Beyond Belief

 

“By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ I appeal to all of you, my friends, to agree in what you say, so that there will be no divisions among you. Be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose,” 1 Corinthians 1:9, Good News Translation.

Despite our diverse cultures, radically opposing beliefs, and personal preferences for how things are to be done, we are all to be One in Christ.

 

First, we believe:

Yes! God DOES mean what He says!

Yes! God the Father gave us Jesus the Son.

Yes, the Lord eradicates our wrongs and resuscitates us to a new life in Christ.

 

Then, we obey:

We find out what God wants.

We read the Bible. We talk to God and listen.

We invite God’s Holy Spirit to guide and empower us.

We use the ministry gifts and other resources we have been given to build up the Body of Christ.

 

Together, we do even more:

In Christ, we worship God and work with God’s Family.

We pray for discernment and wisdom, compassion and mercy.

We invite others into our ever-widening circle of God’s Love.

Together, we encircle the world with the good news of God’s Son.

We extend respect to all peoples, knowing we are all made in the image of God.

We focus on needs and goals we share, rather than our differences.

As God enables us, we make peace in the Name of Jesus.

                                   

©2021, Mary Harwell Sayler          

 

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Would We Recognize a Prophet if We Saw One?

As Christians, we’ve heard of the ministry gifts the Holy Spirit gives God’s people to build up the community of faith. Hopefully, we even know what our particular gifts are. If not, we can always ask God to reveal this as we reflect on the various gifts listed in Romans 12 and First Corinthians 12.

For instance, some of us have a gift of wisdom, discernment, exhortation, or healing, while others have a God-given ability to teach, preach, evangelize, or do administrative work. Usually, we can recognize those gifts in the Christian community, but what about the gift of prophecy? Do we recognize that gift in other people of faith – or in ourselves?

According to a search on Bible Gateway, the word “prophet” comes up at least 450 to 500 times. However, we might have heard more about false prophets, which, ironically, the Bible only mentions a couple dozen times. Apparently, that’s enough to frighten us! But, that's enough of that!

Dare we ask God to reveal the prophets in our midst? Or – to be really daring – dare we ask, “Lord, am I a prophet?” God might stun you with a “yes!”

Anxieties over false prophets can make us wary of that gift in others – and unaware of that gift in ourselves. But, if we dare to pray about it and consider this possibility, we can tell if these descriptions fit us or someone we know.

• Are you drawn to read God’s word, again and again?
• Do your values often differ from those of other people?
• Do you see where things are headed long before they’re there?
• Do you recognize the Lord (or His absence) in the people or situations around you?
• Is truth truly important to you?
• Are you apt to look beneath the surface and beyond the way things seem?
• Can you see into the heart?
• Would you rather please God than people?
• Can you identify problems but also see solutions?
• Do you long to see wrongs corrected?
• Are you sensitive to God’s movement?
• Do you often feel an urgency to pray?
• Do you encourage God’s people to seek and obey Him?
• Do you speak up when no one else will?

Many people think of a prophet as judgmental or some kind of psychic able to tell the future, but that’s not it at all. A gift of prophecy does come with power to discern what’s going on and to see where it’s likely to end up, but, more often, a prophetic gift helps God’s people to wake up to spiritual realities and gain courage to use whatever gifts they have been given to serve the Lord.

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2020

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Jesus Journey

With the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary as His parents, Jesus became a unique person – fully human and fully God. In the Jesus Journey, which Zondervan kindly sent me to review, pastor-author Trent Sheppard presents the human side of Jesus in a reader-friendly, conversational way that helps us relate to Jesus by demonstrating how much and how often Jesus relates to us, particularly in these five areas:

“Part 1, ‘Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,’ focuses on Jesus’ family life with special attention given to the unique relationship he had with his mother.

Part 2, ‘Jesus and Abba,” looks at the remarkable way Jesus interacted with God – intimate, compelling, and controversial all at once.

Part 3, ‘Jesus and His Friends,’ explores the journey of discipleship that Jesus shared with those who knew him best, his friends and followers.

Part 4, ‘Blood, Sweat, and Tears,’ considers the crucifixion, reflecting on Jesus’ trust and determination in the face of confusion, fear, and pain.

Part 5, ‘Breakfast on the Beach,’ is all about the bodily resurrection of Jesus, what it means for us now and for the future.”

Beginning with scripture, each chapter has a reflection followed by a call to “Ponder, Pray, Practice.”

The idea to keep in mind and spirit, however, is this: “we can come to Jesus with our messy, broken, sinful lives because Jesus knows how hard it is to be human, because he knows obedience is a battle.”

If this is news to you and, especially, good news for you, the Jesus Journey will take you on a journey you’ll want to explore.

Mary Harwell Sayler, reviewer

Jesus Journey, paperback


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Christian poets, writers, and ministry gifts

My decision to write a new post today came about as one godly thing led to another and another, which then led me!

First, God led some members of our Christian Poets and Writers group on Facebook to remind us this morning how our lives in Christ have a purpose and how God has a plan for each of us.

Another member said this is National Suicide Prevention Week, which connects with the theme of God’s plan and purpose, too, in that people who consider taking their own lives usually can see no plan, no purpose, and no reason for living.

Another member gave suggestions about ways to hear God’s word to us and, therefore, become more aware of a divine plan for our lives.

In addition to those factors, the reading for my next Bible Study group discusses the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12 – gifts that inform, edify, and guide our Christian writing lives.

If you have no idea what ministry gifts you have, type “Ministry Gifts test” in the search box on the Internet, and you’ll get a variety of sites to visit. After you have responded to each question, you’ll get an assessment of your gifts, along with their ranking. That’s important to know because, unlike natural God-given talents, which might be used for your own pleasure and enjoyment, your ministry gifts have been given to you to help uplift and strengthen the church.

That needs highlighting:

The Holy Spirit gives each of us ministry gifts to build up, nurture, and encourage the whole Body of Christ.

You’ll want to do that locally, of course, as you serve and minister to your church family, but as a poet or writer, your ministry gifts will help to guide the type of writing you’re meant to do.

For example, if the Lord has given you a gift of teaching, you might be led to write nonfiction books, articles, or Bible study guides.

If God has given you a gift of encouragement and empathy for others, writing spiritual poems, devotionals, and children’s books could be just right for you. Or, perhaps, you'll show loving relationships, realistically, in a novel.

Regardless of your ministry gift and writing talent, these tips might help too:

• Believe God’s promise to you of gifts from the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4.)

• Pray for God to reveal your gifts and God’s unique plan for you.

• Expectantly await the results!

• Let the Bible, that “inner knowing” given to you by the Holy Spirit, and, often, the affirmation of Christian friends, lead you into God’s plan and purpose for you and your writing life in Christ.



© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler. If you need prayer about this, post your request in the Comments below.  
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