videoguy0402’s blog

Recently, while I was at the grocery store I crossed paths with someone I knew from another church.  During out meeting up together, he told me how members of this particular church that I once attended with him had tried to break up their marriage.  They were effected by this during the separation of their marriage, but they never stopped loving each other.  This man said to me that he and his wife refused to listen to these people and decided to get back together.  Praise God their marriage is in tacked and they're love for each other is stronger than before.  Just this one example of people thinking they want to help but destroy what God has ordained is not a result of fruit bearing.  What are we thinking as Christians when we interfere with others in a way that's destructive and not yielding to the Holy Spirit.  This person was listening to the Holy Spirit over the "foxes" that was invading his relationship with his wife.  The fruit in our lives will manifest as a result of our walk with the Lord.  After years of growing up in the church and hearing situations like this one, I believe strongly that bearing the fruit of the spirit is the greatest evidence of the spirit-filled life in Christ.  People that speak in tongues and back bite their brother at the same time show a great deal of spiritual immaturity.  Or what about those that go to church on Sunday and sin against their spouse on Monday?.  Jesus said the road to salvation is narrow, but yielding to God and choosing his ways are greater than our sinful ways.  It's all about fruit bearing by the end of the day.  My prayer is not becoming careless in my actions towards others for a selfish gain.  This is one of the greatest decisions we have as Christ-followers as we continue to grow and abound in His grace. 

I found these two articles to be a couple of good reads that describe post-Charismatic and where I believe the church is moving towards, as the younger generation and the corporate church continues to grow.

Stripping Down To Christ Alone: Rethinking the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Post-Charismatic?

Prayer is what I've been thinking about lately.  I've heard that prayer can move the hand of God, but will not change the will of God.  We need to understand that we are to desire God's will like what Jesus prayed to the Father, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."  Sometimes we want to think that we're in control and can pray to change things on God's behalf, when really it is all about God changing us and conforming us into His image.  As we pursue God through prayer and devotion, we will find ourselves drawing closer to His will and our own desires will be subject to Christ's authority.  Also, God has given us prayer as a means of communicating to Him as a part of escaping the earthly realm and moving into a higher dimension where we can perceive clearly in the spirit.  This is when we find God's plan and purpose once we "make the time" and set aside the stuff we're doing.  Jesus wants us to follow God's plan and purpose because He knows how great the Father's love is.  Jesus is our best example of learning how to pray to the Father.  Let us never be in lack to pray to the Father, through the Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is something that I continue to struggle with time after time.  What does it mean to give ourselves up for the sake of others?  How do we become more like Christ and sacrificing our needs for the needs of others?  This could be one of those hard rocks in our every day walk as an obstacle to face.  Just by reading the gospels, it clearly shows us that as Christ followers, we are encouraged to share the good news to others through our giving and sacrificing.  I'm learning this more often as I don't necessarily preach to people all the time, but live out my salvation by deed.  It really does speak louder than our words and can go farther at certain moments.  Co-workers, family members, the cashier at the store, you can imagine the people that we come in contact with on a daily basis who watch our lives being played out.  So, the next time you see a person struggling to find enough money to pay for their groceries, are you going to offer to pay the difference?

I once spoke to a man that attends a church that has a big yellow cross on the front and it displays the words "Jesus Saves".  He said to me that "you need to be planted in the body of Christ AND in my church."  I asked him what he meant by that comment.  He began explaining that his church was the only church in our geographical area that was teaching the correct doctrine according to the bible and that all the other churches in the area were not good enough.  He continued lifting up the pastor and the church like it was the only church and there's no other around.  As I left the conversation, I thought about what he said and what I said as far as the bible explains about being in the body.  I believe this encounter confirmed with me that we are the church and are planted in the corporate body of Christ.  As much as it is important to attend a "local church" and support the ongoing work for God, we should be careful not to fall into this thinking of a particular building becoming a substitute for our position in the body of Christ.  The more I realized this, sometimes it is easy to idolize something in our life and we forget who we really are all about.  We are the "walking church" and as we come together collectively, we are united as the body of Christ.  If you're rooted in Christ first, and a living and breathing member of the body, which is the church, than that is where your function is! 

It amazes me sometimes how many Christians are indulged with going through the motions of a "Sunday church goer."  We dress up with the best attire and put our smiley face on when we don't really understand the meaning of attending a Sunday gathering.  I once learned that gathering on Sundays was a time and place to express our worship to God and fellowship with other believers.  A time when we can give out to others and learn how we can affect our community and make a difference in someone's life.  Have we seemed to lose our focus on the real reason why we gather on a Sunday?  Living with a missional perspective means we're doing a lot less judging and a lot more guiding others to spiritual truth.  How can we do this and what does it entail.  Getting involved with the community and giving up free time to volunteer at the soup kitchen, bringing clothes to Goodwill, hospital visitation, cooking a meal for a needy family, etc.  Be part of the culture and meet people where they're at.  As Christians in this postmodern world, we should realize that acting out by serving to others will turn the hearts of those that need help and find the love of God.  Just a thought.

Being holy unto God means we are stepping into a more fully and devoted life in the Kingdom of God.  Not dressing like were living in the 1930s.
So if we're desiring to be holy, what about righteousness.  Righteousness means that we are right in the sight of God and we're accepted in the beloved.  So here a good analogy of this as found in the old testament, the good old tabernacle of Moses.  Righteous living is as being in the outer court, while holiness is found in the holy of holies or beyond the inner court.  Many people that come to Christ will become an "outsider" and that might be ok for them.  But I think the Lord has challenged us to move forward into his full purpose for our lives and live out the gospel in a greater way!

We are to be of the Father's business by living in the plan and purpose God has designed for us.  Our responsibility is to further the Kingdom of God and proclaim His good news to the world.  We, collectively as the church must be Kingdom minded in everything we put our hands to and not get entangled with the mentality of "our work for our church".  Ministry involvement is being part of the greater and much larger body of Christ throughout the world.  By this, we need to recognize and support each other in different fellowships.

What comes between us and God?
The world, the flesh, activities, toys(stuff)

Can anything really separate us from the love of God? Ultimately, No

Scripture Ref.
Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution...neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

We are protected and sealed by the Holy Spirit which is the promise of God's redemption and provision.  This is our great salvation!  Don't feel condemned or upset when things go wrong, look to God and repent if you made a mistake.  Our heavenly father is leading us to greater places where the valleys we go through strengthen us to get to those mountain tops!

What do we need to do to protect our relationship the the Lord?  Guard our hearts 

Scripture Ref.
Psalm 32:7  You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

Stay in Prayer and reading scripture, manage our time, and balance our schedule

Key words: Endurance, Connection, Intimate, Distraction, Humble, Seek