“You think you are so smart!” The need for true wisdom in today’s world is at a premium as every self-declared expert and self-promoter has something to say. Where do we turn for true wisdom?

Our series “Word to the Wise: ancient wisdom for today’s world” takes a look at the wisdom writings of the Bible and identifies applications for us in our everyday lives.

During this series we have taken a look at how we can ask God for wisdom and how true wisdom is more valuable than gold. We saw King Solomon as an example, showing how the wisdom he received from God gained him notoriety and respect across the known world during his day. In the same way we are to be people looking to God for wisdom, direction, and understanding.

Our verse for the series is Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

A few weeks back J shared on the topic of wisdom vs. folly. J explained how our actions speak louder than words, and our decisions determine our destiny. As we seek wisdom we do so through our obedience to God. In following His instruction we will stay wise and avoid the folly of fools. J’s final question to us “If you could go back in time: What would you tell you?” reminds us to make wise decisions for today.

Two weeks ago Todd shared on the topic of “Arise, O Sluggard!” His proverb for the week was “Get Things Done or You Will Be Done!” Todd took us through a stream of scriptures showing us how putting forth the effort is wisdom in action. He gave us four points on how to better get things done:

Do hard jobs first

Get up early and resist the snooze button

Be honest about how much you work

Find a healthy balance between work and family life

This week Dave shared a message on Embracing Joy. His proverb for the week was

“Laughter is good for the bones, despair eats you up!” Dave showed us how the joy words of the scriptures echo in bringing strength and life to us. His message centered on the understanding that joy brings health. Dave posed the several questions about joy:

What is your default setting?

What has the past taught you?

What choices are you making now?

What is your hope for the future?

As we embrace joy from God we will see our everyday lives changed.

Our series in Word to the Wise: ancient wisdom for today’s world continues this next week. What is your favorite proverb? How has Godly wisdom changed your world?

Blessings,

JB

Starting last year, we started a sermon series called The Divine Drama, taking a look at the story of God and His relationship with Man throughout the timeline of the Bible. In the fall of 2011 we took a look at some of the major stories of the Bible: creation, the flood, God’s covenant with Abraham, the exodus from Egypt, the Kingdom of David, and the destruction of Jerusalem as the timeline finishes in the old testament. This month we decided to go back and fill in some of the gaps in the story, explaining a few of the key roles of God’s leaders through the scripture. Our focus then was on the relationship of God and mankind from the fall of man in the garden, the promise of God to man, the Law given as a guide, and the rebellion of historic Israel against God before the emergence of the Messiah in Jesus Christ.

We looked at these phases of relationship through the roles of Prophet, Priest, and King.

Dave shared with us about the role of the prophet, proclaiming the truth from God and calling people back to a relationship with Him.

J shared about the role of the priest, making sacrifices on behalf of the people as God had indicated, providing forgiveness for mistakes.

Todd shared about the role of the King, how power must come with honesty and goodness, and how David (despite his faults) lived as a man after God’s heart.

In all these roles we saw how the person of Jesus, as the savior, fulfilled each role in its perfection. Jesus declared the truth of God, he provided the ultimate sacrifice to take away the sins of the world, and he reigns as the perfect king.

We are challenged to learn from this Divine Drama the truth about life and keeping our hearts turned towards God.

How does your story intertwine the Divine Drama?

Blessings,

JB

It is hard to believe that The Bridge has already been in existence for 2 years! The time has flown by. It has been amazing to see God’s hand of blessing on our young church as it continues to stretch and grow. We have already seen many people come to know a relationship with Jesus Christ personally. We have made many new friends and have seen some friends move on to another country. We have had a variety of Life Groups meet all across greater Paris. We have seen prayers answered. We have experienced God’s presence with us in our services. It has been an amazing adventure thus far. We are excited about the new things God has for our community of faith.

Our values and mission are still the same as we grow towards the future:

Core Values: Discover, Experience, Relate, Grow

The Bridge is an interdenominational church, welcoming people of all nationality and backgrounds, whether religious or non-religious. (Find out More)

We are centrally thankful for What God is doing and where we are going. Let us continue to be the church after God’s heart.

Blessings,

JB

Questions, questions. So many good questions! Our QSunday events look to answer questions that come from the congregation on the topic of theology or living life as a Christian. This QSunday Kelly served as host to the event as Todd and J answered questions about views on cremation, sickness, the Devil, the “Son of Man”, life after death, and more.

To hear a podcast of the event click here.

The heart behind our QSunday events is to be a catalyst for dialogue and to spark personal study in the scriptures.

Do you have a question for an upcoming QSunday?

We would love to hear it.

Email us at: info@thebridgeparis.com

Blessings,

JB

The idea of miracles and divine intervention can be a complicated and perplexing one to many people. Our extensive knowledge of anatomy, medicine, and pharmacology lead us to believe that we can fix anything. Too often the truth becomes that despite our best efforts at living healthy and the great medical knowledge put into practice there are circumstances beyond our control. It is at these times that we see the power of prayer and divine healing. The truth is Jesus still heals today.

In our series Jesus the Healer we have been looking at what the Bible says about divine healing. We have seen that God wants to see us whole – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We have taken a look at how through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross we have healing available to us as Christians (Isaiah 53:4-5/ Luke 4:18-19).

Beyond praying for and receiving healing we also have seen how Jesus has mandated his followers to be people of faith and pray for others believing for healing where they go (Matt 10:1, 7-8). We also have seen that the model of the early church was to call for the elders of the church to pray believing for healing (James 5:14-16).

The question for us is not whether or not Jesus told us to pray in faith for healing, but “are we believing for healing?”

It has been a powerful time during this series seeing God answer prayers and heal many people. We are thankful for His divine intervention.

Do you need healing? We can pray for you.

Please let us know of any prayer requests you have by emailing us: info@thebridgeparis.com

We are believing for your healing. Are you?

Blessings,

JB

For many the message that as Christians we are God’s child (Galatians 4:7) and in Christ we are alive free of the penalty of sin (Romans 5:18-19) is revolutionary. By finding identity in Christ we are no longer self-focused on our own desires, but instead on the teachings of Jesus. J shared that “our identity is not in what we do, but who we are in Christ.”

We continued this journey of discovery by taking a look at the question of our motivation in life. We easily see how humans can place higher priority on our wants and desires causing hurt in the world. We determined that we must then be refocused from ourselves to God and to loving others.

“The mind is a battlefield” – a memorable quote and good reminder to be aware of the things we are dwelling on. Dave encouraged us to focus on the scripture and allow the meaning to change our thinking, “Jesus is breaking social barriers – reconciling people back to God.” When we change our thinking, we will change how we treat others.

The final week of Status Update focused on what we are sharing with others. The temptation to hide behind a digital persona can mean we are living lives clouded from who we truly are. Todd reminded us to “live life as an open book” keeping nothing hidden. Transparency is difficult, but sharing the truth is powerful. As we live Christ in our lives, His identity shines to others.

How would you answer these questions:

What motivates you?

What is your identity?

What motivates you?

What are you thinking about?

What are you sharing?

Let us find our identity in Christ.

Blessings,

JB

As we continue this 21 day “Awakening Challenge” (click here to join us) I am thinking about what fasting does. It strips away one of the things that comfort us. When I become uncomfortable physically, my thoughts become fuzzy at first, then slowly become focused. Sharper. My inner life grows clearer when my focus is on God. I start by saying, “God this doesn’t feel good, but I’m doing it to be closer to you.” Then He begins to work in me. He clears out the junk. I find that my mind can jump back & forth between 10 different things normally, but when I fast, focusing on prayer and Bible reading, my thoughts eventually become more focused. In the same way that my physical body eventually quiets its protest (early on drinking lots of water is about the only way I get by!) and feels energized… my mind also comes around… my spirit & my will become more fully obedient to Jesus. I sense more clearly the things that He is saying to my heart– about my purpose & priorities, about people around me, about the difference that He wants to make in our world. It’s a good place. Not always easy, but good.

Have you accepted the challenge to pray, read and fast this month? Join us & feel free to share your comments here.

When we find God’s purpose for our lives we find meaning, simplicity, focus and motivation.  Plus we know we are prepared for eternity because of our relationship with Jesus (click here to listen to the sermon if you missed it).

This Sunday, 15 January we are joining with churches from around the world in a campaign called “Awakening.”  It’s a 3 week personal challenge for each of us to 1) read our Bibles , 2) pray and 3) fast as part of our prayer emphasis (the type of fast is of course up to you).  There is a guide that focuses much discussion on the fasting aspect, simply because fasting is not a normal practice for most people (click here to go to our Bridge page about fasting, including a message from earlier this year).  This quick prep booklet about prayer, fasting and devotional reading can be downloaded by clicking here.  (4MB PDF document).

Then starting tomorrow, Sunday 15 January, there is a daily devotion that you can read in very little time, along with a recommended passage from the Bible.  Visit youversion.com or biblegateway.com and simply type in the Bible reference if you don’t have a Bible available.  You can select “NIV” for a basic English version, or choose a version you like, including your preferred language.

Download this 21 Day Devotional Guide here

During this time, let’s ask God to show us the plans He has for our lives, and help us to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts each day!  Are you up to the challenge?  Feel free to post your thoughts– perhaps what God says to you as you start the Awakening Challenge.

We had a wonderful celebration on Sunday, January 1 at The Bridge. We started out with a practical life application – journaling

Here are some resources for journaling:
http://lifejournal.cc/
http://www.enewhope.org/firststeps/journaling/
http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/life-journal-reading-plan
http://examen.me/

Let’s set our goals for reading God’s Word and journaling this year and, at the end of 2012, we may all say that the regimen of journaling has transformed our lives!

Suzanne

Here are the questions we received & had time to talk about:

During the last supper, I would like to understand why Jesus decided to wash the feet of his disciples.  I am little puzzled about this act from Jesus and the meaning of it.

Jesus said he came to fulfill the law not to do away with it, however there are often distinctive differences in the mosaic law and the way we follow Christ today, can you expound on why?

I struggle with the book of Job.  Did God allow that just to prove a point?   

What happens to people that don’t know Jesus when they die?

How do we reach people who see being Christian as a tradition rather than an active relationship with God?

 A couple questions we received but did not get to unfortunately.  Here’s one with a quick answer:

The Muslim Quran mentions that Jesus Christ had spoken miraculously while still a baby, proclaiming his mission and possibly defending Mary concerning his miraculous birth.  Why don’t find anything in the Bible that supports or refutes these Qur’an verses?

A) The Bible doesn’t indicate any miracles related to Jesus until he began his ministry around the age of 30 (except concerning his conception by the Holy Spirit and that he exhibited remarkable wisdom, grace and favor– i.e. temple visit at age 12).

B) The latest parts of the Bible were written in the 1st Century AD, whereas the Koran was written in the 7th century, so there would be no “response” from the Bible toward the Koran.

Possible source material the Koran drew from was a 2nd century Arabic fable from Egypt that tells a similar story.  Such extra-biblical stories become popular in the centuries after the New Testament was written.

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We concluded the service by remembering that Christ is the key to our faith.  Not the right answers to all the controversial questions of our day.  There are plenty of fine doctrinal points that have divided Christians over the last 2000 years, but there is much more to bring us together into deep, spiritual community.  That’s what we want to see happen at The Bridge & every Christian community around the world!