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"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

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The Truth Is…

March 12, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

“For where I found Truth, there found I my God, the Truth itself; which since I learnt, I have not forgotten.” – Saint Augustine.

Like many of us, Saint Augustine had an entire life of inquisition and soul searching before he found God. While his mother was a devout Christian, he did not share her values. She prayed for his salvation, and although she did not see the fruits of this prayer, his salvation came after her death. He accepted Jesus and became a prominent figure in church history. Augustine’s revelation on truth is reminiscent of King Solomon’s realizations after searching high and low for the meaning of life. Solomon concluded, “everything is meaningless” –Ecclesiastes 1:2.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/theologians/augustine-of-hippo.html

What is truth? This question is not new. It has been a question that has shaped generations for thousands of years. The definition of truth may change as each generation passes. For example, one generation may be religious, finding truth in sacred texts. The next generation may define truth as relative, coming from within oneself. I do not have a seminary dissertation for you on the answer to this question, but I can share, in part, what I have found in the scriptures regarding what God, our Creator, says about Truth.

Let’s start with the dictionary. Truth (as defined by Miriam-Webster dictionary) is conformity to fact or reality; correct opinion; honesty; purity from falsehood. We can refer to truth as “the truth,” meaning the opposite of a lie, or “truth” as a noun meaning a moral position. The former is a factual statement or account; the latter can become an abstract idea, requiring a gauge for measurement. We cannot count our mere perceptions or emotions as truth because they change daily. What we feel today may not be the same tomorrow. We must have a standard that is unshakable by which we measure our position.

That standard is the Word of God.

While the world constantly changes its definition of what is morally right, the Word of God continues to stand the test of time, being uninfluenced by the shifting shadows of this world. During His ministry, Jesus boldly addressed this question of Truth by giving a simple answer for those who pursued truth. In John 14, Jesus was describing the kingdom of heaven to His disciples. “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the Way to where I am going.” “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the Way?” Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him” – John 14:1-7.

There is far more to our lives than meets the eye. Jesus is God in the flesh. And by telling His disciples that they knew the Way, Jesus introduced Himself to them yet again, by this new name—Truth. He follows it up again with an incredibly profound statement. I am the Way, the truth, and the life. You see, in those days, the Jewish people knew “I Am” as one name for God. God introduced Himself to Moses at the burning bush as “I Am.” Jesus said, “before Abraham was, I AM”– John 8:58. What Jesus claimed could have been taken as a blasphemous statement; Jesus was saying He was God! But understand this: “I Am” is just one of His many names! And by saying, “I am the way,” I also read this passage as Jesus describing Himself as:

I Am (the infinite one) who is the way to the Father, the [everlasting] truth that outlasts generations, and the life that gives vigor and makes you move and breathe.

Truth is not what we say, and it cannot exist independent of the standard by which we gauge it. The world says, “live your truth,” but they are really saying, “stay comfortable in your ideology.” Just because we think or believe something to be true doesn’t make it a truth; believing the sky is green doesn’t make it true. Your reality allows you to take the easy route, remaining in your old or current patterns that may or may not be healthy, while God’s Truth—His Word, requires sacrifice and change.

Biblical Truth requires you to be uncomfortable, making changes that reflect God’s character and result in blessings in your life.

Reading just a few chapters earlier, in John 8, Jesus instructs His followers how to live, walk out, Biblical Truth. The world has always been a confusing place, but God has not left us alone to figure it out. Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you are really my disciples. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” – John 8:31-32. So now we know Jesus as The Truth. Jesus is The Truth. He tells his followers here in John 8 to know the Truth, and in John 14, He reveals that He is the Truth! The One they have talked and walked with, known as Jesus, reveals Himself by this new name—I Am the Truth!

The first step in learning the Truth is to continue in The Word of God. Read your Bible and know what it says. Let it be your gauge, your compass, as you commit yourself to understand it, living it, not just being a harbor for its Words. Ask God to help you to know what the scriptures mean. The more you know His Word, the more you will know Him (The Truth), and Jesus (The Truth) will set you free!

If you’re anything like the people of that day, you’ll say you’re not a slave and have nothing from which to be “set free.” But according to Jesus, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. Yet if the Son sets you free, you indeed be, free. –John 8:34, 36. Sin has you in bondage, whether you realize it or not. The good news is that while Jesus exposes this harsh Truth, He also provides a way out. He can set you free, and you will begin to see things so differently. The lens of a sinful lifestyle is focused afresh that you might now see yourself living in sonship with God—being part of His family.

And while the world will tell you that you can live and thrive in “whatever truth works for you,” the eternal Word of God says otherwise. It assures us only Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Only He can fulfill you; everything else will leave you hungering for increasingly more. Like Saint Augustine and King Solomon, I pray that just as the Holy Spirit has led you here today, He will lead you into the understanding that Jesus, Yahweh, is the Truth you need for fulfillment and freedom. If you don’t yet know Him, I invite you to ask Jesus into your heart. Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you as the Truth today. Why wait another day? Repent of your sins, ask Jesus to set you free and bring you into sonship with the Father.

Love With an Open Hand.

February 26, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

As time moves on, it appears we have been moving further and further away from caring for others. We are inching ever closer toward little more than meeting our own needs. It is said, A culture that advocates for doing whatever makes one happy is in direct opposition to our purpose as believers. While society says, “do whatever makes you feel good”, the Word of God says, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable– who can understand it?” – Jeremiah 17:9. The world says, put yourself first, while the Bible says, “Value others above yourselves, not looking to your interests but each of you to the interests of the others” – Phil 2:3-4.

While I believe that we must maintain a certain level of self-care, Western culture, in my opinion, has taken this to an extreme. Caring far more for “self” and far less for others.

This mindset has led some to believe that they will only be happy as they focus on little other than themselves. Yet God says the exact opposite is true. God’s Word declares that “it is better to give than to receive” – Acts 20:35. But some have become so obsessed with self-care that for them, giving in any capacity, be it financial, of their time, or energy, unless somehow directly benefitting them, is fast becoming unthinkable. Not for everyone—I hope certainty not for you, Christian! Because this idea is in direct contrast with what the Bible teaches us.

Amid one of the worst mental health crises in modern history, the Word of God holds the key to thriving as we learn, to love with an open heart.

While Jesus was bearing our sins on the cross, He hung, arms stretched wide, hands nailed open. And while that was His physical posture, it mimicked the posture of His heart as well. Jesus knew that the very people who had crucified Him—cried out for His death, were also the same ones who needed His forgiveness and love, and He did not withhold it. Jesus’ brave love allowed Him to maintain a posture of forgiveness. His heart responded not with disdain but forgiveness. “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing” – Luke 23:34. Jesus knew that you and I could very well have been standing there as He was crucified, yet He still chose to love us.

The very people who favored Jesus’ death sentence were the ones whom Jesus had walked among His entire life. They were the same people who sat under His teaching and followed Him throughout His three years of ministry. These were the people who crucified Jesus. And as He carried the sins of the world, past, present, and future, we might as well have been there too. Yet if Jesus could love in such a way, let’s not forget that we’re commanded to do the same.

How many times have we experienced betrayal at the hands of a friend? Or encountered coworkers who have proven to be untrustworthy? Or maybe it’s a family member who is manipulative or selfish?

It is easy to love those who are kind to us. But with difficult people, not so much. Often, we convince ourselves that they somehow deserve our cold shoulder. I’ll go back to our contrasts of societal advice versus Biblical Truth on this one. “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also… You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” – Matthew 5:39b, 43-46a.

While society says to return the favor, give as good as you got, Jesus says choose humility, turn the other cheek. I do not take this to say let people walk all over you. I see it as a call to live in a posture of forgiveness and love. You can love someone without trusting them, forgive without trusting, and give without expecting a return on your investment.

It’s hard but possible to live that freely. In time, the Lord restores what was broken.

Sometimes, our love and generosity can be contingent upon what we’ll get in return. For instance, we will attend a wedding expecting that those getting married will one day attend our wedding. We give food in someone’s time of need with an expectation that they would do the very same for us in our hour of need. We donate to charity, walking away feeling satisfied knowing that we did something good.

But what happens when our expected outcome doesn’t happen?

Sadly, the answer is that many will hold a grudge, or they will determine in their heart to never again give to that one of their time or resources. Yet Jesus says, “turn the other cheek.” He challenges us to give of ourselves again and again. To love, again. Expecting nothing in return. He challenges us to love without holding so tightly to expectations. Instead, loving with an open hand, knowing that we made a difference in someone’s life, regardless of their response.

A couple of years ago, this revelation completely changed my life. I remember being so hurt by people I invested time, energy, and resources in. I gave and gave, expecting that if I ever needed their time, energy, or resources, they would have my back. But I learned that was not always so. It led to me feeling bitter, angry, hurt, and resentful. While praying about it, the Lord gave me this idea: Be a friend to people and be fully present today, knowing full well that that person may not be there tomorrow, and let them go. Praise God for the time you had with that person and that you had a genuine friendship with them for a time, and pray that they are blessed as they go on. Keep your eyes open for the new people I place in your life as you move forward and be present for them as well, knowing full well that tomorrow they also may not be there.

At that moment, God was teaching me a piece of what the love of Christ looks like. Even when I feel betrayed, I can pray that the seeds planted will grow, and, eventually, that person will be at peace. When I began to love these people with an open hand, nothing they could have said or done hurt me anymore. I began to bless them, and, as it says in Ephesians 4, I was able to forgive them as Christ forgives me, moving forward with peace and joy. What kind of bitterness could you be harboring in your heart today? What do you need freedom from? Who in your life needs your forgiveness so that you might live without the weight of that grudge? Who in your life needs a friend? Is it that one perhaps that you don’t consider worthy of your friendship? I encourage you to ask the Lord to show you what areas in your life need refreshing so that you, too, can love with an open hand.

If you don’t yet know Jesus in this way, I invite you to ask Him into your heart today. If you don’t know what to pray, you can start here. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to die for our sins. I know that I am a sinner and in need of your grace, so I ask you to forgive me today as I turn away from my sinful life. I ask that you help me to forgive those around me. I believe you are the Son of God, and I want to trust you as my Lord and my Savior. In Jesus’ name, amen. I believe that if you pray with a sincere heart, God will hear you, and your life will never be the same as you begin to walk by the Spirit and not by your understanding. I believe that today, Jesus can lead you in living life with an open hand and heart.

It’s Personal

February 19, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]” –John 16:7

While speaking to His disciples, Jesus said the above. His point? Not even death will keep Him from being with those the Father has given Him—His Beloved Bride. His disciples. You and me. “…And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” –Matthew 28:20. He is the eternal One: The Alpha and Omega, God’s Logos. Bound by no-thing, nor anybody. He is our Promise Keeper—All-Seeing and All-Knowing. Time cannot constrain God, nor can flesh and bone, angel nor demon hide anything from Him who stands outside of the very time He created. Nothing is hidden from He who imagined and fashioned the flesh and bone, blood, cells, and sinew that uphold us. “You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.”–Psalm 139.1-4.

This Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent God exists at once, within all His children.

Jesus had to look His beloved friends square in the eye and tell them; He would soon be leaving them, physically, that is. Have you ever stopped to consider how Jesus’s disciples felt hearing such news? Jesus knew His return to the Father would bless His friends. Being fully God and fully man, He knew the pain His words brought to His friends. I can only imagine that Jesus took some measure of comfort in knowing it was for their betterment. But sitting there in what indeed may have been a moment of slack-jawed silence, fear, and pain, Jesus’ disciples, had not one clue that soon and very soon, His Holy Spirit would be living within them, always.

In my anemic imaginings, I can almost feel the leaded gut-punch of Jesus’ statement landing squarely against His disciple’s defenseless hearts, lacerating them. And while pausing to imagine my brothers’ emotional states, I was reminded of yet another brother who had experienced similar pain, King David. I was reminded of his desperate anguish before the Lord. David had an illicit affair with Bathsheba then ordered Uriah, her husband, to be sent into a fierce battle, ensuring he would die there on the front line. David’s sin was great, and God had temporarily withdrawn His spirit from David. So, in a desperate, heartrending plea, David cried out to God r forgiveness, not to take His Holy Spirit from him—remember that? Unrelated to Jesus’ disciples, but akin in similar emotion; the fear of losing God.

I can empathize, can’t you? In allowing myself to imagine my life without God’s Holy Spirit living in me, at the helm of my life, a desperate panic grips my heart.

How could I live without the Holy Spirit’s comforting? His Ever-present-ness? His leading and guiding, opening, closing, correcting, and realigning, without His whisperings? His merciful, unmerited kindness? Without His friendship and unfathomable love? Even allowing myself to examine these vain imaginings is unnerving. Losing God’s Holy Spirit is as inconceivable to me as losing some piece of me; a leg, arm, or eye—being struck mute suddenly or going blind. Yet far more piercing even than any of these. I could live minus anyone of them. I would be the walking dead minus God’s Holy Spirit alive in me. And I experientially know this because I was the walking dead in my not-so-distant past.

Yet despite the pain I know Jesus’ disciples experienced, I, for one, thank Him for His unswerving obedience to our Father. For His physically coming into this world and physically leaving it as well. If you are God’s child, His Holy Spirit alive in you, then I am sure you are thank-full as well. We, my true brothers and sisters and I, scattered across the globe, millions each united as one now in Christ, by His Holy Spirit alive in us. Jesus loved us enough to leave us—bodily, that is.“…And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” –Matthew 28:20.

As our Great High Priest, Jesus accomplished His work here on earth through His sacrificial death and resurrection. The Blood of God’s Perfect, Spotless Lamb, shed for the sins of the whole world. Having resurrected, He is our Great High Priest forever, seated now at the Father’s Right hand, as Intercessor He pleads our cause and presents our offerings before God. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” –Hebrews 4:14-15.

Back now, to Jesus and His disciples. We will continue looking at John, Chapter Sixteen, digging a bit deeper. But before we do, to recap: Jesus had just told His disciples He was leaving. It was time for Him to return to the Father. Not leaving them hopeless, Jesus promised them He would send a “Helper” His Holy Spirit. Jesus knew the work the Father had sent Him to do was nearing completion—His Cross before Him now.

In John Sixteen, starting in verse Eight, Jesus begins to unfold “why” the Holy Spirit is coming.

In part, He is sent into this world to convict it—of its sin and God’s righteous judgment, also, of the coming judgment. And in verse thirteen, Jesus reveals even more of the “why.” He goes on to say that when the “Spirit of Truth” comes, He will guide us, you, me, every Blood-bought believer in Jesus Christ, into all Truth. Seemingly, and in part, this Truth is the “so much more” Jesus spoke of in verse twelve? While in verses thirteen and fourteen, Jesus assures His friends that when the Holy Spirit begins to reveal future events to them, they can trust His voice—His leading, counsel, His revelation. Why? Because the wisdom of the One to come flows directly from Him. Jesus is His Source. Remember, up to this point, Jesus’ disciples have only known, trusted, relied on Him, Jesus’ voice, His teaching. So Jesus assures his friends that the Holy Spirit only speaks what He has received from Him, and that Jesus speaks only from what He receives from God. Triune Unity. “I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it” –John 12:49.

Perhaps penning the Revelation from Jesus while exiled on the Isle of Patmos, John remembered Jesus having spoken these very Words? But I stray.

In verse fifteen, we witness Jesus make plain the greatest mystery ever shared with humanity: The mystery of The Trinity. Here, Jesus makes plain yet deepens the Truth He has been speaking to his disciples from the beginning, He and the Father are One. Jesus now broadens their understanding of this marvelous mystery by including the Holy Spirit in this Oneness.

For the past three and a half years, His friends have solely depended on Jesus. Relied on Him to reveal, teach, expound on, point the way toward the Truth. Towards God and His Kingdom plan. They have witnessed Jesus’ miracles, healing the sick, lame, and blind, bringing the dead to life. Yet the disciple’s pain and disbelief, coupled with their yet limited spiritual understanding, momentarily prevents them from fully understanding that Jesus is not deserting them. Instead, He is passing the proverbial baton to the Holy Spirit. The One who will be with them now, living in them, always. They yet to understand that the work of the Holy Spirit is, in part, to point them, and all those who will come to belong to Jesus, “into all Truth.”

That He will spread God’s Truth globally, by revealing Christ, God’s Logos, person by person; the work of the Holy Spirit is nothing if not personal. And being one of those to whom He has revealed Christ, I thank God for my very personal encounter with the Holy Spirit. I thank God for the engagement ring Jesus slipped on my finger in the person of His Holy Spirit alive in me. Christ’s assurance He will fulfill the promise He made me, returning to bring me to where He is, eternally. And so, I wait. We wait, family. Assured and hope full—we are never alone. “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given to Me [as Your gift to Me], may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world” –John 17:24.

Friend, Jesus died that you might have eternal life, live each day with His Holy Spirit alive in you. Leading and guiding and strengthening you—regardless of sins you may have committed. Won’t you ask Jesus to be Lord of your life today? Confess your sins and be saved!

Now I know, You…

February 5, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.” –Job 42:5-6.

Count how many friends you have across each of your social media platforms. Go ahead; I’ll wait. Now, of the total number of “friends” tallied, how many of those people do you know, relationally? How many do you regularly have coffee or dinner with, get together with to hang out, just because? Do you know their birthdays? Their kid’s birthdays? Their mom and dad’s name. Their favorite color or food? How many do you talk with regularly? Have you been in their home, and they in yours? Have you ever had to place the full weight of your trust in any of them? How did that turn out? By now, I’m sure you figured out where I’m going with this strange request for you to friend count?

Knowing, as in knowing someone, can mean vastly different things to us.

Yet the knowing Job was referring to in today’s scripture verse—is universally understood. How? All born-again believers in Jesus Christ know God—more are known by Him. Though our degrees of understanding, spending time with, surrendering to, and seeking after Himmay differ, our knowing Him is collective. If we are Blood bought believers, we know and are known by God. Scripture clarifies that when we accept Jesus, God’s Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” –Acts 2:38.

Nowhere in Scripture have I read where God gives more of His Spirit to one child than He does to another.

So, when we talk about knowing a person, what does that mean? What does it look like to you and me? I’m sure how we define “knowing a person” will vary widely depending upon our definitions of the term knowing. Yet our knowledge of a person is where I want us to focus today. Specifically, I want us to examine, dissect, really think about knowing Christ.

Do you know Jesus intimately? Is He “The Person without whom you cannot live? Do you communicate with Him throughout your day?” Or do you know Him like you know some of your “friends” on social media, in name only? Is Jesus on your radar at all?

So, we’re all on the same page as we move forward now; we’ll be using the following two Greek terms/definitions of “knowing, having knowledge of” as our cornerstone.

Oida. This Greek verb implies common/universal experiential knowledge: Examples: Oida denotes having basic knowledge of facts concerning a person, place, or thing. We see this word used some 318 times throughout Scripture. Examples of this common knowledge are: All humans are born infants. Water can be liquid, solid, or vaporous in form. 2+2 will always equal 4—dogs bark, cows moo, and pig’s squeal.

One example of this Oida knowledge, spoken of in Scripture, jumps to mind; it’s found in John’s Gospel, Chapter 6.

By miraculously multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus fed a great multitude, some five thousand men, not counting the women and children—and, there were leftovers. We’ll pick up the following day; this same crowd wakes to notice Jesus and His disciples are gone. So, they piled into borrowed boats and went across to Capernaum, searching for Him. But Jesus knew their hearts. He knew they came seeking more food—to witness another miracle. They hadn’t come because they wanted to be with Jesus—they were merely curious about Him. “Who is this guy? What is He all about?” They weren’t so much interested in getting to know Jesus, His heart, and ways, nor to understand what it is they might do for Him, no. These came in search of head knowledge—what they might witness, experience Jesus do in their midst—for them. We know this because Scripture states that soon after Jesus lays out for them the only way to have a genuine relationship with Him—to get to know Him, everyone, save His chosen twelve, abandoned Him. They went off looking for the next best thing—moving on to the next “friend.” They had only wanted Oida knowledge of Jesus. And once they got what they wanted, they were out. –John 6:22-66.

The second type of knowledge we’ll look at today is, Ginōskō. And though Oida and Ginōskō both imply, are translated “to know,” Ginōskō refers to having a more intimate knowledge of.

Now, going back to the beginning of this teaching, I asked some questions concerning friends across your social media platforms. How well do you know them—if at all?

Undoubtedly, most of us have “friends” that are family members. Others, family by choice, others still, brothers and sisters in Christ—family, one-in-all. And then there is your husband or wife. And it is within the context of this sacred relationship, we best witness the living definition of Ginōskō. Allow me to explain.

In Genesis 4:1-2, we read the following: “Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived, gave birth to Cain and said, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” Then she gave birth again to his brother Abel.” The intimate knowledge spoken of here is Ginōskō knowing. It far surpasses even the parent-child, sibling, or life-long friend, knowledge of another. It is a profoundly personal, wholly transparent, intimately immersed in, sacred, set apart, exclusive oneness. In John 10:14-15, Jesus spoke of this same intimate knowing existing between Himself and His Bride, listen: “I am that good shepherd, and know mine, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep.” Underlining added for emphasis.

The disciples knew Jesus’—more Jesus knew His disciples. And it’s this level of knowing Job professed to gain in today’s Scripture verse. This outcry of, “then I knew of you, Lord, but now, I know You.” This sudden realization that the Sovereign God of the universe has singled him out—wants to be one with him. More is in him, and He wants to show Himself Mighty to Save. This intimate knowing Job has acquired of God has him on his face before His Lord. Genuine, heartfelt repentance is a beautiful thing.

Returning now, to John Six, to that moment when Jesus instructs the crowd that had crossed over on boats that to indeed find Him, for them to genuinely be His—One with Him, to Ginōskō Him, they must eat His Body and drink His Life-giving Blood. It’s within a few moments of Jesus’ saying this when everyone but His disciples bailed. The others weren’t ready to receive that kind of friend request. They wanted no part of what Jesus had just told them needed to happen.

But not Jesus’ disciples. They wanted so much more than mere Oida knowing; like Job, they wanted the Truth, they wanted a Ginōskō knowing. Listen to Peter’s response to Jesus’ question: “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Did you catch that? The “and to know, Ginōskō, that you are the Holy One of God? Peter knew Jesus.

Yet, in Matthew’s Gospel, we witness the Apostle Peter’s awakening. That moment Peter went from Oida—experiential knowledge, into a deeper, more intimate Ginōskō understanding of his relationship with Christ—of just who Jesus was. Of their connection one to another. Again, it’s Scripture that makes this abundantly clear. “Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out” –Matthew 16:17-18 MSG.

Scripture informs us two paths lay before us—one leading to Life, the other to death. God has given us the free will to choose which we will take. Oida, the path laden with stony words and second-hand experiences. Littered with statements like “I know about Jesus, I’ve heard everything about Him,” made smooth only by other people’s experiences of Him—empty of any actual knowledge of your own. Or there’s the way of Ginōskō. The personal, living as One with God daily, path. The Him Living in you and you living for Him, path. The “all-in” way. “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster” –Deuteronomy 30:15.

Today, friend, the choice has been set before you. Which will you choose? And know, not choosing is a choice. It leads away from where Jesus is calling you—to know Him.

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” –Deuteronomy 30:19-20.

Moments.

January 29, 2022 /
Pastor Maria Braga

“Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” –Deuteronomy 8:1.

As it was with God’s people in days past, so it is today. Born-again believers continue to make like decisions and choices, operating similarly to those who came before us. We won’t always understand our spiritual seasons unless we continually communicate with the Father. Are we faithfully reading His Word, fellowshipping, and gathering with like-minded brothers and sisters? Scripture teaches that “iron sharpens iron, so we sharpen each other” –Prov. 27:17. Our part in helping usher in the revelation of our unique destinies is by seeking God’s presence daily through His Holy Spirit at work in us. We must be intentional and vigilant to catch this revelation. We must ready ourselves and be careful to follow the commands of the Lord. These revelations will often come when we are at the feet of Jesus, just as Mary, Martha’s sister, once was. “As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message” –Luke 10:38-39.

Wilderness times of testing are inevitable! They will come. And God will humble us that we may come out of this testing refined, polished, and ready for what He has before us.

Typically, these “God moments” we experience happen when something meaningful happens in our lives. Often, our emotions are tied to these moments. Deuteronomy Eight tells us about one such moment in time.

The Israelites had to experience a season of testing before God allowed them to enter their “Promised Land.” This season of anticipation, of inheriting God’s promise,  a promise that had been spoken of and handed down for generations, was now before them. The moment of their liberation was in reach. Yet knowing the oppression they had endured in Egypt; the Israelites had never anticipated that God’s promise to give them the Promised Land would be attached to a test. A test of their faithfulness—forty years of preparation, wandering in the wilderness.

As anticipation grew in the Israeli-Camp, they expectantly waited out what they thought would be eleven days of preparation before entering in. They were thrilled that finally, after what felt like forever, they’d be ushered into the fulfillment of God’s promise. Yet it would not be eleven days but forty years before they’d walk into their promised land.

God had warned the Israelites to follow His commands carefully, yet they could not obey even this one command. So, it wasn’t the physical distance between Egypt and The Promised Land that had delayed their taking possession of it. It was their disobedience, their grumbling, which had delayed their access. They thought they knew better than God. Disobedience, pride, grumbling, bitterness is what delayed the Israelites from taking possession of God’s promise. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it, this human condition? Our thinking we know better than God? It is so hard, even impossible, to obey God’s commands on our own, trusting God and not ourselves or our ideas. To be quiet and simply obey God. “Be still and know that I am God” –Psalm 46:10.

Before coming to know the Lord, this concept of simple obedience was foreign to me. It seemed unattainable. I was too busy, and “time was gold.” My prayers were quick, and everything else came first. Now that I’ve aged some, I call this time spent waiting on God a gift from my Father to me. I have learned that it is in the waiting that the Lord prepares me for my “moments.” I have assignments to fulfill. Every child of God does. And often, they’re scattered throughout our mundane, daily lives.

Also hidden within the mundane are many distractions. “The Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” –Luke 10:41-42.

While working at a previous job, I remember when the Lord allowed me to share His love with someone, and I totally missed it. For days, I felt guilty for not obeying God. A seemingly small thing, yet it marked my life significantly. It was a missed moment. I was disobedient. I had been saved about five years at that time, yet I was paralyzed still by anxiety and fear; so intimidated, I withdrew. I lived a quiet life, not speaking up or out when I should have.

I was so torn by the fact that I had missed the moment. But I thank the Lord, He set me free from this oppression. From the fear, anxiety, and intimidation that once held me captive. Just as He had for the Israelites before me, instead, that missed moment became a memorial of sorts; it caused me to step out bravely, sharing His love with others instead of being quiet. It was part of my deliverance from these demonic forces that once had a grip on me. I have determined to share my experiences more openly and boldly as the opportunities present themselves. And in making that decision to be bold for Christ, my life was never the same.

Moments can grow, inspire, bless, and transform us as we walk out our faith. Romans Eight assures us of this.

God created us. He knows us far better than we know ourselves. “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:27-28. Because of God’s Agape Love for us –aGreek term used to define a particular aspect of love. Love without condition, sacrificial, gracious, and underserved God is the source of agape love.God will allow what He knows is necessary to touch our lives, bringing about these moments that mark us—Think about God’s servant Job here.

And the key to not missing these moments is to spend quiet time with God in our prayer closets.

There is always a reason for all that God does or allows. But, as I said earlier, we must be ready, tuned in to His voice, prepared to receive so as not to miss our moment. As Scripture makes clear in Ecclesiastes: there is a time for everything under heaven. “a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build” –Ecc. 3:2-3.

Let us all pray this prayer throughout our New Year: “Lord, I Trust In You.” Regardless of what may happen, my eyes will stay focused on your promises and the command You gave to follow You. So I say yes, I will trust in You alone!”

Proverbs 3:5-6 says this same thing this way: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Typically, we only want to hear what we want to hear, yet it’s in those quiet moments spent alone with our Father where God whispers the plan He has for our lives, what He is testifying to within our hearts. It’s here too, where we must choose God’s way or our own. I pray, fast, refocus in my wilderness, and my moment appears after pressing, pushing, and standing. It is as though the Lord is saying, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Here is your reward” –Matthew 5:23. My previous test prepares me for the one to come. And I’ll face it with greater confidence, knowing that what I have seen God do before, He will do again – in more excellent ways. There are no limitations with God.

The mission is spiritual, but the victory is supernatural! Victory typically follows our wilderness experiences. It was no different for the Israelites. We witnessed Joshua lead his people into The Promised Land and conquer Jericho.

So be encouraged. Continue trusting in God alone. Follow and obey His commands.

Remember that His promises become our reality. Being one in Him, we will enter the Promised Land awaiting those that love Him and are called by His name. A Land flowing with milk and honey. “On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 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 4:19-24.

I encourage us all to make the following our New Year’s prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. I give you my heart and make you Lord of my life. Making this decision for the first time takes a measure of faith. And Jesus strengthens us. He makes us new. He promises never to leave nor forsake you. So, march forward into your Promised Land with confidence. Be assured that Jesus will cause “moments” of revelation, the fullness of joy, peace, and abundant life to follow you! May His Love fill your heart as you embark on this spiritual journey! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Cor 5:17

A very blessed New Year to you!

Incognito Christianity.

January 1, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“And after these things Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took away his body. And there came also Nicodemus, he who at the first came to him by night, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds” –John 19:38-39.

As children of God, we are called—chosen in Christ Jesus, to live out loud. To openly, and with unabashed boldness, share the Treasure we have been given with everyone we meet—no matter what happens. They’ll be no hiding our Light under some bushel, no selective sharing for us. No shying away—eyes averted. Instead, we must love our neighbor as ourselves—not because we feel like it, not because it’s safe or comfortable, but because God has commanded us to love them. To take what we have been freely given and, breaking off a piece, share it with everyone we meet—loaves and fishes. Whether they eat it—or not, like us for sharing His Truth—or not, whether they accept or respect us—we do it anyway. Whether we are persecuted or welcomed as brothers, beaten, lose our jobs or homes, lose our place among family, beloved friends, and colleagues. When we don’t understand for ourselves why God is asking us to share His Truth with a particular person or group. As those who profess to have been crucified with Christ, we must live fear-free and brightly—especially as the days grow darker, even unto our death. We must not be hearers of His Word—a mere depository; instead, we must be doers—conduits, streams, basins of His Love being poured out on a lost and dying world. Living out His Truth, our Truth, one sacrificial step at a time.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” –Matthew 5:14-16.

Allow me to pause for a moment to clarify: Are there times when Christians must live incognito, yes. Wisdom dictates they must. Yet in the end, faced with whatever circumstance they may find themselves. Even if it’s their martyrdom, they choose death over denying their Lord—each of the Apostles and countless other brothers and sisters are my witnesses. Living incognito is momentary at best. Living boldly for our God is a choice each Blood bought believer must make for themselves.

And so what is this Treasure we’ve so graciously been afforded? This unfathomable gift?

By no means is it a “some-thing.” Instead, He is the Third Person of the Trinity. God’s most Holy Spirit, living in us. Our Father has chosen to take up residency in His children. Emmanuel, God with us.

Philip, the Evangelist, one of the seven deacons chosen to faithfully serve the church in Jerusalem—Acts 6:5, coveted this Treasure. He chose to live in noonday-like obedience to the Holy One who lived inside of Him. And so he shared his Treasure with many. One of these was an Ethiopian eunuch whose chariot had broken down on the side of a road leading from Jerusalem into Gaza. But he was no palace guard, or one chosen to watch over a king’s harem. This eunuch was the treasurer of Candance, Queen of Ethiopia—a man of pedigree and position. This eunuch had far-reaching influence. Not that God is at all interested in this eunuch’s position or pedigree; after all, a quick scroll through the pedigree of the Fathers of The Faith drives home the point that God appears to care little for such things. And our listening in on a conversation between God and the Prophet Samuel confirms this. It serves to remove all doubt as to what, in part, God does consider essential. And it has little to do with our positions or pedigree—save any access perhaps said position or pedigree may afford us—in this case, having access to a queen, her court, and an entirely new people group. Listen to God’s heart on this matter. To what He describes to the prophet Samuel as being vital: “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the LORD sees, for humans see what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart” –1 Samuel 16:7.

When the Lord saw the heart of this eunuch, a man hungering to know Him, He knew this man could be entrusted to serve His plan and purpose. And what was that plan? Same as it is today— Go into all the world and spread His Truth—further the reach of the Gospel message. Our God does not change. “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” –Mark 16:15. Part of this same plan is to be light and salt to a dark and dying world. To pick up the proverbial ball he’d just been handed and to run, full out, until he had passed it along to “whosoever” was willing to catch it, then, running full out in-kind—hand it off. Rinse, repeat. Rinse, repeat. And God used Phillip’s faithful obedience, allowing his light ” to shine before men,” to lead this eunuch to salvation and baptism. –Acts 8:26-39.

“With the faithful You show Yourself faithful; With the blameless You prove Yourself blameless…” –Psalm 18:25.

Unlike Joseph of Arimathaea or Nicodemus, even Philip, each Jews, Scripture does not clarify this eunuch’s faith—some scholars believe this to be intentional. Had this eunuch been a proselyte Jew? (a newcomer to Israel, a sojourner in the land, or a new convert to Judaism, perhaps)? Or was he a God-fearer? (A gentile who observed certain Jewish customs and rites yet did not convert to Judaism). God-fearer or Proselyte? We’ll never know for sure, at least not this side of eternity. Yet the one clue scripture does afford us is this: this eunuch had come to Jerusalem to worship the One, True, God. What we can say for sure, whether God-fearer or Proselyte, his heart hungered to know more of the Living God. To full out follow God’s Word and ways. How can I say this with such certitude? Because Scripture tells me so. Read for yourself the full of account of this eunuch’s story, of his holy hunger, and passionate pursuit of Godly living in Acts 8:26-40.

“The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”—Acts 8:34-36.

By now I suppose you may be asking yourself, “What do an Ethiopian Eunuch and Philip, an Evangelist, have to do with Joseph of Arimathaea, Nicodemus, or today’s scripture?”

My simple answer: Everything! As believers in Jesus Christ, each of these men’s lives speaks volumes of everyday believers’ choices. Shine our Light, or hide it, live out loud for Christ, or incognito? This decision, as much ours to make as it was each of theirs. Hence, I believe why John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, may have shined His Light on these two men. Object lessons in living with the consequences of our choices. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other” –Revelation 3:15!

To elaborate a bit: Joseph of Arimathea, who knowingly showed his defense of Jesus before the Sanhedrin (a group of pious leaders) who, like Nicodemus, was a secret, “under-the-cover-of-night” follower of Christ did, however, boldly showed His connection to Jesus, Israel’s long-awaited Messiah, His Messiah, yet sadly, only after Jesus had been crucified. –Luke 23:50-51; Matthew 27:57; John 19:38.

And Nicodemus, the “Billy Graham” of first-century Jerusalem. A Pharisee of impeccable pedigree lauded for his scholarly knowledge; he too came to Christ hidden safely under the shielding cloak of night to have his many questions answered. And even though something deep within both these men was straining against their self-imposed control, threatening to erupt. Still, after having their every question answered, their curiosity assuaged. Even after Nicodemus proclaimed that Jesus had to have been sent by God, each man gets up and, cloaked by that same night sky, walks away. Lights each—yet hidden under baskets. Scripture doesn’t tell us what happens to these men once Jesus’ body was entombed. Their story shut up, sealed away, with the One they dared not live flat out for. Dared not lay down their life, family, position, and possessions, their status, and following. They dared not shine too brightly, lest others judge them, finding them wanting, shunning them. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea showed seemingly little desire to flat out follow Jesus, to serve and obey Him, unlike this simple Ethiopian eunuch.

Both the eunuch and Philip were unashamed in their desire not only to obey God but to live out what each knew and had experienced of God—openly, wholeheartedly, joy-fully. These were no incognito Christians. Are you?

Friend If you’ve yet to meet this Jesus I’ve spoken of today; I pray you do not close this teaching without asking Him to show Himself to you. He did it for the Ethiopian eunuch, for me and countless others, won’t you ask Him to come and live in you as well? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” –John 3:16-18.

Who Better Than The Master?

October 23, 2021 /
MaryEllen Montville

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability” –Matthew 25:14-15.

The same God of Springs burgeoning, embryotic buds and the verdant, leafy fullness of summer is the very same God of Fall’s brilliant, swirling colors and their seemingly final, fiery farewell, a showy changing of the guard really. He’s also the same God of the outward barren-ness of winter’s stark, snow-kissed branch, a masterful illusion. And, though diverse certainly, their bond and connection are their similarities—they’re seasons, each.

Each one, God’s gift to us, each bringing with it its own lessons, favor, and challenges; yet, if we’re wise, we will drink deeply from their unique cups—draining them dry across the span of our lifetimes, so as not to miss one precious drop of all God desires to teach us throughout our cyclical seasons, those of our holding on to, and of our letting go.

God entrusts each season with its unique lessons, expecting each to unfold them before us within their allotted time.

I was walking my dog as I do every morning, just drinking in the beauty of the sun playing in the treetops. I was admiring all the trees changing colors, no longer stark-thick green but so many now, red-tipped, others yellow, orange, others still, mixed variants of all the above. It was apparent that the season had changed. Yet behind the continued summer-like warmth of the waning sun on my face, a mask of sorts, laid the noticeable. Actual Fall had arrived. Suddenly, the wind picked up, and I was caught in a shower of falling leaves.

And, just as suddenly, God spoke: “Harvest season is over. It’s no longer time to reap; it’s time to store up, be a good steward over all of your resources.” I recognized my Father’s voice and sensed in my spirit, The good Stewart, that God was referring to managing, investing wisely, all of what’s He’s entrusted to us in this new season, hence our Scripture verse.

This Word is meant to prepare us—forewarn us, if you will, of something yet to come.

Whether that be a lean season on its way? —Think Joseph in Egypt here, some sudden turn in our societal or personal economy. Some collective “pinch” that will be felt across the Body of Christ or the globe? Or, perhaps, it had nothing to do with finances at all. But instead, it concerns the use of our talents and our time? Or, at the risk of sounding too vague, all the above? To tell you, “Thus said the Lord… it’s all about your money….” I’d be lying. Yet, as any watchman must, I’m sharing with you what God clearly said to me. And so, I encourage you to seek the Lord, asking Him how this Word, His Word, applies explicitly to your walk with Him in this season. ‘The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns” –Luke 12:42-43.

I would hate not to obey a Word from God because I’ve foolishly allowed myself to become deluded. Believing, unwisely, that I’ve somehow figured out how it is God will next move—as if a mere formula or His past acts could ever bind, or alter somehow, how God may choose to move, now, in this season!

Satan was once that puffed up, thinking he had God all figured out. But on the third day, when Jesus’ tomb was found empty, Satan discovered he’d been mistaken! So, to those standing outside of Noah’s Ark as the rain began to fall. God forbid, any such delusion be allowed the slightest room to grow within me, within any child of God—like some invasive, poisonous weed. Just because I’ve been walking with Jesus for some years now, I pray I never come close to thinking; pridefully, I have things figured out. More, foolishly believing, God’s “Living Word” has somehow lost its “Living-ness” due to my knowledge of it. That God’s ability to do as He pleases, whenever He so pleases, His being Sovereign, has ceased somehow?

Here’s what I know with fixed certainty, what I’ve been sent here today to tell you, confirm, for many I’m sure: the season has changed.

Our time of “squandering” God’s provisions, be they financial, His gifts, talents, His Gospel message, or the time we’re afforded—these being different for each of us (five bags, two bags, one bag) is well over. Soon and very soon, we will stand before the Master of the house and be asked to give an account of how we invested, nurtured, managed everything and everyone entrusted to us. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them” –Matthew 25:19. The Parable of the Bags of Gold clarifies for us the outcomes of those whom God had entrusted with His possessions. If you’re not familiar with this Parable, I will encourage you to go to Matthew’s Gospel and read Chapter 25 in its entirety.

I know with certainty this Word is a Word in season for me, yet I felt led to share it with you as well. I pray it is a confirming Word. And I pray that you will seek the Lord for His direction and guidance, allowing Him full and unfettered access to every “good thing” He alone has provided you. I pray you to entrust it all back into His Sovereign, capable hands, having used it wisely, invested it well. Who better than the Master of our house, after all, to instruct us in its optimal running? “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them” –Matthew 25:26-29.

Friend, if you’ve read this far yet don’t know Jesus personally, you can no longer say that He’s never spoken to your heart. The very fact that you’re reading this now is because Jesus has led you and kept you here. He is talking to you, pursuing you, right now. Jesus loves you with an everlasting love. Won’t you invite Him to come into your heart, that He might share more of Himself with you? “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” – Revelation 3:20.

A New Heart, a New Life.

September 18, 2021 /
Stephanie Montilla

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” – 1 Corinthians 1:18.

It was June of 2009, and every few minutes, I peeked through the auditorium to see if there were open seats available for when my family would arrive. Dominican families have struggled to be punctual for events, that at this point, it’s been accepted as a cultural norm. I was anxious about their arrival and worried they would miss most of the ceremony. Patiently waiting in an uncomfortably warm foyer while wearing a cap and gown sure didn’t help with my internalized bundle of nerves, especially since I was asked to deliver a speech. My mind was in disarray from reading over my speech lines, wrestling with my gown in the muggy air, engaging in sidebar conversations while anxiously waiting for my family’s arrival. From a distance, a few minutes shy from the start of the graduation ceremony, I recognized my family members walking towards the venue. “Yes!” I thought loudly inside my head. A few minutes after their arrival, the loud processional music played. As I walked into the auditorium, with the classical music in the background playing, what felt like a frozen, shrink of time, the faces of everyone in the crowd disappeared. I envisioned my future in a small window of my thoughts, standing behind a podium, like I was prepared to do, delivering a moving speech like a politician—end memory.

I asked, “Lord, why are you having my mind revisit this episode of my life, and so detailed for that matter?” The Lord responded, “To show you how much has changed. To show you how much you’ve grown.” I admit I had to sit with this memory for hours to reflect on my changes and growth. With more profound reflection, I realized how distant I felt from that version of myself. In high school, I became consumed with politics, and the envision of moving people’s emotions through political means was a pursuit I obsessed about. That high school version of me wanted grandiose plans to reform the world as a politician, and my family persuaded me to travel that dream path into college. In college was where my fiery passion for politics became dim in exchange for the study of theology. Unlike high school, my college setting introduced me to the gospel and the pursuit of new dreams. My political goals dried up like a raisin in the sun. While I still had a few more years ahead of me to understanding, developing, and committing a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, it became more precise in what God revealed to me in saying, “To show you how much you’ve grown.”

You see, before I truly knew about Jesus Christ, I was very self-absorbed and prideful. It was the love of my achievements and personal aggrandizement that controlled me. My daily bread was my success of traveling and speaking in various places, earning good grades, and being granted many awards. And while they were all great deeds, the pursuit of worldly pleasures never leaves you satisfied, for there is always a hunger for more. I relate to the bible passage that says, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was my reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” –Ecclesiastes 2:10-11.

The more I pondered the precise remembrance of speaking behind a podium as a future politician; it became ever so clear. The Holy Spirit revealed that “growth” had more to do with my heart behind the podium. Behind the podium of this vision was a 17-year-old heart plagued with selfishness, entitlement, and pride, and like a heart surgeon that grafts a healthy artery to a blocked one; since that time, it has been the grafting of the holy spirit that has brought fresh blood into my heart. “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” –Ezekiel 36:26. Behind the podium was a heart that desired and lived in the pursuit for the applause of men. But the applause of men is short-lived, whereas the applause of God rings for all eternity! “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” –Galatians 1:10.

To put it simply, Christ in me changed me and continues to. My heart becomes tender when I think of how the Lord saw my prideful, 17-year-old heart, and yet in His faithful nature remained close for my heart’s return to Him. In the moments where my stone-cold, wintered heart abstained from anything related to Him, it was the extension of His unexplainable blessings over my life that summered my soul, one piece at a time. In the moments where my rebellious heart basked in the things that grieved God’s heart, it was to Him my heart searched for help when I didn’t want to confront the inevitable, uncomfortable consequences of my actions. And when my heavy tears cascaded down my cheeks, in a dark room of despair, it was the hearing that He keeps track of my sorrows that brought me comfort, even if it didn’t last for the entire day. “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” Psalm 56:8.

He saw me, He heard me, and He lifted me out of the slimy pit I made and carried my heavy, orphaned body to shelter. It has been His presence that has stood as my fortress and the place my soul delights taking residence. It’s been His love and His rescue of myself where the posture and dreams of my heart changed. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” –Corinthians 5:17.

Since that high school memory, a lot has changed besides my dreams. I changed, thankfully. My gratifying desires have been exchanged for a life devoted to magnifying the heart and life of Christ. My heart’s content is no longer amassed with rebellion and pride but instead with humility and selflessness. How can the Holy Spirit enter in me and yet, continue to live like the world? I live for the eternal gratification of pleasing the Lord, and it is His applause and standing ovation that remains fixed as my eternal reward. Evidently, the Lord did so much work in my life, and while it took years, He was patient and faithful, and I am thankful and joyful because of it. And, since you’re reading this, be assured that the Lord knows your life’s end from the beginning. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from the ancient times the things that are not yet done…” –Isaiah 46:10. The maker of heaven and earth, your creator, designed you with intention and purpose, according to His will. Surrendering your plans and dying off yourself may feel wild, but the satisfaction of that act is beyond anything the world has ever tried to offer. I pray that you open your heart up to God so that He may do “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” – 1 Corinthians 1:18

 “Even if we as clay are broken by the very hand of the Potter, know that you’re in good hands and you are His” –Jeremiah 18.

I found treasure in His heart more than my dreams. I chose the narrow way, and it has made all the difference. I pray for you to seek His heart above all things and allow it to wonderfully change the course of your life as it did with mine. And, if you have not invited Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do that today. Repent of your sins and ask God into your heart, and trust that He will make all things new in your life.

Be Still.

September 11, 2021 /
Kendra Santilli

Life is filled with cycles of mountain top highs and valley lows. It’s just a fact of life that we can’t escape. We do great, and then a problem comes, and we’re out for the count in a valley again. Then we overcome the problem and climb our way back to the beautiful views of the mountaintop where life is good. The cycle repeats itself repeatedly; it’s just a matter of time. I have learned not to get too comfortable on the mountaintop. I get premonitions, of sorts, when I’m about to approach a valley. It’s a strange feeling. It’s just a “knowing” that something’s coming. I couldn’t tell you what, but it’s that feeling of impending doom.

I recently got this premonition, and within weeks I found myself in the valley, and as I’m sitting here, I’m asking the Lord what I could share with you at a time like this. His gentle whisper just said, “you need only be still.” These beautiful words directly from Exodus 14:14 were brought to my memory, and I knew there must be more people who need to “be still.” I have this image in my mind of sitting in a boat, holding on for dear life as a storm rage around me. I sit, eyes fixed on Jesus, knowing that He is my only hope. As I have this mental image, I remember a similar story in the Bible where Jesus was actually in a storm that could have claimed the disciples’ lives in the boat.

“… He said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down, and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!'” — Mark 4:35-41

You must understand something here: Jesus had just finished teaching the crowd about the Kingdom of Heaven. He was telling parables of growing in the word of God, He spoke of shining our light of salvation to expose what’s hidden in darkness, and, encouraging them, He spoke of the Kingdom of God in us that grows as we exercise our mustard seed faith.

He spoke in parables that not everyone understood, but His disciples had VIP access to His teachings to understand them fully. They had explanations that the crowd didn’t get. “When he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.” — Mark 4:34. This same Jesus who taught that faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains (Matthew 17:20) is the one who calmed the storm. I imagine that the disciples would proudly walk by Jesus as He taught these jaw-dropping sermons and did miraculous signs and wonders, but when it came down to it, the disciples didn’t have the words that Jesus spoke in their hearts. They knew in their heads that they needed to have faith, but the heart connection could only come through the trial.

I don’t know about you, but it’s easy to find opinions on everything nowadays for me. We live in a world where you can get someone’s thoughts quickly. The voices of others begin to consume our thoughts, becoming our point of reference. We know what the Bible says, but we tend to rely on what people say instead. It’s easy to say things like, “God is enough for me.” We know that; we believe it. But what happens when things start to get stripped away from us? Does panic set in? Do we resort to fear? Anxiety? Worry? Or do we remember His words and stand firm on His promises?

“God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.” —Psalm 46:1.

“The Lord is my shield; my rock; my deliverer; my defender” —Psalm 18.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.” — Psalm 23.

What do you resort to when the storm comes?

In this story, right before Jesus and His disciples were caught in this storm, Jesus told them to go to the other side of the lake where they were at. Without hesitation, the disciples brought the boat through the lake, knowing their destination. They didn’t stop to prepare for the possibility of inclement weather. They just went. When there is no threat, it’s easy to choose obedience to Jesus. Had they known the storm was awaiting them in the middle of their journey, maybe they wouldn’t have set off. You see, Jesus wasn’t surprised by the storm. He rested through it. He knew the authority that the Father had given Him to command the elements, so He wasn’t worried. The disciples, on the other hand, went from bringing Jesus over without hesitation to complete despair. They literally thought they were about to die. They KNEW that faith could move mountains and that faith could heal the sick, but when the moment came to rest in their revelation of Jesus, they resorted to panic. I honestly don’t blame them because that seems like a very human thing to do. But what if Jesus was testing them or teaching them a lesson, knowing what lay ahead?

Suddenly, we see Jesus almost aggravated that they’re afraid. He says, “why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” —v. 40. I believe Jesus is making a point here. While we can often feel the emotion of fear, we are not to be fearful, allowing the fear to overtake us. Fear and faith cannot coexist. You either have one or the other. The storm doesn’t worry you if you have faith because you know that God will deliver you. If you are afraid, then the storm will overwhelm you because you believe that the power in the waves is stronger than Jesus. Jesus’ authority in commanding the storm to cease amazed them, causing them to wonder who He is. Again, they KNEW in their minds WHO Jesus was. But the knowledge had not yet made its way to their hearts.

As I look at the world around us, I feel like the disciples in the boat. The world seems to be in chaos, but I sense that Jesus is in the boat. He didn’t tell us to go without Him; instead, as with the disciples, He is right here with us. We have an opportunity to respond to trouble with faith, not fear, as the disciples did. While it is easy to believe the words of panic from the world, it is crucial to put our faith in and believe the words of stability found in God’s Word instead. In this season of uncertainty, I am reminded of Exodus 14:14, which reads, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.”

Be still. The exact words that Jesus violently commanded the waves are the words that God used to comfort the Israelites in Exodus as they were running from their oppressors. In a time where the only logical thing to do is to run or to fight, God tells them to be still. I sense that same calling in these times as we see so much quandary around us. If I could encourage you today in whatever you’re going through, it’s this: have faith and be still. Replace the echoing voices in your mind of worry that come from the world with promises from the word of God. Read your Bible and hide its precious Words in your heart. It is there where the renewing of the mind takes place. There is where your mustard seed faith is strengthened, and standing on His words becomes second nature. If you don’t know Jesus as the one who calms your storms, I invite you to ask Him in today. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins, for He is faithful and to do so. He will command the unsteadiness in your heart to be still and will bring into alignment every maligned thing.

Be encouraged. God bless you!

Do Everything In Love.

July 24, 2021 /
Stephanie Montilla

“Let everything you do be done in love (motivated and inspired by God’s love for us).” – 1 Corinthians 16:14

Last week, while alone in my room, my laptop opened to a blank Microsoft Word page; I asked the Holy Spirit to direct me on what I should write for this blog. Immediately after praying, the Holy Spirit’s gentle response to me was, “Do everything in love….”

I smiled in thankfulness at the Holy Spirit’s prompt response and was consumed with peace by His short yet profound statement. Aware that the Holy Spirit’s response was a bible verse, I opened my Bible to 1 Corinthians. Instantly, my eyes were drawn to the verse, “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be Courageous. Be Strong. And do everything in love” –1 Corinthians 16: 13-14. Heart racing now, I wanted to understand 1 Corinthians more fully and why its writer, the Apostle Paul, felt led to share these particular words with the church in Corinth? “Do everything in love.”

So as not to bore you then, I’ll attempt to answer in cliff notes summary style.

Paul founded the church in Corinth, and a few years later, after leaving the church, he received upsetting reports about the Corinthian church. Some of these troubling reports included sexual immorality, division, improper use of spiritual gifts, and pride. 1 Corinthians is the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church. In part, this letter’s intention is Paul’s bid at recentering, unifying, and redirecting those who had either strayed or had blatantly sinned—turning them back then towards the pure gospel message he had shared with them. He bundled his letter in loving correction and warning both. Yet, it was love that had motivated Paul to bring this correction to this early church. His focus and solution to the divisive and blatant sin issues found in the Corinth church were grounded in love.

Firstly, and foremost, Paul wanted them each to live righteously out of love for Jesus Christ. Live as Christ has commanded all His children to live. Holy, as He is holy. Then, flowing from their love for Christ, brotherly love, one for another. Otherwise, their professed faith would be thin, cold, and hollow. A mere shell or show. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” –1 Corinthians 13: 1-3.

What Truth is Paul unfolding in this verse?

In part, Paul’s expressing that although you may be spiritually gifted, operate in the prophetic, possess great faith, knowledge, or speak in the languages of men and angels. Without love, you will miss the pure mark of faithfully and genuinely serving both God and man. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” –1 Corinthians 13:13. In Romans, Paul says this concerning our demonstrating brotherly love. “Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other” –Romans 12:10. And in Ephesians, Paul shared this regarding the same brotherly love: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” –Ephesians 4:2. So, in essence, then, without the powerful, motivating, and equipping force of love, spiritual gifts are hollow and perhaps, of little worth.

Now you may be asking yourself, “Why love?” What’s so important about love or loving? Above all, God is Love. And sharing this Truth of God’s great love for us was the motivation behind almost everything Paul did and taught and spoke of in every church he visited and in every letter he wrote. His heart, his purpose, and his calling were to point us towards the love of God. So, let’s pivot here and look at God’s love for us more closely. Love is God’s divine well. His unplumbed Life-source. The very ecosystem in which we Christians grow and thrive. After washing His disciple’s feet, Jesus instructed His disciples in a selfless new command concerning this deep need for love—our need to do all things in love. “A new commandment I give to you that you love one another: Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” –John 13:34-35.

According to Jesus, the way in which His children demonstrate and operate in love ought to distinguish us—from the world.

Now one of the things I love about Jesus is that He didn’t just preach about love; He demonstrated it. Demonstrates it still. Jesus modeled the mark we ought to be stretching to reach throughout our Christian walk. Jesus showed His love for us in so many ways. Moving with compassion, He fed the hungry, “Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way” –Matthew 15:32. Via this same compassion, He taught the lost about the Kingdom of God, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” –Mark 6:34.

In His well-known interaction with the woman at the well, Jesus demonstrated that His pure, fiery, limitless love transcends one’s station, gender, social customs, and culture. Surely Jesus knew of this woman’s lifestyle and history, yet never once did He condemn her. Instead, He spoke the Truth in love, telling her, her whole life’s story. Grace met her where she was and then filled her afresh with Living water. Jesus washed her in His Word. His Love made her a new creation. “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” –John 4: 13-14. And by far God’s greatest demonstration of Love, His matchless, sacrificial love was demonstrated through His giving us His only Begotten Son, Jesus. “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” –John 3:16.

I literally could go on and on about the countless wonder-full works of God. Telling of the ways, He demonstrates His loving nature towards humanity. He is the perfect example of ” do everything in love.”  So join me next time when I’ll conclude this teaching with some practical ways, we as believers, and those desiring to be, can do “everything in love.”

And if you’ve yet to experience this great love God has for you, I invite you to ask Him to open it up to you now, today, so that you can and will know the pure and endless love of the only God who died that you might have life eternal! “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death” –1 John 3:14.

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