God Said NO!!

I found this on Pinterest. There is no source listed. It's so profound and fits beautifully with the message in the book, Cosmic Christmas by Max Lucado.


Said NO!!
 I asked God to take away my habit. God said, "No, it is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up." I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, "No his spirit is whole, his body is only temporary." I asked God to grant me patience. God said, "No, patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned." I asked God to give me happiness. God said, "No, I give you blessings; happiness is up to you. I asked God to spare me pain. God said, "No, suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me." I asked God to make my spirit grow. God said, "No, you must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful." I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, "No, I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things." I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me. God said...."Ahhhh, finally you have the idea." THIS DAY IS YOURS. DON'T THROW IT AWAY... May God Bless You.

Heaven and the Final Judgement

In chapter six of Pursuing More of Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz, death and judgement was discussed. We had some questions yesterday that we were going to look up after class. I didn't even get the chance to look it up yet and the answers came to me! It was a God thing:) I was looking for a Charles Stanley sermon to listen to in the car and came across this one. Not only did it answer my questions, but Dr. Stanley referenced the scripture that Susan and I were trying to recall.  Revelations ch 20

Ambassadors for Christ

How can we be effective ambassadors for Jesus Christ? This has been on my mind a lot lately. We are called to represent the Kingdom of God, to reflect HIS official position. But I have struggled with how. Obviously we need to be good examples, but I wanted to know more of how to share and what to say. It's especially difficult with close family and friends. I don't want to put anyone off with a sermon. I had an Aunt who did that to my family even though we were Christians and regularly attended church. She would deliver sermons to prove that her way was better than our way. I can speak from experience that that was NOT an effective way to be an ambassador for Christ. So I've been researching this topic, reading lots of different articles and sermons. Writing is a good way for me to put new information together so that I can live it out. However, I also have a deep-seated need to share what I've learned with others. It must be the teacher in me!

First in my mind, as ambassadors we need to be sensitive so that people listen to our message. Rather than scaring them with the horror of hell, encourage with the love of God. Arguing with people is never an effective tactic, nor is pounding them with their sins. Instead we should share how deep a love God has for us, that he gave His only Son up to suffering and death to save us. We need to convey how wonderful a relationship with God is and what a powerful effect it has had on our lives.

When we have our minds and hearts set on sensitivity to others, we need to be ready and alert for opportunities to represent Christ. Short interactions with others can be very powerful. Even small acts of kindness can open doors of understanding to others. We don't need to be armed with sermons for everyone we meet. We are dependent on God's power. We must use our best efforts together with God’s power in order to share the good news. We need to pray daily for opportunities to be ambassadors and for the Holy Spirit to guide us in what to say, and when to be quiet.

When we think of Jesus and His disciples sharing the Good News with others, what comes to mind? Like the disciples, we need to demonstrate the characteristics that Jesus taught such as kindness, self control, compassion, love, patience, gentleness, forgiveness, and humility to name a few. Be patient, don’t quarrel, listen in order to understand, then gently, respectfully engage people in conversation.

Jesus taught by asking questions. That is the ultimate model for us to follow. People immediately feel more positive when we are interested enough to ask them questions. If we are engaging with someone new, it is vitally important that we establish a relationship with them. Even with close family and friends, a good way to open up a channel of communication is to ask questions. We can follow Jesus' example by asking personal, meaningful questions. This shows our interest in THEM and gives us information about how they feel and where they are right now in terms of their spiritual growth or openness to more information.

We should obviously have knowledge of God's Word. We need to be able to share what God's Word has to say about different topics. We should also be ready to find answers if we are asked something we don't know. If we are not regular readers of God's Word, how can we share it?

Humility. Jesus spoke often of being humble. That can be a difficult concept in today's society. As ambassadors for Christ, we need to be humble, not arrogant because we know we are right. We must remember that our understanding of truth is fallible. We must not press a point beyond what we know or what evidence shows.

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

In the scripture passage above, two words popped out at me. I wanted to define them more so that I could have more clarity and understanding. An ambassador is a respected official acting as a representative of a nation. Sent to a foreign land, the ambassador’s role is to reflect the official position of the sovereign body that gave him authority. Foreign land? Yes! Christians are definitely in a foreign land here on earth. In John 18: 3-6 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

The second term is ministry of reconciliation. This is the work believers have been given to do and the message they to pass on to others. That message is that you can have a restored relationship with God through Jesus. Sin prevents us from having a relationship with God, but through God's grace, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross paid for our sins and brought harmony to our relationship with God. Jesus reconciled us to God. Verse 19 (above) says, “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ. He uses us to tell the world that they can be reconciled to God through Christ. In this way, we become “Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”

Christians are in a foreign land here on earth. Christ called us to share His foreign kingdom with others. Like Mission Impossible, our mission, if we choose to accept it, is that people can have a restored relationship with God through Jesus. Unlike Mission Impossible, if we are caught by the enemy while in foreign territory, we will never be disavowed. God will NEVER forsake us. Even though we are living on sinful, foreign territory, surrounded and persecuted by the enemy, God will never leave us. He is always with us. We must remain steadfast as Ambassadors for Christ. The best way to sum up how to be a more effective ambassador for Christ comes from Ann Graham Lotz. "I want to let Christ radiate from within me, His joy sparkling from my eyes, His love lighting up my face."

Hearing God's Voice on Your Heart

In Pursuing More of Jesus, Anne Graham Lotz is teaching Inductive Bible Study. As a former educator, I am impressed with this method, because it uses higher order thinking skills. This is the best way to retain information.

The object of these devotional studies is not to get through the study, but to develop your personal relationship with God in order to satisfy your spiritual hunger and increase your spiritual health.

NOTES FROM CHAPTER ONE

• In the first seminar, Lotz says that "there are so many voices in the world- they are like static."
• God speaks primarily through the Scriptures, and at times, through other people - which is where we must be careful.
• What others say should always be in accord with and confirmed by His Word. 
• The Confusion about Authenticity: This mixture of true and false shepherds can be confusing to those who have become casual in their relationship with God and their attitude toward His Word.
• When God speaks it's in the language of our own personal lives, through a verse or passage of Scripture that just seems to leap off the page with our name on it.
• When a person claims to speak for God yet that person is false, the authentic sheep may not know specifically what is wrong, but instinctively we know it is It's as though a warning bell goes off in our spirits. Our spiritual antennae are alerted. (the spiritual gift of discernment?)
• The only way we can know the true from the false is to know the Shepherd's voice - God's Word.
• One of the primary reasons we need to be in a disciplined study of the Scriptures is so we can saturate ourselves in the truth.
• In order to give God's Word out so that others can hear His voice in their ears, we MUST read it, study it, understand it, apply it, live by it. But that's not enough! We have to listen for our Shepherd's voice to speak to us through it. Personally. 
• We will recognize our Shepherd's voice when we listen with our eyes on the pages of our Bibles.

Prayer

God's Guidance

God has been with us amid all the confusion with different versions of our current book. The book I ordered directly from Anne Graham Lotz's website came yesterday. It's different than the one Amy ordered for us. Thank goodness because the one Amy chose is the best one for us!!

I just love how God has been helping me with preparations and planning for this lesson. His Grace is such a blessing. We certainly felt him with us yesterday as we watched the first video.

I'm so looking forward to studying John and learning to use this inductive Bible study method with all of my sisters in Christ!

Good and Evil Part 3

Pain and suffering presents possibly the biggest obstacle of our earthly life. As believers, we want to be good, we read the Bible and we long to have a relationship with God. Then tragedy enters our lives and we grieve when the innocent child suffers from abuse or a beloved parent suffers greatly from cancer. We pray for God to save us from suffering and we don't understand why he doesn't just fix it all. People wonder what is the reason we were put here on this earth, in this place, with these people in this circumstance. We must understand that in His infinite wisdom God has a much higher purpose than we can possibly imagine from our limited earthly view. C.S. Lewis explains that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Norman Geisler of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, says that "God is more interested in our holiness than in our happiness. He is more interested in our character than in our comfort."

One key to understanding why there is evil and why innocent suffer, is to also remember that we have faith the size of only a mustard seed. We are to have blind faith in the God of all creation. We must remember that God already has done something about evil. He sent His only Son into the world to die for the world and to defeat evil. This defeat began at Christ’s first coming through His death and resurrection (Colossians 2:14, Hebrews 2:14, Ephesians 4:7-12). We must remember that the Bible accurately predicted Christ’s first coming through nearly 100 fulfilled prophecies, also promises that Christ will come again and will completely defeat evil. Because of God's great love and sacrifice, we now have a way to be reconciled with Him through Christ. This does not mean that we'll no longer suffer in this world but it does mean that we will spend eternity with God. Revelations 21:4 tells us, He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

We know that Christ will return, and God will then make everything right, by destroying evil for good. We know that this will happen, until then, we must maintain our relationship with God, trust in HIs love, and wait for our beautiful life in Heaven to begin. This world is full of disaster, destruction and death, but heaven will have none of these. John said: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. … And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:1, 4,).

Good and Evil Part 2

Theodicy, (from Greek theos, “God”; dikē, “justice”), explanation of why a perfectly good, almighty, and all-knowing God permits evil.

In the last post I discussed good and evil. With those concepts in mind, we can begin to think about WHY evil exists and why God allows it. I realize that one article can not possibly address this topic fully or completely answer all the questions that surround it, but I feel compelled to share what I've learned through research, as I have been given much peace. Just think for a minute if God made the world perfect. If the Paradise lost in the Garden of Eden will become the Paradise regained, how did this one get so messed up? Why didn’t God make the first world and its people more perfect and skip this messed-up version in between?

Think of marionettes and puppets. If God fixed everything that was wrong...all the hurts and all the weaknesses, all the illnesses and evil in the world, then he would be a puppet master and we would simply be puppets. In order to take away evil, God would have to take away our free will. When sin entered the world in the garden of Eden, our ability to choose our actions let evil in the world. Think about the type of love that existed in the Garden of Eden before Eve took that fateful bite. What kind of love could Adam and Eve have had for God if they knew nothing but good? Compare that with the type of love that we can have for God now that we have seen and experienced evil. Now when we choose to love God, it's a deeper more authentic kind of love. Remember in the previous post, Augustine defined evil as a lack of something – rather than a thing or substance in and of itself. If evil is not an actual thing, then God cannot be the author of evil. God is the author of good, but we make moral choices that result in evil.

Think about a world without evil. This would be a world without morality. Imagine if God created a world where people could not choose, and He could force everyone to stop before they were able to carry out evil behavior. Is such a world where freedom does not exist good? Love is possible only for free moral creatures. Forced love is a contradiction because it's really not possible. So, in order for the world to be morally good, it must be morally free. People are capable of free choices that bring disease, disaster and death. This is the world in which we live.

Robert Velarde, former editor for Focus on the Family, reminds us that, "God knows best and, as such, He knows that our world is the best way to the best possible world. Yes, there will be evil and suffering along the way. We can rejoice with the apostle Paul when he wrote, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18)."

Good and Evil Part 1

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

It's important to have hope. Scripture offers hope and comfort, but sometimes we still wonder about evil. Just watch the news, that will have you scurrying to find a bit of hope. We live in this big bad world where evil abounds. People are hurting and have questions about God and good and evil. Many wonder how could a good God allow so much evil and why doesn't he do something about it? Couldn't God have created a world without evil? I think we've all had these questions at one time or another, and they really hit home when friends and family members are suffering. I did some research and I'd like to share some of the answers that I found. Rather than trying to put it all in one blog post, I'm going to break it down into bits. First, I'd like to share what I learned about good and bad, specifically evil. I never really thought about defining evil before, but when I read what some great minds have written about it, it really helps put everything into perspective.

The reality of evil and suffering has even baffled some great thinkers as they struggle with the existence of a loving God and the fact of evil. I've learned that there is even a word for this, it's called theodicy. Theodicy is Greek, theos - which means God and dike which means justice. One definition is: vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil.

In his book “Mere Christianity,” former atheist C.S. Lewis noted, “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.” Aha! When I first read this, I experienced a glimmer of understanding. I thought of starlight against the dark night sky. We never see the stars except at night. We know good because of evil. Another way to think of it can be found in what Augustine said. “God judged it better to bring good out of evil, than to suffer no evil to exist.” You must acknowledge that good exists for evil to exist. There can be no evil without there being good. Augustine defined evil not as a thing in itself, but as a parasite on good. Augustine considered evil something that is missing. It requires good to exist because it is a parasite.

There is one more point that I had never thought of and that is natural evil and moral evil. Robert Velarde, former editor for Focus on the Family, says, "evil actually extends not only to the moral world, but also to the natural world. When human beings do bad things to one another, this is moral evil. But so-called natural disasters are often considered evil as well because of all the suffering they cause."

With these definitions and explanations of evil in place, we can have a foundation for understanding more. The next post will attempt to provide some answers to how could a good God allow so much evil and why doesn't he do something about it? Couldn't God have created a world without evil? Until then, remember we do have hope in Christ. As the Apostle Paul said, we sorrow but not as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). And without His great power and love we would have no hope of ever getting a better world. Only a God who can bring good out of evil can solve this world’s problems.

Gratitude Revisited

Below is an excerpt from Why Giving Thanks to God is Important, from Got Questions.org. It' answers the question so eloquently I just had to share it with you.

"First Thessalonians 5:18 says, 'In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.' We are to be thankful not only for the things we like, but for the circumstances we don’t like. When we purposely thank God for everything that He allows to come into our lives, we keep bitterness at bay. We cannot be both thankful and bitter at the same time. We do not thank Him for evil, but that He is sustaining us through it (James 1:12). We don’t thank Him for harm He did not cause, but we thank Him when He gives us the strength to endure it (2 Corinthians 12:9). We thank Him for His promise that “all things will work together for the good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

We can have thankful hearts toward God even when we do not feel thankful for the circumstance. We can grieve and still be thankful. We can hurt and still be thankful. We can be angry at sin and still be thankful toward God. That is what the Bible calls a “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15). Giving thanks to God keeps our hearts in right relationship with Him and saves us from a host of harmful emotions and attitudes that will rob us of the peace God wants us to experience (Philippians 4:6–7)."

GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation, and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers to their spiritually related questions.

Gratitude Journal

Did you know that writing down what you are thankful for can have tangible benefits? In the secular world, plenty is written about the benefits of gratitude. There has been a lot of research conducted about the power of the positive. According to a study by researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of Florida, having participants write down a list of positive events at the close of a day, and why the events made them happy, lowered their self-reported stress levels and gave them a greater sense of calm at night. That's great, but what about our spiritual health? Gratitude is an essential and powerful tool to nourish us in our faith journey. When Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to thank God. While imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote, “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19-20.

Just last year on his blog, Billy Graham wrote, "Thanksgiving—the giving of thanks—to God for all His blessings should be one of the most distinctive marks of the believer in Jesus Christ. We must not allow a spirit of ingratitude to harden our heart and chill our relationship with God and with others. Nothing turns us into bitter, selfish, dissatisfied people more quickly than an ungrateful heart. And nothing will do more to restore contentment and the joy of our salvation than a true spirit of thankfulness."

Keeping a Gratitude Journal is a spiritual discipline that helps us focus on what we have, not what we think we need. In her blog post, Why is Gratitude so Powerful, Jean Wise wrote, "Being thankful helps us step out of the way, thanking God for all things, not relying on our own self centered strength."

A few of the benefits of gratitude found in research:

• Studies have found that gratitude helps you recover more quickly from stress, adversity and trauma by helping you interpret negative events. It has been found to give you a perspective to help guard against post-traumatic stress and lasting anxiety.
• People who are grateful tend to be more helpful and empathic, more spiritual and religious, more forgiving, and less materialistic than others who are less predisposed to gratefulness.
• Gratitude can improve relationships. Gratitude makes us nicer, more trusting, more social, and more appreciative. As a result, it helps us make more friends, deepen our existing relationships, and improve our marriage.
• People who practice gratitude consistently report benefits such as stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure; higher levels of positive emotions; more joy, optimism, and happiness; act with more generosity and compassion; and feel less lonely and isolated.

Let's commit to expressing our gratitude to God by keeping a Gratitude Journal, or consider finding a Gratitude Buddy, a partner who is interested in purposefully writing about gratitude. Make a commitment to share one thing each day that you are grateful for. Do it by email or text. It helps to have someone else depending on you and expecting you to share a grateful thought each day.  

There are a monthful of prompts for a gratitude journal at this website.
How to Keep a Gratitude Journal.

You've Got to Stand for Something or You'll Fall for Anything.

Yes, this blog entry shares a title with a country song by Aaron Tippin.  However the saying can first be attributed to a Methodist church announcement in an Iowa newspaper from 1926 - "It is easier to fall for anything than to stand for something." For What should we be standing? We must stand for the Bible, and not fall for all the corrupted ideas of man. The Word of God is called the sword of the Spirit because it is our primary offensive weapon (Ephesians 6:17). The unchurched and some lukewarm Christians say many things that don't follow the Bible's teachings. We must follow scripture, not those who 'seem good' in our society. You have to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.

The Bible is our textbook, our life's instruction manual and it is vital to our relationship with God. God verified the Bible in a manner that could not be duplicated by mere humans - by miracles. The Bible is the inspired word of God. There is archaeological evidence and eye-witness accounts, but the real proof of the Bible's claim to absolute inspired truth is its supernatural evidence, including prophecy. God used prophets to speak and write down His Word, and God uses miracles like fulfilled prophecy to authenticate His messengers. We must believe and act out our belief that the Bible is a source we can trust. The Bible is the world's best selling and most widely distributed book. It's been translated in over 500 languages. There are about 50 Bibles sold every minute, and it is the most stolen book in the world. So why are many people refusing to stand up for it's teachings? There's a plain and simple answer, SIN.

We must not get caught up in the false teachings of this world. Satan is at work using subtle, crafty deceit to lead us away from God. Much of this deceit comes from well meaning people: church members and even clergy who have fallen for sin that is wrapped up in the pretty package of "being kind." They say in order to be kind we must accept all types of behaviors and beliefs that the Bible forbids. 2 Timothy 4:2-4 says, "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

What their itching ears want to hear... everything is okay, accept all behaviors and ideas because it is loving and kind, and it is easier than standing up for the truth of the Gospel. We must stand up for the Bible, follow God's instructions. Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." We are to love one another, treat each other with kindness and respect, but that does NOT mean we have to agree with them if they are not following the Word of God, the Bible.

Throughout history the Bible has been ridiculed, burned, refuted, and destroyed, but it lives on. Billy Graham said, "It is the anvil that has worn out many hammers. Most books are born, live a few short years, then go the way of all the earth; they’re forgotten. But not the Bible. The Bible is preserved. It lives on." We must stand up for the Bible and it's teachings and not fall for what the world is pushing us to believe.

1 Corinthians 16:13 "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." We can trust God's word to be true and rely on Him to guide us. Pray that you will listen to his voice in the Word.

A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

The wolf in sheep's clothing is not always outright evil. Satan is extremely crafty and devious. He is using well-meaning people who are not actively following Christ and don't have a relationship with him, to present ideas and beliefs that seem "good" in order to lead others astray. Even some ministers get caught up in power and recognition. It clouds their spirit, and distorts their vision.

In this earthly life the truth can get can get twisted, blurred, or manipulated. Things once seen as black and white may start to appear more gray. It may seem harder to recognize what’s true or what’s false. We have to look closely, beyond what is on the surface.

God knows how difficult it is to fight this spiritual battle. Wolves live for the love of power rather than the power of love. They often refuse accountability and resist submission to authority. Wolves are also experts at deceit.  They pretend to be good and care about the sheep. They look and talk like sheep especially when the sheep are disagreeing or dissenting. (but they have those teeth...) Winning and being right are their highest values and they do whatever they need to in order to stay on top. When operating in church settings their methods are often underhanded and cunning in order to appear less aggressive.

Could certain portions of our society be unwittingly sheltering a wolf in sheep's clothing? In our attempt to be kind and gracious to everyone are we forgetting the fact that some groups who act as a religion are not? Do they follow what we know is in the Bible?

When we discern that someone is not expressing the true meaning of God's Holy Word: that's not the end of the battle. Many people object to any attempt to identify wolves among us because it sounds uncharitable and judgmental. They say we must not judge. Yet, Jesus himself warns us that there are those who claim to be believers.They may even be leaders in the church, but they are vicious or ravenous wolves dressed up in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). The apostle Paul warned Timothy that there would be people who act religious, but are puffed up with pride, who are unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, and cruel (2 Timothy 3:2-9).

How can we see through their deception? Know the truth of the one voice who matters most. Know God's word and you will know when it is being twisted and manipulated. Satan and his forces have quoted God’s words since the beginning of time, twisting it, trying their best to manipulate the truth, their main goal only to deceive and lead astray. Bring everything back to the Bible. What does the Bible say? The Bible is the inspired word of God.  We must not let people tell us any differently. One of our own United Methodist ministers, Adam Hamilton proposes that there are three "buckets" into which scriptures fall:

1. Scriptures that express God’s heart, character and timeless will for human beings.

2. Scriptures that expressed God’s will in a particular time, but are no longer binding.

3. Scriptures that never fully expressed the heart, character or will of God. 

Has Hamilton fallen victim to the power and recognition that he has achieved? We cannot know what is in his heart, but we do know what he says. You can read more about this in the United Methodist publication, Good News.

2 Timothy 4:3-5

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

The United Methodist Church is facing difficult times. We will have a specially called conference in a few months. Pray every morning for wisdom for the day and to sense God's presence and to be obedient to him. Pray that our church leaders have discernment to listen to God's voice and obey his word. Pray that church leaders tune in to God and tune out the world.

Orthodox United Methodists

The word for the day is orthodox. I learned of how it is being used in the Methodist church from our Minister's wife. It is a much better term than conservative. Why is this the word of the day?  The United Methodist Church is facing some very tough decisions in the near future. Orthodox describes our local church and conference. The articles listed below represent a good summary of what has been going on since General Conference.

Orthodox

1. (of a person or their views, especially religious or political ones, or other beliefs or practices) conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true; established and approved.

2. of the ordinary or usual type; normal.

synonyms: conservative, traditional, observant, devout, strict

The Un-tied Methodist Church

https://wtmcclendon.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/the-un-tied-methodist-church/

Seeing the Future

https://goodnewsmag.org/2018/05/seeing-the-future/

A Second Rise of Methodism

https://goodnewsmag.org/2018/05/a-second-rise-of-methodism/

United Methodists Form Wesleyan-Covenant Association

https://goodnewsmag.org/2016/06/united-methodists-form-wesleyan-covenant-association-3/

United Methodist Church News

The Judicial Council has ruled in favor of allowing other petitions besides the one the liberal bishops were pushing. We need to pray for the Lord to guide people in writing petitions that will bring about His will for the church. Petitions are due on July 8th. We pray for God to help those writing them to follow His will, and get them in on time. 

Bible Emergency Numbers

Spiritual Growth

When we accept Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit lives within us and begins the process of making us more like Him. This is Spiritual growth.

2 Peter 1:3-8

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This verse is telling us that with God's power we have everything we need to live lives of godliness, which is the goal of spiritual growth. What we need comes through our knowledge of Him. This knowledge of Him comes from the Bible.

Galatians 5:19-23

Acts of the flesh that identified our lives before we came to Christ:

"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and 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." We need to confess and repent these acts and God will help us overcome them. As we experience spiritual growth, fewer and fewer of these acts of the flesh will be evident in our lives.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."As spiritual growth occurs, the fruit of the Spirit becomes increasingly evident in our lives. The Holy Spirit dwells within us as salvation takes place. The old, sinful nature begins to give way to the new, Christlike nature. Spiritual growth is a lifelong process that depends on our study and application of God's Word.

We should pray for God to increase our faith and knowledge of Him.

John 14:16-17

2 Corinthians 6-7

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Galatians 5: 16-26

Turning Conversations to Christ

I recently read an article by Rebecca Manley Pippert about how to turn conversations to Christ. Her answer was amazingly simple and powerful. It's simply to ask good questions!

In a recent Bible Study, we learned about how many questions Jesus asks in the New Testament. I've forgotten the exact number, but the main idea was that Jesus asked questions and told stories. Just Google "Jesus teaching with questions" and you will come up with some wonderful articles. In one of those articles  Eric von Atzigen compiled a list of 135 Jesus questions.

People often resort to preaching sermons when trying to witness to others. Of course, Jesus was the master communicator and our model for living. So why not ask questions like the Master Teacher? 

Questions are effective because they can be used in a non-threatening way, they often evoke a response which is a brilliant way to communicate and let people know that we are interested in them and want to get to know them.

The Concentric Circle Model is good tool to use when you wish to turn a conversation to Christ. Begin with general interest questions about their family, job or where they're from. Then move to specific interest questions about their area of interest. Next ask issue questions that cause them to reflect on what they believe. Then you can ask a spiritual question.

So instead of busting out with a sermon, spend some time getting to know a person, showing genuine interest establishes a relationship with them. Then you can discuss spiritual matters. I love the question approach and as a teacher who was taught to ask questions while teaching, I can't believe I didn't think of this before!

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one.”

John 13: 34-35

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-40

Think of all the possible personality traits that we inherit, and then add to that all of our life experiences and how they affect our behavior and our personality and you'll end up with an unfathomable number of combinations to make so many different types of people. Yet Jesus called us to love one another. but more than that to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Think about that and let it really sink in. He said it was the greatest commandment. There are so many different facets to a person. While growing up my Mom told me to pick out the characteristics we like best about a person, and concentrate on those. Just shove the less lovable traits to the back burner. Pretty wise advice wasn't it?  

Relief From Unbelief

Oh Lord, at times our belief Alters. Please give us relief from our unbelief. Even in the midst of life's struggles, help us to remain steadfast in our belief that Jesus is the resurrection, and the life. Those who believe in Him will live even though they die. And whoever lives by believing in Him will never die. In Jesus name we pray amen.

Book of Hours Raising of Lazarus Walters Manuscript fol. by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

The raising of Lazarus.