How To Endure Difficult Times So To Accomplish Christ's Mission

When we begin to join Christ on His mission and become intentional about making reproducing disciple makers, we can rest assured that we will run into times of trials and tribulations!  Difficult times is something we can guarantee will happen and is something we will need to learn to deal with.  

In Luke 9:23 we hear Jesus telling people what is expected of anyone who wishes to be one of his disciples, 

"Then he said to them all, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily, and follow me."

According to Jesus there are three things that are essential if someone truly wants to become one of His disciples.

1. They Must Deny Themselves: A life of a disciple of Christ is a life of self-denial.  To be His disciples means to no longer have your own ambitions, your own goals or your own desires. Instead, your life is for Christ and Him alone.  You surrender your will for the will of Christ and your desire is to accomplish God's will. 

2. They Must Pick Up Their Cross Daily: The cross in Jesus' day was a painful instrument of death. Joining Christ on His mission quite often will be a very painful experience. Many have suffered greatly and even died for their commitment to Christ and His mission.  
3. They Must Follow Him: It is Christ who sets the place for our missional assignment - not us! He's the one who tells us where to go - not us telling him where we are willing to go.  Quite often Christ's followers found themselves in the most darkest of places, led their by Christ, for the purpose of sharing with those who live in those troubled areas the Gospel.

The suffering and difficult times we may experience are part of God's will for us and in accomplishing the mission set before us!

Jesus Understood Clearly The Pain Associated With Carrying A Cross

As we all clearly know Jesus knew what it meant to pick up a cross and carry it! It meant to suffer and then die to accomplish the work set before Him. Even Jesus didn't relish the thought of going to the cross and would have preferred a different solution if possible.  In Matthew 26:39 we get the rare opportunity to listen in on a prayer by Jesus to His Heavenly Father.  It was a prayer concerning the cross.  Listen to what Jesus asks:

"Going a little farther, He felled with His face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will but as you will."

Jesus didn't like the idea of going to the cross. He understood clearly the pain and suffering that was going to come with it. He referenced it as a "cup". This was an Old Testament imagery that was a reference to the Cup of "God's Wrath" being poured out as judgement.  Jesus understood that going to the cross meant that he would be experiencing the full unbridled wrath of His Father.  This was not a pleasant thought at all. 

There's no written record of the Father's answer but we do know what it was by the actions of Jesus and His resolve to go to the cross and die.  The Father's answer was simple,

"Son, you must go to the cross if people's sins are to be forgiven."

And out of love for us Jesus endured the cross.

Just like Jesus was to take up His cross, Jesus tells us that we are to pickup our cross daily and follow him.  He is telling us that on a day by day basis we are to have a heart willing to suffer and possibly die in order to join Him on his mission of redeeming the world.  We must be willing to deny our self interests and desires in order that others, still lost in sin, can hear the Good News and be saved. We must be willing to die, if need be, so others can be born again. 

But how do you do that? How do we endure the pain and suffering that comes with being on mission with Christ so others can be saved?  Again, we find our answer in the example of Jesus.

Jesus Refocused & Looked Past The Suffering.

In Hebrews 12:2 we find our answer through Jesus' example.

" ... For the joy set before Him he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the Thrown of God."

How did Jesus endure the cross? Not by focusing on the cross but look past it and focusing on the joy that would come after the cross. 

1. The joy of knowing that everything that needed to be done for the salvation of men had been accomplished. 
2. The joy that He was obedient to His father even to the point of death on a cross. 
3. The joy of all those men, women, boys and girls dressed in white robes standing around the Thrown of God singing Holy, Holy, Holy.  Jesus was focusing on the End-vision. 

That's how we endure daily picking up our cross with all the pain associated with it!  We focus, not on the trial or tribulation but on all those who will receive Jesus by faith because of our faithfulness; by focusing on hearing Jesus words spoken to us, "Well done good and faithful servant"; by focusing on the "JOY" that will come when Christ returns and finds us faithful to the call. 

THAT'S HOW YOU ENDURE!

A Powerful Missional Life Is All About Pressing On With God's Mission

In Philippians 3:13-15 we read hear the Apostle Paul admonishing us to press on, never give up, never stop but strain and push your way to the finish line.  Read for yourself how Paul puts it:

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  All of us who are mature should take such a view of things ...."

When it comes to living a powerful missional life that brightly shines the Light of Christ this should be our marching verse!  KEEP ON PRESSING ON!  Being on mission with Christ is not like a sprint race but more like a marathon race.  To finish the part of God's mission He has given to us to do will take years, along with lots of pain, sorrow and heart ache.  The temptation to quit will at times will be almost hard to overcome if we are not mentally and spiritually prepared to go the distance. 

This video is the first of 3 messages I brought for Agape Baptist Church in Tucson, AZ during their 3 day retreat with the theme of PRESSING ON!  I share it with you because this is a Word from our Lord not just for a few but for all of us who confess Jesus as Lord and have committed ourselves to follow Him.  As you watch it be encouraged but also be challenged for the work that our Lord has called us to is the greatest work in all of creation.  Don't allow the temporal things of this world blind you or fool you to think that the work that Christ has called us to is of little significance!  For it's not!  THE WORK WE DO IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK YOU WILL EVER UNDERTAKE!  I pray that Christ will speak to you!

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4 Places That Define Your Mission Field

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.

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1 Major Stumbling Block To Sharing Jesus With Others!

Even in the life of Jesus there were stumbling blocks that tried to hinder him from accomplishing the mission that God the Father had sent him into the world to accomplish.  Watch this video to learn about 1 major stumbling block that Jesus encountered and how he dealt with it.  

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How To Face Change With Confident Anticipation

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:

I.  God Is The One That Has Caused The Change To Take Place

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.

II.  The Purpose Of The Change Is To Bring About Good!

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?

III.  This Promised Is Reserved Only Those Who Have Been Called By God!

" ... 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. 

3 Social Media Posts That'll Help You Shine Christ's Light

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! 

3 Important Facts About Knowing God's Will

As the Apostle Paul was writing his letter to the church at Colosse he tells the Christians there about a prayer that he offers up to God on their behalf.  This prayer contains some important information about knowing God's Will.  Read what it says,

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through spiritual wisdom and understanding ..."  Colossians 1:9 (NIV)

In this one verse we can learn 3 important facts about knowing God's will.  They are:

#1:  Knowing God's Will Is Of Utmost Importance.

Did you notice as you read the verse about that Paul said this this prayer is a prayer that he is praying for them daily?  For the Apostle Paul making sure that new believers in Christ were fully grounded in Christ was essential and if he was to accomplish that goal it was of the utmost importance that the new believers knew the will of God! 

Paul knew that being fully matured in Christ would require new believer to know what God's will is.  It would be impossible for them to be strong in their faith and not know God's will.  That's why he prayed daily for those coming to faith.  That's why his prayers contained petitions that those new believers would know and understand God's will. 

How Important And Essential Is Knowing God's Will To You?

How often do you pray for the new believers that you know about? That they would know God's will?

#2:  Knowing God's Will Is An Act Of God.

Did you notice in that verse that Paul was asking God to fill them with the knowledge of His will?  Who's doing the filling?  God is!  Who's the container being filled?  We are!  

Why is this important?  Simply because, you don't discover God's will - no instead it is God who reveals His will to us.  If we are going to understand what God's will is - it is because God has opened our eyes to see the truth of His will.  If God doesn't enlighten us we could never understand His will.  

#3:  Knowing God's Will Requires Spiritual Wisdom & Understanding.

Finally Paul states in his prayer that he is asking God to fill us with his will through spiritual wisdom and understanding.  Not human wisdom and understanding but spiritual wisdom and understanding.  The wisdom of this world does not and cannot comprehend the will of God.  To the world the will of God sounds like foolishness.  Understanding God's will requires us to have spiritual wisdom and understanding that come from God. 

The word for "wisdom" means the ability to understand what God is doing and the word for "understanding" means the ability to apply what they understand.  You see not only does God want us to understand His will is but He also wants us to know how to apply His will to our everyday life.  God doesn't just tell you what His will is to keep you informed - God shares his will with you because he wants you to join Him in what He is doing. 

Please leave a comment sharing what you think and share this post with your social media of Facebook and Twitter. 

Gospel Conversation Training In Glens Ferry, Idaho

Pastor Billy and His Family!

This Saturday, June 3rd I will be in Glens Ferry, Idaho at First Baptist Church with Pastor Billy to lead his congregation in the Gospel Conversation Training.  It is his desire to see his church raised up, trained up and unleashed to go share the Gospel to every person in their ministry field until there's no place left to share. 

Powerful Missional Is Determined By Whom You're Trying To Please!

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5 Steps To Igniting a Powerful Disciple Making/Church Planting Movement

Step 1:  Entry Stage

Before you can begin to see a powerful missional movement of Disciple Making/Church Planting you need to have an "ENTRY STRATEGY" in place.  What's an entry strategy?  It's your initial plan for how to bring the Gospel of Christ into your mission field so that it takes hold.  It's your plan for developing a "Beachhead" in your mission field that will allow you to expand and take over the rest of the area for Christ.

Step 2:  Gospel Sowing Stage

Once you've established your presence in the mission field by implementing your entry stage strategy, now you need to sow the Gospel of Jesus Christ liberally!  How will you do it? What will be your strategy for getting the Good News of Christ out to ever increasing groups of people?

Step 3:  Nurturing Growth Stage

Just like any harvest fields that begin to show growth there also need to be the watering and nurturing that continues to until its time to harvest, so there needs to be the nurturing of new believers in spiritual growth and obedience to Christ and His commands.  What is your strategy for help new believers grow in Christ and become reproducing disciple makers?

Step 4:  Harvest and Bundling Stage

Now its time to harvest!  In this analogy the harvesting means church formation.  Every great movement results in the formation of new churches.  What is your strategy for taking this new believers and growing disciples and help them form into new churches.

Step 5:  New Missionary Leader Stage

The final stage is the raising up, training up and unleashing of new apostolic leaders who will go and ignite new movements in different places.  What is your strategy for identifying, training and commissioning these new missionaries?

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Devaluing The Blood Of Christ

Since this is Good Friday an important question we all need to ask is this:  DO WE DEVALUE THE BLOOD OF CHRIST?  

Listen to this powerful message and then search your heart to see what God is saying to you!  Allow this Good Friday to be a powerful time for you to reconnect with God the Father and our Lord Jesus in a fresh and new way.

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Encouragement For Living A Powerful Missional Life

In this video you will get to hear Steve Addison interview Daniel Reece on how God reached out to him and then has been using him to ignite a powerful movement here in North America.  WATCH & BE ENCOURAGED!

If you know of other Christians that would be encouraged by this video then share it with them on Facebook & Twitter.  

I would also encourage you to check out Steve Addison's website for more great information at:  MOVEMENTS.NET

ARE YOU PREPARED?

Sometimes we just don't know when God will give us an opportunity to share His Good News!

SO BE READY AT ALL TIMES!

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3 Important Truths About Trying To Hide Your Sin!

In the story of David and Bathsheba we learn three important facts about trying to hide your sin! You an read the story the whole story at 2 Samuel 11 - 12.

TRUTH #1:  YOU MAY BE ABLE TO HIDE YOUR SIN FROM PEOPLE - BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE THEM FROM GOD.

One of the first things that we learn from this story is that God knows what we have done and you can't hide them from Him.  David went to great links to hide his sins from people and thought he had them all covered up but what he forgot was that God is always aware of our actions.  Nothing catches him by surprise - nothing can be hid from him.  

We are often like David! We too try to cover up our sins so that others won't about them.  But the reality is is that God already know what we have done and is waiting for us to come to him and own up to them. 

TRUTH #2:  GOD WON'T TURN A BLIND EYE TO YOUR SIN - HE WILL CALL YOU OUT ON THEM.

God not only knew the sins that David committed but he also sent His prophet to call David out on his sin.  Through the telling of a fictitious story the prophet was able to show David that God already knew what he did and was calling him out on it.  

Like with David God will also call you out on your sin and make you take responsibility for them.  He will not let you slide by - he will not pretend you didn't sin!  God will expose your sin so that you have to deal with them.

TRUTH #3:  WHILE GOD WILL FORGIVE YOU OF YOUR SIN - HE MAY NOT TAKE AWAY THE CONSEQUENCES.

When David realized that God knew about His sin he immediately repented and confessed his sins before God. David took responsibility for what he had done and as a result God did forgive him and said David wouldn't die.  But God also told him that the consequences for his sins would not be removed.  David would still have to suffer the consequences for his sinful deeds.

God also will forgive us of our sin but at the same time we also might have to suffer the consequences that have come from years of sinful living.  If you spend years in alcohol addictions God can forgive you but you still might still get liver damage. If you spend years of immoral living you, God can forgive you but you still might loose your family. 

Here's the lesson to learn from this post.  If you sin don't try to cover it up, instead, immediately own up to them, confess them, repent from them and get right with God.  Don't ever think you can pull the wool over the eyes of God. 

Being Successful As A Follower Of Christ

Recently I read this quote by Rick Warren the Pastor of Saddleback Church and I thought it had a lot to say to us who claim to be Christ's followers and what it means to be successful.  Here's what it says:

“Being successful and fulfilling your life's purpose are not at all the same thing; You can reach all your personal goals, become a raving success by the worlds standard and still miss your purpose in this life.” ― Rick Warren

As I read this I started asking myself some questions:

• Is it possible to be successful but be successful at the wrong things?
• Can I be successful and still not fulfill my God given purpose?
• What are God's standards for success for His people?

As I pondered these questions 2 thoughts came to mind that I believe are so very important to remember:

THOUGHT #1:

How horrible it would be to stand before God on the Last Day (Judgement Day) and begin to share with Christ how I had accomplished so many great and different goals only to hear Jesus reply with, "But that's not what I had ask you to do or accomplish!"  Wouldn't it be terrible to have placed your ladder of success and ascended it - only to have realized once you got to the top that you had place it on the wrong wall!  I want to hear the words of my Lord say to me, "Well done good and faithful servant."

God's plan and ministry for us is to be His ambassador to this spiritually dark world by making God's appeal for people to be reconciled to Him as if it was God Himself  making the appeal through us. Therefore, we are to be His ambassadors that intentionally engages in the ministry of reconciliation.  That is accomplished through disciple making.  So, the question bids an answer: How successful are we at making disciples for Christ?

THOUGHT #2:

Success from God's perspective is very different from success in the world's perspective!  The world says you are successful if you accomplish great results but the Bible says we are successful when we are obedient to what He has commanded of us.

Over and over again we hear the Bible teach that obedience is better than sacrifice; or for us to be doers of the word and not hearers only, and to teach new believers to obey all that Christ commanded. Jesus even shared that being obedient to Him is an expression of our love for Him.  

We work and train to do our best at what Christ commanded but in the end success isn't defined by the results but by our willingness and faithfulness to do what He said.  The results are in God's hands but our obedience is in our hands.  

So, in the final analysis as Followers of Christ we need to intentionally pursue the role of being Christ Ambassadors, to sharing the Gospel to those still lost in spiritual darkness and to obeying all that Christ has commanded.  If we can do that then we are successful!

Do You Feel Inadequate Making Disciples For Christ?

Many of God's people feel inadequate in the obedience to Christ in the making of disciples of all peoples!  Why? A lack of competence and confidence!  Watch this video to learn the solution to this problem.  

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3 Things To Improve Your Ability To Love

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:8-12 (NIV)

1.  Remember Your Debt Of Love You Can Never Repay.

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another ..."

The first place to start when it comes to improving you ability to love is to remember that God first loved you when you were unlovable.  God loved us while we were still in the middle of our sinful condition and He demonstrated that love by having Jesus die on the cross to take the punishment that we deserved for our sins. Then God after Christ's resurrection offered forgiveness of sin as a free gift if we would only receive it by faith.  How can you pay back that kind of debt?  You can't but we can pay it forward by loving others the way Christ loved us. 

2.  Regard Others Like Yourself

"Love your neighbor as yourself ..."

The next place to go for improving your ability to love is to remember that the scripture tell us to love others as we love ourselves.  Just as you take care of yourself - in the same way you should also take care of others.  If you are one who doesn't love yourself very well then do what Christ said.  "A new commandment I give unto you that you love one another like I have loved you."

3.  Refuse To Harm Others

"Love does no harm to a neighbor."

And finally, in order to improve your ability to love others better you should always remember that love does not harm others.  When we love people it is our intent to build them up - not to tear them down!  It's to heal them - not injure them! Here's a good question to ask yourself before you talk to someone or do something to someone:

"Is what I am about to say or do going to harm this person?"

If the answer is "yes" then don't do it!  Why? Because love does no harm!

Now that these suggestions and go out into your part of this dark world and love people liberally! Shine the Light of Christ brightly by doing loving deeds in such a way that God gets the glory for it. 

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WHAT NOW? How Are Christian To Act Now That The Election Is Over?

How should we who claim to follow Christ behave and respond to others now that the presidential election in the United States is done and many are confused and frustrated over the election results?  This is a good question and one that each of us who love Jesus needs to take seriously, find the answer and obey.  After all we are called to be the Light of the world.  Where and how do we start in this new age of America?  Watch this video and get some helpful insights to answering that question.

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A Biblical Story On Joining Christ On His Mission

In Acts 8:26-40 we have an amazing story about an ordinary christian by the name of Philip who was used by God in an amazing way.  From it we learn some powerful principles for shining the Light of Christ brightly in our part of this dark world. Watch and see what you might learn.

Take a few moments and share your thought as a comment.

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A Bible Story Of Hope

Today I want to share with you a true story from the Bible that should bring you hope and encouragement.   It will make clear to you that Jesus truly does love you and is willing to change your life. 

If you are a fully devoted follower of Christ that wants to join Christ on His mission then I highly encourage you to learn this story for yourself and begin to share it with people over and over again.

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