Flocking Together in “Community Groups”

When you look at the snapshot of the early church that Luke provides us in Acts 2:42-47, those sheep were definitely flocking together.

In fact, over 50 times in the New Testament, our Shepherd tells us to do something with, for, or to “one another.” With that many commands, it’s obvious that the Shepherd never intended for His sheep to isolate themselves from “one another.”

Our church recently began something that we are calling “Community Groups.” It’s not a new idea.  It’s as old as the early church.  It’s followers of Christ flocking together to love one another as the Shepherd has led us.  It’s not another bible study.  It’s fellowship with people who devote themselves to the bible.

Here are a few comments from the reports being turned in after the first meeting:

• “We all agreed that the community group meetings are a great way to love one another, basically taking the time to get to know each other.”
• “We had a really nice time visiting and just finding out about each other.  The conversation was never dull…”
• “We talked about not being able to meet needs that we don’t know about and how unless you have developed a relationship with each other you would not always share your needs.  We decided that is why small groups (like Sunday School and Community Groups) are so important in developing open and honest relationships…”
• “We all agreed that the Community Groups are great and are really glad that we are participating.”
• “And a good time was had by ALL :)”

What a great time we had with our first Community Group night!  Besides the much needed interaction with one another, there was more than twice as many people involved in the effort than would normally be at a regular Sunday night service and nearly 70% of the number who attend Sunday School!  I can’t wait to hear the good reports from the next Community Group night on June 7.

It’s good to hear and follow the voice of the Shepherd…

He is Greater!

I was listening to the Shepherd the other day speak to me from Psalm 93.

I was really encouraged by what I read.  If you need encouragement, you ought to read it, too.  So I started thinking about WHY was that little psalm so encouraging…so uplifting.

I noticed that it says a LOT about our Shepherd!

When I read “He is clothed with majesty” I couldn’t help thinking about the grandeur and stateliness of this week’s inauguration.  That image of the capital decorated with the Amercian flags and the image of that sea of people gathered in front of the platform.  What majestic images!  But yet, God’s majesty…His grandeur…is INFINTELY greater.

And when you read the psalm, did you notice that it said that He “He clothed Himself with strength.” If it had just said that God is clothed with strength then I would know that He is mighty.  But what does it mean that He clothed Himself with strength?  Doesn’t that mean that He is not dependent on someone or something else to make Him strong?  He is the SOURCE of His own strength!  That is so unlike us, isn’t it?  So, He is greater!

Of course, the psalmist mentions the troubles of life that seem to keep on flooding over us, but yet there is that reassurance that God is once again…greater…than even the torrent of troubles that so often wash over us.

I have to admit that I smiled when I read that His testimonies (what He has said about Himself, what He has revealed, the Bible) is “fully confirmed” …FULLY confirmed.  If it had just said that God’s Word is “confirmed” then, by definition, that would mean you could trust His Word to be true and accurate.  But yet, to make his point and so to emphasize the trustworthiness of God’s Word, he added that it is FULLY true and accurate!   When you consider all the stuff in this world that you have heard and read and realize that very little of it is even close to being accurate, then once again you know…He IS greater!

Maybe that’s why this little psalm is so encouraging.  It does not focus on the troubles…or all the untrustworthy things of life.  It’s a little song about the greatness of God.

And maybe that’s why we so often find ourselves DIScouraged.  Maybe we allow ourselves to be distracted from Him and we focus too much on the troubles…on the things that are untrustworthy.  Something to think about?

Oh, it’s good to hear from Him who is greater!

Your Heart is a Greenhouse

Happy New Year!

I hope you have your best year in 2009.  My hope is that whatever was not good for you in 2008 does not reappear in 2009 and whatever was good just keeps getting better!

I’ve been thinking about how I can help make that happen in my own life.  Here’s part of what I’m thinking.  (How ’bout clicking on the verses below and compare notes with me.)

• Proverbs 4:23
• Romans 8:5-8
• Colossians 3:2
• 1 John 2:15-17
• Galatians 6:7-8

What I’m hearing from the Shepherd is that my heart is kind of like a greenhouse.  Whatever I plant and nurture in my heart and mind will eventually grow and blossom out of my life.  So more than ever I’m resolved to guard my heart and mind in 2009.  After all, that’s where my behaviors will get their start.  Seems silly to only work on the behaviors without having a change of heart and mind, doesn’t it?

Philippians 4:8-9

Listening to the Shepherd for a great new year!

Acceptable Sheep Offering!!

We remember that the sheep which were offered to the Lord in worship were to be spotless and without defect. Otherwise, the offerings were considered unacceptable.

Check out the offering that Nick Vujicic is making to the Lord by clicking here.

Thanks Nick.  I’ve heard the Shepherd through you today.

Sheep Stories

I came across a website today that really impressed me.  It’s well done.  But best of all, you can watch videos of different people just telling their story.  Some of the people you will recognize and others you won’t be able to forget.  Check it out at IAmSecond.com.

Too Weak, Really? (part three)

(This post will make more sense if you read parts one and two.  Thanks.)

When we let the hardships of living in this world break us, then something is not right.  That’s not what God intended.  But the problem is NOT that YOU are too weak!

The problem is that YOU are still too strong.  It’s kind of like what John the Baptist said in John 3:30.  In fact, why don’t you take a few moments and read these verses…

• I Corinthians 1:26-31
• 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
• Jeremiah 9:23-24

The difference — the power — that is within us who are Christ-followers is only seen when we accept that it’s not about OUR strength — it’s about HIS.  And we get in the way of HIS strength shining through the cracks in our jar when we keep expecting that somehow it’s about OUR strength.  It’s like we’re trying to plate our clay jar with titanium or something.  We’re too focused on working from the outside in.  Instead, we need to focus less on what we need to DO and more on what we need to BE.

• Let’s BE poor in our own spirit, knowing that we are totally dependent on HIM.
• Let’s BE mournful about the sin in our life.
• Let’s BE gentle and merciful with others instead of always expecting that from others.
• Let’s BE hungry and thirsty for HIS righteousness instead of making choices based on our own standard of what’s right.
• Let’s BE peacemakers who are grieved by the gossip and slander we hear instead of tickled by it.
• Let’s BE willing to risk it all for the cause of Christ.

In other words, let’s DENY SELF and LOSE OUR LIFE because of the knowledge of the glory of God that we have been given in Christ.  Then and only then will we be weak enough to be strong.

Grateful for His voice…

Too Weak, Really? (part two)

(Thanks for being here but please read the previous post before reading this one.)

OK…so…I just told you that YOU’re too strong in all those examples where you thought YOU were too weak.  Let me tell you what I heard the Shepherd say.

He says that He has always known that YOU and I are weak.  It’s really never been God’s intention that you do ANYthing because of YOUr strength.  YOU and I are the “earthen vessels” — the fragile clay jars in which God has put the “treasure“.

The “treasure” is “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” In other words, what God has “shone in our hearts” is the good news of Jesus — the gospel of His love and power for us who will believe. What makes you strong is not YOU.  YOU and I are just weak, fragile clay jars.  It’s what is on the INSIDE that gives us STRENGTH — the knowledge of the glory of God that we find IN CHRIST.  It is what is on the INSIDE that makes the DIFFERENCE.

What is the DIFFERENCE?  The Shepherd had Paul explain the difference in the next two verses.

(Did you click on the link and read what the Shepherd told Paul to write?)

So, the DIFFERENCE is that we fragile clay jars may get tossed around and abused by the ways of the world but we don’t break!  We’re not crushed!  Pretty AMAZING for “fragile clay jars” don’t you think!?  Oh, we may suffer a crack now and then but that’s OK ’cause we don’t BREAK!  I guess you could say that it was God’s intention that we be “cracked pots for Jesus”!  In fact, the cracks just let the LIGHT of the knowledge of the glory of God shine through all the more!

And that’s what God has always wanted!  As you already read in verse 7, God wanted this “surpassing greatness of the power” to always be seen as being HIS power and not from yourSELF.

What was that?  What did you just think?  Oh…were you thinking that more often than not you are “crushed”, “despairing”, feeling “forsaken” and “destroyed” by the troubles of this world?  Yeah, I can relate to that.  But I’m going to tell you tomorrow why we sometimes feel that way.

Listening for His encouragement…

Too Weak, Really?

Sheep am dumb.  It’s a weakness but it’s good when we accept it.  I think our worst times come when we refuse to accept it and end up relying on some false pretense of strength.  Let me give you an example.

Let’s say, for instance, that you know you should pray and read your bible.  But, even though you have good intentions of doing those things you always seem to come up short.  When that happens, how do you explain it to yourself?  Do you tell yourself that you are just “too weak” to set aside the needed time?  You just always seem to let other things crowd out the necessary time that you would like to spend in prayer and bible study?  So, you end up believing that YOU are “too weak”?

Let’s try another example…let’s say that someone has hurt you in the past.  It was wrong what they did to you and even though you know you should forgive, you have not been able to do so.  OK, so how do you explain that to yourself?  Do you tell yourself that you don’t have the strength to forgive?  In other words, once again, YOU are “too weak”?

We could keep going with more examples that involve other issues like serving the Lord, tithing, witnessing, etc. but in the end if those are areas with which you struggle how do you explain it to yourself?  Does it basically come back to YOU and YOUr strength?  YOU can’t find the time to serve?  YOU can’t figure out how you can afford to tithe?  YOU don’t know enough to lead someone to Christ?  YOU…YOU…YOU are just too weak!

Let me try to encourage you.  YOU are not too weak.  YOU are too strong.

I’ll explain why tomorrow.

Still listening…

“Baa” or “Maa” (part three)

So how do we resolve this problem of finding ourselves “crossing the line”?   (You may be upset at me once you find out you’ve waited two days for this “big news”.)

Well, again, there are ONLY TWO possibilities.  One possibility is that we are a goat.  After all, the stuff on the left side of the line is how God describes goats.   Goats are real.  Some of them may at time dress up like sheep but if their life is described by the things on the left side of the line…yep…they’re still goats.

The other possibility is that we are a sheep who has strayed across the line.  Remember, sheep am dumb.

So how do you know which one you are?  Brace yourself…here’s the big finale!

Answer:  REPENTANCE

Repentance is that very real and meaningful action where we realize that we’ve crossed the line and we’re grieved about it.  So, we turn ourselves around and hoof it back over to the Good Shepherd as quickly as we can.  He’s so good to us that He’ll come looking for us and call us back.  If you belong to Him, you’ll hear His voice and follow Him back home where you belong.  Genuine repentance in your life is an important key to knowing that you know the Lord as Savior.

What is NOT a possibility is going through life content to blur the line and somehow regard yourself as a sheep while being unrepentant about the “goat-like” behaviors that characterize your life.

I’m curious about what you’re thinking.

“Baa” or “Maa” (part 2)

OK.  Hopefully, you’ve read the previous post and done your “homework.”  If not, why not do that now and then come back to this post.  (After all, it’s not my voice you want to hear but His.)

On the left side of the line underneath “Goat”, you probably listed a bunch of things that included…

• doesn’t accept the things of the Spirit of God because it’s “foolishness”
• cannot understand spiritual things
• “sets his mind” on things of the flesh/things on earth
• does not and cannot yield to the law of God
• may “say” he knows God but if he is not obedient to God, he’s a liar
• loves the things of the world (stuff that feels good, looks good, and makes him look good)

On the right side of the line underneath “Sheep”, you probably included things like…

• examines/thinks about things of the Spirit (has the mind of Christ)
• in fact, “sets his mind” on the Spirit/eternal things
• putting to death the deeds of the body
• considers his body to be dead to immorality, impurity, etc.
• obeys God’s Word

So…the Shepherd has said some things VERY clearly.  When He talked about the broad road and the narrow road, He only described TWO possibilities.  When He talked about the separation of all the nations at Christ’s second coming, He only allowed for TWO possibilities.  And now, when He describes the kinds of life that people can live in the passages that you read yesterday, once again, only TWO possibilities.

God has clearly drawn a line between the two and He sees clearly the differences.  However, don’t we tend to want to blur the line?  Some would even say there really is no line and in the end everybody will benefit as a sheep.  But obviously, they have not heard that from Our Shepherd.  He has drawn the line and He is not inviting debate about where He has placed it.  So why does the line make some so uncomfortable?

I’d be interested in what you’re thinking, but finally here’s my thought.  The honest sheep among us look across the line to the left side of the page and in our hearts know that sometimes…too often…we could be described by some of the things on the wrong side of the line.  We tell ourselves it shouldn’t be like that, but it is.  So, what does that mean?

Well, some choose not to be concerned.  They convince themselves that since it is a common problem with everybody that it’s nothing with which to be concerned.  They may even tell themselves that God just wants them to be “happy.”  And so, in their eyes, the line that God has drawn has now been blurred.  They soothe the momentary uneasiness of their heart by thinking back to a time in their past when they performed some religious rite and convince themselves that because of that past event the line that God has clearly drawn does not really apply to them.  And so, in their eyes, the line is blurred even more.

But, truthfully, it is only “in their eyes.”  The line is still there.  God has not moved it.  It appears blurry only when we lose our focus.

In the next post, I’ll share with you the only way I know to regain a proper focus.

Listening still…