Welcome to The Belonging! We are a Church that loves God and loves people. We are passionate about seeing people encounter God through worship, and experience the freedom that comes through knowing Jesus. Whoever you are, and wherever you come from, you are welcome!
The following article, containing dozens of spiritual quotes by our United States Presidents, is taken from Ed Moore's book, Prayer Force One: Across America. It is presented here in order to preserve the foundations of our nation's spiritual heritage. You may order Ed Moore's book by clicking on the book at the right.
A clarion call has been made to gather the saints for a grassroots effort across the state of Tennessee. We will serve those in authority from the Courthouse to the White House. We will serve through intercession for and interaction with governmental leaders in order to impact our cities, our state and nation. We will not only minister to those in the high place, but also those in the forgotten place. We will discern the heartbeat of cities and communities from mayors and city and county officials to determine how we can best serve those in authority. May we rise up rather than fall back in this hour and walk through the gates of government to serve with the heart and mind of Christ.
The power of prayer is an incredible thing. At Philanthropy, we know that prayer is something important – but let us attempt to explain how much the Lord blesses us every day. About a year ago, Philanthropy started The Prayer Wall based on a story of a personal battle with cancer, and a mission set on our hearts from one of our customers. A random interaction turned into a very important day for all of us.
Each year, students gather around their school's flag pole for SYATP - the Global Day of Student Prayer. This year, SYATP is on September 25 and we want to show the power of prayer in the Nashville community.We love to hear the words, well done. We loved hearing them when we took our first steps, when we aced our first test, when we got that promotion at work!
I believe we were created to hear the words, well done, from our Creator even more than from His creatures.
God fashioned us well in the natural, but more importantly, he fashioned us well in our spirits. Our spirits were fashioned to serve God. When we are serving God, we will be serving our fellowman. That is what we are all meant to do. . .WELL.
I believe our beloved Billy Graham served God and his fellowman well and that he has heard the words, WELL DONE, from Jesus Christ. God gave Billy a gift and Billy gave it to bless others. What was that gift? Billy Graham was an evangelist.
Paul wrote about this gift in Ephesians, chapter four,
[Christ’s] gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed
- some as apostles [special messengers, representatives],
- some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people],
- some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation],
- and some as pastors
- and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct] Read Ephesians 4:7-11
Why did He do this?
- to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service
- to build up the body of Christ [the church] until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].
Ephesians 4:11-13 Amplified
And God has appointed in the church first
- apostles,
- second prophets,
- third teachers,
- then miracles,
- then gifts of healing,
- helping,
- administrating,
- and various kinds of tongues
1 Corinthians 12:28 ESV
God equips us with the gifts, and we submit to the gifts.
Billy Graham submitted to the ‘evangelist’ gift given to Him by God most of his life, and many people came to know Jesus Christ because of that collaboration between the Lord and Billy, regarding, spreading the good news of salvation.
God gives gifts so that gifts may be given, and that gifts may bless.
The gifts God gives us,
- helps people become God’s people and
- helps people stay strong as God’s people
God gives gifts for people’s sake!
Once, when He was just twelve years old, Christ stayed behind in the temple to talk some things over with doctors, and when Mary and Joseph found Him and asked Him why He had worried them so, He asked them:
Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”Luke 2:49
Jesus Christ, the possessor of all spiritual gifts, did many things for the sake of mankind while He walked this earth,
There were many other things which He did, if written everyone, even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. John 21:25
After Jesus raised the woman’s son back to life in the town of Nain, this is what followed according to Luke.
They began praising God and said, “A great prophet is here with us!” and “God is taking care of his people.. . .So, the men came to Jesus. They said, “John the Baptizer sent us to you with this question: ‘Are you the one who is coming, or should we wait for someone else? . . . “Go tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind can see. The crippled can walk. People with leprosy are healed. The deaf can hear. The dead are brought back to life. And the Good News is being told to the poor. Luke 7:16-23 ERV
So, whatever gift God has given us, we should give it so we can bless others in the way God meant for us to do.
People reach people every day. We must reach them where we are; where they are.
People that have been given spiritual gifts by God work in many different jobs. Some are school teachers, some are cashiers, and some are construction workers. Whatever our vocation is in life, we touch people every day. In our hands, at any given moment, a part of another person’s life may land, whether it be something as crucial as a medical emergency or something we think as trivial, like an invoice we are handling that will affect their lives. Whatever that part is, we should share our ‘gifts’, and handle it with care and with prayer.
When we are faithful on this earth with the gifts God has given us, like Billy, we will hear the words, WELL DONE when we get to heaven.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the gifts You have given us. Help us use them and never lose them, and may we realize that when people are the reason we do what we do, more than we are the reason we do what we do, that is truly serving You and serving our fellowman. We pray that, like Billy, when our work here on this earth is through, we will hear the words from You, WELL DONE. In Christ’s Name we pray, ~Amen