When my children were younger, we lived in a small Massachusetts town where we developed an unusual family tradition around the Christmas Eve service at our church. Since the church was only two blocks away, we would always walk to and from this service, regardless of the weather. The cold night air and the Christmas lights all added to the festivity of the evening. Of course if snow was on the ground or in the air, that just made it even more special.

The service always ended with a candle-lighting ceremony accompanied by the singing of “Silent Night.” For this, each person received a small, hand-held candle as he or she came in, and at the appropriate time, the church was darkened and the pastor would light one candle on the front row, from which the whole room would soon be glowing as the flame was passed on from person to person.

What made it especially unique was the fact that the pastor’s candle was lit from the advent candelabra – whose flame had also passed from candle to candle representing the weeks of advent, culminating in the large Christmas Eve candle in the middle that was lit at the beginning of this service. So you could trace this flame back from the beginning of advent.

This is where our own family tradition took over. We wouldn’t blow out our candles at the end of the service as everyone else did. We figured that if the light had lasted that long, it deserved better treatment. So we would keep our candles going after the service and all the way home to light our own Yule log that was waiting in the fireplace. It became very symbolic. From advent candle to living room fire – from spiritual fire to home fire burning – this light always started our Christmas hope.

I remember the year the wind was so cold and strong that we all had to huddle tightly to keep our candles from going out – slowly inching our way against the storm, lighting and relighting from whoever had their flame still burning, our backs to the wind, and our faces barely glowing in the flickering wick. We had a couple close calls that year and it was our 7-year-old daughter who for some reason kept her candle going for the rest of us.

I’ve always cherished this memory as a picture of faith and fellowship – how we pass the light of faith on to each other and how when we stick together, everyone is important. Sometimes the smallest and weakest keep the light burning.

“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin..” (1 John 1:5-7)

Light represents righteousness, truth, love, fellowship and purity – descriptors of God.

Darkness stands for wickedness, lies, confusion and hate –the opposite of God.

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” (1 John 2:9-11)

Reread these short passages from 1 John and count the times the words “light” and “darkness” appear.

With intentional repetition, John tells us there are only two ways to live. When people live in the light, nothing trips or traps them, because in the light, people see things as they really are. On the other hand, darkness blinds. John paints a picture of someone stumbling around, groping for truth, but unable to find it.

Notice the unequivocal conclusion he draws: Love determines whether you live in light or darkness. Loving your brother equals living in the light. Hating your sister means walking in the darkness. Hate blinds us to the truth and separates us from God. Love opens our eyes, clears our path and makes fellowship with God and one another possible.

God, I want to walk in the light, as You are in the light. Amen.

Questions: Why is loving your brother essential to your relationship with God? How have you seen the connection between living in the light and knowing the truth?

Please open your Bible and read Genesis 6:1-13

Scripture teaches that Noah walked with the Lord. Noah’s relationship with God permeated his whole life, as evidenced by deliberate, faith – filled acts of obedience.

Walking in the light with God requires:

Reconciliation to God. Mankind is spiritually dead from birth and, therefore, unable to have a personal relationship with God. Upon salvation, we become spiritually alive and are reconciled to Him.

Trust. Every relationship should be built on a cornerstone of trust; without it, there can be no intimacy. Faith grows as we get to know God, and Scripture is our main resource for learning about His priorities, character, and feelings about us.

Being in Agreement. We are to agree with the Lord about a number of things, including the following: sin is destructive and does not fit who we are; Jesus, the Son of God, has charge of our life; God’s character is perfect and His Word is true; God’s priorities are to be ours, and His orders are to be obeyed; and without unity, we will find ourselves moving away from Him.

Fellowship with God. The Lord wants to listen to us, and He has much to tell us too. Time is a primary ingredient of communion with our Savior. Giving Him our undivided attention is another vital aspect of fellowship.

Reconciliation, fellowship, agreement, and trust are four keys to remaining close to the Lord. We cannot move forward without reconciliation, and the other three factors stabilize our spiritual life. So, how steady is your walk?

Question: Which of the requirements of walking in obedience do you find most difficult, and why?

Discuss this devotional or whatever is on your mind about your spiritual journey with fellow pilgrims in the online chat room.

“Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:15

Many Christians remain stunted and immature in spiritual things, staying the same year after year. For some we can see no passionate and powerful changes in their character or behavior. They merely exist, but never “grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head.”

But should we be content with staying at rest, when we might advance in the fullness of our understanding, experience, and practice of the Lord and His ways? Should we be satisfied to believe in Christ, and to say, “I am safe,” without wishing to know in our own experience more of the fullness which is to be found in Him? It should not be so. We should, as good workers in heaven’s house, deeply desire to be enriched in the knowledge of Jesus.

It is commendable to attend to other people’s needs, but we must not neglect our own spiritual growth. Why should it always be winter time in our hearts? We must have our seed time, but shouldn’t we long for a spring time, and then a summer season, which will give promise of an early harvest?

If we are going to ripen in grace, we must live near to Jesus -in His presence- ripened by the sunshine of His smiles. We must continue in sweet fellowship with Him. We must leave the distant view of His face and come near, as John did, and pillow our head on Him. Then we will find ourselves advancing in holiness, in love, in faith, in hope, in every precious gift.

The sun rises first on mountain-tops and covers them with its light, and presents one of the most charming sights to the eye of the traveler. So it is when we see the glow of the Spirit’s light on a person who has risen up in spiritual stature, like Saul, above his fellows, until like a mighty snow-capped Alp he reflects the beams of the Son of Righteousness, and bears the glow of His glory high above for all to see. When we witness God working in a person that way, we can only rightly glorify His Father which is in heaven, who has ripened this son or daughter by the sunshine of His smiles.

Questions: What kind of things most often distract us from fellowship with God? What can be done to avoid these things?

Related
Take time for yourself and your ministry – attend an Oasis Retreat

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for June 4th, AM.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2009.

“… the kindness and love of God our Savior …” Titus 3:4

How sweet it is to witness the Savior intimately connecting with His own beloved people! There can be nothing more delightful than being led into this fertile field of delight by the Holy Spirit. Let your mind, just for a moment, consider the history of the Redeemer’s love, and a multitude of winsome acts of God’s affection will come to mind. All of these acts of God’s love weave our hearts closer with Christ, and the intertwining of our thoughts and emotions with the mind of Jesus.

When we meditate on this amazing love, and see our glorious God granting His church all His ancient wealth, we should want to leap for joy. Who can endure such love? Even the partial sense of God’s love which the Holy Spirit is sometimes pleased to show us is more than we can contain. How incredible must it be to fully experience it! Someday we will be able to discern all the Savior’s gifts, and have wisdom to understand them, as well as time to meditate on them. We will commune with Jesus in an even closer way than we do now. But who can imagine the sweetness of such fellowship? It is one of the wonderful things that God has prepared for everyone who loves Him.

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) When we actually see heavenly things themselves, with our own eyes, the stream of fellowship in which we will bathe will be so incredibly deep! This will simply overwhelm us with love. Until then, our loudest sonnets will be reserved for our loving benefactor, Jesus Christ our Lord, whose love to us surpasses all other loves.

Question: How could you show God’s love to someone else today?

Hospitality is commanded of us as Christians. Peter advises: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:8-10) Paul gives us much the same message: “Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:1-2) and even more plainly in his letter to Rome: “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:13)

What does it mean to be hospitable or “practice hospitality”? The Greek words mean to “entertain strangers” and “be fond of guests.” In the ancient world, receiving an outsider turns them from a stranger into a guest. Part of being hospitable including making sure the guest had their feet washed. Removal of footwear was (as it can still be today) a sign of respect. (Recall how when Moses encountered God at the burning bush he was told “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5.) However, a person’s feet were likely still dirty even after removing their shoes (sandals) so washing their feet before entering a dwelling was a common procedure to demonstrate hospitality and show that the person is welcome at your home.

How can we become more hospitable? While washing a person’s feet won’t always be appropriate, we can still take away many important principles by examining Jesus’ teaching and behavior about hospitality. We can learn a lot just by observing how Jesus behaved when he visited others’ homes, and how various people are commended or reproached for how they treated Jesus. Read Lynn Mosher’s recent article “What is Hospitality?” to learn more!

Karen Schenk’s article (written for Christian and non-Christian audiences) “Scared to have People Over?” could also be helpful.

Have you been practicing hospitality lately? What barriers have you found to inviting people over to share in fellowship at your home, both on their part, and your own? Contact us if you’d like to discuss it privately.

Reference & further reading: Handbook of Biblical Social Values, John J. Pilch & Bruce J. Malina

What do you think the Bible means by hospitality?

In Biblical times, bread was thinner and crisper than our bread today, which brought about the term “breaking bread.” It signified sharing fellowship at a meal, or as it was called, the bread of fellowship.
It was a one’s sacred duty of hospitality (called the sacred law of hospitality) to offer bread, give lodging, and protect any traveler that came to one’s door, treating him as a guest.

If the homeowner and the guest broke bread together, this bound them together by the strongest ties of friendship.  It was a covenant and was confirmed occasionally by the giving of gifts. This was a pledge of reconciliation and peace and would descend to their heirs, for it was in perpetuity.  If the guest declined the offer, it meant, in essence, that the host’s bread was unfit for use, which violated the sacred law of hospitality and contained severe penalties.

The disciples depended on hospitality

When Jesus sent out the disciples, He commanded them to take no bread or money with them so that they would depend solely on the hospitality and acts of kindness of others and make covenant friends.
If the disciples had rejected the hospitality offered them by others, it would have been considered rude or an offense, hindering their efforts to spread the gospel.

Also, Jesus gave them instructions on how to respond to the cities that did not receive them in hospitality, “When you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” (Matt. 10:14-15, NKJV)  If people refused the disciples who were in partnership with Jesus, consequently, they refused Jesus. This was serious stuff!

Jesus spoke about hospitality

Concerning this same sense of hospitality, Jesus spoke to the disciples of that future day of separating the sheep from the goats:

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matt. 25:34-40, NKJV)
(‘Stranger’ also means a guest-friend, bound by ties of hospitality. ‘Took’ or ‘take in’ means among other things, to entertain hospitably, to bring one into your house for hospitality.)

Jesus continued, “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” (Matt. 25: 42-43 NIV) You received Me not; you did not receive me in hospitality.

This should be a wake-up call for us. Hospitality is more than having a potluck supper for our Bible study group.  Paul urges us, “When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.” (Rom. 12:13, TLB)  May you receive others to break bread in the spirit of hospitality.

“And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God” Ephesians 6:17

In my own life, as I have come to know God better and to live more fully in the power and control of the Holy Spirit, my daily devotional Bible reading and study is not a duty or a chore, but a blessing; not an imposition on my time, but an invitation to fellowship in the closest of all ways with our holy, heavenly Father and our wonderful Savior and Lord.

Remember, God delights to have fellowship with us. The success of our studying God’s Word and of prayer is not to be determined by some emotional experience which we may have (though this frequently will be our experience), but by the realization that God is pleased that we want to know Him enough to spend time with Him in Bible study and prayer.

Here are some important, practical suggestions for your individual devotional reading and study of the Bible:

1. Begin with a prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you an understanding of God’s Word.

2. Keep a Bible study notebook.

3. Read the text slowly and carefully; then reread and take notes.

4. Find out the true meaning of the text. Ask yourself:

(a) Who or what is the main subject?

(b) Of whom or what is the writer speaking?

(c) What is the key verse?

(d) What does the passage teach you about Jesus Christ?

(e) Does it bring to light personal sin that you need to confess and forsake?

(f) Does it contain a command for you to obey?

(g) Does it give a promise you can claim?

5. List practical applications, commands, promises.

6. Memorize the Scriptures – particularly key verses.

7. Obey the commands and follow the instructions you learn in God’s Word.

Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Today’s Action Point: With His help, I will begin to make time in God’s Word – quality time – a priority in my life.

Question: Which verses/parts of the Bible do you find most confusing? Most troubling? Most inspiring?

About the Author:  Bill Bright

“But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:7–8 (NCV)

In Christian fellowship people should experience authenticity.

Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It’s genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level, sharing.

It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.

Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking, superficial politeness, and shallow conversation.

People wear masks, keep their guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship.

It’s only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible says, “If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. . . . If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves” (1 John 1:7–8 NCV).

The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are.

Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again.

Why would anyone take such a risk?

Because it’s the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” (James 5:16 MSG).

Questions: Are you presently engaged in forming authentic friendships? Could you start with cultivating an authentic friendship with God?

About the Author:  Rick Warren

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