Power with Purpose!

Sometimes shackles and chains can take on the most deceptive of guises:

For too long I carried a sort of hidden shame with regards to the calling that God has placed on my life. It always seemed to me that I needed to feel guilty about the talents that God placed in me because; compared with so many other Christian vocations, music seemed to be the easiest of jobs (Not always but since we are comparing...). I mean, Christians are supposed to suffer and be martyred and stuff like that right? So how come I get off so easy being called to do something as fun as “Jam for Jesus?”

The attack can come from the other end as well. Imagine, here you are plugging away at your job and all of a sudden, you get a chance to work with some heavy hitters in your field. What a thrill, right! But when it's all said and done, they go back to their “heavy hitter hideout,” and you get to stay in your little small-time, home-town ministry. I tell ya, satan just loves make you feel small and tell you that you'll never go anywhere else. What's worse is that many times, satan can lay off and we ourselves will happily take over for him, convincing ourselves that we will never grow beyond where we are now.

So off I went, comparing myself to other Christians and feeling bad because to me, music is fun and thoroughly enjoyable but compared to missionaries and those around the world that suffer for name of Jesus, I'm just a little league bench warmer, right? Or the blessing of working with good brothers and sisters that are further along in their ministry ends up making you feel small and insignificant. In the meantime God says, “Man! You really need to change your way of thinking.”

There comes a time when you begin to realize that being part of the body of Christ means that some parts do seem to have it easier than others. Some parts seem to be more glamorous than others. But you also begin to realize that grace is formed in us no matter what our calling and that grace will manifest itself in the form of strength for the persecuted, or humility for those that “have it easy.” It's still One Body and the head is Christ!

The guilt and insecurity have now been revealed for what they really are – distractions from my calling to the point that they could be called sin! I mean, how unthankful is it for me to go around being ashamed of my God-given talent and calling just because it isn't some form of physical suffering or sacrifice? All of that will be required of all Christians in due time because 2Ti 3:12 states, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 4:1-3:

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

What a joy it is to acknowledge the great gift that God has so graciously given to me! I am thankful to be so anointed and blessed. I will be thankful and honor Him by walking in it, manifesting it, and striving to perfect it – bringing power and purpose together for His glory!

Yes, summer time is here and along with it all of the things which distract us and take up our time until we find ourselves wondering, "What happened to spring?" It is so easy to find ourselves taking advantage of warm weather and paid days off in order to rest and recreate. It is also very easy to lose track of time. The next thing you know, you are fighting guilt because you let opportunities to serve slip by.

Then again, maybe you are using your time in the most efficient way you know how. There just simply isn't enough of it! We've all been there. Some of us continue to dwell there. I feel a series about time management coming on...

We completed the study of Romans 12 a couple of weeks ago. For my procrastination in releasing this report, I apologize. I think if everyone in the group would be honest, all of us have been allowing ourselves to be distracted by things, events, and circumstances. My prayer is that; while we all have to take time for personal sabbath, let that time be for what it is intended: a time for refreshment, relaxation, and refocus. Often we go off on a tangent, intending to get revived and come back strong and focused, ready to continue the effort. But what generally happens is, we lose our focus even more because relaxation doesn't take a whole lot of effort. Neither does allowing circumstances to control our lives. Maintaining strong, positive, and lasting relationships; whether it be with God or each other, does.

We have developed a new appreciation for the Word of God over the past several months. It has lit our path. We can see plainly that being a Christian is so much more than just going around telling ourselves and each other that we are Christians. We have learned first and foremost that our actions must line up with our words. Otherwise we become liars and make God out to be one as well. This is something that should frighten anyone who believes in the awesomeness and sovereignty of God to repentance.

Romans 12 is the executive summary of Christianity. It is and should be the forward reading of every new convert, and should be a thoroughly familiar chapter to all believers. Let us break it down into the sections as listed in the study guide:

Romans 12:1 - Be surrendered to God. Total surrender brings peace and contentment to you soul, no matter what your circumstances. It also gives you strength to ride out the rough times when you surrender to, and trust in our all powerful God.

Romans 12:2 - Be separate from the world system. This does not mean leave and start a monastery in the mountains. It means our way of living and dealing with the issues of life must line up with God's instruction. The world's ways are not God's ways. This separation is imperative if we are to live for God as He intends us to.

Romans 12:3-8 - Be sober in your self assessment. This is simply being realistic about where you are, being knowledgeable about where you need to be, and being humble about how to get there.

Romans 12:9-16 - Serving in love. It's a lost and dying world. There are many people in need. Not just for food, clothes, and the gospel. People need to see and experience the love of Christ as it flows through us! People are hungry for a real move of God and this is how it gets accomplished.

Romans 12:17-21 - Supernaturally responding to evil. In a nutshell, what did Christ do during his last day as a man? He didn't call in the angels to bail him out. He didn't argue his point with the leaders and governors. He didn't respond in-kind to the horrible things that were done to him. Bad things are going to happen to good people - it is a fallen world. How we respond to the evil aimed at us is vastly more important than the circumstance itself. After all, we are preparing for eternity, right?

I have enjoyed the group time that we have had in this study tremendously. Even more importantly - I have watched God move on everyone in the group and have had the privilege to see how he has helped everyone grow. His power and Spirit have manifested themselves among us in an awesome way and I believe that the strength we have gathered from these sessions is going to carry us into a promising future if, as Paul says, we hold fast to our faith.

And finally, I was asked the other day, "Why don't you do the audio blogs anymore?" The answer is simple - I haven't until now, allowed myself the time it takes to produce these. That is going to change however. I enjoy doing them and will be making it a point to plan them for the future. Please be in prayer that God will provide the resources.

If you are interested in the Romans 12 study series from Chip Ingram, please go to the Highly Suggested resources link on the right side of this page and click on Living on the Edge. Thanks to all and God Bless!

A.W. Tozer expresses the Oneness of God in a very elegant way. Here is an excerpt from his book, "The Knowledge of the Holy." If you would like to read it on line, it is available here.

"When the Scripture states that man was made in the image of God, we dare not add to that statement an idea from our own head and make it mean ”in the exact image.” To do so is to make man a replica of God, and that is to lose the unicity of God and end with no God at all. It is to break down the wall, infinitely high, that separates That-which-is-God from that-which-is-not-God. To think of creature and Creator as alike in essential being is to rob God of most of His attributes and reduce Him to the status of a creature. It is, for instance, to rob Him of His infinitude: there cannot be two unlimited substances in the universe. It is to take away His sovereignty: there cannot be two absolutely free beings in the universe, for sooner or later two completely free wills must collide. These attributes, to mention no more, require that there be but one to whom they belong."

I am currently reading Dr. Michael L. Brown's book, "Revolution: The Call to Holy War." It is indicting of American Christians to say the least, and with good reason.

Can I be honest with you for a minute? I know it may hurt your feelings and it may stir up something negative in you towards me however, what I am feeling and experiencing in all this is not of my own doing. I believe the Lord is stirring something within me and it makes me very uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I understand the source and reason behind it and the more I read this book, the more tangible my discomfort.

Then again, Dr. Brown's excellent; almost lyrical, writing style spells out exactly why I should feel this way and tells me that their is still hope for the Christian who languishes in the American style of Christianity (Not going there, read the book!).

I tell you what: instead of me going there, I'll let the book speak for itself. Here is an excerpt from chapter 5, "Exposing the gods of This Age."

"Professor Tony Campolo relates this amazing story. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, he received a call from a friend with the Christian College Coalition, notifying him 'that a group of top educators from the Soviet Union were coming to the United States' and that 'they were interested in seeing the thing religious groups here in the United States are doing in the way of social service.' That was right up Campolo's alley, since he was not only an educator but the head of several inner-city ministries as well. So he rolled out the red carpet for his guests: 'With great enthusiasm I took them to our various latchkey programs. I showed off our youth clubs and explained how we communicate Christian values to ghetto teenagers. Finally, I took them to a special Christian school we have established for disadvantaged children.'"

"The Russian guests - which included the heads of two of Russia's most prestigious universities, along with the deputy minister of education - took full advantage of their opportunity: 'Everywhere these Russian visitors went they interviewed people - children and teenagers, as well as adults. Their questions were probing and astute. They listened with intensity and took copious notes.' And what were their impressions? Campolo gives the surprising report: 'Those teenagers are so materialistic!' was one response. Another added, 'All that these young people talked about was making money.' But the most unexpected answer came from the deputy minister of education who reluctantly remarked, 'I am somewhat disappointed in your children. Since they are Christians, I expected that they would be concerned about spiritual things. Instead, they are more materialistic that the Marxist youth in our country. They seem to be devoid of any lofty, idealistic vision.'"

This was almost 20 years ago! It has only gotten worse since then. I watch, I see, and I listen. And I hesitate to post this because I only know of a handful of people who will agree with me. The rest will most certainly be offended not because I am wrong, but because deep down in their hearts, they know I am right; and their pride wells up within them to bring offense, not from without, but from within.

Materialism, is it the real god of the American Christian church? I am beginning to wonder. Your comments are welcome here. Dr. Brown can be contacted on the web at Ask Dr. Brown.

More to follow...

In this session we finished up the fourth tenant of Chip Ingram's Romans 12 study; "Serving in Love." The discussion began turning from study and discussion, to application and action.

As a group, we have been working towards the point that we can take all of the good things we have learned over the past few months and actually start applying them to our lives and the group as a whole. Meeting real needs, for the right reason, in the right way is becoming a foundational aspect of our existence.

In addition to Romans 12:9-13, I would like to add James 2:14-18 which basically states that we need to touch people's lives with what we do, because what we say simply isn't enough. People have heard all kinds of talk about Jesus, Christianity, and religion; but people are not seeing Jesus or Christianity. Religious talk can be bought by the pound for pennies (especially when sprinkled with politics and personality). Paul and James challenge us to quit talking, roll up our sleeves, and get to work.

How can you apply meaningful purpose to your God-given power? God will show you if you will let Him.