Defining the Favor of God

http://pastors.com/defining-the-favor-of-god/

January 28, 2012

 

The phrase “favor of God” seems to be growing in popularity, and I’m glad. It’s a biblical phrase – a good phrase. But it’s often misunderstood. I once heard a guy talk about finding a parking spot right up front on a busy shopping day because of the “favor of God.” I pictured in my mind the pregnant lady with triplets who had to park a football field away because of the favor of God upon this Pastor.

A recent story from LarkNews (satire, by the way – don’t start an email rumor mill – it’s fake) highlights our western view of God’s favor…

Christian family blessed through others’ misfortune

NEW CASTLE, Del. — Sam and Victoria Gutman have always been smart shoppers, but they have gone to another level during the recent recession, buying automobiles, computers and more from distressed owners.

“God continues to bless us,” says Sam. “All things really do work for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. We’re living proof.”

Last week they bought a Lexus coupe from a man who lost his job — and pension — when his employer collapsed.

“He was weeping when he gave me the keys,” Sam says. “I got that car for a third of what it’s worth. Beautiful leather seats, new tires. God is so good.”
Victoria fondly recalls buying a bedroom suite from a couple going through an acrimonious divorce.
“That was one of our best deals yet,” she says. “They drove the price down just to spite each other. That lovely set adorns our bedroom and is a lasting testimony to God’s provision.”
…
Even the home they live in was purchased as a foreclosure after weeks of aggressive counter-offering.
“God helped us negotiate that one down until we were practically stealing it from them,” Victoria says. “It belonged to a guy who was laid off and had to get a job at McDonald’s. The tilework is unbelievable.”
“…God continues to bless.”
via LarkNews

Scripture, however, presents a different understanding of the favor of God, and it comes out in the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!… Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!”
~ Luke 1:28-30 NLT

Mary and Joseph certainly didn’t enjoy rich circumstances. Situationally, they seemed anything but blessed. Joseph worked as a carpenter to earn the family’s daily bread. The trek to Bethlehem was challenging because of Mary’s pregnancy and we all know that there was found no room for them in the inn in such a small town. But she still enjoyed the favor of God like few in history had.
If the favor of God isn’t necessarily material or financial, then what is it? It’s simply the undeserved kindness of God. God, in His sovereignty and His good will toward His children, chooses at His own initiative to show undeserved kindness to people.
I don’t know why Mary was chosen for this role, but I do know that it wasn’t on the basis of how good she was. She, like the rest of us, was a sinner, saved by the grace of God. While I do believe we can live in such a way that we are more ready recipients of His favor, I still believe His favor is granted in His sovereignty, which makes it all the more beautiful when we see it.
We can identify God’s favor when we see three things happening…

1. God has sovereignly chosen a recipient of His grace.
2. God has blessed that recipient in one way or another.
3. God has intentions that His blessing be shared with others.

I don’t see, in Scripture, God’s favor granted to people simply for their own enjoyment, but rather so that the lives of others can be changed and God can be glorified. Our enjoyment of His blessings brings Him pleasure and glory in the eyes of others.

God’s gracious kindness is His to give, and He gives it when, to whom, and how He chooses. But Scripture also invites all of us to be partakers – to come by faith and receive the gift of Jesus Christ, freely offered for all the world. In other words, while none of us can demand or expect God’s favor, we can claim it on the basis of grace – on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

The favor of God isn’t about having more money or easier circumstances. It’s about enjoying the kindness of God, sovereignly, yet freely offered to all who will receive Jesus Christ and the life He has to offer.

Source: BrandonACox.com

My Church Model Is Better Yours

January 14, 2012 By Derwin Gray

“The Mega Church is the best!”
“No! The House/Organic Church is the best!”
“No way, bro! The Hipster Church is the best!”
“The Traditional Church was good for the Apostle Paul, therefore it is still the best!”
We slam the Mega Church, saying it’s “too corporate and shallow.”
We slam the House Church/Organic Church as just “a bunch of bitter and disgruntled people who were burned in a Mega Church, so that now they just want to meet together with a ‘four and no more’ mentality.”
We slam the Hipster Church as too “technologically driven and entertainment-based, with music so loud it will bruise your internal organs.”
And we slam the Traditional Church as “dead and irrelevant.”

Enough already! STOP IT!

Last time I checked, the New Testament doesn’t saying anything about Mega Church, House Church, Organic Church, Hipster Church, or Traditional Church.

ECCLESIA
The New Testament simply speaks of Jesus’ Ecclesia (Church). Ecclesia comes from two words, ek, meaning “out,” and kaleo, meaning “to call.” The Church literally means “the gathering of the called-out ones.”
The word Ecclesia originally had more of a political aspect to it. Missiologists Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, in their book ReJesus, on page 32, point out that in the Apostle Paul’s time, an ecclesia was a gathering of elders in a community.
In smaller villages and towns across Judea, local leaders gathered regularly to discuss and deliberate over a variety of social and political dilemmas facing the community. The ecclesia was a gathering of wise community leaders, brought together by their common vision for the shalom of the wider community. In essence, the ecclesia was a community within a community whose function was to add value to the place in which they lived (Frost & Hirsch, ReJesus, 32).

MISSIONARIES
As Jesus’ “called-out ones,” we must embrace and see ourselves as sent by Jesus as missionaries into the villages of which we are a part, to add value, to bring wisdom, to cultivate a better village through incarnating the Gospel (Frost & Hirsch, ReJesus, 32). Our lives, through abiding in Christ and the Spirit’s power, are an invitation to those not yet in the ecclesia, to join us as they see us bringing God’s Kingdom into our sphere of influence.
Essentially, the ecclesia is a community of Jesus Christ look-alikes (disciples) that infiltrate every facet of society, doing good and infecting non-carriers of grace with grace. At the core of God’s rescue and healing mission on Planet Earth is His community called the Church.

LEADERSHIP, ORDINANCES, AND FUNCTION
Pastor Mark Driscoll and Dr. Gerry Bershears, in their book Doctrine, offer this helpful biblical definition of the local church,
The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the great commandment and the great commission as missionaries to the world for God’s glory and their joy.

SIZE DOESN’T MATTER! AND NEITHER DOES THE MODEL!

As God’s missionary movement, each local church must contextualize to fit the lost people within the community God has assigned them to reach and bless.

The size or model of the local church is not the issue. A local church can be called a Mega Church, Organic Church, House Church, Hipster Church or Traditional Church, and God can use these diverse models greatly for His glory.

THE CULTIVATION OF OUR SECRET LIFE WITH GOD

"THE FACTS OF THE MATTER"

"A weekly letter of encouragement to business and professional men and women"

Good Morning!

 

Discipline is essential in cultivating our walk with God.  Without it we simply will not learn to hear the voice of God. Because our lives are often plagued with worry, over-extension, and the intrusion of noise, is it almost impossible to hear God when He is speaking to us.  Henry Nouwen states, “We have often become deaf, unable to know when God calls us and unable to understand  in which direction He calls us.  Thus our lives have become absurd.  In the word absurd we find the Latin word surdus, which means “deaf”…When, however, we learn to listen, our lives become obedient lives.  The word obedient comes from the Latin word audire, which means “listening.”  A spiritual  discipline is necessary in order to move slowly from an absurd to an obedient life, from a life filled with noisy worries to a life in which there is some free inner space where we can listen to our God and follow His guidance.”  1

We learn from Jesus’ life that He listened to the Father for instruction and guidance (Jn. 5:19, 30). Thus listening is at the heart of true prayer.  Prayer is being in God’s presence with an attentive heart to hear His voice, anticipating the Spirit’s prompting, and the Spirit’s enlightenment of God’s word.  For God to break through to us, we need to purposely create both inner and outer space in our lives, in order to disallow the world from filling our lives to the point where there is no space for us to be able to listen.  It is therefore essential that we set apart time on our calendar as to when we plan to enter our secret place with God.  “…When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen…” (Matt. 6:6)

“This chaos [of our inner life] can be so disturbing and so confusing that we can hardly wait to get busy again.  Entering a private room and shutting the door, therefore, does not mean that we immediately shut out all our inner doubts, fears, bad memories, unresolved conflicts, angry feelings, and impulsive  desires…We often use our outer distractions to shield ourselves from the interior noises.  It is thus not surprising that we have a difficult time being alone.   The confrontations with our inner conflicts can be too painful for us to endure.” 1

But not to despair.  As we choose to closet ourselves with God, we invite the Holy Spirit to soften our heart, to reveal the rich truths of His word, and to disclose Jesus at increasingly deeper levels.  Slowly, over time, as the inner transformation of the heart and mind occurs, the Scriptures come alive, a deep sense of intimacy with Christ develops, and the ugly manifestations of a life controlled by our lower nature begins to dissipate (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:10; Tit. 3:5; Gal. 5:1v9-21).  To our joyful discovery, the fruit of the Spirit naturally finds expression through our lives, affecting those around us (Gal. 5:22, 23). 

Years ago I discipled a very angry and proud man whose heart had grown stone cold over the years. So I introduced him to the practice of spending regular time alone with God.  After a few attempts at it he told me, “Dwight, I don’t get it. Nothing is happening.” But with a little prompting, he kept after it, sincerely seeking Christ and endeavoring  to prayerfully apply the Scriptures to his life.  Today…years later, he is a marvelous reflection of the beauty of Jesus Christ.  (I Cor. 15:58; Phil.. 1:6)

This week, may you experience His grace, peace, and protection.

R. Dwight Hill

1 Henri J. M. Nouwen – “Devotional Classics” – Harper San Francisco – 1990, pp. 94, 95 -

THE “ONE THING”

December 14, 2011

"THE FACTS OF THE MATTER"

"A weekly letter of encouragement to business and professional men and women"

Good Morning!

THE “ONE THING”

Today a large segment in our society tends to define itself and its sense of worth by its busyness.  If you are engaged in some form of ministry you also run the risk of defining yourself not only by your ministry but by your being chronically “busy”. Both can easily become a form of idolatry and bondage.

The media and other powerful forces in our culture create an atmosphere of chronic emergency, false expectations and continual needs.  A recent “Time Magazine” article informs us that we have become “Crisis Junkies.” In the Christian arena certain forces, if left unchecked will eschew our priorities to the effect of putting us out of touch with God.  Oswald Saunders in his classic work “Spiritual Clinic” has a section on the over sensitive conscience that can easily be exploited by a false feeling of guilt, and an unrealistic standard of ministry performance.  This overly sensitive conscience can become unduly burdened with a sense of obligation to fix everyone and everything. Left unchecked, the pressure of these forces upon our lives can and will stifle the Spirit of God from freely flowing through us in order to renew and empower us in order to use us.  In time we can easily feel manipulated and exploited by people, and by forces outside our control.  Increasingly, we may experience a sense of resentment, a paralyzing feeling of disconnectedness, isolation, fragmentation, loneliness and anger.  Left unchecked, we will become depressed, lose heart and grow cynical.  And probably withdraw from a life of fruitful ministry.

What is the answer to the external pressures of the world and our own (often self-imposed) demands upon ourselves to overtake us?  Well, Jesus intends that we move from bowing to the many voices and demands of our age…and of our heart, to focusing on the “One Thing”:  Knowing Him.  (Phil. 3:7; Matt. 6:33; Lk. 10:41)  The sweet pursuit of knowing Him must possess us.  It must intoxicate us.  It must become our magnificent obsession.  At the center of truly knowing Him, of developing intimacy with Him is learning to listen to the voice of God in an atmosphere of unrushed solitude, only made possible by creating space in our lives from the noise and pressure of the world and ministry.  The fundamental nature of the ministry must be born out of the “One Thing”, rather than the “One Thing” being relegated to a supplementary place of relevance to our busyness and ministry.

In the Western world we tend to be highly cognitive, systematic, and rationalistic in our thinking and in our approach to spiritual formation/growth.  There is nothing intrinsically wrong with these patterns of thought.  But when they are out of balance in relationship to the contemplative life, they rob us from experiencing a deeper level of intimacy with Jesus.   It is important…No, it is imperative that we learn the delicate balance between the cognitive processes of the mind, and the sensitive response of the heart to the Spirit’s prompting.  I am suggesting to you that there is a Spirit guided intimacy… a mystical intimacy if you please, with Him that He desires for us, but we must put ourselves in a position where He can lead us into that experience with Him.   Information based as we are, we run the risk of gathering too much information/knowledge, and thereby choking out the Spirit and the quiet voice of God…Choking out the sweetness of His healing and loving touch that needs to reach us at our very core of our being.

When we approach the study and meditation of the Scriptures, we must invite the quiet voice of God to lead us. There are times, I have discovered when He gently impresses upon me to put the Book away…turn off the light, and be still before Him. (Psa. 46:10).  Perhaps just listen…and wait.  Or simply allow Him to love me.  Or engage my heart in worship. 

In summary, are we being released from the internal and external forces that would rob and restrict us from experiencing the free movement of the Spirit of God that will woo us into a deeper intimacy with Him?  I believe it is the Father’s heart to draw us toward new levels of relationship with Him.  Beyond anything we could to this point imagine?

^“But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:3 –Amp.)

This week, may you experience His grace, peace, and protection.

R. Dwight Hill

Facts of the Matter © 2000 - 2011 R. Dwight Hill - www.factsofthematter.org - Unlimited permission to copy without altering text or profiteering is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.

MELLOWNESS OF HEART

Good Morning!

MELLOWNESS OF HEART

Have you ever been put on edge by being  around a duty-bound person on a mission for God who came across as highly driven, ridged, and  perhaps a bit on the angry side?  Of course they were very committed to their cause and intensely spiritual.  But to be honest, you would rather hug a porcupine.

The older brother in the parable of the prodigal son was scrupulously faithful for years in service to his father, but with a bitter heart.  The parable teaches us that we can be away from the Father not only through infidelity (the younger brother) but also through bitterness and anger (the older brother).  It is Jesus’ intention that we have the compassion of the Father that emanates from a grateful heart. 1 In the Old Testament God indicts the Israelites because they “did not serve the Lord [their] God joyfully and gladly” (Deu. 28:47).

Gustavo Gutierrez has suggested that to be healthy spiritually we must feed our souls through prayer, the practice of justice, and through having those things in our lives (good friends, good wine, creativity, and healthful leisure) that keep the soul mellow and grateful. 2 Wise old Solomon reminds us that “the cheerful heart has a continual feast…A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too…is from the hand of God” (Pro.15:15b; Ecc. 2:24).

Yes, you and I are keenly aware that our task is to reach out to our hurting world with the Master’s love.  But we will fail in our mission if it is accomplished out of an anxious, angry, guilt-ridden, or duty-bound heart.  Only the grateful of heart transform the world.  When the Ark of the Covenant was placed in King Solomon’s  newly built temple, mellow hearts burst forth in joyful praise-filled celebration. “The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: ‘He is good; his love endures forever…’” (2 Chro. 5:13a).

As a college student I was profoundly influenced by the biography of an Englishman whom God greatly used in Asia in the 1800’s. His commitment and sacrifice knew no bounds. Years later I learned that over the years however, he had become so insufferably mission-driven that his fellow-missionaries found it nearly impossible to co-labor with him. Tragically he had become a bitter old man on a mission.

By way of contrast, Jesus easily co-mingled with common folks like you and me.  The masses loved to be around Him, viewing Him as kind, approachable, and deeply compassionate. No wonder children naturally gathered around Him.  To be sure He was on His Father’s all-important mission, but He approached it with an air of grace and calm. Clear evidence that Jesus indeed possessed a mellow heart.

QUESTION:  So how are you doing in the mellow heart department?  Are you angry? Over-taxed? Resentful?  Bone dry at the core? How would your kids, your spouse, and your co-workers answer those questions of you?  Is a renovation of the soul long overdue?   

This week, may you experience His grace, peace, and protection.

R. Dwight Hill

1 – Credit Roland Rolheiser with this key idea; “The Holy Longing” – Doubleday, 1999, pg. 67;  2  Gustavo Gutierrez,  “We Drink from Our Own Wells” - Maryknoll, N. Y., Orbis, 1984.

Facts of the Matter © 2000 - 2011 R. Dwight Hill - www.factsofthematter.org - Unlimited permission to copy without altering text or profiteering is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice. 

Grace and the Heart of Discipleship

Wednesday October 12 2011 8:46 AM
Will F. Johnston

My wife and I spent our first Christmas as a married couple at her parents house in southern California. One of the things that California has that Illinois—where we were living at the time—does not is decent card rooms. I fancy myself a bit of a poker player and was looking forward to checking one of them out while we were there.

One day I borrowed my father-in-law's truck and started heading south on I-5. I was zipping along at 70 mph, a bit nervous to play cards in an actual casino for the first time.

It was a rainy day in Los Angeles, as it often is that time of year, and as I sped along in the left lane I hit a pool of standing water and began to hydroplane. I let up off the gas, but it was too late. I spun backwards across four lanes of traffic before slamming into the concrete barrier along the right shoulder.

I was shaken and disoriented, but as best as I could tell I wasn't seriously hurt. By the grace of God I hadn't hit anyone else. After calming myself I called my in-laws. I explained that I was in a car accident and that I was okay but the truck wasn't drivable.

I already wasn't sure what my in-laws thought about their new poker-playing son-in-law. I mean, who is this guy who comes to town and the first thing he does is run off to gamble? And now he's wrecked our car?

But what happened next was nothing short of amazing. The only questions I was asked were, "Are you okay? Are you sure you're not hurt." "Where are you? We'll come get you."

That's it.

They called a tow truck and came and got me.

I didn't have a job at the time. I couldn't pay for the truck, and they didn't ask me to. They never expressed anger or commented about how irresponsible I was. Nothing.

Their response had a profound impact on me. At moments when my temper begins to flare because someone has done something to make my life more difficult I often remember that experience, and it shapes how I react.

And so we see here not only how an expression of grace to one person can beget grace in the lives of others, but we also find the heart of discipleship.

Discipleship isn't primarily a program or small group or one-on-one meeting or book discussion. The essence of discipleship is found in the simple phrase, "Follow me as I follow Christ."

Certainly you can be intentional with discipleship. You can read and discuss a book. You can coach and ask good questions. These are good things, but ultimately, far more will be caught than taught.

Rick and Patty Klein discipled me through their Christ-like actions without any plan or intention or formal discipling relationship.

Discipleship requires little more and nothing less than time spent together.


Will F. Johnston is the Small Group Catalyst at National Community Church in Washington DC.

5 Steps for Handling Frustration

Monday October 17 2011 2:50 PM
Rick Warren

Here are five simple steps for dealing with frustrations in your life.

1.  Ask yourself, “Did I cause it?” The Bible says, “A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7 NIV). Many things in life frustrate us because we brought them on ourselves. We don't have anybody else to blame.

It’s frustrating to run out of gas on a trip. But if you didn't stop to get gas before you left, or decided to push your luck, who’s to blame?

2.  Ask yourself, “What can I learn from it?” Use the irritation as an opportunity to grow in character and become more like Christ.

How does God produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life? He places you in the opposite situation. If God wants to teach you love, He will put you around unlovely people. If God wants to teach you peace, He will put you in a situation of total chaos so you can have inner peace.

Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good” (NIV). There are many bad things in the world, but all things work together and even the negative God can turn into a positive if we will let Him.

3.  Thank God in the situation. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks” (NIV). You don't have to be thankful for a bad situation. But you can be thankful in a bad situation. That frustration, that irritation, that inconvenience, that interruption, may be a blessing or an opportunity in disguise.

The Apostle Paul wanted to go to Rome to preach, but God took him to Rome to be in prison and write the letters that formed the New Testament. Paul was frustrated but God saw it as an opportunity to make him sit still long enough to write the Bible.

4.  Turn the frustration into a funny, humorous event. The Bible says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine”  (Proverbs 17:22 NIV). A sense of humor is God's antidote for anger and frustration.

5.  Ask God to fill you with His love. Why? Because 1 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Love is not easily angered” (NIV).  Love is self-giving, not self-serving. We get irritated because we think everyone and everything has to revolve around us. Love concentrates on the other person.

Jesus faced constant frustrations in his life, but he always made time for people. We get so preoccupied with our own things; we forget that people are the priority in life.

“You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”  Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times Best Seller The Purpose Driven Life.  His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors. © Copyright 2011 Rick Warren.

What Worship Style?

Tuesday October 04 2011 6:00 AM

Shannon O'Dell

In the past few months I have had many leaders ask me what “style” of worship through song we have at Brand New Church. Honestly, I have been taken back by this question and the fact that it is still a topic of discussion for many churches. For pastors everywhere, especially rural communities, I want to share with you my heart on our “style.

#1 We are Celebratory in Style
Contemporary, Modern or Traditional are not terms used in our vocabulary. We are intentionally celebratory in our approach. One week could be bluegrass, rap, hymns, acoustic, choir, ensemble, rock and any other style you can imagine. Genre is not the center focus, the focus is: “Does it bring glory and celebrate the King of Kings?”

#2 We are Flexible in our Leadership
Having the same person as the front soloist, guitar, keys, or even sound man can be detrimental to the flow of creativity in worship. You need a balanced attack. We have a creative leader that brings the pieces together each week, but different faces. Some of the best worship leading takes place in the congregation.

#3 We are Creative in our Purpose
Creativity is an intentional part of our plan. Jesus never used the same bait when fishing and neither should we. Change your stage, opener, closer, song set location, instruments and even design – not for clever’s sake, but for listening and environment enhancement.

#4 We are Quick to remove Pride
When pride walks on the stage, God walks off. You will find out very quickly if your stage is being controlled or Christ-centered when you apply a few of these recommendations.

#5 We are Sensitive to our Atmosphere
Sight, Sound and Smell must be priorities for great worship to exist. Get a decibel reader and improve your sound quality. Purchase lighting that enhances listening and attentiveness. Make sure there is a pleasant aroma in every area of your facility especially your restrooms. Every campus has this passion and leads out (picture below is from our NWA campus).


These are just a few of our worship “styles”…as you can see have very little to do with music, but a lot to do with worship.

---

Source: Breaking All the Rurals.
Shannon O’Dell is a devoted husband and father of four. People know him as innovative, inspiring and committed to reaching out to struggling rural churches and churches with a rural state of mind. He has served Brand New Church as senior pastor for over seven years in Bergman, Arkansas, a small community of just over 400 people.
Brand New Church has grown from 31 to 2000 members with 7 campuses, network churches, and an online campus under Shannon’s leadership. He is the author of “Transforming Church in Rural America”.

8 Essential Characteristics Your Church Needs

Monday October 03 2011 12:05 PM 

Rick Warren

If you want your church to have the impact of the early church, the book of Acts shows us 8 essential characteristics we need in our congregations -- Supernatural power (Acts 2:3-4) -- We don’t just talk about God; we experience Him. This is what makes the Church different from every other organization on the planet. We have the Holy Spirit. Microsoft doesn’t have the Holy Spirit. The United States government doesn’t have the Holy Spirit. The Red Cross doesn’t have the Holy Spirit. No other organization has the power of God in it. God promised His Spirit to help His Church. Use everybody’s language (Acts 2:4) -- This passage isn’t about speaking in tongues. It’s about the gospel being communicated in real languages. People actually heard the early Christians speak in their own languages -- whether that was Farsi, Swahili, German, Greek, or whatever. God says from the very first day of the church that the Good News is for everyone. It’s not just for Jews. It’s amazing grace for every race. But the power of Acts isn’t just about the language of your country of origin. It’s also about languages spoken only in particular subcultures -- like mothers of preschoolers or people into hip-hop or accountants or truck drivers. God says in His Church, everyone’s language gets used. Are you helping your people use their “language” to reach people with the Good News? Uses everyone’s gifts (Acts 2:14, 16, 19, 21) -- In New Testament times, there weren’t spectators in the Church. There were only contributors -- 100 percent participation. Not everyone is called to be a pastor, but everyone is called to serve God. If you want your church to have the impact of the early Church, get everyone involved in the ministry of your church. Make it clear to everyone in the church that passivity isn’t an option. If they want to just sit around and soak up the service of others, let them find another church. Offer life-changing truth (Acts 2:22-40) – The early Church didn’t offer pop psychology, polite moralisms, or nice-sounding inspiration. We must always offer the truth of the Gospel. God’s Word has the power to change lives. No other message changes lives like the Good News. No other message changes a guy from a wife-beater to being a loving, responsible husband. It’s when the truth of God’s Word gets into us that we change. In Acts 2, Peter gives the very first Christian sermon, quoting the Old Testament book of Joel. Peter shares the Gospel in this message. Acts 2 says that the early Church devoted itself to the “apostles’ teaching” – the Bible. God’s Word gave the early Church power (For more about helping your church dig into God’s Word, check out 40 Days in the Word). Provide loving support (Acts 2:42) -- The first Church loved and cared for one another. The Bible says in Acts 2:42, “They took part in the fellowship, sharing in the fellowship meals and in praying together.” One translation says, “They were like family to each other.” The Church isn’t a business. It’s not an organization. It’s not a social club. It’s a family. For our churches to experience the power of the early Church, we’ve got to become the family that they were. Enjoy joyful worship (Acts 2:46) -- When the early Church gathered, they celebrated, “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” We must understand and teach that worship is a celebration. It’s a festival, not a funeral. It’s the party for the kingdom of God. When worship is joyful, people want to be there because people are looking for joy. Do you think if our churches were full of glad hearts, joyful words, and hopeful lives, we’d attract other unbelievers? Sure they would. Make generous sacrifices (Acts 2:44-45) – The Bible teaches us to make generous sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel. The Christians during the Roman Empire were the most generous people in the empire. In fact, they were famous for their generosity. They literally shared everything – with one another and the poor. The Bible says the early Church “shared everything they had … .” That’s a church worth dying for – which is exactly what first-century Christians did. They’d rather die with gladiators and lions in the Coliseum than renounce their faith and their brothers and sisters in God’s family. Create exponential growth (Acts 2:47) -- When our churches demonstrate the first seven characteristics of the early Church, growth is automatic. People may have looked at the first Christians as weird, but they liked what they were doing. They saw their love for one another, the miracles that took place in their midst, and the joy that was in their lives, and they wanted what the Christians had.

Layman's language of 10 commandments?

Layman's language of 10 commandments ? 

Beautiful words.

 

They are like the ten commandments to follow in life all the time.

 1]  Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in  trouble

 but it is a"steering wheel"  that directs the right path throughout.

 

 2]  Why is a car's WINDSHIELD so large & the Rear view Mirror so small?
 Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. 

So, Look Ahead and Move on.

 

 3]  Friendship is like a BOOK.  It takes a few seconds to burn but years to write.

 

  4] All things in life are temporary.  If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever.

If not going well, don't worry, they can't last long either.

 

  5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond,
 don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base
 of Gold!

 

  6]  Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from
 above and says, "Relax, child, it's just a bend, not the end!

 

  7]  When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities;

when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

 

 8]  A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than
 losing eye sight?"  He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

 

  9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them and
 sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed
 for you.

 

  10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES, it takes away
 today's PEACE.

A Bias towards what's next

Think you’ve nailed the way small groups work?  Think your current strategy or system is working as well as it can?  Wait…before you answer, think about this:

Willow Creek

In the early 90s, Willow Creek switched from a thriving discipleship strategy (by many accounts) to a modified meta church model and over the next 10 years became the first mega church in America to have more adults in groups than they had at the weekend services.  Why’d they switch?  The original method was a slow-moving, small group system where they provided intensive and intentional discipleship input in closed groups over a 2 year commitment…and they realized that they were never going to catch the moving train.  How did they know the new strategy would work?  They didn’t.  They had a bias toward what’s next.

Saddleback

In the fall of 2002, Saddleback switched from a very effective small group connection model to an untested small group host strategy (combined with a church-wide campaign).  To fill in a blank, they had grown from about 70o people in groups to about 8000 in groups using the connection strategy over a 4 to 5 year period.  Who could have known that over the last 8 years they’d grow from 800 groups to over 4000 groups?  Who could have known that they’d grow from 8000 in groups to 28000?  No one.  Why’d they switch?  They had a bias toward what’s next.

Why Am I Telling You This?

Why am I telling you this?  Simple.  You must develop a bias toward what’s next.  There is a next thing.  If there weren’t, all of us would have over 100% of our weekend adult attendance in groups.  Saddleback would have already connected the rest of Southern California.  The biggest reason?  We’d have figured out how to connect the widening 60% of adults who are unreachable with the attractional model.

A bias toward what’s next develops an appreciation for careful observation, a curiosity that leads to innovation, and a willingness to experiment for the sake of connecting more people, developing more leaders, and producing more committed disciples.  A bias toward what’s next see the status quo as something to be broken.  A bias toward what’s next is looking for latest learnings.

What’s Your Latest Learning?

Over the next few weeks, I’ve asked a number of the best-known grouplife practitioners to share their latest learnings.  Watch for these posts.  Try some of the things they’re figuring out.  Argue if you want to.  Chime in with your own.  The key really is this.  Although Solomon said “there’s nothing new under the sun,” God, through the prophet Isaiah said,

“See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19

We are not living in the day when the status quo is a good thing.  At the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century…it is clearly time to develop a bias toward what’s next.

Mark Howell is the founder of SmallGroupResources.net, committed to helping churches launch, build, and sustain healthy small group ministries. He's also the Community Life Pastor at Parkview Christian Church.  Having served as small group pastor at Woodlands Church and Lake Avenue Church, Mark is a seasoned veteran with experience in both the contemporary and the traditional church. In addition, he served as a consultant with Lifetogether and as a host for the Purpose Driven Campaign Coaching programs. You can read Mark's blog at www.markhowelllive.com or follow him on twitter.

Know Your Boundaries in Marriage

Anyone can fall morally

If you think that’s… “something you could NEVER do”  then you are one of those most vulnerable. We have to face the fact we live in a fallen world, and in the wrong place at the wrong time with the right person, we all could make a HUGE mistake.

So here’s the deal. Don’t go there! Set up predetermined boundaries that will allow you to “tap the brakes” before it’s to late.

Some good boundary ideas could be like…

• Other than your spouse, never be alone with someone of the opposite sex.
• Let your spouse read all electronic communications, E-mail, Facebook, Twitter and Texts
• If you are deleting Text msgs…Why? (Smells like trouble)
• Give a friend the password to your accounts, knowing they will check them
• Don’t take a second look! 3-second rule, then don’t look again.
• If you feel your spouse isn’t meeting a need…COMMUNICATE!
• If  a non-spouse says or does something that “attracts you” never speak with that person alone.
• Understand the needs of your spouse (“His needs Her needs” book is a good place to start) and be willing to change and adapt to meet them
• Talk with your spouse DAILY about things that are going on, and how you feel about things
• The above can be exhausting at times, but stick with it. You won’t be sorry

These are just a few, care to add any to the list?

Artie Davis wears a lot of hats and leads a lot of people. He's Pastor at Cornerstone Community Churchin Orangeburg, SC. He heads the Comb Network and the Sticks Conference. He speaks and writes about leadership, ministry, church-planting, and cultural diversity in the church. You can find his blog atArtieDavis.com or catch him on Twitter @artiedavis.

DISCERNING GOD’S CALL ON MY LIFE

"THE FACTS OF THE MATTER"

"A weekly letter of encouragement to business and professional men and women"

Good Morning!

DISCERNING GOD’S  CALL ON MY LIFE

Discerning the will and calling of God on our lives can be one of the most challenging areas in the life of a believer.  I remember having lunch with a highly respected pastor who confided that he was struggling with discerning the will of God. I remember thinking, “Good grief, if he has these questions, where does that leave me?”

Consider St. Paul’s strong emphasis on knowing the will of God:  “Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.”  (Eph. 5:14-17 – Amp.)

Below are some questions that may help you clarify God’s will and calling for your life: +

1.       What do I want to accomplish with my life? (See Jn. 4:34; 17:4; Act. 20:24; 2 Tim. 4:7,8)
2.       What are my spiritual gifts, natural talents, learned abilities?  (See Rom. 12:6-8; I Cor. 12:1-11, 28-31; 14:1-40; I Pet. 4:10, 11).
3.       What are my limitations, weaknesses, needs and issues?  (See Rom. 12:3; I Cor. 15:10)
4.       What is my capacity in terms of work, time, emotional and physical health?
5.       What phase of ministering to others am I most interested in? 
6.       What results has God given in my past ministry to people?  What results is God giving in my preset ministry to others?
7.       What ministry skills and training do I have?  To do what?
8.       What ministry needs exist in my context which I can meet?
9.       What are my personal development needs?  And how do I plan to address them?
10.   What indications do I have from God regarding His specific leading and call?

·         Past history of fruitful ministries.

·         Promises/verses or passages from the Word of God.

·         Peace of heart.

·         Where to minister; to whom; with whom.

11.   What burden or passion do I have for serving God?  To what? To whom? When?
12.   What affirmations do I have from others regarding their assessment of my areas of strength or specialty?
13.   What can hinder me from responding positively to God’s personal call on my life?
14.   With all that’s been happening in my life, how is God defining ministry for me?

+ Adapted from NavNews “What is your personal call?” - A newsletter of the Navigators Singapore – 12/02/2007

This week may you experience His grace, peace and protection! 

R. Dwight Hill 

Facts of the Matter © 2000 - 2011 R. Dwight Hill - www.factsofthematter.org - Unlimited permission to copy without altering text or profiteering is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.

“WE ARE THE LETTER”

August 17, 2011

"THE FACTS OF THE MATTER"

"A weekly letter of encouragement to business and professional men and women"

Good Morning!

“WE ARE THE LETTER”

“Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives…” (2 Cor. 3:2, 3 – Selected)

Jesus understood the power of example in influencing people.  In fact, he keyed off of the example of his heavenly Father: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (Jn. 5:19) (See Jn. 5:30; 14:24)

Jesus used the power of example to shape his disciples’ lives.  One study reveals that 80% of his three years of ministry was given to influencing them. The night before the cross he washed their feet, concluding with this powerful challenge: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”  (Jn. 13:15)  

Would the fact that 10 out of the 12 disciples were martyred for going to the ends of the earth proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah suggest that he had shaped their lives by his example?

Years later Peter wrote about Jesus’ example: “…Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (I Pet. 2:21)  He also wrote instructions to wives on how, through the power of example, to influence their deviant husbands: 

“Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.” (1 Pet. 3:1-4)

Edmund Burke wrote, “People will learn at the school of example and they will learn at none other.”

Think about how St. Paul forcefully shaped Timothy’s life by the power of his example: “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance….And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”  (2 Tim. 3:10a; 2:2)

Paul wrote to the Philippians about the importance of example:  “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”  (Phil. 3:17) The word pattern here means a proto type; a model.  (See Phil. 4:9; I Cor. 4:16; 11:1; 1Thes. 1:6; 2Thes. 3:7,9; Heb. 13:7.)

QUESTION: Are you able with a clear conscience to say to the people whom you are seeking to influence, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice…”? (Phil. 4:9a) Is your life in fact a “pattern” that others can observe and emulate toward becoming more Christ like?

This week may you experience His grace, peace and protection!

R. Dwight Hill

Facts of the Matter © 2000 - 2011 R. Dwight Hill - www.factsofthematter.org - Unlimited permission to copy without altering text or profiteering is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.

When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psa. 11:3)

"THE FACTS OF THE MATTER"

"A weekly letter of encouragement to business and professional men and women"

Good Morning!

“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psa. 11:3)

You and I are observing the erosion of the foundations of our civilization; a corrosion that threatens the very basis of the good life we have so enjoyed. Dostoevsky once wrote that if God did not exist, everything would be permitted. As you look around, it seems that much of our Western world has lost the awareness that God exists, and thus believes that anything is permitted. It often appears that the only spirit that we recognize is our own.

St. Paul, in looking out over the people of his age made this disturbing parallel observation: “…In the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power…” (2 Tim. 3:1b-5a).

C. S. Lewis in his book, The Abolition of Man viewed Western civilization’s disintegration with ever increasing catastrophic consequences. “We are in the process of losing our humanity. It happens that men and women who once were human are simply no longer so. They have become nothing but minds and matter, brains and bodies, computers and consumers, calculators and copulates, constructers and cloners, who believe that they are free and powerful but in fact are being destroyed by the very ‘Nature’ that they wish to conquer as they are enslaved to an oligarchy of ‘Conditioners’ who are themselves enslaved and destroyed by their insane strivings to defile, design, manage, and manipulate a world and a humanity bereft of the God who boundlessly loves them.” 1

As we experience this tsunami that is sweeping away our spiritual foundations, consider the following injunctions from the Scriptures for us to hold steady:

· "You shall not follow the masses in doing evil…” (Ex. 23:2a).

· “…You shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations [around you]” (Deut. 18:9b).

· “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould…” (Rom. 12:2a – Philips Trans.).

· “…Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (Jms. 4:4b).”

· “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance” (I Pet. 1:14).

· “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (I Jn. 2:15, 16).

QUESTION: Are you more than hungry for God? Starving? When the prodigal son was hungry, he went to feed on the husks. But when he was starving, he went to his father. So, my friend, let me ask you, are you hard after God, or just dabbling at it? I hope it is the former, because only that kind of desperate passion for God will keep you and me from succumbing to the crumbling spiritual foundations that surround us.

1 (First Things, Page 72, December 2007)

This week may you experience His grace, peace and protection!


R. Dwight Hill


Facts of the Matter © 2000 - 2011 R. Dwight Hill - www.factsofthematter.org - Unlimited permission to copy without altering text or profiteering is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.

THE POWER OF EXAMPLE TO INFLUENCE

Edmund Burke forcefully drove home the power of example to influence others in stating, “People will learn at the school of example and they will learn at none other.”  Most secularized people are not about to pick up a Bible and study it. Nor will they bother with church or religion.  But when they encounter Christ’s love, lived out authentically in compassionate service to them, it may well begin them on a journey that leads to encountering the Master. St. Paul affirmed the power of example to influence in penning, “Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you.  Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives…” (2 Cor. 3:2,3a)

Jesus imitated the example of his heavenly Father: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (Jn. 5:19) (See Jn. 5:30; 14:24)

Jesus then used the power of his example to shape his disciples’ lives.  For example, the night before the cross he washed their feet, concluding with this powerful challenge: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”  (Jn. 13:15)  

Would the fact that 10 out of the 12 disciples were martyred for going to the ends of the earth proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah suggest that he had shaped their lives by his example?

Thirty years after Jesus’ ascension Peter wrote about the importance Master’s example: “…Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (I Pet. 2:21)  He also wrote instructions to wives on how through the power of example, to influence their deviant husbands: 

“Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.”(1 Pet. 3:1-4) (See I Pet. 5:2,3)

Think about how St. Paul significantly shaped Timothy’s life by the power of his example: “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance….And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”  (2 Tim. 3:10a; 2:2)

Paul wrote to the Philippians about the importance of example:  “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to thepattern we gave you.”  (Phil. 3:17) The word pattern here means a proto type; a model. 

QUESTION: Are you able with a clear conscience to say to the people whom you are seeking to influence, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice…”? (Phil. 4:9a)  If not, why not?

This week may you experience His grace, peace and protection! 

R. Dwight Hill