Friday, July 30, 2010

We are starting a New 20 day devotional study on Monday August 2nd, 2010 at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=237088564302

Join this faceBook Group to get this devotional by email daily.
The First 10 days will study, Recognizing Christ in Others
The second 10 days will study, Where Two or Three Are Gathered

FELLOWSHIP

Engaging with other disciples in the common activities of worship, study, prayer, celebration and service, which sustain our life together and enlarge our capacity to experience more of God.
       From the first pages of Genesis, when God created a mate for Adam, through the pages of Paul’s Letters, with his timeless advice on living together in joy and love, to the final pages of Revelation, where we see a glimpse of the company we will keep in heaven, it’s clear that the Christian life is to be a life lived together. Although Jesus often prayed in solitude, He did not travel Judea alone during His Ministry, but called the disciples to travel and minister with Him. Paul’s description of the Church as the Body of Christ (Rom 12:5; 1 Cor 12:12-26; Eph 4) makes it clear that each of us has different gifts and abilities and only together can the Church run smoothly for God’s glory.
       Fellowship can bring us great joy, encouragement, and comfort. It can also bring frustration and disappointment, as we bump up against each other’s sins, shortcomings, and failures to hear and follow God’s voice in our lives. The amount of text that Paul devotes to solving the problems of community living is testimony to just how hard it can be. One way we can sustain our fellowship and focus it upon God is by sharing Communion together. Jesus commanded us to gather together and remember Him when we ate the bread and drank of the cup. Following Jesus’ example at the Last Supper and the example of the early Church, this sharing is one way we focus our fellowship on Jesus.
       The whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love..—Ephesians 4:16
Day 206 Spiritual Practice: Recognizing Christ in Others
Day 207 The Good Work of Unity
Day 208 Growing Together
Day 209 Building Up Christ’s Body
Day 210 Many Members, One Body
Day 211 How to Live in Community
Day 212 Joy in Fellowship
Day 213 Passing Judgment on One Another
Day 214 Loving Our Brothers and Sisters
Day 215 Pleasing Our Neighbors
Day 216 Spiritual Practice: Where Two or Three Are Gathered
Day 217 Devoted Fellowship
Day 218 Life Among the Believers
Day 219 The Worldwide Community
Day 220 Meeting Together
Day 221 Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Day 222 Pray for One Another
Day 223 Sharing in the Lord’s Supper
Day 224 Be at Peace Among Yourselves
Day 225 That They May Be One
The Material above is from the book, ‘A Year With God,’ Edited by Richard Foster

Sunday, July 11, 2010

SOLITUDE, the Secret Place of Power With God!

This 20 day Study Starts 07/13/2010 Hosted by the Passionate Participation in God Project at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=237088564302

SOLITUDE The creation of an open, empty space in our lives by purposefully abstaining from interaction with other human beings, so that, freed from competing loyalties, we can be found by God.


The Gospels tell us that Jesus’ very public ministry was interspersed with periods of solitude during which He, either completely by Himself or with the disciples, left the crowds behind to pray. These times of solitude appeared to nourish Jesus for those times when He was in the public eye. He began His ministry with forty days in the desert, just after He was baptized. And He continued the practice of going off alone to pray, often just at the times when His ministry seemed to demand the most from Him.


Solitude is not about becoming a hermit or misanthrope. Indeed, times of solitude can enhance our times of fellowship with others. Neither is solitude loneliness. It is time spent with God. Put this way, it sounds so natural, yet for most of us this time does not just happen. One of the keys to the definition above is the phrase “the creation of an open, empty space.” We must work to create this space, to “purposefully” withdraw even when—especially when—it seems that we have no time to do so. We can all learn from Jesus’ example and take time to focus on our relationship with God, replenishing and nourishing ourselves for busy lives.
Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while. —Mark 6:31


Day 186 Spiritual Practice: Withdrawing to a Deserted Place
Day 187 The Tent of Meeting
Day 188 Wrestling With God
Day 189 Spending the Night in Prayer
Day 190 Hide Yourself
Day 191 I Alone Am Left
Day 192 I Sat Alone
Day 193 He Is With Me
Day 194 Yet I Am Not Alone
Day 195 Opening Ourselves
Day 196 Spiritual Practice: Retreat with God
Day 197 In the Wilderness
Day 198 I Will Bring Her Into the Wilderness
Day 199 Shaping the Soul
Day 200 The Crowds Were Looking for Jesus
Day 201 Rising Early to Pray
Day 202 Come Away and Rest a While
Day 203 I Went Away at Once
Day 204 Preparation Time
Day 205 Down From the Mountaintop