By Allen White
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13
There’s an old phrase that says “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” I don’t know that it’s true. From my experience, it seems that absence makes the heart grow forgetful. There’s a story about a college girlfriend in there, but I’m not going to bore you with that.
The writer of Hebrews penned this letter to Jewish Christians who were leaning toward abandoning Christ and returning to the Old Covenant (Hebrews 4:1-11). What was familiar to them was overcoming their newfound faith. The writer’s job was to show them how much better the New Covenant was. (It’s an interesting study just to count the number of times the writer uses “better” in the book of Hebrews.)
Meeting together and encouraging go hand in hand. When believers are together faith is renewed. Lives are refocused on Christ. Fears are eased. Courage is gained to face what is next.
Left to ourselves, we don’t do so well. The cares of this world creep in. Even those of us who pride ourselves as “good soil” (Matthew 13:1-23) find that there are more thorns growing up than we care to acknowledge. We were not meant to live our lives alone. God intends for us to do life together.
Now, our faith can be encouraged by meeting together with several thousand fellow believers on Sunday morning. We sing together. We receive powerful teaching. We might even have a few brief conversations in the concourse. But, the early church added one more element to their weekly meeting.
According to Acts 5:42, they met in temple courts (think: Sunday mornings) and they met house to house (think: small group). Meeting people on Sunday morning is like drinking out of a firehouse. It could happen, it’s just a challenge. There are many ways to connect at Brookwood Church: small groups, BrookwoodU, Brookwood Rec, BWomen, MOB (Men of Brookwood), Singles, Brookwood Young Couples, Impact for Young Adults, Praise Choir, Serve Teams, and the list goes on.
How are you intentionally connecting with other believers on a weekly basis? I mentioned in my message a few weeks ago that I am an introvert. Left to myself, I tend to seek quiet and aloneness. But, what is comfortable to me does not help me grow spiritually.
So, I intentionally started a small group two years ago. We meet every Wednesday for lunch. I didn’t know any of the guys in my group before the group started. Today, you couldn’t pull us apart if you tried.
How can you encourage someone today? Do it. Right now.
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Showing posts with label Regaining Your Enthusiasm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Regaining Your Enthusiasm. Show all posts
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Great Escape
by Allen White
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18
What if we could leave all of our problems behind? One day we will.
One day the national debt will be a thing of the past. Evil will be eliminated. Terrorism will find a peaceful end. Every disease will be eradicated, and every body will be healthy. Everything that everyone on the planet is fighting over will become a moot point. Protesters will give praise.
The life we live on this earth is not forever, but there is a life that is everlasting (1 John 5:11). Those of us who belong to Christ are destined for another place (John 14:2). The time we spend on earth is just a drop in the bucket.
This doesn’t mean that we should start living irresponsibly. We shouldn’t rack up debt because “Jesus paid it all.” That’s not where these thoughts are going.
One day, when we least expect it, God is going to take us home. It may just be one of us at a time or it could be the day when God takes us all at once. We will shed the worries and limitations of these bodies and this planet. We will be at home with God.
I must admit, this is not something that I think about very much. It’s easy to become so overwhelmed with life that we completely lose perspective. Newscasters tell us all of the bad news. News commentators keep our glasses half-full. But, there is a life that is deeper than all of the busyness we face on the surface.
We gain glimpses of eternal life when we connect with God in worship. For some, worship is accompanied by music. For others, we connect with God in nature, by serving, through study, or in a rigorous theological debate.
When we look into the faces of young children and see their unbridled joy, we get a sense of the life God intends for us. But, we got so serious. And, there are serious things that we are responsible for.
Julian of Norwich put it well, “What God most wants is to see you smile because you know how much God loves you.”
I hope you smile today.
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To subscribe or leave a comment on the galatians419 devotional blog: http://galatians419.blogspot.com/
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18
What if we could leave all of our problems behind? One day we will.
One day the national debt will be a thing of the past. Evil will be eliminated. Terrorism will find a peaceful end. Every disease will be eradicated, and every body will be healthy. Everything that everyone on the planet is fighting over will become a moot point. Protesters will give praise.
The life we live on this earth is not forever, but there is a life that is everlasting (1 John 5:11). Those of us who belong to Christ are destined for another place (John 14:2). The time we spend on earth is just a drop in the bucket.
This doesn’t mean that we should start living irresponsibly. We shouldn’t rack up debt because “Jesus paid it all.” That’s not where these thoughts are going.
One day, when we least expect it, God is going to take us home. It may just be one of us at a time or it could be the day when God takes us all at once. We will shed the worries and limitations of these bodies and this planet. We will be at home with God.
I must admit, this is not something that I think about very much. It’s easy to become so overwhelmed with life that we completely lose perspective. Newscasters tell us all of the bad news. News commentators keep our glasses half-full. But, there is a life that is deeper than all of the busyness we face on the surface.
We gain glimpses of eternal life when we connect with God in worship. For some, worship is accompanied by music. For others, we connect with God in nature, by serving, through study, or in a rigorous theological debate.
When we look into the faces of young children and see their unbridled joy, we get a sense of the life God intends for us. But, we got so serious. And, there are serious things that we are responsible for.
Julian of Norwich put it well, “What God most wants is to see you smile because you know how much God loves you.”
I hope you smile today.
Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/galatians419
To subscribe or leave a comment on the galatians419 devotional blog: http://galatians419.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
When You Need More than Romans 8 Verse 28
by Allen White
We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. 1 Thessalonians 3:2-3
In Paul’s letters to the churches, the word “encouragement” is often accompanied by sending a person. Somehow encouragement couldn’t be adequately delivered long distance. There is no encouragement without an encourager. The Thessalonians needed encouragement. Timothy was the encourager.
As believers, we can fulfill both parts of the equation. Sometimes we need encouragement. We need to know that someone cares about us. We don’t need someone to fix our problems. We just need someone to help us process our problems. We need someone to help us escape from our stinkin’ thinkin’. We need more than a recitation of Romans 8:28 and a pat on the head. We need Jesus with skin on to be there for us.
Who encourages you? Who prays for you? Every believer needs at least one person in his/her life who loves you, but is not impressed with you. If you don’t have that person, then ask God to bring that person into your life. Sooner or later, you will need that 2 a.m. phone call. Whose number is it?
We can also be the encourager. A quote I often overuse is from Chuck Swindoll, “Every person you see is a person in need of encouragement” -- believe it or not. Whether they look like they have it all together or they look like a mess, they need your encouragement.
One of the best places that I’ve found to give and receive encouragement is in a small group. Why do we need such a formal group of friends? A small group has the express purpose of pointing us back to God’s Word. It’s intentional. It’s on purpose. Left to ourselves, we tend to drift. Our group can get us back on course.
If you’re not in a small group, then find one. With all the DVD curriculum out there these days, you don’t need a “teacher.” The DVD provides the teaching. I would recommend that you find a few people that you actually like and start there.
Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/galatians419
To subscribe or leave a comment on the galatians419 devotional blog: http://galatians419.blogspot.com/
We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. 1 Thessalonians 3:2-3
In Paul’s letters to the churches, the word “encouragement” is often accompanied by sending a person. Somehow encouragement couldn’t be adequately delivered long distance. There is no encouragement without an encourager. The Thessalonians needed encouragement. Timothy was the encourager.
As believers, we can fulfill both parts of the equation. Sometimes we need encouragement. We need to know that someone cares about us. We don’t need someone to fix our problems. We just need someone to help us process our problems. We need someone to help us escape from our stinkin’ thinkin’. We need more than a recitation of Romans 8:28 and a pat on the head. We need Jesus with skin on to be there for us.
Who encourages you? Who prays for you? Every believer needs at least one person in his/her life who loves you, but is not impressed with you. If you don’t have that person, then ask God to bring that person into your life. Sooner or later, you will need that 2 a.m. phone call. Whose number is it?
We can also be the encourager. A quote I often overuse is from Chuck Swindoll, “Every person you see is a person in need of encouragement” -- believe it or not. Whether they look like they have it all together or they look like a mess, they need your encouragement.
One of the best places that I’ve found to give and receive encouragement is in a small group. Why do we need such a formal group of friends? A small group has the express purpose of pointing us back to God’s Word. It’s intentional. It’s on purpose. Left to ourselves, we tend to drift. Our group can get us back on course.
If you’re not in a small group, then find one. With all the DVD curriculum out there these days, you don’t need a “teacher.” The DVD provides the teaching. I would recommend that you find a few people that you actually like and start there.
Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/galatians419
To subscribe or leave a comment on the galatians419 devotional blog: http://galatians419.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 21, 2011
We Win, So Stop Living Like You’re Defeated
by Allen White
But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (NLT)
Okay, we’ll start this morning with a little etymology lesson (not entomology – that’s bugs). The word enthuse, is built on the Greek word for God, theos. To be enthused is literally to be “in God.” That’s a lot to be enthused about.
Paul’s last word in this letter to the Corinthian church follows a very long passage about the hope of future resurrection. The short of these 58 verses is “We win, so stop living like you’re defeated.” Nothing done for God goes to waste.
Are you living like a winner or a loser? Some say, “Well, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose…” Yeah, losers say that. You’re a winner. You don’t have to worry about losing.
We can even afford to be enthusiastic when things don’t appear to be going our way, because in the end, we win. We can be generous with forgiveness, because sin has been defeated, and we’ve been forgiven for all of our sins (Ephesians 4:32). We can be generous with our earthly resources, because God has generously provided for us and has much better things in store in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-20). Rick Warren puts it this way, “It’s not a sin to be rich, but it might be a sin to die rich.”
We can be enthusiastic about our prayers, because we know that they will be answered (Psalm 17:6). Or, we can watch a lot of cable news, get ourselves worked up into a frenzy that the country’s going to H-E-double hockey sticks in a hand basket, and dig a bomb shelter or something. Put a helmet on!
But, we’ve won. This is an occasion for excessive jubilation in all that we do. God is with us. We are in God. We are en-thused.
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But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (NLT)
Okay, we’ll start this morning with a little etymology lesson (not entomology – that’s bugs). The word enthuse, is built on the Greek word for God, theos. To be enthused is literally to be “in God.” That’s a lot to be enthused about.
Paul’s last word in this letter to the Corinthian church follows a very long passage about the hope of future resurrection. The short of these 58 verses is “We win, so stop living like you’re defeated.” Nothing done for God goes to waste.
Are you living like a winner or a loser? Some say, “Well, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose…” Yeah, losers say that. You’re a winner. You don’t have to worry about losing.
We can even afford to be enthusiastic when things don’t appear to be going our way, because in the end, we win. We can be generous with forgiveness, because sin has been defeated, and we’ve been forgiven for all of our sins (Ephesians 4:32). We can be generous with our earthly resources, because God has generously provided for us and has much better things in store in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-20). Rick Warren puts it this way, “It’s not a sin to be rich, but it might be a sin to die rich.”
We can be enthusiastic about our prayers, because we know that they will be answered (Psalm 17:6). Or, we can watch a lot of cable news, get ourselves worked up into a frenzy that the country’s going to H-E-double hockey sticks in a hand basket, and dig a bomb shelter or something. Put a helmet on!
But, we’ve won. This is an occasion for excessive jubilation in all that we do. God is with us. We are in God. We are en-thused.
Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/galatians419
To subscribe or leave a comment on the galatians419 devotional blog: http://www.blogger.com/goog_1780235386
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Are We Working Hard at the Right Things?
by Allen White
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. Romans 1:11-12
Often we shy away from talking about our faith. The assumption is that while we know that we’re inadequate, we assume that everyone else is adequate. We think “They don’t have the struggles that I have. They don’t have the doubts I wrestle with. They don’t lack the commitment that I do.” Guess what? We’re not so different.
Every believer struggles with something. It’s part of having a spiritual nature and a sinful nature simultaneously working inside you (Romans 7:21-25). If we weren’t saved, it wouldn’t be as much of a struggle, well, unless we got caught. Our struggle is normal. Look in the mirror and tell yourself, “I’m normal.” Bear in mind, we’re unsure of the definition.
Don’t get me wrong. We can talk the spiritual talk. But, the question is: Are we working hard to maintain a religious culture or are we being transformed? Many of our discipleship strategies tend to make us more like the Pharisees than like Jesus’ disciples.
In many Christian gatherings, there are a couple of pink elephants in the room. First, as Rick Warren says, “Everyone is in one of three situations. You’re either in a problem, coming out of a problem, or about to have a problem.” There is no problem-free option. Christians have problems.
The other pastel pachyderm is that every one of us has a measure of faith, but if we share it, we think we’ll be accused of being super-spiritual. Every one of us has a deep need to share that faith with others, and to be encouraged by each other’s faith. This is what Paul looked forward to sharing with the Roman believers.
But, how do you start that? Do you walk up to a Christian friend and say, “Let me encourage you with my faith”? That’s kind of weird. Maybe the conversation goes like this: What is God teaching you these days? What prayers have you seen answered? How has God used you to help someone else? Then, look for real answers, not Sunday school answers.
We can talk about everything else under the sun. “Who’s going to win American Idol? Boy, it’s a nice day. Man, this pollen is killing me. What athlete got traded where?” When do you make space to talk about the most important thing in your life, your connection with God?
Maybe the first step is to share this devotional with a Christian friend, and ask them what they think. Let these words erase some of the awkwardness.
Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/galatians419
To subscribe or leave a comment on the galatians419 devotional blog: http://galatians419.blogspot.com/
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. Romans 1:11-12
Often we shy away from talking about our faith. The assumption is that while we know that we’re inadequate, we assume that everyone else is adequate. We think “They don’t have the struggles that I have. They don’t have the doubts I wrestle with. They don’t lack the commitment that I do.” Guess what? We’re not so different.
Every believer struggles with something. It’s part of having a spiritual nature and a sinful nature simultaneously working inside you (Romans 7:21-25). If we weren’t saved, it wouldn’t be as much of a struggle, well, unless we got caught. Our struggle is normal. Look in the mirror and tell yourself, “I’m normal.” Bear in mind, we’re unsure of the definition.
Don’t get me wrong. We can talk the spiritual talk. But, the question is: Are we working hard to maintain a religious culture or are we being transformed? Many of our discipleship strategies tend to make us more like the Pharisees than like Jesus’ disciples.
In many Christian gatherings, there are a couple of pink elephants in the room. First, as Rick Warren says, “Everyone is in one of three situations. You’re either in a problem, coming out of a problem, or about to have a problem.” There is no problem-free option. Christians have problems.
The other pastel pachyderm is that every one of us has a measure of faith, but if we share it, we think we’ll be accused of being super-spiritual. Every one of us has a deep need to share that faith with others, and to be encouraged by each other’s faith. This is what Paul looked forward to sharing with the Roman believers.
But, how do you start that? Do you walk up to a Christian friend and say, “Let me encourage you with my faith”? That’s kind of weird. Maybe the conversation goes like this: What is God teaching you these days? What prayers have you seen answered? How has God used you to help someone else? Then, look for real answers, not Sunday school answers.
We can talk about everything else under the sun. “Who’s going to win American Idol? Boy, it’s a nice day. Man, this pollen is killing me. What athlete got traded where?” When do you make space to talk about the most important thing in your life, your connection with God?
Maybe the first step is to share this devotional with a Christian friend, and ask them what they think. Let these words erase some of the awkwardness.
Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/galatians419
To subscribe or leave a comment on the galatians419 devotional blog: http://galatians419.blogspot.com/
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