Journey Toward Healthy Spirituality – Pt.6
SOMETIMES WE NEED TO DOWNSHIFT OUR LIVES AS WE CONTINUE ON THE JOURNEY – Pt.6
God wants us to downshift our lives at times – as we move forward on our journey toward healthy spirituality. Too many people suffer from something that now has a name: hurry sickness. Hurry sickness is a constant feeling that time is running out and my life is winding down so I have to move from thing to thing. My daily schedule is now controlling me. The perceptions of passing time that we observe on our external clocks cause our internal clocks to run faster.
God has given us a special spiritual activity that He wants us to engage in to help us cure hurry sickness by intentionally creating space for Him. It’s called Sabbath. Sabbath is intentionally creating space in my schedule to rest and experience the presence of Christ in me as a believer and His follower (Heb. 4:9). We looked at a number of passages in the Gospels about how Jesus practiced Sabbath. Engaging in a time to rest and reflect on God and His Word makes all the difference in our own spiritual healthiness. Sabbath goes beyond just learning some new information from the Bible to actually let His Word and His Spirit touch our souls.
Not only do we learn to practice the presence of Christ in our lives more, we also begin to live life more from Christ (John 7:37-38). When we’re controlled by the presence of Christ in us, there‘s a natural outflow of His love, patience and compassion toward others. Practice Sabbath this week for just a few minutes each day with prayer and meditating on Scripture. Break the habit of hurry sickness. Also, take some time to read Hebrews ch. 3 and ch. 4 – and notice what God says about “rest” and the Israelites, and the promise of rest for the follower of Christ today.
Journey Toward Healthy Spirituality – Pt.5
MOVING FORWARD AT A STEADY PACE – Pt.5
There’s a simple spiritual reflective practice that will help you continue to move forward at a steady pace on your journey with Christ toward healthy spirituality. It’s the reflective practice of Confession. Confession is perhaps the most important spiritual reflective thing that you can engage in. Confession helps us deny ourselves and paves the way for the Spirit of God to move freely in our lives and have His way with us. That’s the place where spiritual growth can begin to take off. Confession is simply agreeing with God about any sin or unhealthy behavior that may be impeding Him from having His way with us (Matt 16:24).
As we engage in Confession – at least a few times a week – we discover that our thinking begins to match God’s thinking on life. As followers of Christ, God wants us to live in reality. Reality is seeing life the same way God sees it. Reality is living life with the presence of God clearly in our hearts and minds. The best way to get back to reality is engaging in Confession. We suggested that begin Confession by making Psalm 139:23-24 your prayer. Let God surface some hurtful things or sinful behavior.
Once He does, confess whatever it is that He surfaces and begin to experience inner freedom and contentment because of the promise of 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Journey Toward Healthy Spirituality – Pt.4
CROSSING THE GREAT DIVIDE – Pt.4
Some people think that if they just try harder, they can close the great divide between the me that God made them to be and the me they currently are experiencing. They think they’re not being good enough in their efforts to try to please God. But since no one can live out the Christian life by their own will power, fatigue sets in and they eventually give up on God, church and others. Guilt takes over for a little while but that soon passes. A sense of numbness or “I-really-don’t-care” attitude soon sets in – or even boredom with the “things of God” takes over. It’s a tough place to be. Unfortunately, it’s a place where a lot of followers of Christ find themselves. How do we cross over this great divide of the more and better life that the Bible says is there waiting for us and the numb, bored-out and stagnate life we’re experiencing now?
Some people asked me for the Power Point slides that we went over this past week. I’m glad that many of you found our discussion this past Sunday very helpful in how to cross over that gap – that great divide – of what life is now for us and what we sense life can be as followers of Christ. In a nutshell, Jesus gives us hope in Matthew 16:13-25. To cross the great divide and experience God’s best version of you, cultivate your life with Jesus by denying yourself. Denying yourself is more about believing some things – rather than doing some things. As you allow God to change your thinking, the path toward spiritual health becomes easier than you think.
Journey Toward Healthy Spirituality – Pt.3
GETTING BACK ON TRACK AFTER A DETOUR – Pt. 3
We all have either tasted or had a deeper encounter with languishing. And, as we looked at a snapshot of the life of the Apostle Paul, it’s encouraging to know that even a man of God like him experienced deep languishing – even to the point where he wanted to die (2 Cor 1:5-11). But (remember the importance of the “buts” in Scripture from this past Sunday!) – Paul got back on the journey by cultivating the soil of his heart – with one, basic spiritual secret: embracing weakness. You say, embracing weakness – that’s a contradiction! Through human eyes, it seems like a contradiction. But, through God’s eyes, it makes perfect sense.
Paul showed us that when we hit that decision point of falling or moving forward, of choosing to languish or flourish – the way through it is, with God’s help, to push through right at the decision point (e.g., a decision to choose to sin, a decision to choose to wallow in self-pity, etc.) by clinging to God — by throwing ourselves on God — and then His power takes over and we can now make the right spiritual choice. Embrace your weakness! Don’t run from it. Don’t deny it. Embrace it and at the same time when you experience it – cling to God and His power in you as a follower of Jesus. You know what, life gets easier (2 Cor 12:8-10).
The best way to be ready to face things that come our way is to cultivate the soil of your heart. Take one or two days – or more – this week to practice spiritual journaling. Pick up a journal at any bookstore.
In just 10 minutes a day, experience God and His Word and prepare the soil of your heart for whatever comes your way this week. Start with the Gospel Of John and read through it — at a pace that fits you. The theme verse is John 20:30-31. Or, pick out some favorite passages to use for your Faith Journal time that day. Don’t forget to write out a Faith Step to take after each reading or journaling.
Journey Toward Healthy Spirituality – Pt.2
THE BEST WAY TO GET STARTED Pt.2
As a follower of Christ who has entered into a relationship with Jesus and experienced salvation (John 3:16; John 5:24-25), the Bible gives us encouragement as we journey toward living out the life that God has for us. One of the best ways to get started on our journey toward healthiness as Christians is to begin with the end in mind.
God did this with Abraham …
Genesis 13 [14] The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, [15] for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. [16] I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. [17] Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” [18] So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
Genesis 15 [1] After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” [2] But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” [3] And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” [4] And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” [5] And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” [6] And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
God painted a picture of the life that Abraham could experience. How do you think Abraham felt? He was motivated to go for it!
Why would God do this? Abraham was a man of faith but he was human like us – he struggled with doubts … (Gen 12 – lied to the Egyptians about his wife and struggled with doubt about having a son in Gen 15) so God wanted to encourage him … to continue on in his spiritual journey – toward experiencing the incredible life that God had for him.
What about you and me? Does the Bible say something similar to us on how to get going on our journey toward healthiness with the end in mind? Yes it does. In Philippians 1:6, God encourages us by letting us know that He will take the “good work” that He started in us by restoring us to Him through salvation and complete it by helping us become more and more like the person He created us to be.
Philippians 1 [6] And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
In Romans 8, we learn that once we become followers of Christ, God says that He will continue to shape and mold our character and life to become more and more like Jesus in all that we say, think and do.
Romans 8 [28] And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
What is the end in mind that God wants us to realize as we begin our journey toward spiritual health? In one simple word: life. Look at John 10 [10] {Jesus said} I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. God paints a picture of more and better life that is there for each follower of Christ as we move forward on the journey with Him.
Journey Toward Healthy Spirituality – Pt. 1
PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY – Pt. 1
John 15 [4] {Jesus} “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. [5] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
The concept of abiding is the starting place for any positive spiritual growth in our lives. Understanding and living out this basic truth will take you to the next level spiritually. Take a little time to read the whole chapter to gain some insight on what Jesus is talking about here in v.4-5.
To abide means “to stay where you are.” As a genuine Christian, you are “in Christ.” That’s your spiritual position. Our place is in Christ – in communion with him. Jesus uses the illustration of the Vine (Himself) and the branches (genuine Christians) to show us this basic key spiritual growth principle. The branch abides in a vine by drawing all its life and nourishment from the vine. So as we abide in Christ, we experience authentic Christianity by drawing strength from Christ in prayer, through Scripture, depending on Jesus for strength to obey, and by being continually conscious of our union with Him. As we practice constant contact with Him throughout the day, we are conscious of His abiding in us and supplying us with spiritual strength and resources. The branch can only bear fruit as it abides in the Vine. The only way believers can bear the fruit of a Christ-like character is by living in touch with Christ moment by moment.
It is not a question of the branch living its life for the Vine, but simply of letting the life of the Vine flow out through the branches. Sometimes we pray, “Lord, help me to live my life for You.” It would be better to pray, “Lord Jesus, live out Your life through me.” Without Christ, we can do nothing. A vine branch has one great purpose—to bear fruit. It is useless for making furniture or for building homes. It does not even make good firewood. But it is good for fruit bearing—as long as it abides in the vine.
Great 2K10 Day! Our Mission for 2010
DIGGING DEEPER ~ The Week of January 24, 2010
Nothing happens without prayer. Praying is a starting place for experiencing all that God has for us in 2010. Will you begin to pray this week for us to begin to live out these four mission areas listed below?
OUR MISSION FOR 2010:
1) CONNECT (UPREACH and INREACH):
~ 1. Everyone has something to contribute on Sunday mornings.
~ 2. Build into our kids and students.
~ 3. Create midsize fellowship and community environments.
~ 4. Invest in making Sundays the best it can be and invite new people.
2) GROW (INREACH):
~ 1. Mentor more Life Group Leaders and add new Life Groups.
~ 2. Encourage everyone to engage in the spiritual life process of becoming a growing follower of Christ.
3) SERVE (INREACH):
~ 1. Help people live out their God-given purpose at church too.
~ 2. Create a ministry environment where everyone serves in an area of passion.
4) CARE (OUTREACH):
~ 1. Empower people to use their natural abilities and talents to build bridges with people, families, kids and students in need in our community.
~ 2. Create ways for people in our church to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people in the community and in their everyday lives – in normal, natural ways.
NEW UPREACH, OUTREACH AND INREACH THIS YEAR (ideas from people at TCU):
UPREACH
~ A TCU Choir
~ Upcounty Kids Singing Group
~ A Sunday Creative and Visual Arts Team
INREACH
~ Sunday Night UpLift
~ New Upcounty Community Bible Study Classes
~ TCU Care & Prayer Group ~ Upcounty Life Clubs
~ Dinner4Six Gatherings
OUTREACH
~ TCU sponsored Marriage Seminars that take place in the community
~ Job Skills Workshops~ Upcounty Tutoring Group for kids in the community
~ Prayer Walking
~ Hampton Apt. Community Connecting
~ Capital Outreach Musical Events led by Josh Kemp~ Easter Outreach
At each outreach, we want to train up people to share be ready to share the gospel.
Let’s pray together about the mission that God has given us. “NO LIMITS” (Ephesians 3:20).
