The Wave Network of Home Churches: Recent Episodes
Travis Gluckler
Every time Israel moved forward without consulting The Lord they had some kind of a set back. First it was with Ai and the hidden sin of Achan.
Then it was the deceptive covenant with Gibeon.
Basically Gibeon heard about what happened in Egypt, they heard about the Jordan River, they heard about Jericho and now Ai. They were scared. So they sent messengers disguised as poor foreigners. The Gibeonites insisted they were from a far off land and pleaded with Israel to make a covenant with them. We swear we are not from here. They Lied. Everyone say, “They Lied.”
“So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD. Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.” Joshua 9:14-15 NASB1995
Remember Joshua is the same name as a Jesus. Yoshua. He is a type of Christ. Jesus made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live and the leaders swore an oath to them. Sound familiar?
In essence the Gibeonites are a prophetic vision of us. Unless you are of the tribal bloodline of Israel, you are a gentile grafted into the family tree. As Gentiles we have been included as His chosen people.
But it was out of the disobedience of the tribes of Israel that Gibeon became included. In the same way it was out of disobedience of the Jews after hearing the good news of Jesus that God sent Paul to preach to the Gentiles.
History shows us that Gibeon later became one of the “High places” where Solomon offered over a thousand sacrifices to God. It became one of the Holy cities that never fell to idol worship. The Gibeonites were included as part Israel.
The prophetic parallels run deep.
‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:16-26 NIV
Holy Spirit, am I resting well?
Are there any relationships that are hindering me?
Am I allowing you to provide for me the way you want to?
How can I participate in being a blessing to this church community?
How would you like us to move forward as your church?
Are there people you want me to invite into the community?
Anything you would like me to be aware of?
“On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”” Joshua 6:15-19 NIV
Basically God is saying “don’t get entangled with the treasures of Jericho. This first city conquered is a first fruit to the Lord. All of the precious metals are set apart for my treasury. If you get entangled with this treasure, trouble will not be far behind.”
Everybody say, “Don’t get entangled!”
Too late. Someone got entangled, tempted, lured away by the silver and gold.
Everybody say “who was it?”
Read with me and let’s out.
“But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.” - Joshua 7:1 NIV
So what happens? Israel goes to take the next city, Ai and the Lord doesn’t go with them into battle. They proudly send only 3000 men to take the city and they get beat up. Thankfully only losing 36 men.
Verse 6 “Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads.”
Joshua starts complaining like “Lord did you bring us here across the Jordan to destroy us? Now the Caananites and the gerbeshites, and the shiteshites will no longer be afraid of us. Ahhhhh. Whyyy?
And Lord is like “stand up, get up off of your face. there has been an entanglement!”
Someone among you has taken the treasure set apart for my purpose.
Then again in verse 13 God says
“Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.”
You see it was supposed to be Get Ready, Get Set Apart, and Gooooo!!!
But now it’s get ready, get set apart, set back! Now get set apart again….
So let's look at this from the Book of Hebrews
Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, Hebrews 4:6
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV
“Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”” - Joshua 3:5 NIV
As a people, We are moving forward and we need to pack our bags with the necessary items. We need to leave some things behind. We need to trust that God will part the waters. That he will lead and guide us along the way.
So fast forward. They Cross Jordan river on dry ground, setup Gigal stones as a testimony to generations, then we come to some interesting scripture on the other side of the Jordan.
“At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.” Joshua 5:2-3 NIV
Bible Fun fact! Gibeath Haaraloth means “the hill of the foreskins” that’s a lot of foreskins
Can you imagine giving someone directions to your camp? So yeah follow the river until you see a hill of foreskins. When you see that, you’re almost there. Make a right turn and we are at the circle of stones telling campfire stories to our grandkids.
All of the men who were born in the 40 year generation of wandering in the wilderness with Moses, were not circumcised. And now that they have entered into the promise land God says “hold up before we go any further, I need you to make flint knives. And put some skin in the game.” I need you to trust me, allow me to set you apart from all other people groups.” I need you to hold still, trust me and… Next.”
they came out with a new and more “humane” way of circumcision.
So if modern medicine provided a better way, Likewise Jesus provided a better way.
Let’s look at this from a new covenant stand point?
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands.
“No flint knife”
Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
Colossians 2:9-12 NIV
Keep in mind this circumcision in Joshua 5 happened on the Passover.
Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Each and every one of us have already experienced a circumcision of the heart as we were buried with him baptism and raised with him through faith. Circumcision is not a work of man. It is a work of God through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit.
The “Old you” with the “sinful nature” has already been removed completely. The Body of death has already been severed from you. Right there next to the Golgotha the hill on which Jesus was crucified was a hill of old diseased and sinful hearts. You friend have been set apart in Christ.
Set part never to be used for common purpose again.
We are a HOLY people. A royal priesthood.
We are saints called to walk in the High calling of Jesus.
Last week wrote down things that we need from Jesus in order to take the promise land, here on earth as it is in heaven.
The reality is, you already have everything you need. You have Jesus the conquering King. But rather than conquering with a physical sword we conquer with the blood of the lamb and the testimony of our spiritual heart transplant.
At the turn of the New Year the Lord told me “Ready, Set, Go!”
Immediately saw runners on a track.The training and conditioning. The preparation that led up to that moment. Starting line and warm ups. They practice launching out of the stocks, visualizing the race ahead of them; all in preparation for the gun shot signal to... go!
Get Ready is the longest phase. It is the most important phase. Get ready determines how successful the GO is. Since Aug 2020 we have been in a season of “get ready” This season of get ready is crucial to the success of our go. How well we prepare determines how well we launch.
Do you feel prepared for the momentum that is coming?
What areas do you need help with?
How can we equip you for a higher level of excellence in your homes?
We have been looking at the Book of Joshua. God has highlighted this book to me as a prophetic blueprint for this decade. Keep in mind Joshua is the English version of Yeshua. This is the book of Yeshua. The book of Jesus. Type of Christ The purpose of the promise land was rest. The end goal is rest.
But before they could experience the rest that was prepared for them, they had to trust God, follow Joshua and take territory. We need to trust God, follow Jesus and take territory.
“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” Joshua 1:1-3 NIV
“So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’ ”” Joshua 1:10-11 NIV
Joshua 1 Get your provisions ready. It’s time to move. These people were Nomads. Think about living out of tents and cargo. Think about refugees that are forced to flee from home with whatever they can carry.
If Jesus came to you and it’s time. Get what you need and let’s go. What would you bring? How many suitcases would you need? Get Ready! For Physical moving. Spiritual moving. Get your bags packed. Don’t be stagnant. We are moving forward.
“Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”” - Joshua 3:5 NIV
consecration - set apart, sanctification. What is consecration in a new covenant paradigm? There are certain things that cannot go with you into the promise land. We must make some intentional decisions about what can and cannot go with us.
Piece of paper
What do you need to advance into your promise land?
What do you need to leave behind as we move forward?
The Wave House Church Network is launching in March 2021. If you are interested in hosting in your home. Please visit us at www.wavenetwork.ch
Radical Generosity : receiving, giving and growing
James 1:16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Spiritual Reality
Radical Receiving: The Starting place of the Christian life Life, Love, Salvation and provision = More than enough Radical Giving: The natural response to receiving from the Father God is love = Love gives. We are being transformed into His image. We are givers by design Receiving + Giving = Growing - receiving, giving and growing are like working out. What made my muscles sore in the beginning is easy for me now. Giving should hurt like sore muscles the day after you workout.
Natural Reality
Proverbs 11:24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Luke 21:1-4 Jesus was in the temple, observing all the wealthy wanting to be noticed as they came with their offerings. 2 He noticed a very poor widow dropping two small copper coins in the offering box. 3 “Listen to me,” he said. “This poor widow has given a larger offering than any of the wealthy. 4 For the rich only gave out of their surplus, but she sacrificed out of her poverty and gave to God all that she had to live on.”
Christian Life = Praise, Charity and Fellowship. Radical receiver of God’s love = faithful giver.
Here’s how I give. “Father thank you for providing my needs and funding my dreams How would you like me to be a radical receiver and a faithful giver this season?”
Questions What amount can I be faithful with? Whether it’s $10/month or $500/month start somewhere. No one is judging you in your process of being radical. (Keep to yourself or with your spouse.) When you think about being radical in receiving and giving, what feelings, thoughts or responses are you having?
http://give.wavenetwork.ch
The Wave House Church Network is launching in March 2021. If you are interested in hosting in your home. Please visit us at www.wavenetwork.ch
If you ask any mature believer “What is the most important Christian practice?” many will say prayer. But the reality is most Christians only spend time praying before and after certain events. Before and after Christians might pray when they wake up or before they go to sleep. Before they eat and while they are going through a hard time in life.
Here’s a few statistics. 94% of praying Americans said they pray by themselves. Then 82% of those Americans said they pray silently. How do you pray? Out loud or silently? How often? With who?
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5 16 Let joy be your continual feast. 17 Make your life a prayer. 18 And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus. Our lives will always start from “Be Loved”. If you are loved well you will naturally pray well. Our ability to be loved will manifest in our ability to make our lives a prayer..
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior,” 1 Timothy 2:1-3 NIV
Praying out of hysteria vs praying as a lifestyle We have “prayer meetings” because the packaged one hour church service doesn’t have space for petitions, prayer and intercession. House church makes room for worship, testimony, prayer, and fellowship at every gathering. Our lives become a prayer and over pour into every meeting.
Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Prayer points Healthy ministry balance. Rest, stewardship and family. The Wave Launch March 2021. New homes. The right families. The entire west coast. Colorado, Nevada, California, Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Arizona Outreach opportunities. Laundry ministry, women’s resource center. Door to door communion. Las Vegas Ministry Van = $3500 Family worship. Parents and kids experiencing the presence of God together. http://give.wavenetwork.ch
The Wave House Church Network is launching in March 2021. If you are interested in hosting in your home. Please visit us at www.wavenetwork.ch
And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God. Joshua 4:20 - 24
Obedience - Boldly say yes to where God wants to take us God’s moves - Walk through the miracles, signs and wonders into our promise land. Testimony - Our lives on display for future generations to remember.
The Circle of living stones - this is who we are. Every home is a circle of living stones gathered together. The circle of stones set up on the other side of the Jordan couldn’t talk. They couldn’t explain and they couldn’t praise. They required the voices of living stoned to declare the testimony of miracles experienced by the last generation.
Unity is not an atmosphere, an experience or a state of mind. Unity is a people. It’s truest form is only found in Christ. http://give.wavenetwork.ch
The Wave House Church Network is launching in March 2021. If you are interested in hosting in your home.
Please visit us at www.wavenetwork.ch
Returning to your first love. The starting line of the most important relationship you will ever cultivate. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10
Who am I to you?... Who are You to me?... These questions are the starting point of every relationship. Whether we realize it or not we answer and define these questions over and over again with every person we meet.
The Cycle of Love 1.First impressions 2. Attraction and Romance 3. Reality and Disappointment 4. Stability and Commitment
Often in relationships we naturally answer the two questions for the other person. Rather than communicate and allow them to answer, we have already made up our minds for them; or we have become too familiar with them. We think we know them in their current state of life based on a past season of the relationship cycle. Has Jesus become common to you. One way of defining dishonor is to allow something to become common. Have we lost our wonder for who He is and how He loves? John 15:16
You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
Will you return to the starting line and ask these questions. Who am I to you?... Who are You to me?... And then will you allow God to ask you these questions? What does it mean to you to return to your first love?
Do you spend intentional time with God in conversation? Asking and Listening.
http://give.wavenetwork.ch
The Wave House Church Network is launching in March 2021. If you are interested in hosting in your home. Please visit us at www.wavenetwork.ch
Start Here: Part One - Rest is the starting place for all things of God. When we rest from work, we say “God, I trust you.” Man’s first day was rest. Is yours? Three things I learned on sabbatical
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I am only starting to understand the rest God has prepared for us. Do you rest well? How often do you take intentional rest? Why is resting uncomfortable at times? Start your day, week, year and life from a place of rest.
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Intentional family worship time is the most important sacrifice of my life. Why is it easy to lead others in worship but not my kids? How can we start house church without this priority in place? This takes a level of consistency and patience I wasn’t capable of before.
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The fear of the Lord is the doorway to repentance and restoration We hear Him. Why do we ignore His warnings and do it anyway? How do we get back on the path He has truly called us to? When we slow down we are able to get a better look at the details.
Scriptures on rest.
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved. ~Psalm 127:1-2
The fear of the LORD leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. ~Proverbs 19:23
Thus says the LORD:”Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. ~Jeremiah 6:16
So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. ~Hebrews 4:9-11
http://give.wavenetwork.ch
Jesus was born in a place where livestock ate, slept and pooped. Of all places for God to make His entrance this was the place He chose. Maybe some of us should spend some time in a barn to better understand the magnitude of this detail. I am currently writing this from a chicken coop. In fact I am currently locked in a chicken coop waiting for someone to rescue me. It is clear that this is no place for a baby to be born.
I couldn't imagine breaking the news to my pregnant wife. Soooo, all of the rooms in town are taken, but there's a really great barn available. Mary knew that she carried the Son of God in her womb and was about to welcome him into a barn. “Sorry little buddy but this was the best we could find for our baby savior.” Maybe that crossed their minds, but I think this detail holds a much greater purpose in the story of our God.
The reason Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem was for a mandatory census of Israel. This means Joseph was from Bethlehem as he was from the line of David. He knew people in Bethlehem. He had to have some kind of relative that would have opened their doors to him and his expecting wife. Right? Oh but wait. Mary conceived Jesus before her and Joseph were married. In fact she and Joseph were not even married at the time of Jesus’ birth. Remember an angel visited her and told her that she would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit. She had faith and it was so.
So Mary received the word from God and had to explain to her family and Joseph’s family. Me and you. Yo mama and your cousin too. Culturally she was ostracized, rejected by her family and could have been rejected by Joseph. But God visited him in a dream to confirm what was happening.
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. - Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph knew that If he still took Mary as his bride, he to, would be rejected by the entire community. Returning to Bethlehem for the census was more like attending a family reunion where you are the family outcast. Is it possible that no one would let them in because no one wanted to be associated with Joseph and his pregnant “adulterous” wife. Why the lowest place? Why the most underprivileged? Couldn't one family in town have a heart for a family going into labor? As God, Why enter into the world as one rejected by your own people. Rejected going in and rejected going out.
Jesus took on the rejection we would face in heaven without the redemption found in the cross. He became rejected so that we could receive complete acceptance.
Have you ever shown up to an important life event unprepared? You knew what needed to be prepared but for some reason you binged 10 episodes of some show you don’t even like? And then you show up to the event or performance ready to bomb. Let me ask you this. If you knew your purpose and mission in life, would you prepare accordingly or wait for it to just happen? As if mission and purpose just fall out of the sky neatly packaged and pre assembled.
There’s something about showing up and being prepared. Can you imagine if Jesus showed up to the cross unprepared to trade places with us? What if Jesus’ final prayer time in the garden sounded like “Father, I know what’s about to happen. I know it’s your will. But ahh i think I’m going to call in sick. Yeah I need a little more time to prepare for this grand finale.”
No that's not how his final conversation went at all. The table was set. The audience was gathered and the time had come for Jesus to perform his mission. He had spent so much time hearing the Father’s voice. He knew the will of the Father and now it was His turn to be a silent performer of the grace about to be unleashed on the world.
““Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”” John 12:27-28 NASB
His I will finish became ”It is finished”
“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Luke 14:26
What about you? What is your mission and purpose? What are you preparing for? What is going to be your life’s grand finale?
Prepared for outpour “Gratefulness is the fragrance of forgiveness”
Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at the table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the money bag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” - John 12:1-6 ESV
While the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance. - Song of Solomon 1:12
This dinner was on the Sabbath and one week before Jesus would spend a day of rest in the ground. The preparations for this meal did not happen that day. It was prepared for the day prior so that this meal could be dedicated to resting in the Lord. It blows my mind that Jesus was anointed for His death and burial on a day of rest. This expensive perfume that was poured out at the feet of Jesus was the natural response to what Jesus had done for this family. Martha served with her heart of hospitality. Lazarus had been four days dead in the grave and now reclined at the table. And Mary had been delivered from demon possession and a life of prostitution. All of these blessings far outweighed the outpouring of this fancy perfume.
The Bible says “The house was filled with the fragrance…” Catch this! When your heart overflows with gratefulness it fills the home with a tangible aroma for everyone else to enjoy. Gratefulness is contagious. If you lift up gratefulness in a room full of people, it forces everyone else to experience your praise and consider what it is they are grateful for. It fills the room.
When we pour out our possessions of value at the feet of Jesus when we experience the forgiveness of our sins. All of our possessions don’t compare to the goodness we have experienced in Christ.
Your Mission: What are you grateful for? How will you pour out your gratefulness publicly so everyone else can experience the fragrance of forgiveness?
Prepared for rest - Made for glory Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. - Proverbs 24:27 ESV
The sabbath was a day of rest commanded by God. The Jews religiously observed this day of rest and took it to the extreme sometimes. The Pharisees even criticized Jesus for healing a man on the sabbath. Then again for plucking grain on the sabbath because He and his disciples were hungry. It seems that observing the sabbath became more about man preparing a sabbath for God than for God preparing a sabbath for man. For Five days God prepared the earth for His final precious creation. God created man on the sixth day. He proclaimed all of his creation was good. Then He rested on the seventh day and called it Holy. Man’s first full-day experience was a day of rest.
Rest is not something we make room for “if” we have everything in order. Rest is the starting place for a life of fruitfulness. Jesus didn’t build his church and then go into the field to fill it. No, he went into the field and raised up people who would build His church with him.
And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. - Mark 15:42-43 ESV
Jesus was captured, tortured, sentenced, crucified and buried on the day of Preparation which was the day for the sabbath. Jesus spent the sabbath day resting in the grave.
Remember the phrase “Representative Obedience” Jesus fulfilled the sabbath rest, not for us, but as us.
In Genesis, man was taken from the ground and breath was given so that man could rest with God. In the gospels, Jesus gave up His breath, returned to the ground so that man could return to the rest we were created for. God established rest as our first day of creation. He then re-established rest as our first day of the new covenant. God prepared a day of rest for us and said “now you try”. And we failed. So He prepared an eternal day of rest in Christ that we would never need to prepare for rest again.
My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." John 14:2-4 NIV
A table of intention is precise. Without precision it would wobble. The purpose of this level of intention is so the spontaneous moments of life can flourish. How we set the table has great purpose. How we cultivate conversation has lasting effects. Think about the layers of intention that go into a dinner.
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The table itself is a structure built by a specific design.
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The recipes and ingredients gracefully combined into comfort food.
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The table setting placed to fit the occasion or season.
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The guests who are invited or the guests that happen to show up.
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The conversations that lead to holy moments where heaven invades earth.