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lost

Many of us are avid watchers of the show Lost (I am not one of them).
Lost is an interesting word in the church. Just who are the lost?

A lo of people think that the lost of this world are some lower-class, unimportant, under-privileged group of people. While this may be partially true, the lost are also CEO’s, professional athletes, an movie stars.

the lost are anyone living in this world without a personal relationship with God.
if anyone does not know God, they’re lost.

now that we know who they are, let’s focus on our responsibility to reach them. Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of everyone. The great commission is for all of us today as well. What an awesome privilege share Christ with others.

how can we reach the lost?

we are not all evangelists in the formal sense but we can use the gifts and talents that we have to show this world the love and compassion of Christ in action.
sharing a meal with someone, counseling troubled youth, and running a coffeehouse (thanks Pastor Mark and NCC) are just a few suggestions.

let’s put aside the notion that it’s someone else’s job to win the lost. In your day to day activities you can touch the lives of many people. Don’t be afraid to show your light to the lost.

peace

assigned, sealed, and delivered

Assigned: to be selected, chosen for a purpose

God is as specific and defined with our lives as He was with creating the universe.
He made our lives to have meaning and purpose.
None of us are a mistake to God; we are all here for an assignment.
There is nothing that you can do or have done, that will shock God.
There is nothing that you can do or have done to make God not love you.Even before we were born, God had a plan for our lives.

Jer. 1:5 says “before I formed you, I knew thee”

The devil wants us to abort our assignments. He wants to stop the anointing that is on your life from touching anyone else.

No matter where you are in our life, you still have an assignment from God. No matter how bad things may seem, you still have an assignment.
It doesn’t matter how many times we fail or how many times we fall
If you are suffering from bad choices in life, you have an assignmentIf you have been abused, neglected, and rejected…you still have an assignment

Sealed: to confirm, made secure, identified

In biblical times a sealed guaranteed security or it was used to indicate ownership

When you are born again (become a Christian), you receive the Holy Spirit that comes to live inside you and to guide you through your life.

The Holy Spirit is Gods way of showing the devil and the world that we belong to Him.

You don’t put a seal on something that is not important to you.

Delivered: to be rescued

We have been rescued from death and destruction, and brought into life everlasting

When we become Christians we are restored to our proper place in God

God wants to deliver us from:

The enemy (devil)
Matt. 6:13 says…”deliver us from the evil one”.

Yourself.
Psalm 34:4 “..he delivered me from all my fears”.
We can sometimes be our own worst enemies.
Our emotions, our brains and our flesh can often time get in the way of what God wants to do in our lives.
Once we give our lives to God, he can deliver us from ourselves.

People
Psalm 37:40 says, “he delivers them from the wicked”
People, who we think are friends, may not be.
There may be people who will try to stop you from getting where you want to go.
These people remind you of you past failures instead of looking for future victories.
They look to divide and subtract from your life instead of adding and multiplying.
God has promised to deliver us from evil people.

As you go through your day know that you are

Assigned
Sealed
and Delivered

peace

whats up

Have you ever had the sense that God was up to something in your life?
I have been feeling lately like there was going to be a great change coming in my life. There have been some things that God has been speaking to me for a while that I am just now getting a clear revelation on.
stay tuned….

peace

it’s o.k. to be salty

I Peter 2:9 talks about Christians being a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people…”

Peculiar means to be “distinctive from all others”.we have been called to be different, to be salty.
Salt is defined as a white or colorless crystalline solid, sometimes used as a food seasoning.

Salt is something we add to our food to bring flavor to it.
We also use it as a food purifier.

As Christians we need to be salty. Don’t worry, it’s okay to be salty.

If we were really salty, we would make people thirsty

What we have should make others hunger and thirst for God. Do we live in such a way that would compel someone to become a believer? Our lifestyles should be convicting and attractive to unbelievers. I Cor. 7:14 talks about a saved spouse winning their mate over to the Lord’s side just by their lifestyle.

If we were really salty, our salt would be released when our container is shake

Extreme situations can happen to anybody. Divorce, sickness, and job loss do not discriminate. What’s inside of us will come out when our lives become shaken. Job is a great example of someone who’s life is turned upside down. What comes out is his unwavering faith in God.
If Go allowed your life to be shaken, it’s for a reason. 2 Timothy 1:8 tells us that we should not be ashamed of our testimony. God has allowed you to be shaken, and come through it. Paul and Silas broke out of jail with praise. This event just wasn’t for them. The jailkeeper was depending on their salt to get him and his family saved. Someone’s life is depending on your salt. Release it.

If we were really salty, we wouldn’t have to be seen, but we would need to be noticed

What kind of container salt is in is not important. It’s not about how we dress or what we look like. Jesus said in John 7:24 “stop making judgments by mere appearance”. It’s funny how we judge people simply by how they look. Sam Walton, while a billionaire, was known to drive around in a pick-up truck.
While not looking different, we should act differently. We should not have situational ethics. We should always do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.

Let’s be salty. The world is waiting on your flavor.

peace

school spirit

Riding down the street today, I noticed a local grade school was having their spirit week starting next Monday. I’m sure most of you remember this event from your school years. Everyone gets together to celebrate and promote how much they love their school. Sometimes there are contests to see what class has the most school spirit.

I think that there should be a “spirit” day in the church. As a matter of fact, it should be “Holy Spirit Day” everyday in the life of a believer. We should seek to submit ourselves to the leading of the Spirit out of humility and reverence. We should desire the fruits that come from the Spirit. We should always be found displaying joy, peace, patience and kindness (Gal. 5:22).
In this world we are bombarded by negativity, hatred, and selfishness. The only way to combat this is with the by-products of living for God.

Let us proclaim our love and adoration for the Holy Spirit, this week and every week.

peace

a new song

There seems to be a lot of people who are less than thrilled about the “expansion” of Christian music. Some think that on a Sunday morning all that should be played is hymn. I don’t have a problem with that as long as the congregation is full of people over 50. Seriously, why does it seem like the church is stuck in the mud of traditionalism when it comes to music?
I believe that anything that does not take away from the glory of God should be o.k. in the church. Music should be edifying, not distracting or boring. Not too many teenagers or young adults (21-40) find hymns interesting at all. To them a good beat/sound with a message is more meaningful.

Here is an example of some music I find good to listen to:

4th Avenue Jones
Innovative band that pushes the envelope. There ability to tap into different styles is amazing.

Lisa McClendon
Talented vocalist with a definite “neo-soul’ vibe. Her cd Soul Music is awesome along with her latest project Live from the House of Blues New Orleans

Psalm 96:1 says that we should sing a new song unto the Lord. This doesn’t mean that the content of the song should change, but maybe the style should. If you have God at the center of the message the results should always be meaningful.

peace

A quick fix?

I read an interesting article in INC magazine called “How would you fix General Motors?” It mentioned 6 things that I believe could also help the church.

1. Design Better

Yes we are in the 21st century. While the world moves on around us, we seem stuck. New products, new ways of delivering products, new ways to communicate. We need more ministry more types of people. Ministry for everyone.

2. Back the Product

we need to follow our words and sermons up with action. The world hears us talk about God but the hardly ever see Him move through His church. Most of the time we are protesting and boycotting. When is the last time the church had something positive to report on? I like what Mark Batterson and NCC are doing. If we don’t believe in what we are doing, no one else will.

3. Embrace Creative Destruction

sometimes we get too attached to a program or ministry. We have to learn to detach ourselves. If it doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to pull the plug. Too often we want to do things just because “that’s what we’ve always done”. Forget about the act that attendance is down or interest is lacking . Don’t be afraid or prideful. If it’s not God’s will, pull the plug.

4. Wave the Flag

we should rally team members aroun the vision. Remind them about how valuable the are in God’s eyesight. Show support and appreciation for their hard work and volunteering.

5. Simplify the Business

Cut down the red tape. Get to know people an their purpose. It’s all about relationships.

6. Employ the Great Man Theory

keep Jesus first.

how to walk on water and not get wet part 3

What is faith?
As T.D. Jakes says, “your faith will work if you work it”

Peter (one of my favorite apostles) not only asked Jesus if he could walk on the water, he also got out the boat. Many of us are afraid to get out our boats, often times because we lack faith. We have dreams of getting a degree but we wont apply to colleges. We have dreams of opening a business but we wont go down to the bank.

Peter was a risk-taker. He was willing to stick his neck out. In Matthew 26:33, he told Jesus that “if everyone else leaves you, I will stay”. He was willing to risk looking bad.

Sometimes we too must risk looking bad, losing our friends, losing our status and reputation for the sake of Christ.

Our faith should be able to reflect on past experiences to bring present victories. When David was talking to King Saul (ISam 17:37) about fighting Goliath, David had all his past victories on his mind. David had BIG faith.

BIG FAITH is EXTREME FAITH
BIG FAITH is OUTLANDISH FAITHBIG FAITH is EXTRAORDINARY FAITH

With a BIG YOU, a BIG GOD, and BIG FAITH

you can WALK ON WATER AND NOT GET WET

peace

opportunities

Opportunities

Today is a opportunities. The question is whether or not you will take advantage of the opportunities that God has given you. Every day we have a chance to make a difference in our world. It doesn’t have to be some gigantic event, it can be as simple as a smile. Whatever you do , don’t look over situations where you can change the direction of someone’s day. As the salt of the earth we are here to add a little flava in this world. The creator of the universe has decided that you should be alive during this period of time.
its no accident that you are here. Make the most of your life. Live it for Him.