Lighthouse Connected

Protecting Your Church

2010-07-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

Protecting Your Church

You are joined together with peace through the spirit, so make every effort to continue together in this way. Ephesians 4:3

Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:14

It is your job to protect the unity of your church. Unity in the church is so important that the New Testament gives more attention to it than to either heaven or hell. God deeply desires that we experience oneness and harmony with each other.

Unity is the soul of fellowship. Destroy it, and you rip the heart out of Christ’s body. It is the essence, the core, of how God intends for us to experience life together in his church. Our supreme model for unity is God himself he is one and seen as a father a son and a spirit yet he is the one God Jesus Christ. God himself is the highest example of sacrificial love, humble, other centeredness, and perfect harmony. Just like every parent our heavenly father enjoys watching his children get along with each other. In his final moments before being arrested, Jesus prayed passionately for our unity. It was our unity that was uppermost in his mind during those agonizing hour. That shows how significant unity is to God.

Nothing on earth is more valuable to God than his church. He paid the highest price for it, and he wants it protected, especially from the devastating damage that is caused by division, conflict, and disharmony. If you are a part of God’s family, it is your responsibility to protect the unity where you fellowship. You are commissioned by Jesus Christ to do everything possible to preserve the unity, protect the fellowship, and promote the harmony in your church family and among all believers. The Bible says “Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” How are we to do this? The bible gives us practical advice.

FOCUS ON WHAT WE HAVE IN COMMON

Not our differences. Paul said “Let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony, and on the growth of one another’s character.” As believers we share one LORD, one body, one purpose, one father, one spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one love. We share the same Salvation, the same life, and the same future. Factors far more important than any differences we could enumerate. These are the issues, not our personal differences that we should concentrate on. We must remember it was God who chose to give us different personalities, races, backgrounds and preferences, so we should value and enjoy those differences, not merely tolerate them. God wants unity not uniformity. But for his sake we must never let differences divide us. We must stay focused on what matters most—learning to love each other as Christ has loved us, and fulfilling Gods purposes for us and his church.

Conflict is usually a sign that the focus has shifted to less important issues, things the bible calls “disputable matters”. When we focus on personalities, preferences, interpretations, styles, or methods division always happens. But if we concentrate on loving each other and fulfilling God’s purposes, harmony results. Paul pleaded for this “ Let there be real harmony so there wont be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

Be REALISTIC IN YOUR EXPECTATIONS

Once you discover what God intends real fellowship to be, it is easy to become discouraged by the gap between the ideal and the real in your church. Yet we must passionately love the church in spite of its imperfections. Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is evidence of immaturity. On the other hand settling for the real w/o striving for the ideal is complacency. Maturity is living with the tension. Other believers will disappoint you and let you down, but that’s no excuse to stop fellowshipping with them. They are your family, even when they don’t act like it, and you can’t just walk out on them. Instead God tells us, “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each others faults because of your love.”

People become disillusioned with the church for many understandable reasons. The list is quite long: Conflict, hurt, hypocrisy, neglect, pettiness, legalism and other sins. Rather than being shocked and surprised we must remember that the church is made up of real sinners, including ourselves. Because we are sinners, we hurt each other, sometimes intentionally sometimes unintentionally. But instead of leaving the church. We need to stay and work it out if at all possible. Reconciliation not running away is the road to stronger character and deeper fellowship.

Divorcing your church at the first sign of disappointment or disillusionment is a mark of immaturity. God has things he wants to teach you and others to. Besides there is not perfect church to escape to. Every church has its own set of weaknesses and problems. You’ll soon be disappointed again.

Groucho Marx was famous for saying he wouldn’t want to belong to any club that wouldn’t let him in. If a church must be perfect to satisfy u that same perfection with exclude you from membership, because your not perfect.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German Pastor who was martyred for resisting Nazi’s, wrote a classic book on fellowship, “Life together” In it he suggests that disillusionment with our local church is a good thing because it destroys our false expectations of perfection. The sooner we give up the illusion that a church must be perfect in order to love it, the sooner we quit pretending and start admitting that we are all imperfect and need grace. This is the beginning of real community.

Every church could put out a sign “no perfect people need apply” This is a place only for those who admit they are sinners, need grace, and want to grow.” Bonhoeffer said “He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter… If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even when there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary we keep complaining that everything is paltry and petty, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow.”

CHOOSE TO ENCOURAGE RATHER THAN CRITICIZE

It is always easier to stand on the sidelines and take shots at those who are serving than it is to get involved and make a contribution. God warns us over and over not to compare or judge each other. When you criticize what another believer is doing in faith and from sincere conviction, you are interfering with God’s business. “What right do you have to criticize someone elses servant? Only their lord can decide if they are doing right.”

Paul adds that we must not stand in judgement or look down on other believers whose convictions differ from our own: “Why then, criticize your brothers actions, why try to make him look small? We shall all be judged one day, not by each others standards or even our won, but by the standard of Christ. Whenever I judge another believer 4 things happen instantly. 1. I lose fellowship with God 2. I expose my own pride and insecurity 3. I set myself up to be judged by God 4. and I harm the fellowship of the church. A critical spirit is a costly vice. The bible calls Satan the accuser of the brethren” It is the devils job to blame complain and criticize members of God’s family. Anytime we do the same we are being duped into doing his work for him. Remember other Apostolics no matter how much you disagree with them, are not the enemy. Any time we spend comparing or criticizing other believers is time we should have spent building our fellowship of unity. The Bible Says “Lets agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words, Don’t drag them down by finding fault.

REFUSE TO LISTEN TO GOSSIP

Gossip is passing on information when you are neither part of the problem or the solution. Listening to Gossip is like accepting stolen property and makes u just as guilty of the crime. When someone starts to gossip have the courage to say please stop I don’t need to know this. People who gossip to you will also gossip about you. They cant be trusted. If you listen to Gossip God calls you a troublemaker.” Troublemakers listen to troublemakesrs. There are ones who split churches thinking only of themselves.”

It is sad that in God’s flock, the greatest wounds usually come from other sheep and not wolves. Paul warned about cannibal Christians who “devour one another” and destroy the fellowship. The bible warns us to avoid such. “ A gossip reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a babbler.” The fastest way to end a church or small group conflict is to lovingly confront those who are gossiping and insist they stop. Solomon pointed out that “Fire goes out from a lack of fuel, and tensions disappear when gossip stops.”

Practice GODS METHOD OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Jesus gave the church a simple 3 step process. “ If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen take one or 2 others with you so the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church.”

During conflict, it is tempting to complain to a 3rd party rather than courageously speak the truth in love to the person you are upset with. This makes the matter worse. Instead you should go directly to the person involved. Private confrontation is always the first step, and you should take it as soon as possible. If you are unable to work things out between the 2 of you, the next step is to take on witnesses to confirm the problem and reconcile the relationship. And if the person is still stuck in Stubbornness you take it to the church. And then if the person still refuses you treat him like and unbeliever.

SUPPORT YOUR PASTOR AND LEADERS

There are no perfect leaders, but God gives leaders the responsibility and authority to maintain the unity of the church. During interpersonal conflicts that is a thankless job. Pastors often have the unpleasant tasks of serving as a mediator between hurt, confliction, or immature members. They are also given the impossible task of trying to make everyone happy which even Jesus could not do. The Bible clearly tells us how to treat our pastor “Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work and under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them”

Pastors will one day stand before God and give an account for your soul. But you are accountable to. You will give and account with how good your followership was of your God-given leaders.

Pastors are to deal with divisive people by avoiding arguments, gentle teaching while praying, warn the argumentative, plead for harmony and unity, rebuke the disrespectful of leadership, and remove divisive people from the church if they ignore 2 warnings.

WE protect the fellowship when we honor those who serve us by leading. We are commanded “Honor those leaders who work so hard for you, and who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love.

I challenge you to put your full effort into promoting the unity of your church. We have to do whats best for the body not just self. God puts us in a church family to learn unselfishness. In community we learn to say we instead of I and our instead of mine” God says “Don’t think only of your own Good. Think of other Christians and whats best for them.

God blesses churches that are unified. At Saddleback every member signs a covenant that includes a promise to protect the unity of our fellowship. As a result the church has never had a church splitting conflict. When God has a bunch of baby believers he wants to deliver he looks for the warmest incubator he can find. What are you doing personally o make your church more warm and loving. There are many people that need a place to be loved and belong. And when the world finds a church where Christians truly love and care for each other you would have to lock the doors to keep them away.

Chapter 21 Edited and changed basic thought from Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

Identity Crisis "A Royal Bride"

2009-02-18T18:17:00.000-08:00

“Identity Crisis” A Royal Bride”
Admiral James Stockdale a vice presidential candidate who ran with Ross Perot uttered these words to lead off his Vice Presidential debate “ Who am I? and What am I doing here?” I remember hearing these words and thinking if you don’t know who you are and why you are here Why should I vote for you for VP. Yet these questions are the ones we often ask Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? What am I going to do with my life?

A young lady named Hadassah faced many issues. She lived with her uncle Mort he worked at the local palace and was very religious. She was devout in her faith and strong. Her name Hadassah is Jewish for “Myrtle”. Does anyone here know anyone named myrtle. What kind of images does the name myrtle bring to mind. Homely, ancient, the images aren’t pleasant. Parents aren’t just running out and naming their children myrtle these days. Anyway Myrtle lived with her uncle Mort in ancient Persia. The king had a big party to celebrate his greatness and invited his wife Vashti. Vashti had better things to do than visit her husband so she blew him off. This greatly offended the king that his bride the love of his life didn’t value his presence so he turned away from her and created a plan to find a new bride one that would value his presence. So he held a beauty pageant and invited all the lovely ladies of the land to participate in this contest.
So Myrtle became a part of this contest a young lady of faith and strong beliefs. You see a myrtle tree is usually a small tree found growing even in the rocks in most cases it looks more like a flowering bush than a tree not growing much over 6 feet tall yet if given the proper sun and water it can grow straight and tall with lovely flowering branches. Myrtle like the other girls probably dreamed of being the queen and winning the heart of the King yet she was not willing to compromise who she was to win. The girls in the pageant were given training in all the arts of beauty skin treatments and perfuming every exotic eye pleasing makeup known to the Persian empire was available. They had the Eunuch eye for the Straight Bride Show with every type of clothing known to appeal to the eye of a man. It was a no holds barred beauty pageant in which the king would define to his empire what he found beautiful. The king by his choice would define beauty for his empire. Who would he choose? What characteristics would he want in a bride? Surely Myrtle would need plastic surgery an extreme makeover and a complete new wardrobe to compete in this contest. The head of the eunuchs was astounded when Myrtle turned down the surgeons and makeover artistes. He must have said silly girl I know what the King likes or has in the past. Myrtle chose to be herself a simplistic approach that accentuated her natural beauty while the other girls became cookie cutter porcelain dolls. Myrtle kept her originality and her natural beauty and wit set her apart from the cookie cutter crowd. Her choice to be herself set her apart and made her different. And these choices led to her being chose as the queen. You see the king wasn’t looking for another bride like Vashti. He was looking for an original someone unique someone special. And he chose myrtle. In the preparation process something happened to this hadassah (myrtle) her name was changed. She was tested and tried it would have been so easy to compromise to cut her hair to just fit in with the other girls. It would be easy to be a cookie cutter princess everyone is doing it. Yet only one would be the Queen.

There must have been many opportunities and times where she wondered Who am I? Am I good enough the way I am? Yet thru it all she was true to her God and her faith. She was tested over and over again and Queen Esther came thru tried and true. The little girl named myrtle who was true to her God and herself became the most powerful woman in the land of Persia.

The book of Esther is the only book of the bible that does not directly speak of God. Though it is a beautiful picture of a two brides. One that values her king enough to come at his bidding the other who becomes to occupied with themselves that they forget their King. Kinda sounds like the Children of the Israel and the Church. God had a people Israel that continually turned away from him and didn’t value him or his presence. They became so entrenched in their laws “beauty treatments” traditions that they didn’t have time for God anymore. In fact they went thru the motions of what they thought that he would like based on the trends of the day. They fixed themselves up to fit the trend rather than the king. God has turned to a called out people of all nations races and personality types who are true to their God and themselves and he has a desire for you to enter this pageant just as you are and his spirit will enter you and prepare you for your trip before your King. You king already has the cattle on a thousand hills . He already has everything you have ever wanted or desired. Will you desire his coming he is looking for a people that desire his coming a bride that he wants to take away to be with him in heaven. God is looking for some people for an identity change. Are you ready for an Apostolic makeover?

The Reality of Redemption

2009-02-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

Oswald Chambers wrote "As workers we have to get used to the revelation that Redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect, not a cause, and if we place our faith in human goodness, in the effect of redemption, we shall go under when the test comes.
Paul did not say he separated himself, but "when it pleased God who separated me..." Paul didnt have a hypersensitive interest in his own character. As long as our eyes are on our own personal interests we shall never get near the reality of Redemption. Workers break down because their desire is for their own goals and not for God. Saying "Don't ask me to come into contact with the rugged reality of Redeption on behalf of the filth of human life as it is; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes." To talk in that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me; there is no reckless abandon to God. God Cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul is unconscious of himself, he is recklessly abandoned. separated by God for one purpose- to proclaim the gospel of God (cf Rom 9:3) Romans 1:1 Separated unto the gospel. "

God can change any life situation or circumstance he miraculously moved upon Paul redeeming him from his murderous ways. It is amazing the power of God to change any life yet the focus has to be upon Jesus and not self. When we focus upon ourselves and not upon the purpose of God in our lives we tend to find failure. But when we are redeemed "God Separated" we must focus now not on our self-perfection but upon spreading the good news and as we strive for his purpose he perfects us along the way. As we know him we are known. The church does not exist to perfect the saints but to impact their world with Jesus. A church whose focus is internal is a church that often is at war with itself. When the focus is on anything but the gospel
we miss the point of our redemption. The point of God separating us delivering us from the mess of sin we were in was so that we could share that saving message of hope with others. Personal holiness comes from a heart that has been separated and cannot be a forced thing. We must be the redeemed. Let the redeemed of the lord say so. If you have been redeemed experienced the saving power and deliverance of God not merely professed his existence but been set apart by him you have the power to walk with God. We are redeemed and as we walk with God he perfects us saving us and sanctifying us. Its not a onetime thing but a real relationship with a living saviour. When we focus on Jesus we realize he is the only reality that matters God didn't come to bring us to a new awareness of self, but to give us a new identity and name that exceeds any our minds could conceive. He isn't interested in the labels we place upon ourselves and each other, but wholly upon his greater purpose of touching the lives of every last man and woman upon this earth with this gospel. Redeeming them from the junk heap of their addictions and failings giving them hope in the midst of this searching generation.

I am therefore I think

2009-01-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

Reality is defined as perception. What we can feel, see, hear, taste, and smell becomes our reality. The problem then comes in the fallibility of those senses. How one can perceive a glass of liquid as half empty and another can perceive that same glass as half full. The reality is the amounts of liquid are the same yet the difference is found in how it was seen. So often we look upon situations with our eyes and perceive things that give us hope and other things that cause hope to flee. So how do we deal with the fallibility of our senses and find the elusive thing called truth. How do we perceive the inconceivable.

My mind was jarred to thought by the recent events commonly referred to as the miracle on the Hudson. The plane crash of an Airbus 380 into the Hudson River with no loss of Life. A flawless rescue after a miraculous landing and a group of passengers that stayed calm through it all. The quickness of first responders in New York was excellent. The pilot who happened to have a specialty in gliding executed as perfect a landing as possible. The eminence of death serves to bring clarity to the mind at peace. It was miraculous that in the face of death the reaction was not one of fear but of action.

We benefit by doses of reality in this spin sick world. Reality is often stranger than fiction. The effect of hope is more amazing than the debilitation of fear. If we would beleive the spin meisters who spew gloom and doom, disaster and destruction, failure and fear it would really be easy to live in a world of depression. In a physical sense if a person is depressed they exhibit certain behaviors that are self- defeating in nature. Low self-esteem causes them to become involved in relationships that are dangerous. Depression is a cyclical thing a downward spiral into the abyss of failure. There are those that say we are in a depression financially and the same indicators seem to be there. Self-Defeating behaviors as a nation of debtors trying to pull ourselves off of a debt addiction by spending money we don't have is akin to a gambler who tries to pull himself out of a gambling addiction by gambling. We often want to avoid reality in our lives and our nation. Many realities are harsh and unforgiving. Some truths require us to change from the comfortable state we are in. Reality brings about change in our lives.

We have seen recent cases of billionaires committing suicide and investors faking suicide by plane crash. Their reality was in their money and once it was gone so was their hope. They could not face their perceived reality. They could not face the world stripped of their money and status shamed by circumstances mostly out of their control. What is your trust in? Is it in your money?
Is it in your family? Is it in your politics? We are fallible as humanity. We only know in part and see in part. We see as looking thru a dark glass which is a loose quotation from the Apostle Paul.
At any one time we have only a partial ability to perceive reality and truth. For us to come to a place of reality perception we must have an occurence of revelation. Truth is a revealed commodity we can only receive it through our 5 senses most often the senses of hearing and sight. We learn truth thru hearing truth and seeing it in action. Revelation is the process of revealing the truth. Truth is revealed and can literally be written upon your heart and mind if you are open to it.

The children of Israel were given specific warnings known as prophecies to warn them of coming political change. One of these is in ,Habakkuk 1:5 "Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously; for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not beleive, though it be told you." How can that be a warning the usual context you hear it in is one of hope and positive change. Yet the context the prophecy was given in was one of change the Chaldeans were prophesied to utterly destroy Israel. The preceding verse gives the offense of the nation against God. Habakkuk 1:4 "Therefore the law is slacked, and judgement doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. It is a difficult thing to beleive that good men were to be destroyed by the evil Chaldeans yet history proves Habakkuk's prophecy in the destruction of Israel at this time. Good men whose senses were dulled to judgment and allowed iniquity to rule over right judgment were overtaken by men who were violent. Habakkuk says the Chaldean nation was established for correction. So just how much does truth mean to God? How important is right judgment? Is your perception correct?

The direction of America and the American Church concerns me. Prosperity has become the gospel replacing truth and the Revelation that brings lasting change in Christ. So how timely is a recession to bring us truth that In God we trust is more than a saying printed on our money. What is more timely than in the midst of the trouble a miraculous occurrence on the Hudson to seem to say I am still God yes I exist in the midst of a world that has lost all trust. I exist in the midst of world turmoil. I still move and amaze men by my miraculous works. He seems to say I will get your attention by any means necessary. I am the God of the Hurricane. The God of the Tsunami, The God of the Earthquake, The God of the Tornado, The God upon whom nations rise and fall. Put your confidence in me. Put your trust in me. Know that whether it is cold or warm whether circumstances seem against you and all hope is gone in your life. Jesus is the hope of this nation. He wants to reveal himself to you to be your reality he wants to show you a new perception. He wants to correct your judgments and guide your paths. If you can but trust him
and turn to him.

Heart Corruptions

2008-11-25T18:46:00.000-08:00

The following is an edited selection from a puritan prayer. It is amazing to me the focus that the puritans had on maintain purity not only of action but thought.

Heart Corruptions

O, God

May thy spirit speak in me that I may speak to thee.
I have no merit, let the merit of Jesus stand for me.
I am undeserving, but I look to thy tender mercy.
I am full of infirmities, wants, sin; thou art full of grace.
I confess my sin, my frequent sin, my wilful sin;
All of my powers of body and soul are defiled:
A fountain of pollution is deep within my nature.
There are chambers of foul imaginations within my being;
I have gone from one odious room to another,
walked in a no mans land of dangerous imaginations,
pried into the secrets of my fallen nature.
I am utterly ashamed that I am what I am in myself;
I have no green shoot in me nor fruit, but thorns and thistles;
I am a fading leaf that the wind drives away;
I live bare and barren as a winter tree,
unprofitable, fit to be hewn down and burnt.
Lord dost thou have mercy on me?
Thou hast struck a heavy blow at my pride,
at the false god of self,
and I lie in pieces before thee.
But thou hast given me another master and lord, Jesus,
and now my heart is turned toward holiness,
my life speeds as an arrow from a bow
towards complete obedience to thee.
Help me in all my doings to put down sin and to humble pride.
Save me from the love of the world and the pride of life,
from everything that is natural for fallen man,
and let Christs nature be seen in me day by day.
Grant me grace to bear thy will without whining, and delight to be
not only chiseled, squared, or fashioned,
but separated from from the old rock where I have been embedded so long,
and lifted from the quarry to the upper air, where I may be built in Christ
forever.

How far gone in time is this prayer. When men used to bare their souls to the living God to give him with brutal honesty an account of the secret portions of their hearts. It is not what goes in a man that defiles him but rather that which comes out. It is in the secret place where the light of Gods mercy exposes your innermost being that God changes your very heart. It is in this secret place that men of God are birthed. That light shines forth thru our lives and impacts our world. It is my prayer that God shine his searchlight upon my heart and change the corruptible into incorruptible. The flawed into the perfect.

The Change we Need

2008-10-23T19:45:00.001-07:00

Much has been made this political season of the need for a change. Both candidates are emphasizing their ability to change declaring to us that they are the change that we need. Banks and Brokerages are declaring bankruptcy seemingly unshakeable economic institutions and insurers seeming bedrocks of surety are failing. We are told the only choice we have to stop the bleeding is an economic bailout of epic proportions. Ultimately we are left with a shattered faith in not only these companies, but in our government as well. But were either really worthy of our faith in the first place.

America has become a nation of people who are bankrupt of Faith. Though our money may say "in God we trust" many have trusted in the green above God. We cry of the need for prayer in schools but have no prayer in our homes or even some churches. And the prayer that does exists are merely recitations of words and not heartfelt prayers to a God we know and love. Faith and Truth are words from a bygone era. Truth is relative and Changing Faith is forgotten.
Christians are merely people who profess a God they do not know. The divorce rate outside the Christian community is very similar to the divorce rate inside the Christian community. Jesus has been commercialized to our culture from Christian movies to T-shirts and Gold Cross chains around the neck. Icons and Idols reflect Christian bling in society but where is the Faith in Christ. Its a heart issue not a stuff issue. True Christianity has never been about riches or the Get rich quick mentality that seems to permeate the Televangelists. Greed has no place in the church. What would Jesus who overturned the tables on the moneychangers who used a counterfeit Faith to justify their profiteering in the temple would say about a system that robs from the poor to profit the rich.

Socialism and Capitalism are world systems and not Christian Systems. Charles Wesley taught a different type of economics. Make all you can, Give all You Can, Save All you can. His contemporary The father our economic system Adam Smith taught of a unseen hand a force that allows us to Make all we can. The concept that the markets will somehow always right themselves. That capitalism will never fail the markets make the rules. Supply and Demand are the rule what people want people get. Capitalism is not a Christian system we are not on this earth to merely make all you can the only part of Charles Wesleys economics that Adam Smith would agree with. We are here with a higher purpose to give all that we can to express our love for our fellow man. But you see to give what we have requires faith. Faith that our needs will be supplied Faith that we will have food on the table and lights on in our houses. That our children will have clothes on their backs and a quality life.
Our current crises is caused by Banks lack of faith in the American people to pay their debts. This lack of faith has paralyzed lending and the housing markets holding hostage an entire segment of the economy. Our churches are paralyzed by a lack of faith in Christ blessed economically the American church instead of giving has trusted instead in retirement plans trusting the markets to increase a nest egg to spread th gospel instead of investing in the kingdom now and seeing what God will do. Faith in God is expressed in action. You can express outrage at people wanting to take "in God we trust" off of our money but I am afraid that movement is merely a reflection of the bankruptcy in faith that America is experiencing.
When you trust an unseen hand you have a confidence that everything is going to be alright. You have hope for a better future for your children. When you subtract faith disaster is eminent
things are bad and getting worse. Hope is replaced with despair. But in the darkness of despair those who possess Faith shine even brighter.
The change we need isn't a new economic system or a new take on another old system, but rather a Revival of Apostolic faith in Christ. We don't need dead religion or traditions of men but a renewal of the Acts experience. A fresh faith in Christ that no matter what the condition of our economy or disposition of our 401K that we continue putting his kingdom first helping others and following his truths. It is times like these that separate the professors of faith from the possessors of faith. Those that say they beleive in Christ from those that beleive. We have been sold an anti-christ view of Christianity that is more pseudo-christ in nature. Faith has been diluted by pop-culture expressions of Christ. We have lost the personal revelation of Christ and instead look for him in secular expressions and places the simplicity and authentic power of Jesus have been replaced by an easy beleiving faith that does not require us to change from a state of sin to the abundant life in Christ.
If you keep living in sin that is the reward you will get. Drug addiction will ultimately lead to your economic failure. Failures of marriages and divorces cost a lot both emotionally and financially. Freedom in Christ is free yet it saves you so much more than money and provides so much peace in troubled time. It is time for those professing Christianity to possess a relationship with Christ. I want my heart to burn within me as a revival of Faith is rebirthed in my soul.
God you are my provider. I trust in you in good times and bad my confidence is not in leaders of nations for their risings and fallings are in your hands. The very earth is held in your hands and the universe is held together by you. Some trust in Stock Markets and Banks and Governments but I trust in the name of the Lord our God.

My soul is stirred by a need for a personal revival. I became distracted by the politics of this election and when I spent some time with God I was reminded that no matter the result our times are in his hands and his will be done. I felt the winds of revival and experienced a reassurance that this time of fear will result in many coming to a fresh trust and revelation of the Living God in Christ. Jesus is the Change we need.

Neat Story about the song "Precious Lord"

2008-10-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Unsure of the source received in an e-mail. Enjoy Dave

THE BIRTH OF THE SONG 'PRECIOUS LORD'Back in 1932, I was a fairly new husband. My wife, Nettie and IWere living in a little apartment on Chicago 's south side. One hotAugust afternoon I had to go to St. Louis where I was to be the featuredSoloist at a large revival meeting. I didn't want to go. Nettie wasIn the last month of pregnancy with our first child. But a lot ofPeople were expecting me in St. Louis. I kissed Nettie good-bye,Clattered downstairs to our Model A and, in a fresh Lake MichiganBreeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66.However, outside the city, I discovered that in my anxiety atLeaving, I had forgotten my music case. I wheeled around and headed back.I found Nettie sleeping peacefully. I hesitated by her bed;Something was strongly telling me to stay. But eager to get on my way, andNot wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off the feeling and quietlySlipped out of the room with my music.The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called onMe to sing again and again. When I finally sat down, a messenger boyRan up with a Western Union telegram. I ripped open the envelope.Pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: YOUR WIFE JUST DIED.People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I couldHardly keep from crying out. I rushed to a phone and called home. All ICould hear on the other end was 'Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead.'When I got back, I learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. II swung between grief and joy. Yet that same night, the baby died. IBuried Nettie and our little boy together, in the same casket. ThenI fell apart.For days I closeted myself I felt that God had done me anInjustice. I didn't want to serve Him anymore or write gospel songs. I justWanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well. But then,As I hunched alone in that dark apartment those first sad days, IThought back to the afternoon I went to St. Louis. Something kept tellingMe to stay with Nettie. Was that something God? Oh, if I had paid moreAttention to Him that day, I would have stayed and been with NettieWhen she died.From that moment on I vowed to listen more closely to Him. ButStill I was lost in grief. Everyone was kind to me, especially oneFriend. The following Saturday evening he took me up to Maloney's PoroCollege , a neighborhood music school. It was quiet; the late evening sunCrept through the curtained windows.I sat down at the piano, and my hands began to browse over theKeys. Something happened to me then. I felt at peace. I felt as though ICould reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody,Once into my head they just seemed to fall into place:

Precious Lord, Take my hand,
Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am Worn,
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light,
take My hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.The Lord gave me these words and melody, He also healed my spirit.I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feelFarthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open toHis restoring power.And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until thatDay comes when He will take me and gently lead me home. Tommy Dorsey- For those too young to know who he is, Tommy Dorsey was a band leader in the Thirties and Forties. Did you know that Tommy Dorsey wrote this song? I surely didn't. What a wonderful story of how God CAN heal the broken hearted! Beautiful, isn't it?

Our New Identity in Christ

2008-09-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

Apostolics live far short of God’s desire for their lives. We die to flesh and God literally breathes his spirit into us with the evidence of speaking in other tongues and great joy the Holy Ghost. Yet the process of dying out to flesh and living to spirit is not meant as a one time experience. The apostolic beleiver must learn to die Daily as Paul instructs. The reason Paul died daily is that he understood that to live in the spirit the cross of flesh must be carried daily so that the spirit could live fresh in our lives.
Gal 3:26-29
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
KJV

We become one in Christ our labels and separations of this world the functions we serve fall away our personal preferences must be crucified to allow us to Grow in Christ . This is the lesson on Unity where the Rubber meets the Road to achieve apostolic unity we must achieve unity with each other and the easiest way to do that is keep unity with Christ. Wow how simple yet when we add the flesh in the most difficult thing that we humans do is keep flesh out of our relationships the Galatians had a similar problem they were freed by the sacrifice of Christ yet kept going back to the law of moses keeping certain dates and traditions thinking that they would bring them closer to God
Gal 4:9-11
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

The Galatian church had a problem becoming very zealous in their pursuit of the law returning to their past religiosity seeking salvation in the law rather than the law giver Jesus Christ. Jesus has come to literally give us a new identity not merely be accepted by us and then have us return to our old ways the Galatians old ways were under the law our ways as gentiles are lawless. We have no understanding of the law none of us lived under the restrictive law of moses. In fact our society is the exact opposite If we have any rules at all or call anything right or wrong our society claims we are legalistic like it is a cuss word. God is still a holy God a righteous God and we cannot be his without being adopted by him by taking on his spirit we are adopted as a son of God thru Jesus Christ. We take on the name thru baptism and dying out to flesh and we receive our adoption papers thru the infilling of the holy ghost.
Our Identity in Christ is all about taking on his name and receiving his spirit. It isn’t about what we can bring to the table. It is about a new plan that Christ has for our life. Not to return to our old lives with the label Christian and no change. Taking on the name of Christ means you must leave that old junk at the altar and never look back not leave it and then walk back and pick it up at the door that 2 pack a day habit God wants to take that addiction from you and never give it back. That bitterness that you harbor in your heart toward those you feel have wronged you God doesn’t want you to pick it up again leave it at the cross.
The scripture says in Matthew 11:30 my yoke is easy and my burden is light. When we take on his burden he relieves us of our problems he is here today to take dead dry religion and give you life.
WHEN WE TAKE ON CHRIST IT MEANS WE TAKE ON A NEW SOURCE OF SELF WORTH NO LONGER DO OUR RELATIONSHIPS, JOBS, HOBBIES, OR PAST FAILURES OR SUCCESSES DEFINE US BUT RATHER THE UNITY WE FIND IN THE SACRIFICE OF THE MAN CHRIST JESUS. Our faith in him exhibited not by works of the law but by demonstration of our faith Baptism wasn’t a work of the law the holy ghost isn’t a work of the law. Working out your own salvation with fear and trembling acts 2 is not a work of the law. Living holy in the midst of an unholy world is not a work of the law. But it is the privelege of an adopted son to be schooled by those the father puts in his life to teach him how to live in his fathers world.
Gal 4:1-8
4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

We become joint heirs with Christ which means the spirit and those ministries God puts in our paths tutor us though our identity has become royalty we must grow into that royalty. Though we have put aside the old paths we still must have those tutors God has put in our lives for God to grow us into what he wants for our lives.

Eph 4:11-16
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
KJV

Our Identity unifies us with each other as we grow in grace in Christ we grow together if we walk as other gentiles walk we grow apart. Many beleivers have never gone past the initial infilling of the spirit to truly begin to grow into their role in the apostolic faith. Jesus is the door to adoption by the living God of the universe we find in scripture where there is one that no mediator is needed. Thus when we are one with Christ we live in his purpose we are one with each other and live above petty squabbles. As we learn to be one with him it is amazing that we grow closer to others that are growing closer to God.

Who Am I? Am I worth anything?

2008-09-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

Now is the time to plant in our hearts a deep commitment to the things of God. Prayer, Worship, Unity with your brothers and sisters. My New Identity means I must lose myself to find Jesus. Yet the awesome thing is that when I lose what I considered myself I find that what God had for me was much greater than what I had planned for my own life. When I asked myself the question Who am I? All I could think of in reply is functions that I serve in relation to others. I am a father, husband, preacher, son, employer, employee, teacher, student, master, servant. We find our identities from our Jobs personal success. I’m a banker, lawyer, Real Estate mogul, factory worker. We assign ourselves value based on the success we achieve well how good a lawyer are you how high up in the bank do you work. Are you a million dollar producer in Real Estate. It is easy to find our identity in our success and the toys that success brings with it.
We also find identity in our families. Who our daddy was or what he did for a living. Some people spend much money searching for past relatives who did great things . Really searching for some self-validation.
I am special because my great great grandmas second niece was the first person to eat 54 hotdogs in 5 minutes. The world is searching for that edge who am I? am I good? Why am I who I am? What makes me different from everybody else.
Some seek themselves on the internet gambling , in drugs illicit sex giving of themselves and losing themselves in the agony of broken homes and shattered dreams, finances in shambles, on the verge of suicide all hope gone. Lost in the endless pursuit of self. Living lives completely shattered by choices made.
There are many other things people seek to find themselves in sports, favorite teams winning, Beauty Pageants and treatments. All are based around mans desire to be special and unique, but also in mans will and not god’s will. We are fed definitions of beauty by this world this is beautiful all you have to do is conform to our view of beauty. Buy our products and look young forever. Botox never have a natural smile but my the wrinkles are Gone.
Such were some of us until we encountered a cross. When we are born again of the water in Jesus name we take on the name of Jesus Christ we identify with the cross of Calvary. Calvary was sufficient to take care of all of our sins and shortcomings.
The neat thing about value is that it is caused by your perception of an item. If you perceive that brand as high-end you are willing to pay a high price for that item. Our worth to God is so high that he enrobed himself in Jesus and died on a cross that we might have abundant life. Your worth is not determined by externals but truly by the plan God has for your life. He values you no matter your past or shortcomings. Don't be afraid to find him. Carry your Cross to the altar today and prepare to be altered by the master.

God's Division

2008-09-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

To Acheive oneness with God and each other we must give up our selfish visions to attain his perfection.

Our identity in Jesus unites us with a common bond no matter our ethnic background, level of education, wealth, family prestige any factor that would effectively divide you or separate you in the world is lost in those who have been born again of the water and spirit. When we take on the Baptism of Jesus Christ we bring to him the identity that we had before whether it was adulterer, envier, bitter mindedness, cusser or maybe just a well to do individual that was indifferent to God. Whatever that past meant it must be buried in the name of Jesus at baptism for us to be one with Christ. It is in that unity with Christ that we see the miraculous occur in our lives. We know Jesus is the Name brand but do we know him as the great uniter. Yet to be one with Christ means we must separate ourselves from this world unto Christ to set apart our lives in his service for his purpose. It means taking our crosses to him and trading them for his vision for our lives. We take him the junk and mess we have made with our own lives and he gives us vision and hope for tomorrow. We take past failures, attitudes, and sin that have hindered us and he gives us new vision and hope for tomorrow.
It is amazing that Jesus uses division to unite he divides us from our sin so that we can unite with him. He divides us from our past so he can give us a new future. He divides us from our old friends so he can bless us with new ones. He divides us from our sin so we can learn his holiness. The cross is where the rubber meets the road. If you are willing to be buried with him in baptism to take on his name then you must understand that decision. You are saying off with the old on with the new.

Shine your Light

2008-08-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

Is your light shining? Sometimes in life we are faced with darkness all around us. Difficult people who insist that you turn out your light. The darkness would love to consume us and extinguish our light. Upon a recent working visit to Alaska I had a chance to visit the small public museum in Ketchikan. One of the exhibits there was a old fashioned lighthouse lamp. Thousands of reflective surfaces served to magnify the source of the light in a unified fashion. The actual light would not have projected far into the darkness, but because of the unique makeup of the magnifiers the darkness was shattered and the rocks were exposed by the light ensuring that many ships were saved from disaster. By itself one reflective surface may not do much but all the reflectors work in tandem to reflect a much greater light than any one facet could do on its own.

Jesus is the Light of the world. His love showed for all on the cross of Calvary. Yet the plan goes further the light he left behind in people who become changed, their light ignited by identifying with Christ in baptism and being filled with the spirit of God, The Church is a reflector of Christ. In his plan he has called us to refect his light to the world. For the church to shine each reflector must be reflecting Jesus to the world. If a ship captain recognized the light from the lighthouse and did not change course he would be considered a fool. We are living in a world that some recognize the light and realize its existence and claim they are saved while the path they continue on leads them to the rocks of life. The light exists to show you the change necessary to avoid pitfalls in your life. We must be reflectors of the light fully shining the love and truth of Christ to the world as an example and warning so that they can see the rocks clearly and not be broken on the shores of life.
In the picture you can barely see the reflective glass surfaces in the lamp the glass reflectors leave a outline and the lamp inside is seen clearly A truly powerful church shows the world the reflection of Christ and is measured by how much of Christ shines through them. How bright is your light? Do you reflect Christ in your daily life? Can the world see Christ through you?

Who Are you?

2008-08-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

The church is unique driven by more than purpose but by identity. Purposes change. Goals differ. But Who you are is more important than what you do or even how you do it in the kingdom of God. Let us consider the fate of those who preach in his name and cast out devils in his name yet he says to them depart from me ye workers of iniquity I never knew you. The purpose of your life could be admirable yet God cares about who we are more even than what we do.

To understand who you are we must understand; Who God Is, Who you were, Who Jesus Is,
The Change that took place when you take on the identity of Christ, When you know who Jesus is then you can understand the power of the Spirit and name to make you a son of God. Over the next few weeks we will tackle the subject of the Identity Driven church and address these questions and others in our search for more of God.

The Valley of Vision

2008-08-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

I came on this prayer in a Puritan prayer book. The puritans often wrote down the subjects of their intimate times in prayer with God. Not for publication, but to test their spiritual growth and go back to in times of trial and dryness. This selection comes from The Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett.

The Valley of Vision
Lord, High and Holy, Meek and Lowly,
Thou has brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see in the heights;
hemmed in by the mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up
that to be low is to be high
that the broken heart is the healed heart
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision,
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from the deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the greater the stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley. "

Apostolic Unity

2008-08-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4 :11-16

In the apostolic church every saint was given a gift. Some apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors and teachers. There are many ministries given to perfect the saints, work in ministry, and edify the body of Christ. We are given these ministries so that we may grow into the fulness of Christ. We as saints are supposed to grow into the image of Christ himself. We are not merely called to accept him, but to be like him. This is a process of growth as we listen to his emissaries and become like Christ. Sometimes the lessons we need to learn are difficult, but as we are spoken the truth in a spirit of love we are changed. Each of us are unique and the ministries God has sent us are unique as well. Sometimes if you see a problem or need in the church maybe it is God wanting to give you a ministry to fill a void. Instead of being critical of leadership maybe you need to become more supportive of ministry. God has given us great ministry in our Church an awesome pastor and strong leadership yet if the church is to grow it will be because every part of the body does its part.