Encouraging, Empowering & Equipping Ordinary Christians To Live Powerful Missional Lives!
As Christians were are shine the light of Jesus brightly in our part of this dark world but the question I think we need to ask ourselves is how we can magnify Christ even larger in a world filled with darkness. Or, are there any obstacles that keep us from magnifying Christ in and through our lives.
When we as God’s Children hear that it is our responsibility to make sure that our community hears about the Good News of Jesus Christ we get a bit overwhelmed and begin to doubt whether or not that is even possible. This is especially true if we live in an urban area like Los Angeles or New York City.
Well I want to encourage you today and maybe even empower you using God’s Word. Take a few moments and watch this video about a time when Christ’s Good News totally saturated and urban center of that time. And then never forget. ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD!
When it come to joining Christ on His mission and seeing a church planting/disciple making movement ignite there is often one essential but overlooked principle that needs to be considered. Watch this video to learn what that principle is and then consider how we can most effectively incorporate it. Leave your thoughts as a comment.
Randy McWhorter is the former Director of the Healthy Church Group of the California Southern Baptist Convention and now the Lead Pastor of a powerful church in Northern California.
My very good friend, Randy McWhorter, in his endorsement for my book LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY shared that there is a cure for an anxious heart that will bring you peace, power and make you prosperous in all things regarding God’s will. Read the whole endorsement for yourself,
**“Living On Mission In Spite Of My Worry: Biblical Advice On Relieving An Anxious Heart is akin to a Christian prescription for hypertension of the believer’s heart. My friend, Jay Moore, has shared six Biblical principles that have the potential to revolutionize your concept of what it means to live worry free. You will find each principle to be a practical expression of God’s will for everyone who desires to glorify Him in all he or she does. Together, these six principles guide our understanding of what it truly means to follow Jesus in spite of our human frailties. There is a cure for the anxious heart that will bring peace, power and that will make you prosperous in all things regarding God’s will. There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole! The only question is... will you take the medicine? Will you follow the prescription? Or, will you remain weakened by worry and spiritually anemic? Take the prescription! Why spend another day allowing unnecessary worry to keep you from living a life on mission for the Lord? Take the prescription!” Randy McWhorter**
Now that’s a powerful statement that Randy made but a very true and accurate one. There is good news for all of God’s people who suffer from an anxious heart, a life filled with worry or struggling with the stress that the world loves to throw at each of us. That good news is that you can live a worry free life on a day by day and moment by moment basis.
It is not God’s desire and certainly not His will for His people to live a life plagued with worry. As a matter of fact Jesus himself told us to stop worrying. When we worry we are communicating that God isn’t enough for us and that we really don’t believe that He can meet all our needs or that He knows what is best. When we worry we demonstrate a lack of faith in the Lord Jesus.
But the good news is that you can live that worry free life, it is available to all who are willing to learn and trust God. That’s what this book is all about!
LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY will teach you the Biblical principles and Biblical practices that will guide into a lifestyle that doesn’t worry but just trusts God. This book contains the prescriptions for the cure of worry that Randy was talking about. It shows you what the Balam of Gilead looks like and how to get it.
Click the links below to find out more about this powerful book yourself.
Photo by Elijah Macleod on Unsplash
Do you have the influence skills necessary for living a powerful missional life? Watch this video to find out!
People of influence have learned how to manage the emotion of worry! They don’t worry. As a Follower of Christ there is absolutely no reason to allow worry to part of your life, especially as you live a life on mission with Christ.
Steve Addison interviews Jeff & Angie Sundell about helping others become powerful disciple makers. This couple are seasoned trainers and have a lot of wisdom and insight about equipping Christians to join Christ on His mission.
Thanks Steven Addison for allowing The Ordinary Christian to use this video! Check out Steve Addison and his ministry at: https://www.movements.net
Don’t allow worry and anxiety keep up from enjoying the life that Christ has for you or from joining Christ on His mission. Here are 4 Biblical activities that you can implement into your normal daily life that will disrobe the worry that haunts you.
Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash
"My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment." James 2:1-13
More often than not our motivation of showing preferential treatment for one person over another person is simply for personal gain. We exalt one person and belittle another because the one we are exalting we feel can help us in some way. THIS IS A WRONG MOTIVE IN ALL THINGS BUT ESPECIALLY FOR MISSIONAL LIVING!
Did you catch this point in the Bible verse above? God has chosen the poor, the outcast, or the lonely to bless them! We we choose to exclude them or down play their participation we are dishonoring them and thereby dishonoring God.
James, the writer of this book, doesn't hesitate in the least to call the attitude of personal favoritism SIN! When you value one person above another; when you minister to one person above another IT IS A SIN!
This Bible verse is very clear what a person who shows personal favoritism, especially in the church and in missional living deserves! They deserved to be judged without shown mercy.
NOW THAT'S WHAT IS DESERVED BUT NOT NECESSARILY WHAT THEY'LL GET!
The Bible also says in 1 John 1:9,
"If we confess our sins He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
When it comes to living a powerful Missional Life there is absolutely no room for personal favoritism. Just like the picture above says we need to be going out and sharing the Gospel with those that others have given up on! Other people may have given up on them but God still loves them and Christ still died for them.
One last thought to remember! The truth is that we all were once people that have been given up on. If it wasn't for Christ's death, burial and resurrection none of us would be saved from our sins. But praise be to God our Father that He does love us and through Christ provided away for our sins to be removed.
I just have to tell you that I am so very excited to share this next endorsement with you about my book LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY!
Why? Because it is from a person who make up the audience I am trying to reach and encourage to be on mission. That target audience are those that I like to call Ordinary Christians.
What Do I Mean By Ordinary Christian? First let me say that I am not trying to demean anybody by using that title. I do believe that all of who come to faith in Christ are now somebody very important. Not because of our own goodness but because of the grace of God.
When I say ordinary christians, I mean people who are just your everyday follower of Christ, who loves Jesus and wants to be obedient. They don't have any special Bible education from a Christian college or seminary but they do love studying the Bible and staying close to Jesus in prayer.
However, they may worry about joining Christ on His mission for one reason or another. This book is written to encourage and equip them to live a worry free life while being on mission with Christ.
Janet Howard is such a Christian. She loves Jesus with all her heart; she wants to be obedient to Him as an expression of her love for him; she want to share the love of Christ with others but has suffer with some worry over it.
I had her read this book so as to see if I had accomplished my goal for writing the book, which is to help people overcome their worry and join in God's mission. Read what she says and see for yourself if I accomplished it or not.
"This book, LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY, is just as the title suggests. The beginning chapters give us foundational biblical reasons why we should not allow worry hinder the mission that God is calling all believers into. The remaining chapters give clear practical advice and steps to take to move forward in that mission without worry. It will be a great book for group studies to encourage and equip ordinary believers live out their mission. As I read through the book I was challenged in my own personal responsibility to not allow worry overtake the need to love people into the kingdom. It's a very worthwhile book to read.”
Janet Howard
An Ordinary Christian
Tucson, Az
My very good friend Pastor Billy Galloska has taken the time out of his busy schedule to write me a very wonderful but honest endorsement for my new book LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY.
Pastor Billy is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenns Ferry, Idaho. I love the way he works with his congregation to intentionally equip them live powerful missional lives that brightly shines the Light of Christ in their part of this dark world through making disciples for Jesus Christ. He and his wife, December, have a powerful testimony of God's transforming power. Billy understands the needs of ordinary christians and what it takes to empower them to share Christ. I greatly value his endorsement and what he has to say about my new book, LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY.
Take a few seconds and read what he has to say about it.
"Worry is a part of every life. Even as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ we can experience worry that sometimes cripples our work. It is no wonder then that ordinary Christians find themselves in the midst of worry that cripples them from sharing God's love in their part of this dark world.
Author Jay Moore uses Living on Mission in Spite Of My Worry to show that even in our worry God can and does empower us to inspire and connect with people in our part of this dark world to share the good news of Jesus when we seek His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Jay has not only hit the mark with this book, he has driven it home. If you have become crippled by worry, whether you are an ordinary Christian or you are a minister, this book is a must-read that will not only keep you reading but make you want to hit the neighborhood halfway through!"
Pastor Billy Galloska
First Baptist Church
Glenns Ferry, Idaho
Photo by Fernando @cferdo on Unsplash
Christians all over the world experience unnecessary worry! They worry about health, they worry about finances, they worry about their children, they worry about being obedient to God, and the list could go on and on about the things that Christians worry about!
But for Christians who sincerely want to join Christ on His Great Commission, worry isn't only unnecessary but it is also debilitating! Why is i debilitating? Because is paralyzes you from doing the things that you really want to do or the things that you know you should do. I know of a person who decided not to graduate from college once they learned that they would required to take a speech class. You see they were worry and fearful over speaking in public and that worry crippled them from finishing school.
What's a follower of Christ to do? After all, isn't worry just a natural part of life, including a Christian's? Isn’t just something we need to accept as part of our life? Or, is it? Does God really want us to just deal with the fact that worry is a part of our life or is it part of God’s plan for you to live a worry free life now that you’ve come to faith in Jesus Christ?
In the book LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY you will discover that worry isn't part of God's plan for His children and it will serve as your guide on how you can rid your life of it forever. Before I tell you what you will learn from this book, let me first tell you what this book is not!
First, this is not a book containing five easy steps to a more fulfilling and peaceful life.
Second, this book isn't a watered down Christian self-help book that contains a bunch of fluff with no real spiritual substance or meat.
Third, this book not a “Name It & Claim It” book. On the contrary, the pages contained in this book are going to challenge you beyond your level of comfort!
As matter of fact, as you read this book you may begin to wonder if you really want to live that worry free life! The Biblical principles that you will learn will sound totally counter intuitive to all that you have come to know about living a life without worry. You will learn that a life without worry is a life of denial; You will learn that obtaining that life will require you to die to yourself and take up your cross daily and follow Christ. It is a life of total submission in mind, heart, and will to the will of the resurrected Jesus.
This book will provoke you! I am not writing this book as a comfort to you but more to challenge you! I want to provoke you to rethink why you’re worried, why you allow those worries to paralyze you from joining Christ on His mission, and why God still has you in this world.
LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY will teach you six Biblical principles and five Biblical practices for living a life free of worry. These principles are taken from a famous quote from the great missionary, Hudson Taylor and exemplified through his life of service.
So, with this warning clearly given, read at your own risk!
Photo by Niklas Hamann on Unsplash
No matter how you cut it, life is filled with trials, tribulations and difficult times and as a result people tend to worry and fret over what will become of it all. But for those who are Followers of Christ who are actively and intentionally joining Christ on His mission of redeeming a lost world the trials, tribulations and difficult times are multiplied. In addition to all the normal difficulties of life Missional Christians also fight a spiritual battle of Satan trying to discourage the believer. But in the midst of all these struggles we hear the voice of Jesus ring out saying,
” … do not be anxious for your life … ” Matthew 6:25 (NAS)
Notice what Jesus didn’t say, He didn’t say, “Try not to worry to much!” No, He just told us to stop it! But how? How can you stop worry about the unknown that follows a trial and tribulation? Well lucky for us Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, not only tells us to stop it but He also tells us the cure for the worried life and how to experience peace instead!
This is so important for those who are intentionally living a missional life because this kind of lifestyle will be filled with lots of difficult trials and tribulations and if your faith is not firmly rooted in Christ you will literally worry yourself to death as you attempt to live a missional life.
So today, we are going to look at 2 reason why we shouldn’t worry!
2 Reasons For Why You Shouldn’t Worry (Matthew 6: 25-34)
” do not be anxious for your life. Is not life more than food, and body more than clothing.” (v. 25 NAS)
The truth of the matter is that when we worry or get anxious about something we are focusing on a very small part of our life. Whether we worry about food, clothing, health, work, or finances the truth of the matter is that these are just a small part of what makes up our lives. Life is also filled with many other things. These others things are good and pleasing and amazing. When we worry we are choosing to not look at the good things that are going on in our lives.
“And who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life.” (v. 27 NIV)
Think about it for a moment! What does worry do for you? What does it change? Does the energy you spend on worry help to fix the issue or the problem? No! Absolutely not! Can worry give you a longer life? No. Actually, science now says that worry can shorten your life. It can contribute to all kinds of physical problems that can lead to a diminished healthy life. So, I ask what good does worrying do for you? No good at all !
In this book you will learn:
Six Biblical principles for over coming worry while being missional.
Five Biblical principles for implementing a worry free life.
And a section for developing your own personal strategy for a life without worry.
As we are out in the spiritual harvest fields sharing Jesus and the Gospel with others, different people will give us different responses! Do you know what actions you should take based upon the response you get from the different people you share Christ with?
In this video you are going to learn some possible different actions you can take when people give you different responses to your offer of receiving Christ and your invitation to begin a discipleship process with them. It is a flow chart to help you know what to do and what to say!
There are a few things written in the Bible that Christ says are "MUST" things that need to get done! Today's post talks about one of those things that Jesus says is a must for him and for us.
Watch and be challenged to make sure your priorities include this one "MUST" thing!
While there are other things that will determine how you portray Christ to others, I believe this video will share with you one of, if not the most, factor in how people see Christ in you. To learn more about how to shine the Light of Christ brightly in your part of this dark world, check out this powerful book on living a powerful missional life:
When God is ready to do something new, when He is ready to move His mission into a new territory or when God begins to expand his mission to into areas uncharted, He first has to prepare a person to go and do His will! Understand this: God's plan for expanding His mission is always through His people. We who know Christ have been commissioned as His ambassadors to this lost world. So, when God want to do something new in accomplishing His mission he will first prepare one or more of His ambassadors to go.
In Acts chapter 10 we read of such a preparation when God was wanting to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles. He first had to prepare his ambassador, Peter, and then commissioned him to share the message of reconciliation to them. Let's read what Acts 10:9-23 to see what we can learn:
"About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' Surely not, Lord!' Peter replied. 'I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.' The voice spoke to him a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.' This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon' house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'Simone, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.' Peter went down and said to the men, 'I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you come?' The men replied, 'We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.' Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along." (NIV)
When I begin to contemplate this story of Peter's life I see four important things that will help us to be ready to move with God into a new mission field that He wants us to go into. They are:
Isn't it interesting that Peter had been in a time of intense prayer just prior to God calling him into a new mission territory? He had been praying so hard and long that he became hungry. I have often found that during my times of intense prayer I also have become hungry. Prayer isn't a passive activity that requires no energy. On the contrary, prayer can be a very exhausting activity that can cause a person to feel physically tired as well as spiritually and emotionally tired.
Prayer prepares the Christ's Ambassador to be open and receptive to what God wants to share with them. Prayer removes the spiritual blinders and chains that can hold us back from joining God where He is moving.
We find in Acts 13 that while some of the prophets and teachers at the church in Antioch were in a time of intense worship, fasting and prayer that God called for Barnabas and Saul to be set apart for the work that he was calling them into. This was to be the beginning of the 3 missionary journey's of Paul. And it was during a time of prayer, worship and fasting that God called for his servants to be set apart.
When people share with me that they never sense God's call to be used, I often wonder how intentional they are in prayer and how submissive are they in their prayers. For if we are praying and have a submissive heart that says, "where ever you lead I'll go" I am confident that God will employ that servant into His service.
How intentional and consistent are you being in your prayer life? How submissive are you being as you pray? Are you trying to tell God what you want and need for him to do? Or, are you asking God what He wants to be done? Yes, we are to pray for God to meet our needs but, as we learn from Jesus' example, we should be in the attitude that says, "Not my will - but thy will be done!"
Next we see God beginning to speak to Peter while he was in a trance. This experience wasn't confusing to Peter. It was like normal dream people have while they are asleep. This was different. This was a God encounter and Peter recognized it as such. Peter wasn't confused about if it was God speaking to him - Peter knew it was God speaking to Him.
You see when God speaks, God makes it clear it is Him who is speaking. When you look in the Bible to those whom God spoke to, you never find a person wondering if it was God speaking to Him or not. No! they knew it was God and more importantly they knew exactly what God was telling them.
God doesn't want His people confused about if it is really Him talking to them! God wants us to know for certain that He is the one talking to us and for us to know clearly what He is saying. If there is ever a time when we are unsure if what we are sensing is of God or not we have a wonderful promise in the Bible found in James 1:5,
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Than man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
What a beautiful and reassuring promise! If you are uncertain that what you are sensing needs to happen or if it is from God or not, just ask him to confirm it to you and he promises he will. All we have to do is "Ask & Believe".
Have you come to the place in your relationship with Christ that you can recognize the voice of God and discern what He is telling you? Being able to recognize God's voice and understanding what He is saying is ESSENTIAL for joining God in those new mission fields where He is moving. Why should God call you to join Him if you're unable to discern when He is talking to you and what He is saying?
Moving into a new mission territories most likely will stretch you greatly in your comfort and your values.
Before this encounter with God Peter was both uncomfortable at the thought of going into the home of a gentile. It was against every value he had been brought up to believe. It was against the establish religious convictions that he had been brought up with. There was no way he would go into the house of a gentile unless God had first prepared him. And that's exactly what God did.
Peter wasn't convinced on the first God encounter or even the second God encounter. It took three different encounters with God and hearing the same message from God before Peter understood that God was serious about what he was saying and before God could send him with those men to go into the house of a gentile. If God hadn't taken the time to prepare Peter, Peter probably never would have accepted their invitation to come.
Are you being challenged about what will be required to join God in the new mission field that you sense He is leading you into? Are some of your church traditions, values and perspectives being called into question and you're not sure how to respond. Then good, because God is shaping you and fashioning you into the kind of servant that will follow Him where ever He leads.
Is Peter unique? Or, are we a lot like Peter? I think that we, like Peter, also need to have those God encounters that prepare us to go and join Him in those new mission fields! To be willing to leave the comforts of what is familiar and the treasured established relationships and to go to a place that is unknown has to have a God preparation take place. That doesn't mean it is going to be instant preparation or even an easy transition. It just means it is necessary to happen.
It wasn't instant or even pleasant for Jonah to be prepared and willing to go on his mission assignment! He had to be swallowed by a whale! How quick and how easy that transition to following God depends on how submissive the one being called is. Our openness to moving in a new direction will depend on how much our will has been broken, so that only God's will is left.
How open are you to joining God in the new mission fields He is opening up? How much of your own will have you crucified on the cross and how much of God's will is directing you? These are the question that only you can answer for yourself! No one can answer then for you.
Do you know what they are? No! Then watch this training and start working in the fields God has assigned you!
In todays training we are going to look at the 4 places that define your mission field. This is going to answer the question "Who Am I Responsible For In Sharing The Gospel?" By answer this question you will know where to begin to share the Gospel of Christ and where to begin in making disciples for Christ.
In preparing to end this past year and to start the new year, it seemed only appropriate to talk about the subject of change.
Life seems to offer us one guarantee and that is that change will happen. Change is something we tend to fear and become anxious about because we do not feel we are in control of life when it happens! But is that really true?
I tend to look at the subject of “Change” as falling into 1 of 2 categories:
Planned Change: This is change that we have had a part in planning. It can involve things like:
1. A career change
2. A move to a new city
3. Retirement
Unexpected Change: This is the kind of change that seems to be thrusted upon us and were were clueless that it was going to take place. These can include:
1. The death of a loved one.
2. Unexpected illness
3. Being laid off from your job.
The problem with both of these ideas is that they focuses on the wrong thing! The focus is all on us! It's all about what "I Want" or "That I need to be in control". It's all "I", "I", "I"! It's a pretty self-centered approach to looking at change!
But are we really to be the focus when facing change? Is it really all about us? I don't think so.
The good news is that regardless of whether the change was PLANNED OR UNEXPECTED God was the one in control all along and He was not caught off guard by the change. Instead, it was in His sovereign that caused the change to occurred.
If we trust in God and allow the change He brought about to grow us to become more like Jesus in how we respond and act, then we are promised that it will always work out for good!
Now in light of what I just said let me encourage you not to be short sighted when you consider if some change worked out for your good or not. Our perspective should go far beyond this temporal life that we live it and go on into eternity. MUCH OF WHAT WE EXPERIENCE HERE IN THIS LIFE WILL NOT BE ACTUALIZED WITH GOOD UNTIL WE ENTER INTO THE NEXT LIFE!
Let's remember what 1 Cor 2:9 says!
“However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived" -- the things God has prepared for those who love him—“
Let’s be honest, most of us have no idea all the great things that God has in store for us through the trials, tribulations and the changes he has us go through in this life.
So, how do we face change with confident anticipation? Does God's word have anything to say that will help us?
Let's read Romans 8:28
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (NAS)
This verses gives us 3 clues that will help us when it comes to understanding change in our lives:
Did you notice the verse in Romans starts off by saying, "... God causes all things ..."? It is God who has brought about the circumstances that will create the needed change. When things change it is because God is at work.
It's not as if God was caught off guard by the change and then has to react to it. No! God was the author of the change and the circumstances that were used to bring the change about.
This one insight should bring you tremendous comfort when considering the changes that may or may not occur during this next year. You can face the future and any new change with confidence because you know who was the author of the change.
Look again at what Romans says, "... God causes all things to work together for good." That right for GOOD! Even with the most dreadful of circumstance God has a purpose and plan at work to bring about good.
Take a look at Joseph the son of Jacob who was sold into slavery by his 10 older brothers and then afterwards thrown into jail because of being falsely accused of trying to rape his masters wife. God used all those circumstances to get Joseph to be in the right place at the right time, so he could be used by God to save lots and lots of people from starvation. Joseph himself even acknowledges this truth when he says to his brothers, much later, that even though what they did, they did with the intent to harm him, God intended it for good and to save many. All the pain, all the heartache, all the betrayals and all the suffering Joseph had to endure was part of the plan God used to bring about good.
Shouldn't it be comforting to know that God will never waste a hurt? That will use all your pain and suffering to bring about good? Shouldn't we be able to face each new change that happens in our lives with confident anticipation knowing that some how God is going to use it for His glory and the good of others?
" ... to those who are called according to His purposes."
Not everyone who goes through painful changes are promised that good will come out of it! No, only those who have been called by God and have a relationship with Him.
In Noah's day when God brought about a huge change by flooding the world only Noah, his wife, his 3 sons and their wives benefited from the good that came about.
Here's the wonderful thing about this great truth: If you have a personal relationship with Christ because you have personally believed in His death, burial and resurrection and have surrendered control of your life over to the care and control of Christ, then this promise is for you.
It's not just reserved for the superstar christians! It is for all who have called upon the name of the Lord. And that includes you.
When planning to use social media to help share Jesus with others and declare God's Glory then there needs to be some serious consideration given to the kinds of posts that you should make. In this video I am going to share with you 3 kinds of post that will help you make most of Christ in your part of this dark world. This is part two in a series called: HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO SHINE THE LIGHT OF CHRIST! To see Part 1 CLICK HERE!
We believe that ordinary christians are God primary choice for doing His extraordinary work. Throughout scripture we see God choosing to use everyday people to join Him on His mission of raising up, training up and unleashing them to become rapidly reproducing disciple makers. The Ordinary Christians intends to join God in that pursuit.
Become a Ministry partner of The Ordinary christian & help us give away powerful training to God's people to live a powerful missional life. HIT THE DONATE NOW!
Powered by Squarespace
