The Word for Everyday Disciples with Dave DeSelm

We are wrapping up our series on the topic of worship with some honest talk, because here’s the thing: worshipping God from the heart isn’t always easy.  There are times when worship comes easily—when life is good, prayers are answered, and joy overflows. But what about when it’s not? What about when your heart is heavy, when questions remain unanswered, and when hope feels distant? That is the pl...

Psalm 73 is one of my favorites because it’s just so true to life. Here we have a guy named Asaph who was a worship leader in his day. But he starts this song by admitting that he nearly lost his spiritual footing. He was ready to quit.  Why? Because he saw the inequity of life. He noted how often people who didn’t follow God were successful, healthy, and wealthy, while he gave everything to serve...

What is worship? Here are a few definitions: Worship is the total adoring response of man to the Eternal God.  Worship is responding to all that God is with all that I have. Worship is an active response to God whereby we declare His worth. Do you see some common threads? First of all, worship is an active response . There is no such thing as passive worship. Secondly, worship is to God . It’s not...

What is it that God is calling us to when He says, “Come and worship”? Let’s seek to answer that question by looking first at some…  Biblical Examples of Worship. The first example is found in Psalm 95. It gives us not only a call to worship, it also provides a pattern for worship.  Celebration (v. 1-5) Notice the phrases “sing for joy,” “shout aloud,” and “let us extol Him.” Worship is a time for...

Worship is basic to everything else in the walk of faith. Seeing God for who He really is and responding to Him as he truly deserves is at the center of everything the church believes, practices, and seeks to accomplish. It is so important, that if it gets off track, it is disastrous for the people of God. When the people lost their awe of God and let their worship deteriorate, everything else fel...

There are certain passages in this book that are downright stunning to me. For instance, Paul doesn’t just tell the Philippians to “rejoice in the Lord,” he tells them to “rejoice in the Lord always ” (Phil. 4:4). He doesn’t just say, “don’t worry,” he says, “don’t worry about anything ” (Phil. 4:6) Now in today’s passage, Paul says, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every sit...

We have been given the incredible offer by God to not only find forgiveness, but to experience transformation. We have been made different to make a difference. How is this transformation done? Romans 12:2 gives us a hint. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Transformation starts in the mind.  Paul teaches the same thing...

What are you known for? Your wit, appearance, talent, or success? Perhaps you’re known for your sharp tongue or short fuse. Or maybe it’s for your biblical knowledge and wisdom.  But none of these things (not even the positive ones) are mentioned by Paul as noteworthy. Rather, in Philippians 4:5, he says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Gentleness. The Greek word is hard...

In this passage, the Apostle Paul makes one of the most extraordinary statements of this entire letter: “Do not be anxious about anything.” Anything? I can understand saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” but “Don’t worry about anything ?” It would be easy to dismiss Paul’s words if he were some lofty, ivory-towered theologian. But remember, Paul was writing this letter from prison! If anybody ha...

The church at Philippi faced a problem that believers have faced down through the years. How do you pursue the dream of extending God’s Kingdom when you have to do it with actual, real-life people – people who can so easily rub you the wrong way? Like porcupines, we can be prickly and cause a lot of hurt and harm to others. That’s why porcupines are solitary creatures. They live alone…until it’s t...

One of Paul’s favorite metaphors for the transformational journey everyday disciples are on was the footrace. Paul saw the life of faith as a race to be run... and run well.  The goal of this race is to be like Jesus. And while we will never fully achieve it in this life, each of us should keep pressing on toward that goal.   There are four keys to running your race well.    1.     Dissatisfaction...

She is mentioned more than any other character in the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus, yet she is often overlooked. Her name is Mary Magdalene.  She had been there at the foot of the cross that Friday for every moment of the six horrific hours Jesus hung there. She heard every word, every groan. Then she watched Him cry out, breathe His last and die.  Mary watched as they to...

The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to live under the “performance plan” – to try to be good enough, to jump through all the religious hoops in order to be “righteous” before God.  Then one day, he met Jesus, and this man who had taken such pride in his performance, saw perfect righteousness for the first time – a righteousness so brilliant that it blinded him. And in that instant, Paul saw how...

Our world revolves around “the performance plan.” If we work hard enough, perform well enough, and impress the powers that be sufficiently enough...we’ll make the cut.  It’s not surprising, then, that “the performance plan” shows up in the realm of religion as well.  Religion could be defined as: a system of beliefs, rituals, and behaviors by which a person can be made right with God. It is an att...

Philippians chapter 3 begins: “Whatever happens, dear friends, be glad in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you this and it is good for you to hear it again and again.” (TLB)  Whatever happens…rejoice in the Lord. Really? Whatever happens?  Before you dismiss Paul’s words, keep in mind that when he wrote them, he was in prison! Yet even there he lived a life of unconquerable joy. And so can y...

When Jesus ascended into heaven after the resurrection, He put the entire future of His Kingdom movement into the hands of a group of ordinary men and women. They had no wealth, no position or power, still Jesus entrusted them with the mission of taking the gospel to the world.    It was a pretty audacious plan! But through the power of the Holy Spirit, this ragtag band of 120 disciples soon becam...

In our last episode, we began talking about what it means to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you…” (Phil. 2:12-13). We said that if we hope to see the ongoing transformation of God in our lives, we must cooperate with God in the process.  Transformation of any sort involves three elements:  V – Vision I – Intention M – Method  Take the example of a...

Makeover shows have been exceedingly popular television viewing for decades. Do you remember the show, “Extreme Makeover”? They took ordinary people and completely changed their appearance. The transformations were astonishing! While we may never be the recipient of that kind of makeover, the Bible says that an extreme makeover is possible for those who place their faith in Christ. Not only is suc...

Have you ever wondered, “Is it worth it?” Is all the sacrifice and effort for the Kingdom really worth it? Is all the ridicule and mockery for following Jesus worth it?  Well, friends, today we are going to find the answer. And that answer is: Yes. It is worth it!    How do I know? Let’s look at Philippians 2:9-11 together. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that...

All our lives, we are encouraged to climb up the ladder. The word “up” has come to be cherished in our society. It’s a word reserved for winners, heroes, and overcomers: upscale, up-and-coming, upper class, upwardly mobile.  The premise, indeed the promise, is that if you devote yourself to climbing up the ladder and making it to the top, that’s where all the good stuff is – status, significance,...

In Philippians 2, Paul calls his friends – and us – to live in a totally countercultural manner. This “upside-down living” is the very opposite of what our society sees as normal. The irony is that by living upside down, we’re actually helping to turn the world right-side up.  Having been called to unity, Paul now urges us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility con...

What do you think God’s favorite word is? While we aren’t given a direct answer to that question, I’d like to hazard a guess. It’s a word found in the first two verses of Philippians 2: “….make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” I think God’s favorite word is… ONE. God is so committed to the idea of oneness and unity among His people a...

Paul had told his friends, the Philippians, how he had suffered for the sake of Christ. Now, he tells them that they will face the same struggle. Rome, at this time, was the mightiest power on earth. It had utterly crushed its opponents. To be a Roman citizen was to be at the top of the pecking order. Because of their loyalty during a time of war, Philippi had been given the honor of citizenship a...

When Paul wrote his letter to his Philippian friends, he was under house arrest in Rome, chained constantly to a Roman guard. But Paul saw this as an opportunity for the gospel. He had a captive audience! As a result, members of the palace guard were coming to Christ and taking their new-found faith with them to the far reaches of the empire. God was at work!  Paul was aware that God was using his...

There are many kinds of prayer and many reasons for prayer, but most of the time, it seems that we pray when there is a need or crisis. Such prayers are appropriate and powerful! But is that all God had in mind when He gave us the gift of prayer? Was its sole purpose to serve as a spiritual fire extinguisher with the sign stating, “Break glass in case of emergency”? I decided to do some research b...