His Story in You Changes Lives

“The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.” — Revelation 19:10 (KJV)

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” — Matthew 22:39b

We have texts, tweets, instant messaging, Facebook and headline news. We can become friends with a “click” and like people with a “thumbs-up.” A story takes time, attention, and — wait — my phone just buzzed.

I recently gathered with church friends for a storytelling workshop where we learned how the story of God’s work in us can have an amazing impact on the lives of others. We learned that it is as simple as listening to their story, sharing our story where it intersects, introducing God’s story, and letting a new story begin to take hold in the person we are with. 

The overused caveats (such as, I’m not a preacher, I’m not trained and I can’t quote Scripture) do not apply. There is one catch, however. We have to believe that God’s story in us matters. We have to believe that He loves us and has shared in our deepest hurts and our greatest triumphs, and that this work of Jesus in us really is worth sharing.

Jesus sat down and listened to many, shared how the Father was at work in Him, and saw countless new stories begin. Sometimes, being Jesus to others is just that simple — caring enough to sit down and listen to someone’s story and trusting that He has a story to tell through us. 

Why not pray today, and every day, that God will give you one person to share His love with. 

Let’s go love our neighbors!

Our God hears,
Mark Petersen

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The Glory of the Latter Temple

“And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple...” 1 Pet 2:5

“Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners...You are members of God's family. Together, we are His house...We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through Him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.” Eph. 2:18-22

King David desired to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord. He wanted to express his thankfulness and gratitude for all God had done for His people. God provided them with land to live securely, defeated all surrounding enemies and blessed them with His favor and prosperity. He wanted to put God's goodness to His people on display with a “magnificent structure, famous and glorious throughout the world.”(1 Chr. 22:5).

However, God decided that King David, a man of war, would not be the builder of the temple. Rather his son, Solomon, a man of peace, would build a temple to honor His name. King David instructed and shared all he had in his mind concerning the building of the temple. He prepared for the building of the temple by collecting vast amounts of building materials. King David encouraged Solomon to “be strong and do the work.” (1 Chr. 28:10).

As his father had done in his preparations, King Solomon spared no expense, conscripted labor forces and formed alliances to fulfill this great work. When the Temple was completed Solomon and all the people of Israel dedicated it to the Lord. The King and his people prayed, offered sacrifices and celebrated for many days. The Lord responded by declaring, “I have set this Temple apart to be holy - this place you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it for it is dear to my heart” (1 Kings 9:3).

The Lord warned the people to obey his commands and decrees, while only serving and worshipping him, so the Temple would not be rejected and become an “object of mockery and ridicule among the nations” (I Kings 9:7). Sadly, the people of Israel did not keep God's commandments and worshipped other gods. As a result, Solomon's temple, the first to honor the Lord, was destroyed approximately 400 years later.

But God devised a new and better way to build a temple to honor Him. He sent His Son Jesus to be “the living cornerstone of [His] temple” (I Pet. 2:4). God spared nothing by sending His Son to die, so that we could receive His righteousness in order to become the living stones of the new temple. Jesus asked the Father God to send a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to transform us from glory to glory, so that we could honor Him and manifest His glory.

How should we respond when given such a magnificent privilege, as well as unfailing, abundant love with pursuing goodness and mercy? By letting go and surrendering all of our old life so there is room for God to fill us with the overflow of His Spirit. “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy and unkind speech” (1 Pet. 2:1). Nourish ourselves with His Word and in prayer so we can be living stones whose life of love and obedience bring honor to Him.

“The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace…” (Haggai 2:9).

Since it will take more than one living stone to become a holy temple for the Lord, we have to learn to live in harmony with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have to reject anything from our old life that would be a barrier to that unity - gender, racial, and socioeconomic biases. It means we have to the reject lies about our worth and identity. It means we have to accept our new identity in Christ, as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession.”

As we embrace our new life and identity, His Spirit will fill us so that, together, we can be that temple that shows His goodness, love and mercy. We can be that temple that manifests the glory of God, which will shake the world.

Our God hears,
Nonna Neal

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United in Christ

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are One — I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. — John 17:23

When God speaks of unity, what does He mean? 

Is it being “on the same page,” and having shared ambitions, goals and rules that each member strictly adheres to? Many gang members possess and are bound together by these qualities without giving a message of love and holiness. 

Could it be doctrine? All who belong believe the same thing and think the same way. We often refer to organizations that succeed in this as cults. 

So how is unity in Jesus different? And how do we become unified in Him? 

One clue given in the passage above is that, when speaking about the disciples being unified, Jesus does not speak to the disciples. He speaks to the Father. This special unity in Christ cannot be developed by men and women. It must be received from God. But how? 

2 Peter 1:3 in The Message Bible makes the way clear. “Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately the one who invited us to God.” True unity will only come as fruit of a true and pure relationship with Jesus. The surest way to be truly unified with each other is to make intimate knowledge of Jesus our highest priority. 

What I love about the First 20 initiative is that it started with no agenda other than getting to know Jesus and daily growing in our knowledge of who He is. As we continue in this pursuit, we will see our unity with each other grow and strengthen, and the Kingdom of God will be among us.

Our God Hears,
Joe Halpin

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One Family

Window of Opportunity 12x16” pastel by Alain J. Picard

“Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.” — Ephesians 4:3-4

I encountered her as I walked down narrow boardwalk planks built over sewage water in one of the many city slums of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was August, with tropical heat and humidity regularly reaching 100 degrees. She lived here amid a community of families huddled in ramshackle homes built on wooden stilts over murky wetlands. My new friend gazed at me over the hiss of her sniffling nose through the window of her one-room home. Two younger siblings were inside with their mother, who was caring for the youngest of the three, an infant. A toddler-aged boy romped around the room naked, at one point climbing the window to say hello. 

She was stringing up a hammock to the iron window bars, perhaps for her brother to play with, pulling the bright green colored rope tightly with her hands, which were adorned with white, yellow and red arm bracelets with chipping nail polish on her fingers and gold looped earrings in her ears above a colorful pink blouse decorated with the faces of kittens. Though a bit untidy, she was certainly beautiful. 

As I watched my new friend through the iron bars, she looked back at me with a kind of sadness in her eyes and a curiosity. As if with some encouragement, her childhood playfulness might still emerge. 

She lives among a generation of children who stand to inherit the brokenness of their parents — domestic violence, rape, disease, drug and alcohol addiction, gender inequality, malnutrition, and ignorance. Human trafficking of the poor and vulnerable is a grave risk here in Cambodia. One-third of trafficking victims in prostitution are children. We can look away and pretend it isn’t happening, but that won’t change a thing for her. 

We are one family, bound together by the extravagant love of a heavenly Father who sent His Son to set us free. We are children of God redeemed by Jesus Christ. No matter what threatens to separate us — be it language or culture, socioeconomic status, ideology or geography, the color of our skin, or the cancer of our hearts — this truth remains. God doesn’t have favorites. He only has kids, lost ones and found ones. And He loves them all with the radical love of a Father. 

Our Walnut Hill team has just returned from Cambodia, where they helped train and equip leaders with Fountain of Hope, a wonderful ministry that reaches out to children and families with Christ’s love in both practical and spiritual ways. I look forward to hearing more about their experiences in the weeks to come.

Together, let’s fully embrace the truth that God has called us to be one church, bound together as a global family by His great love, and reaching out to a world greatly in need of His healing. Prayer is the avenue that unites our hearts, creating windows of opportunity to reveal the love of the Father. May you pray in the unity of the Spirit today, releasing the Father’s love both near and far. 

Our God Hears,
AJ Picard

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Unity Amid Tragedy

“And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” — John 17:11 (ESV)

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” — 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV)

Tragedy Strikes

Fort Lauderdale attracts many tourists to the miles of beautiful beaches along the Atlantic Ocean and to the seemingly endless waterways. An average annual temperature of 77 degrees and thousands of hours of sunshine make this city a popular vacation destination. On January 6, however, many hopes and dreams of celebrations were shattered. A lone gunman wounded 54 people and took the lives of five others. They had just completed their flight into the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Many of the passengers had plans to embark on cruises out of nearby Port Everglades.

A United Response

As reports emerged of the devastating shooting, His Church was deployed into action to demonstrate the love of Jesus amid these heartbreaking moments. The pain of these visitors became the pain of the Church of South Florida. Church United, an established partnership of 50 local churches spanning several denominations and three counties, sent out a call to pray, with offers of food and lodging to the grieving families and to those injured. Standing alongside city leaders, first responders and fellow residents deeply affected by the tragedy, Church United pastors released an official statement that said, “As we grieve, may we also remember that our hope lies in the Prince of Peace. As we pray, let us ask the God of all comfort to gently remind us all that He is near, that He is present, and that His love is greater than evil.”

The Blessing of Unity

Along with gathering quarterly for worship, this partnership is committed to pray and fast the first Wednesday of every month. They are also sponsoring a night of worship to exalt God, who is our hope amid tragedy, and to offer praise to Him for gathering His Church to be His hands and feet. Learning that most of those affected by the airport shooting were visitors, a mercy fund was quickly established to convey Jesus’ message of hope and love in the spirit of the Good Samaritan. Broward Health, the medical center caring for all those hospitalized, has sent a letter to all 54 patients stating that their out-of-pocket medical expenses have been paid in full by the local churches of the community. These unified local churches have discovered the blessing of unity as they make Kingdom impact in the name of Jesus.

Jesus Is Interceding

Just before His earthly departure, Jesus prayed to the Father to protect His disciples from a world filled with darkness and an enemy who works hard to steal, kill and destroy the people God loves. (John 10:10) In addition, Jesus intercedes for all believers to be one.

Sharing Jesus

We are in a battle in this world, but we know King Jesus has ultimately triumphed. As His Church, we seek the Lord in humility to preserve us in the pattern of unity found within the Trinity. Displaying the glory of God’s presence among us by His Spirit and by our love, let us reach out to the heartbroken with the promise of the One who provides an anchor in the storms of life. Then may our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ draw them closer to Himself.

Our God Hears,
Barb Wibling

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Being Transformed

“And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’” (Acts 22:10)

Everyone loves a story of transformation, like a caterpillar changing into a beautiful butterfly. In the Bible, a favorite for many is the transformation of Saul to Paul on the road to Damascus. Whether it's witnessing God's hand of transformation in nature or in biblical accounts, I think we are all drawn to the hope and celebration found within transformation. 

Personally, I love telling a story of transformation in my own life … but generally in the past tense. You know — once the story is actually over, once I am transformed, and once I can put a period on the end of that sentence and tie it up in a neat little box with a bow. I want to be that pretty transformed butterfly and fly away. I think it's the story we all want to tell. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. 

Yet, transformation suggests a process — an ongoing story that is not yet finished. I imagine even Paul, on that road to Damascus, had a lot of unknowns and what ifs. Jesus encountered Paul and called to him, “rise and go.” I think God speaks to us much the same. 

God calls me to put my trust in Him and walk with Him where He will daily provide for me and daily transform me. He calls me to rise and go – to follow Him – even in the midst of feeling like life has been turned upside down, wanting answers and solutions, aching, and feeling lost, insecure and afraid. In this process, I stumble, fall, get better and even take a step backward; however, through it all, as I follow Him, He continually molds me and transforms me. 

I am discovering the miracle of living in this process of transformation. I am always seeking, learning, growing and becoming closer to the One who has called out to me “rise and go.”

Rest in His presence in your life, and trust in the process of transformation. Keep coming to Jesus to be shaped and transformed by His love. He is never too busy, will never forsake you and will never leave you. He offers a listening ear and an open heart, and longs to simply spend time with you. 

Our God Hears,
Jennifer Cardinal

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Embrace God's Grace

“This High Priest of ours understands weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:15-16

These Scriptures in Hebrews hold so much encouragement, love and humility. They remind us that our High Priest, Jesus, walked through much “testing” while on earth. Although He was God, He was every bit human and can fully understand the trials and temptations of life. He then went on to face the ultimate trial on our behalf, but it doesn’t stop there, because Verse 16 gives us permission to “boldly” go to the “throne of our gracious God” and ask for help. This suggests that God wants us to share our hearts with Him. He wants to be our first port of call so that we can be transformed by His mercy and grace.

I was humbly reminded of this mercy and grace last week, following a struggle that had bothered me for months — one of those struggles that ebbs away at your peace. I needed to pray for an individual who had brought offense. I didn’t love this person the way Jesus did, and my flesh was getting in the way of what the Holy Spirit wanted to release. I had become judgmental and was overlooking the fact that, before I encountered God’s grace and mercy, I too, like this individual, didn’t know any better. Realizing that my attitude had to change, I asked God to meet me in this struggle. Although I had been slow bringing this to God, God wasn’t slow in responding. Within the same day, the conviction of the Holy Spirit came, and I was reminded that we have ALL fallen short of the glory of God, and that Jesus died for the person who had caused me offense as much as He had died for me! 

The most incredible aspect in our struggle with sin is that God is so committed that He doesn’t want us to continue walking in it. Because of His mercy and grace, His love doesn’t stop pursuing us until there is victory. When we surrender something that we are wrestling with and when we repent of sin, God releases forgiveness and a grace that can take us by surprise. The process may not be comfortable; however, if we embrace His grace, we find even more love and freedom. 

This week, may you encounter the lavish, unfailing love of King Jesus — a love that compelled Him to leave His throne and lay down His glory to come and die for us. May you embrace His amazing grace in your time of need.

Our God Hears,
Lucy Houghton

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Thirsting for Jesus

“Oh God, you are my God; early will I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for you in the sanctuary, to see your power and your glory. Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you. Thus will I bless you while I live; I will lift up my hands in your name.” (Psalm 63:1-4, NKJV)

On the final day of celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, the Jews brought water in a golden pitcher from the fountain of Siloam. Then, with great rejoicing, they poured out the water mixed with wine on the sacrifice on the altar. During one of these festivals, Jesus invites anyone who thirsts to come to Him and drink. Rivers of living water will flow out of anyone’s heart who believes in Him. (John 7:37-38)

When a Samaritan woman came to the well of Jacob, she was broken. However, she left knowing she was beloved by her Savior. Realizing Jesus loved her personally, she couldn’t contain her joy. Ever flowing within her was the living water for which she asked. Created new in Christ Jesus, with her heart captured by the Father’s love, the Samaritan woman became an evangelist for the Samaritans.

“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" (John 4:29, ESV)

Created in God’s image, we love God because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) We all have a spiritual longing that can only be met by God’s presence as we experience His love. He welcomes us just as we are and then transforms us by His power. Once we’ve tasted and seen how good and gracious the Lord is, we want to return to the river of God’s Spirit in worship and praise.

God has called each of us to a holy calling that He’s planned from before time began. (2 Timothy 1:9) We have been strategically placed to accomplish His good work among those whom our omniscient Lord knows need to hear the Good News. Hearts filled with God’s love by His Spirit, we’re able to love a thirsty and needy world.

Let’s pray boldly as we step out with lives radically changed by the gift of grace, so that others will come to the One who knows and loves us completely. As we daily come to Jesus with our praise and prayers, we’ll be energized by His presence to ignite a passion for Him in New England.

“Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation. And as you do it, you’ll say, ‘Give thanks to God. Call out His name and ask Him anything! Shout to the nations, tell them what He’s done, spread the news of His great reputation! Sing praise songs to GOD, He’s done it all! Let the whole world know what He’s done! Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion! The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel!’” (Isaiah 12:3-4, MSG)

—Barb Wibling 

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