And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need(Acts 2:44-45)

Summit Church of Christ is a part of a historic movement dedicated to becoming more like the primitive Christians; Christians who had no building, no pews, no budget meetings. However, when I read the above verses, I am both challenged and troubled. How can we be more like these Christians who renounced consumerism and personal gain? How can we be more of a community? There are numerous obstacles blocking us from having the kind of fellowship we see in the following verse, where Christians met day by day in the temple and broke bread in each other’s houses (v. 46). We only meet once a week, or, if we make the extra effort, once more on Wednesday evenings. We only occasionally break bread in one another’s houses. Why? Because we are busy, we have not made it a priority or a habit. We spend far more time reading the vanities of social media than reading the Scriptures together as a community.

I am going to challenge myself to do better with this. I will spend more time with my brothers and sisters so that I can know and love them more. I will allocate more of my money to my heavenly family so that if there are any needs that arise, we can easily take care of them. I will buy less so I can give more. Will you join me in God’s calling to live more as a loving, Christ-centered community?

Have you ever known anyone who claimed to be wise, but spoke and acted foolishly? Their contradictory speech and actions often puzzle us.

James 3: 5 (NIV) “Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”

In James chapter 3, James compares the destruction the uncontrolled tongue can do to a raging fire, you can neither control nor reverse the damage it can do. What you say and what you do not say are both important. Proper speech is not only saying the right words at the right time, but it is also controlling your desire to say what you shouldn’t.

At times our own words are right and pleasing to God, but at other times, they are destructive and violent. Which of these speech patterns reflects our true identity? Just as you can identify a tree by the type of fruit it produces, you can evaluate your wisdom by the way you act.

James 3:13 (NIV) “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

True wisdom can be measured by the depth of a person’s character. Foolishness leads to disorder, but wisdom leads to peace and goodness.

James 3:17 (NIV) “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

Wisdom shows itself in wise speech. Careful speech and wise, loving words are the seeds of peace. The wisdom of God that helps control the tongue can help control our actions too. Seeking and accepting God’s wisdom will affect your speech and actions. Your words and deeds will convey humility, reveal the truth, and reap a harvest of righteousness.

So, you say you are a Christian – but do you display love? Can people come to you and pick love from your heavy laden “love producing” branches?

Jesus often said that you will be known by the fruit you produce. When listing the “fruit of the spirit” the Apostle Paul began with love (Gal.5:22f). Love should form the bedrock of all activities in our life. The reason we must have love is “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).

We human’s love to portray perfection on the outside, however, there may be some messed up things going on inside our hearts. Jesus sternly addressed this in the lives of the Pharisees when He stated “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well” (Luke 11:39-40)?

You see, friend, selfless love originates as an emotion in the heart. Once you meditate on this fruit you start to embody the love of God. Then, from inside your heart flows the following loving fruit: a desire to caringly listen to the downtrodden; generosity to the struggling; encouragement to the hopeless; and kindness to everyone.

Jesus said, “I come in order that [my sheep] may have life and they may have it abundantly” (John 10:10; emphasis mine). Sadly, the world has successfully robbed most Christians of this mindset, including myself.  The world tells us that resources are limited and scarce. It tells us that we need to acquire as much as we can when opportunities arise. It says that you are not enough on your own and you need more.

Jesus tells us that life in him is a life of abundance. He says that God continuously provides for us. He says to be satisfied with food and clothing. He says that he is enough to satisfy our needs. He says that because we have this life of abundance, we ought to give and share with others, especially those who are in need.

We have so much material wealth and luxuries that we take for granted every day. Most people do not have to worry about if they are going to be able to eat or live to see the next day. The vast majority are far above a subsistence lifestyle and have a surplus of wealth. God provides for us abundantly, yet most do not give from their abundance because they believe the aforementioned lies that the world tells them.  If we can’t be generous with our wealth now in a time of abundance, how will we ever be like that widow who gave her only two pennies?

I will leave you with a few questions to reflect on: How can you cut back on unnecessary expenses so that you can use that money to give to others? Are you showing hospitality and generosity to others outside of your family on a regular basis? When you look back on your purchases from the last month, how many of those things did you truly need? When you bought those “unnecessary” things, did you at least share them with others?

Neville started our Wednesday morning Bible study listening to a beautiful
recording of #123 in our songbooks:    

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases

His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning

Great is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul

Therefore, I will hope in Him.

What an encouraging song written from Lamentations 3:22-24.  When we look at the words, we see how powerful, loving, and merciful our God is. The first line tells us the firm and unwavering love of God is forever.  Sometimes we lose sight of time, we think 60, 80, or 100 years is a long time, but James tell us our life is just a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow. The next line tells us God’s mercy never stops!  We get wrapped up in our very busy lifestyles that we take God’s love and His mercy for granted.

I am a morning person. I love to get up early, drink my coffee, and read my Bible while the sun comes up and God’s creation comes alive, listening to the birds, seeing a squirrel or a deer in the field.  Every sunrise is a little different, but like God’s love and mercy for us they are new EVERY morning!

When Paul lists the fruits of the spirit, the first one listed is Love. David wrote in Psalms 63 “Your steadfast love is better than life.”  God’s love is eternal, steadfast, and should make us all feel secure. When we face trials and tribulations, we should feel God’s love will never let us down. God is always there and ready to bless us.

If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not give us all things? Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:31-32,39

Brothers and Sisters, we serve a great God! The same God who created this heaven and this earth is always there for us.  There is nothing too hard for God! (Luke 18:27) When we look in the love chapter, 1 Cor. 13, we see God’s love described there.  God’s love is patient, kind, not boastful, not easily angered, God’s love does not keep record of our wrongdoing, God’s love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres!  I would say, “The Steadfast Love of The Lord never Ceases!!! God is Love!

The life of a pious sage is briefly yet beautifully demarcated in the first psalm. First, the pious sage (or the godly man of wisdom), is described as blessed or happy. He/she is fortunate and experiences life to the fullest. Secondly, the humble sage does not linger with the wicked. While we are supposed to help and love sinners, we do not belong with them as a part of their group. We need to make sure that we are the ones influencing them to be good and that they are not corrupting our values and moral character.

Third, the wise person delights in and meditates on God’s instruction. He/she does not find it burdensome, but rather finds it to be the source of true enjoyment. The sage meditates and mulls over the words of God’s instruction during the workday but also in the evening when relaxing or lying in bed.

I try to model my life to that of the pious sage found in the first psalm. Jesus himself lived according to this model as he was blessed by the Father, was not corrupted by the wicked, and delighted in God’s instruction. Further blessings of this lifestyle are described in v. 3, where it likens the sage to a fruitful and well-watered tree. I hope that we will choose to live like the wise person rather than as the ungodly fool. However, with God’s grace and our hard work, this life is available for anyone who desires it. Do you?

Psalm 23:2–3 (ESV) — ² He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. ³ He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

How often do you find yourself in a beautiful, quiet place? The kind of place where your cell phones don’t have signal and TVs don’t exist. Yes, Summit is going off the grid.

This is a perfect time to, not only relax and unwind but also to meditate and plan. So, to prepare, take time to jot down ideas and thoughts to pursue and prioritize during our retreat’s quiet times. For me, this is jotting down ideas for a 2022 Summit Theme and updating my list of people in need of prayer.

As soon as we arrive at the camp site, take a moment to pray, with faith, that God will lead you and restore your soul. Then, while giving yourself grace, slowly let go of the grip of the world. Sigh heavily a few times, and let God unburden your soul through prayer (Romans 8:26).

Now that you have emptied yourself, observe everything. Take in the beautiful sights of nature, hear the gentle rustling of the leaves, smell the clean fresh air, notice the smiles as you greet the brethren.

Father God, thank you for a time to commune with you. Guide us Lord as we move in your creation, rest, commune, get direction from Your Word (Psalm 16). With gratitude we wait on the unexpected blessings. In Jesus Name, Amen.

God, in his infinite wisdom, gave us the blessing of families. According to his design, families are supposed to love one another and help one another through life. Parents are to raise their children in the Lord (Eph 5:4), and children are to honor their parents throughout their whole lives (5:1-3). God promises that we will have a long life on the earth if we honor our parents (v. 3). Husbands are to love their wives, and in this way, he reflects Christ’s mysterious relationship with his church (4:25).

Apart from our biological families, we have also been given a divine family. God has adopted us through Jesus (John 1:12). Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to cry out to God and call him “Abba, Father!” (Rom 8:15). Jesus himself is not ashamed to call us his siblings and even became like us by taking on flesh and blood (Heb 2:11, 17). Unlike our biological families, we do not have physical resemblances. In fact, we boast in the Lord that our divine family is so diverse so that we speak many languages and are from many countries. Summit itself has people from Venezuela, the Philippines, South Africa, Greece, India, and probably other countries I forgot to name. We normally would never associate with one another, but the Christ broke down the barriers that once separated us and now we are all a part of the same household (Eph 2:11-19). We can call one another brother, సోదరుడు, ἀδελφός, hermano, igsoon, kaka or the feminine equivalent. Praise be to God for this heavenly blessing!

The Lighthouse was completed in 1887 after three years of construction.  A first order fixed Fresnel lens that was manufactured in Paris in 1867 was used to illuminate the light.  The kerosene lamp was first lit on November 1, 1887.  The new light could be seen 20 miles out to sea.  In 1897, author Stephen Crane was shipwrecked off the shore of the lighthouse.  In 1970, the Coast Guard abandoned the lighthouse and vandals did much damage to the structure.  Two years later as the result of work by concerned citizens, the abandoned property was deeded to the Town of Ponce Inlet and in 1972 the preservation Association was founded.  In April 2004, restoration work on the third order Fresnel lens was completed and this rotating lens was returned to the lantern room at the top of the tower. The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse is now listed as an operational private aid to navigation.  The light was abandoned for two (2) years, and it took thirty-two (32) years to restore.

When we lose sight of Jesus, the longer we are blinded, the longer and harder it becomes for us to return.  Without Jesus restoring our sight, it is impossible.  A blind soul is as lost as a ship off the coast in a storm with no light to guide it or warn it.  A long-lost blinded soul may lose sight so significant that they do not recognize the lighthouse guiding them to safety.  Since the beginning of time, God has tried to help us.

He has provided many examples of what a good and righteous life is and has promised us Spiritual healing.  The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 41:3, “The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.”  Psalm 147:3 states “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”  Jesus read from Isaiah 61:1,2 as recorded in Luke 4:18:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

    for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,

    that the blind will see,

that the oppressed will be set free,

    and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

When we see Jesus, we have the Light shining on us; His hand touches us, WE CAN SEE and see clearly.  That is why we must be like those men that approached Phillip as recorded in John chapter 12 and said, “We would see Jesus”.  Mark tells us that wherever Jesus went, “…they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.”  Have you reached out?