A series of events, meetings, phone calls, and other communications have got me to thinking about our positioning of Christ in our lives. For those who claim to know Him personally we immediately declare that He is #1! We shout it, like it on Facebook, and do all types of simple things to reiterate that point. Is it really that easy? To actually live with Christ in the position of Lord over all our lives is a deeper understanding and activity. And thus this post!
The phrase "Above all..." has really jumped out at me as I have preached through the book of Ephesians. In fact it is mentioned five times in this one book. Five times in six chapters. That means something! When we say Jesus is above all, a little inspection is then expected to see if our words are backed by our actions. This reality should humble us. What would our lives be like if Jesus was above all else?
From money to things we search for a source of peace, joy and purpose. Lives are in turmoil in this pursuit while the obvious goes ignored. Our mouths know the language but the implementation of our words highlight the void of our actions. Placing Jesus as number #1 is so much more than words we say and songs we sing. So much more that the Apostle Paul told the Romans that our reasonable service to the one who died for us was to daily present ourselves as living sacrifices - holy and acceptable to God. Notice he did NOT say acceptable to men.
Our church is going to focus on this great need during the month of October. But why wait? Why not today do that which we say daily - live surrendered and sacrificed to the one who died for us. Place Jesus above all else in our lives.
Where do we begin?
Start with these five areas. Daily living in the reality of Jesus being above all else:
1. In Stewardship - tithing and sacrificial giving like Jesus lived
2. In Spiritual Growth - knowing we have never grown enough
3. In Service to others - looking to serve not waiting to be served
4. In Love for One Another - knowing God is love
5. In Sharing Jesus - the only reason we are here on this earth
Let's put Jesus far Above All Else!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
America, Religion, and Christianity
In every corner and facet of American life the battle is being waged for the freedom of Christians to live in, teach, celebrate, and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The following article should not be a surprise to us. That people would want to keep the Word of God out of the schools, even as a historical piece of literature, highlights the animosity found in the American culture of today.
With the power and might our nation once possessed the thought of it's erosion was not even on the radar of many alive today. Christian influence was a given for many. We were free and we attended church etc., we prayed in public, and we even were not afraid to speak publicly about our faith. We missed something so clear and so huge that today it seems almost like the days of just 20 or so years back were hundreds of years ago.
American Christianity bought into the influence of Government and Politics more so than we did the living out of our faith in Christ and His transformation of our lives. Our energies were focused on things other than real discipleship and true one on one evangelism. We found comfort in arguing why our enlightened minds were accurate in our interpretation of Gods Word and our styles and forms of worship were more Biblical. In fact, we built clubs more so than we built churches.
Articles like the one that follows magnify this reality. We can no longer argue over statistics. The facts are screaming at us. And yet I am not sure that many of us are listening. It is still easier for us to argue our preferred points than it is to live out the Gospel and join God is His transforming plan. Weekly we live without even grasping that the majority of those alive in America have never seen a MIGHTY MOVE of GOD. We haven't even cried out for it.
I encourage you to read the article. This story is just one of many being lived out by Americans today. As you read ask yourself as I asked myself: "When will we realize that America has changed and it is we Christians who failed. Our enemy is NOT all powerful. We simply forgot the power of living a transformed life sold out to Jesus! We lost sight of the mission - reaching people!
It is NOT too late! Jesus is still on His throne and He is still changing lives!
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/15/taking-liberties-bible-school-or-history-class/
With the power and might our nation once possessed the thought of it's erosion was not even on the radar of many alive today. Christian influence was a given for many. We were free and we attended church etc., we prayed in public, and we even were not afraid to speak publicly about our faith. We missed something so clear and so huge that today it seems almost like the days of just 20 or so years back were hundreds of years ago.
American Christianity bought into the influence of Government and Politics more so than we did the living out of our faith in Christ and His transformation of our lives. Our energies were focused on things other than real discipleship and true one on one evangelism. We found comfort in arguing why our enlightened minds were accurate in our interpretation of Gods Word and our styles and forms of worship were more Biblical. In fact, we built clubs more so than we built churches.
Articles like the one that follows magnify this reality. We can no longer argue over statistics. The facts are screaming at us. And yet I am not sure that many of us are listening. It is still easier for us to argue our preferred points than it is to live out the Gospel and join God is His transforming plan. Weekly we live without even grasping that the majority of those alive in America have never seen a MIGHTY MOVE of GOD. We haven't even cried out for it.
I encourage you to read the article. This story is just one of many being lived out by Americans today. As you read ask yourself as I asked myself: "When will we realize that America has changed and it is we Christians who failed. Our enemy is NOT all powerful. We simply forgot the power of living a transformed life sold out to Jesus! We lost sight of the mission - reaching people!
It is NOT too late! Jesus is still on His throne and He is still changing lives!
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/15/taking-liberties-bible-school-or-history-class/
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Hearing Issues?
The following is taken from a post by Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. The original post was written to Pastors helping in their understanding how people respond to our preaching based on their perception of us. I have expanded this great principle to include Bible Study/Small group leaders and their attendees. It is a great read into one of the largest roadblocks preventing us hearing from God.
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There’s a secret to listening to sermons/lessons that dramatically affects what you and I will get from them. I call it the perception principle. I’ve preached about this before and share it with our staff regularly, but I’ve never blogged about it. I want to give it to you because I believe it will revolutionize the way you listen to sermons and exponentially increase their impact on you.
I can only receive someone on the level that I perceive them.
This is true for God, and for every human relationship you have. The way you choose to see someone determines how you will treat them and how you will receive whatever they have to give you.
Negatively, this means that if you perceive your wife to be a nag, that’s the way she’s always going to sound to you. Even when she really isn’t being one. If you perceive your husband to be a loser, that’s how you’re going to receive him. No matter what he does.
Positively, it means that if you perceive someone to be wise, what they say will sound wise. And you’ll give it more weight. If you perceive someone to be ‘cool,’ everything they do will look cool. Here’s how this matters when you’re listening to a sermon/lesson. How you perceive the person preaching/teaching will determine what you’re able to receive from them. And ultimately from God.
If all you see is a person with good ideas and not a person with a message from God, that’s all you’ll ever get. If you go into a sermon/lesson with an attitude of bless me if you can, you’re probably not going to be blessed. If you go in skeptical of every word, you’re probably going to find fault. And only find fault.
On the other hand, if you perceive your pastor/teacher to have a message for you from God, you’re probably going to be a lot more attentive and engaged. If you go into a sermon/lesson expecting to hear a word from God, you’re probably going to get one.
I’m convinced that what someone ‘gets’ from a sermon/lesson has nothing to do with the skill level of the person preaching/teaching. It’s how they perceive the person delivering the message. It’s how they decide to engage. When people tell me, ‘that’s the best I’ve ever heard you preach,’ I always want to respond: No, it’s the best you’ve ever listened.
It doesn't matter who your pastor/teacher is or who is preaching/teaching to you. Whether their podcast is downloaded by millions or their messages are heard by five people, the principle is the same. Perceive them to have a message from God for you, and that’s what you’ll get. Show up ready to hear from God, and don’t be surprised when you do."
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We live in a personality driven society. This approach to spiritual things just may be one of our greatest roadblocks in hearing from God daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. I wonder how much we have missed because of this ignored sinful behavior?
If only we would show up hungry to hear from God regardless of all else!
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