When Kim brought home this furry golden puppy, we saw her through a lens of supreme cuteness. The kids though, saw her through a different lens. A lens of terror. The very first moment they were introduced to the princess pup, it was constant screaming. Even several days later, still screaming. It bothered me so much that they couldn’t get over it, I just locked them in a room with the dog to help them beat their fear. Ok, I didn’t do that. Finally, through constant encouragement, both of our kids came around to the idea that the dog was not going anywhere, so they should adapt. And to their credit, they adapted so well they have even cried leaving her when we go on trips.These days, they've love and hug on her so much that now she's the one looking at them through a lens of terror.

 I know it’s not just my kids, we all have some things that cause fear. Whether that’s spiders or snakes or the IRS, we all have triggers.

I have found most of us share a common fear. In my 20+ years of ministry, I have observed a common spiritual terror that most folks have. A lot of us are genuinely scared to share the good news of Jesus Christ with another human being. Maybe you are comfortable sharing the Gospel with people close to you but not to strangers. Maybe you are the opposite and you are less nervous in a spiritual conversation with someone you just met and more scared to share with family.

Some people can talk generally about God all day long but when it comes to getting the “J” word out in a conversation, a death grip clinches their vocal chords. Why is this a fear we share? Why are we so scared to tell people about the love of our Savior? 

I’m sure there are times, if you have put your faith in Jesus as the boss of your life, that you sensed the Holy Spirit prompting you to share your faith with another person. However, when you start to think about it, you clam up and sweat begins to form, so you talk yourself out of engaging in a conversation. 

When a situation like that happens, often we immediately go through about 1000 excuses why we shouldn’t tell someone about Jesus. There are 3 that usually rise to the top. We think Excuse #1 I’m not good enough. As I look at Scripture, the people I see talking about God are the people with a past. Paul, who was named Saul, wrote most of the New Testament and he was a murderer of Christians. Ummm, most of you at this point are now without an excuse. Jesus didn’t disqualify Saul, but appeared to him via a bright light Acts 9:4, He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The result of that encounter is found in vs 20. And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!” Jesus still used Paul despite his past to deliver the Gospel.

We might say I can’t share my faith because Excuse #2 I’m not smart enough. This plays like a broken record in your mind, “they might ask a tough question I don’t know how to answer.” When you read the Gospels, you quickly realize these guys weren’t the brightest bulb in the box. These young guys had other trades than religion. They didn’t pass the religious test and were seen as ordinary common men. Acts 4:13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

Did you catch the end? Even though they weren’t specially trained, they could tell something was different, that they had an encounter with the risen Savior. We need to count on our relationship with Jesus as the magnetism to the Gospel not our own intelligence.

Or we think I just can’t do this because Excuse #3 I don’t talk well enough. Moses tried to avoid talking about God at first. But he had an undeniable encounter with God through a burning bush. His curiosity led him to a life altering moment as he met with the living God. Even so, Moses tried to get out of leading the Israelites, Exodus 4:10 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” 11 Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

Moses persisted and God gave him a vocal partner in Aaron, but I loved the encouragement and challenge God gave. He reminded Moses that ultimately He is in control and Moses needed to obedient. He also added that He would be with him as he spoke. Anytime we open our mouth in a conversation centered on our Great God, we are entering a spiritual zone. God loves to invade this space with us. 

For each of these heroes of the faith, they had to overcome a perceived inadequacy. What helped them all overcome their fear, or their inadequacy, was a genuine encounter with God and an intense desire to be obedient to Him by sharing their encounters with others. If you have met Jesus anywhere along the path of your life, it should now shape you to be a person who delivers the Gospel. This happened to the first believers in Jesus.

Acts 2:47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. The addition of people to your church and the Kingdom of God means it is necessary for you to deliver the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not up to your Pastor only. It is up to you! We are going to have to overcome any fear and be fueled by a desire to see people cross over from death to life! Notice though, it was the Lord who added. Our job is to deliver, it is God’s job for them to receive. We have to trust Him with the results.

Jeremiah was a reluctant hero, driven to share God’s truth. He was a prophet during very tough times. When God first called Him to be a deliverer of His message Jeremiah had an excuse, his age, but God wasn’t having it.

Jer1:4-10. 4 The Lord gave me this message: 5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” 6 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” 7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” 9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! 10 Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.”

When Jeremiah was young, God told him that before he was formed in the womb, He had a plan for him to speak His name. God assured him he would not be alone on this journey, but that God would give him the exact words to say. Jeremiah was still afraid. God affirmed him and repeatedly tells him to not be afraid but to be strong. God even gives him a visual and declares that He is making Jeremiah like an iron pillar and a fortified city. This is important because God knew Jeremiah was headed for a hard time.

God gave a message to Jeremiah that was not going to be received. In fact, he was going to be beaten over this message. He would face physical harm, emotional peril, and mental anguish, while he would be constantly mocked and ridiculed. In the 52 chapters of Jeremiah, only 2 people responded positively to his message. Any person who considers himself or herself to be an influencer would quit immediately if it was known that would be the outcome.

What was so repelling about his message? God wanted to speak through Jeremiah to tell the Israelites, God’s people, they were going to be taken captive because they no longer served God only. Jeremiah stepped into his moments and repeatedly told an unwilling audience that extreme times were in the future and they needed to repent of their rampant wickedness. No one wanted to listen to that message. So Jeremiah was arrested, he was beaten, and essentially, he was the laughing stock of the city.

It got to the point where Jeremiah felt hurt, of course physically, but also emotionally and mentally. Jeremiah’s nickname is the Weeping Prophet because of all that he went through.

In Chapter 20 we get a glimpse of his ministry and misery. Jer 20:1 Now Pashhur son of Immer, the priest in charge of the Temple of the Lord, heard what Jeremiah was prophesying. 2 So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the Lord’s Temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur finally released him, Jeremiah said, “Pashhur, the Lord has changed your name. From now on you are to be called ‘The Man Who Lives in Terror.’ 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will send terror upon you and all your friends, and you will watch as they are slaughtered by the swords of the enemy. I will hand the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will take them captive to Babylon or run them through with the sword. 5 And I will let your enemies plunder Jerusalem. All the famed treasures of the city—the precious jewels and gold and silver of your kings—will be carried off to Babylon. 6 As for you, Pashhur, you and all your household will go as captives to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you prophesied that everything would be all right.’

Jeremiah had just been beaten and imprisoned for speaking what God wanted Him to say. It would have been easy for him to believe he was getting the raw end of the deal. But God gives him a message for the jailer. It’s a very harsh message to the one who caused him pain. This divine declaration probably gave Jeremiah a little more joy to speak this word to this man. Then the next few verses Jeremiah laments to God about his situation.

Jeremiah 20:7 O Lord, you misled me, and I allowed myself to be misled. You are stronger than I am, and you overpowered me. Now I am mocked every day; everyone laughs at me. 8 When I speak, the words burst out. “Violence and destruction!” I shout. He feels as if these messages from the Lord have made him a household joke.

He cries out that God’s word and His message has caused him pain and frustration, but then he gets to vs 9. 9 But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, His word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!

He is a man completely down in the dumps but then, as a phoenix from the ashes, there is a major shift in his tone. There is hope, there is conviction, there is a greater purpose. Jeremiah gets to the point where he says I cannot and will not keep this message to myself. He equates this message to a fire within him that he is fearful of keeping it in. That’s quite a change. He’s saying I’m scared to share but more scared not to share. Paul said something similar when he said, I Cor 9:16 Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!

That’s what we need. We need to get to the place where we are no longer afraid TO share the message but afraid NOT to share the message. 

Is sharing the truth about Jesus like a fire in your heart? For Jeremiah, it didn’t start that way. But somewhere along the way, that message, despite the fact that it caused him harm, captured his life and became an unstoppable force in his life. Has the message of Jesus captured your life?

Being in spiritual shape equates to delivering the Gospel. The Gospel means a proclamation. The literal translation means to proclaim. That means it cannot be just your lifestyle. You cannot say I’m going to share the Gospel just by how I live. That’s like hugging someone and saying that’s how you get to my house. Excuse me? That hug, see you later. No, you have to speak your address for it to be understood. The Gospel is an announcement. Buying someone coffee in line behind you is great, but it doesn’t say Jesus died on the cross for your sins and by repenting of those sins and believing in Him will give you life.

I want to give you 3 words that will help you proclaim, deliver the Gospel.

Desire – Delivering the Gospel always starts with a want to. A fire shut up in our bones. If you don’t want someone to hear the Gospel, you will reach that goal every single time. The reverse is also true. If you want someone to hear the Gospel they will, because you can be the one who shares. The question is, how badly do you want it?

If you just aren’t there yet, there is hope. How do you increase your desire?

1. Understand Eternity. There is an afterlife at stake. Heaven and hell are both real. If we could grasp the eternal significance of the message we have to share, we would have enough fuel to travel the world. At minimum, our goal should be a fork in the road for people. People are headed down the path of destruction, but we can point the way to the path of life. Aren’t you thankful someone showed you the way? Wouldn’t you want to do that for someone else?

2. Accept Responsibility. Sharing the Gospel is not for a select few, it is the responsibility of all believers. God placed you where you are in this season of your life with divine intention. No one else will walk the path God designed for you. God has a purpose for you, seize it.

Awareness – After you obtain desire, you need to notice the opportunities that are all around you. If your spiritual eyes aren’t open, then you will blindly walk by divine appointment after divine appointment. How do you increase awareness?

1. Expand Circle. Every single person on planet earth has a circle of influence. There is a personal circle, and for those with access, a virtual circle via social media. If the majority of people in your circle of are believers, then you need a bigger circle. Don’t fall for a victim mentality of, “I would if my circumstances were different.” Increase the size of your bubble. Be intentional.

2. Leverage Life. There are things you already do, you just need to add a spiritual purpose. Leverage your season of life to intersect with other lives - at the park, lunch break, coffee shop, gym, school, sports team.

Boldness – Once you see the opportunity, it takes guts to enter the arena. How do we take hold of these God-given scenarios?

1. Trust Jesus. Sharing the gospel is not complicated. We don’t do it because we feel like we can’t. You have the ability! If you won a million dollars, you would never need to learn how to tell people you won a boat load of cash and how they can do the same. You have traversed this path and have become a child of God. The idea that sharing the gospel is difficult is a lie from the enemy.

2. Just Jump. I’m tempted to freeze on the relationship bridge. We get to that place where we stand on the edge of thinking, “how awkward is this going to be if I ask her if she’s ready to follow Jesus?” The gospel is not completely shared until there is a moment of decision. Jump off! Move from snippets of spiritual truth to the entire gospel, which includes both the good news and a decision to repent and follow.

I’ve seen it happen, people who started sharing with family and co-workers and strangers and it actually fueled their relationship with Christ and became a powerful force in their life. Truly I believe if you are not actively sharing your faith it hurts your spiritual life. Sharing is a powerful outlet where you are no longer hoarding the blessings of God but pouring out other people. Sharing equates to a better spiritual shape.

Many of you have had an encounter with Christ. How come it hasn’t rocked your world?  As I read the Bible, I see people who encountered Jesus and never looked the same! Let’s go deliver the Gospel.

*Kim thinks golden retrievers are so nice and sweet that they must believe in Jesus.

It can be disturbing to think of something one way your whole life and then find out that it’s not true. We do this with “church” words all the time. We have words that we have heard in a church setting that end up taking on a meaning of their own, a meaning that might be slightly off, or completely off, its original meaning. These words are still used frequently but have veered far enough from their intent that we don’t understand them anymore. One of those words is worship.

If you were to walk into the largest church gathering in the world and ask all the congregants what worship is or what comes to their mind when you say worship, you would get a plethora of answers. You probably would not get the exact same two answers. Yet, every believer knows they are to worship God. Ephesians 5:18-20 says, 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is important for us to clearly understand worship because as a follower of Christ, worshipping Him is of primary importance. For a healthy, strong relationship with the risen Savior, there will be a pattern of authentic worship.

Since this is of utmost importance, we should have a clear definition of what that is and what worship looks like. We need a foundation to build upon. The foundation should be a biblical understanding of true worship.

As we examine the truth of Scripture and the heart of God, we will come to grips that worship is an end in itself; it is not a means of something else. Worship is not a means to an end. When we try to worship for the sake of certain benefits that may be received, the act ceases to be worship. It’s not worship, it’s just good ol’ manipulation. And that goes for the worship of God or the worship of anything.

When I was a Student Pastor in my previous life, I was notorious for the use of the phrase “I can’t hear you!” That’s Student Pastor talk for “Cheer louder because that makes me feel like you are having a good time.” One of the tricks of getting kids to yell louder is to offer them free stuff. It could be the latest technology or a shirt, it could even be a rock. If you tell kids you have something free for them if they scream, they scream…loudly. I never stooped to this level, at least that I remember, but in theory you could get kids to scream and cheer for Jesus if you offered them free pizza. Now the cheering and clapping and screaming, that’s a worthy expression of worship, but if the adoration is given in order to receive something for yourself, that’s not really worshipping. That’s just pretending to get something. We do the same with God.

We worship Him but deep down we do it for some sort of blessing in our health or fattening of our checking account. That’s not real worship. Worship should be the end not a means to an end. I should worship God for His glory alone, not as a path to a desired end. We must be careful to not let our minds think that if we offer God praise, then we should start reaping stuff. That has switched from being the exaltation of God and has become the exaltation of self.

Job, who was a man who had his family and wealth taken from him said this… Job 1:21 …“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” 22 In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. Job was declaring genuine worship is not about getting for yourself. If that is why you worship, at minimum, you are really just superstitious and, at maximum, flat out a manipulator.

In our relationship with Christ, we should feel that we cannot help but to worship. When you achieve awareness of something that is awe-inspiring, you have no choice but to offer some sort of praise. There are people who deeply appreciate art. They can look at a painting, sculpture, or an amazing photograph and it moves them in their gut or heart and they feel they must respond with emotion or adoration. Greatness was recognized and a response was made.

Maybe that’s not you. Maybe you appreciate a different type of art and you see it in an incredible athletic play, where a ferocious dunk or an acrobatic catch was made that was for you jaw dropping. Maybe that doesn’t do it for you, maybe it’s music or film or food. Whatever you encountered created a visceral response.

There is something you came across your path that evoked a reply. All of us have at some point worshipped. Deep down I believe we are wired to worship. Eph 1:12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Theologian, Philosopher St. Augustine said, “Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is thy power, and infinite is thy wisdom. And man desires to praise thee, for he is a part of thy creation; he bears his mortality about with him and carries the evidence of his sin and the proof that thou dost resist the proud. Still he desires to praise thee, this man who is only a small part of thy creation. Thou hast prompted him, that he should delight to praise thee, for thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee.”

Augustine is basically saying, God’s greatness elicits our response in worship. Deep down we were created to worship greatness. We recognize that there is more out there than the mundane, than the normal. When we get a correct vision of God, it demands a worship response because God is only worthy of worship. But until we possess this truth, we settle for the lesser and worship created things instead of the Creator.

Our English word for worship is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word that means one worthy of reverence and honor. We can respect and appreciate the arts, but when we worship we should declare God’s worth. Look at this vision John had of worship in heaven. Rev 5:11 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12 And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” 14 And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.”

We worship God because He is God. Our worship is given to the One who is worthy simply because of who He is. He is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and the Omnipresent One. Ultimately, that is enough to make Him worthy. Yes, He is wealthy and able to meet our needs and answer our prayers, but we must decide if we worship because of His wealthiness or worthiness.

Think about it…would you continue to worship God if moving forward He chose not to give you anything over the bare essentials of life? Would God still be worthy of your worship? Or is your worship completely dependent upon the abundance of material things? The question is, do you worship God to give or get?

There is a worship song that declares our God is worthy…

“I want the Healer not just the healing - I want the Giver not just the gift - I want the REAL thing not just something” That’s worship. It’s not worshipping stuff but seeing the true worth in the one true God.

But it is one thing to read about it or talk about it and another to experience it. What should worship look like? Through the Scriptures, and through the early church, we are painted a picture. What we see is that Worship is a Celebration.

At its core, worship is celebratory. It is a celebration of acts that God has done. Worshippers worship in appreciation for what God has done. 2 Sam 6:5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

Time and time again in the New Testament, Jesus or the apostles would heal someone and they would shout in praise. You don’t have to read much in Scripture to know that worship is a celebration.

Acts 3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. 4 Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 7 Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. 8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. 9 All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God.

Worship is an encounter. Psalm 95:1 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. The celebration is not “to people” though but “to the Lord.” We celebrate because we’ve had some encounter with Him and so we praise Him for whatever took place in that encounter. Why does the healed man offer praise? Because his encounter with Jesus, through the apostles, changed him.

Worship is an offering. The purpose of worship is not to receive blessings from God but to make offerings to God. Yes, in that encounter you might have received something good, like being able to walk. But now you give God back what you can in worship. In Scripture, as we see people worship God, it involves an offering. Ps 96:8 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts.

The New Testament also emphasizes giving as central in worship. Phil 4:18 At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.

And of course, what Paul said, Rom 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Considering these principles and in light of these experiences, I ask again…what is worship? I think we should define worship in its most basic form as….Giving in response to God. It is not about getting, but worship is a gift to the Father. As you read the entirety of Scriptures, His people would bring sacrifices of animals and produce, and money, and even their very lives as a gift to God. These offerings are more visible and recognizable, but all offerings aren’t all physical. Sometimes the gift to God was not tangible like love, attention, and focus.

The birth of Jesus is a perfect example. In the birth story you have wise men who come and worship Jesus with actual tangible gifts (gold, frankincense, myrrh) but you also have the shepherds respond to the new Savior by praising God verbally. Two encounters, both responded by giving, giving gifts of monetary value and giving praise.

The gift is given as a response to the worthiness of God Almighty. When you realize you are in the presence of God, it stirs within you to offer Him love, affection, sacrifices, money, even your very self. Sometimes it is unmistakable that you are in the presence of God and sometimes you simply give trusting, even though you don’t sense it. But because you believe He is worthy, you still give.

The truth is, you can encounter God anywhere. You can worship God at your house or in nature or even at the mall. But a follower of Christ cannot forget this - it is of high value to gather with the spiritual family and worship the God of the Universe together. This is why the writer of Hebrews wrote this…

Heb 10:19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

The writer of Hebrews is saying we can absolutely go right into the presence of God and we should do that consistently as a church family. It is paramount to be involved in a church. The ripple effect can strengthen, bless, and encourage your life and the lives around you. You need a church family.

Paul writes in Eph 2:19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. All Christians are blood relatives. We might not be related biologically, but we are through the blood of Christ. A local church comprises of people in a specific area that are spiritual birth siblings because of their born-again faith in Jesus Christ. Sadly, today, our understanding of the word “church” and the terminology we use today focuses more on the brick and mortar than the flesh and blood. But a church is not a building.

The Greek word found in Scripture that is primarily translated as “church” is ekklesia. Ekklesia is a compound word composed of two segments: ek, a preposition meaning “out of,” and a verb, kaleo, signifying “to call” - hence, “to call out.” It was a word that would describe a gathering of people for a specific purpose. Many times this word would be used even for political or military gatherings. Jesus used it to describe His followers uniting together. The word “church” we typically see in translations of the Bible comes from the German word kirche. This word is associated with a building. However, that was not what Jesus was communicating.

The church is not a place at an address. It is a family with a mission. It’s definitely not a perfect family. But an imperfect family that sees the bigger picture of traveling on an incredible spiritual journey with each other. The ride is so much better, stronger and enjoyable when you go together. No one likes to ride the roller coaster by his or herself. The thrill of laughing and screaming is compounded in the presence of others. A disciple of Christ that isn’t a part of a church is truly missing out on the blessing of the family. And the reverse is true, too. The church misses out because family members are absent.

Typically, every Sunday, believers get the family together and worship the King of kings and Lord of lords in unity. The Church has been gathering together to worship Jesus now for 2000 years. Every time it gathers, believers link arm and arm with those who have been before for us, still declaring our God is worthy. That’s a big family tree! But over those 2000 years there have been people that stop gathering. They forget the importance of the church family or just don’t see the value that it holds.

Are you familiar with the spadefoot toad? This frog is known to gather in large groups around ponds and sing. They pulsate and vocalize in union creating a harmonious toad song. They do this for two reasons. One is for mating. Growing up, my dad told me I should stick with taking a band class because, in his words, “musicians always get the chicks.” I guess spadefoot toads took seriously my father’s advice. But these frogs also do this for their own protection. When they sing together, they are in such unison, the sound actually makes it difficult for predators to pick off any individual toad. Their song saves them.

Not only are the toads singing a song, we are too. In Psalm 133:1 David sings, How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! Harmony isn’t playing the same notes. Harmony is created through distinct notes that sound good together. When you are in biblical community, the differences sound great together and the listening world wants to hear. That’s when our song saves us.

Many people who profess Christ will say Sunday is their sleep day. Many churches today make it convenient for folks and have late worship services. However, if you have control over your schedule, know that even what time you go to sleep on Saturday night is an act of worship. Sometimes the issue is not sleep but value. What do you really value? If you see the value in worshipping with your church family, you will go to extremes to make it happen. Don’t underestimate how important it is to gather together. The Christian life is to be lived within the context of the fellowship of the saints. The Bible knows nothing of a “lone ranger Christian.”

For many people, making money to provide for your family is a priority. That’s a great priority. To do this, typically you have to get up early and work because you have deemed that important. Know that worshipping the Lord in the context of a church family too, is highly important for the success of your earthly family.

Do not neglect this amazing access we have. Let’s heed the words In Hebrews and together “let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” Your Christian health will always reap the benefits of having a spiritual family nearby.

Of course, the skeptic thinks, “He is a major leaguer, he must have lots of money.” Yes, Cole at one point made about $20 million a year (spotrac) but when is the last time you gave away half of your salary?

Hamels declared that he and his wife just wanted to help kid's dreams come true. "Seeing the faces, hearing the laughter, reading the stories of the kids they serve; there is truly nothing like it."

Do we really feel that way? Do we feel that there is nothing better than helping someone else? Usually after we do something selfless, we feel that way, but getting there is the hardest part.

The reality is selfishness is universal - it’s the root of sin in all of humanity. We all deal with it, but it sure is easier to see in others than it is to see in the mirror…right? We get more concerned about the selfishness in our spouse, our friends, our co-workers than our own selfishness.

If you are serious about getting in shape and the health of your relationship with Christ, resolve to see your own selfishness as a fundamental problem and treat it more seriously than any other’s selfishness.

There is something powerful when you give away something. Because it isn’t just the item you are giving away, there is an actual release of control. When you voluntarily give something away, you let whatever it is no longer have a hold on you. There is a release of ownership.

It is too easy for money and for material stuff to be in control of our lives. Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” – Matt 6:21 NLT. He said that because He knows where we put our resources is what controls our heart. Your bank account announces with great clarity exactly what you’re most passionate about. When you literally give money and stuff away, you give away its hold on your life.

I experienced this in Kenya. I have had the great pleasure of helping lead a ministry in Meru, Kenya that supports widows and orphans. In my life I’ve been fortunate to have been to over a handful of countries.  While in Kenya I always become acutely aware of the extreme poverty level. On one of my ministry trips, I was blessed with the opportunity to preach for a Kenyan Church. After speaking, I asked the congregation to pray for a church I had just planted.

I will never forget that prayer as they called upon the God of heaven to bless our new church. I went to sit down and the Senior Pastor stood up and said today he felt impressed upon by God Almighty to do something. I was curious to what was happening. Then he said, “Today there will be no offering for us. We are going to send that money to help this church.” Then he said something that opened up the floodgates of emotion in my heart. He said, “Most people expect the white man to come and give to us. Not today, we are going to help this man and his church.”

These people have very little, yet they gave what they could, and all the money collected that morning went to this brand new church plant I was pastoring. Emphatically, they declared money had no control of their hearts and that they trust God. I’ve never felt more humbled and honored.

This was a lesson I needed. My personality is being a tightwad. I typically dislike spending money. But I have not a single ounce of regret giving money away. I’ve had buyer’s remorse before but no remorse in blessing other people. The life of a Christ-follower is marked by a heart that is desperate to give to others.

When John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jesus, many would come to him to be baptized. He would tell them to turn from their sin and to not think that because they are a Jew that they were God’s children. So the crowds asked what they need to do.

Luke 3:11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”

John was saying prove that you really have turned from your sin and do what’s right. And doing what’s right means that you help other people. James, the half-brother of Jesus, says the same thing when he wrote, James 2:15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

I’ve worked at a couple of places with a community fridge. I’d rarely use the fridge because I don’t trust people. But I noticed people were like me and they would write their name on their food or drink. They were saying this is mine. I think we need to figure out what the Holy Spirit has written our name on when it comes to helping people.

We need to seek the Lord and ask what we should do. As individuals, there are going to be things that God lays on your heart, things that have your name on it. Mow a yard, rake leaves, provide a service of some sorts, baby-sit for free. God might even want you to financially support a family. There are many areas you can help with as an individual and as a family. God might want you to do specific things and you need to be walking in the Spirit to hear that.

In Scripture there are crystal clear instruction for all believers to do. James 1:27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. All throughout the pages of the Bible, you can find the importance of ministering to widows and orphans. Being a Father to fatherless is right up God’s alley. Loving on a lady who doesn’t have someone to help her is His wheelhouse. We don’t need to pray for God’s will in these situations. The answer is, “Yes! Help them.”

God gives us a no-lose situation. When you do these things, Jesus says you are doing these things for Him. So the goal isn’t just to be considered a good person but that through the provision of needs in other people’s lives, they and others can then see Jesus in you. That’s the endgame, that God gets the glory, not you, not the name of the Church, but God.

The glorious thing about our Father is He’s trustworthy. He sees when we give and He promises to take care of us.

Prov 11:24 Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. 25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.

So as we give, we trust God is going to take care of us. We are acting on faith that God will take care of us. If you are in a tough financial situation, pray and ask God how to better take care of your current resources so that you can start helping soon.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Can you imagine if within our families, within our friendships, if within a church family, if in any relationships that we have been blessed with, if people saw us walking in humility! What if they saw gentleness, patience? What if they saw us bearing with one another in love? What if they saw us eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace?

That seems to be a pretty daunting task. And the reality is on our own we can’t pull off that walk. If Paul had written, “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling,” then we would stop and say, “No way. That’s too tall of an order.”

One word makes a big difference. In vs 1 Paul writes therefore. In my Bible classes I was taught when you find a “therefore” you need to figure what it is there for. “Therefore” is there to point us to the previous verse. In this case we would need to look at the last two verses of Chapter 3. 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

I’m not able to walk with all humility, gentleness, and patience. I’m not able to bear with one another in love. I’m not able to be eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, but Jesus Christ is. Jesus is the one who walked on this earth with all humility, with all gentleness, with all patience. Jesus is the one who walked on this earth bearing with us in love. Jesus is eager to bring peace into our lives. Jesus has already walked that way. And He is able to help you walk the same way.

One of the times Jesus displayed His selflessness was when he did something that would have been hard for me to do. The disciples were all together in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. They have settled into an upstairs room after walking many miles. The streets would have been dirty and dusty. Things were looking up because it was dinner time. Then Jesus takes what seems to be a normal moment and turns it into one they would never forget:

John 13:2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

What an amazing scene! The disciples are ready for a meal and mingling, but Jesus removes His outer cloak, gets a towel, and begins touching the grimy feet of His followers in order to wash them. I’m pretty confident that none of them had recently stopped by the spa for a pedicure.

They all knew what Jesus was doing. He was doing the work of the servant. Jesus was acting as if He was the hired help. What humility! What selflessness. Yet chances are you get upset if you don’t call “shotgun” quick enough and have to sit in the back seat of the car. This is the Creator getting face to foot and serving His friends. Well, actually not all were loyal friends. There was a betrayer at the party that night. Yet, Jesus was not at all leashed in lavishing His love.

One of my best friends hates feet. Hates isn’t even firm enough. Loathe is more appropriate. He can get queasy seeing a stranger out of his natural shoe habitat. This scene with Jesus can make us a little nauseous too, because typically we think of serving others only when we get something in return. If we do something for someone else, quite honestly, a lot of times we expect someone to bless us back. We don’t ever want to help someone where we end up in a situation where we felt we are taken advantage of and we don’t want to be thought of as less than. We want respect and recognition, and we don’t want to be treated like or looked down upon as a servant. 

But Jesus wasn’t thinking in those terms. He was seeing the bigger picture. He was thinking along the lines of what the disciples needed to watch, needed to remember and, in turn, needed to do. It was an example for them, and us, to follow. It wasn't just a pleasant story and a lesson learned for the disciples - it's something we could afford to practice ourselves.

12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am.  14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”

This is a message that is intended to carry through time. Jesus wants us to understand what following Him is all about. Now, before you freak out because you are not a foot person, you really have no desire or intention to touch them, let alone wash them, let me assure you of something. The point isn’t the feet washing. The point is Jesus putting aside His status and His rights in order to serve someone.

Jesus was ready and willing to wash His disciples’ feet. The heart was there. He wanted to serve them, But I also want you to notice Jesus not only had a heart to do it, but he also had the skill to do it.

You might think anyone could have done what He did. That’s not true…not to be funny, but there was a physical aspect to what He did. He had to pour water, potentially move the basin, bend down actually wash the feet. So technically not everyone could do it, but most could!

You need to find out what you could be capable of doing and serve. I don’t think Jesus used the example of washing the disciples’ feet because He was thinking, “I just really love touching feet so this is how I’m going to serve you.” We know He definitely didn’t say, “Washing feet is ridiculous so I will not do it.” No! He knew it was needed and He could do it, so He did it. And He didn’t do it with a poor attitude. He did the job well. Even washing the feet of Judas, the betrayer.

If you are waiting for a very specific way to serve society to open up, you are missing the point. Maybe you have a great magic trick with a bunny and hat that brightens people’s day and you will not serve until you get asked to perform the trick, but with that attitude you will miss out on a host of other ways God could use you. If you have the capability of doing other things, do those too! Serve someone doing something else in the meantime.

So start serving now. Serving people isn’t talk, it has to have actions. The scene would have been a little different if when the disciples had gathered with Jesus, all Jesus did was ask them if their feet were tired and listened intently to their responses. Sure, that would show concern by asking about them, but what was He going to do about it?

This is where things may get more difficult - when we actually have to put our service into action. Are you willing to be the person who does what needs to be done? Are you willing to get eye-level with someone’s “feet” to show them you care? Are you willing to be the servant Jesus was, even if no one returns the favor?

Sometimes the hard part is that you are left washing some dirty feet, and no one offers to wash your own. Sure, sometimes they may, but sometimes they won’t. And when that is the case, we may have to ask, what is our motivation for serving to begin with? Is it to get the same treatment back, or is it to model the character of Jesus? To become a servant to all?

Here’s the thing though…Even when people might not notice, God notices when you serve. And He doesn’t just notice it, He blesses you for it! After Jesus told the disciples to serve others, he throws this little nugget out there, John 13:17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

God blesses those who put their service into action. Trust Him. He will take care of you and He will make sure you are blessed when you serve others.

Do you have the heart? Do you have any ability or skill level that could help? If so, serve. Let’s wash some feet!

MC Hammer was well known for the hit “Can’t Touch This” but he also did well with the song “Pray.” A little known fact is that “Pray" was actually his biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In “Pray” Hammer hits the nail on the head over and over again as he used the word "pray" 147 times during the song. This is the record for the number of times a song title is repeated in an American Top 40 hit. I think the great theologian Hammer was just pounding home his point, “We got to pray just to make it today.”

Hammer’s repetitive tool had a worthy purpose. If a believer wants to reach spiritual healthiness, then praying is a prerequisite. We all know this. But I don’t think we really understand this. Prayer is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Christianity. Probably right behind *transubstantiation vs consubstantiation. 

The idea of prayer is typically something we know about and is probably something that was taught to us very early on. I actually have no recollection of what I first prayed, but my wife remembers her first prayer. Like a lot of kids, she had a bedtime prayer ritual with her parents. Her first prayer was:

       “Now I lay me down to sleep.

       I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

       If I die before I wake,

       I pray the Lord my soul to take.  Amen.”

Ummmmm…I’m not so sure a 4-year-old should pray every night “If I die before I wake.” I’m convinced that nighttime routine is why my wife likes horror films.

I was fortunate to grow up in a home where prayer was taught and shown. Early on I was praying even though I don’t remember what I was praying about. Maybe you didn’t grow up in a Christian home and praying was more foreign. Maybe you were older when you said your first prayer so you remember it vividly. Maybe you still have yet to pray. I want you to know I’m glad you are reading this book. I am praying as I write this that God would speak to you and you would understand His love for you and you would put your faith and trust in Jesus.

In our culture prayer is important only in theory. In the aftermath of a tragic event, a lot of thoughts and prayers are said to be “with” people. At least there is an awareness that supernatural help is necessary. However, prayer is much more than good vibes sent someone’s way.

Deep down a lot of us know we really need to pray, but in a moment of honesty, we’d have to admit we don’t pray because we don’t genuinely believe it works. There are plenty of people who claim to love Jesus but don’t pray because some time ago a request went “unanswered.” Sure, they might lob a prayer grenade here and there, but they aren’t really getting on their knees and seeking God.

No doubt, it can be a frustrating experience to pray and pray and ask God for something and the answer you desire never comes. Chirp chirp. That seems to be the sound from Heaven when God doesn’t seem to care what you are praying. This can be difficult to understand because your prayer may have been perfectly legitimate. You weren’t asking for a banking error to deposit a million dollars into your account (although that would be nice). You were pleading with God to heal a child. And not only did He not answer your prayer the way you wanted, things got drastically worse. It’s in those moments, understandably, many people decide, “That’s it, I’m done with prayer; it’s just a waste of time. God doesn’t hear me. God’s going to do whatever He wants no matter what I pray.” That’s when your prayer life flatlined.

I understand that dilemma. The reason most people pray is to get something. We view prayer like a cosmic vending machine, we hope to press the right button and get what we want out of it. When we get what we want, it’s great, and when we don’t, we assume something is broken.

In this book, we are going to spend a lot of time in Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. In Chapter 3, Paul explains one reason he prays. 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Paul’s request is for his readers to be strengthened in better comprehension of the love of Christ. This is a comforting prayer, but I find it interesting that Paul tells them his physical posture when he prays. It was important for Paul to let us know that when he prays for them, he does so bowing before the Father.

When is the last time you bowed for anything? Bowing isn’t a typical act in our culture. You have probably heard the phrase, “Take a bow.” This is simply someone humbly accepting the applause of others. Paul is expressing how he humbly prays by acknowledging Someone greater.

It isn’t a requirement to pray kneeling down. I have led thousands of prayers standing. In fact, Jesus once used a tax collector as the hero of a story. Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. (emphasis mine)”

The issue isn’t a literal standing or kneeling. The true issue is our emotional posture. That’s why Jesus said the tax collector went home justified because he humbled himself. We must make sure our hearts and wills are bowed in submission to the God to whom we are praying. It is what Jesus meant when he taught his disciples to pray in this way, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In prayer we are to bow our hearts and our wills and our minds to God saying, God may your will be done in this prayer, in this request.

Your physical posture is important if it correlates to the attitude in which you are praying. But your posture isn’t the only aspect that is important in prayer. So is your place.

In Matthew, Jesus taught on prayer: Matt 6:5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Jesus begins His prayer talk like a realtor. Location, location, location. Jesus states that where you go to pray is important. Yes, it is true you can pray anywhere and anytime. But Jesus mentions there is a good place and bad place to pray. The reason isn’t because there’s something supernatural about the physical place. His focus is on the motive of the space you choose to pray.

Jesus mentions first the place of prayer for the hypocrite - the street corner. “Hypocrite” was a common term referencing actors. Jesus is thus referring to a group of religious people who wanted others to see how religious they were, so they performed public prayers in order to be seen.

Jesus says that people who pray in that way will get a reward, but that reward is simply praise from people. That’s all they’re going to get. They are only going to get a congratulatory pat on the back and a spiritual “Atta girl! You stood out there and prayed for an entire hour. You are soooo spiritual!” That’s your whole reward.

Just for the record, Jesus isn’t against all public praying. John 11:41b Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me. Jesus is on record praying out loud. He’s not against public praying but He is against pretentious praying. Jesus is saying prayer is not about impressing people - prayer is a personal and intimate conversation with God.

For most of us, that does not reflect our prayer life. Most of us pray on the run. We pray that quick prayer before walking into the big meeting. Or before we go to the doctor’s appointment. But you have to admit a relationship is different when you intentionally set aside time for someone. It’s a special and unique relationship when you’ve intentionally changed the calendar to take the time to talk and meet with someone one on one.

I love the promise Jesus gives: “Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” The Greek word here for “reward” means give back. This causes some confusion. Some people reason that if the reward comes from praying in private, it’s time to make a prayer closet and get to praying. This screams manipulation. It’s trying to find the right cheat code to get the advantage you so desire. The real reward has less to do with the temporary and more to do with the eternal.

The reward isn’t getting everything you want, but that the God who created the world, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, steps into a personal moment and spends time with little ‘ol you. The reward is a richer relationship. God invented prayer for you and Him to hang out and be together. Prayer has nothing to do with people noticing or affirming you. It’s about God seeing you and spending special moments with you. This is a relationship characterized by transparency and intimacy.

Imagine if the only time you ever talked to or spent time with a close friend, or a romantic partner was for short times at random moments during the week. If all of your communication was brief and superficial, you could be on the same couch with that person and feel completely disconnected. Connection comes from intention. If you intentionally plan time to be together and seize that opportunity to know one another, intimacy will increase. The same is true with our relationship with God. The space doesn’t have to be filled with words but the space should be filled with His presence.

Because here’s the reality - we can talk to God the rest of our lives and never feel connected to Him. If we don’t go to a place where we intentionally meet with God, we are missing out. The strength of our relationship will grow when we decide to spend time with God regularly. There’s nothing magical about the location of the space, but there is something amazing about being focused and intentional about your time.

In the New Testament, the two primary Greek words used for time are chronos and kairos. Chronos is clock time. We get chronological from this word. In mythology, Chronos was the name of a short Greek god whose legs were muscular and whose heels were winged. He moved fast but he had the worst hair cut known to man. He unfortunately was said to have a reverse mullet. He had hair in the front but was bald in the back. The implication was that if you could grab him as he came toward you, you could take hold of him and make him do what you want. But it was too late if he went ahead since he was “Mr. Clean” in the back, you couldn’t grab him. Time had passed you by. 

Kairos is vastly different. Kairos is time as substance, it is non-sequential and indivisible. Kairos means the "right or opportune moment." This is God’s category of time. Wise and healthy living is not focusing on literal seconds and minutes but for us to make those seconds and minutes count for something bigger and better. We must seize the time and use it for good.

No matter how long your chronos time is, life is short compared to eternity. We don’t know how much time we are given. All we know is that we have the present second in which we are existing. We don’t know when the seconds run out. So we must surrender the gift of time He has given us back to Him second by second. We don’t need to get caught up in what the future will look like, but how are we doing right now. I’m not saying we don’t need vision or good planning. I’m saying vision and planning don’t amount to much unless you are faithful and obedient in the current moment.

We must seize the divine moments every chance we have. For this to happen, we must change time zones from chronos to kairos. We need to take our eyes off of the clock and put our focus on God. This is where prayer comes back in to the conversation. Again, prayer is less about requests and more about the relationship that you have with God. If you have any type of relationship with someone you would not want that person only conversing with you when he or she wanted something. How annoying, right?

Prayer is an avenue to ask requests of God, but it is how we talk to and with God about anything and everything. It is our chance to communicate in the relationship. In any relationship, you want to communicate in a variety of ways. Sometimes that looks like chit chat. Other times you want a chance to express feelings, you want to bring serious needs. The desire can also be to celebrate collectively. Overall you want to be strengthened in weakness.

If your prayer life is unhealthy, maybe you aren’t focused on the relationship and caught more so in the chronos time zone. Your focus is only on current needs. To get out of this time zone, you must remember how fortunate you are that you even have the opportunity to meet with God. We must hunger for the relationship more than the intercession and petition. Discovering the pleasure of His presence is learning that prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue. And our part of the conversation doesn’t have to be a performance where we pretend to be the holiest person we can be. “Oh how I praiseth theth God up aboveth. Thine is the glory thy Lordth.” The words you pick aren’t like ordering off the secret menu at In and Out.

Jesus said. 7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Talk with God in a way where you are self-aware enough to know what you are praying. We all probably know people that when they pray they constantly say “Father God.” If you talked to me and threw in “Pastor John” every 2 seconds I would say “Yo, I got it, I’m Pastor John.” Just talk to God normally. It’s a relationship!

Prayer is simply being with God. The basis of real prayer is longing after relationship. Healthier relationships never keep their eye on the clock. When I get home, my wife doesn’t announce, “You got 5 minutes to tell me about your day…go.” How off putting would that be? But that is often what we do when we come into God’s presence. We will let God know He has 10 minutes before our favorite show starts or He’s got 5 minutes before we have to get ready for work.

God longs for an intimate relationship with you more than anything. He’s proved that time and time again. God wants us to understand the fullness of who He is and what He wants for us. But that will not happen randomly and occasionally.

If the only time you pray is when you need something, you’re not going to have a rich relationship with God. What you will have is jealousy and confusion. You’ll see people who have this close connection to God and think, “God must like them more than me.” No, this can happen for anyone who would go into their room, close the door, and be intentional about spending time with Him.

So where is that place for you? When is that time? In my life, nothing happens randomly. I run into people, when I see them, I say, “We should get together,” but it never happens unless I intentionally make a plan to get together with them. The same thing happens with God. I don’t just “find time” to get alone and pray, I have to make time. It has to be intentional or it will never happen.

If you can’t find the time, then take something out of your schedule. Maybe it means that you don’t check your all your social media first thing in the morning or before bed every night. For others, it may mean that you don’t watch TV or play video games for hours. For some, it means waking up a little earlier. If you don’t have the time, cut something else out. If you don’t make time, it’ll never happen.

Find a place with few distractions where you can get alone, just you and God. Then close the door and spend time with Him. I don’t want you to spend your whole life missing out on what God ultimately has for you. I don’t want any of us to wake up one day so disappointed with God because we pleaded and pleaded with Him, thinking that was all there was to prayer.

What a tragedy! Prayer is not just asking and waiting like a spiritual Christmas letter to the Santa of the sky. Prayer is the incredible opportunity for us to have an intimate connection, a vibrant relationship with God Almighty.

“We need to pray
Just to make it today
That's word, we pray”

*Just a joke.

For some, the thought of being connected to a community of people scares the living daylights out of you. I get it. You are ok with being around other people, but your preference is to be by yourself. When the doorbell rings at the house, you’re not thinking, “Yay!!! Someone is here, kill the fattened calf!” Your thoughts tend to be, “Oh no! Not today!” Those of you who are energized by people don’t get this. Anytime the doorbell rings, you immediately start praising Jesus for guests!

I actually land in the first group. My nature is to be more of a loner. I’m a private person and I enjoy being by myself. That’s not my wife. She thrives around people. She’s always game to have people over or to take a trip to someone’s house. I tell her our couch is comfortable and we should just stay home. She doesn’t care.

With her help, and by listening to the Lord, I have learned an incredible truth. A life lived to the fullest is a life lived in community. Having accountability, encouragement, friendship, and intimacy is truly life changing. It has been instrumental in my life even as far as helping me hear God’s voice.

When I sensed God was releasing me from a previous ministry, I went to a handful of respected people in my life that I have a close relationship with and asked them what they thought. The first gentleman I asked responded with, “Have you thought about church planting?” I had not. The next person said, “Have you thought about church planting?” I mentioned it had crossed my mind. By the time I heard the same thing from the fourth person, I knew God was calling me to plant a church. This wasn’t a direction I was pursuing. God used community to help me hear His voice.

However, again, this is not my bent, my tendency. I grew up in an era where being saved was described as a personal relationship with Christ with the emphasis on the word personal and that it should remain personal. With that upbringing and my personality mix, it was easy to believe I could be successful and as healthy as I could be on my own as a Christian. I didn’t need anyone else’s help. Truthfully, I did ok. I made it in life without screwing up a ton and seemed to grow in my relationship with Christ. I never knew there was more until I finally experienced genuine community. 

Kim, my beautiful bride, dragged me into a small group of adults who were willing to be vulnerable. The more we met, the more our meetings together turned into less of a formality and more into a connected group of friends living life together. There was transparency and genuine love for each other. It didn’t happen instantly, there was awkwardness, there was hard work, but eventually it happened.

I personally made the effort to be around these people and I attempted to open up with things going on in my life. I soon noticed that life was much more fun when I could share it with more people. Not only was it more fun, but genuine growth was happening in my life because of this community. It was an aha moment to realize this was actually what the Bible prescribed for believers.

Was it scary to be real with people and show vulnerability? Absolutely, but I found that the risk had a payoff. And you need to know our group of people was far from perfect. In fact, it was extremely messy. We had to help couples through debilitating financial problems to multiple counts of infidelity. Yes, multiple. Truthfully, we all had junk in our lives, and we pitched in to provide all the help and support we could.

For a lot of us though, a utopian society would involve little to no other people. To some degree, we have all experienced life without people, whether we choose it to be that way, or loneliness chooses us. But living without relationships never feels right for long. A part of us still craves the tension that comes with learning to live in relationships with people despite how difficult and trying the process can be.

It is obvious with all of the ways that exist to communicate with people; the need thrives in every one of us to make a meaningful connection. Take a quick look at how much time people spend on social media. Many studies show that the average person spends around 2 hours and 25 minutes a day on Social Media apps and websites. 2.5 hours a day is a lot of time.

Who do you not know that isn’t on social media? I bet that list is a lot smaller than the user list. That begs the question…why do so many people use social media for extended hours? A multitude of reasons, but I will say at the core, many people use social media as their community. They feel like they are connecting with other people even though there is very little to no actual interaction with another person. But deep down we all recognize how important it is to have community and sometimes the easiest way to achieve a version of that is to do it virtually.

In the depths of our soul, we feel our lives are better with the help of others. In fact, we see this in Scripture, from the very beginning to the very end we see that the Christian life was done in community. People living everyday life together. Not just your biological family, but like-minded people with the same vision and desires.

Think about it, when you try to get away to be by yourself you end up on some social media site watching someone else’s life from afar. Or you stream a reality tv show and live vicariously through someone else and their relationships. Think about tv’s heyday and how most popular sitcoms like Friends, Seinfeld, HIMYM, Big Bang Theory, were all based on community. We watch because deep down we want that type of connection with people. 

Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, these are attempts to relate, connect to someone. But those relationships that stay at the virtual level typically remain superficial. We may have hundreds of friends on Facebook, but when it comes down to it, we really need a living person around. We want someone to celebrate the good times with us, and we want someone to walk through the hard times with us too.

We know that at the core of our souls, we all long to belong. We all long to connect with another person or persons. Something inside of each one of us is desperate for contact with other people. We desire to be in relationship with others. God created us to connect with others. God calls us to be and live in relationship with others.

You feel it when you compulsively check your phone, your Facebook to see who is reaching out to connect with you. We want a connection. We feel a need to have other people in our lives who know us, and really get us, is deep within us - even if we don’t want to admit it to others. The truth is, we not only need to be in relationship with God, we need relationships with other people.

When we try to go about a relationship with the Lord without the help and encouragement of people, we have actually lost the heartbeat of Christianity. In the beginning, when God said it was not good for man to be alone and He created Eve, God isn’t just referring to man needs a wife, but that man needs companionship, community. The animals weren’t enough. People need people.

This idea of community is modeled for us all throughout Scripture. I’ve already mentioned that Jesus shared His life with a group of 12. Really, it was more than that as we see other close friends like Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. In Acts 2 as the first believers gathered together, they did every day life together. They ate together, they shared stuff with each other, they prayed together, and thus, they formed true community. Acts 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (we talked about last chapter), and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper).

They devoted themselves to being together. They studied the Word of God together, but they also just hung out and connected and they ate together and did spiritual things too together like the Lord’s Supper. Eating other people’s food is an extra level of trust for me. But as they did this, the Lord kept adding to their number and they grew in their relationship with Him and each other. It was clear, they became stronger followers of Christ.

What we need to learn is that to a great degree, the people you hang out with and the kinds of friends you choose will determine the course of your life. If you choose positive people, I promise you, you will be a more positive person. If you choose negative, dishonest people, you will be dragged into the gutter with them.

The Bible puts it this way in I Cor15:33, Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” Paul is specifically referring to people with bad theology. There were people claiming there would be no resurrection and Jesus Himself was not resurrected. He says that type of person is “bad company.” It never fails. If you hang out with the wrong crowd consistently, you will become the wrong crowd. So you need to choose your friends wisely. Be smart with who you are deciding to hang out with. Because the reverse of this verse is also true. The verse could read good company helps your morals. 

Have you ever seen the couple that looks alike? You get creeped out because they are holding hands, but you think they are just really close sibling. But then they go to the next level and you see them kiss. Thankfully there isn’t a blood relation, they just have spent so much time together they just look alike!

A University of Michigan psychologist conducted an experiment to test this phenomenon. He analyzed photographs of couples taken when they were newlyweds and photographs of the same couples taken 25 years later. The results showed the couples had grown to look more like each other over time. And, the happier that the couple said they were, the more likely they were to have increased in their physical similarity.

He suggested that older couples looked more alike because people in close contact mimic each other’s facial expressions. If your spouse has a good sense of humor and laughs a lot, he or she will probably develop laugh lines around their mouth - and so will you.

The Bible is very clear that spiritually you will mimic the people you associate yourself with, the people you hang out with. Prov 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm (ESV). 

The interesting thing is, the result for the individual who is hanging out with wise people is wisdom, but the person hanging out with the foolish doesn’t result in becoming foolish. The result is suffering harm. We see in both the Old Testament and New Testament how important it is to have wise, Godly friends. Because your friends will affect your future and will influence your Christian walk.

It doesn’t matter how spiritual you think you are either. You might think that your relationship with God is so good there is no way you are messing up. There have been mighty Godly people who have fallen. I know too many that have messed up like that.  I’ve done ministry with people who fell big time. Over the years I have partnered in ministry with close to staff members that have had an affair. Don’t ever think you are too spiritual to mess up and that you have no need for accountability.

This reminds me of California’s giant redwood trees. They can grow to be 300 feet tall. They are the tallest trees in the world, yet they have very shallow root systems. A strong wind could easily blow over and uproot a redwood standing by itself. That’s why you almost always see a cluster of redwoods growing together. Their roots intertwine and the group can stand strong as the wind howls around them.

Good friends are the same way. They give us shelter and help us stand strong and tall, even when the winds of adversity are blowing against us.

We hear Ecclesiastes 4 in weddings a lot but it’s not just about marriage, it’s about friendship. It explains this same concept of community when it says “9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

If you are a Christian, you ought to have Christian friends. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t develop friendships with people who are not believers. After all, being a friend to someone is the very best way to help that person see God’s love. We will talk about this in Chapter 7. But, if you are a Christian who has no Christian friends, you are at risk of drifting into dangerous waters. You need to have friends who share your faith, and you can lean on in times of trouble. Friends who will support you and help you keep your eyes on Jesus.

So choose friends who are wise. These will be your workout partners. From within this circle of friends, you need to have an inner circle that you can trust to hold you accountable. These are more the personal trainer. This group has experience and faith that can push you to new heights and new health.

Who should this be? Someone who can hold you accountable is a friend that you trust to bare what is genuinely going on in your life. A friend that you can be completely honest with and trust them to give you sound Godly advice or the devotion to pray for you and lead you to wisdom.

Accountability is opening ourselves up to recount our actions and to be held responsible for them. With that, you are way more likely to succeed.

It is important to note, in order to have that type of friend, you first have to be that type of friend. You can’t get friendship from someone else if you’re not willing to give your friendship in return. 

In the Bible there are over 50 “One Another” verses that describe how we should treat other people. Be at peace with one another, live in harmony with one another, love one another, wash one another’s feet, serve one another, greet one another with a holy kiss. Over and over again, we are taught how to love other people. I really believe if you make love your aim you will never be alone again in your life.  

The most important part of biblical community is the spiritual factor. You can have community around a sports team, or a hobby and those can be good. But for your life to be affected in a major way, it’s going to take a spiritual component. When you have the freedom to ask someone to pray for you and you know they will, that is changes everything. When you can tell someone your junk and they genuinely love you and want to help you through it, that open the flood gates of change.

Growing up, I was never an outdoorsy type of guy. I was never involved in Boy Scouts and my family didn’t take camping trips. I loved sports and could be found playing basketball anywhere, but fishing and hunting were not on my radar. As an adult, I thought I should give my wife and kids that outdoors experience.

My idea of camping is staying at a less than 3-star hotel, but I needed to be a man, so we packed up and went on a real camping trip in the woods. Thankfully, we also went with some friends that could help me with some of the essentials like setting up a tent. The memory from that trip that rises to the top is that at night it was brutally cold. Even though there wasn’t snow, I felt like the “Frozen Jack” meme from the Shining. My family and I had multiple layers of clothing and incredibly insulated sleeping bags, but the cold was almost unbearable. We didn’t grasp the bite of the cold before saying our “goodnights” because we had all stayed around a toasty campfire chatting the night away.

I learned something important about campfires. While the campfire released its sweet heat, we felt warm and cozy. The logs together burned brightly, but when a log fell off to the side, the embers quickly died out and grew cold. When you face the difficulties of life, as we all surely will, you’ll be thankful for the love, support, and prayers of your faith family. When we gather together as a church family, the impact will be far greater than us on our own. It is when we get separated from the warmth, then the cold takes its toll.

Practically speaking, make spending time with your brothers and sisters in Christ a priority for your life. Be careful not to create excuses, instead, hold your spiritual community with great value. Your church involvement should be one of the first things on the calendar. If you don’t set your priorities, other people will do it for you. Don’t let other people determine how important it is for you to be connected with other believers.

We all need someone pleading with us, encouraging us, and urging us to live for God. Don’t be fooled – you can only do so much on your own. There is an old African proverb, “If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together.”

I’ve got the Nike running app on my phone. When I was more active with my physical shape, I would use this app to track my runs. After I would finish, the app would cue someone to say, “Great job! Keep it up! Way to get out there and run!” Why do they do this? They know if you have people encouraging you, you are more likely to keep going.

God wants to accomplish great things through us. When we embrace community, we now have a greater variety of gifts at our disposal. There is so much more we can do together. Proverbs 15:22 

Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.

Find a workout partner today. The faster you get started, the quicker you will be in shape!

When my kids were younger, my wife and I made the executive decision to forbid the word “stupid.” We did not want that word to be a go to adjective describing another person. We taught our kids it was a “bad” word and inappropriate to use. In our declaration I never envisioned a day this would backfire on me.

One day, our precious kids were hanging out with their cousins and my wife’s parents. I overheard a conversation where the cousins mentioned to my in-laws that they heard their father say a bad word. It was the ultimate tattle tale moment. Not to be outdone, my sweet little princess offered up this nugget to her cousins and grandparents, “Well, my dad said the “S” word!” Enter shocked faced emoji. She was of course referring to the word stupid, but I knew not everyone understood our vernacular.

There is another “S” word that has a poor reputation. It’s a word that at one point in your life would cause a sudden outbreak of the sweats. If someone would drop the “S” word, immediately you would feel a little uncomfortable. Yes, I’m talking about studying.

Being in spiritual shape always involves Studying the Word of God. That is the “S” in Shaped. If you remember in Acts 2 where the first church is formed… 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching… The Apostles were teaching Jesus and echoing what He taught. They helped these new believers understand the Law and the Prophets and the connection to our Savior. The new believers were hungry to hear the very word of God. If you want to grow in your relationship with Christ and be shaped more into His image, you must discipline yourself to consistently dive into God’s Word.

I know for some that makes you cringe. Studying can feel like a dirty word. I can remember back in college and seminary there were certain subject requirements to officially graduate. This meant that I needed to take some classes that didn’t quite stoke the learning fire. Studying in those classes felt more like a chore than a passion. I was being forced to study topics that really held no interest in my life. For all of us that have had educational efforts, there are times studying seems to equate to academic hoop jumping.

This pertains not only to the academic world. For a season in my life, I was a junior high basketball coach. To be hired I had to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License so I could drive the team to tournaments and away games in a school bus. Passing the test was a lengthy process because it involved 3 intense exams and a driving test. I hated studying the 152 page CDL manual. Coaching was definitely a passion I held, but learning the ins and outs of air brakes was on a totally different spectrum. However, I had to study and read every word in that manual to pass to get to my license. And thankfully I did on the first try.

When it comes to God, some of you hear the phrase “study the Word of God” and you immediately want to check out. The Bible looks like a 152 page CDL manual to you*. You are nervous about understanding the information and the Bible appears complicated and overwhelming. Plus, you feel worried you will not pass the final exam. That’s the wrong perspective. There is not a test at the end as far as God asking how many Bible verses you know. He will not go all “Bible Drill” on you. What will be determined is if you have a relationship with Jesus and if you surrendered your life to Him. Jesus did not tell the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise…after you memorize the Law.”

Head knowledge is never the primary goal of studying the Word of God. Life change is. We read the Word of God to know who our God really is and how our lives should look as a result. With the proper perspective, we see that studying God in His Word really is a treasure and not a chore. Our God is so immense that the layer peeling effort by studying His Word leads to a glorious end.

Have you ever been snorkeling? My wife and I had the wonderful opportunity to snorkel on a trip to Cabo San Lucas. We saw some beautiful fish as we stayed near the water’s surface. These fish were far more beautiful than the lake fish that I knew. However, I hear from scuba divers that is just the tip of what beauty lies beneath.

There is a big difference between snorkeling and scuba diving, right? We can get a glimpse of glory snorkeling, but there is a whole other world the deeper you go. And to go deeper is going to take some studying. When you go further and further into the depths of God, the more glory that is revealed. The deeper you go the more majestic you find Him.

I love how Paul puts it, Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. - I Cor 2:6-10

There is a depth to God, and He is deeper than we could ever imagine. The word Paul uses for depths is from the Greek word bathos, which can mean deep water. I was given a snorkel with no experience. However, I was not given an oxygen tank. I hadn’t studied the subject.

When I was a church planter, we didn’t have our own building, so I didn’t have my own office. This was a positive for me. It forced me to be in my community more than normal. Once I was sitting at “my office,” a local coffee shop, and I was in a conversation with the barista. We were talking about spiritual matters when she said something that set my radar off. She basically told me that what God said was subjective. She communicated that we couldn’t really know what God wanted because we were dealing with man’s interpretation of God’s Word.

I, of course, couldn’t let that go and began a discussion and debate on the validity of God’s Word. This is an important issue because if you don’t think you can truly know what God meant in the Bible, then it becomes really easy to pick and choose what you want to believe. In essence, you become your own God making up your own standards.

Obviously, there are many things written in the Bible that don’t fit today’s narrative. It is far easier to explain passages and verses away, or toss them in the trash, so that it would fit our culture better. However, this is not an option for the Christian. As tough as a verse or passage might sound, we can’t, nor should we want, to change God’s Word. Our goal should be to figure out what God meant in the hard verse or passage.

In fact, I don’t know if you have ever heard this in a Bible Study setting, but I’m not a fan of asking “what did the passage mean to you?” Typically this phrase declares there are multiple ideas God meant when the Bible was written. I certainly believe God can apply a verse or passage differently to people, however, there is a correct interpretation of what God was communicating. The application can look different, but the truth is constant.

Truth is an interesting topic because we demand truth in almost every area of our lives. You want to receive the truth and I do too. You want it from your family, friends, teachers, Pastor, author, the local meteorologist (let that one go though, it’s not going to happen). We especially want truth if it’s going to affect us financially. You don’t want to be charged any more than necessary. I want the truth so bad in that area I don’t even trust gas pumps. I see those numbers rising before the gasoline ever gets in my car. What about the auto mechanic? Don’t you want to hear the truth there? My car engine knowledge is less than zero. I think each one is trying to rob me blind. I want the truth.

We want the truth when it comes to safety. The bungee cord better be secure and able to hold. We want to know that the airplane has been thoroughly inspected and is cleared for blue skies. What about our health? We want to know why Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is in a lot of our food. We want to know what is actually in McDonald’s meat. On second thought, it’s probably best we just don’t know.

But it sure seems many people aren’t interested in truth when it comes to morality or religion. Why? Because most people don’t want to be held accountable to any moral standards. St. Augustine once said, “We love truth when it enlightens us, but we hate it when it convicts us.” Christians are notorious for arguing and dissecting God’s Word, not to understand what He meant, but to keep us so busy we don’t actually do what it says. It’s as if debating and appearing intelligent is better than denying our self and picking up our cross.

Atheists and Agnostics get around moral standards by declaring there is no truth, which is illogical. The proclamation of no truth is a self-defeating statement. The argument that is being made is based upon a statement that is supposedly based upon fact, truth. He or she in essence is saying, “The truth is, there is no truth.” Well, if there is no truth, then that statement isn’t true, which would mean there is truth. 

What did Jesus say about truth? In John 17, the prayer Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane before His arrest and crucifixion, He prayed a prayer that was thankfully recorded for us.

Jesus voiced, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.” - John 17:17

I believe Jesus is referring to the Old Testament AND to the words He taught in the flesh.

Jesus also said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” - John 14:6b

Jesus says the Word of God is truth and that He is truth, which means what He taught is truth. The truth is what will sanctify us, what will help us get in spiritual shape.

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. - Psalm 1:1-6

To be the healthiest we can be, we need to treat the Word as a treasure. We should be at the place where we are meditating on it day and night. The Psalmist writes about delighting in the Law and focusing on it day and night. Now remember, this isn’t the Old Testament and New Testament. The author is talking about the Law. What an exceptional privilege that we have the whole Bible. We have the entirety of God’s Word and if we would dive in, we would experience spiritual fruit, life, and vitality. That’s why a big part of getting in good spiritual shape is Studying the Word of God.

Jesus once said Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. – Matt 6:33

In fairness, Jesus didn’t say specifically “get in the Word.” However, the heart behind His statement is for His followers to passionately pursue the Father. There are different ways to do this, but probably the easiest is to study the Word of God.

I want to be as practical as I can to help you Study the Word of God. I’m going to give you the acrostic S.E.E.K. to use to remind yourself to study!

S- Set Aside Time

It has been said that the greatest evidence of love is TIME. This is understandable because we make and create the time for the things we love and for the things we feel are important. We make sure we have the time to post that cute selfie. There are TV shows we enjoy, so we carve out the necessary minutes in our schedules to watch them. We plan watch parties for the big game. There are certain things we make time for every day because we have placed a priority on whatever it is.

Priority is the key word. There are specific things we have labeled important in our minds, so we make sure we accomplish them daily. Do you have a habit of brushing your teeth? Let’s hope so! What about eating? We find this necessary so we don’t skip this part of our day. You might think, “I have to eat to survive.” It’s time we view the Word of God with this level of importance. We have priorities that have been designated with time. God is deserving of our time. You must make Him a priority.  

Seeking God begins with a decision on when you will meet with Him. Set aside the time each day when you know you will sit and meet with Him in His Word.

E- Eat God's Word

In ancient Jewish culture, formal education began at 6 years old. Jewish boys would go to the local synagogue school called house of the book (beit sefer). When they graduated at 10, they would have memorized the first 5 books of the OT called the Torah. Every word memorized. Wow!

According to Jewish tradition, the rabbi would cover their slate with honey on the first day of class. Then the rabbi would instruct his class to lick the honey off their slate while reciting Ps 119:103 - How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.

That was their first and perhaps most important lesson. The rabbi wanted them to fall in love with the Word of God. He wanted them to taste that God’s Word is good.

When we study God’s Word we must chew on it as we would a delicious delicatessen. You have a favorite food. You know it’s your favorite when you savor the bites. Make sure you don’t fly through God’s Word. Savor each bite.

How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Ps 119: 9,11

Part of eating God’s Word involves memorization. When we hide God’s Word in our heart, the Holy Spirit brings His words to our minds and uses them to encourage us and to give us victory over temptation. When Jesus faced temptation, He defeated it with the Word. After each time the devil tempted Him, He would say, “The Scriptures say…”

Repeatedly we see Jesus knew Scripture. When he was a young boy in the Temple, He amazed the teachers of His understanding. He also quoted Scripture often in His teaching. Even when He hung from the cross and said, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” He was pointing the listeners, and us, back to Psalm 22.  

If Jesus used the Word, we should too. We need to eat it to know it.

E- Engage In Conversation

We will talk more about prayer in Chapter 3, but the idea here is to pray the Word of God. You should view your time in the Word as a conversation, not a monologue. God speaks to you through His Word, but as in any conversation, deeper understanding and levels of communication occur in the context of a back-and-forth dialogue. As you study, interact with the Word of God by having a conversation with Him. Pray promises. Pray Scripture. Be still in those moments and know that He is God.

There are times I will read something in the Bible and say to God, “This is my heart too.” I will then pray verbatim what was written. As you read the Word, use it as a conversation starter with Almighty God.

K- Keep God's instructions –

Have you ever been given a letter or note that you kept because it was special to you? If God places anything on your heart as you study His Word, it is worth holding onto. I recommend for followers of Jesus to take part in some sort of journaling. Some people are more naturally gifted in this area and some aren’t.

Since we are already using acrostics, I’m going to give you the best one I have ever seen in journaling. I spent a year with Pinelake Church in Brandon, Mississippi, learning the ropes of church planting and I picked up this incredible tool while there. I’ve never been good at journaling and this outline really helped me do a better job of processing what God is speaking to me through His Word. Once you seek God, it is inevitable you will REAP spiritual health. This is how you can keep track of what God is doing.

R- Read

More often than not, when you read God’s Word, a word or phrase or passage will prick your spirit and jump off the page. In your journal you are going to write the verse or verses that stick out to you. So you need to read with a pen in hand or an app that allows you to make notes. I’d encourage you to write comments, ask questions, and mark highlights in your Bible. Underline keywords. Circle things that jump out at you. Draw arrows to show correlation. As you talk with God and converse with Him in your heart and with His Word, spiritual truth and the voice of God come alive.

After you have read you will take your journal and write or type or copy and paste the part of the passage that was the most intriguing or impactful. Then you are ready to move on.

E- Explain

In your journal, this is where you are going to give yourself as much information as possible about the passage you are focusing on. You will try to answer key questions: What is the context, who is talking, who are they talking to, what issue is being addressed, etc.? Ask the basic questions of who, what, where, when, why and how. This will help you remember what is the background to the verse or verses when you come back to it later in life, whether that’s a month or a year.

Once you have a good idea of the context and what the author was trying to communicate to his audience, you will move to the next phase…

A- Apply

This might be the hardest aspect of Bible Study. Application is the personal digging. How does this apply to my life? How do I need to live because of what I read? You need to take the time to write or type this answer. Be very specific about how your life should look after encountering God’s heart in His Word. Remember that Bible reading isn’t about accumulating knowledge. The ultimate goal is life change. The application process will help bring this to light.

P- Pray

Literally take the time to record a prayer in your journal. This prayer should directly relate to what you just processed in the R.E.A. section. It is easy to talk to yourself as you read and explain and apply and forget you need to spend time with God talking about what has been illuminated in your spirit.

If you SEEK the Lord, you will REAP intimacy and health. If you SEEK God, you will REAP a changed life. I have had many mountain top experiences with Christ but when I look back over my life what really changed me was early on, I made meeting with God a spiritual discipline in my life.

Let’s end this chapter with a game changing principle. The beauty of the Christian life is that this workout isn’t meant to be done alone. Our studying God is not a solo effort. I’m not saying we never read the Bible on our own. On the contrary, that is a great gift that we have so much access to the Word of God. We must read it by ourselves, but we must also find a way to be in the Word of God with like-minded believers.

In your school days, did you ever participate in a study group? For those of you that went to college, or maybe you did this in high school, but it was much more enjoyable to study with someone else. If the group wasn’t focused, it could be counter productive, but if the group was on task, there could be a great synergy in your efforts to learn the lesson correctly.

Look at the life of Jesus. There were many people who followed Jesus, but there were a group of 12 guys who were close to Him. These 12 men came from different towns and backgrounds and even different occupations. But Jesus approached each of these men and invited them to do life with Him - to travel with Him, interact with Him, live with Him, and learn from Him at a very personal level. This was a group of everyday people living everyday life together for the sake of the Gospel. A Gospel that they embraced along the way.

It must have been incredible for these guys to not only hear Jesus teach, but they also saw Him live out His teachings. They heard Him speak about loving and serving others and then they themselves experienced being served by Jesus as He washed their feet. That’s what special about community. Being real, hearing truth, and applying it and growing together and watching that happen in each other.

That’s the thing about studying God. When you study God on your own, it’s too easy to only learn what you see on the pages of the Bible and not get another vantage point from a unique set of eyes. That’s not how studying happened in the New Testament. It was a group project.

Living an isolated life is the exact opposite of the way we see life lived in the Bible. You miss out on the wisdom from others and the strength of others. The enemy’s MO is to isolate us, get us alone so he can take us out. Don’t let him! Get together. Jesus didn’t want His disciples, and He doesn’t want you and me, to live the Christian life alone.

You might think you are old enough and wise enough and mature enough to go about this your way. Being mature doesn’t equate to being able to handle all things by yourself. Being mature means you now know how to turn to the right people. So let’s check out the next workout.

“The Bible is a remarkable fountain: the more one draws and drinks of it, the more it stimulates thirst.” – Martin Luther

*For the rare person that gets excited about manuals, you must imagine something else.

INTRO:

I recently watched a video of myself preaching and I couldn’t help but notice how out of shape I am. If the camera adds 10 pounds then I must have had 10 cameras recording me*. As the old joke goes…I’m in shape, it’s just the shape of a pear. This was not always the case. When I was a teenager, I was in the shape of a stick. I was so skinny I heard many jokes like, “I brought you a cheerio John. I thought you might want to hula hoop.” Nowadays, people are more likely to hand me a tire.

There is good news though. Despite the ageing process, I possess a certain amount of authority and power over my physical health. I can choose, change, add, subtract specific elements from my life and reap a better physical shape. I can eliminate certain unhealthy habits and partake in healthier choices that would with certainty result in an enhanced physical body.

I’m eager to achieve this because I have a recollection of a time in my life when I was in better shape. I can vividly remember at one point in my life being able to look down from a standing position and see my feet. I can recall wearing a “smedium” more than a “marge.” I have a memory of running and not having to stop after 10 seconds to catch my breath. Those might be fading memories because they are from an era long ago, but I have not hidden them too far in the recesses of my mind. I’m confident that a better physical shape is within the realm of possibility, thus I want to put forth the effort to get in shape!

Many people have a similar desire. Last I checked, gyms and exercise classes, whether online or in-person, are still packed full of patrons and diets are still in vogue. Getting in physical shape is considered a positive and admirable activity. January is typically a time where people consider their health and well-being more. Gyms will tell you that a peak time is the first of the year. The fresh beginnings of a new year inspire the non-regulars to set and act upon new health goals. Physically, we need to take care of ourselves. That is important.

We all understand that our physical health largely comes down to two important issues: what we eat and how we exercise. We, of course, can try to cheat the system, but what we pour into our body and how we use our body will largely determine our physical shape.

How’s your shape? Are you satisfied with your current condition? However, I’m not actually asking about your physical well-being. I’m more concerned with your spiritual shape. Paul wrote, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” – I Tim 4:8

We all possess power over our spiritual shape like we do with our physical shape. The very words that precede I Tim 4:8 are “…Instead, train yourself to be godly.” – I Tim 4:7b. We can change, add, subtract from our spiritual life and reap a healthier spiritual life. We are told under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to train ourselves to be godly. No matter what season of the year it may be, we need to understand how important it is to take responsibility for our own spiritual health.

We can and should train ourselves to be the godliest person we can be. We must work out to get in spiritual shape, or inevitably, we deteriorate. Paul also wrote, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.  I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. - 1 Cor 9:24-27

Most of us would just prefer a magic pill that would get us in excellent spiritual shape, but that does not exist. It really comes down to a choice. Do we really want to follow Jesus or not? If we follow Him, there will be energy and effort spent. There will be sacrifices to make. Jesus said to a crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” – Luke 9:23 Giving up your own way, picking up a cross, following Jesus, is not for the faint of heart. But it is for those with a new heart.

There is no way around the fact that it will take effort to be all that we can be in Jesus. However, I want to be extremely clear, this effort doesn’t join you in a relationship with Jesus. We know that is a gift from God to us. ^“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Rom 6:23

You don’t get in shape to get to Jesus. He takes us as we are. We just receive the gift. But once we have the gift, we realize what an incredible gift we were given. We should now want to see our relationship with Jesus grow and flourish. To grow and flourish, it’s going to take good ol’ fashioned hard work and effort through spiritual disciplines. Dallas Willard wrote, “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.”

The question is…do you want it? Do you want to put forth the effort to be healthy? If you do, keep reading. This book is for you. But like any manual on physical health, you have to put into practice what you learn. I’m believing God will use this book in your life to help you be all that you can be in Jesus.

In the immediacy of our culture, we need to hear this on the front end. Getting in shape takes time. No one who is “out of shape” wakes up after one work out suddenly in pristine health. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither was Mr. or Mrs. Universe. Consistent choices will bring change. Faithfulness over the long haul is what we are looking for.

The Christian life is not a sprint. The mission Jesus has for us isn’t for one moment, it is a lifetime journey. It is a spiritual journey of *26.2 miles. For us to be successful, it is going to take discipline one day at a time. The most successful people aren’t only successful in a singular situation. A follower of Christ does not reach his or her full potential by being obedient in one moment. A healthy follower of Jesus is obedient in consecutive small moments that link to produce a healthy life. We need our workouts to happen consistently to produce the result that we desire.

The ultimate goal of a disciple is to live a life worthy of our calling, not a moment worthy of our calling. Which begs the question, what does the life of a believer look like? I am a firm believer that not every follower of Christ’s journey will be the same. Each man and woman who puts his or her trust in Jesus is called to be a disciple, to be shaped into the image of Christ, but we will not all be a cookie cutter image of one another. God did not create us to look like the *Real Slim Shady video.

Discipleship is not linear, it’s messy. It’s not a step 1, then step 2, and then by step 10 you have it all figured out. However, there are proven principles that will make you more like Christ. We can find in Scripture a guaranteed track record of healthy discipleship. These 6 exercises will, without a doubt, shape you more into the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

For the purposes of this book I will use Shaped as an acrostic portraying these principles.

Each letter represents a spiritual discipline that will help shape you and me to be more like Jesus.

S - Studies the Word (Bible reading)

H - Hangs with Believers (Community)

A - Abides in Christ (Praying and Fasting)

P - Provides for Others (Giving, serving)

E - Exalts the Lord (Worship)

D - Delivers the Gospel (evangelism).

I want us to know as we start this journey through this book. This effort isn’t a do-it-yourself effort. This effort is a group effort. Doctors and fitness experts tell us that having a workout partner helps us stay in better physical shape. There have been studies that show your workout becomes more effective with a partner because you burn more calories and the likelihood of quitting lessens. The same is true spiritually. This is how the first Christians got in shape…

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. – Acts 2:42-47

The first church was about 3000 people. I would have loved to plant my church with 3000 people. We had 12 on our launch team. Even with a small group of 12, we had a variety of personalities and preferences. Imagine the smorgasbord of opinions you would have with 3000 people. I’m sure there were a plethora of temperaments and tastes, but even through the diversity they experienced a togetherness that few of us have ever known.

Through the ups and downs of life, they stayed together and got in spiritual shape together. This idea will permeate each principle we cover - we are better together. It is crucial that every Christ follower doesn’t do life alone. So as you read this book, don’t forget that getting in the best shape of your life is a group effort.

If you have ever experienced the love and grace that Jesus has to offer, it transforms you and inspires you to take the journey. The journey to spiritual health was never promised to be smooth and effort-free. The journey can be hard, but oh, it is worth every drop of sweat along the way.

Paul wrote, “18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” - Eph 3:18-19

God loves you and has an incredible purpose for your life. You can trust that He is good and that He is for you. But to achieve a rich intimacy with God, it will take exercising our spiritual muscles to be all that Jesus wants us to be. We will have to decide. We will have to make choices.

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters (emphasis mine). - Rom 8:29 Jesus was Mr. Universe in the spiritual health world. He is our ultimate goal. If we are to look like Him, we will need to get to work. We will need to be ready to put in the time.

Are you willing to work out? Are you ready to get in shape? Let’s get started, let’s work out together. Let’s get shaped into the image of Jesus Christ.

• * An old “Friends” joke.
• * Metaphorically speaking.
• * Old pop culture reference. Not an endorsement! Put down the pitchfork.

“I want the Giver, not just the gift.” That line wrecks me - in the best possible way.

We are full on into one of the most wonderful seasons of the year. Christmas is filled with lights, music, traditions, memories, and moments that stir something deep inside us. And yet, maybe more than any other time of year, I find myself praying this simple prayer: Lord, let me be more in love with Christ than with Christmas.

Because if I’m honest, this season makes it incredibly easy to become more enamored with the gifts than The Gift.

The older I get, the more I realize how easily the tinsel-covered materialism of Christmas can begin to resemble Herod in the Christmas story. We may appear interested in the Savior, but our hearts can be driven by something else entirely - whether that’s greed, or pride, or prestige.

And yet, that’s not what Christmas was ever meant to be. Christmas is all about the One True God, the God who is all-powerful and the Creator of the Universe, who humbly came to us in the form of a baby, born amongst the barnyard animals.

So this Christmas, I find myself praying for a deeper joy - one that is beyond receiving and focused more on giving. I want to delight in watching my family and loved ones open gifts. I want to celebrate generously and gratefully. And let me be clear: I am truly thankful for what I receive, and I count those gifts as blessings. This isn’t a call to guilt or gloom. I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer about presents.

But I do want something more. I want this season, and the new year, to be primarily focused on Christ. An era where we worship the Savior, not just the blessings He gives. A posture of heart that says, Jesus, You are enough.

May this be a season where we want the Giver more than the gift. Because in the end, He is the greatest gift Christmas has ever offered - and He is still offering Himself to us today.

Everyday,

John

https://open.spotify.com/track/0g13D3D87Cw1OVlEyZg1TD?si=a76bff28b61a4f91

More than likely, you were very young and it was to a parent. I can’t remember the first time I said “I love you” to my mom or dad. Honestly, I don’t even remember the first time my own kids said it to me. (Though for the record, both said “Dadda” first. I may have coached that one a bit just so I could brag about it!)

But I do remember the first time I told Kim that I loved her.

I was sitting in my apartment, waiting for her to come visit me. We were long-distance dating - she lived in Alabama, and I was in Tulsa. As we talked while she was at the airport, we started to wrap up the call. Without really thinking, as we were saying goodbye, I said for the very first time, “I love you.” It was if it just accidentally spilled out

Her response?
“Okay… bye.” And then we both ended the call.

Oops. Not exactly the most romantic moment to drop the “L-word,” and she definitely didn’t reciprocate the sentiment. I remember sitting there thinking, “Did I just screw that up?” I immediately prayed that she would still got on the plane to come see me!

But as I processed it, I realized something. That “I love you” wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t just a casual phrase you throw out of habit like when you hang up with a friend or family member. I said it because I meant it. I felt it.

What does love really mean?

When I said those words to Kim, I felt love, but as we approach 20 years of marriage we now know that love isn’t always a feeling. In fact, love is more of a choice than a warm-fuzzy. It is an intentional choosing to put another person’s needs above your very own. See as a believer in Jesus, I know love goes deeper than feelings.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the very definition of love. We can read and learn about love in the Bible but we can also see that Jesus lived a life of love and showed us what real love looks like - a choice that puts someone else’s good above your own, even when it costs you something.

Paul clearly states this…But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Rom 5:8 (NLT)

God came to us in the flesh and laid down His life for us that we might truly live. He faced the agony of the cross to make a way for us to God the Father. He did all that even though we can be pretty lousy people. What incredible and amazing love! However, this love is not designed for us to just experience, but also, to compel and propel us to then love others with the same intensity.

That’s why John, one of Jesus’ disciples, reminds believers: “This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” - 1 John 3:11

John likely wanted his readers to recall what Jesus Himself said again and again in His Gospel: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” - John 13:34

“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” - John 15:12

“This is my command: Love each other.” - John 15:17

Or maybe John was reminding them of that moment when Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Either way, the reminder is simple and clear: Love one another.

So my question for us today is…

How loving are you? Who in your life might need to experience that kind of love from you today, the kind that acts, sacrifices, and chooses to put others first?

If you’re like me and you want to love more, ask God to deposit His love into your heart. That’s where it starts. Then pray that the love He gives you would move you into action - with no conditions, no strings attached. That’s how we become more loving.

Then maybe, just maybe, no matter what’s going on in your world you will let love spill out into any relationship you have!

I guess that’s it for now, until next time…I love you!

The challenge for me now is that I just don’t use math that often. And when I do, I usually ask Siri. I’ll literally speak the problem out loud, and she (it) just gives me the answer. Thank you technology.

But don’t even get me started on how math is taught today. You can’t just add 12 + 18 anymore. No, you have to take away 2 from one number, add it to the other, round to 20, and then do a backflip while reciting the steps in Hebrew. I’m exaggerating… kind of. When my kids ask me for help with their math homework, I glance at the problem, nod like I understand, secretly use AI, and then deliver the answer like I totally knew it all along.

A long time ago I had a season in my life where I was a substitute teacher. One day I was subbing in a 5th grade math class and they were multiplying fractions. I thought I remembered how to do it - spoiler alert: I didn’t. Pretty sure I gave the whole class the wrong answer. Sorry about that Mrs. Busby.

However, despite all that confusion, one of my favorite things in math class was the alligators. At least that’s how I learned the greater than and less than signs: > and <. For some reason, those little gator mouths just stuck with me.

One time Jesus used the phrase “greater than” in a way that no one could have ever expected and it for sure stuck with me too. He said this:

John 14:12 – “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

Hold up. Jesus said what?

He said we’d do greater works than Him? That’s not just a math problem - that’s a spiritual equation that’s hard to wrap your head around. Jesus healed the sick, calmed storms, raised the dead. And He’s saying we’ll do greater things? Excuse me while I sit down for a second.

It sounds overwhelming, like He just handed us an impossible test without giving us the answer key. But here’s the thing: He’s not putting the pressure on us. He’s reminding us that He’s leaving, but He’s not leaving us alone. You with me?

Jesus went to the Father, but He sent the Holy Spirit to live in every believer. And through the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to do what we could never do on our own. It’s not about us solving the problem - it’s about letting God work in us and through us.

So maybe life is kind of like math. It’s confusing, the formulas change, and sometimes you give the wrong answers. But with the right guide and the ultimate answer key, the Holy Spirit, you’re going to be okay. God is going to be with you and use you to change lives in the here and now and for eternity.

If Jesus believes we can do “greater than,” maybe it’s time we started believing it too.

And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him. - Ephesians 1:13-14