Survival Skills: Fellowship

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. -Acts 2:42-47

You can't survive as a Christian without your Bible, prayer, and fellowship. It's hard to tell the difference between friendship and fellowship. Here's how you know when friendship has become fellowship:

1. You're both devoted to Jesus.
2. You share a love for God's word and talk about what you're learning.
3. You pray with and for each other.
4. You sacrificially share your time, money and stuff for each other.
5. You're more joyful about God because of time spent with each other.
6. You can be honest and sincere with each other.

Here's how you know your friendship is not fellowship:

1. One or the other of you are less than devoted to Jesus.
2. You don't talk about God's word together.
3. You don't pray with or for each other.
4. You make no sacrifices for each other's needs and you don't share your stuff.
5. You're distracted from God when spending time with each other.
6. You're not honest and sincere with each other. There are secrets.

Do you have any friends with whom you have fellowship? If not, you won't survive the Christian life long. Pray for God to develop fellowship relationships in your life, look for them, and cultivate them by spending time with fellow Christians.

Prayer: How to Get Started

(Post 10 of 10 posts about prayer.)

So how do we get started? I'll tell you what works for me; but you need to take some time and figure out what will work best for you. It might be nothing at all like what I do.

I pray best in writing. I have filled several journals with prayers over the years. Writing helps me to focus. It's also helpful because it provides a record in which I can see how God has worked in my life.

Morning is my best time (first thing). Ideally, I get up before anyone else in the house, 6am if I can pry my face from the pillow. I make my coffee; sit on my couch with my journal, pen, and Bible; and pray for God to open my sleepy ears to His voice. Then I read a little and respond in prayer (remember, it's a conversation). I usually only spend 15 minutes or so, which sets the tone for the rest of the day.

I also try to remain prayerful throughout the day. I pray for faith when I get afraid (which happens more often than I care to admit - but I don't think anyone reads this blog anyway). I pray for wisdom as I approach decisions and conversations. I pray for others as I think of it.

And that's it really. Nothing special, just talking with my Dad, the King.

Just remember, if you're a Christian, you are accepted. You are a child of God. Don't look at prayer as a means of acceptance. If you do, you'll start to feel guilty when you don't pray. Instead look at it as an incredible privilege to spend time with Dad, which is a joyful and liberating thing.

Prayer: Confident

(Post 9 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever." - Jesus teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:13.

We talk to our Dad, the King, because we love Him and He loves us. We ask for His direction, provision, and forgiveness because we're confident that He is capable of delivering. There's no need to doubt. In fact, anyone who doubts won't receive an answer because he's double-minded (James 1). God is either the glorious and powerful King or He's not. We must decide before we speak to Him in prayer and if we decide that He is, there is no place for doubt in our prayer.

He's powerful. He's good. And He loves His children. So pray with confidence.

1. Prayer is secret.
2. Prayer is familiar.
3. Prayer is meaningful.
4. Prayer is submissive.
5. Prayer is dependent.
6. Prayer is penitent.
7. Prayer is confident.

PS: This isn't just religious talk. I'm convinced by God's word and personal experience that He is the glorious and powerful King. He does listen to His children. He can be trusted. Even with whatever it is that is plaguing you right now. What are you worried about? What are you struggling with? Talk to your Dad about it. Seriously. Right now. And relax. Your Father has it all under control. I promise.

Prayer: Penitent

(Post 8 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"[F]orgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." - Jesus teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:12

We've already established that we've offended God. If we're going to speak with Him at all, we need His forgiveness. We walk toward God in prayer like the prodigal son, having lived a life of self-worship and self-love, disregarding our Father. Because of this, we also need to be humble and forgiving toward others.

1. Prayer is secret.
2. Prayer is familiar.
3. Prayer is meaningful.
4. Prayer is submissive.
5. Prayer is dependent.
6. Prayer is penitent.

(It's wierd that Reliant K's Forgiven is playing on Pandora as I type this post...)

Prayer: Dependent

(Post 7 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"Give us this day our daily bread." - Jesus teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:11

Food doesn't just appear in your refrigerator. Money to buy food doesn't just accumulate like morning dew in your bank account (or your parents' bank account). A job to earn money isn't a given. Skills and training to get a job don't come from nowhere. We are dependent upon God for all these things and more. We just don't always feel our dependence.

The next time you're hungry, imagine that you have no access to food. There are more than a billion hungry people who have no access to food today. They feel their dependence upon God.

We must never forget as we pray, that we depend on God for everything from our next meal to our next breath. We're also dependent upon God in escaping temptations (see verse 13).

1. Prayer is secret.
2. Prayer is familiar.
3. Prayer is meaningful.
4. Prayer is submissive.
5. Prayer is dependent.

Prayer: Submissive

(Post 6 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." - Jesus teaching how to pray in Matthew 6:10

Did you know that Jesus promised that we will always receive answers to our prayers if we pray rightly? The problem is that we're usually praying for our own will, ignoring His.

When you pray, imagine that you're standing before your Father, the King. You're pouring your heart out to your dad with love and respect, desiring His wisdom for your situation. Seeking His answer, which is best even if it's not what you thought you wanted.

For example, early in college I prayed for a girlfriend. God didn't give me one. Instead, He gave me two years of isolation with no friends whatsoever. During those two lonely years He drew me closer to Himself and prepared me to be a godly boyfriend. Then he blessed me with a godly girlfriend who is now my wife.

Pray to your Father, the King and submit to His will. Serve in His kingdom.

1. Prayer is secret.
2. Prayer is familiar.
3. Prayer is meaningful.
4. Prayer is submissive.

Prayer: Reverent

(Post 5 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name..." - Jesus teaching how to pray in Matthew 6:9.

Prayer is talking with our Father, who happens to be the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. It's familiar, but reverent, like a good child is toward his or her earthly father.

When we come to God, we are to be aware of just who it is we're speaking with. In one place (Deuteronomy 33:26) He is described as riding upon the heavens in His majesty. I rode to work this morning in a Toyota Sienna. There's a glory gap there I think. We need to 'hallow' His name when we pray (set it apart as holy and worthy of awe and respect - don't just throw it around).

Here's your homework on this one: read Job 38-41. This will help you remember that you're talking to God when you pray.

1. Prayer is secret.
2. Prayer is familiar.
3. Prayer is meaningful.
3. Prayer is reverent.

Prayer: Meaningful

(Post 4 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"...[D]o not use meaningless repetition..." - Jesus teaching how to pray in Matthew 6:7

It may look holy and spiritual when monks sit Indian style and moan mantras to God over and over again; but it's the equivalent of my son sitting and the breakfast table this morning saying "Oh yea!" 1.7 billion times. (He really did that this morning and I don't know why...) When you're talking with your earthly dad, you don't repeat meaningless stuff over and over again, do you? I hope not.

Our prayers are to be full of words and sentences and questions that have meaning to us. It's a conversation. It's so ironic that many of us repeat the Lord's Prayer so often when just before Jesus taught it He said "don't use meaningless repetition" when you talk to your Father. Instead, just like in other interactions you have, think what it is you want to communicate and use words to communicate it. Simple.

1. Prayer is secret.
2. Prayer is familiar.
3. Prayer is meaningful.

Prayer: Familiar

(Post 3 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"...[Y]our Father knows what you need before you ask Him." - Jesus teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:8.

When Jesus teaches Christians how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15, He refers to God as 'Father' six times (count 'em if you don't believe me). If you're a Christian, you are God's son or daughter. He is your Father. Speak with Him accordingly.

I don't want my kids to formalize their interactions with me. Nor do I want them to disrespect me. I don't want them to treat me like a school principle, a police officer, a vending machine, or their best friend. I want them to treat me like their dad. This is how Jesus teaches Christians to approach God as well. As the perfect Dad. Warm, wise, and worthy of respect.

1. Prayer is secret.
2. Prayer is familiar.

Prayer: Secret

(Post 2 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"[W]hen you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret..." - Jesus, teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:5-6

Prayer is a conversation between you and God. The religious hypocrites of Jesus' day made prayer an occasion to show off their religiosity. Prayer isn't a contest. It doesn't matter who bows their head and closes their eyes the longest before digging into dinner. It's simply you talking to God. So don't stress if you're uncomfortable praying in public. Maybe we all should be.

Rather, sink into secret prayer in your room, car, McDonald's booth - wherever - and enjoy this private time between just you and God.

Survival Skills: Prayer

(Part 1 of 10 posts about prayer.)

Who is your closest friend or relative? Who do you communicate with the most? Odds are they are the same person. The more we communicate with someone the closer we become. The less we communicate, the further we drift. Communication with God is vital to survival as a Christian.

He communicated to us in the Bible. We communicate with Him in prayer. It's a two-way conversation.

Over the next week, we'll learn how Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:5-13. Read it for yourself in the meantime.

Bible: Respond

(Post 6 of 6 posts about reading the Bible.)

Step five: respond.

Once you've prayerfully read, researched, and reworded some Scripture, it's time to respond. Is there a command to obey? Is there a promise to claim? Is there a warning to heed? You'll need to prayerfully consider the passage in order to respond rightly. The Holy Spirit helps with this whole process from prayer to response, so don't worry. Just submit yourself wholly to what it says.

It's like what you do with food. Reading spoons it in your mouth. Research and rewording chews it up. Responding digests it and turns it in to real life action. If you don't respond, you'll just end up with a bunch of Scripture dribbling down your chin and you'll eventually starve to death. So... respond.

I'll be praying for you as you get started reading your Bible. Bon appetite.

Bible: Reword

(Post 5 of 6 posts about reading the Bible.)

Step four: reword.

Once you've prayerfully read a little bit and researched what it means, I recommend rewording it in your own language. You know you understand something when you can explain it in your own words. For example:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)

I would reword this verse something like this:

"All of my heart must lean on God, trusting Him. None of my heart should lean on myself, trusting my own understanding."

Rewording it clarifies its meaning and makes it your own. Try it!

Bible: Research

(Part 4 of 6 posts about reading the Bible.)

Step three: research.

You've prayed for God's help. You've read a little bit. Now it's time to answer some of your questions. You won't be able to read God's word without having questions and you're in luck. There are a brazillion helpful websites you can turn to. Here is my favorite one (right now): www.biblos.com. It takes some getting used to, but once you do, you'll be able navigate the Bible as easily as Facebook (sort of).

Some other trusted sites:
www.desiringgod.org
www.crosswalk.com
www.biblegateway.com
www.gty.org
www.monergism.com

You can also just google your question and see what comes up, but be careful. You can't believe everything you read on the WWW.

Your goal here: figure out what it means.

Bible: Read

(Part 3 of 6 posts about reading the Bible.)

Step two: read. Duh.

After you ask for God's help, just read it. This isn't something super-spiritual. You don't need to dress like a monk or anything. Just read what it says. There will be stuff you don't understand and that's okay. Just take it in. Read. What. It. Says.

"But where do I start?"

Good question. What genre do you want to try first. The Bible is one book; but it is also like a library. It is one book made up of 66 smaller books. Each stands alone; yet all work together to tell the whole story of God's work in the world through Jesus. They're basically divided like this (look at the table of contents in your Bible to see what I'm talking about):

Genesis through Esther = History books. You read each of these straight through because each tells a historical  story.
Job through Song of Songs = Wisdom literature. These include conversations, poems, songs, witty sayings, and deep thoughts.
Isaiah through Malachi = Prophets. God spoke through these books to His people, addressing them directly. You'll find some history in here too; but the main feature is God's speeches to His people.
Matthew through Acts = More history books. Actually, Matthew through Luke are biographies of Jesus; but each reads the same as a history book, from beginning to end. Acts is the history of the church when it first got started.
Romans through Jude = Letters. Read these like you're looking at someone's mail. Each book is a letter written by a person to another person or group of people.
Revelation = Prophecy again.

So, just pray for God's help and start reading a book within The Book.

Bible: Pray

(Part 2 of 6 posts about reading the Bible.)

Step one: pray.

We pray before we attempt to read the Bible because we need God's help to understand it and respond to it. We need Him to give us eyes that see Him and ears that hear Him.

For example, David prayed:

"Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law."
- Psalm 119:18

You might repeat his prayer, meaning each word. Or you might pray your own words. The important thing is to depend on God to help you read the Bible. And the crazy thing is: He WILL!

Survival Skills: Bible

(Part 1 of 6 posts about reading the Bible.)

Your Bible is your field manual. Your canteen. Your sword. You can't survive spiritually without regularly reading it, drinking the living water it provides, and learning to use it in the battle of life. Yet many of us struggle to read our Bibles. It's hard to understand. Hard to enjoy. Hard to find time to even try. However, hard as it may be, you can do it. And you must. And like everything else that is difficult and wonderful, the more you work at it, the better it gets. Remember, at one time in your life, walking was hard. Reading was hard. We learn to do these things because they are essential to life. Reading your Bible is essential for your spiritual life and you can do it.

Here's a basic process you can try as you get acquainted with your Bible:
1. Pray
2. Read
3. Research
4. Reword
5. Respond

I'll be explanding on these five steps in the days to come.

Your Status

Jesus said that all of God's laws are summed up in two: Love God and love others. We've all broken both by worshipping other things over God and loving our selves more than others. We're guilty. That's the bad news.

The good news: If you can admit this and place your trust in Jesus' work on the cross for your forgiveness and acceptance with God, you are justified. Justification is an immediate, one-time event that takes place when a person gives his or her life to Jesus during which they are declared righteous.

Once you're justified (declared righteous), you begin a life of sanctification. Sanctification is the process of growing into righteousness. When God looks at a Christian, He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Once you're in Christ, you are forgiven and accepted by God. You don't have to earn it by reading your Bible, praying, etc.

Many try to earn justification by their work toward sanctification - but it doesn't work that way. Only once you are justified can you begin to grow into that new identity. This makes reading your Bible and praying a joyful privilege, not a stressful duty. It's something you get to do, not something you have to do.

Faith in Christ equals joyful forgiveness and acceptance before God, not religious duty.

This is hard to understand. If you're confused, watch this guy's explanation - might help. Might confuse your further. Who knows.

Second: Love Others

You are designed to love God and love others. Loving God means worshiping Him. Loving others means to live for their benefit.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 lays out God's definition of this kind of love:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Loving others isn't about warm fuzzy panda bear hugs. It's about selfless dedication to benefiting others in all of life. Being patient when people are difficult. Abandoning concern for what you have/don't have. Abandoning pride. Keeping no ledger for other people's sins against you. Delighting in the truth. Protecting, trusting, and giving others the benefit of the doubt. It's about persevering even though this type of lifestyle is insanely hard.*
 
*This type of lifestyle is actually impossible, which is where Jesus comes in. More on this next post.

First: Love God

You are designed to love God and love others. Loving God means worshiping Him.

Worshiping is not some strange out-of-body activity. Worshiping is recognizing and responding to the worth of something or someone. It's what we do every day.

Every decision is a act of worship during which we decide what is most valuable to us.

Every place is a place of worship, at which we decide what is worthy of our resources (time, energy, money, passion, etc.). Church. Walmart. Your friend's house. The mall. The stadium. You name it.

Every song is a worship song. Some songs worship love. Some worship women. Some worship fun. Some worship God. Regardless, every band is a praise band.

In everything we do, we are recognizing and responding to the value we perceive in people or things. This is worship. We are designed to worship God above all else. He is most worthy of our time, energy, money, and passion.

So, in order to fulfill your life's mission, you must grow to see God for who He is and respond accordingly, loving Him with all your mind, soul, and heart. This sort of love works itself out into every decision we make, every place we go, every song we sing, everything we do and all that we are.

As you attempt to love God, you'll soon realize that you can't simply change your preferences and suddenly find God ultra-valuable. This is why you need Jesus. When you place all your faith in Him for everything pertaining to life you are reborn with new desires. These new desires grow over time as you walk in obedience to His teaching (the Bible) and your new eyes grow to see God more and more clearly. The more clearly you see Him, the more you'll respond in worship, fulfilling your life's purpose.

Your Mission

Your mission is to love God and love others. Period (or exclamation mark, depending on how excitable you are).

This is your purpose. This is your design. Like painting a wall with a hammer, living for any other purpose will result in a damaged, ugly, useless life.

In Matthew 22:34-40, some religious guys asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. Here's what He said: You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Then He tossed in the second most important commandment while He was at it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

God and people. Everything else is temporary and unimportant. So don't waste your life living for yourself or stuff. Doing so will destroy you. Instead, live for God and others.

This blog is designed to help you figure out how. Come back often.
_____

PS: Note the poll to on the right of the screen. You can also discuss what most teens are living for on the Facebook Group discussion board.

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