Tag Archives: God's Kingdom

Worship Rejects All Competing Loves

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A Living Sacrifice

According to the Apostle Paul’s urging to the Church of Rome, when your worship is genuine, it will impact your life in such a dynamic way that God will use it to produce perpetual change in you: “…I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual worship…” (Romans 12:1). As we worship God, He is redeeming our lives—as we intentionally present them to Him—to “remake” them into the image for which we were created before sin ruined it all!

Your Body Is A Sanctuary

That’s why Paul wrote to the Church of Corinth, “Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  “Don’t you know,” Paul asked, “that if you’ve accepted Jesus as your Savior, you’re NOT your own! He BOUGHT you—that word carries the idea of redemption. He redeemed you! He reclaimed you! He’s in the process of restoring you by sanctification! So, we must intentionally present our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice to glorify God with our bodies. But there’s a second point that Paul ties to our worship in the next verse: ‘Do not be conformed to this age’; or, ‘this world’ as some translations render it! (Romans 12:2)

Don’t Get Squeezed

I like how the Phillips Translation puts it: ‘Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold…'” In other words, worshiping God involves an intentional rejection of the world’s demand to conform! There are really only two worldviews or philosophies. There is the philosophy of the world that is self-centered, self-pleasing, and self-indulgent. It’s promoted in advertising, books, movies, video games, and most social media. It’s constantly pinching us and squeezing us into its mold—“If you don’t conform, you’re out of touch,” the world says! The opposing worldview submits to Creator God and His Word! Paul continues, “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Worship transforms and renews your mind!

Intentional Transformation

Genuine worship includes an intentional transformation of the mind to think like God thinks—those thoughts that are “good, pleasing, and perfect” and align with God’s will. What a contrast Paul presents between being conformed and pressed into the world’s mold, or being transformed with a renewed mind—all within the context of worship! Worship is much bigger than singing songs to Jesus for 20 minutes on a Sunday morning. This passage paints a picture of worship that’s all about God doing a work in us. As we humble ourselves in brokenness before Him and intentionally offer our bodies back to Him, He begins to change us in ways that make us more and more usable for His Kingdom’s purposes. He is re-making us to be what we were meant to be, and His Spirit works with our spirit by transforming our minds. 
 
 

You Can’t Do Anything Without Jesus

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A Regular Rhythm Of Your Life

The beauty of Christ’s Commission, to us, is in its simplicity— “Go…make disciples of all the nations.” As you “go” through life, be “making disciples.” Making disciples needs to be a regular rhythm of your life. That’s what Jesus was getting at! It’s hard to imagine how that could be misunderstood. As a teenage convert, to Jesus, the hard part was not understanding it; but, doing it! I understood the command perfectly well; but, carrying it out terrified me! I’d nearly go into a cold sweat every time I thought about sharing my faith with my high school friends. How could I ratchet up the strength and courage to do it? How would I know the right things to say?

It’s Not About My Ingenuity

It wasn’t until many years later when someone finally shared with me, from Scripture, that I didn’t have to depend on my ingenuity to convince people they needed Jesus! I couldn’t arm-wrestle anyone into the Kingdom if I tried! In John 15, Jesus tells us that plan will never work! No one has ever come to Christ because of a big beautiful church building; or, a “professional” Worship Band; or, a multi-media experience! The work, of regeneration, is God’s work ALONE! We cannot do the work of God in our own strength— “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” John 15:5.  This is at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry; and, He’s preparing His disciples for His departure.  “I will build My Church,” He told them, “And, I’m going to use YOU.”

You Can’t Do It Without Me

But, they had to get one thing straight— “You can’t do it without ME! I am the Vine, you’re just the branches,” He taught them.  All the LIFE & all the POWER & all the RESOURCES to fulfill His Great Commission came from Him! And, the key to being a branch that produces fruit,  Jesus said, was to be connected to Him, the Vine! If we’re not abiding in Him we’ll shrivel up and die, Jesus says in v.6.  We can’t make disciples in our own strength— by reading books about making disciples; or, witnessing to 5 people a week; or, memorizing Scripture; or, making ourselves accountable to someone else. That’s NOT where we find the POWER to do Jesus’ work! He alone is the source! This is one of the most devastating mistakes any Church ministry can make— doing God’s work “in the flesh.” Man’s effort won’t get it done!

God Is Glorified When We Ask Him To Do It

The work of God gets done; and, He is glorified when we ASK Him to do it! Back to John 15, vs. 7-8 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified,” Jesus says, “that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” Jesus does the work, of God, for us & through us! Making disciples is HIS WORK! Every spiritual work is a supernatural work & only Jesus can do the supernatural! We’re just a branch; but, when we’re tapped into Jesus Christ, the Vine, He does great things through us; and God is glorified! “Ask what you desire,” He says. God is pleased when we pray for things according to His will! “And it shall be done for you,” Jesus says. The work of God can only be done by God! God answers when we ask Him for leading to & wisdom in communicating with unbelievers! It’s God who draws those to Himself who will be saved!

Do You Believe It Can Happen Again?

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Jesus’ Great Commission

The book of Acts is an exciting book to read if you’re a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. Filled with the Holy Spirit, the early Church was bold & intentional to obey Jesus’ Great Commission to “make disciples”; and, the results were inspiring! On the Day of Pentecost, as Peter and others preached the Gospel in the Power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, it says  “…that day there were added about three thousand souls” (ch. 2:41). Wow! The 1st church started with 3,000 people! And then we read that “…the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (ch. 2:47).  A couple of chapters later we read, “Many who heard the message believed…and the number of the men came to be about five thousand” (ch. 4:4). The next chapter uses the term “multitudes” to describe those added to the church, “…all the more believers…multitudes of men and women were added to their number” (ch. 5:14).  From that point, the text says the number of disciples was “multiplied”; and, “…the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region” (ch. 13:49).

Disciple-Making Math

That’s the math of disciple-making— God first “added” to the church; then, “multitudes” were added; and, finally, the number of disciples “multiplied.” Once the Spirit begins to “multiply” the number of disciples, you have an incredible movement of God! What’s in your heart as you reflect on those events? Is it simply “historical” to you— another great BIBLE STORY that doesn’t hold much meaning for today? Or, do you believe that God still works like that when His people are genuinely broken enough to repent of their disobedience to His Commission; and, begin to intentionally love people & disciple them into the kingdom? Do you believe it can happen again?

The Fields Are White

It was like a couple of years ago that I had the opportunity to be part of a Gospel Coalition meeting in Omaha; and, I found it incredibly refreshing talking with several “20-somethings” who were passionately taking the Gospel to the city of Omaha. The number of new believers, coming to Jesus, is happening so quickly that they hardly have enough workers to disciple them all! By faith, they simply believe what Jesus said: “The fields are white, ready to harvest…pray the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send forth laborers!” Oh, how the church, here in the West, needs to faithfully & passionately pray that same prayer!

Yes! It Can Happen Again

Steve Smith, who wrote “A Discipleship Re-Revolution”, said this: “A discipleship revolution ignited a firestorm of loving evangelistic zeal and fervent obedience that took the kingdom into the remotest corners of the known world in a period of years & decades, not centuries…This process of winning new believers and training them to witness to others who believed & witnessed to others cascaded out in ripples that touched the farthest reaches of the empire.” Hey Church— let us repent! Let us come back to “ground zero” on this matter! For too long we’ve simply waited for unbelievers to just show up at our Worship services! For too long we have held onto unbiblical strategies for growing the Church! Jesus said, “I will build My Church” Matthew 16:18. The Church belongs to Jesus! And, He already gave us the strategy for building it! We are called to “make disciples”! That’s the way we change America and the world!