Rock Bottom....

I have been doing a lot of reading and meditating lately about the Kingdom and our role on earth as followers of Jesus. I will say this has been the most challenging months that I can recall spiritually, as I have been and continue to examine my heart and look at the world through the eyes of Jesus. I have gone from the mentality of being the “King of Comfort”, as it is well put by the band Delirious, to a focus of how I can inconvenience my self for the advancement of the kingdom.
I look at what the American definition of church is and have a hard time finding things in scripture that supports what we do. In America and in other places we have built these buildings and called them a church. We expect the lost to come to us. Like all of a sudden the lost is going to wake up on a Sunday morning and sacrifice time to sleep in, golf, or whatever people do on Sundays to hear a hip band and hear someone tell them that they are living life wrong. Churches have gotten desperate over the years and have tried some marketing ideas such as, billboards, Movie Theater advertising prior to the movie, ads on some radio stations. I know of a church in Ohio that advertised a money give away on Easter Sunday.

Has the American Church Hit Rock Bottom?

Rock bottom is a term that you hear a lot in the substance abuse arena. It refers to a person who has been struggling for years with addictions and ignored every one that reached out to help. The person usually looses friends, job, their house, good health, and other important things before they realize that the addiction is not worth it anymore. At this point they reached rock bottom and at times will get help, however many continue down the same old path till they die.
Is the church reaching rock bottom? Let me explain what I am talking about before you think I am some of off the wall nut job. The church for many years has continued down the same path. The church, referring to the body, has adopted what the American culture teaches, which is ,it's all about me and my convenience first. Think about it, how many so-called “followers of Jesus” live pleasing their desires first then will attend a service once a week, if it works out, and go on confessing that they are Christians? Meanwhile, through out the week they neglect the needs of others, filling up their lives with things that in the end do not matter, and for some reason they feel that is acceptable. The church is addicted to what the culture teaches and they are failing God miserably. The church needs to reverse this train of thought. We are not called to blend in with the culture of the day and fit Jesus in somewhere. We are called to change the culture around us into a Jesus Culture at all cost.
The Church is to reach out; in fact, the Bible clearly states we are to GO! We should not build a building to sit and wait for people to show up. Now do not get me wrong I am not saying that having a service is wrong, in fact, they can be great things for growth, community, and in some cases people find Jesus. I am saying that church is what goes on after the service; however look at what we clutter of lives with through out the week. Many of us work at least 8 hours a day and then afterwards its appointment after appointment, getting kids to practices or games, some work an extra job, and others just don’t do a thing, which is another issue. We clutter up our lives with meaningless things, things that hinder us from being the church, things that hinder us as parents from teaching our kids how to be the church. The churches addiction, to American culture is prevalent and there needs to be a change.
I am not meaning to come off like some killjoy. I understand that kids will have their sports or activities they want to be involved with, and appointments do come up. I am saying that the church needs to approach all things with the mindset of how am I going to glorify Jesus and further the kingdom through this? How am I going to impact other for Christ while I sit and wait for my son or daughter to get done with practice?, how am I going to teach my kids to be aware of opportunities to reach out to team mates or at their schools?
The Church has been ignoring its calling and continues to go down the same road, which leads to being inactive and to the world it does not look any different. The church hitting rock bottom is not that far off.

If you sense your life is too full to do what Jesus commanded us to do, then chances are, it is. Personally, I am making strides, however it can be difficult because of our sin nature. I fail and in no way am I going to sit here and act like I got it all together. But I will admit I am more aware of our calling and sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. When I fail I get upset and will ruminate about for a while, but I guess I would rather fail, while pursuing Gods calling, than fail continuously not in the pursuit.

Quite Talks on Prayer...

I came across a book tha that was written in 1904 by S.D Gordon called "Quiet Talks on Prayer. I decided to open it up today to read through it. I am also reading Forgotten God which is about our neglect of the Holy Spirit.. I read this quote right of the bat...



"There is one inlet of power in life, anybodys life, and kind of power: just one inlet, the Holy Spirit. He is power. He is in everyone who opens the door to God. He eagerly enters every open door. He comes in by our invitation and consent. His presence within is a vital thing. But with many of us while He is in, He is not in control, in as a guest not as a host". S.D Gordon "Quite Talks on Prayer", written in 1904



The book was written 107 years ago and this quote is just as relevant today as it was then...

Thoughts On Prayer And The Church

I love it when God takes control of a situation and you can see the Holy Spirit working with in the body. God absolutely loves the church and if you do not believe that then review the Gospels and you will now how much He loves us. God has a way, that if things seem crazy with in the body and is under attack, of taking care of the body. All the church has to do is pray and pray diligently. Its not a one time prayer request, it is an on going thing prayer request. The Church needs prayer to function, it needs its people to come together and ask for Gods direction, protection, and intervention. I know the church prays but does the church pray enough? Jim Cymbalta, the pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle once said

“The Bible does say, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." Preaching, music, the reading of the Word--these things are fine--but they must never override prayer as the defining mark of God's dwelling.”

(Matthew 21-13He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”)

Is it possible that the preaching, singing, and other programs have become a distraction?
What I mean is do we focus so much on the preaching and the music that prayer takes a seat? If Gods word says, His house shall be a house of prayer then where is the focus on prayer? It is a lot more than putting request on a bulletin or sending it through email.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.-Act 2:42

As this verse says, the church should be devoted to the apostles teaching. Which the teaching of the apostles was the Gospel. We as a church should be devoted to the gospel of Jesus Christ it is the foundation. The rest of the verse is easy to understand. Building relationships, eating together, and prayer seems fun and exciting, right?
I read this and I look at today’s church and wonder where is this happening?
The church has developed into a routine you do rather than a lifestyle we choose to live. Some churches have become more about the program rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to move. Some churches have gotten into the entertainment business and focus on numbers of butts they can get to sit in their seats, neglecting community and encouraging ways to serve others. Some are very traditional and hang on man made ideas and functions. The development of clever fads and strategies has produced the same result, failure….
Prayer I believe is what makes the church function. Prayer is as important to the function of the church as a tune up is for car or batteries to an Wii remote. A church that prays and listens for direction will thrive. I can only imagine, what the church over all, would be like if it rid themselves of all the distractions and began praying and listening….

Are they serious?

Below is a news article that I came across.....


Church Will Give Away $1,000 on Easter

An Ohio church will draw names to receive $1,000 to encourage attendance at their Easter service.
According to the Denver Post, Lindenwald Baptist Church in Hamilton, Ohio will give away $1,000 on Easter Sunday to encourage members and visitors to attend the service. The church will draw names and award $500 to a member and $500 to a guest. The church sponsored the giveaway last year and more than doubled their typical Sunday attendance as a result. The pastor says he is continuing the cash giveaway to be a financial and spiritual blessing to someone at Easter.

What do you think? Is this an effective way to draw in Easter visitors? Why or why not?

If a church has too offer money to get people in the door then they are in trouble. Hey Lindenwald Baptist why dont you just be Jesus to the community instead if you want to spread the gospel and grow your church. I think stuff like this makes a mockery of the church and does nothing but make the body of Christ look plain ridiculos.. I better just stop typing now..

Some thoughts as I read through Philippians 1

I am going through the book of Philippians and I am amazed how hardcore Paul was. I mean this person was incredible. He had a passion for Christ that was unique. He found opportunities in every situation to share Jesus with others. It did not matter where he was; in fact, he states in Philippians 1 that by being thrown in prison he was able to talk to the guards and prisoners about Jesus. He did not view prison as a bad thing, he was actually glad he was able to get into prison because he normally would not have been able to get in and share Jesus in that environment. Paul was torn because he wanted to die and be with Jesus but he knew that there so much work to be done on earth. As I look at what Paul was doing and those who were apart of the early church. I could not help but think of what it would be like if the church still functioned like that today. Could you imagine how impactful the church would be if they would have continued to act like the early churches. Imagine a church that would not be afraid to jump on opportunities to share Jesus with someone. Imagine a selfless body of people who are willing to go out of their way to help the needy, not just with in the body but outside of the body. Imagine a church that would allow the Spirit to lead.

Something I read today..

Read this today and thought to pass it on to you for whatever its worth...

"Another shift that Jesus invites us to make is from producing to growing. A producers puts parts together and makes something new happen. you produce a veggie lasagna from cheese, asparagus, tomato sauce, and pasta. Throw in some eggplant if you like. You produce a BMW from auto parts. But everything you produce is already dead. Its just a thing. One day it will get old and rot or rust and waste away. Compare a producer to a grower. A grower stand in his garden. He leans over growing things to tend them with water and fertilizer and loving care. He watches with pleasure and expectations as his plants accomplish the one thing he can't make happen. They Grow. The Kingdom of Jesus is alive and growing, but not because we make it grow. We plant seeds of life. We water and weed. We sweat and hope and pray. but the dynamic of life in the garden is the kingdom at work . it is the life of god springing up around us. In the kingdom, the places we put our heart into and work at are places where we are collaborating with kingdom life. We don't collaborate with programs or buildings or technologies, although God can use those for important ends. Rather we notice and invite and affirm the kingdom people:
In the nervous young mom next to us in the bus
In the migrant farm worker waiting in line ahead of us at the 7-Eleven
In the man next door who's ducking it out with old age and chemo
In the child in our won household who's crossing the threshold from playground to pimple hell
The kingdom is. We are witnesses. Kingdom life is found when we articulate the Good news of Jesus Christ to those who not yet heard. Jesus is the doorway into the kingdom. But kingdom life thrives also in the beautiful ordinary, not just when we're doing ministry or working at a church."--Rick Mckinley, This Beautiful Mess.

Preparation is key.....

Below is a good read about preparing for worship taken from Christian Challenge website..
Preparation For Worship
Before and as we enter into worship we need to prepare our hearts. Here are a few things to consider in preparation for worship:

1. Make sure you are right with God. Matthew 5:8 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.1 Psalm 66:18 18If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.2 1John 1:9 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.3 While we are right with God because of Jesus' death on the cross we still need to keep our lives free from sin and confess our sin when we do sin. Sin hinders our relationship with God. Confession clears the air and keeps our relationship with God healthy.

2. Quiet your heart. Luke 10:38-42 38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."4 As we enter into worship we need to leave the cares, worries, and demands upon our lives behind and focus upon the Lord.

3. Surrender your heart to God. Matthew 15:7-9 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men."5 Our hearts need to be committed to God. We can go through the motions of worship but it will be meaningless unless are hearts are right with Him.

4. Come with a humble heart. 2Chronicles 7:14 14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.6