Living In America - Today! Part 2

The spotlight was placed on Daniel many times in his life by those not of similar beliefs.  Daniel was challenged with food in Chapter 1.  In chapter 2 Daniel interprets the vision/dream of King Nebuchadnezzar when no one else could.  Daniel is recognized as one with wisdom and insight not only in chapter 2 but also continually from chapter 2 on.  How did Daniel rise in recognition.  Di Daniel have a public relations strategy?  Was there an agent promoting Daniel?

Today Christians live in and live out our narcissistic behavior.  The promotion of self drives much of what we do.  We have traded the protest lines and parades for our social media tools.  Some are real good at self promotion.  So good that in today's world a person with limited success or wisdom from experience can rise to a popular level quickly.  Maybe personality plays into the factors involved.  It is possible that we humans are simply gullible enough to pass over the scrutiny that was once found before our attention and affections were given.  Make no doubt, we promote but we also see simultaneous loss of influence in our world.  And this is an important connection to understand.

With the increase use of secular methods comes the increase message of secular thought.  Daniel was known and respected for his beliefs.  His being known was not due to his self promotion but simply the conduct of how his life was lived out in the real world - a world that did not worship the God of Daniel.  Much like today, few in Daniels time listened to the things of God.  Yet they sought Daniel to enlighten them.  We should ask the question WHY?

A close look at Daniels life reveals a life of consistency to his determined purpose.  He had purposed in his heart whom he would worship.  He adjusted his life to live out that purpose.  Daniel wanted all glory to go to God.  He lived for nothing else.  He respected those who disagreed with him.  He sought to understand them while resisting the human tendency to take things personally.  He was relational with his life.  And Daniel avoided arrogance almost perfectly.

Daniel was a person who influenced while only promoting God.  Daniel was anything but narcissistic.  We should seek to understand the Daniel way of living in our American secular culture.  We should pray that God would give us the opportunity to influence people in a manner similar to Daniel.  To be sought out because of how we live bears greater fruit than our self promotion could ever produce.

The lesson from Daniels popularity is profound.  When God blesses and grants his favor, the evil one's in this world will pay attention.  promotion is cause for humility.  Humility is the path to influence with people.  Daniel loved people much like Nehemiah did.  He cared about the pain and destruction that would occur in their lives without surrender to Jehovah God.  He knew that only from building relationships with them could he ever hope to find them willing to listen to his thoughts.  Daniel lived his life loving God, loving people, and dependent on God to promote and provide the opportunity for influence. And in Daniel we that God opened doors in God like fashion.

I guess we could say about Daniel that he did have a public relations agent after all.  He had the one that you and I have today - he had God.  The difference between us and Daniel is easy to see.  We promote for our sakes.  Daniel was promoted for his exaltation of and living for, God.

When our lives match our announced commitment, God will promote bigger than we dream!

Self promotion can never gain us the influence that God can.  So why do we continue to live in a such selfish, narcissistic manner?

Part 3 will deal with our methods.

The Great American Christian Question

The history of America is without honest question.  This nation was founded on Biblical principles.  From those principles God blessed and America grew beyond anyone's dreams.  The power of such growth resulted in an incredible world protector for liberty and religious freedom.  That was then!

What about now!

Christians in America need to answer this question quickly.  We must also pray and be determined to get the right answer.  For the right answer is our path from now forward.  We will find the right answer by looking at our past failures.  Yes, our past failures highlight the answer needed today.

We begin by admitting that we as American Christians have failed to understand that our primary purpose was and is to lead people to Jesus Christ.  Without Jesus, people are simply sinful people with NO hope for changing.  We have fought hard the culture war.  We have lost.  We lost because we were not focused on leading people to the one true God who could and will save them through Jesus Christ.  Our biggest failure as American Christians is found in that we did not reach the multitudes of people that God allowed to come to America.  We had it all set up to reach world!  We failed.  Without a changed heart, people will not adopt an ideology that is Christian based.  Our worldview will not make sense to them at all!  We tried via many methods while avoiding the one and only method that works - leading people to Jesus!  We begin to find our answer when we admit to this failure!

The absence of the power of the Holy Spirit evidenced in our lives is also a big failure!  American Christians learned to play at church.  We learned that real well.  We developed many of our systems and programs in our churches by copying the world.  The greatest one being Sunday School.  We copied the American education system.  We set up directors, had roll books, and some churches even use to ring the bell!  We established programs, and I do mean many programs.  We built our church schedules around the work culture of the 50's and 60's and we grew children's ministries/missions ministries for children right out of boy/girl scouts.  The club mentality anchored our approach.  For adults the same was true.  In all of this, the programs became the focus in place of the power of the Holy Spirit living in and working through our lives.  We taught for education sake.  We learned many facts but we failed to experience the power God via the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We were so focused on knowing about that we never realized we were not living in.  Again, we failed.

This led to neglect of some key Biblical disciplines.  In particular, fasting!  There are those few types of churches that practice this and have for years.  But many American Christians in our older age groups never were taught or led to develop fasting in their lives.  Without fasting there can be no power of the Holy Spirit.  Our lives were simply being lived through a mental ideology.  An ideology that requires the power of the Holy Spirit.

So caught up in our programs and structure we embraced a salesman approach to sharing the gospel.  We tweaked our services in some cases and in others demanded that we NOT change a thing.  Time was always our focus and comfort and familiarity followed in our priorities.  We began trying to attract people instead of sharing Jesus by living in Him.  It worked for a while - maybe, maybe not.  But soon we could not do enough to up what had already been done.  People caught on to our sales pitch and began tuning us out.  Again we failed.

People without Jesus began to see that those who professed to have him were not that much different.  In fact, often times Christians were worse.  We were mean, lacked compassion, ugly, holier than thou, and were more focused on we wanted and bragging about what we claimed to have, that people failed to see in us a compassion for them.  We were anything but passionate for people.  Love was not found for anyone, just for those we liked.  And the slide continued.  Only now, other religions and ideologies were being embraced.  And we could go on and on...!

So what is the answer?

1.  Know our purpose is to live obedient to the command of our Lord to lead people to Jesus!

2.  Know that we must fucus on living in the power of the Holy Spirit daily!  Without this power lives will not be changed.

3.  Know that following Biblical disciplines must become a priority.  Seek to learn these and apply them daily.  The power of the Holy Spirit depends upon it.

4.  Know that we love and thus show this love of people daily!  People come in all shapes and backgrounds.  We are to love them!  Period!

We begin with these four!  Until these four are evident, nothing else will matter!  It is only through these four that Revival will come!  And our greatest need right now is not political nor ideological. 

Our greatest need is REVIVAL!

Remember Nehemiah?

Living in these prophetic times we often fail the remember the vast truth found in Gods Word. Truth given specifically to encourage and focus us as we seek to live in obedience to God as individuals and His church. In our failing to remember we fall subject to the traps of Satan. Ironically, Satan continues to do the same old things even today.

With the wall near completion and God clearly working a miracle, a few decided to see if they could distract the workers and stop the project. Fear, lies, and threats were used. Nehemiah had warned the people of such and yet when the attacks came some of the people still listened. The warning was heard but soon forgotten just as we find occurring today in so many places of worship.

Why?

Satan loves to play with our emotions. The simple deception of Satan is powerful in the moment. It shakes us. Fear and despair set in quickly. We should remember but often don't. We should know but usually we forget.

A lady shared with me a story this past week that spoke so clearly to this truth. As banks were beginning to roll out their new fees she and her husband were beginning to panic about money. There accounts would be hit with monthly fees and of course the debit card fee. It was not major but the news triggered emotions from out of the nowhere. They had just made a decision to support their church in a huge endeavor and then WHAM - Satan went to work. Doubts began to build and fear was running wild. Negativity set in along with doom and gloom. A simple bank action had sparked forgetting God and losing sight of His vision.

But her story reminds me of Nehemiah. Her husband, of a different faith practice even, held firm and trusted. In the process of re-arranging their bank accounts to avoid the fees they discovered a refinance was available to them. One that they had not even desired nor thought they could get. Suddenly their fear was gone! Out of nowhere God had used the banks to not only get their attention but also to furnish more than required for them to meet their commitment to what God was doing. Tears filled the eyes of this lady as she recalled what God had done with her doubt and fears.

Nehemiah reminded His people when Satan attacked to hold firm. He reiterated to them that God would provide just as He had already done. The people had gotten to the point of even saying they were willing to go back to Egypt and leave the will of God. Nehemiah said NO and God sparked the people to finish the wall in an even more remarkable and smart fashion.

Nehemiah was just a cup bearer. He remembered. The ladies husband remembered. God full-filled His plan in both situations just as He will do for you!

We would do well to remember Nehemiah and not get distracted from the plans that God has for us!

Until next time...Don't Get Distracted!

The need for FOCUS

Over the last few weeks I have thought much about the word FOCUS. One might even find humor in the idea that I am focusing on FOCUS. But the lack of focus among Christians has now become our greatest need in America. Where did our focus go?

Our focus is now on things that in eternity do not matter. We concentrate on money, plans, likes, eating, fun, and of course our jobs. The problem is that there is NO time left for the one who saved us. There are so many things occurring in our lives that the reality of Christ is far from our first thoughts during a day. Have we forgotten our first love? It is true that we can see many families crashing into dysfunction from a loss of focus on family. I think the same is even more true when comes to our relationship with Christ.

Revelation 2:1-5
"To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:

2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;

3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.

4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love .

5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent."
NKJV

FOCUS is a matter of choice. We either chose to place Christ first in everything or we chose to allow all types of other issues and needs to replace Him. I cannot help but to think of the following:

Psalms 36:1-37:1
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD. An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.

2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.

3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.

4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.

5 Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen; They have been cast down and are not able to rise.
NKJV

May we focus on Him and all of His greatness today - and everyday!