Time To Get Real

"Scratching people where they itch and addressing their "felt needs" is a stratagem of the poor steward of the oracles of God. This was the recipe for success for the false prophets of the Old Testament"

                             R.C. Sproul

Two men are seated in a plane. A stewardess gives the first man a parachute and instructs him to put it on as it will "improve his flight."

Not understanding how a parachute could possibly improve his flight, the first passenger is a little skeptical. Finally he decides to see if the claim is true. After strapping on the parachute, he notices its burdensome weight, and he has difficulty sitting upright. Consoling himself with the promise of a better flight, our first passenger decides to give it a little time.

Because he's the only one wearing a parachute, some of the other passengers begin smirking at him, which only adds to his humiliation. Unable to stand it any longer, our friend slumps in his seat, unstraps the parachute, and throws it to the floor. Disillusionment and bitterness fill his heart because, as far as he is concerned, he was told a lie.

Another stewardess gives the second man a parachute, but listen to her instructions. She tells him to put it on because at any moment all the passengers will be making an emergency exit out of the plane at 25,000 feet.

Our second passenger gratefully straps the parachute on. He doesn't notice its weight upon his shoulders or that he can't sit upright. His mind is consumed with the thought of what would happen to him if he jumped without it. When other passengers laugh at him, he thinks, "You won't be laughing when you're falling to the ground!"

          Ray Comfort

The first passenger is a lost soul coming to Jesus for salvation (parachute) to make his flight (life) easier. When trouble comes, a bumpy flight  and the straps weighs him down (ridiculed and laughed at), he pulls the chute off. He calls it a lie, it didn't do what they told me it would do. His heart becomes a little hardened to Jesus.

The second passenger puts on the parachute (salvation) and is told it is for an impending jump (death in life). Therefore to save him from dying (going to hell) he straps the parachute on (comes to Jesus his savior). He has the same turbulent flight (ridiculed and laughed at) as the first passenger but instead he ignores the bumps (nay sayers) and holds on tightly to his parachute (Jesus).

Which passenger stayed the course, stayed on the path and finished the race successfully? Obvious huh?

How do you want to present the gospel? We all should want to witness to others so they too will continue to witness to others. The bottom line... it all about a relationship with Jesus. My Jesus.

Radical Believers

Have you noticed? God is raising an army.


  Radical Believers are popping up all around. A new breed of Christians wanting the truth, the solid truth without all the trimmings. Believers who want to follow Jesus without compromise. Believers who want to share the Gospel without compromise!
   The radical believers who are coming will not look like the traditional believer. Some will have long hair or no hair. Some will have tattoos and piercings. The radical believer may look like a business man, in a suit with a short haircut. They all have the same desire in common....to share the message of Jesus, to help other Believers develop a stronger relationship with God.

  How many souls are not going to church for fear of judgement? How many avoid church because they have been beaten up by "religion"? How many use the excuse that the members are hypocrites, pretenders? One person on Sunday and another the other six days of the week?
   Just want to tell them to "get over it" and go to church anyway?? How's that working? Church attendance has been dropping steadily over the past several years. Churches are filing bankruptcy. Is it working yet?

   Are you a Radical Believer? Being a Radical Believer means to believe Love and Forgiveness not tolerance and compromise.
    Radical believers don't care what you look like or how much money you have in a portfolio. The care about your soul, your heart and your relationship with God.

  What are we really talking about? We are talking about the Believers of the first church. Everywhere they taught the Gospel, anywhere where these believers lived their faith. There was radical christianity! This was not because they were religious and adhered to manmade traditions but it was because they truly loved the people.

   They loved people exactly the way Jesus did!


Matthew 5:13-16

    ¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

   ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

  Read the passage from Matthew again.. We are called to be Radical!!

 What made Jesus radical in his day???


   The world taught...hate your enemies.....work hard get rich......forget the poor... and show no mercy.
    Jesus taught....love your enemies....take no thought about tomorrow...give to others and show mercy.


   We are not called to be religious. We are not called to judge others. We are not called to force our opinions on others.
   We are called to be radical. We are called to love others, we are called to forgive others, we are called to share Jesus with others.

 Who do you want to be?

Christians Compromised

2 Timothy 4:3-4 (New Living Translation)

 ³ For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will reject the truth and chase after myths.


 Are the days of fire and brimstone preaching forever gone? not the scare tactic, but the straight forward truth popular or not.
 Are our pastors, preachers and leaders watering down God's message not to  offend? and possibly lose attendance.
  Is it our pastors job to make us feel good about ourselves every Sunday morning?

Too many Christians are going to church on Sunday to feel better about themselves for not taking a stand. The pulpit over the past several years has come to cater to such non-sense.

 "We have to keep attendance up to pay for the new fellowship hall and the children's building needs a new heating unit"
  "If we offend people, attendance will drop and we won't be able to pay our bills"
  "John Q. Public gives a large check every Sunday in his tithe envelope, don't preach on adultery, he has a girlfriend his wife doesn't know about"

  Who is the head of our Christian church? It was Jesus at one time. Now popular opinion, large givers and self indulgent leaders control the message from the pulpit.

  Jesus loved the sinner but hated the sin. The woman who was to be stoned for adultery. He forgave her, and he told her to sin no more. He loved her and forgave her but told her to sin no more. He didn't say "don't get caught again", "try to stop...ok..please.."
   The political hot button of homosexuality. There are homosexuals in the pulpit of so-called Christian churches and in other leadership positions. Talk about compromise in principles. Let me say this...homosexuality is wrong, get over it.
   Does Jesus love the homosexual??? Yes, no doubt but he hates the sin. Different churches are becoming tolerant and compromising Biblical principles. How can you be a church leader and still think Jesus is ok with being a homosexual? I talked to Jesus this morning and He told me He is not ok with it! but He loves you and is waiting for you to truly follow Him.

  Pro-choice and a Christian? Oxy-moron! Sorry you cannot be both. To be both you have to compromise Jesus's teachings.
  Jane Roe (not her real name) of the Roe vs Wade fame has wished she had never been apart of the circus and theatrics that surrounded the supreme court case. By the way, she has never had an abortion. She was needed to stay pregnant to help the 1973 case. Abortion is killing a child, doesn't matter if it is at conception or a few weeks down the road..it is Murder!

 What has been your compromise today? What have you been tolerant of and not said anything for fear of not being politically correct? Think about this my Christian brothers and sisters,,,, when you remain quiet to situations that do not reflect Biblical principles, you are denying Jesus!!


 Where does this tolerant attitude begin? Why are so many Christians complacent in ability to stand up for what is right? well........

 It all began when our Christian leaders, pastors, preachers and priest decided it was better to be popular instead of being right with Jesus.

Rebel in His day, my Savior today

You never tried to win more secular appeal,

and water down your message with a slightly different feel.

  You never tried to be politically correct,

or skirt around the issue attempting to connect.

  You never shied away from critical debate,

or beat around the bushes when discussing human fate.

  You weren't ashamed to tell them who Your Father was.

  Never ran from persecution like human nature does.

  The above is from a popular song describing Jesus. 

  Read it again and think about how we Christians are following his examples.

We call ourselves disciples of Jesus, but do we really know what that means?

Definition of a disciple: is one who follows ones teachings; imitates the teacher by adhering to their teachings.

Definition of a Christian: One like Christ.

  Read the verses again, how do you compare??

   How often, when we are sharing our testimony do we water it down? not wanting to appear to be a "Jesus freak" or one of those religious zealots? or do we try to be politically correct not wanting to offend?

   Do you avoid certain subjects not wanting to get into a debate?

How does the image in the mirror look now? There is more to being a disciple then just going to church on Sunday or attending a Bible study. It is more then sharing the Word only when you feel like it. It is a Lifestyle.

  We need to be bold.

Mark 16:15

  And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the good news (the Gospel) to the 

whole of the human race.

Matthew 28:19

 Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

  Todays world teaches tolerance. The media is dripping with it. Jesus was not tolerant, He  was straight forward in His teachings. Though Jesus was not tolerant, He was Love. He loved those that were astray. Tolerance is compromise, and Jesus never compromised His principles. When he came across those who were living in sin, He loved them.

  The lifestyles of today are off the grid, hedonism, homosexuality,polygamy. I don't agree with these lifestyles but I love the individuals who are lost in them. I love them as Christ would.

  Christians, disciples, believers whatever label you fall under, we need to stand up and be bold for Christ. Be bold telling others what He has done for us. Be bold loving those different from us as Christ would. We need to stand on His Word and Foundation. Pick up the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit and take a Stand!  

Going Deeper (Part 3) Sharing Jesus

Matthew 28:16-20 (The Message)

 ^16-17Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.
 ^18-20Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

  Well that is the great commission that Jesus gave his disciples. So get to it!!!!

  If it were only that easy.........it is really.

  What if I am rejected?? Ok, who are they rejecting? You or Jesus?

     It is not "all about me".

     When you share your faith you are successful 100% of the time. Don't think so?? Think about this. When you plant a seed to grow it needs several things to help it grow to maturity. Water, fertilizer, sunlight. Sometimes we are the ones planting the seeds of salvation and sometimes we are watering a seed left by someone before us. Does it matter which one is our job as long as we do our job?

  I don't know what to say. 


   It is not "all about me"

    Jesus will speak thru you, you just have to trust Him. Start simple. Share your testimony of how you came to Jesus. I have found this to be very effective in getting me to relax and open up to who I am speaking with at the time. Questions begin to flow in the conversation. Surprise you are sharing your faith my friend.

  Who do I talk to? so many out there.


Acts 8 26-40


   This is the story of the Ethiopian and Philip. The Lord told Philip to go and meet him around noon, south of Jerusalem. Sometimes you just know it is right time with the right person. The Holy Spirit works in awesome ways to lead us and help us.
   Maybe it is the person next to you in line, maybe sitting next to you on a plane. It could even be your neighbor you helping with a project. If you are open to sharing your faith, you will have no problems finding opportunities.

  Ok, now what?

  Pray with the person to accept Jesus into their heart. That means they will trust Him. It means they understand that even as a sinner He loved us. Died for our sins, (took our punishment) and was resurrected three days later. They need to understand that this is only the first step. The relationship building with Jesus starts now. 

   Building my relationship with Jesus has been amazing. I have always heard other people say they felt this or saw that. I couldn't understand why I didn't feel the same way. They seem to have a joy and a love that seemed to be manufactured right before they walked into the church. My friend..it is real!! I find that each day I grow closer to Jesus and learn more about Him that I am smiling more and feeling the joy that everyone was talking about.

Please if you have any questions or comments send them our way.

iamforgiven-ministries.com has a page on salvation and answers some of the questions. It is a new website that is under construction. The salvation page on the site is complete. 

  

   

Going Deeper (Part 2) stronger relationship with Jesus

  How do we develop a stronger relationship with Jesus. 

Pray

Get in the Word! (The Bible)

What you put in is what you put out.

Did I mention....Pray.

Pray:

We cometh before thee so we shall'eth be'th sanctified in your most glorious presence'th.

....and bless my dog, my cat and my fish Fred...oh and the ants in the front yard...

Oh Lord I need a million dollars....Amen   ...  tax free??

Sound familiar? Maybe it is you. maybe you have heard prayers similar to these. What is prayer really??

   Prayer in its most simple form is a conversation between you and God. Spoken as you would to a friend sitting next to you on a bench. It's honest and from the heart.

   I have always had a hard time praying out loud. I have found that I am not alone in this phobia either. We need to remember that we are praying to God and not to impress those around us. 

   Start small and go from there......

  I want to go deeper. Amen

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The Bible, the Word! Get in it!! :

  Choices, choices and more choices..... Which translation? Do I need a Life Application Bible or a parallel Bible? 

  Here are just a few choices and their strengths.

The Message - Easy to read in todays language. Reads like a book from a library would.

King James Bible - Tradition literal text. 

New International Version (NIV) Like the King James Bible but in todays language.

Parallel Bible - 2 or more translations on the same page for comparison.

Life Application Study Bible - variety of translations. Study notes emphasize how to live out the principles of scripture instead of the more traditional historical details of that period.

  Which ever you choose, start with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) at the beginning of the New Testament. Then build from there.

   Read Proverbs in the Old Testament.  Read a proverb a day for 30 days.

   Find a good Bible study.

  Personally I like The Message. It flows like a good story. I have also downloaded different books of the Bible in different translations. I can listen to a book while waiting in line or when out riding. DVD's about the Bible are good also for those of us who need the visual as well as audio.

  Be sure to pray before starting your Bible reading. Ask for understanding.

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  "Garbage in, garbage out" Most of us have heard this expression. It is amazing how true this is in todays life. The movies we watch, the music we listen to and the people we associate with all influence our thinking and our decisions.

 It Is Time For A Change!!

  Have you ever found yourself in a group of people at work or even at church and the conversation starts becoming uncomfortable? Maybe it was gossip about someone, or maybe just every word was dripping with negativity. We are uncomfortable for a reason, something is not right. "If you lie down with dogs you will get up with fleas"

  How do you feel when you watch a good movie. A good moral story about life, a feel good movie. You feel good right? not negative and depressed. Think it is an accident???

  What about the music you listen to or our children? Just take a look at the Billboards top 5 songs for the week of 2/5/2011. 

  Music can set our moods and how we feel about ourselves. The theme to the original Rocky. Listen to it while working out or working on a project and you feel like you could tackle Mount Everest.

  This was not as hard as I thought. It started small and grew from there. People I associate with on a regular basis are a strong Christian influence. What I watch on TV or when we go see a movie, I think about what I want out of this entertainment then ask for guidance and make the right decision. I love music, all types. There are so many different Christian groups that whatever your favorite genre is, it is out there!  By the way, Petra is one of my favorites.

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Did I mention prayer?  Pray!

 The power of prayer can not be measured. Doctors are amazed by it, scientist can not explain it. The power is REAL!

  Here is a challenge. Do the following for 30 days.

1. Read a proverb from the Book of Proverbs each day.

2. Each day pray before you read your Bible, ask for understanding.

3. Before making even the smallest decision ask God for his guidance.

4. Thank God for a glorious day before you go to bed.

5. When you wake up, tell God good morning and ask for his guidance.

Doing the four steps above and the challenge will get you well on your way to developing a stronger relationship with Jesus. I know it works because it is the same steps that I took and I still work on. It is not perfection but progress. If you slip or stumble...don't worry Jesus has you in His arms and will help you on your journey. I'm still traveling on my path and I can say it keeps getting better and better.

Going Deeper (part 1)

  What prevents you from going deeper in Christ?
  What is stopping you from developing a stronger relationship with Jesus?
  What is holding you back from sharing what Jesus has done for you?

  Maybe the questions should read.....

  How do I go deeper in Christ?
  How do I get a stronger relationship with Jesus?
  How do I share Jesus and what He has done for me?

  The best way to answer these questions is taking them on one at a time. Starting with "going deeper in Christ"

  The reasons for not going deeper are almost as many as there are people in the world. "Life is just so busy right now"," I will start when my life slows down","Just too much stress, I don't want more"," I'm as deep as the next person"," I would have to stop doing some of the things I'm doing now". The list continues on and on.
  What we tend to not understand is that going deeper in Jesus, solves many of these problems. I can honestly say this because I am a living testimony of what He has done for me in the last year alone. A life that was spinning out of control, stress coming from every direction and me not wanting to give up some of the things that I knew were wrong. All it took was a little bit of commitment from me and support from my wife. I had to let Him inside my heart before the outside would change.

  How did I start on the path to going deeper? It started with one simple request lifted up in prayer......Jesus I want to go deeper, show me what I need to do..amen
  Sounds almost laughable, so simple and so short. The difference was I wanted it. My prayer was sincere and honest, I did want it. I wanted my life to change and I wanted to live for Him.

  Next I made a few other life changes. I found a person I could trust to hold me accountable. Someone I could talk honestly to about what I was going thru. I even changed the music I was listening to. I had to forgive myself to experience God's love.

  Those were the easy steps, the next one was a little tougher. I committed time. Time to be in church, time to be in a Bible study and time for ministry. In the past, time was a commodity that was in short supply in my life. Work, hobbies and time to rest. Add in the everyday things like upkeep on the house and vehicles, there wasn't anything left. The secret to getting the time I needed to keep to my commitment was........prioritizing. I put God first. I started spending more time with other believers in church and out. I committed to spend time in our ministry. Surprisingly there was enough time for all the changes.

 The past year has been an amazing ride and I thank Jesus for everything, most importantly for not giving up on me.

  Today I have the time. Today all the stresses that I had before are still there but I'm not worried about them now, Jesus has them covered.

  Have i gone deeper...well let's just say I'm not in the wading pool anymore and I headed to deep waters and loving it all the way.

When Good People do Bad Things.

“I pretty much have my bad inclination under control; it’s my good inclination that always gets me into trouble.”
  The above quote was from Rabbi Wolfe Kelman and answers the question "Why do good people do bad things?"

  How many times do we do a good deed to see it fall apart or go terribly wrong? "No good deed goes un-punished"
  We start out with the best intentions and soon become overwhelmed and it spirals out of control. We fall into a trap that was clothed in "doing the right thing" 
  What happen? Did we turn evil over night? Someone slip something in our oatmeal? NO!, our hearts were in the right place, our GPS was faulty.


  When we make decisions in life, we either use our own GPS or God's GPS. We make our own paths or we follow His path that He has for us to follow.
  When we follow His path all goes according to His plan. When we become prodigal and follow our own paths, trouble is right around the corner. The story of Abraham and Sarah is only one example of what happens when we try to blaze our own trail to "help God out". 
  
  We live in a fallen world. Look around you and see all the sadness. Gossip rags, Reality TV, the movies we watch, the brainless sitcoms, even the commercials are pointless. Sensationalism and "It's all about me" are the norms in todays world. Todays world gives attention and accolades to those who climb on the back of others to look "important".  Todays world wants you to show the faults of "good people" . Evangelist, Prophets, Pastors are often the targets. Exposing their faults, media personnel build their careers.
  Many years ago an evangelist was exposed to have spent time with a prostitute. It made the headlines. You could see all about it on the nightly news. What was the purpose?? Sensationalism and self-importance to the reporter that broke the story. Forgotten were the stories of the evangelist's mission trips to feed the hungry around the world, or the monies that his organization gave to different charities. Only the "dirty laundry" was shown. He was and still is a strong believer in Jesus. 


 Following your heart in God's will is never a wrong decision. It is when we forget to ask Him for his guidance and help that things can go bad. When that happens there is always going to be someone wanting to make a name for themselves. One wrong step and you are in the trap of chaos, zero control and being overwhelmed. 


  Good people will continue to do bad things, doesn't make them "bad people" it makes them human. We all make mistakes and learn from them. 
  Christians are new creations in Christ. 
             you are more than the choices you have made
             you are more than the sum of your past mistakes
             you are more than the problem that you create
             You have been Remade!!!
  


  


  
   

10 ways to fail in a ministry

1. Build a great ministry while destroying a great marriage

2. Compromise my convictions in a moment of fatigue or weakness, and lose my family, my reputation, and my anointing

3. See thousands of strangers believe the gospel when I preach yet watch my own children reject the gospel when they grow up

4. Preach on being spritually healthy and vibrant while neglecting my own health for the sake of the ministry

5. Be super-productive in my daily work while never working on my own personal relationship with Jesus

6. Spend all my money and resources on my wants while neglecting the needs of my brothers and sisters, when it is in my power to help them

7. Be efficient at training and teaching others in how to do ministry but lack effectiveness in preparing my children to live for Christ as His disciples

8. Miss opportunities to bless, honor, and support other pastors and leaders because I am waiting on them to bless, honor, and notice me

9. Never have fun because I was too serious about my calling, my preaching, my writing, or my ministry responsibilities

10. Grow old without the deep, abiding love and friendships that I would miss if I never took the time to invest in people, beginning with my wife

Clayton King at NewSpring Church posted this on his blog the other day…it’s amazing…and I wanted to share.