be loved and accepted if we place our faith in Him. So the response of Jesus in our lives is this desire to follow and obey Christ.

So take some time reflect on God’s love for you. Do you have a passion like Paul does to make sure that people truly understand that you can’t earn God’s love, but you must accept God’s love and see the ways it transforms you to live lives that are obedient and shine for God? How can you get there?


PRAYER CALENDAR
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Its Christmas!! Thank God for Jesus, and how he died for everybody! Without him there would be no Church

Not Circumcision but a New Creation

Spend time reading and rereading and taking note of keywords from Gal 6:11-18
11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
12Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. 14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. 16Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.
17Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
18The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Questions:
What does Paul say that we should boast in?


What does Paul say really counts?


Things to reflect on:
I love Paul’s attitude that shows that the only thing that matters in this world is Christ. It doesn’t matter who you are Jew or Gentile (circumcision or uncircumcision). What matters is a relationship with Jesus who creates us into a new creation. I know that I spend time reflecting where would I be without Jesus. I know that my life with be drastically different if Christ had not taken hold of me and made me a new creation. I ask that you also reflect and what does Christ mean to you. Where would you be without Jesus?

Spend some time in prayer
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Its Christmas eve! Pray for great fellowship as we worship the coming of Christ together

Doing Good to All

Spend time reading and rereading and taking note of key words in Gal 6:1-10
1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his own load.
6Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.
7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Questions:
As you circle themes and main ideas from this passage, what is the emphasis that Paul is sharing with the Galatians?

How is this passage connected with the passage from yesterday with the acts of the sinful nature and the fruit of the Spirit?

Things to reflect on:
The problem that occupies Paul’s attention while addressing restoration is pride on the part of the restorer. Pride is wrong (v. 3), and each restorer should check himself or herself out (v. 4a) and not find personal status by comparison with others, especially with sinning brothers and sisters (v. 4b). In the final analysis, each person is responsible before God for what he or she has done (v. 5). So why is it so hard for us to steer away from the downfall of pride. We too often forget to take our eyes off ourselves and place them on Christ, who allows us to see with His eyes. Christ then fills our hearts with a love for others. We must find the ability for us to humble ourselves and know when we are being selfish. We also need to fight the natural tendency to be offended or turned off when a brother/sister brings to our attention some areas of sin in our lives. May we be challenged by God to be able to speak truth into each other’s lives and also be humble enough to hear from others.

Spend some time in prayer
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for your friends who may have disconnected with God over the busy school year. Pray that they will use this time to reconnect with God.

Life by the Spirit

Spend time reading and rereading and taking note of keywords in Gal 5:16-26
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Questions:
What are some of the list of vices (sinful acts) that are present in your life?
How have you seen the fruit of the Spirit evident in your life?
Why do you think Paul ends with verse 26?

Things to reflect on:
This passage is so well known as many of us can even say all the fruit of the Spirit. However, we find more and more that even if we can list them out, how many of us really feel like the fruit of the Spirit are present in our lives. Can we share about ways that we have seen that work out in our walks? I remember helping out in a church in Hong Kong and many of the students were international students at Christian schools. They knew Scripture inside and out and could rattle off all the fruit of the Spirit when asked. But when I asked them, how were they able to see the ways you showed love to someone this week or self-control, not one of them was able to share. At the same time, this passage isn’t just about the fruit of the Spirit, but it is also the conflict between a life with the Spirit and one living for sinful desires. We must be Christians that are desiring more of the Spirit that will keep us from things that are apart from God. If you are finding yourself struggling, it is time to stand firm and look to the Spirit to guide you to be filled with God rather than these sinful ways.

Spend some time praying about what God wants you to do in next steps


Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray that you will be able to spend more quality time with your family over winter break

Freedom in Christ

Spend time reading and rereading and taking note of Gal 5:1-15
1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
2Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9"A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." 10I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. 11Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.”15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Questions:
How would you classify Paul’s tone of voice in his writing here?

Why do you think he was so passionate?

Things to reflect on:
If we could witness Paul speaking these words, I can only imagine him speaking from the top of his lungs and spit flying from his mouth as he seems so intense in this passage. Why so serious….??? Because this is a huge deal. Circumcision is the cutting off of extra skin on the male organ which symbolized that you were a member of God’s chosen people (the Jews). What has happened is that Jews are telling new believers that they have to follow their traditions and laws to be “true” believers in God. Paul is saying they are missing the point. It has always been about faith expressing itself through love. Thus, Paul wants them to emasculate themselves (cut off their male organ completely)…OUCH! He is saying that just because you do an action that seems to follow a law or tradition, doesn’t mean that you have a relationship with God. Today we don’t have the same issue of circumcision. However, we do see people sharing that you just have to be a good person. Or you just have to go to church and read your Bible. Those things mean nothing unless you have a relationship with Christ. Those things are intended to help you grow in your relationship not to be the reason why you have a relationship.

Spend some Time praying to see how this works out in your life

Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Confess your sins to Jesus and pray for forgiveness and a changed heart

Saturday Devo

For Saturday, we would like you to do something a little different.

Spend some time finishing the days that you missed and also reviewing all the studies from this week. Look back at your week to see if you were able to apply the things that God taught you in Galatians. Spend time giving thanks for those opportunities or pray for the Spirit to lead you to ones.

Saturday: Pray for the local community
Continue praying for those who are sick. Whether it be the common cold or a long term illness, ask God to watch over and heal them

Hagar and Sarah

Spend time reading and rereading and making note of key words in Gal 4:21-31
21Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.
24These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27For it is written: "Be glad, O barren woman,who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband."
28Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son." 31Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Questions:
What argument is Paul making here about why the believers shouldn’t return to their old way of life in Judaism? For more on the story of Hagar Read Genesis 16, 21:1-21

Make two lists of the characteristics of the covenant found in Hagar and the covenant found in Sarah.

Things to reflect on:
Paul’s final argument for why the believers should not turn back to Judaism is simple. If you want the old covenant, the covenant of slavery and of this temporary world, then you go back to Judaism and Hagar. The New Covenant, formed in Christ is represented in Sarah, and under it we are free! Which do you want? The old covenant or the new?

One thing to note is that in V. 29, Paul addresses the issue of persecution. The persecutors are the children of the world persecuting the children of promise. The Jews in that day were persecuting those who had converted from Judaism to the new way of Christ, to get them to turn back. Paul is reminding them to stand firm in the face of persecution because the inheritance has no part with the children of the old covenant. In the same way, we’ve got to stand firm when the world is telling us to go back to our former way of life, or to try a way of life that is more appealing. That way has no share with the inheritance with being a child of God. We are no longer slaves to it, Christ has set us free through the cross.

Spend some time in prayer

Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for God’s Guidance in the furthering the development of the universal Church

Paul’s Concern for the Galatians

Spend time reading and rereading and taking note of keywords in Gal 4:8-20
8Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
12I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong. 13As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. 14Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. 18It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. 19My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!

Questions:
What is the problem that Paul is addressing in v. 8-11?

How does Paul make his appeal to the Galatians in v. 12-20? Is it through logic? Reason? Emotion? Which of these do you think would have been most effective and why?

Things to reflect on:
Paul’s concern in this passage is that the Galatian believers not fall back into the old habits that had enslaved them prior to coming to Christ, namely, going back to Judaism. In coming to know Christ, they’d been set free from those things. What “weak and miserable principles” might we be turning back to that Christ has set us free from?

After telling the believers of the problem, Paul makes his plea to them. While he could have been logical or eloquent, Paul chose to use the emotion of the moment to get across to them his great concern for them. Paul was correcting the believers because he wanted all his churches to be perfect so his reputation as a pastor could be respected. His actions stemmed from a genuine love for his congregations. In the same way, when we see those around us that might be walking down the wrong path, we don’t bring them back because we want our youth group to look perfect, but because of the genuine love that we have for each other.
Finally, Paul has one clear exhortation for us and for the Galatian believers. V. 12, “Become like me.” Paul here wants us to follow his example. (Take a look at 1 Cor. 2:1-5, 11:1; 1 Thess. 1:2-10 for more on Paul’s example) But why the emotional plea to turn from their old ways and follow Paul’s example? V. 19, so that “Christ is formed in you.” That’s our goal, to see Jesus formed in us.
Spend some time in prayer

Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for your brothers and sisters that are taking their finals (16-18). That they will study hard and get good rest.

Sons of God

Spend time reading and marking up Gal 3:26-4:7

26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
1What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. 4But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Questions:
What does it mean to be a child of God (look through the passage again)?

Look in Verse 6, what does the Spirit of his Son do?

Look in Verse 7, why is this important?


Things to reflect on:
I remember being in Taiwan for missions and meeting many children there that were so precious and cute. There was one particular girl that had tons of energy and was extremely pretty. I later found out that she had been adopted by one of the pastors of the church. The family told me that her biological parents had put her up for adoption on the internet. That BROKE my heart. This young girl even remembered her parents not wanting her anymore because they were too busy. But when I talked to this girl, she told me that she had a new mommy and daddy. She was now their child and she was so happy. Do we understand what it means to be in the loving arms of God who is a father that will always love us and care for us? Do we understand what it means to have rights as a child of God? I hope that we would take some time and just be so broken before a God that loves us so much and how it touches our heart that we have a God that we can call “Abba, Father” – just like that young girl could call her new adopted father – “daddy”.

Spend some time in prayer
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for your friend’s busy-ness and that they will look to God for strength. Especially during the busy winter season

The Law and the Promise

Spend time reading and marking up Gal 3:15-25
15Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. 17What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. 19What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 20A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.
21Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. 23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

Questions:
God gave humanity the law first, and then gave us Jesus only two thousand years ago. What does this tell us about the way he works—his timing and his methods, as well as his faithfulness to his promises?
Now that we have Jesus, what happens to the Law?

Things to reflect on:
We went from having a covenant of the law to now having a covenant of mercy and freedom through Jesus. Jesus has set us free from the law—“we are no longer under the supervision of the law”. But what does this really mean? Jesus himself said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mathew 5:17).
The Law is split into cultural and moral laws; the cultural laws had circumstantial purposes and are no longer useful. This includes crazy laws about lint and things like that. However, as Jesus said, the moral law is still very much in force. The change, then, is not so much a matter of what defines holiness, for that is not what it means to be under the supervision of the law. What the “supervision of the law” means is that the law was the method of attaining holiness. Thanks to Jesus, though, we have had our sins obliterated by his cross. Under this new agreement, we are given mercy and grace. Now, these are of course free. But no one who has truly received the gifts of mercy and grace is exempt from the great debt of love that we now owe Christ. The derives from the idea that when you love someone, what makes you happy is what makes them happy. Our obedience to the law now flows from this thankfulness, as well as from the power of the Spirit. If you ask me, that’s a lot better than “follow the rules or go to hell”. Praise God, he is good.

Spend some time in prayer

Tuesday: Pray for your family
15 Pray that God will provide for your family’s daily needs

Faith or Observance of the Law

Spend time reading and marking up Gal 3:1-14

1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? 5Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
6Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. 8The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." 9So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."12The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Questions:
Do you believe that you are clean by Jesus’ blood, and his blood alone?
What does it mean that Abraham’s belief was credited to him as righteousness?
What does it mean to believe?

Things to reflect on:
Paul says it is impossible to follow the law—and some of us may identify with this, because it is really hard to live the right way by our own effort. We need God to help us out and in that spirit— Maybe we need a new perspective on the application and living out of our faith. Instead of thinking of it as “applying the Word,” per se, try thinking of it as having faith in God—because, as Paul tells us here, the righteous will live by faith.
Now, what does it mean to live by faith? Faith is certainly not restricted to knowing that God exists, etc.—if that were the case, Satan would have more ‘faith’ than us, because he knows all too well that God exists. No—faith is something which is not passive but active, not static but living and dynamic. Belief is certainly one element of it. But the essential, active part of faith is a conscious surrender to God, a decision to give our entire selves to him, a decision to trust God first with our salvation, and secondly with the transformation of our lives.
In other words, God’s word is best applied through surrender. To live a holy life, we must choose to surrender our entire lives to God and to actively trust him—and surrender can’t be done halfway—God doesn’t want just one part of your life, he demands you trust him with the whole thing. But once we give ourselves to God and fall into his endless love, grace, and mercy, it’s easy. The living starts with the relationship. As Jesus said:

Are you…burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life…walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. –Matthew 11:28-30, The Message

Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Ask God to show you what he is calling for you to do.

Day 5 – Paul Opposes Peter

Spend time reading and marking up Galatians 2:11-21

11When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
14When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
15"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
17"If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. 19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Questions:
What are some key observations about what Paul convictions against Peter?

How can we look towards our own heart and attitudes through this passage?

Things to reflect on:
Peter was finding pressure from people. He knew God and Christ and the things that he was suppose to share. However, he couldn’t back down from the people in high positions in the Jewish traditions. Paul was a brother that knew that he couldn’t just sit back and let him fall into this trap. He called him out on it. Too often we don’t want to be confrontational and we lack the ability to rebuke one another. Paul did it with the desire to love and love those that Peter was hurting and to correct those (Jews) that need to correct their thinking. Pray that we are able to rebuke, but with the right motives. Spend some time in prayer

Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray that we are constantly reminded of what we are to be like as the children of God. A Holy, Generous, Spirit-filled, Strong, and Humble people!

Day 4 – Paul Accepted by the Apostles

Spend time reading and rereading and taking not of keywords in Galatians 2:1-10

1 Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain. 3Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.
6As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance—those men added nothing to my message. 7On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. 8 For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. 10All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Questions:
What are some key observations about what Paul has been called to?

How does that help us understand more God’s heart?

Things to reflect on:
Many things can be drawn from this passage. Paul’s desire to reach out to the Gentiles (the non-Jewish people) which very revolutionary back in that time. The Jews were God’s chosen people. They were the ones that the message was suppose to be given to. God however was making it very clear that the message was for everyone. God’s chosen people were always suppose to share that with those around them. We should always remember the ways that God wants us to reach out to everyone that as His children we are called to be Blessed to be a Blessing. Lastly, something we neglect so much in churches now is the last portion of this section – to “remember” the poor. The disciples and Paul were so eager to love and remember the poor. This is a challenge for us to do the same instead of just being comfortable and desiring so much more of our own comfort in the materialistic sense. Spend some time in prayer

Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for Sunday School teachers for the winter and spring. WCAC is currently short staffed in this area

Day 3 - Paul Called by God

Spend time reading and rereading and noting keywords in Galatians 1:11-24

11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
18Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. 19I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord's brother. 20I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." 24And they praised God because of me.

Questions:
What are some many things you draw from Paul’s writing to try to convince them about the gospel he believes in?

Things to reflect on:
Christ transforms lives. He changed a man that formerly killed people because of their faith and now preaches to people about Christ. Our lives don’t have to be these crazy conversions to be used by God. What we do need to know is that God can change EVERYONE. His love and grace effects and transforms the normal suburban kid to the people with really crazy pasts. I met a youth that was afflicted with cancer. He saw it as a hardship and curse. I shared with Him that it must be hard but it could be such a gift from God. He looked at me strange. I told him that those that don’t have cancer can’t understand and relate and love those that have cancer. He understands them and has the ability to be transformed by God’s love and be such a light for others. His story can also be such a testimony for all believers in what God does in our lives. He never shared his story every before, but that night I asked him to share for small group. He did and I could see God do a special work in him and all of us listening.

Spend some time in prayer
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for the friends that you brought to coffeehouse. That you will follow up with them and that God would ready their heart.

Day 2 - Galatians - No Other Gospel

Spend time reading (more than once), taking note of key words - Galatians 1:6-10

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
10Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Questions:
What do you learn about Paul’s passion for the gospel?

What is the gospel?

How can we apply these things to our daily walks?

Things to reflect on:
The perversion of the gospel mentioned by Paul isn’t something so easy as in a rejection of God and people turning away from God. It was a message about God that you had to follow the rules and laws in order to get to God. This sounds so crazy to us but it creeps up quickly in our understanding of Christ. We have to go to church, read our Bible, pray, be a good person – that is what it means to be a Christian and the only way that God loves us and we can have a relationship with Him. Christianity is not a checklist of things to do and then God loves us. It is about God’s love for us and desire for us to come back to Him. If we accept Christ and the sacrifice that He lead down for us to cleanse us of our sins, then we have the ability to live with Him through Christ’s grace nothing more. Then we reflect Christ in our lives by living holy Christian lives.

Spend some time in prayer


Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray for one member of your family that is going through a time of trial.

Day 1 - Galatians

Greetings
Spend time reading and marking up Galatians 1:1-5
1Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2and all the brothers with me,
To the churches in Galatia:
3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Questions:

What are some key phrases that you can pick up just from the greeting that Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia?


What does it mean to be rescued from the present evil age?


How can we apply these things to our daily walks?


Things to reflect on:
Paul wrote “sent not from men nor by man”. This is an important phrase for him as he didn’t want to be seen as one doing things to please man or do things because people told him to. He wanted to please God in everything he did. There were many that were actually criticizing and persecuting Paul. There were also people following their own ways, although they were saying they were part of God’s chosen people. How do we do that? Are we following what people say or even trying to just please people or are we doing and following God as the thing that is the most important?

Spend some time in prayer
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Ask God to help you with the distractions and noise in your life that are keeping you from Him.

Compromising Crosses

Strange, is it not, that we dare without shame to alter, to modulate the words of Christ while speaking for Christ to the very ones for whom He died?

Christ calls men to carry a cross; we call them to have fun in His Name. He calls them to forsake the world; we assure them that if they but accept Jesus the world is their oyster. He calls them to suffer; we call them to enjoy all the bourgeois comforts modern civilization affords. He calls them to self-abnegation and death. We call them to spread themselves like green bay trees or perchance even to become stars in a pitiful fifth-rate religious zodiac. He calls them to holiness; we call them to a cheap and tawdry happiness that would have been rejected with scorn by the least of the Stoic philosophers.

Verse
Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:38–39

Thought
We've fashioned crosses of gold to wear around our neck or on our lapel. We place crosses on church steeples. Have we forgotten that for Christ the cross was an instrument of death? And our cross for us is a means of death to self.

Prayer
Forgive me, Lord, for trying to take cross-bearing out of my daily life. It is not innocent fun I need, it is holiness.

Happiness or Holiness?

We inhabit a world suspended halfway between heaven and hell, alienated from one and not yet abandoned to the other. By nature we are unholy and by practice unrighteous. That we are unhappy, I repeat, is of small consequence. Our first and imperative duty is to escape the corruption which is in the world as Lot escaped the moral ruin of Sodom. It is of overwhelming importance to us that we should seek the favor of God while it is possible to find it and that we should bring ourselves under the plenary authority of Jesus Christ in complete and voluntary obedience. To do this is to invite trouble from a hostile world and to incur such unhappiness as may naturally follow. Add to this the temptations of the devil and a lifelong struggle with the flesh and it will be obvious that we will need to defer most of our enjoyments to a more appropriate time.

Against this background of fact our childish desire to be happy is seen to be a morally ugly thing, wholly foreign to the Spirit of the Man of Sorrows and contrary to the teaching and practice of His apostles.

Any appeal to the public in the name of Christ that rises no higher than an invitation to tranquillity must be recognized as mere humanism with a few words of Jesus thrown in to make it appear Christian. But only that is truly Christian which accords with the Spirit and teachings of Christ. Everything else is un-Christian or anti-Christian, no matter whence it emanates.

Verse
Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. Hebrews 12:10

Thought
There is peace and joy in following Christ. However, that peace and joy are sometimes experienced in the difficult times of life which are not "happy times." Sometimes we must choose between happiness and holiness.

Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for discipline that leads to holiness. It may not make me happy but it grows me in Christ.

Escaping Human Ruin

Devotion from A.W. Tozer

We can know our present properly only as we know our past, and in that past there occurred something disgraceful and tragic, namely, the loss of our moral character and rebellion against our Creator. That we also lost our happiness is of secondary importance since it is but a result of our alienation from God and not a part of that alienation.

The primary work of Christ in redemption is to justify, sanctify and ultimately to glorify a company of persons salvaged from the ruin of the human race.

For the convenience of any who may not be familiar with the words used here I would explain that justify means to declare righteous before God, sanctify means to make holy, and glorify means in effect to remake the entire personality after the image of Christ. This will fit us to dwell eternally in that heaven about which the Bible speaks and which is both a state of being and a location. In that heaven the ransomed will experience unclouded communion with the Triune God; and that will itself assure unalloyed blessedness.

I have just now used the word "ruin" and associated it with the human race. This is not a figure of speech nor is it an extravagant or irresponsible use of a word. The race lies in ruin, spiritually, morally and physically. History and the daily newspaper testify to our moral ruin. The long parade of gods both virtuous and obscene and a thousand varieties of vain and meaningless religious practices declare our spiritual degeneration, while disease, old age and death testify sadly to the completeness of our physical decay.

Verse
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.' First Corinthians 1:30–31

Thought
It is understanding of our lostness, our human ruin, that magnifies our desparate need of redemption. Justification, sanctification, glorification are not merely theological terms. They describe what we may all experience through faith in Christ and without which we sink into eternal lostness.

Prayer
It is to You, I look, O God. Eternal lostness is what I deserve but I trust You for eternal life through Christ.

Living the Life We Talk

This devotional is from A.W. Tozer

Many Christians love foreign missions who cannot bring themselves to love foreigners. They pray tenderly for the colored man in Africa but they cannot stand him in America. They love the Chinese in Hong Kong and are willing to give generously to send someone to convert him, but they never try to convert him when he is in a laundry on Main Street. They wear a flower to honor mother on her day, but she is too much of an inconvenience to be welcome in the home, so she is shunted from place to place till she is so sick and weary that she can be sent at last to a nursing home to await the end.

I am well aware that this kind of thinking is branded as "negative" or "cynical" and that most Christians are not willing to face up to it. It was so also in the time of Christ's earthly ministry. Israel wallowed in unreality. The lives of the priests and people did not support their words. They talked a good life and lived a bad one. Our Lord could not abide the artificial and the unreal. Pretense was offensive to Him wherever He found it and He said so plainly. The consequence of His plain talk is known to the ages.

I believe that there are a few Christians even in these degenerate days who want reality more than they want consolation and who would rather hear disturbing truth than comforting error. They want to know exactly where they stand now while they can do something about it. They are willing to believe the worst about themselves and the best about the saving power of Christ. These do not need to take refuge in fancy. They will soon find reality.

Verse
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. Luke 12:2–3

Thought
Most of us have life practices inconsistent with our "Christian talk." They may be part of our social or family inheritance. The Holy Spirit is at work to unveil those dark corners. Painful as that exposure is, it is necessary so that we may grow in Christ.

Prayer
You know, Lord, those areas of my life inconsistent with Your Word and will. Expose them to me that by Your enablement I might confess and abandon them.

Encouragement!

Taken from NIV Extreme Teen Bible

Alright, I think this Study Bible has a lot of practical applications that are easy to apply to our lives. This time, I found one in Hebrews 3:13.

“But exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin”

Most of us feel insecure when we are in a different place, doing new things, or meeting new people. Somehow we forget everything that is good and strong about ourselves. We can only see our weaknesses and think about our failures. You or your friend may need some encouragement in this area.
Verse 13 says that we need encouragement every day. That's what being the body of Christ is all about. Christians are supposed to encourage one another and remind each other that they are children of a loving God – empowered by His Strength and covered by His grace. It's our job to encourage each other and be there for one another.

“Blessed be the God and Father our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” - 1 Corinthians 1:3-4

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” - Galatians 6:9-10

“Now we exhort you brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the faint-hearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:28


Reflect on these passages as well as the one in Hebrews and see how you can be one of encouragement.

PRAYER CALENDAR
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Thank God for the Church, the global believers that are all preparing for the second coming

Little Heart in a Big City

You all have heard stories of people trying to make it big in even bigger cities. New York City, Chicago, Detroit, etc. You probably heard of how people eventually faded into the vast expanse of life, and sometimes of people striking it big. Nevertheless, you know for sure that big cities are cruel and cold and unforgiving. Now imagine Rome, the New York City of Europe way back when. Remember a few weeks ago, when I wrote about the fight that erupted in the Sanhedrin, and we all wondered what would happen when he went to big, bad, Rome? Well, read this passage:

Acts 28:11-31

Amazing, isn’t it? Paul was persecuted in Jerusalem by the Jewish people, and the commotion that he stirred there should have been nothing compared to what would happen in Rome, which is known to be unforgiving to those who preach God’s word. But that’s not the case here. Remember when God told Paul to not fear, for He was with Paul? Well God kept his promise, of course. Paul received a relatively warm welcome from the leader of the Jews in Rome. When he went to preach the good news of Jesus, he was successful at winning hearts for Christ. Of course there would be opposition, but none that matched the magnitude of what occurred at the Sanhedrin. Paul was able to settle in Rome for 2 whole years preaching the Word of God to the citizens of Rome. This passage should be an encouragement for all of us, because God has made a similar promise to us. When we became part of His family, He told us that we would be protected, and that He would be with us until the end of time. With that in mind, we should have no fear in speaking the Lord’s word. More than speaking, we should have no fear in living the Lord’s word. God had done amazing works in Paul, even when he was in Rome, even after he had been so discouraged after the Sanhedrin fiasco. God has a plan for you, and just because you have been struggling or have failed in one regard does not mean that God has forgotten about you. Remember, when one door closes, many more open. Ask God to show you these doors, and ask for the courage and the trust to let God take you where He wants you. With God at our side, how can we fail?

PRAYER CALENDAR
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Thank God for the church, that he has provided us a place to gather and worship him

Go Light Your World!

Read: Acts 28:1-10

The Biblical narrative now takes us to Paul, who was shipwrecked and found himself, along with the survivors, on the island of Malta. While helping the friendly Maltese build a fire, a poisonous snake came out and bit him, generating rumors among the Maltese that Paul was some getaway murderer. But when they noticed that Paul was okay, they changed their minds. Now, we hope that they would change their minds and think that God is the great Healer and Protector.

But no, the Maltese thought he was a god. Not long ago, we read about Paul and Barnabas at Lystra (Acts 14). Paul, by the power of the Holy Spirit, performed a miracle where a lame man finally could walk. Even though Paul and Barnabas tried to convince to Lycaonians that they were not gods, the crowd not only didn’t change their minds, but the priests of Zeus came to bring offerings to them! Don’t the Lycaonians “get it”? Don’t the Maltese “get it”?

But we must realize that even though God works powerfully in very visible ways, the people of this world fundamentally live in darkness. When you’re in a dark room, you certainly will behave like you’re stupid and silly. You can’t see, so you feel the air until your hands (or legs) bump into something, after which you feel around until you arrive at a switch. If you’re not careful, you might break something. So it is with people who are living in spiritual darkness. Until they receive the Light that is Christ, they will be like people feeling around in this world, trying to find that one switch that, when turned on, makes sense of the world around them.

That’s why we see so much brokenness in this world, because people are feeling around for that light. In Singapore, even though the country is extremely wealthy and safe, the people are not all happy. I see lots of young junior highers dating in Singapore, and it seems like a trend in the country. My mom talks about how instead of studying, so many young people in Singapore are now just wasting their days away either on the computer or with their “dates”. Across from my church-away-from-home, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, is an adults-only shop, something that I would never have thought of finding in Singapore. In the Anglican church there is a lot of debate about homosexuality, but psychologists have found that homosexual behavior is not genetic, but often the result of emotional damage. My mom told me of a 24-year old Singaporean who had a stroke. The reason: he (1) smoked, (2) spent his life at an internet cafe playing online games, and (3) ate McDonald’s for all his meals.

So many people in hopeless darkness, and so many people not “getting it”! This darkness causes us to mourn in sadness, kneel in despair and cry in the rain, does it not? But it is in times of darkness that people come to know the truth. That’s exactly why we need to go out and bring the light of Christ to the others, especially in difficult times.

Sure, our prayer meetings might be filled with stories of governments oppressing Christians. And yes, it should weigh heavily upon our souls that some governments like China and Malaysia are actively repressing Christian worship. But at the same time we should be encouraged by stories such as that in the native tribes of Papua New Guinea who converted to Christianity. Among one of their Christian practices is to display the skulls of enemies they had killed prior to their conversion. A missionary once came and asked them why they do that. The tribal chief said, “We display the skulls to show our young children that this is what we were like before Jesus came to our village.”

Shortly after the snake debacle, Paul was invited to the house of the local governor, Publius. After many healing miracles done by the power of the Holy Spirit, the population loved them and got to know the Jesus behind the miracles. By church tradition, Paul then began a church in Malta. The church still exists today, one of the many serving the Christians of Malta. Malta remains one of the most Christianized countries in the world, with 98% of the population going to church regularly! Indeed, the Light of Christ has been burning for almost 2,000 years on this tiny island.

Or maybe this story. Once a Christian high school student was bumped into by a seemingly aloof student. Her books all fell to the ground, to her embarrassment. The Christian student recalled, “I was tempted to tell her, ‘Watch it!’, but something told me otherwise.” She bent down and helped the student pick up her books. Later on, she ate lunch with her aloof friend. The two ladies went on to become great friends. The day they left for college, the Christian student received a note from her friend. Apparently, the day she accidentally bumped into her, she was depressed and was planning to commit suicide that day! But because of the Christian friend’s love, she changed her mind.

I close with a song that’s one of my favorites. As the song plays, reflect on the lyrics. Usually, I’d have an application with a bunch of other questions, but I think we all know what the application is. The only question is: how will YOU take your candle and go light your world?

PRAYER CALENDAR
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Thank God for giving you friends who are a light to you, and friends who you can be a light to.

Agents of Hope

Read Acts 27:27-44

In the passage right before this, we see Paul is being transferred as a prisoner to Rome. We continue in this section to see a very narrative passage which seems to just give us a very Luke-like detailed account of what happened. However, we must understand that we can see ways that God is calling us to be like Paul in situations where we are among non-Christians (his fellow prisoners as well as the sailors and soldiers transferring them) but need to be such a witness to them. Paul exercises great leadership skills given from God. I was reading Ajith Fernando’s commentary on this passage and he says, “God called Paul to find significant things about leadership in what we might call “secular” situations, which are the situations in which Christians find themselves most often. Paul was an agent of hope, a wise person, one who had an attitude of servanthood, and one whose testimony was clear and appropriate.”

We can find ourselves very often in the secular world. We have the opportunity to be agents of hope and rays of light for the people living in times where miserable situations overwhelm them. Without a trust in God, we also could be caught in this, but since we know God is sovereign and trust in His faithfulness, we can exercise a peace that comes from above. With this type of attitude and living, people around us desire to understand what is different about us. This gives the opportunity for us to share about the God we believe in. In today’s society, Christians are often shown as religious people who are nice people but don’t really know much about what is happening in the world (which may be true about some of us). Therefore, since Christians are like this, they are of little use in emergencies, for they lack the wisdom needed. Paul did not fit into this stereotype, nor did Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel and many other people from the Old Testament.
Ajith again states, “we are challenged to be alert to what is happening in the world and to seek wisdom on the best ways to live and work in this world. While some may be gifted with more wisdom than others, this is essentially something we acquire through alert observation, through conversations with people active in fields different from ours, through reading periodicals and books, through viewing programs that give us information about the world around us, and through involvement in the affairs of the societies and nations in which we live.”

So in other words, we have to really know this world and understand it so that we can be able to be wise in this world. Not to be conformed and sucked into the patterns of this world, but because we then are able to see the ways that God gives us wisdom to show that Christians are well-thought out, responsible people that are such a great witness to the God that we believe and serve. Are you being such a witness now in the ways you know what is going on around the world? How would you do in trusting in God’s faithful during hard times? Are you an agent of hope to this world?

PRAYER CALENDAR
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Thank God for your family.

Stormy Seas

When people ask me what was the most difficult time of my life, I point to two times. One was in high school when I really struggled with understanding God’s goodness. I was angry with God because my dad had died when I was so young, and I was having a hard time seeing the goodness of God in my own life. The other time was early on in college when after a few mistakes on my part, I could see myself getting kicked out of school just around the corner, and I had no idea what I was going to do about it. I was unsure of God’s plan for me. For me, those were two of the biggest storms that I have ever faced, and before I tell you about what got me through it, I want to look at how the Apostle Paul handled some of the storms in his life (literally!).

Read Acts 27:1-26

This is just part one of an amazing story, but the historian Luke documents firsthand what Paul and his companions were going through. Paul was on his way to Rome to stand trial before Caesar, he had been imprisoned or under house arrest for quite some time now, not having the freedom to minister the way he wanted. In order to get to Rome, they took the fastest means of travel, sailing across the Mediterranean Sea. Luke then goes on to describe the storm in great detail as well as the hopelessness that the sailors encountered. Acts 27:20 tells us, “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.” Luke is describing his own feelings as much as he is describing the sailors, he didn’t think they were going to make it. But how does Paul respond? He urges them to take heart because God had told him that none of them would die from the storm. He says in Acts 27:25, “So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”
During the storms of his life, Paul banked on the faithfulness of God. He was completely convinced that God would come through and deliver in a big way. And if you read on in Acts, God does not disappoint, he saves all the men despite the boat being shipwrecked! In the storms of my own life, it took me awhile to realize the solution was to completely be dependent on God’s promises. Whether it was my dad’s death or being kicked out of college, I had lost sight of the promises that God had made me. Even as He was showing me his faithfulness in plain sight, it took me awhile to realize it. The storms are coming, I’d be lying if I told you they weren’t. But the good news is that God’s faithfulness shines through the storms, and He’s promised to leave us or abandon us. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

PRAYER CALENDAR
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Thank God and his never ending love for you.

A Mission Statement

Read Acts 26:19-32

Paul finally meets the head honcho, the big boss, the King Agrippa. And what does he do? He witnesses to him! He just met the guy and he witnessing to him? He just starts off with his testimony in verse 20:

“First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. “

The moment God changed his life, he became a testimony and began spreading the gospel. To Damascus, Jerusalem, Judea, and to those outside of the Jewish bloodline. For his passion, the Jews wanted to get rid of him. Ever since he began his ministry, the Jews wanted to kill him. But with God's help, he is still alive as it says in verse 21:

“But I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. “

The king is like, “you're out of your mind!”
Then Paul is like, “nope.” and then he continues by saying, “do you believe the prophet? I know you do.”
Then the king is going, “Woah, woah, woah! Are you trying to convert me?”
And Paul simply replies like this in verse 29:

“Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

Do you see how powerful that statement is? That should be our prayer, too. We should be witnessing and testifying to others whether or not we get received in the right way or not. That is a mission statement. Therefore we should not be discouraged because God is helping us and helping them every step of the way.


Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Praise God for the ways He has been working the world, bringing more and more people into relationship with Himself.

360 Degree Turnaround

America has a very unique justice system. Offenders get free food and housing, rehab, and a chance for parole. I even read about this man who spent three months in prison, and upon leaving, stated that he wanted to go back because it was “so carefree.” Now compare this with God’s justice and retributions. Pretty marked difference, eh? Now imagine that America’s legal system is as absolute as Gods, which basically means it’s perfect. Now let’s imagine that there was this one man who went around persecuting various ambassadors who were only trying to tell other countries that America is a good place to be. Not only did he persecute them, he even tried to get them to renounce their belief in the good ol’ USA. But it gets even weirder: as this man goes to another city with his gang of haters to wreak havoc, he is approached by the President himself. The President should have the man killed on the spot, right? But what does Mr. President do? He says to the man, “Hey, I wanna recruit you as one of the ambassadors.” He offers this man who committed atrocious crimes a job; a job that this man has been working to overturn. Isn’t that amazing? Well, let’s take a look at the passage for today.

Please read Acts 25:23 – 26:18

Paul’s testimony is one of the most powerful I have ever read or encountered. A man who was wholeheartedly opposed to Jesus, a man who once proudly called himself a Pharisee to the point that his goal was to have saints and followers of Jesus executed, was won over by Jesus Christ. Paul should have got a lightning bolt or runaway train thrown his way, but that’s not what God had planned for Paul. God took Paul’s life and changed it 360 degrees, and the good works that this servant has performed are testimony to the Christ inside of Paul. So what does this mean for us? Well, God uses everyone, even people we would never expect! I’ve read about paroled murderers who gave their lives to Jesus Christ and did incredible works in His name. The radio station K-love once told about an ex-convict who was so changed by Jesus, that this man decided to take a 12 foot cross and carry it on foot throughout the entire country. And these are the tame stories! Rejoice, brothers and sisters, because no one is left out of God’s plans! So that means even the people that you think are hopeless are fair game in Jesus’ eyes. So that tells us two things: one, to be able to spread the Word to people who you think are too far gone, and two, that YOU are integral to God’s plans for this world. I want you to pray for a few people who you think are hopeless, and I hope that you can one day approach them- be the impetus for change in them! Second, I want you to ask God to reassure you that He has a plan for you, and whatever it is, it’s going to be glorious!

Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for the Alliance Youth Conference, that we will have good fellowship with the other youths

Acts 25: 1-12

Read: Acts 25: 1-12

I wrote a few weeks ago that, for the apostles, Jesus’ command for them to take the Gospel “to the ends of the earth” meant taking the Gospel to Rome, which was the capital of “the ends of the earth.” They knew clearly that once the power of the Holy Spirit captures the hearts of Rome, the entire empire would convert in only a matter of time. Only last week, Paul has been caught and, with Spirit-led timing, pulled out “the Roman card”, which is the privilege for a Roman to exercise his/her right to a fair trial. Now, the Lord uses Paul’s Roman status in another brilliant move. The Biblical narrative now takes us to Paul on trial... again. This time, the Roman magistrate of Judea was Festus. Festus was not a stupid politician. He knew that Judea is, like, 99% Jewish. If he could be seen as a friend of the Jewish people (i.e. his constituents) his leadership is secure. Since many of the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Paul at the time, Festus brought a few of them to Caesarea and held a court there with the intention of doing the Jews a favor. Paul was not stupid, either. He knew his rights as a Roman. One of the most privileged rights of a Roman was the ability to appeal any sentence to the Emperor Caesar himself! Paul knew as well that the Jewish leaders Festus brought to the “court” would accuse him of 1,001 serious violations with no evidence at all. When Festus offered to hold a trial in Jerusalem, Paul knew as well that the situation would be even more heavily weighted against him, he appealed to Caesar!

I’m sure what was on Paul’s mind was not, “Oh, thank God I escaped death again!” No. As you will see later, Paul would’ve eventually been set free had he not appealed to Rome. But saving his skin was not on his mind. Paul was concerned about preaching the Gospel and taking it “to the ends of the earth”! If appealing to Caesar is the quickest way to do that, then by all means he would exercise that right. Sometimes God places us in positions of power or privilege for the purposes of His kingdom. The story of Esther is an example of that. Queen Esther, if you recall, was the only Jewish lady living in a secular court led by the anti-Semite Haman. The Jews’ only salvation lay in her hands alone, as she had the closest connection to the King Xerxes. Esther’s brother, Mordecai, frankly reminded her: “Maybe it’s for this purpose you have been given this position.” Esther, by the grace of God, was then able to save her people from Haman’s irrationality.

Stories of this continue through the ages. Not long ago, a promising investment analyst at the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) felt called to attend seminary. At the time he was stationed in Hong Kong, so he attended the Anglican seminary there. He eventually was ordained, but decided to continue his job in HSBC. Within a decade he became the CEO of the entire corporation. Throughout his leadership, Stephen Green was able to minimize (but not eliminate) the bank’s exposure to the subprime mortgage stocks, which last year would bankrupt Lehman Brothers and cripple almost all the banks. One of the clear winners of the financial crisis was HSBC. Stephen Green remains a stunning example of how Christian leadership and values can have financial ramifications, and how one person with power is used by God to be a testimony to His greatness.

Or what about privilege? In the 1900s, Henrietta C. Mears was a wealthy L.A. socialite living in a red-brick mansion near Hollywood. She was involved with her church. Instead of shopping at exclusive places, and doing the typical Hollywood things, she opened her mansion to her church for fellowship... to the point where it almost became like a “second church building”. To this day, even after her death in 1963, many evangelical leaders like Billy Graham and Bill Bright would later count her as one of their greatest influences. So the moral of the story is that God sometimes endows us with power or privilege in order to further His kingdom. Some of you hold positions of leadership at church or at school, both of which are excellent! Do you use your position to further your own ambitions and goals or do you use it to further God’s kingdom? This is a question we all will struggle with regularly as we progress into college, graduate school (for some of you) and our working lives. Never forget, however, that you are where you are for God’s purpose. You are, after all, always working for our great Father in Heaven.

I close with a story of a dear friend - Ben Lowe. Ben came to Wheaton wanting to serve God and expand His kingdom, which is great. Originally, he thought that would mean majoring in Bible/Theology (great major too). But along the way he encountered environmental studies, and discovered that there was a lack of Christian witness in this area. At the time, the environmental studies department consisted of only maybe 3-4 majors (including Ben himself). Ben was first placed into leadership at youth group, serving as a counselor before being placed on leadership at A Rocha, a creation care organization. By the time Ben graduated, the “Green Revolution” has made its headway around the world! The Lord would take Ben to the offices of Barack Obama, Sir John Houghton, and to audiences at U of I, Wheaton, and various campuses across the United States to further God’s Kingdom in an amazing way. Ben Lowe remains a great example of God placing a person in a position of influence in order to further His kingdom... and he remains a great example for all of us to follow.
Ben Lowe’s influence, no offense, pales in comparison to Paul’s. In the case of Paul, his Roman status enabled the Gospel to not just penetrate Rome, but even enter the halls of the Imperial Palace and into the ears of the great Julius Caesar himself! Christianity, from then on, became a known religion. After 200 years of persecution, Christianity became the official religion of the empire. And to this day, much of our secular world, strangely enough, is still shaped by the Christianized Roman Empire. All this because God made it so that Paul was born a Roman!

To God be all glory, power, and strength indeed!

Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for your Christian friends, that they will not be swayed by outside pressures

“Don’t be Gangrene”

An important word to know before you read the passage is :
Definition – Gangrene: is an infection of the bloodstream that not only spreads rapidly through the body, but smells horribly. Foul, suppurating wounds keep increasing in size, so that it is one of the most difficult problems to handle, medically.

Read 2 Timothy 2:14-26

Paul is writing to the Ephesus church and is addressing arguments and squabbles that are destroying the church. So Paul shows that God's view of a church squabble is that it spreads like gangrene. It smells bad, it spreads quickly, and a whole congregation can be infected by it. It is important to read a passage like this and understand that it is a warning for all of us.

He also uses the imagery of living in God’s household. He states that there are some that are noble and others that are ignoble. So there are those who call themselves Christians in the church that we should “cleanse [themselves]” from. Therefore it is important to know what God stands for from his Word and Truth. So we must be dedicated to learning and studying it. Then we must be firm in standing for the truth in the church and making sure that the Word of God does not become watered down.

Lastly, with dealing with those that are not Christians. The greatest single turn-off for skeptics is the Christian who sets up an us-versus-them argument between Christianity and science. One writer observes:
When people on the streets are asked, What is a Christian? What do they stand for?, on nearly every occasion words come back such as anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-feminist, anti-welfare, anti-this, anti-that. And words like harsh, self-righteous, intolerant, or mean-spirited. Yet another poll of people, asked what they think Jesus was like, almost universally returns with words like compassionate, nonviolent peacemaker, and reconciler. How do we explain the contradictions here? Either the popular conception of Jesus is mistaken, or we in the church have been following the wrong agenda.

This passage like the rest of the Pastoral Letters, leaves no doubt that Paul was anti-heresy and anti-godlessness, but the point of this passage is that Timothy should not be argumentative and quarrelsome in his attitude, as the false teachers were. In this life we will always need to take some stands that are “anti,” but the issue is whether we can do this in a way that will not involve us in sub-Christian quarreling, producing a sub-Christian reputation.

Application Questions to Reflect on:
1) Have you found times where there are arguments in the church that have lead you or others into ungodly behavior and actions?

2) What are ways you can become firm in understanding God’s Truth and Word? What are some ways you have seen it become watered down in your life and the life of your church?

3) Do you agree that Christians are labeled with an “anti-“ attitude towards this world? How can we change that?

Spend some time in prayer that God would lead you to understand more of Him through his Word and how we are to live in this world.

PRAYER CALENDAR
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray that God will provide for your family’s daily needs

Standing Accused

Have you ever been accused of doing something you didn’t do? How did you respond? I think our natural response to a false accusation is anger or indignation. We don’t like to be accused of wrong doing, especially when we’re innocent. Often in my own life, when I’ve been place in situations like this, my response is anger or I become defensive. In the end, regardless of whether the accusation was right or wrong, my response wasn’t right either. In our passage for today, the Apostle Paul stands trial having been accused of something he had not done.

Read Acts 24

Paul stood falsely accused of stirring up riots among the Jews and trying to profane the temple. Never mind that it was his accusers that stirred up the riots in order to try and hurt Paul and his ministry. But how did Paul respond in the face of these accusations?

“I cheerfully make my defense.” (Acts 24:10) Paul knew the accusations made against him were wildly incorrect. But instead of responding out of bitterness or anger, Paul cheerfully made his defense. He did it with an attitude of joy, knowing that what he suffered was for the sake of the Gospel. When our desire is to respond our of bitterness, we ought to remember how Paul handled his accusers.

“But this I confess to you…I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets.” (Acts 24:14) I love how Paul, no matter his circumstance has Jesus coming out of his mouth. It’s just a part of who he is. When Paul speaks, the world hears about God. What an opportunity to show people the God we serve, to speak of His glory and honor, and to demonstrate how we’ve given our lives to Him even in the midst of being falsely accused. I don’t necessarily mean talking about God all the time, but do our actions reflect Who we belong to?

Spend some time asking God to give you the strength to stand for His glory and purpose. Even in the face of false accusation, our prayer should be that God would shine through in our lives.

PRAYER CALENDAR
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Lift up your complaints to God. Know that he hears them and cares for you

God Delivers

Read Acts 23:12-22


OK, so there is this group of Jews that want to kill Paul. They want to kill him SO BAD that they're not going to eat anything until they kill Paul. These weren't your ordinary Jews, these were super-Jews. They were pretty zealous. And they wanted to kill Paul in cold blood. Just straight up ambush him, stab him a couple times, leave him to die, and then go eat their food.

So we've painted the picture of their side. But what they didn't know was that Paul's nephew heard all of this, he told Paul, and then he told the tribune. So the plot of forty zealous Jews is ruined by one little boy. We don't even know his name! See, God worked in a powerful way as he usually does. Isn't it beautiful, though? Just because his nephew got the scoop, these forty Jews weren't able to kill Paul and then they starved to death. Just kidding, because by law, in the event a vow was impossible to complete, everybody under it were released from the terms of the oath. That's another beautiful thing, no casualties on either side.

Alright, so this was just a little Bible story that we've probably never heard of, but we can still take a lot from it. We see that God's hand was in all of this. He saved Paul so he could die another day. You know, I've actually been in a few car crashes myself. And God delivered me from all of them. If that's not God's power, I don't know what is, because one of them was a high speed crash. My name isn't even Paul and I don't even go on missionary trips around the area, but I believe in God's saving power.

Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for our brothers and sisters who are going through severe persecution.

I’m Gonna Start a Fight (For Jesus)

I remember when I was in Beijing China, after a breakdancing class that went late, I was eating in this Mongolian grill and bar, and the mother of bar fights broke out when these two blokes over at the counter disputed ownership of a drink. One thing led to another, and like a comedy movie gone wrong, mayhem broke out. Bottles were smashed, tables overturned, men screaming at each other, women running, children crying, tables overturned, fists flying. I remember being horrified by the violence (and the language) that ensued, paying the bill, and offering a quick prayer while dodging bodies and flying objects. I remember thinking as the police rushed by me into the diner, “All this over a single drink?”

Now you might be thinking, “Steven, what does this have to do with anything?!!” Well, let us look at

ACTS 22:30 – 23:11.

When two sides have opinions and views that clash, sometimes it gets really intense! Not to mention what happens when two opposing beliefs come head to head. Wars have been fought over these kinds of disputes, millions of people killed in the name of a god. Now imagine what went down inside the Sanhedrin that day when Paul knowingly brought up the controversy of the resurrection. Basically, Paul rattled the cages for God, to testify in the face of overwhelming hostility. Paul put his well-being on the line in order to bring the good news; he started a fight for God! That is courage like none other. God later told him, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” Paul’s job isn’t over. The brawl in the Sanhedrin will be a sibling tussle compared to what lay ahead of him. I’m pretty sure Paul was daunted by the prospect. If violence ensued in a small Jerusalem courtroom, what would happen in the New York City of Europe that is Rome? Would you be willing to continue? Would you be discouraged? I would be a little bit intimidated and disheartened, that’s for sure. But take faith in the Lord! He has our backs, and no courtroom showdown will daunt Him, so it shouldn’t scare us either. I ask you this: would you be willing to start a fight for Jesus? Would you fight the odds? Not that I’m saying for you to go tie two Bibles together and go nunchuck some evil Non-Christians. I’m simply challenging you to spread God’s word even in uncomfortable and hostile situations. Personally, I have trouble with this because when my temper flares, things tend to get ugly. I hope that I can be like Paul, calm and composed, but burning with passion for God on the inside. I also hope that I can place myself in uncomfortable situations for Him like Paul does. Forget those superheroes who throw themselves into danger for justice; Paul throws himself at entire cities in the name of God. That’s really worth commending.



PRAYER CALENDAR
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for our church’s expansion project; that God will lead us in the right direction