Ignite Day 15 Father Of Light

June 14, 2019 by Paula Romang Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 16:13-20
2 Timothy 1:5-7
Romans 1:16-17
Ephesians 4:1-6

Ignite, Day 15

God always preserves His lights.
He always calls faithful men and women to brandish the torch of truth and address relevant issues. He calls them to keep the gospel central while advancing His kingdom with grace and truth. As the Father of light (James 1:17, 1 John 1:5), He has protected, preserved, and guarded the light of the gospel, deposited in every believer (Matthew 5:14-16) from generation to generation.

Following World War II, the rapid advances in technology spawned a new pop culture that caught many church leaders off guard. Rather than address the burning questions of that era, many denominations diluted core doctrines like the deity of Christ and the supremacy of Scripture, attempting to be more relevant. On the other extreme, fundamental denominations railed against the evils of the day while also failing to answer questions with truth and grace.
So, the questions remained unanswered while various denominations bickered and pop culture dragged society toward godlessness and secular humanism.
Culture called out for answers.
It cried out in confusion as pop culture shifted the ground beneath them at breakneck speed.

Into such an era emerged God’s glowing embers.
John Stott was an Anglican priest in London. His faithful exegeses of Scripture and his keen ability as a communicator were gifts the Lord used to help shape Christianity in the 20^th century. He possessed a unique ability to disseminate complex theological issues in a relevant and understandable manner, and spoke clearly on issues like same-sex relations with truth and grace. By clearly teaching truth, he stirred the embers of faith within a generation to reach their world for Christ.

With Billy Graham and others, John Stott formed the Lausanne Covenant in 1974, which brought together Christians from 125 countries and various denominations to present a God-sized, yet workable plan for reaching the entire world with the gospel. Members confirmed the fifteen-point covenant, affirmed the confessions of the Nicene Creed, and committed themselves to the task before them. John Stott’s ability to lead and inspire others led him, Billy Graham, and others to unite Christians around the cross while spreading the gospel worldwide.

Another brilliant light was John Stott’s colleague and fellow Anglican priest, J.I. Packer, who was educated under the tutelage of giants like C.S. Lewis. Now 93, Packer is considered to be among the most important theologians of the late 20^th century. He is a prolific writer, most noted for his book Knowing God. He also served as a frequent contributor and General Editor of Christianity Today and was General Editor for the ESV Bible translation.

Dr. Packer possesses a servant’s heart, and notes that he became impactful by simply doing the task before him and leaving the results up to God. In this humble manner, he faithfully wrote copious volumes eloquently articulating and ever advancing the cross-centered and grace-centered gospel. He is also noted for his respect for the Puritans. By casting light upon the Puritans, he challenges our current generation to pursue the same spiritual depth and maturity.

Though he never sought controversy, it often found him as he stood firmly for the truth. One such controversy emerged when the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster affirmed blessing same-sex unions in 2002. Packer walked out of that meeting, later writing, that like Martin Luther, his “…conscience was captive to the word of God.”

Billy Graham is widely considered the most impactful Christian leader of the 20^th century. Though many were skeptical of the lanky, young American, they were drawn by his infectious zeal.

A Billy Graham crusade is synonymous with singing “Just As I Am” during the altar call and his iconic line: “and the Bible says…”, spoken in his elegant North Carolinian accent. He was the first to make successful use of technology to reach millions during a single meeting, preach in 185 countries, behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, and in South Korea. The genius of his ministry lies in his remarkable ability to stand upon the foundation of the Gospel, while leaning forward to find new ways to reach the world. Dr. Graham also addressed real-world problems wherever he preached, calling out racial segregation in America when it was an unpopular stance, apartheid in South Africa, and communism wherever it arose.

Although he is most widely known for his evangelistic crusades, his leadership was a catalyst for another phenomenon, the parachurch organization. Before WW2, mainline denominations with a bent toward liberalism, abandoned the pillars of orthodox Christianity like the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, the supremacy of Scripture and the resurrection. The hierarchy of these mainline denominations held sway over a confused and disgruntled people until Billy Graham introduced the parachurch organization. A parachurch organization is built on the doctrinal pillars of orthodox Christianity, and designed to “come alongside” a local church to provide support and encourage evangelism. This concept appealed to churches across denominational lines and paved the way for faith organizations like Youth for Christ, Intervarsity, Billy Graham Association, and Samaritan’s Purse.

Dr. Graham’s amazing gifts of visionary leadership and preaching ignited his generation for Christ. It is estimated he preached to 215 billion live and that 2.2 million became Christians as a result. Dr. Graham’s impact on post-war Christianity is monumental, and the influence of his ministry is credited with shaping world events like the fall of communism in the former Soviet Union, advances in the civil rights movement in America, the groundswell of the global church, and increasing attention to worldwide missions.

More recently, John Piper, has also ignited a generation with the philosophy called Christian hedonism articulated in his book Desiring God. Christian hedonism is an intentionally provocative term centered around one core idea: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

Like J.I. Packer, John Piper is strongly influenced by C.S. Lewis, Daniel Fuller and the Puritans. He cites Christian hedonism as a mindset articulated by Jonathan Edwards.

In our post-modern age, we’re often disheartened by the shallow sensationalism of contemporary Christianity. However, just as God has preserved His glowing embers of faith and spiritual integrity throughout the centuries, so He will until His return.

As we are faithful, fearlessly standing for truth, while keeping the cross central,
He will work through us.
As we address the burning questions with grace and truth,
He will use us to ignite His Church.

For His promises stand firm,
His truth marches on,
and the church will remain His catalyst for salvation
until He comes again!

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Worship IV, Day 2 Even When: Digging Deeper

November 27, 2018 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Even When!

The Questions

1) How are these verses connected?

2) What is this “same love”? (verses 1-4)

3) What is the “same attitude”? (verses 5-11)

4) How can we have the same obedience? (verses 12-13)

Philippians 2:1-13

Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
7 Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
9 For this reason God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
11 and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Original Intent

1) How are these verses connected?
Paul’s letter to the Philippian church was written while he was in prison, chained for preaching Christ. Yet, he continued ‘preaching’ through his letters. The letter is known most commonly for encouragement and Paul’s deep love for the Philippians is woven throughout, but tucked away here in the second chapter, some of the richest theology found in the entire Bible awaits us. Theologians often dig straight into the meaty description of Christ in verses 5-11, His equality with God, and how He humbly emptied Himself in order to redeem humanity. But taking a wider lens view from verses 1-13, we see how these verses come together in one beautiful 3-fold display of Christ’s love and His design for us as His children through the same love, same attitude, and the same obedience.

2) What is this “same love”? (verses 1-4)
Paul begins this section not with a description of Christ, but of His Body, His Church. It’s as if the Lord is saying, ‘Look at my beautiful Bride! Look how precious and priceless it is to enjoy the love and comfort and encouragement of my Church!’.  This affectionate fellowship, sweet tenderness, kind gentleness, and genuine caring for one another is God’s original design for us as His followers. His Church is intended to be characterized by these qualities because they have first existed eternally in the heart of God as He has existed in triune form of Father, Son, and Spirit. The model for Church was birthed from the community, the same love, that has eternally existed between Father, Son, and Spirit. Each of these precious, life-giving qualities were first lived out continuously and beautifully among the godhead, so it is only natural for these qualities to be intrinsic to the DNA of the global Church Body made up of every believer.

3) What is the “same attitude”? (verses 5-11)
Just as the Church is to mimic the same love found in God, so also are we to reflect His same attitude, specifically humility in this example. This goes beyond ‘generic humility’ as in letting others go first in line or smiling instead of snapping at them. This humility, modeled by God, is sacrificial at its core. It’s a humility that says, ‘I am God. I have all authority. But I will not allow my right as God to keep me from coming down in love to you.’ This humility carries a cost. For Jesus, it cost Him His throne, His community, and even His relationship with the Father as He bore our sin upon Himself, forcing the Father to turn away and forsake Him. But this humility was worth it. Jesus wasn’t constantly rolling His eyes annoyed at our humanity, frustrated that He was wrapped in flesh, or secretly exasperated at how dreadful it was to be tired, poor, or hungry. He was sacrificially humble as He gave Himself away for our redemption.

4) How can we have the same obedience? (verses 12-13)
When we come to a place of total surrender to living a sacrificially humble life because we want nothing more than to fully possess the same love and the same attitude of humility, then we are perfectly positioned walk into the same obedience. All of this, from beginning to end, is a work of the Holy Spirit in us as we submit to Him in ever increasing ways. It’s both Him and us, an intricate duo of our humble submission and His miraculous shaping. Paul passionately holds up Christ and His willingness to love and sacrifice for our good and then implores the church to obey Him because He is worth it! Prove your salvation, Paul says, put on display how Jesus is making you continuously new by having the same obedience Christ Himself displayed. Submit yourselves to Him, be disciplined, be sacrificially humble, and love well. In the same token, know that all of your work is only done because the Spirit of the Living God is alive and at work within you! He is making you new! He is bringing about your obedience as you submit to His lead!

Everyday Application

1) How are these verses connected?
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, ‘oneness does not mean same-ness’, encouraging differentiation between people as they work towards a common goal or in a marriage. Sameness in that sense isn’t what Paul is meaning here, rather he is encouraging all believers to follow after the same pattern for living life. As followers of Jesus, the pattern for living isn’t up for discussion or interpretation. As the Master does, so do we as His followers. The disciple is not above the Master. This is exactly what Paul was writing about and its precisely why studying Scripture is so critical for every Christ-follower. The more we study, the clearer our model becomes.

2) What is this “same love”? (verses 1-4)
This letter was written to the churches in Philippi and was likely circulated to other surrounding churches as well, but its timeless teachings are for all believers everywhere. When you think of your local church, how are you personally contributing to the overall characteristics described here? Keep in mind the all-inclusive language Paul uses like “everyone” looking out for others and “nothing” done in selfishness or vanity. As you pray through these verses, lean in to how the Spirit is leading you. Are there people you avoid or are more likely to gossip about? How do those actions reflect God’s heart? God’s design for His Church, for us as believers, is to have the same love that God shares among the triune godhead. We as a community are intended to beautifully reflect Himself!

3) What is the “same attitude”? (verses 5-11)
If I’m being honest (which is kind of a core value of Gracefully Truthful…), then I am much more likely to associate with eye-rolling-annoyed-exasperated ‘generic humility’ than I am likely to see a consistent pattern of sacrificial humility in my everyday life. I have my things to do, my standards by which to do them, this amount of time allotted, and even a casual interruption of that mindset will test my patience, much less my humility. Jesus isn’t calling us to be doormats, quite opposite! He’s calling us to firmly hold on to who we are as redeemed daughters of the King, but not to allow our knowledge of Him or our relationship status to keep us from engaging well by loving others with His same attitude of humility. Love well, Sisters. Practice sacrificial humility as you remember to keep the same attitude of our Lord.

4) How can we have the same obedience? (verses 12-13)
Doesn’t examining the model of Christ’s love and extreme humility and extravagant sacrifice encourage and embolden your desire to become more like Him? Believing Friend, obey Him! His Spirit is ready to lead and speak to you, taking you deeper as you submit to following Him. Don’t worry about the process or the how or the end result, that’s the work of the Lord, your job is to listen and obey! And to my friends who haven’t crossed the line of faith and asked Jesus to rescue them for eternity from their sin, the call is the same, obey Him! Come, explore, roam free in His unfathomably deep love for you. He has much for you, much to do in you, it all starts with a willingness to surrender and listen to His voice as He’s asking you to trust Him. Obey that voice, it’s worth it! Don’t worry about the process or the how or the end result, just listen and obey!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Catch up with Even When!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Worship IV Week One!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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Pause 2, Day 2 Hope Grown Fruit

October 23, 2018 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Pause 2, Day 2

Hope.
None of us can live without it.
The hope we have as believers in Jesus isn’t “blind faith” or random events strung together that we hope will work out in the end.

The hope Jesus brings is bound up in His character as God the Son, co-equal and eternally existing with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
But don’t take our word for it…..take His!

Today's Challenge

1) Pull out your Bible and read Colossians 1 fully through 3 times.

2) Each time, write down everything that pops out at you, makes you curious, or wonder “why?”. When you’re finished, go back through and you’ll be amazed at the new things the Spirit is leading you into knowing about Him!

3) Pay special attention to the fruit, the produce, or the results of hope.

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Colossians 1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother:
2 To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace. 7 You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
16 For everything was created by him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.
17 He is before all things,
and by him all things hold together.
18 He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
19 For God was pleased to have
all his fullness dwell in him,
20 and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds expressed in your evil actions. 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him— 23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body, that is, the church. 25 I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1. Each day, Monday through Friday, for 2 weeks, we will provide you with a simple challenge. Each challenge is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Pause 2 Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies
in Pause 2!

The GT Weekend! – Dwell Week 3

October 20, 2018 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

1) A deep prayer life is something all believers would love to have, even if we have a hard time understanding what it is or feel daunted in how to get there. Be honest with yourself and God and journal out your doubts, fears, and questions about prayer. The best way to begin developing a deeper prayer life, is simply to begin. Write out prayers, speak your prayers out loud, read Scripture and pray it out loud or silently. Wait for the Lord and He will faithfully reveal Himself to you!

2) What have been your struggles with having a regular quiet time? What defenses do you naturally put up? What challenges regularly threaten your time with God? Make a list of 3-5 items that make it difficult for you to consistently engage with God’s Word then think through how you can overcome those. Perhaps it’s finding a specific spot or time, perhaps it’s finding a reading plan to help you navigate the Bible, or just setting a timer on your phone to remind you that the next few minutes are set aside for God Time. Share your plans in the comments and encourage another sister!

3) Together over the past 3 weeks, we have dug deep into what it looks like to practically dwell with God in regular, everyday life. We’ve been equipped with new tools to help us engage in meaningful ways with the Creator through Scripture study and prayer. But all of that, as wonderful and important as it is, will neither transform us nor the world around us if we do not put into practice what we’ve learned. The gospel is meant to change the world, one heart at a time. Consider how you have grown lately and what you’ve learned about God. Pray and ask for ways you can creatively share what you taken in and steward it out

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 91:1-2 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2  I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Prayer Journal
Father, I’m humbled by Your extravagant love for me. The fact that You would pursue me relentlessly to save me from my own sin and go far beyond that to want a daily relationship with me is beyond my understanding! As I get busy, Lord, please call me back to Yourself. Remind me of Your intentional love for me. Grow my faith as you show me Yourself through Scripture.
It’s easy for me to think that if I miss time with You, You become angry and annoyed with me, wanting to punish me with silence and refusal of Your presence. Lord, how false this is! Ground me in your truth and remind me of Your grace that always welcomes me!

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

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Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music