When you here the word "church" what images come to mind? Do we start to think about the place we meet to have our services each week? Do we think of music and preaching? Do we think of the children's classes and programs?
In the early church they thought of people. In fact the word church in the New Testament "EKKLESIA" literally meant "a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place"
In Jesus' time a ekklesia was a gathering of Roman citizens that gathered together to peacefully over throw a corrupt government. It is people first and foremost. But a ekklesia isn't all people is it made up of only citizens. In this case citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Called together through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross to overcome the "ruler of this world" with the peace and love we have through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The time to rise up in now! God is looking for men and women who are willing to stand in the gap for the poor, weak, hurting and oppressed. Ezekiel 22:30 says, "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none." If He looked today would He find us standing in the gap?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
So Much Left to Do
With less than two weeks till we move there seems to be so much left to do. It would be very easy to become overwhelmed by all the things left to do. It is times like this that I am reminded of the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Jesus knows that we have the tendency to focus the to do list that we have that we become paralyzed at the moment. We worry and stress out about the things a head rather than taking care of the here and now. Jesus wants to remind us that God knows all our needs and tells us not to stress out about things.
His answer is simple, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you. Could it really be that simple? Yes! It can.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God has such great plans for your life, don't get yourself all worked up just because you don't have all the details.
Jesus knows that we have the tendency to focus the to do list that we have that we become paralyzed at the moment. We worry and stress out about the things a head rather than taking care of the here and now. Jesus wants to remind us that God knows all our needs and tells us not to stress out about things.
His answer is simple, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you. Could it really be that simple? Yes! It can.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God has such great plans for your life, don't get yourself all worked up just because you don't have all the details.
Friday, September 17, 2010
The Reaction of a father
I was startled out sleep last night by the most blood curdling scream I have ever herd. It was the voice of my five year old little girl. To make matters worse it wasn't coming from her bed room. As a father my brain only registered two things; Move and protect. My legs where moving carrying me toward me toward her before I even realized I was out of bed. It didn't matter that it was dark or that I was running into an unknown circumstance. My daughter had screamed and it was urgent.
Now what happened was that she had a bad dream and was still half asleep and had made her was to her older sister's room and when my oldest asked her what was wrong it startled her and she screamed.
My reason for sharing this however isn't so you will think anything about us but because it got me thinking about my heavenly Father. If I, as a human, imperfect, father react like this to the cry of my child, how much more does God react to our cries.
We have a Father in heaven who loves us and desires to keep us safe. He guards over us while we are sleeping and protects us from those who would do us hard, and yes, some times he allows us to stumble and fall. Sometimes we get startled and scream though we are safe. He allows us to experience growing pains in our lives that will build morals and character in us, but He never leaves our side. We are always under His watchful eyes and He is always ready to spring into action.
Psalm 18
1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn [a] of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave [b] coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded. [c]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies ,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
22 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
29 With your help I can advance against a troop [d] ;
with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you made my adversaries bow at my feet.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the LORD, but he did not answer.
42 I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind;
I poured them out like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations;
people I did not know are subject to me.
44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners cringe before me.
45 They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
47 He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
48 who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from violent men you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
I will sing praises to your name.
50 He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.
Praise the love of the Father!!!
Now what happened was that she had a bad dream and was still half asleep and had made her was to her older sister's room and when my oldest asked her what was wrong it startled her and she screamed.
My reason for sharing this however isn't so you will think anything about us but because it got me thinking about my heavenly Father. If I, as a human, imperfect, father react like this to the cry of my child, how much more does God react to our cries.
We have a Father in heaven who loves us and desires to keep us safe. He guards over us while we are sleeping and protects us from those who would do us hard, and yes, some times he allows us to stumble and fall. Sometimes we get startled and scream though we are safe. He allows us to experience growing pains in our lives that will build morals and character in us, but He never leaves our side. We are always under His watchful eyes and He is always ready to spring into action.
Psalm 18
1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn [a] of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave [b] coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded. [c]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies ,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
22 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
29 With your help I can advance against a troop [d] ;
with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you made my adversaries bow at my feet.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the LORD, but he did not answer.
42 I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind;
I poured them out like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations;
people I did not know are subject to me.
44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners cringe before me.
45 They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
47 He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
48 who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from violent men you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
I will sing praises to your name.
50 He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.
Praise the love of the Father!!!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Faith in Uncertainty
As we prepare to step out on faith to move to Ohio with the mission and vision to start a new church, we are surrounded with the uncertainty of not having a job or a home yet. To me this is part of the beauty of God's timing. God desires us live live by faith not by sight. It would be easy to move with everything in place, but resting in the arms of a loving God when facing the unknown stretches and grows us. We learn to depend on Him rather than self.
Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
As we seek to move deeper in our relationship with Jesus Christ it will take faith. Jesus tells not to worry about our needs, because our Father in heaven knows about them. Instead we are told to seek first, His kingdom and His righteousness and He (God)will provide our needs.
What are you facing today that you need faith to get through? Let me pray with you and together we will trust God to help you see what isn't there yet.
Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
As we seek to move deeper in our relationship with Jesus Christ it will take faith. Jesus tells not to worry about our needs, because our Father in heaven knows about them. Instead we are told to seek first, His kingdom and His righteousness and He (God)will provide our needs.
What are you facing today that you need faith to get through? Let me pray with you and together we will trust God to help you see what isn't there yet.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Not skilled to understand
"I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands one who is my Savior"
~My Savior My God by Aaron Shust
I woke up this morning with these words flowing from my heart. The fact is life is full of things we simple humans will never understand. If you don't believe me have a conversation with... well anyone.
I remember years ago, when I was working security at a movie theater, a girl started asking me questions about my belief in God and Jesus. Some of these questions that she asked where things I could reason through in my mind but it seemed no matter my answer it always fell short of giving a glimpse of the truth of God. "I am not skilled to understand."
What I know is that I live in a world that has a problem. It is full of pain, suffering, greed, anger, lust, hunger, loneliness, abuse, addiction, affliction, despair, and darkness. Every where we look our hearts, minds, and souls are assaulted by things the world would be better off without.
In this world we find ourselves so caught up in the rat race of life that we mindlessly flow from one activity to the next. Most of have in us this since of a deity, "there has to be more to life then this."
We have this longing in us, a longing to live a life of purpose, a live of significance, but how can we even hope to make a difference in a world that needs so much help. "I am not skill to understand, what God has willed what God has planned"
If we allow ourselves, we will quickly find ourselves overwhelmed, "where do I even start?"
"I only know at His right hand, Stands one who is my Savior" Jesus came into this world to show the effect that one man, motivated by God can do. He came as a man full of grace and compassion, and during the three years of public ministry changed the course of human history. We can't even say the year without acknowledging Him.
It is this Jesus that offers the hope that the world needs. It is this Jesus that set an example for us to live by. It is this Jesus that paid the sin debt for you and me. It is this Jesus who poured out His life that we may live. It is this Jesus who conquered death and the grave. It is this Jesus who walked out of the grave to give you new life, and ascended to heaven to sit at God's right hand.
It is Jesus who sent the Holy Spirit to guild us and teach us the things of God. It was this Spirit that guided men of God to write the Bible to give us the very word of God.
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands one who is my Savior"
~My Savior My God by Aaron Shust
I woke up this morning with these words flowing from my heart. The fact is life is full of things we simple humans will never understand. If you don't believe me have a conversation with... well anyone.
I remember years ago, when I was working security at a movie theater, a girl started asking me questions about my belief in God and Jesus. Some of these questions that she asked where things I could reason through in my mind but it seemed no matter my answer it always fell short of giving a glimpse of the truth of God. "I am not skilled to understand."
What I know is that I live in a world that has a problem. It is full of pain, suffering, greed, anger, lust, hunger, loneliness, abuse, addiction, affliction, despair, and darkness. Every where we look our hearts, minds, and souls are assaulted by things the world would be better off without.
In this world we find ourselves so caught up in the rat race of life that we mindlessly flow from one activity to the next. Most of have in us this since of a deity, "there has to be more to life then this."
We have this longing in us, a longing to live a life of purpose, a live of significance, but how can we even hope to make a difference in a world that needs so much help. "I am not skill to understand, what God has willed what God has planned"
If we allow ourselves, we will quickly find ourselves overwhelmed, "where do I even start?"
"I only know at His right hand, Stands one who is my Savior" Jesus came into this world to show the effect that one man, motivated by God can do. He came as a man full of grace and compassion, and during the three years of public ministry changed the course of human history. We can't even say the year without acknowledging Him.
It is this Jesus that offers the hope that the world needs. It is this Jesus that set an example for us to live by. It is this Jesus that paid the sin debt for you and me. It is this Jesus who poured out His life that we may live. It is this Jesus who conquered death and the grave. It is this Jesus who walked out of the grave to give you new life, and ascended to heaven to sit at God's right hand.
It is Jesus who sent the Holy Spirit to guild us and teach us the things of God. It was this Spirit that guided men of God to write the Bible to give us the very word of God.
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