RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘kingdom’

One problem, two approaches

03 Dec

There are two primary governing systems in the world today: the world system and God”s kingdom, both of which require expertise. Believers have a peculiar challenge of growing up in the world system but expected to live in it as people from another kingdom. Jesus is our primary example of living in this world as one from another world. He faced the same challenges as the people around Him
but He handled it differently every time. We may consider Jesus’ works mysterious miracles but to Jesus, they were neither mysterious nor miracles. They were just actions with predictable outcomes, because He was learned in the ways of God.

The system we tap into when we are confronted with challenges of life depends on which we have expertise in. If I am skilled in kingdom principles, I will not seek to borrow when confronted with lack. I will do what the kingdom says – “give and it shall be given into you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over” and I will speak to the mountain of lack. If not, I will borrow money or work harder and meditate and talk about my lack, further compounding it.

If I have a disease in my body and I am unskilled in kingdom principles, I will consult the world’s healthcare system which is evidently a failure and is driven by greed. If I am learned in God’s ways, I will use God”s failure proof system of speaking faith-filled words to diseases. Sadly, many Christians are neither learned in the ways of the world – survival of the fittest, nor in the ways of God – faith that works by love. This makes us largely irrelevant in society. Our relevance in society depends on learning and applying the ways of God.

The disciples were not learned in the ways of the world but they turned the world upside down. Jesus did not go to Medical school, yet he knew how to accurately heal people. Elisha did not learn to produce marketable oil in school. Joseph spent his school years in slavery and prison yet he emerged from prison to run the world empire of his days. As believers, we have access to a system that has an infinitely superior solution to every challenge.

Why be in God”s kingdom if we still live like we are under the dominion of an inferior system? Why be a free man if I continue to live like a prisoner? Learn the principles of God”s kingdom and stop applying the ineffective ways of the world. The more you learn the ways of God, the more you realize how dead and impotent the world’s system is and the more you dominate it.We learn by diligently reading, studying, meditating and putting to practice God’s word and if that were easy, every Christian would be like Christ. But thank God it is easy because Jesus said so and He has given us His own Spirit to help us.

–Tolu

 
 

Great Commission: Radical Transition

07 Aug

Source of the Article: Devotional from the Church of God International office regarding the Great Commission written by Dr. Culpepper and P. Douglas Small.

THE MANDATE – Mark 16: 17-18 says, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

THE MEDITATION – In the early days of the Pentecostal movement we had marked-up Bibles. Fervent prayer meetings abounded. Everyone was expected to have a testimony. No one could be silent. Like the Acts 2 church, everyone was to be a witness, full of the Holy Spirit.

O God, have we backslidden as a movement? We are so clergy-dependent. We are so congregationally passive in terms of evangelism and mission.

In the early days, the saints could pray a prayer of faith. Now, it seems to take a special preacher. In the early days, power in the lives of ordinary believers was common. Now it seems extraordinary. It must not be, God. Fill us again with the power of the Spirit. Let your Word be like a fire shut up in our bones.
Forgive us when we have unwittingly taken prayer and ministry away from the people. Make us teachable, and give us leaders who will model ministry to others, who will impart all they have and know to equip the Body for ministry. Lord, may we follow the model of Jesus, who at first called the Twelve as disciples (learners), but at the end called them friends.

May we move us ourselves from a dependent spiritual status to being respectful co-labourers. May we make the radical transition – no longer passive members, all of us ministers for the kingdom purpose.

THE MISSION – 4 Steps to Becoming a Great Commission Christian:
1) Ask your pastor to begin a discipleship group. Help him or her recruit others to the group.
2) Volunteer to be a Partner to him or her in ministry first, to learn from him or her. Check your heart. Are you teachable?
3) Go with him or her on some kind of ministry venture.
4) First, you, watch. Next, you minister with a mentor watching. Then, you go with a watcher.

GREAT COMMISSION QUOTATION – It is possible for the most obscure person in a church, with a heart right toward God, to exercise as much power for the evangelization of the world, as it is for those who stand in the most prominent positions. – John R. Mott

GREAT COMMISSION FACT – Only two of the top ten reasons people leave a church are for spiritual reasons, and 14 percent say the church was not helping them to develop spiritually.

Don’t forget to Like The Resurrection Center on Facebook!

To read Related Posts: The Great Commission

 

Great Commission: Enduring Hardships

31 Jul

Source of the Article: Devotional from the Church of God International office regarding the Great Commission written by Dr. Culpepper and P. Douglas Small.

THE MANDATE – 2 Timothy 2:3 says, “Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ”

THE MEDITATION – Lord, I did it again! I drove around the parking lot searching for a convenient spot. Inside, I looked for a soft pew. The words hardship, soldier, and endure are not my kind of terms. They don’t build Sunday attendance.

We see the church as a performance – the choir, the special music the praise band. Even the preacher is rated as a good or bad speaker. You want us to be a force; we prefer to be an audience. You want to deploy us as an army.

Sadly, our churches are not filled with disciplined soldiers willing to sacrifice and ready to obey. Like David, in a season of war we have decided to exempt ourselves and stay home. His choice was deadly. It brought heartbreak to him and judgment on the nation (2 Sam. 11:1- 12:15).

In a season of warfare, he acted like he was not in war. He let others go and fight; he chose the softer life. Repressing the discipline of a soldier he gave in to carnal delights. The choice became a stain on his record. It hurled him down a path of deception and murder, denial and cover-up. It affected his credibility, causing a national scandal. Forgive us for being spiritually out of shape and unable to be rapidly deployed to a place that needs a demonstration of Your love in action.

THE MISSION – 4 Steps to Becoming a Great Commission Christian:

1)     Take a survey. What percentage of those who attend your church are involved in ministry? Typical is 20 to 30 percent; ideal is 70 to 80 percent. Are you servants, or the served? Are you staff/pastor-dependent?

2)     Ask another question: How many of the roles and opportunities for service are beyond the walls of the church?

3)     If the church is a field camp, how many fox-holes does it support? Are activities focused on sustaining the church? On campus ministries?

4)     Establish a perimeter around your church-a block, ten blocks, a square mile. Research the needs in the neighbourhood around you. Are you a good neighbour? Does your presence “make any difference at all”? How can you become a force for good?

GREAT COMMISSION QUOTATION – God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on Him. – Hudson Taylor.

GREAT COMMISSION FACT – In one summer, fifty-six thousand Muslims came to Christ in Mombassa, Kenya. Over a six-year period, in one Muslim country, two million Muslims became Christians. Dozens of Christian groups are now planting small churches of former Muslims worldwide.

Don’t forget to Like The Resurrection Center on Facebook!


 

To read Related Posts: The Great Commission

 

Prayer Simply Said

15 Mar

I’ve been teaching and preaching a sermon series entitled “THE CHRIST CHURCH” and on Sunday I talked about “PRAYER”. Prayer is not a foreign topic to us here at the Resurrection Center however we need to keep prayer at the forefront of our lives and ministries.

Each month I receive a Newsletter from Tony Cooke and in the recent newsletter he shared seven simple thoughts on prayer and I would like to share these thoughts with you.

Here we go….

1. Prayer is not a religious ritual. Read the rest of this entry »

 

The Christ Church Part 3

05 Mar

Related Post:  What must we do to touch this City?, Becoming a Transformed Church, The Christ Church Part 1 & 2

I must say the last 5 characteristics really paint a vivid and colourful picture of the Christ-Church. We need to know that we must also be defined by these characteristics as we are the Church.

  • The eleventh ingredient that must be found in a “CHRIST CHURCH” is the church must be a fellowshipping, related church. Acts 2:46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they are their food with gladness and simplicity of heart.Character of the Christ Church
  • The twelve ingredient that must be found in a “CHRIST CHURCH”  is the church must be a rejoicing church. Acts 2:46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they are their food with gladness and simplicity of heart. Read the rest of this entry »
 
 
Sharing Buttons by Linksku

Bad Behavior has blocked 4 access attempts in the last 7 days.