01.30.08 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

In taking some time to look back over last year, I remembered making a promise to keep something in front of us. Something that I actually had learned a lot from. As I look back over the last couple of months, it dwindled off my radar.

It certainly deals with our theme of "branching out." It gives us the confidence from God Himself about one of the things we are the most fearful about--Sharing our Faith in Jesus with others. Many have the notion that evangelism is hard, scary and reserved for those who are gifted. The results of this kind of thinking cause us to shy away from spiritual interaction with lost people and it is not at all what the Bible teaches us.

Here are four TRUTHS rising from the Scripture:


The Authority of God (Matthew 28:16-20). Every believer has Jesus residing in them and therefore has His authority according to the Great Commission. Jesus said, “All authority is given me…”, and I am sending you to share the truth about me with others, make disciples, baptize them and teach them. He ended with “…behold, I am with you always…”. Every believer has the authority to share the good news of Christ.

The Power of God (Acts 1:8). Acts 1:8 specifically teaches us that the power of the Holy Spirit is given to every believer for the precise purpose of sharing Christ with the world. This powerful witness is not reserved or limited to a few, but is given to all (see Acts 2:38-39).

The Mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:16). Paul truly builds confidence in our ability in evangelism when he writes of the believer’s reliance upon the Spirit is a real confidence builder regarding evangelism. The principle is that the Spirit of God knows everything. We have the Spirit of God living in us. The Spirit of God freely gives us thoughts that we are to voice. Therefore, Paul concludes that we have the mind of Christ! The context is all about evangelism (see 1 Cor. 2:1-5).

The Words of God (Matthew 10:16-20, Mark 13:9-11, Luke 21:12-15). These are parallel passages which give us tremendous promises regarding evangelism. Jesus instructs us to not worry about what we are to share or how we are to share it. In Mark 13, Jesus tells us not to worry beforehand about what to say or how to say it. In Luke 21 He instructs us to make up our minds not to worry. In the Matthew and Mark passages, we learn that the Spirit will give us the words and method but in the Luke passage the Word teaches us that Jesus Himself will give us the words and methods to use.

The Godhead takes an active role in teaching us that we have no reason to worry; they will instruct us and give us the confidence, words and methods at just the right time. Jesus promises that if you simply speak what is given to you to say, that none of your adversaries will be able to contradict or refute you.*

This was first shared with us by our brother Ed Waken and we are better for it. Let's have our Holy Spirit eyes on as we walk through our days...and share the stories of how God is using you!

Press on,

Mike


* From the article Conversations Not Conversions first published in thechurchplanter- full article HERE

01.23.08 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

Hand written letters take time, effort and a stamp. Or if you lived in the ancient world, they would be hand delivered. What would it be like as a house church anxiously awaiting a letter from the Apostle John or Peter or Paul? When that letter showed up, everyone would be so excited to hear it. Even more electricity than in an Ohio living room before the kickoff of an OSU football game.

The folks would pile into the room together. No one would have a Bible, but possibly and copied pages of the last letter they received. Probably they would ask their "spiritual papa" to read this message and he would have the honor of actually reading it out loud for everyone to hear.

On Sunday night, we attempted to receive the letter from Jesus' half brother Jude in the same way. We had our Bibles with us, but we had it read aloud to us. We listened intently to what Jude would have to say to us. (I'd encourage you to read it for yourself here or if you'd like to listen to it you can here > Letter from Jude (RealPlayer Audio)


As they probably did in the primitive church, the saints clung to some nuggets that they heard. As we heard it fresh, it seemed as though Jude wrote us personally to:

- Push us to remember the Bible (the apostles teachings)! (v. 17)
- Encourage us to build up each other in the holy faith (v. 20)
- Pray in the Spirit (v. 20)
- Look forward to the coming mercy of Jesus…bringing eternal life! (v. 21)
- Keep yourself in God’s love (v.21)

He didn't stop there he encouraged us to relate with others like this:

- And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. (v. 22)

- Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. (v. 23)

- Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. (v.23)

This challenge was excellent. We needed it. There were no big "surprises" in how to live out this letter, just the encouragement and exhortation to do it. I don't know how they did bullet points in the first century, but I need them in this century. Hopefully those above will encourage and exhort you.



And above all we need prayer...and Jude prayed for us. Here's how he ended his letter:



Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away

and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.

All glory to him who alone is God,

our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his

before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!

Amen.

(verses 24-25)



Press on,

Mike

01.17.08 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

One of our folks who is Branching Out is Cara Kipp (who's hubby Adam shared some thoughts about Storing up Treasures last week and is finishing up at Dallas Seminary). She's getting ready to have their first baby! She's been writing too and penned the following thoughts:

FOLLOWING THE GOLDEN RULE

"In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12 NASB)

I remember specific moments from my childhood when my mother would chant her favorite mantra, "Treat others as you would want to be treated." The saying encompassed so many situations as I grew up: my brother and I fighting in the back seat of the car, arguing with a cousin over which television show to watch, and wanting to date a friend's ex-boyfriend. Her warnings were mostly extended in a "think before you act" sort of way.

But the thought process of treating others in a way we would want to be treated has slightly modified over the years. It has moved from "be nice to your friends" to encompass many different aspects. These include, showing honesty and respect for those I work with - even when that honesty might not be the easiest thing to share. Not judging those with whom I come into contact because we all have our stories and struggles; while I may feel I wear mine on my sleeve, the person in front of me in line at the grocery store may not.

Jesus tells us, "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you." So, I need to show those around me considerable grace and patience because there are many times when I need it.

If I have an unforgiving spirit, who will want to show grace to me? When I need assistance with something I'm struggling with, I need to be available to use my gifts to help my coworker finish the project with which she's struggling. What particularly strikes me, however, is that He says "everything". Not just when I feel like it, or when I am with my "church" friends, but in everything I do.

The lesson of the Golden Rule that Jesus taught 2000 years ago and that my mother started teaching me at a young age still applies today. At least my brother and I get along now.

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1. Why would Jesus instruct us to follow this rule in everything we do?
2. In what area of your life could you apply The Golden Rule?
3. How would adopting The Golden Rule benefit you?
4. How would adopting The Golden Rule benefit those around you?


Read the rest of thequest weekly UPdate HERE