What I am listening to…
July 8, 2009
Be a Grace Giver
July 8, 2009
Last night we continued in our “Fashionable” Series, looking at Romans 12:3-8. The topic was “Use Your Gift”. Here are some of the statements I made concerning spiritual gifts:
- All gifts & abilities are evidences of God’s grace
- Without thinking lowly of ourselves, we will misuse God’s gifts in jealousy, envy, & competition
- We each have a measure of faith and a differing grace from God. This is to keep us trusting Him for the use of our gift.
- Spiritual Gift: Exercising God’s gift to serve God’s people with a dependence on God’s power
- Spiritual Gift: Doing anything that strengthens the faith of another person
- There are gifts of speech and gifts of deed
- Using speech as a spiritual gift: speak in a way that makes Christ look great. Draw attention to Christ, not yourself.
- Using deeds as a spiritual gift: do what you do in the strength that God supplies. Ask Him to enable your action.
- Since our gifts are an expression of God’s grace, what if we viewed our day as an opportunity to be a “Grace Giver”?
Sleep Running Dog?
July 6, 2009
This is awesome.
Suffering? – Do It For Christ
July 6, 2009
Ever feel like you are in prison for no reason? Maybe you have been physically imprisoned for preaching Gospel, much like the Apostle Paul. But for most of us, I would say, there are setbacks that feel like spiritual prison – physical ailment, relational conflict, ministry opposition. Its an age-old question, “God, why would you allow this in my life?”
Paul found himself in many similar situations. Why would God allow somebody as gifted as Paul to face such opposition and even be imprisoned? Seems like a waste of a good resource, huh?
If you’ve ever read the New Testament, you’ll realize that Paul did not live an easy life. He was in and out of prison, sick in body, and faced persecution on all sides. Yet he is the man who says:
“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me [imprisonment] has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ” (Philippians 1:12-13).
Paul’s imprisonment actually served to advance the Gospel because people knew He stood for Christ.
As a Christian, there is no inherent blessing in suffering. We don’t go looking for ways to fight , get sick, or be imprisoned just to be more righteous. That is called ridiculousness.
But the Apostle Paul also says this:
“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have” (Philippians 1:29-30).
If you are a child of God, taking ground for the Kingdom, you are engaged in conflict. The enemy of your soul will oppose you. This is a privilege from God, not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer.
Expect it and rejoice. Never lose heart. Fight the good fight. God is with you. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
We are engaged in a war that has already been won.
Leader Lessons: Dominate or Empower?
July 2, 2009
Are you responsible for leading people? Do you have a heart to see others reach their full potential? Is there a cause on your heart that drives your every day? You are a leader, my friend. And how you handle that role means everything to those you lead.
In I Kings 12, Rehoboam inherited his father’s throne. He was approached by his people with a simple request to lighten the load of work. They were willing to serve Rehoboam, but the workload was unreasonable.
Rehoboam could have used his authority here to empower his people, but instead, he dominated them and spoke very harsh words. In the end, the Kingdom of Israel was divided.
As a leader, you have the influence to either empower or dominate those who follow you. It doesn’t mean you must compromise your goals to match everyone’s preference. It does mean you lead with compassion. To be a great leader, you must adopt these two realities:
- A driving passion for a certain cause
- Accomplishing it through real people (with feelings, limitations, insecurities, etc)
If you’re all about the cause and lead without compassion, you will dominate and alienate those who follow you. They will leave you. If you are all about the people and have no driving passion, you will simply have a social club.
You must have a cause that burns in your heart and yet lead in such a way that empowers others to accomplish it with you.
How do I empower, you may ask?
More to come…
New Wilco Album
July 1, 2009
If you’re interested in the new Wilco album, Paste allows you to stream it online for free. Sounds like some good stuff.
The Will of God
July 1, 2009
Last night we began our “Fashionable” series, starting with Romans 12:1-2:
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
This was my main thought: The will of God is more about WHO you are than WHAT you do.
So often we obsess over the details of WHAT God wants us to do that we neglect WHO we are becoming according to His Word.
Sometimes God speaks to our hearts and tells us what to do, where to go, what job to take. Other times, according to Romans 12, we are to make decisions based off a renewed mind. We are to discern what the will of God is in all situations because we are daily offering ourselves to God in surrender, not being conformed to this world, and having our minds renewed according to Scripture.
Here are some one-liner helps. Hope they are a help!
- Make decisions based off a renewed mind
- Knowing the will of God is developed from a lifestyle, not always a moment
- Don’t use prayer as an excuse for doing nothing
- There is something I can do now as I get to where I am going
- Focus your life on principles of Scripture
Any thoughts?
New Young Adult Series at APEX
June 29, 2009
Tomorrow night at APEX we are beginning a message series that will carry us through the summer. It’s called “Fashionable: In Style as God Sees It”.
Here’s the downlow:
We all know there is a certain way to dress to remain in style. Well, maybe some don’t understand that concept. If you are wearing a wrinkled Calvin Klein shirt, Nike shorts, black socks, brown flip flops, and a rainbow propellor hat, well…
In all honesty, there is more to our lives than just ‘accepting’ Christ. What are we supposed to look like? What type of lifestyle attracts the blessing and favor of God? What should I be doing now that I’m a ‘Christian’? We want to know what God is calling us to. Not outward style, but inward transformation.
Throughout this series we will look at Romans 12-14 and see how God wants us to live. Hope you can join us!
David Crowder Band – “How He Loves”
June 27, 2009
Looking forward to DCB’s new album, “Church Music”, coming out in September. This is their first single – John Mark McMillan’s “How He Loves”. I was never a huge fan of this song, simply because of the lyrical weirdness.
Any thoughts?
New Matt Redman song – “This is How We Know”
June 25, 2009
