Your Time Has Not Yet Come

Your Time Has Not Yet Come

Posted: 24 Feb 2015 02:00 AM PST

Jesus made the statement “my time is not yet come” several times in the Gospels.
The point of this statement is that there is a certain time for significant events and seasons which occur in a servant of God’s life.
This is especially true for ministry.
If God has called you to a specific work, there is a time in which that work will find its greatest fulfillment and its widest impact.
If you launch out and try to make things happen before your time has come, you will see little fruit and a lot of frustration.
If you are passive and miss your time, you will see little fruit.
The good news is that God will let you know when your time has come. If you’re in tune with the Spirit, it will become obvious.
Note that you can be in ministry now, and yet “your time” still hasn’t yet come.
In the meantime, it’s your responsibility to prepare for that time.
“The secret to success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli
In the same vein, former heavyweight boxer Joe Frazier said, “When the action starts, you’re down to reflexes. That’s where your road work shows. If you cheated on that in the dark of the morning, you’re getting found out now under the bright lights.”
I have a sense that some of you who read this blog are destined to have amazing ministries in the future.
What you do now in preparation, however, is going to determine how much impact you will have when your time finally arrives.
Are you reading the right books now?
Are you investing the right training now?
Are you building the right reflexes into your life now?
The answer will be revealed when your time has come.

Honoring Those With Whom You Disagree

Honoring Those With Whom You Disagree

Posted: 26 Feb 2015 05:26 AM PST

Next Tuesday – March 3rd – is the big day. Be sure to read my blog post on that day. I’ll be announcing a time-sensitive opportunity that you won’t want to miss.
On the heels of my recent post, Shocking Beliefs of John Wesley, I came across an interesting remark from George Whitefield regarding John Wesley.
Whitefield and Wesley were contemporaries who both had massive followings during their time. But they disagreed on a number of key theological points.
Whitefield was much more a Calvinist while Wesley was more an Arminian.
In light of their doctrinal disagreements, someone once asked Whitefield if he thought he’d see Wesley in heaven. Here is Whitefield’s reply:

“I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him.”

This statement alone reveals the spiritual stature of George Whitefield. To recognize another servant of God’s place in the Kingdom despite doctrinal disagreements  is a badge of a person who walks with God.
To speak well of another servant of God, honoring them in a public even, is a mark of spiritual greatness and Christlike humility.
To have the insight to see when God’s hand is on a person, using them greatly, despite the doctrinal differences you may have with them, is a sign of someone who knows the Lord well.
Whitefield’s remark about Wesley is rare to see in our day where bickering, casting aspersions, and ignoring (especially) are the order of the day when it comes to theological disagreements among Christian leaders.
May Whitefield’s tribe increase!
See also Theology Doesn’t Have To Be a Bloodsport

John Fenn, God's Will, Mine, Does He Care? #4

Hi all,

When I was in my senior year of high school, my mom very strongly and continually urged me to break up with Barb because I'd soon be going off to college and meet hundreds of girls during my college years. "There are many fish in the sea; how do you know SHE is THE one for you?"

 

I broke her heart

That sounded wise, so I broke Barb's heart and told her we needed to end it. I knew I was inflicting deep pain as we'd said 'I love you' and meant it, but mom wouldn't let go of her advice...I was 17.

 

Over the next 24 hours I thought it through and even prayed a bit, but heaven was silent. The Father nor the Lord were saying anything, which was frustrating, but I knew it was my decision to make, not His. I knew it was my choice and would either suffer the consequences or reap the benefits of choosing the right mate.

 

Weighing it out

On the one hand was mom's 'more fish in the sea' argument. On the other hand I knew Barb very well - all she had been through as a child, all her dreams and aspirations, and that she would be a devoted and faithful wife and mother. She knew me as well, all I'd been through and that I would be a devoted, hard working and faithful husband and father. We knew we could build a life together.

 

To start over I realized I'd have to find a girl who loved the Father God as I did, which narrowed the field considerably. Then I thought of working through the soul issues - what we wanted in life, what we liked and didn't like. Barb and I clicked in that we both loved God, love nature, how we saw future family life, and we were opposites in several areas which had helped grow us as people and in the Lord - we had learned how to argue, how to yell at each other and then let it go, and knew our strengths and weaknesses.

 

I suddenly realized I'd be comparing every other girl I'd ever meet to Barb, and realized all I wanted was right there in her. I realized no matter who I met in the future, she might be Barb's equal in terms of the heart, but she would never be better than her. With that I drove to Barb's house, apologized, we both cried, reaffirmed our love for each other, and have been together ever since.

 

Marriage - The Lord doesn't run a dating service

I continue to share how the Lord delegated to us that we determine some things, and the subject today is how we will 'be fruitful and multiply'. Some cultures have arranged marriages, set up by the parents almost from birth. Some require a couple to gain approval from village elders. In the book of Ruth, she proposes to Boaz by putting his skirt over her*, which is what the groom does to the bride in the Jewish wedding ceremony, indicating she is now under his covering. Ruth (and Naomi) were bold women!  *(Ruth 3:4-11)  

 

(I can't help but share a little trivia in case you're unaware. Why was Boaz willing to take a Moabite wife? It was because Boaz's mother was a Moabite - and you'll recognize her name: Rahab, the former harlot from Jericho who helped the spies. Matthew 1:5 says she settled in Israel (taking their God as her own as Ruth did), and she married Salmon. They had a son, Boaz, who married Ruth. The story is also important because Ruth 3:21-22/Matthew 1:5 tells us Ruth/Boaz had Obed, who had a son named Jesse, who had a son named David. That makes Ruth David's grandma, and Rahab was David's great-grandmother.)  

 

Is there 'the one' I've had many Bible school students, teenagers in youth groups, and people online ask me if I thought God had just 1 person He wants them to marry, and if they miss that one chance are they doomed to never marry or out of His will if they marry someone else? I tell them no, finding a mate is our job, not God's. And at one season of life you might fall in love with one person, but at another season of life it would be another person.  

Can He help? Yes. Can He provide wisdom and insight about that other person and about ourselves to help us make wise decisions? Yes. If you involve Him in the decision making might He even bear witness in your spirit or otherwise indicate to you who a right person might be for you? Yes.  

 

Your spirit can be attracted to someone Back when Barb and I were teenagers I had a friend in our 'prayer & praise' group come to me about a girl in our group he was attracted to. He said while she was pretty, deeper down inside him he felt an attraction to her. That same day and unknown to me, Barb had that same girl come to her about that exact guy. She said he was nice looking and all, but it was down inside that she felt drawn to him.  

 

Separately we told each it was their spirit, and their spirit was recognizing something in that person they were attracted to, and advised each to follow through and get to know one another and see what happens. They did and they are still married to this day!  

 

Your spirit bears witness with or is attracted to... What happens in those cases is that a person's spirit likes or is attracted to another person's spirit because of a similar personality, call in life, or gifts of the heart. It is the same thing that happened one day when a Bible school student came to my office in tears, asking why she got so emotional listening to the missionary speak in chapel that day. I asked what she was called to and she replied 'missions'. I told her that her spirit recognized the call and Spirit on the missionary, and bore witness, and that is why she was so overcome - they had the same call.  

 

But being attracted to or even loving a person's spirit doesn't mean you are to be married. It might happen if all other things are right - but many affairs and broken hearts have happened because one person recognizes an attraction in their spirit to another person's spirit and mistakes that for God. All that happened is their spirit is attracted to another person's spirit.  

 

What happens is a person will love another's spirit, and often their potential they see in their spirit, and compromise in the soul, body, and natural life areas, thinking God will make it all better. And I've seen situations where single or married men/women become attracted to a another married man/woman in their spirit, then rationalize they got married for the wrong reason (lust is the most commonly blamed reason) so they have an affair which destroys at least 1 and maybe 2 marriages - all because they didn't know their spirit could bear witness with another's spirit but that wasn't God's will to commit adultery.  

 

Your spirit will bear witness with a person of similar personality, call, gifts, or on the same spiritual page, but that doesn't mean God is saying they are your mate. Love the person's spirit, but keep the relationships within the boundaries the Lord intends mature people of character in Him to do.  

 

"I think attraction is too often mistaken for rightness." From the movie Runaway Bride

 

Within the framework of all that is ethical, moral, legal and right, God can lead a man and woman into a relationship if they are attracted in their spirit to one another, but issues of the soul, body, and natural life like job and family are involved. Often with people in their 30's or later, they want a potential mate to fit into their carefully constructed life as well as fitting all the qualifications of a 20 point 'spouse' list.  

 

But finding a mate means a person must be willing to lay down their life for that of another, which may mean the life you now have is going to be totally rearranged if not de-constructed only to be re-made with elements from their life. But because that is unknown many would rather continue in career or ministry as they are, rather than risk what they see as tearing down what they've worked so hard to build.  

 

I had a couple come to my office for pre-marital counseling sessions, and at one appointment they were barely speaking to each other. As they sat in separate chairs with arms crossed exchanging cold glances at each other, the issue came out. Was it infidelity? Was it secret sin? Was it lying about how money was spent? No, it was about the right way to load the dishwasher. Would they end it over a dishwasher?  

 

I'm out of room - next week the dishwasher story, and about money as we continue talking about His will, our will, does He care?

 

    Blessings,

        John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

 

 

 

New CD/MP3 Series

 

 

Understanding Angels #1: Messengers of the Lord

In 'Angels 1' John shares from scripture and personal experience the kinds of angels there are, what they do, and what they look like. You will find answers to questions like; Can we command angels? Does everyone have a guardian angel? Do they talk to us and if so what do they sound like? What kind of messages do they bring? And many more. The theme running throughout this series is how we can cooperate with angels sent by the Father for our benefit, and how people often hinder and frustrate their work. You'll have a deeper understanding of how angels function and be able to recognize times in your life when angels were involved or spoke to you, but you didn't understand, and be ready for future encounters with the Father's messengers. (2 cd/MP3, $12/set or MP3 $10)

 

Growing in Christ

“Let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.”
1 JOHN 2:24

There is still much of Him to learn and to experience. There is much growing which must take place. The Path is a process. We are hardly ever as far along as we imagine ourselves to be. But we have not been talking about spiritual maturity, but spiritual satisfaction. If, in abiding continually in the Lord, He becomes our food and our drink, then we will grow.
Growth is not the result of time, it is the natural result of Christ increasing and us decreasing. The Law of Life says that Christ must increase. Now we can do nothing to speed up this process, but we can certainly hinder or quench it.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

The Path of Spiritual Maturity

“As newborn babes, desire the pure
milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.”
1 PETER 2:2

When we realize we don’t know, then Christ becomes our Wisdom so we CAN know. When we are children we are apt to say, I know WHAT I believe. As we grow out of infancy and begin to wrestle with the deeper questions and issues of the Christian faith we will learn to say, I know WHY I believe. The ultimate experience, however, is to be brought to a place where we can say with confidence, I know WHOM I believe.
Knowing WHAT is a beginning.
Knowing WHY is progress.
Knowing WHO is maturity.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

The Heavenly Order Established

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
JOHN 1:1,2

When you read the first chapter of John’s gospel you discover the presence of Someone Who “in the beginning” was with God and was God at the same time. We will not attempt to explain the unexplainable; suffice it to say, the Word that was with God, and was God, and eventually “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) is the Lord Jesus Christ.
When God created man, it says He breathed the breath of life into him (Genesis 2:7). Here, John states that the Light (Jesus Christ) is the Life of men. What is the point? That before anything was created, God determined in advance that the universe, and everything in it, would be established, presided over, and governed by, through, and for Jesus Christ – and God has never altered from that original intention and purpose. This forms the basic principle of the Heavenly Order, which in turn governs the Irresistible Kingdom.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

The Cure for Complacency

“Then these men assembled, and found Daniel
praying and making supplication before his God.”
DANIEL 6:11

Something should be driving us to pray. There should be some unction, some inner compulsion, to seek God, to seek Him early, and to seek Him often. If that is not our daily experience then something is wrong.
Perhaps we have grown complacent, or comfortable, or cold. Whatever the reason, vision is the cure. If we have truly seen God’s Purpose we cannot just go along as before. It will consume us. A person with a small vision will pray small prayers. Daniel was a man of huge vision, and so he prayed large prayers.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

Believe the Impossible

“Where is your faith?”
LUKE 8:25

What is faith? Is it a spiritual force? Is it a creative power? Is it a special gift from God, or something we have to develop on our own? According to the Bible, faith is simply believing that God is Who He says He is, and trusting that He will do what He says He will do. When Jesus says, “Where is your faith?” He’s saying, “Don’t you trust Me?”
I’m convinced that we have plenty of faith. The problem is we have faith in all the wrong things. Where is your faith? In yourself? In other people? Can you only trust what you see, hear, and experience, or will you dare to trust Someone you can’t see? Believing the impossible makes the impossible possible.

Urgent matters of Church and State

Hey Dave and church,

Today's episode of Crosswind has been posted:
http://sonrise.tv/?p=324

Towards the end I'm discussing the importance of keeping Church and State separate.

Since this is so important I thought I would share a few points that I didn't get to share in the video.

There are two fundamental truths you need to know:

1. Authority comes in three areas: Secular, Religious, and Spiritual; and

2. Whenever Secular and Religious Authority come together, they always persecute Spiritual Authority.

So when "we pray for Kings" we are NOT praying for Church and State to become one; we are praying for God's Kingdom and Will in the nations, and the submission of Secular and Religious Authority to Spiritual Authority - so we can live "a quiet and peaceable life."

Does that make sense?

I don't mind being excommunicated for my beliefs, or called a heretic for what I teach.

But I don't want to live in a country where religious folks can arrest me, put me in prison, order me to pay a fine, or burn me at the stake for what I believe or teach.

And that's exactly what happens when Church and State (religious and secular authority) come together.

EXAMPLES FROM HISTORY:

1. Nebuchadnezzar (secular authority) tried to force people to worship an idol (religious authority); the three Hebrews disobeyed (spiritual authority) and were cast into the furnace.

2. Darius (secular authority) passed a law forbidding prayer (religious authority); Daniel disobeyed (spiritual authority) and was thrown into the lion's den.

3. The Sanhedrin (religious authority) convinced Pilate (secular authority) that Jesus (spiritual authority) was a threat to Rome and had Him crucified.

4. Emperor Constantine (secular authority) made Christianity the state religion of the Roman empire (religious authority) and introduced pagan practices into the Church, marginalizing genuine elders (spiritual authority) in favor of political favorites.

5. The Roman Catholic Church (religious authority) conducted several inquisitions to secure their political power (secular authority), resulting in the torture and death of thousands of believers (spiritual authority) who considered the Scriptures more authoritative than Church teachings.

6. The Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony (secular authority) as a community based on strict religious beliefs (religious authority). This perfect union of Church and State expelled anyone they viewed as "unsubmitted" or "rebellious" (spiritual authority) and eventually sentenced innocent people to death on trumped-up charges of "witchcraft."

7. During the Cultural Revolution in China, the Communist government (secular authority) created a state-sponsored church (religious authority), imprisoned Christian leaders like Watchman Nee, and outlawed all other religious activities (spiritual authority).

8. Currently, Islamic terrorists are striving to create their own political state (secular authority) so they can enforce Sharia Law (religious authority) at the point of a sword and eliminate the "people of the Cross" (spiritual authority) and anyone else who gets in their way.

9. In the Book of Revelation, the one-world government of the Beast (secular authority) merges with the false prophet (religious authority) to persecute and wage war against those "who have the Testimony of Jesus" (spiritual authority).

I could go on and on...

Te wise will understand these things and will conduct themselves wisely; the foolish will ignore these things to their own detriment.

To learn more, and access all the messages in this series, go here:
http://sonrise.tv/?p=324

In the video you'll learn the 4 Biblical Responsibilities of Secular Government - so you will know how to "pray for Kings" and hold them accountable before God for their actions.

It's time to stand in the gap!


I am your brother,

Chip Brogden


The School of Christ
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org


Sonrise Television
http://Sonrise.TV

One With Christ

“God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”
1 CORINTHIANS 12:18

A Christian should realize that he or she is a unique member of the Body of Christ and not the entire Body all at once. We are many parts that together make up the whole. Each individual member has its own unique purpose, function, and role. The responsibility for God’s work is divided among many members.
We are not called to be all things to all people. We are not called to meet every need. God sets each person in the Body of Christ as it pleases Him, and He is the One Who sends us. We do not send ourselves. We do not determine what we would like to do. We do not analyze the situation with our limited understanding and come up with a solution. The Head determines what needs to be done, and the members simply perform it.
Source: The Church in the Wilderness by Chip Brogden

God's Saving Judgments: A Fresh Look by Chip Brogden We may have difficulty reconciling the image of a brokenhearted God Who wants to restore the nations with One Who sends a flood to destroy the earth and rains down fire on cities like Sodom and Gomorrah. How do we explain the many passages of Scripture which refer to God’s judgment on the nations and His wrath towards sinners? Does the Bible contradict itself, or have we simply failed to interpret it correctly? Surely the problem is not in what the Word of God says but in what we think it says. We cannot appreciate or understand God’s judgments if we do not fully comprehend His purpose for judgment. Scripture shows that His judgments are meant to.... Click here to read the rest of this article: http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/gods-saving-judgments-a-fresh-look.html

True Bread

True Bread “My Father gives you the True Bread from Heaven.” JOHN 6:32 Why are we following the Lord? Is it for what He can do for us? Is it so we can enjoy His blessing? Is it because He supplies our needs? Do we want the gifts or the Gift? If our motivation is for blessings then we will soon be disappointed. Indeed, from this time forward, many of His disciples turned back and stopped following Him. How many of us will continue to follow when the Lord fails to respond to us in the way we have grown accustomed? The Lord may provide you with bread for a season, but there is a difference between looking to the Lord for bread and looking to the Lord as bread. May God show us the difference. The Gift of God is not what Christ can do for you, but Who He Himself is. Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

Meeting with house church leaders in France

Dear LK10 Family,

Meeting with house church leaders in France

Paul and Laura Harrigan are church planting missionaries to France.  They lead a ministry called FranceForChrist  http://www.franceforchrist.org/  Last fall, they were in the US and many of you met them at the LK10 Labor Day Conference.  They have invited Tamela and me to come to France this February to help equip house church leader in four cities.  In the video below, Paul shares details about these meetings and what He is praying God will do.  (Click on the link, not the photo)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueODjP898lQ

Action item for January...

As you are praying Lk 10:2b for your region this month, please also beseech the Lord of the harvest for France.  Ask the Father to thrust out motivated men and women who are "people of peace"  (ie, prepared to start a church in their home).  And, ask Him to connect them with Paul and Laura.  Pray for a spiritual revival in France and a viral church planting movement that spreads across that country.

Are you on the LK10 Map?

The map on our website is an important tool for locating other members of the LK10 Community.   Is your pin on the map?  To check, go to http://www.lk10.com/map/   If you don't have a pin, click on the blue button that says "Click Here" and add your information.

Forgot your password?  Go here:  http://lk10.com/wp-login.php

Delighted to be on the journey with you!

John

John White
Team Leader
LK10:  A Community of Practice for House Church Leaders
LK10.com

What to Expect “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.” MATTHEW 5:11 Expect misunderstanding. Expect persecution. Expect ridicule. Expect mistreatment. Expect suffering. Expect rejection. Then, you won’t be surprised when it comes. And when it comes, shut your mouth, go to the Cross, and die so you can live. Learn to kiss the hands that nail you to the Cross, for as you are decreased, He is increased. It is not a better living we need, but a better dying. We cannot reach Pentecost but by way of Passover. There can be no resurrection without a crucifixion. There is no crown without a Cross. To live, is Christ: to die is gain. Source: The Prophetic Mandate by Chip Brogden

How to respond when someone "checks in"?

 

Dear LK10 Family,

How to respond when someone "checks in"?

Connecting on a heart level is a key LK10 value.  This is so important that we do it with the Lord, with our spouses, with our children, with our CO2 (Church of Two) partners and in our church gatherings.  This is so important that it is one of the two "rhythms of attention" we teach every house church.

We are learning to use emotional words to describe to each other the condition of our souls.  (The SASHET words give us a good starting point but we are not limited to those.)  We call this "checking in" with each other.

Paul exhorts the house churches in Rome to respond to expressed emotions this way, "Weep with those who weep.  Rejoice with those who rejoice."  (Rom. 12:15)  Question:  Do you think Paul was only giving instructions on how to respond to two emotions -  weeping and rejoicing?  Or, was he articulating a larger principle?  What do you think he would advise if someone checked in as amazed? Or, anxious?  Or, furious? Or,...

In the short video below, Brene Brown explains that empathy (not sympathy) is what connects people and creates community.  This would be a great video to watch and discuss with your family and with your house church.  (Click on the link, not the photo.)  Thanks to Tony and Susie Pfarr (OH) for this video!    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw

First Question:  How would your family growing up have been different if the sharing of emotional words (ie, your heart) had been a regular and safe occurrence?  And, what if those emotional words had been met with empathy?

Second Question:  What difference would it make if there were a million house churches in the US (or, fill in your country) where people regularly connect with one another on a heart level?  Where people could talk honestly about their souls and know that they would be met with empathy?

For more by Brene Brown...  "Connection is not possible without authenticity"

http://cultureofempathy.com/References/Experts/Brene-Brown.htm

Children understand how to "check in".

What we've learned is that children of almost any age love sharing about their heart.  And, they love hearing their parents share about their hearts.  One benefit of this is that children feel they are a valued part of our church gatherings (Another important LK10 value!) because they can "check in" just like the adults.    The video below is of Ezra Kallio son of Eric and Hannah Kallio (MN).  Click on the arrow at the bottom of the video.

Forgot your password?  Go here:  http://lk10.com/wp-login.php

Delighted to be on the journey with you!

John

John White
Team Leader
LK10:  A Community of Practice for House Church Leaders
LK10.com

The Key to the Book of Revelation by Chip Brogden “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12:17). The very essence of the prophetic word revolves around the Testimony of Jesus. The grand finale of Scripture records a great battle between the Overcomers and the Spirit of Antichrist concerning the Testimony of Jesus. What is the Testimony of Jesus? Why does the prophetic word revolve around this Testimony? Why does this Testimony attract so much rage, spiritual conflict and opposition? John gives us a precise answer, but the key to the Book of Revelation is not found in the Book of Revelation itself, but in another of John's letters... Click here to read the rest of this article: http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/the-key-to-the-book-of-revelation.html

How to Raise Children When Not “Attending” Church

By Jeremy Myers 12 Comments

When parents seek to follow Jesus by being the church in their communities (rather than by simply attending church), one of the questions that often comes up is “What about our children? How will they learn about the Bible? How will they discover Jesus? How will they learn to worship God?”
First of all, here is what it DOES NOT look like. Ever. At least, not in any family I have ever seen:

So how do we raise children if we don’t “attend church”?

I don’t have all the answers to these questions, but note, first of all, that the prevalence of such questions reveals how broken “church” has become. I mean, according to Scripture, it is the parent’s responsibility to raise up their children and teach them about God, but our modern way of doing church relinquishes these things to 45 minutes on Sunday morning and Wednesday night, in a building with a (generally) controlled environment, and to a person we don’t really know.
Isn’t that crazy?
How did we go from “Train up a child in the way he should go” (Prov 22:6) and “Teach these things to your children … ” (Deut 6:7; 11:19) to asking, “So what did you learn in Sunday school today?” on the drive home from church?
I sometimes think that the simple act of sitting in a pew on Sunday morning gives our children a terrible misconception about what it means to worship God and follow Jesus. The activity of “attending church” rather than being the church in our day-to-day lives can give the impression to our children that loving God and following Jesus is a “Sunday morning in the pew” activity, rather than a minute-by-minute awareness throughout the day.
Anyway, again, I don’t have all the answers … in fact, I don’t have ANY answers.
But here is my basic approach: We teach and train our children by loving them. Your children will not learn about God if you “go to church” but then treat them like crap the rest of the week.
Children learn to imitate what we do; not by what we say or what we tell them to do.

Remember that raising children to follow Jesus “outside the institutional church” is not at all the same thing as raising them to follow “outside the church.” If you are seeking to follow Jesus with your life, you are still raising your children within the church, and may be doing a better job of it than if you sat in a pew on Sunday morning and hoped that your children were learning something downstairs.
Over at the “All About Eve” blog which I am writing for, Eve asked these questions about parenting, and I proposed a bit of an answer. Here is an excerpt from what I said:

So while parenting might be the “good” you focus on right now, this does not mean you cannot get a job, write a book, care for the needy in your community, or do any of the other “good” things available for you to do right now. You might do any or all of them. But if you do, and if you have chosen to focus on loving your children, then these other things can be done in light of loving and training them. Take a job, for instance. You could show your children love through a part-time job by showing up for work on time, not bad-mouthing your boss or coworkers at home, and wisely using the money that you earn. This is just an example, but you probably get the point.

Go read Eve’s question here, and the rest of my response here.
Recently, I also heard a pretty good podcast about this. It was called “The Wild Ones.” You can listen to it here: The Wild Ones by Darrin Hufford.
Certainly, as we follow Jesus into the world, other people speak into the lives of our children, but raising and loving our children in the ways of God is not something we pass off to the youth pastor or the Sunday school teacher. It is a day-in and day-out way of living life before our children with Jesus by our side.
Do you have children? Are you seeking to teach them to follow Jesus outside of the “four walls” of institutional Christianity, and into a moment-by-moment relationship with God and others? If so, what ideas can you share? What challenges have you faced? What are your fears and how have you dealt with them?

Read one of these because you want to learn more...

• Do We Suffer from the Illusion of Control?
• What a Day in the Life of the Church Looks Like for me
• Jesus is Calling you to Leave the Church
• Jesus Died for This?
• 18 Questions for Re-Imagining the Church

One With Christ

“You also have become dead to the law through
the body of Christ, that you may be married to
another—to Him who was raised from the dead,
that we should bear fruit to God.”
ROMANS 7:4

You may wonder how this union with Jesus was accomplished. I do not have the answer to that, but I consider it to be so because God says it is so. God placed us in Christ. I do not fully understand how He did this, but I know that He did it, and I thank God for it. The Bible says that “because of [God] you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Disciples of Jesus are one with Christ because God has placed us there. We are in Christ, and Christ is in us. We may not understand how this can be so, but it is so. We are spiritually one with Christ. This oneness, this union, this partnership and fellowship with Him is the basis of our spiritual life and our walk with God.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

Hope for You

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
PHILIPPIANS 4:13

We don’t have to imitate His Life, we only have to trust His Life! Trust in His Life to do it in, through, and on behalf of us who cannot do it! If you have ever once trusted in His Life to keep you from losing your temper, you can trust in His Life every single time you are confronted with it, and He will bring you through. Without exception. Along those lines, I can say with all confidence, that if you can trust His Life to overwhelm your temper, you can trust His Life for everything else. What do you need? Do you worry too much? Are you fearful? Are you bitter?
His Life indwells you right now, and longs to make you into something totally new, to transfigure you into something entirely different than what you are now. Thank the Lord that I don’t have to be the way I am, but there is hope for me, and there is hope for you, and there is hope for the worst sinner on the face of the earth, because it is not a question of my effort, but of His sufficiency!
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

John Fenn, God's Will, Mine, Does He Care? #3

Hi all,

I continue sharing about decisions when we wait for the Lord to show us what He wants, but in fact many times He has no perfect will because He delegated the decision to us. Here are some core decisions delegated to us: Crime & punishment, what we eat, marriage.

 

Obviously we can ask that He become involved in revealing wisdom, but the decisions remain ours to make. Knowing when to make a decision and when to wait on Him is what this series is about. But first...

 

You may recall from Genesis 1:29-30 that at creation both man and animals were vegetarians, and God personally handled crimes, as seen in the cases of both Cain and Lamech. (Genesis 4:6-16, 23-24)

 

The big change

But all that changed after Noah's flood, for when he got out of the ark the Lord first promised never to flood the whole earth again, and then delegated 2 things to man while renewing a third as part of what is called the Covenant of Noah, in Genesis 9:1-7.

 

To Noah and mankind He renewed His very first act of delegation from Genesis 1:28, when He told Adam & Eve to be fruitful in life, multiply, and have dominion as good stewards over the animals and creation. He renewed this with Noah.

 

The 2 new things delegated were: You may eat animals for food (but I'll make it fair by making animals afraid of you), and if man sheds man's blood, man has the right to require blood of that person.

 

Ever since Noah got out of the ark we've had the freedom to eat any animal, the responsibility to handle crime and punishment, and the responsibility to determine how we become fruitful and multiply on the earth.

 

Diet

We have the freedom to eat all things, but the later Law of Moses defined for Israel animals that would be healthy to eat and animals that would not be healthy, as well as laws of sanitation (like washing your hands) and other more detailed laws that built upon the Covenant of Noah's freedom to eat meat.

 

Crime and punishment

Mankind has the responsibility of crime and punishment, and again the later Law of Moses detailed for Israel many specifics ranging from the death penalty to lesser crimes requiring only fines. However that doesn't mean each crime worthy of death requires the death of the guilty, for example:

 

Joseph could have had Mary executed for adultery, a capital crime, but was going to not press charges and just quietly divorce her instead because as it says, "He was a good man and didn't want to make a public example of her." (Matthew 1:19)

 

Jesus also extended mercy to the woman caught in adultery in John 8, instructing her that He forgave her that instance, but to "go and sin no more." (John 8:11)

 

But Jesus didn't repeal Noah's covenant that delegated to man crime & punishment: The proof being that every nation continues to set its own laws for crime and punishment, and mankind continues to eat all sorts of creatures, and continues to multiply across the face of the earth.

 

Be fruitful and multiply; separate and together

The Law of Moses and even the New Testament detail 'be fruitful' when Paul says for just one example, that if we don't provide for our own it is worse than being an unbeliever,* and other exhortations that we are expected to be responsible for our lives through work. Other verses about being fruitful include employees working their job as if they were working for the Lord, Christian bosses considering their employees as equals in Christ, and other such things. *(I Timothy 5:8, Colossians 4:1, Ephesians 4:28; 6:4-6)

 

And of course 'be fruitful' is also linked to multiplying, again showing this is our responsibility, with great freedom within that delegated authority. Jesus even said in Matthew 19:12 there are some 'eunuchs' born to be single from the womb, and some as unto the Lord have chosen to remain single. Paul was single and said for the gospel's sake he wished more were, but that each person has their own grace from God on the matter. But he did say to not be unequally yoked on purpose, and gave advice for those already married when they came to Christ and find themselves in an unequally yoked marriage.  (I Corinthians 7:7; II Corinthians 6:14, I Corinthians 7: 12-16)

 

Freedom for us to decide

So within each item of delegated authority to mankind there is great freedom, and the Lord works within those structures man gives Him for those structures are man's to establish, with each nation offering unique foods, unique laws for crime and punishment, and unique customs for marriage. God's command to man at the start was to fill the earth, and He also is trying to fill the earth, therefore He will work within any structure man sets up to the degree that structure allows Him to function.

 

And various structures give Him varying degrees of freedom, like house church has one degree of freedom to go with the flow of what He wants in a meeting, while the auditorium with its never changing 4 songs, offering, message and out the door to beat First Church to the buffet, has more restrictions. But He works within each to the extent He is allowed by us to do so.

 

And some businesses allow Christians great freedom, others do not. Some marriages give the Lord much freedom within them, others do not. But food, crime & punishment, and marriage are our responsibility and He seeks to fill each delegated structure to the extent each structure allow Him to fill it.

 

When the Lord put Adam in the Garden and told him to cultivate it, He wasn't hanging over his shoulder telling Adam where HE wanted each plant to be moved - He allowed Adam to do as he pleased. And I'm convinced once Eve saw how Adam had arranged the Garden, she immediately set about rearranging it more to her liking - and the Lord wisely stayed out of it! :)

 

How this works in the real world

First the disclaimer - things happen in life outside of our control as we are on a flawed planet. There is no one key that answers every question about why this or that happens to people. As Barb has said, "When I get to heaven I've got a lot of questions for the Lord." Don't we all.

 

But in sweeping generalizations: 

Diet - we can eat whatever we want, therefore we are responsible for the consequences good or bad, of what we put in the body, and each body reacts differently to various foods. Let us say someone is 4 feet tall (1.2 meter) and weighs 300 pounds (136kilos).

 

They may love God, but when they are in the hospital with heart/lung conditions, diabetes, and worn out knee and hip joints and call out to God for healing, He will usually lead them back the way they came to that condition in order to attain that healing. He isn't going to zap the pounds off them or heal their heart condition - He will use man's devices and technology - but they got themselves into that condition and the only way out is to lose the weight - He works within what He delegated to us. What we plant, we harvest.

 

Crime - If someone is guilty or innocent and in jail or prison, He isn't going to step in and override the system. He will work within the system because He delegated to mankind back at Noah to establish laws for crime & punishment. He will work within the system and through the system, which could take years to effect change for that person to get some measure of grace to that person.

 

Now we come to marriage...

And I've run out of room...until next week then! Blessings,

John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

The Crisis of Faith

The Crisis of Faith

Posted: 19 Feb 2015 04:37 AM PST

As I explained in Jesus Now, the beginning of the Christian faith is fairly easy. And so is the last part of the journey.
It’s the middle that’s incredibly difficult.
There are usually two points in a believer’s life where they encounter a crisis of faith. This is especially true if God is using the person in powerful ways.
One is when they are around 30 years old. The other is when they are in their 40s.
I’ve watched many people fall away from the Lord during those two periods, some even becoming atheists.
It’s no accident that the writer of Hebrews says,

“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.” Hebrews 12:32.

Note that it’s after we receive the light that we have power to endure. That’s the beginning of the journey.
The writer goes on to say,

“You need to preserve so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised, For ‘in just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.’ And, ‘But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.’ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” Hebrews 12:36-39.

In chapter 11, the writer of Hebrews makes this comment about Moses,

“he persevered [endured] because he saw him who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:27.

The question is not how well you begin. It’s whether or not you endure until the end.

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:13

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

Mark it down: As you go on with the Lord, your faith will be sorely tested.
You will be tempted to “shrink back” into unbelief.
But you — dear child of God — do not belong to those who shrink back.
Learn to see Him who is invisible. And lean into Him.
By this, you will endure until the end.

Spiritual Bankruptcy

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
MATTHEW 5:3

This spiritual poverty is the result of recognizing that apart from Him we can do nothing. It is a willingness to be broken and reduced to spiritual bankruptcy, which implies not only losing everything we once enjoyed, but also making a fresh start with a clean slate and all our debts erased. It is the Second Universal Spiritual Principle, which states: “I must decrease” (John 3:30). This decreasing, or as I like to say, this reducing to Christ, is the first requirement.
If we are unwilling to be emptied then we cannot have the riches of the Kingdom of Heaven. We will be like the Laodicean church, who said they were “rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing” yet in God’s sight they were poor, blind, naked, and miserable (Revelation 3:17). So the Kingdom belongs to those who readily admit right from the beginning that “a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven ” (John 3:27).
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

Above All

“He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”
JOHN 3:31

If people come against you in the flesh, let them come against you. If they wish to rail and argue with you according to the flesh, do not respond in kind. If they attack you without cause, let them attack, because the fleshly, the carnal, the natural cannot defeat the spiritual.
The one who is submitted to the Lord has authority over those who remain unsubmitted to Him. Flesh is overruled by Spirit. Hate is overruled by Love. Darkness is overruled by Light. Death is overruled by Life. Earth is overruled by Heaven.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

Shhhh...

 
Dave and Church,


Why did Jesus tell so many people to be quiet - to NOT reveal what they knew about Him?

It sounds counter-intuitive to what we think we're supposed to do.

I'll be honest...

As a teacher, I like to share ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that I think will help people reading, listening, or watching.

Occasionally though, God says, "Seal this up. I'm not ready for you to share all this right now."

That happened to me right in the middle of this "Pray for Kings" series.

So we're going to finish this series soon and seal up the rest of it for those who feel specifically led by God to be more active in strategic global intercessory prayer.

But there's still more that needs to be covered for the benefit of all believers, whether you consider yourself a "prayer warrior" or not.

So here's the latest episode:

PRAY FOR KINGS (Part 5)
http://sonrise.tv/?p=313


Thank you for watching!



I am your brother,

Chip Brogden


The School of Christ
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org


Sonrise Television
http://Sonrise.TV



PO Box 552, Canandaigua, NY 14424, USA