United in Christ

~ Looking Inside that “One Crowded Honda” ~

 

When the Spirit of God came upon the early Church we read, “they were all in one accord” (acts 2:1) which has prompted the comment, “it must have been one crowded Honda!” The disciples and the early church exhibited true unity.  

United in Prayer  ~  “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” (Acts 1:14). “So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: ‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them’” (Acts 4:24).

United in the Word of God  ~  “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did” (Acts 8:4-6).

United in Gathering Together for Fellowship  ~  “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart” (Acts 2:46).

United in Witness and Action  ~  “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:46-47). “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch” (Acts 5:12). 

United in Peace and Existing in True Unity  ~  “It seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth” (Acts 15:25-27).  

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

 

Wisdom of The World

There are many influences which compete for our attention; many different inputs which seek to shape our view of the world and, in turn, direct how we make decisions about our life. There is also an enemy who greatly desires to win this competition. The enemy is battling for the hearts of men, women and children; and he knows if he can win the battle of the mind, the heart will remain his.
Many of the battle lines are easy to recognize. For example, the direct assault from various forms of sexual temptation and drugs claim numerous victims every day. But there are many other plans of the enemy which place hidden mine fields along the path and destroy those who are not careful where they step. Perhaps the best disguised and most effective weapon of the enemy is that of worldly wisdom.
Since the Garden of Eden, the enemy has propagated a set of values which sound wise and appealing, but which consistently lead down a path of destruction. His “wisdom” attempts to define happiness and success – tells us we must achieve, push, and obtain in order to succeed and be fulfilled. But if we will come into the presence of God, we will see the world’s wisdom for what it truly is…foolishness.
1 Corinthians 3:18-19
“Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.”
The values of the world are continually promoted in every type of media and from every possible class of people – even sometimes from those who profess faith in Jesus. But these values are lies! They are weapons of the enemy used to pull us away from God…they are foolishness!! And when we choose to live as a captive to world values, we have chosen to live outside of God’s perfect plan; “Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
God’s plan will always require faith – always require us to be “sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). This often means we must have the faith and courage to stand alone. Though the world may label us a “fool,” we must continue (and continue some more) to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
We are being called to become a fool to the world, but this is not an easy task. We have been well “educated” in the world system, and now must reshape the way we think; “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This renewal process will take determined, consistent, and intentional prayer and the study of His Word; but God will provide sufficient strength for the process. Let’s refuse to live in a cloud of deception. Let’s make an uncompromising commitment to God and break free from the wisdom of the world.

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Pray Big

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered (Mark 11:22).

How simple this is. Only four words—“Have faith in God”—yet how revolutionary they are. E. V. Hill once preached a 40-minute sermon on just two words: “God is.” In his own unforgettable style, he pressed home the point that everything in the universe flows from this one truth. Figure this out and you’ve got a handle on life. Deny this and nothing else makes sense.

Either God is or he isn’t. And if he is, that changes everything. The voice from the burning bush told Moses to tell the people that “I AM” has sent you. And what precisely does that mean? The only further explanation is “I AM that I AM,” which points to God’s eternal self-existence. If you know that “God is” and that he is the great “I am,” you know the most fundamental truth in the universe.

In Psalm 81:10 God gives a wonderful invitation to his children, “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” Ask what you need, God says, and I will do it for you. Years ago I heard someone say that Jeremiah 33:3 is “God’s telephone number” because it contains a very clear promise: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know".

I was praying with some men and heard someone say, “Lord, teach us to pray big prayers. So much of what we pray is just details.” I found that a helpful and challenging thought. It’s not that the details don’t matter. They do, but sometimes our prayers suffer because our vision is so small.

If we truly want to honor God, we will believe what he says and then act on that belief by praying large prayers that require an Almighty God to answer them.
Pray big, and then stand back and see what God will do.

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

~ Jesus Christ The Servant ~

Jesus Christ came to earth as Creator and King of the universe but took upon Himself the role and function of a servant. Consider three aspects of His service.

In The Upper Room (Past)  ~  “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded” (John 13:3-5). 

In The Churches (Present)  ~  “Then I [John] turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen’”(Revelation 1:12-18). 

In His Coming Glory (Future)  ~  Jesus said, “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;  and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that He will gird Himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them” (Luke 12:35-37).

summary:  Jesus said, “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:27-28).

How about you? Do you serve others? If so, how? 

 

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

 

Out of Our Poverty

In the message “From A Pure Heart” we saw that God has blessed each of us with gifts, talents, and abilities; and we are to be good stewards by faithfully giving our blessings back to God with a pure heart. But what determines a pure heart?
When Jesus saw the widow offer her two small coins, He said she had given “out of her poverty” (Mark 12:44). It required great humility to offer those coins, a true lack of self importance. She knew her coins had no real value, but with a deep devotion for God and a strong desire to obediently serve she gave what she had. The widow offered her gift with a pure heart!
We are all called to this type of pure giving – a giving motivated by love, and “valued” by obedience. Our gifts to God may appear big or small in our eyes and in the eyes of the world, but when lovingly given in response to His leading, every gift is received as a sweet and fragrant offering.
As we give back to the Lord by ministering to the needs of others, we often perceive the results to fall far below expectations. To keep from being discouraged, we must always remember that our true offering is in our obedience and love. Our offering must never be judged by the outward appearance of how it is being used.

This truth is even more crucial when the results of ministry begin to exceed our expectations. The great danger of “success” in any ministry effort is the tendency to shift our focus to what WE have accomplished and given with OUR abilities. But again, our offering must never be judged by the outward appearance of results!
1 Corinthians 4:7
“For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”
God deserves the glory for ALL the results. He gave us our ability as well as the opportunity to minister and give. We fall into sinful pride anytime we forget the One who has provided all; “Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). We must always maintain a sense of poverty as we give back and minister to the Lord. We can give nothing of real value; indeed, we are very poor! Yet, we can continue to give our all and love Him with all our heart.

Let’s give praise and glory to the Potter who continues to shape and mold us into a vessel of great beauty. Let’s guard against every attempt to place a value, large or small, on what we offer our Heavenly Father. And, with a spirit of humility, let’s continue to abundantly give out of our poverty.

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

3/7 Prayer Rule

~ The Psalms Provide A Key For Effective Prayer ~

 

 

We have probably all heard the comment, “God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we would listen more than we talk.” May I suggest to you the “3/7 Rule for Prayer” which comes from the Book of Psalms. 

Psalm 55:17  ~  “As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.  Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.  He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me.  God will hear, and afflict them, even He who abides from of old” (Psalm 55:16-19).  The psalmist said, “evening and morning and at noon” he would pray!  Here the context is clearly prayers of request (petition).  The psalmist states three specific times when he will make his requests known to God.

Psalm 119:164  ~  “Princes persecute me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your Word.  I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure.  I hate and abhor lying, but I love Your Law.  Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.  Great peace have those who love Your Law, and nothing causes them to stumble.  Lord, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your Commandments.  My soul keeps Your Testimonies, and I love them exceedingly.  I keep Your Precepts and Your Testimonies, for all my ways are before You” (Psalm 119:161-168).  The psalmist said, “seven times a day I will praise You.”  The context here is clearly recognition of who God is, His Word, His attributes, and what He does for His people (praise).  The psalmist knew the value or reflecting many times a day on who God is and what He has done.  

 

 

The 3/7 Rule  ~  For every 3 times I petition God, I will praise Him at least 7 times for all that He is and all that He has done and is doing on my behalf.  

In His Service,
Sangha

7 Doubles

~ God Sometimes Makes a Double Call ~

 

 

Every word in Scripture is inspired by the Spirit of God. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16a). When the Lord spoke a person's name twice in calling him, He did it for greater emphasis. Consider seven examples.

“Abraham, Abraham!”—a call for deliverance  ~  “But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ So he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:11-13). 

“Jacob, Jacob!”—a call for blessing  ~  “Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ So He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there’” (Genesis 46:2-3).

“Moses, Moses!”—a call to reverence  ~  “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground’” (Exodus 3:4-5).  

“Samuel, Samuel!”—a call to service  ~  “Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel answered, ‘Speak, for Your servant hears’” (1 Samuel 3:10).

“Martha, Martha”—a call of reproof  ~  “And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:41-42).

“Simon, Simon!” (Peter)—a call of warning  ~  “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren’” (Luke 22:31-32). 

“Saul, Saul” (Paul)—a call for conviction and conversion  ~  “Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do’” (Acts 9:4-6).  

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,