Our Blog

Spiritual Development - October 2019

           “4 Life Changing Ways to Wait on the Lord” by Stephen Altrogge

#1 – We Wait On The Lord In Faith - There are two types of waiting. The first type is unsure, fearful waiting. We’re not sure if God is going come through, as if he’s some sort of unreliable parent who forgets to pick up his kids at soccer practice. We hope God delivers us...but what if he doesn’t? What if God leaves us hanging? What if he fails to come through at the most crucial time? This kind of waiting is displeasing and dishonoring to God. When our waiting is pocked with doubt and unbelief, it smears God’s character, making him look like a deadbeat deity who can’t be trusted. The second type is waiting on the Lord in strong faith. We’ve run all the numbers, calculated the odds, and can’t figure out how God is going to come through for us. From a human perspective, it looks like it’s lights out for us. Nevertheless, we trust him because we know his character. We know that he’s infinitely good and loving, and that he will deliver us, even if that deliverance isn’t the kind we expected. When life is in shambles, one of our greatest temptations is to lean on our own understanding. To try to figure everything out. To play out every scenario in our heads and determine which one is most likely. We become like divine weathermen, trying to map out which way God’s providence will blow, or divine poker players, counting the cards and calculating which will most likely come up next. But when we wait on the Lord in faith, we make a conscious effort to reject our own understanding. (Prov. 3:5-6) Our understanding is extraordinarily limited. I mean, seriously, think about it… We’re aware of about 1/1,000,000,000th of what is happening in every circumstance. I’m only aware of what I can perceive with my senses. God knows everything that’s happening in our lives and HE knows exactly what he will do. While I’m waiting for the Lord, God is doing thousands of good things on my behalf. I love how John Piper puts it: God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them. Waiting that honors God is marked by faith in his character.

#2 – We Wait On The Lord Loudly - Have you ever noticed that when David had to wait on God to deliver him, he was very loud about it? (Ps. 35:17) David waited on God in faith, but he certainly wasn’t quiet, meek, and mild while he was waiting. He was constantly crying out to the Lord for deliverance. At times, you could even mistake the intensity of his requests for irreverence. He questioned God, pestered him, pleaded with him, and begged him. David was never passive when he had to wait on the Lord. He was loud and aggressive in his waiting. Why? Because David knew that God was good, faithful, and kind. He knew that God loved to give good gifts, including deliverance, to his children. And so, like any child, he asked for that deliverance repeatedly and loudly. Jesus reinforced this truth with the parable of the persistent widow. She pestered and harassed the unrighteous judge until he couldn’t take it any longer. If even a corrupt judge will respond to persistent requests, how much more will our loving God? Waiting that honors God is characterized by persistent pleas for deliverance.

#3 – We Wait On The Lord Patiently - When it comes to waiting, I am the world’s least patient person. They could make a reality show out my impatience. When traffic gets congested, I transform into Jeff Gordon, cutting left, zagging right, anything to make forward progress. When it comes to having to wait on God to deliver me…again, not so patient. And, of course, God always gives me what I want, when I want it, because I know what’s best for me. Except that I don’t, and if God did give me everything I wanted right when I asked for it, I would probably be dead or living in a van down by the river (See: Matt Foley, motivational speaker). If something is good for me, God will give it to me at the appropriate time. He’s not going to hold back a single blessing from me, and he’s going to give them to me when I’ll get the most goodness from them and he’ll get the most glory. It was good for David to be king of Israel, but first, he had to hide in the desert caves. It was good for Abraham to have a son, but first there needed to be no doubt that both him and Sarah were completely barren. It will be glorious when Christ returns, but first, the full number of people must be saved. God doesn’t serve up undercooked blessings. When the time is right, he delivers the full course meal. God doesn't serve up undercooked blessings. When the time is right, he delivers the full course meal. Until then, we’re called to wait on the Lord patiently.

#4 – We Wait On The Lord Dependently - The Apostle Paul knew a thing or twenty about waiting. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, he wrote about his thorn in the flesh. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. This thorn in the flesh was no joke. Paul was no pansy. He had been tossed in prison, almost stoned to death, beaten with rods, pursued by people who wanted to kill him, and shipwrecked, all for the sake of the gospel. And yet, this thorn was so bad that Paul pleaded with God three times to take it away. Whatever the thorn was – blindness, persecution, demonic attack – it made Paul feel desperate for deliverance. There’s no indication in Scripture that God ever removed the thorn, but what we do know is that while Paul was waiting for deliverance he depended mightily on the sufficient grace of God. Paul’s thorn forced him to throw his entire weight on God’s sustaining grace and power. That was the only way he could survive. The same is true for us. The only way we can survive in our waiting is to throw ourselves fully on God. We are completely and totally dependent on him. If we don’t wait dependently on the Lord, we end up bitter, dried up, and hopeless. The only way to survive the long dark is to cling to Christ, the true light. We wait for the Lord dependently, relying on his power and not our own. 

Spiritual Development - September 2019

                                                      “8 Reasons to Join a Life Group”

1. You will begin to really feel like part of God’s family. - It should be the desire of growing churches to provide a small group for everyone that wants to get connected. In a society that is increasingly mobile and where families are fragmented, small groups can provide a family atmosphere where no one has to stand alone.

2. You will grow spiritually faster in a group than alone. - We have been “predestined to become conformed to the image of Christ” (Romans 8:29). Spiritual growth involves life change. Life change is optimized in the context of a life group. 2 Timothy 2:22 teaches that we are to “run after” godly character and “run away” from the passions of youth. This verse instructs us not to do this alone but “with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart.” God wants us to stop “trying” and start “training”. It’s always easier to exercise physically or spiritually in a group than alone (1 Timothy 4:7b).

3. You will not have to go through struggles alone. - It’s not only possible but also probable that you could walk into and out of a large group event with hurts, heartaches, and soul-searching questions but never connect with someone that will show an interest in you or identify with your difficulty. In a life group setting the principle of “commonality” is often experienced. Many of us think our struggles are unique to us, but in a life group we find out that personal problems are universal. It’s exciting to find out that the members of your group have not only struggled with common problems but have found common solutions in God’s Word (1 Corinthians 10:13).

4. You will have a natural way to share Christ with friends, relatives, and work associates. - It may be that some of your friends who don’t know the Lord wouldn’t be caught dead in a church. They have a preconceived idea and just the thought makes them defensive. But those same people may be open to an invitation to a casual Bible discussion in a home or office setting. In a life group, your unbelieving friend can ask questions and express honest doubts without feeling “put on the spot”. When your friend sees the love and warmth and honesty of your group, it will make him more receptive to the good news (John 13:35; Acts 5:42).

5. You will be a “New Testament” Christian. - The early church met as a large group for corporate worship at the temple and then as small groups from house to house (Acts 2:46; 5:42; 20:20; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2). The New Testament is very clear about how God intended for His people to meet in small groups so they could experience authentic biblical community. The New Testament is also very clear to point out that these were communities with a purpose. They used these small groups to fulfill the Great Commission in a Great Commandment way. They weren’t an end in themselves.

6. You will have a place to discover and use your spiritual gifts. - When people are born into their physical family they are given natural talents, but when they are born into the family of God they are given spiritual gifts. These gifts are God-given abilities that enable   believers to effectively serve one another. People that have no arena in which to exercise their gifts struggle to identify them. A life group is a wonderful place to steward the gifts God has sovereignly given you (1 Peter 4:10, 11).

7. Prayer will become more meaningful to you. - Many people are hesitant to pray in front of others, especially in a large church. In a life group, you will learn to participate in prayer by having a conversation together with God. No one is pressured to pray, but as you become comfortable, you’ll be able to pray sentence prayers and join in. There are many promises in the Bible related to group prayer. In praying together with a few others, we are drawn together and we find answers to the needs in our lives (Matthew 18:19).

8. You will understand the Bible better in a neighborhood group. - Have you ever listened to a message from the Bible at a worship  service and wanted to stop the speaker and say “But what about…?” or “I don’t understand!” If so, then a life group is for you. The message that is taught in our worship service is one way communication. You listen while the speaker speaks. It’s fine for imparting knowledge, but not as effective for personal application as a small group. In a life group setting, you can ask questions, participate in a discussion of the text, and hear others share their insights and illustrations of the truth you are trying to grasp. The Bible must be applied to your own personal situations and that happens best in life groups.