“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain alone.”  (John 6:15)

How often are you alone with God?  How often do you separate yourself from the world to seek God in prayer?  What do you do when you face temptation or realize that it could be looming around the next corner?

E.M. Bounds so expressed this need to be alone with God in prayer, that I share his insight about what Jesus did.

“He must be alone in that moment with God.  Temptation was in that hour.  The multitude had feasted on the five loaves and the two fishes.  Filled with food and excited beyond measure, they would have made him a king.  He flees from the temptation to secret prayer, for here is the source of his strength to resist evil.  What a refuge was secret prayer even to him!  What a refu ... Read More »

Then Jesus was lead into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.  During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”  But Jesus told him, “No! The scriptures say, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  (Matt. 4: 1-4, NLT)
 
This scene has been rehearsed over and over in my mind for the past week. I am in the middle of a study focusing on experiencing the life that Jesus lived. My scripture reference for the week, were these verses. I read and re-read the passage all week, meditating on those verses. I piggy-backed this with a memory verse suggested by the author,
 
“No temptation has seized you, except what is common to m ... Read More »

Live as Jesus Lived “Consider it pure joy my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1: 2-4) 

The snow is falling outside my window, tiny hints of winter, that whisper quietly “it’s cold outside”. I sit behind my sturdy desk and type slowly the thoughts that come and go. I think of this blog space. I think of God. I think of my morning devotions. The silence. God speaking and me listening, or at least trying to, amidst the distractions of the HVAC unit on the roof. What do I communicate, what should I write? Do I speak of the truths God is diligently trying to show me? Do I talk of the newest books I am reading? Silence. God is walking me through a couple of texts right now. He is leading my early morning moments and providing some much needed “attent ... Read More »

When we talk about life, what do you think of? Do you think of how old you are? How you are doing physically? Your job? Your family? Maybe you look back on what you have accomplished or what lies ahead. But do you think of Experiencing this life through obedience to Jesus Christ?
 
I am reading a new book titled, “Experience the Life”, Making the Jesus Way a Habit. The central point to this book, in a series of five books, is to believe as Jesus believed.   Transforming the mind to believe as Jesus believed is essential to our life. It is the way we experience the life. It is the way we live with God.
 
How can I possibly live in this world with my thoughts focused on the ways of this world? Romans 12:1,2 says, “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasi ... Read More »

I am reading a chapter on Leadership from Gilbert Bilezikian’s book, Community 101, Reclaiming the Local Church as Community of Oneness.
 
It is fascinating.
 
I hope to share some of his thoughts with you in this entry.
 
“The New Testament norms require that the performance of all ministries be dependent on the gifts made available to local congregations by the Holy Spirit. Consequently, leadership assignments are expected to be gift specific.” (pg. 154)
 
The scriptures are clear that these specifications of gifts are indispensable for the proper functioning of the body. It was never meant to be distributed to only a few individuals. We may be multi-gifted, but never expected to carry out the work of the church by ourselves.
 
There came about a gradual replacement of ... Read More »

Building community does not just happen by itself. It requires some thought, organization, coordination, and cooperation. Biblically, this work that is required is called “ministry”.
 
In the beginning, ministry began with the responsibility that God gave to Adam and Eve in the garden. God put Adam in the garden “to work it and take care of it”. When Eve was created, human community was created. The two of them were commanded to subdue the earth and to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the ground. This work for them was a blessing to them, not a chore; it was their ministry. They were also given an additional responsibility of populating the earth. God entrusted this task to both of them. Neither one was to be excluded or excused from it.
 
Three conclusions can be drawn about the nature of ministry from the story of the beginnings. For one, the making of community requ ... Read More »

Our community is under attack. We face many obstacles when it comes to building community. The family is under constant pressure. Everything from divorce, child neglect, domestic abuse, and moral relativism are tearing apart the structure of the family. Schools and neighborhoods that were once safe are riddled with crime, rape, and substance abuse. “Modern knowledge and futuristic technologies have the capacity to resolve practically every demographic or economic problem on the face of the earth. Yet relational and social distress in multiple forms has reached a magnitude never attained before the history of humankind. Wherever it still exists, community is under siege.” (Bilezikian)
 
How has society responded, by building institutions such as government, business, schools, technology, capitalism, socialism, etc... But at the end of the twentieth century, fatigue and despair have taken over. All of the solutions have been tried and, instead of a new world order eme ... Read More »

I have started a new book called, Community 101, by Gilbert Bilezikian.
 
I think I can honestly say that I did not realize the importance of community, as Gilbert Bilezikian describes. And it follows the scriptures back to the Garden of Eden where the original intent of God’s true community fell apart. Our sin destroyed that community of oneness, and God’s plan since then has been to restore this oneness.
 
God offered the gift of oneness to all of us when he created us. This onenesss existed before the creation of the world. Bilezikian says, “Whatever community exists as a result of God’s creation is only a reflection of an eternal reality that is intrinsic to the being of God. Because God is eternally one, when he created in his image, he created oneness.”
 
The Trinity was the original community of oneness. God is presented as a Tri-unity of divine entities existing as th ... Read More »

A Life of Endurance: The Experience of Suffering
 
“Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us”, the writer of Hebrews says.
 
“Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4
 
We develop perseverance when we face hardships and one of the things that come out of our suffering and pain is spiritual growth. So, for us to be transformed, we need to look at how suffering benefits us, or how we respond to it.
 
And this leads us to the story of Abraham.
 
He was told to take his son, his only son, and go to the land of Moriah, where he wa ... Read More »

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23
 
Today, people are looking for a “balanced lifestyle”. Ask anybody today and they will say something about looking for balance. But a balanced lifestyle is not an adequate goal to which to devote our lives.
 
“The quest for balance can contribute to the tendency to compartmentalize our faith. Often a balanced life is pictured as a pie chart with life divided into seven or eight slices. It blinds us to the fact that God is intensely interested in our every moment and activity.” (Ortberg)
 
The quest for balance lacks the notion that life is to be given to something bigger than ourselves. Jesus never said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and lead a balanced life.” He said to follow him.
& ... Read More »