Happy Monday!
Today is Heavens birthday… I pray for her while she sleeps, knowing how excited she gets about birthdays… that she will wake up and have the day of her life. Father God, I pray a blessing over my children right now… asking you to place your hands on their heads while they sleep… speak to them in dreams… and when they wake speak to them with your Spirit. I pray for them to KNOW your voice and KNOW your direction for their lives… that they would not live in confusion. May they both continue to serve you with all their hearts as they step over the threshold into adulthood. I entrust them into your hands and I have great confidence in your ability to KEEP them on the path of righteousness!
As I pray this morning, I pray for tomorrow nights Bethel Harvest Youth Camp… I want the night session to be unprecedented… that worship would produce a glimpse of eternity and my message would birth a MOVEMENT in the hearts of those young adults! I still remember the prophecy spoken over my life by Prophet Ed Traut of South Africa… and I pray that maybe tomorrow night would be the beginning of that greater effectiveness among our young! I pray that my heart will be more attuned to Gods voice than usual… and that I would be able to SEE what EYES cannot see… that I would be able to CALL THEM OUT just like Jesus called his 12… that they too would CARRY SOMETHING away from tomorrow nights meeting… something that would STILL BE BURNING 2000 years from tomorrow, should the earth remain!
Todays Inspirational message: Our Founding Manifesto!
Mark 16:15-18 He said to them, “Go into all the world and PREACH THE GOOD NEWS to all creation. 16WHOEVER BELIEVES and is baptized WILL BE SAVED, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And THESE SIGNS will accompany those who believe: In my name THEY will drive out demons; THEY will speak in new tongues; THEY will pick up snakes with their hands; and when THEY drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; THEY will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
A few weeks ago, Emily and I were talking about life and ministry and she said something that triggered a new wave of thoughts… a wave I’m still riding today. Here’s what Emily Said, “Most people are bored with Christianity because we are not DOING the right things with our faith.” She commented about the JOY of leading unbelievers to Christ… and how Jesus had left his church with the task of EVANGELIZING the lost world. Emily said she believes there is something inside of EVERY believer that LONGS for SPIRITUAL REPRODUCTION!
We talked about how so many Christians want EXPERIENCES without RESPONSIBILITY. Todays RADICAL church seems to desire more and more SPIRITUAL ENCOUNTERS… while most of us have done very little over the past decade or more to convert the lost. I guess this brings up the question… what is the mission of the church?
Jesus started a MOVEMENT… and over the course of 2000 years, humanity has taken HIS MOVEMENT and turned it into a RELIGION. I believe God longs for this modern church to REDISCOVER OUR FOUNDING MANIFESTO… and REIGNITE OUR DORMANT MOVEMENT!
Our mission SHOULD be the very same mission of Jesus… the very same mission Jesus passed on to his disciples. Jesus told the whole world EXACTLY WHY HE WAS HERE:
Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to SEEK and SAVE those who are LOST.
1 John 3:8 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For THIS PURPOSE the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Herein is contained the church’s FOUNDING MANIFESTO: That we too would CONTINUE what Jesus began! That we would be BAPTIZED WITH THE GREAT COMMISSION… and BOLDNESS TO PREACH THE GOOD NEWS TO ALL CREATION! That we too would DESTROY the activities of the devil in our 21st century world!
The people of todays world need to be RESCUED from godlessness. They long for us to REACH them! So many of them WANT TO BELIEVE. They wait for us to shed off our selfish version of Christianity where the entire focus is on the SPIRITUAL ENCOUNTER we’re having instead of the ETERNAL LIFE we’re giving away.
I realize that this blog is incomplete in so many ways and it’s very preachy… I just felt inspired to lay some of my raw and unedited thoughts out there for you guys to consider. Please take a few minutes to think about the meaning of life today… think about how short life is… think about eternity… think about the great big world and all the people who don’t yet have the pleasure of knowing Christ like you do… think about your own boredom with todays Christianity… and how much more LIVELY this whole thing can become IF we were to reenlist in the GREATEST COMMISSION EVER!
I pray that todays blog triggers thoughts that add tremendous value to your amazing lives! We are the salt of the earth… a city set on a hill! Let’s shine out… all day long! God bless you guys!
As I was reading your blog I was thinking what we need is evangelism teachings in the church and wa-laa!!! I scroll down and there you have it!!! I remember one study Bo and I attended at our old church called "Leaving a Legacy that lasts" and it was all about the "how to's" of witnessing like street ministry, in pairs of two. It was a good teaching.
I totally agree with your thoughts. If we are a saved people, we should be (in my opinion) called a follower of Christ. We have allowed the world to label us with titles and tags and rules and regulations called "religion(denominations really)".
What I see in all this religion/denomination is division, competition and a battle for control which takes the focus off the main thing. Just like Emily said.
We have to ask ourselves and be honest and this is a broad question not implying it is for DFC but when we (the body of Christ) do lead someone to the Lord what does church leadership (again broad thinking here) think eventually? Do they think (after the initial joy of salvation of course) but does the numbers game come into play? My thinking is are we as the people in the world caught up with the movement of "how many people are attending?" how many are members? how many got saved?
I understand fruit and and the count is an indication of keeping up with whats happening. I guess my thoughts are sometimes the church (again not at all directing at DFC) but thinking church in general has turned to getting bodies in the door to be counted and has changed "church", meaning rules, bylaws, new churches formed , etc to gather a group to come in but my point is what do they (the church leaders of those groups) do with the people once they are gathered?
It seems to me all we have done (all of us who are saved) instead of bringing unity to the body of Christ, we have created division amongst all people groups.
This is what I truly LOVE about my church Destiny Family Center and your Preaching and Teaching of the word. You speak to the richest man dressed in the nicest suit, living in the best neighborhood who is sitting beside the homeless drug addict (all examples of course) but you get what I mean. I'm not putting a label or judging people here. I am just being real.
It's so good to know you can meet someone on the street, talk to them about Jesus and then invite them to YOUR church knowing they will feel welcomed as they are!!
Why? I believe God has called a group of people to Destiny Family Center who love God, love the lost, love each other, and people where they are and desire to help train,teach, disciple, and mentor each other in order to make a difference in this world we live in.
Thanks for letting me ramble, hope I stayed on your subject?? If not, feel free to delete. You won't hurt my feelings.
Have a great day!!!
Nice Vickie… great thoughts as always!!
BRAVO VICKIE AND CHUCK!!!! DFC IS DEFINATELY A CHURCH HOME WHERE ALL IS WELCOME.
Let's get fired up and renew our committment to preach the gospel so that people might be saved. I pray that we become true disciples and are always there for those that are growing in Christ.
Yes, yes, yes, and YES!
YES