Category: 'Life Groups'
[be sure to read the first part of this series - "Fasting (Part I)"]
Jesus didn’t say “if you fast” he said, “When you fast.” In this statement Jesus put fasting up there with praying and giving to the needy. Fasting is the physical way in which we can change our inner personality. As Christians we understand from scripture that our “old nature” or “our flesh” is always at war with the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is not just our physical nature, but rather all of who we are in mind, will, and emotions. This is all the stuff we inherited from Adam, our first father, way back in the Garden of Eden.
Through salvation our lives are transformed, and we receive a “new nature.” This new nature is the Spirit of God present and at work in us. Unfortunately, the old person is always trying to come back in and take over our lives. Salvation doesn’t mean that magically all of our old nature is washed away, and we never have to deal with it again. There is always a struggle between these two sides as we try to live the Christian life. The power that makes the Christian life possible is the power of the Holy Spirit. On our own, it is impossible for the Christian to live the life God calls us to live. It just can’t be done in our own strength. It can only be accomplished when we walk in full dependence of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:16-17, Paul says:
16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
17) For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. (NASB)
The key for successful Christian living is walking in the Holy Spirit. That’s easy enough –right? The problem is how does this “walking in the spirit” happen? The “real key” is how to release the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, so we can live the life that we can’t live in our own strength.
Paul, in Ephesians 3:20 states, 20) “Now to him [God] who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us…”
Paul is saying that we can do more than we can ever dream possible and that we can live the life God calls us to live, but it depends on God’s supernatural power being released in us and through us. The “key” again is to know how to release that power. Our “old nature” can be summed up like this: our mind says “I think;” our will says “I want;” our emotions say “I feel.” At a very base level, these are the expressions of man’s ego that controls our thoughts. This is how our “old nature” operates. So the “key” to walking in the spirit is to bring the “old nature” into submission to the Holy Spirit. According to God’s pattern, found in the scripture, this is accomplished by fasting. Jesus and Paul both accomplished it through fasting, and today you and I are expected to do it through fasting.
Read 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (NIV) and think about these questions.
What are you controlled by? Are you led by your own desires (mind, will, and emotions) or are you led by the Spirit?
I once heard a preacher say, “Your body makes a wonderful servant but a terrible master.”
Jody
It’s late right now. I am getting ready to go on a quick trip to the Gulf, early in the morning to see one of our Katrina Relief Service Projects. I had a wedding of one of my original youth from my youth ministry days this past weekend. When I get back I have family and friends, meetings and ministry that all need and expect my attention. So in the midst of juggling my schedule, in the same way you juggle your schedule, this question came to me. What matters? And so my mind began to race to order my life by my priorities and then what was urgent and even by my interests, but after a few moments my mind began to clear and a word came to my mind, one simply word,…….. GOD.
I know that is the easy way out, the pat answer, but not this time. This time sometime else came to my mind when the answer came up God. God said to me, I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.(Rev. 21:6) God has always been important to me and sure, we know He is the most important of all, but God calls us not to live as if He is important, but instead as if He is IT! The beginning of every day and end of every thought, the beginning of my longings, the end of our brokenness that leads us back to him.
What I am trying to say, is that He is not the most important part of life, but in fact He is life. Remember, I am the way, and the truth and the life. God is not the most important thing in my life, He is the only thing that truly matters. All other things flow from Him. Now, before you start to thinking this is more of a philosophical concept to be discussed by philosophers let me make it a little more practical. When I try to make a decision, when I set my schedule, when I have a meeting, when I interact with people at work and in the world, when I spend time with my family, when I serve in church, when I go to Africa, when I do anything without Jesus Christ from the beginning to the end of it, then I have done something that doesn’t matter. Wow! How can I say that? When I go on mission trips or serve in my church or spend time with my family, then that should matter whether God is in the middle of it at that particular moment or not, right? Well, not according to Jesus, In John 15:5 He simply says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” In other words what you do apart from Him amounts to nothing. It doesn’t matter. Although that may sound extreme or maybe even harsh the reason it is true is because you were meant for God. He designed you that way. When He fills you, whatever you are doing matters, whenever He is with you, your life becomes what it was intended to be. Now, here is even the greater news! If He become all that matters, He will beginning to arrange your life and create your schedule and remove your unnecessaries, but more than that simply having his Spirit alive within you, will make everything matter! It will matter because He is in it, bringing about His will, His purposes, even His Kingdom. Then your life will be a life that matters. Tell me what you think!
Carey
Say it with me S.P.L.A.T.! S.P.L.A.T., S.P.L.A.T., S.P.L.A.T…are you laughing yet? This kid-friendly word actually is an intentional acronym for teaching the children and families of Mt. Bethel how to SERVE, PRAY, LOVE, And TEACH the love of Jesus. Let’s look at S.P.L.A.T. together…
SERVE- Children want to make a difference and they want to make it now. This is a great opportunity to work with children on age appropriate missions that spread the love of Jesus to those around them or far away. Over the past year children and adults have been working together to make blankets for Ecuador, to date we have over 650 blankets and are working toward 1200 by Christmas 2007. As children tie the two sides of fabric together we explain that one piece of fabric represents you and the other piece represents the child who will receive the blanket; and the knot ties you together in the name of Jesus. Children are learning at an early age how to serve God, share the love of Jesus with others, and enjoy time serving together in His name.
PRAY - Guide children to grow in their relationship with God through prayer and understanding of this vital gift of their faith.
LOVE - Through serving and praying in the name of Jesus children begin to understand what Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37 “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’”.
AND
TEACH - Children are serving, praying, and sharing the love of Jesus as they begin their journey as the next generation of disicples for Jesus Christ!
Join us for S.P.L.A.T. University on Wednesday nights from 6:30-7:30pm where children learn how to Serve, Pray, Love And Teach in the name of Jesus! Little K: Preschool
Heroes Study: Kindergarten-5th
How To Use My Bible: 3rd Grade
GOD’s G.I.R.L.S. : 4th/5th grade mother or mentor and daughter life group
The R.O.C.K.: 4th/5th grade parent or mentor and child life group.
Contact Sherri Juliani for more information regarding your child’s spiritual formation at S.P.L.A.T. University!
Sherri
What does it mean to be a Christian? I’ve asked different people at different times throughout my ministry what they thought it meant to be a Christian. I have always been amazed at all the different answers. To go to church, to do good things, to believe in Jesus, to read your Bible regularly, to be part of a community of Christ-like believers and the list goes on. I have asked myself the same question and wrestled with the answer. I have a churchy bible answer, (I won’t take space for that, you probably already know it too) but what does God’s living word and His life-breathing Spirit tell us about being a Christian. Let me give you my short answer. There are many scriptures I could use but Luke 9:23 seems to always capture the heart of it for me. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up this cross daily and follow me. (The me, being Jesus) You could answer the question what does it mean to be a Christian in many ways, but it always comes back to this, deny yourself and follow Jesus. Deny yourself means not living for you and following Jesus means living for Him completely, but here is the kicker, not living for you but living for God instead always leads to caring and sharing with others.
When Jesus is asked for the greatest commandment, he can’t help but give the second greatest commandment as well, because the first is always followed by the second. Matthew 22:37-39 puts this way, ‘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.’ Notice the language, “the second is like it”. Loving others is so closely tied to loving God we are told that it is like the first command. Love for God that has it full expression in loving others is what I call a Missionary Christian. A Missionary Christian is one who is always on a mission. The mission is to express the love of God that they are experiencing by loving others. The love is not given because you should love others, but more because you can’t help but love others.
It is an outpouring of His Spirit. To be a Missionary Christian is not a duty or a responsibility, it is the overflow of one who is close to God. So here is the question to you and me. Are you a Missionary Christian? Are you overflowing with love for others? Is your life so close to Jesus that there is a natural (or should I say a super-natural outpouring)?
Here is my answer. When I follow His command to deny me and love Him, the answer is yes. When I say yes to Him and no to me, I fill up and overflow. But here is my second answer, not enough. More times than not, I am trying to serve Him from what little is left in my cup. A Missionary Christian is God’s desire for each of us. God wants us to draw near to him, to fill up and to overflow. Nothing is more exciting than a life full of Christ pouring out all over everyone else.
Rev. Carey Akin
