5 Steps to Seeing Miracles in Your Life

Step 1.  You can do nothing for God that is worthwhile and eternal while you live without Jesus in your life.  Salvation is the first step to becoming a Godly instrument which Jesus can use in miraculous ways.

Ephesians 2:6-10 “6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
^{7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:}
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Step 2. To do God’s work you must know His overall strategy and guidelines.  That is found in His scriptures, The Bible.  Knowing what God has written in the scriptures is  essential.  It is the key to knowing God’s Heart.  I suggest you read the Bible everyday and let God speak to you through it.

2 Timothy 3:16  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

Step 3.  Listen to God.  Yes, God does speak to people, but we to often do not hear Him.  When you accepted Christ as your savior, it was because you heard a still small voice in your heart calling you to Him.  When someone is called to the pastorate or to be a missionary, it is because they heard the voice of God calling them into that work.  You can hear Him also.  His voice to you might be that still small voice, or a vision, or a conviction.  His communication to us is multifaceted.

Don’t just read the Bible, read and listen for His voice.  The Bible gives you God’s strategy, but hearing His voice gives you the tactical information from God for the details of what God plans for you.  His voice will never go against what The Bible says.  The two work together.

John 10:27  “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”

Step 4.  Abide in Him.  You can be a Christian, who has the Bible memorized and hears God speaking to them, but you must live your life in His presence.  The word abide means to conform and wait patiently in a fixed place.  It means becoming Christ-like in your life.  It is sacrificing your selfish desires for His Loving desires.  This is a painful step, because it means dying to your self-interest, but it is a necessary step if we are to gain God’s best in our lives.

“Romans 12: 1-2  1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Step 5. Do only what you see Him doing.  I admit I would love to see visions of God doing something and follow His leading in that way.  Sadly, He does not give visions to everyone, but Jesus does show Himself to those who abide in Him.  How God communicates with you is up to Him.

You might be in the cash register line, and God urges you to tell the cashier, “I believe God has told me that your son will be fine.”  You might not have any idea who this person is, but God wants that cashier to hear through you that her son, who was in a car accident, will be alright.

John 14:21  “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

God will manifest Himself in you in miraculous ways if you follow these steps.  He has promised that you not only can do great works ,but that you can do even greater works then He did.

John 14: 12-14 “12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it”

Photo Credit: Kelly Shepherd Crying by Transguyjay

I Just Want Jesus

I just want the Lord in my life.

I love God.  Nothing profound in that statement, and yet it is the heart and soul of my being. I want nothing else except Him.  What can compare to God?

I do not care about seeing healings and miracles.  I would rather see His face.  Feeling that tingly feeling of His glory around me is great, but I would rather feel my hand in His.  I yearn to hear His voice and feel His arms wrapped around me. 

I am thankful for all He has given to me and all He will give to me. He has blessed me far beyond what I could have ever dreamed.  My life on earth has been worth living because of Him.  If God never had promised Heaven with its streets of Gold, foundations of precious gems, a great mansion and angels as servants, I would be happy to just have known Him in this life. 

His presence in my life is all that matters.  I would rather spend one minute in His presence than to live eternally in Heaven without God there.  Heaven is Heaven only because God lives there and not because of anything else.

All I am saying in this blog is that Jesus loves me so much, and I could never love Him enough.  I don’t care if He never does another thing for me ever again except to love me, I will love Him. I just want to be with Him.

David and Goliath; Who Really Won?

Just about everyone knows the story of David and Goliath.  I read that story, and feel sorry for this little guy who goes out on the battle field and gets trounced.  He doesn't know what hit him.  He might as well have gone out there naked holding a feather to fight with.  It's kind of sad to see the little guy overwhelmingly defeated.  Poor Goliath.

You see this may be the story of David and Goliath, but its the battle of God and Goliath.  Goliath never stood a chance.  He thought he was fighting some peach fuzz faced boy who had never fought against another man, but actually Goliath was doing battle with the all powerful, immortal, King of the Universe.  The God, whose very words could create or destroy, was to decide the fate of this little human warrior arrayed in his worthless armor and wielding his ineffective weapons.

David was merely the vessel God used to kill Goliath.  David knew better then to go into battle with this Giant alone.   David never threatened Goliath with his skills.  He wasn't out there in his own power or ever the power of King Saul.  Goliath had not insulted David or the Israeli armies. He had defied God Himself. David was there in the name of the Lord.  David simply stepped out in faith that God would deliver Goliath into his hands. 

1 Samuel 17: 45-46  45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

Today the church has many Goliaths coming at us.  We plan and organize our resistance against them. We organize rallies,  training sessions, conferences, meeting and marches.  We find political candidates to promote whom we find closest to our beliefs.  We do everything humanly possible.

What we need to do is find out what God says, and let Him fight the battle.  He very well might have you organize something, but then you will be doing it with Him, instead of alone. Then you will stand in the middle of the battlefield with God's strength and skills.  Let your Goliath fight God.  He is the one whom they are defying, and He is the one who should fight the battle.  

Photo Credit: Tiziano Vecelli - David and Goliath by Shimbleshanks1

The Obstacle to Revival is Christians.

If revival is being withheld from us it is because some idol remains still enthroned; because we still insist in placing our reliance in human schemes; because we still refuse to face the unchangeable truth that, 'It is not by might, but by My Spirit.   Jonathan Goforth

What is the biggest obstacle to a revival?  Answer: Us.

God’s power is under His authority, and we have our own will.  As long as we allow our will to live, God cannot  control our ways.  If we are not under His authority, then how can He entrust us with His power?  If we do not have the power of God working in our lives, how can He use us to bring revival?

How do we bring revival? We can try to bring about a revival by making elaborate plans.  We would organize who will do what, and gather all the materials we think will be necessary.  Educate people on what to do and say so they have the “right techniques."  We set the time and bring in charimatic speakers who can preach powerful messages.  We have 24-hour  prayer going on to prepare the souls of those who attend.  Everything is in its place, and everything is absolutely perfect, except for one thing.  No one has turned to God for the guidance and power for the Revival.  We made all the plans ourselves and trust in our own strength.  We need to rest in God and not in any of our own efforts.  We didn’t allow God to work within us to bring about His power for the revival.  God still might work in some people's hearts, but not in the powerful manner He truly desires.

There is one question we really need to answer.  Is living our lives, the way we want, worth the loss of hundreds of souls?  Our prayers, plans and witness, should be filled with the power of God as He directs us in the way we should go.  It could make the difference in the eternal lives of our friends, relatives and in the lives of anyone who meets us.  Are we willing to sacrifice ourselves for others?  Is the loss of the control of our lives and will, worth giving if it means gaining eternal life for even one other person?

Are you willing to be Christ to those around you?  Are you willing to fulfill Luke 9:23 in your life?

 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Photo Credit: the Big Gospel Tent revival by Brit

The Marriage of Knowledge and Spirit

I once knew a Drake University professor who had worked on The Dead Seas scrolls.  He knew the scriptures in English, Greek, Hebrew and Arabic.  This man knew doctrine and could tell you more about what the Bible said then anyone I knew.

I cannot say how much of the Bible he believed, but I know he did not believe that salvation comes through Jesus Christ. This man knew all the facts, and yet he was not a Christian. He did not have the Holy Spirit within him to help him to understand what the scriptures say.

James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

There are Christians in churches all over the world who know very little about the Scripture, but the Holy Spirit is leading them. He has them telling their friends about Jesus and bringing them to Christ.  They are led to give to others who are in need and do things in God’s name.  These baby Christians are following Christ with a love and enthusiasm which should shame the rest of us.

However, they do not know the facts of what the Bible says and what doctrines say they should believe.  They could still be living in a sin because they do not know what the scriptures say about it.  They are like helpless lambs who are wandering around oblivious to what God has decreed in His Word.

We cannot  have just the facts and knowledge without the Spirit, also we cannot  have just the Spirit without the facts and knowledge.  The two must go together.  I have been saying that Christians go about their lives based upon facts, experience and knowledge using their own wisdom and strength.  They give lip service to the Spirit, but they do not truly follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The problem is not in what they know but in how that knowledge is used.  We must not think that we can do God’s work on our own.

Zechariah 4:6 “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”

The more knowledge and experiences we have, the more tools the Holy Spirit can use in our lives to do His will.  We need to know the scripture.  Memorizing verses is a wonderful thing.  Knowing where to find verses that support what you believe will strengthen you.  The more facts we know the better.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

Do not disparage knowing the facts about God and His word, but do not ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit as well.  They are both essential to a living, growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Photo Credit: Holy Spirit by kelsey_lovefusionphoto

Humanistic Christianity

“Humanism : a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; especially : a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason.”  Merriam-Webster

Does that definition fit you?  It fits most Christians.  A humanist Christian is someone who believes in Christ, but rejects the power of God in their life.  Their Christian lives revolve around doing things for God under their own power.  They can have the best intentions and even get some good results, but it is all humanistic based.

When I was a young Christian, I went to a Church meeting where we started the meeting without prayer and were trying to find a solution to a problem.  I suggested we pray about it, but the pastor put me down saying, “No! We need to find out what we should do first and then ask God to bless it.” That is humanism. Anytime we try to do something on our own wisdom, or strength, we are saying we have what it takes to do God’s work, without God.

We think the answers to the Christian ministry are in such things as, what techniques to use when witnessing; What small-group  dynamics work best; Memorizing Scriptures; Charisma of a speaker; Bible training and education.  Not one of these things are bad, if God leads in these areas, but when we rely on them to fulfill the work of God, we are relying on human effort instead of on God.

Jesus knew the Scriptures and doctrines.  He quoted scripture often and walked out the law in everything he did.  If anyone was wise enough to do what was best it was Jesus.  John 5:19 says, “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

Even Jesus, the Son of God would not do anything under his own power or wisdom.  He only did what he saw his own father do.  If he didn’t do the work of God on his own, than why do we think we can?

We have been raised to believe in ourselves, our wisdom, knowledge, education, experience and hard work.  We see the challenges and immediately search for solutions that will work in this world of ours.  We get advice from books, mentors, the internet, universities, and other worldly approved methods.

We must begin to listen to God first before we try to do anything for God.  He is speaking to us, but we must listen.  We must learn to hear that still small voice and distinguish it from our own.  People say God doesn’t speak to people today, and yet they believe pastors are called by God.  God does speak.  We just don’t listen.

Note: This post is based on my reading of the book” Viral Jesus by Ross Rohde

Photo Credit: First: believe in yourself. Then: achieve! by Felicelam

Knowing the Bible is Important. Knowing Jesus is Crucial.

I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was in the US Navy Boot Camp.  I accepted him simply so I would not go to Hell.  I did not do anything about Jesus until about six months later when I met some Christians, who were with the Navigator Ministry.  Sometime I will have to tell about that story but for now, let me just say, God used the Navigators to show me about the basics of being a Christian.  I am so thankful for what I learned in those days from them.

That was when I learned about reading and memorizing the Bible.  We did Bible studies and learned all sorts of facts about what I should believe. I learned about witnessing, praying, fellowship and all sorts of things I should be doing or not doing.  I learned a lot that was very valuable but while I learned to know the Bible, I never learned to know Jesus.

I learned facts about Jesus and what he said.  I knew the doctrines about him and what he taught.  I could tell you who he was, what he did, what he said, and even what he wore, but it was all facts about Jesus which I knew; not him personally.

I have learned that prayer is not just talking to him, it is talking with him.  It is listening as well as talking.  I have learned to wait to hear that still small voice and not go off on my own power to try to do things for God.  He is more than just a person out of history to learn about.  Jesus truly is here with me.  I can feel his presence and hear his voice.  He laughs; he cries; he comforts, and he sometimes has to scold me.  He is truly my one and only Best Friend Forever.

Photo Credit: The Bible by Brent Nelson

Prophetic Word of Trusting in Jesus

August of 2010 I shared with 6 people a word that I believed was from the Lord.  I only felt led to share it with those few people and have not said anything since.  I felt this last few days that I should share this word in my blog.   If I was to write this today, I would have started it with "These are the words I believe I heard from The Lord, to His Children"  I know I can make errors.  I am not changing anything in it even though I feel a couple of changes could say things a little clearer.  For example in the next to last paragraph a sentence says   "I have chosen one who shall bring forth death and destruction with them."  It does not mean that death and destruction will come from the chosen one but it will come with them.


So here is the word I received almost 2 years ago.  Do not believe it, in and of itself.  It is worthless on its own.  But if others agree and confirm this to you apart from this blog, then take heed.

These are the words of THE LORD to my Children.  Hear them and do not fear.  I call you to know me, so that you will find rest and comfort.  In Heaven, there is no fear and no sadness.  This is not because of anything I give to my children.  Streets of gold do not cast out fear.  Pearly gates do not wipe away tears.  Angel servants do not bring happiness.  There is no fear only to those who rest in me.  True happiness is found only in my intimate presence.  You may heal a nation, or raise a thousand people from the dead, yet not know me.  My power can flow through you like water, but if that is where you find your joy, than you are as an empty vessel.  Joy is found in me and not in the gifts of love I give to you.  If you had all of Heaven to live in for eternity, but I was not present, would it really be Heaven?  Do not be satisfied with the lowly things I give you, but only in intimately knowing my presence.

The days ahead of you are ones of testing.  Many will fall to the side of the road and give up.  Others who call me Lord will curse my Name.  The day of your birth was no accident.  I have called you forth for these days.  Rest in me, and I will bring you through the fire.  Trust in the world, or trust in yourself, and you will surely die.  I am your Hope.

I have set forth my choice of a man to be your President.  Have I erred in my choice?  In your wisdom, you say he should not lead you.  You speak against him and say he is a curse upon you.  Your lips pray for him but your words fall to the floor.  Your heart curses him and I hear you.  He is my man for this office, at this hour.  I did not consult with you about my choice.  You call my wisdom foolishness.  Your heart is hardened against me.

You say, “Let us rise up and cast out those who come against us.  Let us lay in wait so that we can raise up a leader who we approve of.  One who will bless us.”  Oh foolish children, why are you so deceived?  Many, who are against you, will be cast out.  I call them out and I am calling others to fill their offices.  Do not think it is by your power that these things shall happen.  When you lay in wait, to bring forth a new leader whom you believe will bring back justice and righteousness, I will stop you.  I have chosen one who shall bring forth death and destruction with them.  Demons shall run through the lands deceiving, destroying and killing.  The days will become darker and not lighter.  The clouds will be thick with the darkness of death.

I am here.  I hold out my arms to you.  I welcome you to my rest.  I shall lift you up and hold you to my bosom.  You shall find nothing to fear when you are in my arms.  I am the tower of your strength.  Nothing can come against you while you are within me.  Death holds no power with me.  I have defeated death.  I have the victory.  You have the honor of sharing in my victory.  Come and let us fight as one.  Rest upon my strong arm, and you shall not be disappointed.

On a final note, this word is not one of doom but of hope.  The hope is that even in terrible times God is there and desires you to rest in Him, trust Him and Him alone.  

The Kingdom of God in our Lives.

The Kingdom of God is working in the life of every Christian who will simply listen to the Spirit's voice.  To show how the Kingdom is suppose to work I want you to read the following posts.  The first one is from the blog, Richard's Road.

Coming back to Vanuatu has been a great joy.  God continues to lead and guide and it is incredible to be tossed about in His perfect timing.
While in the Melbourne airport we had the great pleasure of waiting for repairs to be done on our plane.  Who doesn't LOVE that, right?  We then got to hear that our flight had to be canceld for the night and would take off the next morning. More fun news.... but as always, God has His plan and we have ours right...so along with His plan...

After the commotion of going down to baggage claim and getting all of our 11 bags back onto trollies, I notice that a Ni-Van couple was having trouble locating some of their luggage.  Because I am nosey (yep, just tellin it how it is people)  I had noticed that they were looking for a couple items that I knew were in "oversized baggage" claims and so I went over and in Bislama (which TOTALLY threw her for a loop...this random white chick coming up and speaking her language, with a lot of flaws mind you...it has been a whole year for me lol) explained to her where she could find her other luggage.

So we pull and push our luggage trollies through the airport and customs and then through to our hotel on the other side of the street from the airport.  All the while I had the strong feeling that I really should have just invited this other family to tag along with us as then we could all figure out what we were supposed to do and where to be together.  But I didn't force it as I didn't want them to feel like they needed to be with us.

So and hourish later we find ourselves (us and Laura) sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for room assignments.  I finally cannot numb the feeling that I should make sure this family got to where they needed to be....so I suggested to Hought (yep, so kind of me right?) that he should go down to the airport and make sure they found their hotel etc.

Hought heads that way and long story shortish, he finds that they havn't been able to find their hotel for TOTALLY good reasons because it was on the other side of the parking garage for the airport!  So he is able to point them in the right direction.  Just a fun little way of meeting people ya know?

The second part, which shows how God uses this event, is found in the blog, Psalm96three.

Our container came the 26th of March  and floated in the bay for a day waiting for an opening at the wharf.  Vila Bay's pretty, hey?  From here it landed as scheduled the 27th of March at the wharf and was offloaded the next day.  In the meantime we'd run around town getting duty and customs exemptions and finding an agent to clear customs, paid our fees to our clearance agent, the ship agent, the wharf, quarantine, and to customs and brought our paperwork around to each place. 

 Where things started getting fun though was at the wharf.  When I went inside, I was originally going to one teller but she directed me to go to the other, who took my paperwork, but then recognized me as we were chatting.  I hadn't recognized her, but she remembered me as being with Houghton, who Gretchen had sent off to help this woman and her husband and their small boy in the confusion at the airport in Melbourne, Australia, when our flight to Vanuatu March 8 was canceled for repairs. (previous blog story)

We carried on not thinking again about the situation until Roselyn (the teller) recognized me at the wharf in Vanuatu!  In this case it was me out of my league, not really knowing the process and her who was helpful in guiding the way.  Interestingly, the form our clearance agent had printed out for us listed a wharf price of nearly $400 more than what Roselyn charged us.  Not only that, but because of the relationship, it meant that rather than Houghton and I driving across town multiple times a day (which we'd been doing for all the other agencies we'd already visited), I could call and organize things over the phone with her.  She arranged for our container to be moved to a clear place for inspection and took pains to insure it didn't have another on top of it or beside it.  She also later arranged for us to borrow a forklift and operator, which we hadn't figured we'd have access to in Vanuatu. 

God provides some pretty interesting connections, doesn't He?  Praise Him for the cancellation of the flight and the chance to build a relationship with Roselyn prior to our shipment!  She'd like to get together to hang out so please pray for further opportunities to get to know her and her family better.

When we follow Christ, His miraculous ways appear.

Why our Pastors are Exhausted

If you have read what I have posted lately you might think I am against Pastors and large congregations.  You might think I want to see only House Churches where there is no leader at all.  Not at all.

If we were doing church correctly, we would have everyone using their spiritual gifts.  Everyone would be seeking God’s leading and guidance for everything in their lives, big or small.  The church would be out there telling people about Christ.  The church would be visiting the sick, the widows, and those in need. The church would be teaching about the Bible and how to make disciples.  The pastor would only have to make sure his congregation was doing things scripturally and in order.  He could help encourage and guide the congregation to do the work of Christ.

As it is now, pastors work more hours than almost anyone in their church.  They get burned out and leave the ministry.  The burden we place on our pastors is more than God ever planned, and it is because we are not looking to the scriptures to see how the church is to function.

On Sunday, you probably go to a church building and have a church service.  You have an order of service (if it isn’t written in the bulletin it is probably still set up how long singing will be, when the offer is, when the sermon begins and heaven help us if it does not end in time).  A leader (usually the pastor) gives the sermon and if you have something to say you don’t dare to speak up because that would be “out of order”

This is not the way God has set up the Church.  This is the way man has.  Man is the one who put a pastor as the one to lead and plan the church service.   He has to spend hours of his time getting ready for each service, and we expect him to do much more outside of the Sunday services. We place too much burden on the pastor.  If God was leading everyone's church service what would happen?

God desires to lead your Church in everything it does, but if God came and led your Sunday church service, what would be different?  I would love to hear from you. Write in the comments what you think would happen?  If He is leading your Sunday service, then, please comment on what happens in your service.

Photo credit: 40+293 Snooze by bark

Rejecting God's Wisdom for Man's

I admit it.  I am starting to see more clearly why my son-in-law Travis thinks the way he does.  He has a house church which he helps facilitate.  He is ordained (because the state requires that for him to perform certain things such as marrying people), but he refuses to be called pastor or reverend.  I would wonder why a title like Pastor Travis or even Elder Travis would irritate him so much.  I think I now understand and agree with him.

The way the early church was set up, everyone was led by the Holy Spirit.  Certain people might make sure their time together was in order and scriptural, but they all had equal access to God, His wisdom and His power.

The first time we find that the early church started getting into hierarchical practices is found in a letter from Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians. In the letter, written around 107 AD, he says, “It is manifest, therefore, that we should look upon the bishop even as we would upon the Lord Himself.”

These few words were a dramatic shift from Paul, who said in Colossians 2: 20-23:
²⁰ Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
²¹ (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
²² Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
²³ Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.”


Paul told the Colossians that they were no longer part of their old life under Jewish rules and traditions, but subject to Christ. They were not under constraints placed on them by men, but they were to listen to God and obey His word.

When a heirarchical system was placed upon the church, man replaced God to lead the church.  Man’s wisdom became more desirable than God’s wisdom.

Who is the most respected and Biblically knowledgeable person in your church?  The Pastor? Is he better than everyone else?  Does he hear God’s voice better? Does your pastor’s word carry more weight then that little old lady in the corner?

We are respecters of persons, and the pastor is one of the people we look to first for answers in the Church.  If you had to choose between what is recommended from the pastor, or that little old lady in the corner, you would give the pastor’s recommendation more weight.  That is because in our eyes, he is better than the little old lady.  This is not right.

We are all priests (1 Peter 2:9) and have equal access to God.  We should not do as Ignatius said and “look upon the bishop even as we would upon the Lord Himself.”  Every man is fallible, even the priest, pastors and elders of our churches.  The power of God is not in their hands alone, but in every believer of Jesus Christ.

House churches have it right when it comes to leadership.  Jesus is the leader, and He can use anyone in the church he desires, to bring about His word and will.

Note: This post is based on my reading of the book” Viral Jesus by Ross Rohde


Photo Credit: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Worship Service by htlcto

The Leadership of the Church

John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”


Here is a News Flash for you: The early Church was very different than the Church today.  You read that and think, “Duh! What do you expect? Different governments, different culture, different church organization, different economics and different problems.”

There is really only one key difference between most of the church today and the church 2000 years ago.  We have different leadership now then we had back in the early Church.  Lets look at how the church leadership changed.

Early church: House churches with deacons and elders.  Apostles founded churches.
About 97 AD: Apostolic succession. Series of bishops succeeding one another.
Between 98-117 AD: Single bishop.
Before 225 AD: Concept of clergy first appears in writing.
After 313 AD: Hierarchical leadership.
About 327 AD: Church buildings.
About 347 AD: Services with order of worship and sermon.
Before 373 AD: Ordination.

This all seems pretty normal to the modern-day  Christian.  If someone from the early church was to see what we are doing, I wonder what they would think.

We are like the nation of Israel in the time of the judges.  In 1 Samuel 8, they called for Samuel to give them a king. They wanted a man to lead them, just like the other nations had.  Samuel didn’t like this but God told him in verse 7: “And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

We also seek human leadership to know what is best for us instead of going to God.  We trust our pastors to have the answers we need.  We look to the preacher to tell us what God says.  We sit with Sunday School teachers to hear what the scriptures say and mean.  We look to men of flesh to guide us.  We hope in seminaries and Bible Schools to teach people how to lead a church.

When the early church sought out answers, it did what the scriptures said and went to God.  Jesus promised that the Holy spirit would “guide us into all truth.” God gives answers and the power to fulfill the answer.  We simply need to trust and rest in Him.  To trust in man is not wise.  God said in Psalms 118:8 “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

Which is more trustworthy?  An invisible God, or your flesh and blood pastor who stands before you?  No matter how knowledgeable, loving and hardworking he might be, your pastor, and everyone else, cannot  come close to being equal to God.

Note: This post is based on my reading of the book” Viral Jesus by Ross Rohde


Photo Credit: he Pope, Il Papa at Epiphany mass by TheCreativePenn

Why We Do Not See God’s Power in the West. Part 3

Matthew 28: 18-20 “¹⁸ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

One reason we don’t see God’s power is because we do not know who we are.  From the Hellenistic viewpoint, you are just a single person no different or greater than anyone else.  Being a Christian merely means someone who will get to Heaven some day.  The world has denigrated you to another face in the crowd. 

When you end your prayer, “In Jesus's name" do you know what you are saying?  I think we tack those words onto the end of our prayers without really understanding what we are doing.

If a king sent an emissary to someone, and that person went “In the name of the King” it was as if the king himself was there in person.  What the emissary said or did was as if the king himself said and did it.  If the person commanded something, it was as if the king had spoken it himself.  If he insulted someone, it was as if the king, himself has done the insult.

We are God’s emissary in this world according to 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

This is a heavy responsibility which God has given to us.  We are here in this world representing Jesus Christ.  Just as Jesus walked the earth, we are to walk the earth.  Just as Jesus spoke to the people, we are to speak to the people.  We are the body of Christ, in the flesh, in the world today.  Do not ever think of yourself merely another person in the world who is a nobody.  Each Christian has a God given purpose to fulfill as if Jesus Himself was here to fulfill that mission.

God does not send you out powerless.  Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”  If the Holy Spirit lives in you, then you have that same power within you now.  All power was given to Jesus, and all power is now available to you when you need it.

A Hellenistic viewpoint says, “You have to live in this world under your own power, wisdom and knowledge.”  Jesus says, “You are my ambassador.  Go in my name teaching all nations.  I will be with you in power so you can fulfill your mission.

Read Part 1 of this post here 

Read Part 2 of this post here.

Note: This post is based on my reading of the book” Viral Jesus by Ross Rohde

Photo Credit: Aristotle by Nick in exsilio

Why We Do Not See God’s Power in the West. Part 2

From Wikipedia: Mysticism ( pronunciation from the Greek μυστικός, mystikos, meaning 'an initiate') is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, or levels of being, or aspects of reality, beyond normal human perception, including experience of and even communion with a supreme being.

When I think of Mysticism and Mystics, I imagine someone reads ancient books that weigh a ton and lives in a cold dark stone castle.  They gather with other mystics in a room with a pentagram painted on the floor and candles on top of skulls all around the room.  They go into a trance, and a spirit starts to speak through one of them.  “Sacrifice a virgin to me or I will destroy you.”

I am not like that at all.  I like to think of myself as a grounded person who has nothing to do with mysticism and all the creepy and odd things associated with it.  When I hear of someone who is a mystic I think of someone spooky and weird.  This is my western way of thinking and not the Biblical way of thinking.
Read that definition of mysticism.  A mystic perceives something beyond human perception (using the senses), including experiencing and even communicating with a supreme being.  Isn’t that what we as Christians are to do everyday? Aren’t we suppose to be experiencing and communicating with God everyday?
Jesus said in John 5: 19-20:


¹⁹ Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.


²⁰ For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

Jesus was a mystic.  He saw God doing things and then Jesus would do the same.  He had a life full of listening and seeing God work.  He experienced God every moment of his life. Not only was Jesus a mystic, but he made provisions for us to be mystics like him.  John 15: 5-15 basically says, “I am going back to God my father, but I will send you the Holy Spirit so you can be a mystic like me.”

Without the Holy Spirit, we would not have the power of God within us, but today anyone who is a believer in Christ as their Savior has the power of God within him.  They have exactly the same power which was in Jesus as he walked the earth.

Your western Hellenistic thinking is telling you that is crazy.  You can’t heal people by praying.  You cannot raise the dead.  When was the last time you fed 5000 with a few fish and loaves of bread? You cannot  do the miracles of Christ.

John 14:12 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Do you believe on Jesus?  If you do, this verse applies to you.  Now the decision is yours to make.  Are you going to believe your Hellenistic philosophy which you have based your life upon or are you going to believe your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

Read Part 1 of this post here.
Read Part 3 of this post here.

Note: This post is based on my reading of the book” Viral Jesus by Ross Rohde


Photo Credit: Aristotle by Nick in exsilio

Why We Do Not See God’s Power in the West. Part 1

We in the west are blinded by our Hellenistic viewpoint.  The Hellenistic world view assumes that anything man cannot rationally understand, measure, or record must be a figment of the imagination.  It views man as a rational being who can understand the world and everything in it.

The Hellenistic viewpoint is the foundational thinking for the Western world, including the Christians.  That makes God something we study, talk about and analyze.  It is how we think about everything and everyone.  We decide what is true by what we can see, touch, test and understand.  We view God more as a thing then as a person.  He is something we try to comprehend, not a person to interrelate with.

What this does to our faith as Christians is that we don’t accept His Supernatural power as something for us today.  We only see the things of the world, and only give lip service to the supernatural. The spiritual is also around us and just as real as the ground beneath us.  As a result of our blindness to the spiritual, we lose sight of the very purpose for which we were designed by God.  We no longer seek that close and loving relationship with Him.

Another area where our Hellenistic thinking has led us, is into believing that we can rationally understand what is said in The Scriptures.  We read the Bible and use our own knowledge and wisdom to try to decipher what it says.  This type of thinking has created many of today’s denominations and cults.  People have written books about the secret codes in the Bible which they have deciphered.  The mind of man is wondrous and imaginative, but it is also easily deceived.

God is the one who had the Scriptures written, and He is the one who knows what it says.  We need to listen to what He has to say to us.  We cannot  understand God’s heart without being close to Him and listening to the words He speaks to our hearts.  We have to accept the truth that God is working today in miraculous ways.

Read Part 2 of this post here.
Read Part 3 of this post here.

Note: This post is based on my reading of the book” Viral Jesus by Ross Rohde


Photo Credit: Aristotle by Nick in exsilio

Biblical Teachers; Guardians of the Truth.

The God given ministry of teaching is more than the ability to help someone learn about God and His Word.  Their desire is that Biblical Truth is taught.

God has given me a heart to teach.  I love to teach the Bible.  What pains me is when I hear someone preaching or teaching to others and what they say is not what is written in the Scriptures.  I want to stand up and yell, “That is not what it says.”

Even small deviations cause me to cringe.  I have heard good preachers preaching a great sermon about something Biblical and then use a scripture out of context to show their point.  There were other verses they could use that were in context so why did they use a verse which actually did not prove their point?
People will read a verse and expound on it, but the meaning of the words in the verse are not what they are say.  Exodus 15:23 uses the word “sweet” to describe how water was changed from bitter to sweet.  Sweet water is not water that tastes like sugar has been added.  It means it is fresh water which people can drink.

I hear so many things said about the scriptures that is not true or is used wrong.  I don’t usually say anything simply because I would be correcting people constantly.  If someone says something which I see as undermining the foundational truths of scripture, I cannot  let that pass and must speak up.

What is important is that Christians are growing in understanding God and His will for them.  Teachers must know the scriptures.  They are the ones who stand guard over God’s truth.  Their heart is to see Christians learn of God and know the truth of God’s heart.

To read about the other ministries of Ephesians 4:11 click on the links below:
Apostle
Prophet
Evangelist
Pastor

This post is based upon the book "Viral Jesus" by Ross Rohde 

Photo Credit: Words by tempestuousseas

The Shepherds of the Church

In the Bible, a Pastor is not a positional title but a spiritual gift.  The Greek word for pastor is also the same word for shepherd.  God has given him the skills, training, experiences and heart to shepherd God’s sheep.

Many church pastors have great admin skills, ability to preach and teach, and are great leaders, but it is very possible that the pastor does not have the spiritual gift of pastoring.  Our term for pastor is not always the same as God’s.

A pastor can be anyone in the church.  They do not have to be the leader of a group of Christians.  God’s idea of who to give gifts to might not agree with our ideas.  A pastor equips the body of Christ in times of pain and suffering.  When a Christian is wounded and broken, the pastor comes along side them to help mend and comfort them.  The Pastor knows how to mend broken relationships.  They have the wisdom of God to sooth and comfort the emotionally wounded.  The pastor has empathy for the grieving hearted.  Their language is the language of the heart.

To read about other ministry gifts, please click the word below:
Apostles
Prophets
Evangelists
Teachers

This post is based upon the book "Viral Jesus" by Ross Rohde 

Photo Credit: selbstinszinierung durch fremdbestimmung by der bobbel

Evangelists are Essential.

If you are a Christian, and you have a friend who is a Non-Christian, do you know how to bring them to Christ?  Can you take them step by step to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?  Do you know scriptures to share?  How to pray the sinner's prayer with them?

Too often we feel we are inadequate.  We are too scared to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone so instead we invite them to an Evangelistic service or to our church where the minister and preach and lead our friend to Christ.  Even worse, most of the time we just keep quiet and let them go their way, knowing that their path leads to eternal damnation.

I am sure there are people who are called by God to be evangelist but feel uncomfortable, and even afraid to talk to people about Christ. “ Someone else is called to that ministry, not me.  I don’t feel comfortable telling someone about Jesus.”

If you feel self conscious talking before a crowd of people, you can join a local Toast Masters group. They will help you get over your fear of public speaking.  Many great speakers have had a fear of public speaking, but they became great orators.   God calls those who are weak to do great things.  Fear is no excuse to refuse to take the mantle which God gives you.

Everyone is called to evangelize, but not everyone is an evangelist.  An evangelist is not someone who does all the evangelizing. An evangelist is trained in sharing The Gospel, but they not only know how to share their faith, but are able to equip others to share their faith as well.  One of the best ways is to take people along to assist as the evangelist shares the gospel.  As the trainee matures, and gets experience and training, he can then share the gospel with confidence on their own.  They can return and tell the church what happened for the purpose of edification and community involvement.  The evangelist can then give helpful ideas on how to be more effective.  The life of an evangelist revolves around The Gospel.

God has given the Church evangelist, but most of the church has no vision for evangelism. If the church is to grow it requires all five ministries of Ephesians 4:11.  Evangelism is the key to the church's growth. We need the evangelist to come forward and teach Christians how to share their faith.
Blog post about other ministries:

Apostle
Prophet
Pastor
Teachers

This post is based upon the book "Viral Jesus" by Ross Rohde 

Photo Credit: Kevin sharing the gospel to a student by Global Tribe