Christianity

Questions Day 8 I Saw A Sign

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Judges 6:11-27
Genesis 9:8-17
Proverbs 3:5-6

Questions, Day 8

A common misconception about the Christian life centers around the ease with which life is lived after becoming a Christian. Some people believe becoming a Christian is a “crutch” used to avoid the hard things in life. For others, it is the mindset of Christianity equaling a perfectly mapped out life with zero challenges.

Neither assumption is accurate.
Becoming a Christian means entering a relationship with the Lord, not a business deal involving free-pass from suffering. I started my friendship with the Lord at an early age, and therefore, I have had the blessing of years spent learning how to interact with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Over the years, I have grown in my communication with the Lord.
Communication is a key component of any relationship.
As many of my married friends have shared, communication is often one of the greatest challenges within a marriage. My relationship with the Lord is similar. I must continually be working to communicate well with Him. I would love to say this is an easy, overnight process, but it takes time and effort.

Time to develop history with the Lord in which I discover His character.
Effort to quiet myself before Him and invest the time to get to know Him through His Word and prayer.

The Lord is always present, but it is up to us to seek and recognize His presence.

This entire discussion thus far is a lead-up to addressing the question of whether the Lord gives us signs to tell us what to do. Does the Lord have a track record of providing signs to help us know what to do? Yes. However, those signs are not necessarily the flashing ones on the side of the highway telling us to take the next exit. More often than not, they are far more subtle and may even come as confirmation, rather than direction.

In my own walk with the Lord, “signs” are nestled deep within the context of relationship with Him. These signs are not words scrolled in the sky, rather they are direction and guidance found in the rich soil of deep, intimate relationship between the Lord and myself. The two Bible stories you read at the start of the journey study are perfect examples of this truth.

For Gideon, the sign from the Lord came after the angel gave him direction. Gideon was already mid-conversation with an angel of the Lord when Gideon’s request for a sign was granted. Gideon understood what the sign represented because it occurred as part of an on-going conversation.

For Noah and his family, the sign came as a confirmation of a promise the Lord spoke to Noah. In this scenario, the Lord shared His plans with Noah and revealed how Noah could live in peace every time it began to rain in the future. The Lord spoke far in advance of a future scenario, in order to help Noah know and trust the Lord’s heart for protecting His people . . . all before Noah ever needed an umbrella.

Isaiah 30:21 says,
“and whenever you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear this command behind you:
“This is the way. Walk in it.’”

I have learned the Lord’s heart is for me to know what He has planned for me, and for me to walk out those plans, for His glory. He has consistently guided me, either through confirmation of decisions I have made, or by repeatedly catching my attention to remind me to talk with Him as new seasons are approaching. Couched in the confines of our relationship, I find the heartbeat of God and I hear His whispered voice of direction.

As with Gideon and Noah, these interactions are solidly based within a relationship with Him. For instance, I have found the Lord often speaks to me through songs. More than once, I have been praying while driving and a song plays on the radio, speaking directly to my prayers. Another way He speaks to me is through my time journaling with Him. Many of those pages are filled with Bible verses He brings to mind as I pray. His Word is always the richest source of counsel and direction for every believer!

As you consider your walk with the Lord, can you identify personalized ways in which He speaks to you?

“My ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
(Isaiah 55:9)

This verse has reminded me frequently while I may be seeing potential signs from the Lord, I must continually surrender them to His Lordship and leadership. Before I take action based on what I believe is a sign, I must make sure it coincides with His Word and is accompanied by His peace to proceed.

The Lord is faithful and actively speaking to those seeking Him. He has promised we will find Him when we search with all of our hearts. (Jeremiah 29:13)
May you discover His heart for you as you navigate this life!
Place your full weight into investing in relationship with Him by studying His word,
He will guide your steps!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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Ignite Day 5 Purposed Orchestration

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Proverbs 21:1-2
Hebrews 1:1-4
John 10:22-30
Ephesians 4:11-16

Ignite, Day 5

It’s easy for me to live as if this life,
this season I’m in,
my community,
issues the modern-day church wrestles with,
and this post-Christian era with its messages flashing from screens,
are all held inside a vacuum of time.

That’s because I forget my (and our) place in history.
I forget the church’s place on the timeline of God’s mission.
I forget just how much of a dot I am on the map and how much of a tick this era is on history’s timeline.

That is, until I look up at the night sky and remember I’m simply one light among the host.
With a zoomed-out lens I see this divine orchestration by which God has used countless people and circumstances on His stage through the centuries, igniting a spotlight on men and women at just the right time, to bring about His purposes.

A Light in the Night
Constantine was one of those men. He ruled the Roman Empire from 306-337AD and is said to be the first Emperor to convert to Christianity. For over two centuries before his rise to power, Christians had been persecuted, threatened and killed.  The most severe persecution ramped up in the 250s all the way up until Constantine took over the empire. (Read more on the Diocletianic Persecution)

Constantine took power and policies began to change, but the most notable turning point occurred during a battle in 312 AD. Constantine saw a vision of a cross of light in the sky that read “CONQUER BY THIS”.  The message burned within him. He is said to have made a commitment to the Christian God, if he indeed won the battle.  Upon winning, Constantine required all soldiers to don the Greek letters for “Christo” on their armor, a clear message to the world where Constantine believed his power came from.

The years that followed revealed his favor toward Christians by way of new Empire rules.  One such proclamation Constantine was instrumental in establishing was the Edict of Milan in 313AD. It declared religious freedom not only for Christians, but for all religions and cults of that time. Beyond that, it commanded citizens to right any wrongs done to Christians including returning property, church buildings, and belongings previously confiscated.

The second major assist Constantine provided to the Christian faith was to convene together The First Council of Nicaea.  The church bishops gathered with the primary purpose of creating a common belief statement specifically regarding the relationship between God the Father and God the Son, Jesus.  This specific point was sparked because of Arianism, a false teaching which challenged the fully divine nature of Jesus, making Him out to be a created being. From this council came what we know as the Nicene Creed.  It reflects foundational Biblical truths including an affirmation of Scripture’s position on Jesus’ deity, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3), and “He [Christ] is the very image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).

Without this Nicene Creed, and the handful of believers who fought valiantly for biblical truth to be upheld over society’s popular sway, Christianity today would be vastly different! How far the flame they ignited has carried!

Many throughout history have attributed Constantine’s favor toward Christianity to a personal conversion, though he was not baptized until his deathbed.  It’s not completely clear where Constantine’s heart and motives were.  How can we truly know the heart of any man? Only God knows. What we can know throughout history, God has used men to accomplish HIS purposes, whether they knew it or not.  Proverbs 21:1 says, “A king’s heart is like channeled water in the LORD’s hand: He directs it wherever he chooses.”  Constantine’s abiding favor toward Christians was clear throughout his entire reign, which allowed the body of Christ to ignite anew, spread and grow.

Why it Matters
The council of Nicaea proved to be incredibly important in unifying the church and fortifying her against future false teaching.  If Constantine had not been so forward in calling the council together, if the church leaders had backed down from facing hard conversations and challenges to the faith, and if Arianism had gained a stronger foothold, the church would not have thrived as it did as a result of Constantine’s initiatives.
It mattered then and it matters today. 

Paul warned the church at Ephesus saying by “growing into maturity……..we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.” (Ephesians 4:13b-14)

May God fortify and set our hearts ablaze with a fervor for His Word and a passion to spread His good news, while upholding truth.  May we be people willing to do hard things with a long view in mind, knowing the future of the church is built today.  May we turn to this same God who has been lighting up the church since her beginning, for guidance and wisdom.

We may just be another star on the map, but string it all together under God’s amazing plan, and you can be sure His flame will light up the night!

Curious for more on Constantine?
https://www.thoughtco.com/constantine-the-great-112492
https://www.ancient.eu/Constantine_I/

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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