Receive - IV

Receiving Exactly What You Need

KEY VERSES

 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.  At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.” (2 Corinthians 8:13-15)

REFLECTION

Generally when we read this passage from 2 Corinthians, we think more of what we have that others could receive from us. But it goes the other way, too! What do others have that we could receive from them?

If you want to experience more of the abundant life of following Jesus, you need to identify what you lack, what others have in excess, and how you can establish a relationship with them to become recipients of what they have to give to you. Within PEER Servants, we are learning that Jesus' vision of the kingdom of heaven being extended to earth can be a reality based on what we are learning from our Filipino partners. We are learning how to forgive even when it is really difficult from our South African partners. We are learning to be hospitable to foreigners in our midst (regardless of their documentation status) from our Northern Ugandan partners. We are learning to be bolder in our witness from our Nigerian partners. We are learning to trust God even in turbulent times from our Sri Lankan partners. We are learning to live more simply from our Indian partners. We are learning much more about hope from our Haitian partners. We have received much through these partnerships, and we are a richer people as a result.

We have become more effective givers in our partnerships because we have become more effective receivers.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

• With regards to following Jesus, what are some of the areas in your life in which you struggle?
•  What individuals or peoples do you know who appear to be stronger in that area?
• What steps could you take to draw closer to them and make it known you have something to receive from them? 

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK

Identify one person who is strong in an area in which you are weak and approach them this week to ask them how they have gained victory in that area of their life.

Receive - III

What do I do with this gift?

MEMORY VERSE

Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’  And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. John 20:21-22

REFLECTION

Have you ever received a gift and when you opened it, you had no clue what it was or what to do with it?  To many of us, the gift of the Holy Spirit is like that.  Try to imagine being in that upper room with the frightened disciples when suddenly Jesus appears through the locked doors and says those affirming, empowering words.   Even though we were not there when Jesus breathed on His disciples and they received the Holy Spirit, we know that He has also given us this gift.  So, what exactly have we received? 

• The Holy Spirit was there when God spoke the universe into being.
• He is the one who gave the prophets their words. 
• The Holy Spirit raised Christ from the dead.
• He was there at Pentecost when 3000 people repented on one day.
• He lives in us.
• He is the source of our joy, hope, peace and power.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

• As a follower of Christ, are you being influenced by the Holy Spirit in your decisions and priorities?
•  How has the Holy Spirit influenced your life this week?
•  When you are trying to discern God's will, are you seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK

If you’re not satisfied with your answers to the above questions, or you’d like to go deeper in your understanding of all Jesus gave you when you received the Holy Spirit, listen to these messages by Francis Chan: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deuca-kXtnI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifXU05kyJVw

Receive - II

Receiving or exchanging?

MEMORY VERSE

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. John 1:16

REFLECTION

As hard as it can be to give away things that we value, the concept of giving is straight forward and easy to understand, much easier than receiving. Receiving a blessing is hard to do.  The humility it takes to truly receive is, well... hard and humbling. Sometimes we think we are receiving when we are actually exchanging.  We receive a pay check. We receive someone's hand in marriage. We receive an award. But in each case, we have done or acquired something in exchange.  We hate 'owing' someone so instead of actually receiving, we exchange. In a book about a sailboat race that went very bad due to a severe storm, the author commented about how many sailors call out to God in perilous times, making all kinds of promises of what they will do if God spares them.  Is this receiving or exchanging? God has blessed us with so much which we hardly notice and simply take for granted. How about that breath you just took. Or the sun that rose this morning. Or the Kingdom of God? What can you do or give to pay those back?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What are the things you received from God when you became a follower of Christ?

What are the things you have received from God today?

What is the appropriate response when you think of these things?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK

Rejoice, sing, praise, laugh, dance, give thanks to God that out of the fullness of His grace you have received one blessing after another and that there is nothing that you can do or give in exchange for His goodness!

Receive - I

How Can We Receive Instruction?

MEMORY VERSE

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

James 1:5

REFLECTION

Think for a moment about some of the most familiar passages and stories in the Bible: Creation, Adam and Eve, Joseph, Jonah, the birth of Christ, Paul on the Damascus Road. Consider a time when you heard someone from a different culture or with a different life experience speak about one of these passages? Did you find yourself seeing a perspective you had never before considered?

As we follow Christ, we can make the Gospel small when we fail to acknowledge that our cultural preferences can skew our interpretation of God’s instruction. Ultimately, the theological principles we take from God’s word should have relevance in the inner city of Los Angeles, the suburbs of Cape Town, the boardrooms of Tokyo and to the ends of the earth. If what we learn from the word of God is only relevant to a particular audience, then we have failed to truly grasp what God is teaching us through the Bible.

God has, in His immense grace, given us instruction through His holy word. As we receive this precious gift, we have a responsibility to ask Him for wisdom—wisdom to understand His scripture, wisdom to look past the lenses of our own particular experience or culture and drink deeply of the all-encompassing word of God.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Can you think of a time that you heard someone explain Scripture or saw them obey Biblical teaching and it opened your eyes to what the passage was really saying?

How did this expand your understanding of God’s word and your ability to fully receive His wisdom?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK

Pray that God would give you wisdom as you seek to know Him more through studying scripture.

Who are your friends from other cultures and life experiences who are followers of Christ? Next time you are together, share with them what you are reading in the Bible and ask for their insights. Listen and receive.  

Give - II

Are there better ways to give?

MEMORY VERSE

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Matthew 6:3-4

 

REFLECTION

 Moses Maimonides is regarded by many as the greatest Jewish philosopher of the Middle Ages. This is his teaching on giving called The Eight Levels of Charity: 

1) The first and the lowest level is to give, but with reluctance or regret. This is a gift from the hand, but not from the heart.

2) The second is to give cheerfully but not enough to meet the need of the suffering person.

3) The third is to give cheerfully and enough to meet the person’s need but not until you have been asked.

4) The fourth is to give cheerfully, enough to meet the need and even without being asked, but to put it in the needy person’s hand, causing him to feel shame.

5) The fifth is to give in such a way that the distressed person may receive the gift and know the giver, but the giver does not know who received it.

6) The sixth is for the giver to know the person who will receive the gift but the person has no knowledge of who gave it to him.

7) The seventh is to give in such a way that the giver does not know the receiver, nor does the receiver know the giver.

8) The eighth and greatest of all is to prevent the need by assisting the person heading for trouble either by a considerable gift, or a loan of money or teaching him a trade or helping him start a business so that he may earn an honest livelihood and not be forced to hold out his hand for charity. This is the highest step in the golden ladder of giving.

 

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

How do you generally go about helping people in need?

Is there anything in these eight 8 levels of charity that motivates you to change the way you give?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK

Keep your eyes and ears open for people in need and opportunities to share. 

Listen to what God might be asking you to do to respond.

Give - I

What to do with God’s stuff?

MEMORY VERSE

“In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” Luke 14:33

REFLECTION

This is one of Jesus' most shocking statements. It is also a teaching that is rarely preached on. If you've never given much thought to this command or you're confused by what Jesus meant, try to read The Invitation-the Not So Simple Truth about Following Jesus by Greg Sidders.  In this book, he makes Jesus’ clear statement even more clear for those who truly desire to obey.  He writes, 

So we have to be willing to give up our possessions if Jesus tells us to? No, we have to actually do it, because he already told us to; “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”  The word “willing” is not there, not even in the Greek. (p.74-75)

Does giving up mean giving away? Do we have to actually become penniless and possessionless in order to follow Jesus? . . .Your money and possessions are now “someone else’s property” (Luke 16:12). Whose? His. You gave it all to him when you became a Christian. And what did he do with it? He handed it back to you – not to spend on yourself, but to invest for him. You no longer have the right to do with it whatever you please; you have the responsibility to do with it whatever pleases him. Your job is to ask yourself, “What would Jesus do with all this stuff:” and then do it. . . That means so much more than holding everything with a loose grip. It means leveraging money and possessions to expand the kingdom of God.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Why do you think so few people take this command of Christ seriously?

Which of your possessions are you reluctant to relinquish? Why?

When it comes to the money and possessions that Jesus has handed back to you, what is He asking you to do differently?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK

Get the book The Invitation by Greg Sidders and prayerfully read through chapter 7 and/or click here to listen to a radio interview in which he discusses this verse and many other challenging teachings in his book. 

Obey - III

Master or Employer?

MEMORY VERSE

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’?  Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’?  Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luke 17:7-10

REFLECTION

Do you relate to Jesus as your master or as your employer? Here’s the test:  Are there limits to what you consider reasonable demands? Do you expect breaks, time off and ‘comp time’ when you work overtime? Do you consider some of your time “my time” and some “His time”?  If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, you just might need to take a closer look at Luke 17:7-10.

This passage talks of a servant who has worked all day in the field - hard back-breaking work in the heat and the dirt. When he's done with his day's work he is still expected to make dinner for his master and wait on him while he eats. Only then can the servant take care of his own needs. This is the life of a servant, constantly in the service of his master, not having rights or expectations for his own time.  The master commands, the servant obeys.

Also surprising is that servants should not expect thanks from the master.  There seems to be a sense of peace and contentment when after obeying every instruction, the servant says, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Have you drawn a line separating 'your time' from ‘His time’? Where is the line?
How has this scripture changed your understanding of what it means to be a servant of Jesus?

In what areas is Jesus calling you to give up, open up and more fully obey?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK
Read this passage every day this week.

Enjoy the peace and contentment that comes when you do hard things in obedience to Christ.