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Holy Spirit

Known Day 4 Christos: Digging Deeper

July 13, 2023 by Mandy Farmer Leave a Comment

Known Day 4 Christos: Digging Deeper

Mandy Farmer

July 13, 2023

Blessed,Faith,Gospel,Jesus,Lord,Love

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Christos"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 10:11-18

“I am The Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) How does this passage connect with Christos and Scriptures of the Old Testament? 

Christos comes from the Greek meaning “Anointed One” or “Chosen One” and is related to the Hebrew word “Mashiach”, or Messiah. We understand from Scripture study that when these words are used in the Bible, we are speaking of Jesus.

The Gospel of John is filled with analogies from Jesus using “I Am” statements to describe Himself as Christ, the Son of God. Jesus used these statements as a means of declaring He was indeed the Messiah, the coming King and promised Savior of the world.

In Exodus 3 God instructed Moses to tell the people He was to be Known as “I Am Who I Am”. The Lord is the “I Am” God; He is above all things and incomparable to any other. “I Am” is a declaration of deity strung as a scarlet cord that runs through the Old Testament from Moses to Joshua to David and onward, leading us straight to Jesus.

The promises of a Messiah were now fulfilled as Jesus stood to announce He was the Chosen One (Luke 4:21), claiming the title of “I Am” for Himself, the very One who pre-existed creation (John 1:1) and through Whom all things hold together (Colossians 1:17).

Though all powerful, the I Am Christos describes Himself as a humble, good Shepherd. This analogy, which we easily connect with Psalm 23, identifies Jesus as The One, True Messiah. 

The Everyday Application

1) How does this passage connect with Christos and Scriptures of the Old Testament? 

I love to study the Old Testament looking for Jesus; it confirms my faith and strengthens my belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Coming King. You may have never been taught the connection between the Old and New Testaments. Or, perhaps, because of familiarity, the Old Testament has lost its luster for you. I urge you to turn its pages looking for Christos with renewed eagerness! (52 Weeks In The Word by Trillia Newbell is a great resource!)

It wasn’t until recently that “the obvious” was pointed out to me again from Old Testament truths. God told Moses, “I Am Who I Am”. John bridges this title and ties it strongly to Christ in his gospel narrative by highlighting how Jesus used the same authoritative title when saying of Himself “I Am…”  

  • the Bread of Life (John 6:35),
  • the Light of the World (John 8:12), 
  • the Door (John 10:7), 
  • the Good Shepherd (John 10:11 and 14), 
  • the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), 
  • the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) 
  • the True Vine  (John 15:1) 

Each of these statements fit into the whole theme of the Bible and confirms the deity of Jesus. Looking at the whole of Scripture sheds light on the Truth. Dee Brestin shared, “Failing to see that the Bible as one great story is like failing to look at the cover of a puzzle box before you dive into its one thousand pieces. You may be able to put the puzzle together, but it will be frustrating.” (The Jesus Who Surprises)

Looking at the complete picture brings such light to the story. Do you agree? 

The Original Intent

2) How are the Shepherd and hired hand similar and different? (verses 11-13) 

For the original audience, Jesus’ self-identifying statement as the “Good Shepherd” would have landed as an oxymoron. Shepherds were not looked upon as “good.” They were the lowest of the low. As the rejects of society, they were thieves and robbers. How could the Messiah be a shepherd?

On the other hand, consider what they knew from their Jewish history. The greatest king of Israel, David, had been a shepherd-king. Though he came from the lowest places, even the smallest tribe and the youngest in his family, yet he was exalted to the highest position in Israel as her King.

David received the promise of God that his line would lead to the Messiah. David wrote, “The Lord is my Shepherd”, the One who cares for me, leads and guides me, heals, and saves me. 

Jesus was not like other shepherds. He did not run from danger, but radically gave His life to save His sheep. Hirelings, other shepherds Jesus referenced, were Sadducees and Pharisees.

These leaders had been given power and position in order to rightly shepherd the sheep of Israel, but they became infatuated with their rule, gloating in pride of all kinds. They proved they would in no way lay themselves down for Israel. They weren’t Good Shepherds, and neither were they good sheep.

They didn’t “come in” to God through the door by which God had ordained His flock to come into His fold. “The entrance to the Fold had been His free love, His gracious provision, His thoughts of pardoning, His purpose of saving mercy. That was God’s Old Testament-door into His Sheepfold.” (Alfred Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 1883, page 802-803) 

The Everyday Application

2) How are the Shepherd and hired hand similar and different? (verses 11-13) 

Albert Barnes describes a hireling as one employed to take care of the sheep, and one to whom wages are paid. The word translated ‘hireling’ is often employed in a good sense; but in this context it denotes one who is unfaithful to his trust. This includes preachers who speak only for pay. Ones who are unwilling to stand for the welfare of the Church of God. They do not take courage for the cause of Christ. It doesn’t bother them if the church is corrupted and wasted by its spiritual foes. (StudyLight.org) 

Shepherds in Jesus’ time cared for their sheep during the day while out grazing. They hired others to stay with the sheep in the fold overnight to keep wolves and other dangers away.  

I grew up on a dairy farm, no sheep, but the analogy applies. We seldom took a vacation as a family because of the expense. There was more to consider financially than the vacation itself, however, for if we were to leave the farm, we needed to hire someone to feed and milk the cows. Invariably, milk production went down and many times we returned to a sick and dying animal. A hired person comes in and does the work, not taking an interest in each animal. He doesn’t call them each by name, treat them with gentleness, or talk kindly to them. No attention is given to detail or signs that a cow is ill. 

Jesus knows each one of us by name. He calls us and gently leads us individually the way we need to go. He takes time with each of us and knows everything about us. I am so grateful Jesus knows my name. He knows my actions and detects when something isn’t right, because He is faithfully watching over my every step. (Psalm 139:1-6)

The Original Intent

3) How are we known by God and how can we know Him? (verse 14) 

We cannot even begin to wrap our minds around the concept that God knows us perfectly, intimately, and deeply, and chooses to embrace us with His Love! (Psalm 103:11-14)

The Almighty, God of the Universe, looks down and sees us and He loves us! It’s a point that must be taken by faith because the Bible tells me so. “To know” is more than being familiar with a person but to know him intimately.

Psalm 139 tells us God knows every action we take and every thought we think. He knows what we will say before we say it. He is present with us every moment. Because we were created by Him, He knows every tiny part of our being, even the number of hairs on our head! (Luke 12:7) Not only this, He also loves us and has chosen us to be a part of His family. How wonderful that He chose us to be His! (1 Peter 2:9)

How we can grasp this great love, even in the slightest measure, is only through faith in Him. (Ephesians 3:17-19) In and of ourselves, we cannot even acknowledge Him for our sin and love affair with ourselves perpetually blinds us to His kind, gracious love.

But He knows and loves us, so He pursues us (Psalm 139:7-8, John 3:16) just as He searched for Adam and Eve in the garden despite their sinful rebellion. (Genesis 3:9) 

The Everyday Application

3) How are we known by God and how can we know Him? (verse 14) 

God longs to be in fellowship with us. (Acts 17:27) The problem is our sinfulness, which separates us from Him. (Romans 3)

If we want to know God, we must first acknowledge our sin. (Acts 3:19) Only through Jesus, the “I Am” Door can we find salvation. (John 10:7, Acts 4:12) Once we are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:10), our desire to deeply know and love Him will increase exponentially.

The key to growing a relationship with God and His Son is by reading Scripture and listening to His voice. Through the Scriptures, we learn His character, His promises, and His will for our lives. As we seek Him through His Word, His indwelling Holy Spirit testifies that we are God’s children. (Romans 5:15-16) We will be filled with God, and we can experience the joy of knowing Him! (Knowing God by J.I. Packer)

We readily recognize the voices of family and close friends because we have spent much time together. We can finish their sentences and anticipate their responses. It is the same with God! The more time we spend with Him, the easier it becomes for us to recognize His voice.

The believer’s knowledge of God in Jesus Christ is only provisional in the present. It suffices for recognizing and trusting Him as we learn His ways and know His heart more deeply while we journey on earth. (John 17:3; Romans 10:9 ) Jesus says of Himself, “I know My sheep and My sheep know Me […] My sheep listen to My voice.” (John 10:14)

Without answering all our questions, our understanding of the Lord through His Word and by His Spirit provide an adequate light for the journeyer in this darkened world. But this knowledge is only a foretaste of knowing God ‘face to face’. (Bible Study Tools, 1 Corinthians 13:12) 

Tags :
Christ,father,Holy Spirit,King,Savior,shepherd
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Titles are telling.
Sr. Jr. Sir. Madam. PHD. Mrs. Master. Dr. CEO. A few simple letters before a name can tell us who is in charge, a person’s qualifications, their relationship status, or their generational rank.

Your name and title matter. When someone misspells or mispronounces your name, a little flag goes up inside, waving around saying, “Hey! You don’t know me.”

More than a few letters, God’s titles and names preserved in Scripture reveal much about His character, His heart, His purposes, and His person.

To skip His name, is to miss out on truly knowing Him.
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Posted in: Blessed, Faith, Gospel, Jesus, Lord, Love Tagged: Christ, father, Holy Spirit, King, Savior, shepherd

Mission Day 3 Heart Of Mission

May 10, 2023 by Sara Cissell Leave a Comment

Mission Day 3 Heart Of Mission

Sara Cissell

May 10, 2023

church,Community,Confession,Faith,Healing,Heart,Humility

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 28:16-20
Romans 12:9-21
Hosea 10:12

I love how God’s Word is described as living and active!
“For the word of God is living and effective[.]” (Hebrews 4:12)

Until we experience this reality, verses may simply be words on a page. 

The moment the Holy Spirit highlights a verse and brings deeper understanding, it comes alive in an entirely new way, like a diamond held up to the light. 

Hosea 10:12 is a prime example from my own life. I recall reading it and sensing the Holy Spirit bring it to life within me. 

“Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the Lord until He comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.”

In that moment, I knew the Lord was talking to me about my fallow ground. 

I had an area in my heart I had been carefully guarding and protecting. At first, this had been wise and useful, much like the practice of letting a literal field lie fallow in order to better cultivate crops in a future season. Yet, if it is allowed to remain unused for too long, the purpose of that season of rest may become lost.

The Lord seemed to say, “Sara, it is time to turn over that section of your heart. It is time to let me soften it and prepare it for what I desire to grow there. I want you to bear fruit.” 

The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart as only He could, presenting the verse as an invitation. It was accompanied by a peaceful assurance surrendering to Him would be well worth it. 

And it was. 
It was also a process of releasing control and believing that the work of tilling the hard soil of my heart would result in good things, in glory unto the Lord. 
It was boxes of Kleenex and copious amounts of tears softening the proverbial ground. 
It was vulnerability, trusting, sharing wisely, and making room for the Lord to show up however He decided to engage. 
It was brave obedience.

As a result, I began to see the Great Commission come to life in my everyday moments as never before. 

I’ve experienced this process more than once with different “fields” of my heart. One would think I would be able to apply what I’ve learned in one season to another, but alas I am still discovering how desperately I need the Lord to redeem all the areas of my heart. 

One thing I have discovered and can accurately apply to situations across the board is the desire to not miss what the Lord is doing. 

The Lord is faithful and sovereign. (2 Thessalonians 3:3, Jeremiah 32:17) He loves people and His plans will come to pass. I truly believe if I miss the prompts of the Lord and/or refuse to participate in His mission field, the Lord is big enough to bring about His purposes another way. The timing and method may be different, but it will come to pass. 

However, I will miss out on being a part of it. 

I want to catch every opportunity to bring Him glory. I do not want to watch on the sidelines as He does what only He can; I want to be part of His work. 
I want to share His unfathomable love for us (1 John 3:1), and share how the Lord rescues and redeems us through Jesus’ death, resurrection, and indwelling Holy Spirit.
I long to obediently make disciples of all who put their faith in Him. (Matthew 28:16-20)
I want to get to heaven and glorify the Lord for all the ways He used me. 

This desire helps me keep a heavenly perspective, to look at the world around me and strive to see what the Lord may be doing. 

The more time I spend in the Lord’s presence, reading His Word and praying, the more I have the ability to look for Him. Time spent in corporate worship, listening to sermons, and engaging in Bible studies enable me to sense the movement of the Holy Spirit and learn from other believers.

Essentially, the closer I am to Him, the softer the ground of my heart becomes, even the fallow parts. It is easier to say yes to Him. 

Do you sense Him asking your permission to break up some ground today or to join Him on mission? 

Maybe it is related to finances. 
Time.
Prayer intercession.
Resources.
Being willing to be inconvenienced for the Gospel. 

Even if the topic the Lord is highlighting seems insignificant, that which seems incredibly small to us may be the very thing He uses to set off a dramatic chain reaction. 

Lord, may our hearts be fertile ground for Your use.
Help us to bear much fruit for the sake of Your Gospel.

Tags :
faith,grow,heart,Holy Spirit,listen,mission
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Digging Deeper

To love without hypocrisy, we have to hate lies and deception (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

We may have to confront uncomfortable issues that we would rather gloss over or ignore. We might want to pretend like we don’t have any problems, but loving others in truth requires that we be transparent about the heart-changing work Jesus is doing in our own lives (Philippians 1:6).

When we can love without pretense, we approach the love without hypocrisy that Christ wants us to share with others.
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Posted in: church, Community, Confession, Faith, Healing, Heart, Humility Tagged: faith, grow, heart, Holy Spirit, listen, mission

Sketched X Day 5 Injustice Upon Injustice

July 15, 2022 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 30:15-22
Genesis 37:12-36
Genesis 39:1-20
Acts 8:26-40

Sketched X, Day 5

Joseph
My body racked with pain and it shook violently. Of their own volition, sobs overtook my frame. My legs could not sustain my weight and I crumbled beneath my grief. I gasped for air, my ribs pressed in, and I tasted the metallic hint of blood where my own teeth had crushed my tongue in anguish. The pain was too much. My fists clenched and opened rhythmically as I furiously pounded the hardpacked earth beneath me.

No, I wasn’t being tortured by enemy forces. No whip lashed my back. My head was not bowed by blows to my brow. The agony inside threatened to swallow me whole.

Injustice upon injustice was mine.
“Yahweh!” “Where! “Are!” “You!”
Each word punched the air as I screamed, the stone walls deafly pressing my agony back upon my ears.
Other prisoners banged on their bars to stop my clamor, but I didn’t care. What did it matter? My only hope of escape had flown away, the stones seemed tighter every day, and the memories of old dreams mocked me every time I closed my eyes.

My brothers’ sheaves bowing down to mine, then theirs turned to laugh at me with disdain.
My beautiful coat paraded as a king’s and then covered in goat’s blood.
The stars encircled me and then my embers exploded into oblivion.

Why would you mock and humble me, Yahweh?!
I obeyed you!
I listened to Your voice and believed You when You gave me dreams.
I was faithful to You and didn’t give in to temptation with Potiphar’s wife!
I sought You, not myself, for the answers to other prisoners’ dreams.

AND WHAT HAS MY OBEDIENCE GOTTEN ME?!
Injustice Upon Injustice

Philip
“I don’t understand,” the Ethiopian continued as he turned his eyes from the scroll to meet mine. “Who was despised? Why should we bother if he was rejected?”

Instantly, gruesome images and horrific sounds assaulted my mind’s eye as Isaiah’s centuries-old prophesies had played out right before me days before. The Spirit of Christ living within me had brought me to this Gentile Ethiopian’s chariot because he needed to know the truth. He needed to meet the risen Christ that Isaiah had foretold would come to suffer.

As the scenes in my mind flashed, God’s Spirit inside loosed my tongue and I explained Isaiah’s words.

“His body was wracked with pain as the Roman whip bit into his flesh, tearing skin away and exposing the bones of His spine and ribs. His wrists bled profusely where He was tied to the whipping post. The cries of a man near death hung in the air that morning, haunting all of us. The whip was not enough, of course”, I continued, not even seeing the Ethiopian beside me, for I could only see the scarcely recognizable body of Jesus in my mind.

“Thorns pierced His brow,” I went on, knowing I could do nothing to stop my voice from shaking. “Blood. So much blood, it was everywhere. But even the nails piercing innocent flesh and the wretched pain they brought, were nothing compared to the agony inside Him as He was separated from the Father as He bore our sin.”

I caught my breath and fixed my eyes on the Ethiopian. He must understand. “He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:5)

I made no attempt to stop the flood of tears now streaming down my face as I repeated Jesus’ anguished words from the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?!” (Matthew 27:46)

The man’s eyes still clouded with confusion, so I begged the Spirit to make it clear to him as I said, “Isaiah’s prophesied Messiah is Jesus. He took our place, took our punishment for our sin and suffered injustice upon injustice, that we might be freely restored to God forever.”

Joseph
Slowly my heavy weeping slowed, my body spent. Dirt that had mixed with my tears and saliva caked my face. Broken and shaking, I lay silent, wondering if the Lord would hear my cries.

Unsuspectingly, an early memory of my father wafted over me like a welcome embrace. I saw my young, boyish self sitting at his feet and heard his strong voice warming me as he told me again how the Lord had come to him in one of his dreams. My eyes were alight with wonder that Yahweh would speak to Father and unwittingly my breath caught in my chest as I remembered one particular phrase, “I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.” (Genesis 31:12) The God of Dreams SEES injustice. Surely, Yahweh longs to reverse the curse of injustice and usher in His favor just as He did with my Father!

I uncurled my frame and sat upright, wiping my face and breathing deeply, calmly, as if with new life. Yahweh sees. As I held onto this truth, repeating it over and over, memories came flooding back of how the God who sees injustice and gives Himself for the righteous had acted for me and generations before me.

Yahweh was indeed a faithful God and deep inside, I knew my story was not over here surrounded by stone, dirt, and darkness. He would finish the plans He had for me; I would wait for Him.

I bowed my head as fresh tears of gratitude washed my face. My once-clenched fists now lifted upward with palms raised in worship to the God of all Faithfulness who would take my injustices and finish the work to make me whole!

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

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 Sketched X 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 Sketched X

Posted in: Christ, Freedom, Holy Spirit, Spirit, Truth, Yahweh Tagged: Christ, freedom, Holy Spirit, spirit, Truth, Yahweh

The GT Weekend! ~ Ignite Week 3

June 15, 2019 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

Worship Through Journaling

1) In her Journey into the Great Awakening, Lesley noted that not everyone supported the widespread revival that brought so many into a genuine relationship with Christ. People within the church! The Lord was moving in a mighty way, yet people within His own Body were against the growing and stretching. Uncomfortable stretching isn’t exciting for anyone, and if we aren’t careful, we too can easily fall into the category of “critical and negative” when it comes to God growing us. To fight against our own heart’s natural tendency to “oppose” change and keep everything comfortable, spend some time this weekend praying about where the Holy Spirit is inviting you into new growth. Ask Him to change your heart!

2) “Just One”, Kendra wondered. Would just one soul rescued from eternity apart from Christ be worth a lifetime of persecution, hardship, and suffering? Consider it a bit differently, what if the just one was you? Blessedly, yes! Countless individuals have counted the cost of following Jesus and concluded it is indeed worth it, even for just one. If that cost is worth one rescued soul, what implications does that hold for each of us as Christ-followers? As we go through everyday life, we all need a reminder call to re-assess our focus. Does it align with following Jesus no matter what? Take this as an opportunity to ponder the Lord’s call on your life and what He might be inviting you into!

3) “The Father always preserves His light, placed on deposit in every believer”, wrote Paula. If you have said yes to Jesus, and surrendered your all to Him, His light, as the light of the world, is within you! It can feel like our everyday lives are too mediocre or monotonous to share that light, but that is an enemy’s lie! Each day, we are presented with a new set of invitations to shine the light of Jesus brightly. Pause to think back through the last 24 hours and identify ways to share the light of Christ. As you move into the weekend, ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of the moments He is providing for you to shine, then follow through with bold obedience!

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 Matthew 5:14-16 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

You are the light of the world! A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they might see your good works and glorify your father who is in Heaven.

Prayer Journal
It will always be remarkable to me, Lord, that You intentionally designed us, as flawed, sinful, prone to wandering human beings to be Your light bearers to a world dying in darkness. Father, the right now society can feel so overwhelming, and so lost, and so easily distracted by possession and popularity. Remind every believing sister praying with me now of her mission to join with other brothers and sisters to share the light brightly! Your mission is vast, but Your power, Your call, and Your equipping are mightier than we imagine! Show us more of Yourself as we surrender to You again and again.

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

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Posted in: Bold, God, Gospel, GT Weekend, Ignite, Jesus, Obedience, Salvation Tagged: Flame, Holy Spirit, light, Light Bearers, sharing, World

Ignite Day 1 The Wick

May 27, 2019 by Merry Ohler Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 43:1-4
Acts 4:29-31
Acts 2:42-47
Luke 11:31-36
James 3:1-12

Ignite, Day 1

“My heart is the wick, Your love is the flame. And I wanna burn for Your Name.”

Merriam-Webster defines ignite as “To set afire. To cause to burn. To subject to fire or intense heat. To heat up. To set in motion.”

Have you ever built a campfire from scratch? In order for your fire to catch and grow, you need everything set up in exactly the right order. First, you gather lots of small, dry branches and twigs, leaves, paper and anything else that will catch fire quickly. This is called kindling. You’ll have more success if you pile the dry twigs and branches on top of the kindling. Next, you position larger logs over your kindling, being sure to leave space for air to flow under the logs.

Then, you strike your match and set the kindling on fire. As the flames grow and start to spread to the smaller twigs and branches, you might blow on the flame, or poke it with a long stick, to stir it up more. The flame grows and burns hotter, and as it does, the larger branches and logs grow hotter until they begin to catch fire, too.

Love, I have to be honest with you. When I picked up the assignment to write this Journey about Polycarp and Ignatius, I had literally never heard of them in my life. In fact, as I sat in our writer’s meeting and scanned the list of upcoming Journeys, I felt…

Uneducated.
Lacking.
Ill-equipped.

Ouch. And to add insult to injury? The truth is that I didn’t feel any real desire or curiosity to dig deeper into the lives of any of these historical fathers of the faith.

So, I did what any self-respecting fringe millennial would do. I picked the ones with names I could not really pronounce, pseudo-affectionately dubbed them, “Iggy & Poly” in my mind, threw my inexperience to the wind and dived in deep.

And here we are. But before I can fully introduce you to Ignatius and Polycarp, we have to go back a little further. In order to do that, we’ll stick with the campfire picture we just processed together.

Stay with me, this is important.

The Kindling
Before Jesus arrived as the promised Emmanuel, God With Us, we need to visualize the spiritual climate in Israel. God’s people were effectively trapped in a religious box of their own making. Where He had set out His law to protect and free them, they instead chose to chain themselves to religion and more. They created their own laws and rules in addition to His, and rather than trusting God to justify them through sacrifice and the atonement of sins, they adopted a religious spirit. They thought they could justify themselves. This resulted in a prideful people group who were desperate for truth, purpose and relationship, yet still rigidly clung to the very things that held them captive.
They were empty. Dry.

Spiritually dead.

The Spark
Enter Jesus.

When the Son of God slipped quietly onto the Bethlehem scene in the form of an infant… the Jewish people were confused.

They had asked for a king.
Someone who would fulfill the Law.
Someone who could rescue them.
And God answered, because that was His plan all along.

But He didn’t answer in the way they wanted, or the way they expected. Instead, He sent Jesus to fulfill the Law in the way that only Jesus ever could. And because the people who prayed for rescue didn’t see it coming in the way they expected, the majority missed the message the Son of Man brought to life.

However, there were those positioned closest to Jesus who recognized the Truth and began to smolder from His heat. These apostles were disciples in word and deed. They spent time with Jesus in His everyday life and ministry.

They saw Him perform miracle after miracle, healing after healing.
They witnessed Jesus in life, in death,
and then in life again.
They got it.

More importantly, they caught it. And when He told them to go, they went.

They began to walk out their faith in boldness, preaching the gospel to all who would listen. They healed the sick, and cast out demons. They taught others about the life of Jesus, what His death and resurrection meant, and why it mattered. They devoted themselves to studying the Scriptures, to praying, and fellowship.

And their numbers grew exponentially.

And Love? The ones Jesus chose to draw into His closest circle?
The ones He trusted to catch fire first – and to fan the flame?
They were unquestionably the last people anyone would expect to fulfill that weighty calling. In fact, you or I might have even called them….

Uneducated.
Lacking.
Ill-equipped.

But God saw them differently.

The early church began to grow against all odds in the face of extreme opposition.
In the weakness and humanity of the ordinary men and women who spread the message and ministry of Jesus, God was shown strong.
Whole families began to receive the message of Jesus,
and though persecution was commonplace, Christianity caught fire.

The church continued to grow until one day, as Saul of Tarsus walked the road to Damascus, the resurrected Christ Himself appeared to him. Prior to this face-to-face, Saul had been instrumental in persecuting countless followers of Christ, with the full support of the Jewish leaders. Saul’s resulting sudden and whole-heart, whole-life, jaw-dropping conversion fanned the flickering flame to a roar. Saul became known as Paul, and he adopted the lifestyle of the other apostles, discipling others, encouraging young leaders in the church, and delivering truth and challenge in love to all he encountered.

And the flame began to grow.

As for my friends, Poly and Iggy, I’ll introduce you on Wednesday of this week. 🙂

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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!

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

Posted in: Anchored, Believe, Bold, Called, church, Community, Courage, Faith, Holy Spirit, Kingdom Tagged: borders, Community, growth, Holy Spirit, Ignite, love, preach, teach

The GT Weekend ~ Seeds Week 2

May 18, 2019 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

Worship Through Journaling

1) Sara put words to a struggle we all encounter at various points in life, either to live in fear of people or walk in faith with the God who has never failed us. Take some time to identify where you have lived in fear of people in the past. How has the Lord shaped your heart to choose Him, as the better, over acquiescing to others? Celebrate His work here! Consider new challenges where you are apt to choose what people want at the expense of following the Savior? Take these specifically to the Lord in prayer!

2) On Wednesday, we were challenged to consider the pitfalls of our identity sources. Sara noted how grateful she was for having walked through a season of having her identity deconstructed. Consider writing out your top 4 markers of your identity and sift through the source for each of those. If the source is removed, the identity will crumble. What is holding up your identity?

3) All throughout this Journey Theme of Seeds, we’ve been challenging ourselves to consider “what if” we lived as boldly as the examples we find in the pages of Acts of those first century Christians. Their stories are incredible and their faith seems entirely other, but it began simply, exactly like our own. Each of their journeys grew from a seed of faith, nourished by a regular, consistent investment in a relationship with the God of the Universe in everyday life. The invitation for dramatic life change is ours as well. What If  you were to begin investing deeper with Jesus this weekend? Where might He take you? What would He want you to know? Who would He want you to share the gospel with? Suppose the Lord had written an invitation to you, what would your response be? Write it out and be willing to be different!

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 Job 38:31-33 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
or loose the cords of Orion?
Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,
or can you guide the Bear with its children?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?

Prayer Journal
Ah Lord God, Your good kindness to us is so far beyond my comprehension. Keep taking my breath away with the vastness of Your love and Your design for life! You, who created galaxies we haven’t even explored. You, who gather the seas in Your hand. You who measure the mountains on a scale. You, who crafted the body of an ant and the structure of micro-organisms, purposed to have a relationship with every single human being on a deep and personal level. And then You called us out, made us new, and gave us purpose as You invited us into a mission to love others as You have loved us. Keep my eyes focused in this rich truth, reminding me You’ve invited me ever deeper into “What If!”.

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

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Posted in: Called, church, Faith, Help, Kingdom, Power, Seeds Tagged: empowered, GT Weekend, Holy Spirit, more, Much, purpose, Seeds

Worship V Day 4 How Deep The Father’s Love: Digging Deeper

April 25, 2019 by Lois Robbins 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 How Deep The Father’s Love!

The Questions

1) Who are the persons referred to as “Every family in heaven and on earth” in verse 15?

2) In this intercessory prayer, what purposes is Paul praying for the Ephesian believers?

3) How are these lofty purposes realized?

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I kneel before the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Original Intent

1) Who are the persons referred to as “Every family in heaven and on earth” in verse 15?   
The concept of family is extremely important in the Bible, both physically and theologically. Jesus makes it very clear that in the kingdom of Heaven, the most important family connection is spiritual, not physical. In Matthew 12:46-50, He uses “family language” to describe the connection God intended for Believers to share with each other and the Lord. “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother…”
Of course, we understand “family” as a group of persons sharing a common father. Jesus directed His prayers to God the Father and He taught us to do the same. It is to “our Father God” Paul directs his prayers on behalf of those who are members of the family in Christ. Those who have received the “Spirit of His Son“ evidenced by calling Him “Abba! Father!”. (Galatians 4:6)
The family referenced in verse 15, therefore, are all those who are a new creation in Christ. This family is The Global Church consisting of all who call upon the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. This family is drawn from “every nation, tribe, people, and language”. (Revelation 7:9) A defining characteristic of this spiritual family is love one for another which John writes, “A new command I give you, love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples if you love one another.”

2) In this intercessory prayer, what purposes is Paul praying for the Ephesian believers?
Paul prays for the church to know, in a deeply intimate and experiential way, the vast love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge. He prays this on their behalf in order for them to be fulfilled and overflowing with all the fullness of God. This deep knowing of Christ’s love is at the pinnacle of Paul’s prayer. Before this peak, Paul first prays for the Ephesians to be strengthened in their deep “heart” places within through the Holy Spirit. This strengthening leads to an ever-increasing faith for everyday living, which produces this pinnacle lens through which we are able to grasp in continuously greater degrees the vast richness of Christ’s love. (Ephesians 3:18)
Paul couches this precious exposition in the context of harmonious unity. This experience of Christ’s love explodes when the Global Church (all believers) live and grow together, going steadily deeper into understanding who Christ is through the Holy Spirit’s revealing power.

3) How are these lofty purposes realized?
In verses 14-19, Paul points to the source of a believer’s growth being the strength-imparting Spirit of Christ who dwells within every Christ-follow as teacher (John 14:26), comforter, and counselor (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit enables believers to flourish in an ever increasing, never complete, realization of the love of God the Father. The pathway of growth is discovered through prayer, faith, and submission to God’s revelation found in Scripture. The more we are willing to go deeper in trusting the Spirit of God living and active within us, the more we will discover, with awe and wonder, the glorious riches of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord! None of Paul’s prayed for purposes are possible apart from the work of God the Spirit; we cannot do it on our own strength or determination. He works in the believer’s heart and, in the process of our growth, obedience, and humble submission, He brings glory in the Church and to all generations for the sake of His Name! (verses 20-21)

Everyday Application

1) Who are the persons referred to as “Every family in heaven and on earth” in verse 15?   
The physical family is the most important building block in human society and should be nurtured and protected. When we are born again in Jesus, we are birthed into a spiritual family and are adopted as God’s children and He is our Father. (Romans 8:15)
The spiritual family is not bound or described by ethnicity, gender, or social standing. As Paul says, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed , and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

2) In this intercessory prayer, what purposes is Paul praying for the Ephesian believers?
New Testament scholar and author of several commentaries, William Hendriksen, writes, “God is glorious in all His attributes, His power, His infinite Love, His mercy, His grace, His wisdom (…) Paul prays that all of God’s attributes be richly applied to those who are followers of Jesus Christ”. Hendriksen emphasizes how God’s character is embedded, nurtured, and grown to flourish within the heart of every believer through the work of the Holy Spirit when a person chooses to accept Christ as Lord of their life.
Just as Paul prayed for the Ephesians, so should we pray for one another within this family called Church as brothers and sisters, all children of our Father God. To know Christ deeply and experience His love, we begin with simple faith. Faith to receive Christ, faith to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as He leads us deeper, and faith to continue leaning into the character of this God who calls us Beloved.
Let the Spirit of Christ transform in glorious ways!
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) Be made new! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old has passed away; behold the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

3) How are these lofty purposes realized?
EASY! Well, probably not easy, but the process is simple and uncomplicated; the choice rests on us whether we will follow or not.
We begin with the knowledge that God’s Word, the Bible, is what we hang on to daily for wisdom and guidance and is the means by which the Holy Spirit transforms us and makes us new. The psalmist writes, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) This Word of God is for real, everyday life!
In verse 14, Paul notes, “I bend my knees to the Father”.  It is in honor to be welcomed into the presence of the Almighty God! Submission and worship to God the Father is the heart attitude allowing us to draw close to Him through faith. The more we give ourselves over to studying His Word and listening to the Spirit, the deeper faith will root our lives. As we lean into the Father, He grows our understanding of just how deep, high, wide, and long is His love for us as His children. His love is limitless!
Don’t let another day pass before becoming more intentional in your faith walk with God. Whether you have never asked Jesus to be your Lord, or if you’ve been trusting Him more every day for the last 80 years, keep on growing! There is more the Lord wants you to discover about His love! Read His Word. Pray continuously, all day in all situations. Worship God as Father, Son, and Spirit, praising Him for His plan to grow us, root us, and delight to show us His love! “Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children; walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with How Deep The Father’s Love!

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 Worship V Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up
to receive every GT Journey Study!

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.

Posted in: Daughter, Digging Deeper, Faith, Fellowship, Holy Spirit, Paul, Prayer, Scripture Tagged: church, God's Word, Holy Spirit, scripture, study

Woven Day 7 Coming To Us: Digging Deeper

February 6, 2018 by Randi Overby 3 Comments

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

Looking for yesterday’s
Journey Study?
Check out Coming To Us!

Romans 5:8 Christian Standard Version (CSB)

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

The Questions

1) How was Christ’s death proof of God’s love?

2) I think I’m a pretty good person…does “sinner” really apply to me?

3) Why did Christ have to die?  Isn’t that excessive and over the top?

The Findings for Intention

1) How was Christ’s death proof of God’s love?
Paul’s letter to the church in Rome takes up one basic message:  the power and importance of the gospel.  As he opens his letter, Paul declares his purpose of bringing about obedience in living out the faith, so that the name of Jesus and message of the gospel would be known (Romans 1:5-6).  As Paul then explains the impact of the gospel, he makes a strong statement at the beginning of this verse that we have no reason to question God’s love for us.  He has made His affection clear.  His love is so great that he willingly sacrificed His Son on our behalf, mine and yours.  God made the first move in coming to us with a loving answer (John 3:16), the only answer, in the person, life, and death of Christ.  God gave Christ to accomplish the impossible – making us whole and holy – despite our sinful selves (Romans 8:2-4).

2) I think I’m a pretty good person…does “sinner” really apply to me?
Paul’s answer is simple:  YES.  YES, IT DOES.  He did not want the Romans to be confused about the fact that they were each in desperate need of the gift that Christ offered them through his death and resurrection.  In Romans 3:9 Paul states that no matter the background, no one is immune to sin.  Being Jewish. and therefore part of God’s chosen nation, didn’t get you out of that status.  Being Gentile, and having the wisdom of the world on your side, wasn’t any better.  And in Paul’s day, that covered everyone.  You were Jewish, or you weren’t.  Those were the two options in his cultural context.  He goes on to say in Romans 3:23 that because we are all sinners, we cannot attain the level of God’s perfect glory and holiness.  And do you know what the word “all” here means in Greek?  ALL.  I know, I know…deep sigh.  It’s the worst pastor joke ever, but it’s true and effective.  All means all.

3) Why did Christ have to die?  Isn’t that excessive and over the top?
Paul explains as he continues in his writing to the Romans that sin has one result: death (Romans 6:23).  And since we all sin, we are all subject to death (Romans 5:12).  And if we stop with that fact, requiring Christ to die may seem harsh and excessive and leave us asking if there wasn’t another option?  However, Paul goes on to say in the second half of Romans 6:23 that, “…the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Did you catch that?  Christ’s death is a gift to us, given from a heart of love.  In that sense, Paul says it was, in fact, excessive and over the top; not in a wow-that-was-way-too-harsh-and-cruel kind of way, but in the extravagant-love-grace-and-mercy-I-don’t-deserve kind of way.  That is the depth of God’s love that Paul wanted the church in Rome to fully comprehend, a love that would go beyond anything that would make sense to the rest of the world.  That is the power and love of the gospel!

The Everyday Application

1) How was Christ’s death proof of God’s love?
LOVE.  It’s a dangerous word, overused, and often ignored.  We don’t know love on this earth that doesn’t fail at some point.  If we apply our knowledge of earthly love to the holy love of God, we may doubt His love. Or question His care.  Or allow our fears to be an excuse to keep our distance from Him so we don’t get hurt.  Or ask Him to keep proving His love over and over.  Think of how those responses would impact your most loving, significant earthly relationship (child, adult, spouse, parent, etc.).  Demanding proof of the other person’s love would breed frustration on so many levels.  If we don’t consider God’s love as something altogether different, we risk misunderstanding the greatness of His work on our behalf.  That is the point of Christ’s death.  It is a love beyond anything else, a love He proved once and for all, a love that pursued us before we even knew He was there.  How often do you require additional proof of God’s love, beyond the sacrifice of Christ, asking him to meet your demands, or orchestrate circumstances your way, or do that “one little thing” to show His love?

2) I think I’m a pretty good person…does “sinner” really apply to me?
My answer is also simple:  YES.  YES, IT DOES.  All still means all.  GOOD is probably the second most dangerous word in our everyday conversations. When applied to people, it’s nothing but a lie.  There are no good people.  We all have issues, and we cannot reach the holiness that God requires.  God is the only standard of good.  Yet, we try to excuse ourselves and others for our “good” hearts, “good” intentions,  and “good” reasons.  It’s a dangerous trap, meant to make us believe we’re not that bad.  And if we’re not that bad, why do we really need a Savior?  It’s a slippery slope…  Do we see good in the world?  Absolutely.  But to credit that good to anything other than God is to make ourselves, or others, much better than we actually are.  Having a right understanding of our sinfulness forces us to acknowledge the depth of our need of Christ.  We are sinners.  And still he died.  For my mess.  And yours.  Do you find yourself struggling with your need for Christ because you put a lot of effort into being a good person?  What makes you uncomfortable with being a “sinner”?

3) Why did Christ have to die?  Isn’t that excessive and over the top?
God’s excessive gift of Christ’s death on our behalf creates a way for us to live in relationship with Him.  Christ offers what we cannot:  perfection.  I have an image in my mind of the day I will stand before our Father, and He asks what makes me worthy to dwell with Him for eternity, giving an account for my life (Hebrews 4:13).  I see myself standing, head bowed, avoiding eye contact, desperately seeking an answer as to why I am good enough, yet knowing there is nothing I can offer.  Speechless.  But then, I see the loving eyes of Jesus staring into mine as He speaks on my behalf and says, “Father, I know her…she is mine.”  Jesus is my only answer.  That, my friends, is the glory of the gospel!  The extravagant love of God that pursues us in our darkest days and stands up for us when we have nothing to offer of ourselves.  God gave His Son freely and with affection, with us in mind.  I encourage you to close out your time today by thanking God for His abundant gift of Christ’s death for you.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join the friends at the GT Facebook Community!

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
Woven 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 Woven!

Posted in: Broken, Clothed, Digging Deeper, Excuses, Faith, Forgiven, Freedom, God, Gospel, Grace, Help, Hope, Jesus, Love, Peace, Praise, Prayer, Purpose, Restored, Scripture, Sin, Truth Tagged: conviction, digging deeper, gospel, grace, Holy Spirit, hope, love, meaning, peace, study, Truth

Eve Day 13 Eve Of Pentecost

December 20, 2017 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Eve Day 13 Eve Of Pentecost

Rebecca Adams

December 20, 2017

church,Courage,Faith,Fear,Help,Hope,Jesus,Love,Peace,Power,Praise,Prayer,Relationship,Time,Trust,Worship

Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 2:1-13
Acts 1:6-14
John 14:15-31

Surely, they felt hazy, like they were walking in some kind of dream.
It had been a whirlwind of emotions and a rollercoaster of flat-out unbelievable scenarios. They themselves wouldn’t have believed it if they hadn’t lived it, seen it with their own eyes. Add to that, the over 500 other witnesses who had seen exactly what they had.
The resurrected Lord walking among them.

No, what happened could not be denied or falsified.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the most real thing any of them had ever experienced. And their joy at Christ’s resurrection, even now at His ascension as Lord of all, they were jubilant!
But, now what?
It was the question not one of them dared speak out loud, but its pressing presence was almost palpable as they gathered.

It had been a horrific tragedy to watch their Jesus shamelessly humiliated and crucified on a Roman cross, seemingly deftly pinned under the ruling authority the disciples, and the rest of the Jewish population, had thought the Messiah would surely rescue them from. Rome’s tyranny.
But He didn’t.
Their Messiah, their Savior, had died a torturous death before their own eyes.
The sorrow of their souls.
The anguish of their hearts as precious, precious memories swirled before their eyes from the last three years. The healings, the teaching, the miracles, the radical transformation of everyday lives.

After His death, they had gathered and hid, literally fearing for their lives. Jesus wasn’t exactly friends with the Pharisees. Were their lives at risk now too?
But then HE had appeared.
They’d seen their Jesus, the very One they had watched be brutally killed.
He ate with them.
Touched them.
Called them into more.
Hope like never before had swept them away into an incredible euphoria of worship.

But now, stumbling down the Mount of Olives after Christ had risen into the sky.
Stunned again.
Their Jesus gone again.
Angels again, as their eyes had strained to catch another glimpse of Him beyond the clouds.
What? Why?
Now what?

The question begged to be answered.
The immense vacuum of their lives was painfully obvious.
Jesus’ resurrection was radical and incredible.
But the 12, no, the 11… and another ache filled their hearts at the remembrance of Judas’s death and betrayal, were alone again.
Alone with the greatest news on earth.
Still so….empty…somehow.

Going back to fishing seemed ludicrous after Jesus had met them on the beach a few weeks ago after His resurrection, inviting them to be fishers of men.
But how?
Peter looked around, for as devoted as they had followed their Jesus, he knew as well as any of them…they weren’t learned men. They were fishermen, tax collectors, just ordinary Jews.
Yes, Jesus had changed everything for them.
But still….what now?

So the band of disheveled, emotionally windblown brotherhood of eleven walked back to Jerusalem in stunned, surreal silence.
“Did you see….?”
Nodding heads.
“How….?”
Confused faces and shrugging shoulders.
For as purposeful as the message Jesus’ clear, strong voice of “Go therefore into all nations and preach the gospel” had delivered to them, they knew they had no power.
All nations?
Who would believe them?
So, on to Jerusalem they walked, just as Jesus had told them to do, eyes on their dusty sandals.
Go.
Wait.

“You will receive power”, Jesus had said as He was being lifted up into the clouds.
“You will be my witnesses ….in all the earth”, He had said.

For how long would they wait for this power?
Shrugging silence.
What to do while they waited?
There really only was one answer to that, and they had learned it well in the past 3 years as they had followed Jesus, studying His patterns.
In fact, as the 11 climbed the stairs to the Upper Room, breathing in the familiarity of the space, and allowing the memories to flood over them anew, it was the only thing that even came close to feeling right and adequate considering the circumstances.
Prayer.
Worship.


And so they gathered, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James along with the beloved women who had followed Jesus everywhere He went, and they prayed.
They wept, they worshipped, they were comforted by each other and reminded each other of funny stories of their time over the past 3 years. The way their minds and hearts had been opened and laid bare before the Lord.

9 days they had waited now.
9 days of living in the constant state of perpetual unknown.
Knowing they were called to ignite world-wide change, but having no idea how to go about it.
But they knew God was faithful.
He had called them, He would equip them.

But the days were getting so long.
Anxiety was high, but anticipation was too.
If the time for waiting was this long,
and the need for prayer and worship was this intense,
and the God Almighty they had come to know through the visible, flesh-wrapped image of the invisible was indeed faithful and good,
then soon,
the gift of waiting would surely be beyond description!

The next day, the gift of the Holy Spirit would come upon the disciples in the Upper Room.
They would be radically changed in ways greater than even when they had walked close enough to Jesus to smell His sweat and touch His skin.
The power of the Almighty would dwell within them.
It was this power that would ignite world-wide change.
This power that would transform common men into passionate leaders, speakers, missionaries, pastors, shepherds, lovers of Jesus. Lovers of people.  

Imagine what the Father’s Spirit will do through you!
Anticipate Him.
Worship Him.
Wait for Him.

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Posted in: church, Courage, Faith, Fear, Help, Hope, Jesus, Love, Peace, Power, Praise, Prayer, Relationship, Time, Trust, Worship Tagged: Community, Holy Spirit, peace, power, waiting, worship
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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14