The Christian Financial Alliance was created to help readers.  The idea is simple: Create a panel of biblical finance gurus, who take seriously the call to teach the Bible accurately with grace and truth.  Once a month, we post a question with responses from our panel to provide you with well-rounded, sound, biblical advice.  For more information, or to join our team, go to Christian Financial Alliance.

What is one thing a Christian should keep in mind while thinking about/planning for retirement?

 To me, the questions isn’t what we should remember to plan for during retirement, it is ‘Is retirement a Biblical concept?’.  If we are going to truly walk in the calling that God has given us, that will never stop.  If we are in a J.O.B. that we are counting down the days to retirement from, then we are in the wrong place.  Our calling should radiate out of every part of us, it should be what drives us and ultimately, if we are living in our callings, I think it will provide for us financially.  If we are doing what we love and doing what God has called us to, why would we ever stop?

I am actually glad that this question was asked.  Many times I think as Christians, we get so caught up in the worlds systems.  Systems of politics, education, health care, entertainment, and especially – financially.  Retirement is somewhat of a new phenomena, starting just after the end of the industrial revolution as manufacturing companies began to include pensions for their workers.

I strongly believe that people are put on the earth for a purpose.  If you can find that purpose and pour yourself into it with everything you have, I believe you will live a fulfilling and prosperous life.  I also believe that once we stop living a purposeful life, our quality of life will deteriorate.  Lets look at 3 examples.

Bear Bryant

Was the longtime Alabama University football coach.  He lived from September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983.  The Hall of Fame coach was on the sidelines for the last time during his teams bowl game.  After the game he retired and was quoted as saying he would ‘probably croak within a week’ when asked what he would do during retirement.  Four weeks later he passed a routine health check-up and the next day he went back to the doctor complaining of check pains.  He died the next day.  He had coached for 46 years.

Andy Rooney

The long time 60 Minutes contributor.  He lived from January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011.  The legendary 60 Minutes commentator worked on the 60 Minutes team for 33 years.  Less than 5 weeks from airing his last broadcast, Andy Rooney died from complications of an unknown surgery.

Joe Paterno

The longtime Penn State football coach recently died after loosing his battle with cancer.  He lived from December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012.  Paterno had coached at Penn State for 61 years.  In November Paterno revealed that he had a very treatable form of lung Cancer, as a matter of fact he was suppose to make a complete recovery, later it was revealed that his cancer was in remission. After announcing in November he would step down as the football coach at the end of the year, the school fired Paterno immediately, stating that he would not be finishing the season as coach, due to a recent scandal that he had become associated with.  Three months later Paterno was hospitalized due to complications from his cancer and 9 days later he died.  Paterno recognized what happened to Bear Bryant could happen to him if he ever stepped away from football.  This is from an interviewer:

First, Patrick played a replay of an interview he had in 2008 with Brent Musburger, who talked about Paterno not wanting to be like Bear Bryant.

“Joe is fearful he will not be with us if he stepped away,” Musburger said in 2008. “He’s a man who doesn’t fish, doesn’t play golf, and has no other interests than his family and football. He’s just afraid what would happen to the rest of his life if he walked away from it. He and I have talked extensively about it.”

Whats the point?  We are here for a purpose, we are here to fulfill a role on the earth.  When we walk in our callings and are fulfilling our purpose we will be successful and we will flourish in that area.  Once our job on this earth is finished (ie Jesus on the cross, ‘It is finished’ John 19:30) then it’s time for us to move on to the next stage of life.  I don’t look at retirement as the ‘golden years’.  Our life is to be humbly submitted to Christ, it is no longer our lives.  To set aside our time and our money to relax and rest after a life of hard work, is not what I think Christ is calling us to,  I believe that Christ is calling us to a rich and fulfilling life that is filled with adventure and fulfillment up until that last day.  I think our entire life is to be filled with purpose and kingdom building work until the day we die.

What should Christians Keep in Mind While Planning for Retirement?  Don’t plan on retirement.

Related posts:

1. CFA July Question: Defining Biblical Generosity

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

A while back I was on Lance Walnau's web site, LanceLearning.com, and he was promoting a free download if you registered for his free newsletter.  Since I was interested in his site, I was considering the newsletter anyway, but what really got my attention was what he was offering.  It was a PDF download of the 50 Commands of Christ.  This sounded pretty interesting to me, so I went ahead and signed up for his newsletter (which I would suggest you do as well).

To be honest, I have had the download for a while now, but I never got around to reading it.  It was one of those things that I knew I wanted to sit down and really take the time to look at it, but that sometime wasn't now.  However, recently I saw it again and it caught my eye.

One of the things that I really appreciated about this PDF was that Lance starts off by giving 9 Promises that Jesus gives to those who obey His commands.  These nine things that Lance mentions are all very good things that we all want in our life.  Every one of the promises Lance mentions also has a Bible verses next to it.  As I looked through these promises, things like God's Love, peace, true joy, purification,  answers to prayer, I knew, I wanted to know more about what Christ's commands were.

 The first command that Lance mentions is to be reconciled to others.  The second command is to not commit adultery, the third is to keep your word.  If you thought you were keeping Christ's commands, it get's a little tricky around number six, which is to be perfect.  This is when it hits me, I can never fulfill all of Christ's commands.  

In all of the entire New Testament, Jesus gives us 50 simple commands, He doesn't say what music to listen to, what to wear, what to drive, Jesus never tells us not to drink or do drugs.  As a matter of fact, Scripture doesn't tell us who to marry, where to live, or even what job we should have.  Now I know that 50 commands may seem like a lot to think about, but if we had to list all of the rules and commands of our Christian sub-culture, I can assure you we could come up with more than 50.  To be honest I stopped reading after number 6.  I need more time to reflect on each command as I read them.

What I cannot get out of my head though, is that I can't even get past number 6 on the list.  As a matter of fact, if we were to measure ourselves according to the measurement that Jesus will use against us, how many of us can get past number 1?  If I can't keep the first one, is there any use trying to keep all 50 at once?  Of course we can accomplish all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13), but it gives us perspective of what Christ is actually asking of us, as Christians.  He doesn't want a half hearted effort.  He want's all of us.

I would highly encourage you to all go out and sign up for Lance's newsletter so that you can download the PDF as well.  Yes, I did link to the PDF, but why not support the guy who put it together?  If you don't like it you can unsubscribe later.  After downloading the PDF and taking a look at it, come back and leave a comment.  How well are you keeping the commands of Christ?

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: A Good Name is More Desirable Than Great Riches

The Christian Financial Alliance was created to help readers.  The idea is simple: Create a panel of biblical finance gurus, who take seriously the call to teach the Bible accurately with grace and truth.  Once a month, we post a question with responses from our panel to provide you with well-rounded, sound, biblical advice.  For more information, or to join our team, go to Christian Financial Alliance.

How do you define Biblical generosity?

I think there are many personal, views on what is or is not generous.  One example is to bring up the idea of what we should tip a restaurant server.  Your views will be all over the map.  How much is right, is more than 10% too much, should you tip generously or based on some criteria, etc.  The questions that always seems left un-answered is, 'What is the motivation of your heart?  We can not truly be generous if the motivation of our heart isn't based on love.  1 Corinthians 13:1 says that we can essentially do any good work possible, but it's worthless if we don't have love.

To me, there is one very straightforward answer that we can find in scripture.  The passage can be found in Luke 10:25-37, everyone knows the parable of the Good Samaritan.  It's the story of a Samaritan (who was hated by the Jews), stopping alongside the road, and helping and providing for a Jew, someone that socially despised him.  This is the present day equivalent of a well known political nemesis, the star player on the team that just beat your team, or someone from a different religion as you.  And what Jesus is asking you to do is this, stop what your doing, help them out, and provide for their needs.  There is only one way that we are able to meet the scriptural example of being generous.  We must love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31), and we must be willing to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

Being generous is an attitude of our heart, it's based out of love, and comes from within.  The Biblical example of being generous is seeing a need and doing what you can to meet that need.  Does someone you know have an outstanding bill that needs paid?  Do you see people who can't afford new clothes?  Is there someone who has faced with fixing something that recently broke.  In these examples, can we pay their bill, take them shopping, or help fix or replace what is broken?  If our life, not just our answer is yes, then I think we are living a Biblically generous lifestyle.

I don't think we can live a Biblically generous lifestyle as long as we have the mindset that we own things.  Everything of ours must be surrendered to the Lord.  We can't have the mindset that  we have a job, we go to work, and we earn a living, so what we earn is our own.  We must live in such a way as to recognize that everything in the earth is the Lords (Psalms 24:1).

Throughout scripture there are many names attributed to the Lord.  Each of these names reveal something specific about the Lord.  One of the names revealed in scripture, is the name Jehovah-Jireh, which literally translates 'The Lord will provide'.  If we recognize that the Lord is our provider, everything we have is because of Him and from Him, and that we don't own anything ourselves, I believe we will be much more likely to give of ourselves and our possessions. In the end, I think that Biblical Generosity is an attitude.  It comes from two places, it comes from an understanding that what we have doesn't belong to us, and it comes from loving others as ourselves.  Here is a short, challenging video on generous giving by Francis Chan.

You can watch several more video's on Generous Giving.

Related posts:

1. Christian Financial Alliance Core Beliefs

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

While watching the Brennan Manning video below, I was thinking about a particular story he told.  He talked about having the opportunity to pray over someone and anointing that person with oil.  Many times as Christians we want a minister or pastor to pray over us and anoint us.

The reason we want other ministers to pray for us is simple, we think that minister will have more favor with God or has some gift that will have a positive impact on our life.  The reality is, this very well may be true, that God may bless that particular person.  The Lord wants to move through that ministers life.  The fact that the minister is praying for you may mean that God will meet whatever need you were pursuing at that time.  God may chose to bless the ministers prayer for you simply because of the favor He has for the person praying for you.  However, this is not because God loves that person more than you, but because the minister has sought out God's presence and a relationship with Him.

The reality is, the Lord is inviting you to this same relationship that He has with the minister.  By seeking out the Lord, spending time in His presence, and getting to know Him, we have the same access to God that any other minister or preacher has.  As a matter of fact, this is the very relationship that the Lord is calling us to.  He wants to pour His anointing and presence all over us.  When the Lord does this, we will see answers to prayers for those we are praying for.

Will you allow yourself to seek God and pursue Him for the sake of receiving Him?  This is what He is asking of us today. 

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: Who do You Think God is?
2. Matthew’s Mind: Waiting on God
3. Matthew’s Mind: God’s View of You

Recently, DiscipleshipGuy joined the Christian Financial Alliance.  This alliance is focused on  defining a set of core beliefs regarding biblical finance and holding ourselves accountable to it.  The great part about this is simple:  There are many bloggers in the blog-o-sper who claim to base their financial principals on sound Christian advice / doctrine.  However, how can we know what they are basing their beliefs on?  The Christian Financial Alliance gives us a guideline on 20 Core Beliefs that we can keep bloggers accountable to (all who join the alliance that is).

I was just thinking about this issue of how can we know if someone is really offering sound, Christian, Biblical, financial advice, when I found this alliance.  Rob Kuban is the founder of the Christian Financial Alliance, and one of the things I have really appreciated about these Core Beliefs is the overall balance in these Beliefs.  Here are the 20 Core Beliefs of the Christian Financial Alliance:

1. I believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). My heart, soul, mind, and strength seek to glorify God through the pursuit of Christ, and it is my hope that my life and financial management will reflect this fundamental purpose (Luke 10:27).
2. I believe the Bible is the supreme authority and source of truth and instruction for Christians; therefore, I seek to root my financial teaching in the truth of God’s word (2 Tim. 3:14-17).
3. I believe stewardship does not equal salvation (Acts 8:20). We are saved by grace alone through faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9). No financial action can save a soul (Matt 16:24-26).
4. I believe God owns everything (Ps. 89:11) and I am merely a steward of His resources for His purposes (Luke 12:42).
5. I believe the heart is the focus of the New Testament’s instruction regarding money (2 Cor. 9:7). This does not make obedience contingent upon our feelings, but calls our attention to focus on the intentions of our heart (Prov. 21:2).
6. I strive to be rich towards God (Luke 12:21) and not place my hope or trust in riches (Rev. 3:17-19).
7. I seek to serve God as my master, not money (Matt. 6:24).
8. I believe how we spend our money reveals what our heart treasures; therefore, if God’s kingdom has its rightful place in our hearts, it should show up in our budget (Matt. 6:21).
9. I believe prosperity is not the purpose of Christianity (John 6:29). It is a gift that God may or may not choose to give (1 Sam. 2:7), and should be handled with generosity and humility recognizing that to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).
10. I believe Christians are called to be content in all circumstances (Phil. 4:11) because God has given us everything we need in Christ (2 Pet. 1:3).
11. I believe we are called to be wise stewards of resources (Luke 12:42) but not consumed with a love of money (1 Tim. 6:10).
12. I believe stewardship, generosity, and contentment are fruits of a deeper walk with Christ, not ends in themselves (1 John 5:21). I seek first His kingdom and wait for the rest to be added (Matt. 6:33).
13. I believe the Bible does not speak highly of the bondage caused by debt (Prov. 22:7); therefore, it should-if nothing else-be approached with extreme caution (Prov. 22:26-27).
14. I believe Christians are called to be generous (Acts 20:35) to their family (1 Tim. 5:8), God’s kingdom (1 Cor. 9:14), and those in need (1 John 3:17). After these things, we are free to spend money on ourselves (Prov. 10:22).
15. I believe heavenly reward awaits those who choose to invest in God’s kingdom (Luke 12:33), and whether or not God chooses to bestow earthly reward is up to Him (Job 1:21).
16. I believe integrity is more important than financial gain (Prov. 10:2).
17. I believe money can be a blessing and a curse depending on the heart of its holder (Luke 6:44-45).
18. I believe that the way we handle our money should be a testimony of our devotion to God not a distraction from Him (Col. 3:17).
19. I believe there are many things in life that are more important than money (Prov. 23:4-5).
20. I believe true riches are found in Christ alone (Eph. 3:8).

Source: DollarsandDoctrine.com

Related posts:

1. CFA July Question: Defining Biblical Generosity

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

I have had a frightening thought that I have struggled with for as long as I remember.  I have always wondered what the difference was between the Jews that walked the earth during Jesus times vs. present day, largely American, Christians.  I have often wondered about this because growing up I didn't see a lot of difference between the world and Christians.  I constantly battled with this idea that all I had to do to be saved was accept Jesus as my savior and that was it.  That was the difference between me and the unbeliever.  Almost every Christian I knew judged how good they were based on their actions, as if salvation was by our good (or lack of bad) works.

Growing up, Christianity was a works based religion.  No one I knew really knew Jesus personally, we said we did, because we were taught that we had to know Him personally to go to Heaven.  So if we wanted to go to Heaven, we said we knew Jesus personally, but who actually did know Him personally, and is that even really possible?  And when we think about it, what was the difference between our present day pastors and the Pharisees and Sadducees from Biblical times? I struggled with these thoughts constantly. 

Yesterday I watched a YouTube video on the rapture from a highly controversial minister, who said some highly controversial things (Go Figure?).  However, one thing that this man said really stuck out to me.  He said that the only people Jesus ever gave a hard time to where the religious leaders.  He also talked about how Jesus sent Peter to the Gentiles (through the vision on the rooftop), the very people the Jews tended to hate.  I thought a lot about this all of last night.  As I am thinking back on the people Jesus hung out with, it was the tax collectors, the prostitute, He taught on loving your neighbor (the Samaritans – a hated group), the lower level society types (His Disciples), etc.  Who did Jesus condemn? It was the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Religious Leaders of the day.  Jesus called them the broad of vipers, He tore apart the Temple, and constantly exposed holes in their theology through His teaching and debates with them.  However, we never see Jesus doing this with the unbeliever.

All of these thoughts began to bring me right back to where I started growing up.  What makes us different from the people who lived during the Bible times.  As Christians it seems like we are doing the same things that the Jews were doing.  Obviously many of you would disagree with me if I said we hated the following groups, but I will let you chose the words that describe how you feel towards the following groups:

• Liberals
• Homosexuals
• Prostitutes
• Drug Dealers
• Child Abusers
• Sexual Offenders
• Muslims
• Buddhists
• Catholics, Charismatics, Evangelicals, Fundamentalists (which groups don't look like yours?)
• Mormons
• Scientologists
• Jehovah Witnesses
• Illegal Aliens
• Homeless
• Anyone else?

What about if we named names?

• Hitler
• Osama Bin Laden
• Saddam Hussein
• President Obama or Bush?
• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
• Stalin

When I think about a lot of these people / groups, I wonder if these are the people that Jesus would be hanging out with?  These are the kind of people He targeted in His day.  This is why so many Jews had a hard time with Him.  One of the things I thought about a lot last night was this, 'Are we the exact opposite of who Jesus was/is?'  Do I hate who He spent time with and not judge those who He judged?  Do I think that I am ok because I go to church, listen to church pastors who heap us down with legalistic laws that aren't even Biblical?  If you don't think this happens ask yourself this question, 'Where in the Bible does it say not to drink alcohol?  Is there any place in the Bible that tells you directly that you should drink alcohol?  Does this line up with what your taught or what your pastor says?  Isn't this the exact same thing that Jesus criticized the Jews for?

Many may ask, aren't we suppose to refrain from the types of things that the people do in your list?  Sure, we are suppose to refrain from sinning in every way, but we are not to refrain from the people.  I think Christians would be more successful spending time with the people and loving them.  As a result we may get them saved, and then we can show them how to live.  Instead, we tend to tell people how they should live and then we try to convert them when they have more hostile feeling for us.

In a teaching on how to hear God's voice, Mark Virkler (Communion WIth God Ministries) said the the Lord said that he was a Pharisee.  Mark Virkler didn't like that very much and set out to find a book that would tell him what a Pharisee was or how they lived, that way he could prove he was not a Pharisee.  When he went to the local bookstore to find some books, he couldn't find a single book on what it meant to be a Pharisee.  Mark then pointed out that this is a weak point within the Body of Christ that we have thousands of books on systematic theology and every other kind of theology, but we don't have any books that teach us how to avoid becoming a Pharisee.

I think Mark Virkler makes a valid point, if we want to avoid being the kind of people that Jesus rebuked we are going to have to take a long, hard, honest, look at ourselves.  Do you hate the people Jesus spent time with?  Do you view yourself the ways the Jews saw themselves, do you think your safe because of what you do or what you believe?

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: Christian Thoughts
2. Matthew’s Mind: When Someone Becomes Saved…
3. Matthew’s Mind: The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

Just recently I had a situation occur, which had a less than ideal ending.  Something happened that really upset a friend of mine, and he responded by saying to me, 'Matt, it doesn't matter if it was your fault, it still reflects on you.'  Without going into the entire ordeal, I will just say that I didn't do the thing that my friend was upset about.  However, after I got off the phone with my friend I was still pretty upset.  I was sitting on the couch messing around with some apps on my phone, and I was praying about the situation.  I kept arguing with myself and asking God whether or not it really reflected on me or not.

In Proverbs 22:1, it says,

'A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.'

As I kept on thinking about this idea of having a good name, I couldn't help but apply it to my recent conversation with my friend.  As I really pondered this idea of having a good name, I wondered about everything that it could apply to, and what kind of value it had to people and to God.  I can't really explain the revelation that God was giving me, but I started to understand why this was important to God.

There were several things that God did reveal to me about a good name, things I am able to put into words.

1. How I live, greatly effect how others see me.  This should be pretty obvious, but many times we don't think that people will know what really goes on.  Many times we take shortcuts that we don't think people will see, but God sees, and many times, others do as well.
2. For guys who are married, how your family acts and approaches life, reflects on you and your name.  This is why it's important for us to have our house in order.  When our kids act out in public, this reflects not just on the kids, but the parent's also.
3. How we live reflects on God, since we are His children.  At least it shapes how others view God.  This is why many people refuse to become Christians.  People see the way we live, the shortcuts we take, and the way we treat family, and they don't see an answer to the problems in their own lives.

Honestly, we probably all come up with things that we do every day that reflect on our name, but why is a good name more desirable than riches?  I am glad you asked.  This is actually a very easy question to answer when you think about it.  What is there in life that you wouldn't trade for money?  There are several things we should all be able to come up with:

1. Our families
2. Our faith
3. Our friends (we hope)

In addition to the list above, there are many things that a good name can provide for us.  If we maintain a good name, there is a chance that at some point that could provide riches.  We all know of stories or people where the good person was given opportunities that others weren't given because of their reputation.  Many times promotions at work or recognition for outstanding accomplishments go to those who are hard workers and have been diligent.  Money may or may not provide those opportunities for some, but if you have a good name then you don't have to try to buy those things.  A good name also provides trust in relationships – something that can't be bought.  A good name can also provide a clear conscience, something we know money can't buy.

In the end we are left with the realization that a good name can get you riches, but riches can't get you a good name.  It can also provide you with opportunities that you never knew existed.  I think a good way to look at it is this:  if you have riches then you could have money, opportunities, and recognition.  If you have a good name, you can still end up with those things, but you get everything else thrown in.

How important is a good name to you?

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: Great People of God suffer much
2. Matthew’s Mind: Are We Pharisees?
3. Matthew’s Mind: The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

I was sitting in the prayer room one day watching someone lead a worship set.  A couple days prior someone told me that the particular person who was leading the prayer set had set themselves aside for celibacy.  While I watched them play I began to get offended.  I wasn’t really sure why I was getting offended, but the more I watched the person play I started getting more and more offended.  There were many things going through my mind, many were very ridiculous…

One of my thoughts was that the person had kept themselves in very good condition, was an attractive person, and seemed to be very talented.  Thoughts that the person was witholding themselves from pleasure and experiences for what?  I thought that it was a waste.  Why was that person withholding themselves from such great experiences.  Don’t they value having kids?  The Bible says that children are a gift from God, in fact many times people equated the amount of kids they had with how blessed they were, the more children the more blessing.  Why was this person giving that up?  Why were they hiding themselves from what you and I experience every day?

One of the things I was told about this person was that this person had to hide themselves as a way of keeping themselves out of the eye of everyone and to help them-self remain single.  The more active and a part of community they would become the harder it would be to remain single.  With this knowledge the person decided to refrain from the glamour and fame that they could otherwise had.  Ironically there is a song written about this very issue.  It's called I Will Waste My Life off of the album Relentless and it's by Misty Edwards who is a full time worship leader and intercessor out of the IHOP-KC Missions Base

As I started thinking about this I thought about everyday life experiences that would be done alone, going home to an empty house, keeping a low profile to help maintain this person’s singleness.  They had already thought about and strategies on how to attain this goal, but why?  What is the pay off?  A holier than though?  A 'I am better than everyone else?'  We can look at them and say wow, look what that person is doing, isn’t it great?  But I don’t know if I think it’s great, what if I think it’s a waste?  I know all the Biblical things that people will say, the Christianeese, but I didn’t care about all that.  Paul talks about this topic in depth in 1 Corinthians 7, indicating that to some God gives the gift of celibacy, but I don’t know that the life is better, I am still not convinced.  And this is where Jesus reveals why my mind is offended.

My mind is offended because it is still a very carnal mind, and the value I place on total surrender and total giving up of my wishes, desires, etc, for Christ I thought was a waste.  This tells me the value I put on Christ.  God wanted me to see where my mind places value, and so far, it’s still very worldly in it’s judgement's.  I know that in Heaven, and within the minds of some who are Holy they will see the beauty in it, but I just wasn’t seeing it.  Thus the offense.

Here are the lyrics to Misty's song:

I will waste my life I'll be tested and tried
With no regrets inside of me to find I'm at Your feet

I'll leave my father's house and I'll leave my mother
I'll leave all I have known and I'll have no other

Chorus
I am in love with You There is no cost
I am in love with You There is no loss
I am in love with You I want to take Your name
I am in love with You I want to cling to You Jesus
Just let me cling to You Jesus

I'll say goodbye to my father my mother
I'll turn my back on every other lover and
I'll press on yes I'll press on

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: God Wants to Give You His Anointing…
2. Matthew’s Mind: Jesus is Alive
3. Matthew’s Mind: When Someone Becomes Saved…

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

Recently,the Orlando House of Prayer (OHOP) hosted their February Awaken the Bride (ATB) service.  During that ATB We had worship leader Marcus Meier and speaker Wes Hall from IHOP-KC come to OHOP.  During the conference there were several people healed of physical injuries, as well as people experiencing Holy Joy and Laughter.  While this is something that itself is highly controversial, this isn't the topic of my post today.

As someone from a very conservative evangelical background, it's always easy for me to want to sit back, watch other people, and try to 'discern/' if what is going on is really from the Lord or not.  Truthfully, most of the time this is not discernment, but rather a critical spirit.  I don't know why I feel like it's my job to make sure everything that happens is kosher, as if I have a perspective that encompasses all of the Bible.  Yet, this is what I do.

On several occasions during the service the speaker Wes Hall said, 'Don't sit there and watch what's going on with everyone else, participate in what the Lord is doing so you don't miss what He has for you.'  I think that most ministers must say that at some point during their ministry sessions, but for some reason, this time it really stuck out to me.

Without getting into the whole dialogue of whether or not God moves in the way my church experienced at this conference, if God is moving, don't we want to be a part of it?  I kept on sitting there wondering what was happening, wondering if certain things were real or not.  Yet, I never wondered, 'What is God saying to me and what does He want to do for me right now?'  If I had the foresight to ask God what it is He want's to do inside of me (not trying to figure out what He is doing in others) it seems that I would be much better off.  Yet this reality hasn't sunk in to me yet, and so I sit there and judge other people and wonder what God is doing instead of actively participating in His presence.

A week or so after this conference I was talking with a friend about what went on and he made an interesting statement.  He said, 'People are either manifesting in the spirit or they are manifesting in the flesh, but either way they are manifesting.'  As I thought about this I thought about who the group was that was manifesting in the flesh was.  The conclusion changed my view of how I typically judge things like this.

People who were manifesting in the flesh could have been people who were getting ministered to, or people like me who were just sitting back and watching critically what was going on.  Likewise, those who were manifesting in the spirit could be those who were being ministered to, or they could be people that decided to hang back and just allow God to minister to them in their seats, essentially they looked just like me on the outside.  It was what was going on in the inside that differenciated us.

This is why it is so hard to judge other people, because we can't possibly have all the facts involved.  This has done something to me though, it has stirred me to want to be a participant in what God is doing.  Whether I understand what God is doing or not is not the point.

The point is, in whatever it is, whenever it is, will I decide to participate in what God is doing, or will I be a spectator?  Really, even if everything going on around me is of the flesh, it's still up to me to discern what it is God want's to do with me, and then participate with Him.  My participation with what God is doing with me, should not, and is not, dependent of what people around me are doing.  What do you think?

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: God’s View of You
2. Matthew’s Mind: A Good Name is More Desirable Than Great Riches
3. Matthew’s Mind: When Someone Becomes Saved…

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

Do you want to make a difference with your life?  Do you want to make yourself like Christ? Do you want to see people's lives changed?  These are great things to strive for and the good news is that they are achievable.  The way you can accomplish these things is very simple.  Serve people. 

Do you want to be a success in anything?  Serve with truth.  Serve with your heart.  If you can do these two things, you will be in position to be like Christ.  Jesus was the ultimate servant, even to the point of washing His disciples feet (John 13:1-17).  

Too many times we try to overcome others, or we step on others to get ahead, we even use others to accomplish our own goals, etc.  However, you will attract much more attention (read customers if your in business) as a servant.  You will attract many more friends and goodwill from other by serving those around you, than you will by using those around you for your own benefit.  You will also become more like Christ as you humble yourself and put others before yourself.  First be concerned with others and then you will be taken care of also.

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: Living the way Jesus Lived…
2. Matthew’s Mind: The 50 Commands of Christ
3. Matthew’s Mind: God’s Sovereignty

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

Why is it that our view of people changes once they experience their conversion to Christianity?

Most of the time it seems like it's because they were a sinner before, and now they are saved.  So, we rejoice at their conversion and begin to allow our trust for them to grow.  As this happens we become less skeptical of them and we begin to see them as a new creation and not who they were.  This happens to a greater degree if the person's life shows a greater amount of change.  To some degree we even begin to love them and accept them for who they are, even their current struggles, because after all, we know where they came from and we accept them.  Would you agree?

Why is it that we only begin to love and accept them after their conversion?  The only answer I could come up with is because they are now one of us.  A Christian, they think like us, believe like us, and are becoming overall more like us.  And we tend to do better around people are like us and have the same world view, goals, and idea's.  After all, what's wrong with that?

The answer is this: Just about everything is wrong with that.  In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus the parable of the Good Samaritan to the Pharisees.  Most of us know the story and the background, but just in case you don't here is the synopsis.  Jesus uses a Samaritan to provide an example of a person who was a neighbor to someone.  However, Samaritan's were people that the Jew's didn't associate with, they called them dogs, and didn't even like to talk about them.  Which is precisely why Jesus used them in His parable.  The point was to show the religious leaders that being a brother to someone who you don't like, or even worse, people we hate.  This Samaritan person wasn't a Jew, therefore the Jew's would have considered them unclean, and therefore probably going to hell.

Aren't the un-saved the exact people that Jesus was talking about in His parable?  Aren't these the people we avoid, despise, and even hate?  They are the drunks, the prostitutes, drug-addicts, maybe even people from other religions/denominations from us???  According to Jesus, shouldn't we already be loving these people, caring for their needs, not be so skeptical of them, and even accept them for who they are?  Brennan Manning talks about this issue somewhere around minute mark 35, but the entire video is worth watching.

What would it look like if every person we met, saved or un-saved, Christian or non-Christian, we treated the same as our closest friends and we cared for them, helped them with their needs, and even invited them into our homes?  What if we loved them the same way we loved our family?  What if the only thing that changed when someone was saved, was that we threw a huge celebration party for them because now they were going to heaven with us, and they meant so much to us that we couldn't contain our joy that this person that we loved so dear, finally had their name written in the book of life?

I think that we would have a lot more people who would want to become Christians.  I think that we would finally have the same love and heart for people that Jesus had for people.  I think we would see a lot more people getting saved.

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: God’s View of You
2. Matthew’s Mind: Are you a Spectator or Participant?
3. Matthew’s Mind: Want to Make a Difference?

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

Listening to people like Heidi Baker, Bill Johnson, Mike Bickle, and others, you realize that they have years of preaching experience.  They have many years of theological study, and training.  Yet, many time they still spend hours upon hours preparing for sermons and conferences praying, listening, and waiting on the Lord for direction. The question is why?  Why not just use an older sermon or talk?

Couldn't their experience or training lend them a sermon to preach on?  Do they really need to spend all that time and effort? And then it hits you… They have come to a place in their lives where they recognize that they can no longer do anything of value on their own.  They realize that the only thing that matters is what the Lord is doing. And so these ministers (and many others) relent to waiting on the Lord for what He wants to say, because even with all they appear to have, they know they have nothing to offer.

No related posts.

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

As I was reading the book called Waiting on God by Andrew Murray, I was considering what it is that we are suppose to do and what not to do.  I won't rehash all of that because I have already written about it here.  However, this led me to think about what is is that we do, that causes us to be religious, and I think it's much simpler than we often times think.  

The religious spirit comes from not walking in the path that the Father has asked you to walk in.  Jesus did many things, but everything He did came out of one thing.  Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing.  Many times I am sure that Jesus (being God Himself) might have thought He knew how the Father was going to handle a situation, after all He had experienced many things in His life.  There are times in life where I try to predict what I think God is going to do based on what He has done in the past.

This slight change, this idea of knowing what God will do or trying to do something out of our own strength is where religion creeps in.  As a matter of fact, anytime we do something out of our own strength or we try to know about God instead of knowing God, we are in danger of walking into religion.  As soon as we try to find out more ABOUT God instead of KNOWING God, we walk in religion.

Think about it, when we learn about His gifts we get religious about using the gifts and missing out on knowing Him.  When we try to read the Bible to find our spirituality we get religious.  When we try to figure out how God is going to provide for our needs based on what He has done in the past, we are getting religious.  How can we prevent ourselves from becoming religious?

While, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), the Father is always doing something in a new way.  It's who He is, He is always revealing something new about Himself to us.  The best way to avoid religion is to avoid doing things the same way they have been done before.  Look instead at what God is calling you to do today, He is new for you today.

One last example to drive this point home.  In the Old Testament Israel faced many battles with many different nations, but God never had them conquer a nation the same way twice.  In the battle of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-27) God had Israel march around the city seven times while blowing their trumpets.  In Joshua 10:13 God has the sun stand still.  In the victory at Makkeda in Joshua 10:16 God has Israel attack their enemy from behind.  In the battle of Ai the Israelites were suppose to run like they were afraid and have the enemy chase them.  Then once they the men of AI went past the Israelites hiding in the forest, the Israelites who were running scared turned around and attacked the enemy and they were completely surrounded from the front and the rear (Joshua 8:1-29).  In Judges 7:1-25 God tells Gideon to have most of his army leave.  Then Gideon goes into the camp and hears about a dream that some of the enemy soldiers are having of Gideon coming and destroying them and the army ends up destroying itself.

There are many more examples of how God chose to defeat the enemies but the point is this, God is doing a new thing.  If we seek Him first then we will have relationship with Him.  If we try to figure God out, assume we know how He operates, and we get ahead of God, or we fail to listen to what He is saying to us today, then we are in danger of walking in a religious spirit.  Walking in a religious spirit will also bring judgment on others because we assume that they should be doing what we are doing.  However, if all we do is walk in His presence and be obedient to what He has for us today, and we allow others to do the same, we won't walk in religion or judgment of others.

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: Waiting on God

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

Recently I have been spending a lot of time thinking about what I want in life, what are my goals, passions, and preferences.  This has been coming up lately specifically because we have been praying and seeking the Lord on what our next step is in life.  I recently completed a ministry internship with the Orlando House of Prayer (OHOP) and now we are praying about what is next.

The two primary options are:

1. Continue living in Orlando, FL.  This would include finding a job and a new place to stay
2. Moving to Indiana to become a part of a church, as well as finding employement and housing

(Click here to read about our decision on Moving to Indiana)

One day as I was driving in the car, I started praying about all the things that I long for and desire.  Things like where I live, where I go to church, what kinds of things I have, where I work, etc.  Basically it was a whole bunch of, 'God, this is what I want.'  And while it was truthful and to some extent I was geniunely pouring out my heart to God, it was also very selfish.  As I started to pray again about what I wanted, the song Boasting by Lecrae, (From the Album Rehab) came on, and it really started to get to me.

Here are some of the lyrics to the song:

If this life has anything to gain at all
I count it lost if I can't hear you, feel you, 'cause I need you
Can't walk this earth alone
I recognize I am not my own, so before I fall
I need to hear you, feel you, as I live to make my boast in you alone

Last part of Verse 1:
And I will boast in the cross, I boast in my pains
I will boast in the sunshine, boast in his reign (rain)
What's my life if it's not praising you
Another dollar in my bank account of vain pursuit, I do
not count my life as any value or precious at all
Let me finish my race, let me answer my call

Bridge:
Glory was solely meant for you
Doing what no one else could do
With all I have to give, (With all I have to give)
I'll use my life, I'll use my lips (My Lips, Yaaa)
I'll only glory in your Word
What gift to me I don't deserve
I'll live in such a way that it reflects to you, my Praise

When those lyrics came on and Lecrae started singing I really felt convicted.  I about started crying right there in the car.  Here I am driving in my car giving God my 'Me List' and Lecrae is singing about boasting in weakness, giving up everything to praise God and give Him glory, and counting everything lost if he can't hear or feel God.  In that moment my mind wondered if I would count everything lost just so I could hear of feel God?

Would I give up my car, house, job, cell phone, computer and internet, just so I could hear and feel God?  I wanted to say Lecrae, take it easy on me man.  Then I remembered what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:30, 'If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.' (ESV).  Paul really talks about boasting for most of chapters 10-12, but 11:30 is specifically what Lecrae was singing about I think.

A day or so later I was at a church service and the pastor started off the evening talking about who the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven is: 

Matthew 18:1-4 'At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said,"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.' (ESV)

The pastor talked a lot about becoming like a child in order to come into the Kingdom of Heaven.  As I pondered what a child is like I thought of it in a different perspective.  When our family decides to move, our children don't really get a vote.  Our children are young, there are four of them between the ages of one to six.  I imagine this age is similar to the age of the children that Jesus was talking about.  When we move none of our kids are going to say, 'But daddy I don't want to move.' or 'Daddy, I really like the weather here.' or anything else.  My oldest may ask why, but overall, they will all just go along with it, not thinking they have a choice or decision to make.  This is primarily because their parents have already made the decision on what is best for the family.  Yet, I don't come to God this way.

Here I am talking about all my stuff, instead of just listening and submitting to what God want's for me and my family.  Which, God's will is better for us than we can comprehend!  Much better than we can do on our own, yet we argue and talk about what we want.  This is when I started to wonder what it would look like if I boasted in moving to Indiana (something that will be very hard for me to do) instead of being in despair about leaving Florida.

What about you?  Are you boasting in your weakness?  Are you content with losing everything for the sake of hearing or feeling God, does He mean that much to you?

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: God Wants to Give You His Anointing…
2. Matthew’s Mind: Are you a Spectator or Participant?
3. Matthew’s Mind: A Good Name is More Desirable Than Great Riches

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

Better yet, who do you believe God is?

I don't want you to tell me, I want you to answer some questions for me.  When do you pray?  How many times a day do you pray?  And before you get religious on me, the times of day and frequency of pray have absolutely nothing to do with how close you are to God, but it will give yourself insight into who you think God is

I have no scientific data to back this up, but let's assume that the average person prays 5 times a day.  This may be high or low.  When would those 5 times be?  Probably once at every meal – that's 3 times, and maybe when they get in the car to go on trips, at church on Sunday's several times.  What other times do we pray, and what does this say about who we think God is?

Well, we obviously thank Him for our food, so we think that He is our provider.  We also pray for safety on our trips, so we think He is our guardian.  Sometimes we pray for other people's needs, so we may think He is a God who listens to prayer.  When else and what else do we pray about?  Sometimes we pray for finances or other immediate concerns like homework, our careers, family relationships, girlfriends/boyfriends.  This indicates that we think He is a God who can get us out of tough spots.  But what can we learn from how often or what we pray about?  We can learn plenty.

One glaring thing that stands out, is there is no relationship dialog.  No asking God what's going on, what does God want to share with us.  Have you ever thought about that?  What if we asked God, 'What is going on?'  Just like we ask our friends, 'Hey, what's up?'  What would He say?  Would He answer us?  What does this say about who we think God is?  It says we don't think that He has much to say to us.  That God wouldn't take the time to share with us about who He is or what He thinks about us.  It also indicates a lack of intimacy.  Before we get upset at this analysis, would there be intimacy in our marriage or dating relationships if we never listened to the other person, we only spoke to them?

Most glaring of all however, is that most of the prayers are focused on ourselves.  There is an overall lack of, or insignificant amount (based on percentages) of prayer, that we spend praying for other people who are:

• Babies being aborted
• Human trafficking victims
• Those who are suffering
• Those who aren't saved
• and many, many more!

What about those who are:

• Leaders of our Nation
• Fighting in wars overseas
• Missionaries
• Pastors
• And others!

Our prayers indicate that we view God as our own personal God to make sure our lives are fine, yet we aren't as concerned with others as we should be.

How accurate is this picture of God that we have painted, for you personally?  Do you pray more or less often?  Do you spend more time praying for others or yourself?  Do you spend more time talking to God or listening to God?  What has this shown you about the way you see God?  And finally, in what ways do you want to see your view of God change?

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: God Wants to Give You His Anointing…
2. Matthew’s Mind: God’s View of You
3. Matthew’s Mind: Waiting on God

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

I have been reading the book lately called Waiting on God by Andrew Murray.  Only being halfway through the book, I am convinced that there are only a couple things that we really ought to be doing.  However, in today's Christian world there are all types of things that people say we should be doing.  Many preachers preach on their individual lists that they think we should be doing, things like watching less tv, spending more time with family, reading the Bible more, getting more involved with ministry, or going to church more often.

Some people will get more spiritual than that and say that we need to be doing the things that Jesus did.  Things like witnessing, healing the sick, going to all nations, and discipling new believers.  I am here to tell you that while all those things sound good, they may not (or may) be what you are called to do.

Everyone has very unique and personalized callings by God.  Some He will call to the nations, others may stay home.  The ones who stay home may end up walking in condemnation because they didn't 'GO'.  It's easier than that, and frankly it's much more freeing.  Here is without a doubt, 100%, guaranteed, the only 2 things that you HAVE to do.  I can say this without a doubt and with utmost confidence.

However, before you mis-understand what I am saying, these two things may lead you into others things, but I don't know what those things are and neither does anyone else.  However, if you do these two things then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, you will be walking right smack dab in the middle of God's will for your life.  Are you ready for this? This is going to change your life, because not only does it work, but it brings freedom and it's easy to do.

1. Spend time waiting on God, listening to Him, speaking to Him, in the quit place (a prayer closet?).
2. Do what you hear, see, or feel the Father say to do.

That's it.  There is no more.  The Lord may put on your heart one day to go witnessing, so if He does, go do it.  He may say I want you to spend time mentoring someone in your life for a season, if He does, do it.  But, know that if He hasn't called you to do something then not only do you not have to do it, but to go ahead and do it will bring you outside of His will for you.  So if He isn't calling you to go over seas then don't.  And if a preacher get's up and says we all need to go over seas, but God hasn't called you to that, there is no condemnation for not doing it and you shouldn't do it.

There is freedom in Christ to only do what the Father is doing.  So, we can't even look at Jesus's life in the Bible and completely mimic it, because our life is likely to look much different (more on that below).  The question isn't, 'What did Jesus do?'  The questions is, 'What is the Lord asking me to do right now?'  This will bring freedom, but it will also bring joy, and everything else, knowing we are doing exactly what God wants us to do today.  And we let tomorrow worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34).

If we are truly listening and acting on what the Lord is speaking to us, then in many ways our lives will look like Christ's life.  We may end up doing similar things to what Jesus did.  At some point we may heal the sick, cast out demons, and prophecy, but it won't be out of duty or might.  Jesus could only do what the Father was doing.  If I go try to cast a demon out of someone right now and that's not what the father is doing, it won't work.  But if the Father asks me to go cast a demon out then I will be successful because that is what He is doing.  To simply look of Jesus's life and repeat is not good enough, we must be repeating what the Father is doing in us right now.  We must live out who He has called us to be, knowing that Jesus will shine through our actions.

In some ways it feels like I am splitting hairs, but it's not, there is a very thin line between copying what Jesus did and doing what the Father is doing right now.  Either way will our life look like Jesus's life? Yes/maybe.  If we are doing the things that Jesus did out of our own might or power then there will be no fruit.  Our lives will lack the power that Jesus's life produced.  And we won't see the miraculous.  However, if we are living out what the Father is doing in us, today, then there will be an abundance of fruit, power, and the miraculous.

There is one important thing to remember (and not take out of context), we MUST spend time LISTENING to God.  This means that if we are going to say God hasn't called me to missions, it must be because we are sitting and listening to the Lord and He has called us to do other things.  If you are truly sitting in His presence and listening to Him speak to you, you will most likely be doing SOMETHING.  Sometimes there will be seasons of rest or relaxation, but most of the time we will be acting.  God may have you go visit the sick at the hospital, go visit those in prison, witness on the street, or many other things, but we won't know what it is He is saying to us unless we are listening!

Have you spent time listening to God today?  What is He saying to you?

Related posts:

1. Matthew’s Mind: God’s View of You
2. Matthew’s Mind: The Religious Spirit
3. Matthew’s Mind: Who do You Think God is?

The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

The parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:3-7 should teach us a much better theology than the one we currently have.  It says, 

'3 So He told them this parable: 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.' (ESV)

It seems that many people have taken this parable to mean that Jesus loves us so much he would leave all the rest just to find us (me).  In many ways, this is correct.  Jesus did in fact give up everything so that we could be saved.  We were each a lost sheep at one point and Jesus has in effect, found all of us who are now saved.  However, once our position in the flock changes after we are saved, we become one of the 99 sheep and Jesus goes on searching for other lost sheep.

The problem with our theology is that it doesn’t change when our position within the flock of sheep changes.  When we are lost Jesus is searching for us, however when we are found our perspective needs to change to reflect our new position.  Instead, we go on believing that God is seeking after us and our perspective is that God’s plans and will revolves around our wishes and desires.  We have become too self-ward focused and Jesus is out seeking other lost sheep. 

As we transition from lost sheep to found sheep, Jesus gives us another passage to understand how we are to live, John 10:1-18,

'1 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

'7 So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father." (ESV)

We are suppose to follow the Shepard and listen to His voice.  We are also to live abundant lives as we have a relationship with the Shepard.  Once we are saved the parable of the lost sheep doesn't apply to us anymore, now everything we do is about following Jesus, listening to His voice, and fleeing from strangers.  The second passage talks entirely about the sheep following the Shepard, He is the focus, we follow Him.  In the parable of the lost sheep we are the focus.  We must make this connection once we are saved and realize that not only has our position in the herd changed, but so too has the focus.  Notice how in the above picture no one sheep stands out anymore?

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In prophetic ministry there are many times were people will prophecy over people that God is pleased at them in many ways.  This usually strikes me as general revelation, however, sometimes the people that this is spoken over strikes me as odd.  I know those people, and the characteristics that were just prophesied as being pleasing to God many times strikes me as weaknesses in that person.  How can this be?

Part of the answer could easily be answered as my perception, after all I am not perfect.  However (I am not justifying myself), I know that sometimes I have grown myself in those area's, so how is God pleased at them?  This comes from not understanding who God is.  You see, God is a Father, we are His Children, when He sees us acting as He created us to act it brings Him pleasure.  This carries over into so many areas of our lives that if we knew how God sees us we would be drastically changed.  Not only do we not know how God sees us, we don't understand how God see's others.

This is also very challenging, because you are someone else – in someone elses eyes.  That means that God sees the people around you just like He sees you. He sees His Children through eyes of love, He see's them through His heart, and through His purpose and creativity.  This doesn't mean that He always smiles even when we sin, but we don't sin 24/7, and therefor a lot of times He is looking down on us smiling while watching us be who we are in our essence.  God smiles when He see's me do things that characteristically make me who I am.

He smiles when He sees the little nuances that make me, me.  When I chase thoughts like rabbit trails, or when I am pondering what makes things tick, when I am spending time with my family, when I tell corny jokes, when I slobber something on my shirt, or any of the other things that make me me, it brings Him pleasure and He smiles down upon me.  This is how God sees me.  And this is also how God sees you.

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Who is only renowned unto himself…

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While the primary topic of this post is that Jesus is Alive!  However, the focus of this post is having a relationship with Jesus.  The reason to emphasize that Jesus is alive, is because it effects how we see our relationship with Christ.  As Christians we often say we have a relationship with Jesus, but what does that mean?  What does that look like?  And what does Christ look like?  Many times we view our relationship with Jesus as a ghost, or some other invisible, non-tangible entity.  I don't want to sound harsh, or weird, but that would describe the Holy Spirit or God better, Jesus was and is an actual living person.  He rose from the grave, and He hasn't died since, so He is still alive (in the same kind of glorified body that we will receive) – and you can meet Him face to face.

I think that if we view Jesus Christ as a person, someone we can meet and see, then our relationship will be more rewarding.  One of things that lead me to this view point is to think about the Disciples.  When they (and Paul) talked about Jesus, they talked about Him as if He actually existed, as if He were still alive, walking and talking with them.  This type of belief, this type of world view can cause problems.  It could cause you to make radical decisions in your life.

Let's talk about the idea of having a relationship with Jesus.  If as Christians we are truly suppose to have a relationship with Jesus (who is alive), then it stands to reason that our relationship with Him should look fairly similar to the relationship that we have with others (who are alive).  However, if we compare our relationship with others to the relationship we have with Jesus, most of us will find something completely different.  We won't admit this (because it puts our status for getting into Heaven in jeopardy), but it's true.  Just in case you don't believe me, let me ask you some questions:

• Have you ever asked Jesus, 'How are you doing today?' or 'What's up?'
• Do you enjoying going somewhere and hanging out places with Jesus?
• Have you ever asked Him what He thought about something or His opinion on a topic?
• Have you ever asked Jesus what His favorite color is?  What about His favorite sports team, or book (That would probably be the Bible  )

These are the types of things that we do when we are in a relationship with someone.  I know that many will exclaim that Jesus isn't in human form like our friends are!  So, how can they maintain the same type of relationship with Jesus that we do with our friends or spouses?  Well, that's actually a very good questions that we should ask ourselves, especially if we are going to tell people that we have a relationship with Jesus.  We tell people that we are to have a relationship with Jesus but then when we analyze if our boast meets reality, (we are forced to acknowledge the facts), the answer is, not so much!

So, why do we boast that we have this 'relationship'?  One reason we do this is because we truly, rightly, believe that this is what the Bible asks of us (and it's much better than being a religious person, we think to ourselves).  Many people may at first wonder, 'Is having this type of relationship with Jesus even possible?'  The answer is a resounding YES!  If this wasn't possible, then it wouldn't be something that we were asked to do.

Many times I think the reason that we are unable to have this relationship with Jesus is because of the way we see Him in our minds.  Many people see the trinity like these photos:

What we don't understand is that our perception of the trinity is all wrong.  Zeus isn't our God, He is not sitting on a throne in Heaven mad at us and waiting to judge and condemn us. Jesus isn't dead on a cross, and the Holy Spirit is not a ghost.  All three members of the trinity are alive and real, and wanting to have a relationship with us.  Jesus said it was better for Him to go to Heaven so that He could send the Helper (Holy Spirit) to us, John 16:7.

One of the things that I really love is a The song is called People Get Ready off of the album Relentless.  It was written and sung by Misty Edwards  who is a full time worship leader and intercessor out of the IHOP-KC Missions Base.  I have included a couple YouTube video's so that you can hear the song.

People Get Ready Part 1

I hope you really listened specifically to the chorus of this song.  

He's not a baby in a manger any more,
He's not a broken man on the cross,
He didn't stay, In the grave,
And He's not staying in Heaven forever,
He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive!
He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive!
He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive!

People Get Ready Part 2

I included this second video just so you can hear the rest of the song.  For the most part this song transitions into some prophetic singing around the 3:30 mark.

The great thing about this song is that it target's and kill's, our stereotypes of Jesus.  He isn't a baby anymore, He isn't dead anymore, He isn't on a cross, and He isn't staying in Heaven.  He is preparing a place for us, and He is coming back to get us, and you can have a real, daily, relationship with Him now.  And He is yearning for that.  Are you willing to attempt to have the same kind of relationship with Jesus that you are your best friend?  In what ways do our beliefs about Jesus prevent us from having a relationship with Him?  Do we really believe and live as though we believe, that Jesus is alive?

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Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

I was recently reading a book titled 'Some Said it Thundered' by David Pytches.  On pg 140-141 the author told a story of how one night at John Wimber's church God showed up with power in a radical new way.  Not only was the church caught off guard by this manifestation of God's Spirit, but it caused Wimber himself to stay up all night searching the scriptures, praying, and looking at past revivals.  The next day, early in the morning God told on of Wimber's friends to call him and give him a word.  That word was, 'It's all right, it was Me.'  After hearing his friend's prophetic word, Wimber was quoted as saying, 'Why can't we just let God be God?'  To which the author commented that,

'Sometimes it can be very difficult but sooner or later we have to adjust to the fact that he is soverign and can do what He likes, how He likes, and when He likes.'

When I read this I thought to myself that finally someone put their thoughts into words.  Many people want to discuss theologically what God does today, how He does it, or why He does it a certain way.  However, why David has said here is so great.  God is so much bigger than we can fathom, why not just allow God to work and enjoy His majesty?  Why not enjoy the ride?  It's due to our pride and arrogance that we think we can know all there is to who God is.  This is what not only limits who God is to us, but also what He is able to do in our lives!

Let's take the time to get to know God, enjoy who He is.  Let Him blow our minds a little with the greatness of His glory?  Let's take the opportunity to approach the father as children instead of an equal (Matthew 18:3).

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The thoughts of a renowned Philosopher…
Who is only renowned unto himself…

Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

I was reading a book titled: Some said it thundered by David Pytches and he made an interesting statement on page 122, he said,

'Revelation of itself may not always be edifying.  All knowledge is not necessarily good.  Its source may be deceptive.  The Bible spells out carefully that there is a source of forbidden knowledge that neither man nor woman may tab.  Basically, the fall of man depicted in Genesis 3 was over a desire to become wise by doing that which was forbidden:

 Genesis 17 says, 'But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'

Deuteronomy 29:29 says, 'The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.'

Genesis 3:6,7 says, 'So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

This really took me back for a second, after reading that I wondered if our pursuit of knowledge is the pursuit of the Tree of Good & Evil?  Could it be?  Could it be that all the time spent trying to gain knowledge is spent pursuing this tree?  When I think about this I started to think about what it was like before Adam and Eve ate of this tree.  Did they pursue knowledge?  Did the attend school (of course not!)? Did they spend anytime at all devoted to learning and studying about animal life and plant life?  The answer is no, they did not.  They spent their time walking with God and speaking with Him.  As a matter of fact, Adam named all the animals without scripture telling us that he studied the animals.  Adam just knew the animals and named them based on what they were.  Which begs the questions, what did he want to know that he didn't already know?  And of course it was the knowledge of good and evil.  

So, my thoughts ultimately come around to this, what studies are we busy with, what studies are we actively involved in, that lead to the knowledge of good or evil?  These studies may be actually leading to death in area's of our lives that we are unaware of.  Is this the case for you?  Make sure to leave your comment below.

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Sometimes these thoughts are really provoking or challenging, sometimes they are just something to chew on…

There are many movements within the Body of Christ today.  There is the Charismatic movement, the Pentecostal movement, the Prayer movement, the Glory movement, etc .  The one thing that remains constant throughout every movement is this: everyone thinks that everyone should join their movement and do things the way their movement does things.

I would like to propose a different alternative (and possibly start my own movement????) I would like to suggest that as Christians we all do one thing and one thing only.  Before I get to what that one thing is, let me expound on a couple other idea's.

Many people think that we need to be missionaries (Matthew 28:19) or that we become houses of prayer (Isaiah 56:7, Matthew 21:13), or give all you have to the poor (Mark 10:21), do healing's, deliverance, and raise the dead (Matthew 10:8).  However, I submit to you that there is only one thing that is necessary for us to do as Christians.  It is found in John 5:19,

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise."

What if, as Christians we only did what we saw the Father doing?  We wouldn't feel like we were under the law, there would be peace and freedom!  What if we no longer felt compelled to do what everyone around us was doing, but instead we only did what we felt led to do?  And what if we no longer judged others by what they did or didn't do, because we knew that they also, where only doing what the Father was doing?  Imagine the freedom!  In John 16:13 it says,

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

It sounds like this is exactly what we are suppose to be doing, following Christ's example of only doing what we see the Father doing. 

The reason we don't do this is simple.  It requires a relationship.  What if you only did what you saw the Father doing or you heard Him speaking?  This would mean that you would have to have spiritual eyes and ears (Matthew 13:15-16, Mark 8:18).  I am convinced, that if everyday, all we did was to do what we saw the Father doing or saying, we would be more productive, more loving, more giving, and more like Christ.

What do you think?

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