The College Ministry

Revelation 3:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:17-21, 16:8-9

To the church in Philadelphia the Lord said He would open a door, though they had little power. Jesus is telling them that He will work powerfully through them in spite of their obstacles because they had kept His word. Consider the following words of Winston Churchill:

To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared and unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.

We need to remember that it isn’t our power that means much of anything, but rather the Holy Spirit of God working in and through us. The church in Corinth had been enamored with eloquent words and pithy sayings. When Paul showed up he clarified for them that it isn’t eloquent words that make the difference, but rather the power of God.

God has placed you in a unique place with unique opportunities to reach people for Christ. He alone has opened a door for you to be used as an instrument to spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It should be no concern of ours as to how big or small the opportunities or “special moments” might be, but rather how faithful we will be when they come.

Pray today that the Holy Spirit would open your eyes to the opportunities the Lord has for you to share the Gospel today. Ask the Lord for boldness to faithfully take advantage of the moment.

Freedom Devotional – November 29, 2010

John 16:14

What is it that marks our relationship with Christ? What is it that gives definition to our religious experience? In some cases our faith or religious experiences are defined by our activity more than anything else. Consider the following words from Oswald Chambers:

“The holiness movements of today have none of the rugged reality of the New Testament about them. There is nothing about them that needs the death of Jesus Christ. All that is required is a pious atmosphere, prayer, and devotion. This type of experience is neither supernatural nor miraculous. It did not cost the sufferings of God, nor is it stained with “the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 12:11). It is not marked or sealed by the Holy Spirit as being genuine, and it has no visual sign that causes people to exclaim with awe and wonder, “That is the work of God Almighty!” Yet the New Testament is about the work of God and nothing else. The New Testament example of the Christian experience is that of a personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every other kind of so-called Christian experience is detached from the Person of Jesus.”

Is your faith tied explicitly to the person of Jesus? Spend some time in prayer today asking God to reveal to you the foundation of your faith. Ask Him to reveal to you whether or not your faith is defined by a personal relationship with Jesus or the things we so often use to define our religious experience (atmosphere, devotion, etc.).

Thanksgiving Day Devotional- November 25, 2010

With Thanksgiving

• Psalm 100:4-5 – “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures for ever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
• Colossians 2:7 – “Rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
• Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
• Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.”
• Psalm 105:1-2 – “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 – “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

These are just a few scriptures among many that talk about thankfulness towards God. As you can see there is a theme of living with thankfulness. We are to enter His gates, be rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in faith, do everything in Jesus name, call on Him and be joyful and pray continually- all with thanksgiving. Thankfulness is expressing gratitude and relief. We, who know Jesus as our redeemer and savior, have found great relief. The greatest relief to the Christian is knowing that what deserved death as payment has been paid in full and is given by a God who is rich in grace and mercy. Is your life marked by thankfulness to Jesus for His sacrifice? In seasons of plenty and seasons of little, we have so much to be thankful for. We really do- we get to serve and love and be loved by God. He is the giver of good gifts.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving, spend time just thinking on the character of God and who He is. You get to know and be known by this God! Are you living and doing and acting out of thankfulness to Him?

Freedom Devotional- November 23

Revelation 3:8

Keep His Word and Remember His Name

We talked on Sunday and in yesterday’s devotional about the love God has for His church. He is a God that convicts and calls out, but He is a God that loves deeply and does everything out of ultimate love. He calls and convicts because He knows our deepest satisfaction is in Him and nothing else. All throughout Scripture we see that God blesses those that walk in righteousness and bless His name. The Church in Philadelphia “kept [His] Word and did not deny [His] name.” Because of this, Jesus tells them that He will make them a pillar in the temple of God. I have seen over and over friends that have walked with Jesus and been faithful in the little, just like Philadelphia. They served even in places that weren’t visible or publicly praised. They filled spots that no one else wanted to fill. Over time, I have seen them be given more and be faithful to the Word of God and His name. They were faithful in the little and God gave them more. In Psalm 119:15&16, I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. “ We need to fix our eyes on Him and His ways. We need to delight in Him and His law- His law brings freedom. Being faithful in these things will lead to doors being opened and shut by the One who opens doors no one else can close.

Have you been faithful in the little? Take some time and look at your life right now, in this season. Are you serving where you are? Are you loving people even when no one else is “praising you” or seeing you love that person? Ask the Lord to reveal areas you are not being faithful in. Ask Him to help you find delight in His law and Word. There is freedom there. There is hope in Him.

Freedom Devotional- November 22

Revelation 3:7-13

There are several things that can be taken out of this passage for believers. I love that throughout this passage it shows a God that loves His church and wants to encourage and bless the good that He sees her doing. He tells her to hold fast to what they have and that He will guard and protect her. We can see the Lord telling His church in Philadelphia, “Good job; keep going.” There will be dry seasons and rich seasons (and hopefully really consistently) throughout our lives, as believers, that we are going to be walking well with Jesus; being satisfied in Him and keeping His Word and looking at door after door He sets before us. But we have to remember none of it happens because of who we are and what we’ve done, but because we have been redeemed by a gracious God. I love that from the introduction of this section of Scripture, it says God is the one that holds the key of David and God is the one who opens doors that no one can shut and shuts doors no one can open. He is in full control. In verse 9&10 tell us that God is our defender. There is no need for us to try to fight things on our own. Isaiah 26:12 says that the “Lord establishes peace” and “all that we have accomplished, He has done for us.” God is the granter of peace and the giver of good gifts- not us. It is not something we can earn or deserve- it comes with the graciousness of God’s character. So in seasons where you feel the Lord encouraging you, when you are walking with Jesus in really deep and sweet ways, and as you display the transformation of the Gospel through your “good,” remember it’s not because of you, but because of what Jesus has done in you. He saved you; you didn’t save yourself. Everything we have done, He has accomplished. He deserves the praise.

As you pray today, thank God for the love and encouragement He gives His children. He blesses those who walk in righteousness; are you walking in righteousness? Are there areas you still need to surrender to Him so that He can be your defender and the opener and closer of doors for you?

Revelation 3:3, 5 and Exodus 34:6-7

In Revelation 3:3 Jesus gives a stern warning to the church in Sardis, “If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.” It’s important that we remember Jesus is our merciful and gracious Savior, but also as our just and holy God (Isaiah 6:1-3). He walks mercifully with us and loves us while at the same time requiring that we pursue holiness because He is holy.

I recently read a blog post about the supposed differences in God between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The author pointed out how many people find it difficult to reconcile the seemingly different ways God responds to sin in the two Testaments.

This struggle to reconcile these differences brought about a major controversy in church history. The author reminds us of this by mentioning Marcion. Marcion believed that the wrathful God of the Old Testament was a much different entity than the all-forgiving God of the New Testament. “Marcion, who lived in the 2nd century, wanted to rid the church of the OT because he felt the OT God was an angry god and not the God of the NT, the God of Jesus. So, he argued that the OT is not the church’s scripture and set up a canon without the OT. In many ways the church today has adopted what I want to call ‘practical Marcionism.’ We do this by assuming that God is grumpier in the OT than He is in the NT. We do this by phrases like ‘I’m gonna go OT on you.’ Christian Football coaches will say that they want their team to be OT on Saturdays and NT on Sundays.”

God is just and will punish sin, but He is also gracious, patient, and forgiving. Spend some time in prayer today thanking God for His mercy and grace. Ask the Lord to reveal any sin in your life and pray for the salvation of those whose names are not written in the book of Life.

Freedom Devotional – November 18, 2010

Revelation 3:4-5, 1 Timothy 4:12 and Matthew 5:16

We do not walk alone or unnoticed.

In Revelation 3:4-5, “a few” in the church of Sardis received an accommodation from the Lord for their faithfulness. Furthermore, that accommodation was followed by a promise that they would one day walk with Jesus, in white “for they are worthy.” Those in the church of Sardis who walked faithfully with the Lord would be blessed to walk with Jesus and had the assurance of their salvation – their walk matched their faith, which was a test of its genuineness.

So far this week we’ve seen how our spiritual walk is an abiding daily walk with our Lord. As we walk with the Lord we begin to walk where He walks and we are compelled to be obedient to His word because we love Him, know that He loves us, and have the Holy Spirit working powerfully in our hearts.

It’s important to note that walking faithfully with the Lord can be a lonely walk at times. It can feel as though you’re the only one walking in a way that would honor the Lord. However, we can rest assure that Jesus himself knows how we walk, even when it seems we’re walking alone.

Spend some time in prayer thanking the Lord for His presence in your life and that He walks with you every step of the way – in difficult times and it smooth times, He is always there.

Freedom Devotional – November 17, 2010

Walk Like This

James 2:18-26

In Revelation 3:3 Jesus tells the church in Sardis to remember what they had received and heard. He also told them to keep it, and repent otherwise he would come and against them. All throughout Scripture we see that God is after our heart and wants to have a personal relationship with us. This week we’ve seen that our faith is best characterized as walking with God in an abiding relationship. Today I want to talk about the second major piece of our walk with God, how we walk. Our foremost pursuit is to love God with all of our heart and then we’re to walk alongside Him according to Scripture. We walk with Him because His ways are righteous. We walk with Him because we know He loves us. We’re compelled to be obedient. Therefore, the way we love Him and the way we walk in this life should not be at odds with one another. In the book of James we see very clearly that real faith transforms and directs the works of our life, it shouldn’t contradict our life.

Freedom Devotional – November 16, 2010

John 15:4-5, 11

In Monday’s devotional we considered our walk with the Lord and how we should cultivate our relationship with Him by steadfastly walking with Him one day at a time. This is such an important thing to understand because our relationship with God is a lot like other relationships – cultivation over time builds closeness and freshness. If we’re not steadfast, the fumes of bygone experience will become the driving force of our spiritual life and fumes will only take you so far before you run out of gas. This is why Jesus talks about abiding in Him. We have to remain closely connected to Him if we want to have a fruitful relationship with Him. Remaining closely connected to Him requires time. We have to spend time with God in prayer and time reading the Scriptures.

Spend some time this morning in prayer – share with God the things you may be struggling with this week and/or things that are on your heart. Ask God to reveal to you any sin in your life that may be hindering your relationship with Him. Thank Him for His loving kindness.

Practically there are all different kinds of fasting in scripture: Moses and Elijah did an absolute fast (where they abstained from food and water). Most scholars think that Jesus fasted for 40 days from solid food but still drank water and juice. Daniel fasted for 21 days from bread, water, and wine (this fast leads me to believe that you could fast from anything: television, computer, music, or hobbies).

Here is a blog that I read that gives some great tips on fasting.
Continue reading “Practical tips for fasting” »