Tommy Mitchell / The Rurban Church Blog

Regaining the Margin - Observations!

During January I preached a series of messages on Regaining the Margin!  Last summer I read a book on the topic of margin - Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lifes!   I used the book for deciding which areas of margin I would preach on!  I preached on the topics of regaining physical, financial, emotional, and spiritual margin - and I covered time in the introductory message!  I only used the book for the topic ideas - but as I always do - I sought the Lord for a word from the Word on these topic areas and prepared the messages.  Interestingly - the book did not directly cover spiritual margin! 

Well, here are some observations!  First - regaining margin in life is a hot topic!  I hit a nerve with these messages.  This has been the most commented upon series of messages I have ever preached. It surprised me a little - but proved it where most of us live life - without any margin - without any energy, time, emotion, physical stamina, or spiritual strength to spare!    Second - Everyone seems to want margin!  Many, many people have told me that they are starting in one or more areas to start rebuilding some margin in their lives.  Third - The topic will need further development in the future!  I see no way that most people will go very far in rebuilding margin without further help and encouragement!   Fourth - the Kingdom of God will greatly benefit if we all allow the Lord to direct our paths in the area of regaining margin!  Fifth - preparing these messages has been difficult at times - because I need more margin myself!  So - the messages have been somewhat confessional for me!

Finally, this month has been a great blessing for me personally in preaching!  God has been faithful to provide me His Word - through His Word - to declare His Word!  Praise the Lord!

DeJa Vu!

A little over a year ago I went through the same thing with which I am faced today! I need to renew my domain name and this typepad account for another year! And, I am thinking about canceling!  Blogs seem to becoming "history," though mine was never a national hit!!!!!!!!  Facebook is sort of like a "twitter" version of a blog - and even though I have a twitter account, I am not really going to use it - just another layer of posts with which to keep up!

So, the decision to make - blow up the blog - or keep it!  There was a time when it was much more widely read - and people took the time to engage in comments and discussion.  I suppose with time margin consumed by many other activities and facebook, blogging at my level has just fallen on hard times. 

In spite of that, I had to lose all the post from previous years - some deeply personal - some through great struggle - and some that were great celebrations! 

You will know soon! I have to decide today!

 

It is a "HEART" kind of Day!

Really and truly I was hoping today would come and go and I would not even think about it!  That was unrealistic!  It has not been any kind of traumatic thing at all! But it has weighed on my mind a time or two!  I've been doing the "well, two years ago at this time I was heading to the OR!" "Well, at this time they were finishing up!"  And just for the record, at the current time of 1:23 pm, I had not regained consciousness in the ICU. I believe that happened a little after 3:00 pm! 

Yep, two years ago today I had open heart surgery to fix 7 blockages with 5 bypasses!   For the most part, everything has gone as expected. It took me a full year to really feel better and get past the surgery!  This past year has been relatively uneventful until August when I started having some occassional rhythm problems.  Those problems seem to be related to the weak dose of medication I was taking for that - so now I have increased the dosage and I don't seem to be having any more problems.  

I still hurt a little bit in my chest when the weather is like it is today - that is just "bone" stuff! 

Without question, the largest change in my life since Dec. 22, 2009 has been spiritual and emotional.  My priorities have changed.  Some things that used to bother me a lot do not bother me anymore.  I don't sweat what people think as much as I used to. I think that is because the pain of heart surgery is far greater than the pain of someone who doesn't like what you preached last Sunday!!!   

On the other hand, I do think more of my own mortality! I don't know that I worry about it - but I am much more mindful of the brevity of life!  I have truly become much more appreciative and thankful to the Lord for each and every day!  I realize it is ok to let things go unfinished from one day to the next!  I do what I can and leave the rest for the next day! 

My love for the Word has increased - and my desire to be more studious has increased.  Relationships mean so much to me - more now than ever! 

If it were just up to me, I would have been happy enough to never have blockages or surgery! But, I did! And the lessons learned and the lifestyle changes have been good! I am healthier than ever - and my prognosis is good for a long future, Lord willing!  

I praise God that we caught all this two years ago! According to my Docs, had they not caught it, I would probably be a former, dead pastor by now!!!!!!  So, though painful, the heart surgery was a great Christmas present two years ago! God saved my life with it! And I am thankful.

Finally, I have to say that one other thing that happened as a result of this surgery was that the love that Andrea and I share was greatly deepened!  I could not have recovered as well without her - and today I do not like to be away from her for very long!  She is my beloved!

God on a Leash!

Isn't it amazing what all we believe God SHOULD do versus what we believe we should do under His leadership?  We believe God should provide us with PLENTY of money to spend on ourselves - with wonderful houses in which to live - with closets packed full of clothes and sheds filled with our age appropriate toys! We believe God SHOULD never allow us to have a headache, a cold, a sniffile - and certainly we should never experience cancer or heart trouble!  We believe God SHOULD make us VERY happy and allow us unlimited freedom to be happy doing whatever we want!   Yeah! We pretty much believe this based on our prayers and our actions and our expressions of BITTER disappointment when God doesn't PERFORM according to our desires!

But what if?  I am re-reading a book, "Miracle in the Mountains: Experiencing the Transforming Power of Faith in the Heart of Appalachia!"  It is a book about Lonnie Riley and his wife Belinda! Really, it is a book about the what life is like when we surrender our agenda and begin to live out the Lord's agenda!  Here is a quote from the early part of the book by Lonnie!

    "What I could visualize was what I attained! God was in it as far as I knew to let Him be!
     What would God have done if I had let Him be God and had not limited Him to what
     I could do?"

Good question for us all!  We all tend to look at the Lord this way. We can do what we can see - which is not faith at work!  God is working - and often we are working - but more often than not - we are working good things for God instead of letting God utilize us in His work - His plan - His purposes!  Faith is more than a feeling and more than just a statement of belief! Faith is digging down in the Word, hearing from God through the scripture and prayer and ACTING on what HE is doing! 

Let us all give ourselves a wonderful gift this Christmas and let God off our leashes!  Let His will be carried out in our hearts and bodies! 

The True Church!

What is a true church?  What follows is not a DEEP theological treatise!  Just some of the more simple observations from years of being in the church!

1. The true church lives to bring glory to the name of the Lord!

2. The true church clings unswervingly to the truth of God's Word!

3. The true church lives a life that has been and is being transformed by the Spirit of God!

4. The true church does what the Lord says do, goes where the Lord says go, and speaks what the Lord tell us to say!

5. The true church cannot be stopped by man or circumstances!

6. The true church does not compromise with the world!

7. The true church does not isolate itself from the world!

8. The true church declares without embarrasment the claims of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

9. The true church rightly divides the Word of Truth, and rests on faith for what it cannot fully grasp!

10. The true church belongs to God - not to us!

11. The true church lives to please God - not man!

12. The true church is dependent on God for success, the definition of success, and the expression of success.

13. The true church recognizes it cannot live without the empowerment and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.

14. The true church does not look so much like the church we have created!

George County Sheriff's Department - I will miss them!

Close to 2 1/2 years ago, Garry Welford asked me to serve the Sheriff's Department as their Chaplain!  It was something I had done actively in previous years for other departments - and with members of my own family in law enforcement - I was thrilled to help out.  The men and women I have served alongside in these last 2 1/2 years have been wonderful.  They were so thoughtful to me when I encountered an unexpected heart surgery. They have been kind and gracious and I am continually grateful for my association with them.

When Sheriff Welford was tragically killed, I lost a dear friend! It was a sad but distinct honor to serve his family and the community as the chaplain of the department during those difficult days.  I continued to serve for Mrs. Debbie Welford when she became acting Sheriff!  She fulfilled a very difficult role and did so with great strength.  Then Tony Keel was elected to serve the remaining portion of the the term and I was allowed to continue my service. I appreciate the friendship we have shared.

During the last half of this year, it has been impossible for me to effectively serve the department due to our church's increasing involvement in missions and ministry.  We have been having success in getting more and more of our people involved in hands on ministry throughout the community.  With the addition of these projects and my own first responsibility to my church, it has become clear to me that my time of service at the department has reached its conclusion.

There have been so many wonderful people that I have met through the Sheriff's office. I have met many people in the midst of tragedy. My prayers are still with them.  The staff and deputies of the Sheriff's office are people whom I count as dear friends.  They work in a thankless job with a million critics for low pay! I appreciate each and every one of them. Many thanks to each of them.

The new Sheriff, Dean Howell, will begin his service in January. Every person of faith in this county needs to support and pray for him each and every day.  He will face opportunities, challenges, and tragedies that come with the territory of being Sheriff.  Pray that God will grant him and those who serve with him wisdom, strength, and safety as they perform a dangerous job.

In the meantime, I shall always be thankful for this time that I was able to volunteer my services to the county.  The blessing has been all mine!  

God bless!   
Tommy Mitchell

 

Random Thanksgiving!

Since sitting down to rest the feet a few minutes - I decided to put keyboard to screen and write about a few things for which I am thankful......some things that go beyond the expected list of things....! These are RANDOM - not in order of importance or thankfulness!

1. The comfortable chair in my office at church!
2. The sounds of Nick's kids / Mark's kids / Dusty's kid when they come in the office!
3. When Cooper Keel says, "Hey Brutter Tommy! Hi ya doing?"
4. When the little kids greet each other during the Fellowship time in Worship!
5. Pandora!
6. The heart felt "thanks" or "hug" I get when I have prayed with someone! They think they are thanking me, but the joy was really all mine! It is a blessing to pray with people!
7. The hearty laugh of Misty Harris!
8. The smell of roast in the crock pot!
9. The overflowing joy of the Little Praisers when they sing!
10. The guys at Courtyard!
11. Mrs. Pat's Shrimp /Chicken Jambalaya!
12. Riley! (Grandbaby)
13. All my family - of course!
14. The smell of tobacco in a pipe store! (hey, I don't smoke - but it still smells good!)
15. When Andrea cracks up!
16. When Drew gets tongue tied from talking too fast!
17. When Tabitha butters rolls!
18. When Kelsey cooks a new dish!
19. When Lesley argues a fine point!
20. Baptizing people!
21. A pipe organ played wide open!
22. Van Parker's bacon wrapped deer appetizers!
23. Lloyd Lunceford's love of missions!
24. Doing a fly-by and pulling up and out at the end of the runway!  (Ok - I can only do this when flying with
        Johnny Smith)
25. Getting to do my passion every week - preaching the Gospel!

A Great Work!

My prayer is that God will do a great work in our church body resulting in a great work in the community! The community needs a grand touch from God! It needs that touch because the church needs a touch! When the church has a great work going on among the body, then there will automatically be a great work going on in the community.  You see, a "great work" that only exists in the church body and particularly in the church building is not a complete work! God always does His work in us to enable us to work out among those who are unreached in the community!

The blessings of God cannot just stop in the church family! Those blessing have to flow - rivers of living water flowing through the body into the community!  Someone says, "Oh, God is doing a great work in our church!" Great! How many people are living life differently? How many marriages are being saved? How many people are dropping their porn?  How many people have cleaner language?  How many people have started sharing their faith? How many people have started giving generously? How many people are being ministered to in the community? How many people are restoring relationships?  How many people are beginning to feast on the Word of God?  How many people are packing the church for worship?  A great work from God is transformational - and lasts longer than a week or so!

My prayer is that God will do a great work in me!  It's time!  My prayer is that God will do a great work in ABC!   My further prayer is that we will be willing to obey Him, lay aside our stuff, and do whatever it takes to follow faithfully!  It's time! It's time!

Holy Spirit, Rain Down!

It Can't (Can) Be Done!

One of my favorite sayings is "The person who says it can't be done is often nudged out of the way by the person who is doing it!"   It can't be done!  I have heard that phrase over and over for better than 30 years!  Sometimes it is about the easiest of things to do!  Sometimes it is about the absolutely HUGE idea or vision!

People are funny!  I have seen huge goals set before people at times - and the people who thought it couldn't be done worked hard to make sure it wasn't done! Then they sat back and said, "See, I told you it couldn't be done!"   We call that "self-fulfilling prophecy!" 

When that sort of things happens, it demoralizes the people who were attempting something great that they believed God had set before them!

Why do some people react so violently against faith living?  Why do some people go out of their way to "gum up the works" when others are trying to follow God obediently in whatever He is doing?

This Sunday I am preaching on "What Can it Accomplish?"  (we are in a series so our people will know that "it" is the stuff with which God has blessed us!)   I am preaching from John 6  and the feeding of the five thousand.   One of my favorite lines in the story is when they discovered that all they had to feed the crowd was the 5 little loaves and 2 fishes of a boy!   Here is the line - "What is so little among so many?"  OR - to put it another way - "It can't be done!" 

Move over - Jesus does it!   And then we say, "Yeah, but it was JESUS who did it!"  - as if that means we could not!  Read the passage!  You will find out that Jesus was presenting them a test!  He already knew what He would do! 

I believe that almost every day Jesus presents us with a test - and He already knows what He will do! 

I think that my favorite saying can be updated a bit!  "Those who say it can't be done need to watch out for the one through whom God is doing it!"

What's On Your Mind?

What is on your mind today?  Without question, a lot of things compete to fill our thoughts!  Worries, activities, deadlines, and people compete for first place in our minds!  

Every day I am becoming more aware that Christ must fill my mind - and when He does, the worries, activities, deadlines, and people take on a different and better perspective.  There is no solution to worry apart from setting our minds and affections on Christ!  There is no solution to people problems and challenges apart from a Christ ordained and ordered approach.

Think about these scriptures:

Romans12:2  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Philippians 2:5-7 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

Colossians 3:2-3   Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Isaiah 26:3  You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Romans 15:5-6
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remembering Some Influential Men!

It has been my great privilege to serve with some great men through the years!  Some stand out in terms of their influence on my life. Each of the following men had a particular impact on me at various points of my ministry! There are dozens more who could be on this list - but these are particularly influential.

1. Dr. W. Levon Moore - Dr. Moore was my pastor at FBC Pontotoc as I grew up and graduated from High School. Dr. Moore was a fabulous mentor to me as a young - teenaged preacher!  He was a brilliant administrator - and helped me again later in life when I entered seminary. He taught me the value of excellence in ministry.

2. Waymon Needham - Mr. Waymon was wonderful layman at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Benton County, MS.  Mr. Waymon served as Chairman of Deacons and was one of the kindest, most generous men I have ever known. He had a kind spirit and gave me consistent, sound advice.  He taught me generosity!

3. Leon Anthony - Mr. Leon was also a Chairman of Deacons, serving at Liberty Hill Baptist Church. Mr. Leon was more like a second father to me!  He was closer than a grand-dad!  We prayed together, worked together, helped people together! Mr. Leon taught me the value of working in the community!  He also was one of those guys who had their pastor's back!  Pastor's will know what I mean!

4. Robert McKinney - Robert was (and still is) a member of a church I pastored in Kentucky, Trammel Creek! Robert and I, in my opinion, were as close as brothers!  We talked about, and still do sometimes, everything. Robert taught me how to be resourceful! He could (can) do just about anything - fix anything - if he has some time to give it some thought!  He has been a great friend.

5. Gene Paul Hellebush - Gene Paul was (and still is) a member of FBC Ludlow, KY - just across the river from downtown Cincinnati.  Gene Paul was a tremendous friend and deacon at FBC! He was also quite resourceful - and we did a lot of projects together.  But I think Gene Paul's greatest contribution to me was teaching me how to listen to people and help them with their needs.  He was (is) a great listener and was the best at resolving difficulties in the lives of our people! 

6. Doug Gray - Doug was the Chairman of Deacons at one point at FBC Pearl, MS.  Doug was another of those men who had his Pastor's back!  He was a great worker in church - and I know that God used him the most to teach me a love for lost people!  Doug was passionate about lost people - and was used by the Lord as a wonderful soul-winner! 

7. Simmie Hollinghead - Simmie was at one time the Chairman of Deacons here at Agricola Baptist. My heart broke the day he died of a massive heart attack! Simmie was one of the closest friends I have ever made within a  church family.  Simmie was definitely my confidant - and encourager. That 82nd 101st Airborne blood ran deep in him and he was a guy who was willing to "take a bullet" for you.   When I would pour my heart out to Simmie about some need or problem or challenge - invariably he would say, "Whatcha gonna do about it?"   That was Simmie's way, after giving some advice, to make sure I could tell him something of a plan or solution!  Simmie taught me to toughen up - and how to work through a problem.

There are two other men in my life who are at the very top of my list.

Jeff Eaton - my long time Kentucky friend who I may talk to weekly and then talk to him months later! No matter when we talk - it is like we just hung up the day before. We walked (and rode) a lot of miles together going through seminary - and Jeff taught me how to live free in Christ!  

My Dad - J. C. Mitchell - Dad taught me the value of holiness! I know other man who is as righteous as my Dad!  For all my years in ministry - he has been my number one confidant - my advisor - my infinite walking book of real knowledge!  My heart breaks and the tears are running down my face as I type this because now he is no longer able to interact with me at this level.  He struggles through these days awaiting a heavenly home that he has told me he is ready to occupy!  One of my last meaningful doctrinal /spiritual conversations with Dad was one that I will never forget.  He sat in a chair in front of me -weeping over the glory of approaching God on His throne in prayer! He could hardly describe the glory he felt when in prayer at that throne.   

There are many more who have had great influence on me outside ministry. It is a blessing that there are so many the list would be long.  I am blessed!

Non-negotiables!

Non-negotiable! When a lawyer looks at that term, he/she probably says, "yeah, right!"  And the litigation begins.  Non-negotiable! When a child hears that term from a parent, they may smile, laugh, cry, or throw a temper-tantrum and begin the process of reducing the term to ashes!

Non-negotiable! When people hear this term in the context of "there are some non-negotiables in Christianity," they do something utterly maddening! They agree - and then violate the non-negotiable! Even if it is God's Word!

Non-negotiables!  In the church - in your life as Christ following child of God - can you identify any REAL non-negotiables? These would be matters in which you would never back up - to the point of dying if necessary!

Perhaps I could put it another way for clarification!  For what beliefs would you die rather than recant? or negotiate?  My grave concern is that in the modern church, very few people have genuine non-negotiables! Why would I believe this? Well, a people who can be stopped from worshipping by rain are probably not going to give a second thought to denying Christ at the point of a gun!  People who will not share the Good News of the Gospel, though commanded to by the Lord Himself, because they are "uncomfortable" doing so will not have much moral courage when the faith is under REAL attack!

I guess I am not interested in whether or not you can identify non-negotiables in your life of faith - but whether or not we really believe in any! 

For me a non-negotiable that I cannot refuse is that Christ is the only means and pathway for salvation! Salvation is found in none other!  Yet, nearly every funeral I do for people who have lived nothing of a Christian life finds their family emphasizing how they were good - loving - caring - or eccentric and people just didn't understand them!  They "prayed the prayer" so they must be saved!  So much for non-negotiable understandings of real salvation, sanctification and glorification.  

Another non-negotiable is that there is a heaven and a hell and real people go to both of them!

Another non-negotiable is that my personal behavior must be impacted by faith in God! A claim of faith absent faith generated works is DEAD! So how is my behavior - and yours?

I should probably reflect a bit more and post again on this with a brief list of absolutely non-negotiables in my life that exist because of a relationship with Jesus Christ!  Are there any Non-negotiables in your life?

My fear is that too many people have this non-negotiable - that everything can be negotiated!

Measuring Success!

We tend to live and die in our successes and failures!  Perhaps I should rather say our "perceived successes and failures!"   When you are working hard on a project, a ministry, or a person and the work seems to falter and fail - well - that is tough on us!  

Here are some things I think I can say about measuring success!

1. A single failure does not mean that all has failed!  That, my friends, is a liberating truth!  A failed project or idea is something that I usually give way too much power over my emotions!  Jesus himself reminded his disciples that HE had chosen them, and one of them was a devil!   Avoid the tendency to see a single disappointment or failed activity as the failure of everything!

2. A single success does not mean that everything has succeeded!  We all like it when things go well! And we should! But a single success in a person, a project, a ministry, or an idea does not mean that we have arrived and we are now on the top of our game!  We should celebrate the victories, mindful that we still have work to do!

3. Success usually cannot be measured in a single event - but over a series of events!  We will have a more realistic view of how things are by looking at a bigger picture surrounding a project, a ministry, an idea, or a group of people!   Jesus discipled the 12!  There were times that they "got it" and times that they did not! But by the time we get to the early church, there they are - successful leaders paying the price!  Yet, these were the same guys who asked the Lord to teach them to pray!  He did! Then in perhaps one of His greatest hours of crisis in the Garden of Gethsemane, we find Jesus asking His disciples to pray!  What did they do? They slept!  They were not successes at that moment - but they were not total failures either.  They shined on the day of Pentecost!

4. Success will sometimes only be known in eternity!  Be careful with this one! This is not intended to be used as a "cop out!"  But I believe it is true that there will be people we will one day encounter in eternity who will have been used mightily in the Kingdom for whom we were instrumental in their success. They will be among those that we touched in some way but did not know it!  God's Word does not return to Him void - but accomplishes it's work!  If we are faithful to the Lord, we may or may not know about all our successes or failures - but we can be assured that His work will succeed and as long as we are participating obediently, we will be succeeding in His eyes!

5. Obvious success do not belong solely to us!  This point is not so much about measuring success as giving do diligence to the One who deserves the glory! We do celebrate our successes. But we need to remember that ultimately belong to God who strengthens us for every good work!   Recognizing this truth will prevent us from obsessing about OUR successes and OUR failures!  

Just a word! Hope it was helpful!

Who won?

"Who won?" is the most common question you will hear on Election Day evening!  Indeed!  By the time the results are counted - much money has been spent - much work had been done - and many speeches and information flyers have been given!  It is all quite remarkable actually!

So "who won?"  Perhaps the candidate you voted for won!  or not!  And in elections, there are always winners and losers!

But "who won?"  In my opinion, the larger answer is, "We the voters won!"   No matter how anyone voted on anything or for whom they voted - the voters - the people who actually cast their votes, were all winners!

We participated! We tried to make a difference - one way or the other!  We exercised a precious right - the right to choose who leads us and the right to express our opinions on issues before the state and community!

We won!  Who lost???? It is fairly obvious! The people who did not vote!  They have NO reason to gripe about any outcome! They have NO reason to complain about who is serving and who is not! They made no attempt to make a difference - either way in any race!  

If you voted - you won today!  And if you were one of the candidates who ran and lost - well, yeah - you lost!  But I appreciate the guts and gumption and the expenditure of time, money, and effort that it takes to give everyone of us a choice!  So, in a weird sort of way - I suppose that makes you a winner too! At least in my book!

Strong Delusion!

Things are quite a bit upside down in the world these days!  It is amazing what we see before our very eyes each and every day!  Things people say - positions people take - are completely incredible and mostly indefensible! But they go on anyway!   To name a few:

We are in great debt as a nation!  Solution: Borrow more (lots more) money!

We have a lot (whole lot) of unemployed people! Solution: Extend unemployment benefits so they don't have to find a job!

Marriage is in trouble! Solution: Finish it off by basically saying that ANY kind of partnership is the same as marriage!

There are people who are advocating every "nut case" position you can imagine. And some formerly competent organizations seem strangely interested in rewriting the rules to allow for all the nuts.  

People are constantly trying to shoot down all absolutes -  A creator God - right and wrong - moral certainty - for a big blob of gray!    

OK - there is so much more than I have space for  - so to the point.  Enter the scripture!

11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. I Thessalonians 2:11-12

We do not need be too surprised over the bizzarre behavior and beliefs on display in our society.  The society has largely rejected the Lord! And for that very reason - the rejection of the salvation of the Lord - God will allow them to be deluded into really believing their bill of goods - their lies.  You see, I think that this scripture makes it plain that much of the bizzarre we see in our society is not just people who know better trying to get one up on the rest of us!  No! They really believe their junk!  And they believe their bizzarre predictions and expressions because they have rejected the Lord and He has said fine - reject me - but I am sending you "strong delusion" so that you will have to live in what you believe!  

Well, it may not be the most happy happy post - but it should explain a lot of things!

Just Wondering?

I was thinking a little this morning!  What if.....

I walked in the worship center this morning and said, "I welcome you to ABC to worship the one and only Almighty God!"  and the place broke out in rapturous applause towards heaven!

I invited the church then to join me in prayer - and they did - a concert of prayer to the Lord in heaven!

The Worship Pastor began to lead the first song of praise and the sound of enthusiastic singing was like the angels of heaven rejoicing! 

We invited the people to open their Bibles - and the sounds of Bibles being opened and pages being turned was unmistakeable!

We took an offering and people clapped and cheered as they gave - encouraging one another!

We preached the Word - and people laughed, cried, applauded - all convicted by the Holy Spirit and thankful for the matchless Word of God!

We gave an invitation and practically everybody responded in some way!  There was not a stream to the exits! Everyone stayed - watching and wondering what God would do!

People brought people who had come to Jesus during the week - you know - rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them!

What if when we were done - people just kept cheering the Lord - shouting His praise - hanging around!

WHAT IF INDEED!  Then I remembered - this is just Jesus, the Savior of the world! Not a football team!

I long to be in the worship service I described above - where people give God praise unashamedly! We should reserve our highest praise for the Lord!

Signs that You are a Genuine Christ Follower!

1. You Do What Jesus Says!  I suppose that one should be obvious!  If we are following Christ - then we have to follow Him by doing what He says! Jesus put it this way - 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Matthew 7:21

and this way....  “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?  Luke 6:46

2. You Love Jesus More than Anyone or Anything!  A supreme love for Jesus is life-changing!  When we love Him properly, it change how we see Him and everyone and everything else!  Loving Jesus means to lay aside our wishes and wants to receive from Him new desires and new outcomes.

Jesus put it this way....  “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ Luke 10:27

3. You Love the People that Jesus Loves! This is a very bold truth!  When we really are Christ followers, we will love the people Jesus loves - and He loves all the people!  He especially loves His own disciples!

you find this strongly in 1 John.  7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  
                                                                                                                           1 John 4:7 - 11

and this.....14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother[c] abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.     1 John 3:14 - 15

Certainly one could make a longer list - but I tend to think that these three cover most everything directly or indirectly.  Are you a genuine Christ follower?

Accepting a Challenge!

What do you do with something way bigger than you - but that requires you to see it through?

1. Bolt and run!  This is a fairly well known strategy - and is used quite often.  A large challenge is before us and we just decide - "no way!"  We cut and run!  The problem is that kind of like Jonah, we usually can't get completely away from it!

2. Try to get someone else to do it!  A lot of people have ideas for great things - but are always trying to get someone else to do the work!  Then, there are many times that the Lord just hands us this huge assignment - and rather than just bolting and running - we try to heap the challenge on the shoulders of someone else in hopes we will not have any guilt or further burden over it!

3. Pray and Prepare!  This is a step in the right direction! God given challenges will only be understood, to the point we can understand them, through talking with Him!  One has to be cautious not to spend to much time praying, "God show me all the details!"   Prayer is probably better spent asking for help with the boldness, obedience, and faith we need to step out!  Pray that understanding will come as we obey!  Preparation may be an option - and to the extent we can - we should! It may be a gathering of knowledge - or methods - or looking at the examples of others who may have faced similar challenges!  But again - sometimes our preparation will be slightly limited by the extent of how far we are willing to obey!

4. Act and Watch God Work!  When we follow Him, He leads the way! He provides the resources! He opens and shuts the right doors!  Don't look back!  We will never accomplish much towards meeting a huge challenge if we are looking back - longing for simpler times, easier times, or the status quo! 

What do you do with the challenges God brings into your life?

Seven Reasons You May Not Ever Accomplish Anything Significant in Life! (Perry Noble)

Sometimes you run across a post that you just have to repost. You can read the post below  - or you can click on the link to go to Perry Noble's blog and read it there along with his other posts!

#1 – Procrastination!  (Remember, procrastination is assassination on the amazing future God has for you – James 1:22!)

#2 – You are allowing your past to identify you rather than Christ to identify you!  (See I Corinthians 6:9-11!)  You are not who you were…you are who you are in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17) and if you don’t let your past die then it won’t let you live.

#3 – You are more obsessed with what others think about you rather than what Christ thinks about you!  (See Colossians 3:2-3, Galatians 1:10)

#4 – You do not understand the fact that God’s Holy Spirit lives inside of you (Ephesians 1:13-14) and has gifted you and is calling you to do something greater than you could ever imagine (Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 3:20)

#5 – You are afraid (see Isaiah 41:10) – and remember, no one who ever accomplished anything significant for Christ didn’t have to take a significant step of faith (Hebrews 11:6!)

#6 – You believe the lie from hell that says you are an accident when Scripture says that God custom designed you (Psalm 139:13-16) and that you were clearly created on purpose, with a purpose and for a purpose.

#7 – You are obsessed with things that have ZERO significance when it comes to eternity (I John 2:17).

 

Are You Either of These?

Recently in a Sunday morning message, I pointed out a challenge that we have in the thinking of the modern Christian!  Over the years I have observed that many, many people who claim to follow Christ come at it from one of two faulty perspectives.

Faulty Perspective #1 - What is the least I can do and still be a Christian (and probably that means still get in heaven!)?   What is the least I can attend worship? What is the least I can love? What is the least I can give? What is the least amount of pain I have to bear?  What is the least amount of participation I have to serve up? What is the least amount of engagement with the unreached people I can do? What is the least amount of Bible I can read and know what I need to know?  What is the least amount of praying I can do and still get through when I need God?

Again - what is the least I can do?

The next one stems from the same problem - and is most often present in the same people - it is just that most people seem to have one of these a bit more predominantly.

Faulty Perspective # 2 - What is the most I can get by with and still be a Christian?  What is the line on ugly words? What cussing is passable and what will get me in trouble?  What is the limit on partying? How many bases can I hit on a date before I am in real trouble?  How far can I go looking at women? How far can I go looking at men? How mad can I get before I am in trouble?  How far can I go to make someone miserable and give them what they deserve?  

These two perspectives are far more present in the church than the church wants to admit.  I would submit that in the average church, you will find more people sporting one or both of these perspectives than you will find people who will see themselves as dead to self and alive in Christ!  

Are you living in one of these perspectives? Are you constantly asking yourself - do I really need to do this? Do you find yourself wondering what its really going to hurt if you "live" a little?  

We need to give ourselves fully to Christ - who gave Himself fully to us!  Love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength!   We really need to be "all in" with our Lord!  

The Kingdom is not built on the least we can do or the most we can get by with. It is built by the Lord Himself as He includes the faithful and obedient in His work!  Make sure you have the right perspective.