God-given dreams

Look to the Bread of Life to Satisfy Your Hunger

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Every leader longs for others to recognize the value they bring to an organization or a task and to be appreciated for their contributions. A leader brings value because of their training and the skills they have developed. A leader brings their experience and creativity to solve problems and develop effective plans for the future. A Christian leader brings a heart that is sensitive to God’s leading and works out of the spiritual gifts God has blessed them with.

Leaders want to do a good job, so they generally put in many hours of work, often more than what they are compensated for. They are too invested in the project to stop until success is in sight. Some struggle to find a balance between their work and the rest of their lives.

Source: Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock

Everyone, leaders included, has a tendency to see themselves as their job or their position. I am a pastor. I am a music director. I am a plumber. I am a teacher. I am a designer. It is common for us to find our identity in what we do or the role we fill. Our hunger for significance and purpose in life can easily cause us to be swallowed up by our role.

But what happens if our role no longer fulfills us, or we aren’t recognized for our contributions, or the job doesn’t end up being as fulfilling as we had hoped?

In John 6 we have the story of Jesus feeding 5000 men (possibly up to 20,000 with women and children included) with one boy’s lunch. It is a miraculous expansion of one lunch that fed thousands. There were even enough leftovers for each disciple to pick up a basket full. The next day the crowd comes to Jesus looking for more miracles.

Jesus uses the illustration of the multiplying of bread to introduce himself as the bread of life. He tells the crowd around him that he can give them bread to eat so they will never be hungry again. Jesus is not talking about physical bread but saying that their hunger inside will never be fully satisfied with any food or experience or pursuit of fulfillment apart from belief in Him.

Jesus talks about how the Father draws people to himself, how the Spirit gives life, and that by believing in him, in Jesus, people can find true fulfillment.

Leaders need to recognize that their fulfillment cannot be found in their work. Yes, enjoy your work, do it well, and celebrate how your leadership is contributing to the success of your organization or church, but recognize that your fulfillment in life must come from a close friendship with Jesus and dependence on Him for joy in life.

Remember that the people you lead may turn on you. Circumstances may impact your leadership in ways that are beyond your control. Projects that you planned and love may fail. If you find your fulfillment in your work, you are setting yourself up for personal failure, but if you find your fulfillment in Jesus and a relationship with him, you will never be let down.

Look to the bread of life for true satisfaction and to fill the hunger inside for peace and joy in life. Then lead out of that heart that is at peace with God, and as a result, at peace with your leadership, whether it succeeds or fails.

Look to Jesus for fulfillment in life and lead out of the peace of knowing you are right with him.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Joining God at Work

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We look for answers to big questions our whole life. Even when we are young adults start asking us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As we come to the end of high school, we are faced with “what’s next?” Do we go off to college or university, or get a job, or start an apprenticeship? It’s not long before we need to decide if we want to marry and who.

One of the big questions of life for Christians is “What does God want me to do?”

An answer is found in John 5. Jesus healed a man, on a Sabbath, who had been sick for thirty-eight years. This gets him in trouble with the Jewish leaders, who accuse him of breaking Sabbath rules. Jesus replies by saying he is only doing what the Father is showing him to do.

John 5: 19 and 20 says: “So Jesus explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing.” In John 5: 30 he continues, “I can do nothing on my own.”

If Jesus, the Son of God, only did what the Father does or shows him to do, and if he couldn’t do anything by himself, then who are we to think we can do our own thing? If we are followers of Jesus, then we should be doing the same things as Jesus, including getting our directions from the Father.

“What does God want me to do?”

This question, if we follow Jesus’ example, can by answered by watching where God is at work and joining Him in what He is doing.

In the story, Jesus healed a sick man, and it sounds like only one sick man among a crowd of sick people. Why? Is it possible that he could see that God was at work in this one person? Was there something about this man that convinced Jesus he was receptive to God’s healing if only given the opportunity? Somehow, Jesus knew that this man was part of what God wanted done there on that day.

If we want to follow the example of Jesus, we need to learn how to be attentive to what God is doing and what He is asking of us. This begins with prayer. It’s interesting to notice how often Jesus spent time alone in prayer with the Father. We need to pray. And we need to invite the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see what God is doing.

Jesus told us in John 14 that he was going to send us the Holy Spirit “who will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14: 26). We have the privilege of the Holy Spirit in us to guide us, to teach us, and to help us see where God is already working.

We need to ask for eyes to see receptive hearts and open doors of opportunity. We need to invite God to speak to us, and to help us hear his voice so we can respond in obedience.

Jesus assumes the Father will show him what to do. We need to join with Jesus in that same assumption and watch and listen with attentive eyes and ears so we can respond with willing hands and feet.

God does have a plan for this world, and He invites us as believers to join him in His work. If Jesus can do nothing on his own, we surely can’t either.

May you hear and see God at work and know how to follow Him obediently.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

January Joy!

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If you are not experiencing “January Joy” right now, that may be for a few reasons. One may simply be that the holiday fun and family get-togethers are over. Either you miss your family or you are frustrated because things didn’t turn out the way you had hoped. The emotional and sentimental church activities like Christmas Eve Service have come and gone and it’s easy to feel an emotional slump. For some pastors, December is extremely busy so the slower days of January feel like a letdown.

Maybe January brought New Years Resolutions, and you have already failed at keeping them. The second Friday of January is widely known as “Quitters Day,” and some mark January 17 as “Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day.” The optimism of new goals and plans can take quite the hit when the pessimism of unfulfilled goals and failed habits becomes reality.

Some talk about January blahs and others talk about winter blues. One psychologist, Dr. Cliff Arnall, determined that the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year, labelling it “Blue Monday” (https://westernfinancialgroup.ca/How-to-Beat-the-January-Blahs). This is made more severe if the sun forgets to shine and the weather is cold and its hard to spend much time outdoors. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects some people severely, along with serious episodes of depression. And on top of the emotional and mental difficulty, there can be financial difficulty as the credit card bills start arriving for all the fun gifts you bought and parties you funded.

January Joy is not something people celebrate because for many people that is far from reality. I want to suggest some ways to beat the January blahs that go beyond the regular suggestions of exercise, eating right, and getting enough sleep.

First, turn to God and to His Word. Consider the psalms, like Psalm 100. Read them slowly and allow them to remind you of how great God is and how much He loves you and cares for you.

Psalm 100

1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

2     Worship the Lord with gladness.

    Come before him, singing with joy.

3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

    He made us, and we are his.

    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

    go into his courts with praise.

    Give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good.

    His unfailing love continues forever,

    and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Second, listen to music. Find some good music that celebrates our good God. Listen, sing along, and begin to rejoice in our great God and His goodness to us.

Third, start giving thanks. Start listing all you are grateful for. Thank God for people in your life. Thank God for the joys you have experienced. Thank God for His protection and provision in your life. Celebrate God and his love for you.

And soon you will be full of January Joy and have no room for January blahs or winter blues. You can’t complain and remain discouraged when you are singing praises and shouting out all that you are thankful for. Have a great January!

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Wait Patiently for God to Break Through

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This morning, I was sitting in my big chair reading when I glanced to my left, taking in the snow-covered yard and the drab-looking trees on my lawn. Everything had that winter grey look, when something caught my eye. Off in the distance, I noticed two large spruce trees. They, too, were covered in snow like the trees in my yard, but they were emitting a warm orange glow. The sun was coming up! And it was already shining over my house and lighting up trees in the distance.

Maybe your life feels a little grey right now. Pastors, church leaders, maybe your ministry feels a little drab right now. You have made it through the highs of Christmas, both with the church and with your family, and now you are experiencing the post-Christmas letdown. Or maybe it’s even more than that. You have been feeling a little discouraged or disappointed for a while. You don’t see the excitement you have at other times. It seems as if God is not working like you wish he was.

It’s time to lift your eyes to the distance. Maybe you need to look around, behind you, beside you, and out to the horizon. God is breaking through. God is at work, though not always in the same powerful way in every situation. If it’s not right in front of you or in your immediate experience, look up and look out. Where is God working? According to Jesus, God is always at work. Maybe He is working in a ministry you haven’t been paying attention to. Is it possible you have been too busy to see where He is already breaking through?

A little later, as I glanced up again, I noticed that the trees in my yard were now also beginning to reflect that early morning orange glow of the rising sun as it was climbing up over my house. It’s hard to wait on God and to wait for Him to work in our ministries, but sometimes we need to persevere in our waiting for Him to come with His power in His time. Sometimes we need to wait on Him just a little longer until we see His glow reflected in the ministries that feel a little drab right now.

If God is seemingly not working in your ministries right now or stirring your church members’ hearts like you wish, continue to wait. As you wait, look out and around to see if God is working somewhere else and you need to join Him there. As you wait, wait on the Lord. Continue to trust Him, continue to talk with Him, and wait.

Psalm 27:14 encourages us: “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” The psalmist asks God for help but declares he will confidently wait on God. Just as we know the sun always rises and will break into the day every morning, we can live with the confidence that our God will always break through for us as we patiently wait for Him.

Wait patiently for God to break through and make His presence and power real and noticeable.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Life-Enhancing Goals!

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“Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.”

Proverbs 20: 4

“You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”

James 4:15

The one who has no goals in life will have nothing to live for. We all need purpose, and part of that purpose is to accomplish things, whether for oneself, for others, or for the betterment of the world around us. I don’t really like New Year’s Resolutions as they are often unrealistic dreams with no clear steps to accomplish them, but I do like the idea of asking God to guide us in setting meaningful goals that will help us live with purpose.

The one who has no goals will be like the lazy farmer who doesn’t plow and seed and harvest because he has no drive to make it happen. Instead, we ought to ask God what His will is for our lives. In James 1:5 we are told, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.” Let’s ask God for wisdom in how to set meaningful goals for our next year.

Spiritual Growth Goals: Set some goals that will help you to grow spiritually.

  • These may include reading the Bible and prayer, when you will do it, how often, and how much of the Bible you want to read. Many people follow a plan that guides them through the whole Bible in one year.
  • These goals may include reading books on spiritual growth – maybe even books that challenge your thinking and stretch your understanding of God and how He works today.
  • Maybe you can find a course or seminar that teaches you to grow spiritually.
  • Or determine to practice some new spiritual disciplines.

Ministry or Serving Goals: Set some goals about how you will serve others or serve in the church.

  • Maybe you need to try serving in a new area of ministry in the church.
  • Maybe you can find a place to serve in your community. It may be serving the poor or underprivileged. It may mean serving on a community board or committee.
  • Maybe there is some training that you need to take to become better equipped to serve somewhere. Look for a course that will help you develop new skills.

Health Goals: Set some goals that will help you be at your best health.

  • Decide what you will do for exercise, how often, where, and so on.
  • You might want to adjust your menu so you eat healthier meals.

Personal Growth: Set some goals to grow personally.

  • This could be through setting a goal for the type of books you will read or how much time you will spend reading each month.
  • Look for experiences to enter into – like a retreat or a mission trip, and make it a goal to arrange your budget and schedule to attend.
  • Maybe you will regularly set aside time to learn and practice a new skill – like knife making or cake baking.
  • Maybe you want to study a new language.
  • Imagine what you want your life to be like in ten years and build a plan to achieve that by setting short-term goals along the way

May God guide you as you ask Him for wisdom to become the person He longs for you to be. Ask Him to guide you to the right goals and how to achieve them.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Train Yourself to Be Godly #11: Practicing Godly Generosity

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*Training yourself to be godly will include being generous like God.

According to one online source, there are 3,871 Self-storage facilities in Canada as of November 2025. (https://www.poidata.io/report/self-storage-facility/canada/)

People store anything and everything from exercise equipment to furniture to heirlooms and extra clothes. One of the growing storage needs has been RV storage lots because people spend thousands of dollars on something they only use a couple of weeks a year. The average Canadian has way more stuff than they need.

Here’s the question we want to ask of God’s word today: How do we train ourselves to be godly in light of our stuff? How do we handle our resources righteously?

Let’s talk about how to handle our resources righteously:

1.         Practice Tithing

Deuteronomy 14:22-23 says, “You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—… Doing this will teach you always to fear the LORD your God.”

Tithing was really important to God as he makes clear in Malachi 3:8-9.

“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!

“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’

“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me.

God clearly tells the Israelites you are suffering because you are cheating me. You are not giving your tithes and offerings. God expected it. We need to consider the Discipline of Tithing.

Some suggest Jesus never told us to tithe but look at Matthew 23:23: “… you Pharisees. Hypocrites! …you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.” Tithing was such a big part of the Jewish faith that Jesus only seems to mention it in passing, but assumes that tithing will be part of their life.

2.         Do not Covet!

Commandment number ten of the Ten Commandments says this: “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17).

Tithing is about giving back to God from what God has given us. To “not covet” is to be satisfied with what God has given to us. When we covet, we are not satisfied with what we have. We think we are lacking something, missing out.

Part of the issue here is that we don’t need as much stuff as we think we do. We would do well to figure out how to practice the Spiritual Discipline of Simplicity and make do with less.

Beyond Tithing and Not Coveting, we need to consider Generosity.

3.         Practice Generosity

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17). “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Not only is God generous with physical blessings, but God is also generous in giving us salvation! “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.: (Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, as we look at training ourselves to be godly, how can we be generous like God? We could be generous:

  • With our money. “God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7
  • By practicing hospitality. “Practice hospitality.” – Romans 12:13
  • By sharing material possessions. “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” – 1 John 3:17
  • By sharing food. “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” – Proverbs 22:9

And as we are generous, look at what will happen: “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor” (Proverbs 22:9).

Be generous like our generous God by practicing some of the following disciplines:

  • Discipline of Tithing – giving at least 10%
  • Discipline of Stewardship – careful deliberate managing of the resources God has given.
  • Discipline of Simplicity – not gathering and holding on to so much stuff
  • Discipline of Generosity – reflecting God’s generosity in how we are generous to others.

What discipline will you put into your own Spiritual Life Training Plan?

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Train Yourself to Be Godly #9: Created to Work

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*Training yourself to be godly may include how you view your work.

The average person spends 90,000 hours (that’s around 10 years) over the course of their lifetime working.[i]

A 2023 survey of Canadians suggested 80% of workers were satisfied with their jobs. At the same time, another survey indicated 33% of workers plan to look for a new job next year. .

60% of workers feel burned out.[ii] 77% of workers reported experiencing work-related stress.[iii]

One statistic stated: Only about a quarter of employees worldwide are actively engaged in their work.[iv] Though many seem to find enjoyment in their work, it’s not uncommon to hear people saying they are “Working for the weekend” – or “Thank God it’s Friday”.

Even some of our jokes are funny because we generally live in a society that doesn’t like work.

My boss told me to have a good day, so I left and went to the beach.

My boss told me I’d missed too much work lately. I told him I hadn’t missed it much.

We often think of work as fulfilling duties regularly for wages or a salary. It’s about making money. Yet there is more to it. Work is also exerting strength or energy to do or perform something; it involves being creative, using skill, and producing something.

Work shows up very early in our Bible.

Often, the first thought about work is that it’s a result of the Fall, or a result of humanity’s sin and God’s judgment. Genesis 3:17-19 gives God’s judgment on Adam: “the ground is cursed because of you.” We see life becoming more difficult as a result of sin.

But this does not say that work is a result of the Fall. The judgment is not work. The judgment is difficult and sweaty work!

While we tend to think of work as a result of sin, it is actually part of the world before sin. God tells Adam in Genesis 2:15 that he has a role to play in this garden God made for him. He is to “Work it and take care of it” (NIV).

Even before that, in Genesis 1: 28 God gave the people he created a role to play in creation: “Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.’”

Work is not a result of sin but was the first responsibility and role for humans! Along with being fruitful and multiplying, people were to govern and reign. Work is part of that governing and reigning, doing what is good for the world around us.

Work is about contributing to the good of our world. We all need something meaningful to do with our lives. We all have ways of contributing to the good of our world – to “work” in some way.

God has blessed us all with various gifts and passions and skills. Many of us have learned other skills through formal education or experience. We have gained ways of working and contributing to the “governing and reigning,” the “ruling” over the world that God created humans to do.

Hopefully, you have a job that you are created for, that fits, that feels like you are being who God created you to be! If not, ask Him to guide you to where you fit better.

As we think of Spiritual Disciplines and Practices associated with work, there are a few that we will look at in the next blog, but here’s one: The Discipline of Serving.

Mark 10:45 says: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Discipline of Serving says, “I will choose to use whatever abilities and skills I have to work for the betterment of others, serving them. Not working for my own benefit alone, but also for theirs!”

We are created to work and have the opportunity to serve others in the process.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

[i] https://www.worldofwork.ca/by-the-number

[ii] Calm’s Voice of the Workplace Report

[iii] APA’s Work in America Survey

[iv] https://www.worldofwork.ca/by-the-numbers

Train Yourself to Be Godly #8: Honouring Your Body in a Way That Honours Christ.

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*Training yourself to be godly may include honouring your body.

So you must honour God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

There is a website that lists 20 Famous Temples to Visit Once in Your Lifetime. These are incredible works of art and design.

A temple not on the list but would have been great to see is King Solomon’s Temple. Before Solomon built a temple, God had Moses and the Israelites build a Tabernacle, a tent. This is described in Exodus 25 – 40. We are given all kinds of details about what the Tabernacle was to be like, how to design it, what colours to use, who was to design and build or sew it, and what kind of furniture was needed.

And then we come to Exodus 40: 35. “Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle”. God came and lived on earth in the temple. Leviticus goes on to explain the role of priests who served in the tabernacle and details about sacrifices that were done at the tabernacle.

Many years later, when the Israelites are in the Promised Land, God asks Solomon to build Him a temple, a more permanent place of worship. There are four chapters in 1 Kings dedicated to describing the details of this temple (1 Kings 5-8) including measurements and designs and decorations to be used. 2 Chronicles gives us even more details about the temple in another six chapters(2 Chronicles 2-7).

“When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it” (2 Chronicles 7:1-2).

God comes in fire and smoke to dwell in the Temple. God comes to live in, dwell in this Temple, and He gave very specific, detailed instructions to ensure it was designed, built, and furnished just right. Think about how much detail, all those chapters of details, went into this place that God would choose to live in here on earth.

The Bible tells us that God no longer lives in a temple of stone, but in the hearts of believers. In 1 Corinthians 3: 16-17 we read: “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?”

Did you catch that? Now, the temple is us!!

Let’s look at one more scripture. 1 Corinthians 6:18-19 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.”

God is no longer living in a physical building, but in His people, and specifically in each one of us as believers. And the exhortation is to “honour God with your body”.

John 14: 23 says, “Jesus replied, ‘All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them and we will come and make our home with each of them.’”

Jesus, by the Spirit lives in us! The Father by the Spirit lives in us! We are the temple of God.

The phrase, “So you must honour God with our body” comes after a warning to flee sexual immorality. Many, if not all sins we commit, we do by using our bodies.

  • We lie by using our mouth.
  • We listen to gossip by our ears.
  • We lust for things with our eyes.
  • We dwell on temptations with our minds until we act on them or say no to them.
  • We hit with hands and use our feet to walk into places we shouldn’t.

But the very same body can…

  • Use the mouth to speak words of encouragement.
  • Use the ears to listen to a grieving friend.\
  • Use our eyes to see the needy around us and help them.
  • Use our minds to consider ways to help others.
  • Use our hands and feet to help in practical ways – and to walk into church and lift our hands in worship!

We need to honour God with our bodies, to recognize that we are the Temple of God, and then to invite Him to take up residence in our lives as he did at the Temple. Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you as you surrender your body to be used for his honour.

We will look at a few spiritual disciplines next week, but for now, as you think of training yourself to be more godly, recognize that your body is a gift from God that He chooses to live in, so honour God with your body.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Train Yourself to Be Godly #7: The Encouragement of Fellowship

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*Training yourself to be godly may include fellowship and community.

It is a joy to be part of a church family that truly loves each other and cares for each other. There are some churches where people are truly experiencing fellowship as they encourage each other to become more like Jesus.

Hebrews 10: 19-25 gives a great description of what this fellowship can and should look like. It begins with a reminder that all believers are together in their relationship with Jesus. “We” can boldly enter the Most Holy Place – we – not just you, or just me, but the idea is that “we” can. And not just the people of the Old or New Testament. Not just Jews.

He is using inclusive language – as in “we are in this incredible journey of relationship with God together.” We are all on the same road to heaven, not on a bunch of unrelated individual roads or journeys, but we are on this journey of relationship with God through faith in Jesus together.

And then, in verses 23 -25, the author describes how we should be encouraging each other in our life with Jesus.

Verse 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm…

Let “us” hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm. “Us”. We are not clinging to that hope – that life raft – by our self. Our hope in Jesus is not something we have to hold onto alone. We are invited to hold onto our hope in Him together!

Verse 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

Let “us” think of ways to motivate one another. This may require a little creativity, we need to find ways of encouraging each other. The NIV says it like this: let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

The Greek word for “spur” actually means: provocation, stirring up, sharp disagreement. We are to provoke one another to good deeds.

So the NIV is right. A spur in the side of a horse gets it moving. A spur in your side from a Christian brother or sister may get you moving in the right direction as a follower of Jesus – provoking you to consider getting involved in acting out your faith. We are to stimulate our brothers and sisters in their journey with Jesus.

Our journey with Jesus was never meant to be a solitary voyage. I have a friend who loves canoeing. This summer, he went on a 10-day canoe trip, all by himself. While that is fun for him, that is not the right picture of the Christian life. The Christian life might be best pictured by a voyageur canoe, or those Chinese Dragon boats. It is many people working together and pulling in the same direction.

Verse 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another…

There are some who think they can have a personal faith in Jesus and a relationship with God, and they don’t need anyone else. That is not the picture of the Bible. We need to be intentional about meeting together. This is about more than joining others in a worship service but to meet together to encourage each other in our Christian life.

We need each other. We need to meet so we can spur each other on. We need to live life in connection with each other.

To encourage one another is to give one another courage. There are times one person has more courage than another. One person’s faith is stronger at one point than another. One person is discouraged or un-couraged and needs to be en-couraged!

Let’s finish with something practical. Here are some “Fellowship Questions” you can ask of each other when you meet with another believer. Move beyond the weather and sports and the latest hobby you are learning to finding ways of encouraging each other in our walk with Jesus.

1.         What have you been reading in the Bible lately?

2.         What have you been learning about your walk with Jesus?

3.         Do you have sense of how God is using you or wants to use you to love and do good deeds?

4.         Where are you discouraged or feeling down in your life?

5.         How can I encourage you or pray for you today?

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Train Yourself to Be Godly #6: Fellowship and Community

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*Training yourself to be godly may include fellowship and community.

Because of our North American independent mindset, many of us have missed the point that much of scripture addresses the Christian life with an expectation of connection. This is expressed and experienced in fellowship and community.

A simple definition for fellowship I heard is this: it’s two fellows in a ship. While this gets to the idea of fellowship, it is much more than two or more people in close proximity.

Fellowship (koinonia in Greek) is about “partnership, participation, sharing, communicating, and communing together”.

David Mathis defines fellowship as “less like friends gathered to watch the Super Bowl, and more like players on the field in blood, sweat, and tears, huddled in the backfield only in preparation for the next down.”Fellowship is joining in together with others to encourage and comfort and lift up. To do the “one another’s” of the Bible to each other: love one another, encourage one another, and so on.

Community is another word for fellowship. John Mark Comer describes it like this: “From coming together on Sunday for worship or eating a meal around a table to practicing confession to entering into spiritual direction, therapy, or mentorship – community is how we travel the Way together” (Practicing the Way). Community is experienced when we get to know each other well enough to be there to encourage, strengthen, or lift each other up when needed.

You may not think of Fellowship, or Community, as a spiritual practice, but they are. They are part of helping us to grow in our relationship with Jesus. This is one of the reasons that Hebrews 10 tells us to “not neglect meeting together… but to encourage one another”. They are practices we can choose to join into with purpose.

Fellowship and community are more than just being part of a church or attending every Sunday. Often, fellowship and community are experienced with a close friend or two, or in an intentional small group that meets regularly to help each other grow in their faith.

Stephen Macchia  suggests that fellowship and community are defined and experienced by the following:

  • Faithful presence
  • Honesty and transparency
  • Mutual submission
  • Confession and forgiveness
  • Joy: Laughter and tears
  • Listening and empathy
  • Attitude of gratitude

All of this can be summed up in being open and honest with a few people you trust so you can walk with them and they with you through your life journey with Jesus.

I encourage you to find a few good friends or join a small group, where you can get to know each other and care for each other in real, meaningful, and practical ways. Do this intentionally and you will be practicing fellowship and community as spiritual practices.

Watch for more on fellowship next week.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe