In the conversation for Sunday, November 5, 2017, Pastor Stuart Nice shares with us three thoughts on spiritual growth.
Sacred Reading 00:00-17:15, Conversation 17:15-49:36
- Spiritual growth will bring us to a wall that only God can bring us through.
- Trinitarian relationship with God – the Holy Spirit is given within us to help us grow spiritually and accomplish God’s will for our lives.
- You get what you focus on, scarcity or abundance. If you want to see God, focus on God. If you want to bless the world, ask God where to focus your giving.
You know that God anointed Jesus from Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Jesus went everywhere and did good things, such as healing everyone who was under the devil’s power. Jesus did these things because God was with him.
Acts 10:38 (GW)
Sacred Reading
A note about the recording of the Sacred Reading:
The reader will pause between each of the four readings. The pauses have been left in the recording so that the listener can experience the rhythm of the gathering and even participate in the reading. Below are the guidelines for each of the four readings of the practice.
- Read: Read the passage and receive it as God’s message to you.
- Reflect: Read the passage again and look for the word or phrase that the Holy Spirit highlights to your heart.
- Respond: Take the highlighted words and make them a prayer.
- Rest: Rest your heart on God’s promises.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:7-12 (NIV)