Rick Warren's Blog, page 675

Community Is God's Answer to Defeat

"In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." Philippians 2:3b-4 (NIV)

Each one of us needs other people to watch out for us - to defend us, protect us, and help us stay on track. In the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul tells us that we should look out for each other's interests, not just our own. What a counterculture verse! In America today, it's all about me - my needs, my interests, my wants, and my ambitions. But Paul teaches us to look out for others, too.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Americans have been much more vigilant for each other as we are on the lookout for more terrorist attacks. But did you know you have an enemy far more destructive than terrorists? You have a personal enemy who wants to defeat you. His name is Satan. He wants to bring problems into your life, ruin your relationships, and hurt you as badly as he can.

Why does he want to hurt you? Because he wants to hurt God, but he can't, so he goes after God's children. On your own, you will never win against Satan. But when you have other people to watch out for you and help you, you can be victorious.

Here's good advice from Ecclesiastes 4:12: "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves" (NIV).

Does anyone have your back? Is anyone defending you and watching out for your spiritual welfare? You need a community of people who are saying to you: "We'll be with you when you're going through the tough times. We're not going to let you get discouraged or depressed."

Community is God's answer to defeat. Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, "If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."

Remember: You can try, but you can't live life well on your own. We all need other people to walk with us, work with us, and watch out for us.

Talk It Over

Who are the people you would say have your back or are looking out for you?

How do those people show concern for your spiritual development and safety? How can you show the same concern for other believers?

In what ways have you seen the power of community defeat the attacks of Satan?

The Power in Group Witness

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35 (NIV)

Each of us has a life message that God wants us to share with the world. Sharing the message is part of our life's mission. When we share that message with other people, it's called witnessing.

There is great power in group witness. Just like a soldier is never sent out by himself, God never meant for us to do our mission alone. He says we should go out together to witness.

In fact, God says that we witness best to people who don't know God when we love others who are already in God's family. In John 13, Jesus tells us that our love for each other proves to the world that we are his disciples. People are impressed when Christians genuinely love each other. It proves to the world that they are in the family of God.

In 2 Timothy 1:7, we're told how we are supposed to witness to people: "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline" (NIV).

Have you been timid and fearful in your witness? God's answer to fear is community - having other Christians stand alongside you in witness.

Seriously consider this question: Is anybody going to be in Heaven because of you? If you work together to witness alongside other Christians, you'll be able to say, "Yes! Somebody's in Heaven because of me."

Philippians 1:27 says, "I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel."

Do you witness with other Christians in one spirit - when you're so unified that it's almost like you're one person? This is the kind of relationship God wants us to have with our fellow Christians. We all need each other. God wants to use us to witness for him, but he wants us to do it together!

Talk It Over

What are your fears or reservations about witnessing to people?

How can the community of believers help you overcome those fears?

What do you need to do today to join other Christians and be encouraged in sharing the Gospel?

Do You Have a Safety Net?

"Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8 (NIV)

As a pastor, I see situations daily that nobody should ever have to go through alone. Nobody should ever have to wait in the hospital while a loved one is in life-or-death surgery. No woman should ever have to wait alone for the lab report on a problem pregnancy. Nobody should ever have to wait for news from a battlefield alone. Nobody should ever have to stand at the edge of an open grave alone. Nobody should ever have to spend the first night alone when his or her spouse has just walked out.

Life's tough times and tragedies are inevitable; each of us will face them. But we don't need to go through them alone. We need God's safety net to help hold us up through these difficult times.

What is God's safety net? It is a group of other believers - a handful of people who are really committed to you. We call this kind of group a community. Here's God's plan for community: "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26a). Community is God's answer to despair.

Romans 12:15 expresses a similar idea: "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."

The first part of that verse is easy. When something good happens to someone, it's often easy to join in on the party.

But when someone is having a tough time, it can seem more difficult. But, really, it's simple. When you're going through a crisis, you don't want advice; you just want somebody to be there to sit with you, hold your hand, put an arm around your shoulder, or cry with you.

As Paul tells us, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11a). Encouraging someone else doesn't always mean giving a pep talk or words of wisdom. Sometimes the best kind of encouragement is just sitting in silence, waiting and weeping with a friend.

Do you have a safety net - a group of fellow Christians you know you can count on in life's toughest times? If not, go out today and begin building those friendships. The hard times in life are inevitable, and only a fool would go into them unprepared.

Talk It Over

Who is a part of your safety net? How do you build community with people and reach that level of commitment?

What are the practical ways you can provide someone with a safety net?

What is the difference in being part of a Bible study and being part of a community?

Working Together, We Can Accomplish More

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

God put us on Earth to do a certain work that only we can do. Ephesians says that God made us to do good works and that he planned in advance what we would spend our lives doing. However, he didn't plan for us to do that work alone. We need people to work with us. �

You know the feeling you get when you do too much work on your own. You get exhausted and burned out. Why? Because you're trying to do your work alone, while God never meant for it to be that way.

God tells us in Ecclesiastes 4:9 that "two people are better than one, because they get more done by working together" (NCV). When you work as a team, you get so much more done. Plus, having good teammates alongside you is a whole lot more fun and less tiring!

Picture this: Each of us is like a snowflake. On our own, we can't make a big difference. However, when one fragile snowflake sticks with a lot of other snowflakes, they can stop traffic. Like snowflakes, we can make a big difference if we work together, each one of us doing only our small part.

Did you know that when we work together here on Earth, we're actually practicing for eternity? In Heaven, we will all have to work, but each of us will have just a small piece of work, so we'll never get overloaded or tired. Though no one will carry a heavy burden as each one of us does our small part, all the work will still get done.

As you walk through life, remember that you're not supposed to do everything on your own. You need other people to walk alongside you, but you also need other people to work alongside you. As you share the burden of your work with fellow Christians, you'll find that you actually accomplish more for the glory of God.

Talk It Over

Have you been trying to accomplish too much work on your own? What has been the effect?

How does/should the Church exemplify working together to accomplish more for the glory of God?

How can you get people to help you in the work God wants you to do? Who can you help?

Three Reasons We Need To Walk with Others

"And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him." Colossians 2:6 (NLT)

The Bible often compares life to a walk, because life is a journey; we're not sitting still. Throughout the New Testament, we are told to walk in wisdom, love, light, and obedience. We're told to walk as Jesus walked. We're also told to walk alongside other people. Here are three reasons we need to walk with other people:

It's safer. Have you ever walked alone at night through a dark alley or down a lonely country road? It's a little scary. But if you have another person with you, you feel safer.



It's supportive. Life is not a 50-yard dash; it's a marathon. Walking with other people gives you the energy to keep on going until the end.



It's smarter. You learn more by walking with others than by walking alone. If you're walking alone in the wrong direction, you may never realize it. But if you have a friend beside you, one of you is likely to recognize you've veered off the path and need to find the right direction.

We also learn some important lessons when we walk alongside other people. We learn how to get along and cooperate with others.

We also learn how to love. Genesis 2:18 tells us, "It is not good for the man to be alone" (NIV). God hates loneliness, and community is God's answer to loneliness. When we walk alongside other people, we find a community where we learn how to love.

Walking alongside other people also teaches us hospitality. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:9, "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." What's your grumble? What's your excuse for not opening your home to friends?

Maybe you've said, "My home is dirty!"

Well, clean it up!

Or perhaps your excuse is, "My home isn't big enough."

Can you put three people in it? Jesus says, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20).

Everybody has a longing for belonging, because God made us for relationships. When we walk alongside other Christians in community, we find that longing satisfied.

Talk It Over

How has your life been enriched by the people who have faithfully walked alongside you?

What excuses have you used to avoid practicing hospitality? What do you need to change about your attitude?

Who are the people in your life alongside whom you can walk? With whom can you learn to walk like Jesus?

God's Gift to You

"There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one?who can bring us�to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself?to rescue all of us." (1 Timothy 2:5 CEV)

Christmas is all about Good News. But it's not the good news of special gifts. It's not the good news of a big meal. It's not even the good news of spending time with friends and family.

Christmas is about the Good News of God's love.

The Bible says all of us are lost without God. We're directionless. We're without protection from God. Our potential eternal impact upon the world is unrealized. We're without real joy. Our eternity in Heaven isn't secure.

The Good News about Christmas is that God sent Jesus to seek and save the lost. The Bible says, "There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us�to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us" (1 Timothy 2:5 CEV).

If you've ever spent time in church, you've likely heard the word "salvation" many times. But you may not know what the Bible means with the word. The word is like a diamond. You can look at it from many different angles.

Jesus came to rescue us. We can't solve all of our problems on our own. Without Jesus we're trapped in the expectations of others. We're trapped in living for the approval of our peers. We're trapped in addictions. We've tried to change over and over again, but we don't have the needed power to escape. Jesus came to give us that power.



Jesus came to recover us. We all long to recover parts of our lives that have been lost. Without Christ, we long to recover our strength, our confidence, our reputations, our innocence, and our relationship with God. Only Jesus can do that.



Jesus came to reconnect us. Many people think that God will scold them if they come back to him. But God isn't mad at you. He's mad about you. Jesus came to Earth on the first Christmas to reconcile us to God, to give us harmony with him again.

Jesus came to Earth to give us the gift of himself. Too many of us celebrate his birthday without accepting this free gift of salvation. It goes unwrapped year after year after year. That's not smart. You were made by God and for God. Until you understand that, life will never make sense.

This Christmas, open up the most important present you've been given: a new relationship with God through Jesus.

Talk It Over

Which of the above facets of salvation has been the most important in your relationship with God? Why?

How can you "unwrap" God's gift of Jesus this Christmas? In what ways can you tell others about this gift?

What can you do to better celebrate Jesus' birthday?

Christmas: God's Great Rescue Plan

"The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them." (Luke 19:10 NCV)

If you don't understand the purpose of Christmas, you might as well skip the Christmas lights and decorations this year. You might as well forget about buying Christmas presents. You might as well forget Christmas dinner.

If you don't know why we celebrate Christmas, all the festivities are pointless.

To find the purpose of Christmas, you have to fast forward beyond the manger, the Wise Men, and the shepherds. Jesus told us the reason he came to Earth on the first Christmas: "The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them" (Luke 19:10 NCV).

Quite simply, Jesus came because people are lost without God. To be spiritually lost means to be separated from God, disconnected, and out of whack. Without Jesus, every person in the world is lost - no matter how much power, wealth, or fame they have.

And our lostness has immense ramifications on our lives. To know why Jesus came to Earth, we must understand what it means to be lost. Without God, we've lost:

Our direction. We're bound to have little understanding of where we should go and what we should do in this life.

His protection. We're on our own when we're not under the Lord's protection. That's a huge reason many people are stressed out. They're trying to live under their own care and protection instead of God's.

Our potential. We'll never know half the gifts and talents we have if we're not in a relationship with him.

Our happiness. We can have all the money and power in the world, but without God we will never have true joy.

Our home in Heaven. God allows us to rebel while we're here on Earth, but there's no rebellion in Heaven.

But no one who is lost has lost one ounce of value to God. Even if you don't have a relationship with him, you have immense value to God. Lostness implies value. Whatever someone is willing to spend to recover something that's lost shows how valuable that item is.

In the most famous verse in the Bible, Jesus clearly explains our value: "God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

The Good News is God loved us so much he sent his Son to Earth on the first Christmas to seek and save us.

That's a reason to celebrate tomorrow.

Talk It Over

How can you keep a perspective this Christmas that goes beyond the holiday season and helps you remember the meaning of God's gift of Jesus?

What changes for you when you understand that Christmas is about God seeking and saving the lost?

How do your Christmas celebrations reflect the true meaning of the holiday?

The Better Life

"Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together." (Revelation 3:20 CEV)

When I was a kid, my mom fed me SpaghettiOs. I thought it was the best food ever! Then I discovered In-N-Out burgers. I then went from the good life to the better life. SpaghettiOs were good, but a juicy In-N-Out burger is much better.

You might think you have a good life right now, but if you could have an even better life, wouldn't you want to know about it?

Unfortunately, what keeps us from grabbing hold of that better life is an irrational sense of self-sufficiency. We think we're doing fine on our own.

Psalm 10:4 says it like this: "The wicked people are too proud. They do not look for God; there is no room for God in their thoughts" (NCV).

Just like the innkeeper in the first Christmas story (Luke 2), we don't believe we need more guests. We think we have everything we need.�

There's only one problem with that arrogance: You miss the very reason God created you. God made you so that you might have a relationship with him. You'll never fulfill his purpose for your life, which is far grander and more significant than you ever imagined, unless you are plugged in to God, your true power source.�

But the good news is that it's not too late. You can have a relationship with him no matter what has happened in your past, no matter how many times you've rejected him before.

God made it so simple that anyone can understand. It's only three words: Invite him in.

Jesus said, "Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together" (Revelation 3:20 CEV).

Jesus is knocking at your door. Take hold of the better life by letting him into your life. Make him the boss of your life.

It'll change everything.

Talk It Over

In what ways has pride kept you from experiencing God's better life for you?

What are some good activities in your life that have crowded out your relationship with Jesus?

What does it mean to have a boss in a particular area of your life? What does it mean to make Jesus the "boss" of your life?

Get to Know Your Creator

"The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way.. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!" (2 Corinthians 6:12-13 MSG)

This time of year, we all have many important tasks to get done. We've got year-end reports to write. We have holiday meals to plan. And, of course, we have gifts to buy.

But you have something much more important to focus on this Christmas: developing a personal and growing relationship with Jesus.

Why should you get to know Jesus better? There are at least two very important reasons.

First of all, Jesus made you. The Bible says, "Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. He created everything there is - nothing exists that he didn't make. Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind" (John 1:1-4 LB).



You have the opportunity to not just meet the Creator of the universe but also to meet your Creator. You've heard people say, "When in doubt, consult the manual." Knowing Jesus is even better. If you want to know how to get the most out of life, why not get to know the One who created you?

Secondly, Jesus opens up your heart to enjoy a life of purpose, peace, and power. A relationship with Jesus secures your place in Heaven, but it does more than that. God promises a life of purpose, peace, and power to all who know him.



Knowing Jesus in a personal way changes everything about how you live. Purpose, power, and peace are just the beginning of what God wants to give you in this life.

Unfortunately, most people are living in such a tiny, insignificant way because they've filled their lives with meaningless activity.

As Christmas approaches this year, think of the innkeeper who didn't make room for Jesus on the first Christmas. His actions didn't keep Jesus from being born. His actions didn't stop God's purpose in history. It just hurt the innkeeper. He missed the privilege of housing the Son of God at his birth.

The same is true for you. If you don't take the time to get to know Jesus, you miss the opportunity to know your Creator. You miss the opportunity to have the purpose, peace, and power that only comes through God's Son. You miss his purpose for your life if you never make room for him.

Talk It Over

How can knowing the One who made you impact how you live your life?

In what specific areas of your life do you want God's power, peace and purpose?

What are the meaningless activities you fill your time with that keep you from getting to know your Creator better?

Do Less This Christmas

"Dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42 NLT)

You and I love to overcrowd our lives. We overbook, overspend, overestimate, and we often walk around tired all the time. As a result, God's truth often doesn't get the chance to blossom in our lives.

Too often God teaches you a kernel of truth - maybe through your morning Bible study or a Sunday sermon - and you think you need to do something about it, but almost immediately it's crowded out of your life and forgotten.

The truth isn't crowded out of your life because of evil. Often, good things in our lives crowd out the truth that God wants to plant in us. To fulfill God's destiny for your life, you likely don't have to do more; you have to do less.

Take Jesus' friends Mary and Martha for example. One day they invited Jesus over for dinner.� Mary spent her evening listening to Jesus. Martha, on the other hand, was busy being a hostess and worrying about the hors d'oeuvres and whether everything was in its place.

Martha got upset that she had to do all the work while her sister got to sit with Jesus. That's when Jesus said to her: "Dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42 NLT).

When your life is over, only one thing will really matter: Did you get to know the Son of God? The extra Christmas presents you were able to buy because of your long hours at the office won't matter. All the time you spent preparing the perfect holiday meal won't matter either. But whether you spent your time getting to know Jesus will matter for ages and ages to come.

So enjoy the Christmas season. Wrap the presents. Prepare your home in a festive way. Make memories with your family. But don't let this Christmas pass without spending some time at Jesus' feet. Long after everything else fades from this Christmas, worshiping Jesus is all that will truly last.

Talk It Over

What are some areas of your life you've let compete with your relationship with God?

Why do you think we often drift away from Mary's devotion and toward Martha's over-insistence on inconsequential activity?

How can you build time into your Christmas schedule to spend with Jesus?