I’m a big fan of closure. When I come to the end of something, I like to pause and reflect on all that I’ve learned and how it’s impacted me. With another year of Bible study coming to a close at Focused Living, it seems like a good time to take inventory of the major themes we’ve been studying since September.
I’m a big fan of closure. When I come to the end of something, I like to pause and reflect on all that I’ve learned and how it’s impacted me. With another year of Bible study coming to a close at Focused Living, it seems like a good time to take inventory of the major themes we’ve been studying since September.
If you attend Focused Living, you’ll see this post complements my teaching at our end of the year brunch. For those of you who follow this blog but don’t attend the study, you’ll find some good nuggets of truth. (You might even be inspired to try doing one of the studies). The passages we’ll use will help us to see what God calls us to do and how we can apply that truth to our lives. I pray you’ll be inspired to put the things we’ve learned into practice.
Children of the Day
Beth Moore’s study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians focused on the major them of living as “children of the light” based on this verse:
“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:5, NIV)
And what are we supposed to do as children of the day? Our answer comes a few verses later:
“But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8, NIV)
Using armor as a metaphor, the passage urges us to keep faith and love close to our hearts (the breastplate) and hope protecting our heads (the helmet).
This sounds great in theory, but how are we to put this into practice?
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV)
Rejoicing and giving thanks continually protects our hearts. These attitudes reveal faith and trust in God that goes beyond our immediate circumstances. Even when we don’t understand the things He allows in our lives, we know God is working them out according to His will and for our good. Similarly, praying continually protects our minds and helps us to keep hope central in our thoughts, no matter what we are experiencing.
I like using visual reminders to communicate themes. Because I don’t have any suits of armor handy, I’m giving you a more modern version of a helmet and breastplate (my son’s lacrosse helmet and chest pads). Let them remind you of the spiritual protection we need for our heads and hearts.
One in a Million
Priscilla Shirer’s study on the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land focuses on giving us courage in our journeys through the “wilderness” of difficult seasons in our lives. She encourages us to trust God in our hardships and to fix our eyes on the hope found only in Him. Continue reading “Tying a Bow on Three Great Studies”
The city of Thessalonica was located on premium real estate, but today being strategically placed has more to do with our perspectives than our physical locations. With Jesus in our lives, every place has the potential to become strategic for sharing the gospel.
If you’ve ever bought or sold a property then you’re probably familiar with the three most important selling points of a home: “location, location, location.” The well-known adage from the real estate industry emphasizes a simple point–a good location is the best advantage for a favorable sale.
It turns out that geography also impacted the early church’s ability to spread the gospel. During Paul’s years of ministry, the city of Thessalonica was positioned to have great influence over the surrounding regions: “It was a powerful metropolis with easy access to the interior and the northern frontier by means of good roads, and it lay not far from Asia and other Roman provinces by way of the sea” (Beth Moore, Children of the Day p. 33-4 quoting Gene L. Green).
Once the Thessalonians heard the gospel from Paul and accepted Christ, they took their strategic placement for sharing the gospel seriously: “The Thesssalonians looked outward. These were not a rustic people who were occupied only with local concerns but a city of great influence in all spheres, not only the political and economic but also the religious. Therefore it comes as no surprise to hear that when the Thessalonians turned from their idols to the true and living God, they themselves became the ones who brought the gospel to Macedonia, Achaia, and everywhere (v.8)” (see previous reference).
Paul highlights how the Thessalonians looked outward: “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere” (1 Thessalonians 1:6). Because of their central location and their passion to share the gospel, everyone knew about the Thessalonians’ faith in the One True God.
The city of Thessalonica was located on premium real estate, but today being strategically placed has more to do with our perspectives than our physical locations. With Jesus in our lives, every place has the potential to become strategic for sharing the gospel. When we’re filled with the Spirit, our faith in God becomes “known everywhere.” Whatever situation we find ourselves in has the potential to be used to further God’s kingdom.
At times it may not be clear how the Lord is using us strategically, but if we continue to abide with Him, walk in obedience and pray for opportunities to be used, He will reveal His plan in time. Sometimes, our job is simply to position ourselves in a spot where God can use us and then to wait and see what He does.
When our kids were little, my husband and I made a deliberate choice to send them to public school. We wanted to be lights for Jesus among those who didn’t know Him. Our neighborhood school was a good one and seemed like the right fit for our boys. Over the nine years they attended their elementary school, I volunteered alongside teachers and parents in many different capacities. Time spent at the school provided opportunities to build trust and develop friendships. Sometimes, it also gave me chances to share my faith in Jesus.
Four of those elementary years were spent pouring myself into an after-school math program. I’d prayed about doing it and felt God was calling me to it, but sometimes questioned whether teaching math was really the best use of my time. It didn’t feel very spiritually significant to me. I didn’t realize how God was laying a foundation for future opportunities. Through my involvement there, I developed close relationships with several different parents who co-taught with me. One of those moms eventually came to Focused Living with me and later asked me to co-lead a smaller group study in her home. Another one of my previous co-teachers joined us and just began her second year with our group of ten women. (To read more about this story, see my blog “Being Open Handed is a State of Mind.”)
Now I see how God strategically placed me teaching math to fourth and fifth graders so that I could build those relationships and hone my teaching skills. The women in the home study are all there because God strategically placed them in my life or my co-leader’s life. We befriended them over the years through volunteering in classrooms, rooting for our kids on sports fields and crossing paths in our neighborhoods. Had it not been for that math class, I would not be experiencing the joy of pouring into them weekly as they learn from God’s word.
Strategic placement is about recognizing your proximity to others who need Christ’s love and then inviting God to use you in their lives. It takes time, patience and persistence. I continue to discover places where God has strategically placed me so that I can gain valuable experiences and bless others. Whether it is helping an elderly neighbor in distress, sharing lunch with a young mom in need of some adult conversation or providing encouragement to a struggling teen, any place in my life becomes strategic when I offer it up to God.
What areas in your life is God already using strategically? Maybe you’re not convinced your current “location” is a favorable one for Him to use. If that’s the case, pray and ask Him to open your eyes and show you where He wants to use you to further His kingdom. Here are a few ideas to consider:
-Within your home and extended family (spouse, kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, parents, in-laws)
-In your neighborhood (maybe it’s time to reach out to that neighbor whose name you don’t know)
-Anywhere you volunteer (secular or Christian)
-In your homeschool co-op (these parents rarely get a moment to themselves to read God’s word and be encouraged!)
-In your Christian school (families at Christian schools need to be encouraged to grow deeper too)
-Groups you belong to (Bunco, Bridge, quilting, college alumni, service organizations, country club, golf, tennis, bocce ball, hiking, gourmet, etc.)
-Places you frequent (grocery stores, doctor’s & dentist’s offices, staff and patients at your chemotherapy treatment center, banks, dry cleaners, hair/ nail salons)
-Places your kids are involved (schools, PTA meetings, sports teams, choirs, academic clubs, friends/ classmates)
-At work (co-workers, clients/ patients/ students)
Your strategic place can be with anyone anywhere. When the Holy Spirit leads the way, things just fall into place. He does all the work–you are simply His willing instrument.
Try praying a simple prayer like this: “God, open my eyes to a place in my life where You want to use me strategically to further Your kingdom. Pour out your Spirit and equip me with the tools I need to impact others for You.”
Post a comment to let us know how God is using you strategically!
If you still need further encouragement and inspiration, click on the link and enjoy Josh Wilson’s song “Pushing Back the Dark.”
Inspiring stories spill off the pages of the book of Acts. We see the lives of ordinary people transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, causing the message of the gospel to spread like a swollen river flooding the flatlands. Fishermen from sleepy villages spoke to educated men with wisdom, courage and authority. Believers gathered to pray fervently in the face of persecution and saw God move and work in mighty ways.
One of these stories happened in Acts 4 after Peter and John spoke confidently before the Jewish authorities about Jesus being the Savior of all people. When the Jewish leaders “saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)
Peter and John returned to the other believers and gathered with them to pray about those opposing them. They spoke with conviction, inviting God to do a mighty work in them:
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” (Acts 4:29-31)
The story is inspiring, but may feel like something that no longer happens in the modern world. Beth Moore begs us to reconsider: “Is He not the same God? Has He not said that He’d pour out His Spirit on His sons and daughters (Joel 2:28)? Must we hunker down in the cramped limits of the status quo? Or will we welcome Him to do the exceptional when He pleases, to wreck our small notions and loosen our tongues with ‘Who then is this who does such things?’” (Children of the Day p. 25)
Maybe these ideas intrigue you, but you wonder how something like this could happen in your life. Perhaps they sound intimidating, scary even. If you were trying to find this kind of courage or power on your own strength, you wouldn’t get very far. Let’s not miss two key phrases from these stories: “these men had been with Jesus” and “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” Courage, boldness and authority flow through us when we are abiding with Jesus and letting the Holy Spirit fill us to capacity. We’re just empty vessels, all the power comes from Him.
Everyone who accepts Christ receives the Spirit. After all, Ephesians 1:13 states it plainly: And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.
Being filled with the Spirit is not just a single event, however. It is an ongoing process. In the Acts 4 story above, the believers already had the Spirit, yet after they prayed they were “filled and spoke the word of God boldly.”
But how does that work? Can we continue to be filled more and more by the Spirit even after we’re saved?
Imagine a thimble filled with water. It’s at capacity, not another drop could fit inside. Now imagine a drinking glass. It’s bigger, so more water fits inside, but it’s still filled to capacity. Finally, imagine a swimming pool brimming over with water. Each of these containers has a limit and once it is exceeded, it will overflow. The bigger the container, the more the surroundings will get wet when it does.
In the same way, the Spirit impacts those around us as He fills us so full that we begin to overflow. But unlike a solid container, our ability to receive Him increases each time He fills us and we pour Him out. I think that’s what Joel 2:28 describes when the Lord says: I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,your old men will dream dreams,your young men will see visions.
Maybe the believers in Acts 4 had a swimming pool-sized capacity for the Holy Spirit because they invited His filling so often. They prayed bold prayers and asked God to move, and He did. They spoke with authority and acted courageously because the Spirit was flowing through them.
Whether our capacities for the Spirit are more in line with a thimble, a glass or something bigger, there is always room for expansion. May I humbly suggest that if you’re interested in seeing more of the Holy Spirit’s power in your life, you pray a simple prayer each day? Try something like this: “Lord, pour out your Spirit on me. Increase my capacity to receive you and to be used by you.”
The Holy Spirit does the work of enlarging our capacities incrementally over time as we seek God and grow in faith. Sometimes we may not realize it’s happening until we see Him do something in us that He hasn’t done before. Growth happens through consistently pursuing the Lord one step of obedience at a time.
The Thessalonian church saw the Spirit work. Beth Moore points out that both the writers of 1 & 2 Thessalonians and the readers “got wet with the work of the Spirit when the wave of the gospel flooded Thessalonica.” She says “I want to get wet in that wave too. Don’t you? I long to be keenly conscious of God’s power and presence when He makes Himself known…Authentic anointing: there is no substitute.” (Children of the Day p. 26.)
Let’s pray for “authentic anointing” as we study these sacred books together. I can’t wait to see the way the Spirit overflows in our midst.
Phil Wickham’s song “Heaven Fall Down” captures the idea of increasing our capacity for the Spirit. Let the words of the song become you prayer as you listen.
