I just completed reading a book by George Barna and Frank Viola titled Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices.It was a good book that is filled with research packed material and does a good job tracing some church history and some of the reasons the institutional church has evolved into what it has become.With that said, I had four main issues with the book in which I would like to comment.
There is an obvious bias by the authors toward the house church and away from the institutional church.Now I do not pastor or promote the house church or the institutional church.I believe the New Testament makes room for both as declared in the book of Acts.By the end of Acts Chapter five, the early church had grown to possibly be 15 to 20 thousand people counting the men, women and children, but yet they kept meeting corporately in large gatherings and also in small gathering within homes. Acts 5:42 tells us “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”The early church met both corporately in large gatherings at the temple and in small gatherings in each other’s houses.
The authors assert that tithing is not a New Testament principle.Jesus Himself set the guidelines on this topic in the New Testament and I believe the early church followed it.Jesus said this to the religionists of His day who were tithing, but neglecting the poor and the needy around them - (Matthew 23:23 NLT)"How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law--justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.”We find those in the early church giving up to 100% of their income, as recorded in Acts 4:32-37.They had matured beyond the 10% boundary of the tithe and were now Holy Spirit driven givers that gave enough to take care of all needs.
Never do the authors mention that the New Testament purpose of the church as revealed in Acts is to continue the point of need ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.Instead, the reader walks away with the idea that the purpose of the church is to meet in homes and that ministry takes place within the confines of that meeting through people sharing their experiences with Jesus that week.We are taught all throughout the New Testament that Jesus is our example and we are to follow Him, continuing His point of need ministry in the Power of the Holy Spirit until He comes.
The authors do not mention that maybe God intends for the modern church to evolve by the Holy Spirit to use all means possible to touch people. Afterall, the church is a living organism that is kept alive and growing through the Holy Spirit. Maybe there is room for the institutional church, the house church, and even the Internet church in our day.I personally believe that there is room for all three and one should not be elevated above another.As Jesus tarries, the church will continue to evolve by the Holy Spirit and within the boundaries of Scripture to use all means to reach all people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Because of these issues, I will not place this book on my list of recommended books to read.I’m not saying that it should not be read.There is much to glean from it, but if you do read it or have already read it, please consider the four points above before coming to any conclusions from the book.
Some think holy ground is found in a church building, at an altar, a certain location, and piece of land or country.We need to understand where to find holy ground.
In Acts chapter 7, Stephen is giving a defense in response to the religionist of His day trying desperately to hang on to the status quo.They feel threatened that Jesus and His followers were going to bring change to their religious institution.Instead of embracing the change that God is bringing, they resort to lies and spreading fear.Stephen takes a stand for faith and justice.
In the first paragraph of chapter 7, Stephen refers to Abraham.In the second paragraph, he paints them a picture of Joseph.Next in Acts 7:17-43, Stephen talks about Moses.The religionists had just accused Stephen of wanting to change the customs that Moses delivered to them (Acts 6:14).
In these paragraphs of Scripture, Stephen traced the life and the ministry of Moses through three periods of Moses’ life.Each period lasted 40 years.
The Egyptian period – This is the first 40 years where Moses is saved from death, delivered to the Egyptian palace and educated.During this period, Moses never lost sight of his Hebrew connection which led him to take a stand for Justice.
The Midianite period – Moses own people rejected his stand for justice this led him from the palace to the backside of the desert to tend sheep.It was in this period that Moses was molded and shaped to enter into his destiny in God’s timing.It was there that Moses found holy ground.
The Wilderness period – In God’s timing, after 400 years of slavery, Moses was used to deliver his people from captivity.This led him into a wilderness experience along with his people.He was allowed to get a glimpse of the promise land, but was not allowed to enter in, yet by faith, he held onto the promise that his people would.
The lesson to learn from the experiences of Moses is that God is everywhere.He is with us through all periods of our life.He is with us through the good times and the bad times constantly molding and shaping us to enter into our destiny.Some will refuse to ever change with us and some will reject us because of our stand for faith and justice, but God will be with us.He will never reject us or forsake us.
We also see that holy ground is not found in a building, in a certain location, among a particular group of people or associated with any land.Moses found holy ground on the back side of the desert tending sheep.Moses learned that the holy place is wherever God may be and that God is always with us.Stephen’s audience had not learned this valuable truth.
Holy ground is where God is and God is everywhere we go.May we learn it, believe it and always trust in it.
I can sum the believers ministry model up in one word. Are you ready? JESUS! Jesus is our model of ministry. Through the life that He lived here on earth, including His actions and His teachings, He showed us how to minister. But it doesn't stop there. Not only did He show us by example, but He empowered us to continue His ministry. When He was reglorified and sat back down with the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to empower every believer to continue His ministry here on earth. He has commissioned us and He has empowered us. All we have to do is follow Jesus.
Jesus is our model and we are called to follow Him. God has called you to follow Jesus. God's Word says "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9 NIV) Please know that God did not call you out of darkness and into His light for you to just coast through this journey living for yourself. No, you have been bought with a price. You have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He has called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light to follow Him and continue His ministry in the power and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the example. God's Word says "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:21 NIV) Beloved, we are called out of darkness and into His marvelous light to follow Him. What did He do? What did He say? Where did He go? Who did He touch? He's the example and we keep our eyes fixed on Him. Not the church. Not on man. We keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Jesus attended church every week, but the majority of His ministry took place within cities and communities. God's Word says "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom." (Luke 4:16 NIV) So you see, it was Jesus' "custom" to attend church, but let me ask you a question. Where did he do the bulk of His ministry? It was not within the walls of the church. He did not allow His time to be taken up by church programs and activities. You see, that is not His intent for the church. His intent for the church is for it to be a living organism that ministers at the point of need.
Jesus impacted cities and communities by touching people at their point of need. Jesus went outside the walls of the church to do the bulk of His ministry. It was in cities and communities that He fulfilled these words that He stood up and read out of Isaiah one day in church: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19 NIV)
Read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and notice how and where Jesus ministered. He touched people at their point of need and impacted entire cities and communities.
We need cities and communities to be impacted for Jesus in our day. There are a lot of church buildings across this land. I'm afraid that the majority of churches have focused within the walls instead of outside the walls. We must examine ourselves to see if we have become inward focused instead of outward focused. To make a difference in our day, we must be as Jesus. We must be outward focused. Instead of programs and events designed to get people in our buildings, we need to equip and encourage people to minister in cities and communities as Jesus did. Constantly remind yourself that it's not about us. It's not about us at all. It's all about Jesus. It's all about lifting Him up. It's all about making a difference in our day by simply following Him and ministering as He did at the point of need.
The ministry model for Loving God Fellowship is very simple. It's not complex at all. It's just simply people touching people at the point of need, just as Jesus showed us and commissioned us. We are not going to focus on programs and events designed to get people into a building. We are going to focus on making a difference in cities and communities in our day through people touching people.
Each year in March, the college basketball tournament is played. It's called "March Madness". It's a great lesson in teamwork. These teams are made up of very talented individuals, but as individuals they can not accomplish what they can as a team. They make goals each year as a team. They work toward those goals as a team. They will win or lose as a team.
Jesus taught us all about teamwork. He built a team when He came to earth. He picked people we would not have picked. He picked twelve ordinary, common folk to follow Him. They believed in Jesus enough to drop the nets, get out of the boat and follow Him. When He went back to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to empower His team to fulfill the one goal that was given them. The goal is to continue His ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit; to make a difference in cities and communities in their day.
Beloved, Jesus has called you out of darkness into His light. He has picked you to be on His team. He has put the Holy Spirit in you, not only to give you resurrection life, but also to empower you to minister at the point of need. He's the example. He's the model. We just keep our eyes fixed on Him as we follow Him on this wonderful journey from earth to glory. No matter how hard it gets as you continue His ministry, remember that you are on the winning team.
Jesus left us with this final instruction prior to Him ascending to heaven - "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)
Continue the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit until He comes!
Indeed, over 90 percent of American adults experience sexual intercourse before marrying. The percentage of evangelicals who do so is not much lower. In a nationally representative study of young adults, just under 80 percent of unmarried, church going, conservative Protestants who are currently dating someone are having sex of some sort. I'm certainly not suggestion that they cannot abstain. I'm suggesting that in the domain of sex, most of them don't and won't.
What to do? Intensify the abstinence message even more? No. It won't work. The message must change, because our preoccupation with sex has unwittingly turned our attention away from the damage that Americans - including evangelicals - are doing to the institution of marriage by discouraging it and delaying it.
He builds a compelling case for promoting young christians getting married early and how the church should do more to support it. Before rushing to any judgment or conclusion, I encourage you to click and read the complete article and allow it to provoke some thought.
My wife Becky and I married early and do not regret it. We were high school sweet hearts and got married on spring break during my junior year of college. I was 21 and she was 19. That was 27 years ago. We were in love with each other and knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our life together. And we are.
I'm curious about your thoughts on this issue. After you read the article, click on the "comment" link of this post and share your thoughts. Based on statistics, it's obvious that the method of the institutional church has not worked. Is it time to re-think their method?
So let me tell you: I intend to protect my home. Praying -- not a curse -- only the hope that my courage will not fail my love. But if by some miracle, and all our struggle, the Earth is spared, only justice to every living thing (and everything is alive) will save humankind. - Alice Walker,
One day we will learn that the heart can never be totally right if the head is totally wrong. Only through the bringing together of head and heart – intelligence and goodness – shall man rise to a fulfillment of his true nature.
- Martin Luther King Jr., fromStrength to Love, a collection of Dr. King's sermons
In what ways we can bring together intelligence and goodness?
Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill our hearts,
our world, our universe.
Peace, peace, peace.
In Acts chapter 7, Stephen is giving a defense in response to the religionist of His day rejecting change and trying desperately to hang on to the status quo.They feel threatened that Jesus and His followers were going to bring change to their religious institution.Instead of embracing the change that God is bringing, they resort to lies.Stephen takes a stand for faith and justice.
In the first paragraph of chapter 7, Stephen refers to Abraham.In the second paragraph (Acts 7:9-16), he paints them a picture of Joseph.
Joseph was mistreated by people, but he became a very successful instrument of God that was used to save many from famine.Instead of becoming sour and bitter from his mistreatment by some, Joseph accepted the change that came his way and allowed God to mold and shape him through it.
God was with Joseph.His own family treated him poorly and his brothers sold him as a slave into Egypt, but God was with Him.
God rescued Joseph.
God gave Joseph favor and wisdom.
God brought Joseph through all afflictions and put him in a position to help others.
This paragraph of Scripture teaches us much and is very relevant to us in our day.Not everyone will treat you right, but God always will.He will take what people mean for bad and turn it around for good.If you allow Him, God will bring you through all afflictions and put you in a position so that you can help others.
Always take a stand for faith and justice.It’s the right thing to do.Allow change to shape you.Let God do the rest.He will use you to help many people.
What do you think of when you think of the church? Do you picture a building? Do you picture an institution? Do you think of a denomination? Does your mind race with church activities, programs and events? Are you reminded of an organization you joined years ago?
Maybe our thinking of the church is not what God intended the church to be. To know God's heart, we must constantly turn to His Word.
In John Chapter 2:13-25, we find Jesus cleansing the temple because it became everything that God intended it not to be. It had become a house of merchandise instead of a house of prayer. It was a place where God and His ways were prostituted so that man could prosper. God forbid! A righteous anger arose within Jesus and He drove the merchandise out from the temple, turned the money tables over and scattered the profits.
The Jews questioned Jesus' authority to do such a thing. Who was He to change their agenda for the temple? Jesus answered them by stating, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The religionist of Jesus' day had a different picture of the temple than God had. To them it was a building that they worked hard on and spent a lot of their time in for 46 years. Jesus was referring to His Body and not a building. They just didn't get it.
It's not about membership in a manmade organization! It's about being a member of God's household. God's Word says "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household" (Ephesians 2:19 NIV). What makes a person a member of God's household is receiving Jesus as their Savior and making Him Lord of their life.
It's not about buildings! God's Word says that His household is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:20-21 NIV). Just as when Jesus cleansed the temple in His day, today it's not about buildings. It's all about Jesus. It's about the Body of Christ.
The Body of Christ is the church! Every person that has accepted Jesus as Savior and has made Him Lord of their life is a part of His Body. God's Word says "And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." (Ephesians 2:22 NIV) If you are a part of His Body, YOU ARE THE CHURCH! The church is alive and well. It is not a bunch of stale dead programs and events designed to get people to come to a building to be counted and collect money from them. The church is a living organism. Everywhere believers go, the church goes!
God's Word says "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NIV) "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV)
Be the church! Be a person that continues the ministry of Jesus on earth in the power of the Holy Spirit. Be a person that ministers to people at the point of need just as Jesus did. God intends members of His household to GO and impact their cities in their day; not buildings sitting and waiting for people to come in.
The Loving God Fellowship (LGF) ministry model looks nothing like what the church has become with all of its programs and events, but it looks a lot like what Jesus proclaimed and lived as our example. LGF will impact cities with the love of Jesus through encouraging and facilitating common folk ministering at the point of need just as Jesus did. The LGF ministry model will be implemented in cities across this nation and around this world until Jesus returns for the beloved.
I made the following video today about something I feel is of upmost importance.
If you can not view the video below in your browser, you can click here.
Please make a statement and join our group on Facebook, People of Faith for Heath Care Reform, share information, invite others to join us and take a stand for faith and justice.
I just spent 40 minutes on a conference call with President Barack Obama and thousands of faith leaders from across America concerning health insurance reform. I strongly believe that no one in America should be denied adequate and affordable health care. This is not about politics. It is a moral conviction.
Many that prefer to spread fear instead of hope, in order to keep the status quo, have communicated outlandish lies that threaten any health insurance reform. You have seen the anger resulting from the debates that the media has shown. I’m sure you have heard some of the lies such as that elderly will have to go before government lead death panels, that this would bring about government funding of abortions and that illegal aliens would be covered under health insurance reform. I heard our President address all of these lies on this conference call and he assured us faith leaders that these could not be further from the truth.
Many want to hang onto the status quo. Many will continue to spread fear instead of hope. For the sake of 50 million people in America that have no health insurance, and for the 18,000 people that died last year from the lack of health insurance and for all the financial hardship that it causes families that do have health insurance, we all need to get involved. It’s going to take all of us to ensure that health insurance reform becomes a reality so that all people in America can be taken care of properly. It’s the right thing to do. We need to make it clear to Congress that quality, affordable health care for every American family is a moral priority for millions of people of faith.
What can you do? I encourage you today, as a person of the faith community, to go to www.FaithForHealth.org and take the first step by signing the petition. Let it be known that you are tired of shouting, disruptions and distortions preventing an honest debate. Let your friends on facebook and twitter know about the website so that they can take action.
This, my friend, is where belief leads to action. We can make a difference in our day. I pray that you take a stand for faith and justice by getting involved today.
Many in our day go through tremendous suffering. I get prayer requests sent to me from all around the world and I pray for each of them. Most of the situations make my heart weep. Sometimes, I don’t even know how to pray for them, but I ask for God’s grace and peace to be given to them in abundant measure.
When we go through suffering, we have a tendency to focus in on our present situation and allow it to consume our thoughts and impact our functioning. I want to encourage you today. As a Christ Follower, look past the present and realize that the best is yet to come in your life. In His timing, God will lift you up and reveal His glory.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. -- Romans 8:18
Do you know someone that is suffering today?
I encourage you to click on the "E-mail this" link below and send this encouragement to them. May God bless you and them.
Fear is a powerful deterrent to progress. Fear left unchecked will overpower hope. Some people use fear as a tactic to get their own way, promote their own ideology, or to keep the status quo.Do you know those that use this tactic?I have met many.I have seen this tactic used by unlikely sources such as teachers, bosses, pastors, religious leaders and politicians.
It’s important to understand that fear is not from God.God will never use fear, but Satan will.The ultimate source of fear is always evil and if one succumbs to it, they can become a slave to it.The Apostle Paul wrote “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.”-- Romans 8:15-16
Hope is of God and hope never deters progress.In fact it is hope that drives progress and brings peace.
Hope is the strongest driving force for a people. Hope which brings about change, which produces new realities, is what opens man's road to freedom. Once hope has taken hold, courage must unite with wisdom. That is the only way of avoiding violence, the only way of maintaining the calm one needs to respond peacefully to offenses. - Oscar Arias Sanchez, excerpted from his 1987 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.
I refuse to be a person that uses fear as a tactic or do anything that will propagate fear.If I do, I will be an instrument used by evil and not an instrument used by God.No, I prefer to be a person of hope.
Today as I was watching Meet the Press on NBC, I learned some startling statistics. There are now 50 million people without any health insurance in America and 18,000 people died last year from lack of treatment because of no health insurance. America spends more on health care than any other nation, but yet we have one of the highest mortality rates.
Health-Care reform has been causing much debate around America as the leadership of this nation seeks solutions. I'm glad that it is finally being talked about again because something needs to be done to provide all people with adequate health care. I don't know what the solution is, but I do know that it is not a political issue. It is a moral issue. It is not right that some have the means for the best of health care while others have no means to obtain it at all.
When God started the New Testament Church, His heart was that the church take care of the social needs of people (Acts 6). In our day, the church has placed financial emphasis on buildings and activities within those buildings and for the most part has stepped out of the business of taking care of the needs of people. God's heart is for people and if the church will not take care of their social needs, God will use government to do so. Always remember that Christ died for people and not for buildings, programs and events.
After the early church solved the dispute concerning equal social provision for its people, Stephen is accused by the religionist of that day because they felt that Christ followers were trying to change the status quo. Check out this paragraph of Scripture:
(Acts 6:8-15 NLT) Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. [9] But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. [10] None of them was able to stand against the wisdom and Spirit by which Stephen spoke. [11] So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, "We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God." [12] Naturally, this roused the crowds, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. [13] The lying witnesses said, "This man is always speaking against the Temple and against the law of Moses. [14] We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us." [15] At this point everyone in the council stared at Stephen because his face became as bright as an angel's.
In particular, notice in verse 14 that the religionist's resistance was against change. They were happy with the status quo and didn't want anyone to change their customs. Because of this, they stirred others up against Stephen and even promoted lies. But notice that verse 15 signifies that God's hand was upon Stephen and his continuation of Jesus' point of need ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit.
All of Acts chapter seven gives us a record of Stephen's defense. Through his words he begins to point the religionist to their history and how that God used people who embraced change and not fear. Check out the first paragraph of Stephen's defense:
(Acts 7:1-8 NLT) Then the high priest asked Stephen, "Are these accusations true?" [2] This was Stephen's reply: "Brothers and honorable fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he moved to Haran. [3] God told him, 'Leave your native land and your relatives, and come to the land that I will show you.' [4] So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live. [5] But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole country would belong to Abraham and his descendants--though he had no children yet. [6] But God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign country where they would be mistreated as slaves for four hundred years. [7] 'But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,' God told him, 'and in the end they will come out and worship me in this place.' [8] God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. And so Isaac, Abraham's son, was circumcised when he was eight days old. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob was the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Jewish nation.
Change is inevitable. We can either embrace it or fear it. Great people of the Bible always embraced the change that God was trying to bring.
Abraham of the Bible embraced change in three ways:
He obeyed God. The person of God obeys God even when they have no idea what the consequences may be.
He was a person of faith. The person of God believes that God's promises are true. They may not know where they are going, but they know that under God's guidance, the best is yet to come.
He was a person of hope. The person of God may never see all of God's promises fulfilled in their lifetime, but they never doubt that they will come to pass in God's timing.
Christ desires to change us as we follow Him. He will give us His mind and His heart. He will change the way we think. He will change the way we feel towards others and how we treat them. If we embrace the changes He desires in us, we will become Christ like over time. If we fear the changes He desires to bring in us, we will stay the same - religious, but not Christ like.
I encourage you to embrace change today and not fear. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and continue His point of need ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. And always take a stand for justice.
I pray for those in leadership positions in America. I pray for both Republicans and Democrats realizing that God is neither, but He does use government to take care of the social needs of people when the church steps out and is financially distracted from the mission of Christ by facilities, programs and events. I pray that the leadership of America will provide a health care solution that will take care of all people equally. It's the right thing to do.
You will find some helpful information on Health-Care Reform at these links provided by the great people at Sojourners:
We have been enjoying going out in the backyard at night this week and watching the Perseid meteor showers. Amazing!
It has reminded me of just how big God is and how spectacular is His creation, but yet out of everything, He favors us and takes care of us.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? - Psalm 8:3-4
The kingdom of God
is justice and peace
and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Come, Lord, and open in us
the gates of your kingdom.
- Hymn from Taizé,
an ecumenical monastic community in France
What a powerful definition of the kingdom of God and an equally powerful plea for it to come in our lives which will propagate it to the world around us.
Jesus taught us through His words and actions as He walked this earth that the kingdom of God is all about equality for all, including health equality, gender equality, economic equality and racial equality. After the crucifixion and resurrection and just prior to His ascension back to glory, He gave us the great commandment of loving God and people along with the great commission of propagating His Kingdom on earth until He comes.
When we pray, following the model prayer that Jesus gave us, and we pray for His Kingdom to come, He answers that prayer through epowering us by the Holy Spirit to live for justice. We live our life bringing about health, gender, economic and racial equality in our sphere of influence and to the entire world that we live in.
May God’s Kingdom come and may His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen!
There is a Gatorade ad that says “You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face.” What do you think of when you read that? I think about how we all have choices to make and our present, as wells as our future, will be impacted by the choices we make now. I can envision a runner that is running a race. It’s hot and most of it is uphill. They are drenched in sweat and their heart is racing. Will they make it to the finish line? To do so will require pushing the body beyond what they thought in their mind was possible for them to do. It won’t be easy. It will mean perseverance. Will they finish or will they quit? The choice is theirs and theirs alone.
Life is full of decisions that we have to make on a daily basis. Some are easy, such as “what will I eat for breakfast, cereal or toast?” Others are more difficult. Some only impact our present such as “do I take the bus today or do I walk?” Some impact our future. But there are always decisions to make.
There is one decision that will impact our present and our future that everyone will have to make on their own. No one can make this decision for us, not even God. If He did, He would not be a just God, and God is just. No, He won’t decide for us, but He loves us so much that He will bring us to a decision point. The choice will be ours. Will we be a Christ follower? It is the most important decision we will ever make.
I have been doing a verse by verse study through the book of Acts in the Bible. The book of Acts tells us what people who decided to follow Jesus did after the crucifixion of Jesus, His burial, His resurrection and His ascension back to glory. What has really jumped out at me so far, in just the first seven chapters, is how many times God brought the people of that day to a decision point.
First of all, there were the ones who had been following Christ prior to His crucifixion. After the resurrection and before the ascension, Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem until He sent them the Holy Spirit. There were only 120 people that decided to obey Christ and wait. Ten days after the ascension, Jesus filled the 120 that decided to wait with the Holy Spirit so that they would be empowered to continue His ministry on earth. Their choice has impacted the entire world.
Next, there were the religionists of that day. God brought the religionists to decision points over and over again through Christ followers continuing the point of need ministry of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through these Christ followers, who met both corporately in the Temple and also in smaller house groups, the religionists witnessed anointed Christ-centric preaching, powerful miracles, unified praying and social justice resulting from their love for one another.
Why does God bring people to decision points? (John 3:16 NIV) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
You see, God wants you to make it. He wants you to make it so bad that He sent Jesus into our world to die for the forgiveness of our sins. Now He wants us to believe in Jesus, trust Him and to follow Him from earth to glory, but He won’t make our decision for us. He brings us to many decision points, but the choice is always ours.
Jesus is calling us in our day to follow Him. He says "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. [25] If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. [26] And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul? [27] For I, the Son of Man, will come in the glory of my Father with his angels and will judge all people according to their deeds. (Matthew 16:24-27 NLT)
God continues to bring us to decision points. He wants us to make it. I’ve made my choice. I have decided to follow Jesus. What do you decide?
There is a song that I learned as a child that is ringing in my mind as I write this. It goes like this:
There are a lot of people that are always willing to use the resources available to them to help others. I'm sure that you know some. I know that I have people in my life that, if I would call upon them for help, they would help in every way possible. I thank God for them. These people are gifts of God’s grace that He places in our life to reflect Him.
O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. ~ Psalm 86:5, NLT
Heavenly Father, I thank you for all the people that you have placed in my life that reflect you. Forgive me for the times I have not been ready or made myself available to help others. Help me be more like you so that others may come to know you and your goodness I pray. Amen.
I’m going to take some time today to send a few notes of thanks to those that God has put in my life to reflect Him.
From time to time we all need encouragement.I try to keep as many people as I can encouraged and uplifted throughout the week because we all are called to be encouragers ( Hebrews 10:24-25 ).When we are fulfilling that purpose, there is a joy that is unspeakable that comes to us.
It’s great to be encouraged by others and we all need that in exponential measure, but we can also help keep ourselves encouraged.Let me give you a formula for doing that and you can practice it and prove the equation in your life if you are not already doing so.
Encouragement = Rejoicing + Patience + Praying.
The basis for this formula is given to us in God’s Word.
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. ~ Romans 12:12, NLT
Our confident hope is in Jesus Christ, the One we follow.
When trouble comes our way, we know that it is just for a season and as we follow Him, He will get us through because He has overcome the world and its troubles.
Praying is the privilege that we are given by God that allows us to talk to Him about everything we are going through.It’s where we release our life to Him and leave our present and our future in His hands knowing that He is in total control and is directing our steps.
Always remember that Encouragement = Rejoicing + Patience + Praying.It’s an equation that we all can live by and be blessed!
My son Austin and I have been real busy the last couple of years replacing the non-edible landscaping in our backyard with edible landscaping.We have a really small backyard.I can mow it with four trips of the lawnmower back and forth, but there is a lot of landscaping around the entire perimeter of the back yard.Now we have blueberry bushes, blackberry bushes, strawberries, a four way pear tree, a 5 way apple tree and I’ve grown tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage, bell peppers, pumpkins and cauliflower right in my landscape.This summer we are enjoying the fruit of our labor.
Our labor was pretty intense.We dug up trees and bushes that had been established for years.We did it all by hand.Some only had surface roots and were easy to get out.Others had roots that went deep.We would dig and dig and the roots kept going and going.Some trees we had to spend a few days working on because the roots went so deep.There were some that we dug down three to four feet and the roots kept going so we had to cut them off to get the tree out.
We learned a lot about roots.The deeper they go, the harder it is to move the plant.For those that grow deep spiritual roots in Jesus, they are hard to move when the storms of life hit with ever increasing winds of adversity.They are determined to stand strong in the midst of it all and it’s their roots that are grounded in Jesus that enables and empowers them when it would seem they should be toppling over.
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.~ Colossians 2:7, NLT
Let your roots grow deep in Him friend.Read the Scriptures, pray, deny yourself, follow Him and continue His point of need ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit.Let your roots grow deep in Him.Nothing will move you.
I read a great book several years ago on the subject of change titled “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson ( Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life ).I highly recommend it because everything around us is in constant change and that oftentimes can bring much anxiety to our lives because it is our nature to resist change.
When it comes to relationships, we find out how rapidly people can change.Our ideas, beliefs, personalities, moods, knowledge and intelligence can be in constant change.Who can we look to for stability?There is only one person that I know that never changes.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ~ Hebrews 13:8, NLT
As we look to Him and as we follow Him, we will find the stability we need in an environment that is in constant change and we will feel the anxiety that comes with change dissipate.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:1-2 ESV)
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) in an article posted in the August 2009 issue of 
, a collection of Dr. King's sermons
).
