The Bridge Chicago is a way to offer the resources of Mission:USA to help people do good ministry.
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Even when your emotions feel like a tangled mess, God knows what they are and where they are coming from. The final step of investigating emotions is listening to God about their proportion, origin, validity, etc. Listening to the Lord is a skill that you get better at over time. Asking God into your deepest emotional places can be a scary thing at first, but it pays big dividends. He already knows your deep and messy places, and He loves you still. Don’t be afraid to share them with Him.
from the May Bridge Box Bible Study
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Anonymous asked:
This is a follow-up to the May 9th question about “unforgivable sin”. Isn’t that talking about blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-29)? And what exactly does that mean? If it isn’t unforgivable, why is it in there?
I answered:
“Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” -Mark 3:28-29 (NIV)
That is a very scary little statement tucked into the scriptures right there. Here is what we can absolutely tell for sure for that passage: if you are an eye witness to Jesus healing someone, do not accuse Him of being possessed by Satan. He does not appreciate that. Verse 30 says explicitly “He said this because they were saying, ‘He has an impure spirit.’” So that’s an important safety tip.
That gospel story strikes me as a statement on people whose hearts are hardened toward the message of Jesus. It reminds me of Matthew 11 where Jesus tells a crowd that Sodom would have believed if they had seen the miracles shown to that town. This guy plainly saw Jesus work a miracle and just had to come up with a reason for Jesus to not be who He claimed to be. So maybe blaspheming the Holy Spirit has something to do with resisting His call on your heart.
As to what that story means for us, to be totally honest I don’t really know. Here Is what I do know, that one verse does not undo the rest of the New Testament. The gospel is not that Jesus took all your sins on the cross, unless you say that wrong combination of words about the Holy Spirit.
If you have believed in Jesus, all your sins are forgiven. That is written all over the New Testament. This one verse does not undo that. It is important to keep that perspective on things like this. In 1 Corinthians 2:2 says “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Whatever you read in the Bible serves the narrative of grace being free for those who accept it because of the work of Jesus on the cross.
It is important remember that foundational aspect so you don’t get pulled in a weird direction. I’ll tell you what I mean. If someone says “blaspheming the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. Blaspheme the Holy Spirit and you go to Hell!”, you might buy that. That opens the door to “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so masturbating is blaspheming against that, so you will go to hell for masturbating.” Now someone has taken to disparate and isolated, yet technically correct biblical points and twisted them to say whatever they want.
It is good to look into all aspects of what the Bible has to tell us, but you have to be careful to keep your feet on the solid ground of what we know the Bible says about who we are. God created you, He loves you, and because He sacrificed His son, forgiveness is free for all who accept it.
-Matt from The Bridge
Anonymous asked:
When talking about singleness, you guys often imply that a dating relationship is just around the corner or that marriage is pretty much guaranteed eventually. What about those people who actually will remain single their whole lives? How does one live out their sexuality in a godly way if they remain single/celibate indefinitely? Also, how do you explain your singleness to inquisitive outsiders who imply there’s something wrong with you if you’re not in a relationship?
I answered:
The number of Christians who never get married is extremely small. On the other hand, the number of Christians who assume they will never be married if they aren’t by age 23 is massively high. In that disconnect lies a lot of panic and self loathing that is in no way healthy and a lot of which could be avoided by taking a time out and breathing deep. Now let’s take a look at the individual parts of your question.
The easiest part to address is the bit about inquisitive outsiders. There are a number of good options in such situations: leave the room, kick them in the shins, loudly attempt to exorcise the rudeness demons out of them. These are all fine choices.
The reason someone asking you why you aren’t in a relationship bothers you is because you think it is an indication that something is wrong with you. You think you are too weird, or too nerdy, or have too much baggage, or too whatever to be loved. And the real sting is if you are convinced that all that is your fault. Like if you just worked out twice a day and made more money and didn’t care quite so much about Doctor Who then you would totally be married to the perfect person by now.
That is of course ridiculous when it is said out loud. Everybody is attracted to a different body type, no amount of money makes up for a bad personality fit over the long haul, and there is no such thing as caring too much about Doctor Who.
You don’t earn a relationship. A relationship is a gift of God in the way that every other good thing is a gift from Him. We do not earn our gifts from God. We need to be prepared to receive them by doing things like dealing with insecurities and getting your walk on solid footing, but that is not earning it.
In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul refers to be married or single as gifts saying “But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” Singleness is not a punishment, it is (very special, relatively rare) calling. As with all of God’s callings, if He calls you, He will give you the tools to do it. If you are called to be single, God will give you the strength and tools to live that out.
If you just happen to be in that early to mid-20s panic zone, don’t start looking up monasteries quite yet. It is perfectly possible to have a healthy relational life when you don’t start dating until late in life, granted that it is not ideal. If you feel like you are crawling out of you skin because you are not in a relationship, time to start taking some steps beyond just worrying. Ask someone out for coffee, sign up for a dating site. Taking an active part in your own dating life will go a long way towards keeping down that panic.
-Matt from The Bridge
The Acoustic version of “Cast My Cares” from May’s Bridge Box. An intimate, introspective look at our need for God’s tenderness in the midst of our weakness.
Get songs, sermons, studies, and much more for only $8/month. Sign up at missionusa.com/bridgebox.
You aren’t asking for a show
Where I make believe I’ve made it on my own
You aren’t waiting for big words
Where I sound smart enough that now I think I’m heard
You’re just looking for Your child
To be with you by Your side
And to tell You how I feel
And discover once again Your love is real
lyrics from “Cast My Cares”, the featured worship song in May’s Bridge Box.
Get songs, sermons, studies, and more for only $8/month. Sign up at missionusa.com.
God did not have a lapse in concentration that lead to a mistake while making you. He wasn’t running low on an ingredient that you were supposed to have.
If God wanted to make a more extroverted you, a less emotional you, a you without whatever you think your deficiencies are, He could have. He made you because you are the perfect version of His divine vision for you.
You have some things you need to work on sure, but that work is an important part of His design as well.
God does not wish that you were a different version of yourself, neither should you.
