Friday, April 27, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Church Mission
Pastors and churches spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year attending conferences, buying books, hiring consultants, advertisers and marketers, all to try and accomplish one thing: to increase attendance -- to be a bigger church.( Bigger isn’t always better)
You can grow a church without God if you have good preaching, great music, killer children's ministry, and an engaging youth minister.
Nothing is wrong with any of this as long as it’s anointed.
The origin of anointing was from a practice of shepherds. Lice and other insects would often get into the wool of sheep, and when they got near the sheep's head, they could burrow into the sheep's ears and kill the sheep. So, ancient shepherds poured oil on the sheep's head. This made the wool slippery, making it impossible for insects to get near the sheep's ears because they would just slide off.
From this, anointing became symbolic of blessing, protection, and empowerment.
Your mission is what you do best every day, and your vision is what the future looks like because you do that mission so exceedingly well.
The Mission of the Church. Love
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Over 600 laws. By fulfilling these two, a person keeps them all.
We do this any God will pour forth His blessings and we will walk in His Favor.
I believe that the church will begin to grow not just spiritually but in numbers as well.
God's part is to grow whatever God wishes to grow. Growing a church isn't hard ... being faithful as the church, that's a different story.
The church's job is not to grow -- not even to survive. The church's job is to die -- continually -- on behalf of the world, believing that with every death there is a resurrection.
John 12:24-25
24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.
We must release control of our lives and transfer control to Christ.
We need to resign. This is not our church. It belongs to Jesus.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path."
It's human nature to want to be in control of every aspect of our lives. Giving up that control can seem like the end of the world. There's no easy way to explain how to give full control over to God.
It's human nature to want to know everything. The fact is, we are not God and that's why we don't know everything.
...Philippians 4:6-7 - "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
God can do immeasurably more than I could ever ask or imagine in and through my life; and build HIS church THROUGH me! If that sounds desirable to you, would you join me in tendering your resignation today?
1 Corinthians 15:58
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
God is looking for faithful servants today, will you choose to surrender your all to Him, ever aspect. Allow Him to be the leader and you the laborer.
You can grow a church without God if you have good preaching, great music, killer children's ministry, and an engaging youth minister.
Nothing is wrong with any of this as long as it’s anointed.
The origin of anointing was from a practice of shepherds. Lice and other insects would often get into the wool of sheep, and when they got near the sheep's head, they could burrow into the sheep's ears and kill the sheep. So, ancient shepherds poured oil on the sheep's head. This made the wool slippery, making it impossible for insects to get near the sheep's ears because they would just slide off.
From this, anointing became symbolic of blessing, protection, and empowerment.
Your mission is what you do best every day, and your vision is what the future looks like because you do that mission so exceedingly well.
The Mission of the Church. Love
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Over 600 laws. By fulfilling these two, a person keeps them all.
We do this any God will pour forth His blessings and we will walk in His Favor.
I believe that the church will begin to grow not just spiritually but in numbers as well.
God's part is to grow whatever God wishes to grow. Growing a church isn't hard ... being faithful as the church, that's a different story.
The church's job is not to grow -- not even to survive. The church's job is to die -- continually -- on behalf of the world, believing that with every death there is a resurrection.
John 12:24-25
24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.
We must release control of our lives and transfer control to Christ.
We need to resign. This is not our church. It belongs to Jesus.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path."
It's human nature to want to be in control of every aspect of our lives. Giving up that control can seem like the end of the world. There's no easy way to explain how to give full control over to God.
It's human nature to want to know everything. The fact is, we are not God and that's why we don't know everything.
...Philippians 4:6-7 - "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
God can do immeasurably more than I could ever ask or imagine in and through my life; and build HIS church THROUGH me! If that sounds desirable to you, would you join me in tendering your resignation today?
1 Corinthians 15:58
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
God is looking for faithful servants today, will you choose to surrender your all to Him, ever aspect. Allow Him to be the leader and you the laborer.
Monday, April 2, 2012
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