Pastor Nigel

THE WISDOM OF GOD.

We haven't spent as much time in the book of Proverbs on this tour as I'd expected-we've found ourselves talking and praying about other things that the Lord has brought to our attention. But here are at least some thoughts we've pondered.

READ PROVERBS 1.1-7 ( The Message would be a good addition to whatever other version you normally read.)

 The Godly wisdom found in Proverbs is designed to help us live on earth as it is in heaven, and the word 'wisdom' in the Bible literally means 'skill' as in:

•  the skill of the tabernacle craftsmen in Exodus  31.6
• the wits of seasoned sailors in Psalm 107.27
• the administrative ability talked about in 1 Kings 3.28
• the wise advice of a counsellor in 2 Samuel 20.22

Wisdom is about both moral strength and mental discernment. The wise person is not just a person with knowledge but the person who knows how to apply that knowledge in order to live their life in a more Godly way.

Here's a selection of my favorite 'wisdom' proverbs:

11.2, 19.8, 28.26      and some longer passages: 2.1-12, 4.4-11, 24.3-14.

In 4.4-11 we see that wisdom brings us three benefits: Life, Security, and Honor.

In the next blog I'll focus on Jesus and Wisdom. We may never get to what Proverbs says about Words, Work, Wealth, and Witness but I'm sure you can dig deep into the book of Proverbs and find out for yourselves!

GATEWAY SCHOOL VIDEO.

Back in August a pastor buddy of mine from Cardiff visited the Come Together Compound in Rajahmundry, India, and took this great little video clip of life at the Gateway School.

The C.R.O.S.S. of Communion.

In a brief moment of peace in an otherwise hectic day in St. Augustine, Florida, we gathered Third Day and Glory Revealed personnel for Communion. Having studied the Lord's Supper a lot lately I was able to mention 5 key reasons why we celebrate Communion in fellowship with one another and with the Lord:

Covenant-  it reminds us of the New Covenant sealed in the blood of Jesus. An indication of God's love and commitment towards us despite our sinfulness and waywardness.

Remembrance- we have been commanded to remember the Lord's death until he comes. The Greek word used here for 'remembrance' signifies not just remembering but also identifying with the act being remembered.

Obedience- if for no other reason, Christ commanded us to participate in the Lord's Supper. That's good enough for me!

Spiritual food-Paul talks about the physical dangers of entering into the Lord's Supper with the wrong attitude, and conversely recognizes that by partaking humbly and with an element of honest self-examination we receive spiritual strength and sustenance, even healing.

Second Coming of Jesus- the Lord's Supper is to be taken 'until he comes' and the certainty is that one day He will return. Communion reminds us of the hope of that confident  expectation.

READ 1 Corinthians 11.22-33

LATEST TOUR DEVOTIONS- WISDOM.

Having not written a blog since just after our UK and European dates in June, I'm now sitting in a hotel in Washington DC about to fly to meet the band in Florida for the first of 12 shows.

My devotional focus with them is going to be from the book of Proverbs- the wisdom of Solomon. The Lord asked Solomon to choose anything he wanted:

 That night God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

Solomon replied to God, “You have been so faithful and kind to my father, David, and now you have made me king in his place.

 Now, LORD God, please keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! Give me wisdom and knowledge to rule them properly, for who is able to govern this great nation of yours?”

2 Chronicles 1.7-10 NLT

So Solomon chose Wisdom over anything else, and wrote much of this wisdom down in the book of Proverbs. In our devotional times we'll be examining what Solomon wrote about:

WISDOM

WORDS

WORK

WEALTH

WITNESS

And we'll be making sure to reference the life of Jesus in each study that we do.

Join us on our devotional journey- I'll be posting updates frequently.