A Faithful God

God is so faithful.

Since my last blog post on discipleship, the Lord has done so much in our group. Not only have we seen fruit from the preaching that my brothers have been doing and have had the chance to disciple some new believers, but our small group has quickly become the family of Christ knit together in love that I have longed for for years.

One of the things we were trying to accomplish in this group was getting away from agendas and moving more towards living a Spirit-filled life together without a plan or a time limit.
We started doing dinners together on Thursday nights. One of the girls thought it would be a good idea to do communion while we were together, so...now, each week, we go from house to house breaking bread together.
As the Lord began to grow this group and grow this vision, He happened to reveal something great to me. I was studying the book of Acts for a few weeks and right after this process began with our group, I read this:

"They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-47

For the first time it felt like I had a visual of what this is supposed to look like. Our group IS devoting itself to teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. Our group DOES have one mind. Our group IS taking our meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart. And the Lord IS adding to our number. Wow, what a beautiful thing! The body of Christ is amazing.

I feel so blessed to be a part of this move of God. I have been looking for this kind of fellowship for so long. God is faithful to provide. I am greatly encouraged by my brothers and sisters here.

Discipleship, what's that?

Have you ever been discipled?

I know I haven't...and it's rare that I find someone who has.

This should be alarming since the last thing Christ said to us before he ascended was "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..."

We need to know what discipleship is if we call ourselves disciples of Christ.

My small group has been evangelizing lately. Some of the brothers in my group, I believe, are anointed preachers and God is using them mightily. A few men have been saved through the preaching of one of these brothers. Because of this, and the fact that our group feels led to evangelize more often, we were forced to talk about what might happen if the Lord brings people into the Kingdom through our small group.

So, as we talked about what it means to make disciples we came to some conclusions:

-We are called to make disciples, not tell someone about Jesus and toss them into the pond to learn to swim on their own. Therefore, if YOU bring someone to Christ, then YOU are responsible for "teaching them to observe ALL that Christ commanded"--not the church you suggest to them.

-Discipleship means sacrifice. Sacrifice of time, comfort, and ultimately, your life. If we are called to disciple people, we must do life with them...not just Bible study once a week.

-It means being selfless always. It means counting others better than ourselves. We should be doing this daily anyway.

-It means living godly lives for others to see. "Teaching them to observe all that I commanded..." Observe. That means they are watching our every move. We are to do what Christ has commanded. James 1: 22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

As another brother said last night, and I have often thought, although I do not know what it is like to be discipled, I will try my best to give them what I never had and follow the command of Christ in doing so.

I challenge you, learn to disciple...I plan to start learning right now.

A heart condition

A few things I'm learning these days:

A while ago I blogged about my hardened heart. Well, I'm still noticing how quickly my heart grows cold and hard if not tended to. The other day I was reading Psalm 119 (which I love so much and am quite familiar with) and my heart was hard. With each word I read, I felt a change. My eyes filled with tears and my heart began to melt. At that moment I realized the Word of God is the only thing that can truly soften my heart. If I have a heart of stone, it is an indication that I am not in the word enough. I thank God for this revelation because it shows me my daily need for nourishment from the Word of God. I am starving without it...growing cold...and slowly dying.

Man, God has really been making me aware of the condition of my heart; after all, that is what He is concerned about. The more I learn about my depraved heart, the more I have to cling to Christ.

I am also learning much through my Bible Study (Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss). It is allowing me to identify lies I didn't know I was believing. Simple lies like "I can make it through the day without prayer and the word...I'll do it tomorrow," or "I can watch this movie, be entertained, and NOT be drawn away from Christ." These are lies, direct lies. I am unable to do anything pleasing to God when I do it in my flesh...and you better believe I am acting in my flesh when I haven't been in the Word or in prayer that day.

Romans 8:5-8 "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

It comes full circle...if I am not in the Word, I set my mind on things of the flesh, I start to believe lies, my heart begins to harden, and I can do nothing to please God.

Thank God for His Word, and for Christ Jesus, who is our hope and our righteousness.

Blessed Father's Day weekend

I know the love of two fathers. I know and cherish the love of my earthly father, with whom I spent much time this weekend, AND I know the great love of my heavenly Father, who continues to reveal Himself to me more and more each day.

I was so blessed to get time with my parents this weekend. They came to Minni and we played and relaxed all weekend. Gosh, I just love my dad SO much! I am incredibly blessed to have a father who cares for me deeply and would do anything to protect me and provide for me. He brings me so much joy and just loves me well.

As we played in the pool, drove around the city, went to a car show, went to church and ate out multiple times, I realized how truly special my father is. He is goofy--one big child. He is talented--a jack of all trades. He is compassionate--a true servant of God. He is my dad, and I love him.

I am thankful that my relationship with my earthly father points me to my relationship with my heavenly Father. Although not comparable, the love and comfort I experience with my dad give me a better understanding of the love and comfort that comes from God the Father. In a world where many fathers are absent, I am truly blessed to have a father who is not only present in my life, but who loves and supports me in all I do.

I love you, dad. Happy Father's day!

June Gloom

Weird. I moved away from San Diego, where the famous June Gloom is inevitable every year, and...it followed me to Minneapolis.

It has been rainy and gloomy for the last two weeks and, therefore, does not feel like summer. Because of this, I have a few things to say...One: I can't believe it is already June--that means I have been here for 6 months. Two: I can't believe it is summer and I am so terribly white (Guess I'll have to get used to it--the sun shines a lot less here). Three: I can't believe the first of only four good months here in MN is like this! I feel a little cheated.

Other than the weather, I have no complaints. God is gracious and I am doing well. My parents are coming to visit me this weekend and I am excited to be around people who know and love me well.

I am so very content in the Lord right now and so thankful for that. I'm excited to see what He has for me this summer and fall. I will write more soon. I need to get back to blogging once a week. I hope you all are blessed.

Taking action

Friends, I am sick of saying and not doing. I say I want to live a radical life for Jesus, but how does my life look any different from Joe Schmoe sitting next to me at this coffee shop? It may differ on two days: Sunday when he sleeps in and I go to church, and Tuesday when he goes to happy hour and I go to Bible study.

I. am. not. okay. with. this.

I am not saying that everyone is called to live radically, but I am saying that I feel called by God to be radical. My passion has been renewed and I am ready to make some tough decisions and some necessary sacrifices to live radically for Jesus.

I had blogged previously about my biggest fear coming true and I am revisiting that now. I feared that I would get a full-time job and become comfortable after moving here, forgetting the reason for which the Lord brought me here. I have been so busy with work the past month and a half that I have not been able to focus on anything else--including why I'm here. I was in desperate need for a vacation and a re-evaluation of life, so I took a quick trip to San Diego last week and visited loved ones and the dear ocean. This is what I discovered when the Lord removed me from my current situation:

I moved to Minneapolis not only for this Bible program and Bethlehem Baptist Church, but also for Christian community and radical living. I desire to live in community with a family or with sisters in the Lord and to do life together--daily things like eating, sharing life's burdens, praying, rejoicing, crying, serving, etc. For the past four months I have lived in a two-bedroom apartment by myself (since my roommate is never there) and have experienced NO community whatsoever. I have been so busy with my job and school that I have not had a chance to serve in any type of capacity and/or been able to create any type of social life. I have been so busy studying, that I have rarely taken the opportunity to share with others what I am learning (apart from a few people). I moved here to better learn God's word and to let him shape me from the inside out, invading every area of my life. Recently I have found a small group who desires the same thing. And because the Christian life is not meant to be lived alone, now that I have a great group of believers seeking the same thing, I am encouraged to go and do.

Well, this summer I am at a cross-roads and the Lord is providing an opportunity to get out of this comfort zone of living in a Christian bubble. I have to move out of my apartment by the end of June because my roommate is getting married. I have no idea where I'll be living. I am looking for opportunities now to live in community with minimal rent costs, with the ability to minister in my neighborhood. I'm also praying about making some sacrifices with work--going part time in the fall--so I can focus more on my program at Bethlehem. I am praying about, and looking for opportunities to mentor a group of teenage girls as well. My small group is looking to serve believers around Minneapolis this summer--whether that be painting houses, making dinners, visiting retirement homes, or just taking out the trash for our neighbors. I have also contacted a Biblical counselor and will be meeting with her to pick her brain about counseling and how I can prepare myself (or more so let the Lord prepare me) for counseling women in the future.

With all this said, I am excited to take action and not just talk about passions I have or dreams that I'm dreaming. Life is too short to talk and not do. It is time to do!

With the grace of God, I press on.

The best homework there is

So, I am officially done with classes this term. I finished one paper last night and I am starting the second one today, hoping to finish before next Wednesday. I am at a new coffee shop with a caramel latte in hand and it is raining outside. I am thankful to be alive and well today.

Although I would love to share with all of you all that I have learned this semester, I do not have the time or ability to verbalize all of that. So, I thought it would be a good idea to take an excerpt from my paper. Below, are the last two paragraphs of my reflection on the pleasures of God. I hope you enjoy.

***
Through this course and the book Pleasures of God, my view of God has been enriched in many ways. I've learned how God's self-sufficiency is for our benefit. I was impacted greatly when Piper wrote "You can't bribe a mountain spring with bucketfuls of water from the valley" (pg. 32). That image was seared on my mind through out the twelve weeks of this course. Everything within me wants to stop my foolishness in bringing bucketfuls of water to the overflowing mountain spring, and just come empty to drink of His living water. And in the process of me drinking of his water, and coming back for more and more, He will be glorified. I learned in this course that the complexity of the Christian life and the daily war within can be eased by simply going back to these Biblical truths. As I daily wrestle with my sin, and my flesh and spirit are at war, instead of constantly being discouraged, I can look to my happy God and recount the ways He is delighted in my need for more of Him.

I have learned that in discovering the pleasures of God, we see His glory, worth and excellency, and we are transformed into His likeness and are able to manifest His glory in the church. In my own life, as I work on application of these sweet Biblical truths, I will strive to live in a way that declares the glory of God in all that I say and do. I will look to my infinitely happy God in moments of discouragement and find joy in Him. I will plead with God to remind me of the pleasure He has in his Son and in the atoning sacrifice which has imputed righteousness from Christ to me, an adopted daughter. I will ask the Spirit to intercede on my behalf when I do not know for what to pray. I will beg for a humble and contrite heart and faith like a child daily. And I will communicate with others, whether in difficulties or joys, all that God is doing within me so that I may never boast in myself, but only in the Lord. Now that I know more about the pleasures of God, and therefore His character, I will share with others these things that make our God so great. By the grace of God, I plan on making it a point to observe the beauty of nature, meditate on the saving work of Christ, and marvel in the illumination of Scripture more often. I will speak of God as a happy God and will praise His name. I am excited to use all I have learned in this course as I minister to believers and non-believers around me. With the help of the Spirit, I think I'll be able to better portray God as He is when sharing the gospel. Due to the nature of my work and the frequent opportunities I have to give spiritual counsel, I plan on daily using many things I have learned from this class. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying the pleasures of God alongside other brothers and sisters, and I can honestly say I am a much happier person after learning more about my happy God.