Responsible Expansion

I don't think there is any doubt that the technological advances of our day should be maximized by the church. Through radio, television and the Internet we have greater opportunities to share the message of Jesus Christ with the world around us than ever. The problem, at least as I see it, is what do we really consider to be the message of Jesus Christ today? There is such a miss mash of presentations called Christian these days the message of Christ is becoming increasingly foggy. Anyone with a microphone and a couple of nickels can broadcast whatever they choose and call it a Christian program. Having so many people in our times that are too lazy to open up their own Bibles and think, this becomes a dangerous predicament. The increase of technological savvy cannot make us dependent on everyone else to think for us. Likewise, we have entered this arena of multiplied voices without any way of policing ourselves. How do we combat error when there is so much of it? Who is responsible for challenging irresponsible presentations that use the name of Jesus for selfish, manipulative purposes? How do we warn people against the dangers of being so overwhelmed with charisma until they forget Jesus Christ is the only celebrity in the church? Does writing a check to a TV broadcaster relieve us of the personal responsibility to preach the gospel to every creature? Technology should certainly be used to the glory of God, but we can't assume that everything labeled gospel really is Christ centered. Have a great day taking time to evaluate what you hear!

The Company We Keep

1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. It has been properly said many times that we are heavily impacted by the company we keep. The pressure that comes from our peers is usually connected with negative consequences. Peer pressure however, does not have to be a bad thing. When we look at the Bible model of togetherness it speaks of the power of positive peer pressure. The verse above talks about a group that had seen some things that kept them going. They heard some things that moved them toward a strong sense of togetherness. They were drawn close by the experiences they shared. It was such a powerful sense of unity that their desire was to see more people included in their group. The disciples had challenges but they were an overwhelmingly positive community. The company you keep can be just as strong an instrument to persuade you toward right behavior as it has worked to persuade folk to do the wrong thing. When you carefully choose the company you keep the rewards will last a lifetime. Have a great day wisely associating with others!

I Am Healed Monday

In John 14:12,13 Jesus says: "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. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." The Bible gives us some unbelievable promises and that is just our problem. Many of the things that Jesus has spoken are in our minds too good to be true and so we just adjust our faith down and act like they are not true. The works that Jesus did were healing the sick, delivering the oppressed, miraculously feeding the poor and even raising the dead. In the book of Acts the Apostles did these same things in Jesus name. We just cannot allow ourselves to be satisfied with what many of our modern churches have degenerated into. We don't ask for much. We don't declare our victory over much. We don't command things to align with God's word and it's all because we really don't believe this promise and others. Since Jesus Christ, who cannot lie, says those that believe will do the works that he did; the only logical conclusion is if we are not seeing the works is that we don't really believe.  I don't know any other way to say this, right on the verge of what most people would call crazy is where this miracle power gets released. Have a great day adjusting your faith up and not allowing it to be adjusted down.

Real Authority

There is a myth that is quickly exposed as untrue by anyone who has truly lived with responsibility. The myth is title or position comes with a commensurate amount of authority. Anyone who has tried to use authority before they actually have it has run into that wall. Real authority has to be in some measure earned. I found out early in my place of leadership that for a while pastoral authority meant the right to get blamed for something when it went wrong. People will not follow you until they trust you. True leadership simply means you have followers. A boss that is hated or feared isn't really leading anyone anywhere. That type of leadership may work when the hated leader is standing right there in front of those he threatens. On the other hand, if a boss is respected and trusted then an organization has a leader with real authority. I can't roll with everything Rev. Jessie Jackson says, but he hit the nail on the head with this one. "Don't use authority until you have it. Don't abuse it when you use it; and don't try to use it when you lose it." The truth is humility is the key to real authority. Just look at Jesus the greatest leader who ever walked the earth. He had all authority, but He never abused it. He was humble and multitudes followed Him everywhere. Have a great day walking in true authority which is balanced by humility!

The Main Thing

It's not easy to keep the main thing as the main thing when there are so many options in our contemporary world. A business exists to fill a need of it's customers. A hospital exists to bring health and recovery to it's patients. A church exists to see salvation and Christian development come to it's constituents. The challenge is for a group to refuse to abandon it's primary mission by adopting too many side causes. The biggest threat to the thing that is most important is something else that is important too. A cause can be picked out of the air these days and it is likely to be something that will be rallied around. We must be very careful however, that the causes we adopt do not take us away from the main thing we should be about. Jesus came as a shepherd to seek and to save the lost. If we are going to effectively represent Him than we must have that continually as our main agenda item. Seeing unsaved people find the precious salvation that Jesus purchased with His blood and then grow strong in Him is the main thing. Let's not get lost in so many side issues that we forget what we are here for. Have a great day lifting up the light in a dark world!

I Am Healed Monday

A persistent pursuit is an important element in seeing the healing power of God manifest. The woman that had the issue of blood spent a bunch of money on doctors, but she didn't stop there. She believed that Jesus could do something about her illness, but she didn't stop there. She determined to touch the hem of his garment, but she didn't stop with a mental determination. She had to press through crowds of people, in her sick condition, but still she pursued Him. She finally gets to where He was and touched His clothes. Upon her touch of the border of His robe she was instantly made well. It's hard to recount this lady's story without seeing the persistence she demonstrated. This was a woman that made up her mind that she was going to do everything necessary to get well. I submit that it is easier for us to access the healing favor of God than it was for this woman. We have the written word of God with multiplied promises. We have the Holy Spirit living right inside of us. We have a resurrected savior who has a track record of healing the sick. The question is do we have the constitution to persistently pursue what we need from God? We don't have to pry things out of the hand of God. God is a giver. We do have our own doubts to overcome. We do have a world of skepticism to press past. We do have other things that battle us for prioritized supremacy. God works through our faith. I'm discovering that a true place of faith is a much more difficult thing to arrive at then we sometimes think. When we really believe there is something that clicks inside of us, like it did for this woman, that refuses to be denied. Have a great day determining to pray on until the answer comes.

Whatever It Is, You Can Do It!

We can become so prone to focussing our attention on the negative. We can point out every flaw in others. We can become obsessed with our own weaknesses. It can be so easy to look at what can't be done instead of the many strengths that we and our associates do have. If we could only aspire toward something better and look harder at our strengths things would improve by leaps and bounds. Everyone of us can do something well. There is not time to be jealous of someone else. We don't have the luxury anymore of wasting time doing things we cannot do. We are not in a contest, but a concert. The Bible says "to one is given..." "To another is given..." We each have a God given ability that we can operate in effectively. You can do your thing well enough not to worry about somebody else's thing. If we could only learn to do what we do well and then compliment that with what others do well we could set the world on fire. Have a great day running well in your own lane!