Disciple This Disciple
I am in need of discipline. I pray that posting on this blog will encourage a growth in personal devotion, meditation, and prayer through scripture. I'm sure I won't always be exactly right in my discoveries, but I will post what I learn and hear. I hope to grow and be sharpened by the Spirit.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Ministry In Friendship
Monday, December 22, 2014
Music Announcement
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Millennials & Jesus
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Loving The Other Side (part 2)
Monday, November 24, 2014
Loving The Other Side (part 1)
WHAT'S UP FRIENDS! As I've announced recently, I will be sharing the load of this blog with several friends and believers to provide added perspective on topics and allow more frequent posting. Below is the first of those posts! We hope you're blessed and enjoy this meditation from Nick Hillard. Nick is great friend of mine who has recently moved away from our hometown of Knoxville, TN. He's a huge dork, a killer skateboarder (and my coach in that sport), and a drummer of legendary skill. Sorry for rambling, here's Nick's post and as always feel free to chat with Nick, myself, or anyone that posts on social media if you need conversation or prayer.
---Grady Milligan
One of the most relevant topics among christian conversation is, how do we share the gospel and interact with nonbelievers?
The first thing I would delve into is how weird what we believe really is. The next time you talk about drinking the blood of your savior or the afterlife called heaven, take a step back. That's some creepy stuff. Moreover, how weird does this sound to someone who doesn't have a Christian faith or background? I guess the transition here is, don't go straight for the 'eating the flesh of our savior' part of discipleship quite yet. Bad foot to start on.
When I first moved to Louisville Kentucky I worked at a pizza place called Spinelli's for some extra money to get situated. There are 5 locations in Louisville and not one of those pizzerias had a Christian employee, which isn't that out of the ordinary. Spinelli's had its own culture of not only being non-Christian, but they also hated the ficticious Jesus. Misfit, Punk rock, Jesus haters. The jokes rolled in everyday when they knew I was an actual Jesus freak. The main thing I heard from them was simple misunderstanding of what we (Christians) actually live by. These people called me crazy and insane to believe those things. It was a true mission field. I made friends with these guys really quickly considering our music and craft beer tastes. Not because of our faith. So I was able to reflect Jesus, eat pizza, and drink beer with my non-believer bros. But as a christian that's not quite enough. if you care for your brothers you will yearn for a transformation.
So, to simply put it. Sometimes the only way to witness is being a light and reflecting Jesus as best we can. The root of being a christian is simply loving God and loving people. Non-believers don't want to sit down and be told they're wrong. Don't be thick. It will push them so far away in most cases. Instead, Pray that God would soften their hearts because you can't. You can't give them that grace and understanding. Just love 'em, be a bro, and pray for them.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
John 13:34-35
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.”
Stay posi, guys
-Nick Hillard
Friday, November 21, 2014
The Light of the Gospel
Exciting Changes
Starting very soon, I (Grady) will be bringing in some friends to write content for the blog. My hope with this idea is that, by using the brains and ministry of others, I can make sure that this blog gets much more frequent postings and that more perspectives are shared for the purpose of a more complete look at scriptures.
Can't wait to explore God's word further with any of you wonderful readers and with a team of Jesus peeps as well.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Transformed With Unveiled Faces
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Gospel Until Death
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Greater Glory in The Spirit
WE SHOULD BE SO STOKED ABOUT THIS PASSAGE! It's probably unprofessional to use the word "stoked" in generally serious blog about scripture, BUT SO WHAT?!
(all caps is a problem too...)
If the glory that made Moses' face so overflowing with God's presence that the Israelites couldn't look at him was incredible (and of course it was), then what kind of awesome holiness are we dealing with here? What do we do with the knowledge that Jesus, in His resurrection and new covenant, is doing a work of even greater glory than the giving of the Commandments or splitting the Red Sea?????
WE CELEBRATE WITH CHRIST! Jesus Christ poured out His Holy Spirit and the magnitude of that ministry is too big for man to comprehend, and it's too big for the darkness to overcome!
The one comparison that REALLY BLOWS MY MIND is when Paul says that the glory of righteousness and the Spirit is so overwhelming that it not only SURPASSES the ministry of death and condemnation but it makes the former glory look like NOTHING!
A believer's heart should fill with joy, knowing that God has invited us (and even used us) to show the universe how great and glorious He is. He never weakens or shrinks in magnitude. You could say that God only ever seems BIGGER AND BETTER as He continually reveals His plan and love for His children. AWESOME!
One last thing that I think is worth mentioning: this passage reminds that there WAS in fact glory in the older ministries of the Law. The wording of "ministry of death" can be a bit off-putting, but we need to remember that the Law did reveal how bad we are at following God's commands (and that essentially equals a death sentence, and rightly so). Humanity had no right to forgiveness and death and condemnation were wholly within God's righteous judgment of a wicked people.
BUT EVEN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT God showed His unparalleled Grace and constantly forgave the Israelites.
So if God was doing a mighty and wondrous thing then, how much more so must the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus rock the very core of reality?
GOD IS MIGHTY, GOD IS JUST, GOD IS LOVING, AND HE IS THE MOST GLORIOUS THING IN, AROUND, AND ABOVE ALL REALITIES!
Give Him the Glory and praise Him today people! HE'S DOING MASSIVE STUFF AND YOU'RE A PART OF THAT MINISTRY!
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Commended by Christ
Friday, October 10, 2014
Love The Prisoners (My Kairos Experience)
Friday, September 26, 2014
Triumphant Fragrances (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)
"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ."
So I wanna talk about 3 cool chunks of this passage:
1. Triumphal procession
2. The fragrance and aroma business
3. Believers as commissioned spokesman of Christ
First, I just want to quickly celebrate how gloriously humbling the that parade image is to me. The Savior of weak and awful sinners, through His power, transforms us into a new creation that He is proud to display for all the world! HOW AWESOME IS THIS??? Also, the word TRIUMPHAL is huge because our God is not eventually going to win, HE'S ALREADY WON IT ALL. We are part of God revealing the glory of Jesus through the Holy Spirit and the VICTORY that is one from the Resurrection and the power of Christ in our lives. It's a celebration with no fear of defeat!
Through this parade of the Lord's power, we spread the "fragrance" of the knowledge of God.
The word "aroma", found in the next phrase of the passage, reminds me of a passage from the old testiment. Check this chunk of Numbers out:
Monday, September 15, 2014
The Gift Of Undeserved Everything
Recently, my father-in-law bought my wife a really fancy gaming laptop completely out of nowhere. Brandy was totally blown away, since a computer of that caliber felt like an unattainable dream.
Now I'm NOT AT ALL saying that expensive gifts and earthly belongings are the best way to show love (it all fades away to dust). But seeing how happy Brandy was at receiving something out of a father's generosity reminded me of our Heavenly Father pouring out HUGE and UNDESERVED gifts on His children.
And when you get right down to it, EVERYTHING the Lord gives us totally and completely undeserved. From the breath we take each moment to the freedom from sin in Jesus, all of the things we should be thankful for are given to us out of GRACE ALONE.
Think about it, nothing you work for is really a gift. In the same way, our blessings are not a payment for our wages. Jesus AND ONLY JESUS completed the work of salvation, so He's the only one who should receive anything. BUT HERE'S THE KICKER: Christ shares His inheritance and life that He bought on the cross with us! Praise the Lord. You probably know all of that, but man do we need to stop and thank Him constantly for such a blessing!
SIDE NOTE:
Another part of what defines a gift, at least in my understanding and interpretation, is the choice to receive it. I know that the very word "choice" is a theological debate hot-button (which I will typically avoid in these devotionals), but I really think that the choice to thankfully receive a gift given is part of what makes a gift fundamentally different than a mandate.
But I don't think our human nature likes being told it's unworthy. In our flesh we don't want anyone or anything (God included) to question our well-deserved earnings. When we work or do ministry, it is easy for us to desire the praise and affirmation we believe we are owed by the world. WE HAVE TO FIGHT THIS. In every success we must thank Jesus and turn our praise, and hopefully those around us, towards the true giver of every good gift.
Now I don't think we are being sinful when we are happy after receiving a compliment or if we get excited when somebody enjoys a piece of art we create, God delights in our accomplishments too. It's just a matter of perspective and understanding that we couldn't do what we do without the gifts and skills the Lord has blessed us with. Jesus really, REALLY loves us. He loves and desires us enough to give Himself WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS. So don't think for a second you are not valued or beautiful. In Jesus we are made a wonderful fragrance and a blessing to His heart. We just HAVE TO REMEMBER that all of those realities are only made possible by His love for us before we ever loved Him. The second we believe He is our Lord and forsake the world's offer, we are made children of the King and inheritors in His family!
I want to finish with a thought that filled me with a great amount of joy this morning. If I deserve nothing of what I have been given or will be given in the future, then HOW MUCH MUST GOD LOVE ME that He constantly pours out the gifts anyway??? Seriously, I think I'm MORE confident in my worth knowing that God doesn't have to give me anything, but He CHOOSES to give me more than I could EVER ask for or earn. Not having the capacity to repay God means that we should receive His gifts humbly and thankfully BUT WITHOUT ANY GUILT, HE WANTS TO BLESS YOU
HE LOVES YOU ALL SO FREAKIN' MUCH. Jesus deserves everything and Jesus lives in you, so you get to share in the greatest treasures in all of reality. God's love is awesome and we didn't even have to work for it. Pretty cool stuff.
Here are some scriptures for the day. I hope something blessed you. I'm not a great theologian, but I hope some nuggets of truth and encouragement find you in today's devotional.
Romans 5:8
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
James 1:7
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
1 Peter 4:10
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
1 Corinthians 12:7
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1 Corinthians 10:30-31
If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Ephesians 3:7
Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.