Emperor's New Groove on how NOT to Test the Spirits...

For those of you wondering what it practically means to Test the Spirits following Monday night's discussion of 1 John 4:1-6, here is a good example of what NOT to do.



Kronk should have asked the shoulder spirits whether or not they acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 4:2). Perhaps then he would have recognized the Spirit of truth from that of falsehood (1 John 4:6).

Deuteronomy 10:12-22

I don't have any words besides those God spoke through Moses. Soak them in.

"And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today fro your own good?
To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky. "

Little Things

God doesn't call us to be faithful in the big things without calling us to be faithful in little things first.

Sometimes I think it is easier for me to trust God with huge things than it is to trust Him with mundane, everyday things. It would be much simpler for me to believe that He wants me to go pick up my life and relocate to another part of the world. It is a lot more difficult for me to believe He wants me to go to a meaningless recital at 7:30 on a Sunday night that I had no intention and even less desire of attending.

I don't know why this is. Is it because we believe God should only be concerned with big things? Is it because we think He only notices the larger things? Why do we put God "outside a box", so to speak? Maybe (and this convicts me a little) it's because big things don't happen often and little things happen every day. Maybe it's because we would like it if God only told us things once every few months or so. Maybe the little things are easier to trivialize to the point where we have given ourselves every reason to hold onto them as our own instead of surrendering them to Christ.

I would rather go to Haiti for a month than send a text to somebody I would rather not talk to. It is easier to feel called to a church plant than to walking down the hall to talk to that one person you don't get along with so well.

In both Matthew 25:14-28 and Luke 19:11-26, Jesus tells two parables that are very similar about three servants who are given charges of various sizes. The two servants who are responsible and even proactive with their talents or minas are praised and then given big responsibilities. "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'" (Matthew 25:21) God doesn't expect us to move mountains; that's His job. He might expect us to go to the mountain. And He might expect us to do the talking. But before we go about telling mountains to move, we should probably start telling ourselves to move. Faith for the little things leads to the bigger things for a reason, no matter how much more convenient it may seem to just do the big things for Him and handle the small things ourselves.

What Stops Me From Sharing the Gospel

Six weeks left in the school year.
Six weeks to impact people I may never see again.

"His Spirit living within the believer does not wish for any to perish..." Outreach Manual

So, what stops me?
The first part of 1Peter 1:13 says, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action.."
and Proverbs 21:5 says "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage."

What stops me is I have not prepared my mind for action. I don't have a plan.

This morning, I wrote down people who I would like to share the gospel with each week until the end of the school year. Then, I wrote down some ways of how to ask them.

"Hey, (insert name). ;) It's pretty obvious I'm a Christian and I don't want to live on the same floor as you for the whole year and not ever tell what it is that I'm convinced is true. Would it be alright if I explained to you what it is I believe? (possible brief, award silence) We have a few options. We could take an hour and go to dinner or coffee sometime and talk through it while drawing a picture that helps explain, or we could take any length of time and I could explain it now (Do You Know for Certain?-based), or you could just tell me you don't want to hear."

I pray for opportunities but I am not prepared.
An opportunity=me and another person inhabiting the same physical space.

This other one is more for people who just start coming to things and I'm not sure if they are saved or not: "Hey (name). When I was a freshmen, I went to church every Sunday but couldn't explain what exactly I believe. I took a class last year, that talks through the central theme of the Bible and draws a picture for better understanding. I was really encouraged to see it clearly explained and was wondering if you would like to go to coffee or dinner sometime and I could show it to you?

From Outreach Manual:

• "Did you know that one of the main reasons the Bible was written was to let people know how they can know for sure that they are going to Heaven?"
• "Have you ever discovered what the central theme of the Bible is? The Bible has one central theme from cover to cover. In fact, if you'd be interested, I'd be glad to take a little time and draw a sketch that would help you understand its central message."

Lastly, sometimes I have fears that sharing the gospel will ruin our relationship. However, about a month ago I talked with one of my coworkers (who was also one of my group members from a class freshmen year) about the gospel while we were eating lunch before our shifts. She said she is spiritual but not religious and we didn't really get that far, but I have been amazed at how our relationship has improved dramatically since then. I think she appreciated having a genuine conversation and felt loved. God is good!

Jenny

Unconditional

Thanks for setting this up Brian!

I know I said this to you in person, but I've been thinking recently how we really don't grasp unconditional love.

Unconditional Defined: Not limited by a situation with respect to circumstances.
Synonyms for unconditional: absolute, complete, unqualified.

Ephesians 3: 16- 21 "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

May we have power together to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ!
Jenny

New Blog

Greetings!

This is a test of the new Linden Fellowship Blog! This can be used to share quiet time thoughts, prayer requests, and the like. Let me know if you have something to share and I can give you authorship rights.

- Brian