Call me "Coach Dad"

Our child gets a hit, and we cheer, as well we should. 

Our child makes the tackle, scores the goal or grabs the rebound, and we jump in joyful exaltation, as well we should. 

Our child gets a good grade, and we compliment them, as well we should. 

Our child nails the recital piece, and we applaud, as well we should.

We drag them to practice. We make them practice at home. We push them to do their homework We know the grind of success, so we applaud and cheer and compliment the moments of accomplishment. We photograph them and we laud their accomplishments abroad.

What about moral accomplishments? Do we cheer them? Do we compliment them?

Do we expect them?

When we want our children to succeed in anything, we sign them up, get them to tryouts, workouts, and practice. We make them do at home whatever they need to do at home to make opportunity become success. We buy uniforms and equipment. We talk to coaches and teachers. We push, because we want to see on the stage or field or court the accomplishment that represents the work.

Do you want your children to thrive as human beings? Do you want them to succeed as disciples? Do you want to see them accomplishing on the field and stage of life the victory God desires they achieve?

Disciple them.

As much as one would with any sport or academic endeavor or artistic enterprise, disciple them. Teach them. Talk to coaches (disciple making people); get counsel, develop game plan, require practice, demand excellence and pray with them for results. Beg God for results.

How is it that we understand EVERYTHING we want to see our children excel in takes instruction and constant practice, except spiritual disciplines?

Shape their worldview. Help them develop values that match God's. Teach them how to serve others. Foster compassion.

"Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it." (Proverbs 22:6 New Living Translation)  "And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up." (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 New Living Translation)

Beautiful Gardens

Beautiful gardens among rocks, ruins, weeds and hardened paths...

Imagine the people of the world as patches of ground. Imagine each person as a potential garden spot.

The one is a thicket, overgrown; weeds and thorns and thistles, out of control. It's hard to imagine tender flower seeds being able to grow there.

The one is a hardened path. It's difficult to imagine that a few seeds and a bit of water could yield sweet smells or beautiful blooms.

The one has soil, ready enough, but it obviously shallow. You can see a lemon tree springing up in this soil, but shriveling quickly when there is so little subsoil for roots to grab to and grow.

The one is ready. It's ready for seed. The soil is fertile, deep and freshly plowed.

I just described the conditions of the soils in the Parable of the Sower (see Matthew 13).

Soils are not the hero or the focus of the story. The Sower is important. He sows. He liberally slings seed. And, in some plots of soil, beautiful gardens of God's goodness springs up.

What's interesting is that in every case, no matter the soil type, what springs up is foreign to the soil. IF it had been there, it would be there. It's not there. The Sower comes, slings seeds.

But, wait! Don't give up on those other plots! The interesting thing about the Sower is that He is also the Creator; He sustains all things by the word of His power, and all things that subsist, subsist according to His power. He can break up those rough places, clear away weeds, dig out rocks that create shallow soil and make for Himself a fertile field for a beautiful garden.

In every case, the Sower lays down what is not natural to that plot!

IF you see a God-garden walking around, you'll know it. What will make it beautiful will be that God's stuff is in it. God's stuff is in it AND it's very different from those other plots that are filled with other-than-God-stuff.

Someone may put up a sign and say, "God garden here" or have a bumper sticker that says, "God's my gardener" or where a t-shirt, claiming "God's flower" but don't be misled...signs be hanged; bumper stickers be stucked, t-shirts be shirted...you'll know HIS gardens.

The likeness of Jesus will spring up amid a world of fools, and we shall call that fruitful and beautiful.

O Spirit, plow! IN ME! 
O Spirit, plant! IN ME! 
O Spirit, beautify! EVEN ME!

"Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." (Isaiah 58:8-11 ESV)

Get ready! Preach the Gospel through your marriage!

Marriage is important...

Age is not a determining factor for marriage. Being ready to be married is the determining factor for marriage! Some people get married in their 30s and still aren't ready!

Many aren't ready for marriage at all these days, so they don't. Some want weddings but aren't ready for marriages.

It's interesting to note that God invented marriage and defined it before there was EVER one single government on the face of this planet. But, marriage had within it a profound mystery that was only ever fully uncovered when Jesus came, lived, died and rose again. That's what the Spirit delivers to us through the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:22-33.

That profound mystery is now clear and easy to recognize and understand: "This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." Wow! People were getting married for centuries upon centuries, and the whole picture had yet to be unveiled. But, now we know it is.

Now, we know not only are we called to marriage, and now we know why our heart yearns towards it...because it allows us to paint a living picture, to preach a walking sermon and to live out the picture of Christ and His church as man and wife. Wow.

God allowed me to deliver a teaching on this recently with our local family of faith, and I just can't get it off my mind.

Lord, lead me, empower me, help me to love my wife like Christ loves the church. Help me, Father, to preach with my marriage!

Flipping the Script on my Pride...

One of the toughest things to desire is also one of the best things to have: HUMILITY. God, help me to want it, for I surely know You desire to grant it.

“He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” (Psalm 25:9 ESV)

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” (Isaiah 57:15 ESV)

“All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2 ESV)

 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,” (1 Peter 5:6 ESV)

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:3-11 ESV)

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” (James 4:6 ESV)

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12 ESV)

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV)

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Corinthians 11:30 ESV)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’’” (Luke 18:9-14 ESV)

“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5 ESV)

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10 ESV)

“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,” (Ephesians 4:2 ESV)

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18 ESV)

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2 ESV)

“When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: ‘They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.’” (2 Chronicles 12:7 ESV)

Being where I am...

Being where I am...

I don't hang out much in my heart and mind with who I used to be. I was called out of that, and delivered from it. Sure, it has some history lessons for me, but I'm a new creation, born again from the womb of heaven. Yes, I have regrets, but even if I lived on the coastline of the Sea of Regret, I would never swim or sail; I wouldn't even twinkle my toes in Regrets pulsing tides. I'm up on The Rock now; I've found solid ground, and here I stand.

I don't rest too much in who I am these days. I'm pressing on. Sure, the trail is rocky, dusty, winding, and, above all, narrow, but it IS the upward way. It's the Transformation Trail, and with Jesus, I walk. I do celebrate that I am where I am, especially when I juxtapose what the Spirit has done in my life against what my flesh was doing in my life, but I don't hang out here. More than my celebration of me, the Trail keeps leading me up to Him who is at work in me! The Transformation Trail winds along in conjunction with the Worship Walk. I stay hungry for Bread, thirsty for Living Water and I yearn for good, solid food as I journey.

I am excited about who I'll be. Yes! The believer that does not long for completion hasn't taken a long look at the brokenness of the world -- THEIR brokenness -- and hasn't taken a look at what will come. And, no, I don't mean only heaven the place, but heaven the experience; the height of which is being in the very presence of God. WOW! I'm excited about that! But, I don't hang out on Heaven's Hallway a lot these days. Why? "Why?" is a good question. Simple; if I'm here, if my body has it's by God's good pleasure, and I want to be in this moment with Him. I want to be present with Him now, and useful now. I want to be a Knight in the Order of Onesimus, both noble and useful.

So, Lord, teach my heart to hang out in Presence Place, even as I long for Heaven's Hallway. Teach my heart to both live in Presence Place and trek up Transformation Trail and Worship Walk. Teach me to be in the now with You...teach me to abide, that I may experience You, and be fruitful for Your glory. Keep me from the ebb and flow of Regret's crashing waves; put me on the marble floor of Presence Place, and teach me to dance.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7 ESV)

Familial Reflections

Let me say this, I LOVE all my family...and both my families...

There is a family for which experience, law and genetics determines a common past. There is also a family for which the blood of Jesus and unifying work of the Holy Spirit determines a common future. It's a huge blessing to know and walk with people who are in both.

I identify with my genetic family; and, I love them. More so, I identify with my spiritual family. Jesus said, "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:50 ESV)

When it comes to my spiritual family, we're on mission together. It's not about where genealogy connects us, but where the Spirit is sending us. Like I said, I love it when those two families are one and the same. I have NOTHING but love for both families. Get that, and don't miss it: I have nothing but love for BOTH families.

In Matthew 12, Jesus lays down a confrontational view of family. Read vss. 46-50; Jesus's mom and brothers are wanting to talk to him, but Jesus makes the radical statement above: "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (v. 50)

He basically says there is family, but there is also FAMILY. In other words, there is the family that comes through genetics, and there is spiritual family. Jesus asserts that His spiritual family has his attention first.

Wow...that's putting it right in our face!

Is Jesus telling us to put our physical family in the backseat? Well... wrestle with that. Read Matthew 15:3-9; God would have us love our family and honor our mothers and fathers. What He IS saying is that believers must count their family tie to Him as more important than family ties to anyone else. Luke 14:26 reveals the entirety of the tension we believers are to live in. Honor our mom and dad, yes. Love our family, yes. Take care of our families, yes. But, Jesus first. Jesus first. JESUS FIRST!

That creates tension! Do you hear me? Tension! Tension pulls both ways!
I love both my families, but I must hold Jesus as the highest thing in my heart. I must DEEPLY value the people of God.

As I studied the Scriptures tonight, one thing I need to be reminded of tonight is to remember that God picks my spiritual family, not me. HE is adding to the family, not me. He brings them in, not me. He saves them, not me. He loves them more than me. Then, God expects ME to love who He saves! God expects those whom He saves to do as He commands. AND, THAT is how I'll know who my spiritual family is!

Blood tests work both ways, right? We get a blood sample, and take it to a doctor; it gets analyzed and we find out if genetics truly do connect us. The Church gets a blood sample, too. Whoever is under the blood does the Father's will!

There are some words of challenge, instruction or exhortation for someone here...
#1 Someone needed to be reminded to treasure Christ above everyone and everything.
#2 Someone needed to be reminded to treasure those Jesus also cherishes, the Church (and the church). Those who do the will of God are your future and forever family! Think on that!
#3 Someone needed to be reminded to honor their mom and dad and walk in love with their family.
#4 Someone needed to be reminded to make the mission of the King the prime goal of their lives.
#5 Someone, like me, needed to be reminded to love those God adds to the family, not just the ones we'd add if it were up to us.
#6 Someone needed to be reminded what Jesus says about being in His spiritual family. Yes, His shed blood is the only way to come into His family, and the only proper response is to let Him do with our life as He pleases.

Honestly, I needed to be reminded of all of it. Like all things in the Scriptures, it rattles me, but like He always does, Jesus delights me. Which, again, reminds me to put Him first.

Are your eyes opened to worship Jesus?

"Then how were your eyes opened?" 

John 9 relates a fascinating story to us. A man is blind; he meets Jesus, Jesus tells him to do some crazy stuff and those odd things bring healing. 

Later, those trying to find some reason to condemn Jesus, that man is questioned about what happened to give him sight. His answer begins simply, "The man called Jesus..." 

In the beginning, that's all the blind man sees or understands; he understands Jesus as a man, and a man only. He says, "The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed and received my sight." (John 9:11 ESV)

He understood a man told him to follow a process. That's it. When the accusing religious leaders asked the formerly-blind man who he thought Jesus was, the man responded, "He is a prophet." (see 9:17)

But, later... 

Later on, the man is called to be questioned again by those who want to condemn Jesus (see 9:24). You can clearly see the formerly-blind man has developing faith: "One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25b ESV) One thing the formerly-blind man is sure of is that he was FORMERLY blind! 

The man Jesus told him to do something...
The man Jesus "...is a prophet" in the formerly blind man's sight...
The formerly-blind man encountered the man Jesus and now he can see...

Now, watch this... 

As the questioning continued, the man answered, "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where He comes from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, God listens to Him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind." (John 9:30-32 ESV)

The formerly-blind man was now willing to recognize the man Jesus, the prophet Jesus and the vessel of God's power Jesus. 

Now, it gets really interesting... 

"Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him He said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?' He answered, 'And who is He, sir, that I may believe in Him?' Jesus said to him, 'You have seen Him, and it is He who is speaking to you.' He said, 'Lord, I believe,' and he worshiped Him." (John 9:35-38 ESV)

God is always working to move us from seeing the works of the man Jesus to recognizing Jesus as God, and from being grateful for what Jesus has done to worshipping who Jesus is. 

Like physical blindness, there is spiritual blindness. We are captured by the enemy, in bondage and in darkness. The Son of Man has come into the world and the world knows Him not. The Spirit of God is revealing the Lord Jesus to the world, and many only know the man Jesus. Many only see Him as prophet. I'd urge you to understand Him as God, as Lord, as Savior and as King. 

God would move us from recognition of the man Jesus to worship of the Lord Jesus, the Christ. 

Let me ask you, "Are your eyes opened? Who then opened your eyes?" 

As for me, the Spirit of God opened my eyes to know the Son of God who is giving me access to God the Father. Now, I worship Father, Son and Holy Ghost! HE is the ONE I love the most!

Christian basher, repent...

Believer...yes, YOU who claim to know Jesus... get this...get it good...practice it...especially all of US preacher boys and smart Christian folk with big degrees and smarty pants plans...US Sunday School teachers and Bible study teachers...US! Get what I'm about to drop in front of US. Understand it. Marvel in it. Rest in it. Practice it.

Are you ready?

Make sure you are ready?

This is going to be tough! Get ready.

"Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;" (Romans 14:10 ESV)
"He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14 ESV)
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." (2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV)

Of course, I could easily add about 10 more passages, but you get the idea, right?

IF you must talk about something, talk about GOOD DOCTRINE and teach believers how to recognize BAD DOCTRINE. But, be careful with naming, blaming, disclaiming and defaming people.

Let me repeat that: Be careful with naming, blaming, disclaiming and defaming people!

WE ALL WILL STAND BEFORE GOD!

Let me say it one more time: Be careful with naming, blaming, disclaiming and defaming people!

I'm not telling US LEADERS to never name a heretic who a blatant heretic or to never name a person who is promoting or living in blatant, harmful, society-killing, soul-killing wickedness. Hear me; I'm saying be careful. If David would not strike King Saul WHEN SAUL WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM, then that right there alone ought to be a caution against our quick-to-kill-with-words other people. (ref. 1 Samuel 24) David had sense enough to know that God would not be pleased with him against Saul EVEN THOUGH Saul was trying to find and kill David! Later, David said to Saul, "May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you." (1 Samuel 24:12 ESV)

NOBODY needs our sarcasm. NOBODY needs our sly comments that mask hate in smooth intellectualism. NOBODY needs anyone else beating them to death with more words piled on top of more words.

Grandma used to say, "If you've got nothing good to say, then just hush." Grandma was wise. Maybe my version, with all due respect to Grandma, would be, "If you've got nothing wise to say, just hush."

Helping believers identify and reject bad doctrine is biblical kindness. It's right. We should do that. BUT, we should also teach people that without humility, we are in opposition to God. We should also remember the debt we've been forgiven before going out to choke the person we think owes us something (ref. Matthew 18:21-35). IF we teach people to reject bad doctrine, perhaps they can do that and preserve good relationship. PERHAPS they can still act in compassion and love toward the person they are recognizing bad doctrine or bad behavior in! Reject the falsehood, but TRY to love the person who's caught in it.

Let me say it one more time: Be careful in naming, blaming, disclaiming and defaming people!

Repent. Stop it. I love you.

God flavors....

Let’s go public…

I’ve been enjoying reading a second reading of a paraphrase of the Bible called The Message. Of course, you all know that I love the ESV and KJV the best, but I also enjoy reading other translations and paraphrased editions of God’s Word. Lately, reading The Message, many old, familiar passages have been given a new light for me. Here’s one: “’Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.’  Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand - shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven’” (Matthew 5:13-16).

I love the way that passage kicks off; “Let me tell you why you are here.” We often feel like we have no purpose, and that there is nothing special for us to do. If you know Christ as Savior today, then you have a special mission in which God has entrusted to you. You are to bring out the God-flavor to the world. How much time do we spend being God-flavor? Most of the time, we are too busy kicking our own flavor! Over the summer, let’s not lose our saltiness or we might get kicked…kicked to the curb!

The passage goes on to say that Christ has put a light in us. How many of us walk in the dark with our hands over our flashlights? Nobody does that! It would be ridiculous! In The Message paraphrase Jesus words come out like this: “We’re going public with this.” How good are we at going public with the light Jesus has put in us? Are we covering it with a bucket? Sometimes that bucket is in the form of being cool, being lazy, or being preoccupied with selfish things. Whatever form the bucket is in your life, lose it. Jesus says “SHINE!” There is a popular song that says “Shine! Make ‘em wonder what you’ve got. Make ‘em wish that they were not on the outside looking in.” Jesus wants us to shine so that others will see Him in us and want to know Him for themselves. How’s your Jesus light bulb? Fading? Dim? Out? Bright? Burning? Blinding? Don’t cover the light…go public!

You may be saying “How do I do this?” Great question! I urge us all to find our riches in Christ., Paul said everything besides Christ was like “dung”. Before we can shine, we've GOT to make Christ our all. We must so love His presence that everything else pales in comparison. THEN we’ve got to share Him.

Now you may be saying “How do I share Him?” Boy, you guys ask some good questions! Do acts of service and kindness in the name of Christ simply because you love Him. Share the Gospel! Share it! Let that tongue tell of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus; tell others that Jesus’s death is enough to pay for our sins and Jesus’s life is enough to change our lives, give us power and make us useful in Kingdom work!! He has been so good to us all; we simply need to spend our lives in response to Him. He’s already at work around us, so we’ve just got to join in. How about it? Want to SHINE?

The Gang I'd Join

What is the best group of friends you have ever hung around with? What made that group so special?

Read about a group that holds a special place in my heart. This group’s story can be found in the book of Acts. “They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved” (2:42-47 – New Living Translation).

This group had their priorities straight! They loved Jesus, and in turn loved one another. There was no posturing and no one thought themselves greater than anyone else. When there was a need, this group responded. They shared what they had. Some even sold their possessions to help others in need! Would you do that?

Again, they had their priorities straight. We come to church on Sundays and Wednesdays and consider that a burden at times. These believers got together every day and worshipped God at the Temple. Yep, you read that correctly…they got together EVERY DAY!

What was the secret of their success? Number one, they loved Jesus. In response to their love for Jesus they submitted themselves to Biblical teaching every day. Not only submitted themselves, but the Bible says they “devoted” themselves to Biblical teachings. They spent intimate time together in “fellowship”. That means that they shared their lives with one another; good times, struggles, joy, and sorrow. Their lives were intertwined. Regularly, they shared the Lord’s Supper. Sharing that sacred meal meant that they examined themselves and remembered what the body and blood of Christ had done for them. Finally, they prayed together. There cannot be many sentiments of superiority or feelings of ill will between people who constantly pray together. I’d imagine they prayed for each others needs. That means they had to be open and honest with one another. I’d imagine they prayed God’s will be done, just as Jesus instructed believers to do. That would mean they had to forsake their agendas.

The result of such a lifestyle was that that group experienced the “goodwill of all the people” and that “the Lord added to their group those who were being saved”. The community around that group was drawn to them. Actually, I believe God was using this group of selfless servants to draw people to Himself.

Would you like to be part of a group like that? What are you willing to sacrifice to God to be in such a group? How similar is our youth group to that congregation of Acts 2:42-47? What can you do to make our youth group be like that of the early church? Are you willing to change your priorities?

I’d love to be in a fellowship like that. I’d love to be in a group like that with YOU!

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and Jesus the Son,

Tim Bowes

Romans 12:1-2