GCI Equipper

The Power of Retreats

A retreat is one of the most effective means of building a team..

By Micheal Rasmussen, Superintendent, North America and Caribbean

I discovered the power of retreats a little more than 20 years ago when I was invited by our now president, Greg Williams, to join him at a retreat to discuss moving from a denominational camp program to developing regional camps.

It was an eclectic group, gathered from the four corners of the country. Our ages spanned from early 30s to 60s. The group gathered in a cabin in Georgia, set back in the hills amongst a backdrop of beautiful trees. We gathered to dream and to brainstorm about how to move forward. We spent time joking and laughing over shared meals and late-night conversations. We participated in a couple group activities that we still talk and joke about to this day.

As the weekend ended, we passionately proclaimed that we needed to do this again! We had been transformed from individuals with different ideas, cultures, and expectations, to a bonded group with a shared vision. The bond we built at that retreat started friendships that have lasted decades.

When we think about the power of retreats, we should not be that surprised by their effectiveness. They are all about building relationships and connecting points between people within a group. We know Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in perfect relationship. It is out of their relationship and love they created humanity, so their love and relationship can be enjoyed and shared with others. If God is a God of relationships (and he is), and if we are created in his likeness (and we are), we should not be surprised that we too were created for relationships with God and with one another.

Retreats provide the space and the opportunity for relationships to form and connecting points to occur. These gathering opportunities, when bathed in prayer and surrendered to the Holy Spirit (and interspersed with lots of food), amazing things often begin to happen. Walls begin to come down; similarities are discovered; and relationships begin to grow and deepen. This is the goal of any and all leadership retreats.

Having said that, retreats can sometimes have teaching and/or a training element as well. But one must be careful not to add too much training, otherwise the retreat becomes a conference or a workshop. These are also essential for Healthy Church but are run quite differently from a retreat.

Following are a few suggestions for healthy and productive retreats. (Note: these are not strategy retreats, which Michelle Hartman will address in her article.)

Size of group: I have learned to not make the group too large. It is equally important not to make your retreat too small either. Too large and it is hard for people to make real connections because of the noise and activity created by the large numbers. Too small of a group and it too can become awkward or feel forced. In my experience, the most effective retreats have been between six to twelve people.

A loose agenda, considered prayerfully: When I host a retreat, I make a list of topics and/or discussion points I feel are important. I then take my list and I begin to pray over it. I ask the Holy Spirit if these are ideas or concerns he is placing on my heart, that he would also place them on the hearts of those attending. Every single time, without fail, by the time the retreat is over, most if not all the points I had on my list, get brought up and discussed and not by me. We must trust that the Holy Spirit is at work leading and directing all of us on a path towards Jesus and his ministry. Sometimes we do not take the time to listen and trust the Holy Spirit but feel the need to force a regimented agenda. Again having a regimented or tight agenda is not wrong, but it that type of gathering would be better referred to as a working retreat, or a strategic planning retreat. In these cases, make sure there is plenty of time for building relationships.

Unscheduled discussions: I have discovered over the years that the best and most important discussions that take place during a retreat are often the ones that are unscheduled or seem random. I have come to believe they are not random, but Spirit-led in a uniquely organic way. Conversations around the dinner table, while playing a game, or out on a deck or patio gathered around a fire, are some of the best conversations you can have. And this is where bonding seems to take place.

In Grace Communion International, we have worked hard to foster a retreat mentality. Our Home Office managers have an annual retreat. Our Superintendents across the globe gather for intentional retreats. Our Regional Directors have enjoyed cabin retreats for 10 plus years. We have regional cabin retreats for our pastors and facilitators every three years. We are beginning to request that pastors host retreats for their Avenue champions and key leaders. All of this makes my heart glad because I know they are providing opportunities for all to live out who we really are as God’s beloved sons and daughters.

If you have not had the privilege of taking part in a retreat, now is the time to plan one. You and your team will benefit in ways you can only imagine. I am praying for you and asking God to make a way for relationships to flourish in your families, in your congregations, and in your neighborhoods for his glory.

Strategic Planning Best Practices

Nuts and bolts of a strategic planning retreat.

By Michelle Hartman, Communications Director

In our fast-paced culture, it’s easy to fall into cruise control and do ministry as usual, year after year. In the Bible, we see Jesus ministering to people in their time and place. When we go through the same motions repeatedly without reflecting or revising, we risk ministering by our own strength and missing opportunities to join the Spirit in addressing present needs. Our triune God is creative and collaborative. In Scripture, Jesus often innovated and overturned the status quo to bring the kingdom near. One practice that has helped my team reflect the innovation and creativity of the Trinity is holding annual strategic retreats.

These retreats give us an opportunity to pause and reflect on key questions:

  • Where are we?
  • What do we have to work with?
  • Where do we discern the Lord is leading us?
  • How do we get there?

By taking this time to reflect, we can articulate specific goals, and outline the action steps and resources needed to achieve them. This intentional planning process often leads to a more effective direction than I would have developed on my own. It empowers team members by involving them in the decision-making process, fostering a sense of shared ownership and responsibility for the vision. As a result, the entire team is more invested and motivated to work towards our common goals, ensuring that our ministry remains dynamic and responsive to the needs of those we serve.

To guide your congregation in planning a strategic retreat, consider these best practices:

  1. Define Your Focus Group/Stakeholders: Begin by prayerfully considering who should be part of the retreat. While your leadership team is essential, including members beyond this core group can bring fresh perspectives. Think about who in your congregation or neighborhood has valuable insights or gifts and invite them to join. Their unique viewpoints can enrich the discussions and outcomes.
  2. Prepare the Team: Ensure that everyone invited understands the heart and purpose of the retreat. Provide them with any necessary materials or pre-reading to help them come prepared. Setting clear expectations will help everyone contribute meaningfully.
  3. Prepare Your Schedule of Events: Carve out 1-2 days for the retreat to give your team ample space to process and focus on the task at hand. A well structured schedule can significantly enhance the productivity of your retreat.
    • Begin with Worship or a Devotional: Start with a centering practice such as worship or a devotional to align everyone’s hearts and minds with the purpose of the retreat.
    • Incorporate Varied Formats: Include opportunities for small group discussions, movement, and other formats that spark creativity and dreaming. Different formats can help keep the energy high and ensure that everyone is engaged.
    • Develop Norms Collectively: Establish clear norms and structures for your activities. This ensures that you stay on track and achieve the answers to your key questions.
    • Debrief as a Large Group: Regularly reconvene as a large group to share insights from smaller discussions. This ensures that all voices and roles are heard and considered.
    • Include Relational Spaces: Schedule time for relational activities, such as meals together or team-building exercises like axe throwing or an escape room. These activities strengthen team bonds and build trust.

The output of your retreat should be a comprehensive roadmap for the year. This plan should visually outline your goals and strategies, providing clear direction and a sense of purpose for your congregation.

By following these best practices, your strategic planning retreat can become a powerful tool for aligning your team, fostering innovation, and ensuring that your ministry is responsive to the needs of your neighborhood. Remember that as you embark on this strategic planning journey, you are not alone. It is the Spirit who empowers and equips your team for the good work the Father has prepared for you. With faith and unity, allow his guidance to lead you, knowing that he will enable you accomplish all that concerns you today.

Rhythms of Ministry Team Meetings

Consistent and productive meetings amongst teams are essential to a healthy and thriving church.

By Ceeja Malmkar, Associate Pastor, Surrey Hills, OK

Leading a church is a unique blend of managing tasks and nurturing relationships alongside Jesus. For a church to thrive, its teams need to thrive. It sometimes feels like juggling as we try to strike a healthy balance between staying connected, being organized, and moving forward in healthy time frames. Establishing a rhythm for meetings and integration for our ministry teams can make all the difference.

One of the healthiest components of a healthy team is the beautiful gift of empowering others. We were never meant to do ministry alone. Ministry is a gift that Jesus invites us to participate in with him, and he gave us the most beautiful examples of how we are to participate in ministry with each other. We are called to be in relationship, doing life together, and participating in ministry together. We need to be inviting others in to “have a seat at the table” with our teams if we want to see our teams grow and become healthy and thriving.

Inviting people to serve on our teams is wonderful, but they aren’t just worker bees. They have ideas, gifts, and passions that we may be unaware of. It’s vital to give them the opportunity to share with us. This is why consistent meetings amongst teams are essential to a healthy and thriving church. Consistency is key.

Regular meetings are the backbone of any well-functioning team. Creating a space for people to grow and flourish in ministry starts with regular meetings. Whether you meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, having a set schedule helps everyone stay on track and plan ahead. It builds a rhythm that keeps the team in sync and focused on both immediate and long-term goals. I truly believe that any team will struggle to thrive if they are not intentionally meeting at least once a month.

Now, that dang word “meetings.” Most of our teams are made up of volunteers, and we can easily feel guilty asking people to donate more time to spend in a meeting. As an entrepreneur, I completely understand the importance and value of time. This is why having consistent meetings is so important. If we want to love and honor our volunteers well, we need to be engaging them and creating space for them. If we are only asking our volunteers to be “worker bees” without engaging them, learning from them, discovering their passions and talents, or giving them space to voice their opinions and ideas, we will likely not keep those volunteers long.

Monthly meetings are imperative to moving our ministries forward in a healthy and thriving way. I always recommend having a set date every month. For example, the second Sunday of every month from 2-4 pm, or the third Thursday from 5-8 pm. You get the idea, but here’s the challenge…. following through. It doesn’t matter if half your team isn’t available for one month, have the meeting anyway. Have someone take notes of key points and send them out to the entire team afterwords. Many teams never gain momentum because of meetings getting postponed or cancelled due to conflicting schedules. We have to keep moving because the Holy Spirit is always moving, and he is inviting us on an incredible adventure. I have found that when we have productive and consistent meetings, team members want to show up to the next one!

An important thing to keep in mind is that meetings don’t have to be around a table with a power point and key speaker. In fact, I don’t recommend that. This is church ministry, not business development.

Have an agenda: Every effective meeting starts with an agenda. This is something that your team can speak into, but knowing what to expect at meetings is important for all team members and is helpful for staying on task. Meeting agendas can look different for different people, but I recommend opening in prayer and celebrating everything that God has done since the previous meeting. We celebrate our wins, and then we discuss the “gotchas” of things to work on. Reviewing the calendar a couple months ahead is vital to staying on task and is a great way for the team to be accountable, so we don’t drop the ball on upcoming things we need to be talking about (especially as teams become closer in relationship and more chatty).

Relationship building is a priority: Healthy Church is all about relationships. Spending time together in casual hangouts, small groups, dinners, or even work parties to help with tasks all help build trust and understanding in a team. Knowing each other’s strengths and quirks makes for a stronger, more cohesive team during meetings.

Encourage open and honest communication: Team members should feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns. Transparency helps resolve and even helps avoid many conflicts. Part of team-based ministry is leading ministries as a team. Teams are meant to make decisions together, fostering a culture of mutual respect and feedback. Leaders pulling their “I’m in charge card” doesn’t usually work in anyone’s favor. Volunteers don’t “work for” their leaders, they are there to serve Jesus. We won’t know how our teams feel unless we ask them, and we should be open to hearing the answers, even if we don’t like what we hear. Open and honest communication helps people feel valued and trusted, and it enables you to tap into each member’s strengths and ensures everything gets done without overburdening anyone.

Roles should be defined: Everyone should know their role and why it’s important. Everyone should also be able to have freedom to grow in their role and have a voice. Just because the last person in that role did something a certain way, doesn’t mean the next person should do the same. This is why making sure everyone feels empowered in their role is vital to healthy ministry teams.

When it comes to ministry teams, all teams should be in tune with the church family. As our churches grow, different team members will grow relationally with different people in the congregation. This is a beautiful thing and is so critical in keeping the congregation updated about activities and vision for the church, and it promotes transparency between leadership and the rest of the church family. Encouraging feedback from church members helps align team decisions with the needs and desires of the congregation.

For a church to flourish, its ministry teams need to find healthy rhythms that work for them. By prioritizing consistent meetings, building strong relationships, and balancing tasks with a team-based approach, we begin to move towards becoming healthy and thriving congregations.

Words of Life

We have been invited by our Abba Father to speak words of truth (life) into the lives of others and build them up.

By Rick Shallenberger, Editor

I recently heard a parent say to her child, ‘You are worthless. I asked you to do one little thing and you didn’t do it. You are just worthless.”

My heart sank as I know from personal experience the impact those words have on a child.

I’m going to share a bit, not to make you feel sorry for me, but to show you the power of the lies many hear in school, home, church, and in sports, and compare that to the amazing truth God shares with us.

I grew up being constantly told I wasn’t worth much, I wouldn’t amount to much, I had no real value. I was told no one would want to marry me, I was difficult to love, and a host of other negative things that impacted a multitude of behaviors. I was constantly seeking attention and affirmation. If one method didn’t work, I’d try another. Over the years, I found that humor and sarcasm always got a laugh, and I focused on making people laugh. This meant I often made inappropriate comments at inappropriate times just to get a laugh.

This was recognized while I was in college, and several church leaders told me I would never be in ministry or leadership. This crushed me because it had been my dream for years.

Add to these negative statements what I believed I was hearing at church. I had to earn God’s love; I had to work to receive his acceptance. I was a worthless worm, and unless I sought God, I would end up burning up in a lake of fire – our way of saying hell. Every week I heard a sermon that would focus on something I needed to overcome in order to be right with God. I looked at the book of life as a list of my failures and my successes, my sins, and my good works, and I just hoped one side would outweigh the other. I went to church because I was afraid to fall further out of God’s favor; I was afraid to disobey. I knew the consequences – banishment from God’s love. (His love and his banishment were dichotomies I struggled with.)

Before you start to believe my life was always negative, God placed several along the way who spoke truth into my life. Men and women who saw something different and invested in me. I thank God for people like Dean Blackwell, who asked me to be a ministerial trainee the summer between my junior and senior year of college. Ron Howe, my first pastor after graduating from college, gave me numerous leadership opportunities such as coaching girls’ volleyball, and asking me to be the president of our Graduate Spokesman Club. Herman Hoeh, Dexter Faulkner, and Sheila Graham taught me how to write and edit. God used these people and others to speak life and truth into me and helped me reach greater potential than I ever imagined. Looking back, I find it fascinating that for years, I allowed the negative comments to have far more weight in my heart and mind than the positive comments.

This teaching that we are nothing is everywhere. Many of you have seen the picture that shows the sun and the planets. There is often a circle around how small and insignificant the earth is in comparison to the sun and other planets. Rather than the statement, “And God chose us as his masterpiece,” the intent of the comparison is to make us feel small, insignificant. In fact, many scientists and philosophers will make the statement, we are nothing. We just happened. It’s just luck that we are here. We aren’t special, we aren’t chosen, we aren’t part of any master plan. We just happened.

And many believe this.

Imagine someone telling your child, or your grandchild, that they don’t matter, that they aren’t valuable, that they aren’t worthy of your love, your devotion, that they must earn your love. Woe to anyone who would say that to someone you love and adore and are willing to die for.

And yet, that’s the message many believe they hear from the church, because that’s the message many in the church teach and preach. And I don’t believe that pleases our Abba.

I believe God has called us to speak truth into people’s lives. Just like those I listed spoke truth into me, we are to speak truth into others. We need to break through the lies that many – including most believers – hold to be true. Here are a few of those lies.

  • We are nothing – the earth is nothing. NO!!! God created the sun, moon, and stars for the earth, for this planet which is part of his master plan. All of it was created for you to be part of his eternal family.
  • I have to earn God’s love. NO!!! He loved you and chose you before the foundation of the earth. He sent his Son because of his love for you. He loved us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8)
  • It’s hard work to remain in God’s love. NO!!! Nothing can separate you from the love of God – nothing up, down, left, right, North, South, East, or West. You are in his favor. (Romans 8:38-40)
  • I am a sinner. NO!!! I WAS a sinner; now God calls me a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Yes, I still sin, but it’s not my identity. I no longer need to walk in guilt and shame, but in confidence in my identity as a child of Abba.
  • When I sin, God turns and walks away. NO!!! “He is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will never leave or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 23, Matthew 28:20)
  • There are too many rules to keep track of. NO!!! Jesus, God in the flesh, wrapped up the law in his discourse with the disciples when he said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34) True love covers all.
  • I will never be good enough. NO!!! It’s not about how good you are, it’s about how good he is. He is good enough, and you are being transformed into his image. (2 Corinthians 3:18, Galatians 2:20, 1 John 3:2)

Friends, let’s acknowledge that many are living in the lies spread by the prince of the power of the air. But we know the truth. Let’s speak truth to one another and to all God places in our path.

You are worthy, you are forgiven and accepted, you are the beloved, so be loved … and remind others they are already loved. Let’s be among those who show God’s goodness. Let’s be among those who remind themselves God created them because he loves them, and because he created them, they are already worthy of his love. Let’s be among those who believe and share the good news of God’s kingdom, which he is building for them.

Let’s be lights of the truth of his goodness.

Amen.

Art of Mentoring | Dynamic Mentorship & Send-off

“The Art of Mentoring” series dives into the deep impact of mentoring as a powerful connection that can bring about significant changes. In this special bond, people gain valuable things like time, wisdom, experiences, and insights in a way that’s right for them. Check out these two new episodes!

  • Michelle Hartman (Fleming) and Greg Williams discuss how their mentoring relationship began and how they now work together as a team at the GCI Home Office. They explain how understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses helps them support one another and bring glory to Jesus.
  • Greg and Cara wrap-up the Art of Mentoring series, inviting everyone to join and participate in God’s ministry through mentoring.

Click here to view the videos in the series.

Building a Notre Dame

We don’t always see the fruit of our love and dedication to our young people, but we know it is impactful, and God uses it for his glory.

By Dishon Mills, Pastor, Charlotte, NC

Before the devastating fire in April of 2019, I was blessed to visit the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France. The great monument of Western Christianity took my breath away. I felt like the veil between the spiritual and physical was somehow thinner there. Historically, the interior of the building was intended to explain the story of God to a mostly illiterate audience through images, colors, and exquisite artistic detail. For the first time, I was immersed in an explanation of the gospel without a single word being spoken. As you can tell, Notre Dame made a strong impression on me.

Completed in 1345, the cathedral took more than 180 years to build. That means that those involved in laying the foundation of Notre Dame knew they would not live to see the project finished. They toiled to create a masterpiece for which they would never receive credit. Even the name of the architect who designed the cathedral has been lost to history. This is astonishing in our modern world where almost every skyscraper bears the name of the person or company that built it or bought it. Yet this architectural marvel (set to reopen in December 2024, praise God) was built by those willing to set aside human recognition for the sake of helping to bring something beautiful into the world.

 

I believe serving in children’s ministry and youth ministry is a lot like building the Notre Dame Cathedral. We diligently partner with families to disciple our young people in the hope that they will develop a lifelong relationship with Jesus that transforms them to think and act like Christ. We want them to use their spiritual gifts within the fellowship of believers and be the bringers of salt and light to our neighbors. Yet, we will not know if our efforts will bear fruit until years later, if ever.

To be clear, I firmly believe that children are valuable members of the church now, and they can contribute to the life of their congregation right where they are. However, we cannot always see whether the lessons we tried to teach them were internalized until much later,

I am reminded of Paul’s words in his first letter to believers in Corinth:

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV)

Sometimes it is difficult to see the impact we are having on our young people. Yet, it is comforting to know that the work we do in the Lord is not in vain. Jesus has already attained salvation for humanity. Because of Christ, all our young people are nestled in the center of the love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When we participate in Christ’s efforts to disciple our young people, our work is tied to his ultimate victory. We may see our youth struggle. We may see them step away from the church for a time. However, we can be comforted by the fact that our young people’s salvation does not depend on us. Despite what our eyes may tell us, the Lord has already prevailed.

To paraphrase Paul, one adult plants the seeds of faith in our young people, and another one waters those seeds, but it is God who makes things grow (1 Corinthians 3:7). I pray that you will be comforted by our gracious God who causes our efforts to disciple young people to bear fruit in Christ.

John MacMurray—Year B Propers 13-16

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Eph 4:1-16 ♦ Eph 4:25–5:2 ♦ Eph 5:15-20 ♦ Eph 6:10-20


This month our host, Anthony Mullins, is joined by John MacMurray. Together they unpack the August 2024 sermon pericopes. For over 45 years, John has taught the Bible, theology, and photography, focusing on university-age students. He founded the Northwest School of Theology and the Open Table Conferences. John, an award-winning landscape photographer, uses a large format camera, with work featured in Sierra Club, National Geographic, and Audubon.


August 4, 2024 — Proper 13 in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 4:1-16

August 11, 2024 — Proper 14 in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2

August 18, 2024 — Proper 15 in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 5:15-20

August 25, 2024 — Proper 16 in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 6:10-20


If you get a chance to rate and review the show, that helps a lot. And invite your fellow preachers and Bible lovers to join us!

Follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcast.

Program Transcript


John MacMurray—Year B Propers 13-16

Welcome to the Gospel Reverb podcast. Gospel Reverb is an audio gathering for preachers, teachers, and Bible thrill seekers. Each month, our host, Anthony Mullins, will interview a new guest to gain insights and preaching nuggets mined from select passages of Scripture in that month’s Revised Common Lectionary.

The podcast’s passion is to proclaim and boast in Jesus Christ, the one who reveals the heart of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And now onto the episode.


Anthony: Hello friends and welcome to the latest episode of Gospel Reverb. Gospel Reverb is a podcast devoted to bringing you insights from Scripture found in the Revised Common Lectionary and sharing commentary from a Christ-centered and Trinitarian view.

I’m your host, Anthony Mullins, and it’s my joy to welcome our guest, John McMurray. For over 45 years, John has taught the Bible, theology, and photography in churches and schools, serving in both staff and non-staff leadership roles. Known best for communicating with university age students, he has led college groups, served as an adjunct professor of Bible Literature, and taught for various school and organizations internationally.

And a lifetime of teaching led John to start and direct the Northwest School of Theology and the Open Table Conferences. John is also an award-winning landscape nature photographer. Somewhat of a rarity in the world of professional photographers, he still captures images on film using a large format camera. I love it, John — old school! His images have appeared in Sierra Club, National Geographic, and Audubon.

So, John, thanks for being with us and welcome to the podcast. And since this is your first time on Gospel Reverb. We’d love to know you a little bit about your story and how you’re joining with Jesus these days.

 John: Thanks, Anthony. It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s a privilege to be here. Boy, we could spend a lot of time on just the first question, but we won’t. I’ll just maybe go through a couple of quick things. I went to a Bible college and worked in ministry for about four years. Went on after that to seminary, and then after seminary, I took another position in ministry pastoring in a church with a couple other of people.

And about two years after that, all during that time, Anthony, I felt unsettled. And what it was I just felt like I loved the idea of talking to people about Jesus and theology and philosophy and their worldview and just how they’re living, all that kind of stuff. Especially, like you mentioned earlier, with university students, because those are the people that I think a lot of times are just asking a lot of questions and trying to figure out who they are and what life’s about. And so there seems to be a more openness and a more willingness to communicate, to talk about it.

I would do that, and I love doing that, but I just had this unsettledness about ministry as a job, as a vocation, like taking a paycheck from it.  And so, I quit, and I became a nature photographer, and that’s been my career. That’s how I’ve made a living, but I continued to do ministry as a volunteer throughout my life.

And as you said, that led me to starting, back in 2007, the school, Northwest School of Theology, which is a week-long intensive. And we bring in teachers, speakers, authors and ask them to talk about something, put it on the table so that we can discuss it.

It’s not a lecture thing. It’s not a “here, I’m going to share with you all of my research, and I want you to agree with me.” It’s really open, and every question is welcomed. We want it to be a place where maybe you haven’t been allowed to ask questions before, but this is a place where you can, and you’ll be treated with dignity and respect.

Because I don’t think God’s afraid of questions. I just don’t. I think that’s the nature of relationship, isn’t it? It’s communication and sharing in what we’re learning and thinking, so that it actually transforms our lives. So, we welcome that.

And I started that back in 2007 because I was involved with some people over in Europe in a mission and they wanted to put something together like a — I don’t even know what to call it; they called it creech. That was the word they had. That’s a Slovene word. But the idea was just for the young people to have a place where they could go. And if they wanted to dig deeper into the Scriptures or what they mean and what it means to their life, this was something they could do.

And so, I helped them do it, and on the way back home to the States, I was thinking this was great. I love this idea, and I wonder if anybody’s doing it back where I live. And so I poked around a bit, couldn’t find anybody. So, I decided to try and start this, doing it on my own. That was 2007, and we’ve been doing it ever since.

And the Open Table Conference grew out of that. And I’ll just say this real quick. I think the thing that makes it unique, because there are a lot of — I don’t know, I don’t even know what to call them — just conferences. The amount of information that’s available to you on the internet, you’ll never get through it all in your lifetime.

So, it’s not like we needed another thing. But what I didn’t find was a panel of people trying to facilitate a discussion about something on a regular, consistent, continuous basis. It was always a single individual, more of a lecture. That’s the default mode almost of how at least I learned when I went to school.

And I just felt like there’s a better way to do it. So instead of having, say, one teacher reflect and teach you what they learned from studying the book of John, you have six teachers discussing what they’ve all learned so that you have the opportunity to hear this back and forth of pros and cons of different thoughts and perspectives so that the Spirit can lead you.

I just think that’s just a better way to do it. There’s people who don’t agree and that’s fine. There’s people who do and those are the people that come and then enjoy the conferences and the classes and discussions that we offer online. So that’s what I’m doing. That’s not really your question though.

You’re asking me how I’m participating, and I don’t necessarily see what I would call my activities as the only way or the exclusive way in which I would participate. I think participation is much more — I’m trying to think of the right word here too, I was going to say banal, but that’s not the right word.

It’s just more down to earth. It’s just loving people and being loved and living in the world and bearing witness to the love that has captured your heart. That’s how I’m participating. And sometimes that comes out in the activity of an online discussion. Sometimes it comes out because I mow the lawn for my neighbor.

Does that make sense? I don’t know if I’m making sense there with that.

It does. You mentioned relationship with the School of Theology that it isn’t relationship unfolding. It’s a process of discovery and we’re in relationship with the triune God by the Spirit.

[00:08:10] Anthony: And it’s an unfolding. Sometimes, as you said, it looks like mowing the lawn for a neighbor. Sometimes it’s teaching. Sometimes it’s being a student. It’s entering all of it with this sense of wonder and humility.

And I haven’t yet participated in an Open Table conference setting though. I’m friends with several of the people that you’re talking about who serve as instructors, but one of the comments I’ve received from people who have participated is what you just stated, different viewpoints, but there’s so much love and respect honoring of the other, even in maybe seeing it from a different perspective.

And I think there’s something good and godly about that.

[00:08:54] John: Thanks. I do too. I do too, because I don’t think unity is this — I don’t mean to be trite or use a phrase, but it’s not uniformity. It’s not, we all think the same. It’s that we all are connected to the triune God, and he has included all of us in him.

And that’s the point of union. It’s union with him. And then we all work that out in our uniqueness. And I think that is beautiful. That’s spectacular. I think most of my life as a young man, I thought my goal in life was to try and convince everybody to my point of view. That was assuming that I thought I was right.

And it wasn’t completely arrogant, Anthony, there’s arrogance there. But a lot of it was youth. There was sincerity. I just wanted to tell people about what I discovered, because I assumed what I discovered was true, and a lot of it was. It was changing my life. But we did — I won’t say we, I’ll say, I crossed a line and I think it became more about me being right than it was about a love of the truth.

And that’s not good. That’s not healthy in any way, really. So anyway, yeah, go ahead.

[00:10:22] Anthony: I was going to say, you mentioned that we worked this out uniquely. And I was thinking about that because I do want to ask you about photography. I have not seen your work, but apparently, it’s an exceptional work of art that you’re doing. And I’m just curious, you know when you’re out there taking shots of nature, it goes without saying, on some level, you’ve experienced the wonder and splendor of God. And let me say up front, I apologize. I take photographs with my smartphone. So, I’m not on your level, but I love it.

But tell me how you’ve experienced the presence and just the closeness of God as you’ve captured landscape moments.

[00:11:11] John: Sure. I’d love to do that. I didn’t know if we were going to go there or not, but I welcome that. Let me tell you a story real quick. I was I was going to the country of Chile in South America, and I was going all the way down to an area called Patagonia, which is all the way at the Southern tip of South America.

[00:11:35] Anthony: Sure.

[00:11:36] John: It’s where if you’re going to do an Antarctic expedition, most people will start from the tip of South America and head to Antarctica from there. And so obviously from Portland, Oregon, that took — I don’t know — some crazy number of hours just to get there, 40 some hours, school buses, planes, it was wild.

And the weather in Patagonia is notorious for being bad. It’s a skinny piece of land. If you look at a globe and you look at the bottom of South America, it gets real narrow and all the weather comes off the Pacific, hits the mountains and dumps rain and snow.

And so, the Patagonia ice cap, the glaciers, it’s the largest ice field in the world other than the two poles, the North and South Pole. And that’s because it gets all this bad weather all the time. So, we get there. I was with a couple of friends, and for five days, I don’t even think I saw the sun. Like it was bad. And you just have to, if you’re a backpacker — that’s what I have been doing because the photography I’ve done has been essentially wilderness or nature photography, people or sports or architecture or stuff like that. It’s nature. And I’m backpacking in this weather, and it’s miserable. And I’m miserable because it’s raining and it’s windy and it’s snowing and it’s thundering and lightning. And we can’t even see the mountains that we’ve come to. The sun hasn’t even poked out. And this goes on for five straight days.

And on the fifth day, we’d hiked about, oh, 8 or 10 miles with about 65 pounds on my back. Again, for a backpacker, they’ll know that’s not easy. That’s hard. And we got there and at the end of the day, it started to clear off and. And I told my friend, this is the first even possibility of clearing that we had experienced.

It looked like it was going to clear, but you never know. And I told my friend, I said, if it does clear, I need to get out of where we are because the best photographs are going to be of this area. The area is called Torres del Paine National Park. And so, sure enough, the next morning, clear as a bell, not a cloud in the sky.

It was absolutely gorgeous, stunning. And so, I hiked out, but what that meant was we had to separate. So, he took the tent and the stove. I took some food because my goal was to go out, get across the lake because that’s where the photos would be. And I was just going to literally throw my sleeping bag down on the ground and sleep outside under the stars because it was clear.

And that’s where I would get the photograph in the first light in the morning because I knew that would be the best light on the mountains. So, I hike out 8 or 10 miles, I get across the lake and I’m walking down this gravel road. It’s the only gravel road in the National Park. And this car comes up behind me and it slows down.

And it stops, and I stop, and they roll down the window. And it’s a couple, a man and a woman, man’s driving, woman’s in the passenger seat. And she says to me, are you a photographer? Because I have this gigantic tripod sticking out of my backpack. And I laughed, being from Philadelphia, I wanted to say something really sarcastic, but I didn’t.

And I said, yeah, I am. She said, she looked at the guy, she looked back at me, and she said, could we hang out with you? And I’m like. Okay, I’ll make you a deal. If you’ll take me around in your car, I’ll be more than happy to show you places where you can take photos and stuff like that. So, they said sure.

So, I jumped in the car, and I spent the day with this couple. They were from Germany, and they had a private photography lesson for an entire day in Torres del Paine National Park. And at the end of the day, we had a great time, but they got me to places I would never have been able to get to because I didn’t have a car.

And so, it was great. So, at the end of the day, they’re like, what are you doing? I said I’m just going to spend the night back not far from where you picked me up. And they said we’re staying in this refugio in South America. That’s what they call a hostel is a refugio. And they said, it’s like 10.

Okay. Now remember I haven’t had a shower. I haven’t slept in a bed now for six days. So, the idea for 10 that I can get a hot shower and sleep in a bed. It’s like off the charts, and I’m like, okay, and they said it’s 10 miles from here. It’s going to take 20, 25 minutes’ drive there.

And I said, are you, would you be willing to bring me back here in the morning for the first light? Cause that’s the shot. That’s the picture. That’s what I’ve come here for. And they’re like, absolutely. This is what we want to do. And I’m just like, okay, great.

So, I go with them down to the refugio. I pay my money. I get my key. And as we’re going to our rooms, they go to their room and he comes back to mine and says, Hey, I’m really sorry, but my girlfriend is just too tired. She doesn’t want to get up at five in the morning to go get the first light. And I look at them cause we’re I’m now about 12 miles away from where I need to take the picture.

And it’s like 11:30 at night. The sun comes up in six and a half hours. If I leave right then, I might make it walking. Maybe. And that’s walking through the night. So, I looked at the guy, and I took out my wallet, I took out my passport, and I handed it to him. I said, look, I’ll give you these if you would let me use your car so that you know that I’ll bring the car back.

And he thought about it for a second. He says but what if something happens? You’re not insured. The car, we would be responsible for that. And I said, you’re right. But I would pay for it. He goes, yeah, but I don’t really know you that well.

Okay, so that was that and he went back to his room. So I go into my room, and I’ll be really honest, I was pissed off. I was mad, I was like God, what in the world? So, I take a shower, I repack my pack, and about 2 a.m. in the morning. I start walking and I’ve been walking for almost four hours. It’s about 5:45 a.m. and the sun is not up yet.

There’s light everywhere. It’s dawn and I can see the mountains and there’s these wispy clouds hanging around the mountains. And it’s stunning, but I’m still probably two to three miles away and I’ve only got about 15 minutes. I know I’ll never make it. And I’m just totally, completely discouraged.

I can’t describe this to you. There’s anger. There’s disappointment. There’s just all these emotions running through me. And about five minutes later, these headlights start coming up this dirt road that I’m walking. And my first thought, it was that the couple, and they changed their mind. But it’s a pickup truck and they didn’t have a pickup truck.

And so honest to God, Anthony, I stood in the middle of the road with my hands up. So, this guy was either going to run me over or stop. And obviously, he stopped because I’m still here and I ran to the front and I said, Hey, can you give me a lift just up the road to the lake? He said, sure, hop in. So, I threw my pack in the back, jumped in.

We drove up. I grabbed the pack. I said, thank you. I put it on my backpack, and I ran to the lake. I’m throwing stuff out of my pack. And again, most people don’t know this. You do. But I shoot a four by five camera. That’s what I use. And so, for people that don’t know what that is, imagine like the old cameras, like 150 years ago where people would get under a cloth and put plates in, that’s the camera.

So, I’ve got to put this whole thing together on a tripod and then get under a cloth and focus, do the light measurement, all that stuff, put the film in and then take the shot. So, I’m doing all this as fast as I can because the sun’s starting to hit the peaks. And it’s just, it’s unreal. It’s surreal.

I feel like I’m in a C.S. Lewis novel. It’s that stunning. And I pull the film out. I take a shot. I cover it up. I pull it back out. I turn it around because there’s a piece of film on each side of the slide. I take a second shot because that way I have two in case I don’t develop one of them correctly. And then I sat there, and I just started weeping for so many things, Anthony, like all the disappointment, all the anger of having spent seven days trying to get to this place, this spot to take this photograph and thinking I wasn’t going to be able to do it.

But God got me there and I participated with him, in him, and doing it. And what I saw was not only one of the most amazing sights I’ve ever seen in my life, but I was the only one that saw it literally on the planet of 8 billion people or however many people are on the planet. There was nobody else looking at this sunrise on the peaks of Torres del Paine that day. It was me and God. And I just started weeping. It was a worship experience that was unique. And I’ve had others like that. Maybe not quite as dramatic with the timing and all that stuff.

But that photograph has appeared in National Geographic, on the covers of books. It’s hanging in my house on the wall. It’s beautiful. It’s amazing. I’ve had people look at it and they go, it doesn’t look like a photograph, it looks like a painting. That tells you how surreal it looked, and it was stunning.

And so, like in nature, I could have answered your question in one minute instead of 15 with one word. It’s beauty. Beauty is what stirs my soul. I don’t know if it does to everybody else, but I think it’s universal. I think beauty is the thing that speaks to people, to human beings.

And when you look at the beauty of nature, the question then comes up, why is nature so unnecessarily beautiful? Cause it doesn’t have to be.

[00:22:34] Anthony: It doesn’t have to be. And it’s like our friend Brian Zahn says, beauty will save the world. And there’s nothing more beautiful than our Lord Jesus, and I just felt myself in gratitude that you had that moment. [“Beauty will save the world,” is originally a line from the novel, The Idiot, by Fyodor Dostoevsky.]

And I’m going to look up that photograph because that’s one on our bucket list, Patagonia.

Let’s transition to the lectionary passages that we have in front of us for this month. Our first one is Ephesians 4:1-16. I’m going to be reading from the New Revised Standard Version, the updated edition. It’s the Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 13 in Ordinary Time, August 4.

I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high, he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) 11 He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

John, what should we know? First, let me backtrack. We know that Scripture is pointing us into truth. And the fullness of truth, as Jesus himself said, is him. So how is the scripture teaching us about this one God and Father of all revealed in this section of scripture?

[00:25:30] John: Oh, man, can you say “loaded question” with me?

Yes, but a great question because this is such a great text. there’s so much here for me. There’s a couple things that I think popped out just on initial, casual reading. And then there’s more that pops out as I actually start thinking about what is being said.

So, for me, Anthony, what it reveals about the one God and Father, the first thing — and this may be like oversimplification, but I think it’s something that we shouldn’t take for granted because there’s a lot of people that don’t.

And that’s this. If what this is saying is true, which we both believe it is, God is for us. God is on our side. All of this stuff, he’s done for us. And I know, again, I grew up with the idea that God was — the vote was out on whether he was on your side or not. He was only on your side if you did what he wanted you to do, if you lived up to your end of the bargain, so to speak. And if you didn’t, if you disobeyed him, he wasn’t on your side. And I don’t see that here. He’s the one God and Father of all, of everyone, and he’s on our side. What he’s done is for everyone. I know there’s people who disagree with that kind of thinking, but that’s one of the things that I see in this text.

The other thing is what for me, it says there’s a — again, I’m trying to think of a good word here. The word that popped in my head was strategy, but God has an intention. This God has — I hesitate to say plan because I don’t know if an infinite being that’s always existed planned anything, if they’ve always known everything. But you know what I mean by using the word plan? He’s set things in motion.

For example, this phrase “the whole body joined and knit together by every ligament,” which is his equip as each part works properly, promotes the body’s growth, building itself up and low. Okay. Who designed that to work that way? God did.

And so, what we were talking about earlier, this is one of the passages that I think helped shape my thinking about when we do these discussions. Do we want an individual teacher, or do we want a panel of people? This passage is talking about the way it works is we’re like ligaments and we’re joined together.

And when we work together, this is what happens. We’re not in isolation. So, I wanted to try and see if we could do this. And for me, it’s just better than the way that I tried to learn and grow in my life as an individual. We were never meant to do it alone and that’s because this God is not alone.

He’s not an isolated individual, right? I hesitate to say he, but I don’t want to say it. God is Father, Son, and Spirit. He’s three persons. He’s a tri personal being. Relationship is at the core, not only of what God is, but of the way in which we live and grow and learn. And that tells me that he has something in mind, and it’s for our good because he’s good and this is the way it works.

And so those are a couple things that popped out to me right off the bat. But can I say something else real quick that’s not necessarily about the one God? It’s more about the way in which he does things. Because the whole text starts with an exhortation, almost a plea. I think there’s some translations, like the one we read actually says, beg. “I beg you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling to which you’ve been called.”

So, this whole text is about how we’re supposed to live in response to this God. And what I love about it is the way we’re supposed to live are the characteristics of this God, the way this God lives. He’s humble, he’s loving, he’s gentle, he’s patient. That’s him and he wants us to live like he does.

And I find that something that for much of my life was elusive because I was trying to get there as an individual. I wasn’t trying to get there through relationship. Does that make sense? It was me and God doing my own personal thing, my own spirituality. Thank you.

Whereas this whole text is going, no, that’s no, that just doesn’t work that way.

[00:31:36] Anthony: He’s the only God, but he’s not a lonely God. And that should be reflective in the way that we live. And as you alluded to, none of us can do it alone. None of us, and we need each other. And I think, theologically, it’s important for us to acknowledge that we belong to each other. There is just a togetherness.

And even listening to you testify about the goodness of God, that he is for us, it strengthens me, John. This is the way it works. Which brings me to the next question I want to ask you.

Paul talks about unity quite a bit —not unitarian, not one — unity amongst the many. Talk to us about that because in verse 3, we see that we already have the unity of the Spirit. We don’t have to somehow make that happen. It already is ours, but we work to maintain it. Why is it such an important topic to Paul and for us, do you think?

[00:32:20] John: I want to go back to what you just said, and I’m just going to tweak it a bit if that’s okay. And then you can tweak back.

We do have this unity. But unless we do what he says, we don’t experience this unity.

[00:32:39] Anthony: Sure.

[00:32:40] John: That’s the difference. Instead, again, I think in my life, I was trying to do things to somehow get this unity. When Paul says, it seems to me what Paul’s saying here is no, you already have it.

This is the truth of your being. This is the nature of who you are. But you need to live in right relationship with it, in harmony with it. And as you do, you’ll actually experience the truth of this, that it’s really true.

And I can’t tell you how much I’ve thought about, worked with, been beat up with, the very first word that comes off his pen, so to speak, or quill, whatever, is humility. I, that is not anybody in my tribe would have said.

If you would ask someone in the culture that I grew up, “Okay. What would be the most important thing you’d want to know about how I should live my life in a way that’s worthy of the calling that God has called me, invited me, and brought me into this relationship with Him? What would you say is the most important thing?” I would have said something like, I don’t know, tell other people, know God, obey him.

And the first thing Paul says is live with humility. And I was stunned by that as a young man because I think humility was elusive to me as a young man.

I got to tell you this story too really quick. I’m sitting in Bible college. I’m a senior. I’m almost done. It’s last semester. I don’t remember the class. I remember the teacher; I remember where I was sitting. And we were sitting in a little desk, one of those things where the arm folds down so you flip it up and you can put your notes or whatever so you can write. And I had it flipped up, and I don’t even know what the guy was talking about, but I remember in my mind, sitting in the class — there’s probably 60, 70 students in this class — and I think, silent prayer, God, I want to be a humble man.

And as soon as I said it, this question popped in my head, and it was: why? And in a moment of unguarded honesty, like I didn’t have my guard up, I went, so that other people will know that I’m humble. And when I realized what I had just thought in this little kind of mini conversation, my head. I literally just crumpled over and put my head on my desk.

And I said, I am so screwed up. You have no concept of what humility is. I want to be humble so other people think I’m humble. That was me at 22 after four years of Bible college.

So, I’ve worked with this a lot or God’s been working in it, in me a lot, and I feel like one of the things that draws me to Jesus is his humility.

I think of Matthew 11, “Come to me all you who labor are heavy laden, I’ll give you rest, take my yoke upon, learn of me, because I am meek, I’m humble, I’m lowly of heart.” It’s not, I’m great, I’m powerful, I’m super intelligent. No, I’m humble, I’m gentle.

And that’s a complete upside down way of looking at life for me. And the thing that’s great about it, Anthony, is that it’s true. It’s beautiful. And it works.

[00:36:55] Anthony: It does. And it does.

[00:36:56] John: Even though it’s upside down.

[00:36:58] Anthony: Yeah. And it brings about unity. I think of John 13, Jesus walks into the room. Scripture tells us that all authority is his heaven on earth. Not to put it in the modern-day vernacular, but that’s what I’m doing. He’s large and in charge and he knows it.

And so, every eye in the room is on him when he walks in. So, what does he do? He quietly and with great humility gets up from his reclining place and washes his disciples’ feet. This is what Jesus does because this is who he is. God can only do what he is. And therefore, unity is brought about with great humility. And I’m just so grateful that our Lord.

So, whenever we talk about humility, bringing about you unity, we don’t have to work something up. That is just an example for Jesus isn’t just an example. He abides in us. So, by the power of the Spirit, humility can actually flourish —hallelujah, praise God — and bring about this unity we desire.

Hey, we’ve got a transition to our next pericope for the month. It is Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 14 in Ordinary Time on August 11.

John, I’d be grateful if you’d read it, please.

[00:38:18] John: Absolutely.

So then, putting away falsehood, let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not make room for the devil. 28 Those who steal must give up stealing; rather, let them labor, doing good work with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. 29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

[00:39:27] Anthony: John, you’re a preacher teacher, and I want to give you a chance to preach. If you were focusing on this gospel declaration, what would you zoom in on? And let’s go ahead and add that second question that I wanted to share and ask with you about grieving the Holy Spirit.

What would you talk about with the congregation?

[00:39:47] John: Yeah. Great congregation. Great another great text. In fact, the second half of Ephesians that we’re reading is awesome. Thanks for giving me this passage. This is awesome.

If I’m going to preach this — and I’m not a preacher — but if I were to preach it, I’d call my sermon, “Be imitators of God.” Because that’s like the end but then he describes what he means by that. And that’s what’s been going on is this description of what it means to imitate God, to walk worthy of your calling.

And in a phrase for me, Anthony, it’s walk in love as Christ loved us. But I walk in love because I am a beloved child. In other words, the love doesn’t initiate with me. It initiates with him. It’s like what John said. We love him because he first loved us. So, because I’m a beloved child, live this way, live in love.

And what does that look like? It looks like kindness, tenderness, and gentleness and forgiveness, not just forgiveness, but forgiveness like God has forgiven, which means I don’t bring it back. I don’t I don’t step on your throat again when it comes back up.

That’s where I would want to spend time. I’d want to talk about what does it look like to live a life of love? Love, it’s an overworked word, and it’s used with such, I think, commonness that we don’t really think about how powerful it is. You mentioned Brian Zahn said beauty will save the world. And Brian and I have had this discussion and I always go, beauty slash love, because we talk about that a lot.

So that’s where I would go. I’m not going to preach it. That’s where I would go if I were to preach it.

As far as grieving the Holy Spirit, and again, for me, contextually, immediately, the immediate phrases around it have to do with what’s coming out of our mouth, with the way that we speak and talk and relate to one another.

And if we do this with bitterness and wrath and anger and slander and malice, this grieves the Spirit of God. God doesn’t do things like that. Also notice it doesn’t say this makes the Spirit of God want to punish you. It doesn’t say that, although that’s the theology I grew up with. It says it grieves him, it breaks his heart, and I’ve had my heart broken, I’m sure you have too, and I don’t ever want to experience that again.

And so, when I think about things that I say or do, if I’m living in a life that’s not loving toward others, it’s breaking his heart. And that actually says something to me. It moves me. I don’t want to break his heart. I don’t. And when I realize that it does — and again, I realize I’m, like you said, using popular vernacular here, but that’s how I think of it. It helps me avoid and pay attention to the exhortation to live in love. And forgive as he forgave me.

[00:43:31] Anthony: I appreciate you putting it in its context because as we like to say a biblical text without a context is a pretext to a proof text, right? And I’ve done it; I’ve proof texted before. And the entire context is Jesus.

And you’re talking about grieving the Holy Spirit and avoiding speaking with bitterness, wrath, anger, wrangling, and so on, immediately what came to my mind was our Lord on the cross. And if anyone had the divine right, so to speak, to speak with bitterness, it would have been Jesus in that moment. But his words, “Our Father, forgive them.” And all our wrongheadedness being brought to bear in that moment, and yet he speaks such words of tenderness and love and forgiveness.

And this is why even when we come to the Scriptures, yes, we speak of theology, but it starts with Christology. Who is this Christ and what has he said? And that’s what he says. And I think that’s our way forward, that we do the same, even in the face of a world that wants to speak bitterness and wrath, right?

[00:44:52] John: Absolutely.

Just think about the movies you watch and how much vengeance is the key motive in the plot.

[00:44:59] Anthony: That’s right. We’re so punitive. Yeah.

[00:45:01] John: Yeah. And what you were saying, I agree with so much, Anthony. And all of that is in the first half of this letter; we’re not reading that, but he’s already laid that down for us. This is all about Jesus. He’s the foundation. And yeah, I would just encourage people that if you’re listening to what we’re saying, go back and read the first couple chapters of the letter, what we call chapters. And you’ll see what Anthony’s talking about the Christology.

[00:45:37] Anthony: Oh my gosh, just sweeping text, sweeping!

All right. Our third passage of the month is Ephesians 5:15-20. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 15 and Ordinary Time, which is August 18. And it reads,

Be careful, then, how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to one another, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

So, John, what does it mean to make the most of the time since these days are evil? Help us understand.

[00:46:36] John: I’m not sure I can, but I’ll give it a shot.

[00:46:39] Anthony: Sure.

[00:46:40] John: What I can tell you — I’m better at telling you what it doesn’t mean, what I used to think it meant. We used to use this text as a proof text, as you just mentioned, for why we should be out telling everybody about Jesus all day long because time’s running out. People need to know, blah, blah, blah, whatever.

It’s nowhere in the context of anything that’s being talked about here, but what is in the context, what Paul has been saying, in fact, what he started this with was, “I beg you, live a life in a manner that’s worthy of the calling that you’ve been called with.”

What does it mean to make the most of the time? It means to live that way. In a manner that’s worthy. Don’t waste your time. Can you drink wine? Yeah. But don’t waste it by getting drunk. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Make the most of your time because the opportunity to live a life of love is now.

It’s not next year. It’s not next month. It’s not when you die and blah blah go to heaven. It’s now, because we bear witness to this fact and on top of all of it, if we haven’t gotten this yet from the passages we’ve already read, if you’re a pragmatist, this is actually the way it works. If you can waste the opportunities and then you’re going to blame God — and I’ve done that and I’ve had friends do that. And what ends up happening is bitterness starts to sink in and get a hold of us.

These are all the things that he’s been talking about. So, I think the will — let me put it this way, Anthony. Again, I’ll try and make it more concise. He says, understanding what the will of the Lord is, we know what that is. He already told us that a couple paragraphs earlier. The wisdom comes in actually living this way. Instead of wasting my time and choosing to live a different way. And if for no other reason you can say to your pragmatist friend, it actually works There’s better reasons than that.

Obviously. I think that’s my shot at it. Yours,

[00:49:09] Anthony: I think you’ve said it. And I like what you just said, you can get to the most basic pragmatic level, and hey, we’ve got to start somewhere. But this is the life, again going back to what you said, this is who God is; he’s not wasting time. He wastes beauty on us, but he’s not wasting time. He’s the lord of it.

He’s redeeming it, and man, we want to get in on what he’s doing! John, for me, this walk with the Lord is often really just growing in my awareness by the Spirit, of what he’s doing and just hitching my ride to him. And it looks like this. It looks like this, and by the way, he says sing psalms and hymns.

So, are you ready to sing live for us for our listening audience? No

[00:50:00] John: No. Not going to happen.

[00:50:02] Anthony: Come on, John.

[00:50:04] John: That would not minister grace to you.

[00:50:09] Anthony: Okay. Fair enough. Fair enough.

Let’s pivot to our final passage because there’s a lot here to get to. It’s Ephesians 6:10-20. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 16 and Ordinary Time, which is August 25.

John, we’d be grateful if you’d read it.

[00:50:26] John:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power; 11 put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, 12 for our struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand, therefore, and belt your waist with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness 15 and lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

[00:51:45] Anthony: Amen. Verse 12, I’m quoting it, “for our struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Help us to consider, make an attempt, what the Spirit is inspiring here to be written, within the context of “the strength of his power,” when Paul begins or how Paul begins this pericope. I think it’s important to have that context. What’s going on here?

[00:52:20] John: All right. I’ll give it a shot. But part of this one, Anthony, because I think the context is actually back in the pericope where he’s talking about submission, and he brings up husbands and wives and the church and all that stuff.

And so, I think there’s a continuity between this mutual submission idea and the armor of God. And that’s where strength lies. Strength lies in mutually submitting to God and to one another. Like we didn’t look at that passage, but it’s there. It’s in between the two that we did read.

So, I think that’s the immediate context. I also like the fact that Paul used — it would be like you and I using computers to illustrate something that is true or real in our life. And we make an illustration out of it. And he, I think that’s what he’s doing here.

He’s picking up something that everybody’s familiar with, the armor of a soldier that everybody knows. Most of that world is occupied by Roman soldiers. And you look at him and say, yeah you want to protect, guard you with these things, but this isn’t something that you provide for yourself, and I think that’s important. I think that’s key.

What he’s telling us to do is to experience it. Put it on. He didn’t say make it. He didn’t say create it. He didn’t say polish it, develop it. He just said put it on. You have it. It’s there, and what is this that I’m putting on? It’s this perspective of submission to what the will of the Lord is in my relationship with him and with each other.

That makes sense to me. That’s not the way I learned it. Like I said, that’s why I said give it a shot. I’ll stop. Your thoughts?

[00:54:32] Anthony: Yeah, I like the fact that you brought in chapter 5 as context. And I heard you say earlier, “what we call chapters.” It’s a letter, right? I mean it helps us read it in the modern day, but boy oh boy, to isolate individual scriptures, which is so what we do and build a whole dogmatic statement. I think it gets us in so much trouble.

And you’ve talked and you’ve alluded to several times having to unlearn things. I’ve had to do the same. I grew up in a legalistic environment, had to unlearn so much because I thought God was aloof. And he was over in his corner, and I was fine because if he came over to my corner, he’d see all the wrongdoing and he wouldn’t want to hang out with me anyway.

So, when we think about unlearning. Let’s take it down to this whole armor of God perspective. What might be still lingering in people’s minds and hearts that they would have to unlearn? And I know it’s, again, it’s an attempt, but anything stand out where people have used this in a way that just falls short of the goodness and glory of God?

[00:55:49] John: Oh man, we could go with this in a lot of different dimensions. Yeah, here’s one because the metaphor is of a soldier and the armor that the soldier wears.

[00:56:03] Anthony: Yes.

[00:56:04] John: We immediately think that it’s a violent task, a warring task, and it is a war task, but it’s not a warring task against another person.

It’s against these powers; this evil one. It’s not another human being. But yeah. Again, you asked me about unlearning. The way it was always presented to me was stand up against this person, condemn this action, condemn this statement whatever, whether you’re talking about politics, but it usually becomes a moral issue.

And I’m not saying that it’s not that morality is not involved here, but I don’t think that’s the primary thing that’s going on. That’s why I went back to chapter 5. I think the primary thing is this living in submission. But that would be one thing is our tendency to violence with something like this.

The other thing I already mentioned was our tendency to think that we somehow create this armor or make the armor better by how we improve or what we do. There’s none of that here. It’s just, you’ve made too much of this, just put it on. Live a life that’s worthy of the calling.

And look at the things that he’s telling you to put on. Has he not talked about these things earlier in this letter? Truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, these are all there.

That’s a couple things that I would say that I’m still unlearning. Because the problem with learning something a certain way for me, Anthony, especially when it’s the first time you learn something, it never really goes away.

It’s like your default button. It’s always there and you can always go back to it because it was the first time you heard it. And I have to remind myself or listen to the Spirit reminding me.

I loved what you said earlier that your life is becoming more and more of just simply trying to listen and hear and become aware of what God is doing so that you can participate in it. You can be a part of it.

I think that’s much closer to what life actually is supposed to look like than the way we typically do it. I’m going to get myself girded up. I can tell you, I can remember youth sermons, and the title of the sermon was, Gird Yourself Up. And again, I get it because Paul has said, put this on.

But the emphasis was all about what you do, and you make this happen. And I’m like, yeah, I tried that, and it didn’t work.

[00:58:58] Anthony: That’s right. And we have a bent toward violence. And this is why it’s so important to know the context is Jesus the Christ, because you can read the Old Testament and get so askew of who God is because of the violence we see there.

But it’s the same God in Jesus Christ that told Peter to put down his sword. It is the same God nonviolent at the cross. This is the God revealed in Jesus Christ and man, there is so much unlearning that goes on with that. And that’s why we keep coming back to the gospel. And this is why we bear testimony, bear witness to it because it is so easy to go back to the default setting of retribution

And this is not a God who is of retributive justice. He’s redemptive justice. He redeems things. And so it’s so important to look to him as we talk about what can be abuse, to look like a very aggressive, violent thing toward other people. But that’s not the God revealed in Jesus. It’s just not.

The beauty is as we share these gospel texts, we have listeners all around the globe that are preaching and teaching, and they’re Bible students. And it’s so interesting how, when I give a sermon, I think this is the point and somebody has heard something else that has been inspired for them. And that’s the beauty of this.

And so, I think there’s a lot that’s good news that we’ve already talked about. Thank you for being with us, John. You are a beloved child of God. You’re fearfully, wonderfully made in his image and likeness. And it’s a joy to know you as a brother, keep doing what you’re doing.

And I want to thank our podcast team. They do such a great job. As we talked about in these passages of Ephesians, nobody can do it alone. I can’t do it alone. Reuel Enerio is just a terrific podcast producer. He’s a digital content creator. My wife, Elizabeth, does the transcript so you can read every word that John said and hold him in account, call him up.

And I’m just so grateful that you’re here, John. And as is our tradition on Gospel Reverb, we like to close in prayer. And I’d invite you to say a word of praise for us.

[01:01:14] John: Absolutely. Before I do that, Anthony, thank you for having me and I’m honored and privileged to be able to do it and talk about it. I’m always stunned when someone says, “John, what do you think about this?” And really, you want to know what I think about this. So, thank you very much.

Let’s pray.

Father, you are good and you’re good all the time. You know no other way of being; you can’t be any other way. And for that, we need to be reminded.

And so thank you for reminding us this morning through these texts of your goodness, your love, your humility, your gentleness, your kindness, your forgiveness — all of these things. And the way that you treat us, the way you relate to us, all of us, you don’t show favoritism or prejudice towards anyone. This is true for everybody, and I’m so grateful that it’s true for me, and I’m learning it.

And I pray that you’ll take our words this morning, take your text, and as Anthony prayed earlier at the beginning, that what we need to hear, each of us, the Spirit, you would take that, and just remind us. Don’t let us go until we get it, pound us, and the ones that we’re doing well in, ah, sometimes we need some encouragement. And so, help us with that, as well to know that this is a good thing. Keep going.

We are so grateful that you not only offer us direction and guidance like this in our lives, but you provide it. So, we trust you. We worship you. We love you. And we thank you for today, in Jesus’ great name.

[01:03:06]Anthony: Amen.


Thank you for being a guest of Gospel Reverb. If you like what you heard, give us a high rating, and review us on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast content. Share this episode with a friend. It really does help us get the word out as we are just getting started. Join us next month for a new show and insights from the RCL. Until then, peace be with you!

Missional Formation w/ Cara Garrity

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In this episode of the GCPodcast, we explore elements of missional formation. Host Cara Garrity guides us through principles and reflective practices to embrace our calling as Christ’s ambassadors. Join us on this exploration of missional formation, as we embark on a journey of living out God’s mission in our daily lives.

“We are living sent in our everyday lives. And what do we do in our everyday lives? We live, we work, we play. Where do we spend our time that we do not even necessarily pay particular attention to? If we did start paying particular attention, we would start to listen and hear the Spirit’s voice and see what God is doing. And so how do we begin to see God at work everywhere we go? And how do we proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom of an extraordinary king in ordinary moments, wherever we live, wherever we work, and wherever we play?” — Cara Garrity

Reflective Exercises:
• Mediate on John 20:19-22 13:58
o Imagine yourself seeing and touching the hands and side of Jesus. What comes up for you?
o Receive the breath of Jesus – the Holy Spirit. Notice your response.
o Hear Jesus saying the words “as the Father has sent me, I am sending you” to you. How does this feel?

• Guided reflection towards missional LIVING
o Live – Work – Play 17:11
1. Where are the places you live, work, and play?
2. How can you nurture meaningful relationships in these places?
3. If you do not live in your church neighborhood, how might you be able to create an intentional space of live, work, or play in the neighborhood?
o BELLS 17:56
1. Which of these is most natural for you? Most challenging?
2. What would it look like to consistently practice one of these over the next month?
3. How do you want to respond to God’s invitation to form missional rhythms in the places you live, work, and play?

• Guided reflection on our formation in mission 18:27
o What joys and what fears come to mind when I think about living a sent life?
o What do I have to gain as Jesus forms me in his likeness and mission? What might I have to surrender?
o Who has God made me to be? What gifts, passions, quirks, stories, scars, triumphs is he revealing in me? How might the Spirit use who I am personally to form me in mission?

Resources:

  • Missional Living – a Church Hack that outlines the BELLS framework for everyday missional habits.
  • Surprise the World – by Michael Frost is a book that encourages believers to live out their faith in practical ways through five habits, BELLS.
  • Place-sharing series – a video series that explores the concept of place-sharing, highlighting its significance in fostering intentional relationships with neighbors, and examines its alignment with Jesus’ ministry principles.


Follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcast.

Program Transcript


Missional Formation w/ Cara Garrity

Cara: Welcome to GCPodcast, a podcast to help you develop into the healthiest ministry leader you can be by sharing practical ministry experience. Today, we will be exploring some elements of missional formation. So, go on ahead and settle in. Maybe ground yourself with your feet on the floor, take a couple of deep breaths and invite the Holy Spirit to make this a time of transformation for us.

Let me start us off with a word of prayer.

Loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we thank you for your presence with us. We thank you that you are a God that wants to be known. We thank you that you are a God that invites us into your ministry and mission of making yourself known. We ask you, God, that you would make us tender to be molded and shaped by you, that you would give us willing hearts to be made more into your likeness, to be made more into who you have always meant us to be, God.

We thank you that you are so faithful to guide us, to transform us, to make us new, and to draw us into your very life. We ask your blessing over this time as we reflect and meditate and invite you into our contemplation of what it means to be formed missionally. We ask you, Holy Spirit, to do your work within us; surprise us, do more than we could ever imagine.

We thank you that you are so faithful for your work to be complete. We pray this in your wonderful and your glorious name. Amen.

So first, I want to take a minute to just explore a little bit what it even means to live missionally. That might be a buzzword we are used to hearing if we have been around in the church community for any amount of time.

Let us dig a little bit deeper into what does that look like? What can it look like? Where do we even get that from? What might that mean for us?

I want to look in the Gospel of Matthew. After Jesus’s resurrection, we read in the Gospel of Matthew that he came to his disciples.

In Matthew 28:16-20, we read this.

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Amen.

This is what has come to be known as the Great Commission, where we as disciples are sent by Jesus on his disciple making mission.

In this English translation, the phrase “therefore go” in the ancient language has a little bit more of this sense of an ongoing action. As we make disciples, there is a sense of we’re living sent. It is a way of being more than just a series of isolated actions.

We are being called to be the sent people of a sending God. Remember, even Jesus himself was the Son of God sent to us, the word of God made flesh to dwell among us. We are called to be the sent people of a sending God.

In his book, Surprise the World, The Five Habits of Highly Missional People, Michael Frost suggests five habits that might open us to the missional formation by the Spirit. I want to read an excerpt for you right here where he talks about these missional habits and how we might think of these habits in participating in Jesus’s mission. He writes this.

Sometimes called missional rhythms or missional practices, missional habits are those habits we foster in our lives that in turn shape our missional outlook. by missional I mean all that we do and say that alerts others to the reign of God.

South African missiologist David Walsh wrote, “Mission is more than and different from recruitment to our brand of religion; it is the alerting of people to the universal reign of God through Christ.” In other words, mission derives from the reign of God. In that respect, the ideas of our mission and God’s kingdom are irrevocably linked. Mission is both the announcement and the demonstration of the reign of God through Christ.

Let me say that again. Mission is both the announcement and the demonstration of the reign of God through Christ.

These five habits that he suggests may open us up to the formation of a missional way of living. Summed up in an acronym, “bells,” B-E-L-L-S.

Now the B stands for bless. What that means is to bless others. There are a lot of diverse ways to bless others. A word of affirmation, an act of kindness fulfilling a need, being a tangible blessing to another person, to a neighbor. And particularly with this habit, we are called, challenged to think beyond the confines beyond the walls of our church community only.

The E stands for eat. That speaks to hospitality, to the spending of quality time with another, to coming around the table and breaking bread, getting to know one another, and sharing in that company. And again, with this we are surrendering to being formed a missionary. So, while it’s wonderful to break bread with those in our church community, we are in these missional habits also challenged to think about and to embody the habit of eating with those outside of the walls of our church community.

Our first L is listen, and this is exhortation, an encouragement to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit, to find those consistent times where you sit in stillness, where you sit in meditation and reflection, where you sit with the word of God, maybe in nature, where you take a prayer walk.

Whatever that looks like for you, season to season, each week to each week. But how are we sitting? How are we being still? How are we pausing, stepping aside from the day-to-day rhythms to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit? What is God doing? What is he saying to us? What is he showing us? What is he doing in our very midst, within us and through us?

He is an active God. Let us listen for his voice.

The second L is learning Christ. Now this is a deep embodied, holistic learning of Christ. This goes beyond knowing some facts or fancy theological terms. But this is talking about the whole-person discipleship, being formed into Christ likeness, learning Christ as in knowing him with your entire being and growing more and more deeply into his life and his person, being drawn into him, being formed into his likeness as a disciple. Learning Christ, not just with our minds, but with our minds, our hearts, our souls, our bodies. Learning Christ to be like him.

The S is sent. This S for sent is meant to be an encouragement to consistently reflect and even tangibly journal the ways that we have been living sent, the ways that that week we have alerted our community, our neighbors, our friends, our family, to the reign of God through Jesus.

How did I live sent today? How did I live sent this week, this month? What did that look like?

And the idea of this phrase, formational habit, is that as we reflect on that, we begin to identify more and more what that looks like, what it looks like for us. And to be shaped into people who proclaim and demonstrate the gospel, the reign of Jesus Christ as second nature.

We see that as we are formed and as we surrender to being formed in mission through various habits, this BELLS framework is a helpful one that we may consider — less, eat, listen, learn, and sent.

A second guide that I want to propose to us today is a simple phrase that we will think about is where. Where are we sent? Where do we practice these habits? Where do we live missionally? Where we live, where we work, and where we play.

Remember Matthew 28:19-20.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Amen.

We are living sent, and it is an ongoing action, and so we are living sent in our everyday lives. And what do we do in our everyday lives? We live, we work, we play. Where are our typical rhythms? Where do we spend our time? Who do we spend our time with?

Where do we spend our time that we do not even necessarily pay particular attention to that if we did start paying particular attention to, we would start to listen and hear the Spirit’s voice and see what God is doing? And so how do we begin to see God at work everywhere we go? And how do we proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom of an extraordinary king in ordinary moments, wherever we live, wherever we work, and wherever we play?

[00:13:29] Now I want us to dive into a couple of reflective exercises. As we explore and continue together to surrender ourselves to missional formation to say, yes, Jesus, you have sent us, continue to form me as a sent person. Continue to give me and make me feet that are willing to go.

The first thing I want us to do is meditate on the passage, John 20:19-22. This passage we find in the Gospel of John, again after Jesus’ resurrection, when he comes to the disciples, and he sends them. Meditate on this passage with me.

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

As you reflect on this passage, I want you to pause this podcast, as much time as you want, to reflect, to meditate on these questions, but imagine yourself seeing, touching the hands inside of Jesus just as these disciples did. What comes up for you?

Read this passage or hear this passage again and receive the breath of Jesus, the Holy Spirit. Notice. What is your response? And hear Jesus saying the words, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” to you. How does that feel?

So once more.

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Now I want to invite you into reflecting through these two frameworks that we were introduced to today. Explore what they could look like in your own life to begin practicing them and experiencing what it might mean in your life, for your formation.

[00:17:11] Let us return to this concept of where we live, work, and play as the places where we are sent — our ordinary everyday spaces and places, rhythms, our ordinary and everyday lives.

Where are the places that you live and work and play? How can you nurture meaningful relationships in these places? How have you nurtured meaningful relationships in these places? And then if you do not live in your church neighborhood, how might you be able to create an intentional space of live or work or play in that neighborhood?

[00:17:56] And then bells, B-E-L-L-S, bless, eat, listen, learn, sent. Which of these is most natural for you? Which is most challenging? What would it look like to consistently practice one of these over the next month? How do you want to respond to God’s invitation to form missional rhythms in your everyday life?

[00:18:27] And finally, I have three more questions of reflection for us. And again, please pause this podcast, take as much time as you need to reflect, to pray, to journal, to doodle, as you consider these questions and surrender yourself to the work of the Spirit and transformation and formation into Christ’s loving mission for all his people.

What joys and fears come to mind when I think about living a sent life? What joys and fears come to mind when I think about living a sent life? What do I have to gain as Jesus forms me in his likeness and mission? What might I have to surrender? Who has God made me to be? What gifts, passions, quirks, stories, scars, triumphs are He revealing in me? How might the Spirit use who I am personally to form me in mission?

I want to wrap up today with a prayer of blessing over all of us. This prayer is written by Ted Loder and is from his book of prayers, Gorillas of Grace, Prayers for the Battle. This prayer is titled, “Teach Me Your Ways.”

Teach me Your ways, Lord,
that I may come down from my heights
and be open to the same Spirit
who moved over the face of the waters in the first day of creation
and moves also over the chaos of this time
to fashion a day like this,
a world like ours,
a life like mine,
a kingdom acting as leaven in the bread of earth.

And make me aware of the miracles of life,
of warm and cold,
of starkness and order,
of screaming wind and impenetrable silences,
and of the unfathomable mystery of amazing grace
in which I am kept.

Teach me Your ways, Lord,
that I may praise You
for all the surprising, ingenious ways You bless me,
and for all the wondrous gifts You give me,
along with all the pain and joy I sustain.

Teach me Your ways, Lord,
that I may accept my own talent openly,
nurture it hopefully,
develop it faithfully,
and give it freely.

Teach me Your ways, Lord,
that I may love Your kindness
and practice it toward the hungry of the world,
the poor and sick, and oppressed,
that I may learn the healing humility that comes from You.

Teach me Your ways, Lord,
so that my heart is flooded with Your mercy—
emptying it of what makes it firmly opposed to Your ways,
so that it beats more in rhythm with You
and pounds greatly for Your kingdom. Amen.
Lord Jesus, teach us your ways that we may live as your sent people.


Thank you for listening to this episode of GCPodcast. We hope you found this time valuable. We would love to hear from you. Email us at info@gci.org with your suggestions or feedback. And remember, healthy churches start with healthy leaders. So, invest in yourself and in your leaders.

Sermon for August 4, 2024 – Proper 13

Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.

Program Transcript


Speaking Of Life 3036 | Having Only A Natural Relationship With A Supernatural God
Michelle Fleming

Imagine the greatest chef of all time was cooking for you, and all you asked for was a bowl of cereal. Or that the most profound singer of the ages was performing a concert just for you, and you only wanted to hear them sing “happy birthday.” Sounds ridiculous right? You would never settle for so little from someone who could offer you so much. So why do we often seek only temporary comforts from a God that offers us eternal life? In John 6, a group of people made the mistake of asking Jesus for too little.

So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:30-35 (NIV)        

In this passage, Jesus engaged the group of people he amazingly fed with a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread — a miracle we often refer to as the feeding of the 5,000. The crowd was now following Jesus, not because they believed he was the Son of God or the Messiah, but because they wanted more bread. Imagine having the Creator God standing before you, with all of his power and glory, and asking him for bread! It seems absurd, yet we do it all the time. We do it every time we limit ourselves to only a natural relationship with a
supernatural God.

It is easy to focus on our perceived physical needs like healing, financial intervention, and safety. God cares about our physical needs and often blesses us in tangible ways.
However, many of his greatest blessings are not physical but spiritual — things like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are true treasures that await us as children of a supernatural God; gifts that are eternal. Yet far too often, we ask for earthly trinkets that will fade and not be remembered.

Jesus told the crowd that he was the bread of life and the source of gifts that will never fade. He mercifully met them where they were and tried to help them understand that he could do so much more than satisfy their physical hunger. We should strive to avoid the mistake of trying to have only a natural relationship with a supernatural God. In his infinite mercy, God offers us more than we even know for which to ask. Therefore, we should not ask for too little, but seek God for his treasures which are ours in Jesus Christ.

I am Michelle Fleming, Speaking of Life.

Psalm 51:1-12 · 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a · Ephesians 4:1-16 · John 6:24-35

We continue in Ordinary Time in our liturgical calendar, and this week’s theme is growing in Christ. Today’s readings explore what happens when we are brought face-to-face with our sins, why humility is essential for repentance, and how our interactions should reflect the unified mind of Christ. Psalm 51 is David’s lament over his using his power and position to impregnate Bathsheba and subsequent arranged murder of Uriah, and 2 Samuel recounts the prophet Nathan’s confrontation with David about these events, resulting in his repentance. In John 6, Jesus tells the disciples that he is the “bread of life,” the one who will sustain them and enable them to live a life of love toward themselves and others despite the shortcomings, hurts, and disappointments that are part of living in the world. The sermon text comes from Ephesians 4:1-16 where Paul continues to explore how we are unified in Christ and how that unity impacts the way we live our lives.

When You Know That You Don’t Know

Ephesians 4:1-16 (NRSVUE)

If anyone here has ever had a dog, have you noticed how your dog wants to smell every tree trunk, fire hydrant, and bush? [wait for responses] Dogs are known for their keen sense of smell. You’ve also probably read that while dogs have better night vision and motion detection than us, they can’t see color like humans because of the lack of cones in their retinas. However, dogs have lungs, hearts, livers, and intestines that work like ours do, and both dogs and humans care for their offspring and possess survival instincts.

This is connected to the concept called “umwelt” [pronounced oom-velt]. The term was coined in 1909 by the zoologist Jakob von Uexkull, and animal behavior scientists use it to talk about the way every animal has its own “highly specific kind of ‘sensory bubble.’” Even though we understand the similarities between humans and dogs, none of us can argue that we perceive the world the same way our dog sees the world because we do not have the same “highly specific sensory bubble.” We have different umwelt.

This is also true of individuals. In our case, we have different personalities, experiences, education, and families of origin that affect the way we perceive the world. While we might think that we have a firm grasp on reality (sometimes called “absolute truth”), our experience of reality is limited based on our individual umwelt. Our limitations are revealed each time we learn something new about the world because our new understanding shows that reality is bigger than what we once knew. We come face-to-face with knowing that we don’t know everything.

This can be problematic for Christians who have sometimes made absolute truth (or reality) the cornerstone of our salvation rather than Christ. And as we’ve seen in the first three chapters of Ephesians, Jesus Christ has removed the barriers between Jew and Gentile, offering a new identity and covenant to all people and establishing himself, the Living Word, as the cornerstone of our salvation and the unifier of all people.

Our sermon text for today provides ideas for expressing our unified identity in Christ. Let’s read Ephesians 4:1-16 together.

The Context of Ephesians 4:1-16

Some commentaries refer to this passage as the beginning of the “moral” section of Ephesians. Chapters 1-3 discuss the theological doctrine regarding unity in Christ while chapters 4-6 talk about how the lives of Christians should express this unity. Our sermon text shares in broad strokes how the lives of believers convey the reality of our inclusion in the life of the Trinity and the divine dance of love.

Because Ephesus was home to the great temple of Artemis, Paul made a critical point in Ephesians 2:21-22 about the status of believers as a new, holy temple:

In [Christ] the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. (Ephesians 2:21-22, NRSVUE)

As a new temple, Paul is saying that both Jewish and Gentile believers must jettison the old mindset and practices and live into the new relationship of love: receiving love from the Divine and expressing love to the Divine by our conduct in all areas of life. The unified life in Christ requires concrete action; after all, we live in bodies that need care. Paul identifies essential traits of a unified life in Christ in v. 1-3:

I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3, NRSVUE)

When human beings express their relationship in the unity of Christ, their lives will reflect humility, patience, and a broader perspective. Paul also explains where humility, patience, and a broader perspective come from in v. 4-7:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (Ephesians 4:4-7, NRSVUE)

The oneness emphasized in v. 4-7 comes from the grace gifted to us by our inclusion in Christ Jesus as part of the triune relationship. Let’s look at some of today’s practical expressions of our identity in the unified Christ in terms of our interaction with others.

Interaction with those from other faiths

Theologian and author Brian McClaren tells the story of how he learned about Islam through getting acquainted with a Muslim family in his apartment building when he was a newlywed. His brother-in-law decided to fill their bathroom with balloons while McClaren and his wife Grace were on their honeymoon. When they arrived at their new apartment for the first time around midnight, they could barely get the bathroom door open because of the balloons. Because it was so late, they didn’t want to pop all the balloons and wake up their neighbors, so they managed to pull them out, one by one, creating an ankle-deep layer of balloons throughout their apartment, just so they could use the bathroom and then deal with the balloons in the morning. The next day, McClaren met one of his upstairs neighbors – an eight-year-old boy named Aatif whose family was originally from Iran. “Hey, Aatif, do you like balloons?” he asked the boy. “Sure,” the boy said. “Come with me,” McClaren told him. And when he opened the door to reveal the balloons covering the apartment floor, Aatif took one look and then raced off. He returned a few minutes later with a stream of siblings, each one taking as many balloons as they could hold and then coming back for a second and third load.

McClaren got to know Aatif’s mother, Liza, who was probably less excited about the balloons than the kids were. McClaren calls Aatif his first Muslim friend, and he writes about it this way: “My brain was filled with the same ignorant stereotypes about Islam and Muslims that many Americans share today. Liza and Aatif reeducated me. They helped me know Muslims as my neighbors, my friends, human beings who struggled with the same mice and cockroaches that Grace and I did in that grimy little apartment building.” Later, McClaren’s thoughts about how to interact with those of other faiths were further challenged by one of his mentors: “Remember, Brian, in a pluralistic world, a religion is judged by the benefits it brings to its nonmembers” (p. 40).

McClaren began asking important questions of himself and his faith:

Why is deep commitment to Christian faith so deeply linked with aversion to all other faiths? When Christians claim that Jesus is the only way, what do they mean, and does that mean that other religions must be opposed as frauds, mistakes, delusions, or distractions? Can one wholeheartedly love and trust Jesus as Lord and Savior without hating – or at least opposing – the Buddha, Mohammed, Lao Tzu, or Confucius? Does sincere faith in the uniqueness and universality of Jesus Christ require one to see other faiths as false, dangerous, or even demonic? …Shouldn’t it be possible to have a strong Christian identity that is strongly benevolent toward people of other faiths, accepting them, not in spite of the religion they love, but with the religion they love? (p. 32)

In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes about being “in Christ” as being identified with all creation, a new creation:

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSVUE)

So, if we are unified with Christ, we are one in a way that “transcends and…includes all the smaller ‘us’ and ‘other’ groups” (McClaren p. 48). We no longer feel responsible to change others because we understand, as theologian and author Jerad Byas points out in his book, Love Matters More: How Fighting to Be Right Keeps Us From Loving Like Jesus, that love does matter more. By understanding the existence of our biases toward other faiths and what our responsibility is as Christ followers, we can respond from a unified and loving mindset.

This in no way takes away from Jesus’ words that he is the way, the truth, and the light; this is trusting that God, in his mercy and grace, can reach through any religion and belief. This is trusting that God has a plan, knows what he is doing, and is not willing that any should perish. This is acknowledging that it is our job to reach out to others in love, to accept them where they are, to love them where they are and then to trust Father, Son, and Spirit to work in people’s lives as they will.

Interaction with other believers

Despite having a common faith in Jesus Christ and a connection to the Christian narrative, believers can experience conflict within the church. Sometimes this involves power (e.g., church hierarchy and leadership), and sometimes it is simply conflict arising from having a different umwelt. However, Paul points out that leadership is needed to build up the body of Christ (v. 11-13) with the overall purpose of maturing in Christ. Until we mature, we can be subject to having our “pet” theological doctrines and concerns, making them the emphasis of our lives rather than the unified loving mindset of Jesus Christ. Paul compares this to behaving like children, who aren’t wrong in their immaturity, but who often suffer needlessly or create suffering for others because of it. Instead, Paul offers this remedy:

But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16, NRSVUE)

Some have interpreted this phrase “speaking the truth in love” from v. 15 as the green light to offer our opinions on how others might improve their lives. We might think this is loving, but it isn’t. It shows that we don’t understand how love and truth are related through wisdom (Byas p. 48), that truth brings freedom (Byas p. 94), and again, how our individual umwelt affects our ability to understand others’ perspectives. Jared Byas writes this:

While the impulse to tell the truth in love often springs from a desire to help people avoid mistakes that may hurt them in the long run, our telling often adds control, discomfort, and fear into the mix, and the impulse gets turned upside down. The intention may be good, but it can easily become a sneaky way to tell people why they’re wrong about their lives so we can feel more certain in our own positions and feel good about our own moral standing before God…If you’re not in love with the person standing in front of you – acting in loving ways toward them – then you’re not telling the truth, no matter what comes out of your mouth. (p. 6, 48)

Byas goes on to point out that despite our failed attempts, we still think that telling people they are wrong will make them change.

By actually “speaking the truth in love,” we communicate our complete acceptance of the other person, no strings attached, just love. It’s only then that people feel safe enough to consider changing. The unified mind of Christ is the only source of this loving acceptance, and it is a gift of grace to us and through us to others.

Paul’s exhortation to reflect the unity of our identity in Christ gives us an opportunity to think about how humility, patience, and a broader perspective help us love others the way Jesus would. As we mature in our spiritual journey, our interactions with other faiths and other believers will be filled with the love and unity of Jesus Christ.

Call to Action: Consider this week how you might reflect the unified mindset and identity you have in Christ. This might require some brainstorming about how you interact with those who think differently than you. Contemplate how curiosity can replace judgmental problem-solving in your interactions with others. Ask God to help you see others as he sees them, and then to love as he loves. What would that look like?

For Reference:
Byas, Jared. Love Matters More: How Fighting to Be Right Keeps Us From Loving Like Jesus. Zondervan, 2020.
McClaren, Brian. Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? Jericho Book, 2012.
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/21/1105793891/ed-yong-an-immense-world-animal-senses 
https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-18-2/commentary-on-ephesians-41-16-5
https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-18-2/commentary-on-ephesians-41-16-6
https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-18-2/commentary-on-ephesians-41-16-2

John MacMurray—Year B Proper 13

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Ephesians 4:1-16

August 4, 2024
Proper 13 in Ordinary Time

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Program Transcript


John MacMurray—Year B Propers 13

Anthony: Let’s transition to the lectionary passages that we have in front of us for this month. Our first one is Ephesians 4:1-16. I’m going to be reading from the New Revised Standard Version, the updated edition. It’s the Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 13 in Ordinary Time, August 4.

I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high, he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) 11 He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

John, what should we know? First, let me backtrack. We know that Scripture is pointing us into truth. And the fullness of truth, as Jesus himself said, is him. So how is the scripture teaching us about this one God and Father of all revealed in this section of scripture?

John: Oh, man, can you say “loaded question” with me?

Yes, but a great question because this is such a great text. there’s so much here for me. There’s a couple things that I think popped out just on initial, casual reading. And then there’s more that pops out as I actually start thinking about what is being said.

So, for me, Anthony, what it reveals about the one God and Father, the first thing — and this may be like oversimplification, but I think it’s something that we shouldn’t take for granted because there’s a lot of people that don’t.

And that’s this. If what this is saying is true, which we both believe it is, God is for us. God is on our side. All of this stuff, he’s done for us. And I know, again, I grew up with the idea that God was — the vote was out on whether he was on your side or not. He was only on your side if you did what he wanted you to do, if you lived up to your end of the bargain, so to speak. And if you didn’t, if you disobeyed him, he wasn’t on your side. And I don’t see that here. He’s the one God and Father of all, of everyone, and he’s on our side. What he’s done is for everyone. I know there’s people who disagree with that kind of thinking, but that’s one of the things that I see in this text.

The other thing is what for me, it says there’s a — again, I’m trying to think of a good word here. The word that popped in my head was strategy, but God has an intention. This God has — I hesitate to say plan because I don’t know if an infinite being that’s always existed planned anything, if they’ve always known everything. But you know what I mean by using the word plan? He’s set things in motion.

For example, this phrase “the whole body joined and knit together by every ligament,” which is his equip as each part works properly, promotes the body’s growth, building itself up and low. Okay. Who designed that to work that way? God did.

And so, what we were talking about earlier, this is one of the passages that I think helped shape my thinking about when we do these discussions. Do we want an individual teacher, or do we want a panel of people? This passage is talking about the way it works is we’re like ligaments and we’re joined together.

And when we work together, this is what happens. We’re not in isolation. So, I wanted to try and see if we could do this. And for me, it’s just better than the way that I tried to learn and grow in my life as an individual. We were never meant to do it alone and that’s because this God is not alone.

He’s not an isolated individual, right? I hesitate to say he, but I don’t want to say it. God is Father, Son, and Spirit. He’s three persons. He’s a tri personal being. Relationship is at the core, not only of what God is, but of the way in which we live and grow and learn. And that tells me that he has something in mind, and it’s for our good because he’s good and this is the way it works.

And so those are a couple things that popped out to me right off the bat. But can I say something else real quick that’s not necessarily about the one God? It’s more about the way in which he does things. Because the whole text starts with an exhortation, almost a plea. I think there’s some translations, like the one we read actually says, beg. “I beg you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling to which you’ve been called.”

So, this whole text is about how we’re supposed to live in response to this God. And what I love about it is the way we’re supposed to live are the characteristics of this God, the way this God lives. He’s humble, he’s loving, he’s gentle, he’s patient. That’s him and he wants us to live like he does.

And I find that something that for much of my life was elusive because I was trying to get there as an individual. I wasn’t trying to get there through relationship. Does that make sense? It was me and God doing my own personal thing, my own spirituality. Thank you.

Whereas this whole text is going, no, that’s no, that just doesn’t work that way.

Anthony: He’s the only God, but he’s not a lonely God. And that should be reflective in the way that we live. And as you alluded to, none of us can do it alone. None of us, and we need each other. And I think, theologically, it’s important for us to acknowledge that we belong to each other. There is just a togetherness.

And even listening to you testify about the goodness of God, that he is for us, it strengthens me, John. This is the way it works. Which brings me to the next question I want to ask you.

Paul talks about unity quite a bit —not unitarian, not one — unity amongst the many. Talk to us about that because in verse 3, we see that we already have the unity of the Spirit. We don’t have to somehow make that happen. It already is ours, but we work to maintain it. Why is it such an important topic to Paul and for us, do you think?

John: I want to go back to what you just said, and I’m just going to tweak it a bit if that’s okay. And then you can tweak back.

We do have this unity. But unless we do what he says, we don’t experience this unity.

Anthony: Sure.

John: That’s the difference. Instead, again, I think in my life, I was trying to do things to somehow get this unity. When Paul says, it seems to me what Paul’s saying here is no, you already have it.

This is the truth of your being. This is the nature of who you are. But you need to live in right relationship with it, in harmony with it. And as you do, you’ll actually experience the truth of this, that it’s really true.

And I can’t tell you how much I’ve thought about, worked with, been beat up with, the very first word that comes off his pen, so to speak, or quill, whatever, is humility. I, that is not anybody in my tribe would have said.

If you would ask someone in the culture that I grew up, “Okay. What would be the most important thing you’d want to know about how I should live my life in a way that’s worthy of the calling that God has called me, invited me, and brought me into this relationship with Him? What would you say is the most important thing?” I would have said something like, I don’t know, tell other people, know God, obey him.

And the first thing Paul says is live with humility. And I was stunned by that as a young man because I think humility was elusive to me as a young man.

I got to tell you this story too really quick. I’m sitting in Bible college. I’m a senior. I’m almost done. It’s last semester. I don’t remember the class. I remember the teacher; I remember where I was sitting. And we were sitting in a little desk, one of those things where the arm folds down so you flip it up and you can put your notes or whatever so you can write. And I had it flipped up, and I don’t even know what the guy was talking about, but I remember in my mind, sitting in the class — there’s probably 60, 70 students in this class — and I think, silent prayer, God, I want to be a humble man.

And as soon as I said it, this question popped in my head, and it was: why? And in a moment of unguarded honesty, like I didn’t have my guard up, I went, so that other people will know that I’m humble. And when I realized what I had just thought in this little kind of mini conversation, my head. I literally just crumpled over and put my head on my desk.

And I said, I am so screwed up. You have no concept of what humility is. I want to be humble so other people think I’m humble. That was me at 22 after four years of Bible college.

So, I’ve worked with this a lot or God’s been working in it, in me a lot, and I feel like one of the things that draws me to Jesus is his humility.

I think of Matthew 11, “Come to me all you who labor are heavy laden, I’ll give you rest, take my yoke upon, learn of me, because I am meek, I’m humble, I’m lowly of heart.” It’s not, I’m great, I’m powerful, I’m super intelligent. No, I’m humble, I’m gentle.

And that’s a complete upside down way of looking at life for me. And the thing that’s great about it, Anthony, is that it’s true. It’s beautiful. And it works.

Anthony: It does. And it does.

John: Even though it’s upside down.

Anthony: Yeah. And it brings about unity. I think of John 13, Jesus walks into the room. Scripture tells us that all authority is his heaven on earth. Not to put it in the modern-day vernacular, but that’s what I’m doing. He’s large and in charge and he knows it.

And so, every eye in the room is on him when he walks in. So, what does he do? He quietly and with great humility gets up from his reclining place and washes his disciples’ feet. This is what Jesus does because this is who he is. God can only do what he is. And therefore, unity is brought about with great humility. And I’m just so grateful that our Lord.

So, whenever we talk about humility, bringing about you unity, we don’t have to work something up. That is just an example for Jesus isn’t just an example. He abides in us. So, by the power of the Spirit, humility can actually flourish —hallelujah, praise God — and bring about this unity we desire.


Small Group Discussion Questions

  • The sermon argues that “when human beings express their relationship in the unity of Christ, their lives will reflect humility, patience, and a broader perspective.” Why do you think this is possible and maybe even necessary?
  • Have you felt similar inner conflicts as Brian McClaren described in his questions about how Christians are to respond to other faiths? If so, how has this conflict influenced your interaction with those from other faiths?
  • Considering the phrase “speaking the truth in love,” have you ever felt as if God expected you to point out to others what might be labeled as “sin?” If so, did this come from a sense of mistaken responsibility as if God expected you to help someone change? How successful was your attempt?
  • How do you think that redefining “speaking the truth in love” as communicating loving acceptance and grace to others will affect relationships? Where do you think that sincere curiosity fits in this concept?

Sermon for August 11, 2024 – Proper 14

Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.

Program Transcript


Speaking Of Life 3037 | Under the Broom Tree
Greg Williams

This is a broom tree. Solitary shrubs like this grew all over the desert in biblical times—rugged, resourceful plants that shot their roots deep into the unforgiving dry soil. 1 King 19 tells the story of Elijah, who—after defeating the prophets of Baal and prophesying rain after a drought—had his life threatened by the corrupt queen Jezebel.

Exhausted and on the run, Elijah collapses under a broom tree to rest.

Broom trees or similar desert shrubs show up at pivotal moments throughout the Old Testament. Job describes the broom tree as a place of desolation and ruin. The psalmist connects the broom tree with punishment. Hagar leaves her son under a shrub to die in Genesis 21— after being exiled by Abraham.

The broom tree, like the desert where it’s found, is associated with loss, emptiness, and being exhausted of our resources, and… with hearing the voice of God

Elijah slept on the uncomfortable rocks and woke up to the smell of bread cooking. Notice the passage:

And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”
1 Kings 19:5-7 (ESV)

Under the broom tree—a place associated with waste and desolation, when he was at the end of his rope—Elijah gets the sustenance he needs.

How often has God met you at the end of your rope? How often has God met us in the shade of the broom tree?

Sometimes it is when we’re stripped of the strength of our defense mechanisms, that God leads and guides us the most clearly. It was when Elijah had virtually given up that God spoke to him with a “still, small voice?” He often speaks to us in a similar fashion. We expect the booming voice, but he often comes with that still small voice—that often sounds like the voice of a spouse, friend, or confidante.

Are you in the desert today? Are you taking shade wherever you can, even under a scrubby rough broom tree because that’s all that’s there?

Look for the messengers of God who bring you sustenance in this time. God fed Elijah with ravens and angels. Who are your angels and ravens today?

Maybe that old friend who calls you out of nowhere. Maybe kids or grandkids who bring their own oblivious joy. Maybe a verse from scripture that reminds you of God’s love and plan.

God is sending you sustenance. He knows what you need. And he sees you, even under the broom tree.

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.

Psalm 130:1-8 · 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 · Ephesians 4:25-5:2 · John 6:35, 41-51

This week’s theme is the attentiveness of our Savior. In our call to worship Psalm, the psalmist proclaims that our hope in God will not fail. In 2 Samuel, King David is brought the good news that God has delivered him from the hands of his enemies. In Ephesians, Paul writes that Christ loved us and freely offered up himself as a sacrifice for us. And in the book of John, Jesus declares that all who hunger, or thirst will be filled by him.

The Call to Walk in Love

Ephesians 4:25-5:2 (ESV)

The year was 1967 and we were near the height of the war in Vietnam. At that time, a rock group known as The Youngbloods released a song called “Get Together,” which catapulted to #5 on the Billboard charts in 1968. While the song was a protest to the war, its message of love is equally applicable for the church. The chorus goes like this:

“Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now.”1

In his letter to believers in Ephesus, the apostle Paul pens something similar to this embattled church. In the pericope that we will be reading today, Paul addresses some rather poor behavior taking place among the members of that congregation.

Paul was burdened by the way church members were treating each other. His answer to this was to appeal to their new natures in Christ. It was in this manner that he sought to correct the problems that were occurring in Ephesus before things got out of hand.

Unfortunately, we still see this kind of behavior happening in the church two thousand years later. Let us hear these words penned back then as if they were speaking to us directly. Let us keep our hearts and ears open today for ways that we may participate in working towards a healthier church.

Read, or have someone read Ephesians 4:25-5:2.

At the beginning of our pericope, we started off with a “therefore.” So, of course, we are forced to ask what it is “there” for. In chapter 4:22-23, Paul admonishes the Ephesian church to put off their corrupted desires — desires that belonged to who they once were but are no longer.

Paul’s contention was that they were made new. They were new people created after the image of Christ. The old was done away with, and as such, a new quality of life is supposed to emerge — a life that would resemble our Savior’s life.

After Paul finishes establishing the truth of the believer’s new life and identity, he begins to specifically address how our behaviors are to be different. In verses 25-27, we see Paul’s encouragement to speak the truth in love.

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:25-27 ESV)

Any kind of relationship can be difficult. Whether it be a spousal relationship, parent to child, employer to employee, neighbors, friends, and yes, even relationships with those in our churches. We all come from different backgrounds and experiences. We have different sets of beliefs, ideologies, and personalities. If this wasn’t difficult enough, throw in different generations, cultures, socioeconomics, and whatever baggage we might be dragging along with us.

Everyone interprets the world differently. It’s a miracle that any of us can even relate to another person. And yet, we have this imperative to love one another. Look at your neighbor next to you and say, “You’re stuck with me!”

It’s one thing to tolerate someone, but to truly love that person, that’s a whole other level. So, how do we get there? Our words are a good place to start. When we have something to say to one another, we are to consider that we are a part of each other. Whatever we say must be done in a spirit of love and humility. We are joined by the Spirit of Christ, which dwells in us.

Paul is under no illusions that we will never get angry with anyone. We may even have justifications for that anger, but that does not give us the right to harbor bitterness in our hearts towards anyone. Forgiveness is the appropriate response. Where it says that we are not to let the sun go down on our anger in verse 26, it simply means to be reconciled to that person as soon as possible. By letting the days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, we are allowing the enemy of our souls to set up camp in our midst. And this enemy wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy.

At one of his concerts, Christian musician, Larry Norman, asked his audience if they knew what they were supposed to do if you found out that one of your friends has a problem. He then indicated that you are supposed to call up all your other friends and tell them what’s wrong with that friend … ”so, you can all pray for him.”2 Hopefully, you were able to detect the sarcasm in his answer. Let’s continue:

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Ephesians 4:28 ESV)

Here, Paul talks about how a thief should no longer steal but do something useful so that he can contribute to the body of believers. Paul is once again making an appeal to the truth that we have been made new. As such, we are to throw off the old lives that we once lived.

At the foundational level of our being, we have been changed by the very life of Christ. When we realize who we are, and whose we are, we become empowered in our conduct towards each other in ways that reflect that God is love.

Paul would write in chapter 5 verse 8 that we were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. We were one thing, but now we are quite different. We don’t try to become something that we aren’t yet. We live into what is already true about us. We live out of our true identity established in Christ. However, God’s grace is extended to us as he knows that our behaviors sometimes take a while to catch up to that reality.

In these verses, Paul reminds his readers that both moral action and moral speech are to be guided by the principle of doing what strengthens the community. The good news is that we are not the ones who create the bond of our unity. Rather, the Spirit of God is our seal. He is what binds us all together. This is what makes us the body and temple of Christ.

Through these scriptures we are urged to consider the needs of our congregation. What do people need? How are we to speak to one another? How are we to treat each other? We are asked to address the core issues that tear down the body of Christ. Are our hearts in sync with that of our Savior’s? How are we exhibiting the same kindness and compassion towards each other?

Paul’s words to the church are sobering and they pull no punches. He does not want us to fail to understand the severity of our words, our attitudes, and actions towards the members of this body — the body of Christ. We are God’s dearly loved children, his own possession. As such, we must learn to live in step with his Spirit which continually seeks to express grace, compassion, and kindness through us. This is walking according to our calling. This is walking in love.

As we keep company with God, we learn his loving ways. We observe Christ’s love and can see how it is manifested in our lives, and we see that his love is extravagant! Since we have been found in Christ, we possess everything needed for life and godliness.

Let us then consider these scriptures as an invitation of grace, not an imperative to try harder or as a threat or a form of coercion. As we listen to these instructions, let us ponder and acknowledge if we ourselves are being drawn into the same behavior as that of the Ephesians.

Let us not stop there though. Let us consider how Christ is drawing us to “get together,” and as he smiles upon us, may we smile on our brothers and sisters as well. May we walk according to our new natures. And may we walk according to our calling to love one another right now.

  1. The Youngbloods – Get Together Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
  2. Stop This Flight | Larry Norman (bandcamp.com)

John MacMurray—Year B Proper 14

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Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2

August 11, 2024
Proper 14 in Ordinary Time

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Program Transcript


John MacMurray—Year B Propers 14

Anthony: Hey, we’ve got a transition to our next pericope for the month. It is Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 14 in Ordinary Time on August 11.

John, I’d be grateful if you’d read it, please.

John: Absolutely.

So then, putting away falsehood, let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not make room for the devil. 28 Those who steal must give up stealing; rather, let them labor, doing good work with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. 29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Anthony: John, you’re a preacher teacher, and I want to give you a chance to preach. If you were focusing on this gospel declaration, what would you zoom in on? And let’s go ahead and add that second question that I wanted to share and ask with you about grieving the Holy Spirit.

What would you talk about with the congregation?

John: Yeah. Great congregation. Great another great text. In fact, the second half of Ephesians that we’re reading is awesome. Thanks for giving me this passage. This is awesome.

If I’m going to preach this — and I’m not a preacher — but if I were to preach it, I’d call my sermon, “Be imitators of God.” Because that’s like the end but then he describes what he means by that. And that’s what’s been going on is this description of what it means to imitate God, to walk worthy of your calling.

And in a phrase for me, Anthony, it’s walk in love as Christ loved us. But I walk in love because I am a beloved child. In other words, the love doesn’t initiate with me. It initiates with him. It’s like what John said. We love him because he first loved us. So, because I’m a beloved child, live this way, live in love.

And what does that look like? It looks like kindness, tenderness, and gentleness and forgiveness, not just forgiveness, but forgiveness like God has forgiven, which means I don’t bring it back. I don’t I don’t step on your throat again when it comes back up.

That’s where I would want to spend time. I’d want to talk about what does it look like to live a life of love? Love, it’s an overworked word, and it’s used with such, I think, commonness that we don’t really think about how powerful it is. You mentioned Brian Zahn said beauty will save the world. And Brian and I have had this discussion and I always go, beauty slash love, because we talk about that a lot.

So that’s where I would go. I’m not going to preach it. That’s where I would go if I were to preach it.

As far as grieving the Holy Spirit, and again, for me, contextually, immediately, the immediate phrases around it have to do with what’s coming out of our mouth, with the way that we speak and talk and relate to one another.

And if we do this with bitterness and wrath and anger and slander and malice, this grieves the Spirit of God. God doesn’t do things like that. Also notice it doesn’t say this makes the Spirit of God want to punish you. It doesn’t say that, although that’s the theology I grew up with. It says it grieves him, it breaks his heart, and I’ve had my heart broken, I’m sure you have too, and I don’t ever want to experience that again.

And so, when I think about things that I say or do, if I’m living in a life that’s not loving toward others, it’s breaking his heart. And that actually says something to me. It moves me. I don’t want to break his heart. I don’t. And when I realize that it does — and again, I realize I’m, like you said, using popular vernacular here, but that’s how I think of it. It helps me avoid and pay attention to the exhortation to live in love. And forgive as he forgave me.

Anthony: I appreciate you putting it in its context because as we like to say a biblical text without a context is a pretext to a proof text, right? And I’ve done it; I’ve proof texted before. And the entire context is Jesus.

And you’re talking about grieving the Holy Spirit and avoiding speaking with bitterness, wrath, anger, wrangling, and so on, immediately what came to my mind was our Lord on the cross. And if anyone had the divine right, so to speak, to speak with bitterness, it would have been Jesus in that moment. But his words, “Our Father, forgive them.” And all our wrongheadedness being brought to bear in that moment, and yet he speaks such words of tenderness and love and forgiveness.

And this is why even when we come to the Scriptures, yes, we speak of theology, but it starts with Christology. Who is this Christ and what has he said? And that’s what he says. And I think that’s our way forward, that we do the same, even in the face of a world that wants to speak bitterness and wrath, right? 

John: Absolutely. Just think about the movies you watch and how much vengeance is the key motive in the plot.

Anthony: That’s right. We’re so punitive. Yeah.

John: Yeah. And what you were saying, I agree with so much, Anthony. And all of that is in the first half of this letter; we’re not reading that, but he’s already laid that down for us. This is all about Jesus. He’s the foundation. And yeah, I would just encourage people that if you’re listening to what we’re saying, go back and read the first couple chapters of the letter, what we call chapters. And you’ll see what Anthony’s talking about the Christology.

Anthony: Oh my gosh, just sweeping text, sweeping!


Small Group Discussion Questions

  • How do you think that gossip, slander and unforgiveness affect a congregation?
  • How should you respond to someone that you know is speaking divisively about others?
  • What characteristics do we possess in our new natures?
  • What are some ways that we can resolve conflicts in our congregations?

Sermon for August 18, 2024 – Proper 15

Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.

Program Transcript


Speaking Of Life 3038 | The Comfort and Connection of Bread
Michelle Fleming

During the early days of the pandemic last year, one surprising trend was the number of people who turned to breadmaking—to the point that yeast and flour were in short supply. Some news organizations asked people why they chose breadmaking, and some responded that since they were working from home, not only did they now have the time, but it was also something they always wanted to try. Others said it gave them a sense of control in a seemingly out-of-control situation.

For some people, breaking bread during the pandemic was a way to comfort themselves and others. Research documents how breadmaking offers stress relief and a means of self-expression, and when the final product is shared, it becomes a way to connect with others, even at a distance. Some say that making bread connects them to past generations, and they bake to honor the memory of grandmothers and great-grandmothers who also faced challenges.

Bread has also played an important part in Christianity. Most are familiar with the symbols of the wine and the bread and their connection with Jesus, but Jesus introduced himself as the bread of life before he instituted the Lord’s Supper. Let’s look at what Jesus said in John 6.

 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh… Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.
John 6:51, 53-58 (ESV)

This was a hard saying for some, who initially did not understand the
down-to-earth metaphor Jesus was giving helping us understand our need for him for a sustained life. Just like our need for food and drink to live physically, we need Jesus to live spiritually and in relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit. In the same way we consume food, making it part of our body and bones, so we must take and consume Jesus. By “making a meal” of Jesus, we join him in our pathway through the world, knowing we are always in him, just as he is in us. We recognize that we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we can live joyously even in the most difficult circumstances. Consuming “living bread” brings us comfort by reminding us of our connection with God and other human beings.

Bread and breadmaking comfort, nourish, and connect us, and Jesus knew this when he said he was the “living bread.” Human activities like breadmaking remind us of our need for a nourishing connection with God and each other.

May you take in the “living bread” and live fully alive, knowing Jesus is always with you.

I’m Michelle Fleming, Speaking of Life.

For Reference:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/people-explain-why-baked-bread-quarantine_l_5ec73570c5b6698f38f5035c

https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/stress-baking-and-the-comfort-of-connection

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/09/health/bread-baking-health-benefits-coronavirus-wellness/index.html

Psalm 111:1-10 · 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14 · Ephesians 5:15-20 · John 6:51-58

This week’s theme is wisdom and understanding come from the Lord. In our call to worship Psalm, the psalmist declares that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that those who practice it have good understanding. In 1 Kings, God answers Solomon’s desire to have an understanding mind and to be able to govern with wisdom. In Ephesians, Paul admonishes the church to be wise in understanding how they should conduct their lives in this world. And in the book of John, Jesus alludes to the fact that the wisest thing a person can do is to understand that their lives are to be found in him — in eating his flesh and drinking his blood.

The Wisdom of Life Well Lived

Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV)

A proud young man once approached Socrates, the fourth century philosopher, and asked him for wisdom. Socrates, recognizing the young man’s arrogance, led him to the sea and took him chest-deep into the water. Then he asked him, “What did you say you wanted?” “Wisdom, O great Socrates,” said the young man.

Socrates pushed him under the water and held him there for a few seconds. When he let him up, he asked him again, “What do you want?” “Wisdom,” the young man replied.

Socrates pushed him under the water again, this time holding him down for a little longer. When he let him up, he asked him once more, “What do you want?” “Air!” the young man gasped. “I need air!”

Socrates then said to him, “When you want wisdom as much as you just wanted air, then you will find it.”1

The young man in the story was probably looking for a nice quick solution to acquiring wisdom. He did not imagine that wisdom may not come to him as easily as he thought. He learned that he would find wisdom when it became vital to his survival.

In our pericope today, Paul is challenging the Ephesian church to live lives that are wise and not foolish. He will address what a foolish life may look like as well as point towards what a wise, Spirit-led life can and should be — a life well lived.

Let us read our scripture today with the intention and seriousness of acquiring the Spirit-filled life of wisdom that comes from God.

Read, or have someone read, Ephesians 5:15-20.

Throughout the letter to the Ephesians, Paul had been admonishing the believers to live out their lives according to their new identities in Christ. It is one of the key lessons of Ephesians; the foundation for moral living is understanding what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. If you have read the entire letter up until this point it would be impossible to miss this fact.

In chapter 5, Paul continues with this theme and takes it to another level. Much of Paul’s audience came out of the pagan Greek culture. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul mentions that while the Jews sought a sign, the Greeks seek after wisdom. On their list of values, wisdom would have been at the top of that list.

Paul makes an appeal here to their sensibilities. He posits the idea that not living the lives we were meant to live in Christ was an act of foolishness. And that anyone who seeks to be wise would alter their behaviors accordingly.

Speaking of Greek, verse 15 says, “Being very careful, then, how you live …” The Greek renders this idea as keeping your eyes peeled, to be alert, so that you can live carefully (wisely).

Our pericope today may not be popular to some. Criticizing or denouncing the morals of the world can make the church seem polarized against society. The world often has a hard time not seeing the church as hostile and judgmental towards them already.

As a church, we are to find ways to build bridges to our communities and not barricades. We should be very sensitive to how we might be making it difficult for our neighbors to see the love of Christ. But we also must not allow the ever-changing winds of our cultures to determine what our beliefs and practices should be. Otherwise, we are sacrificing the truth at the expense of accommodation. Can we deny that living a Spirit-directed life may look very different from a life that is constantly being seduced by all things seductive and shiny?

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV)

The Message Bible paraphrases verse 16 as saying that these are desperate times! What is being indicated here is that we are to be on mission, and there is so much for us to do. The opportunities abound for us to be of service to this world. In fact, the idea here is one of “buying back” our time. It’s like stumbling onto a bargain that we just can’t pass up.2

The way that we are to live is to be carried out with wisdom, knowing that our time is short. As disciples of Christ, we submit to the one who leads us to live out our faith with wisdom.

In our lives and in our churches, let us keep our eyes open to what is happening around us in our world. To be innocent as doves but wise as serpents, as the Bible says. Let us not put obstacles in the world’s path to seeing Christ. But let us also be joyful witnesses to others of how a wise, Spirit-led life can be.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:17-18 NIV)

This is a good time to reflect and even ask, what is God’s will? What does he desire? And how are we to participate in that? These are important questions to consider when we look at the state of the world around us. God’s will is for our lives to reflect back to the world the same love that we have received from the Father. We are to make good use of our opportunities for the sake of others.

It’s interesting how Paul singles out drunkenness as one particular behavior that was foolish to exhibit as a believer. Why did he do that? There had to be a lot of poor behaviors that the Ephesian church could have been exhibiting, so why was drunkenness singled out?

One possible reason for this is that it provided a contrast that would have been easily understood by the Ephesians. When someone is drunk, they are under the influence of a substance to the point that their behaviors become altered. Their perception changes, and they do and say things that they probably wouldn’t have done or said without being under the influence of alcohol.

The contrast to this is being filled with the Spirit. In a Spirit-directed life, we are under the influence of God. In Christ, our perception of things has completely changed. We are not the same people who we once were. We now do and say things that reflect the love of Christ, and we stop doing those things are not reflective of embracing the love of Christ.

Drunkenness is a counterfeit. It gives the illusion of joy and peace but leads to all sorts of bad behavior and negative consequences. Contrast that with being under the Spirit’s influence where we exhibit true peace and joy. And if that weren’t good enough news, there is no hangover in the Spirit.

Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19-20 NIV)

Paul had previously spelled out what wrongful, foolish living looks like. Now he switches it up with a positive example of what a wise, Spirit-led life should exhibit. Those who live wisely are filled with joy that overflows into song. When we live under the Spirit’s direction, we are able to sing, and make music from our hearts. Even our speech, the way that we speak to one another, should sound as pleasing as music to our ears.

When we live wisely, we are led towards gratitude. We are able to thank God for all good things and recognize him as our constant source of blessing. We aren’t accomplishing anything by our own will or resources, rather, his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3).

Mitch Albom wrote the bestseller, Tuesdays With Morrie. The book is a series of discussions that Mitch had with his old university professor. Morrie Schwartz, who is dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease. In one of his discussions, Morrie turns to Mitch and says, Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”

We have died to the lives that we once had prior to Christ. Now, we have the opportunity to really live. A wisely lived life awaits us. A life that is of utmost importance where our time can be spent recognizing the opportunities in front of us to show how beautiful and fulfilling Christ’s life is. It is a life that others need to see. It is a life where our time can be spent recognizing the opportunities in front of us to show how beautiful and fulfilling Christ’s life is.

We leave behind foolish ways that don’t have their place in our lives. We sacrifice certain behaviors that hold no redeeming value as they can lead only to foolishness.  Our lives are to exhibit the wisdom of a loving Savior. One who has redeemed us of that former way of life.

Finally, we celebrate this life together with fellow believers. So much so that it flows into worship and gratitude. And as we lift each other up in the body, the church starts to resemble a musical celebration that catches the attention of a world that is dying to witness true joy and peace. Let us exhibit the wisdom of a life well lived.

  1. Wisdom – Air to a Drowning Man | Cam Taylor
  2. Commentary on Ephesians 5:15-20 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary
  3. Mitch Albom: “Tuesday’s With Morrie” An Old Man, A Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson (Doubleday 1997)

John MacMurray—Year B Proper 15

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Ephesians 5:15–20

August 18, 2024
Proper 15 in Ordinary Time

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Program Transcript


John MacMurray—Year B Propers 15

Anthony: All right. Our third passage of the month is Ephesians 5:15-20. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 15 and Ordinary Time, which is August 18. And it reads,

Be careful, then, how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to one another, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

So, John, what does it mean to make the most of the time since these days are evil? Help us understand.

John: I’m not sure I can, but I’ll give it a shot.

Anthony: Sure.

 John: What I can tell you — I’m better at telling you what it doesn’t mean, what I used to think it meant. We used to use this text as a proof text, as you just mentioned, for why we should be out telling everybody about Jesus all day long because time’s running out. People need to know, blah, blah, blah, whatever.

It’s nowhere in the context of anything that’s being talked about here, but what is in the context, what Paul has been saying, in fact, what he started this with was, “I beg you, live a life in a manner that’s worthy of the calling that you’ve been called with.”

What does it mean to make the most of the time? It means to live that way. In a manner that’s worthy. Don’t waste your time. Can you drink wine? Yeah. But don’t waste it by getting drunk. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Make the most of your time because the opportunity to live a life of love is now.

It’s not next year. It’s not next month. It’s not when you die and blah blah go to heaven. It’s now, because we bear witness to this fact and on top of all of it, if we haven’t gotten this yet from the passages we’ve already read, if you’re a pragmatist, this is actually the way it works. If you can waste the opportunities and then you’re going to blame God — and I’ve done that and I’ve had friends do that. And what ends up happening is bitterness starts to sink in and get a hold of us.

These are all the things that he’s been talking about. So, I think the will — let me put it this way, Anthony. Again, I’ll try and make it more concise. He says, understanding what the will of the Lord is, we know what that is. He already told us that a couple paragraphs earlier. The wisdom comes in actually living this way. Instead of wasting my time and choosing to live a different way. And if for no other reason you can say to your pragmatist friend, it actually works There’s better reasons than that.

Obviously. I think that’s my shot at it. Yours,

Anthony: I think you’ve said it. And I like what you just said, you can get to the most basic pragmatic level, and hey, we’ve got to start somewhere. But this is the life, again going back to what you said, this is who God is; he’s not wasting time. He wastes beauty on us, but he’s not wasting time. He’s the lord of it.

He’s redeeming it, and man, we want to get in on what he’s doing! John, for me, this walk with the Lord is often really just growing in my awareness by the Spirit, of what he’s doing and just hitching my ride to him. And it looks like this. It looks like this, and by the way, he says sing psalms and hymns.

So, are you ready to sing live for us for our listening audience? No

John: No. Not going to happen.

Anthony: Come on, John.

John: That would not minister grace to you.

Anthony: Okay. Fair enough. Fair enough.


Small Group Discussion Questions

  • How do we keep our eyes open and discern what is considered wise living?
  • How can we build bridges to our communities while staying true to Christ?
  • What do you think God’s will is for us concerning how we are to spend our time?
  • How can our churches resemble more of a celebration as we meet together?

Sermon for August 25, 2024 – Proper 16

Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.

Program Transcript


Speaking Of Life 3039 | The Songs of Home
Greg Williams

Did you have a trip your family took while you were growing up? Maybe to visit relatives across the country? Or maybe back to a parent’s hometown? Or that one resort or beach town you visited every year without fail?

You develop a certain routine. You might stop at the same hamburger joint, like Melvin’s in Elizabethtown on the way to White Lake, North Carolina. You may fill your car with gas at the same Scotchman service station because you know they have the cheapest prices. You get a feel for the landmarks—the DuPont Plant, the Smithfield pork processing plant, the bridge across the mighty Cape Fear River, and the bait shop right before you enter the FFA Camp at White Lake.  If your kids are young, you might pass the time by playing “I-spy” or singing songs. Our kids still remember that Susan and I would count the cows in the fields on our side of the car riding through the country.

The Israelites had similar travel customs and traditions. Israelites wore a groove between their homes and the temple, making the trip several times during their lives, and they would often sing psalms as they made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Psalm 84 was one they traditionally sang.

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psalm 84:10 (ESV)

This song might be sung several times along the way, ringing the theme that they were headed to God’s courts. With rising joy as they approached the familiar destination, they would reiterate their central story as God’s people.

Stop for a second and think about this: The Son of God probably sang this song as a kid. Joseph and Mary most likely sang this song as they traveled to the temple to have him dedicated when he was twelve. Some of the first sounds he would remember on earth were these hopeful words over and over:

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Psalm 84:3 (ESV)

These were songs of comfort and longing, songs of home.

We still sing these songs and similar songs as we tell these stories today, as we are on our own pilgrimage. We are not all the way home yet, we are not fully at rest; we are still on the journey.

Jesus journeyed. He knew the fatigue and boredom that would occasionally arise, but he also knew the excitement of traveling with family. And that’s the key. We are the family of God, still on that journey. The blessing is that Jesus journeys with us; he walks with us and he sings with us the songs of his home.

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.

Psalm 84:1-12 · 1 Kings 8:22-30, 41-43 · Ephesians 6:10-20 · John 6:56-69

This week’s theme is abiding with God. In our call to worship Psalm, David declares how lovely God’s dwelling place is and how much he longs to be with God. In 1 Kings, we see the ark of the covenant, which was the dwelling place of God with his people placed in the holy of holies. In Ephesians, we are informed that we are to be strong, as we have Christ’s power residing in us. And in John, Jesus tells those in the synagogue that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood abides in him.

Armor Up and Stand Firm!

Ephesians 6:10-20 NIV

Any great war movie contains a certain indispensable feature. It is the rousing speech delivered prior to a pivotal battle that is set to take place. Think of movies like “Patton,” “Braveheart,” and “300.” The generals of these armies all gave impassioned speeches with well-crafted words meant to inspire loyalty and courage in their troops. After hearing these speeches, the armies were inspired, focused, and prepared for the imminent battle.

In the movie, Independence Day, a speech was given prior to a battle that did not take place with an ordinary army. And the stakes were no less than the very survival of our species. Their enemies were, in fact, not of this world.

In our pericope today, we will be looking at the most important and inspiring battle speech contained in the Bible. And no, oddly enough, it is not found in the Old Testament. It was written by the apostle Paul, while being chained to a Roman soldier as he was being closely guarded under house arrest.1

The letter was transcribed and was to be delivered to and read by the Ephesian church. It was a battle cry that was meant to inspire courage and loyalty to Christ against another enemy, who is also not of this world. Though these words were penned nearly two thousand years ago, it is a timely masterpiece of our faith meant to ready the soldiers of Christ.

Read, or have someone read, Ephesians 6:10-20.

What we just read was Paul’s crescendo to his letter to the church in Ephesus. His letter covered a lot of ground. He stressed God’s plan of redemption through Christ. He discussed the importance of unity amongst believers. He unpacked the mystery of Christ as the inclusion of the Gentiles. And he thoroughly covered how to walk in love, and what living a holy life in various relationships should look like.

Everything has been said. What more can Paul offer at this point? Chances are, he may never see the brethren again. He may never be able to write them again. Paul wants to inspire them to fight the good fight just as he had. And what he finishes with becomes the most memorable and most quoted part of the entire letter.

At the start of his speech, he wants to make one thing abundantly clear — that we are to be strong, but in Jesus, not in ourselves.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (Ephesians 6:10 NIV)

The only legitimate strength we are able to exhibit is that which comes from God. It is not something that we can muster up. It is not something that we can enforce by our physical power or knowledge or good intentions. Our strength is our reliance on our Savior, Christ Jesus. This is not to be overlooked as it builds the foundation for the rest of this passage.

The armor of God that we are to put on has already been provided for us. The armor is his strength taking shape in its various forms in our spiritual lives. We do not create the armor; we simply put on what has already been freely given.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, our lives in Christ don’t always resemble a leisurely stroll on a sunny day in the park. Or at the beach, if you prefer. Paul makes it clear that there is an enemy intent on destroying us. There will be battles and struggles in our lives. There will be many things that we will have to contend with and resist. This is our reality.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:11-13 NIV)

From this passage, it should be clear that what we are up against is not something that our physical eyes can necessarily see. So, when we get annoyed by the greater world around us and how things are being run, just know that there is something deeper going on. There are spiritual realities that do not have the things of God in mind.

We might be tempted to think that the bane of our existence is that annoying co-worker, inconsiderate neighbor, or a nagging spouse. But once again, they are not the ones that we are ultimately fighting against. Remember, they are fighting their own battles as well.

No matter who, or what, these forces are that oppose us, we are to consider that we have the very power of God on our side. We have the Holy Spirit that keeps us strong and confident. We are not in this alone. In our weakness, we find his strength.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17 NIV)

In this section, Paul gives a vivid description of what the armor of God looks like. And who better to describe it to us than someone who was chained to a real live Roman soldier.

Paul symbolizes the attire of a Roman soldier to that of how a Christian should be equipped in the spiritual realm. The belt represents the truth of the gospel which upholds us. Our breastplate is the righteousness that we have received in Christ. The shoes represent the readiness with which we are to go and to proclaim the gospel. Our shield of protection is the faith of the Son of God. The helmet represents the knowledge of our salvation by grace. And the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.

You could write an entire sermon on each of these individual pieces of our armor. For the sake of time, we are going to focus instead on how a Roman soldier would have conducted himself in battle. Since Paul has gone into detail regarding how that armor is used in our spiritual lives, it’s important to consider the other side to Paul’s symbolism to see if there are still some symbols that we have yet to explore in this passage.

The Romans were known for their disciplined and methodical fighting style. When they moved, they were shoulder to shoulder. Their steps were slow and sure. When their enemies’ arrows rained down upon them, their shields were long enough to cover not only themselves but the soldiers next to them. Other soldiers used shields to cover the top of their heads. They were fully encased from top to bottom and front to back. Not a single part of them was unprotected. They were virtually impenetrable.2

Hopefully, you were able to pick up the symbolism between the fighting style of the Roman soldiers and how we are to conduct our lives in the faith. As believers, we are to rely on one another. We are to be unified. We are to stick together. We are to be committed to each other.3 Although our faith stands individually (Romans 12:3), we are encouraged and emboldened when we observe and appreciate the faith of others.

A soldier who decided to go it alone and to fight the battle on his own individualistic terms was quickly cut down. The enemy wants to divide us and to get us to scatter and to convince us that we don’t need anyone else. When this thinking infects the body of Christ, we are easy pickings for the enemy of our souls. We are playing right into his schemes.

Standing firm, then, as Paul puts it, is not about a bunch of individual Christians all diving recklessly into our own skirmishes against the forces of evil. We are to come alongside each other. We are to see where our fellow soldiers have been weakened and find ways to support and shield them, to remind them of the armor that belongs to them. United we stand, divided we fall.

 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6:18-20 NIV)

It’s interesting to note that while Paul goes into detail regarding our armor, he spends even more time talking about and concluding with the importance of prayer. Prayer becomes the punctuation mark to Paul’s impassioned battle speech.

Prayer is our lifeline to the Father. Although, we are never away from his presence, it is through prayer that we gain a greater sense of the mind and heart of Christ. Here we find expression to the very deepest parts of our being. In Psalm 84, King David writes,

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts! My soul longs, indeed, it faints for the courts of the LORD. (Psalm 84:1,2a NIV)

We are to pray on all occasions and to continually bring our requests before God. The indication here is that prayer is something worth getting excited about. Our prayers are to be abundant, alive, and expectant. Paul mentions this earlier in this letter where he says,

In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. (Ephesians 3:12 KJV)

In keeping with the idea of not just being individual, isolated soldiers, we are to pray for and with one another. Someone once said that we grow closer to those that we pray to, pray for, and pray with. So, there is great power in prayer as we approach our loving heavenly Father and agree together.

With thankfulness in our hearts, we trust that he causes us all to stand firm in the faith, fully equipped with the full armor of God. As we look to our right and to our left, we can be assured that we are not standing alone. There is an entire army standing with us. And this army of God will prevail, not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of God. Brothers and sisters, let us armor up and let us stand firm together!

  1. Paul and the Praetorian Guard – Drive Thru History Adventures. Randall Niles
  2. Fascinating Ancient History Of Roman Shields – Ancient Pages, Richard Carlson
  3. Commentary on Ephesians 6:10-20 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary

John MacMurray—Year B Proper 16

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Ephesians 6:10-20

August 25, 2024
Proper 16 in Ordinary Time

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Program Transcript


John MacMurray—Year B Propers 16

Anthony: Let’s pivot to our final passage because there’s a lot here to get to. It’s Ephesians 6:10-20. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 16 and Ordinary Time, which is August 25.

John, we’d be grateful if you’d read it.

John:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power; 11 put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, 12 for our struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand, therefore, and belt your waist with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness 15 and lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

Anthony: Amen. Verse 12, I’m quoting it, “for our struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Help us to consider, make an attempt, what the Spirit is inspiring here to be written, within the context of “the strength of his power,” when Paul begins or how Paul begins this pericope. I think it’s important to have that context. What’s going on here?

John: All right. I’ll give it a shot. But part of this one, Anthony, because I think the context is actually back in the pericope where he’s talking about submission, and he brings up husbands and wives and the church and all that stuff.

And so, I think there’s a continuity between this mutual submission idea and the armor of God. And that’s where strength lies. Strength lies in mutually submitting to God and to one another. Like we didn’t look at that passage, but it’s there. It’s in between the two that we did read.

So, I think that’s the immediate context. I also like the fact that Paul used — it would be like you and I using computers to illustrate something that is true or real in our life. And we make an illustration out of it. And he, I think that’s what he’s doing here.

He’s picking up something that everybody’s familiar with, the armor of a soldier that everybody knows. Most of that world is occupied by Roman soldiers. And you look at him and say, yeah you want to protect, guard you with these things, but this isn’t something that you provide for yourself, and I think that’s important. I think that’s key.

What he’s telling us to do is to experience it. Put it on. He didn’t say make it. He didn’t say create it. He didn’t say polish it, develop it. He just said put it on. You have it. It’s there, and what is this that I’m putting on? It’s this perspective of submission to what the will of the Lord is in my relationship with him and with each other.

That makes sense to me. That’s not the way I learned it. Like I said, that’s why I said give it a shot. I’ll stop. Your thoughts?

Anthony: Yeah, I like the fact that you brought in chapter 5 as context. And I heard you say earlier, “what we call chapters.” It’s a letter, right? I mean it helps us read it in the modern day, but boy oh boy, to isolate individual scriptures, which is so what we do and build a whole dogmatic statement. I think it gets us in so much trouble.

And you’ve talked and you’ve alluded to several times having to unlearn things. I’ve had to do the same. I grew up in a legalistic environment, had to unlearn so much because I thought God was aloof. And he was over in his corner, and I was fine because if he came over to my corner, he’d see all the wrongdoing and he wouldn’t want to hang out with me anyway.

So, when we think about unlearning. Let’s take it down to this whole armor of God perspective. What might be still lingering in people’s minds and hearts that they would have to unlearn? And I know it’s, again, it’s an attempt, but anything stand out where people have used this in a way that just falls short of the goodness and glory of God?

John: Oh man, we could go with this in a lot of different dimensions. Yeah, here’s one because the metaphor is of a soldier and the armor that the soldier wears.

Anthony: Yes.

John: We immediately think that it’s a violent task, a warring task, and it is a war task, but it’s not a warring task against another person.

It’s against these powers; this evil one. It’s not another human being. But yeah. Again, you asked me about unlearning. The way it was always presented to me was stand up against this person, condemn this action, condemn this statement whatever, whether you’re talking about politics, but it usually becomes a moral issue.

And I’m not saying that it’s not that morality is not involved here, but I don’t think that’s the primary thing that’s going on. That’s why I went back to chapter 5. I think the primary thing is this living in submission. But that would be one thing is our tendency to violence with something like this.

The other thing I already mentioned was our tendency to think that we somehow create this armor or make the armor better by how we improve or what we do. There’s none of that here. It’s just, you’ve made too much of this, just put it on. Live a life that’s worthy of the calling.

And look at the things that he’s telling you to put on. Has he not talked about these things earlier in this letter? Truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, these are all there.

That’s a couple things that I would say that I’m still unlearning. Because the problem with learning something a certain way for me, Anthony, especially when it’s the first time you learn something, it never really goes away.

It’s like your default button. It’s always there and you can always go back to it because it was the first time you heard it. And I have to remind myself or listen to the Spirit reminding me.

I loved what you said earlier that your life is becoming more and more of just simply trying to listen and hear and become aware of what God is doing so that you can participate in it. You can be a part of it.

I think that’s much closer to what life actually is supposed to look like than the way we typically do it. I’m going to get myself girded up. I can tell you, I can remember youth sermons, and the title of the sermon was, Gird Yourself Up. And again, I get it because Paul has said, put this on.

But the emphasis was all about what you do, and you make this happen. And I’m like, yeah, I tried that, and it didn’t work.

Anthony: That’s right. And we have a bent toward violence. And this is why it’s so important to know the context is Jesus the Christ, because you can read the Old Testament and get so askew of who God is because of the violence we see there.

But it’s the same God in Jesus Christ that told Peter to put down his sword. It is the same God nonviolent at the cross. This is the God revealed in Jesus Christ and man, there is so much unlearning that goes on with that. And that’s why we keep coming back to the gospel. And this is why we bear testimony, bear witness to it because it is so easy to go back to the default setting of retribution

And this is not a God who is of retributive justice. He’s redemptive justice. He redeems things. And so it’s so important to look to him as we talk about what can be abuse, to look like a very aggressive, violent thing toward other people. But that’s not the God revealed in Jesus. It’s just not.

The beauty is as we share these gospel texts, we have listeners all around the globe that are preaching and teaching, and they’re Bible students. And it’s so interesting how, when I give a sermon, I think this is the point and somebody has heard something else that has been inspired for them. And that’s the beauty of this.

And so, I think there’s a lot that’s good news that we’ve already talked about. Thank you for being with us, John. You are a beloved child of God. You’re fearfully, wonderfully made in his image and likeness. And it’s a joy to know you as a brother, keep doing what you’re doing.

And I want to thank our podcast team. They do such a great job. As we talked about in these passages of Ephesians, nobody can do it alone. I can’t do it alone. Reuel Enerio is just a terrific podcast producer. He’s a digital content creator. My wife, Elizabeth, does the transcript so you can read every word that John said and hold him in account, call him up.

And I’m just so grateful that you’re here, John. And as is our tradition on Gospel Reverb, we like to close in prayer. And I’d invite you to say a word of praise for us.

John: Absolutely. Before I do that, Anthony, thank you for having me and I’m honored and privileged to be able to do it and talk about it. I’m always stunned when someone says, “John, what do you think about this?” And really, you want to know what I think about this. So, thank you very much.

Let’s pray.

Father, you are good and you’re good all the time. You know no other way of being; you can’t be any other way. And for that, we need to be reminded.

And so thank you for reminding us this morning through these texts of your goodness, your love, your humility, your gentleness, your kindness, your forgiveness — all of these things. And the way that you treat us, the way you relate to us, all of us, you don’t show favoritism or prejudice towards anyone. This is true for everybody, and I’m so grateful that it’s true for me, and I’m learning it.

And I pray that you’ll take our words this morning, take your text, and as Anthony prayed earlier at the beginning, that what we need to hear, each of us, the Spirit, you would take that, and just remind us. Don’t let us go until we get it, pound us, and the ones that we’re doing well in, ah, sometimes we need some encouragement. And so, help us with that, as well to know that this is a good thing. Keep going.

We are so grateful that you not only offer us direction and guidance like this in our lives, but you provide it. So, we trust you. We worship you. We love you. And we thank you for today, in Jesus’ great name.

Anthony: Amen.


Small Group Discussion Questions

  • How can we tell if we are trying to accomplish something by God’s strength or our own?
  • What would be some examples of warring against flesh and blood?
  • How can we keep ourselves from feeling alone in our struggles?
  • What are some ways that we can come alongside others who feel weakened in their faith?
  • What would an exciting prayer life look like?