Dave shared this last weekend (listen here) about what Jesus might post as his Status Updates if he were a Facebook friend. What if you could have a running log of what your attention is on through the day? Would it look like a bowl of spaghetti? Would there be order & logic? How much would be focused on you? on others? on God?

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.

This last Sunday I started our series called “Status Update” about finding God’s purpose in life.  What Drives You?  Is it something like guilt, anger, fear or the desire for wealth or approval?  All things things can distract us from God’s love & plan for our lives.

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.

Greetings in this New Year 2012!

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

We had a great Q Sunday last week.  Q Sunday is a day where we turn over the content to you.  Questions about life, The Bible, or The Bridge.  Not as much back & forth this time between  Dave, J & I.  It turned out that your questions really filled up the time.  We wanted to answer them very carefully, but next time we might let it hang loose a bit more.  We’ll see.  If you missed the day, you can listen to the podcast by clicking here (click on the message name if you want to download instead of listen to it online).

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.

————————

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!

The Bible is a big book.  Really big.  Actually, as I shared the first week of this series, it’s not even A BOOK.  It’s 66 books written by 40 different people over 1600 years.  But don’t be intimidated by it.  God has given us this book because it will change our lives.  This series is hopefully one that will help tie together the various parts of the Bible that you have read.

One story.  One God who wants to have a relationship with you.  We looked at the story of creation first.  Read Genesis 1-4 to catch up on this story.

God created everything we see in the universe.  Sun & moon, earth & sky, all the plants & animals…  Then he made man & woman to be special—they were made in his own image.  They were the only creatures that were capable of a relationship with Him, and that’s what God desired.

He saw his creation and said it was very good.

He gave Adam & Eve a garden paradise & said to them “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the entire creation I have made….”

He made a covenant with them—a sacred promise through relationship—to provide for everything they need.

He said, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;  ¹⁷but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Unfortunately our story takes a turn for the worse.  Adam & Eve both give in to temptation, disobey God, and take the forbidden fruit.  This brings a curse on the entire creation, creating a constant struggle for survival… the ultimate result of which will always be death.

The loving relationship with God is broken.  Then Adam & Eve’s first child Cain, killed his younger brother Able and murder came into the world for the first time.  Wickedness continued to increase as mankind filled the earth for 1500 years.

Then beginning in Genesis 6 we see how God chose to destroy all of his creation and start over.  He started over with one man, Noah, and his family… and two of every animal.  Noah found favor in God’s eyes, but humanity has totally turned their back on God.  Broken the relational covenant with God.  But God still wanted a relationship.  So after the flood, he extended a new covenant to mankind– “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth,” he said.  And he promised never again to destroy the life he had created.

He was still seeking to be close to us.  He IS still seeking to be close to us.  He wants to be close to you.  Today.  Make room for Him, and you will never be the same.

Thinking back to the first months after moving to Paris, I remember many conflicting ideas of wonder, fear, excitement, confusion, and misunderstanding. Knowing this happens to many expats who move to the City if Lights, it is our heart to provide an opportunity to get connected to a community of faith- The Bridge. In this idea, we took a look at Jesus’ parable about the Great Banquet and what is says about living a life with Christ.

The Banquet

Jesus often was sharing life with people over a meal. Many of his teaching times came from this setting. While at the home of a Pharisee, Jesus shared the story found in Luke 14. We remember some key take-aways from this parable.

Jesus invites us to share life with Him

The host from Jesus’ story shows the heart of God, Inviting us to the banquet- representing the Kingdom of God. The banquet is not just our temporal life, but also our eternal life with God.

Excuses, excuses

The story quickly moves to guests making excuses why they can not attend. We are reminded of the old saying “Excuses are like armpits…everyone has two and they usually stink!” it is true that our lives today are very busy. The problem becomes pushing our time with God aside in our busyness. When Jesus is not a priority, we make excuses why we can’t spend time with Him

It is our challenge to keep our relationship with God at the center of our lives.

Go out into the streets

The host of the banquet tells his servants to go out into the streets to invite people. This reflects the how Christ came for all people- extending an invitation to all. We see the open doors clearly:  Jesus loves beyond class, race, or origin.

Christ opens the doors to everyone

We see the parable of the banquet as Christ’s love for people. He invites us to a life ith Him.

What will you do with His invitation?

And the servant said,
‘Master, it is done as you commanded,
and still there is room.’

Many people have asked me for the links to the Bible reading app I’ve mentioned  on Sundays.  Here you go:

www.youversion.com

To download a mobile app, go to: http://www.youversion.com/mobile

or from your mobile device, go to: www.youversion.com/download

The thing that makes this tool so perfect for our international church community, is that you can pick any language you like!  Also there are terrific Bible reading plans that will pace yourself through systematic Bible reading.  You can even sync your reading between your computer and your mobile device.

For your information, here is the plan I’m currently using:
http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/esv-study-bible/settings 

You can find one that fits you though– http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/all

The most important thing is to find tools that will help your spiritual life.  I challenge each of you to have “devotion” time (time alone when you pray and read the Bible) 5 days out of every week.  This is a life long habit that will change you forever!

I love how Jesus used stories to convey the truth he was teaching. Living in a world of sound bits and video clips, a compelling narrative still shines through etching itself in memory. Jesus put handles on the truth, helping people to remember the lessons learned by recalling the storyline. No example of this is greater than his parable of The Good Samaritan.

In looking back over the story we see the actions of each character revealing their motivations and the heart issues Jesus looked to address in his audience.

The Lawyer

The setting of the story originates out if a conversation Jesus has with a lawyer looking to get Jesus to pinpoint what a person must do to be qualified as ‘serving God.’ The lawyer knows he is to “love God and love his neighbor” and in so looks to establish parameters on serving people around him. Jesus tells the Samaritan story as an example of who has the correct heart in serving others.

The Man on the road: Stripped, robbed, left for dead

This character transcends the role of plot catalyst to an identifiable persona for people who hear the Samaritan story. Many feel stripped of their hope, robbed of their joy, and left spiritually dead by the things they have tried to fill the emptiness. The hurt man embodies these emotions for the listener, showing our vulnerabilities and need for others.

The Priest

The role of the priest in ancient Israel was to perform sacrifices for people, absolving them of their sin. This important role allowed people to be connected to God through the act of sacrifice. The priest was an important person with stature in the community. By including a priest in the story, Jesus points to how importance and busyness can blind us from service. Ignoring the very thing that makes the priest special (serving others) is what causes his guilt.

The Levite

From the Old Testament we find the Levites as people dedicated unto God, declared holy through ceremonial washing. The importance of the Levite was directly tied to their piety. The rules which guided them declared touching unclean things made them unclean, causing them to rewash themselves through the ceremony. The Levite’s dismissal of the hurt man can be tied to his unwillingness to help someone who could make him ‘dirty’ (ceremonially unclean).

The Good Samaritan

Historically the rift between the Jews and the Samaritans is something of note. In helping the hurt man the Samaritan had nothing to gain; No societal pressure or shared identity to force his actions. Moved with compassion the Samaritan uses his own supplies to dress the wounds of the hurt man. The Samaritan displaces himself allowing the hurt man to ride his donkey instead. Taking the hurt man to a place of safety, the Samaritan pays for the man’s rehabilitation. The Samaritan, an outsider, becomes the salvation for the hurting through his acts of compassion. In the same way, Jesus’ example of the Samaritan being inconvenienced by love for others in the story echoes  God’s love for us.

Here are some questions we should ask ourselves in relating to the Samaritan story:

• Do I try to put parameters on serving others?
• Are I too busy ‘helping people’ to help people?
• Do I think serving people with ‘dirty’ lives will make me spiritually unclean?
• Will I be inconvenienced to share God’s love?

The story that we live, like those in the Samaritan story, will also reveal our heart and compassion towards others. In answering the questions we look to Jesus’ final words to the lawyer.

Luke 10:37-38

So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”  And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Sometimes it’s good to go back to something you read or heard and just remind yourself of the key truths. Here are some of the key points from Sunday

Why did Jesus tell parables?

• Embodied truth – profound truths are captured in everyday stories that make the truth real in your imagination
• Emotional truth – you then identify with those in the story and often feel the emotions they may have been feeling.
• Truth discovery – you make a pilgrimage into truth, rather than just accepting a ‘truth package’ from someone else. Because of this you are more likely to ‘own’ that truth as part of your view of the world.
• Truth remembered – the stories often have a poetical lilt or gentle story structure. You remember them for years.

The son, who had in effect wished his father dead returns from his experience of utter desolation – no money, feeding unclean animals, humbled but with his heart set towards home.  The father saw him while he was still a long way off and ran to him. He made himself undignified to rescue and welcome his lost son. He greeted him with a kiss to signal to everyone that he was to come to no harm.

Today our Father God sends his Spirit running towards those who turn towards home as their hearts hear his promise of grace. The prodigal son heard an echo of grace as he reminded himself that even his fathers servants were well treated. He welcomes him in with ‘full family status’ and cuts short his apology. He signals this with the feast, the ring and the robe.

Of course there are many other layers to this story, but for today we’ve concentrated on the picture of God that Jesus paints with his portrayal of the father in this story. Here are some questions you might like to think about:

• Do you believe in the outrageous grace of God
• Are you still a long way off. The father and his embrace await you
• Are you on the firm foundation of awe and wonder at the character of God or leaning on the sand of duty, works or cultural belief
• Are you a friend of the father, looking to the lost with grace

Be Blessed

Dave Roberts

Jesus was a master storyteller. Incredible images came from his teaching. He had the ability to take something so simple that his audience understood from their everyday lives, and bring deep spiritual truth out of it.  A parable is a story where central, driving spiritual truths are communicated through through the natural world around us.

Planting seeds, taking care of sheep, riches and poverty, fathers and sons, wedding feasts and even common prejudices. For instance who would have expected him to explain the love of one’s neighbor through someone from a country that no one liked? How could the richness of the kingdom of heaven be illuminated in a simple coin or a single pearl?

We will look at a different story each week and ask, “What does this mean today?”  The images today are not always so clear. We will transport together back to 1st century Palestine and unfold the stories as they impact our lives today. Join us each Sunday or catch the podcast (see Messages page) if you’re out of town!  Dave gets us started this Sunday with the “prodigal son,” a fascinating with many different layers– a loving father, a foolish son, a jealous brother… don’t miss it!