Acts 4:29

Acts 4:29
What are some of the things God desires to give us that can only be released into our lives and through our lives in relationship to threats, persecution and conflict? What if our lack of real trouble hinders us more than helps us become powerful in Christlikeness. It would almost be like what Jesus warned us, that only through tribulation does one enter the Kingdom of God.

I want to proclaim the greatness of those who are willing to fight for the Lord. I know of many people who love to be esteemed and valued by God, people who boast about the favor of the Lord being on them. But what if that favor is not really favor at all but rather the mercy of God protecting them because they are not able to stand and fight in a Christlike way. I once had a pastor of a large congregation tell me that he could not do what the small church pastor was doing. He could not mow the church yard, shovel the snow, clean the church, go to homes and the hospital. He was talking like he was above that, that God somehow raised him up to live a life of favor.

In my mind I thought the Lord was protecting him because he was basically a whimp. This guy could only serve the things that served himself and had little or no interest in serving others through practical and loving ways. I love the people that can handle of load of “other serving burdens”. To me these people are not the scorned by God but the truly favored by the Lord. Sure they do not feel like it. That is what makes them even more worthy of double honor. Think of Luther, John of the Cross, Fenelon and a thousand others who served the Lord at the cost of persecution and renouncement.

So here you are and you are upset because you have to battle against pornography, drinking, drugs, same sex attraction, laziness, joblessness and whatever. Don’t waste your energy by being upset. Use your life to live for Christ and overcome all the works of the evil one. Don’t let your mind think that “others” do not have the troubles you do because they are “more Godly” or “highly favored” by the Lord. Living right bears fruit through sowing and reaping and you want to start receiving that harvest as soon as possible. So allow your pride to die and get on with fighting the fight the Lord has set before you. But your fight is for you to overcome.

The Maser does not have a magic wand that He waves over our lives to make everything better. We live in relationship with God and out of our friendship with God, He speaks to us, heals our bodies and directs our steps. But the main thing is the relationship, not the “live is easier now”. Beware of the idol of “easy and blessed life” when the Master is calling you to be an over comer, preserver, endureing and trusted friend.

I said all this to start to lay the foundation for understanding what the “bond-servant” of the Lord is. In Acts 4:29 these bond-servants call out to the Lord for the ability to speak. Before we have authority, we need character. Trouble and treats have a great way of helping us mature.

Living Sacrifice

Every day millions of people give large portions of their life for others. Mom’s are most notable for this, but our list of awareness should also include Dads, brothers and sisters. It is one of the most common basic Christian events, that part of the family of God lives for the other parts. Each day in the body of Christ someone is cared for, fed, clothed and even given gifts; all because of the loving sacrifices of others. With all the negative media in our world you would tend to think that this is rare, when in fact it is quite common.

I am thankful to God for the millions within His body that love others in a sacrificial way. But I also want to be loving toward them. Even with all their sacrifices there is still needs in our world. Even those who generously give and live find the reality of needs beyond supply. Right now in Africa, in South America and in our own streets are endless needs. The one who must bear the weight of this burden of humanity is the Lord. As we each do our part, we must depend more on the Lord than our efforts and programs. I say this because one of the tactics of the enemy is to wear out the body of Christ. If the evil one can offend and discourage the ongoing living sacrifices of a thousand souls, just think of the harm it occurred in our land.

The best way to stay encouraged is to have hope. In the case of giving to meet needs, our hope is in the Lord, maker of heaven and earth. We all give our lives to Him and trust and hope in the Lord to care for all. This is not escapism, but real faith in a living God. Keep on doing your part and do not become discouraged by what you perceive is not getting done. Rejoice in the Lord, for He is able to make a way when our resources have come to an end.

Our personal obedience to the Lord is more crucial than the amount we give.

Build Your Own Platform

What you build with your life, by your living, is your platform. It is the thing on which you stand and address others. If you find that life gives you no place to stand, then see if your feet are entangled among broken relationships, failed loyalties to others and rejection of others as you focus on self.

For most of us our platform is intimate, they are small. This is as it should be. If we did not feel pressured by greed and comparison we would live most of our lives in joy and delight about doing out part for the Master. We would grow deep in community with those friends we have and feel no insecurity or competition. Our expansion or development would be driven by the Master's compelling and not so much by the human thoughts of “ought”, “should” and “must”.

Because of human ingenuity and ambition a person can have the power to speak into the lives of others when they truly should not be allowed to. Is not most of TV, advertising and movies about this? Yet even in this arena people are coming who will have paid the price to speak. Even in the pulpits of America people can stand and proclaim the way of the Lord and not be known for who they truly are. Accountability, integrity, truly knowing those who minister among us are rare as we “stage our lives” in worldly fashion.

The story of the Bible is the story of how each relationship, in the context of God’s will, is seeking to give to us and draw from us His divine nature. For each person who is seeking to follow God or live righteously, He is leading them on the right path. Whenever we look to God we are secure in this. Whenever we look to the world or at others in comparison, we feel insecure and isolated.

Observation

Just as good observation can discern the approaching weather, so can it understand the times. Mtt 16:2-4 The point of our confusion and rejection is that we filter the observation through ourselves and not with the Holy Spirit. I choose “confusion” and “rejection” because these are the ever present emotions and reality that we carry when our observations are not correct. Correct observing is found in the Holy Spirit, the very gift of God that leads us into all truth. It is our great benefit and reward to hear the Spirit clearly and observe without personal perspectives, judgments and values. Our personal observations are good, God created us with the gift of observation. But this natural gift must also be redeemed.

What are you doing Father?
Help me to see, understand and rest in You.
Overwhelm my need to control with your abiding presence.
Hide me in you until me thoughts are true.

Personality conflict is not the same as spiritual conflict. Your personality can have a great many conflicts with others, yet this is an opportunity to love and bear fruit of the Spirit. Each leader does tend to spiritualize their personality and we should freely give grace for this. The Lord is fully able to convict or direct anyone of us and any time. It seems we often feel the call of God for truth while the equal call of God for love is neglected.

Do not become wounded because the boldness of others makes you feel insecure. Overcome your insecurity by increasing your love for others and knowing the full emotions of the Lord for you. Penetrate the knowledge of our mind and ask God to give you knowledge in your entire being, scripture calls us to be full of the knowledge of God.

As you live today look to the Father. What is He doing in your life, family or friends? What is He doing in your city, nation and world? In everything give thanks and hold onto the good. Divine observation is worth the price you must pay to have it.

You change - No You

I want everyone to change and see the world like I do!

Yet I know if they did then the world would have little contrast, and I already have a twin, so I don't need a billion of them.

I desperately love God and love most people. It amazes me that I can often love a sinner who is evil easier than a good person whom I feel should act better. I can so easily except a person whom I know is not going to treat me right, yet struggle with people who I fell should know better. For some reason I go crazy over leaders that manipulate and professing spiritual people who are opportunist and focused on getting others to do what they are called to do.

The answer to all these issues is the cross. But I want them to embrace the cross not me. Why should I change, don't I have the truth? Don't I know more than they do?

In the reality of God, each one of us is to take their own life and deny themselves and follow Jesus. We get in trouble willing and desireing others to be Christlike and remove the focus from our own hearts and Jesus. It is not hard to find things wrong. Can we find anything good, anything noble, anything of a good report?

In the beginning God made man and women. Both of them different. Both of them made for different things. And that was just the start of all the different people He would make for His earth and His body.

What is evil?

Credit for evil

Have you ever noticed how much credit we give to evil? If something bad happens we say that Satan is attacking us or that some evil (in people or in the world) is coming against us. Is that true? I’m a fairly charismatic mystical spiritual follower of Jesus and yet I do not think every action and reaction of mine is good or evil. I mean in the space between God and Satan is me. And the me that I am has motives for doing stuff. I can be stupid, mean, immature and yes evil. So should there be space in this life to live and call some of the stuff that happens to us “the land of immaturity of others”? Or are those who disagree with me under the influence of the evil one. O – I guess we all are under the influence of the evil one. But is there any wiggle room (freedom) under that influence? Is there any authority and domain of person?
If there is space for personal immaturity and failings then I do not need to attack you every time we come into conflict. I can live my life more to love you and help you than to fix you and overcome you. Did you hear that? I can live my life more to love you and help you than to fix you and overcome you. Don’t you just love the way you act when you are drive to fix others. I mean, how many of the ills of life would go on to destroy the world if we did not undertake the duty of fixing all those who differ from us ( I mean differ from God). Often I have found the only injustice that I tolerate is that which is found in my own heart. ( An observation I have made over and over again is that a little deed of darkness was testified to be the work of Satan hindering the daily activity of one of His Saints while some true act of love and kindness is not even recognized. It is as tough we live to promote evil and neglect good)
Community is one of the six things we need in Christ Jesus so that we live our life well. Community is built on family. It is built first on the family of God and then natural family. God made His family first. If you want to live a better life, give fixing those in your community a rest and simply try to live in family.
WARNING!!!!!
If you study the role of family in biblical history you may want more not to be a part then to be a part. But we all must remember that the goodness of the path we take is determined by the destination and not they ease of walk.
PS: Even God disciplines those He loves.

The New You

Time
One way that you can move on from being stuck in where you are now is through a better understanding of time. I think most of us need to improve our theology of time.
Do you have a work life, a home life, a church life, a private life? Well the first thing that I suggest you do is to unify your life and stop dividing yourself up. What if in dividing your life into different time compartments you are also dividing up who you are? What if one of the reasons you feel overcome by “not enough time” is the result of trying to live a divided life rather than a whole and unified life?
There are many ways to look at time, one of them is like a map. But if your life map is all about the time you spend doing different things you can look at that map and believe you are going nowhere and doing nothing. If that is you, here is a suggestion.
Stop focusing on what you do and in a real way, enter into the place of abiding in Jesus Christ the Lord. Enter into the Master and ruler of time and there ask for a revision of your vision. Ask Jesus to make your life whole, united. Now ask God to allow you to see that everything you do, everything is who I am. Ask God to reveal to you that your life mission is not a part of your life, it is all your life. I am saying that what you do with a part of your life (like ministry, family, job) or whatever is not your life. Your wondrous beauty is in all of who you are.
Going to work and healing the sick are the same thing if your life is aligned to God. In fact many people are trying to verify their life by doing some great things in the spirit while their main calling is to do great things a work. Because of the fall we often hate the very thing we ought to love. But that is for later.
There is a simple and complex beauty to life in God. 6 areas or arenas of living need to be integrated so that we live out our created purpose. Time, identity, community, skill, vision and transportation are all necessary ingredients to harmonize.