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Screenshot Day 2 From Religion To Relationship: Digging Deeper

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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 From Religion To Relationship!

The Questions

1) Who is the speaker in this passage and what is the context?

2) Wasn’t the Lord the one to institute the sacrifices and offerings? Did He get bored with them and change His mind?

3) What is the heart behind this heart cry from the Sovereign Lord?

4) What is the promise in this passage?

Isaiah 1:11-20

“What are all your sacrifices to me?”
asks the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams
and the fat of well-fed cattle;
I have no desire for the blood of bulls,
lambs, or male goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who requires this from you—
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing useless offerings.
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons and Sabbaths,
and the calling of solemn assemblies—
I cannot stand iniquity with a festival.
14 I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals.
They have become a burden to me;
I am tired of putting up with them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will refuse to look at you;
even if you offer countless prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.

16 “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves.
Remove your evil deeds from my sight.
Stop doing evil.
17 Learn to do what is good.
Pursue justice.
Correct the oppressor.
Defend the rights of the fatherless.
Plead the widow’s cause.

18 “Come, let us settle this,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are scarlet,
they will be as white as snow;
though they are crimson red,
they will be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land.
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Original Intent

1) Who is the speaker in this passage and what is the context?
In verse 11, the inquiry is from “the Lord”. In verse 10 above it, the audience is instructed to “hear the word of the Lord.” Going all the way to the beginning of the chapter (and the book of Isaiah), we gain a broader perspective and understand that what follows is the description of a vision given by Yahweh, the One True God, to Isaiah, son of Amoz. Later in chapter 6, we read of Isaiah’s commissioning by Yahweh to be His prophet to His people, wayward as they were. Isaiah’s audience is the Jewish people, God’s chosen ones, set apart from other nations in order to display God’s glory and draw others to Himself, but they were failing miserably in this high calling. They turned away, chasing other gods, inflating themselves, and breaking the heart of God, their One True Love.

2) Wasn’t the Lord the one to institute the sacrifices and offerings? Did He get bored with them and change His mind?
Yes, the laws listed here, both the general and the specific, were all originally instituted from Yahweh Himself. He first gave the law to Moses at Mt. Sinai when the Israelites were being led through the Wilderness towards the Promised Land. (Exodus 19-24) The Lord’s language here is intense, intentional, and weighed down with thick emotion. He says the people have “trampled my courts” and made “vain offerings”. The Lord says of Himself that He “cannot endure iniquity”, His “soul hates” the festivals and offerings, that they have become a “burden” to Him and He is “weary” of bearing them. It is not the laws itself that have suddenly become cumbersome and draining to the Lord, for these were never the end goal, rather they were simply the means He had designed for His people to draw near to Him. The Lord brings piercing clarity in verses 15-16 as to the reason behind His heavy heartbreak with phrases like, “your hands are full of blood”, “remove the evil of your deeds”, and “cease to do evil”. Even in the Old Testament, it was never about following long lists of rules, it has always been about pursuing a vibrant, deep, intimate relationship!

3) What is the heart behind this heart cry from the Sovereign Lord?
In a word? Redemption! The reason Yahweh called Isaiah to be His prophet in the first place is because His people do “not know” and “do not understand” His perfect design for them to be in relationship with them. They are a “sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity” who have “forsaken the Lord” and “despised the Holy One of Israel”. (Isaiah 1:3-4) God’s father heart wants His beloved children back (Isaiah 1:2), so it is to this end that He calls them to return to Him and leave their sinful ways behind them. (Isaiah 1:17)

4) What is the promise in this passage?
Life! The promise of fullness, of abundance, and blessing comes as a result of a choice given by the Lord at the end of the passage. “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat of the good of the land”, speaks of much more than just full bellies. These words are steeped in ancient promises dating back to when the Hebrew people, having been freed from slavery in Egypt, were led through the Wilderness to gain access to the Promised Land. Wrapped up in this phrase in Isaiah is the idea of rich inheritance, completely undeserved. When the Hebrews took possession of Canaan, the Promised Land, they were given “a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.” They had done nothing to deserve the wealth of the land, the work had already been done for them; Yahweh simply gave it to them because they were His children. In Isaiah, the Lord hearkens back to this old promise, reminding the Jews that abundant life can still be theirs. The rich inheritance is still available. They don’t need to continue in their sin and empty religion, because real relationship is waiting on the other side of genuine confession of sin! (Isaiah 1:18)

Everyday Application

1) Who is the speaker in this passage and what is the context?
Sometimes reading the Old Testament seems so far removed from us with its impressive visions and direct, verbalizations from God, we wonder if it has anything to do with our “right now”. Nothing the Lord did was done in a vacuum, and neither was it recorded and preserved for centuries just to bore us later in the reading of it. When we understand the original context, we can make good application to today. God chose an ordinary man, Isaiah, to be His mouthpiece to His people. Through Isaiah, God verbalized His great love for them, and desire to be in perfect relationship with them. Today, we don’t need visions, booming voices from above, or signs in the sky to show us what God wants for us. His heart desires are all found in Scripture, which He has faithfully preserved through persecution and thousands of years. Additionally, He has given us His Holy Spirit to live right inside of every believer to guide and teach us! (John 14:16-17)

2) Wasn’t the Lord the one to institute the sacrifices and offerings? Did He get bored with them and change His mind?
When we read the seemingly endless rules in the Bible, especially the ones in the Old Testament that seem to make no sense to our modern understanding, remember that it the Lord God has never been random or reckless, but always intentional. There was a specific purpose and meaning behind every instruction that was intended to bring life to His people, glory to God, and a deeper relationship between them. Again, it was never about adherence to the rule, as this passage makes clear, the distinct purpose has always been to remove the sin that stands between us and the Most Holy God so that we might enjoy sweet fellowship with Him! Whether it’s Old Testament law or modern-day church traditions, God’s heart has not changed. The precious treasure is not found in the “doing”, but in the “being” with Him.

3) What is the heart behind this heart cry from the Sovereign Lord?
God’s desire for you and me, your neighbor, and mine, the driver in the lane next to yours, and the mama in line behind me in the grocery is exactly the same as it was for the Jewish people of centuries long since passed. Redemption! This God who set time in motion, crafted our bodies from the dust of the earth, breathed His breath into our lungs, and created us for intentional purpose is the same God whose Father heart longs for our return. We have loved our sin, we have become enamored with ourselves, and in the doing, we have become enemies of Him. (Romans 5:10) We have traded worship to God for worship of ourselves, and it has utterly ruined us, rendering us forever separated from the Holy, Righteous God. (Romans 1:25) But God offers redemption, full and complete and eternal! (Romans 3:23-24) Where our sin cut us off from Him, He sent Jesus to take that “cut off” punishment for us, so that where we were once far, can now be drawn near. (Ephesians 2:13) We could never “make ourselves clean” or fully “cease from evil”, but Jesus did it for us. In exchange, He lavishly gave His righteousness to us, removing all sin, and presenting us blameless before God! Is this how you stand before the Almighty Yahweh?

4) What is the promise in this passage?
Deep, meaningful, relationally satisfying life was held out to the Jewish nation by the Lord God, and He offers the same to us. Escape empty religious rituals, become dead to performance driven acceptance, and become alive to a relationship hemmed in by love, grace, and boundless mercy. Walk into an inheritance your hands did not earn, your ingenuity did not attain, and your body did not produce. Walk into the Life Jesus offers. Worried about those test results? His life is eternal, His peace is real. Caught up in the too-tight-tension of marital conflict? His ways are good, the relationship He offers to you will always satisfy if you allow Him full reign. Overwhelmed? Anxious? Carrying shame? The inheritance of Christ, one you could not create or earn, is yours, full, complete, and eternal through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Like the Lord’s invitation in this passage, the pathway to true, free relationship, is through the confession of our sin to a Holy God. What is your confession, Sister? His life is waiting for you!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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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!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Screenshot 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!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Misunderstood Day 13 On Death and Butterflies

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 1:18-25
Ecclesiastes 3:9-15
2 Corinthians 5:1-10
I Corinthians 15:35-49
John 3:16-21

Misunderstood, Day 13

Loss hits each of us in varying degrees.
Financial, emotional, relational, and of course, physical.

The ache of physical loss is so deep, we naturally long for something more.
Something to wrap us up, assuring us that everything will be okay, that death wasn’t the end.
We ache for hope.

When I lost my son, the brokenness was like waves, rising and falling, each crashing mercilessly on my unspeakable hurt. I found myself repeating,
“This is the new normal. I will always carry this loss. There is no “going back” to before now.”  

How to breath.
How to keep living.
Loss intensified my need for hope.

I am not alone, am I, sister?
You’ve been there, too.
Different stories, but the same need.
We each share it, this desperation for hope.

Someone I love was walking through loss, and one afternoon, she pointed to a butterfly and whispered through tears, “There she is”.
She wasn’t referring to the butterfly, but rather the loved one she’d lost.
She longed for hope.

Maybe you’ve wondered the same thing at some point.
A beautiful, fluttering butterfly. The soul of the one we love?
The coin on the street. Sent from Heaven with love from those gone before us?
The feather whispering through the air. A sign sent to us from above?

This life with all of its obvious brokenness and ugly,
gut-ripping hurt,
creates an ache for something
to staunch the flow of throbbing agony.

Butterflies are an amazing design.
Feathers hold stunning intricacies.
Money holds value.
But these created things were never meant to be an end,
they were intended to point us to the Creator. 

As I began my research for writing, pulling up website after website of what it meant to
“find a feather” or “see a butterfly” after loss,
the most blaring discovery wasn’t found in what was said, but rather what wasn’t.
Every website was full of emotional statements worded as facts, but none of them gave reasons for why they believed what they did.
Folklore, tradition, emotional feelings, these were the basis for their beliefs.

The questions hounded me as I read more stories,
“Wouldn’t you want to know? For sure?
Wouldn’t whatever truth you uncovered be better than a feel-good falsehood?”
Lies, no matter how wonderful they feel,
hold nothing more than a vanishing morning mist.
Life can’t be built on mist.

I’ve had questions about life and faith countless times.
What if life after death is a fantasy?
What if Christianity was just created to make us feel better?
I wanted the truth.

What we believe matters,
but what the truth is matters even more,
because it doesn’t change,
whether we believe it or not.

Through a lengthy process of investigation, I came to a place where I could solidly stand on the claims of the Bible.
The deeper I studied, the more I came to know the Bible was real,
not because I wanted it to be,
not because I was raised that way,
or because it made me feel good,
but because it was true.

And Sisters?
The Bible doesn’t sugar-coat our pain.
In fact, our pain has an explanation.
And so does our longing for hope.

Loss happens because we live in a world broken by sin and death.
It was a choice Adam and Eve made in the Garden of Eden when they chose to trust their own desires over God’s design. The sickness of Sin travels to each and every one of us from the babe whose heart stopped beating before he even took a breath, to the eyes of those who have seen 100 years pass before them.
Sin affects us all; always bringing death, brokenness, pain, and heartache.

So, yes, we all hunger for hope.
Because we are all irreversibly broken.

But God…
God in His love,
God in His goodness,
God in His mercy,
brought Hope.

Hope that says the grave is not the end.
Hope that says broken can be healed.
Hope that says our sinful hearts can be bought back.
Hope that says Love Wins.

What does the Bible say about Death and Souls?
It says that souls are eternal and life after death is real.
The Bible says that when we die, we will either spend our eternity
delighting in relationship with God,
dancing out the life we were always intended to live in real, physical bodies,
with significant purpose and meaning,
OR
we will forever be bound in Hell.

Hell, where real people live in real, physical, broken bodies experiencing eternal separation from the Creator. It’s a physical place of forever heartache, suffering, and pain.

Heaven and Hell.
Both are eternal.
Both are real.
Our destination is our choosing.

Rather than returning as a soul embodying a butterfly,
God designed our souls to be made perfect,
to indwell perfect bodies, free from sickness and pain.
He designed us for a full life!

For those left alive on earth, He brings us comfort.
Not from butterflies, feathers, or random coins,
but from the sure and certain, solid truth of His word.
Comfort much more satisfying than glossy butterfly wings.

The next time you stand amazed at a monarch, look past the creation, and see the Creator. Know He loves you.
Know He has a plan for life after death.
Know that in Him is found Hope.
Hope for those who admit their sin-filled hearts and accept the free gift of Righteous Life held out through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as He took the punishment for our sin on Himself.
Know that this Hope is solid and sure,
able to stand up under the heartache and joy of our everyday life
because Jesus Christ is our Hope!

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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 Misunderstood Week Three! 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 Misunderstood!

Palette Day 5 The Father’s Masterpiece

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 1: 26-28
Acts 17:26-31
Romans 10:5-13

“Are you changing your little black baby’s diaper?”

My eyes widened in shock and (let’s be real) horror as I heard my two year old’s voice ring out over the din of the church nursery. I spun around in time to see the woman stiffen as she bit her tongue, finish changing her infant and turn to walk away. I wasn’t close enough to hear if, or how, she responded, but he had already moved on and was playing with a toy truck a few feet away. At two, my son was learning his colors and he loved to share his newfound knowledge with everyone he met by assigning a color to anything that caught his eye – blocks, toys, books, cars, houses – and now, apparently, people. He spoke very clearly for his age, and although his question was completely innocent, it brought the racial tension into stark clarity in that moment.

Why in the world is this happening to me, I thought. That boy has never in his life heard anyone describe another person by the color of their skin! My stomach dropped as I fumbled for an apology that wouldn’t sound entirely awkward…while wondering if the apology itself would make an innocent situation awkward. I would rather choose the constant questions of a toddler in every public restroom known to mankind over this, any day of the week, I thought. Her eyes met mine for an instant as she passed by, and I could sense the ocean of distance between us.

My heart ached with conviction. In my worry over what she might think after my son’s (albeit innocent) comment, my thoughts had revolved only around how I might be perceived. I had given no thought to her own feelings. The reality of racial inequality that I so often read and heard about, but had never actually related to, came to life for me in that moment. Granted, the experience was mild compared to what could have been, but my heart ached as I considered her for a moment. I wondered how many other awkward moments she had been forced to push through. Perhaps the question or comment in those instances was innocent, perhaps not. I thought about our beautiful boys. Each created for a unique purpose. Each created in the image of the Father. Each an equally important, equally loved, equally vital part of the Master Storyteller’s intricate tale. The fact that anyone could think anything different made my stomach throb.

Racial inequality is the narrative we are fed by mainstream media and the current culture in America (shockingly more so than other countries), but by using the very title “racial inequality” we only serve to further the divide by reinforcing the belief that there are different races. In reality and by definition, all humans, regardless of creed or color, are of one race. Until Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life in 1859, this was a fact known and accepted by all. However, Darwin’s book asserted that different tribes or groups of people evolved and developed, both mentally and physically, at different rates, thus dividing mankind and re-defining race as unique groups of people with similar characteristics and evolutionary growth, rather than mankind as a whole.

So, where does that leave us as people of the cross? First, we must examine our hearts to discover if we believe truth or if we have bought into the lie that we are not all created in God’s image. If we believe that man was created in God’s image, we must believe that all people, regardless of skin tone or nationality, were created in God’s image.
We are one race.
One people.
One blood.

Throughout the Old and New Testament, it is apparent that God is indiscriminate when it comes to loving people. He loves and wants to save us all. Not “some of us.” Not “those with blond hair or brown eyes or size eight feet.” Not “those with muscles or slender bodies or darker skin tones.”

ALL. HE LOVES US ALL.
Jesus died to save us all.

Can we say that we are truly loving as He leads?
Without borders or reservations?
Are we drawing the people He sends us into life with us?
What would our world look like if we began to emulate His love for others boldly and without reservation?

Father, we love You. We believe that You made each of us in Your perfect image. Forgive us for our weakness. Help us to recognize when our heart posture encourages anything but love for one another. Help us to see the unique and valuable traits you placed in every one of us. Give us Your eyes, Your heart. Soften our hearts as we Journey through Palette and the real heart issues behind what we call racial injustice. Holy Spirit, convict us where we need to be convicted. We are Yours.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
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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 Palette Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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

Palette Day 4 Image Bearers: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

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Journey Study?
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Psalm 139:13-16 English Standard Version (ESV)

13 For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

The Questions

1) Who is the “you” being referenced in verse 13?

2) What does verse 15 tell us about how we are made?

3) What do we learn about God and about humanity from this passage?

The Findings for Intention

1) Who is the “you” being referenced in verse 13?
David started this Psalm by calling upon the name of the Lord. As he continues throughout this Psalm his focus is on praising God for who He is and what He has done. His focus throughout the song is the might, power, and sovereignty of God as the Creator and Sustainer of Life.

2) What does verse 15 tell us about how we are made?
We learn as we read verse 15 just how intricately God ordered and detailed every aspect of our created life. We learn that before we were ever born, God knew us and wove us together. Our bodies, skin color, minds, and creativity reflect God’s incredible design!

3) What do we learn about God and about humanity from this passage?
Psalm 139 gives us insight into God’s ability as creator to understand life. We learn that God makes no mistakes with His creation. Rather, He is precise in His creation. Once He has created, we learn from previous verses within Psalm 139, that He does not leave His creation alone to chance, rather He is omnipresent (everywhere), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipotent (all powerful).

The Everyday Application

1) Who is the you being referenced in verse 13?
It is important to read the entire chapter so we know who we are talking about. As we do, it is obvious that David is talking about God. He is the master craftsman molding, shaping, and “knitting” us together. God does not make mistakes, rather we can praise Him for how “fearfully and wonderfully” we are made. All mankind…made in His image for His purpose.

2) What does verse 15 tell us about how we are made?
From the beginning of our time, God saw us, not as a distant creative force, but personally weaving the details of our life. When we read something like Psalm 139:15, it is clear that David was speaking directly to God about himself, but on a larger scale, we can see just how intricate God was with humanity. The detail—the care—the purpose that God used (uses) in creating all of mankind. If we really believe this, we are compelled to see as He sees. We are compelled to see through the Image of God lens. This lens that defines the unique connection between God and man, the only part of creation made in His image.

3) What do we learn about God and about humanity from this passage?
There is no place we can go that God is not! From the very beginning, He formed us and knew us. God tasked us with purpose and meaning that falls short apart from Him. God is the creator of all humanity and in His image we were formed. There is nothing that is hidden from Him.

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I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

The Community!

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

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? 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 :-))

The Why!

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.

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.
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Palette!

Flourishing Day 3
Beautiful Mystery

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Read His Words Before Ours!

I Timothy 2
Psalm 42
Psalm 88

Right now I have a 5-year-old son at home. Age 4 is definitely my favorite age (aside from that incredible newborn stage that lasts way too short), but year 5 is pretty sweet too. He asks a million questions and then thinks of one more. He’s a professional at getting out of chores, and thinks of things that make me scratch my head in amazement. His eyes light up with wonder, and he always, always has something to say. Usually several “somethings”, and quite comically, he will begin his conversations like this, “I have 4 things I want say, wait, 5 things. First of all…. Second of all…”, and on down the line he will go.

Paul had quite a lot of things to pass on to Timothy, his “son in the faith”, especially as Paul is knowingly near the end of his life. His passion and emotion are heavy in these tender letters to young Timothy, but here in chapter 2, Paul gets straight to the point:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.

And add a dramatic pause here….
As we work our way through the letters to Timothy, we hope to pick up some good Scripture study habits along the way. One of which is to remember that the Bible was originally written without chapter breaks, verse markings, or sometimes even paragraphs. In the original languages, some sentences would span 2 or 3 paragraphs! Bearing this in mind, study God’s Word as fluid and cohesive; constantly look backward and forward from where you are reading to get the full, contextual idea.

And continuing…..
“First of all, then”….Stop!
What? We’re only 4 words into chapter 2, and we are already calling time-out?!
Yes!
What’s “then” referring to? Back up and look so we can get the full picture.

Verses 18-19 of chapter 1 tell us that whatever Paul is about ready to tell Timothy, he’s passing it on because of Timothy’s faith, and because of all that Paul and the community of believers have seen in Timothy as they have discipled him. Paul is getting ready to give Timothy the necessary tools to “fight the good fight” of following Jesus.

And, onward….what’s the most crucial tenant of fighting the good fight, Pastor Paul?
Bible reading? Community group life? Scripture memory? Serving the community? Sharing the gospel? Moving to Africa?
Prayer, Timothy, it’s prayer. Prayer and thanksgiving.

It’s not a church program, it’s not how to build small groups, it isn’t even your outreach strategy, it’s prayer. Prayer is Paul’s “first of all”.

I haven’t always had a good relationship with prayer, to be honest. There are so many mysteries about it, so many things that don’t add up. I would pray about stuff earnestly, desperately, passionately, with deep, unswerving faith, and nothing would happen that I could see. Of course, there were times I would pray and what I’d prayed for did actually happen. Was it a fluke? Random chance? Why this time and not that other time? What’s the point? Doesn’t God know all and hear all anyways?

The more I wrestled with prayer, the more I realized I had been asking the wrong questions. The point really wasn’t about prayer “working”; it was about the relationship “growing”.

Prayer’s main purpose is to grow depth and intimacy with the Father by creating an ongoing conversation between Creator and created.

If God desires our unity with Himself, doesn’t it make sense that He opens up prayer as the means to accomplish that? In our over-communicative age of text, email, snapchat, FaceTime, and social media outlets, we are grasping desperately to fill a void given to us by our Maker. We were created for meaningful communication with Yahweh!

When prayer becomes nothing more than a list of wants, or even needs,
we’ve missed the point entirely.

My husband and I cherish the times we “date” our children. Time carved out for one-on-one love and attention. Sure, sometimes we spend a little money and buy a gift, or dinner, but these gifts we buy, they’re really just tools to help our children see how much we love them. Sometimes we take them hiking, or window shopping and don’t spend a dime, but each investment is an opportunity to talk about what’s important to them, what they worry about, or ways we can be better parents to them. Our heart for them is to build a strong enough relationship that they trust us beyond a shadow of a doubt, knowing that we will always be in their corner, working for their ultimate good.

The same is true for God. Prayer is His invitation to do far more than a request submission form; it’s an arms-around-you hug while you walk through life. It’s confidence. It’s a stretched out hand to hold yours. It’s intimacy. It’s depth. It’s an offer to delight in both knowing and being known.
While at the same time, it’s a direct access pass to an audience with the all-powerful Creator….who is in your corner, fighting for you.

And it comes first.
Paul teaches that prayer is the “first of all”, because through communication, God shapes our hearts to be more like His. He gives us a passion for His will, He allows our hearts to break for others with God-sized compassion, and it’s the crucial component to becoming like Him.

Worried for a friend? Pray.
Hurting emotionally? Pray.
Wrapped in fear? Pray.
Confused in a relationship? Pray.
Sick? Lonely? Thankful? Ecstatic? PRAY!

And as you pray, entering into a deeper relationship with God, be thankful for the freedom to come, hold tightly to His hand and be known and loved.

Next time life comes at you with a long list, fight back with your “first of all” and pray!

P.S. If you read all of 1 Timothy 2 (and we really hope you did!), and you’re stuck on those verses about women and clothing and hair and what all of that has to do with prayer and worship, come back tomorrow to Dig Deeper!

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Repurposed Day 10
Effective Surrender

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Samuel 10:17-24
1 Samuel 15
1 Samuel 9:21
2 Peter 1:1-11
 
At Gracefully Truthful, we value authentic transparency and believe it’s the lifeblood of living in community with each other as we follow closely after Jesus. So, here’s my authentic transparency: I struggle with arrogance.

Not the, “I’m so much better than you” mentality.
Nor the, “my way clearly is the best; there’s only room for one”.
(okay, I struggle with that side too…)

But, honestly, my arrogance struggle is much more insidious.
I don’t feel like I’m good enough.

Arrogance? You ask.
Yes.
While I’m sitting around obsessing about how I’m not enough, don’t bring enough to the table, aren’t effective and useful….I’m only thinking about myself.

Don’t believe me?
Check out this guy:

The soon-to-be-king missed his own inauguration, hiding in the baggage.
You can almost hear the voices in his head, “I’m not enough to be king. I can’t do this job. I’m not smart enough, talented enough, good looking enough…..other people would be so much better at this”
and so he hid.
in the baggage.
trying desperately to mask his insecurity.

But God could see his heart.
And it was arrogant.

Saul’s insecurity, his unwillingness to find identity in his God instead of focusing on his own inabilities, was his fatal flaw. This arrogance that said God was not big enough to use him, was his Achilles heel, haunting him his whole life and effectively ending his reign in ruined shambles. Saul’s insecurities, his shame, his fear, they flooded his heart, overtook his life, and eventually left him drowning in pride, direct rebellion, and ugly justification for sin.

Enter guy number 2:

This would be king, unlike Saul, really didn’t have much going for him. He was very young, had a long line of eligible brothers in front of him, and had always been the bottom of the barrel growing up. If anyone had emotional baggage, David could come up with some pretty good stuff to hide behind.

But he didn’t let that happen.

Instead of arrogance, David chose surrender.
He surrendered to how he was made and took confidence in it.
Rather than smolder around, faking piety, he leaned into exactly who he was. Proudly, yet without swagger or arrogance, David knew exactly what his abilities were, what his strengths were, and he wasn’t afraid to appropriately talk about them.

But David said to Saul,
“Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

One king was weak, faking humility by focusing on how he was not enough, and ended up utterly destroyed.
 One king was strong enough in mind, body, and heart to surrender himself entirely to the Lord and left a legacy of being a “man after God’s own heart.”

There’s a secret to success here.
And it has nothing to do with our abilities, our looks, our bank account, our health, the people we know, or anything else we may feel is either “enough” or “not enough”.
It entirely hinges upon faith.

Surrendering to Christ and His sufficiency is the most effective way to live this Jesus-life. Surrender.
In the middle of our everyday weakness.
In the middle of our insecurities,
the middle of our fear,
our shame
our hopelessness,
and a million “not enoughs”.

“Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
and virtue with knowledge, 
and knowledge with self-control,
and self-control with steadfastness,
and steadfastness with godliness, 
and godliness with brotherly affection,
and brotherly affection with love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful ….
for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.”

 Surrender to faith in Jesus.
Pursue Him.
He will build into you His Own Effectiveness for the kingdom!

But, go ahead, listen to those voices in your head.
Hide behind that baggage.
Succumb to the lies and choose to not engage your gifts the Father gave you.
Destruction awaits, my friends.
Pride will paint the walls of your heart any color you want them,
but in the end, it still leaves you destroyed.

Choose to live life effectively within the Body of Christ.
Stop saying no to work in the Kingdom!
Jump in to all you’ve been called to.
Let your confidence rest in Christ.
“for if you practice these qualities you will never fall!”

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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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Repurposed Day 9
Crafted For Community: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

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Acts 2:42-47 English Standard Version (ESV)

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe[a] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The Questions

1) Who is the “they” that Luke is referring to in this passage?

2) What events preceded all that was going on v. 42-47?

3) Why does Luke tell us that their numbers increased? Why is that important?

The Findings for Intention

1) Who is the “they” that Luke is referring to in this passage?
Understanding the context helps us define what group of people Luke is referring to in this passage. The first group is the disciples. We know from the previous chapter that the eleven disciples (minus Judas) plus the addition of a new disciple, Mathias, were present. As chapter two begins, it references several different people groups that were present in Jerusalem. (Acts 2:1-13). There were both Jews and Gentiles included in this group.

2) What events preceded all that was going on v. 42-47?
This event in the New Testament marks the start of the New Testament church. In chapter 1 of Acts, Jesus tells the disciples to wait for the promised Holy Spirit, then we see Jesus ascend to Heaven. At the start of chapter 2, Pentecost is taking place and the Holy Spirit is given just as Jesus promised. Immediately following this event, Peter, in the power of the Spirit, begins to preach to all who will listen. As Peter concludes his sermon and many (upwards of 3000 plus) become believers, the description given by Luke in v. 42-47 is how people responded as they came to know the Lord and how they interacted with each other as new and old believers.

3) Why does Luke tell us that their numbers increased? Why is that important?
The actual number isn’t significant, but what is important is that people began to believe! Those who maybe knew about Christ, perhaps even saw Him during His ministry, or are just now hearing about Him for the first time are now seeing and hearing differently. They are hearing Peter’s words and, coupled with the power of the Holy Spirit on Earth, are dramatically and radically being transformed. The exact number of people isn’t the important thing here, the fact there were droves of people coming to the Lord is what Luke wants us to know.

The Everyday Application

1) Who is the “they” that Luke is referring to in this passage?”
“They” could include anybody in your everyday life that claims Jesus as Lord. The community of believers covers all generations, male and female, the east to the west, and even the greatest of sinners. The gospel and the community of believers is for everyone!

2) How does Pentacost change my everyday?
Pentecost radically changed the way believers worship and commune with one another. Up to this point, the Holy Spirit had not been imparted to every believer, only a few choice followers and for very specific purposed. From this point forward in history, God indwelled every believer and sealed for all eternity the fate of those who choose to accept and follow Christ. The Holy Spirit binds believers together and allows for authentic community between Christ followers that is characterized by humility, grace, authenticity, and an eternal fellowship.

3) Why does Luke tell us that their numbers increased? Why is that important?
We know that numbers ultimately don’t matter. If even one person is effected and transformed by the gospel, the community of believers expands. Pentecost was a powerful and unique time in history that we get a glimpse of through Luke’s words. It is important to know, and Luke wanted us to know, the power of the Holy Spirit, from His first moments on Earth until now is dramatic and life-changing. Many came to believe because they listened, were prompted, and obeyed. They became part of the body of believers and it radically changed how they did life with each other. Luke paints a picture of perfect fellowship and gives us an example of authentic community between believers bonded by the Holy Spirit. This is the same community that we find today when we allow ourselves to know and be known by other believers.

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I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

The Community!

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

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? 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 :-))

The Why!

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.

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.
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Repurposed!

Repurposed Day 8
Crafted For Community

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Titus 3:1-11
Acts 2:42-47
Acts 4:32
Proverbs 28:23   

After the hustle and bustle of after Christmas shopping, because that’s what you do with a baby who doesn’t know what Christmas is just yet, I plopped down on my bed to return a phone call to a dear friend of mine. A few minutes into catching up on how our holidays turned out, she switched the conversation. “Sara, how’s your heart doing? Where’s your head at?” It was in that moment I felt myself fall back into the familiarity of community and how this friend knew the depths of my heart. She knew the questions to ask, no matter how hard, and waited patiently for the answer.

I haven’t always been blessed with a body of believers around me. In fact, I didn’t even know what community was until about seven years ago. On my first three-month missions trip to Kenya I was on a team with ten other people. I assumed we were going to be spending a good bit of time together, but y’all, this was all the time togetherness. You see, I love being around people, but I also like knowing I can flee whenever the chance arises. Unfortunately for me, there was no fleeing option when overseas living in the middle of nowhere. I looked at this playing out in two different ways. First, I could choose to separate myself from the group and be a part of the team when I felt like it, or, I could choose to be all in, all the time and allow the body of people around me to take me in where I was at and to love me to Jesus, every day. Quickly, this life of community, one I’d never been around, became something my spirit craved so deeply.

Coming home after experiencing that type of community was shocking. I entered back into superficial lifestyles with no depth to conversation and it shook my core. My mind couldn’t fathom why we in America lived so separated, while overseas they lived in clusters of huts, looked after each other’s cattle, watched one another’s kids, and most importantly, they broke bread together.
“All the believers were one in heart and mind.
No one claimed that any of their possessions were their own,
but they shared everything they had.”
(Acts 4:32)

Living a life in community means you live with an open hand.
Just as you receive, you in turn give.

Now don’t get me wrong, community isn’t without its faults. Being vulnerable before other believers is hard. To most people it’s abnormal sharing the intimate details of your life with others, yet it’s Biblical. Romans 12:4-8 states
“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body.
We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.
So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.
If your gift is serving others, serve them well.
If you are a teacher, teach well.
If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.
If it is giving, give generously.
If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.
And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”

We are all uniquely made, and we all have so much to offer one another.
If one member suffers, all suffer together;
if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

One of the most used phrases in my community is ‘know that you are fought for.”
I mean, how could you not want to be a part of something where you have people in your corner, fighting for you, on a daily basis. There is something so extremely comforting knowing that I have people who care about me, and who want to see me succeed, and who will tell me when I’m not acting like I should. They push, they comfort, and they are there. When I got married, I had some of the greatest human beings standing and cheering alongside of me watching Jeremy and I pledge our lives to one another before God. Just as supportive, on the other hand, when I lost my sweet baby Everett just nine months later, I had the greatest support system lifting me up in prayer and some days they literally lifted me up, when I felt like I couldn’t stand any longer. They became my armor bearers.

This concept of community might seem strange yet as we all have our own unique gifts and purposes that God has given us, we work better together, rather than apart. I encourage you to pray and ask the Lord for the community He has in store for you.
If you have community like this, I want to hear about it!
What do you love most about your community?

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
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Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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 Repurposed Week Two! 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 Repurposed!