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!
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.
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.
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.
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.GOD IS LOVE, LOVE ONE ANOTHER, GOD ONE ANOTHER
It really doesn’t happen that often, but one day I reacted to a situation in a way that did not instill faith and did not encourage. Our thoughts and reactions are either good or they are not good, and we can be very sure, they do affect those around us.
As Christians, we are to represent God, and God is love.
And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, and come with him into the presence of God the Father to give him your thanks. Colossians 3:17 NLB
Do as God would do. Much-loved children want to do as their fathers do. Ephesians 5:1 NLB
So my bad reaction got me to wondering about how I could have reacted so badly since I’ve been a Christian for so long, and am very familiar with many, many Scriptures about love.
So, I prayed about it and was led to a couple of those familiar Scriptures.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. GOD IS LOVE; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because AS HE IS, SO ARE WE in this world. 1 John 4:16-17
Beloved, let us LOVE ONE ANOTHER: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. 1 JOHN 4:7
So, I meditated on two phrases in those two verses a bit. . .
• God is love. . .
• Love one another. . .
and then it came to me. . .GOD ONE ANOTHER!
Whoa! Don’t stop reading! First of all, I am not in any way suggesting that we are equal to God, not even close, NO, NO, NO! What I am saying is this, if we have accepted salvation in Jesus Christ, we are related to God. We are His sons and daughters.
When I changed, ‘love one another’ to ‘God one another’, it helped me better understand what it looks like to love like God, because it got me immediately thinking about how God reacts and how God thinks toward us, when we are going through various things in life. In times of sorrow, He comforts us. In times of fear, He encourages us, in times of rebellion, He corrects, and He does so because He loves us so.
People we interact with on a daily basis are also going through things. Are we attentive to their cry? Do we take the time to encourage them? Pray with them? Do we meet a need if we’re able? As Christians, we know that God wants what’s best for us; God wants to meet our needs; God encourages us; God believes in us; God is patient with us. Are we like that with others?
As God’s dear children, we should imitate His great love. We study our Bibles, we listen to the Holy Spirit, we pray, so we can imitate Him.
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. Ephesians 5:1-2 Message
Here are a few Scriptures about how God loves and then an example of how we can love like Him in everyday life.
God: He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Exodus 34:6-7
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by being gracious to them, not being hot-headed, forgiving their wickedness, rebellion and sin.
God: He is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Ps 9:9
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by being someone they can run to in times of trouble.
God: He enlightens our darkness. By Him, we can run through a troop; leap over a wall. Ps 18:28-29
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by being a light in a dark place, helping them through obstacles.
God: He enlarges our steps under us, that our feet do not slip. Ps 18:32-36
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by helping them not trip up.
God: He wants us to have good courage, He strengthens our hearts. Ps 31:24
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by encouraging them.
God: His works are wonderful toward us, His thoughts to us-ward are more than can be numbered. Ps 40:5
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by thinking about them often and doing good things for them.
God: The thoughts He thinks toward us are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give us a future and a hope Jeremiah 29:11
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by thinking thoughts of peace toward them rather than evil.
God: He is our very present help in trouble. Ps 46:1
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by being a present help in trouble.
God: He listens to our prayers. Ps 66:19-20
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by listening to them.
God: He forgives us. Ps 99:8
As sons and daughters of God, we love others by forgiving them.
God: He remembers us in our low estate: Ps 136;23-26
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by remembering they are only human and cut them some slack.
God: He takes pleasure in us. Ps 149:4
Us: As sons and daughters of God, we love others by enjoying them.
Since this is a blog and not a book, I hope I have provided enough Scripture to make my point. Let us imitate God as dear children. When we’re interacting with people, let us be aware of how we are thinking. . .how we are reacting towards them, and then ask the famous question, WWJD (What would Jesus do?)
. . .Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us. 1 John 3:21-24
Now, for the Scripture that we always run to when trying to understand how to love others, and it definitely helps with that.
Love’s great-hearted; love is kind,
knows no jealousy, makes no fuss,
is not puffed up, no shameless ways,
doesn’t force its rightful claim,
doesn’t rage or bear a grudge,
doesn’t cheer at others’ harm,
rejoices, rather, in the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things,
love hopes all things, endures all things
Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13 NTE