Re-center Around God
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
~ Apostle Paul
• In Christ we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Pondering Point
If you have not yet built this teaching into your spiritual mindset, do so now. Pause on it. Ponder it. Consider its implications. You are God’s handiwork – His poiema in Greek, from which we get poem and poetry. It is foundational to who you are as a follower of Jesus – who we all are. Of course, We are not finished works of art just yet. Think of the old adage, "Be patient, God's not finished with me yet." He has fully justified you through faith in Jesus. He is willing to work on fully sanctifying you through the work of the Spirit in you. And it is through the Holy Spirit that we are able become more like Christ and live out the good works prepared for us to do by the Master Artist. May that work continue till, as Philippians 1:6 says, "He brings it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ".
Review for the week
Build this into your faith-in-Jesus foundation:
• I am God's handiwork, His poetry.
• I am created in Christ to do good works.
Repent if Necessary
Repent if necessary of belittling God's handiwork in you (or others), or of neglecting to live out the good works God has prepared for you to do.
Return as Necessary
Thank God for making you His poetic handiwork through Jesus. Ask for help in carrying out the work He has in mind for you. This prayer helps voice this.
Prayer for the Day
Thank You Heavenly Father for making us new creations with new hearts and renewed minds. I pray that these hearts and minds work with Your Holy Spirit to carry out Your will to love well, being compassionate and showing kindness as You desire. Help us to see others (including ourselves) the way You do – with compassion. Then we can better reflect You in day-to-day life, enabled to do the good works You have prepared for us to do to Your glory and to the benefit of Your people. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Micro-Group Connections
in the Discipleship Lifestyle
Micro-Group Moment (MGM)
My time in ministry, particularly since focusing on discipleship, has brought out this lesson: Christians making the greatest impact on others spiritually – and in doing so fulfilling their God-given purposes – are personally involved in one or more healthy, active Micro-Groups (MGs). These MGs are more impactful than worship attendance (though they often do so regularly), more impactful than small-group participation, more impactful than personal Bible study and spiritual commitment (as awesome as these discipline are!).
Micro-Relationship:
A connection you have with one, two, three, or four other people.
Spiritual Micro-Group:
A connection with one to four others that acknowledges God.
MGers are being discipled by the Holy Spirit through groups (as well as by God directly in prayer, meditation, study, etc. and through worship and personal study). To live without fostering such groups in your life is to greatly inhibit your journey with Jesus. Most Christians already operate with these types of groups present; they simply don’t use such language to describe it.
That said, many Christians could be more intentional at developing them – enabling them to further enhance their (and the church’s) lives of discipleship. We hope that you will strongly consider IMMERSING yourself into a lifestyle that incorporates MG components into your life of discipleship under Jesus.
"My prior experience of community centered around shared interests – humor, partying, skiing, running, and playing jazz... My new community was different. The glue holding us together was not primarily shared interests but shared love.” Hendricks, Michael, The Other Half of Church, page 78