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How To Know A Love That’s Real

by Lauren Koch
written by Lauren Koch

Recently, I heard a cover of the song “Weathered” from Bethel Music, and have not been able to get it out of my head. Some of the lyrics are below:

How sweet it is to trust You, JesusTo know You, I mean really know YouFather, Son, and Holy ShepherdA love so deep, it can’t be measuredA love that’s realA love that’s weathered

Knowing a love that’s real

Many people grow up in the church hearing about Jesus, but not actually knowing Him. If you struggle to feel close to Jesus, I want to challenge you. Take a few moments, close your eyes, and tell the Lord you want to know Him. To really know Him. Before your brain races into panic, shame, fear, or doubt. Trust and wait on the Lord. Maybe you’ve truly known the Lord before but it’s been awhile. I want you to know that Jesus has never left your side. You can know a love that’s real right in this moment.

Simple intimacy with Jesus

Think about your best friend or spouse. How do you know them? There are times the busy days of my life stack together and I realize…I miss my husband. He may be in the room with me, or we may have been together the entire day, but we haven’t truly connected our hearts. In those moments, I choose to come close to my husband, ask an intentional question, or express to him my desire to connect emotionally. My heart posture changes toward Him.

It’s the same with Jesus. When you notice your heart is lovesick for your Lord, allow yourself to pause and lock eyes with Him. Song of Solomon describes the pursuit of Jesus, the lover of our souls: “My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away” (Song of Solomon 2:10)

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Creator of the Universe
FaithFeatured

Creator Of The Universe

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

When God created the universe, what did He use as material? Before the beginning, there was only God’s Spirit. There was no thing, nothing. There was only God. What did He use to create everything that presently is? We know or believe from a study of physics that energy and matter can be interchanged, but they can’t be destroyed. So if at one moment there was no thing, and at the next moment there was something where did that thing come from? What created the substance? We can infer that it was energy, and that energy was God.

You have been created in Him, through Him and for Him. And all things are held together by Him. The same energy that brought forth matter at the beginning, is the energy that continues to give life and to give substance to everything around you, including yourself. You are His workmanship created in Christ for good works that He created for you to walk in.

When the stars and the galaxies and the planets were brought forth, you were there also as a God thought. He has created you out of Himself to do things in Him that tell the story of His greatness. You’re not an afterthought. You’re not an orphan. You’re not a misplaced person. And you’re certainly not a mistake. You have a meaning and a purpose, and that the purpose is in the ongoing unfolding of God’s goodness. You’re designed to know God, to experience His love and to share it with others as He has shared Himself with you.

So when you look at the marvelous creation, know that it’s God who created it to give you life and purpose and pleasure in knowing Him. He is not only Spirit. He is not only energy. He is Love. My desire for you is what Paul expressed in Colossians: “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, that they may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ.”  So I pray this over you, that you may know Him in a deeper measure, in Jesus’ Name.

________

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Knowing verses KNOWING
FaithFeatured

Knowing Versus KNOWING

by Jeff Futers
written by Jeff Futers

John 4:39, 42 “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 42 “They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world.”

I wonder how many people who have grown up in church and in Christian families listening to parents and pastors and others older than them tell about their faith in Jesus, have come to a point of believing – of mental assent in the truth concerning Jesus and the gospel and that has been enough for them? I’m talking about knowing in your head.

I’m thinking there are many. Many who “know” the Bible, “know” the stories of Jesus and have maybe even learned the key verses concerning the gospel and how to share that truth with others, but have never really truly experienced communion or relationship with Jesus Himself.

Reading this story again this morning about the Samaritan woman at the well, I’m noting a distinction here between believing in Jesus because of what someone else experienced and told them about – that is the woman’s testimony, contrasted with believing in Jesus because they spent time with Him themselves. You see, they didn’t just take her word for it. In the verses in between (vs. 40, 41), it says the Samaritans “urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of His words many more became believers.”

There’s knowing – and then there’s KNOWING. And the difference is time spent with Jesus. Don’t settle for just knowing about Him. Don’t take someone else’s word for it. Spend time with Him yourself.

“Lord help me never to try and get by on what I know about you. I want to spend time in your presence. I want to KNOW you. Thank you that when I pray to You, You hear me and answer me and come to me and speak to me. Help me to listen to hear Your voice and to wait in Your presence.” Amen

____________

Read more on the GOD TV blog here

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The power of the Word of God
FaithFeatured

The Power Of The Word Of God

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

I want to encourage you in the Word of God, out of one of Paul’s letters today, a prayer that I pray all the time, but I want to take a minute and talk about the importance of the Word of God. Hebrews tells us that it is living and active and it is sharper than a two-edged sword. And so when we take the Word of God and use it as a prayer, it actually allows that Word, that scripture to work in our lives, to move in our lives, to bring life into our lives, to divide between bone and marrow. The Word of God is powerful and we can pray it.

I love taking people’s prayers in the Bible. Specifically, I want to talk about Ephesians 1:17 today and pray that over you. But Paul is writing to the Ephesians and he says this, “I pray that you would have wisdom and revelation to know him more.” And he’s talking about God, he’s praying that over the Ephesians. And I want to pray that over you today.

So right now, wherever you’re sitting, if you can, if you’re driving, don’t do it, but just put your hand on your heart and just receive this prayer. I pray right now that you would be given wisdom from above, supernatural wisdom, the spiritual gift of wisdom for every situation and circumstance in your life. That you’d have wisdom like that of Solomon, that you could, just like the Word of God says, divide between truth and lies. Amen. And it’s that verse Ephesians 1:17. The second thing I want to pray is revelation to know Him more. And revelation is like when the light bulb goes off. So I declare over you, light bulb moments, that you would just have this revelation of God speaking to you and how you can apply the Word of God, how you can partner with the Holy Spirit to see the Kingdom of God established in your life, in your environments and on the earth. Amen. So I bless you today with wisdom and revelation to know Him more. Amen.

________

Read more on the GOD TV blog here

Watch GOD TV here

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Articles

J.I. Packer, Author of ‘Knowing God’, Dies At 93

by Christa
written by Christa

Evangelical theologian and author of Christian books, including the classic best-seller, “Knowing God”, James Innel Packer now rests in God. J.I. Packer died at 93 due to natural reasons.

J.I. Packer

Packer was born in a town outside Gloucester, England. He was best known for his book, Knowing God which has been sold for a million and a half copies. According to a survey conducted by Christianity Today, “Knowing God” ranked fifth place for the top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals.

Knowing God

Jonathan Brook, pastor at Refuge Church in North Carolina paid tribute to Packer in his Twitter account. He referred to Packer’s book,

“Knowing God”, as one of the most influential books that impacted his Christian life. “’Knowing God’ has been one of the most influential books in my life after reading it in college and then multiple times with students and my own children. Thankful to God for the life and ministry of JI Packer,” he shared.

“If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity,” a passage from the book reads. “Find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child and having God as his Father.”

Morris Cerullo, World-Renowned Evangelist Dies At 88-Years-Old

Ivan Lambert, a sports correspondent at The Ledger, also honored Packer’s contribution in his walk with God. He wrote, “JI Packer: used mightily to encourage and educate the saints. I recall reading ‘Knowing God’ in 1988, and telling my wife, ‘The God of this book is much bigger than I have ever heard in church in my 25 years.’ Packer’s ‘Concise Theology’ might be concise, but it is a gold mine.”

Packer’s first book, “Fundamentalism and the Word of God” gave ministers in his time the tools to stand in the authority of the Bible. He has written books on the authenticity of the Bible and has served as general editor of the English Standard Version of the Bible. He called it the greatest achievement of his life.

Glorify Christ every way

When he was asked of his final words to the church, he said, “I think I can boil it down to four words: Glorify Christ every way.”

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where is god
Faith

Where Is God? Finding Jesus During A Natural Disaster

by Heather White
written by Heather White

The question “Where is God?” can be daunting to answer in the midst of a natural disaster like a hurricane, earthquake, or fire. Society looks at these seemingly senseless, devastating events and often only sees hopelessness and fear. However, disastrous events tend to also awaken questions about faith, God, good and evil, the purpose of life, and the reality of death. In response, we as Christians have an opportunity to give hope and encouragement to those who are looking for the real God who loves and cares about His creation and the individual person.

Knowing the Character of God

What does the Bible say about how God sees a disaster, death, disease, or pain? Understanding His heart toward us is critical to effectively reassure others that God is real and interested in our day-to-day lives, including the bad stuff. Here are a few verses that point to God’s compassion towards the suffering of His people:

2 Kings 20:5 – “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears…”

Psalm 34:17-18 – “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Psalm 56:8 – “You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not recorded in Your book?”

Psalm 103:8 – “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”

Matthew 5:45 – “…for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Matthew 10:29 – “Are not two little sparrows sold for a copper coin? And yet not one of them falls to the group apart from your Father’s Will. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

God does not cause a natural disaster. He is a purposeful God, unlike the natural disasters that kill or harm people from all ages and backgrounds, whether they are His followers or not. The Old Testament confirms when God used natural forces, He protected the righteous (see the stories of Lot or Noah). In the New Testament, Jesus wept over the death of Mary’s brother and had compassion for the widow who lost her son, demonstrating His heart for the grief-stricken over death and sorrow.

What Should Our Response Be?

Share the hope of Jesus by actively engaging, interceding, and caring for people who may not be able to care for themselves. Physical, emotional, and spiritual support are examples of God’s compassionate nature and goodness to those in need. We care because He cares.

Be an ambassador. Pray for an open heart, full of compassion toward survivors of disasters.
Cry out to God the Father and intercede in your prayers on behalf of the brokenhearted and their communities – pray for comfort, peace, refuge, and hope. Pray they would draw closer to Jesus in this middle of their pain.
Volunteer your time, money, and resources, when possible, to relief efforts or reputable charity organizations that support providing aid.

Pray for the rescue workers and first responders, especially their safety. Pray for their families.
If someone asks you where God can be found during times of disaster, answer thoughtfully. Be genuine. Empathize with their pain and struggle. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your response. Remind the person what the Bible says about God’s character and how He feels about tragedy.

Be encouraged

Where is God in times of trouble? If you are His follower, God lives in you. You are His hands and feet to share His love and comfort in a real and tangible way to provide for the needs of survivors. Go, be love. “We love because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19

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Video

The “Quiet Time” New Year’s Resolution

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

Ah – these words that fill so many of us with guilt.  These words, they should fill us with great joy and a sense of fulfilment and excitement, but we never manage to meet our own expectation enough for that to be our reality. And at this time of the year we start setting New Years resolutions with those words in them, and that fear of a new wave of guilt at the inevitable failure start to creep in again.

What Words??

Words like “Quiet Time” & “Personal Devotions” and all the other phrases that we interpreted to mean “you need to learn about God and get to know Him all on your own, without any support”. For many of us, these expectations have lead to an lack of understanding of God and unfulfilled relationship with Him.

Why Quiet Time Doesn’t Work for Some of Us

Many of us find it a challenge to learn and engage and concentrate by ourselves. Not just in Bible study, but in all areas of our lives. We find it much easier to learn in community, in collaboration with others, by discussing and questioning and pondering things together.

And this was true even before the cultural shift toward an always-on, hyper-connected environment. We like to blame social media and the rise of technology for our inability to focus – but many of us had this problem well before we had a smartphone in our pocket. People like us were created to learn in community. No wonder we’ve struggled all these years to stick to the discipline “quiet times”!

Yet, we still have traditional expectations of what “personal” and “quiet” Bible study should look like, which can put us on a path of dis-engagement and guilt.

“I need to reframe my expectations of what Bible study looks like.”

In my opinion, quiet times aren’t always meant to be hidden or alone, and devotions aren’t meant to just be personal. Exploring the Bible can also be done in community, with people who can encourage us, support us, share their revelations and learnings with us, get curious with us and keep us accountable.

3 Ingredients to Bible Study That Might Help

So my “revelation” is that I need to reframe my expectations of what Bible study looks like for me. I need the right ingredients for me. What are they? I figure I need these three key things.

  1. Great Bible based teaching that helps be know God through His Word.
  2. I need this Bible study to come into my digital world the same way the other things I spend time reading do (the news, my friends messages etc).
  3. I need a group of people to learn with. I need discussion. I need to be able to ask questions, and I need to see questions be asked to help me think about the teaching from different perspectives than my own.

My Solution?

So, I created Knowing God – the combination of all three of these ingredients; A Bible study sent to me just like everything else (online), coupled with a community of people who are going on this same journey with me.

1. The Bible Study Teaching
The Knowing God studies were written by my grandfather, G. Milton Smith. They take you on a four year devotional journey throughout the Bible – chronologically, so you get the full context of what is going on (you’ll be surprised just how much this helps!). In these studies, the deep things of God are unfolded in simple language, helping make the Word of God relevant to everyday living.

I’ve sought to combine this work into a online service that fulfils the other two ingredients that I see as essential for daily Bible study (for people like me).

2. The Delivery
You get your daily study delivered to you each morning on Facebook Messenger and/or to your email. One click away and you’re at your day’s study – with the Bible reading (in a selection of translations) waiting for you, along with your teaching for the day. This means the study comes to me, and is part of my normal daily routine. I don’t have to remember to go to my study and do my reading – I read it as though I read the news, or an article a friend sent me.

3. The Community
The community is the final ingredient. On each study page there is the opportunity to tell your study group what you learned, thought, ponder, question or wonder. And, everyone is encouraged to reply to and encourage a couple of other people in their comments (which means you’ll likely have people replying and encouraging you, too!).

In addition to this there is a private Facebook group. Why? If we are struggling to keep up with the studies, we can still be connected to our community who are there to be a support network for each other and to help each other when the going gets tough.

Conclusion

So, if you are thinking about getting into the Bible (again), but dread trying to do it all by yourself (again), then why not try doing with a group of people who just need someone like you to do it with?

Invite your friends and use discount code “GodTV50” for a 50% lifetime discount. Learn more and signup at: knowing-god.co

Written by Andy Schick, creator of knowing-god.co

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conversion
ArticlesFaithLifestyle

There’s More to It Than Just Conversion: The 3 C’s of Christianity

by Karen Rosario Ingerslev
written by Karen Rosario Ingerslev

The 3 C’s of Christianity: Conversion, Communion, and Consummation

I once found myself in a vision of the Tabernacle of Moses, with each of the three portions of the Tabernacle representing a degree of intimacy with the Lord. The Outer Court was labelled ‘Conversion’ and there was a large area splashed with the blood of Jesus. Beyond the blood, a veil had been slashed open so that anyone could enter into the next level. It was clear that although the gate to salvation is narrow, once inside we can go as deep as we want.

  • Unfortunately, many people don’t get much further than Conversion; it is just too messy to walk through the blood. I took a moment to consider whether I really wanted to get my feet dirty and eventually crossed through the veil to the Inner Court.
  • The Inner Court was the place of Communion and I saw the body and blood of Jesus laid out for me to consume. Those who enter this place find a deeper satisfaction with the Lord but it comes at a cost; it is darker in the Inner Court and you will have died to self a little in your walk through the blood. Beyond the next veil, the Holy of Holies was waiting.
  • This is the place of Consummation; true and total intimacy with the Lord. Once reserved for the high priest alone, we now all have access because of Christ’s blood sacrifice. I stood with the veil before me, the full glory of His power and presence just a step away. I’d been praying for more of God for so long and finally, I was about to be face to face. I would have thought I would run straight in.

Instead, I found myself gripped by an immense fear. The holiness emanating from beyond the veil was so intense that I felt like if I were to step any further I might die. In reality, death to every part of me is what is needed in order that Christ might live through me, but in that moment I couldn’t embrace it. Though it is scripturally true that I have been crucified with Christ, I realized that it wasn’t yet a reality in my full being. My mind was still set on earthly things, my flesh- driven by a fear of dying- was consumed with dread, and so I did not venture any further.

This experience bothered me. I thought I knew Jesus pretty well. I thought my hunger for more of Him proved my devotion. It was startling to discover that He was waiting for me in a place much deeper than I dared to venture. Sometimes, in my vanity, I can be tempted to think that my desire for God is greater than His desire for me. Through dark and testing times I have sometimes entertained the bitter lie that God is absent, unloving or unknowable. But the truth is, if God did not want to be known then He is big and powerful enough to never be found. On the contrary: Jesus’ deep hunger to be known by us is precisely why He came. God takes no pleasure in holding back His presence or power from our lives. There is no price or pain that we could pay that would compare to what He paid for the chance that we would turn and know Him. When our lives flashed before His eyes during the awful crucifixion, we can be sure Jesus wasn’t merely thinking, “I hope they get saved one day.” He hungered and thirst for much much more.

The God of Israel was a spectacular God, one who did not share His glory with another. Yet, on the night He died, Jesus made this astonishing statement: ‘The glory you have given to me, I have given to them’ (John 17:22). If we are in Christ, then we are no longer considered to be ‘another.’ Total unity, total Consummation, is available to us. That is what He wants for us. That is what He died for. Is it what we live for? When He calls us deeper, will we dare to go? Even if it kills us?

The veil is open. All we need to do is step through.

Francis Chan makes the ironic observation that while ‘God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time.’* Let’s not settle for comfortable Christianity, with an acceptance of Jesus which stops at Conversion. Communion is sweet but even that isn’t deep enough. Let’s keep walking through the blood, all the way to Consummation, whatever the cost. The veil is open. All we need to do is step through.

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