Category: Be Inspired

Citizens of God’s kingdom believe that Scripture is sacred. They trust that when they read God’s word, they will have an encounter with the Word made flesh.

We invite you to participate in the practice of Lectio Divina. The exercise below has been adapted from an Equipper article and revised to include a psalm of repentance for this Easter Preparation season.

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So how can we, as Christians, slow down and connect with God on a more profound and intimate level?

I would like to introduce you to the spiritual practice of “Lectio Divina,” which translates as “divine or sacred reading.” Lectio Divina is an ancient approach to reading the scriptures while intentionally listening for the voice of God. While most of us are used to reading scripture for information, Lectio Divina invites us to encounter Jesus in the text for the purpose of relational transformation. The writer of Hebrews tells us that the “Word of God is alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12). It’s a reference to Jesus as the living Word of God, and Lectio Divina assumes that God is inviting us into interaction and conversation as we read the written words of God.

There are four different movements associated with this practice:

1. 1. Lectio (reading/listening) Slowly read the text aloud.
   2. Meditatio (meditation/reflection) Meditate on the word or phrase that captures your attention.
   3. Oratio (prayer/response) Open your heart to God and pray.
   4. Contemplatio (contemplation/rest) Quietly sit in the presence of the Father and rest in his arms.

Lectio Divina can be done alone or in a group. For the purpose of this exercise, you will be guided through an actual Lectio Divina exercise as if you are by yourself.

Before you start, make sure you are sitting comfortably. Begin to breathe slowly in and out. With your eyes closed, let your body relax and allow yourself to become consciously aware of God’s presence with you. Quietly let go of any distractions and ask God to speak to you through the passage that you are about to read.

Lectio Divina exercise

Step One: Read

Read Psalm 51:6-17 slowly, out loud if possible. Read the passage a couple of times. Notice any words or phrases that seem to jump out at you. Don’t analyze the text, just let it sink in. Are you drawn to any images or characters in the story? Don’t feel rushed, linger in the story, and be open to any gentle nudges. Quietly listen for the still, small voice of God. What word or phrase is your attention being drawn to?

Step Two: Reflect

As you read the passage again, allow God’s word to become his personal word for you. The psalmist writes, “You desire truth in my inward being.” Consider how your response to God might intersect with your life right now. Here are a few reflection questions:

• • What is God showing you about yourself?
  • How does this relate to something in your life today?
  • What is God saying to you?
  • Are there any distractions that God is highlighting for you today?
  • What is the “one thing” that Jesus says is needed?

Step Three: Respond

Take a few minutes to respond to God in prayer. Prayer is simply a conversation with the God who loves you and likes you, no matter what. What do you want to say to God about this experience reading scripture? Talk to God about what bubbled up for you and how you sense he might be inviting you to act or respond to the word you have heard. You are free to allow your real, authentic self to be touched and changed by the word of God. Some find it beneficial to journal their response during this process.

Step Four: Rest

The last step offers space to rest and wait in the presence of the Lord. This is not about doing, this is abiding. Simply rest in the presence of God. Lay down all the insights, words, and images you’ve encountered and simply dwell in the presence of God. This is a time to absorb God’s gentle grace and allow God to do the life-changing work in you. Sense God’s love flowing effortlessly through you. You may close with a prayer thanking God for his willingness to open up the scripture for you, enabling you to better understand your life in Christ.

Participating in Lectio Divina during the season of Easter Prep gives us time to pause and commune with God. At the heart of Lectio Divina is a dynamic relationship between God and you, his beloved. The Father, Son, and Spirit invite you to participate in their dance and discover this deep spiritual practice within the daily rhythms of your life.

May God bless you with real rest as you make space to commune with him through scripture and come to know God more fully and more intimately.

By Davina Winn, Assistant Pastor
Hanover, VA, US

Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV

Four days after we evacuated from the Altadena firestorm, we returned to find our house still standing. We had feared it had burned, but we were deeply grateful it had been spared. The government sent police, National Guard reservists, and members of the Army to provide security against looters. Though our house was still within the “do not cross” yellow tape, we were given an exception to return.

The following morning, I found my wife in the kitchen preparing many sandwiches. Seeing my amazement, she simply said, “It’s for the police and soldiers guarding our neighborhood.” No one had asked her to do it; she simply saw a need and met it.

When we delivered the sandwiches and hot coffee, I noticed that there were no portable toilets for the service people. I asked them about it, and they said they had to travel a few miles to Pasadena just to find a restroom. So, we told them that we would keep our house open 24/7, giving them permission to use our facilities anytime. It was a small act of kindness, but they were incredibly appreciative.

For the next seven days, they had breakfast at our house and used our restroom. These officers and reservists repeatedly told us they would never forget our service and the hospitality we had shown them.

Our GC Glendora pastor, Jillian Morrison, and her husband, Steven, also volunteered with relief efforts. They were joined by other members, including Maryann and Fred Stevens (pictured below), who sorted and distributed supplies at a Pasadena relief drive. In addition, a few church members went to another member’s house to assist with cleanup.

In times of crisis, even the smallest act of kindness can shine the brightest. Kindness doesn’t have to be grand — it just must be intentional. The world may be filled with division, but as followers of Christ, we are called to something different. We are called to love as He loves, to serve as He serves, and to be a light in a dark world.

From Bermie Dizon, Elder
Glendora, CA, US

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By God’s grace, we are doing well. On behalf of GC Pasadena, I would like to thank the Home Office staff who prayed and arranged for disaster relief funds to be distributed to financially support our members who were affected by the fire.

The vast area that was affected is unimaginable, and one area was the neighborhood of Jeff Swartz, a longtime member. He lost his home and all his personal belongings except the clothes he was wearing at that time. We thank God that he left and got to safety with his pets before the fire reached his area. My family took care of him for ten days until he finally found a hotel with a vacancy in Glendale.

Another member hosted a couple who evacuated due to the smoke and ashes. It was necessary to clean our church hall because of the ashes and smoke. Since we have an ongoing partnership with Trader Joe’s to distribute food, we were able to take some to the evacuation area where it was needed. I also had the opportunity to pray for neighbors who were directly affected by the fire.

Thank you again for including us in your prayers.

From Angie Tabin, Pastor
Pasadena, CA, US

 

Growing up in the Pacific, my fellow islanders and I have always been blessed with a rich heritage of culture, tradition, and faith. Just as the waves shape our shores, Christ’s love shapes our lives, calling us to stand firm in faith, hope, and love. As citizens of his kingdom, we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV

Jesus is our living hope, the source of our faith, and the embodiment of perfect love. Like the vast ocean that sustains island life, his love is endless. His faithfulness unwavering, and his hope unshaken. He is the good shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep, leading us into his everlasting kingdom. As Pacific Islanders pass down their traditions, we too must also carry forward the message of salvation and grace.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace, through your Son Jesus. Like the waves that never cease, your love surrounds us. Thank you for being the centre of our lives. Help us reflect your love, faith, and humility in all we do. Strengthen our communities and remind us that we are citizens of your kingdom, walking in righteousness and grace. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

Epeli Nakautoga, Hope Avenue Champion
Suva, Fiji

Citizens of God’s kingdom seek God’s will in all they do. They do not depend on their own understanding. Instead, they rely on the Spirit’s lead to bring discernment. Learn more about discernment in this GCI Buzz.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Matthew 25:35–36 NIV

The GC Cincinnati West congregation is partnering with another nonprofit this winter. Blessing Bags of Love is a local outreach that helps individuals that are unsheltered and unhoused in the Cincinnati community.

On a wintry evening in January, members met other volunteers downtown to provide warm food, hot drinks, blankets, and sleeping bags. The night’s low was 5 below zero, so their neighbors were grateful for the items! GC Cincinnati West provided hot pizzas to 60 members of the community.

Let us join our voices and prayers with the global Church, praying for God’s kingdom to come in its fullness. We look forward with hope to new heavens and a new earth, where people will build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat (Isaiah 65:21–22). We pray for those suffering under predatory labor laws and decades of wage suppression that benefit the powerful, oppress the poor, and contribute to homelessness.

How will you love your neighbor this week?

If not for Jesus’ willing death and surrender to the Father’s will, we would still be dead in our sins. If not for his resurrection, we would have no hope of eternal life with God and no hope of experiencing Christ’s resurrection life here and now.

This truth is worth meditating on. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the 40 days of Easter Prep give us a beautiful opportunity to implement some spiritual practices as we prepare our hearts for renewal.

Many people fast during the days leading up to Easter. We don’t fast to seek after our own will, but to seek the will of God and his heart to heal our world.

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter? Isaiah 58:6-7a NIV

We fast to identify with the complete surrender of Christ to the will of the Father. From the 40 days in the wilderness to the agony of Gethsemane, we have Christ as our model and our strength to say, “Father, not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Perhaps invite others to join you. Observing Easter Preparation with other believers will not only make the journey more enjoyable but will also give each of you the accountability to persevere by lifting one another up in prayer and affirmation.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, bless us with renewed passion. Father, transform us into the image of your Son. Jesus, empower us to live a life of surrender. Amen.

By Jillian Morrison, Pastor,
Glendora, California, U.S.

Adapted from an Equipper article. Read the full article here: Spiritual Practices for Easter Preparation

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Citizens of the kingdom believe that the kingdom of God cannot be understood apart from who Jesus is and his mission.

Enjoy an excerpt from a series on the kingdom of God by Gary Deddo. Read the entire article here.

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The centrality of Jesus Christ

… the biblical revelation, in no uncertain terms, identifies the kingdom of God with the person and mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ himself embodies and brings the kingdom of God. Why? Because he is the King of all creation. His ministry as mediator between God and creation involves kingship as well as priestly and prophetic elements. The kingdom of God is real and actual in and through Jesus Christ since he reigns wherever he is. The kingdom of God is his kingdom. Jesus tells us so: “I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:29-30; NRSV throughout except as noted).

At another time Jesus declares that the kingdom of God belongs to him. He says, “My kingdom is not from this world” (John 18:36). So, the kingdom of God cannot be understood apart from who Jesus is and what his entire mission is about. Any study of Scripture or any theological synthesis of the exegetical material that does not interpret the kingdom of God on the basis of the person and work of Jesus Christ will be off-center. It will end up at a different place than one that operates from this living center of Christian faith.

Working from that center, what can we begin to understand about the kingdom of God? We should first note that it is Jesus himself who announces the arrival of the kingdom of God and makes this a comprehensive theme of his teaching (Mark 1:15). Jesus brings with him the actual presence of the kingdom, not just a message about the kingdom. The kingdom of God is operating wherever Jesus is—because he is the King. The kingdom of God has its reality in the living presence and activity of King Jesus.

Read More

Citizens of God’s kingdom are convinced that all believers — of every age — are called to participate in Jesus’ mission to the world through the Body of Christ.

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Equipping Youth for Ministry

In my region of Southern Africa, we are encouraging our congregations to hold local youth camps during the year, as a Love Avenue activity. The local camps are open to the neighbourhood youth, and they provide the local church an opportunity to engage with their neighbours.

In the Republic of South Africa (RSA), we hold an annual national camp in December. The national camp is only for youth who are members of our GCI fellowship. It is focused on equipping our youth for ministry. This year youth attended from congregations throughout RSA, including Polokwane, Maelula, Bloemfontein, Mohlakeng, Aruka, Johannesburg, Redhill, Mohlakeng. View more pictures here.

The highlight of the camp was the gala dinner at which we announced the Youth Ministries Awards. Awards were presented to winning congregations and runners-up in the following categories: Hope Avenue, Faith Avenue, Love Avenue. An Overall Youth Ministry award went to a congregation (and runner-up) that demonstrated a balanced youth program focusing on the three ministry Avenues of Hope, Faith, and Love. This is confirmed through youth participation in church activities (like worship, media, preaching, scripture readings, offerings, etc.), youth discipleship activities, and engagement with unchurched youth. Awards for Emerging Youth Leader were presented to two individuals who show leadership and initiative.

When we reviewed the entries for the awards, I was impressed by the amount of engagement our youth are having in their churches. Our hope is that some of the energy of the youth ministries will filter into the whole church. My prayer for this week is that 2025 may bring more exciting developments as we continue to grow into healthier churches that are living and sharing the gospel through the ministry Avenues of Faith, Hope, and Love. Amen

By Takalani Musekwa, Regional Director of Southern Africa
Pretoria, Gauteng, RSA

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Gathering for Inspiration, Encouragement, and Fun

I am delighted to share an update with you from the Youth and Family Weekend held in January at a recreational camp in Queensland, Australia. We were blessed to have almost 50 young people, including parents and staff, as participants. The campers from Fiji and New Zealand added much enjoyment to the camp. It was rewarding to see the interactions and the developing friendships amongst the group.

The rock-climbing activity took place on Friday afternoon, followed by canoeing and paddle boarding on Saturday morning, basketball in the afternoon, and fun, interactive icebreakers and board games into the evenings. Whilst Sunday was pack-up time, we were able to stay till afternoon tea, giving us another day of activities. It was a blessing that we could avail ourselves of indoor activities such as basketball and volleyball due to the heavy rains that set in on Sunday. We enjoyed discussion time with Pastor Bharat Naker, who gave the two devotionals.

We all came away from camp with some unforgettable memories. I’m grateful for your prayers for the young people and all the preparations. By God’s grace, all went ahead safely and successfully.

By Daphne Sidney, Superintendent of Australasia
Logan, Queensland, Australia

Checkmate! It’s the word the winning player declares in the endgame of chess when the losing king is trapped and as good as dead. Jesus died. Is our King a losing king?

He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:3–5 NRSVUE

This King of Israel, after being anointed for his burial, enters Jerusalem on a donkey, and the plotters gather to deliver their coup d’etat. He is betrayed, arrested, abandoned, tortured. He stood accused by those in power and did not defend himself against a single charge. On the surface, it appears that evil is winning, and the King is losing.

The soldiers mock the King with a crown of thorns, a scarlet robe, and a staff. Jesus is lifted up on the cross, which resembled anything but a worldly throne. Unlike other kings, who win, who conquer by killing and taking, the King sets the entire cosmos right by giving his life. And in so losing his life, the King draws all to himself. He secures the keys to death by losing his life, entering hades and unlocking it from the inside. Jesus Christ is God’s checkmate!

Prayer:
Abba Father, we thank you for your beloved Son and for giving us an anointing in him through the Holy Spirit. Help us to listen and abide in him, amen.

By Bharat Naker, Pastor
Carina and Logan, Qld, AU

This month, GCI Buzz dives into how Jesus’ teachings on the kingdom of God shape our faith.

Click here or the image below to view the entire Buzz. #gcibuzz

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