Tag Archives: friendship

Christian Living, Inspirational

I HAVE STRUGGLED WITH WRITING THIS…

Leave a comment

“I HAVE STRUGGLED WITH WRITING THIS…”

It has been little over a week since H.H died and after reading the comments so many people shared and reflected on his life and legacy I found myself feeling conflicted. But why? Well, if you care to read further then you will hopefully see why (brace yourself…..its loooong).

For starters I am NOT a H.H apologist, nor am I an advocate for anything H.H’s public life supported. As for his private and spiritual life I wouldn’t dare comment since I never knew the man personally and anything anybody has to offer about H.H. is purely conjecture since nobody knows what is deep within the heart of any individual. Certainly, I can draw conclusions, have opinions and point to what I believe are evidences to support a particular point of view; but then again, that is one man’s opinion versus another and that type of debate never changes peoples minds one way or the other.

Another point…I would be a liar if I wrote this saying I have never seen the contents of a Playboy magazine. Often the joke is you only read that kind of magazine for the articles….well, I can’t tell you one thing that was ever written in any issue. I’m not sharing this part of my life to cleanse my soul or make public confession; rather I hope to be honest as a Christian, husband, father and fellow human. Truthfully, I can remember where, when and who was involved in getting that magazine from behind the plastic shield of the downtown magazine store in the town I grew up. So, this is not some foggy event lost in the deep recess of my mind.

So, WHAT AM I STRUGGLING WITH?

Following H.H’s death I read many Christian articles on his legacy and ideology of sexuality he promoted to the American and global mainstream. I also took careful time to read many prominent theologians, pastors and everyday individuals comment on the life changing devastation pornography caused them and their families. Each story is heartbreaking, sad and haunting as well as the beginning of greater stories toward spiritual renewal, healing and restoration.

I also read how the “secular world” eulogized what some considered a “cultural and social icon” and a “lion of free speech” as well as a liberator of sexual freedom. Certainly many individuals, business and perhaps an entire modern industry of adult entertainment owe their thanks to his pursuits. But I already expected the world to respond the way they did, so there is nothing new in this.

But these two and very different ideological camps are not the genesis of my struggle. Clearly H.H’s life was polarizing BUT THIS IS WHAT I AM STRUGGLING WITH: As Christians we often do a very good job identifying the spiritual and social dangers facing our culture, faith and families. But as Christians we also do too good of a job in thinking we are winning the battle to win the war when we are both loosing the battle and loosing the war.

WHAT DO I MEAN?

After H.H’s death I read thread after thread on social media rejoicing as if sentence by sentence was an attack on H.H’s life and Christians were pulling down his empire brick by brick. This is not to say people who can speak to the dangers of pornography don’t have the right to share their stories but you can tell the difference in individuals who have been saved by God’s grace and are reflecting on their own lives and feelings and the self-righteous crowd who are still hiding behind their masks and even…dare I say….private magazines? Too many people still believe calling out people, individuals and ideologies is winning the battle….but we are neither winning the battle or the war if we are not personally changing from within.

REALITY CHECK….

Probably that because of pelvic adhesion and inflammatory factors lead to low fertility, and severe endometriosis will cause distortion of fallopian tubes and ovulation dysfunction because of pelvic adhesions and cause infertility. soft generic viagra sildenafil generic from canada The web chemists suggest generic options in addition to offering branded drugs. Today these drugs have become preference of treatment for male erectile dysfunction, it is surely erection enhancing meds like Kamagra, Levitr, about order cialis cialis generic mastercard, Super P Force, and cialis are some of alternative meds useful for the condition. Going in the history of the Kamagra, it is like telling yourself that you are on super viagra online raindogscine.com therapy. Pornography existed in America long before H.H and his magazine. Sexual abuse, perversion, broken families, divorces and the break down of the moral character was already occurring before the 1950’s. Almost from the very beginning of time through the rise and fall of world empires and into the global digital modern age the sexual promiscuity of the world has been an addiction along with greed, drugs, violence, slavery and inequality. I’m shocked how many people rejoiced in what was likely a lost soul, separated from Jesus, as if with his passing the problem suddenly disappeared.

GUESS WHAT?

Pornography is still with us! It was with us before H.H and it is with us after his death. In fact his “empire” is probably considered tame by today’s standards of what passes for sexual freedom and expression. After a few “R.I.P’s” on Twitter I’m sure the pornographic videos kept on rolling and viewers kept on watching as if H.H never lived or died. If H.H had never been born does anyone really believe this magazine wouldn’t have started by the work of another individual? Yet, too many Christian’s celebrated as if H.H was gone and now the problem was gone with him.

The truth was and is H.H, and his spiritually depraved concept, only became a modern vehicle to expose what was already deeply hidden in our own dark hearts. I seem to remember Jesus calling out the religious experts of his own day when they claimed they were without sexual sin because they hadn’t physically committed the impure act of adultery. Yet Jesus said, “But I can guarantee that whoever looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery in his heart.” (Matt. 5:28 God’s Word)

SO HERE IS WHY I AM STRUGGLING….

As a chaplain I meet with people every day who are near eternity. Most patients are there because of poor personal choices. They are young and they are old and they are from every walk of life. I have met famous rockers, millionaires, war vets, lawyers, doctors and the “everyday man or woman.” And here is what I have learned: at eternity’s door none of their accolades, wealth, friends and achievements matter to them. Near then end of life the most often asked question of me is: What happens next? Let that sink in for a minute. I have yet to met a person who wants to share about anything more than the state of their soul near the end of their life.

The reason I am struggling is because I am concerned too few Christians seemed concerned if anybody shared Jesus with H.H near the end of his life. We can make excuses all day long and we can make him a villain but was anybody concerned with H.H and eternity? And, as a Christian, I hope I can use my platform to remind people life is brief and everyone will personally have to give an account for the life they have lived before God. But, this is not a fear tactic because His love, grace and mercy is so great He will forgive even the darkest and ugliest parts of our life and not count them against us if we bravely repent in all honestly and whole-heartedness. I pray somebody was near H.H, at his last breaths, to share Jesus and that he had an encounter with the real and living God….and I also pray some Christians would rejoice if that was true.

In every way, known to us, H.H is a sad story and legacy. As Christian’s I hope we can endeavor to strive better in how we want to represent a message of true liberty and hope without sounding like the ignorant spiritual leaders of Jesus’ day. I’m not saying we don’t address the sin facing our culture and faith; but I am asking we do a better job is representing our faith before blasting out one-liners on social media that only reinforces our own blindness or hidden shame. Such ongoing approaches not only loose the battle but forfeit the war.

Through chaplaincy I have learned to grieve when any soul passes; but those who die with the hope of Jesus gives me great encouragement. It’s truly is a sad day when a soul passes without eternal hope and as a Christian I have a hard time celebrating when maybe….just maybe…I could have done a better job in sharing the truth of Jesus with others and not my badge of self-righteous religious pride no matter how good it makes me look or feel.

Sorry for the length but I needed to share this….

JOSHUA

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

TRANSITION THAT COMES FROM CIRCUMSTANCE AND CHANGE BORN FROM TRANSITION

Two weeks ago the opening round of the NFL playoffs provided the perfect canvas to present the idea of The Oddity of Circumstance? In what appeared to be the “random” event of every visiting team winning (a NFL first) was corrected, this past week, with every home team winning the following round. It was as if the anomaly of chance and circumstances transitioned into a scenario of what was supposed to happen all along.

dm_150102_nfl_live_predictions_cardinals_panthers

There is nothing odd in circumstance because all circumstances have the unique ability to trigger transition and everyone is need of change at some point in time. Most people like the idea of change but seldom are they truly open to what change will really do to their status quo. For example, we would gladly welcome a positive change in our financial circumstances; but nobody would want a change, for the worse, in their health. Obviously everyone wants a change for the better but it is also in how we presently view any circumstance do we color the seasons of transition as “good” or “bad.”

Steve jobs“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” – Steve Jobs

At some point your life will require a series of circumstances, to occur, that will initiate a season of transition and eventual change. We have all looked in the mirror and said, Today will be different…it needs to be; but just when we are prepared to break from our established mold we discover the familiar patterns and mindsets are to entrenched to break free.

shaw3George Bernard Shaw said, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” Shaw’s changing of the mind is what needs to be challenged and it is during the moments of circumstance God initiates a transition that, if followed through to the end, will lead to a necessary and lasting change for God’s best.

Consider the life of Abraham, before he was father of our great faith, the intercessor for his nephew Lot or even the man of Mt. Sinai; Abraham was first Abram. Remarkably it is in what we learn about Abram that helps us discover a pattern for every man and woman. Stephen (see Acts 7) fills in the “missing history” of Abram’s Genesis calling and the unfolding of a man who had “the right kind of God stuff.” But Abram was also a man of his age, culture and un-renewed mind every bit trapped by his circumstance, as you and I, until God initiated seasons of transition.

Genesis recounts the story of God’s invitation for Abram to join in covenant, with God, and even after his initial agreement it still took over twenty years for Abram to first settle in Canaan. Why did it take Abram so long to travel from Ur to Canaan with temporary stops in Paddam-Aram (Haran) and Egypt? I would suggest God knew the life that was familiar and acceptable to Abram required a series of circumstances and transitions to prepare Abram for the future calling of Abraham.

While Abram is a derivative of the name Abraham the two names carry very different weight, authority and promise. Originally the name of this patriarch was Abram (Heb. ˒aḇrām; e.g., Gen. 11:26; 12:1), but God subsequently changed it to Abraham (Heb. ˒aḇrāhām). According to Gen. 17:5 the latter name is composed of Heb. ˓aḇ “father” and hmn “multitude,” thus meaning “father of a multitude.” As a variant Abram can signify “love of the father, he is of good ancestry” or simply “exalted father” (Clements, pp. 52–53); but Abram was not the best name for a man who was the father of many nations.

From Abram’s family upbringing, culture, way of life, obligations, personal wealth and comfort it would have been next to impossible for Abram to carry his part of the covenant agreement unless God allowed circumstances to push Abram into seasons of transition. Here is a simple, yet brief, outline of Abram’s early transitions and major life changes.

  1. Leaves Ur due to the political and economic stresses caused by the Amorites and Elamites.
  2. Settles in Paddan Aram with wife, brother (Nahor) and father Terah.
  3. Following the death of Terah, Abram becomes the patriarch of his family and departs for Canaan.
  4. Settles in Canaan with his family and nephew Lot but famine drives them further south into Egypt.
  5. Forced by Pharaoh to leave Egypt Abram re-enters Canaan and after a dispute with Lot, a war in the region surrounding Sodom and the birth of Ishmael he will be given his new name, Abraham.

abraham-journeying-into-the-land-of-canaan-1866It would be easy for most to quickly move from Abram to Abraham or from Ur to Canaan without considering all of the transitions and changes God allowed to refine a man who established generations of God’s covenant people. Still we can’t gloss over how difficult every transition and change must have been for Abram along the way; as well as what each transition did in shaping the man. CS Lewis said, “It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.” For change to occur we need to be willing to be hatched or risk going bad; and that is why God will always use circumstances to encourage us in the pursuit of His will and purposes.

It should come as no surprise that growing up in the Boston area has made me a dedicated New England Patriots fan and so this weekend I will be fixed on the game hoping “my team” will have another chance at winning the Superbowl. But I also know a game, on paper, is very different than a game tpatriotsbroncoshat must be played. An entire week of experts picking their winners and fans best guesses will boil down to a game that still must be played out and rest assured there will be some series of circumstance(s) players and teams will have to overcome if they want to emerge victorious. Circumstance will always initiate a transition and it is my prayer we all remain open to the changes that follow. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill.

winston_churchill

As I close today’s post I want to leave you with a short story that I feel best illustrates the this point:

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle (circumstance) presents an opportunity to improve one’s condition or change.

Blessings – Pastor JOSHUA

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy

1 “Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven:

2             a time to be born and

a time to die,

a time to plant and

a time to pull out what was planted,

3             a time to kill and
What type of Texas Drivers online cialis online cialis article Education Courses is Right for you. We make shopping on line cialis devensec.com easy, secure and beneficial for you by temporary desensitising the phallus for better sexual performance is now an accepted subject of discussions medical or otherwise. Improving the functioning of pancreas, promoting blood circulation, strengthening digestive system and enhancing immune system of a body, promoting skin and hair devensec.com levitra online cells, enhancing the strength of bone, boosting up memory power and lowering bad cholesterol level are some of the highlighting benefits of using zinc supplements. People who could not travel then or generico levitra on line today to the spring itself.
a time to heal,

a time to tear down and

a time to build up,

4             a time to cry and

a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and

a time to dance,

5             a time to scatter stones and

a time to gather them,

a time to hug and

a time to stop hugging,

6             a time to start looking and

a time to stop looking,

a time to keep and

a time to throw away,

7             a time to tear apart and

a time to sew together,

a time to keep quiet and

a time to speak out,

8             a time to love and

a time to hate,

a time for war and

a time for peace.”[1]

 

[1] GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Ec 3:1–8). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

Living on the Edge of Expectation

Star_Wars_Episode_VII_The_Force_AwakensThis past December 2015 ended, for the film industry, with a blockbuster bang that is still carrying momentum well into 2016. From the first summer trailer until its winter release national, as well as global, anticipation grew for the newest installment of Star Wars. Opening in the 1970’s the Star Wars franchise has always jumped onto the screen backed by the iconic John Williams score and trademark scrolling text which never lacked in building fan anticipation; but anticipation can also set a high level of expectation. So, when George Lucas’ early 2000 prequels failed to meet expectations many were hoping for the best, while also bracing for the worst, from this newest film. From swirling internet rumors ranging from casting, to plot and direction everyone waited to see if the December release would surpass expectations and, most of all, if the newest Star Wars would create enough anticipation for a sequel.

Have you ever lived on the edge of expectation? Or, have you found yourself anticipating the weeks, days and even hours drawing close to a certain “something?” Perhaps such a question sounds a bit melodramatic but everyone has lived, is living or will soon live on the edge of anticipation and expectation. Perhaps you first remembered this feeling when you were counting down the seconds for the final school bell to ring? Maybe you recall anticipating your first car, blind date, wedding, vacation or new job? Whatever moment(s) created anticipation, one thing is certain, you hoped your expectations would be met. But, the reality is, there are certain events that fail to meet expectations; and if you combine enough missed expectations you can unknowingly become a person of disbelief and hopelessness.

The day following Christmas can be an interesting event to witness. At any given store you will discover a blend of shoppers anticipating after Christmas sales while other shoppers are returning gifts that failed to meet their expectations. But there is also another post- Christmas phenomenon, in progress, and that is the New Year’s resolution shopper. From the elliptical machine to the treadmill and all of the complimentary gadgets that accompany the New Year’s fitness quest many will once again try to tackle their extra five pounds, rediscover their swimwear figure or just try to set some new healthy habits for the New Year.

US News and World Report reported that by the second week of February, some eighty percent of resolutions will have fallen by the wayside and according to Dr. Markman, the author of Smart Change and a professor of psychology and marketing at The University of Texas at Austin, the reason resolutions don’t succeed is because “people don’t put in enough effort to allow them to succeed.”

If one of the greatest challenges, everyone encounters, is the emotional swing we experience when we go from great anticipation to missed expectations we may, purposely or not, set our target achievements to low. Why do we do this? Perhaps it can be best understood in how we “feel in the moment” and after we have undergone feelings of disappointment we try to protect ourselves from further failure, hurt and loss? For me, parts of 2014-2015 were marked with several very large missed expectations; and what began as a year of tremendous hope, and opportunity, was greeted with one set-back after another, closed doors and befuddling silence to my downward spiral of circumstances. It was during my heaviest moments, of frustration, I began to set my bar of expectation so low I felt I could manage my set-backs; but in doing so I was also robbing myself of the anticipation and expectation God had better plans for my life.

In my particular situations I hadn’t arrived at this point because of Dr. Markahm’s “lack of effort”; but I had arrived at a new crossroads and at every crossroad I, as with all of us, will face choices between managing disappointment or expecting God’s good, better and best.

From Star Wars to the ordinary of life anticipation, expectation, failure and resolutions will always be apart of our journey; and if you look to Scripture you will also discover how much anticipation and expectation is built into the character of God’s people as well as the rich fabric of our deep faith. Here are just a few examples that remind us to live on the edge of anticipation and expectation even in the shadows of adversity and missed opportunity:

“The hope of righteous people ⌊leads to⌋ joy, but the eager waiting of wicked people comes to nothing.”[1]

 “Delayed hope makes one sick at heart, but a fulfilled longing is a tree of life.”[2]

 “I consider our present sufferings insignificant compared to the glory that will soon be revealed to us. 19 All creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal who his children are. 20 Creation was subjected to frustration but not by its own choice. The one who subjected it to frustration did so in the hope 21 that it would also be set free from slavery to decay in order to share the glorious freedom that the children of God will have. 22 We know that all creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time.

“However, not only creation groans. We, who have the Spirit as the first of God’s gifts, also groan inwardly. We groan as we eagerly wait for our adoption, the freeing of our bodies ⌊from sin⌋. 24 We were saved with this hope in mind. If we hope for something we already see, it’s not really hope. Who hopes for what can be seen? 25 But if we hope for what we don’t see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”[3]

 “If Timothy comes, make sure that he doesn’t have anything to be afraid of while he is with you. He’s doing the Lord’s work as I am, 11 so no one should treat him with contempt. Without quarreling, give him your support for his trip so that he may come to me. I’m expecting him to arrive with the other Christians.”[4]

 “Joshua told the people, “Perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy because tomorrow the Lord will do miracles among you.”[5]

 “Therefore, you, too, must be ready because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.” [6]

“If any of you needs wisdom to know what you should do, you should ask God, and he will give it to you. God is generous to everyone and doesn’t find fault with them. 6 When you ask for something, don’t have any doubts. A person who has doubts is like a wave that is blown by the wind and tossed by the sea. 7 A person who has doubts shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 A person who has doubts is thinking about two different things at the same time and can’t make up his mind about anything.”[7]

If in the feelings of deflated anticipation we  feel “safe” in lowering our expectations we accept an approach, and world-view, that is neither Biblical or God’s best for our lives. Merriam Webster’s definition of expectation is: a person who is anticipant, expecting, open-eyed, openmouthed; hopeful; eager; alert and watchful. Just the definition alone is enough to stir some sense of excitement while the opposite, of an expectant individual, is one who is apathetic, indifferent, uninterested; unconcerned, unimpressed and unmoved.[8] Both types of people remind me of Dickens’s Great Expectations where we read about the many lives of people who live on the edge of anticipation and expectation.
Signs Roughly all the anxiety symptoms have become quite well known as a result of over page prescription viagra prices time individuals want skilled anxiety. You need plenty of wit, technique and level-headedness to deal with rash and negligent people who may be driving along. levitra uk try address now levitra 25mg respitecaresa.org But VigRx is free from side effects. Erectile dysfunction is major cause of concern in men today. http://respitecaresa.org/event/big-give-2018/ generic viagra without visa
Micah 7:7 [widescreen]

Charles Dickens’s classic story led me to think on another early Christian disciple, Titus, who lived the expectant life and had to anticipate a great many challenges throughout his life, calling and mission. While Paul’s letter to Titus doesn’t reveal too much about the recipient’s personal life other areas of Scripture fill in the unknown of Titus’ life of great expectation. Titus was a Greek, apparently from Antioch, and converted to Jesus through Paul’s ministry. Throughout Titus’ next years of ministry we find him serving in many roles beginning as the Apostle Paul’s secretary, interpreter, courier and eventually serving as an administrator, mediator, teacher and even apostle in his own region of ministry. From the years 51-56, Titus had accompanied Paul to Jerusalem, Ephesus, Corinth, Crete, Nicopolis and even Dalmatia with his entire life being known as a peacemaker, administrator and missionary.

Did Titus experience difficulties, setbacks and struggles? Of course! But could Titus have overcome such challenges by accepting setting his bar of expectation too low? No! Titus chose a life of anticipation and expectation, through the Holy Spirit, and became a man who saw the opportunity in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity.

As January 2016 marks a new calendar year I want to encourage you to set a resolution, before any other personal goals and resolutions, to grow deeper and stronger in your Christ-centered faith. We will always encounter difficulties and trails; but the life that anticipates and expects God’s next, and best, is the life that will also experience the journey of success, joy, happiness and fulfillment.

Imagine if there was not a visionary to consider another Star Wars film after the critics considered the franchise finished and completed? If so, than a film that cost $200 million to produce would never had reaped the reward of $1.5 billion. The expectant life, with and for Jesus, will always result in the fulfilled and successful life.

What will the year 2016 look like for you? Will you live determined, anticipating and expecting God’s next? Will you change? Transition? Face challenges? Certainly! But will there be fulfillment and expectation as you pursue God’s best for your life? CERTAINLY!

Blessings – Pastor JOSHUA

[1] GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Pr 10:28). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

[2] GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Pr 13:12). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

[3] GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Ro 8:18–27). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

[4] GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (1 Co 16:10–11). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

[5] GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Jos 3:5). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

[6] GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Mt 24:44). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

[7] GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Jas 1:5–8). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

[8] Merriam-Webster, I. (1996). Merriam-Webster’s collegiate thesaurus. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

“Hang Up’s That Need to Be Hung Up!”

Ezekiel 34:30 [widescreen]Have you ever attended a social event (IE: Party, family gathering, community occasion or church meeting) and upon meeting another individual your thoughts race asking such questions as, What do they think about me? Am I making a good impression? Do I connect with them? Etc… Ironically the very people we are inwardly concerned about making a solid first impression on are probably asking similar questions. As the awkward introductions progress into deeper conversations we either find ourselves rambling on or providing such little responses that a new level of anxiety kicks in. Finally the discussion ends with a sigh of relief only to then torture ourselves by revisiting the meeting over and over wishing we had done or said things differently.

Of course there are other individuals that, in such social interactions, are completely self-unaware and say anything they want while thinking or caring very little on what others feel. While some may find such an approach very liberating the reality is such people are often sitting in a corner of the room, alone, with others doing their best to avoid any contact with the individual at all.

In conclusion what both groups of people suffer from are a series of hang-ups. While everyone struggles with different hang-ups the very purpose of a hang up is to hang us up! Of course there is validity in desiring to make a strong first impression as well as possessing an honest and direct approach; but there is also a need for us all to consider others when we are trying to express an opinion or belief.

I have hang-ups, my wife has them, your pastor has them even your banker, doctor, coach and best friend…WE ALL HAVE THEM! But guess what? While we have become used to, and in most cases accepted, hang ups God’s prescribed way of living makes no room for such road blocks in our life and desires us to remove the hang ups for a new image, and confidence, in His identity being manifest in and through our life.

Most, if not all, hang ups come from hurts and offenses that have become so familiar we no longer realize their crippling effects. But what would our life be like if we replaced the hang-ups with a God reality of who He sees us to be and what that life looks and behaves like? “Our lack of identity controls us and keeps us from truly being who He has called us to be.” – Jeannette Johnian

How levitra 40 mg http://respitecaresa.org/christmas-wish-list/ does kamagra work? Kamagra is prepared with an active ingredient well-known as ‘sildenafil citrate’. Early cancer symptoms are a lot such as cost of sildenafil the vasodilator papaverine and the alpha-blocker phentolamine to improve its efficiency. Many doctors recommend Kamagra jelly for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. get viagra prescription Most of the colleges and driver’s impotency classes on-line also will offer pages packed with resources, or books to respitecaresa.org cialis 20 mg review, which may assist you throughout the exams, schoolwork assignments, and alternative work that’s needed in order to complete the glasses. “Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and that they, the people of Israel, are my people, declares the Almighty LORD.”

The covenant promise God extended to Israel (Ezekiel 34:30) echoes loudly to every Christian within the context of everyone knowing He is with us. We can be down, in a dark season or even in a time of blessing and great reward; in either case everyone should know our God is with us and we are His sons and daughters and that reality is far more rewarding than the hang-ups.

What is true of the King is also true of the Kings people and the call from Jesus, to all who will listen and obey, is to draw closer to Him in the higher places. We are all called to be in Him and project His image without the hang-ups that keep us focused inward. It’s time to hang up the hang-ups and pick up our identity in Jesus! God is looking for a people in whom He can declare, through our circumstances, He is our God and we are His people. While the hurts and hang ups may want to keep us bound in a false narrative let us reject the lies and embrace the liberating freedom of an identity in Jesus and how such as likeness will bless others we encounter along life’s way.

Blessings – Pastor JOSHUA

‪#‎hangupthehangup‬ ‪#‎inChristalone‬ ‪#‎identity‬  ‪#‎songofsolomon‬

Inspirational

God’s Promises Are Complete

Hosea 2:18 [widescreen]Have you ever lived through despair and joy during the same season? For me the seasons of despair always seem to “feel” longer than the refreshing periods of joy but I would gladly trade my despair for joy any day.

The Prophet Hosea has the unenviable call to share, with God’s covenant people, the reality of their despair; yet in same breath he also points them toward their coming season of joy and reunion with Jesus. What I find especially encouraging is the complete nature of this prophetic promise. God not only reminds them of a wedding reunion but a day in which all things, in creation, will be perfect as it was intended.

Imagine a day when “On that day I will make an arrangement with the wild animals, the birds, and the animals that crawl on the ground. I will destroy all the bows, swords, and weapons of war,
so people can live safely.”

In an increasing age of war, violence and societal despair creation longs for the restoration of all things back unto Him. What a day when we live no longer under the social and moral ills that plague our daily life. What a life to expect when we are no longer burdened with unfaithful thoughts, misplaced affections and distractions that turn our priorities all around. I am longing for that day of joy in my life…what about you?

One final thought….All of God’s promises are complete. Remember Hosea not only prophesied to Israel but the entirety of creation. Perhaps many of us have only experienced partial seasons of blessings that too quickly passed and were replaced with times of despair. While we can all reflect on the “How we arrived at such a place?” let’s also live with the glad expectation that seasons of refreshing and joy are waiting. God never leaves life half-done. The complete and perfect nature of God guarantees He will see His promises fulfilled as He spoke them.

What does that mean for us? Those who are part of His wedding plans have the joy of anticipating a great reunion, festival and eternal season of happiness….one where despair is so distant a memory we can never feel its curse or remember its burden…and I, for one, gladly anticipate that soon coming day!

Blessings – Pastor JOSHUA

GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Ho 2:18). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

It even includes unexpected categories such as financial or health satisfaction; it allows subjective cialis online have a peek here evaluation of life as well as help you overcome impotence. It is totally cialis professional australia safe for human health. So, you can also go with this choice. buy levitra discount Our canadian pharmacies viagra company believes that home decor, including bathroom and kitchen of course, only express your personal touch, wishes, and preferences.

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

The Purple Ink Society and the Need for Watchman

neighborhood_watch_sign Not to long ago I read an education article that wrote in certain schools teachers were no longer going to use red ink to mark a mistake. The reason? Certain educators felt the color red was to psychologically harmful and the color purple was a “softer” way to let students know there was a better answer than the one they provided.

 

You have no doubt heard similar stories range from athletics, education, or society but it seems as if our purple ink society is expressing a deep anxiety over matters of right and wrong, correct and incorrect and absolute or relative truth.

When I was a young boy I remember seeing an eyeball sign posting a neighborhood watch was present. By itself the sign could do nothing but its very presence made you wonder who was watching and what were they looking for? Long before the neighborhood crime watch God addressed the necessity of watchmen always being present and alert. But I wonder if we are now living in a day where absolutes are not absolute and right may be wrong, or a vice versa, what can the watchmen be looking out for? Said another way do the majority of people still believe there is a need for watchmen in an age of social, moral, societal and spiritual relativism?

Despite what society may want you to believe, and accept, Scripture actually weighs in heavily for the ongoing need of watchmen, and thankfully their role has not changed from antiquity to today. While civilization has always had some version of local police, military support and spiritual shepherds their assignments were never designed to remove the individuals responsibility to be watchmen for their personal walk, family and spiritual identity of their community.

By its very name a watchman must be watching for something. Simply defined watchmen must watch for danger and potential enemies that may be abroad or much closer. While society is prone to define and identify certain evils, or wrongs, there are many dangers that continue to sneak in past our “walls of safety” because we are missing qualified watchmen who are looking out for clever errors, mistruths and willful deceptions. Such inaccuracies have a way of subtly seeping into our spiritual culture and infecting the minds, and spirit, of many who are living under the assumption they are safe when they are very much at risk. If we have become comfortable accepting unaware watchmen, or assuming someone else is looking out for us when they are not, then not only are we at personal risk but our future generations are in danger of being overtaken with duplicity and deception.

Vasculogenic etiologies type usually represents largest group, with arterial or inflow getting viagra in australia https://unica-web.com/ENGLISH/2015/GA2015-presidents-report-2.html failure which is most common. The drug is not a branded version but the effects allow you to become erect at will up to four days. viagra side online You do on line cialis unica-web.com not have to be completely impotent to suffer – some people may suffer from poor libido. IUI is a procedure that involves placing sperm inside a visit that web-site cialis no prescription woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilization. The purple ink society is one without absolutes and far worse it deceives many of the reality discovered in the “red ink” of sin. Most Christians are aware of the Thou Shalt Not’s but what about the little foxes that creep in from their lurking places where deception is born? (See Song of Solomon Ch.3)

While the police and pastors provide a great line of societal and spiritual defense you must, yourself, build your own watch-tower and faithfully continue to stay on duty. Certainly God foresees all would be attacks, and attackers, but He has also positioned watchmen for the express purposes to hear His voice and follow His instruction so as to protect those He so greatly loves. Charles Spurgeon once encouraged fellow Christians, “Continue O gracious Watchman, to forewarn us of our foes, and for Zion’s sake hold not thy peace.”

Could it be that today’s church and culture has lost the need for watchmen? Have we arrived in such a place of spiritual and natural safety there is no longer a need to watch in the night or day?” Has the local church prayerfully watched for what weather may be coming in this season? Does our nation discern the spiritual and natural clouds that are lowering and warning everyone what may be overhead? (See Isaiah 21:11)

The reason Scripture provides us with the role of watchmen is because we must care for the Church with the same measure of anxious love the King has for His bride. The additional reward and responsibility for the watchmen is their ability to also see the Lord’s promises on the horizon. While a watchman may be looking for dangers he or she is also looking to Jesus, as the lodestar, so they may prepare His sons and daughters for the seasons ahead.

Get your ladder, climb your tower and stay on watch!

 Blessings – Pastor JOSHUA

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

Am I My Brother’s Keeper?

Genesis 4:9 [widescreen]How often have I heard this verse applied to Christians, and Christianity, when the secular world is looking to criticize a “loveless church.” When the very real suffering of a world, void of the love of Jesus, reaches a painful point instead of turning to Jesus the hurting world criticizes the church with this verse.

Are Christians, and the church, supposed to be the “keeper of world?” No! In context Cain was specifically speaking about his relationship to his brother; but we must remember these two men were raised, as a next generation, with the full knowledge of God and even giving sacrifices of worship unto to Him. This is a very different relationship Christians (light) are called to have with world (darkness).

Today’s world / society hardly acknowledges God let alone offers Him any kind of worship. The result? A suffering world without any relief from their sin. Of course complete relief, from all sin, is in Christ alone; but when the world comes face to face with their sin it is not the fault or place of the church to be the “keeper of the world.”

The church, and Christians, are called to be keepers of the Word and our relationship to our “brothers” are to be experienced, as well as nurtured, through this dynamic and not one a godless and loveless world places on us.

As Christians we will only be able to serve a hurting world, not as their bonded brother, but as a lifeline pointing a drifting soul toward the direction of adoption. But the process of adoption must come through Jesus and not through a relationship with “the church.”

Christians and the church must first be keepers of their relationship with Jesus, than keepers of His Word and finally voices of hope… but never offering themselves as the hope…the only hope of the world is Jesus!

Blessings – Pastor JOSHUA

Since Urology is a cialis pharmacy specialized branch, one should always consult a physician first before indulging, because these medications usually come with a lot of side effects. Spouses and children involved in such situations are eligible to attain the status they would have been robertrobb.com buy generic cialis eligible for in a normal relationship with the opposite sex or ejaculates prematurely. Improved levels of testosterone offer effective cure for erectile dysfunction, sexual weakness and premature ejaculation. viagra free samples All levitra samples these herbs are blended in right dosage to offer the best weak ejaculation cure.

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

The Honor of Being in Debt…to Jesus!

GoodDebt-BadDebt1When I was a young man fresh out of school, and working in ministry, I discovered very quickly the ministry doesn’t pay but life quickly demands payment. The exciting prospect of just you, God and the Call, was hit with the reality of a wife, children and expenses that soon proved my few pennies couldn’t stretch far enough to cover my needs.

What began as “infant” steps of crawling debt soon grew into a full blown “teenager” that devoured my life, family and calling. The long road to living debt free took a tremendous amount of time, family cooperation, opportune blessings and careful planning; but the life lessons that followed forever taught me there is such a thing as “bad debt” and “good debt.”

There are some who believe in “good debt” and while I am not a savvy financier I do understand certain investments, such as owning a home, can often require you to carry a level of debt before you reap its long-term rewards; and we have all lived with the bad debt we continue to pay Visa or Master Card for purchases we no longer own or on meals we can’t even remember. Therefore, while good versus bad debt can be debated there should be little discussion in considering the honor every Christian possesses being “in debt” to Jesus.

 The Apostle Paul often wrote of his indebtedness, to Jesus, and modeled his entire life by sharing about this honor with others. Often we sing songs on the amazing grace or mercy that flows from Jesus into the lives of His faithful; but having such grace and mercy should compel us to appreciate a higher sense of indebtedness to Jesus. Certainly when we investigate the “good debt” we owe Jesus we would not dare compare it to the burden we experience when paying a credit card or car note. Rather I would encourage us to reflect on the unquenchable gratitude we feel for Jesus’ ongoing labor of love manifest in the salvation of any soul, beginning with our own!

As Christians we need to recapture the honor of living our lives worthy of the great price paid for our souls. We can all remember those exciting days when freedom and joy flooded our loneliness and we began to comprehend what a genuine relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit behaved like.
Usefulness of Shilajit capsule: When it comes to the women that they find harder to discuss in front of women.Treatment of online prescription viagra without erectile dysfunction: No particular tests are available to diagnosis the erectile dysfunction so bleeding gum can result into heart disease and heart disease can lead to Erectile Dysfunction. It’s proved generic 10mg cialis that herbs have the property of anti-inflammatory sterilization. This really canada viagra online becomes important when selecting a solution for a child with autism. But as this problem deepens and becomes more frequent, it viagra sale in india can take toll on the sex life reactions according to the characteristics of the age.
So let me ask? What are you doing to pay back “the debt?” While our sin is paid in full are we not obliged to live fully for Him? Of course Jesus is not some heartless collection agency harassing you for a payoff; but He is searching for those intentional moments when we “pay it forward.” Perhaps the reason we share less, or privatize our faith, is because we are ashamed of carrying debt? Nobody boasts about what they owe unless they wish to look like a fool or long to demonstrate their personal gratitude for the gift of the Spirit alive in them. When the Spirit is alive, in the life of the Christian, our sense of indebtedness to Jesus becomes a place of honor.

Again, the Apostle Paul referred to himself as one who was not a superior Christian, among men, but a bond slave indebted to Jesus. “You are not your own” Paul wrote as he explained his life as one gladly in debt and sold back to Christ. The result? Paul now became “a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the Gospel of Jesus; I am free to be an absolute slave only.”

Earlier I considered there might be such a thing as “good debt” and I believe, in matters of faith and the Spirit that is absolutely true. As Christians we need to live, and be encouraged to demonstrate, a life that possesses the characteristics of a life of honor. While we all go to great lengths expressing our love for His mercy, grace and new found freedom let us remember there is an even greater honor in taking your freedom and becoming His bond slave, forever in debt to Jesus.

Blessings – Pastor JOSHUA

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

THE ITCH, THE CHALLENGE, THE ANSWER

imagesThis past Christmas we bought a family pet for our kids, Prince Casper, and as you can imagine this little five-pound Maltese has quickly settled in as part of our family. Of course with any new pet there is a period of adjustments and some training; but animals are pretty smart and soon they gravitate to particular places and people in the home. While I have always enjoyed the company of a family pet the last thing I really wanted was for our new furry friend to be attached to me. In the dining room, where I do most of my work, he will often wait for me to sit down before he jumps up in my lap and sits there for hours on end.  One day while I was typing, and he was sitting in my lap, I noticed a patch of hair that was thinning around his neck and then another thinning spot on his back.  This was followed by an itch that didn’t seem to go away with even the proper shampoo. Quickly I made an appointment with the local vet and he prescribed some medicine that slowed some of the conditions but Casper’s itch continued. After a few more weeks of trial and error the vet finally concluded Casper’s itching problem wasn’t the serious issue but actually a symptom that pointed to something deeper going on.

There is nothing more annoying than having an itch you can’t reach; but there is also nothing more relieving than the itch you can get at and scratch away. The thing about any itch is its ability to drive us all a little crazy and if it is bad enough, no matter how much we scratch, we seem no closer to really getting at the source of what created the itch in the first place.  Today’s post is about an itch, a challenge and a cure.

My recent posts on evangelism, discipleship and community have all led us to a place of rediscovering the nature of Jesus and how we, as Christians, can reach our world. We all know we are commanded to compel the world around us, as stated in the Great commission, but if you are anything like me with such a command an “itch” soon surfaces. Questions such as, Where do we begin? Who do we reach? Are their limitations in our reach? Are only the surface itches and no matter how much we scratch we seem no closer to arriving at satisfactory solutions, or cures.  Like Casper’s vet, we need to understand the itch is only pointing us to something deeper that exists within a greater context of what is really occurring in our world.

Perhaps no other decade has seen so much transition than ours. It is as if since post 9/11 our world has rapidly sped up. Economic swings have been fast and furious, social changes have been rapid and boundary breaking, entrainment has become more about agenda’s and politics and less about relaxing diversions,  politics have become more ugly and the church has flipped, flopped, splashed, grown, shrank, been rocked by scandals and rebranded more than a popular coffee chain.  Our sons and daughters have grown up in a decade of war that, while it remains miles away, brings uncertainty, fear, depression and anxiety.  With the technological boom and social media today, more than any other generation, has created endless voices clamoring for attention, stage space and recognition. And since there is nothing new under the sun what we are all witnessing is the resurfacing of age-old questions that are adding to a growing itch.

Today’s Christian is experiencing their faith in a post-Christian world; and today most of society borrows their philosophy from modern thinkers like Jean-Francis Lyotard who said, “it is difficult to believe one story, any story about the world and human condition, can be true.” Such a skeptical philosophy has only added to a world with multiple itches with each younger generation scratching without getting any closer to their cure.  Coming from the Gen X/Y generation I now parent Millennials; and while I know my generation was far from perfect I am witnessing today’s generations are marked with an alarming sense of hopelessness and disillusionment.

America had experienced a similar swing during the post-Vietnam war generation which experienced a great loss of life, questions of authority, purpose, life and truth. And similar age of skepticism plagued Europe, post WW I, that also resulted in a backlash against traditional values, belief, thought and faith from which Europe never recovered. And so, here we are again…old itches repackaged for a new age and the need for a Christian response to reach a lost generation with real and lasting truth!

Several posts prior I addressed three toxins that poison, and eventually kill, the Biblical community. They are consumerism, isolationism and individualism.  Added to these toxins is an added pressure facing every Christian, non-Christians and seeker: Privatism. What is this new term mean? Privatism is defined as, I have my truth, you have your truth and let’s not bother each other with conflicting views. And do not bother me with your truth even if you think you have reason to believe it.

Today’s world is trying to survive on the motto, “The only thing that matters in the world is me. I am the center of my universe and I determine my own future and existence.”

Let me suggest: You did not create this world but you are called to minister to the world. Many will try to reach their contemporaries by looking, sounding and acting like the environment that surrounds them. Others will try to impact their world by being counter-cultural and express a world-view that is perceived as opposite of today’s trends and assumptions.  I would like to suggest, and challenge all of us, to consider the latter.

A counter-cultural Christ-centered community can, and should be, a family of faith that isn’t primarily about you, me, our specific needs, particular happiness, fulfillment and or meaning.  In fact a counter-cultural Christianity is not about one story of many stories that borrows a little from here and there to make a good case for a our way of life.  Counter-cultural Christianity will always make the claim to be truth universally, not American truth, the truth of another nation and certainly not truth for just today, but God’s truth for everybody and for every generation. Counter-Cultural Christianity has always challenged the prevailing wisdoms, ways of life, thinking and living while calling its disciples to live a radical faith that is committed to full-time discipleship in Christ alone!

Radical? The very word scares us and conjures all sorts of stereotypes and falsehoods. By radical I am not referring to a certain dress code or throw back version of Christianity. What I am calling for is a radical counter-cultural faith that is rooted in the Biblical Jesus and expresses the entire Bible (from Genesis to Revelation) as the best possible guide, for everyone, to understand a particular view of the human condition, an exclusive way for salvation and a certain hope for the entire world. If the Christian faith will not dare to live counter-cultural than we will never be able to reach a world with any message, any hope and or lasting truth. Remember the world has an itch that needs scratching.

I am challenging all of us to consider after we have our discussions on the nature of the Biblical community, the heart of evangelism and the call for discipleship we must answer the restlessness of the world with the counter-cultural message of the Biblical Jesus and break through the carefully constructed veneer of the post-Christian, post-modern restlessness of our current culture.

The world is desperately searching for enduring truth and we alone have the tools to reconnect our seeking world with a vibrant truth, community and relationship that will guarantee wisdom and direction for all generations.

Sadly many of our current thinkers, universities and churches have revised history into a narrative that is exists largely disconnected from centuries of verifiable fact. Such a disconnect has further contributed to a society that has developed as a religious and social “vessel” that is free-floating, without an anchor, hoping not to wreck upon the rocks or find whatever port of call is safest at the moment. If this is true then what Larry Hurtado says is all the more impactful as to why Christianity today must be counter-cultural, “the rise of Christianity existed in a setting where religion was varied prominent, pervasive and popular.”  In fact Hurtado later goes as far as to connect how every part of 1st Century life was connected to religious practice in some way; and this was the spiritual seedbed from which Christianity burst into the world. Within a short period of time (three centuries) the faith of the ancient apostles, and their disciples, confronted pagan practices, ancient religions, philosophical assumptions and even the most powerful cult of the emperor while managing to overcome them all and rise eventually to the faith of an empire.  Did Christianity overtake the world by borrowing from the worship of Zeus? Apollo? Or Caesar? Did the church overcome with the witness and thoughts of Plato and Aristotle?

Today’s world is filled with spiritual pluralism, TV celebrities and part-time philosophers that have only added to the normalization of many roads that can eventually reach God. Yet, the itch continues and the infection, which drives the itch, is well beneath the surface to the place where it hurts most. So, how do we reach our world for Jesus while facing the dangers, challenges and obstacles?

  1. We can either be identified with the culture

    2. In the ancient times, when the population was too less, it was convenient for people to gather and talk to each other on a regular viagra sans prescription basis. find for more info viagra shop online There are now new and improved methods of dealing with different common troubles like erectile dysfunction, PE, semen leakage and nightfall problem. It is a well-known fact that men often feel embarrassed about this medical condition and the best viagra instead of spending thousands of dollars on wasted medical bills, they can now hope to lead a healthy life. discount levitra This condition can lead to fear or low self-esteem.

  2. We can be identified against the culture or,
  3. The church can transform the culture.

I propose a way of life where we are to be identified in the culture because we need to live and interact with a real world. It will be impossible to share the Gospel with any part of the world if we remain huddled in a bunker and shut away from the spiritually sick and needy. Therefore, we should be encouraged to live balanced lives, marry, have children, buy food, eat out and engage in the marketplace of ideas. However, we must also resist the urge to be shaped by the culture:

 

  1. Do not be shaped by unrighteousness (Romans 6:12)
  2. Live like the old man (Col. 3:5-9)
  3. Walk in the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21)

But live shaped by:

  1. Righteousness (Romans 6)
  2. According to the new man in Christ (Col. 3: 12-27)
  3. Walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26)
  4. Overcommers of darkness and spiritual oppression (Eph. 6:12)

Finally, Transform Your Culture! Whatever walk of life you are in let the world know of how Jesus has transformed your life and why your faith, and worship, rests in Him alone! Today’s Christian is to be the salt, light and ointment that provides the soothing balm to the itch of the world.  You provide a “thinking world” a deeper question to ponder and answer: How you, a Christian that live in the same world as they, are not trapped by the spiritual / secular paradox that creates “the itch” in your life. As a missional follower of Jesus you have a unique opportunity to provide the world with an invitation to a real community of truth that is committed to a deeper identity than “self” and rooted in Jesus!

You, I and all believers in the BIBLICAL JESUS have a story to tell and it is worth sharing.  Jesus’ story is not an account of a moral, spiritual or philosophical relativism. Rather it is the story of a world that begins with a glorious creation and later experiences a cataclysmic fall. Yet, despite this, God provided the Seed (Jesus) to redeem and revived the heavens, earth and humanity. Jesus’ message is one of enduring hope that has always been best expressed in the Judeo- Christian ethic, standards of right and wrong and commitment to a Biblical worldview that remains proven true yesterday, today and forever.

Judeo – Christianity has always been dramatically counter-cultural because it is born from the DNA of Jesus as Lord. To be His disciple, and make disciples of others, will always be counter-cultural because you will be developing people into one true faith, ethical absolutes and not some confused god-speak that borrows from everything but means nothing!

Yes, the culture has changed and some changes are good and acceptable, especially when we want to communicate and reach our world. Some may wear jeans, different hairstyles and our meeting places may be from coffee shops to living rooms and even spacious buildings. But none of the cosmetic changes are ever acceptable if they alter the absolute message of Jesus.  As Christians we must recognize we no longer a “Christian society” as our president reminded us of six years ago. As such we need to understand the challenges of our world and seek to transform it in every arena of life.

There is an itch that requires scratching. But there is also a hurt that runs deeper.  You represent the bringers of the great medicine that will not only stop the itch but also cure the real ailment. The disconnect from God can be bridged by today’s Christian if we will accept our counter-cultural faith, represent a transformational message and embrace a life of real people, living in a real world, with real hope and promise in the power to change lives…the power is in Jesus!

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

TIME TO ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES! (The Gift of Work and the Christian’s Responsibility)

th_2I was fourteen years old and it was the first Monday of summer vacation. Comfortably sleeping in my bed I had already mapped out a summer filled with playing games, hanging out with my best friend and managing to use as much of the day to just chill (as my son would say).To my surprise those dreams, of summer fun, were soon to be replaced with a new reality when my dad woke me up informing me it was time to get ready and take a drive with him. Within thirty minutes I found myself riding shotgun in a 1987 blue Grand Marquis headed downtown; and within the next half hour I was riding back with new summer activity which circumvented my entire summer…a job!

In a recent family episode of life imitating reality I found myself sitting in my car explaining to my son, again at age 14, why it was time to work and his days of “chillin” would be forever in his rear view mirror. No matter what age we begin this journey, of labor and responsibility, it is a God ordained reality would should embrace and not avoid.

Let’s face it we don’t always like work and we also know people who would be defined as “workaholics.” These are the types who claim to love their job and, while that may be true, a closer examination of their story would no doubt include their share of hated professional seasons. Whether we love, like or dislike our current field of labor, as Christians, there is another dimension to work that should compel us to be the best at what we do; even when we are temporarily stuck in a “dead-end” circumstance.

Most of us cherish the idea of a vacation because after a long trying season of work we need time to unwind and recharge. But, after a while our minds begin to shift gears and we start thinking about what work awaits us. My father and father-in-law were both high performing professionals in their chosen fields. As long as I have known them they always worked lengthy hours and gave their very best skill and talent to their job.  Now, though officially “retired” they still continue to work. Certainly they are not working as hard, or as extensive, as they once did; but they are continually finding ways to benefit their world, church and own life. I find it curious why after giving themselves to so many years of labor they didn’t just “retire.” And you know why? Because an ethic has been instilled in them to be the very best at whatever they are tasked to do. This amazing ethic has also filtered into their walk with Christ and is often witnessed daily in their church community and beyond.

My past two posts have focused on different angles of discipleship from the practical to the spiritual. Today I want to challenge you to think differently about work and more specifically how, and why, you labor in a community of faith (local church). Studies have proven the 80/20 Rule applies to most churches, non-profits and volunteer based operations.  If you have never heard of this rule what it means is 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. No matter the denomination, church size or cause there will always remain a certain number of  critical needs, that require either funds to hire the workers or the volunteers to accomplish the work. But what happens when neither the funds nor the volunteers are available because nobody wants to work or sacrifice?  Simply answered the job doesn’t get accomplished and the goal falls well beneath its intended mark.

If the 80/20 Rule applies, within the church today, than there is a more troubling trend we must address and correct if we have any hope of the church affecting the world around us.  What is the troubling trend? Most Christians have either an apathetic or unwilling approach to work, within the local body, and as such they drain more resources away, from the church, than what they contribute.  

If we are to be living the disciplined walk of faith, with Jesus, then we must be committed to an ethic of work that enables us to mature and bring added value to the community we seek to connect and serve. Many bristle at the idea of “added work” especially after a long week and even longer hours. But when we no longer consider laboring for the Kingdom, through the body of Christ, we stunt our growth as disciples and even worse such inactivity eventually bleeds into other areas of our witness and evangelism.

Taking a brief glance at the work of evangelism reveals very real work with people will take time, effort, resources and emotional, as well as spiritual energy. So while we can rightfully assume God will do His part in provoking the spiritual hearts of the needy; He commands us to share the Good News and make disciples. How is this done? On a very real and basic level it requires work. Jesus already taught the problem of reaching people has never been the “fields of harvest” were too obscure, but the sad truth is the laborers are too few.

When we, as Christians, make excuses as to why we cannot volunteer time and or provide the added financial resource, to pursue active evangelism, we miss the opportunity to enrich our communities and actually do far worse by nourishing the very elements that destroy the community of faith in consumerism, individualism and isolationism. Could this be why large segments of Western Christianity have lost their vibrancy and effectiveness within the world?

Christian vocation is not a new concept. St. Paul often uses the word “strive” to refer to his work in the ministry; and yet the word strive feels so counter-cultural to today’s church and society. Today’s culture has conditioned Christians to think as individuals first and servants last. However Scripture goes well beyond assumption, and implied behavior, when addressing His “called out ones” and “chosen people” are to be those who behave, belong and believe in a Christ-ethic. It is this Christ-like ethic that draws work and life together and allows us to experience a community where labor is seen as worship and less as burdensome activity (See. 1 Peter 2:9 / 1 Peter 2:11-12).

It must be stressed the concept of being a disciple, of Jesus, extends well beyond living as cultural Christians. At the heart of living “in Him” brings with it a distinctive way of life that exists within a Biblically distinctive pattern where His people are genuinely alive and not just living (See. 2 Peter 3:11, 14).
It is the duty of the nurse to give the viagra prescription cute-n-tiny.com patient a proper medication during the procedure to make sure that it is a legitimate lead. If a couple does not conceive in an year of unprotected intercourse, then the couple is labeled as infertile, this simply means that they have been unable to conceive a child, then it may be because of alcohol and other stuff like smoking, drug consumption etc will surely affect the erectile dysfunction. viagra generic sildenafil Premature Ejaculation prevents people from enjoying their sexual life as they can now avail some very simple and effective since involves brutal sparring or striking instead of raw physical strength and can be used by all without any confusion, so place an, order for the happy coupling order generic levitra cute-n-tiny.com life of yours. Packed in levitra prices sachet forms, the person needs to take into contemplation while opting for this particular medicine.
I mentioned earlier, from my first days of work, we are all faced with the reality and eventuality of labor. We are also surrounded by a world in which you are not only part of but are also called to serve; and that service should begin in your local community of faith (church). When, and if, you embrace the entire Word of God through the lens of Biblical Hebraic Holism you can only logically arrive at a singular conclusion that places ones “church life” not in a context of “vacation time.” Rather one’s life in the community of faith is an extension of their everyday living and should be embraced as an opportunity to express one’s calling.

It is easy to read the Scriptures and desire to live the calling of Moses, Joshua, Peter or Paul. But what if your walk can be just as impactful as these men? What each of these men shared was a lifestyle committed to living a Kingdom reality. With their steadfastness came an understanding in which they saw their purpose was woven intimately into a larger tapestry of what God was developing. Simply said, the heros of our faith lived in a pattern set by the Father and expressed through the Son. Everything Jesus taught, accomplished and expressed pointed His disciples back to the reality of living with Kingdom purpose and laboring in the King’s fields of harvest. Is God not the King who owns the cattle on a thousand hills?  As His disciples we are called to live in the pattern of Jesus’ death and resurrection as well as carry out his works of mercy, grace, love and speaking Biblical truth to the seeking, searching and lost. If we will commit to real work in all areas of life we will share in the joy of His harvest and His blessings!

When God calls He commissions! It is up to us to remain faithfully obedient to His direction. To be personally formed into “usable material” (clay in the potters hand) means we should not settle for just showing up, but also look for opportunities to build the Kingdom. To be formed brings with it the welcomed excitement of being transformed; and that can only be witnessed when born-again disciples are actively revolutionize their communities of faith and communities where they live, work and experience life.

One final thought on the Christian ethic of work. While we tend to live in the “hear and now” we frequently miss the moments where our today is shaped by yesterday. What I hope to express is a deeper appreciation of our rich Christian history that brings with it the understanding of work as a blessing from the very beginning in the Garden  (See. Gen. 1:28, 2:15) Labor was never a by-product of the fall or an extension of the curse. Rather labor has always been part of God’s design. The curse (sin) attached itself to work by making the earth harder and the seasons less fruitful. But striving for the Kingdom is not a man-made system of labor followed by retirement (Gen.3:17-19). Unfortunately we have done ourselves a spiritual disservice when we choose to view eternity as some type of modern / futuristic retirement plan. Though eternity will be free from the curse, and as a result will not carry with it the same burdens we experience today, the very idea that work will cease is hard to Scripturally imagine or support. Just a brief glance into the Throne Room (See Revelation) allows us glimpses of worship and work. Such a heavenly reality should give us all pause and reconsideration if we are looking to wade in a crystal pool or drift away in a heavenly hammock?

A concluding challenge for us all. Work has always been a mandate that was birthed with creation. Therefore labor is a gift from God and for His purposes. It took literal, not theoretical, work for the death and resurrection to be carried through. Likewise, it will take real effort in His second coming and in the rebuilding of making all things new.

Yes, in the summation of all things the peace of God, His Shalom, will fall over a renewed earth and then those who are in Him will experience work as it was once was in the Garden before the curse. But what would happen, in our world today, if we re-examined our call to work as a divine mandate? What if your work, in the here an now, is in some way connected to your supernatural calling to build the Kingdom of God and support the community of faith where God has placed you?

It is clear Christian work is not for the casual, for the part-time or for the uncommitted and lazy. Yes, Christian work will be the hardest thing you can ever apply yourself to because it requires a full-time dedication unto the Lord. When we serve Him, serve one another and serve the community, by sharing Him, His real Spirit- birthed power is expressed in our lives and continues to testify of one body, one resurrection, one life, one truth, one way, JESUS!

“True revival is freedom for the soul that leads to total freedom for humanity.” – Dennis Kutzner

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

A Three –Fold Attitude that Stimulates Discipleship and Forms a Genuine Community of Faith

thLast week I shared some thoughts on my immersion into a community of disciples and discipleship. But what happens when you have gone beyond “putting your feet in the water” and are fully enveloped by the waves of a genuine Jesus formed community?  I acknowledge by using the word “genuine” that must imply there also can be “less than genuine” communities of faith. And guess what? Sadly there are. This is not to say people set out to be purposely disingenuous, but it does mean people can believe they are living in the nature of Jesus when they are not; and so, by default, they become immersed into a community that looks, feels, sounds and may even act with some version of Jesus but entirely miss the opportunity to become a community that engages His true nature.

 

Simply stated to be a disciple of anyone, means you have learned directly, and accurately, from the disciple-maker. As a New England Patriots fan I have been spoiled by a high level of competition the Patriots provide every season. At the lead of the team’s success is their quarterback, Tom Brady. But before Brady became a Super Bowl MVP, and top quarterback in the NFL, he had to learn from someone. Beginning in high school, through college and even into his professional career Brady routinely sought advice, counsel and training from his long time mentor Tom Martinez. Perhaps few will ever know of the man who helped form Brady into the player millions watch on Sunday afternoons, but his legacy and counsel are witnessed every game Brady leads the New England Patriots out to play.  In like manner the greatest violinist the world has ever heard, Jascha Heifetz, learned from Leopold Auer. Tom Brady was developed by Tom Martinez and Plato was instructed by the words and methods of Socrates.  While subtle variations in one’s style, approach, look or feel may develop differently, from teacher to student, there will always be a common thread throughout the life of the mentor and mentee: Fundamentally they will be the same in their approach, application, intent and drive to succeed without compromising the richness of truth in their chosen field.

As Christians should we be any less careful to attention, detail, passion, perfection and desire to share Biblical truth with our world? When one becomes immersed in the life of discipleship, in Jesus, there can be no room to compromise His message, and divine nature, in favor of our personal “variations.” Jesus commanded His disciples to go and make disciples of all men commanding them (the Apostles) to instruct everyone in all He (Jesus) had shared.  Woven within the DNA of discipleship is a sanctified template of how one becomes His disciple without compromise and with the guarantee of blessing. Getting one’s feet wet, in the community of Christ, is where it all begins; but that has never been a substitute for continuing on the journey of discipleship. True Biblical discipleship begins when we live immersed in the community of faith while being mentored into developing unique techniques and strategies, not gimmicks, that help us draw people to encounter the nature of Jesus!

In my attempt to unpack the heart of discipleship, as well as understand the nature of Jesus, I have come to understand there are three necessary attitudes that invite people and engage them into immersion in the community of faith. The three attitudes are worship, preaching / teaching and mentoring.

ATTITUDE #1: WORSHIP. Try to define worship and the exercise quickly opens into a very large umbrella that the Bible stuffs a lot of action underneath. You can worship God through prayer, fasting, singing, reading and meditating on His Word, tithes and offerings, work, life, common grace acts and the list goes on and on. But to help me better understand worship, within the context of discipleship, I needed to have a simple working definition that could cover all the bases. So, here is a definition I part borrowed and retooled: Worship is not a program but an invitation for people to participate in the truth of Jesus; and we celebrate His story in a variety of forms and activities. There is so much opinion regarding the state of worship within the church today. But wherever you may come down on the issue, worship is always meant to form any community into authentic adoration of Jesus with integrity. What I personally find so inviting about worship is how it really is meant to be apart of everyday, as well as every portion of life, and not just Sunday morning.

While some choose to debate various styles and expressions, of Sunday worship, I feel there is a deeper concern if we allow our times of worship to fall into the traps of being another program or routine.  For some, if not most, it may be a little frightening to provide the breathing room necessary for the Holy Spirit to move through our times of worship. But when we give Him the room necessary to move He draws the community of worshippers into the rhythm of God’s nature. It is then our individual and communal moments of celebration merge into the signing of Jesus’ story and our songs become those of great thanksgiving.  Worship was at the heart of the early church’s liturgical calendar and the same reason why God gave Ancient Israel the Feasts of the Lord. Life, every day, was to be a celebration of God’s nature and it is meant to immerse His disciples entire lives into Him.

The added by-product of worship is the development of disciple and disciples. Worship has the unique ability to draw everyone into one community that lives, talks, hears and shares the rich celebration of Jesus’ life. Here again this is why disciples should find opportunities to raise our hands, clap and even shout; because a corporate action of thanksgiving, love, relief and even celebration become the moments where the Holy Spirit’s presence can be truly experienced through the cycles of life. Rudolph Otto said,  “Good worship will use language of mystery.” And I honestly believe the mystery of worship should be one we all long to uncover. When people, in the Body of Christ, genuinely live lives of worship not only will we experience Him but we will know Him and desire to learn more of Him as our lives behave more like His. All who are in Him are gladly invited to be worshipers; and worship has the basic power to shape the disciple!

ATTITUDE #2: PREACHING / TEACHING: A recent survey, by Thom Rainer, concluded the most decisive factor for visitors, in choosing a fellowship, is the preaching/ teaching.  One need only thumb through the pages of the Gospels and book of Acts to discover Jesus routinely taught His disciples wherever they traveled. The development of lay ministry underscores the necessity for trained and qualified men and women who are in a position to teach and disciple within the local church.

The aforementioned natural therapies are helpful in improving your erectile ability, making prescription levitra you incompetent in the bedroom. It is an astringent and boosts seminal cialis levitra generika devensec.com fluid. Finally, http://www.devensec.com/images/bose-slides/bose-8.html cipla tadalafil price Theodore Creighton and Gary Jones (2001) point out that few programs currently look beyond grade-point average when recruiting employees into programs. Excessive use of alcohol and drugs also affects viagra france the capability to maintain erection. Most churches will have a variety of mature disciples, new converts and seekers. With such spiritual diversity also comes the welcomed opportunity to present the Word of God in a fresh, relevant and exciting way.  However, before we get bogged down in “good preaching versus bad teaching” we need to first answer what is the purpose of a teaching and preaching? Again, I prefer workable and simple definitions that can be applied in the ordinary of life; and so I have come to the conclusion the best way to answer this question is as follows:  The purpose of teaching / preaching is to change minds, hearts and lives.  

Certainly the Holy Spirit is the one who illuminates the need for change in any one’s heart but the inspiration of Spirit-birthed teaching / preaching always encourages faith in the pattern of Jesus.  It is well documented Augustine, for example, always used his teachings as an opportunity to weave doctrine with moral living. So what kind of preaching / teaching should we accept as those pursuing a journey of discipleship? Biblically speaking (and this is always the safest way to judge anything) only teachings that are based on Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone)! Of course there is always a place for sharing how to raise your kids, manage money, discover purpose, etc… but if such themes are not based in Scripture, as the primary source, they will eventually draw people away from the pattern of Jesus and point others toward worldly solutions. Simply put, teaching rooted in anything other than Scripture will make you a disciple of that teacher, or cause, but such an approach will not draw you any closer to the nature of the Father or a disciple of Jesus.  Again, teaching and preaching, within the context of discipleship, must always focus on what the Bible says, no more and no less.

Genuine disciples are always called to live submitted not to ones favorite minister, or ministry, but to God’s Word. Let me be so bold as to say, Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is true…..all of it! And so, as disciples of Jesus, we are put ourselves under it and live in obedience to it!

 A final thought on preaching / teaching: Tell the Whole Story.  I am guilty of watching ESPN for the purposes of viewing the highlight real in order to follow my favorite sporting events. But just watching the highlights will never tell the entire tale of the tape. Highlights are exciting because by their very definition they are “HIGH –LIGHTS!” But three-second clips are incapable of really helping one understand the “why” of the game. To appreciate the highlight you need to know the details of the game. Likewise, discipleship is not meant to be lived, or seen. in highlights. Rather discipleship should always be a public witness and full portrayal of God’s grand design for all creation. Biblical preaching that is coupled with proactive discipleship always keeps Jesus at the center of life’s story, and there He is meant to always remain.

ATTITUDE #3: MENTORING. One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes is, “The Mentor.” In this particular episode Jerry was dating a girl that relied so heavily on her mentor she was incapable of making a move without her advice. Too often we have adopted a “top-down” approach to mentorship and as a result our bonds of mentorship become more like chains of control. Could it be we have somehow misapplied Biblical mentorship? Robert Clinton defines mentorship as, “one person helping another person grow.” Henry Simon explained mentorship as, “having something to share with another who needs it to help him grow.” Today the best form of mentorship remains as it was in the days of the early church and John Wesley, discipleship through class meetings and peer to peer cooperation.  While there is a definite need for a one on one relationships it has been my experience an attitude of community mentorship is best suited to knit people together in relatable and personal ways. Within the small group, or home koinonia, a fellowship can discuss a teaching, pray and even provide mutual support and accountability. A single mentor doesn’t, and can’t, have all the answers. But mentors, within the community of Christ, can help others grow and share in Christ. Combined with genuine care, support and prayer the disciple quickly matures; and when this change occurs the entire community becomes immersed in the Jesus cycle of life.

People are searching for genuine Christ-centered communities of faith that expand beyond the church walls and touch real need and real lives. When genuine disciples, in Jesus, invigorate the church then we become an antibiotic to the illness (sin) and perhaps then the world will no longer perceive the church as the illness but an aide for healing and restoration?

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA

 

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

Immersed in the Community of Disciples & Discipleship

thRecently, I was visiting with the owner of a new business launch that was giving me a sneak peak through his new site. The facility was top notch with every “bell and whistle” that would cater to potential clients in his industry. As we walked through the various workstations he stopped to introduce me to one of the men applying the finishing touches to a particular section of the office. Our conversation was brief and while the man was polite and engaging I could tell there was more to his story than the work he was currently doing. Later I learned the young man, I met earlier, is an excellent guitar player and by some peoples opinions one of the best they have heard in a long time. As I considered such a bold statement I asked, for me, the next logical question, “Then why is he woodworking and not even pursuing music on any level?” Of course I am not privy to this man’s life story; but like most people there is a strong possibility that a man with such talent, and not working in his field of calling, is also a man who stopped being a disciple or disciplined in his craft some time ago. As it is with our chosen profession, or calling, so to the same standards apply toward discipleship. Truthfully, discipleship never ends because everyone is to be constantly led by the Spirit, maturing in Jesus and challenged by one another. If there is such a thing as “steps toward Biblical discipleship” these progressions need to be modeled, in the initial stages, if we desire to help seekers to become converts and converts into disciples.

Bill Hull, who wrote The Disciple-Making Pastor said, “The Great Commission has been worshipped, but not obeyed. The church tried to get to world evangelism without disciple making.” In my opinion his quote accurately sums up the challenges we are facing in a post-Christian / post-Modern church age. Daily we encounter people, spread across life’s journey, whose experiences and backgrounds are unwittingly making them resistant to the hard work of being discipled. Even though the secular / spiritual paradox faces everyone this cannot become the sole excuse for us to avoid the obvious process and spiritual discipline and discipleship. Sadly, Michael Wilkins, a professor of Theology and trainer of pastors, says “The most common answer when asked if anybody has discipled you is, no.” Discipleship has always been, and will forever remain, a life-long process we are meant to experience and be immersed in. Yet many adopt the belief that a semester of discipleship classes will suffice for lifetime journey. The results, and state of our church today, does not bear this out as true or helpful for the maturation of the body of Christ. Therefore, to better understand discipleship let’s take a moment to first explore the nature from which discipleship is developed.

Where Does the Nature of Discipleship Come From? You don’t need to dig through the archives of a denominational library, or a trendy new release on Amazon, to find a manual for discipleship. Beginning with the ancients (Abraham and Eliezer), through the Patriarchs and more specifically with Moses and Joshua we discover a pattern for discipleship. This same process is replicated in the lives of Elijah and Elisha, Jeremiah, Daniel, his three friends and the list is far more exhaustive than limited. So it really should not come as any surprise, within the structure of the Hebraic Holistic worldview, discipleship would be practiced and readily accepted by Jesus and His chosen twelve.

Many of us, me included, have been guilty of assuming the process of discipleship started with Jesus’ earthly ministry but, in reality, this ancient method was just as much a spiritual practice, from the beginning, as a natural relationship designed to share the Word, keep it pure and replicate it throughout each generation. Therefore, when Jesus instructs His disciples in Matt. 10:24-25 He frames the nature of discipleship, and roots for future Christian disciples, in His nature alone.

Contextually speaking when Jesus was sharing such truths it wasn’t revealed in a time too removed from our world today. In Jesus’ day there were many examples of disciples learning under various educated rabbi’s. St. Paul, learning under the instruction of Gamileal, was one example of a long accepted tradition that was the custom of the day. However there was a stark difference in the discipleship, advocated by Jesus, and that of Rabbinic Judaism. Whereas Rabbinic Judaism advocated the process of “leap frog “, where the student would eventually exceed his master, Jesus instructed His disciples by telling them the student will never be above the master. It could be argued Jesus’ teachings did far more than other models of discipleship to help the church rapidly developed through the early years and then exploded through the reformation age. It is discovered in the nature of Jesus His system of discipleship wasn’t a organization of one trying to outdo the other; rather it was a long series of disciples that studied under other disciples. In a very significant way Jesus never encouraged or made disciples that were independent of Him. Every man and woman, who were taught in the model of Jesus, understood their goal was to make disciples back into Jesus.

Six Ways Jesus Taught Discipleship:

  1. Jesus focus and teaching was developed around repentance and the reality the Kingdom of Heaven was near. (Matt. 4:17)
  2. Jesus taught the exercise of His compassion. (Matt. 9:36)
  3. Jesus commanded His disciples to follow the traditions of Him and not others. (Matt. 12:1-8)
  4. All disciples belonged to family obedience. (Matt. 12:46-50)
  5. A disciple must live the life of servanthood. (Matt. 20:24-28)

    6. Usually, people need to take the medicine only once bulk generic viagra in 24 hours duration. cialis from india online Certain foods can cause low energy to your body and may cause you to experience the adverse effects like headache, dizziness, upset stomach, diarrhea, shortness of breath, muscle pain, back pain, stuffy or running nose, vision problems etc. A low cost cialis latest study in the United States has documented that its efficacy is 80% high comparatively to any other person. Generally, the drug prescribed for prostate problem consists of Alpha-blockers and it cannot be combined with other medications such as nitrate containing drugs. on line levitra

  6. A disciple shares in the destiny of suffering. (Matt. 10:16-25)

Late 2013 NT Wright published an amazing work on the writings, life and ministry of St. Paul. Throughout his work NT challenges the thought, some hold, that St. Paul’s teaching were in some way a rival to Jesus’. Sadly, those who see St. Paul and Jesus as rivals have adopted pure liberal foolishness! In fact, Rabbinic Judaism today uses a similar argument against Jesus and Christianity by claiming Christians are following a Jesus reinterpreted through the lens of Paul. In short, for Rabbinic Judaism, Jesus should only be viewed as a rabbi of the first century who taught people how to live whereas Paul turned Jesus into a Savior / Redeemer. NT does an amazing job of addressing this in far more detail than I can in today’s post. But the reason I cited this example was to validate St. Paul’s mission, within the framework of discipleship, was always to make people in Jesus’ image and not his own. Paul’ sole mission was to introduce Jesus, from the Tanakh, to the developing and emerging gentile church. (See. Phil. 1:20-21) True disciples and genuine Biblical discipleship will always follow Jesus’ nature and pattern. This is why we need to be encouraged to avoid discipleship built upon spiritual gurus, specific pastors or our favorite theological teachers. We are all meant to mature, through this life, into sound discipleship in Jesus alone!

How do you become a disciple? Believe! Behave! Belong! (See: John 20:31 , Acts 2:42, 47, Romans 12:2)

How Does the Community of Faith Disciple? While some people will be persuaded by the rational apologetic approach, of which I am a big fan, most people will be discipled through the process of relationship, community and work. When we worship together,  learn together and labor together we grow, in Him, together! This is why life groups and peer to peer discipleship, or coffee shop Gospel, can effectively form a Biblical community for today!

Get Immersed into the Life of the Community: The church is you and all of us gathered together; and we collectively are telling the story of Jesus. While we may share His story through a variety of methods and approaches we must never loose site of the fact we are called together for the purposes of glorifying Him as well as be a witness for the entire story of God. This amazing story is worth sharing! It is a remarkable account of how a Triune God is Creator, involved throughout history, incarnate as Jesus, sacrificial in death and in resurrection becomes victory over death and all evil. In the ascension of Jesus He took His place as the sole ruler over all things and will soon return restoring all things, in creation, unto Himself in a new heavens and new earth. THAT IS A STORY WORTH SHARING!

We are all called to not just recite this remarkable account but to live these words as a community that reflects the values of a relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit. We are called, as a community immersed in Him, to reflect the many creative gifts that reveal His majesty. We are called to be a community of love, redemption and reconciliation. Discipleship and maturity, in Him, also affords us the opportunity to have the deep conversations of how we will address sin, through heart and sight of Jesus. Biblical discipleship will also teach us how to care for the needs of a suffering world and also provide hope of a glorious future for those who are in Him.

Immersion is part of life. The community of Christ is more than capable, by His Holy Spirit, to immerse everyone into the life of Jesus. For those who are willing to shape their life around the reality of Jesus they will truly discover a different story, and vision, than the life they are currently have. Remember we are all on a journey and people are looking for a lasting truth, peace and bonds of relationship. So share His story and live the discipled life of a disciple in Jesus!

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

Evangelism on the Flip Flop

th

My son is fond of saying, as he leaves the house, “Catch you on the flip-flop Daddy-O!” I’m not quiet sure where or what the flip-flop is but I know, when I see him next, something new will have happened or is getting ready to happen. So, since I wanted share with you some reflections on evangelism, and community, I thought we may need a “flip-flop” conversation since I know something new is about to happen.

It all started at the beginning of this year when my wife, Jeannette, shared two messages on communion and the importance of the love feast. In both instances these teachings were designed to invite and draw us back to the table of thanksgiving with Jesus and then with one another. Like a frog hopping from one lily pad to another our community of faith, at Maranatha, leapt “back the future” and started repairing, as well as revisiting, some of our broken bridges from our ancient to present faith. The weeks that followed brought us through a series of teachings where we re-examined the value of living in a community, like a little house on the prairie, that shared in a unique nature of  faith, hope and love, in Jesus, and whose expressions were very different than the language or culture of our current age. Did this mean we were out of touch with the people we hoped to reach with the Gospel message? Far from it!  In fact, what we discovered was we were part of exclusive mission, vision and purpose. A plan in which we can be those who carry the sole message of Truth to a people searching for lasting truth in their lives.

For me, and for those who were committed to this journey, it also meant we needed to comprehend our ancient faith was so much older than the 1st Century. As Christians we have given little thought to a term we often say in passing, as if it is understood by everyone, when in reality we seldom preach or teach with such beliefs and conviction. The term? “Judeo-Christian.” Our Christian journey is unique and  exclusive, in part but not limited to, the reality of our  Judeo-Christian roots. And once you reset your Biblical worldview in Hebraic holism then you better understand the words and nature of Jesus, His Great Commission, evangelism every Biblical principle.

And so here is the point: From communion to discipleship the local church is in place to help you discover your gifts, mature in Jesus and go out making disciples in His name. In it’s simplest form this is what is meant when we are to proclaim the Good News (Great Commission). But before we actually have a discussion about evangelism we need to comprehend what is happening in our present, and future, to help us better understand the world around us.

Today’s society lives in a paradox. Actually we all live with some kind of paradox around us everyday. We are encouraged to save but the government spends out of control. We are told to eat and live healthy but the majority of what is offered are unhealthy options. It is said we should develop our “spiritual persona” but the spiritual menu is often endless and with more customizable options than what you would expect to see in a buffet line. And this sums up society. People live secular, Christians included, but everyone is influenced by some type of spirituality. So while people are open to exploring their spiritual nature, and solutions, they are not necessarily open to exploring exclusive answers. So for Christian evangelism to really hit the target, effectively, we need to understand this paradox and begin to work through it.

It is at this point I want to also make you aware of a remarkable parallel today’s church shares with the historic church of the first three centuries. If we were to travel back in time we would find a church living in an array of spiritual alternatives ranging from the mythological to the mysterious and even familiar, for their time, pagan cults. Tucked away in this sea of spirituality was also Judaism and the growing community of people identified at Christians. And despite the early church being considered a cult the Christian faith grew primarily on three natural factors, and this is not to excluded the power of the Holy Spirit.

What were the 3 Natural Factors for Church Explosion and Growth?

#1 The Christian Community was Open: Remove from your mind the way we define open and accepting. In the ancient world an open group had a very different meaning and practice (as you will soon see) and in most instances the ancient world was not as open as some like to think. In fact, most cults were secretive and so heavily regimented by rules they excluded the simple, slaves and women. So, in a sense, spiritual communities of the past behaved and operated like country clubs today. And so while it may have been difficult, if not impossible, for some to find a spiritual place of belonging the Christian community was considered open and welcoming to those who lived life on the outside.

#2 The Christian Community was Open but Exclusive: While other cults and pagans practices were  willing to compromise their beliefs to adapt or include other worldviews, such spiritual “wishy-washiness” only contributed to a world already sinking in uncertainty. Enter Christianity with an exclusive  and certain message that cut right to the heart of the spiritual mosh pit. While it was not widely accepted, at first, for those who believed it must have felt like a welcomed glass of cold water on a hot and desperate day. The exclusive message and reality of Jesus was then, and remains so this day, a reassurance of hope in times of hopelessness.

#3 The Christian Community was a Close Family, Organized and Disciplined Disciples: Of course we will read of debates within the early church community (the Book of Acts) as well as other Ecumenical Councils that discussed the Scriptures and theological challenges. And while their world did not have some of the structures of today they knew how to live in accountability, as a family, and even     shared in needs, risks, dangers and hope. Unlike what most experience when today’s church doesn’t work in cooperation with one another the early Christian community was a true family that met the needs of the Christian family first, and then was able to better meet the needs of the seeking world around them. I wonder what our world would look like if the church really behaved like a genuine family in Christ?

So, borrowing from some of our ancient church roots, and knowing they were able to extend into the world around them, we can only conclude they did so with the paradox also surrounding them. Let’s take a page from the second century church’s rich history. Though hardly strange to them, but perhaps odd to us today, the early church saw themselves as citizens who shared things with others but endured all things as foreigners. They saw their entire world as a mission field and not their place of citizenry. Perhaps this is one subtle reason why evangelism is largely ineffective in America today? Could it be too many Christians have misplaced passports?  Have we become so use to”the world” that it is now our home and we have forgotten our divine residency?

The early church was far more hospitable and looking for opportunities to out do one another in kindness, to the church first, and then their world in need. Furthermore, just like today, the church existed in a very real social world. Of course they did not have Facebook or Twitter but the early church was very willing to invade and create a social paradox by sharing their faith with friends, co-workers and family. The church saw their “social web” as an opportunity to influence people through their world and invite them into the Christian community. Long before large churches and fellowship halls the church met in homes and lived as a community that gathered as well as ate around the table.  As for so many of us, growing up, the table always presented a central opportunity to share and live life.
The most common medications associated with ED include anti-hypertensive (beta blockers, thiazides, and clonidine) and psychogenic respitecaresa.org cialis tadalafil 50mg medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, lithium, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and any medication which can interfere with blood flow to the penis. They must understand that maintaining good urological health is bought that viagra in line really very important for their overall well-being. First of all is antibiotic therapy, antibiotic treatment mainly aims to cure cialis 20mg tadalafil the aspermia caused by orchitis or vesiculitis. The different parts of levitra generika 40mg Professional use the Sildenafil jelly version has ensured a great way to ensure an improved sexual performance. 4.
Consider portions of Jesus’ earthly ministry and you will discover much of His ministry was done around tables, weddings, feasts and dinners. Why?  Because the table has always been a safe place to engage one another in love, charity and hospitality.  Whether Starbucks knows it or not the church is operating a lot of ministry and evangelism through their doors. Question? What would happen if you opened your home, one night a week, to somebody in your community, for the sole purpose of ministering to them, discipling them and sharing your faith? What might happen in your neighborhood?

But…Back to the Secular / Spiritual Paradox:  We cannot forget the paradox exists and because it is alive it also presents dangerous poisons to the community of faith that work will against us.

Three Enemies to the Christian Community: Individualism, Isolationism & Consumerism.

#1 Individualism has become the father and mother of the selfie generation. You need only know that individualism is alive and well when last year’s “word of the year” was selfie.  Truthfully I have also contributed a few selfies and most likely the majority us have taken atleast one picture while, others are minored in a degree in photography on self. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with taking a picture but the very idea of a world where “selfie” exists sums up the dangers individualism at it’s best (or worst).  Sadly, individualism has also become a firm set piece within the Western church culture because it encourages a community that says proudly: I think what I want, I do what I want, I go where I want and I am responsible to only myself.  Whereas our early church community was about reaching out, hospitality and sacrifice our individualism of today encourages “ME FIRST” over “OTHERS FIRST.”  When we become a “Me First” generation, and church, then it becomes impossible to have a common creed, common language or common culture.

#2 Individualism has Spawned Isolationism. How so? Consider this: If you can earn enough money or control enough of your surroundings then you really do not need anything or anybody else.  We have become a generation that has been encouraged to be ourselves and form our own controllable community while not worrying about the world we are attached to. I once knew a fellow Christian that said, “If I could just wall off the world and live with my family, by myself, that would be ideal.”  Looking at his specific circumstances, his job, earning potential etc… his personal desire was the epitome of individualism that leads to isolationism. Sadly, this same man and his family never joined our community and soon disappeared behind their self-created walls of isolationism.  I thought about my mothers stories of growing up, on Sand Mountain, and while I am certain there were individuals that wanted little to do with other people (called hermits) they missed out on what others enjoyed in the development of the community church, community festivals, weddings, funerals, jobs and the blessing of being with other people.

Let me ask us again to reconsider if we were a genuine community what might we look and behave like?  What if we were not a community of a programs driven church, that operates like an corporation,  but a community within a deeper community that invites people to believe, behave and belong to something bigger than themselves, their money or their personal wants. What if we were a community that actually was changing our world through our language and culture while also helping converts become disciples?

You see this will never be accomplished through what is called linear relationships where we are disconnected and don’t stick. The ancient church, and the church for many generations, lived on what was known as the Parish principle and that resulted in generations, that lived in a neighborhood, where the local church was the focal point of that community and served the church family as well as the city searching for hope. We need to get back to living this concept.

#3 The Final Enemy: Consumerism. As Robbert E. Webber said so wonderfully “Consumerism  encourages your rights over your responsibility.” By its very nature consumerism undermines the community and always keeps us focused on ourselves and not others.

So with our enemies now defined if we want to be effective evangelist of the “good news” then the obvious question is how do we build that ancient community? Again, the secular / sacred paradox comes into play because it has proven that certain approaches no longer work as they once did. For example statistics have proven .5 percent of people come into a church community through crusades. Crusades are wonderful and still have a place in making the broad appeal for Christ. But the crusade can never do what the missional relationship can do best. Looking back to the ancient church, and their approach, they saw their focus was missional. For the early church missional meant the community you lived, and interacted with, was the same community you shared your Christ-like language, culture and beliefs with. Literally the missional Christian verbalized the Gospel message and sought to meet the seeker and connect with them and their journey. Statistically speaking 79% of people who are converted enter into a church community, and discipleship, because of personal contact with a relative or friend.

Our dynamic faith, life-style and witness will speak volumes more than a media blitz, fancy building or flashy style because our life, in Jesus, is one that has been renewed from the inside out. And while the cosmetic changes are great they are just superficial and people today are in search for the real thing! Someone who lives on displayed and is alive, in Jesus, can not be argued away. The Christian witness must either be accepted or rejected; and that is the power behind you as the evangelist and your witness. When you are the display of Christ people have to accept you or reject you just as they will have to do with Jesus.  This becomes a powerful truth that, when done with the right Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit, invigorates the community of faith and fuels our evangelism from the awkward and stale to the bold and life changing.

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA 

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

PERSPECTIVE

2 Comments

boat-land-perspective1PERSPECTIVE

Have you ever heard the expression, You can look at the glass half empty or half full? Any combinations of these sayings are meant to ask the deeper questions of ones perspective and, of course, we are heavily influenced by our dispositions, presuppositions and upbringings as to how we view our world.  But the very concept of perspective is universal and essential in all phases and walks of life. From architecture, to art and even how we deal with changing circumstances, in our lives, perspective keeps us rooted in a bigger picture or larger narrative.

As individuals we need perspective in the ordinary of life but as Christians we require a divine perspective that grounds our lives in a story richer, deeper and enduring more than the temporary of here and now. Truthfully it is difficult to comprehend, especially during hardship, divine perspective. We are prone to ask questions of Why? Or Where was God when? And while these questions are logical responses, expected from emotional people, divine perspective allows us to take a step back and evaluate the highest and biggest picture.

What is the highest and biggest picture? While we all may be tempted to answer such a question with our family, job and professional / personal goals the reality is all of these pale in comparison to the reality of the eternal Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Therefore, while perspective can be framed by immediate circumstances it also must be influenced by divine perspective so we do not misdirect our lives from the plans and purposes of God.

The highest possible point of view is His (God) and the greatest of all purposes are His as well. Therefore the Christian must be led, by His Spirit, to maintain the careful balance of perspective at all times and in every situation. The viewpoint we, as Christians, are called to preserve is that we are here for one purpose: to be vessels of His honor in His triumphs. While the showroom of heaven is filled with many wonders, people and testimonies they all bring us back to a reality of an eternal story rooted in someone bigger than us (Jesus).

THE STORY IS ABOUT VICTORY IN JESUS AND THROUGH HIM ALONE! When our story is no longer about us, but what He did for all of creation, then our perspective forever changes. No longer should we view ourselves as small, great, less or more rather, with divine perspective, creation points us back to maintaining our cause is in Christ alone!  St. Paul reminds us of the greater divine perspective when he says, I am in the train of a conqueror, and it does not matter what the difficulties are, I am always led in triumph.

But e-mail marketing is becoming much cialis canadian more common these days. Atherosclerosis affects not only the cardiovascular system levitra line pharmacy but also the male sexual health. levitra 20 mg http://deeprootsmag.org/2015/01/12/condemned-live-1935/ If the chemist denies then change the chemist but get only general medicines. This mainly happens when the PDE5 enzymes acting in the penile region causing erectile dysfunction.Thus, it allows for smooth circulation of blood to the man’s sex organ. order cialis online deeprootsmag.org Is this a perspective we possess today? Do we live this divine purpose practically in our lives? The happiness expressed in Paul’s bold words reveal a secret joy he was often quick to share. It was the new humanity, in Jesus, that rescued a religious, spiritually blind rebel and led him to the life of bondservant for the King and the Kingdom. And now? Now St. Paul states that this is all he is here for…this was his new perspective and he considered it a great joy to be a prisoner for Jesus’ sake with no other perspectives rivaling his new vision and new life.

In desiring to live by divine perspective I have had to curb my enthusiasm that allows me to believe victory, in life, is attributed to my ingenuity and force of will. It is a dishonorable attitude for today’s Christian to talk about attaining any success, without Him, when the True Champion (Jesus) ought to own every part of our victorious story. But this takes divine perspective that comes only through the Holy Spirit’s illuminating our understanding to comprehend the incomprehensible, and see with spiritual and not natural vision.

It continues to be my personal prayer we all share, and rejoice, in the larger reality of what He is continuing to do with us and through us, despite ourselves, so His manifold wisdom is expressed throughout all creation.

“Now thanks be to God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:14)


Grace and Peace

JOSHUA

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

I LOST MY SON!

th (1)Several years ago I experienced a frightening moment that I hope to never repeat. To make this story all the more relatable you need to understand a little more about my parenting approach. While I am not as strict as my father was with me I am certainly not one of those dads who is stuck in his smartphone as his kid roams through the county fair on his own. I’m just the opposite, I want to know where my son is, who he is with and where he is planning on going at all times. If I call his phone and it rings past one time that is too late for my comfort zone. And when it gets dark my son loves to laugh at me by asking, “What do you have against the dark?” My answer? “Just about everything.”

So, you can imagine how I must have felt when I went to pick my son up from an after school event only discover he wasn’t there. I called his phone and it went straight to voice mail. Then I went into the school, where I thought he was supposed to be, only to discover the lights were off with all the doors locked. Beginning to panic I rushed home to see if by some miscommunication he walked home or perhaps Jeannette picked him up…again Joshua was no where to be found. As I drove back to the school I could feel the shortness of breathe and my thoughts racing through every possible scenario. Arriving back at the school I ran inside looking for someone that could possible help me find my lost son when I heard several voices coming from the gym. Sure enough there he was with his friends and teachers still participating in the afterschool activity. I wanted to be angry but I felt more relieved knowing it was just one big miscommunication that was compounded by his phone battery having died; and though my story ended harmlessly the desperation I experienced was very real.

Scripture reminds us there is nothing new under the sun, and that would also have to include how some have come to communicate and understand God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In our community there is a very large, successful and influential church that, from the outside, seems to be the perfect place for faith and family. I have had the opportunity to meet several members of this church and in our brief social engagements they are pleasant, generous and kind.  Again, from the outside this fellowship appears to be an ideal community of faith, that is until you learn what or who they believe in. While they ascribe their beliefs are Biblical, and claim to worship God, they are quick to assert Jesus is not God and there is no such person as the Holy Spirit. Yes, there is a spirit of the Father, and that is holy, but the concept of a person as the Holy Spirit is rejected. Again, the Bible reminds us there is nothing new under the sun and this fellowships beliefs have been debated, argued and even deemed heretical from the first century thru today.

But my purpose in writing today’s post is not to “get down into the weeds” of a Trinitarian versus non- Trinitarian debates. Rather I wanted to use the story of my lost son, and this local fellowship, to highlight a dangerous place today’s Christian may be unknowingly living in. As I encounter a wide variety of seekers, searchers, Christians and people from other faiths I can’t help but detect a certain level of “panic” in us all. It is as if what we once believed has been debated, questioned and undermined to the point of our willingness to no longer trust what once helped us manage life and faith. While I am less surprised by the unease being experienced by those living outside of the Judeo-Christian worldview I am find myself shocked by the great anxiety and growing tension within the Christian community itself. After all shouldn’t the Christian’s witness, testimony and faith be the only lasting confidence in an age of uncertainty?

What this comes down to, for Christians, is what we once believed and or trusted as “truth” has been replaced with a spirit of doubt. Our “what if” generation of thinkers, pastors, teachers and authors have adopted a questioning spirit to the point of allowing insecurity to subtly eroded universal value and divine truth. Sadly, within some of our Christian communities, our desire to revisit and or incorporate ancient pagan practices, beliefs and philosophies have revived a dissonant chord within the harmonious music of the Kingdom. Furthermore, I am even more concerned there are many who no longer hear the dissonance, or feel the “panic” because they have already lost what was once a valued spiritual treasure: the Holy Spirit.

Today I believe we are approaching a dangerous tipping within our Christian faith where even the foundational truths, of this ancient story, are redefined and reformed into something that looks and feels “Christian” but is absent of Him. Sadly too many Christians are settling for a faith of either entertainment, or dead religion, and in both instances God is no longer revealing Himself to us.

When I thought I had “lost” my son I didn’t even want to acknowledge that I, in some way, I may have been responsible for his being lost. I was looking for excuses and scapegoats when I had been part of the confusion in the first place. Likewise, within the body of Christ, we are slow to acknowledge we are loosing sight of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yes, they still reside in hymnals, liturgies, prayers, creeds, stain glass, church logos and traditions but they are further removed from our hearts, minds and being. We still claim Jesus is Lord and God and Risen; but we do not take into account the role of the Holy Spirit. Too often our discussions of the Holy Spirit descend into debates on tongues, supernatural manifestations or a dislocated concept of God’s Spirit but not a person of the Holy Spirit. We create neat and perfect boxes to set God in that have allowed us to gradually get comfortable with a tradition of Him but not His presence.

No matter what type of role modeling you received, you can choose on line viagra to have a new paradigm and it starts with accepting, valuing and loving yourself. The extract is extremely bitter, it is said to be the most bitter in all generic levitra prices of them. Generally half of the population is unaware of erectile dysfunction was factored into this and the data from other canadian pharmacy for viagra studies, it became obvious that the symptom of erectile dysfunction was a predictor of the heart disease. order levitra So one of the most concerning questions that come into the picture and save you from the pain and agony. The Holy Spirit is God! Scripture asserts and confirms God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! Jesus declared He and the Father are One and by the Holy Spirit He (Jesus) was resurrected. The Holy Spirit is not a by-product of God’s creative will, like nature or humanity, and the Holy Spirit is not just some divine “good vibe” from the Father. Again, Scripture tells us the Holy Spirit is essential to illuminate and inspire the spirit of man to receive the promise of the Father, Jesus. For us to be born-again requires a supernatural reworking of the “old man” into a new humanity in Jesus; and this too is not done outwardly and naturally but inwardly by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus tells is just as He was sent by the Father so to He is sending the Holy Spirit to birth His church.  St. Paul tells the church at Ephesus the Spirit-birthed church will express the manifold wisdom of God to all powers seen and unseen. A large portion of our  ‘Christian doubt”, or fear,  comes from a selfish desire to understand God by simplifying spiritually legal and divine matters.  One cannot comprehend or explain sanctification, justification, redemption and salvation without a work of the Trinity. Furthermore in an attempt to “make it simple” we have made it more complex and confusing by allowing the seeds of doubt tell us the Trinity is incomprehensible.

The truth is “the Spirit witnesses only to His own nature and to the work of Redemption, never to our reason and if we try to make Him witness to our reason, it is no wonder we are in darkness and perplexity. Fling it all overboard, trust in God, and He will give the witness of the Holy Spirit.” (Chambers)

I FOUND MY SON…The relief I experienced when I saw my son, in that gym, must have felt something like what Mary and Joseph experienced when they thought Jesus had gone missing, only discover He was in His Fathers house. My son saw the expression on my face and no doubt wondered why I was panicked? He hadn’t gone anywhere and he was where he was supposed to be. It was me that lost him and now he was found.

With all of the noise, debate, fear and panic I would like to encourage all of us to return to the simple, profound and universally true. With Easter soon approaching I pray we can strip away the skepticism, doubt and “what if’s” and come like a child just believing. Finally, as we wave palm branches, contemplate Good Friday and worship on Resurrection Sunday lets remember the full story of the Missio Dei (the Mission of God): To redeem all things to Himself, through Himself (Jesus), to break the bondages and curse of sin, to legally take ownership of all creation and to enable us to be filled by the Holy Spirit, so we can proclaim to every tribe, nation and people the “Good News” of the Kingdom!

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

WILLPOWER

3814841_300There was a time, not too long ago, I would have been considered a gym rat. I was the kind of person that was in the gym six days a week, clean eating, strict work-out regimens and owned a variety of books, magazines, supplements etc…to transform my body. I even developed a routine that allowed me the allotted time so as not to be interrupted…one might even say I was “religious” about it. On the one hand I enjoyed the satisfaction of physical transformation but on other hand I disliked the entire process. For me, it was a love / hate relationship that required a tremendous level of willpower to overcome self and press toward some natural goals.  After a while the pace became too difficult to maintain; and each new goal required more time, more effort and more struggle that, at a certain point, forced me to stop. While I didn’t want to forfeit my physical gains I had outrun my strength to the point where even my own willpower wouldn’t let me continue.

What happened? I don’t remember when it occurred but when I finally recognized it I couldn’t ignore it. What was once a very small lingering back pain had grown into an identifiable discomfort that hindered my sleep, work and just about everything else. Going to the gym was brought to a halt and just standing or walking for any length of time could become painful. The break in my routine became a frustrating decline that finally ended in surrender, of my will, and acknowledgment I needed help beyond what I was able to accomplish.

God has a way of using everyday life to bring us back to spiritual truths that reset our understanding of Jesus. My physical set back was bigger than a question of will and determination; because, in my downtime, I had to reexamine some larger questions of balance, moderation and my will versus His? This was bigger than the gym, or my commitment to physical exercise, in fact my necessity of needing healing was beyond rest and a few stretches. The gym was a small slice of my life in which God was challenging me to consider some deeper questions that, unknowingly, were preparing me for trials that soon awaited.

We all face challenges, set backs, missed expectations and disappointments and while we are certainly living under a sovereign God we also have a hand in the role we play in our response to His plans and purposes. His vision, for you and me, far exceed what we may have dreamed for ourselves and yet, we seem determined to consider alternatives to achieve a happiness and satisfaction that is already in Him.  You see it is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify us but more of a question of am I willing to let God do in me all that is possible through His atonement?

Are we willing to lay down our will and let the life of Jesus be manifested in our life? My “gym rat” days were representative of a personal desire, of self-will, to transform the outside while still believing everything was safe and secure on the inside. The small back-pain was God’s way of trying to get my attention that something was not right but I was determined to will my way past Him and trust it would all just work out in the end. Well, it all worked out when my doctor shut down my gym days, set me on new routine of treatments and, over time, helped correct the damage I had done to my back.

Self-will, willpower, determination whatever you may want to call it is a wonderful gift God has given humanity. We can either misuse our will, and choice, by glorifying ourselves, or we can submit our will and surrender our choice to glorify Him and discover our true humanity in Him. Christ has always been, and was made, sanctification to those who believe in Him by faith. For those who believe the miracle of atonement is alive in you; and Jesus made all of this possible by offering the free loving gift of Himself on the Cross.
It tastes much like the bubbling mix of fruits and cheap viagra 100mg confection. There is no chance of adverse discount viagra usa effects or future complications. After a year, cheapest cialis without prescription the study participants’ blood pressure lowered by over 12 percent, but there was a 30 percent reduction in atherosclerotic plaque. Not only are these erection pills effective but they are also conducting ongoing tasks to prevent and control ED by performing Kegel exercise. canadian pharmacy cialis
Our attitude, as those who are sanctified and redeemed, should be of profound humility and holiness. This is why St. Paul encourages the church when he says, “One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life.” (1 Thess. 4: 1-3 MSG)

I have been told I can return to the gym and resume certain exercises. However there are other exercise that will forever remain strictly prohibited, that is unless I want to reinjure my back. And as I cautiously return I have also had to reset my expectations and priorities because in my downtime I was forced to develop what was on the inside more than what I wanted to build on the outside.

I was faced with a very small, but painful, life lesson that confronted my will, and willpower, with His will and power. It was a lesson I hope to never repeat and also trust, in some way, encourages you to recheck your priorities, submit your will Him and live fully alive, as well as humble, in His sanctification and atonement.

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

SECRETS

th (1)Who doesn’t love a good secret? Growing up playground secrets were the best because they always included some type of who liked who. Built into the nature of secrets is the near impossible task of keeping one, because the greater the secret also means it is more appealing to share. What I liked most about the high school lunch table was not the food (far from it), but the passing of secrets and the satisfaction I felt knowing something only a select group of people knew. Of course, in reality, everyone in the school knew the same secrets, which is how I later came to understand the phrase the worst kept secret. But whether you are “on the in” or have only heard a few “bits and pieces” knowing something private and potentially life changing has a powerful allure.

Today’s world doesn’t operate too different from our playground or lunch table days. I am reminded of a running joke throughout the sitcom Seinfeld where the expression, I’m putting it in the vault was a certain way of knowing somebody’s secret was soon to come out and become the central piece for that episode. We all have, and many still do, trade in secrets through work, families, friends, society and faith. At times we have been the victims of a secret and at other moments we have been entrusted to keep intimate and personal matters private. And almost in every instance secrets are important because they have the power to change lives temporarily or permanently.

While it is easy to focus on the surreptitious, that are meant to cause damage, (such as gossip) not all secrets are bad, hurtful or dangerous. In fact there are some mysteries, when revealed, that make perfect sense as to why, who, where or when. Believe it or not Jesus was a great secret keeper and secret sharer. Reading throughout the Gospels you will discover a Jesus who frequently shared hints and fragments, secrets if you will, of His identity, mission, purpose and the bigger picture of what was really happening.  Other times Jesus revealed the undisclosed when he used parables to expose the hearts and conditions of those He was ministering to. Granted, Jesus didn’t call people directly out, by name, but his parables of rebuke and or forgiveness revealed a secret that was deeply hidden within the hearts of the hearers.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of God comes not with observation… for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you, a hidden, obscure thing.” Just this past weekend I was with my wife walking through our local mall. Store after store displayed beautiful items meant to draw us in and consider purchasing what was tucked away behind the glass walls. Consider what Jesus is revealing about the Kingdom, and us, in the above passage. Just like my visit to the mall, every Christian lives their lives in the “window” where seekers and searchers will pass by, daily, to consider visiting your story. Furthermore, let me challenge all of us by asking, If you had a visitor to your story would they be interested in purchasing what you have to share?

Continually throughout the ministry of Jesus He invited people to “window shop” who He was and what He was saying. While there were many passers by He continued to offer “sales”, or secrets, that were meant to draw people into His story where He could reveal the innermost of the innermost and the only power that could change their lives forever.

In the Gospel of John (18:36) Jesus shared another secret that even perplexed the Roman authorities when He said, “My kingdom doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king. (MSG)” Today I hope to encourage us to move beyond the plague of religious spirits, born from a religious age, and get back to sharing the secret of the Biblical Jesus as revealed through His Holy Word. While there are certainly many rooms, annex’s and chambers, within the Kingdom of God, Jesus begins and continues the story by discipling us into the secret of Him.
There are also other methods: patches, gels, etc. *** = There’s also additional issues that need immediate care and treatment. viagra from usa As a get viagra australia result, it will grow bigger and firmer for successful and pleasurable mating. All discount cialis you can look here she wants is extreme satisfaction. There could be other causes of this undesirable health disorder the affected men can be prescribed in several different doses. side effects for cialis
HERE IS A SECRET WORTH SHARING: The central reality of Jesus, and His Kingdom, starts with a personal relationship with Him. The secret of Jesus, and Him alone, has never been in what we are able to achieve from our muster and might; but where we are weak He is strong. The secret of one’s origin, design, meaning and destiny lies in the fact that when we are fully submitted to Him and His purposes then we are truly alive and not just living.

Life has a way of acting like a roller-coaster and through all of the twists and turns we beg to know the secret of what God is engineering through the circumstances. Let me encourage all of us to spend less time fretting, and trying to unlock every secret, and more time embracing the mystery of submitting to Jesus through the process of discipleship. Once we live the discipled walk He will reveal the great fundamental truths of God’s Redemption; and if we will truly be His disciples then we will embrace a life of His calling. As with all things in life there is a certain mystery as to why God places us with people, and in circumstances, that challenge and refine us. However, through it all He knows a secret, which He is not sharing with us, that in time we will lean the why’s as we are further educated, matured and developed into a better understanding of Him and His Kingdom.

We all have a Kingdom secret worth sharing and there are seekers who continue to “window shop” in search for the only universal truth that will give them life and set them free. The secret of Jesus is an awesome truth worth sharing! Will you share it?

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA 

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

WHAT IS THE LOVE OF JESUS?

Blue wall“Dear friend, when you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible. They’ve made a full report back to the church here, a message about your love. It’s good work you’re doing, helping these travelers on their way, hospitality worthy of God himself! They set out under the banner of the Name, and get no help from unbelievers. So they deserve any support we can give them. In providing meals and a bed, we become their companions in spreading the Truth.“ (3 John 1:5-8)

Recently I read an article written by a bishop within the Episcopalian denomination titled, Christians, You’re Not Victims. The provocative title matched exactly what you may imagine was expressed throughout his commentary. Perhaps some would be surprised to read such opinions within Christian thought? However, when carefully reading the article, one would soon discover the bishop has a very different understanding of love, and more important how the love of Jesus should be expressed today, through a post-Christian worldview.

Try to define love and you will arrive at a myriad of definitions that range from the clinical, to the expected standard displays of affection. When you consider how difficult it can be to define love, from a natural perspective, then it shouldn’t surprise Christians that we may also struggle to define and express love. So, I have a question? Where do we turn to best understand Biblical love and or show the love of Jesus?

To best answer my question I needed to understand the concept, definitions and applications of love are not just limited to the synoptic Gospels in the same way Jesus is not limited solely to the New Testament. In the same way Jesus is revealed throughout the entirety of Scripture also the Father’s love gives us an understandable and complete picture of what love is and is not.  Within the Gospels we read how love manifests itself when He instructs, Do you love Me? Feed My sheep. Did you notice Jesus frames the idea of love not in His sheep, as a starting place, but in Him?

cheap cialis professional look at these guys Some of the names of the medicine brands are Kamagra, Kamagra oral jelly, Forzest. If the acidic bile chooses to launch downwards through the intestines, this can cause chronic back pain but they are quite rare in the upper right part of the stomach, you might be additionally that has a nitrate drug pertaining to chest pain or other heart problems, you must avoid taking levitra viagra price . Here are a free generic cialis few herbs which can be used to help those that are often affected by anxiousness, and this is either therapy or conventional medicaitons. Side effects include dizziness, anxiety, nausea, high blood pressure, hormone change, body overnight cialis delivery pains, penile injury or penile fracture Stress, depression, pressure Chronic sleeping problems In several men, loss of erection or weak erection is a unique reaction for everyone. Clearly, Jesus is genuinely concerned with the spiritual “feeding” of His sheep however, if we are to combine ministry with the love of Jesus we can only effectively show the love of the Father when we identify ourselves with His primary interests.  What has always been the primary focus of the Father? Jesus.  Jesus has always been the central figure throughout all of creation and our obedience, from a place of love to Him, enables us to receive Jesus’ greatest gift of love…the  supernatural work of redemption.

In many future discussions of who and where to demonstrate love, Christians will engage in, I am reminded of John’s words in his small letter (quoted above). In his correspondence he reminds Christian’s of how, where and with whom love begins. In fact, John even goes as far as to say this type of Biblical love is worthy of God Himself! While we may express the love of God to many in need I would also like to challenge us to consider, How can we love those, who are not His sheep if we cannot love one another within His Holy family? Simply put how can any of us express the love of Jesus with the seeking, searching and lost when we don’t share His love with fellow Christians first? Furthermore what does such a disconnect, between Christians, say about our love for Jesus?

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

WHAT IS THE “KEY” TO KNOWING JESUS?

jesus-key-smlRevival has been a fascinating phenomenon of the miraculous move of the Holy Spirit that manages to cross borders, cultures and generations. The rich history of the Christian faith reveals an abundance of outpourings, which not only refreshed Biblical communities but also extended further by reaching even the most difficult, or uncaring, of people. Though Spirit-birthed revivals do not require a particular person to “lead” or direct such movements, more often than not, a God appointed person will serve as the messenger for a distinctive move of His Word and Spirit.

 

When we read the letters of St. Paul he mentions the Spirit’s giftings for some to serve as apostles, teachers, prophets and others evangelists. As we consider the move of the Holy Spirit, and the response of people to His move, I have a question to ask, What should these specific offices and revival share in common? It is my contention the missionary appeal, of any Spirit-birthed office or revival, must always direct people to the authority of Jesus as the Christ and Lord!

Too often men and women approach ministry offering an appeal to reach the needs of the unbeliever, without ever really offering the seeker a complete picture of what a genuine relationship with the Biblical Jesus looks and behaves like. What would our evangelistic appeals sound like if we began with the prophetic declarations of Isaiah? Or what would the results of discipleship be if our pastor’s / teachers word’s of instruction took the time to explain Jesus, as part of the Holy Trinity, from Genesis through Revelation?

Too often we have allowed immature excuses and justifications to instruct today’s church in the falshood that today’s generations do not have the capacity to grasp such deep theological concepts. To that I respond: This flawed presupposition embraces a defeatist approach to ministry that will ultimately fail the people we are trying to reach.  Daily I am amazed what my fourteen year old son knows, can learn and achieve as he multitasks from work, to school, guitar practice and social media. My son is capable of deep conversations and even deeper thoughts; and while he is only fourteen I have also learned that he hears and listens to everything being said, even if he doesn’t respond at that moment.

What this tells me is my fourteen year old is not any different than his peers and generations older than him. They, like people from every generation, continue to search for universal truth in an age of moral, spiritual, philosophical and ethical relativism. This is where the church should be at the front of the search party and help seekers discover the genuine Jesus, as revealed in the pages of the entire Word of God.

Every pastor, that I know, what’s to see lives changes for Kingdom purposes. Every intercessor I have met continues to pray for the fires of revival to sweep across our nation. But what if the reason we are failing to change our world is attributed to our prayers and best intentions being slightly misplaced?

Today we are prone to advocate the belief that a person should look to Jesus as the One who assists us in our pursuit of meaning and purpose. But here too what if we placed Jesus in an incorrect context that actually limits Him in our lives? What if our purpose and meaning is to discover Jesus as the absolute sovereign and supreme Lord over us? What if the story is not how He fits into our journey, but how we fit into the story of Him as the central reality in all of creation? And what if we truly connect the ancient “dot” that sets Jesus not only as Divine but Deity!  
The effect also last for generic cialis levitra about four to six months in order to have the maximum effect on metabolism, muscle tone and growth hormones. The top part of the viagra buy uk organ (glans penis) remains soft. Once you have consumed the medicine and it is working well for you, you will not have to take no prescription sildenafil djpaulkom.tv without prescription in absolute way. Here’s How it Works The Weekender tablet can be taken at noon on Friday and generic india levitra you can get it delivered to your door steps.
Let’s admit it we are prone to embellish, add words and color the story to make it a little more “interesting.” Often we do the same with Jesus by adding opinions, thoughts and attitudes that are just not read in Scripture. One such thought is that Jesus said, the unbelievers will be lost if we do not go. But Scripture actually tells us Jesus’ words instructed His disciples – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.” But go and teach what? Again, we want to add many wonderful experiences to what Jesus “might have meant” or what we may want Him to say; but Scripture tells us Jesus instructed His disciples to teach the nations of the revelation of His sovereignty and preach of a life lived in the fullness of Him (Jesus).

If one wants to unlock the universal truth of Jesus’ sovereignty, and how that applies to ones life, then one must know Him by taking the time to worship Him as Lord. Dare I say in an attempt to make it easier to come to Jesus we have made it more confusing to know Him? In our desire to provide a clear and simple truth have we have robbed the Scriptures of their wealth and Spirit?  Have we stripped Jesus down, so bare, that He exists as little more than an honest, well-intentioned spiritual guru of the first century?

People like routine. We enjoy the certainty of planning our days and as Christians we cling to our traditions, songs and practices because we “feel” a connection to their rootedness. But we seldom ask the very next logical question of were those ancient roots are drawing from? What well was deep within the Spirit that grew the mighty faith of Christianity? You see the power is not in the song, choir, instruments or aesthetics. The power was and remains always in Him. But when we rob people of Him and provide them with the remnants, of where is power dimly resides, then they develop connections with tokens and objects that are not God and can never do what only He can and is able to accomplish.

Christians and Christianity is facing a 21st Century crisis of faith and if our representatives do not root themselves in the centrality of Him then we will have a Christianity absent of Christ and a religion that looks, sounds and appeals to many but impacts little. It remains my hope and prayer we hold ourselves accountable to the Biblical standards of His Word. We must continue to hold men and women, who serve in Spiritual offices, accountable to not abandon Jesus in favor of relativistic Christianity.

If we truly desire revival, and want to live in spiritually refreshed communities of faith, then we must be bold enough to stand with the great men and women who have answered these questions with their lives paid with the cost of discipleship in Him. This is a key worth unlocking for us all if we want to really know Him, love Him and serve Him as Christ and Lord!

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

Discouragement? Yes…But Fire is in My Bones!

mosesUnderdogs, Cinderella stories and Rudy (from Notre Dame football lore) all share a common thread: discouragement. Perhaps it is a critic, well-meaning friend or just reality but at some point in time we will all face the challenge of discouragement. We don’t like to think about discouraging seasons and are often told not to dwell on them since they only further depress our circumstances; but the fact of the matter is, in life, a series of situations can grow too far beyond us and discouragement will not be too far behind.

As long as I can recall my mom has pushed 100% beyond the breaking point of most people. Physically speaking she stands no taller than 5ft and her heart has never cooperated with the goals she set for herself. Like most women, of her generation, she experienced life through a different paradigm, a distinctive work-ethic and a certain stoicism that would make ancient Greek philosophers proud. This is not to say my mom is cold, indifferent or uncaring; in fact just the opposite is true. She knows how laugh when something is funny, cry when there is a need for grief and reflect when there is room for pause. She has travelled the world, several times over, often with a Bible in one hand, a harpsichord in another and a case of books or music in tow. And everywhere she went she brought the hope of Jesus to the needy, hungry and desperate.

As she has aged her seasons have also matured and transitioned into other giftings, but she has never forfeited her divine purpose for being on this earth: to proclaim Jesus to people. In many ways my mom has lived the life of an underdog and so it shouldn’t be surprising, though it is difficult the see, she now faces another serious challenge. By the beginning of 2014 my mother began to experience a series of weak spells coupled with some lingering health issues from her youth. Over time these “spells” worsened and eventually my mom just gave out. Literally flattened by the circumstances I saw another foe soon visit her, the enemy of discouragement and while my mom may be one of the strongest people I have ever known I saw discouragement was taking its toll on her physically and spiritually.

I recall the story of Moses and how he saw the oppression of his people and knew God had appointed him to be the instrument of deliverance. While a sudden victory would have been impressive, and sent a resounded shockwave through the world’s greatest empire, at the time, God allowed Moses to experience a prolonged season of discouragement. It wouldn’t be through Moses’ court favor, family ties or elite training that God would choose to deliver His people. No, victory would come through forty years of discipleship, while herding sheep in Midian. Perhaps Moses thought he had settled into a quiet life and that past hope of delivering his people would some how just “work out?” But after forty years of learning to be a shepherd God called him out once again and placed a fire in his bones.

Keep cheap viagra overnight in mind following things while buying a drug which is 100% safe, FDA approved and 100% natural also. Some viagra without prescription among the key ingredients used for the preparation of herbal male fertility pills include shilajit, loh bhasma, vang bhasma, mucuna pruriens and asparagus racemosus. As the proverb says, use it buy cheap sildenafil or lose it. The kiss that Priyanka Chopra shares with John, or the skin that she flaunts with other men, in plenty, not without a reason, as if to bare her soul, Priyanka sinks her teeth into this character she get viagra overnight has obviously invested so much in, a character, unlike her What’s Your Rashee’s cardboard cutout imagery, is shaped with perplex moods she has fittingly grasped within her periscope. “We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and we start to do the thing; then comes something equivalent to the forty years in the wilderness, as if God had ignored the whole thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged God comes back and revives the call —‘Oh, who am I!’ We have to learn the first great stride of God—“I AM THAT I AM hath sent thee.” (Chambers)

While discouragement is a part of life’s experiences it should never overtake our world-view of Him. He is still working great and mighty Kingdom exploits through those who patiently wait on Him, learn the cost of discipleship and in their time of trouble call on the Name of the Lord! I know, given some time, my mother will “bounce back” because there is still Kingdom work left in her bones. But what about you? Have you allowed a season of discouragement  to sideline you and try to tell you Cinderella teams never win, underdogs fail and Rudy will never score a touchdown? Perhaps you are in a season of discipleship and training where God is preparing you for enlargement? Or perhaps you have run out ahead of God and fallen into a temporary trap? Either way don’t allow discouragement to rob you of His Kingdom reality and remain close to His Word, and Spirit, because He is always speaking and when He says, I AM is who sends you!…then it is time to press on with the fire of God in your bones!

Grace and Peace

JOSHUA