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And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. Acts 2:44-45
“Where do you go to church?” Unfortunately the answer to this question immediately labels you in some people’s minds. We judge a person’s character, religious beliefs and morals on the name in front of a building!
The greatest period of ‘church growth’ was when it first began. Read about it in the second chapter of Acts. Literally thousands of people were added to the church daily. People who were tired of religion the way it was, people who were struggling in relationships, people who had heard of God but had no idea that He loved them and forgave them of the bad choices in their lives.
The real church isn’t a building, it’s people. If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, you don’t go to church, you ARE the church! A defining characteristic of the church (the body of Jesus followers) is that they were of one mind. There was only one goal in the early church and that was to tell others of Jesus forgiveness and love. There were no denominations. There was no discussion of the theology behind baptism or scriptural interpretation or worship styles. There was only Jesus.
The method of church growth was simple as well. No fancy programs. No seminars on how to reach other people. No discussion on how to be a seeker church. There was only generosity in the name of Jesus. The motto of the early church could very well have been “All that I have is God’s therefore I will share it with you!”
People didn’t join the church because they were able to jump through a bunch of denominational or doctrinal hoops. They didn’t join because they realized they were hopeless sinners. They joined the church because it was the one group that gave them the love, compassion and physical, emotional and spiritual help they needed. And they found all they needed in Jesus.
If you love Jesus, if you have experienced the healing, comfort and forgiveness only found in relationship with Him, you are a member of the body of Christ, or what we call the church. Don’t go to church; take the church with you into every situation you find yourself in. People may go to a building because you invite them, but they will join the church because you love them and show them Jesus.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I pray that you would forgive those of us who claim to follow you for seeing church as a building or an activity. Instill in me, and my fellow disciples, the realization that church is an organism and not an organization. Help us to show Your great, undying love to those around us so that they can become one with us. In your name I pray, Amen.
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2
Imagine what it must have been like for Abram to receive a message from Jehovah God that he was going to be leaving his homeland. This wasn’t going to be a temporary trip. He wasn’t able to just go down to the corner rental spot and get a truck. He wouldn’t be coming back. Ever. He was leaving his home, his extended family, friends and life as he’d known it since he was born.
We are never told why God chose Abraham. Elsewhere God tells the Israelites that He didn’t choose them for any of the reasons we might choose to make someone great. They weren’t the strongest people. They weren’t the most numerous people. God seldom has reasons for doing what He does. He’s God, He knows best, and even when we don’t like it, His way usually works out best.
At any rate, there was something that God saw in Abraham that moved him to call Abraham away from everything that was familiar to him, his family, his home and his country in order to make him great.
God had fantastic plans for Abraham, but He couldn’t do His work in Abraham’s life with Abraham where he was. God had to take Abraham out of his comfort zone and place him in a place which forced Abraham to rely completely on God. Abraham had to be willing to give up all of his dreams to attain the dreams God had for him.
Not only would Abraham be blessed by giving up everything to follow God, his life would also be a blessing to others. Our Heavenly Father brings things into our lives to prepare us for greater things and in order to show others His great love and compassion.
Too often we ask God to bless us but expect Him to do so in our time frame and within our comfort zone. But that’s not the way it works. He needs to take us where we are, prepare us and then place us where we will be the most effective workers for Him.
As we progress through this journey we call life, remember that your Heavenly Father, the God of the Universe has your destination already picked out. There may be times when the choices you make cause you to waiver from the path. You may have made decisions that have consequences that follow you daily. Through Jesus Christ He can forgive you of the choices and use you for His glory and to bless others.
Abraham, David, Samuel and many other Bible characters made mistakes in their lives. God was able to bless them and use their life experiences to bless others. If you want to be blessed by God and be a blessing to others expect to have to leave your comfort zone so you can rely on Him completely and be a blessing to those around you.
PRAYER: Father, even though I want to be used by You in mighty ways, I have to admit I’m nervous about leaving the comfort of my current life. Empower me by your Spirit to be willing to step away from what is comfortable so I can experience your power and blessing. Help me use what you’ve taught me to bless those around me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10
Growing up in a pastor’s family, our table always seemed to have at least one guest for every meal. Sometimes it was just one of our childhood friends, other times it was extended family or ‘special guests’ from the church.
Regardless of whom the extra plate belonged to at our table, one rule was supreme. Company first. Period. The reason for that rule was summed up in one word: honor. The honor we gave to our guests really had nothing to do with their status or social standing. It was a choice we made as a family (under the direction of our parents) to make sure that people who sat at our table were special. There were no signs, no special announcements, no expectations. In fact, most people probably didn’t give it a second thought, but we did. We kids learned a valuable lesson in honor and respect.
During Old Testament times God instituted many rules and regulations to direct worship. One of them was that the Israelites were to give the first part of the harvest to Him. In the culture of that day, first things held a tremendous amount of significance. The first-born son (sorry ladies) was given special privileges and a larger part of the inheritance. The first part of the harvest was also considered of special significance.
It’s no surprise then, that God required the people to set aside the most important part of their lives to Him. He was to hold first place in their lives. The harvest symbolized everything that was important in the life of the Jew.
Today, because of Jesus death and resurrection, we live in by Grace. The laws and regulations of the Old Testament have been fulfilled by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus! There are no more laws, no actions, no activities or rituals that will move God to give us special treatment. Because of Jesus we have all the honor, love and forgiveness God has to offer.
However, it’s still important to realize that we can, and should do things that will show honor to our Father in Heaven for all that He has done for us. Even though we may struggle with addictions, health issues or relational difficulties, we still have Jesus. We still have the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We still have the promise of Heaven.
As a point of honor we should consider our giving to God an act of worship. Every penny we earn is really Gods’ anyway. Giving to Him first is one way we can proclaim that He is Lord of every aspect of our lives. It’s amazing how our giving with a right attitude can make the money go further.
Some people teach that everyone should tithe 10% of their earnings to God. While I believe there are some who can do that, and that God will bless us more as we give more, God looks more on the attitude of our giving more than the amount of our gift.
This may sound strange, but the next time you sit down to pay the bills, before you begin to worry be there won’t be enough money to cover the stack of papers before you, thank your Heavenly Father for what He has given you. Make the first check you write out a check to your local church or ministry you support. Remember, it’s the attitude behind the gift that is the most important. Then, trust the one who holds the wealth of the universe in His hands. Financial worries abound in our time. But our Father desires to show us His blessing as we honor Him.
PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the fact that you know my needs better than anyone else. You know all about the debts I owe and the struggles I’m facing. I confess that some of this debt is my own desire to have things. Some of my struggles are beyond my control. I hereby offer this gift to You in order to show you the Honor you deserve. Empower me to trust you for my needs. In the name of Jesus, my Lord, Amen.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
It’s a verse many of us learned in Sunday School, and perhaps the most well-known verse in the Bible. ‘For God so loved the world.’ What an awesome promise. What an incredible thought. Not a god, THE God. The creator and sustainer of the universe loves us. Make it more personal. He loves me. Insignificant as I am, a stubborn, selfish, weak-willed person. Yet He looks down from heaven and smiles when He sees me.
Fantastic as that truth is, so often we focus our attention on the first part of the verse and relatively little time really thinking about the next part of the verse. ‘He gave his one and only son’. If you are a parent, ask yourself, “If I knew my only child was going to be killed, what would I do to protect him/her? How much money would I spend to keep my child protected? What would I sacrifice to make sure I could enjoy my child’s presence?
It might be easy to say, “Yeah, but He’s God. Sure, He knew Jesus would die, but He also knew Jesus would rise again.” But remember that we are made in God’s image. Our emotional make-up and intellect comes from Him.
A friend of mine (I’ll call John) recently lost his infant son to a rare disease. The disease struck in the morning and took the little ones life before sundown! It was incredibly hard for the family and all those close to John. I hadn’t seen John in several months since the funeral of his one-year-old little boy. As we sat over coffee, John told me how the morning of his son’s death he’d been spoken to regarding sacrifice. “It was as if God was saying to me, ‘will you give me everything?”
John remembers thinking, I can give you everything except I have to admit I’m not sure I’d give you my son. That day God took his son from him. John learned a valuable lesson about what it must have been like for his Heavenly Father when he was separated from His only son.
When Jesus was on earth it was as though He was imprisoned in a foreign land. While His Father could see Him, the relationship was different. When Jesus was dying on the cross, even His Father turned His face from His one and only Son. That’s why, with agony Jesus screamed, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?”
John 3:16 doesn’t just tell us that God loves us. It shows us that God understands what sacrifice means. When we are asked to give everything to God, it’s not an idle statement by a God that hasn’t sacrificed. He loved me so much that He literally gave the only thing He could possibly give, His only Son.
The next time you think the pain of the journey is too great; remember that Jesus endured pain beyond imagination so He could comfort you. When you wonder if you can go on, remember that Jesus’ agony was so great that He sweat great drops of blood. During those times you feel all alone, remember Jesus knew what it was like to have all of his family, and friends reject Him. Even His heavenly Father turned his back on him.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I thank you that you understand my deepest pain. Thank you that in my loneliness you are desperate to be my friend. Thank you for the promise that Your love is eternal and unconditional. I’ve made many mistakes. I struggle with trying to do the right thing. Empower me by your Spirit to learn to live the life of sacrifice for your sake. Amen.
