WAW Team Post 8

by Sheila Alewine                           
                                                                               

Our precept class is studying the Gospel of John.  It's an amazing book.  I could write about a lot of different things, but since this is a blog, not a novel, I just wanted to share some thoughts about one of the key words we've discovered in this particular Gospel.

John graciously tells the reader his purpose in writing in chapter 20, verses 30-31:  Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

John carefully chose eight particular miracles (signs) to convince his readers to believe in the name of Jesus.  Although we have only covered the first of these signs so far (water turned to wine), I've been thinking about the importance of recognizing the signs of God's activity in my own life.  I want to live intentionally - aware of God's presence, and taking note of His work in and around my life.  So I've been pondering...is God still performing signs?

"Signs" is from the Greek word sēmeion.  It is a mark or token; that by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others and is known; it can be an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature; it also refers to miracles and wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by Him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God's.

I like this statement from one of my word study dictionaries:  A sign is a miracle with a spiritual end and purpose, fingermarks of God, valuable not so much for what they are as for what they indicate of the grace and power of the One who does them; a sign by which the divine power in majesty is made known.

In our modern language, a sign is always representative of something else - for example, a stop sign is not the actual law, it only represents and reminds us of the law.  Perhaps in the same way, each time we recognize God's activity in our life, it is a sign ... a sign of our connection to Him, that He is active and moving and sovereign in this world.  Also, anytime we bring glory and attention to Christ, we are "living signs" of the gospel.  Our transformed lives are the "fingermarks" of God, indicative of the grace and power of the One who transformed us.

A few thoughts about recognizing the "signs" of God's activity in my daily life, and what that means.

In order to recognize the "signs" that God is performing in my life, I must understand and grow in knowledge of the character of God.  The more I know who God is, from the study of His Word, the more I will recognize His handiwork.  For example, if my job was a curator in an art museum, I would study the works of the artists I represented, so that when I came across a painting, I would immediately recognize the handiwork.  Each artist would have a certain pattern and way of producing their work that would be consistent and recognizable; but only with the eyes of one who had studied that artist intently would be able to see it.  This also protects me from being "fooled" by false signs - those of the enemy that are designed to lead us astray.  A sign of God's work will always bring glory and honor to Himself - not me, not other gods, not other men.

I should be seeking the Giver of the sign, not the sign itself.  We should not be seeking "signs" from God to satisfy our desire for the supernatural. We do not seek a "show" to entertain or amaze us.  We do not ask for "miracles" to make our life more comfortable.  I'm not saying we don't pray for people to be healed, or for God to do what seems impossible.  But our faith must be firmly rooted in Christ Himself, not whether or not He performs the miracle we are asking of Him.  Jesus told the Pharisees they would not be given any sign, because their attitude in asking was one of unbelief and skepticism.  Seeking God Himself is true faith; seeking a sign for God to "prove Himself" is actually unbelief.

Mark 8:11-13 - The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.  And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."  And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

Matthew 12:38-42 - Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."  But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Ninevah will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Did you catch that?  Jesus "sighed deeply in His spirit" because they wanted Him to perform for them.  They weren't seeking to know Him - they wanted to be amazed and entertained.  And Matthew tells us that when we fail to recognize God when He is right in front of us, when He has already performed the greatest miracle we will ever need in His death and resurrection, that we are in danger of judgment!

My goal should be to live an obedient life as a "living sign" of God to my generation.  The purpose of signs and miracles performed by the apostles in the book of Acts was simply God's affirmation that they spoke the truth - to give credibility that their message was from God.  John wrote his Gospel so that we may believe.  In the same way, as I live a transformed life, bringing attention to God's redeeming work in me and observing and calling attention to His activity and leading in my everyday life, I, too, am a living "sign" to others, testifying of the power of God to save.

Perhaps we don't see many "signs" or "miracles" today (by our definition) because we don't know God well enough to recognize His handiwork, or (I hope not) in our heart of hearts, we are people of unbelief - seeking God's activity and supernatural display of power to make us comfortable and successful, rather than a true heart of faith seeking His glory.  May that never be!

How about it?  What "signs" of God's activity have you recognized in your life?  I'd love to read your comments about the ways you are recognizing the fingermarks of God, and how He is using you to display His glory to others.

Love you ladies!

Sheila

Photo Recap of the Morning James Study

We recently wrapped up our Spring Bible Study on the book of James.  Here are some pictures from the Friday morning Group's last day.



Great job to each of these ladies who memorized either the whole book of James or portions of it!



Way to go Carol, Audra , Carissa, and Shannon!





Then any study that ends around lunch time calls for a celebration



The kind of celebration that includes food and young firemen....



friends and flowers.....



and dessert.



All mixed in with lots of laughter.  Congrats to all you ladies who finished the James Journey.  May it stay with you always!



And a special thank you to all the leaders who faithfully facilitated this study!

WAW Team Post 7

Hi there WAW Team, 

Did ya'll enjoy that last post by Tracey on Good Friday?  Wow that was moving and I was just sorry that I was out of town and unable to post a comment on that day.

This week I wanted to reiterate a good point made by Sheila Alewine in a previous WAW Team posting.

Sheila said, "One thing I am working on and enjoying is learning how to pull out the "structure" in a book (she was referring to the book of Colossians), so that I have a place to "hang" all of the rich fruit I find as I dig deeper. On a practical note, I do this by summarizing each "clump" of verses - where I find natural breaks. Then I go back and try to understand how those "clumps" of verses relate to one another - to see transitions, etc. By doing this, you get a better grasp of the overall meaning the author wants to convey.

If you missed her comment you can find it here: http://theordinaryreflectingtheextraordinary.blogspot.com/2012/03/waw-team-post-5.html  (in the comment section at the bottom of the post)

I found this tip to be very helpful recently as I was studying Chapter 3 of James. The first half of the chapter is all about taming the tongue. I know, I know, its this kind of chapter we can just hardly wait to sink our teeth into right?....Because who won’t find herself squirming a little as she studies a chapter about taming the tongue?!?!

When I first read through James 3:1-12, verse 1 seemed a little out of place with the following 11. Verse 1 says "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly" Then the next 11 verses talk about the tongue.

What’s the connection?

So I decided to divide up these 12 verses in their natural breaks and summarize each cluster. This is what I came up with this:

vs. 1-2  responsibility of teachers
vs. 3-6  influence of the tongue
vs. 7-12 perversity of the tongue

Then when I glanced back over it, it became blatantly clear what the connection was.

What member of their body would a teacher use most to teach? (Not counting a charade's teacher)

Their tongue!

Since the tongue is by far the hardest of our members to tame and even untamable without the help of the Holy Spirit, teachers have a tremendous responsibility to be watchful over what kind of influence they exert with their tongues AND (and this is an "and" that is worth pausing over), "will face a stricter judgement."

Why? Because they are in a place of influence and must guard against ever wielding that influence in any way that would dishonor God. So they must learn to willingly and continuously submit their tongues to God over and over again and not succumb to the many temptations to misuse it.

A tongue can boast, lie and steal God’s glory.

It can devastate, destroy, deceive, and sway multitudes in the wrong direction. A tongue can turn a sister against a sister, a neighbor against a neighbor and even nations against one another.

Like a tiny spark that in turn burns a whole forest down a tongue can issue miles of destruction and the teacher who misuses their influence and their tongue for self-seeking personal revenge, gain, or any other ungodly thing will not slip under the radar of God's watchful eyes.

Sobering, weighty, but not hopeless.

Not for the teacher or even just the ordinary joe who will not be held to the same stricter judgment as a teacher, but still has to keep his tongue in check.

If left to ourselves who could stand? Without Christ, who could stand?

But He gives greater grace. (James 4:6)

Praise Him that He gives greater grace!

The tongue, which cannot be tamed by man, can be tamed by God. Nothing is impossible for Him. So our part, teacher or not, is to submit our tongues to Him, resist the devil and his taunts to misuse our tongues and humble ourselves before the Lord acknowledging that without Him we are hopeless but because of Him we have great hope!

Whew! This Word needs to be at Work in me  24/7.  Anybody else feel that way?


In closing,  if you are having trouble understanding how a passage of Scripture fits together or what the overall meaning is try dividing it up into its natural clumps then summarize what each clump is about then stand back and ask God to show you the connections.

How about you? What has the Word at Work in you been teaching you this week?
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Running for Compassion (Helping our own to make a difference)

Hey ladies!  I wanted to tell you about Sue Gray and Veresa Myers and their plan to run in the Dupont Half Marathon (13.1 miles) this Saturday in order to raise money for Compassion International and the work they will be doing in Uganda this summer. They will both be traveling to Uganda with a team from BCC and Mud Creek Baptist in July. I spoke with them about their plans and how we could get involved to help.

(Trudy) Sue & Veresa I know you have both traveled to Uganda before on a Compassion team. What will you be doing this summer?

(Sue & Veresa) We will be visiting some of the Compassion Projects again, including the Child Survival Program that BCC co-sponsors with Mud Creek Baptist. We also plan to see our sponsored kids and love on their families. And then we plan to help build a kitchen for a Compassion project in order for the kids to get a meal during their visit to the project.

(Trudy) Wow! That’s a lot to pack in but I hear that it is such a treat to go to Uganda and serve the people because they are such lovely people to be with.

(Sue and Veresa) Yes the people in Uganda have so little but are so passionate about their relationship with God. It is such a rewarding trip and we always feel like they give more to us than we give to them.

(Trudy) Is there anything we can do to help you in this effort to help the people in Uganda?

(Sue & Veresa) One of our efforts to raise funds for Uganda is to run the Dupont half marathon this Saturday (April 21). We are looking for friends to come alongside us and pledge per mile (A half marathon is 13.1 miles) or simply make a donation.

(Trudy) That's where we come in... I wonder if there are any of you out there who would want to jump on board and help with these efforts that Compassion International will be doing through some of our own ladies this summer in Uganda. If you want to help, please know that no donation is too small...even pledging a dollar a mile would be very appreciated.  Every bit of it adds up and as we offer what we can I know that Jesus will multiply the fishes. If you want to help, all checks can be made out to Compassion International and you can give them to Sue Gray or Veresa Myers or leave them at the church office with their names on them.

Thanks Sue and Veresa! We know you'll run hard on Saturday not for a prize that perishes but for the joy and prize of knowing Christ better and making Him known to all.

(Sue & Veresa) Thank You!!!

" Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matt. 25:40)

The WAW Team Post 6

by Tracey McMahan


It was a day like no other.  The King of kings stood before the governor of the land.  Pilate asked, “Are You a king?”  And Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king.  For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Then Pilate asked a question that has reverberated down through the centuries like a gong that still echoes, “What is truth?”

At this point in the story, do you, like me, want to grab Pilate by the shoulders, shake him soundly, and shout, “What is wrong with you? You are staring into the very face of truth! Truth stands before you, truth incarnate! Open your eyes and see the One who is the very definition of truth!”

But sadly, Pilate wasn’t really seeking an answer to his immensely profound question, was he? If he had been, he never would have asked it in the first place, for Jesus had just answered that very question: “It is I who testifies to the truth.”

Let’s pause a moment on this day of remembrance, this Good Friday. Let’s take a step back and ask one another a slightly different question. “How would you have answered Pilate’s question, a question many still ask today – What is truth?”

The Greek word for truth, aletheia, is full and rich. It takes into account the reality of what clearly lies before our eyes as opposed to the mere appearance of something not grounded in reality. It is something pure, free from all error or falsehood. It is sincere holiness and divine doctrine, standing in stark contrast to all that is unrighteous, wrong and counterfeit.

According to Jesus, the word of God is truth, and He prayed to the Father that His followers would be sanctified (made pure and holy) by the perfect and divine word of truth (John 17:17).

The Holy Spirit is truth, and Jesus promised that the Helper would abide with us and be in us forever (John 14:16-17). The Spirit came to guide us into all truth, taking the wisdom of Jesus and disclosing it to all who trust in Him (John 16:13).

Jesus Himself is truth and the only way to God the Father (John 14:6). The truth found in Christ manifests itself in the lives of believers, allowing a transformation to take place as our old nature is replaced by a new nature of true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:21-24).

Now return with me to the day we began with.  Truth stood before a man blinded by fear, lies and disbelief.  In a few short hours, Pilate would condemn Truth to death, and Satan would sing. But the enemy’s supposed victory would be short-lived indeed. For Truth would be gloriously resurrected. He would take up permanent residence not only in heaven at the right hand of the Father of Truth, but also in the hearts, minds, spirits and souls of those who seek Him, who desire to walk in His ways, and who recognize their desperate need of rescue and restoration.

On that Good Friday two thousand years ago, Truth was nailed to a cross and left to die.

But on the first Easter morning, Truth rolled back the massive stone and came forth a Conqueror. From that day forward you and I, together with all the saints who have gone before, can answer once and for all Pilate’s question of questions, “What is truth?”

Shout out the answer with me, dear friend! Truth – His name is Jesus. And He is alive forever more!

What has the Truth spoken in your life recently?

Thank You All You Placemat Artists!

 In the last post I asked the question "Who Wants to Encourage Somebody?  And these smiling faces responded with a resounding "I do I do!" (plus many others who refused to be photographed or were not present)



These placemats will go to the retreat that Kairos Prison Ministry will hold in April



Aren't they great? I can't help but think how these are going to bless and encourage somebody.



Thank you to all the hands, big and small, who contributed to this effort.  May God bless you back!



Who Wants to Encourage Somebody?

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 

I've added a note from Carol at the bottom of this post.  Please read it too as it will inspire you to want to do this all the more!:)

In a previous post I shared what some of our ladies do with Kairos Prison Ministry.  If you missed it you can read about it here:  do-what-it-says-kairos-prison-ministry

Kairos Prison Ministry has a retreat coming up this April and one of the things they could use some help with are some homemade placemats.  All you need is an 11 by 17 piece of paper and some colorful pens, pencils or paints and a desire to encourage someone.  As you will see in our example below it doesn't even take any talent (so be encouraged by that).  But if you have some artistic talent, by all means use it for God's glory as you share it with someone who could use something beautiful and cheerful in their lives.

We need lots of them because they use 5 of these placemats per day for each resident they serve over the 4 day retreat. When Carol and Pam explained to me how much these placemats mean to the ladies that they serve, I knew I wanted to get my family involved in making some.  Even though we will not be going into the prison with Carol and Pam it is a small way that we can answer the call of Matthew 25:36 to visit the prisoner.

One of the things Carol told me is how the mothers who do not get to see their children very often will sometimes put their hand over the hands drawn on these placemats by other children and cry.  Maybe she has a child close to the child's age who drew the picture and it especially touches her. Being a mom myself that just about did me in so I suggested to my boys that they use their hand prints and share their ages for that reason. 

Would any of you out there be willing to make a few placemats for Carol and Pam to take into the prison for their April Retreat?  Maybe you have some children or grandchildren in your lives who would make some too. What a great opportunity to inspire your kids to give something meaningful to someone else during the lent season (or any season for that matter).  

 

So you can see that no special talent is required I wanted to share some of what we made.  



I have to tell you we had a blast doing these together. And what a simple way to speak some words of encouragment into a few lives who could stand to hear some uplifting words.

If you'd like to help. Just grab some 11 by 17 sheets of paper (Grover's Office Supply will sell it to you for 5 cents a piece) and let the Lord inpsire you as to what to do.  No lamenating is allowed and if you include names please only use the first name.  You can drop them off with Carol, Pam (their picture is on the last post about Kairos which you can see if you click the link at the top) or myself at church.

Thanks for all you do!

I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Matthew 25:36

Note from Carol...

What a wonderful way to go to prison without going physically. One big thing about these place mats is the residents get to take them back to their dorms (cells). Their possessions are inventoried, even the number of tp rolls they have (which they have to buy at canteen.) They are allowed a few books, Bible being one....and so the place mats are picked up and looked at over and over. Also, roommates who have not gone through Kairos, get to see what is written and a chance for the Kairos person to explain what they are all about. It is hard to imagine a world so limited. I wanted to make the point that place mats are very special.

Pam, Sheilah and I feel so blessed to have our church family behind us.
Carol