Defining Me: Grace
This past Sunday during the sermon our guest pastor, Hunter, said that a lot of people thing of different things when they think of the word “Grace”. So I thought it would be interesting to define this word and some others and get your thoughts on what they mean. Today we will talk about grace and later I will post some other words. Grace (Scripture) Proverbs 3:34 He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble. Isaiah 26:10 Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD. Jonah 2:8 Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. John 1:16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing...
The Invisible War
James 5:16 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. For Mantown, Friday night Q asked us to read 2 Kings 6:8-18. We have been discussing spiritual warfare and the importance of things unseen. While James 5:16 is definitely a verse that’s easy to understand in the physical world, I think it’s importance is more profound when thought about in the spiritual context. In our spiritual fight, we cannot do it alone. We have to have people come along side us to fight with us and support and protect us when we are week. Without confession though our brothers do not know of our battles, we strip them of their ability to intercede for us...
What's Wrong with the Church?
1 Thessalonians 5:13b-15: “Live in peace with each other. 14And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” Paul wrote these things to explain specifically how members of the body of Christ should behave toward one another. We in church are all supposed to be living Christ’s Way, so these directions should be easy to follow. But there’s a reason why many non-Christian and/or non-churched people look at church as a den of hypocrites. It’s often full of unkind words (most often said behind backs), impatience, idleness in God’s work (ironically), and...
Living the Questions
In Evolving in Monkey Town, Rachel Held Evans talks about “living the questions,” which is something she picked up from a Rilke quote: “Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question.” For Rachel, this means learning how to ask questions, and how to be patient when the answers don’t come easy. Which is something I often struggle with. Sometimes I get tired of the whole “learning process.” I wrestle with Scripture the way Jacob wrestled with the angel; I’m pinning God to the ground with all my strength demanding Him to bless me. But lately I’m starting to realize that maybe...
Faith is Tough
The interesting thing about faith is that it is one of the areas in Christianity that we know that we cannot manifest or control. So when you are not “growing” at the rate that you think you should be, you cannot increase how much faith you have in God. The realization that I came to today was all the other aspects that I try to control I shouldn’t. I should relinquish control and find comfort in my Savior’s control. Honestly though I’m not sure what that looks like, how that plays out. What does it look like to relinquish the controls in your life? What does it look like to rely on God for everything?