Building True Community

Requires Hard Word. To fulfill my required PE credit in college I searched for the easiest course that was offered. Nothing before 10AM or during meal times would be acceptable. One class seemed to fit that bill - canoeing. I thought, how difficult can it be; get in a boat and ride down the river? I quickly learned how ignorant I was. In fact, that canoeing class turned out to be one of the toughest courses in my college career. Not only did I have to study for two major exams but had to learn how to maneuver through some of the toughest rapids in central Texas. Every week I was paired with a new partner, so I had to quickly learn how to build trust with the other person in the canoe. The communication between us was important to us effectively navigating the dangers we would encounter as we drifted down the river. Both of us had the same goal, get through the rapids without turning over, getting hurt or losing our equipment.

Defining Fellowship. One Biblical word that is used frequently in the New Testament is Koinonia, which is usually interpreted fellowship. In Baptist churches we tend to define fellowship as a group of people eating fried chicken together. Breaking bread certainly is a part of fellowship, but that is a very small part of the original meaning of the word. The Greek word can mean fellowship, a communion, society, partner, companion. In Acts 2:42, we learn that the early church fellowshipped together. This passage gives us the idea that this group did much more than eat together. These people shared real life concerns with each other. They became family to one another. The apostle Paul tells us of three very important people that reached out and gave him the "right hand of fellowship". Paul is saying these men shared their hearts with him when they could have easily turned their back on him. They ministered to him, mentored him, and shared their ministry and life with him. He was forever grateful. (Galatians 2:9)

Fleshing Fellowship Out. Is making fellowship happen easy or hard? Perhaps it's a bit of both. It is hard in the church today because true Biblical fellowship requires people to spend time with each other. We have become a culture of busyness. We have to consciously make time to spend together in smaller groups. Small groups in church life help people connect on a level they are not able to connect in a larger environment. For true koinonia to take place, people must see the importance of making the time to attend small groups and get-togethers outside of the church environment. The early church invested in each other. Rick Howerton wrote a book entitled, "Destination: Community". He points out that to share a meal together or do life together we need to slow down to experience life with intimate friends and family. In Biblical times, meals could last a couple of hours. This is the hard part of fleshing fellowship out today in the modern church. Eating together should be tied to relational intimacy. The short of it is we need to make life in community a daily priority in the church of today.

Fellowship is the same as my canoeing class in college. It is often times misunderstood and there is a great deal more to it than at first glance. Commit today to be an active part of a small group in your church and work hard at building meaningful relationships within your group!

Shining Scars

I have this one scar that is right above my right knee. This scar is almost gone because it is really old (approximately 30 years old). However, the memory of this scar is still in my mind as if it just happened yesterday. This scar is rather embarrassing because it is a visual of a very cowardly moment. My younger cousin was riding on the handlebars of the bicycle that I was peddling and steering for her. We crashed and burned. She was caught under the bike and asking for help when I looked down and saw blood coming out of my leg. I panicked and ran for the house to get myself medical help and attention without rendering aid or concern for my helpless younger female cousin. We can laugh about it today, however, that story and the scar from my stitches is still rather embarrassing for me. You can imagine the teasing I get from my family members and relatives each time they retell that story.


If we are all honest, we all have such scars. Scars that we would just soon forget about. Scars that we would rather hide and not reveal to anyone or perhaps we find creative ways to cover the scars up. As I begin studying the book of Hosea, it is interesting to me that God chose to use this prophet and his family life to teach His people some very important Godly and Biblical truths. The one fact that I can not get out of my head is that God chose to use a troublesome marriage and some difficult family circumstances to make the foundation stone of Hosea's ministry. The second verse in the book of Hosea tells us that the Lord commanded Hosea to marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity. What are we to do with that kind of verse? God is going to use this dysfunctional marriage and family relationship to teach His people about the parallel between spiritual and marital unfaithfulness. God demands love and loyalty from His own, and many times God's people fail to demonstrate love and loyalty to Him. In spite of this fact, God stands ready to forgive and restore those who turn to Him in repentance.


Allow me to share some personal and applicable truths I receive from this book. First, my family is not perfect and we have scars just like most families do. The truth is God wants my family to be an example of what it means to love and forgive in spite of our scars. Second, God takes some of the ugliest scars and through His supernatural ability to heal, forgive, and restore can make the scar less and less visible. The tragedies of the past within your family or my family, God can use for His glory and His good. It may be difficult for you to see that today, however, trust in God and trust in His Word. If you don't believe me, do your own personal study of the book of Hosea and see what God teaches you and reveals to you. Third, our only hope is God. I don't know what kind of scars you have or the scars that are within your family, but I do know who God is. God assures His people that He would show compassion on them, He would redeem them, He would remove unrighteousness and restore the covenant to His people, and He would rebuild them. They only had to do two things: repent and place their faith back in Him. It's that simple.


The scars in our life that have caused embarrassment, shame, guilt, worry, and trouble can be used to the glory of God. It hinges upon us bringing those scars to the Lord. Remember I Peter 5:6-7, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you." Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you."

The Great Guide

The dictionary defines “depend” in this way: to rely for support, to place trust, to rely upon. Have you ever depended upon someone? Perhaps someone let you down at a time when you put your full trust in them. This experience might have been devastating because your complete dependence was upon this person and their failure left you picking up the pieces. Perhaps you reflect upon a more positive experience, a time in which you couldn’t do for yourself and someone walked alongside you and helped you carry the burden you were feeling.

Several years ago I hiked the Grand Canyon and had absolutely no idea what I was facing. I didn’t know the least bit about the trails, the length of the hike, or how to train for such an endeavor. I was totally dependent upon my guide. My guide was great and had gone on this hike many times before. I relied upon him for guidance in my training regiment, and was grateful he even went on the hike with me. He was a great encouragement and help during the time of uncertainty.

There is One that is the greatest guide of all. The Lord spoke to Aaron in Numbers 18:20. “I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.” The Israelites marched into the Promised Land and the people of God received their allotment of land, their inheritance. This land would allow them to feed their families and provide financially for their tribe. Aaron was chosen to serve as priest and would not receive land; however, he would receive something greater. He would receive the promise of the LORD caring for him and meeting all of his needs.

Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” We tend to depend on all kinds of worldly things: paychecks, financial investments, retirement funds, education, job experience, personal skill sets, personalities, family members, other people, etc. Do we depend on God? Do we trust Him to sustain us? Let’s take to heart the principle that the Lord spoke to Aaron many years ago: God is our portion! Pray that simple prayer all through this next week, God, You are my portion.

Greatest show on earth

Do you recall going to the circus? The big tent? All the weird and funny things you would see? What was your favorite thing to watch? Perhaps you enjoyed seeing the elephants, or perhaps the lion tamer, or perhaps you would much rather ride the rides that traveled along with the circus. The circus has often been labeled, "the greatest show on earth". The marketing idea was to communicate to the general public that you had never seen anything else like the circus, anywhere. It was a unique show, and it seemed like every time you went, there was something new that you had not seen before. It's funny how quickly we get bored as human beings. There are some examples in Scripture of God's people getting bored. The circus came into town, distracted people from their boring, routine life and gave them some excitement for a few days. Distractions are just like the circus, a show. The show comes and goes. Distractions in our spiritual lives can be devastating.

In Exodus 32:1, the people of God grow impatient and bored with Moses' time with God. It was taking Moses so long to get down off the mountain, that they told Aaron that they wanted to see a show. Aaron gave into their demands. He made them a golden calf and they partied! They had a show. This show was short-lived, and it was devasting to their spiritual life and it cost about 3,000 of them their physical lives. The people of God and their leader took their eyes off God for a moment and they became distracted and bored. This distraction led them to sin, and cost them dearly!

God's people can not afford to take their eyes off God. We must remain focused not on the "great shows" in life, but on the Great God! How do we remain focused on Him? We spend time in His Word daily, we spend time with Him in prayer, and we guard against being distracted from this time alone with God at all costs! What is your routine of spending time with God? Has that routine become boring to you? Don't allow the enemy to distract you from the vibrant, abundant relationship Christ wants to have with you. Commit to make your personal time with God the "greatest time" on earth!

Seashells on the seashore

My only living grandparent is my grandmother named Poo (there is a story behind her nickname). Poo is 94 years old. One of her hobbies when I was growing up was hunting for seashells. She would walk along the shoreline and look for unique, colorful, and complete shells. She could spend hours upon hours hunting for that perfect shell. She would take these shells home to clean them and she would make art out of them. Every piece of art she made had a story behind it. She would tell where, when, and how she found those particular seashells. Growing up, I really didn't appreciate her art like she did. If I'm honest, that is the way I probably treat some of the great work done by God.

Exodus 14 tells the remarkable victory of God's people over the Egyptians. The Israelites have fled Egypt and God performs a miracle and parts the Red Sea to allow them to escape the pursuit of the Egyptian army. Just as the Israelites get across the sea, the Egyptians start their pursuit on the same dry bed, but soon God releases the water and drowns all the Egyptians. Exodus 14:30, "That day the LORD saved Israel from the power of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore."

Read that verse again. Let it sink in. God saved His people from the power of the Egyptians. Slavery ended for them that day. Fear ended for them that day. Their kids saw the very people that their parents were in bondage to, die. This power that had such a hold on them, and looked so impossible to ever get out from under, came crashing down in an instance. Who could ever defeat this great army? GOD. Let it sink in. Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Let it sink in. They saw faces, they saw tools used to destroy enemies, they saw chariots. The people of God saw human warriors and their tools of the trade lining the seashore. Are you getting a mental image? God destroyed everything and everyone and then washed it up on the shore for His people to catch a visual. Why?

Let it sink in. I think that was His purpose. How quickly we can forget that we serve an Almighty, All-Powerful God. God can accomplish anything in your life. God can go to battle against your greatest fears, your greatest nuisance, your greatest bondage, your greatest mountain and not only conquer it but wash it up on the shore so you can see it DEAD, GONE for yourself. The people broke out in a song right after that visual. It was a group exercise in praising God. What has God conquered in your life? Praise Him today for that victory. Share with others your story of God's great art that you have seen on the seashore. In what area of life do you still need to see God's victory? Pause right now and give that area to the LORD, proclaim Him as your Victor and allow Him to fight that battle for you!

Unflattering Dinner Guest

Jesus was invited over for dinner in Luke 11:37. He was invited to the house of a Pharisee, and then things went crazy from them. Jesus was criticized for not following the Jewish custom of ceremonially washing before a meal. Jesus begins to tell all the religious leaders that have assembled that he is fully aware of the changes that need to take place in their lives. He doesn't just see the outside appearance but He knows what is in their hearts. He knows their hypocrisy, He knows their greed, He knows how they have ignored and murdered God's messengers.

The harshest indictment is found in Luke 11:52. "How terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! For you hide the key to knowledge from the people. You don't enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering." Their entire role in the Jewish community was preserving, teaching, and sharing the word of God. They were not living by the Word, they were not sharing the Word, and they were preventing so many from knowing God. Here is the thing we must remember: these were religious people, they were faithful people, they were the Baptist church members that attend the Sunday night worship service.

Hear the applicable warning of the rude dinner guest: Be a mimic of Christ! Don't mimic man, or religious tradition, or some other person, but mimic Christ. What are you doing to share the good news of Christ with others? What are you doing to reach out to those that are less fortunate than you? How are you keeping yourself open to God's Word? How are you putting into practice what you learn from His Word? Who have you told recently about the good news of Jesus Christ? Who are you personally walking alongside to share and model Christ-likeness for?

These religious people hated the day they invited Jesus over for a meal. In fact, from that time on they were hostile toward Him. Why? He told them the truth, and they didn't want to accept or hear it. What is God trying to tell you that is difficult to hear or apply?

Pray this prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to hear from you today, help me to listen to you today, and help me to make adjustments in how I live according to what you have to say to me. Lord, I want to fear You above everyone else (Luke 12:5)!

A Different Kind of Grace

There is one tradition or habit that most Christian families do not miss. I'm talking about saying grace at meal time. I love it when families take the time in a busy restaraunt to pause and give thanks to God. Many times I'm the one that leads out in this prayer and it can feel routine. In fact, I must admit I will occasionally throw in a funny request just to see if my kids are paying attention to what I am actually praying. In Luke 9:14-17, Jesus' disciples experienced a radically different kind of grace at meal time. I can't even imagine the feelings the disciples went through when Jesus gave the instructions for them to seat everyone in groups of 50. There were 5000 men assembled in this crowd and the disciples knew precisely how much food they had collected. It would be like the deacons in our church preparing the communion for 100 people and we suddenly had 5000 show up to take communion, but then the pastor just told the deacons to not worry about it we had enough cups and bread to go around to everyone. Jesus did something that you and I do everyday. He took the food and looked up to heaven and blessed it. Sometimes what seems routine, can become a life changing event for us. This was no ordinary blessing, because as the disciples began passing out the five loaves and two fish they supernaturally had more than enough to feed the huge crowd. Many times we don't believe we have enough to make it through the day. We don't have enough strength, enough patience, enough money, enough time, enough discipline, enough wisdom. In those times we need to remember that Jesus can meet us at our point of need. He alone is more than enough to meet our needs. Take time to think about the disciples looking in those baskets and as they passed out the food, the supply of food never lowered. They would finish each group of 50 people and as they were walking to the next group of 50, they were shaking their heads in amazement as to how much food still remained in their basket. Jesus taught them a very practical lesson that day: Our God can supply all our needs. What needs do you have today? Spend time in prayer today asking God's blessing upon your day, giving Him thanks for what He has blessed you with, and request Him to meet your needs today. Throughout the day be looking for the way in which God provides abudantly for you: look for those baskets of leftovers!