Joining Christ On His Mission Can Lead You Into Some Stormy Seas!

In Matthew 14:23-33 we have the story of Jesus walking on the water as a mighty storm is blowing His disciples around in a boat.  In this story we will learn a powerful lesson about missional living that every Ordinary Christian should understand and take courage from.  Read what it says,

"Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.  Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.  But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”  “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said,“why did you doubt?”  And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:22-23 (NIV)

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How Can Prayer Walking Lead People To Faith In Christ?

Members from Enchanted Hills Baptist Church after going out on a Door To Door Prayer Walk!

The people above received the T4T Reproducing Disciple Making Basic Training and then went out to do a Door To Door Prayer Walk to find where God was at work.  Watch to the video below to hear the results of their time joining God on His mission.  You just might be encouraged and empowered to do the same!

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HOW TO HAVE A WORRY FREE LIFE – Part 3: By Surrendering Our Attitude To Desire Only God’s Will

“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine.  It makes no matter where He places me, or how.  That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest positions He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient.” – Hudson Taylor

The previous principle of actualizing a worry free life that I shared was to have faith in Sovereignty of God.  It was designed to help us understand and believe that God is able to do anything, through anybody, including each of us.  If God is truly God then nothing is impossible for Him and all things that He wills can and will be done.  In other words, there’s no force or authority above Him or beside Him.  

God most definitely is in control.  

But trusting and believing that God is in control, when left by itself, does provide insurance that we won’t be filled with worry and anxiety.  As a matter of fact, it is quite possible for a person to be actively doing God’s will and still have no peace about it!  People can be in service to God, doing exactly what He has asked them to do, with full assurance that God will accomplish His task and still be worry and anxious about it!  That sounds crazy, doesn’t it?  But it’s true.

Let me give you an example using the prophet Jonah.  You know the story of Jonah.  Jonah is commanded by God to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their disgusting wickedness had come up to God.  Jonah however, didn’t want to obey God so he ran away and hopped on a boat headed for Tarshish.  While on the ship God sent a hug storm to come up against them and almost sink the ship and everyone on it. 

Jonah then convinced the other men of the ship that the only way to save the ship from God’s wrath was for them to throw him overboard.  While floating around in the water, God caused a whale to come and swallowed him up.  However, this whale swallowing experience wasn’t intended to kill Jonah but for God to get his attention and compliance.  As Jonah was sitting in the belly of the whale, He cried out to God, committed to obeying Him by going to Nineveh, and preach against the city.  Then after being burped up onto shore Jonah did go to Nineveh, he did preach against the city but once the king of Nineveh heard the message, on his own initiative, he got the whole city to repent and beg God for mercy. 

As God heard the sincere cry of repentance from the people of the whole city, He did show mercy on them and pulled back His wrath.  This, however, was not what Jonah wanted to happen.  Jonah didn’t want mercy to be shown them but instead he wanted the judgment of God to fall on them.  Jonah then begins to act like a spoiled little brat and throws a temper tantrum.  Listen to what the Bible records Jonah saying once he realizes that God had shown the people of Nineveh mercy.

“But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.  He prayed to the Lord, ‘isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home?  That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish.  I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God; slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.  Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”  Jonah 4:1-3 (NIV)

While there are lots of lesson that we can learn from those first 4 chapters of Jonah, the one I want us to understand and meditate on today is this: 

 Just because you’re doing God’s will doesn’t mean you’ll experience God’s peace and be free from anxiety.  Just because you’re being obedient doesn’t mean you won’t have worry in your life! 

 Why?  Because a Christian who wishes to experience a worry free life not only needs to trust in the Sovereignty of God but they also need to surrender to the will of God in their attitude as well as in their action.  If our attitude is wrong, even when doing what is right, we still won’t have a life filled with peace.

 Jonah went and did what God wanted but he went and did it with a bad attitude.  Even, though his actions were right – his heart was wrong.  Jonah didn’t want the people of Nineveh to be forgiven – he wanted them to be judged and condemned!  Jonah knew, from his understanding of the nature of God that “if” the people of Nineveh repented God would forgive them and because of this understanding of God, Jonah worried that God would forgive them and show them mercy if they repented. 

The worry free life that we all are seeking always will come from both right actions and right attitudes.  Jonah obviously didn’t have the right attitude. Jonah desired something that was contrary to what God wanted and as a result, even though He was obedient, Jonah neither had peace about the assignment or joy about the outcome.

Now with this as the backdrop, let’s once again take a look at part of Hudson Taylor’s quote.  

“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine …”

It’s that last part of the sentence I want us to focus on,

“ … and His will is mine …”! 

Hudson Taylor had come to a place in his daily life where he could honestly say that he not only sought to do God’s will but also that it was his sincere hearts desire to see God’s will accomplished, regardless of what it was. 

So here is the third principle for a worry free life.  We can experience a life free of worry by: 

Surrendering Our Attitude To Desire Only God’s Will!

What I mean by that statement is that when we get our hearts to desire that which God desires; that we want what God actually wants; that we have no desires of our own but only to do the will of God then we can be freed from worry. 

Jesus, after talking to the sinful woman at the well described his desire to do the will of God in the following manner,

“Jesus said to them, ‘my food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.”  John 4:34 (NIV)

In other words, Jesus was so desirous to do the will of His Father that it was being hungry and thirsty.  It was only through complete obedience that Jesus was able to satisfy that desire. 

Think about a time when you were so hungry or thirsty!  How did you feel?  Wasn’t getting something to eat and something to drink an all consuming desire and thought for you?  Of course it was! 

THAT’S HOW WE ARE TO DESIRE DOING THE WILL OF GOD! 

Nothing else will satisfy. Satisfaction only comes when we obey!

There’s an old gospel hymn that perfectly describes this principle of conforming our attitude and desire to match that of Christ’s. 

WHEREVER HE LEADS I’LL GO

Wherever He leads I’ll go, 
Wherever He leads I’ll go,
I’ll follow my Christ who loves me so, 
Wherever He leads I’ll go.

He drew me closer to His side, 
I sought His will to know,
And in that will I now abide, 
Wherever He leads I’ll go. 

My heart, my life, my all I bring
To Christ who loves me so;
He is my Master, Lord, and King,

Wherever He leads Ill go.

(Alan Jackson)

 A true worry free life comes when we 1). Abide in God’s will; 2). Surrender our heart, our life and our all to Christ regardless of where He leads us.

 In order to experience the worry free life we must be willing to exchange our will to that of God’s will.

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A GUIDE TO A WORRY FREE LIFE – Part 2 Trusting In The Sovereignty Of God

“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me.  It does not matter where He places me, or how.  That is for Him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions He will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones His grace is sufficient.” – Hudson Taylor

The prospect of attaining a worry free life is a wonderful proposition for many but has, at the same, seemed like a pie in the sky ideal that is completely unreachable.  The lesson we learned in Part 1 is that it’s not an unattainable goal but actually a completely Biblical one that Christians can make part of their daily lifestyle. 

We saw how both Hudson Taylor and the Apostle Paul claimed to achieve that state of being and we also learned that Jesus taught that living a worry free life should be the kind of life that His followers should experience.

In today’s lesson, we are going to learn where to start in the development of that worry free disposition.  Every journey starts with taking the first step.  So, today we are going to look at the first step in ridding our life from the stress, worry and anxiety that life throws at us.  

Lesson #2:  

Trusting In The Sovereignty Of God

We will start this lesson by looking at the second statement that Hudson Taylor made in his quote.

“ … I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will for me…” 

In this one short phrase, Hudson Taylor gives us the starting point for developing the worry free life that we’ve been talking about.  For him there could be no other first step.  All other subsequent steps are dependent upon this first step being actively embraced.  If a Christian fails to take this first step, then all the other steps are unattainable for this first step lays the foundation upon which to build all other steps. 

What is that first step?  It is simply this:  Trusting In The Sovereignty Of God!

While that may sound profound, what exactly does it mean?  To help us answer that question here’s a definition that resonates with me:

“God, as the ruler of the universe, has the right to do whatever He wants and whenever He wants and also has the ability and power to bring it about.”

In other words, God has both the authority and power to do whatever He decides to do.  It means that nothing is out of God’s control or outside His authority.  Or, you might even say that God’s will, will be done!

From this statement in Hudson Taylor’s quote, we can conclude that he came to the place in his walk with Christ that he sincerely believed that God is able and willing to accomplish whatever He has planned.  Taylor realized that there was no need to worry since God would be successful in accomplishing His endeavors.  He knew that God would be successful and would never fail. 

Taylor wasn’t concerned that people, in their sinful actions, would mess up God’s plans.  He wasn’t concerned that Satan with all of his scheming and deceitfulness could alter God’s will.  Why?  The answer is, because Taylor understood all of creation, whether angel, man, or demon, is under the complete authority of God.  Taylor truly believed that with just one word from God all of creation, both willing and unwilling, would do His bidding. 

Listen how the Bible describes the power and authority of God in Romans 9:19-21 (NIV):

“One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us?  For who is able to resist his will?’  But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?  Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’  Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?”

In this verse, the Apostle Paul asks a couple of rhetorical questions,

• “For who is able to resist God?”  And the obvious answer is, no one. 
• “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?”  And, again the answer is, no one.

Here’s the point of this whole verse: God is in control!  Nothing exists that is outside of God’s control.  This was something that Hudson Taylor understood and believed in the very depths of his heart, and it was the foundation that brought him peace and allowed him to live a worry free life.

 Hudson Taylor also applied this truth to his own life!  Take a look at that quote again.  Notice that it says, 

“…I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will for me…”

The last two words at the end of the quote make it so powerful and so personal at the same time.  The phrase, “For me,” is so powerful.  Why?  The reason is because if one doesn’t truly believe that the truths of God apply to them personally then they will never experience them personally.   Hudson Taylor could say that he no longer got anxious about things because he applied the truth of God’s sovereignty to his own life.

How peaceful and restful it is when we finally come to the place where we truly know and believe that nothing is able to hinder or prevent God’s will from being worked out in us and through us.  Think about it for just a moment.  Other people cannot mess up God’s will for your life. You can’t even mess God’s will for your life!

Once a person truly understand and believes, with their whole heart, that God is truly and completely in control and His will, will be done there’s no need to worry. THINK ABOUT IT:

• Worrying about something will not change God’s will!  
• Stressing over the outcome of something is not going to change what God has planned.
• Being filled with stress about whether or not something is going to happen is not going to change the final outcome.  

Jesus said it well in Matthew 6:27,

 “Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worry?’

 The obvious answer is “No.”  And here’s the lesson: Worrying over something cannot change what is or will be! 

• God has made you so tall so accept it and stop worrying about! 
• God had you born into a certain family.  Deal with it and stop stressing over it. 
• Worrying over something has never changed the facts or the outcome!

 If we truly want to join Hudson Taylor and the Apostle Paul in a worry free life, then three things need to take place:

1. We must become convinced that God is fully and totally in control of all things, including our own lives;
2. Understand there’s absolutely nothing we can do to change His will.
3. Total surrender of our lives to the care and control of God.

Once we successfully accomplish those three things, we will have laid the foundation from which a worry free life can be built. 

Click Here To Read Part 1

A GUIDE TO A WORRY FREE LIFE!

“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me. It does not matter where He places me, or how.  That is for Him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions He will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones His grace is sufficient.”

― James Hudson Taylor

Hudson Taylor was the great missionary that came from England to China.  Many of his quotes have been persevered over the years that allow us to learn some valuable lesson into missional living. 

One of the biggest lessons that we need to learn is how to join God on His mission without being overwhelmed with worry and anxiety.  Experiencing God’s peace in the midst of trials, tribulations and the lack of resources is an essential disposition for all Christians to have especially if they are going to brightly shine the Light of Christ.

From Hudson Taylor’s quote, we learn how to develop that worry free disposition so that we are able to join him in saying, 

“I am no longer anxious about anything.”

Can you say that for yourself?  Are you free from worry or do you still get a little anxious or maybe even extremely stressed out about uncertain circumstances? 

Over the next few posts, we are going to learn those lessons that Hudson Taylor learned in living a worry free life and how we can apply them to our life.  There’s a total 7 of them. 

Lesson #1:  Embrace The Reality Of A Worry Free Life  

Again, what did Hudson Taylor say? Read it one more time and let it really sink in!

"I am no longer anxious about anything ..."

WOW! What a claim! He is saying that he has come to a point in his growth in Christ that he is no longer gets anxious, no longer worries about or gets stressed out over the things of this life.  

He is saying that he was experiencing the worry free life.

Hudson Taylor believed that the worry free life was not only a possibility but also something that every Christian should seek after and attain.

What are we to conclude about such a statement? We can come to the conclusion that Hudson Taylor was either:

• Liar that is making statements that are not true. Or,
• Deluded and was not in his right mind. Or, 
• Truthful and he truly was experiencing a worry free life.

But before we get to far along in judging Hudson Taylor let's take a look at what the Apostle Paul had to say about the topic of worry and about experiencing personal contentment. (My Definition Of Contentment Is: The state of mind that is freed from a life of worry).

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Do you see it there?  Paul is basically saying the same thing that Hudson Taylor said.  Paul is telling us that there is no need to be anxious about anything!  What does “anything” include?  It includes everything.  In other words, there is absolutely nothing that you will go through in life that you need to worry about if your life is in Christ.  Those that belong to Jesus have no need to worry about anything!  That’s exactly what this verse is teaching.

So, if the Bible is telling us to stop worrying then it must be possible to do!

There's no question in Paul's mind that living a worry free life is not only possible but also should be expected!

Paul doesn't stop there.  He goes on to tell people what to do when the circumstances of life are uncertain.  Paul clearly instructs us to to stop the worrying, which is our normal response to uncertainty, and start praying about it.

In other words, do an exchange! Instead of worrying over the uncertainties of life exchange that activity with the activity of talking to God about it.  Place your faith in the god who's not uncertain about what the future hold but actually controls it.

PRAYER IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR THAT MUST BE NURTURED IF WE WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE A WORRY FREE LIFE!

Paul says in Philippians 4:12 that he has discovered the "SECRET OF BEING CONTENT"! Isn't it interesting that the Apostle Paul refers to contentment as being a secret?  Why would he do that? Maybe it's because this contentment that so many of us are striving for is also what has alluded us so often and hard to hold onto! 

This contentment that Paul is talking about is to be found in any and every situation! Not just some situations but in all situations and circumstances.  Meditate on that thought for a just a little bit!

• Do you really think that is possible?
• Do you believe what the Bibles teach on the reality of this spiritual condition?
• And wouldn't having that contentment in every situation be a marvelous state of mind on a moment-by-moment and situation-by-situation basis?

And then Paul shares what that secret is in Philippians 4:13,

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

The secret of contentment is trusting in Christ who helps us do all things and specifically being content in the midst of the most uncertain of situations.  It is clear that the Apostle totally agrees with Hudson Taylor that a worry free life is the expected life style of God's people.

BOTH HUDSON TAYLOR AND THE APOSTLE PAUL AGREE - THE WORRY FREE LIFE IS EXPECTED AND DESIRED LIFESTYLE FOR GOD'S PEOPLE!

But, just in case you think that both the Apostle Paul and Hudson Taylor were crazy let's also take a look at what Jesus himself had to say about a worry free life.

In Matthew 6:25-43 Jesus talks about worry at length as part of the Sermon On The Mount. Let's look at a couple of statements that Jesus made about worry and how to view it:

• "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." (v. 25)
• "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." (v. 28)
• "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'what shall we wear?" (v. 31)
• "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." (v. 34)

Did you notice that in the spam of 9 verses Jesus instructed us four different times NOT TO WORRY!  Basically Jesus was saying,

"STOP WORRYING"

What does that tell us about Jesus position on being anxious or worried?  Simple this:  It’s not part of the lifestyle that He has planned for His disciples to have, it's an unnecessary activity and if we are chronically suffering from a lifestyle of worry we are not experiencing the life he has intended for us to live.

But before you experience that stress free – worry free life you have to embrace that kind of lifestyle as attainable.  In order to get there you have to believe that others have made it and that you can too, with Christ help and strength, can make it.

NO ONE CAN EXPERIENCE A WORRY FREE LIFE IF THEY DON’T BELIEVE IT’S POSSIBLE!

The starting point is to just to believe that with Christ and through Christ an anxious free life is possible.  

So, are you ready to take the plunge?  Are you ready to draw the line in the sand and declare that it is God’s will that you no longer worry about anything but pray about everything and allow the peace of God that transcends all understanding to guard your heart from disappointments and your mind from confusion, as you stand firm in the contentment that Christ provides you regardless of the circumstances God allows you to go through, rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, slave or free? 

Are you ready?

If so, you are one step closer to making the worry free life your reality!

 Click Here To Read Part 2

Are You Living For The Right Goal?

Life needs to be lived in pursuit of something. If not life tends to wander aimlessly and can be controlled by many different forces.  Sometimes those forces are other people and what they think should be your goals and other times it can be Satan and the objectives he is trying to accomplish.

Life without a goal is much like a a boat without a rudder.  In a sailboat it's the wind that is the driving force but to guide the ship in the direction of the captain requires the ship to have a rudder that the captain can control.  If your life is the ship, and the Holy Spirit is the wind, and Jesus is the captain then your goals should be your rudder.  It is vitally important that your rudder to submissive to the desires of the captain.

The rudder should never dictate and decide the direction but needs to be under the control of the captain.  Having the correct objective that is in concert with the captains desires is vitally important otherwise one might find out to late they're chasing the wrong things.

Jesus had much to say about living your life with the proper goals and objectives.  Jesus' desire was that we would live a fulfilled life.  Let's take a few moments and read Matthew 6:19-24 and see what Jesus actually did say about it: 

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy,and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  'No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

WHAT SHOULD YOU NOT DO?

Don't Store Up Treasures Here On Earth!

In the old days people's source of worldly wealth  was land, produce and cattle.  The more land you owned, the more produce you grew, the more cattle you raised the wealthier you were. But today People's source of wealth is real estate, investment accounts, and business ownership.  But weather it was yesterday or today Jesus' statement is still true! What did he say, "Do not store up for yourself treasures for yourself on earth ..."  

In this passage Jesus is very clear that we are not to store up these kind of things and don't make them your life's goals.  Don't live your life for these things! Don't make the obtaining of these things the overarching objective of your life. 

Now notice that Jesus doesn't say that you are not to have them but he said don't store them up! Don't hoard them! Don't lock them away and keep them for yourself for some rainy day.

WHY NOT STORE THEM AWAY?

"... where moths and vermin destroy ,and where thieves break in and steal." (V. 19 B)

Why? Because they won't last!  No matter how tightly you tuck them away or hide them - you will lose them!

1 of 3 Things Will Happen To Them 

They Will Either:

1. Wear Out!
2. Run Out!
3. or Get Stolen
4. or run out!

Instead Jesus says,

Change Your Life's Goal - Change What Your Storing Up & Where You're Storing It Up!

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (v. 20)

Why Store Up There?  Because:

1. It won't wear out.
2. Run out.
3. or get stolen

How Does One Store Up Treasure In Heaven?  In order to answer that question let's take a look at a couple of Bible verses that will help our understanding!

 "Jesus answered, 'f you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21 (NIV)

"Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourself that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys."  Luke 12:32,33 (NIV)

What Do We Learn From These Verses About Storing Up Treasure In Heaven?

That through our sacrificial generosity in helping others who are in desperate need God credits to our account in Heaven.  This is not to say that we are working our way to heaven. No. We are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8,9) but we have been saved to do good works that God has determine beforehand. 

THIS IS IMPORTANT TO HEAR!  

The material blessings that God has blessed us with is not intended for us to hoard for our own pleasures but us to share with others who desperately need help.  God intends that the overflow of our blessings is to drip into the cups of others who also need a blessing. God wants to use us to be the vehicle that blesses others.

What Might Happen If Were Not Generous And We Do Hoard The Blessings For Ourselves?

To answer that question let's look at a true story from the word of God that Jesus himself told found in Luke 12:16-21,

"And he told them this parable: 'The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 'Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, 'You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' 'But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 'This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

What might happen?  If you chose not to use the wealth of this world that God has blessed you with to help others that are in need and if you chose to hoard it all for yourself then God might just take you out of the equation!  Meditate on the question that is asked at the end of the story:

"Then who will get what you have prepare for yourself?"

Who? I think it will all end up to help those God always intended to help! The needly!

God has created you and blessed you so  you can be a blessing to others who are desperate for a blessing.  To the measure you are a blessing to others - will be the measure you continue to be blessed.  

YOUR LIFE'S GOAL IS TO BE SUCH A BLESSING TO OTHERS THAT THEY SEE YOUR GOOD DEEDS AND GLORIFYING GOD IN HEAVEN!

What Exactly Is Faith?

So what exactly is faith?  I mean we have all heard the Biblical definition of faith from Hebrews 11:1,
 

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."  

And I would agree that this is by far the most meaningful and beneficial definition that any person can hold to.  But in order to help us begin to view Biblical faith in God differently but in total agreement with what Hebrews says I would like to offer the following:

It's Obeying What God Says Even When It Doesn't Make Sense!

"By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."  Hebrews 11:8

Can you imagine that conversation between Abraham and God?  Think about it for a second and imagine with me if you would how that conversation went:

• God: 'Abraham.' 
• Abraham, 'Yes God I'm listening.'   
• God, 'Abraham I want to pack up your bags and get ready to move.'  
• Abraham, 'O.k. God, sure. When will I be leaving?'  
• God, 'I'll tell when it's time to leave but for now just make sure that you, your family and all your servants are packed and ready to go when I tell you.' 
• Abraham, 'Sure God if you say so. That's no problem.  So where exactly are we going?'
• God, 'That's not for you to know right now but once I tell you to leave I will also tell you what direction to go and when you get there.'  
• Abraham, 'Well I guess that's alright.  How long will it take for us to get there?'  
• God, 'Not for you to know.  You just keep on going until I tell you to stop.'  
• Abraham, 'Well if you say so I guess I can do that but let me make sure I understand you clearly. You want me, my family and all of my servants to pack up and get ready to relocate to a place that's an unknown destination, I'm not sure when we will be leaving exactly and I don't know how long it will take to get there.  Is that correct God?'  
• God, "Yes that's exactly correct. Do you have a problem with that?'  Abraham, 'No, not at all. I was just checking."

So let me ask you from our human perspective does it make a bit of sense to pack up for a journey that you are going to take at some unknown point in your life, to go on that journey without any idea how long it will take to get there and without any map or instructions on how to get there? 

NO!  IT MAKES NO BIT OF SENSE!

But that's faith in God.  He tells us to do something but it doesn't make a bit of sense to us but we do it anyhow!  Why? Because we trust God and we trust that he can do anything even if it doesn't make sense to us. 

I don't think that it made a bit of sense to Gideon to engage in a battle with his enemy numbering 10,000 soldiers when his army army had been downsized by God to only 300 men.

"So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.” His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash,the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.” When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’ Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.”  Judges 7:5-24 (NIV)

Really does that make any human sense?  Does it make sense to downsize your army to 300 men and tell them to shout, blow horns and reveal some light from lamps that each man was holding and then as a result then enemy would run around and kill themselves.

Not unless it's God who is doing it.

You see Gideon had faith in God just like Abraham to believe that God would do exactly what he said he would do even when what it didn't make a bit of sense. 

So, how well are you following God's instructions?  Do you ever get a word from the Lord and then try to redefine it because what you understood from God doesn't make sense?  Why do you think that God gives us instruction that don't make sense and shouldn't work at all?  Why?

Because God is doing something that will prove that he really does exist and can do anything!  That's why!

What Happens When A Church Begins To Pray?

So what does happen when churches pray?  They begin to experience a revival of the Holy Spirit working through them to be his witnesses with power and boldness!  In Acts 1:4-2:4 Jesus commands his disciples and apostles to go wait in Jerusalem until the Promise of the Father, which is the Holy Spirit, comes upon them.  Then when it comes they will receive power. 

The disciples were obedient to Jesus and there in Jerusalem they waited and prayed for the Holy Spirit to come upon them.  Ten days later that promise was fulfilled and God's power came through the Holy Spirit.

A church body that wishes to be obedient to the mission that Christ gave us must understand that we are totally unable to to accomplish it threw our own power and strength.  The mission is to big and to difficult for us to do on our own.  This is a mission that only God can accomplish.  It is a mission that requires power that only comes from Heaven. 

When a church becomes desperate for God's empowerment that church will begin to pray.  As that church prays to God, in his timing, God answers their prayer and provides the Filling of the Holy that provides the Divine power to be his witnesses. 

We can learn some things from the disciples about how to pray for this empowerment that the Holy Spirit provides.

First, they were PERSISTENT in their prayers. 

The Bible says in Acts 1:14 that they all joined together CONSTANTLY in prayer.  Their prayers were constant!  They didn't just pray for a little while and then went home.  They were persistent in crying out to God to provide the Holy Spirit and his power just as Christ had promised.  Their persistence showed that they were desperate for this empowerment.  They truly wanted it and they were not going to stop praying until God provided it.

• How desperate are we for God's empowerment? 
• How long will be wait and continue to pray for this empowerment? 
• Are we putting time limits on God to provide this power? 
• And if God does not provide it when we think it should be provided are we going to quit and stop our prayers for it?

God wants us to be so desperate and resolved in waiting on God for this empower from the Holy Spirit that we are determined to not quit or stop in our prayers for it until God provides it.  Our prayers need to be desperate and constant for God to empower us.

Second, This was not just persistent prayer but it was a UNITED prayers. 

All of the disciples were together praying for it.  None of them were willing to leave.  They join together in unity, as a body of believers to cry out to God for his empowerment. 

Churches that experience God's empowerment are churches that are united together in their prayers to God for it.  It requires more than just a hand full of church members crying out to God for it.  It requires that whole church, in one accord, asking God for it.  How committed as a whole church family are we in seeking God's power through the Holy Spirit. 

In order for this kind of commitment and unity to happen churches, as a whole body, need to be broken and humbled before the living God.  They need to put away their own agenda's, their own goals and seek only what God is doing.  When a church is broken and humbled then they are ready to be melted and formed into the usable vessel that God desires.

Third, These disciples offered their supplications before the Lord. 

In other words they were begging God to provide what he had promised.  They were truly desperate for his empowerment. 

• Do we beg God? 
• Are we crying out to God? 

Here is an interesting thought!  These followers didn't just talk about prayer, they actually prayed!  Church we need to do more praying and less talking about prayer.  We need to actually come before the thrown of God's grace and stop just talking about doing it.  The power comes not when we talk about it but when we actually pray for it.

THE RESULTS:  

And when God answered their prayer it came with POWER from HEAVEN.  Not earthly power.  Not man made power.  But it came with Heavenly power. 

The power effected everyone who was there.  It wasn't just a few that got touched.  Everyone present was affected by it.  This is a good reason why Christians should make it a priority to constantly participate in the prayer vigils of their church.  Because when the power comes you don't want to miss it. 

The power came through the Filling of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit of the Living God didn't just come to live in them but to also live through them.  The power of God is the presence of God, through the Holy Spirit, living his life through us.  God's power is God himself! To receive the power of God is to have an experience with God himself. 

All who were there and who were filled with the Holy Spirit began to witness about Christ and 3,000 people were saved and baptized.  Now that is something that only God can do!  But it is also something that God can still do through us if we are willing to be a church that prays for God's empowerment.

3 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD ASK!

When it comes to Missional Living the topic of spiritual warfare has to come up at some point.  Why? Because Missional Living isn't an activity that goes unchallenged! We have an opponent who does not want us to fulfill the mission that Christ has commissioned to us.  In this post we are going to ask and answer 3 questions about spiritual warfare and prayerfully the answers will better prepare you for the battle you will be in tomorrow.

Question #1:  Who Is Our Enemy?

This is the most basic of all question when it comes to spiritual warfare! If you are going to be victorious in spiritual warfare you have to know who is your enemy. If you don't you might find yourself fighting the wrong person and be blindsided when the real enemy comes and attacks.

To fully answer that question we need to know who is not our enemy! It says in Ephesians 6:12,

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood ..."

In other words we are not fighting against other people!  Your spouse is not your enemy! Your children is not your enemy! Your neighbor is not your enemy! As a matter of fact no living person is your enemy that you are fighting against.  

Jesus understood that while he was hanging on the cross and pray for God the Father to forgive those who were crucifying him for they didn't understand what they were doing.  That's why Stephen, one of the first deacons, in the Book of Acts, could ask God not to hold the sin of those who were stoning him against them.  That's why Paul and Silas could rejoice and sing praise to God after being beaten and thrown into prison in the city of Philippi and then have enough concern for the jailer that they were able to lead him and his family to faith in Christ.  Paul knew his enemy was not the jailer.  

The Bible tells us that those who don't know Jesus are slaves to sin and blinded from the truth. IN other words people are not the enemy - they are the victims we are sent to free from that slavery and remove the blindfold so they can see Jesus for who he really is.  

Instead, of people being our enemy we find that the Bible says that it is Satan who is our enemy. In verse 11 and 12 we read,

"Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. We are fight against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world."  

Also, in 1 Peter 5:8 we read,

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

In both of these passages of scripture we read that the true identity of our enemy is none other that Satan himself.  Satan and His demonic forces are the ones we are fighting again. It is a spiritual battle and not a physical one. 

Question #2:  How Does Our Enemy Attack Us?

In Eph 6:11 we learn that Satan's attacts are through deceit and trickery!

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."

The word "schemes" come from the Greek word: "Methodia".  We get the English word "Method" from it. It literally means to trick or lie with the purpose to deceive.  

Satan's who spiritual warfare is an attempt to trick you or lie to you with the purpose to deceive you to do things that are contrary and against God's will and way of doing life. And once you have fallen to the deception you suffer the consequences of your choice.

Many of Satan's lies and tricks will be an attempt to make you believe that he really does care about you and God doesn't; or he might try to misuse the Bible to get you to think that what he's tempting you to do is a Godly things; or many times Satan will try to trick you to think that there's a short cute to doing God's will and you don't have to follow God's plan; and finally Satan loves to try to get you to distrust God and remove your faith from Him.  

Question #3:  How Should We Respond To His Attack?

BY KEEPING YOUR COMPOSURE:

"Keep cool headed. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce and would like nothing better than to catch you sleeping." 1 Peter 5:8 (MSG)

I love the way different translations put it. The Message says, "Keep a cool head"; the NIV says, "Be self-controlled"; the NAS says "Be on your guard".  In other words our response to Satan and His attacks need to be one of keeping our composure during the times we are being tempted. Why? Because people make stupid decisions and choices when they loose their heads and self-control.  How many times have we heard people respond to the question, "Why did you do that?" Only to hear, "I don't know! I just got so angry that I didn't think straight."  

BY STAYING ALERT LOOKING FOR SATANS TRAPS:

" ... stay alert ..." (vs. 8)

"Then he (Jesus) returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. 'Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?' he asked Peter. 'Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."  Matthew 26:40,41 (NIV)

Just like a soldier that is our on patrol behind enemy lines needs to stay alert, watchful and always looking for any sign that the enemy is close by, so must Christians be watchful for any sign that Satan is close by, hiding and preparing to pounce on them.  Jesus instructed His disciple to "Watch & Pray".  The truth is that we need more than just physical eyes to recognize the activities of Satan - we also need spiritual eyes.  You ability to recognize the activities of the devil will be proportionable to the strength of your prayer life.  WATCHING AND PRAYING IS THE KEY TO RECOGNIZING THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ENEMY.

BY VIEWING THE ENEMY FOR WHO HE REALLY IS:

"... your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (vs. 6)

What is a lion?:

• They are the King of the Beasts!
• They are predators!
• They look for preys to overpower and devour! 

That's who your enemy really is!  

• Satan is not your buddy!
• He is not your friend!
• He does not care about you!
• He only wants to devour you and leave you dying in the cutter.  
• Don't try to get chummy with him!
• Don't try to make a deal with him.

Instead, fight him - defeat him and use the spiritual armor that God has provided. 

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOD’S PEOPLE!

This is a question that the People of God have been asking throughout the ages!  It is as if we are looking for that one and only answer that will bring clarity and understanding to the sadness we are experiencing.  Many people feel that if they can understand the “Why” question it will bring peace to their hurting heart.  But that to is a futile pursuit because peace doesn’t come from understanding a concept but through the love of a particular individual.

However, that’s not to say that gaining Biblical understanding about this topic is useless.  It’s not!  It just provides little benefit for gaining peace to deal with the pain.  And if you are looking for that one, and only one, explanation to why bad things happen to good people you’re going to become frustrated.  This question does not have just one answer.  The answer is multi-faceted!  

The theme of this question is particularly important to those who are intentionally living a missional life and shining the Light of Christ in their part of this dark world!  Why?  Because in the pursuit of Christ’s mission people will experience bad things, difficult times and seasons of sadness that will need to be dealt with. 

 Jesus said it best,

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

In this verse, Jesus was preparing his disciples for that inevitable reality that in these sinful world trials and tribulations can be expected if one is intentionally pursuing God’s mission.  Being on mission with Christ isn’t glamorous or a fairy tale story.  The pain, the suffering and the horribly bad things that happen to God’s people are real and raw.  This missional life isn’t an afternoon on a picnic – it’s a war zone where the forces of evil are being engaged by the People of God. 

 And because of that, we need understand that bad things do happen to God’s people and we need to prepare ourselves for when that season of life befalls us. 

 So, in this post I am going to share 4 reasons why bad things happen to God’s people but then I am going to share where one can find the peace and strength they need for going through that painful time!

4 REASONS WHY BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO

GOD’S PEOPLE!

REASON #1:  Because Of Stupidity

In 2 Kings 6:1-7 we read about a story of a man who had an axe with an iron head.  As the man was swinging the axe, the iron head flew off, landed into a deep river and sank to the bottom.  The man cried out to the prophet, told him what had happened and then shared that the axe was borrowed from a friend.  Luckily, this story had a happy ending through a miracle that the prophet performed by throwing a stick into the water and the iron axe head came floating to the top. 

 But here’s the point! The man who had borrowed an axe with an iron head had borrowed an extremely expensive piece of farming equipment and maybe because he wasn’t as careful as he needed (not checking to make sure the iron axe head was secure) a potentially very bad thing happened. 

 Was the man trying to be harmful or do something bad?  Absolutely not!  It was an accident!  Here’s the point: Bad things sometimes happen simply because it was an accident. No one was trying to hurt you. But for whatever reason it happened.

 How many times have we heard of a car full of teenagers driving down the road and enjoying life get into an accident where people are severely injured or killed?  It happened not because someone was trying to do a bad thing but because of a lack of judgment and too much playing around in the car and the driver didn’t give their full attention to the road.  As a result, the people’s lives were forever altered. 

 Were they trying to hurt people?  No!  It was negligence – it was stupidity! 

 REASON #2: Because Of Sin 

The reality is that some bad things that have happened to us are a direct result of sinful living. Not all - but some!  In the Book of Genesis we are taught that death enter into the world because of rebelling against God. God told Adam that on the day he ate of the forbidden tree he would die. 

 Sometimes it’s our own sin that causes us to have problems.  Because we decided to use drugs, we end up dealing with a lifetime of physical problems. Because we’ve mistreated our wives, we end up divorced and all alone at the end of life. Because we chose a life of crime, we end up in prison.  And this list could go on and on.

 Other times it’s not our sin that causes us to suffer but the sin of another person.  Many times innocent people experience bad things in their life because of someone else’s sin.  How many times in recent history have we heard about a lone gunman going onto a school campus and begin shooting.  It wasn’t the sin of any of the students that got shot that caused this to happen. It was the sin of one person who decided to do a horrible thing.  What sin did the people in the Twin Towers commit that caused that horrific tragedy?  It was the sin of those terrorists who decided to take innocent lives.  Because of another persons sin many experienced the pain of a loved one who will never come home.

 REASON #3:  Because The World’s Under A Curse

 In Genesis 3:17 we read an interesting explanation about why bad things happen to, not only to God’s people but also to all people. 

“To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.”

 Did you read that?  It said that because of Adam this world we live in is cursed!  God placed a curse on this world that we live in and as a result, it doesn’t respond the way it was originally designed.  It has flaws and is broken.  The result being: floods, tornados, hurricanes, tidal waves, droughts and more. 

Any kind of natural disaster you can think of that, kills and ruin the lives of thousands happen because our world is cursed.  And Jesus tells us that as this world comes closer and closer to the Last Day, Judgment Day, these natural disasters will increase and intensify.  The intensification of these events is part of the birth pains that signal Jesus’ return.

 REASON #4:  To Manifest The Works Of God

 This last reason might actually be the hardest explanation for some people to accept! This reason, though Biblical, goes against many of our comforting thoughts about the nature of God.  Let look at John 9:2-12 and see what it says,

“And His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. ‘We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. ‘While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.’  When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which is translated, Sent). So, he went away and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, ‘Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?’ Others were saying, ‘This is he,’ still others were saying, ‘No, but he is like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the one.’ So they were saying to him, ‘How then were your eyes opened?’ He answered, ‘The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.’ They said to him, ‘Where is He?’ He said, ‘I do not know."

 Did you catch the reason why this man was born blind?  It was done so that the WORKS OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED IN HIM! 

 Why does do some bad things sometimes happen to God’s people? Because God wants to use that bad thing to demonstrate His power, glory and might.  They happen so that others, seeing God’s mighty works, can learn to put their faith in God.  God allows them so that in some way He can push His mission forward and hasten the coming of His Kingdom to earth. 

Do you think I just might be wrong?  Then ask Paul and Silas if God was willing to allow them to be whipped, beaten and thrown into jail in the city of Philippi so that a jailer and His family could be saved and baptized!

 Throughout the Bible, we see story after story where God has allowed His people to suffer and experience tremendous pain so that His will would be done. 

But let me end this post by saying that the comfort that we seek doesn’t come from understanding why bad things happen!  There is only one place where we can experience the comfort and peace our hearts desire when bad things happen to us!  That place is in the presence of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

 Jesus himself is the only one who can give us what we want.  Jesus said,

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)

 See!  Jesus said that in him we would find the peace we need! And it also says that we can take heart because He has beaten the world! 

OUR PEACE IS NOT FOUND IN THE EXPLANATIONS OF WHY SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS!

 OUR PEACE IS FOUND IN CHRIST ALONE!

The #1 Problem To Fulfilling Great Commission?

Today we are going to look at what's been the problem to fulfilling Great Commission!  

What's been holding us back?  Could it be:

1. Money?
2. Time?
3. Persecution?

Watch this video to find out Jesus' answer and His solution!

Now that you know what the problem is what will you do about it? How will you respond? Decision is yours!

3 Ways To Pray With Boldness

The whole first part of Luke chapter 11 is all about different aspects of prayer.  In this post we are going to look at 3 ways that Christians can pray with boldness.  What does praying of boldness look like? How can you tell if someone is truly a bold prayer warrior?  Why is boldness in prayer important for a powerful missional life?

3 Specific Biblical Ways To Be Bold In Prayer

 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."  Luke 11: 9-10 (NIV)

1.  Keep On Asking God To Meet The Need

The first thing that Jesus teaches in these verses is to keep on asking God for whatever you need. Bold prayer warriors are tenacious and never quit with their prayers. 

The promise that Christ gives to those who can be that persistent and tenacious in their prayer life is that their prayers will be answered.  How quickly do you give up on the prayers that you have brought before the Lord? Can you keep on asking, for years if needed, before you see your prayers answered?

2.  Keep On Seeking For God's Provision

A big part of prayer is not just the asking but also the seeking for God's answer! When we finish our prayers and say "Amen" the prayer isn't over - now comes the time when we need to look and see how God is answering. What provision is God providing to meet the need you prayed about?  To often we ask God to meet our needs but fail to look and thereby fail to get the provision God provided.

3. Keep On Knocking On The Door Of Opportunity

Many times to receive the provisions that God is providing requires us to take the initiative by knocking on some "doors of opportunity".  How do you know if God wants you to have a new job if you never send in your resume and apply for it?  Most of the time we must be willing to lay out some shoe leather and pound the ground before we can see God's provision.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie/Prayer Outreach Strategy

Jesus said on the Sermon On The Mount,

"Let your light so shine before men in such a way that they see your good deeds and glorify our Father in Heaven."  Matthew 5:16

In other words we are to do good things for other people in a way that God gets the credit for it and that includes outreach.  The Chocolate Chip Cookie/Prayer Outreach Strategy is one powerful way to do something nice for people and do it in a way that God gets the glory and so a "Door of Opportunity" might open to share the Gospel.  

This is a simple strategy that anyone can do. It would be a great activity for an Ordinary Christian to do in their own neighborhood.  It can be used to reach out into other neighborhoods to see which homes God is at work in.  

The first video explains how it works and the other three video are short testimonies of people who taught to do it and went out that same day and did. They will share their experiences in doing it with you.  

So what do you think?  

• Can you bake up some chocolate chip cookies, take them over to some neighbors house, share with them that God loves them and you care about them, ask if there's anything going on in their lives that you can pray for them about, and then pray for them?  
• Can you do that?  SURE YOU CAN! SO GO SHINE THE LIGHT OF CHRIST AND LET GOD GET THE GLORY!

 

What Kind Of Christian Are You?

When it comes to powerful missional living the integrity of the Follower of Christ is everything. Depending on what kind of Christian they are will determine the power and success of their missional ventures.

In today Missional Living Devotional you will get a chance to evaluate and answer that question for yourself.  We will be looking at a true story from the word of God to gain the understanding of what I mean when I ask the question, "What Kind Of Christian Are You?"  Take a few minutes and watches this devotional and then make plans on how you will go and shine the Light of Christ in your part of this dark world.

3 Principles For Worshipping God!

While worshipping God will include more than these 3 principles, it will definitely include these three.  I chose them because they are often forgotten and not mentioned. These 3 seem to reside underneath the covers hiding away from most of our attentions. However, they are important reminders that if our worship is going to remain unadulterated and pure before a Holy Righteous God they need to be kept in check.

PRINCIPLE #1:  We're To Worship God Who Needs Nothing!

How many times have we praise people for their work and effort for the purpose of encouraging them. Praise in that sense is done because we think the person needs it.  But God doesn't need our praise. God doesn't get discouraged that causes him to need others to build him up.  God doesn't need us to boost His ego.

We don't worship God because he needs it. We worship Him because He DESERVES IT!  

Our motivation for worshipping God doesn't come from a sense of God's need but out of a sense of God's worth.

"Because your love is better than life,  my lips will glorify you." Ps 63:3 

PRINCIPLE #2:  We're To Worship God Even Though We Don't Feel Like It!

Listen to the words of Job after his family was killed and property was stolen.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,  and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21 (NIV)

What was Job doing?

• First he makes a declaration of truth
• and then Job begins to praise God - he begins to worship God!  

Let me ask you a question! At that moment, after hearing about the murder of his children and all his property being stolen, do you think Job "FELT" like worshipping God?  Of course NOT!  But he did it any how!  

Do you think that King David felt like worshipping God after the death of his baby with Bathsheba?  Of course not! But that's exactly what he did. He bathed, he changed cloths and he went to the temple to worship God.  Do we truly think that Paul and Silas after being beaten and thrown into jail in Philippi felt like worship God while chained in stocks?  Of course NOT! But that's what they were doing.

Worship isn't intended to praise God for the wonderful and great things that He has done for us exclusively. It is also intended to worship him even when we are morning and saddened by the events of life. 

We worship God not because we feel like it but we worship Him because He is worthy of it!

"In a loud voice they were saying:  'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,  to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength  and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:12 (NIV)

PRINCIPLE #3:  Worship Of God Includes Meeting Other People's Need!

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."  Hebrews 13:15-16 (NIV)

Did you read what are the sacrifices we're to bring to God for worship that will please Him?  

• It is doing good
• and sharing with others who are in need. 

 It's not just our songs we sing and the prayers we make but it also includes how we treat people and how we look out after them by meeting their needs.

"I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." Phil 4:18 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul considered the gifts of support he received as being a fragrant offering and an acceptable sacrifice that is pleasing to God. 

After you leave your fancy church buildings and go out for lunch do you even give a consideration the homeless person in the park that may or may not get a meal that day?  Do we really think that God is please with our songs when we ignore the needs of others around us?

Let us worship God but lets worship him the way He wants to be worship and for the right reason!

What's Christ's Vision For Your Life?

In today's Missional Living Devotional we are going to take a look at the fact that Christ has a new vision for our life that matches the mission he has for us to do! Take a few minutes to watch this video and allow the Holy Spirit give you a glimpse into the vision Christ has for your life.

Take a few moments and share this Missional Living Devotional on Facebook & Twitter with your Christian family and friends so they might be encouraged also to shine the Light of Christ more brightly in their part of this dark world.

3 Ways Jesus Can Help Us When We Are Tempted!

If you are intentionally living a missional life that brightly shines the Light of Christ in your part of this dark world then you know that life can be filled with lots of temptations.  In this post I want to share with you 3 ways that Jesus can help you when you are in the midst of temptation and more importantly after you have given into temptation.  The key all victory, when it comes to temptation, is Jesus! 

"Therefore, since we have a great hight priest who has gone through the heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and grace in our time of need."  Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)

Jesus Is Able To Help Us By:

I.  Being Our Advocate!

The first thing we see in the passage of scripture from the book of Hebrews is that Jesus is our great high priest.  The job of a high priest is to represent the people he is in charge over before God himself.  He is to make petitions and request to God on behalf of the people.  He is to ask God to be faithful to meet the needs of the people.

In this verse we see that it is Jesus, who is a our high priest, is the one who represents us before God the Father, and it is Jesus who is constantly interceding on our behalf.  In other words Jesus is constantly praying for you and asking God to help you and especially during your times of temptations and spiritual warfare.  

Listen to what Jesus tells the Apostle Peter on the night that Jesus is to be arrested.

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”  Luke 22:31,32 (NIV)

 Isn't that so cool?  Jesus knows that Peter is about to go through the biggest temptation of his life. He is going to be tempted that he ever knew Jesus and was going to fail at it miserably BUT Jesus has prayed for him.  He prayed to God the Father that Peter's faith would not fail, that Peter would recover from his failure and that Peter would be able to strengthen others even after he fails in his temptation.  

Do you understand this? This is such an important Biblical principle  to get!  Jesus is in Heaven praying for you too!  He's asking God to help you overcome temptations but just as important He is asking God to strengthen you when you blow it by giving into the temptation and to give you opportunities to be used once again to encourage others afterwards.  

ISN'T THAT SO ENCOURAGING FOR YOU TO KNOW THAT AS YOU ARE GOING THROUGH THIS LIFE ON MISSION WITH CHRIST, THAT CHRIST HAS GOT YOUR BACK AND IS IN THE VERY PRESENCE OF GOD THE FATHER PRAYING FOR YOU.  I KNOW IT IS FOR ME!

II.  Empathizing With Us!

The next thing that we see on how Jesus can help us during our times of temptation is the fact that he is able to empathized with us.  In this verse we read that Jesus has been tempted in every way! Satan has given Jesus his best shot and Jesus was able to take it and overcome it.  Because Jesus has tempted in every way we are tempted he understands the struggle, the difficulty and hardship that is associate with being tempted. So, when Christ is praying for us he does it with passion, conviction and understanding. From experience Jesus is able to share with God the Father just how very hard it is when temptation hits. 

Because Jesus understands he is able to comfort us like one who has been there. His tender touch, his loving eyes the sound of his compassionate voice is able to be there to encourage us because he can relate to what you are going through. 

III.  Forgiving Us!

I love the last part of this verse. We are encouraged to to approach God's thrown of grace with confidence. We don't need to be shy. We don't need to be reluctant. Because Jesus is our High Priest we are to come before the thrown of grace with CONFIDENCE. I love the way this verse describes God's thrown! It;s called the Thrown of Grace! It is at the Thrown of God we find God's grace - God's unmerited favor! Forgiveness is always found at God's thrown. And in order to experience God's grace you must be willing to approach God's thrown. You can never experience God's grace hiding from Him, running from Him, or just avoiding Him.  The people who experience God's grace are those who have come before his thrown in all their sinfulness pleading to him.

And what are they pleading for? MERCY & GRACE! When we stop the running and come before God in complete humility and begging for his forgiveness we are promised to experience two things:

1. God's mercy: That's not getting what you deserve.  Because of your sin you deserve to go to hell but when we come asking for God's help he removes the consequences of our sin from us.
2. God's grace:  God not only doesn't give us what we deserve but then he gives us what we don't deserve. That's grace: Getting what you don't deserve. Instead of getting hell which we deserve God gives us eternal life which we don't deserve. 

And that is the confidence we are to approach God's thrown. Confident that because Jesus is our High Priest constantly being our advocate before God the Father that when we come to him we will receive both mercy and grace.

THAT'S A PROMISE FROM THE BIBLE.

3 SMALL STEPS FOR YIELDING TO TEMPTATION!

Have you ever thought about how easy it is to give into temptation?  Today, I want us to take a look at the story about King David and see what we can learn about temptation and giving into it!  

From this story we will learn that there's really only 3 small steps that will lead you into giving into the temptation that you are facing.  The story is found in 2 Samuel 11:1-5.  You're probably very familiar with the story. It's the story of David and Bathsheba.  

"In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.  One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.” 2 Samuel 11:1-5 (NIV)

3 Steps To Giving Into Temptation

Step 1:  Not Being Where You're Suppose To Be

Let's take a look at verse 1 to gain an understanding about this first step.

"In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem."

Right here in this verse we see that King David should have been off to war with his soldiers but for whatever reason he decided not to go but to remain in Jerusalem.  The first step to giving into any temptation is simply that:

You're not where you're suppose to be and not doing what you're suppose to be doing! 

For King David that was to be at war fighting his enemies. For us it might be getting home and taking care of our family or being at work making a living.  Personally, I have found I am most drawn to a temptation when I am not where I am suppose to be.

If David had simply been where he was suppose to be the whole temptation would never have happened.  If he had been at war with his men, like he should have been, he never would have seen Bathsheba bathing, therefore he never would have lusted after her and never would have sent for her.  

Being where you're suppose to be prevents a whole lot of temptation.

Step 2: Having To Much Time On Your Hands

"One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing." (vs 2)

Now I have question for you.  Why was David not able to sleep and why was he walking around on the roof of his palace?  The answer is simple. Because he wasn't where he was suppose to be and he had to much time on his hands.  He was bored and didn't know what to do with himself.

There's old wise saying that really apply's to this point. It goes like this:

"Idle hands is the devils work shop."

The truth of the matter is simple this, if you don't fill your time with something constructive to do you'll usually get yourself involved in something destructive.  When do children get into the most trouble?  When they don't have anything to do!  It's not only true for children but it's also true for adult and Christian adults as well.

Even if you have a day off, you should have, at least, a general plan of things to do so that Satan can't take advantage of your boredom and tempt you with something that you will regret later.

Step 3:  Instead Of Fleeing Temptation You Pursue The Temptation

"From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her." (v. 3)

Here it is! David is at the moment of truth! He see a beautiful woman who is bathing. What is he going to do?  Or, better yet, what should David do?  Take a look at these Bible verses and discover what the proper action David should have taken.

• "Run from temptation that captures temptation ..." (2 Timothy 2:22a)
• "Flee from sexual immorality ..."  1 Cor. 6:18
• "Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry." 1 Cor. 10:14

What do all three of these verse have in common?  They all talk about running away from or fleeing from temptation.  But what did King David do?  Did he flee or run away from what he was seeing from his roof top? No, instead of running away from it he actually pursued it.

David's pursuit was to send someone to find out who she was and once he found out that her husband was away at war (where King David should have been) he thought he could have her and not get caught.

How often have we done the same thing with the things we are tempted by?  We see the temptation and instead of running away by getting our minds occupied with things that will be productive, we contemplate how nice the temptation looks, how much pleasure it would bring and then we try to figure out how how close we can get to it without getting snatched up by it.  

Here's the problem! Once we fail to immediately turn and run and decide to linger and ponder the possibilities of that sin, we are already caught.  

Here's the solution to temptation:

1. Be Where You're Suppose To Be!
2. Have Your Day Planned With Constructive Activities!
3. When Temptation Reveals Itself RUN!

WE ARE CALLED TO ILLUMINATE A VERY SPIRITUALLY DARK WORLD!

As Followers of Christ we are called to be the Light of the world! And not just any kind of world but a very spiritually dark world.  So, I have a question for you to consider, "Just how dark is the world that you live in? And how good of a job are you doing to illuminate it?

Watch this video and be encouraged to shine the Light of Christ in your part of this dark world!