Kids Who Rip

Jayshaun Agosto does what it takes to succeed when it comes to basketball and track. If only God's people would take their faith even half as seriously...

Last Sunday I spoke about as Christians we need to strive to be a blessing. One illustration I used was of a person's life cycle, starting with infancy.

An infant cannot care for itself and must be taken care of. An adult is one who can not only care for him or her self, but is also capable of caring for others at the same time. The childhood/teen/young adult years are the training ground to adulthood. In our culture, becoming an adult takes decades.

But for a Christian, one does NOT need to be a believer for many years (let alone decades) in order to be a mightily used by God. It is not only possible, but should be. If a child like Jayshaun can do amazing things in the natural world, how much more a believer with Almighty God living in him or her?

Did you know that in other parts of the world, new believers are trained from day one to learn to feed themselves as well as feeding others? Those believers daily spend time with God and grow in their faith, share their faith regularly, and help others to do the same; and God's Kingdom grows exponentially because of it.

They think that this is normal for Christians. In case you didn't hear me, let me say it again. The international believers think that growing in Christ daily, sharing your faith regularly, and helping others to grow in their faith is NORMAL. It should be normal, but wouldn't they be discouraged if they found out the truth?

I've heard an objection to that being people in those other countries live in a different place and culture and can't be compared to ours. But what do those believers possess that we don't, besides a desire to grow in Christ and to help others know the blessings that come from being God's child? Is sharing Christ with someone any less difficult because the language and culture is different? No. In some cases those differences make sharing even more difficult.

Somewhere along the way Christianity in America has degenerated into mediocrity as the norm. People who try to do everything that God says are labeled "radical." But there is no such thing as radical obedience - either you are obeying or you are not.

If you are not living in a way that transcends your human capacity, stop deceiving yourself. The Holy Spirit did not raise you in Christ just so that you can look like those without the Spirit. Take time to repent and let the rivers of living water flow from your innermost being. Be the blessing.

Prone to Wander Lord, I Feel It. . .

Siu Sum! Xiao Xin!

In my sermon last Sunday, I didn't have time to address this issue again, but Jesus once again reiterated the point that no one can come to him unless the Father draws him or her. When the Father draws you to Jesus, how do you respond? Do you keep wandering or do you turn and go to Jesus?

The first half of Isaiah 53:6 says, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..." You know it's true. Even the children of God have a tendency to wander, a situation that won't be remedied until we die or Jesus comes back again, whichever comes first.

Problems start when we turn to our own ways, what seems right to us. In the days of the Judges, the biggest problem came because "every man did was was right in their own eyes." We need to do what is right in God's eyes. It does not matter if every person in the world is against us, we need to always do what is right in the eyes of God. And the way to do that is to stick with him.

Don't wander from God. You might get hit by a truck!

God Does God-sized Work

The blog entry title is the third point of my sermon a couple of days ago but I really want you to explore the ramifications of that statement. To help you get the ball rolling, watch this video about the universe:



Can you imagine how much power it would take to create the universe? That same God lives in you! Don't you think it's a little abnormal that the lives of the vast majority of Christians are so powerless?

If it is true that the God who created the universe lives in you, then why do Christians have lives that resemble people who don't have the Lord Almighty in them? We have been underachieving for so long that what is abnormal seems normal.

Actually, Jesus said that we would accomplish even greater things than he did on earth in John 14:12 - I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

The possibilities are: Jesus was wrong, lying, deluded, or correct. Here lies the tension. Of course Jesus was correct, but for some reason most Christians don't show it. It is something we only know cerebrally and have yet to experience it.

So what do we do? Cling to God with a tenacious death-grip and seek to obey with all you have. I am confident that if we give all we can to God, his statement will hold true for us. Let's stop the mediocrity in Christianity right now.

Do Hard Things

Underachievers. Irresponsible. Unreliable. These are the words that describe many teenagers today. Our culture places such low expectations on teens that they have descended to meet the expectations.

Teenage twins Brett and Alex Harris are seeking to change that. They have written a book called Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion against Low Expectations.




But are low expectations the realm of teens alone? I think not. In American church culture, it is evident that we also have low expectations for our members.

If you go to church on Sundays and attend Sunday School, give 10% of your income, and maybe even attend a fellowship, then you are in good shape. Heck, if you do those things long enough, you might even be asked to teach or be a deacon or trustee or a leader of some sort.

But is that what Christianity is all about? Seriously? Jesus said in John 14:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Somehow expectations have shifted and mediocre Christianity is considered normal, and complete and total surrender to the Lordship of Christ is considered "radical." Read Jesus' words again. If you are in him and he is in you, you will bear MUCH fruit.

But it's not just any kind of fruit, it should be fruit that is worthy of an awesome God. William Carey, who is also known as the "Father of Modern Missions" put it best when he said, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." Our God is a great and mighty God; shouldn't the fruit that we are to be bearing in our lives be demonstrative of that power?

How much and what kind of fruit would God say your life is producing right now? If it's not what it should be, what are you going to do about it?

Do You REALLY Need God?

Do you? If all God does for you is to help you get through the daily grind, I would say, "No." People do that all the time without God, don't they?

But if you want to experience life to the fullest, the life God has planned for you, then you most certainly do need God because as Jesus said, "Without me, you can do nothing."

http://www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/Nate_Larkin/

On a side note, the video also shows us why we need accountability in our lives, people that can help us get to where we need to be.

What Does It Take. . .

. . . to change the world? It takes sacrifice and seeking first God's Kingdom at the exclusion of your own. It is amazing how doing that will bring you to a place where you will make a difference in the world.

If you know that you can do more to as a representative of Christ, watch these two videos in order and preferably one after the other. (the first is about 18 minutes, the second about 35)

1. http://www.himonline.org/vid/vid_hon2009/dvd-raf.html
2. http://www.himonline.org/vid/vid_hon2009/dvd-francis-youth.html

I dare you.

Luke 9:23-25
Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

Whose Kingdom Are You Building?

God has blessed us here in the United States extremely abundantly. Why? Is it so that we can have more "stuff"? Or have we been guilty of misusing the wealth that he has entrusted to us?

I believe that we in the United States need to change the way that we view our resources. It won't be easy but since when is denying one's self and daily carry a cross supposed to be easy?

Just by living more simply, we will be able to impact the world. For example, purchasing a Toyota Corolla instead of a Camry might save you thousands of dollars that you might use to help a poor person in Mexico build a house. Or maybe limiting the number of times that you eat out so that you can sponsor a needy child. The possibilities are endless.

The Apostle Paul believes that our resources should be used to glorify God. He says in 2 Corinthians 9:11, "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."

Who in the world is giving thanks to God due to your generosity today?

Let us repent of our selfishness and use God's resources to build his kingdom, not our own.