Thinking of Why We Follow Jesus?

Thinking of why we serve Jesus?

I know that we are told at church to get involved and get into a small group. This is all well and good so far as the leaders in the church have something going. Now I know that there a lot of good churches that are doing a lot of good work throughout the USA. I want to pose this question. What would you do if all of it went away tomorrow? What I am asking is if all your Christian props were kicked away would you still follow Jesus? What would you go and do if the Sunday programs were not there anymore? I know that a majority of our pastors across America are weighted down with jobs they were never designed to do. They are not the only ones called to work in the ministry. We are because we are the Royal Priesthood.

1 Peter 2:9-12

9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. NASU

 

This means we are called to tell other of what Christ is doing in our lives/ we are the ones that have the responsibility to read the word of God and know how to discern both good and evil like it talks about is Hebrews.

 

Heb 5:8-6:3

8 Though a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.

9 After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

10 and He was declared by God a high priest “in the order of Melchizedek.”

The Problem of Immaturity 11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become slow to understand. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of God’s revelation. You need milk, not solid food.

13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. Warning against Regression 6 Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And we will do this if God permits.(from The Apologetics Study Bible, Copyright © 2007 by Holman Bible Publishers. All Rights Reserved.)

 

    It is time that we all ask ourselves,” What can I do for Christ?” The other question is, “What can I do for my church?” Not what can my church do for me! We hear all day long the news another person putting in an insanity plea. This is that they did not know they were doing the wrong thing. They were depressed or whatever else. If you want to cure the ills of some depression “GO HELP ANOTHER PERSON!” Stop looking so hard at what you do not have but what you have that you can give away.

 

    They were called Christians first in Antioch why, because they looked like Christ. If you desire to really look like a Christian then read your bible and find out what Christ did. We have to stop looking to the worlds CEO model of how to run the church and look to the Jesus model to run the church. It does not work just because the worlds models looks somewhat like the bibles model and we have to stop thinking that we can just put a spiritual twist to this CEO model. In spite of our terrible sovereignty God still saves people today.

 

    My last thought, on the day of Pentecost Peter preached and 3000 got save with 120 disciples there. Today we have congregations with 5000 people and only get 120 saved a year. Numbers may not be totally accurate but I hope you get the idea of what I am saying. This Christmas season be a Christian go out and help someone that is in need and get out of yourself. This will start to show the world that Jesus is alive and not a person that a bunch of hypocrites and liars follow. They are people that tell the truth help people in need and are generally good people. Step out and serve your God and see what He will do.

 

Shawn Thornton

What Are We Doing?

    I have been working in North Platte Nebraska and it is 300 miles from my home. It has been good because I have had time to finish the quarter of school and I passed. Now I am moving into college level learning. In addition, I have been able to talk to my mentor Jack for over 3 to 5 hours a day. It has been so good to fellowship and talk about the things of God for this length of time. This leads me to talk about some things that have been on my heart and what I have seen and experienced in the body of Christ.

    I have been to a number of different churches on my journey with Jesus. The things that are on my mind are heart breaking to me. The church in America and I am talking about the people that believe in the Jesus of the bible. We think that we have a corner on truth and that our brand of Christianity is the right one. To my dismay, I was introduced to a book

written by George Barna and Frank Viola named “Pagan Christianity.”

   In this book, they give the historical roots to the church we know today. Now the counsel I was given was to read the book pray and keep this under my hat. This is not something that we are going to shout from the rooftops and is going to be accepted with open arms. We have been doing “Church” this way for over two thousand years. I think as the word of God say’s “it is high time that judgment comes in the house of God.” After reading this book, it made me have to look at “What Are We Doing?”
    The church has to start making disciples and training leaders. The unfortunate thing I see is we try to do this but it seems all superficial and fake.

Two other books by Greg Ogden “Discipleship Essentials and Leadership Essentials”

    are two great books to gain an idea of what we need to do. I read God’s word and I am told of the power that I should have and the power the church should have. To my heartbreak, I do not see it. I see many fat and happy people of God that do not look outside of the four walls of the church. May I submit to you that the reason is we are not teaching people to be committed to the cause of Christ. This means no less than all of my life because Christ gave all of His. I have heard time and again that this generation is the most biblically illiterate people ever. We need to make a change and fast. Stop the fast food mentality and learn how to be committed to Jesus and others.
    I have also bought another book by Steven K. Scott named The Greatest Words Ever Spoken. It is a book of over 1900 statements of Jesus organized in more than 200 topics. This is another great resource for growth in the Lord. Again, it is time that we in the Body of Christ check ourselves of where we stand with our Lord and question where others are. It takes time and a lot of hard work on our part. Yes, we do have a part in it we have to obey God.

This is the next book and it is great.

 May the Lord bless you in your seeking Him and His will for your life.

Why the Helmet of Salvation

    Why does the scripture use a helmet as a symbol for our salvation?

 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (Ephesians 6:17)

 

Eph 6:17 Albert Barnes notes

And take the helmet – The helmet was a cap made of thick leather, or brass, fitted to the head, and was usually crowned with a plume, or crest, as an ornament. Its use was to guard the head from a blow by a sword, or war-club, or battle-axe. The cuts will show its usual form.

Of salvation – That is, “of the hope of salvation;” for so it is expressed in the parallel place in 1Th_5:8. The idea is, that a well-founded hope of salvation will preserve us in the day of spiritual conflict, and will guard us from the blows which an enemy would strike. The helmet defended the head, a vital part; and so the hope of salvation will defend the soul, and keep it from the blows of the enemy. A soldier would not fight well without a hope of victory. A Christian could not contend with his foes, without the hope of final salvation; but, sustained by this, what has he to dread?

 

This was a good study for me because; it reminded me how important it is to keep a check on our minds. The enemy of our souls wants to knock us off the right path always. The first place he wants to

attack is the mind. The helmet shows that we need to protect our minds. In addition we need to know that the doctrine [teaching from the scriptures] and Theology [teachings about who God is] are in

line with what the bible teaches. There are many false teachers out in the world that even disguise themselves as evangelical preachers. If you look close into the truth about the teaching it is just as bad

as the Mormon teaching, {Joseph Smith} or any other cult. We have to make sure the teachings of God are in order. Out of all the many different things in life I have ever done the Studying of God’s

Word has proven to be the most exhilarating experience I have ever had. It also brings with it the immense duty to make clear in your mind how essential it is to be accurate and truthful in your studies.

We who teach are telling others we hear from God and that this is an accurate way to go. We will be held accountable for this.

 

    A great place for more info on things about false teaching is Hank Hanegraaff’s
web-site www.equip.org

    Here is where you can really trust what is taught. This man has devoted his life to the preaching of the truth of God’s Eternal Word.

 

 

May God Richly Bless you in all you do.

Remember, your father in heaven has numbered all the hairs on your head and his thoughts about you outnumber the

     Give It 110% For Jesus Everyday!

Salvation for Those Who Believe

Many people have a variety of excuses as to why they do not go to church.

1. There are too many hypocrites in the church.
   
2. There are so many different beliefs, which one should I believe?
   
3. I just don’t have the time to go.
   
4. I just don’t want someone telling me how to live.
   

 

I have heard even more than these but these are some that have come up recently. The Word of God is very clear on the way of Salvation. We have to confess and believe.

Romans 10:9-12 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation. (11) For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him shall not be put to shame.” (12) For there is no difference between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord of all is rich to all who call upon Him.

 

Today though I would agree with some that there is to much fighting among the different denominations about Doctrine that is not essential to true salvation.

 

John Macarthur said, “The only true way to know if someone is saved, they will obey the Lord’s Word.” As I have meditated on this thought I do believe it to be true. If I look at my own life the time that true changes have come is when I hold to what God’s Word tells me to do. We do not live in a perfect world and we will not be perfected till the day of Christ. Paul tells us in Philippians.

 

Philippians 3:12-17 Not that I have already obtained, or have already been made perfect; but I press on, if also I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. (13) Brothers, I do not count myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, (14) I press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (15) Therefore, as many as are mature, let us think this way; and if in anything you think otherwise, even this God will reveal to you. (16) Nevertheless, to what we have attained, let us walk by the same rule, being of the same mind. (17) Be fellow imitators of me, brothers, and look out for those walking this way, just as you have us for a pattern.

 

He has not yet made it but he keeps trying and he asks for forgiveness and moves on. He also says, “as many as are mature” you need to think this way. We are called to serve God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength this is what He asks of us.

 

 

Prayer:

 

    Gracious heavenly father, may we come to you in the acknowledgement of, who we are and who you are. That we could become mature people of God and have this mind of forgetting the past because you have forgiven us. Each day that I wake Holy Spirit, bring to my mind the grace that has been given to me through Jesus Christ. Thank you Lord for my Life, may I ever live in your presence.

 

 

 

 

The Frantic Tic Toc of Life

Luke 10:38-4238 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, ” Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” NASUWe live in a society that is on warp speed. We need things in a microwave second. Why is it any wonder why we have a hard time understanding God’s ways? Here is this story of Mary and Martha we see how Martha is going warp speed and Mary is learning at Jesus’ feet. Martha is just running around “Just getting things done!” and we see in v.40 the tone of frustration “Do you not care Lord?” Then she says “Lord tell her to help me!” Martha thinks if I ask Jesus to tell her she will have to listen, because I really am serving the Lord and she is not. Can you identify with this in your own life? I know I do. First, we need to pray and ask God if we are in his will. Second, do we really know all the facts and do we have the other person’s best intrest in mind. Third, are we just stuck in our own way of thinking? When we pray we should ask, “help me Lord to follow and hear your voice.” We are too quick to tell others how to live and do not even take the time to search our own hearts with the Lord. (Psalm 19:13) says Keep thy servant back from persumptous sins. We think that we are the ones that are going to be the mouthpiece of God in people’s lives. We are called to encourage people not tell them what to do. If someone has allowed you to speak into his or her life then that is ok. We are not called to be the Holy Spirit of God, but we are called to be His servant. That means we are to stand buy and carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Gal 6:2). Prayer is our acess to know God and know His will. This is how we can effectivly help others know Gods will also. So when we do pray we need to have an open ear to hear God and his answer. Second what are the facts and do we have the person’s best interset in mind? This I believe is so very important so we are not overstepping our boundries with people. Martha only sees that Mary is not helping her serve. Therefore, we can see buy Martha’s statement she believes that serving is doing things. So can serving the Lord look different at times? Yes it can. We can serve Him by sitting at His feet and learning. There are some lessons that the lord wants to teach where we need to be still. This can be a hard task for people that believe they need to be working all the time. The best intrest of another can also be hard to know if we do not have all the facts. In this story, they are sisters and familarity can breed contempt. I think this is kind of, what we hear in Martha’s tone to the Lord. Always keeping in mind you, may think you know best, but the Lord always know better? This can be a hard area to traverse through but with a humble spirit, we can do much Good.Third being stuck can be a hard thing for us to see in ourselves and it can be a good thing. In his book Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli, he talks about being Stuck and unstuck pg.92-93.I would like to add two words to our vocabulary of spiritual growth: stuck and unstuck. Most chriatians consider being stuck a sign of failure or burnout, an indication that a person isn’t working hard enough on their spiritual life. Being stuck means getting an F on our spiritual report card. The hidden assumption is, “if you are stuck in your spiritual life, you aren’t doing something right, because dedicated Christians should never be stuck.Nothing could be more untrue.Actually, being stuck is the prerequisite to getting unstuck.

Being stuck is a great moment, a summons, a call from within, the glorious music of disaffection and dissatifaction with our place in life. We get stuck when we want to change but can’t, when we want to stop destructive behavior but don’t, when the tug-o-war between God’s will and ours stands still and we can’t move. We’re stuck going nowhere, unable to get beyond a paticular point. When we’re stuck, we’re much more likely to pay attention to our hunger for God and the longings and yearnings we have stifled. Sometimes being stuck is the low point and we say, “Okay, I give up.” We can not grow without first giving up and letting go. Getting stuck forces us to see the futility of our situation and to put life in perspective so that we can move on.

Therefore, as he says here I think we can be stuck in both ways. One is that we think that all we need to do is keep busy with church things and never take a break to sit at the master’s feet and learn. Or the other is that we are always at Jesus’ feet never getting up to go and do what he has taugh us to do. However, the point of this story is that Mary chose right and was being taugh by Jesus’ and He said it is something that no one can take away. This is true because when you learn a life lesson it gives you knowledge to live your life better. So what are you going to choose today? In todays world Christians have to help each other to find God’s will for our lives. We have to pray, talk to each other, and help carry each other’s burdens. This is what we are called by God to do. Because in our day and age of warp speed and microwave me up we have to slow down.

 

 

Prayer

Lord Jesus help us to really learn from your words to just STOP and learn of you and to allow you and others take our burdens so that we can draw those who do not know you to the cross of your salvation. Thank you Lord you have spoken through your word to us. Amen