October 19, 2015
A Message from GO! Women's Small Group Bible Study:
Good Morning Ladies!
Session 6 is just around the corner. Where did the time go? It seems like it was just yesterday when we started our journey in John 20:22; Breath: The Life of God In Us. I won’t embark on a spoiler alert before Tuesday, but what I can say is that Session 5 was truly amazing. It was like a non-stop roller coaster ride from start to finish. I kept thinking through the session, ”but wait there’s more!”. Truly it was a “wait and suddenly”…. feeling the entire time. Speaking of time, two phrases that stuck with me this week were the following:
“God created time for timing” “Our spiritual gifts are not for us, but for the body of Christ”. (As a quick insert, I saw the movie Woodlawn this weekend- a must see. I’ll connect the movie theme a little later in this email)
Let’s start with timing-
For those of you that enjoy history or have ever found yourself trying to make heads or tails, comparing and contrasting the Old Testament and New Testament, we found ourselves doing all of that and more in Session 5. From the festivals in the Old Testament (Leviticus 23) that were celebrated by the children of Israel to remember their exodus from Egypt to Christ’s death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 5), oh, the symbolism and timing. Even in writing this message now, it is like the pages and writing in the chapters we discussed became so clear. I guess it was a matter of timing. How about you? Did you feel like you could see the links? The Bible is not only seamless, but as a living book, its lessons and stories are still continuing with us. I don’t know about all of you, but something connected for me in this session. It just all made sense. Here are a few words that come to mind:
- Interconnectedness
- Interrelatedness
- Intertwined
- One theme that has been and still is moving
Which takes me to our spiritual gifts, the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ-
Our spiritual gifts are not met for “us” literally, they are given to us to use within body of Christ. The beauty of everyone having a gift is that God has something planned just for you. In the movie Woodlawn (based on a true story), Woodlawn High School (Birmingham, AL) running back Tony Nathan’s giftedness in football helped to heal a racially divided community in the 1970’s. Called the “Jesus Revolution”, The Holy Spirit landed in Woodlawn and caught fire. Tony questioned “why me” at one point in the movie, but as he was told and soon learned, God’s gift to him was not for him, but for the glory of the Lord. Tony’s gift were given to him to lead, show and point to Christ. In the movie, the high school team and coaching staff ultimately concluded that there was just “one way”. So you see, in all of our giftedness, there’s variety. It’s there which lies the interconnectedness, interrelatedness, and intertwined order —the Body of Christ. It’s all perfect and points to Him.
I pray that God through the Holy Spirit will make your gifts evident to you in His name and that as you are empowered through the Holy Spirit to use your gifts that others see through you Christ, the one and only “one way.” I pray that you are decreased so that God is increased. Remember your purpose. Remember our purpose. It’s bigger than you or I.
Our God is awesome and indescribable. Thank you Lord for your perfect timing and for your Holy Spirit. As Paul and Timothy encouraged the people of Philippi, remember these words found in Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Housekeeping for the week:
We will be meeting in the Innovation Center this week at 6:00 pm;
We'll start off reviewing our homework from Session 5;
Remember to bring your GO! theme from Session five or a prior session; and
Spread the word!
Remember, each day is an opportunity for us to...
Lead, Serve, GO!
Have a great day and see you on Tuesday!
Krista
Each day we have an opportunity to be the light and salt God has called us to be to others. Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)