Above all else...

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!

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/

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. 

 --------------------------------------------------

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.

The perception principle goes like this:
 
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."

 ---------------------------------------------------------------

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!

The traps of Perspectives

Perspectives are everywhere. We all have our own and we even catch a few from others as we go through life. We tend to give the whole perspective thing more credibility than the truth more often than not. I wonder why this is? Do we do this in our study of God's Word? What about in our application of the Word of God?

At the heart of this issue is the little "what we know" compared to the BIG "what we think we know but actually don't"! I am always amazed at what I learn from studying God's Word daily. Teaching or preaching through a book for the second or third time always bring new found truth that was not gleaned before. How little is our understanding and great is what we need to grasp.  The same is true in all of life.  Our perspectives can give us insight while also rob us of much that we end up missing because of them.

Here is a quote that I think really highlights this thought:  "Perceptions can be fickle, because they are formed many times by what you think you know and brings what looks like deception because of what you may not know."

When we apply this to our daily lives it should cause us to ask a strange question.  How much of what we do is done based upon what we perceive instead of what we know?  When we think of relationships.  When we look at our decisions.  As we review the cause and effect of actions taken or not taken.  Is it our perspective directing us or is it truth?  Do we know if our perspective is right?

And then add this thought to our spiritual lives.  If we function spiritually off of our perception we may indeed miss God's perspective and thus miss His Will.  Could it be that this principle explains the journey of American Christianity and the downfall of such?  We perceived we were doing fine by our perspectives but...!  And does not the Bible remind us that Gods ways are not ours?


How incredible would it be if today we could simply seek Gods perspective without our own interfering.  It might be surprising to see how the traps of perspectives have been robbing us in many areas of our lives.

Encouragers needed and commanded!

I am posting a link to a post written by Perry Noble that highlights a few things each one of us really need to think about concerning our role in the lives of others.  Critics are everywhere.  Not much of life is free from those who love to "put down" or share their perceived insight in yours or my life.  How do we handle these situations and what are we to do when they occur?

Our Sunday night Table Talk sessions have been focusing on this.  This past Sunday, my wife Heidi also led in a great discussion concerning encouragement and our command to do so.  She had no idea that I had been covering that topic and hit a home run in wrapping it up so well.

This article here is another added extra in the much needed understanding of our command to encourage one another and not tear down.

You can read it here!

And for those wondering - I do not agree with all that Perry Noble does or thinks.  He just got this one right!

A post that needs to be shared

John MacArthur has written a excellent post for all of today.  Though the goal of his post will be clear when you see the title, the content within actually applies deep and wide into many issues facing churches today.  I encourage all to read it here.

Which Bible - Paper or Electronic?

I have noticed in traveling and in my local church more use of electronic Bibles during small groups and corporate times. From phones to iPads I am seeing more people reaching for their chosen gadget during preaching and teaching times. It has got me to thinking. As we move forward in the arena of electronics and we grow in using them, how will this play out in the church?

First, is the increase of electronic Bibles seen by you in your church? Do you use technology in your teaching and preaching? Is there a limit? Why?

Second, is something lost when students in a small group make use of their electronic gizmos instead of a paper Bible? Why?

Now before we jump to answers I think it is important for those answering to also share their own use of electronic Bibles in their personal and study life. I for one use both electronic and paper. I have noticed that with the iPhone and iPad, I am using more electronic than I ever dreamed or thought I would. I love it in studying and being able to keep my place with all open sources. I use Logos. I use power points etc. in services.

But the whole scenario has got me to thinking.

I preach and teach out of a paper Bible. This is my preferred form. I have used my iPhone on occasion for chapel type services. I used a Palm several years ago - it was NOT as easy as my iPhone. I plan on doing some teaching from my iPad in the near future and actually will use it when conducting a "stump the preacher" time of questions - it will help me!

Lately though I have been pondering the positives and the negatives to the increased use of electronic Bibles as the norm in church. In my small group of couples under the age of 40 (for the most part) I have noticed this increase lately. Nothing occurred that highlighted it. It is just the way my mind works and has really got me to thinking.

So, I thought I would ask here and see what others are thinking or if they even have thought about this use of the Bible. Are you seeing the same thing? What are your thoughts?

Fire away! I will share my own conclusions later in the week.