The exciting stuff is OUTSIDE church
I am happy to report that our 2nd prayer meeting went on last Thursday :)
A Christian is a child of God (How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1). What does this mean? We are adopted into His family. A child who is adopted into a family takes on his new father's name, lives in his new house and enjoys food, shelter and the love of his new family. But this is only one side of the equation. The adopted child RECEIVES all these new things. But in order for the child to really become part of a new family, he should also reciprocate. Only then can he really belong and really begin to enjoy his new family.
Just like an adopted child, we should look beyond simply bearing God's name as a CHRISTian, living in His house and enjoying His blessings. We need to acknowledge Him as our Father, reciprocating in love and gratefulness. Only then can we really feel part of His family. As His Word says, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).
One of the ways in which we can engage with God's family is through meetings such as our own. We gather to share, encourage and pray for each other as members of a family. Just as spending time with our biological families is to be enjoyed, fellowship with our family at work (like this group) and our family at church (a church cell group for instance) should also be one of the highlights of the week! (Heb 10:25)
Yet why do these meetings often seem boring and tiring? Why is it that these meetings often go to the back of the queue whenever something more urgent or interesting turns up? Well, the truth is, sometimes these meetings don't just SEEM boring - they are in fact boring! Why?
I think the reason is this: our Christian lives actually exist outside church, outside fellowship groups, outside prayer meetings. Christian living happens when we are contact with other people and when God can bless them through us. ANY time spent doing ANYTHING else, is, in the big picture, meaningless (scary thought, but true). See Ecclesiastes in general - the conclusion of the wisest, richest king who ever lived. He's been there and done that. Trust him, he knows :)
Engaging people is the centre of our life in Christ - love for God, and from that, love for others (Matt 22:36-40). If we are constantly blessing others, God will certainly be with us. Can anyone say that if God walks with us, the Christian life is unexciting? Certainly not! We will be far too busy seeing our friends and family come to know Christ, far too busy bringing the good news to our colleagues, far too busy jumping through the doors and windows of opportunity that God will open to us at home, at work, and throughout the nations.
If all these exciting things are actually happening in our own lives, then when we meet for fellowship, I am certain every meeting will be too short for us to share all the exciting things that have happened since we last met. Turning up to listen to how exciting someone else's life can be boring, because let's face it, although it's possible to be inspired by someone else's life, it's often not that easy. But if your own life is exciting, you'll want to share and every meeting will be great!
I look forward to an exciting meeting this Thursday :)
See you, 2nd floor, 1 pm - keep your lights on!
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matt 5: 14-16
A Christian is a child of God (How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1). What does this mean? We are adopted into His family. A child who is adopted into a family takes on his new father's name, lives in his new house and enjoys food, shelter and the love of his new family. But this is only one side of the equation. The adopted child RECEIVES all these new things. But in order for the child to really become part of a new family, he should also reciprocate. Only then can he really belong and really begin to enjoy his new family.
Just like an adopted child, we should look beyond simply bearing God's name as a CHRISTian, living in His house and enjoying His blessings. We need to acknowledge Him as our Father, reciprocating in love and gratefulness. Only then can we really feel part of His family. As His Word says, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).
One of the ways in which we can engage with God's family is through meetings such as our own. We gather to share, encourage and pray for each other as members of a family. Just as spending time with our biological families is to be enjoyed, fellowship with our family at work (like this group) and our family at church (a church cell group for instance) should also be one of the highlights of the week! (Heb 10:25)
Yet why do these meetings often seem boring and tiring? Why is it that these meetings often go to the back of the queue whenever something more urgent or interesting turns up? Well, the truth is, sometimes these meetings don't just SEEM boring - they are in fact boring! Why?
I think the reason is this: our Christian lives actually exist outside church, outside fellowship groups, outside prayer meetings. Christian living happens when we are contact with other people and when God can bless them through us. ANY time spent doing ANYTHING else, is, in the big picture, meaningless (scary thought, but true). See Ecclesiastes in general - the conclusion of the wisest, richest king who ever lived. He's been there and done that. Trust him, he knows :)
Engaging people is the centre of our life in Christ - love for God, and from that, love for others (Matt 22:36-40). If we are constantly blessing others, God will certainly be with us. Can anyone say that if God walks with us, the Christian life is unexciting? Certainly not! We will be far too busy seeing our friends and family come to know Christ, far too busy bringing the good news to our colleagues, far too busy jumping through the doors and windows of opportunity that God will open to us at home, at work, and throughout the nations.
If all these exciting things are actually happening in our own lives, then when we meet for fellowship, I am certain every meeting will be too short for us to share all the exciting things that have happened since we last met. Turning up to listen to how exciting someone else's life can be boring, because let's face it, although it's possible to be inspired by someone else's life, it's often not that easy. But if your own life is exciting, you'll want to share and every meeting will be great!
I look forward to an exciting meeting this Thursday :)
See you, 2nd floor, 1 pm - keep your lights on!
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matt 5: 14-16
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