Between the Lines

[betweenthelines]

Things to Consider When Forming a Bible Study Group

Before you can lead out a bible study, you need to first have a group. When coming up with a group, I like to ask myself three questions. I encourage you to work towards answering them as precisely as possible, especially if you would like to create a group that shares a lot of common ground. 

Here are the questions:

Who is your target group?

How often and where will you meet?

What will you be studying together?

Those are three essential questions to consider when in the forming stages of your Bible study group. 

Who Is Your Group Target?

Now, when trying to determine your target group, you can think of a variety of categories. You can form a group based on your location, gender identity, status, age group, hobby, etc. The more categories you specify, the more factors your group will have in common. 

For example, if you were to create a group that answered all the categories listed, you would have a group that could look like this: a Bible study group composed of single (status) females (gender identity) attending a certain university (location) who are between the ages of 20 and 23 (age) and have an interest in volleyball (hobby). Therefore, when recruiting members to join this group, you can post this information at volleyball intramurals or specific locations that you know this audience would likely be around.

Although there would be a lot of commonality between the members of a group like that, it can also be quite difficult to find a lot of individuals who fit the criteria of that specific niche. Hence, on the other side of the spectrum, you can simply run a Bible study that fulfills only one category, for example: a Bible study group for married couples (status), for men (gender identity) or for youth ages 16-18 (age). Forming a broader group like the examples given may work best when advertising in a church setting, since you can gather more people who fit the established criteria. It’s more likely that your congregation would have more men than men who are currently in the field of engineering. With all of this to consider, at the end of the day, one can simply open a Bible study to all who are interested.

How Often and Where Will You Meet?

Once you’ve gathered your group members, you should specify a meeting time and place. What does commitment to this group look like? Will you be meeting once a month? Bi-weekly? Or every week on Tuesdays at 8pm? Location is also an important factor. Will your location be at someone’s house? Will it be on campus in a dorm room? Perhaps you want to hold it online over Zoom or other online platforms. All of these details could impact and determine who is able to join your Bible Study group.

What Will You Be Studying Together?

Lastly, you want to determine what your group is studying. You can go about this in different ways. You can choose topics to cover, for example: the fruit of the spirit, grief, wilderness experiences, etc. You can also follow and modify a bible study guide that is already available online or at your local christian book store. Another method is to also pick a Bible book that your entire group can read through together, e.g. Ruther or the gospels. These are the main methods I’ve seen when deciding what content to cover during a Bible study.

How to Format Your Bible Study Meeting

So now you have your group, you chose a time and place to meet and you also have your content. Now we get to the actual Bible study. How do you lead and prepare for it?

The Beginning: How to Start a Bible Study Gathering

With every program or meeting, you always have to start. When starting a group Bible study, I usually try to incorporate these elements: songs of worship, opening prayer, ice breakers, time allocated to catching up.

Of course, you can play around with the order, depending on the type of environment you want to create. As the leader, you can also omit any of these elements as well. However, I do strongly encourage you to always open up a group Bible study with a word of prayer asking for wisdom and also the guidance of the Holy Spirit to understand the truth being studied.

The Middle: How to Conduct a Group Bible Study 

After all of this, it’s time to get to the purpose of your gathering: the Bible study. In my personal experiences, I’ve found that there are three types of formats that you can incorporate when leading out a Bible study. You can use 1) the Lecture Format, 2) the Spontaneous Format or 3) a Guided Questions Format.

Lecture Format

When using a Lecture Format, it typically resembles a classroom setting, where one individual is teaching the members about what they learned when doing their own personal study. The group listens to the teacher’s presentation/devotional thought/sermonette and at the end of the presentation, the floor can be opened for the group to discuss what they’ve learned and can also raise questions. Here is an example of what a program flow would look like: 

Opening prayer

Introduction of speaker

Speaker shares insights on biblical passage

Floor is opened for questions and comments

Closing prayer

The preparation lies heavily on the leader to either prepare the studies in advance or to assign teachers for each Bible study session.

Spontaneous Format

For the spontaneous format, little preparation is needed. The group can simply pick a passage whether beforehand or on the spot that they would like to study collectively. As each attendee takes turns reading aloud portions of the passage, anyone can stop the group to ask a question or make a comment, which the group can then discuss together. After the discussion, the group continues reading the passage until they have finished their assigned reading or until the meeting time has run out, whichever one comes first. 

Through this style of study, the group learns together. This also means that the Bible study only goes as deep as the group members are willing to go during that time versus an individual presenter may dig into the original language of the text and read commentaries before presenting to the group. However, the group can still greatly benefit from each other’s perspectives and are not limited to just the group’s interpretations, but can also look at commentaries and the original text if they wish to do so. 

Here is an example of a program flow for the spontaneous format: 

Opening prayer

Announcement of biblical passage

Group reading and analysis

Closing prayer

Again, the group is able to learn a lot from each other’s perspectives, but to really benefit from this format, the group should be comfortable to share their questions and understandings.

Guided Questions Format

Lastly, we have the guided questions format. With this style, the group first reads the assigned passage individually or as a whole. The leader then asks a specific set of questions that encourages the group to perhaps look at the passage from a new perspective or challenges them to dig deeper into the Word than they would normally on their own. Group learning and growing is still encouraged, but is facilitated through the questions of the leader. This does require some preparation since the leader must study the text on their own to be able to create questions that would benefit the group’s learning experience. 

A dissertation was done by Francois J. Sarault at the seminary of Andrews University which studies the development of Bible studies. On page 101, Sarault includes a picture of sheep which illustrate the four major steps for learning.

Here we see the various stages: 1) Imaginative: Why do I need to know? 2) Analytic: What do I need to know? 3) Common sense: How do I make it work? 4) Dynamic: What can it or I become?

For those of you who decide to utilize the Guided Questions Format, I highly recommend creating questions based on these four stages. The leader could start the group by considering why the group needs to know about what’s being studied. Why do we need to know about faith or about the story of Moses? To ask an effective question to fulfill the first stage, you can use an ice breaker question/activity that raises an issue which requires a solution.

Personally, I like starting the Bible study with an ice breaker that gets the group to reflect on their personal experiences. E.g. If you’re talking about prayer, you can ask: Share a time where your prayer was not answered. This question automatically brings the reality that there are times where it feels as though our prayers aren’t answered. By bringing to light a problem or a challenge in our real life experiences, the reason for needing to know why also emerges. 

The “what do I need to know” can be discussed by asking a question that highlights the main theme of the text. E.g. What does this passage teach us about prayer? Or you can ask the general question: What is this passage teaching?

When forming a question to compliment the third step: “how do I make it work”, you can ask a question that gets the group to think about how they can practically apply the biblical teaching. E.g. How does this passage teach us to pray? In other words, from what I’ve learned in this sect of scripture, how can I incorporate these lessons in my life? 

For the final step, your question can cast potential or encourage people to entertain the plausible what-ifs? What would happen if we prayed like this? How would the world change if we took time to pray for others? When discussing the what-ifs, it could also encourage the group to actually apply biblical teachings into their own daily lives, which is what I believe a Bible study is all about. We don’t want to keep it simply at head-knowledge, but we want to encourage those who study the bible to live by the Word of God. Here is an example of a program flow for this format: 

Opening prayer

Ice breaker related to the study (shedding light on an issue that requires a solution)

Group/individual reading of the assigned biblical passage

Leader asks specific questions for the group to discuss

Group shares their answers

Closing prayer

Again, this does require some preparation, but it also encourages the group to discuss and learn together during the study itself.

These are my personal tips on how to lead a group Bible study. I hope that these suggestions help and inspire you to start leading a Bible study group of your own. 

Follow us on Instagram @younginspire if you’d like to see more resources or ideas for ministry. 

Dissertation by Francois J. Sarault: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1484&context=dmin

[betweenthelines]

Cake Edition: Episode 3

Hey beautiful people! My name is Chermilyn and you’re listening to Between the Lines, a podcast that goes beneath the surface.

What does it look like when you’re trying to survive on your own? When you feel distant from community? Detached? Empty? For me, it looks like going out into nature, in this case, a pond, to read my Bible. Maybe like you, in times of desperation, I get all spiritual.

I had read the story about the woman at the well and heard people talk about it many times before, but it only resonated with me when I was in front of this pond, barely holding on.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story of the woman at the well or want to refresh your memory, pause the video right now and read John 4. I got it up for you on the screen.

And welcome back! When reading this passage, we see that this woman was barely surviving. Based on other texts of the Old Testament and also some historical context, the well was a place of community, but this became her reminder of loneliness. A time to mingle and enjoy life to the fullest was perhaps her time to get away. But as I read the passage, I asked myself one question: How did Jesus love?

And the text shows me that: Jesus loves by going out of the way. He goes to inconvenient places, places that everyone avoids in order to reach people. He loves by calling people to serve Him. And when He does this, it surpasses the social norm. He loves by dealing with the quote on quote undealable. The nobodys. The outcasts. He loves by promising to provide living water--everlasting life. Jesus loves by knowing us. He loves by giving us more knowledge about Him and His ability to save.

So, there I was, carrying my water bottle, with the little water it held. From the text, I saw that the woman came with an empty water pot too, a water bottle if you will, longing to fill it, but leaving with a promise of something better. Just as the woman came with her issues to the well, I definitely came to the pond with mine.

And I sat there. Stumped.

Because why would God ask me to give Him water? Someone who clearly doesn’t have any, who’s searching alone, who’s there to get some for herself. Why would You ask me, when Your likeness is above and beyond mine? When You should have no dealings with me? But You promise me something better. This thing called living water, that can quench my thirst forever and springs up to eternal life. Give it to me so that I don’t have to come to this park, to this well, ever again. So that I can permanently avoid this part of my day for the rest of my life. Give it to me. So that I don’t have to look like a lonely, desperate, senior theology student filled with shame to even admit that I, a supposed spiritual leader, am in need for more. That as someone who talks about living water, has in reality, forgotten its taste and has gone back to drawing from a well built by man.

But God, You know me! All that goes on behind closed doors, when no eye is watching, You know these things. I can talk religion and debate about salvational issues, just like the woman.

But the woman  ends the debate by saying that she knows that the Messiah is coming and when He comes, “He will tell us all things.” He’ll solve all these religious issues and answer our questions. Her determining factor to know who the Messiah was that the Messiah would tell all things. And it’s so interesting, because in v. 29, she says, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.” NOT all things about water or all things about mountain top worship services. No. It was: come, this person might be the Messiah, because He told me everything that I did.

Perhaps as she told the men in her city to come to see Jesus, perhaps she thought to herself: wow! Is this actually the Messiah? A Jewish Man, willing to come to Samariah. A man willing to talk to me, despite knowing everything that I’ve done and has offered me living water, eternal life.

Could it be that you are also at a well, searching and working tirelessly to fill your soul? Are you barely surviving with everything that’s going on and just simply getting by? I have good news to share. There is a Man named Jesus who fully knows you and is offering something way better. 

What are you going to do about it?

[betweenthelines]

LOL Edition: Episode 3 - Light

One of my biggest fears is to forever fall. For God to give me a kabillion opportunities to learn, only to later read an inspired biography about me where I’m just taking all the right steps in all the wrong places! But my help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let my foot be moved; [and] He who keeps me will not slumber.”

Hey beautiful people! I’m your host Chermilyn and you’re listening to Between the Lines, a podcast that goes beneath the surface. We got another LOL for you; episode 3: a lesson of life, a letter of love if you will from God to me and from me to you.

So I woke up today (obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t be recording this right now). But! I vaguely remember the dream that I had last night. I remember seeing darkness. What I was looking at was so dark that the details were unclear. Was it a room? Was it a cave? I wouldn’t be able to tell you. That’s how dark it was. Or that’s how bad my memory is when it comes to dreams.

But I do remember looking at this dark whatever it was when my friend told me: Go into it. Go into the dark. And in my dream, I was like: Why though? Not gonna lie, but I’m sort of scared to go into the dark, because I don’t want to get lost. I don’t want to fall. I don’t want to be stuck there. I don’t want to lose my way and never come out of the dark. I don’t have a light on me.

Then my friend said something very profound.

My friend said, “I am the light of the world. You have no reason to fear the dark. Go.”

Then the dream transitioned and got weird where my mom asked me to make cookies for church and I missed out on my friend’s sermon because I came back from trying to play soccer.

Anyways, the words my friend said in the dream, stuck with me. “I am the light of the world. You have no reason to fear the dark. Go.”

I woke up and these are the lessons that I learned from it:

Oftentimes a lot of Christians don’t want to go out into the world. We like our safe bubble. We like lingering and staying in the light and when Christ calls us to go back, whether it’s into the dark, we hesitate. We become afraid. We start worrying. We think to ourselves: what business do I have in the dark? I don’t want to fall back into sin. I don’t want to fall again period. I don’t want to repeat the mistakes I’ve made beforehand. And we almost become paralyzed in the presence of God.  

But Jesus says in John 8:12, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

He speaks these words to a woman who was caught in adultery. He doesn’t condemn her, but tells her to sin no more.

And if I was standing in the crowd, watching this whole scene take place, I would ask myself: What? tHow can this woman sin no more? “Can an Ethiopian change the colour of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can [she] start doing good, for [she] has always done evil.” (Jeremiah 13:23) And I project that onto myself as well. Can I change the colour of my skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Well, neither can I start doing good, for I have always done evil.

But verse 12 says that Jesus addresses the crowd and speaks to them again saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

You may be afraid of leaving your comfort zone and reaching out to a world that is hurting and broken. You may feel as though you just recovered from your own brokenness. You just found the light. So why take the chance and risk to experience the hurt and darkness again?

But Jesus is telling you that He is the light of the world. If you follow Him, you will not walk in darkness, but you will have the light of life. Therefore, you have no reason to fear the dark.

So go and let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

And if you feel as though you are in a helpless situation, may the word of the LORD in Psalm 121 be your comfort.

“When you lift up your eyes to the hills—

 wondering where will your help come from?

Remember that your help comes from the Lord,

   who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;

   he who keeps you will not slumber.

He who keeps Israel

   will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

   the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

   nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

   he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep

   your going out and your coming in

   from this time on and forevermore.”

He who is the Light of the world is with you. Even if you say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” even the darkness is not dark to our God; [in fact,] the night is as bright as the day, for [even] darkness is as light to [Him]” (Psalm 139:11-12). So long as you follow God and make Him your help, you will never walk in darkness. So do not be afraid. Arise. Go. And shine. For He who is with you, will never forsake you.

[betweenthelines]

Heart Searching Edition: Introduction

Hey beautiful people! I’m your host Chermilyn and you’re listening to, between the Lines, a podcast that goes beneath the surface.

Growing up I believed that my heart was pure and perfect, that it was of gold I believed that I would never do x, y, or z. That I would never lift up a finger to hurt my God.

A King once prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NKJV)

This is the Heart Searching Edition: where I share my personal experiences of how God has searched my heart, how He has tried it, how He came to know my anxious thoughts, how He is revealing the evil that sits within and how He is leading me to truly live—leading me in the way everlasting.

[betweenthelines]

LOL Edition: Episode 2 - Car + Card

So I almost died and made my family broke, all in one day. But all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose.

Hey beautiful people! I’m your host Chermilyn and you’re listening to: Between the Lines, a podcast that goes beneath the surface.

We got another LOL for you; episode 2: a lesson of life, a letter of love if you will from God to me and from me to you.

I’m doing my practicum at a church that is roughly an hour away from me. Every Tuesday we have a scheduled meeting at 10 AM. So, I woke up bright and early, went to grab the car keys from my mom and I’m like: mom, it’s Tuesday. I have a meeting today so I need the car; can I take the smooth, sexy, silver 2019 Honda Civic? My mom’s like: Yes! Go for it. As I’m righteously pocketing the keys, I ask a question I shouldn’t have asked: Wait. Mom. Are the repairs on the car done?

Yeup. Shouldn’t have asked that.

“Oh Che! Thank you for reminding me! I totally forgot! I’m supposed to take the car in to get it fixed today!” She hands me the keys to the engine dying, about to break down, how is it even enduring, 2009 toyota yaris sedan. *sigh*

Then she adds: “Oh Che! If the car needs gas, just refuel it.” She hands me her credit card. Such trust. Little did we know that trusting me was a fatal mistake.

I get into the car and fight my battle up the hills of BC terrain, fill the car with gas, attend a few meetings and start making my way back home. Later that evening, my mom asked for her card back. I UNZIPPED my wallet, yes I said unzipped to find all MY cards and the gas receipt intact. Perfect condition. But something was missing. My future. My degree to graduate. My food for tomorrow. My house for today. All gone, because my mom’s card wasn’t there.

I do not know why none of us freaked out. But my family began to embody Matthew 6:34 “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” We called the gas station. They said they got nothing. I called save on foods. They got nothing. I texted some of the pastors. They didn’t see anything. By now, it was 11 PM.

Matthew 6:34 “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”

Woke up to a brand new day. My mom told me to phone up the gas station again, just in case. I called. “Hi! Do you happen to have an MBNA credit card? I might have left it somewhere around the second station when facing boundary road.” “What’s the name on it?” “Rachel Pedernal.” “We have it. We have your future, your degree, your food and your house.” Wooow praise God!

My mom and I got back into that 2009 yaris sedan and as I drove, my mom started praising God. “Che! God is with you! You know, yesterday I completely forgot that I booked the car for repairs. If you didn’t remind me, I would have let you take the car. And Che, you know that when I drove the car, one of the mechanics pointed out that the back tire was flat. Imagine Che! If I had booked the repair for today or if you didn’t remind me? Imagine if you drove with that car on the highway? You could have gotten into an accident! God is with you and He is protecting your life.”

So what are the lessons God taught me? There’s no need to worry! God takes care of His children. Despite all the mistakes and mishaps you could have caused, whether you dropped a card, reluctantly got into a car that’s celebrating its 11th birthday, almost made your life come to an early end or make your entire family broke, God is able to make all things work together for good to those what love Him and are called according to His purpose. So don’t worry! Trust Him! And why not invite Him to be the author of your life?

[betweenthelines]

Flower Edition: Episode 7 ft. Aidan Wu

Chermilyn: Hey beautiful people. I’m your host Chermilyn and you’re listening to: Between the Lines, a podcast that goes beneath the surface. Were you ever in a spot where life was good? But then outta nowhere, your world comes crashing down. Have you ever experienced this? Well, my friend Aidan has. And for the last episode of Flower Edition volume 1, we got Aidan Wu who will be sharing how God has been his personal Rescuer.

Aidan: A few years ago, I came to the States and that was in 2012. It was my 15th year of living. And I came from a city on the other side of the world in South East Asia, Hong Kong. And the life that I had back then was marvelous to say the least. I had great, not only in number, close friends that I loved and still love today. I treated them as my blood brothers. I went to an all boys school and I didn’t have any blood brothers, and so they were mine. I was participating in many different activities: sports, music and academically I was at a decent school, top 3 if not top 5 in the city. The future was bright; the present was enjoyable.

When I came to the States, it was as if everything was destroyed. The life that I knew, that I had, the life that I was going to have, that I thought would be very prosperous in the future with fortune, wealth and happiness was just completely gone. And the loss took me to a point of hopelessness, depression—just not knowing where to go, [wondering] why I’m in this foreign country.

And knowing the story of Joseph in the Bible, it’s sort of similar how he was in his hometown and he was thrown into a pit. And though he grew up with brothers, he was separated from them and was enslaved to a foreign country in Egypt, a foreign land. And he was thrown in prison. But by God’s grace, not only was he rescued from the prison, God was there all the time. He [Joseph] was used for His glory. At the end, he was able to save the entire nation and surrounding people including his brothers back home from a huge famine that was in the land.

And so similarly, I was in the pit of depression—had a bunch of suicidal thoughts. I was just done. One day I was at school. I went to a Christian school believe it or not. God used a classmate of mine. When he shared his story of how he was going through a rough time and he was losing a lot of hope in his life and when he made a decision to end it all, he got a phone call and long story short, God used that to save his life. And when I heard that, that night it was as if God was giving me a direct phone call. As much as I ridiculed Him, I did not want Him in my life, I thought before that if there was a God then He would not be interested, that He didn’t really care. Why would He allow something like this to happen?

What I did not know was the He was there all this time, just like He was there with Joseph in the prison, in the foreign land, while he was a slave. I was enslaved to many different addictions of pornography, video games. I resorted to the use of drugs to get myself high to run away from my reality of pain and suffering. Yet, the true reality was that God was always there, hope was always there. God amazingly turned me from being downcast, distraught, [someone] full of sin, to one that decided “yes I’m going to give my life to Him” and He started using me. He used me and shared with others through me His grace, His mercy, just like He used Joseph to save people in the famine. He used me to save people in spiritual and mental famine in this land. So I’m thankful for how God has been a Rescuer in my life and know that He can save anyone, anyone that will respond to Him.

Revelation 3:20 shows that Jesus is knocking on the doors of our hearts today. He is standing there, calling your name, ready for you to answer Him. Just like Aidan, will you respond to Christ’s call?

This episode concludes our first volume of the Flower Edition. I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who came on as a guest, those who helped with the music and designs and also for all of your engaging support! Stay tuned for more videos. But until then, keep looking at the flowers. Though the world may be turning upside down and always changing, remember that God’s goodness is constant.

[betweenthelines]

Flower Edition: Episode 6 ft. Ralph Magsalin

Chermilyn: Hey beautiful people! I’m your host Chermilyn and you’re listening to Between the lines, a podcast that goes beneath the surface. These past few weeks have been very heavy with the injustice happening before our eyes. Yet in these times, God is still good and He still provides. The next voice you’ll be hearing is my good friend, Ralph.

Because of the covid-19 pandemic which has sent our world into a state of lockdown, I’ve had time over the past few months to really contemplate my relationship with Jesus. It’s been during this time that I’ve been trying to understand God and the many roles that He plays in my life. But the one role that has astounded me the most, is His role as my Provider.

Ralph: When I open up my Bible to Colossians chapter 3, I read that because Christ died for me, God is able to provide me with a new life and this new life is teeming with endless possibility and opportunity. But it also comes with a great deal of new responsibility. Verse 2 tells me to set my mind on the things that are above and not on the things that are on this earth. And verse 5 tells me to do away all my uncleanliness, my old passions and all of my selfish desires. What these verses tell me, is that to accept this new life, to accept this new privilege, is to accept these new responsibilities.

But it is in verse 8 that I begin to understand the magnitude of these responsibilities. Verse 8 reads: to put away all my anger and wrath and malice and shameful speaking. That it is time to do away with my old person and to put off all of my old doings, because I am being made a new person that is being renewed unto the knowledge after the image of the One that created me. That to accept a new life in Christ is to be made new in His image.

What these verses tell me is that because of this new life, it is time for me to put aside my own pride and prejudice. These verses tell me that when I see injustice, it is my responsibility to speak out, that when I see hatred, I am to respond with love and that when I see pain and suffering in our world, I don’t just turn a blind eye and pretend that it’s not there. That to accept a new life in God, that when I claim God as my Provider, I accept that there is a need to change.

Because when God calls us to a new life, He calls us to a life where there are no Greeks and Jews, there are no circumcised and uncircumcised, there are no barbarians, Scythians, bondmen or freemen, there is only one unified life in Christ. That is what it means for God to be my Provider.

Chermilyn: Just like Ralph, will you choose to accept the life of Christ and its responsibilities? Will you rise up and walk in the newness of life? Join us next week to learn how God rescued one of my friends and how He longs to do that for you too.

[betweenthelines]

Cake Edition: Episode 2 - Break Me

I struggle to fully trust God. Because if God told me that He needed to break me, I would have a bunch of questions for Him. When will my breaking happen? How are You going to do it? How painful is it going to be? Am I going to be in a complete mess? What about afterwards?

I struggle to fully trust God and let Him do His thing. My biggest fear was to have a broken heart. So why in the world should I pray for God to break me? But all of these things show that I am privileged.

Before we dive into the word of God, let’s bow our heads for a word of prayer. 

Dear heavenly loving Father, I thank you for this opportunity. The world is broken all around us. Teach us to to break with those who are breaking and may we connect and learn to stand with each other. This I pray, in the precious name of Jesus, amen.

There was this Man named Jesus. He came from Heaven and was born into this world to break. Because of His love for people, He wanted to break. And as His ministry was coming to a close, He invited His disciples to share in His last meal.

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’”

These are the words that came from a Man whose name is Jesus. In the entire Bible, He was the only One I could think of who literally wanted to be broken. Now, don’t get me wrong, other people definitely experienced breaking. You have Paul on his journey to Damascus who was broken from his pride, Moses, killing an Egyptian, Jonah in the belly of the whale, Naomi turning bitter, David sleeping with Batsheba and murdering Uriah, Peter denying Christ three times, and the list goes on and on.

But in their experiences, they never asked God: BREAK ME! They never looked up to heaven and prayed for hardships and trials in order to be closer to Him. Never. Their struggles came upon them unexpectedly. In fact, 2 Samuel 11:2 describes the start of David’s breaking by using the words “then it happened” “by chance” “out of the blue” “it just so happened.”

Church, there are people in the world who do not have the privilege to ask to be broken. They do not ask to be broken, but their narratives have been intertwined with brokenness the day they were born. Perhaps this is the story of your neighbour, the people south of the border, or even yourself.

When I was given the topic of “Break Me” I went to my room, knelt down on my soft carpeted floor, and prayed, “Lord, break me to be more like You.” Many of you may say that this is a bold and dangerous prayer. But I want to argue that this is not only a bold and dangerous prayer, but a prayer of PRIVILEGE from the PRIVILEGED. Because as I knelt down, I realized that: I have the liberty and time to pray.

Others don’t have this religious freedom. Others are busy marching on the streets. Others are consumed by protecting their city. Others are grieving from injustice. Others don’t have a voice or don’t have the opportunities to be heard. My brothers look at the colour of their skin and are told by their parents that the world will tell you that you are not enough, but as your mother/father, I will be the first voice to audibly and intentionally say that you are beautiful! You are made in the image of God. Do not let the voices of the world make you believe otherwise. Some don’t even have that. And then they step out into a world, where there is police brutality, where the justice system works against them, where their cries are swept under the rug, where their bleeding wounds are ignored by, dare I say, the church.

Brothers and sisters, it is a privileged prayer to ask God: Lord, break me.

As Jesus broke the bread, which represented how His body would be broken, He blessed it. And as he poured out the wine, which represented how His blood would be spilled, He gave thanks. Jesus KNEW that it was a privilege to be broken for others.

In John 10 starting at verse 11, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. I lay down My life for the sheep. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” A commandment of selfless and sacrificial love.

Jesus voluntarily gave His life for us. He, who formed the universe, who holds the world in the palm of His hands, whom the stars and sun obey, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

He who was “so exalted, to whom every knee shall bow, He whom the angels of glory count it honour to serve, bowed down to wash the feet of those who called Him Lord. Washed the feet of  His betrayer.”

He broke bread. Poured wine. His body was torn and His blood spilled. He whose “strength sets fast the mountains” He who owns and made the sea, was moved by love when He saw us breaking and said, “Father, Break Me!” JESUS CHOSE TO BREAK WITH AND FOR US. And how is it that we have the audacity to to proclaim His name upon our lips and choose to not break with others.

The Bible says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8)! Greater love has no one than this than to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). God’s love for us was so deep that Jesus decided to innocently die on the cross. And as His body was breaking, His heart was being torn apart.

As He hung on the cross, He thought of you. He thought of the pain that you would experience and He felt it on the cross. He felt the burdens of Martin Luther King Jr. Felt the dirty stares given to Rosa Park. The harsh words spoken to Ben Carson. Christ struggled to breath as He saw Geroge Floyd’s neck being pinned to the ground. He saw the tears of George Floyd’s mother as He looked into his own mother’s weeping eyes.

He saw the policemen fearing for their lives. He saw Derek Chauvin being cancelled from society. He saw Pastor Dave dealing with heart issues, Pastor Anderline filled with unspoken requests. He saw the elders trying to cope with the pandemic, He saw Church in the Valley’s… valley moments and He cried out: Lord, forgive the world! For they don’t know what they’re doing. But in this moment, even though they are doing all in their power to break Me, I still choose to break for them. Then He cried out: It is Finished. And He hung His head and died.

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus is “not a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but [He] has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet without sin.” As Christ broke on the cross, He came to fully understand the pain and struggles humanity has faced, is facing and will face. He tells us that “in this world, you will have tribulation. But take heart, for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Christ tells His disciples in John 10 that “12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.” Then Jesus says, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”

After His resurrection, in John 21, He calls one of His closest disciples. He calls Peter to Him. And as I picture Jesus and Peter walking along the shore of the beach, I can see Jesus turning to Peter, the one who had promised that he would never deny his Lord. The one who had vowed to go with Jesus until prison and death. The one who failed to keep his word, who was so deceived by his own heart, but was known so well by his Lord.

I can see Jesus turning to this Peter and asking him, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’ ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He asked him a third time and he said, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’”

Peter was broken. And the way Jesus restored him was to call him to be a shepherd. Peter knew full well what a shepherd and a hired person looked like. He knew the vast difference. He remembered the lessons Jesus had taught him. That hired people, fake shepherds, don’t care for the sheep. They flee when they see the flock being attacked.

But a shepherd protects the flock. A shepherd carries the sheep when it has been wounded. A shepherd hears the cries of the lambs. A shepherd walks with his flock. A shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A loving shepherd takes the opportunity, the privilege to break for others.

Peter had witnessed the love and restoring grace of Jesus. He had witnessed that Jesus was the TRUE GOOD SHEPHERD. Jesus broke Himself for Peter and now Peter was given the PRIVILEGE AND HONOUR to do the same. Jesus tells Peter, “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.’ Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, ‘Follow me.’”

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Many of us have made Jesus our Lord. We know the sacrifice He gave for us. We acknowledge that He loves us. We have witnessed how He has mended our broken hearts time and time again. And now, we are faced with an opportunity, a privilege.

Just as Jesus called Peter to be a shepherd, Jesus is calling you. We may have denied Him time and time again, but are we willing to now follow Him?

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There is a broken world. There are sheep in God’s flock that have not been brought to Him yet. Are we willing to walk with them? Are we willing to hear their cries? Are we willing to carry them on our shoulders? Are we willing to show the greatest form of love by being willing to lay down our lives for our friends? Or have we grown content in our fake Christianity and settled to become hired hands over God’s flock?

Let this humble and selfless mind which was in Christ, be also in us today. May the love of Jesus be the only thing that moves us to feed, tend and care for His sheep.

If it is your prayer to be like Jesus and to accept His call of privilege to break for others, I invite you to please stand. You’re probably going to look crazy in your home, maybe you were lying down, but if this is your desire, to be like Christ and break for others, arise with me as we pray.

Dear heavenly loving Father, all of us have exerpeicned pain and many of us are experiencing brokenness right now. I know for a fact that you have called our church, Church in the Valley, that sees people in their valleys to meet them where they’re at as well. Give us the strength and boldness and love to break for others. This I pray, in the precious name of Jesus, amen.

[betweenthelines]

Cake Edition - Episode 1 - Acts 18:4-11

Hey Beautiful People! I’m your host Chermilyn and you’re listening to Between the Lines, a podcast that goes beneath the surface.

We’re in Acts 18 starting at verse 4. Acts 8:4. It says:

And he, Paul, reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. Verse 6. But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Going down to verse 9. Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”

I’m speaking to those who have been called by God, compelled by the Spirit to share the gospel, that Jesus is indeed the Christ, that He is the Messiah, that there is a God who is able to save, deliver, provide, protect and heal TODAY. You have been called, you have been compelled, you know what the word of God has instructed. You take Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15 to heart and choose to live out this commission. But as you do the very work of God, just like Paul, you find opposition.

And perhaps like Paul, you’re about to call it quits. You’ve had enough people disrespecting you. You’re fed up with people not believing in your calling. You’re tired of people disregarding the precious words of mercy and salvation that you say to them. You feel worn out, alone, abandoned and you wonder why on earth did God call you to do His work when it seems like the world has united to go against you?

But look at what the LORD says to Paul. “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”

You may be fearful of what others might say or do to you, but do not be afraid! Keep on sharing! Keep this gospel message rolling, because our God is with you and will use others to protect you!

You may feel like you’re alone in ministry, but remember that God is with you. You may be burnt out to continue, but remember God is able rekindle your fire and keep your light shining. You may feel tired and weary in doing good, but don’t give up! Because in time, we will reap if we don’t lose heart.

Do not be afraid. Speak and do not keep silent. Because He who called you hasn’t forsaken you. He is with you.

[betweenthelines]

Flower Edition: Episode 2 ft. Benjamin Kim

Chermilyn: Hey beautiful people! I’m your host Chermilyn and you’re listening to “Between the Lines” a podcast that goes beneath the surface. Have you ever felt trapped, like a fish in an aquarium? Well, my good friend (Benjamin) Jaemin felt this way. Jaemin is a guy who is unafraid of challenges and highly dependable. He carries this mindset in every aspect of his life, especially when it comes to serving God.

And in today’s episode, he’ll be sharing how God rescued him. The next voice you'll hear is none other than: Jaemin Kim.

Jaemin: People used to call me “Peter” before conversion, because I was a troublemaker. But at some point, I think I’m worse than Peter. Because for me, it’s very hard to believe in miracles and signs. If Jesus actually came and helped me get more fishes, I would still doubt Him. I would still be doubting. I know that God is able to do these things, but when I hear people’s testimonies about miracles or signs, I just cannot believe it. Like it’s so hard for me to actually believe. 

But then God still changed me. And because He knows I’m not easily convinced by miracles and signs, He placed me in His work, so that I can see Him changing people.

If God didn’t change me, I would still be fishing actual fishes. God fished me from an aquarium and set me free in the ocean where I’m supposed to be at. And here am I, sharing how God is so good, thinking: why do people say that I’m like a “Peter” before conversion? 

So I try to look at what Peter said in the Bible. And in 1 Peter 1:8 it says, “You love Him, although you have not seen Him, and you believe in Him, although you do not now see Him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in Him.”

Since I search for logic when things don’t make sense, the Bible says to me: Even if you don’t see Him, love Him. Even if you don’t see Him, believe in Him. Because I am receiving salvation from Him, which is already so enough for me to have faith in Him. Also in chapter 2 verse 10 it says “At one time you were not God’s people, but now you are His people. At one time you did not know God’s mercy, but now you have received His mercy.”

I was a troublemaker, but then the fact He’s inviting the troublemaker to be His people, the fact that He’s using the troublemaker to be part of His work, the fact that He died for the troublemaker to be set free, it’s literally Him staying in jail instead of this one serial killer who could just turn away from serving Him at any moment. He [Jesus] took that risk. 

So by just listing down all those things that He has done for me, I just said in my mind: I am no longer the Old Benjamin anymore. I cannot stay as the old Benjamin. I can’t. God literally took that risk. And I’m ready to take any kind of risk that is for Him.

There are still many things that I have to change, I have to learn, I’m not perfect. But I’m for sure in a process of changing. I hope that the old Benjamin won’t affect the way you see the new Benjamin.

Chermilyn: God is in the business of changing lives. And as I listened to your story Jaemin, it’s so crazy, because God rescued you to rescue others. And every single time you see someone else being rescued and changed by Him where you see them giving their lives to Jesus or see them grow a love for His word, or see them get involved more—that is a clear reminder of who God is and what He’s done for you. Like Jesus took THE greatest risk by dying on for us. And just like Jaemin and Peter, will we decide to take any risk for Him?

Join us next week as we hear about the victor who never loses.

[betweenthelines]

LOL Edition: Episode 1 - Pizza

I ordered pizza for a friend and that taught me so much about God’s unfailing love. Hey beautiful people! I’m your host Chermilyn and you’re listening to Between the Lines, a podcast that goes beneath the surface.

Do you know that feeling, the feeling of being cut off? Where things with you and this one person were soo good. Where everything seemed to be smooth sailing, and all it took was just one word, one question, one look and it was over? Do you know what it’s like to be abandoned? Set aside? Forsaken? Ignored? Forgotten about?

It’s a feeling that I know you can relate to. It’s a feeling that you don’t want to revisit, but it always comes back uninvited. It’s a feeling that gets you questioning your value. And I, I felt this with God.

The Bible says, “He will never leave You, nor forsake You.” His words told me that He will be with me until the end of the age. That He will go before me. That He upholds me with His righteous right hand. That He wants to abide with me. But that’s not how I felt and my faith was so weak that those promises meant nothing to me.

So I’m like: you know what? That’s not good! Let me dedicate some serious time to reconnect with God and talk to Him about all this. And so I put aside a lot of things and people to spend major time in communion with Him. Yet as I’m praying to Him about all of my issues, He brings into my mind someone else to pray for. Watch this… because I believe God was teaching me that to love Him, I must learn to love man. That true fasting is helping and uplifting others. That being close to Him makes you more and more selfless.

And all of a sudden I’m out here thinking to buy this person some pizza. Pizza. Among all things pizza. But that’s probably because the other day, before I went down into my shambles, my friend took the time to message me multiple times about their craving for it. So as I’m making the order, I was really about to go lazy and just order a regular cheese pizza. But then, I was like: Chermilyn, you know this person! This is your friend! Your ride or die! Your fam! Like why give something so average? You know your friend likes white sauce and pineapples so add that!

And because I hadn’t really contacted a lot of people in my shambles, I realized that if this friend of mine was to ever doubt our friendship during a time where it appears like I am distant, my friend could look at the pizza and remember that I still very much cared.

Isaiah 54 says something very interesting. Verses 7 and 8 say, “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,’ says the LORD, your Redeemer.” I was a bit confused with what this passage was saying until I bought my friend some pizza.

In a time where I wasn’t answering my calls, text messages or emails. In a time where I couldn’t be seen or heard, my friend would have no need to question whether or not I had cast them off for good, because as soon as that pre-paid pizza would arrive at their door, they would taste and see that I thought about them, their needs, their wants and not just thought about it, but acted on it, showing them my care.

Same thing with God. Although we may feel far from Him as though He has cast us away or has forsaken us. Although you might be wondering: God, why are you hiding from me? Why do I feel so far away from you? Look at the blessings He has given you. Every meal you eat, every breath of air you take, the sky, the trees, the grass, the sea, all speak about His care for you! Think about all those tailored blessings He has given you no matter how big or small! He could’ve gone lazy and sent you a cheese pizza, but He knows you inside and out and sends you a blessing specific to you!

With great mercies He will gather you and with everlasting kindness He will have mercy on you. For I am soooo sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Look at that pizza. Don’t doubt His care. He loves you like crazy.

[betweenthelines]

Flower Edition: Episode 1 ft. Kenesha Pike

Chermilyn: Hey beautiful people. I’m your host Chermilyn and you’re listening to: Between the Lines, a podcast that goes beneath the surface. 

Life has always been filled with thorns. And with this whole pandemic, it feels like a truckload of thorns has been added into my life.

And what so what do you do when you feel like there is no way out of your troubles? When the thorns have damaged your mind, body and soul? When you can’t do anything for yourself, but to call for help.

Is there someone who hears you? Is there someone who will rescue you?

My dear friend, Kenesha is a woman who has the desire to be united with God and has compassion for others.

Kenesha has been in some thorny situations and in the next few moments, she’ll be sharing about how God has been her Rescuer.

Kenesha: God is my Rescuer. I like to believe that the rescuing He does isn’t just a one time thing, but He is constantly rescuing us each day from things seen and unseen. When I think of God as my Rescuer, I think back to a very pivotal point in my life, which ultimately forms the testimony of how I truly came to love God. How I found my own faith.

About 8 years ago, in 2012, I began a 2-year long battle against anxiety and depression. It started in my second year of university when my family was hit with a huge financial challenge that rocked the very foundation of my world. You see, although I had grown up in the church all my life, my faith wasn’t as strong as I thought it was. In this trial of my life, the foundation of my faith became very clear. It was anchored in earthly possessions and other people, rather than in Christ. With facing financial and educational uncertainty, I gradually fell into a pit of hopelessness and despair. I sank deep into depression and anxiety feeling like there was no way out. Everything around me felt and looked dark. I almost lost my job, I started getting sick, failing classes, and I stopped going to church for a while. I found myself turning to other people and different things of the world to bring healing for what I was experiencing, but nothing worked.

When I look back on my experience, I am reminded of the story of the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:25-34. This woman was struggling with her issue for 12 years!It was a long time time, and no doubt it was embarrassing to deal with. She was looked down upon and she lost any sort of value that she had in society. The story tells us that she spent all that she had on physicians and medicines, but they did not help her. But then, she heard about Jesus, and she knew that if she could get to Him, she would be healed. So in her desperation she pressed her way through the crowd past her embarrassment and whatever people would say about her and in faith, with all the strength she had left, she reached out and TOUCHED HIS GARMENT. Instantly Jesus knew that someone had touched Him and even though He was in a crowd, He knew this touch was different. Something happened. Power had gone out of Him. Jesus turns around and sees the woman. She fell down at His feet, and He NOTICED HER among all the other people in the crowd. This was personal. These next words really get to me. Jesus says to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction” (v. 34). Jesus saw the woman FIRST, then acknowledged her condition. He healed and rescued her from the very thing that was ruling her life for so long.

Just like that woman, one day, I made a choice to stop reaching for the things of the world to heal me, to save me, and I started to reach for the Saviour. In faith each day, I fought my way through depressive and anxious thoughts and reached out to my Saviour. I held onto promises from His Word, and I prayed with faith that He would rescue me from the grips of this mental illness. The rescue was a process, but it happened. In the summer of 2014, I finally found light in the midst of darkness, and peace, through much prayer and counselling. He rescued me! I gained a clearer picture of who God is, and He is indeed my Rescuer from day to day. Although this was a hard experience, I am thankful that God used it to lead me closer to Him!

There’s a beautiful song by Lauren Daigle called “Rescue” that speaks to my experience. The words that she is singing is from the perspective of God speaking to us through our trials.

Lyrics:

I hear you whisper underneath your breath

I hear your SOS, your SOS

I will send out an army to find you

In the middle of the darkest night

It's true, I will rescue you

I will never stop marching to reach you

In the middle of the hardest fight

It's true, I will rescue you

So no matter what trials you’re going through in life, you can have confidence in knowing that God is always there to help you and to rescue you.

Chermilyn: Kenesha, when I hear your story and how it relates to the bleeding woman in Mark, I take a look at my own life---how there are times where I turn to so many other things, praying to find medication. But you have just shared the beautiful assurance that there is someone I can turn to, and His name is Jesus.

Will you, just like Kenesha and the woman in Mark, take out your hands and reach out to the One who is able to rescue you?

Join us next week as we reflect on God’s ability to save.

[betweenthelines]

“Introduction: Flower Edition” Manuscript

Hey beautiful people! I’m your host Chermilyn, and you’re listening to “Between the Lines”, a podcast that goes beneath the surface.

So there’s this dude named Paul. If you study out his life, you’ll realize that this guy is on fiiiiire for Christ. He’s out here getting locked up in prison, being sent to court, snakes biting him, people taking vows to kill him. And yet, this dude endures it all for the sake of glorifying Christ.

You would think that Paul would experience no hardship, because God was on his side. But in his second letter to the church of Corinth, he writes about a thorn. This thorn doesn’t leave his side. Even after praying about it three times, God doesn’t take his struggle away. Nope. Not this time. Instead, God gives His words as reassurance. He says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Now look at Paul’s response, because it’s major. Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

In the book “Steps to Christ” my homegirl Ellen writes about her dream of people walking in a garden. Some people are super depressed because they decide to focus on the thorns of the roses, whereas other people found joy because they focused on the roses.

Reality is, we are surrounded by thorns. Like a ton of them. I mean, we’re in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. But what are we focusing on? Are we like Paul and choose to look at the One who is always good or do we focus in on the flaws of the world and ourselves?

I’ve decided to call my first story arc for this visual podcast: Flower Edition. Where for the next 7 weeks, we’ll be focusing on the constant goodness of God and the roses He’s given us by going in between the lines of the Bible and the lines of our own lives.

Stay tuned and remember to check in next week where we’ll be learning about the ultimate Rescuer.

[betweenthelines]

Manuscript included in separate post!