Do the Math. Is your faith adding up?

 This article is interesting on the future of the American church. 

What’s even more interesting to me though is that it was written in February 2020–essentially pre-Covid since nothing had closed down yet. 

The reason I say that is because Covid has accelerated everything is hasn’t stalled.

So encourage you to read this short article.

My question to you is not what is your church doing but what are you doing with respect to your faith and church? Have you let this pandemic derail your best source of encouragement in your faith?

“Church” biblically defined isn’t a building or event. It is literally the people of God gathered in Jesus’ name. 

It means that healthy Christians are regularly gathering with other Christians. This is part of what sustains us as the Church when we’re scattered to where we live, work, learn, and play. (Depending on how locked-down you are)

It means that if you’re not gathering with other Christians (in-person or online) around God’s word, then you’re undermining your faith in Christ. You’re not walking in obedience to a command as basic as do not forsake gathering with other Christians.

I pray that God will remind you of the hope you and I have in Christ.

The Word of God +

The Spirit of God + 

The People of God =

———————————————

Become like the Son of God

Do the math of your faith. How do you score? 

I have https://www.wsj.com/articles/thank-god-american-churches-are-dying-11582243546

"We Can Do Better" - an open letter

God is Working. Are you paying attention?

God has been at work in and through our people the past ten weeks of COVID-mania.

Here's a list of some of the things happening in the life of Grace the last ten weeks:

• 5 PM Deacon Prayer Calls - we launched this to help us check on our people early and often
• 8 AM Morning Prayer Calls - we launched this back in Dec. to practice more dependency on God
• Pray4SC.com was launched recently by one of our members 
• Groups and Sundays transitioned to online zoom chats
• Neighborhood care packages delivered (Amy & Kate) to Frankie Lane residents (Ladson)
• Memory Verse cards delivered to children and families
• 6 friends of Grace attended Starting Point (Whittington, Wright, Mather, LaDuke)
• 2 weddings of our members
• 3 drive-by parades (Caleb & Shyanne, Spencer & Ana, Lyndsey)
• 2 distant drives to get college students home safely (Jenny & Kara)
• 4 times helping people move (Edwards, Leckie, Mather, Black)
• 3 lost jobs but got new jobs (Byron, Peter C, Tricia C)
• 2 families were assisted in yard work
• 2 babies on the way (Lizzie E & Taylor C)
• 1 COVID-19 case
• Lots of meals shared

I share these things from our small church to help you see that God is at work in and around us all of the time. 

God is working in and around your life too.  

Are you paying attention?

One race - the Human race

I love Tony’s sentiment here. This is such a profoundly beautiful picture of what Jesus calls his followers to exemplify. You sense their genuine ability to love and respect each other as family. It’s not that they don’t see their differences. It’s that they don’t think those differences don’t matter. They love each other and that’s what matters.

I’d like to simply say let’s remember the prayer Jesus prayed and what he said about the power of his people walking together in unity:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” -Jesus praying

‭‭John‬ ‭17:20-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬ #LoveYourNeighbor #LoveOneAnother

How to "Soap" Through Scripture

The S.O.A.P method, created and popularized by Wayne Cordeiro, is designed to teach us how to hear from God. 

We hear from God by 

1. Prayerfully reading the Bible, 

2. Noting observations in the verse, 

3. Writing down the applications we believe God wants us to draw from what we’ve learned. 

4. Finally, we pray to ask God to help us apply what he's told us to do in our life. 

As we “hear from God” our next step is to “do what he says” by faith. It is not an overstatement to say that practicing this spiritual discipline will change your life.

Here’s how I do it:

S — Scripture

As I read through my Bible reading plan (usually 1-3 chapters/day), I “listen” to the Holy Spirit for verses that "jump out at me", so to speak, and I mark them. Then I select one of those verses out of all I marked and write it down under “S.” A great Bible app is here.

O — Observation

This is where most of my time and thought occurs. I ask and answer questions of the verse. Questions like who, what, where, why, when, and how. I write all that I observe from that single verse. It can be a paragraph or a lot more.

A — Application

When I do a good job with observations, the applications become clear quicker. I write down what the verse is telling me to do. Sometimes it is obvious and explicit—sometimes it is implied and more subtle.

P — Prayer

With a posture to apply this verse to my life, I write out a simple prayer to God asking him to help me apply the wisdom I just wrote down. I can write more than that but I write at least that.

Then I give that day’s entry a simple and memorable title that will help me remember it throughout the day.

Then I write the date, title, and verse reference in the front of my journal creating a kind of table of contents for the journal.

The entire process takes 20-40 minutes depending on how much you read and how much detail you write. I generally read 3-5 chapters a day, select 1 verse, and then “Soap” on that verse. It takes me 30-45 minutes.

Example

The format you should follow:

Title: 

Date:

Verse:

Name:

(S)scripture -

(O)observations - Ask questions like who, what, where, why, when, and how? Ask things like what do we learn about people in this verse? What do we learn about God in this verse? What do you see happening? Etc. 

(A)applications - What is this passage telling me to do or believe, or implying I should do or believe?

(P)prayer - Ask God to help you apply this wisdom today.

App with free Bibles and Bible reading plans

https://www.youversion.com/

https://www.lifejournal.cc/

Online hub for S.O.A.P. journaling.

*Divine Mentor, Wayne Cordeiro

http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/the-divine-mentor/280353

The book that started it all.

Quick Overview of Philippians

Here’s a great, quick summary of Philippians.

Philippians is a letter in the New Testament in the Bible written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Philippi around AD 61.

The letter in a nutshell according to Willmington is this:

Paul presents Jesus Christ as:

1. The believer’s life-Purpose
2. The believer’s life-Pattern
3. The believer’s life-Prize
4. The believer’s life-Power

Outline Bible, Willmington Preview here

Link to the detailed outline from his book:

Outline of Philippians

Coaching Pastors (NEW)

I am starting something new.

I love starting things. :-)

I am starting coaching folks in the ministry. Pastors, associate pastors, etc.

For now, I'm open to 3. I can only do a few at a time.

I'll customize it for the individual but my thought is a monthly coaching phone (or Zoom) call (after 2 the first month) where we talk for an hour. My job isn't to tell you what should be doing either. My job is to listen to what is working (and what isn't) and ask questions so that you (the more informed person) can discover what it is God is saying to you and what you should do about it.

For that, I will charge $100/month. Pay as you go. No long-term commitments. Satisfaction guaranteed.

The first 3 are free for those in full-time or bi-vocational Christian ministry.

Darien.Gabriel@GraceToday.net

Gathered AND Scattered

I love this image.

I love it because the image of the two rails can be used to illustrate the power of the AND. It is not always either this OR that. It can often be this AND that.

What this reveals is that there are often tensions that we must manage in life. Tension sounds bad because sometimes it is. But tension can also be a good thing. Without tension, for example, a guitar string will not vibrate a note. We manage that tension when we tune that string.

Today I am thinking a lot about the local church.

When I say "church", I am not referring to the cultural definition of the place where people gather. Instead, I am referring to the biblical definition of the Church as in the people of God i.e. those who trust and follow Jesus Christ.

This tension we manage between being the Church gathered and being the Church scattered is an acknowledgment that we are to be in this world as fellow humans but not "of" this world as in surrendered to it. As God's people, we surrender ultimately to him alone.

So as we learn how to "do church" in this transition to the new normal, we can no longer gather in an auditorium, cathedral or traditional church building. We now must meet virtually either by watching a live service from an empty room or by gathering virtually in a Zoom room.

I often say to our people in our church at the end of a worship service that we didn't come to church but that we are the church and that as we leave let's go be the church where we live, work/learn and play.

Someone pointed out to me that what is cool about this is that we are now gathering where we are scattered. (Thanks, Chris Karpus) In a sense, we are doing both at the same time. We are gathering virtually from where we are scattered (which is literally where most of us live, work and play now).

This is a unique experience. One I hope we fully embrace.