Rethink Life With Christ!

Jesus made a statement that changed the course of history and made our future bright!

"You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:14.

Saying, "In Jesus' name" at the end of every prayer is so strongly ingrained in Christian culture that we often miss the power of those words. Many of us don't even give them a second thought. It's time to rethink the "in Jesus' name" part of our prayers, to take some time to consider the implications of those three words. Think about what it means to speak in Jesus' name. Because of Jesus, we are forgiven of our sins when we ask. Because of Jesus, we have eternal salvation. Because of Jesus, we don't have to endure God's wrath. Because of Jesus, we have a new life. Because of Jesus, you and we have access to God. When we bring our prayers before God and ask him to answer us because of Jesus, we are asking him to remember Jesus' payment for our sins. We are saying, "Because of Jesus, I know you, God. And I know that you hear me because of what Jesus has done." Don't look at praying in Jesus' name as the magical formula. Don't simply tack it to the end of a selfish prayer in hopes that it will sway God's answer. Instead, consider the sanctity and seriousness of saying "In Jesus' name." And make sure the words that come before that phrase are worthy of that phrase. Can you think of other possible ways that Christians need to rethink life with Christ?

Purpose

God has a very specific purpose, calling for you. Maybe you’re finding yourself right now in a place, spiritually or physically, where you don’t quite belong. Where you are struggling and gasping for breath, like a fish floundering around on the shore. Take that fish and put it in the water, and its genius emerges! It does what it was called to do- it swims away gracefully and purposefully.

You weren’t made to flounder around. You have a specific purpose in the church and in God’s Kingdom.

You might think that if you don’t step into that calling, someone else will do it. You might think that the church has others much more gifted than you. Certainly, my pathetic talents won’t make any difference. That's where you’re wrong. A Rolls Royce is a beautiful car. A very expensive and luxurious car. But just as a Rolls Royce with 3 wheels is limited, so, too, is the church, and the Kingdom, without you.

Each of us has a very specific and unique calling which is important to the whole. I used to think that if I didn’t participate, so what? God will anoint and commission someone else. I was wrong. If I don’t fulfill my calling, if you don’t fulfill yours, the church will go without. I cannot be all that I was called to be unless you become all that you are called to be. Besides, you and I don’t have the right to hold anything back from Him who gave everything for us.

So, what about it? Can we step up to the challenge?

Get it! Got it? Good!

Have you ever wondered why things you pray for seem to be pushed to the side sometimes as if God has bigger fish to fry than answer you when you ask Him for something? Check this out -

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:21-22

When people read this text, many can misread it as an open-ended opportunity to get anything they want or desire. But that's a selfish reading of Jesus' words. And it's not what this passage is about. When Jesus says, "If you believe, you will receive...," he isn't saying, "If you acknowledge God, then you'll get whatever you want."

Real belief in God is about syncing up our desires with God's desires. And real belief results in selfless prayers and a selfless lifestyle, not a selfish existence.

This passage isn't Jesus' secret formula for getting what we want. It's a promise that if our desires are the same as God's desires, then anything we ask of him, he will do.

When you read this passage, understand that it is ultimately about accomplishing what God wants. And if you go to him with that in mind, he will provide you with whatever you ask. Because whatever you ask will ultimately be about him, not you.

I would be in SOOoooo much trouble if I got everything I asked for ever since I can remember praying. I want you try an exercise: Look back over your life and think of some of those things you asked God for out of anger, temptation, or whatever else. Do it now........... Wow! Do you see what I mean?

Perspective

Have you ever thought about why we see the world differently than other people, even those closest to you?

How we see life is determined by each individual person. Our perspective is derived partly from a biological standpoint and partly from social experiences. From time to time, cataclysmic events have a dramatic effect on our view of life.

There is a story of a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, “If I could only see the world, I will marry you.” One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him. Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: “Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.”

To which of these young people should we feel pity? Why? Leave a comment, I want to hear your perspective.

Most of us!

"May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. "Psalm 141:2

When God gave Moses the instructions for building the tabernacle and for the various forms of worship, one of the things that he ordered was the burning of fragrant incense.
Each morning and evening the priest was to burn incense on an altar, so that "incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come" (Exodus 30:8).

The incense, which had a sweet-smelling fragrance, was representative of the prayers being lifted to God in worship.

Most of us, when we think of prayer, think that it's our way to communicate with God. And yes, that is part of it. But prayer is also a form of worship.

So as you pray, realize that you are offering that sweet-smelling incense to God. And as you lift your requests, joys, concerns and most of all praise to God in prayer, see that holy time as a time of worship.

Care to comment?

A Club We Are All Born Into!

King David said, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer." Psalm 66:18-19

Sin is one of those things we don't like to think about or talk about. We don't want to admit the fact that there is something that separates us from God. Instead, we'd rather pretend that no matter what we do, God will always listen to us and answer us — exactly the way we want.

The problem is that with sin in our lives, there's a disconnect!

As a result of that gap, we often come to a point where we think God is apathetic about our situation. Or we think he doesn't care, because he's not answering us the way we want. When the reality is that we have grown apathetic in our relationship with him.

If you're in a position where you've turned to God in prayer but there still seems to be something missing, take a moment to look at your life. Is there something separating you from God?

Is there a situation in your life where you've fallen short of his standard? Most likely, the answer is yes. But the good news is that Christ has done the work to fix the problem.

Now what?

Through Christ we can experience the fullness of what God intends for us...so go ahead...pray!

What's love got to do with it?

In a book called "Parables of Life," there is a haunting story of a lonely old man who had spent all his years acquiring "knowledge" without learning anything of lasting value...

As he looked back and retraced the road he had travelled, the weariness of the journey gathered upon his spirit until it seemed the spring of life had been choked at its source.

In his early years, love had looked into his eyes, had held him for a moment, had walked a little way with him, but his pride flung it aside. There was no room for such companionship on that narrow path, no smoothness for such tender feet on that rough highway.

What had he to do with love - he whose heart was set on knowledge?

Long ago love left him; long ago men had ceased to call upon him for help as he passed, swift and unswerving on his way. The secret of the good life was farther from him than when he set out on his journey!

He had gained knowledge, but without love there is neither wisdom nor life!

Who do you know that may very well look back over their lives with regret and wish they could do it over? Will you?

Satan's Worldwide Convention

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.

In his opening address he said,"We can't keep people from going to pray. We can't keep them from reading their Bible and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their God. Once they gain that connection with God, our power over them is broken. So let them go to their prayers; let them have their covered dish dinners,but steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with God. This is what I want you to do," said the devil. "Distract them from gaining hold of their God and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" "How shall we do this?" his demons shouted." Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear. Entice them to play the radio or CD player whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR, CDs, and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with God. Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes. Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night. Give them headaches too! If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment their families quickly! Give them distractions to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of life. Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy! And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences. Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from God. Soon they will be working in their strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good cause."

"It will work!" "It will work!" It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing people everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there. Having little time for their God or their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of God to change lives.

I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?

Cultural Relevance

Why is cultural relevance a big deal?

The scriptures are relevant to this and every culture. They do not need updating, correcting, or revisioning. On the contrary, what needs revisioning is our understanding and obedience to God's word as we live out His mission in context. When we live a humble orthodoxy and humble missiology, we will be salt and light in contemporary culture—a biblically-faithful, culturally-relevant, counter culture.

Here is a brief article Ed Stetzer wrote to be an encouragement at Catalyst:

The fight goes on. Like a giant tug of war, each side is pulling hard. The battle lines: Cultural relevance versus biblical faithfulness—a classic tyranny of the "OR." Yes, cultural relevance can be confusing. On the one hand, the church can be so focused on cultural relevance that it loses its distinctive message. Don't think it won't happen—it has happened to countless churches and denominations. On the other hand, it can decide that culture does not matter. That leads to a church whose message is indiscernible and obscure to those who are "outside." Let me propose an alternative: our churches need to be biblically faithful, culturally relevant, counter culture communities. Not everyone buys into what I've just said. Whole ministries exist just to tell you not to pay attention to culture. To them, a virtuous church is one that is culturally irrelevant. In their view, a mark of holiness is not just being disconnected from sin but also being disconnected from sinners and the culture they share with us every day. Preaching against culture is like preaching against someone's house—it is just where they live. The house has good in it and bad in it. Overall, culture can be a mess—but (to mix metaphors) it is the water in which we swim and the lens through which we see the world. And the gospel needs to come, inhabit, and change that and every culture (or house). Preaching against culture is not the pattern of the New Testament church (see Dean Fleming's Contextualization in the New Testament), the historic church (see Ruth Tucker's From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya), or today's church (see Breaking the Missional Code). Culture clearly does matter! For 2000 years, missionaries have courageously sought to take the message and make it understandable. Through these two millennia, changing cultures have impacted the church and its missional strategies. Conversely, in many cases, the church has also impacted culture. The reason ministry models have to change is because they have an unchanging message that must be conveyed in a changing world. That message is Christ, the gospel, and the Scriptures. Jude 3 says that we are to "contend for the faith once delivered for the saints." That's essential. But, the Bible also clearly gives us a mandate to make the message understandable. We do more than just translate it into a language. We also have to translate it into a culture. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, "I have become all things to all men." Why? Because the message needs to be contextualized. The "how" of ministry is, in many ways, determined by the "who, when, and where" of culture. That's also essential. We have to both contend and contextualize. This brings a balanced focus in our proclamation and practice. When we contend for the gospel, we remain biblically faithful. When we contextualize, we communicate the message effectively. When we contend and contextualize, our churches are biblically faithful, culturally relevant, counter culture communities. Those who preach against culture are often unaware that they live in one. But the dynamic culture around them is often not the culture of their church. What they yearn for is typically not a scriptural culture, but rather a nostalgic religious culture of days past. The irony of this is that every church is culturally relevant. It is simply a matter of whether the culture of the church is in any way similar to the culture of its community or only meaningful to itself.

What is your take on all of this?

Are You Living the High Life?

"I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom." Daniel 5:14

Daniel had a reputation as a man of faith, wisdom and intelligence. Many years had passed since Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream for him, but his reputation had stayed in tact. So when Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar's son, needed help, he turned to the one man who had a reputation for being able to deliver.

But Daniel had more than his reputation. He had the character to back it up. Daniel lived a life of faith. He had a devotion to prayer. And he trusted in God to give him the wisdom and intelligence to help him make a difference in the world.

It's been said that reputation is your photograph; character is your face. Are you living a life marked by faith? Do you have a devotion to prayer? Can others look at your reputation and then see the character to back it up?

Don't simply rely on your reputation to help you through life. Instead, live the high life by seeking God through prayer. And allow him to develop your character so you can make a difference in the world.

Are you living the high life?

In the Middle of the Night

Have you ever found yourself awake in the middle of the night worrying? Out of the blue, maybe you start thinking about your finances. Maybe you begin to worry about your job or your family or your future. Whatever it is, that thing that you worry about robs you of precious Z's.

During those times, the best thing to do is what we've been talking about for the last several weeks. Pray. When you wake up and begin to worry, take that worry to God.

Remember, God doesn't just want to hear from you when things are going great. And a life of prayer isn't something that just happens during daylight hours. Time and time again throughout the Bible you can read accounts of people waking up in the middle of the night and communicating with God.

The next time you find yourself up in the middle of the night worrying, try consciously thinking of God. Turn to him "through the watches of the night." Because as you begin to turn to him then, he'll help you recapture those Z's again. And you'll begin to find yourself waking up refreshed rather than exhausted from needless worry.

Is it possible? How do you start this process?

An Impressive Record

An anonymous author made this striking observation:

Socrates taught for forty years, Plato for fifty, Aristotle for forty, and Jesus for only three. Yet the influence of Christ's three-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity. Jesus painted no pictures; yet some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him. Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world's greatest poets were inspired by Him. Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratorios they composed in His praise.

Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by the humble Carpenter of Nazareth.

His unique contribution to the Human race is the salvation of the soul! Philosophy could not accomplish that. Nor art. Nor literature. Nor music. Only Jesus Christ can break the enslaving chains of sin and Satan. Christ alone can speak peace to the human heart, strengthen the weak, and give life to those who are spiritually dead. Jesus is a marvelous example and proven leader for Christians to emulate and serve.

Is this information something we need to share with other people or is it a lifestyle that should be lived in front of people? or both?

New Post

New Post coming soon!

I, Lead Pastor, took The Pointe staff to a Leadership conference this week in Atlanta, Ga. Thank you for understanding!

I'll see you back in blog world by Monday!

What is prayer really?

Pray continually.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Prayer is more than an occasional action, or even a regular practice. It's is more than sitting alone with our heads bowed and our hands folded as we voice our requests to God. It's more than kneeling with our children by their bedside at night to ask God to bless our lives. Prayer, real prayer, is a way of life.

Paul, the writer of today's verse, is telling us that to realize the power of prayer, we must cultivate an attitude and habit of continually focusing on God in everything we do in our lives. When we understand that we build a relationship with God through prayer—whether through words, thoughts or actions—then prayer becomes more than a routine.

Don't think of prayer as a duty that you have to perform each day in order to appease God. That's not what it is. Instead, realize that prayer is about developing a relationship with God every moment of every day. And as you begin to do that, you'll discover the real possibility that prayer has to become your lifeline.

The Gift of Free Will

Today's society presents us with many choices and possibilities that only seem to grow more numerous with time and the "advance" of culture. They say that "variety is the spice of life" and I suspect it is true. Yet, the many choices that stand before us can be confusing. We need to learn how to wisely use the gift of free will, our ability to choose.

This gift, if used constructively, can provide much good for our world, but if abused it can create untold grief.Wisdom dictates that in order to use our gift of free will wisely, we must ask ourselves some important questions concerning how well we follow Jesus, the shepherd, in the decisions we make.

What are the criteria that we use to make the important decisions of our lives? Do we seek out family and friends, colleagues and associates? What place does God have in our decision making process? What responsibility do we feel for those God has entrusted to us? Young people, students, or subordinates at work all look to elders and superiors to lead them.

By following our lead will people find the pasture of life or are we leading people astray by the conduct of our lives? What choices have we made lately? Were they helpful and did they aid us along the path of life or were they destructive? If they were harmful, did we have the courage to change and make a better choice? When we make decisions are they based solely on our needs and wants or do we consider the desires of others?If we find ourselves in positions of authority, do we make choices that are beneficial to all or are we selfish in our choices?

Jesus' life demonstrates that suffering is part of the Christian life. Are we willing to make the decision that may cause suffering because it is the right choice, or do we shy away because we are afraid to endure a crisis for the sake of Christ's name?

Value

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ..." Philippians 3:7-8

Value is defined as worth, rarity and usefulness. And in today's world, we place value on so many things—possessions, prestige, education, relationships. These are the kinds of things that we want to hold onto. And when someone, anyone, challenges them or their value in our lives, we immediately go on the defensive. We are willing to stand up and fight for them.

Yet, none of these come close to the value of a personal relationship with Christ. In fact, Paul tells us in this passage that these things are actually considered a loss. Not because they are worthless, but because they can distract us from focusing on Christ.

It's okay to have possessions and prestige and education and relationships. But when these things begin to distract you from your relationship with Christ, they become a detriment. Beware not to place higher value on the things in your life than you do on the Savior of your life.

What's Blocking You?

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22

Let me clear the air. This text isn't telling you to sell everything you have and give it all to the poor. It's not saying that you can't own anything nice. It's not even saying that rich people won't get to heaven. There's much more to it!

What we see in this text is a perfect illustration of the genius of Christ and the challenge of his call on our lives.

Here, Jesus pinpoints the one area of this man's life that needed to be confronted—his greed. Jesus knew this man wanted a relationship with him. But Jesus also saw the one thing that was keeping him from experiencing that relationship. So Jesus challenged the man to let go of his greed and instead take hold of Christ's hand. And he does the same for you and me.

What is the one thing that's keeping you from experiencing a powerful relationship with Christ? What is the one area that is holding you back from growing closer to God? Because no matter what it is—greed, anger, lust, apathy, etc.—Christ wants to pinpoint that area and he challenges you to trust him with it. Turn to him. Let it go. And instead, take hold of Christ's hand and follow him.

Is there an area in your life Christ confronted that you want to share?