Sunday morning, August 21, 2011 I am beginning a series of message on what Jesus reveals to us about God. It’s basically the attributes of God according to Jesus. I got the idea from James Smith and his “Apprentice Series” of books. The first being “The Good and Beautiful God.” If you are interested in seeing my inspiration and wanting to go deeper in understanding the God Jesus knows, I’d encourage you to read and practice the books.
What I’m doing in this blog is bringing in some supplemental thoughts and practices to support my series. So much of what we do in church does not support spiritual transformation or even growth. My heart or Village Baptist Church is for us to be a place of spiritual transformation. It’s not going to happen by just showing up on Sundays or Wednesdays. There needs to be a determined effort by your leadership and by you to make spiritual growth a priority. Jesus did say that was to be the church’s priority. He said to “make disciples…teaching them to do all that I have commanded” (Mathew 28:19,20). So, what are we going to do? I’m glad you asked.
1. On Sunday morning I will be, for the next 6 weeks sharing the God Jesus reveals. What I am attempting to do is to change the narrative you have about God. Some of it may be good, but I have a feeling that some is not. We need to know the God that Jesus knew. He is our Father as well.
2. I’m going to supply a bit of commentary on the message and answer questions in this blog. Some of the questions will come from our text questions in the services and some from other places. I’ll be able to share more sources and insights to the messages.
3. There will be a practical application discussion of the messages. Something that you can do on your own, or something that can be shared in your small group or Sunday School Class. I’ll provide a link to a printable PDF discussion questions.You’ll see that next week.
4. I’ll give you a spiritual discipline challenge for the week. Something to help you position yourself to hear from God and work with Him in the transformation of your life. Below is the one for this week.
Solitude and Silence
How do I get stared focusing on the goodness of God. First, a person must slow down enough to be able to capture their thoughts enough to think purposely about God. Second, you will need to unplug. No phone and no email. In short; no distractions. I challenge you to try this at least once this week. I is probably best for yo to do this right after you read this blog.
1. Find a place you can be alone with the least distractions.
2. Bring a pad, pen, and Bible.
3. Set aside 20 minutes.
4. Take three deep slow breaths, telling God that you are here and want to hear from Him. (This is not a time for you to tell God anything other than you are ready to listen.)
5. If you have a timer or watch, set it for 20 minutes.
6. Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-14.
7. Close your Bible and close your eyes.
8. Sit quietly and just think about the good things and the goodness of God in your life.
9. Write down any thought that you need to take action on, but always return your focus on the goodness of God.
10. See if this makes a difference in your day.
Jimmy Kinnaird 