Asking Why?

Luke 5:36 

No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old

 

Determining the purpose of a Christian practice, and whether it is appropriate, requires an answer to the question, "Why?" "We have always done it this way before" is unacceptable. Christian practices continue for years, often outliving their purpose, until someone asks, "Why do we do that?" Characteristically, the defenses come up as though you were challenging what they believe!

 

For instance, having three church services a week is generally practiced by evangelical Christians, but few know why. Originally, Sunday morning was for instruction and worship, Sunday evening was for evangelism, and the Wednesday service was for prayer. Today few churches have three services for those same purposes. In many churches, evangelism has switched to Sunday morning (if there is an evangelistic service). Sunday evenings range from body life gatherings to an informal repeat of the morning service. Wednesday stopped being a prayer meeting years ago in most churches.

 

Few people can say why they have an adult fellowship group and, consequently, most never fulfill the greatest purpose for which they exist. Without a clear purpose, planning dribbles down to who is going to be the teacher and what is the next monthly social! The purpose of fellowship groups is to provide a base for incorporating new people into the church, going after those who stray, and meeting the needs of one another. Routine activities that lack purpose produce mindless participation. How is God going to guide such a group?

 

The greatest avenue for productive change is to clarify the purpose of any existing ministry or group. I sat with the leaders of an adult group and helped them hammer out a purpose statement. Some major changes took place in their class. Within two years they had doubled. Asking "Why?" forced them to evaluate their purpose and ministry, and necessary changes came.

 

Prayer: Lord, I purpose not to waste my time or effort on traditions that are no longer valid vehicles for ministry.

http://www.christianity.com/devotionals/daily-in-christ-neil-anderson/daily-in-christ-8-or-19-544736.html

What Does It Mean To Be God's Example Of His Message?

 To put this post in context, please read Oswald Chambers devotion message for today March 10  RIGHT HERE
  

Today’s devotion in My Utmost For His Highest book is sweet. It is a short one, but there is so much in there. I learned that if we truly learn to live out this life God has for us and if we truly live in oneness, love, faith, obedience and His will alone, then the Holy Spirit is delighted to show us how we are slowly becoming like Him. This part of Salvation is so sweet because you KNOW it is nothing that you are doing except living your average Joe life on earth. Yet you can see how you are changing like Him on the inside. You are becoming this person as Christ’s character is being worked within and right before your eyes you are becoming “THE GOSPEL MESSAGE”

This goes beyond living a holy life because even after you are made holy and living out the holy life, you find that God is still crushing you into submission. It is hard for me to explain it without going into a much lengthy post. But for lack of better words I could tell you that it is the difference between taking your regular cup of coffee or tea with one tablespoon of sugar vs two spoons. You want more sugar because it is sweeter. It is a different submission from the one when you were broken so that your will can become His will while you stop acting like a wild horse.  It is no longer about making you holy either because He would have already worked that within, through great pain. But it is more like weaving His Holiness through you like dough when you mix it up with the leaven you are watching it changing as the leaven is mixed up with every part of the dough. It is also the type of submission where He is making sure you look the part on the outside, because this life on the inside is spilling out big time. Yet it is amazing how this life can be so subtle.

I notice, every time I meet someone from the old Church, of course I always talk to them about God, and almost every single time they would say something like “you should be a preacher.” I guess because the minute we start talking about God, I am no longer hungry or tired and suddenly time no longer matters to me. I talk with conviction, passion and with hand and body language gestures. But, what they do not realize is that God has not called me to be a preacher. What they see, is me becoming slowly, God’s message. Yes, I have a long way to go and I need to live at least ten more years in the faith and complete oneness to even come close to someone like Oswald in terms of knowledge of God. But, it is the reality of a walk completely immersed in God living out the true Christian life according to God’s will and plan for all of us Christians.  

My point is, God taught me that the process was lengthy and tedious, although sometimes very intense, but this work goes beyond the basic in Christianity. When I say basic, even the work of holiness is also part of the basic package before God can take us to what really matters and the real goal of the gospel. Anyone who has been made holy knows what I mean. After holiness sets in, you feel as if you are starting the Christian life all over again. I was annoyed that there was not something like continuity. I was also tempted to start living my holiness in my own strength. But, after we are made holy, which comes after brokenness, what seems to be a second regeneration and so on, all these things are lumped together to build the base or the foundation of God’s Masterpiece. On a side note, I found out this is why one can build a whole Christian life on sinking sand and not aware of it. When we say that the foundation is Christ, then He must be allowed to build it up within us. If He is not allowed to build it in us, then, we are doing the work as a substitute for the real thing.

I shared with you in one of my posts how God showed me how Salvation was like making a cake and on the table every single ingredient, molds, utensils and so on, needed to proceed and make the cake are right there for us and nothing is missing. All was provided and God is the one mixing up the ingredients to put the cake together and He alone knows what the cake will look like once finish. My role was to stir up once in a while with His help. Yet He was so generous, He showed me a picture of the most beautiful cake that I have ever seen. I remember when I saw the finished cake, in my mind I thought “Wow! God is the best chef that I know” – I have no idea if because at that time I was like this child by His side or why this idea of Him being a chef came to mind. Nevertheless, the past few months, I am learning that it is true, it feels like you are starting over after holiness, but it is because He is using the basic which is like the cake has been baked, pull out of the oven and cool off. Now, He is creating a chef-d’oeuvre. This piece of art is you becoming like Christ and it is you becoming the message.

I encourage even pushed people through showing the urgency of going forward with Him because I KNOW that I KNOW what I KNOW. As God showed me how crucial it is to let Him do the work in 2009, I wanted to go with an offer that I had received to participate in Church planting. People had great plans for me, I felt like I was letting them down. I was so exited and I wanted to serve Him this way. God knew I wanted to serve Him with all my heart and the stumbling block that was put in front of me was because of what I had learned from men made Christianity’s idea. Since I was in bondage to the wrong things that I had learned in the Church, He showed me how the first work that will decide our rewards in heaven has nothing to do with building up churches or mega television ministry “FOR HIM.” This is not to say they are not good. But, the work of our Salvation and the work of our faith is first and foremost the work that we have allowed Him to work within each of us. The whole life, plans, goals, desires, spiritual agenda, wishes, motivation, attitude and everything we are able to think of, all of it flows through the work being done within us as we slowly become “THE MESSAGE.”

He showed me if I can walk with Him in oneness as He leads, then someone who has built a mega television ministry has nothing on me. He made it clear to me that this does not mean He is not going to use these people to bring some of His sheep home. But He uses them through His sovereignty because He can use even Satan to get through those that are His own. But, when He uses us, in spite of us, not because we are living out His will for our lives, then, we lose the reward that would have come to us for all our deeds.

So, brothers and sisters, work out your salvation with fear in trembling, because there will be a day where all masks are taken off. Unlike Adam and Eve, who were able to hide from God when they first found out they were naked, after they sinned, we will not have this option to hide. Judgement day is not like God is going to humiliate us in front of everyone to show who we truly are. The problem will be “FACING GOD.” Facing God when you know you have not been living up to par in accordance with His word is one thing. But, facing Him when at the same time you have the naked truth in front of you and you cannot escape it, is more than horrible.

There will be a drastic difference in facing God because it will be according to what we have allowed God to become in our lives. We need to go through that phase of salvation where God ceases to be just our Saviour because salvation is about us. We need to grab onto Him as sons and daughters of the most High through faith, humility, obedience, love and dependence and oneness. Until we know such a life in the reality of our consciousness because it has been worked out in us, then we will face God with a master and slave mentality. The beauty of facing God as His heirs, is different because you have let your daddy down and hurt Him. It will no longer be about guilt, but love. The love of a master and a daddy is different. So, is He your daddy through head knowledge only according to what you have been reading or is He your daddy because you have allowed Him to take you there? – There is a big difference and you would be wise to find it out before you die.

John 6:63 “The word that I speak to you are spirit and they are life” – How is this working for you?

Make the decision to surrender once and for all. Not the type of surrender through lip service, but one where you are willing to accept any pain and inconvenience that comes your way.—That is the only way. —Allow Him to work out His life through you. Let Him flood your inner spirit and saturate your soul with His waters. Allow Him to refine you and mold you as you welcome those characteristics in Him that will give you this meek and lowly heart that you need to walk this walk. CHOOSE LIFE!

Gratitude And Awe

We know a time will come for us to look back with our Lord over the story of our lives. Every hidden thing shall be made known, every word spoken in secret shall be uttered. My soul shrinks back; how will this not be an utter horror? The whole idea of judgment has been terribly twisted by our enemy. One evangelistic tract conveys the popular idea that at some point shortly upon our arrival in heaven the lights will dim and God will give the signal for the videotape of our entire life to be played before the watching universe: every shameful act, every wicked thought. How can this be so? If there is "now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1), how is it possible there will be shame later? God himself shall clothe us in white garments (Rev. 3:5). Will our Lover then strip his beloved so that the universe may gawk at her? Never.

However God may choose to evaluate our lives, whatever memory of our past we shall have in heaven, we know this: It will only contribute to our joy. We will read our story by the light of redemption and see how God has used both the good and the bad, the sorrow and the gladness for our welfare and his glory. With the assurance of total forgiveness we will be free to know ourselves fully, walking again through the seasons of life to linger over the cherished moments and stand in awe at God's grace for the moments we have tried so hard to forget. Our gratitude and awe will swell into worship of a Lover so strong and kind as to make us fully his own.

Courtesy of Ransomed Heart

Devotional and Practical Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes

I like this devotion especially the last paragraph because the Holy Spirit taught me to meditate. That's when I realized, only Him can "still" our soul to truly meditate on the word of God. Because the Spirit stills the soul to prepare it for mediation, it makes it easier to interact with God for hours at the time and to also be led by the Spirit because you can easily take your cues for the day through your meditation. Not only that, as you meditate, you find that you worship in His presence, you enjoy intimacy with Him, you have joy in your heart and your mind is kept renewed at all time. The biggest part of meditation is that over time, you realize what you are doing is also gazing in His eyes while you take on His imprint. Or, you are soaking in Him as He infuses you with Himself, hence you are being changed from glory to glory. 

Another reason why it is so important we learn to meditate, It truly helps us to be honest with ourselves as we examine our walk with Him, without the mask, and without excuses.

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God." Ecclesiastes 5:1

The Preacher says, "Guard your steps!" A prophet says the same, "Keep your feet from being unshod." (Jeremiah 2:25.) The advice is good. To walk unshod is a sure way to pierce yourself with many sorrows. For slip-shod grace will never advantage you — and never less so than in going to the house of prayer. Leave not your Gospel shoes at home; nor lose them along the way. If so, you will not find them when you come to worship.

What do you think of, and speak of, along the way to the house of God? If earthly things engage the mind — the doings of the past or coming week; the dress or manners of the passers by; the news you have heard; the letters you have had — if thoughts like these are in your mind up to the very threshold of the church door — this will hinder your devotions.

God's worship must begin before you leave your home; your thoughts, your speech, your eyes — must be focused on God. Fix them on Jesus — and then you will not have them to bestow on other things. Make Christ your company along the way — and He'll accompany you in the house of God; then all its acts shall savor of His presence.

In private worship, or in social prayer, we cannot be dwelling on worldly things — and then spring at once from earth to Heaven. Oh, there is a preparation of the heart; a setting of the countenance heavenwards; a girding the loins for fellowship with God; a deep conviction of His majesty; a pausing on the threshold of His presence — that the first word of prayer may have His blessing. If you would "guard your feet" in seasons of devotion, be sure you keep them well at other times. As is your daily walk — your prayers will be. A careless walk begets a wandering mind, unfit to gather in its thoughts, and settle them in prayer. Prayer and the daily walk act, and react, on one another. He who is much in prayer will guard his feet; and he who guard his feet properly, be much in prayer.

Nothing feeds the soul like meditation — the habit of reflecting on our ways, and Scripture truths. This leads alike to holiness, and converse with the Lord. Then, child of God, at all times "guard your feet;" not only when you go to the house of prayer.