Let me start off by saying that I have gossiped…
Many of us were raised to believe that the Christmas holidays are a time to unplug from outside relationships and our “normal” community rhythms. Even many Christians tend to isolate away from their small groups, missional communities, and neighbors instead of pressing deeper into relationships at this time of year.
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we’ll give you 10 fun and easy missional ideas that you can do with family and friends to help you stay on mission this holiday season.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started.
Please check out this new episode and be sure to get this week’s FREE Download of the Big 3.
I once heard it said that we always want to work FOR love instead of work FROM love. I want to remind you that in the beginning of the Story, God created humans in his own image on the sixth day, to be like him. And then on the next day—the very first full twenty-four hours of life for Adam and Eve—was a day off. A day of rest.
In the book of Exodus found in the Old Testament of the Bible, these ancient Hebrew writings show us that when God gives the fourth of what we commonly call the Ten Commandments, he says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” He’s not talking about Ozzie Osbourne and his band… but he gives us a whole paragraph of instructions on this command while the other of the 10 Commandments are just mentioned briefly, such as, “You shall not steal or lie.”
It seems that God knew that we were going to want to work hard at earning and providing for ourselves, and that we would need a rhythm of reminders to help us restore balance and trust in him each week.God created everything, including us, pronounced it awesome, and then took a break to enjoy it all. That is his desire for us too—to live in a rhythm of resting in his finished work. So why do we so often treat this command of God’s as a suggestion? “Oh, um, yeah…I really need to do that more.” Or… “In the New Year, I am going to rest and take some time off. At least I hope to.”
But we would never say that about any of the other commands: “Next month I am going to cut my stealing and telling lies in half. I really need to.” Or, “I should definitely stop murdering people. I really gotta cut back.”
What?!
Why is it when it comes to the command to rest and then work, we so easily blow this one off? Maybe we get so busy we forget. We lose track of God’s ongoing goodness and provision, and begin thinking that we’re our own source of talent, energy, skills, and…well, everything.
God desires our lives to be a perpetual state of Sabbath, a non-stop resting in his completed work. On the cross, Jesus secured for us what we never could earn for ourselves, the forgiveness of sins and the restoration of our relationship with his Father. We can do nothing to add to this any more than we can cause plants to grow, control the weather, or cause God to love us any more than he already does.
Because of Jesus we can rest. Today. Every day. At a soul level.
So if you’ve been working hard and then resting… the next best time to start working from rest is now.
Let me know what keeps you from truly resting in a regular rhythm in the comments below.
The peace Jesus came to bring was not coercive or backed up by military might, and it was not the type of peace that most of the world was looking for. The announcement of the Messiah’s birth heralded something different and transformational.
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, Caesar continues the Advent Series as he looks at the truth that God is glorious so we don’t have to fear others! Believing this leads us to peace in relationships, peace with ourselves, and peace with God.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started.
Please check out this new episode and be sure to get this week’s FREE Download of the Big 3.
Transitioning small groups or community groups to missional communities is much more than a name change. It’s much more than a weekly meeting (of mostly Christians) and it’s not just a monthly service project added in and called “mission”. (more…)
The story of Christ’s birth is a story of promise, hope, and revolutionary love. So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, shopping lists, and debt.
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, Caesar starts a special Advent Series by diving deep into the greatness of God and how believing this changes what and Who we put our hope in this holiday season and in everyday life.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started.
Please check out this new episode and be sure to get this week’s FREE Download of the Big 3.
