I want to express some extreme frustration in my heart that I have for the situation of the world in which we live. First, it is NOT my intention place any blame, deny responsibility, or claim to have intrinsic wisdom on the matter; however, I am not holding back in my statements to keep from offending. It’s time for us to grow up.
Second, early morning coffee is a crutch for those that want an excuse to not have to hit the grind hard, on purpose, first thing every morning. I am not against early morning coffee. I enjoy it. Just get over yourself and your self-made addiction that contributes to and enables your small talk reservoir – that’s right, I said it.
Third, if we are children of God and are instructed to be about the King, and the King’s work – why would we do ANYTHING ELSE!?!?
Okay, let’s get a couple things ironed out: 1) I am not angry, 2) I am not manic, and 3) I often think and do things that do not relate to the Kingdom – but my core values and actions representing those convictions about them should continue to increase, show themselves as a solid pretense to all my doings, become more frequently repetitious and synonymous with the purposes of the Kingdom already at work near or around us.
There are tons of references that we use to explain away our actions in Kingdom ‘Living’ or ‘Work’, and we talk about Jesus, and we talk about Paul and the Apostles and we regurgitate their words as though we have a clear and strong grasp on what it is they were REALLY trying to communicate. Realistically, most haven’t, and it’s why we have to have ‘draw people to church’ conferences, and publishers that cater to church leadership, and sexy names and formats for everything we do as ‘Christ-like’s’. Let’s just get this one fact straight, there were a bunch of men led by the Holy Spirit to collect many teachings and letters now called ‘The New Testament’, and they picked the cream of the crop to pass on through the generations for the generations (canonization). Within these teachings that they incorporated into one abridged explanation of the Gospel (and I’m not implying that it is in any way incomplete, but the contrary), and it’s application to a constantly changing and evolving world. The Jesus centered worldview has not changed (contrary to popular thought), nor will it ever change from being the unequivocal, infallible, and absolute truth. NEVER. You cannot win a community, a city, a state or a nation over with seasonal concepts of charity – you’ll only create a sense of hyped up Easter eggs and Halloween candy (Harvest Festival alternative? BULL!).
So back to the word ‘common’. Basically, I’m vexed in how so many streams can converge and turn the Word sour with a single experience. I’ve also got so much concern in my heart for the apparent need to create rules to accompany our ‘religious convictions’. This is NOT freedom, and I am gaining a sense that freedom was never about incorporation of rules, and that religion has never been about freedom. You cannot love both God and yourself. You cannot have both freedom and regulation. They are polar opposites, and your heart must serve the system of the world, or the freedoms of Heaven.
If I’m not mistaken, it seems that the first church was birthed as an expression of faith by people with a common experience, and had no intention of copying, or operating within the confines of the direction of the Sanhedrin (Pharisees & Sadducees). They were finally free, finally given the chance by Jesus himself to enter into an intimate relationship with God in Jesus, and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to not only share this message, but to actually share love in faith with fellow believers (also known as receivers) and to all those in bondage in any way. VERY SIMPLE. First two, and only two commandments that Jesus offered to those that would accept His hand in salvation.
The way that I see it, if you are waiting to do ministry until people can give with a tax write off (501©3 in America), trying to raise enough support to do your thing full-time, or if you are selling shirts to end poverty in Haiti, or if you are buying ‘Tom’s’ to help kids in Argentina, you are participating in a massive lie that the Message of God, and the offering of Jesus isn’t enough – and that we must join the humanitarian and religious efforts of the world’s way of doing things. Jesus didn’t have to do ANY OF THOSE THINGS and saw EVERYONE He touched and prayed for healed. No exceptions.
If God has given you an impossible dream, go chase it. Also, It is my opinion that He will make a way. It is also my conviction that you better take that dream to the prayer closet and ask God to clean up (perfect) your identity in and your perception of His plan, so that there is no way that you could mess it up, because you hear directly from Him. If He does good things, and He is 100% good, and he makes 100% Florida Orange Juice good, I’ll let Him make the plan to grow, pick, and squeeze the oranges. I’m certainly not going to tell him how to deliver the juice to the market either. Now, just insert revival for oj, and you’ll get where I’m going with this.
SO, in a nutshell kind of way – I desire to open a ‘can-o-worms’, and challenge you, the reader, to open your heart up, and ask yourself which system you serve. Do you serve the purposes of man? Or do you serve the purposes of Jesus for the sake of His Kingdom? God won’t be mocked. Let’s just say this – until you are fully willing to serve the purposes of God as His son/daughter, because of His Son, He will never be willing to serve your purposes as a priest on the earth. God will not pour out His love, revelation, resources, or favor into a lukewarm vision. He cannot. God is interested in people that have given themselves into the wholeness of goodness, and His nature. He doesn’t overlook anyone, but is looking for those that are willing.
PLEASE, please, hear my heart, in that I hope that we can begin to find some synergy, operating as the body, in unity because of God’s agenda.
Jesus prayed that we would be one (John 17), as He was one with the Father. Jesus was so absolutely reliant on God’s spirit, so addicted, that the moment the Spirit was removed from Jesus, He perished. He should have had a long painful death as were common to a crucifixion, or perhaps Jesus should have even come off the cross were it up to Himself. But it was the will of God, removing Himself from the sin of the world, putting it away forever that killed Jesus, drawing yet another line in the sand. And then we must associate most directly with this – that we MUST identify with the resurrection of Jesus, which proves the nature of sin and death powerless, giving us hope, giving us freedom, and an opportunity to move with the same reliance on the Holy Spirit Jesus had! I want MORE! I’M NEEDY GOD! I WANT MORE OF YOUR HOLY SPIRIT!
PLEASE DO NOT continue to walk out a vision in your heart without taking the thoughts, concepts and visions to the prayer closet for years, allowing Papa to sift it, refine it, and mold it to be of the highest impact possible. We have Papa behind us, and we have forever, so we must be considerate of His calendar. We must be honoring of the culture that HE wants to build. Please be sure to write down your visions, but allow the Lord to describe it, give it wings, and establish it as an extension of His Kingdom in the earth.
Jesus, it is my desire that you would establish the most firm foundations of freedom in my heart. And I love you, Jesus, for coming alive, so I could come alive.
"God will not pour out His love, revelation, resources, or favor into a lukewarm vision. He cannot."
ReplyDeleteSome great thoughts overall, but I think you're wrong here B. I think God has a passionate desire to have relationship with us and to walk with is in ministry and life. I believe that even the weak "yes" of our heart moves God's heart. That isn't to say that we shouldn't seek to mature in our faith and in the vision he has given us, but I do believe that we all walk with incomplete, imperfect visions and only his grace reveals and perfects as we pursue what we know to pursue.
-Dingess
Holy Spirit blowing through the freakin screen!
ReplyDelete@Dingess,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response! I do not disagree that the 'weak' yes moves the heart of God. However, It wasn't a 'weak' yes that led Abraham out of Ur, Moses and 2M people out of Egypt, David against Goliath, Daniel in the lions den, John the baptist to Herod, Jesus to the cross, or sent Paul out to the church that he hated (not to mention about 10k other folks with similar acts in more recent history.
I'm not saying you can't have relationship with God, even in a weak yes, I'm sayin He desires a 'strong' and HOT faith! There is a true Gospel, and then there is a grace filled one that we prefer because we are comfortable. Just sayin'.
This is about the best exhorting, comforting and challenging message I have ever heard! If one isn't moved by the Holy Spirit as they read, they are DEAD!
ReplyDeletebro, i don't understand the whole coffee reference...
ReplyDelete