Since Sunday I have had the rare occasion of teaching what I shared at Merge with two additional crowds. On Monday I spoke to the Junior Highers at Southwest Christian School's and this morning I spoke the same message to their High Schooler's. I love having the opportunity to speaking with teenagers because I believe there is so much potential in them and that one day the difference they will make is directly influenced by the voices that spoke into their lives. I consider it a privilege anytime God allows me to teach His word and these past two day have been very special.
If you were at Merge we opened up a discussion on some thoughts on prayer, specifically about a desire to spend more time focusing on prayers regarding God and His Kingdom and less about our own personal comfort and materialistic things that only seem to make like a little easier.
To kick off our thoughts we dove into one of my favorite verses found in the book of Jeremiah.
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." ---Jeremiah 33:3
1. God calls us to pray to Him. Why would we need a reminder to pray? Because like most of us it is only when life starts to get tight we attempt to bring God into the conversation (as if He wasn't aware in the first place). So He says to call unto Him because He knows better than we do what we need.
2. God promises to answer us. I believe this section section of verse 3 is important to note. God tells us that when we call to Him that He will respond to us. I am a very imperfect father but I always respond to any request He may have. That is not to say that the answer is yes every time and it is not to say that I say no even if he is convinced that yes is the best answer. God is a lot the same way (except He isn't as dorky and doesn't tell lame jokes). He promises to answer.
3. When we pray and God responds our faith in Him grows. God does not tell us "great and unsearchable things" so that we can be smarter or seem to be more spiritual than the next guy. He reveals these things so we can be active in the adventure of the story He is writing.
It is an incredible and humbling thought that God would even be interested in hearing our words, let alone respond to them. Nevertheless, He does responds to us in incredible ways. What a beautiful truth!!!
Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
One Question I Have Been Wrestling With A Lot Lately...
"If my prayers actually reach God's ears then why do I consistently pray so small?"
I have been thinking a lot about prayer in preparation to teach over the subject the next few weeks at Merge. It has been an interesting journey actually talking with God about talking with Him. One thought that is really steering this entire season and series is my willingness to spend so much time praying for things that really have little to no eternal consequence. That is not to belittle prayer or to say that we should only be praying deep, theological, King James sounding prayers; it merely recognizes that if our prayers are actually heard by the God of the universe then why don't we pray for greater things that have less temporal influence and more eternal possiblilties?
I am pretty sure I spend more time praying for financial blessing than opportunities to share the Gospel fearlessly. I ask for things that would make me just a little bit more comfortable in life over Paul's prayers for the Ephesians when He is pleading that the church would understand their great inheritance in Christ. With very little effort my prayers can become selfish, self-seeking and self-glorifying, treating God as if He were a bit player in the story of me (kind of like a side-kick, tights and all).
I wonder what it would look like if a church really got this? I wonder what it would look like if THE CHURCH really got this? I wonder what this would look like if YOU got this? My prayers lately have been that I would get this.
Prayer is more than just a magic list of wants. I think we all instinctively know this but few ever get any further than engaging pray in this way. This is the exciting part of the journey for me right now, I feel God is (as Paul prayed) opening the eyes of my heart that I may know the hope to which He has called me.
So I suppose the only proper way to end this blog thought is...
TO BE CONTINUED
Heart and Soul,
BAG
<><
I have been thinking a lot about prayer in preparation to teach over the subject the next few weeks at Merge. It has been an interesting journey actually talking with God about talking with Him. One thought that is really steering this entire season and series is my willingness to spend so much time praying for things that really have little to no eternal consequence. That is not to belittle prayer or to say that we should only be praying deep, theological, King James sounding prayers; it merely recognizes that if our prayers are actually heard by the God of the universe then why don't we pray for greater things that have less temporal influence and more eternal possiblilties?
I am pretty sure I spend more time praying for financial blessing than opportunities to share the Gospel fearlessly. I ask for things that would make me just a little bit more comfortable in life over Paul's prayers for the Ephesians when He is pleading that the church would understand their great inheritance in Christ. With very little effort my prayers can become selfish, self-seeking and self-glorifying, treating God as if He were a bit player in the story of me (kind of like a side-kick, tights and all).
I wonder what it would look like if a church really got this? I wonder what it would look like if THE CHURCH really got this? I wonder what this would look like if YOU got this? My prayers lately have been that I would get this.
Prayer is more than just a magic list of wants. I think we all instinctively know this but few ever get any further than engaging pray in this way. This is the exciting part of the journey for me right now, I feel God is (as Paul prayed) opening the eyes of my heart that I may know the hope to which He has called me.
So I suppose the only proper way to end this blog thought is...
TO BE CONTINUED
Heart and Soul,
BAG
<><
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Merge Turns Two Today...
Two years ago we opened our doors and had our very first gathering as a church plant in Lake Worth. (Technically we opened doors we were renting at Russell Hall but you get the point.) I don't think I will ever forget that first morning. I had new preacher clothes on, I was wearing my best dress shoes, and had one prayer..."God please let people show up!!!!" I experienced a different level of nervousness than I had ever had before that morning. Not only did people show up but God showed up.
That morning God gave me a very specific word to share. Our mission as a church will simply be that we love God by loving people!!!!! I love simplicity. I think we work to hard too complicate matters of life. As I explore and engage with scripture I see this thought all over the place. Even if I didn't, Jesus said the greatest of the commandments come down to our love for God and our love for people. That morning we decided that we wouldn't judge success on the size of the crowd or the building rather we will decide success based on whether or not we are growing in our capacity to love.
I am greatly encouraged when I think of the great things God has allowed us to do over these past two years. Especially because I firmly believe we are doing these things through love. More importantly our community is taking notice of our desire. God has been opening up doors that were closed, answering prayers that were thoughts and using Merge to make a big difference in people's lives.
Whether that be supplying school supplies, school uniforms, serving kids during ESL class or Fiesta Night, reaching out to single mothers, providing Christmas presents in the name of Jesus to over 120 kids or handing out meals to kids who otherwise would have no food...God is allowing us to do something that will have eternal influence.
What brings even greater joy is when I think about the years to come. I am confident that God will allow Merge to do even greater things as we Merger's continue to show LOVE, seek ADVENTURE and build COMMUNITY. In fact, as we have sung many times; "Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to come in this city!!!!"
We are just beginning to see what God will do through a body of believers who are committed to The Gospel and showing His love. I believe the adventure we are on is one of epic proportions.
To those who have and are taking the journey with me I have humbly grateful for your presence in your life. You are literally a Godsend in every sense of the word. Let us not shrink back now, patting our selves on the back as if we have arrived and should rest on our laurels. Let's commit to pursue God together and show love in unity even more ferociously in the next two years as we have the previous one.
"Happy Birthday Merge"
Heart and Soul,
BAG
<><
That morning God gave me a very specific word to share. Our mission as a church will simply be that we love God by loving people!!!!! I love simplicity. I think we work to hard too complicate matters of life. As I explore and engage with scripture I see this thought all over the place. Even if I didn't, Jesus said the greatest of the commandments come down to our love for God and our love for people. That morning we decided that we wouldn't judge success on the size of the crowd or the building rather we will decide success based on whether or not we are growing in our capacity to love.
I am greatly encouraged when I think of the great things God has allowed us to do over these past two years. Especially because I firmly believe we are doing these things through love. More importantly our community is taking notice of our desire. God has been opening up doors that were closed, answering prayers that were thoughts and using Merge to make a big difference in people's lives.
Whether that be supplying school supplies, school uniforms, serving kids during ESL class or Fiesta Night, reaching out to single mothers, providing Christmas presents in the name of Jesus to over 120 kids or handing out meals to kids who otherwise would have no food...God is allowing us to do something that will have eternal influence.
What brings even greater joy is when I think about the years to come. I am confident that God will allow Merge to do even greater things as we Merger's continue to show LOVE, seek ADVENTURE and build COMMUNITY. In fact, as we have sung many times; "Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to come in this city!!!!"
We are just beginning to see what God will do through a body of believers who are committed to The Gospel and showing His love. I believe the adventure we are on is one of epic proportions.
To those who have and are taking the journey with me I have humbly grateful for your presence in your life. You are literally a Godsend in every sense of the word. Let us not shrink back now, patting our selves on the back as if we have arrived and should rest on our laurels. Let's commit to pursue God together and show love in unity even more ferociously in the next two years as we have the previous one.
"Happy Birthday Merge"
Heart and Soul,
BAG
<><
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