I woke up to the news that a pastor's life is being threatened in Iran for having a church in his home and refusing to renounce his Christianity. My heart is stirred as I stand in support of this man and his courage. Then, as I was taking my son to his classes, a Satellite radio DJ was slamming a well known celebrity for expressing the desire to "go to church". The DJ's point was that she should keep such comments to herself. The very essence of Christianity is an overwhelming sense of Life and Freedom that we find in a relationship with Jesus Christ. It could not be contained in the 1st century church, nor should it be contained today. My question is: Where are You? It was the question that God spoke to Adam & Eve immediately after they fell from grace and hid themselves in the garden.
Jesus paid the price for us to be free! Shall we not come out of the bushes and let our light shine before men? Let's Stand Together for what is Right and Good. Let your voice be heard! - Blessings
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What’s the Good News? In most media outlets the motto should be: “Seldom is heard an encouraging word.” Between the bad news and the daily grind it is easy to see why people feel overwhelmed with the current state of affairs. As Christians we are called to rise above what we see (and hear) and walk by faith. The more we commune with Jesus through prayer, worship, giving, and serving others, the more we sense his power rising up on the inside until the pressure on the outside is no match for the love and power on the inside. The problem is we are like a bucket with a couple of holes in the bottom. If we expect a couple of church services a week and a short prayer before meals to keep us spiritually vibrant, we find ourselves short of what we need to face the onslaught of life.
Matt 5:13 says: “You are the salt (preserving agent) of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” again in verse 14: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” So how do we “let our light shine before men, that they may see… and praise your Father in heaven”? Daily time in the presence of God keeps our bucket from running dry. Earnestly seeking more of Jesus on a daily basis is what gives us the faith and strength to persevere. In John 15:5 Jesus says: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”. It’s almost counterintuitive to stop our busy schedule and read the word or get on our knees and pray, but apart from the spirit’s direction in our life, we can accomplish nothing of eternal value. I still hear the Pastor’s words echoing in my ear from last Sunday: Seek the Lord this week; we need more of Jesus! We have been experiencing a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit in our midst and we want to see that increase! What about you? I wrote a song called “More of You” together with friend and keyboardist Cindy Blanchard while serving on a worship team. See if it is the cry of your heart!
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The Lord's prayer teaches us to pray "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." As Christians we understand that to mean our desires should be in line with God's desire to bring his righteous rule on the earth and reconcile unbelievers to himself through our Lord Jesus Christ.
What happens when a prevailing wind of anti-christian sentiment and unrighteousness threatens to extinguish the spread of the Gospel and his kingdom come? or what about the rise of political correctness that protects unrighteous special interest while relegating the church to place of impotence within the culture. When a church leader takes a stand, he risks being charged with hate speech, while other churches allow homosexuality openly.
There is a power that comes when we align our will and our agenda to God's will and agenda. "We don't struggle against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil" (Ephesians 6). We don't attack people, we pray for them. We worship the Lord and implore him to bring revelation, salvation, grace, and even justice to the earth. However, we must see the Braveheart of the Warrior return to the Church so we can declare his Kingdom come and not expect the opposite. Amen.
Reply
Audio Deo / Blog
Where Are You?
I woke up to the news that a pastor's life is being threatened in Iran for having a church in his home and refusing to renounce his Christianity. My heart is stirred as I stand in support of this man and his courage. Then, as I was taking my son to his classes, a Satellite radio DJ was slamming a well known celebrity for expressing the desire to "go to church". The DJ's point was that she should keep such comments to herself. The very essence of Christianity is an overwhelming sense of Life and Freedom that we find in a relationship with Jesus Christ. It could not be contained in the 1st century church, nor should it be contained today. My question is: Where are You? It was the question that God spoke to Adam & Eve immediately after they fell from grace and hid themselves in the garden. Jesus paid the price for us to be free! Shall we not come out of the bushes and let our light shine before men? Let's Stand Together for what is Right and Good. Let your voice be heard! - Blessings
Reply
More of Jesus
What’s the Good News? In most media outlets the motto should be: “Seldom is heard an encouraging word.” Between the bad news and the daily grind it is easy to see why people feel overwhelmed with the current state of affairs. As Christians we are called to rise above what we see (and hear) and walk by faith. The more we commune with Jesus through prayer, worship, giving, and serving others, the more we sense his power rising up on the inside until the pressure on the outside is no match for the love and power on the inside. The problem is we are like a bucket with a couple of holes in the bottom. If we expect a couple of church services a week and a short prayer before meals to keep us spiritually vibrant, we find ourselves short of what we need to face the onslaught of life. Matt 5:13 says: “You are the salt (preserving agent) of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” again in verse 14: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” So how do we “let our light shine before men, that they may see… and praise your Father in heaven”? Daily time in the presence of God keeps our bucket from running dry. Earnestly seeking more of Jesus on a daily basis is what gives us the faith and strength to persevere. In John 15:5 Jesus says: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”. It’s almost counterintuitive to stop our busy schedule and read the word or get on our knees and pray, but apart from the spirit’s direction in our life, we can accomplish nothing of eternal value. I still hear the Pastor’s words echoing in my ear from last Sunday: Seek the Lord this week; we need more of Jesus! We have been experiencing a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit in our midst and we want to see that increase! What about you? I wrote a song called “More of You” together with friend and keyboardist Cindy Blanchard while serving on a worship team. See if it is the cry of your heart!
Reply
Worship is Warfare?
The Lord's prayer teaches us to pray "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." As Christians we understand that to mean our desires should be in line with God's desire to bring his righteous rule on the earth and reconcile unbelievers to himself through our Lord Jesus Christ. What happens when a prevailing wind of anti-christian sentiment and unrighteousness threatens to extinguish the spread of the Gospel and his kingdom come? or what about the rise of political correctness that protects unrighteous special interest while relegating the church to place of impotence within the culture. When a church leader takes a stand, he risks being charged with hate speech, while other churches allow homosexuality openly. There is a power that comes when we align our will and our agenda to God's will and agenda. "We don't struggle against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil" (Ephesians 6). We don't attack people, we pray for them. We worship the Lord and implore him to bring revelation, salvation, grace, and even justice to the earth. However, we must see the Braveheart of the Warrior return to the Church so we can declare his Kingdom come and not expect the opposite. Amen.
Reply