February Fasting/Prayer for Our Children Day 30

When we embark on this journey called parenting, we look ahead with anticipation, excitement and maybe a little fear, too! We look to our children’s milestones with joy as we watch them grow thinking that eventually they will reach milestones that will bring them more independence and less worry and concern on our part. But the reality is, that as they grow so do our concerns for them on this assignment of a lifetime! As we always need our heavenly Father to guide us and protect us, so do our children need us to always guide, and protect them as well. Though our guidance and protection takes on different forms throughout their lives, the prayers that we lift to the heavens for our children will always be of utmost importance for their well-being. When we pray for our children, or even for our family, and friends, we partner with God as He accomplishes His good plans for their lives! Even when we feel that we have nothing much to offer, God says give me what you have and I will multiply it. That’s what it means to partner with the Lord on behalf of our children, our families, our friends.

In 2Kings 4:1-7, we meet a woman who is desperate for help. Her husband has died and because of his outstanding debts, her two sons are about to be taken as slaves to pay that debt. She turns to the prophet Elisha for help. Upon hearing of her plight, he asks one simple question-“what do you have?” She replies quietly, “I have nothing.” I believe we can relate. There are moments in our lives where we truly believe in our desperation and brokenness that we have nothing-nothing to offer, nothing to give.

But as we see are about to see in this moment, God moves in miraculous power in response to our desperation and brokenness. The widow was so consumed by her desperate need that she couldn’t see the everlasting supply available to her in her Lord. Suddenly, she remembers that she has one small jar of olive oil.

The truth is, we always have something. God will always use what you have. He takes the small, the things that we deem insignificant and uses them for His glory! Elisha responds by telling the widow to go around and ask her neighbors for empty jars. He even states, “don’t just ask for a few.” Get as many jars as possible.

In this remarkable encounter we see that the size of the miracle was dependent upon how many empty jars they gathered together. Imagine if she had only gathered one or two jars; the oil would have flowed into those jars and stopped. There wouldn’t have been enough oil to pay off her debts. But she asked for as many jars and vessels as she could get her hands on.

It’s important to note that it’s only when she starts pouring that the oil starts flowing. The miracle only began as she stepped out in faith and obedience.

Sometimes we operate our faith this way-“God when you’re clearly moving in my life, when there’s enough momentum, when I feel certain of Your movement, then I’ll step out, then I’ll risk, then I’ll bring my all to You.” But that isn’t how God works!

Some of us are crying out to the Lord, “More, More, More.”

He is responding to us saying, “Pour, Pour, Pour!”

“Pour out your worship. Pour out your gifts. Pour out your time and resources. Pour out the little you feel you have and watch what I can do.”*

Some of us have children, family, and friends in desperate situations or maybe we even find ourselves in desperation and brokenness, and the Lord is beckoning us to pour- pour out our prayers, pour out our praise and worship, pour out our time in His presence and in His Word. As we pour, God will move in miraculous ways!

So keep praying! We have started a 30 day journey of prayer- don’t stop; keep praying and pouring! Stand on the promises of God for your children, your family, and friends. Put on the armor of God as you fight the dark forces of this world with your spiritual weapons- Prayer, Praise, God’s Word, God’s Grace, and of course, His Power!

1 John 4:4 NLT

⁴ But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 The Message

^4-8 But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.

Prayer- Lord, help us continue to build our foundation upon You so that we won’t be shaken when the storms come but we’ll remain standing firm in Your power. Help us to remember we are instrumental in the spiritual battles between You and the enemy. Remind us that victory depends upon our willingness to ‘pour’ out in prayer, in praise, in worship! Lord, continue to show us where prayer is most needed for ourselves, for our families, for our friends, for our communities. Lord, help us to see that our prayer life is not merely for You to fix things but rather to take dominion over the works of darkness in the spiritual realms. Lord, we thank you for hearing our prayers and answering them before we speak them. Thank you for inviting us into Your plan in the world to advance Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ Holy Name- Amen

*Portions of this post are shared with permission from churchgrowth.org

     The church stands before another opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. What will we choose? I’m afraid our track record stinks. Instead of chasing after the people at the margins with mercy and compassion like Jesus did, we push more people to the margins with apathy and judgement. Instead of using God’s Word as a source of mercy and hope, we use it as a weapon cutting people down. Instead of using our hands to reach out and lift others up, we use our fingers to point out their flaws and sins. Oh how we love reciting the word sin in the church to cast further shame on people already beaten up by unfair and prejudiced systems. We look around at a hurting and broken world and somehow dismiss our own contribution to the hurting. Are we so foolish to think that our failure to be the body of Christ hasn’t helped create the problems in our society?

     Jesus was never afraid to get involved in the messiness of other peoples’ lives. After all isn’t that why He came? It was His intervention into the messiness of all humanity that offers us forgiveness, mercy, and hope. Why are we so averse to messy and to engaging real people with real-life problems and challenges? As we toss the word sin around, we use it as a shield to hide behind. What are we hiding from? Do we think we are too good to get our hands dirty? If Jesus wasn’t too good to get messy than who do we think we are? Better than Jesus? I surely hope not.

     It is the church’s inability and  unwillingness to step into the messy that has allowed the hurting and broken to search for healing in other places and ways. Many of the problems in our world today wouldn't have grown out of control had the church been obedient to God's commands to be His hands and feet.  Are we ready to do the work necessary to be like Jesus or are we content to ‘be like Jesus’ in name only? ‘In name only’ is why the term Christian has become synonymous with hypocrite and hateful. There is a storm brewing in our world and only Jesus has the power to calm it. We are invited into His work in the messy places to be peacemakers who listen, who make a difference, and who bring hope and compassion. Are we willing to enter the messy to help the lost and the broken or do we see ourselves as too good to be bothered?

Matthew 5:7-9 The Message

⁷ “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. ⁸ “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. ⁹ “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

Blessings,

Pastor Kristen

          Have you ever had one of those opportunities that dropped in your lap and although you weren’t so sure about it, the experience became a blessing beyond compare? That happened to me this week.  A close friend of mine had a family emergency and was headed out of town. Our first response in those moments is ‘how can I help?’ I had run down a list of possible ways to help in my mind, but this one was unexpected.  “Can you take Grace to her mammogram appointment?” Instantly, I entered a battle of the wills in my mind. I love Grace dearly and would do anything to help her, but the ‘what if’ battle was gaining traction. Grace is a precious elderly friend with some limitations in movement; what if I, with my own physical limitations, was unable to help her? What if they didn’t allow me into the health facility because of covid restrictions? What if my own physical limitations made me inadequate to truly help her when she needed me? What if, what if, they just kept coming until my car pulled up to Grace’s home.

         I went up to her door and knocked-no answer. I knocked again, no answer.  I peered through the window, while I could see her walker, I couldn’t see Grace. What if my ‘what ifs’ were becoming reality? I went back to my car to grab my phone and try calling her, again no answer! But then, just as a hundred different scenarios started to pop up in my mind, her door creaked open and out came Grace.  “Oh, thank goodness, Grace, you scared me!” “ A girl’s gotta pee you know. Don’t worry about me!” she replied.

        I walked her to the car and watched as the Lord knocked down every single ‘what if’ scenario that I had concocted in my head. He softened the hearts of the security guards, the registration people, and the mammogram techs so that I was allowed to be by her side the whole time. After all, it was the Lord’s plan that day, that I see Grace.

         Now for those unfamiliar with mammograms, think x-ray machine combined with yoga exercises. I think if they could find a way to make you stand on your head for the imaging, they would! But for someone with physical limitations like Grace, this process can be both excruciating and discouraging. But if you know Grace, discouraging is not part of her vocabulary.  After each pose, after each image and after each break for her to catch her breath, Grace spoke, “Thank you for your kindness,” “Thank you for being patient with me,” “You are being very nice to me, thank you for your kindness.” Over and over I heard Grace speak and tears rolled down my cheeks as I witnessed the beauty and purity of grace. As I choked back the tears, I heard the Lord say, “Everyone needs more Grace.”

         And there it was, my limitations were not physical at all, they were spiritual! How much grace did I really possess to pour out on others? How many opportunities to have grace for others do I miss? How often do I take grace for granted? As I stood near Grace that day, I saw her beauty and purity as my true inadequacies were revealed.  I needed more grace! I was reminded that grace is a gift, and it is beautiful but never should it be unexpected in the life of a follower of Jesus.

~ Pastor Kristen

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.” Remember this rhyme from your childhood days? Or how about, “I’m rubber and you’re glue so the names you say bounce off me and stick to you?” It was a clever diversion to cushion the bullying and lack of compassion in our world. We would like to think that we have moved past this concept of bullying and lacking compassion as we grew into adults, but have we?

Compassion is defined as a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. With that definition of compassion, do we still think our world is compassionate? Are our churches compassionate? Jesus was our example of compassion. How do we measure up?

In the 8^th chapter of John, we are given an example of Jesus’ great compassion. A woman caught in adultery is brought to the temple where Jesus is teaching. The religious leaders interrupt the holy worship and teaching to throw this woman at Jesus’ feet for punishment.

There was no doubt about her guilt, it says she was caught in the act. Yes, God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. Jesus died for the sinners. Here she is before a crowd with her sin on display for all to see and yet Jesus, the only one without sin that could have thrown the stone, has compassion on her.

He knows that she doesn’t need another critic, she needed someone to care.

What if some of our sins were on display for everyone to see? I imagine we would all be a little uncomfortable. For this reason, we tend to relate more to the adulterous woman in this story. But in reality, we are more often behaving like the Pharisees in the crowd, who were focused on their own agenda and looking out for their own interests.

The Pharisees had an agenda. They were so focused on their own interests, their own self-righteousness, that they completely missed the opportunity to love as God loves. They were so focused on the LAW that they forgot about the LOVE.

We have our own agenda, too.

We look at people- we size them up, we pass judgment, we pick up our stones and begin throwing them- wearing a mask, not wearing a mask; vaccinated or unvaccinated; Democrat or Republican; white or black; gay or straight; The judgments are as abundant as our differences!

We can throw stones without saying a word.  Throwing stones doesn’t even really require a negative action of any kind for a follower of Jesus.

The formation of the judgmental thought in your head reflects what’s in your heart.[1]

The Pharisees came to the temple that day, with malice and judgment in their hearts, and stones in their hands.

But Jesus knew this, and He turned the table on them. He bent down to write in the sand, we don’t know what He wrote but it was compelling enough, and convicting enough that the crowd all walked away, leaving Him alone with the woman.

And He addresses her with such compassion. He doesn’t bring up her sin again, nor does He condone it. He sees that she is already broken, humiliated, and humbled. After all, she calls Him, Lord.

Jesus knew that this woman didn’t need death, she needed deliverance.

She didn’t need to be put on trial, she needed to be transformed.

She didn’t need humiliation, she needed help.

She didn’t need stoning, she needed saving.

The Pharisees were so focused on themselves and the stones in their hands, they couldn’t see her with love and compassion.

How often do someone else’s sins get laid out on display before us? How do we respond? Because avoiding and ignoring are still responses. They keep our hand tightly wrapped around the stone in our hand.

Sometimes we need Jesus to write in the sand and remind us of our own faults, our own weaknesses, and failures before we encountered Him.

Compassion isn’t compassion unless it’s acted upon. How willing are we to demonstrate compassion for others? Are we willing to risk getting a little dirty and messy ourselves in order to show compassion? Are we willing to sacrifice our comfort and our wants for the needs of another?

 How often do we pick up stones, making judgments, and lacking compassion?

Jesus is always trying to get our attention, and sometimes even write some things in the sand..

-to remind us of who we were before we met Him

-to remind us that it’s His name written on our heart and it’s His name that we’re called to glorify and point back to as we walk through this world.

What situation are you in today, that requires your compassion?

Are you so intent on being right, are you so intent on seeking restitution and revenge for your own hurt that you have lost sight of compassion?

Are you dealing with people, reaching out to people in a way that glorifies Christ? Or are you holding tight to the stone, just waiting to throw it?

We need to drop the stones and stop picking them up again. We need to look on others with compassion and act on it. Compassion means we drop the stone of judgment and we reach out in love.

 It is the capacity to feel what it is like to live in someone else’s skin. It’s the idea that there can never really be peace and joy in my life until there’s peace and joy in yours. Are we living like that?

We need to live lives worthy of the sacrifice that our Savior made. We need to live lives that are different, set apart, and transformed because the very one who saved us is living in us.

We need to get past this idea that our life is about us and about our purpose. Our life is about Him and His purpose is our purpose!

Does your life look different? Are you seeing people with compassion the same way that Jesus did?

1 Peter 3:8-12(MSG)

Suffering for Doing Good

^8-12 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Church, if we love one another as God loves us. If we show love and compassion to others the way Jesus did, the world that is starving for love will be drawn like a magnet into His presence and the restoration that He offers.

Blessings,

Pastor Kristen

I normally do not post pictures of myself but today I am. This picture is not a picture of beauty but it is a picture of God’s amazing Grace, Mercy, and Hand of Protection.

This is a story of God’s Unfailing Love and His Amazing Grace.

Friday afternoon, Kristen Doty and I went out to lunch to enjoy time together. Our conversation centered around God. His divine appointments for each of us and for our church. We chatted for 2 hours about God and His hand on each of us. We discussed how satan had been attacking our families. We talked about how satan was trying everything in his limited power to stop God’s mission for us, but how God prevails, always! We shared how satan was attacking not only our families but our church families. We talked about the world crisis of hatred, lack of morals, and values. We talked about our vision to open a coffee shop where everyone was welcome. Where everyone would have value and know that they are loved.

Two hours later… We had gotten up to leave, we were walking to our cars, still discussing God’s hand on our lives and how grateful we are to serve a merciful, loving God. We had sat for two hours, so my legs were a tad “wobbly”. Most of you all know I have MS, and my legs do what they want when they want to. So, as we were walking along my leg just stopped, refusing to make any movement forward, but my body did not have any part of that, my upper torso kept going. Unfortunately, when the upper half decides to keep on moving in a forward direction, and the lower half does not there is usually a less than happy landing. Well, that day was no different. I landed a full force “face-plant” on the sidewalk. I hit with so much force that it knocked the wind out of me for a second. I was bleeding from my forehead, my nose, my mouth.  What is incredible is, as I was falling, I saw this scarred hand come up and cover my face. I know that it was the hand of God. God’s hand took the full impact of what I should have taken, but God’s hand of protection was there. I know I was the recipient of the Hand of God covering me, protecting me from the full impact! Just as He took each of our sins upon the Cross that day. 

I need to back up just for a hair. I have been on many medicines that have a negative impact on bone density for many years. In reality, I should have the bone density of a 90 plus-year-old, but by the grace of God my bone density at 66 is that of a 48-year-old…So what could have been/should have been, a skull fracture, broken eye sockets, broken cheek, broken nose, broken jaw/chin, broken hand, broken teeth, and broken knee cap…ended up with just a busted lip, banged up nose, sore hands and sore right knee (remember my left leg refused to join in the party lol).

I managed to sit up. It was not under my own power, that I can attest to. But as I was sitting there security drove by. I flagged her down. At that point Pastor Kristen had gone back to the restaurant to get some ice. The manager of the restaurant came back with her and offered assistance. AT that point I knew my legs would not cooperate so I just continued to sit there with ice on my face.  The security guard had tried to help me up but still, my left leg refused to cooperate.  She radioed some other security guards. They were concerned about everything. And I mean everything. They were overly concerned that I was going to sue the company, I’m sure. I did my best to reassure them that I was not suing anyone. That I live with this and have fallen before and will undoubtedly fall again.

Kristen and I did our best to lighten the mood for them, laughing with them once they stopped trying to “play doctor” and diagnose the severity of my injuries so to speak.  It was 10-15 minutes of them trying to figure out what to do and Kristen and I trying to put them at ease. The security team told us that they were unable to assist me in getting to my feet, so they called fire/rescue. The paramedics arrived, helped me up. They did all the work. They got me to my feet, asked me for some information. Of course, the first question they ask all “older” people is “are you on blood thinners?” Why does everyone think that anyone over 60 MUST be on blood thinners lol. When I responded with a no, they looked shocked but continued to gather my info and ultimately decide that I was okay to head home on my own. In other words, they assessed that I was coherent, aware of time, place, and circumstances. I was alert and oriented to my surroundings, so I was okay to leave.

Prayerfully, we made a positive impact on those around us, to see the hand of Christ through the circumstances. I pray that we honored God during this time. Both Pastor Kristen and I stated several times, that God had his hand on me or things would have been so much worse.

Ultimately, we saw the hand of God’s protection written all over our entire afternoon. From our delicious meal to enjoying our conversation together to being the light of Christ to others when things could have been different.
God’s promise to be with us during life’s struggles is a promise He keeps. His Word is true today, yesterday, and tomorrow. His love for us knows no bounds. He is with us in the big things and in the small things.

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

There is so much hate, so much anger. We point fingers and blame, blame, blame. We call names, we make judgements of others all in the name of self-righteousness and pride. We cry out for justice with the same mouths we use to dehumanize and degrade others; so where is the justice? Because justice comes from a place of love and courage. There is nothing loving or brave about calling people names and making them feel less than because you disagree. In our efforts to make ourselves feel better by name calling and judging, we actually chip away at our own humanity. In that battle, there are no winners, only losers on all sides.

What if instead of pointing fingers at others for the problems in the world, we pointed the finger first at ourselves? If we want to change the world, we have to be willing to change ourselves first. If we think we don’t need to change, then we’re part of the problem. Every one of us has room for improvement. I wonder, what if before we went to social media to vent our anger and hurl insults, we stepped out of our bubble of existence and sat with someone different than us to hear their story? What if, before going to social media to complain about the ills of society, we offered our time to a local food bank, a homeless shelter, or big brother/big sister program, etc?

Anyone can sit at a computer and type out angry thoughts or hit the share button under the inflammatory post of another, but what does it accomplish? We feel better for a few moments but does anything really change? Sometimes, things do change-for the worse. Those angry words, those inflammatory posts stir up more anger and more division. Is that the change we’re looking for? Sure, there may be a small minority that thrives off of division and strife, but for the majority of people, we want the same things. We want others to see their value and their purpose; we want to be unified in seeing one another become the best that they can be; ultimately we want good for others, not harm.

This is the change worth striving for, but that change is hard because it has to start with us first. And let’s be honest, we want others to change for us, not the other way around. Even as I type those words, I hear the pushback, “I don’t need to change for anyone.” What if the anyone you need to change for is yourself. Have we looked inside ourselves to see the depth of the hate and anger that dwells in our hearts and pours out on others? Judging by the state of our society, I would say most likely not. It’s self-sabotage to cry out for justice and love for all while throwing stones of insults and accusations. When did it become acceptable to build ourselves up by tearing others down? Is that who we really want to be? Because with every insult, with every derogatory name thrown out, with every demeaning post that is who we are.

 I remember a Coke ad from the 70s where people of all nationalities, ethnicities, and backgrounds sang together in ‘perfect harmony.’ I remember thinking that this was a world I wanted to live in. Some might call it a pipe-dream. But isn’t the world made for dreamers? Doesn’t the world need people who dream about justice and respect for all? Doesn’t the world need people who dream about all people feeling valued and full of purpose? Doesn’t the world need people who dream of working towards hope, and peace and love for all?

Excuse me, while I go buy a case of Coke and make some friends, whose life experiences may be different than mine, so that I can learn, understand, and change.

-Pastor Kristen

I have been called a social butterfly all my life. I love to be around people, hug my friends and spend quality time chatting with a friend over a cup of coffee, a bible study, or a meal. I love our zoom meetings but I truly miss, no, I NEED “real” contact with others. Life works best for me when I can be out and about enjoying time with family and friends.

My husband, on the other hand, prefers to sit home and spend time checking his email and sports scores. He loves being in our office at home and being able to work. He tells everyone how much he “loves working from home”. He can eat lunch when he chooses, read sports headlines in between phone calls, classes and emails. He feels as though this is the best of both worlds, work and home.

I, on the other hand, have had more than my “fill” of our quality daytime hours together. When I am studying for a devotional or writing a sermon or working on another aspect of ministry, he forgets that I too am working. He will walk out of the office and start talking to me. I will admit that sometimes I “huff” at him and point to the headphones on my ears. Sometimes I stare at him with my ”can’t you see I am working” look. He will grab a snack and walk back into the office.   

This “stay at home order” is tough on both of us. It was even tough on our dogs at first. They were out of their routines. I was reviewing a few blogs that I had written a few years ago when I realized I was doing the same thing now that I did 5 years ago. I was working on MY agenda and not allowing God to direct it for His purpose. I was so busy grumbling about how much more work I have had, how my husband is disrupting my schedule because of this “COVID pandemic”, that I have forgotten to take time to just breathe and follow God’s lead for my day.

I am working on restructuring my thought process. Instead of seeing the daily interruptions by Tom, the dogs, and the multitude of phone calls, as limitations of being “quarantined at home”, I am working on shifting my thoughts to finding this as a time of “spiritual sequestering”. A time to sit back and seek God more closely.  Finding the time to just be still and know that God is still on the throne and He has a purpose for allowing me to shift from the busyness of life to seek a time to sit in His lap and thrive in the presence of God and allow Him to permeate and refresh my soul.

How are you handling this time? Are you finding our “quarantine” aka “social distancing” as a time of frustration, fear, anger, and inconvenience or are you seeking time with your Heavenly Father to hear just how much he treasures time with you? Can you restructure your mindset to seek a “spiritual sequestering” to just be in the presence of God? Only God can provide you the peace, strength, comfort, and safety that this time in our world cannot. God treasures the time He has together with you.

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer. My God is my rock— I take refuge in him! — he’s my shield, my salvation’s strength, my place of safety.

Sawgrass Family,

I wanted to share a short story with you that I hope will encourage you in your walk of faith. After our service last night about examining ourselves for biases and judgements, Jay and I went to a local restaurant for dinner. As we walked toward the entrance, we recognized one of the men from our hopeful community sitting on a bench. We approached him, reintroduced ourselves and sat down to talk with him and see how he was doing.

Before we got up to leave, we asked if we could pray for him. He responded with a bold, “Yes, please!” When we finished our prayer and got up, he asked us to sit down again so that he could pray for us. We responded with, “Yes, please!” It was a beautiful and humbling moment as we felt that we had witnessed the kindness of one, like the widow in Mark 12 who gave all she had. This man had given back what he had- the power of his prayer! Through our tears, we saw clearly the beauty of our Lord in that moment.

I share this story to remind you that God sees you, God hears you and He wants to bless you in your faithful obedience. Start each day at the feet of Jesus; listening to His plans for your day and then stand strong knowing that the Creator of the Universe is watching over you.

Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Blessings,

Pastor Kristen

John 13:34 New Living Translation (NLT)

³⁴ So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

Jesus says this to the disciples after washing their feet. They had no idea what was about to happen to Jesus and what this love really meant.

This becomes clear, when Peter declares on this same night-

“I’m ready to die for you.”

³⁸ Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.

Sometimes, we respond that way, too. We are feeling good with Jesus and we want to follow Him everywhere and anywhere, until everywhere and anywhere gets really hard. Let’s be honest- loving people is hard!

If we are to love one another, we must first grasp tightly to the love Jesus has for us. We must examine how it was, that He loved us.

First, He knew who He was. His identity, His hope, His confidence, and His purpose were rooted in the Father.

Paul tells us ..

Philippians 2:6-7 New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
 

Jesus didn’t come to do acts of service, He came as a servant.  That is something we need to look into our own hearts and ask ourselves- do we choose to do acts of service, or do we see ourselves as servants?

As followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to live a life worthy of our high calling- that calling is to be servants.

Because of that high calling, we should be brought into humility before a Holy God.

The greatest delight of the meek and humble, is to enjoy the free unmerited mercy and grace of God. Our longings are satisfied in God. Our identity and our confidence are in God, and when we understand that, we are free to be a servant to all. When we are available to be His servant, we are united in our care for one another.

In our humility before a great God, we recognize our own imperfections, not just everyone else’s imperfections.

When our imperfections are brought to light against the mercy and grace of Jesus, we see what He accomplished on the cross, and it’s our responsibility to maintain that unity by the Spirit living in us.

We must break the chains that tie us to this world and keep us from living for the world yet to come. Only when we break those chains, will we begin to see Jesus and all that He has done for us in love. He has been patient and long-suffering with us, and to honor Him and please Him, we should want to behave similarly with those around us.

In the spirit, instead of being puffed up and self-righteous, we will be lowly and humble- we will be living as servants, not  just choosing to do acts of service.

Instead of impatient and resentful, with the spirit we will be longsuffering and forgiving. That will open the door for peace and unity and love to flourish.

Ephesians 4:16 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁶ He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

To love one another, we have to first recognize and respond to the love of God, as Jesus said, “Love as I have loved you.” We can’t possibly love one another until we fully embrace His love first. Only then can we truly love in ways that matter!

There is much talk these days about fences and walls. Drive through most neighborhoods today and you will see fences. They come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. In every case, a fence is designed to keep something in or keep something out. The truth is that fences help us feel safe.

At my home, I have a fence to separate my front yard from my backyard. If I want to be friendly, I can sit on my front porch. If I want privacy and wish to be alone, I can sit on my back patio. The fence is the separation between the two. It is the barrier between the front, which everyone is allowed to see, and the back, which is where we spend most of our time and actually live.

 What if we looked at our lives as a yard, where we kept the place in front of the fence shiny and clean for everyone to see but the back, behind the fence, was the real us that we kept private and hidden from others? Is that what community and fellowship looks like in the life of a believer or are we called to something more?

Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, ^“that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” (John 17:21) This is true community, and the true fellowship that God wants us to know and experience. It is crucial for our spiritual growth.

We can pray by ourselves, we can read the Word by ourselves, we can even watch a worship service from the comfort of our couch at home if we want. But the one thing that we see in the early church is that there was power when believers came together and responded to the work of the Holy Spirit! There was a oneness, and a strong sense of community, fellowship and family.

Acts 2:42-43 (NASB)

 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;

One of God’s plans for our spiritual growth is that we live connected lives with Him and with one another. But we can’t experience that kind of community and fellowship if we keep living behind our fences.

We’re born building fences and walls that hide, protect, or confine who we really are—to keep us separated from God and one another. But the Good News is that Jesus tore down the veil(the fence) between us and God so that we could experience true community. That is the starting point of knowing true community with one another.

Through Christ, God has made us a family, a community of faith—it is our God-given support system. We gather together on Sundays and during the week for Bible studies. We sing songs, smile, read scripture, break bread all while we stand behind our fences, where it’s comfortable and safe. We are very careful what we reveal to people from behind the fence even to the point that we may create a false picture of what we are dealing with in life.

Our problem is that from behind our fences, we can’t embrace one another in a family crisis. From behind our fences, we can’t see what’s happening over in someone else’s “yard” when they need help and encouragement. Our fences impede our community. We have to tear down our fences to fully know someone.

If we are going to truly experience community/fellowship, then that means being intentional about loving one another.. And loving each other is impossible to do from behind a fence.

The early church in Acts 2, was intentional about spending time together. Even in their spiritual persecution, they found strength in community and fellowship. We may not be facing persecution, but we do have battles. They are called fear, doubt, discouragement, temptation, rejection, and failure.

 God hasn’t left us alone. He has given us each other to run the race, and fight the battles.

Hebrews 3:13(NASB)

¹³ But encourage one another day after day

Hebrews 10:24-24(NIV)

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,

Community is finding ways to encourage one another – it’s spurring one another on to love and good deeds—beyond church service and sermons.

It’s seeing beyond the fences that have been built and offering to help out, maybe even babysit the kids!

 It’s bringing a meal in times of crisis. It’s having those “go-to” numbers in your cell phone when you break down. It’s knowing who to call when you want to go on a double date or to catch a movie.

 It’s inviting someone into your home for dinner. It’s teaming up when you have a church service project and working alongside friends. It’s enjoying one another—and helping each other to enjoy serving Jesus.

That’s community! It serves to sharpen us for God’s purposes and plans.

Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

When we embrace the knowledge that Jesus crashed the fence(the barrier) between us and God, and we stop trying to rebuild it between us and those around us, we experience authentic community like the early church.

If we are truly going to experience spiritual growth and transforming faith, , then we can’t live behind a fence. To become more like Christ, to truly love one another, we need to knock down our fences and embrace fellowship and community.