If you answered "yes" to that question then you are not alone! Many Christians all over feel the exact same way. However, I got some good news for you! I too once felt that way. Watch this video and see what you think.
This blog is about encouraging, empowering and equipping Ordinary Christians live an intentionally missional life that shine the Light of Christ brightly back into this dark world. We will provide training on on developing the basic skills necessary for living a life of a missionary; Biblical insights that will empower Ordinary Christians to share their faith; and inspirational stories of other Ordinary Christians who are living a life on mission with Christ.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
5 PRINCIPLES JESUS USED TO PURSUE HIS MISSION
"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house." Luke 10:1-7 (NIV)
PRINCIPLE #1: He Had A Vision That Guided Him (v. 2)
Jesus had a vision of a harvest field that was plentifully ripe and ready to be harvested. He didn't just see a few people ready to surrender their hearts and lives over to his care and control but a whole harvest field just waiting to be picked.
How do you view your mission field? Do you see people willing and ready to surrender their hearts over to Christ or do you see resistant people fighting God. I think that many times our own personal perception of situations is the biggest hinderances. If we think people are going to be resistant then that's what we are going to find.
Jesus using this same image, fields ripe for harvest, gives the explanation why he consider them ready for salvation. Look at what He says in Matthew 9:36,37;
"Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."
Jesus described people who were ripe for harvest as being people who were "distressed", "dispirited" and aimlessly wandering like "sheep without a shepherd'. Let me ask you: In your community do you find a lot of people who are distressed? Who are dispirited? And how wander around without any real direction in life? If you answered "yes" then you have a Spiritually Ripe Harvest Field.
GET THE VISION - VIEW YOUR COMMUNITY READY TO COME TO JESUS
PRINCIPLE #2: Prayed For God To Provide.
In both Luke 10 and in Matthew 9 Jesus mentioned the major roadblock to bringing in the ripe harvest. He said the roadblock wasn't enough workers. Jesus solution to this problem was not to guilt, bagger or twist the arm of people to get involved. No. Jesus' solution was to "pray to the Lord of the Harvest" to send more workers.
The only one who can get the right workers into the harvest field is God. It is God's responsibility to employ and deploy the workers! Our job is to relentlessly to faithfully be in the harvest field making more disciples for Christ and praying for God to get us more help by raising up more workers.
How often are you praying for God to raise up, train up and unleash more harvesters to join us in the work? Do you even think that Jesus was serious about this prayer or do you think He was just speaking figuratively?
PRINCIPLE #3: He Used Teams To Pursue His Mission.
Jesus sent the 72 out in teams of two. He also sent the 12 out in teams of two. Throughout the Gospels we see teams of 2 to 3 going out by the Lord's instruction. At times we see Peter, James and John. Other times we just see Peter and John. In the book for Acts we see Paul and Barnabas and the examples could go on and on.
Who makes up your team of pursuing Christ's mission? Are you trying to do all alone? Who are the people you know you can cast a vision of Christ's mission and see if they would like to form a team with you in doing ministry?
PRINCIPLE #4: HE LOOKED FOR GOD PREPARED PEOPLE.
In verses 5-7 we see Jesus telling the 72 to look for a "Person of Peace". This is a person whom God has prepared and ready to receive the Gospel. In John 5:19 Jesus said that he could do noting on his own but only what he sees the Father doing and whatever he sees the Father doing he also does. In other words Jesus was looking for the Person of Peace, the person that God the Father has prepared to receive the Good News.
This is to be our approach as well. We are not on mission to convince people they need Christ. We are on mission to find those that God has already prepared to receive Christ. I got to tell you this one principle really takes the pressure off us once we realized we are just to join God in the work He has already started.
PRINCIPLE #5: ONCE JESUS FOUND THE HOUSE OF PEACE HE THEN DISCIPLED THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD.
In Acts 10:44 and Acts 16 we read about a Gentile by the name of Cornelius and a jail guard in Philippi that came to faith in Christ. But not just them! The Bible also says that "they and their household" believed and were baptized. This was true also with Jesus. When Jesus reached Peter, Peters entire household came to faith, including his mother-in-law, who was healed by Jesus. When Jesus reached the Samaritan Woman at the well; it says that she went back to her village and reach them for Jesus.
How are you reaching entire households?
GET A FREE REPORT ON
HOW TO TRANSITION ANY CONVERSATION TO TALK ABOUT JESUS!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
A MISSIONAL ACTIVITY FOR HALLOWEEN
Halloween provides a great opportunity for shining the Light of Christ and living out a missional life! With a little thought and planning you can impact the lives of hundreds with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ordinary Christians from every walk of life can leverage Halloween to share Jesus with neighbors, friends and co-workers.
Take a few moments and watch this video for one idea of how you can shine the Light of Christ during this Halloween season.
Take a few moments and watch this video for one idea of how you can shine the Light of Christ during this Halloween season.
LEARN HOW TO TRANSITION ANY CONVERSATION INTO A CONVERSATION ABOUT JESUS!
MISSIONAL LIVING MEANS YOUR ARE TAKING A WALK OF FAITH!: How Strong Is Your Walk
About that time God began to do a work in George's life to start praying like he had never prayed before. George's prayers were to ask God to assign him to a ministry that could only be done and explained by the Christians of his time as an act of God. George wanted Christians to learn and believe that their God still heard their prayers and would be faithful to answer them, if they would just pray in faith and that faith only needed to be the size of a mustard seed.
God led Pastor Mueller to a particular Bible verse that he held onto for the rest of his life and in which he would place his trust God. That Bible passage was:
"Open wide your mouth and I will fill it."
Psalm 81:10
George believed that God was giving him a promise through that verse that He, God, and God alone would be the one to meet his needs and the needs of the ministry that God would assign him to do. From that verse Pastor Mueller was led by God to a walk in faith which became a powerful example and testimony to everyone watching. When George felt led by God to do some particular ministry, he would pray to God alone for the resources needed and told no one else of the need.
George wanted all to know that God had provided for the needs of the ministry through the answers of prayers of faith.
Here are some of the things that God did through George Mueller during that "Walk of Faith" time of his ministry:
- The Scriptural Knowledge Institute for distributing of scripture and for religious education was started.
- He established 4 orphanages houses that cared for 2,000 children at a time. Over 10,000 children had been provided for through those orphanages.
- He distributed over 8 million dollars that had been given to him in answer to prayer. When he died at the age of 93, his personal worldly possessions were valued at only $800.00.
An important note here for us to emphasis here is that Pastor George Mueller "NEVER" asked anyone for any of the money that was given to him.
The Only Person That Rev. George Mueller Ever Asked For Help Was
GOD!
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
Question #1: How strong is your faith in God?
Question #2: Do you believe that God still answers our prayers?
Question #3: What ministry are you doing, as an act of faith, that God has led you to do?
Question #4: What will you do as an act of faith today?
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
THE WHAT NOT TO DO FOR MISSIONAL LIVING: Part 1
By its very nature life needs to be lived in the pursuit of an object or goal. If not, life tends to wanter aimlessly, much like a ship without a rudder. But having the correct objective/goal to pursue is as equally important, otherwise you might find out to late that what you were chasing after was the wrong thing. Jesus had a lot to say about living a missional life and living it with the proper objective. Jesus' desire was that we would live such powerful missional lives that it would bring would us meaning and fulfillment.
In this blog we are going to look at one of those things that Jesus said "NOT TO DO". Here, on the sermon on the mount, Jesus begins to give a list of things we are to avoid and not do. Avoiding these things will aid us in our ability to shine the Light of Christ brightly in our part of this spiritually dark world. Today, we are only going to look at one of the "What Not To Do's" but as we go through each of them you might begin to experience tension to what Jesus actually says and to we practice in our normal Christian life.
Here's a good place to give us this reminder:
Jesus Hasn't Called Us To Live A Normal Christian Life.
Christ Has Called Us To Live A Missional Life That Has A Totally Different Value Set.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Matthew 6:19-22
I. DON'T STORE UP TREASURES HERE ON EARTH!
Back in Bible times the sources of wealth for people was land, produce and cattle. The more land you owned, the more produce you grew, and the more cattle your raised would position you to become a wealthy person. But today the source of wealth for people is property, investments and businesses.
Here Jesus gives a command not to store up these kinds of things your life's goal and objective. Now that just might be a bitter pill for you to swallow. Think for just a moment about how much of your life is centered around obtaining these things! Isn't that exactly the focus we are told to have if we are going to make it in this world?
Look at what Jesus actually says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth ..." He didn't say, "I highly recommend you not to ..." or "Don't spend to much time storing up treasures on earth ...". No. Jesus said,
"DON'T DO IT!"
The "storing up" of worldly riches, according to Jesus, isn't suppose to be even a consideration for God's people and certainly can't be for those who sincerely desire to live a missional life and join Christ where he is leading.
II. OUR FIRST REACTION TO HEARING THIS COMMAND IS USUALLY:" WHY?"
Why can't we store up our riches? Shouldn't that be the aim and goal of every person in life? Why is it so bad? Doesn't God want me to accumulate nice things? Doesn't having worldly riches make me more of an asset for doing God's mission?
Oh, how the questions just keep coming! We have been so conditioned and trained to believe that the accumulation of wealth is not only a good thing but a responsible thing. Society has taught us that if we are going to be good and productive citizens of society we need to become self-sufficient through the gathering of worldly wealth.
But let's answer the question. Why should we gather up and store up worldly wealth? Why would Jesus instruct us not to do it? And the answer is: Because they are temporary and will not last. Jesus warns us that worldly riches can be stolen or destroyed and for sure we won't take any of it with us when we die! It just isn't going to happen. And on the Last Day, Judgement Day, all of the earth including its wealth will be destroyed by fire in God's righteous judgement. There are only three things that can happen to worldly wealth. It either:
- Wears Out!
- Runs Out!
- or Gets Stolen!
In other words, the gathering up and storing up of worldly riches is a useless goal or objective from an eternal perspective.
III. JESUS THEN GIVES AN ALTERNATIVE!
In verse 20 Jesus says that instead of storing up treasures on earth we should store up treasures in Heaven. The reason for it is because storing up treasures in heaven has the exact opposite effect of storing up treasures on earth. Instead, of the treasure running out, wearing out or getting stolen; treasures in heaven can never be stolen, never run out and never wear out. IT WILL LAST FOREVER!
IV. HOW DOES ONE STORE UP TREASURE IN HEAVEN?
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief
comes near and no moth destroys" Luke 12:32,33
The way we a to store up treasures in heaven is through our generosity to those in need around us. The wealth that God has provided you to have in this world is not for you to store up and hoard for yourself but for you to share with who are in need. God wants you to use your earthly resources to help and benefit those genuinely need help. God has given it to us for us to be a blessing to others.
Take a quick look at the parable in Luke 12:23-21:
"Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
I really like the question that is posed at the end, " ... and now who will own what you have prepared?" It's like Jesus is hammering in the point ... "you were given your worldly riches to be a blessing to those who are in need but if you refuse to use it for that purpose you will be removed from it and someone else will get it to use it the way I intended it to be used.
When we begin to view missional living to involve everything about us, including our wealth, we begin to see that God is going to hold us accountable for all of the things that he has blessed us with and how we used it to be a blessing to others and if we used it in such a way that God gets the glory.
On a final note in this passage of scripture Jesus is teaching us that our goal/objective to pursue in missional living is not the "Storing Up Worldly Treasures" but instead the "Storing Up Treasure in Heaven By Using Our Worldly Means To Help Those In Need."
GOD HAS GIVEN US THINGS
NOT SO WE WOULD HOARD IT
BUT IN ORDER TO SHARE IT!
Friday, September 12, 2014
ALLOWING GOD'S POWER TO WORK THROUGH YOUR WEAKNESSES
The way most people deal with their weaknesses is by either defending them, excusing them, hiding them or denying them. But God has a different perspective about our weakness and how to deal with them.
The Bible tells us in Isaiah 55:9
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Why?
Because ...
- Acknowledging Our Weaknesses Causes Us To Depend On God!
That's right! When God's people recognize they are weak and helpless then they are forced to cry out to God for help. And that's a good thing. When God's people cry out to Him for help, God is so ready to show up and show off the great and mighty things He is able to do.
But if God's people don't recognize their need for God's help, they won't cry out to him for help. And if they don't cry out to Him for help God won't send the power they need to handle their situation.
And in order to accomplish God's work - God's way we are dependent on God to send His power to accomplish it.
- Acknowledging Our Weaknesses Prevents Arrogance From Creeping Into Our Hearts And Keeps Us Humble.
Human pride is the #1 reason that keeps God's power from flowing through the lives of His people. When God's people feel they can take care of their own problems and they don't need to worry God with their troubles that attitude keeps they power of God from flowing into their lives.
What is needed is a healthy amount of humility that allows God's people to acknowledge they absolutely need God's help and that they can't do it on their own. I mean, if we could do it on our own we would have already done it! Right? But we haven't and that because we can't do the things of God without God's help.
- Acknowledging Our Weakness Encourages Fellowship With Our Brothers and Sisters In Christ.
When we know that we are unable to do something on our own we seek not only God's help but we share it with other Christians and ask them to keep us in prayer. The Bible is real clear on this point. We are to pray for one another. We are to lift each other up before the throne of Grace and petition God to meet the need of our brother or sister in Christ.
Quite often it is during this time of prayer for one another that God speaks to his people to come alongside the one asking for prayer and help them. And if not help, it certainly will create a tender heart for the one asking for prayer.
- Acknowledging Our Weaknesses Gives Us The Capacity To Sympathize With Those We Are To Minister To.
There is an old saying, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. And that is never more true than when it comes to living a powerful missional life. When we acknowledge our own weaknesses we develop the capacity to come alongside others who too are hurting and suffering with a caring heart.
4 Steps For Allowing God's Power
To Work Through Your Weaknesses
Step #1: Admit You Have Weaknesses:
In the New Testament there were two great confessions. The first one is with the Apostle Peter when he said about Jesus, "You are the Christ the Son of the living God." The second was the Apostle Paul to an idolizing crowd who believed that he and Barnabas were Gods. Paul said, "We are only human beings like you."
If we want God to use us through our weaknesses we must first know who He is.
He Is God!
And as God He can do anything through anybody. And that includes even us who are weak!
And then we must also know who we are!
We Are Not God!
We must never forget this 2nd truth. We are only humans and apart from Christ we can do nothing. But through Christ I can do all things.
Step #2: Delight In Your Weaknesses:
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor 12:9-10
This verse gives us the idea of being content with God's grace and with our weaknesses. However, most of us don't want to be content with our weaknesses - we want to be freed from them. We want to eliminate our weaknesses.
But Why Should We Be Content Or Delight In Our Weaknesses?
"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." 1 Cor. 1:27 (NIV)
God likes uses our weaknesses to remind us that we are not all that important, that we truly are dependent upon Him for everything and thereby keep us humble. Humility, not pride, is the virtue that God looks for in a person to do his extraordinary work.
Step #3: Honestly Share Your Weaknesses:
Ministry always begins with vulnerability. The more you let down your guard, take off your mask and share your struggles the more God can use you to serve others.
Step #4: Glory In Your Weakness:
Ministry always begins with vulnerability. The more you let down your guard, take off your mask and share your struggles the more God can use you to serve others.
Paul Modeled Vulnerability
Through His failures.
"For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." Romans 7:19 (NIV)
Isn't this amazing? In the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans he is clearly admitting that he has failed, that he has blown it and that he has done the things that he never wanted to do. Why would he do that? Because Paul understood that the greatest way to influence and encourage other Christians was to honestly admit his struggles and weaknesses.
Pretending he had it all together wasn't going to work. Why? Because it was a lie! But honest admitting his struggle gave freedom to others to admit their struggle and thereby receive the empowerment that comes from Christ
Through His feelings
"We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you."
2 Cor 6:11 (NIV)
Did you read that part where Paul said he opened wide his heart to the Corinthians? He didn't just come to share his knowledge, wisdom or understanding. Paul came to share his very heart and passion that he has for Christ. And that kind of heart felt sharing is contagious.
Sharing what Jesus means to you and why it He means so much to you is truly what people are wanting to know. And it is powerful!
Through His Struggles:
"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. - 2 Cor 1:8 (NIV)
When Paul honestly shared about his struggles and troubles with others Christians he once again showed others that even the great Apostle Paul had really hard days. It gave them once again an opportunity to prayer for him.
Later in my moms life when she was unable to get around as she once did, she made it her personal ministry to pray for her family, her church, missionaries and anything else that she heard about. She was a true "Prayer Warrior" in the truest sense of the word.
But I often kept my struggles and worries from her because I didn't want to burden her and worry her about what was going on in my life. That was until one day when my mom found out that I was going through a very difficult challenge. When she found out about it she asked me about why I didn't share it with her. I told her it was because I didn't want to worry her. Then she shared something to me that I have never forgot and completely changed my way of thinking about keeping my struggles private. She said,
"Son, there is so many things that I can no longer do in life because of my health. But there is one very important thing and maybe the most important things that I can still do and that is to pray for God's power and provisions to come into the lives of those who I love the most. But son, I can't pray for you as I ought if you don't share with me what's going on. Don't you worry about me. God has me in His hands and will take care of me. Just share with me what's going on and I promise to hound the gates of Heaven with my prayer on your behalf."
How can God's people pray for us in our times of weakness and needs if we don't share with them what's going on?
Through His fears
"I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling." 1 Cor 2:3 (NIV)
I don't know about you but I found this verse quite amazing! Why? Because never in my wildest dreams had I thought of the Apostle Paul fearful and trembling. But the truth is that Paul joined Christ on His mission with fear. And Paul was willing to share his fears with those he was trying to reach with the Gospel.
Read how the Living Bible writes 2 Cor. 12:5
"I am going to boast only about how weak I am and how great
God is to use such weakness for his glory."
Here's another way of putting it:
WE ARE GOD'S TROPHY'S OF GRACE!
This one verse in the song "He Covers Me" by Steve Camp's I think incapsulates the whole message of allowing God's power to work through our weaknesses!
"Sometimes the pressure builds around me and I feel about to break
I suffer painfully from wrongs done to me but vengeance isn't mine to take
So let me glory in my weakness till Your strength's revealed in me
It is Your grace alone that helps me carry on to be the man I long to be
So let Your life be perfected, Lord in me
Until it's You they see"
In my group The Ordinary Christian we have a saying that is kind of our theme song. It goes like this:
Just because I'm ordinary doesn't mean I'm secondary;
Ordinary Christians are God's primary choice
For accomplishing His extraordinary work!
So let us glory in our weakness and our ordinariness so that God's magnificence can be supremely displayed!
"Oh Father God and Lord Jesus may it be true with us that we are willing to lay on your alter all who we are including our weaknesses and allow you to have full control of them and to use them in whatever way you decide is best. Lord it is our prayer that through our weakness your power and glory is magnified. Shine through us Lord Jesus. Amen"
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