An Effective Church

Proverbs 31 praises the virtuous woman. It seems like it can also be applied to the Bride of Christ – the Church.

Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.

A wise and effective church does not presume on the future. The church is to be a source of strength to its members and community. An effective church is not forced to beg for what it needs.

She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the law of kindness is on her tongue.

The teachings of a virtuous church will be filled with God’s wisdom and will promote kindness and giving. She will be known for her hospitality. The effective church will be a living example of the value of following God's ways.

She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

An effective church will be well organized. The leaders are actively aware of and involved in the needs, challenges and opportunities of its members. But, not just the leaders are working and praying. In an effective church, most of the members are not idle consumers but active givers.

Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
“Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”

Individuals, families and marriages will find new birth, wisdom, support and healing. The spiritual children of an effective church will praise her and give her unasked for blessings. There is no fear that certain important members will be offended, because the praise an effective church especially desires is the praise of the Lord Jesus.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

A “successful” church may have the earthly beauty of beautiful buildings, large crowds or artistic sermons. But, these things are totally vain unless the church genuinely reveres its Head, fears the Lord and seeks the goals of the Lord Jesus.

Give her the product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.

A successful church is concerned with appearances, income and drawing bigger crowds. But, an effective church does not need to advertise. The news of a truly effective church's genuine love, sacrificial giving, and Godly wisdom will surprise the world and will even be spread by nonbelievers.

Project:
Pray for an effective church.
Let's pray about how to be personally effective.
Let's commit to making our part of our church truly effective.

Starvation Diet

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

All the gifts, fruits, and power of the spiritual life flow out of our faith which is our belief, trust and confidence in God. This faith is based on what Jesus has done, is doing and will do. But, we can actually do things that grow or shrink our faith. There are many people who are thirsting to hear God’s Word and are willing to take huge risks and make great sacrifices to have their own Bible. Yet, how many of us read God’s Word with even as much relish and regularity as we eat our bread and meat? Three times each day, Daniel made it a regular habit to enter his chamber, face Jerusalem, pray and thank God. Daniel’s commitment to God brought such blessing that even his enemies could not find a fault that they could pin on him. “But they could find no occasion nor fault; … neither was there any error or fault found in him.” In contrast, how many of us are walking skeletons of faith that are ready to collapse at the first bit of stress or temptation? I and many like me spend time growing and building our bodies. But, we should be spending more time growing and building our faith. In reality, we ought to bring God’s Word into ourselves and into our families as much or more than food.

By dying for our sins, Jesus has made it possible for us to be and to believe that we can be Sons of the Almighty. The more we have trust and confidence in Our Father, the more he is pleased. The greater our faith, the more we can sense and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And, who knows what adventures that might lead to? But, our lack of faith means that instead of actually building God’s Kingdom, we just talk about it. Instead of getting into the action, we sit on the sidelines as armchair quarterbacks. Even if we participate in some ministry, what spiritual value do we actually bring to those in need? Are we only contributing worldly wisdom and resources? How sad it is to think of the many days and years so many of us have wobbled through life on a starvation diet for our spirit. Let’s do better with the remaining days or minutes of our earthly existence. Let’s give up the starvation diet and feed our faith with God’s Word several times each day.

Project:
Join me in committing to bringing a healthy portion of God’s Word to every meal
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Harvest of Joy

He that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all [men], especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:8+)

It is interesting that one way we can sow to the Spirit is by being generous and doing good to others. What restricts our harvest “in due season”? Is it lack of opportunity? Or, is it our limited vision which keeps us from seeing and accepting the opportunities? “As we have therefore opportunity” gives amazing scope. But, if I am not prepared for the opportunity then it is not a real opportunity for me. I may be lacking in time, training, money or facilities. Genuine opportunity will involve love and obedience more than sacrifice. God desires a willing, loving, faith-filled heart more than a sacrifice from a grudging, misery, faithless heart. Amazingly, each opportunity met with a little love and faith will grow a harvest of greatly increased joy, love and faith.

Texas Trench Rescue Teams Work To Save Trapped Worker - (Firehouse.com Photo Stories)

Our firefighter son, Jonathan, worked with this Trench rescue team.

Texas Trench Rescue Teams Work To Save Trapped Worker - (Firehouse.com Photo Stories)

Your Gift

they presented unto him gifts (Matthew 2:11)

Mankind was busy with business, marriages, taxes and death but a few wise men took time to seek Jesus and offered Him valuable gifts. In our celebration of Jesus' birth into the world and into our hearts, let's consider what we can give as a gift to Jesus this year. Here are a few ideas:

• Committing more time daily to seeking and knowing Him
• Giving a special chunk of time (a day, week or weekend) during the year to seeking Him
• A new project to serve Him and be blessing to someone
• An increased amount of regular giving of money
• A special gift to a ministry or a needy person or family
• Defining a new time of prayer together as a couple or a family
• Specifically allocating more time to give personal attention to our spouse or family
• Your idea (may the Holy Spirit inspire us)

To solidify the giving of your gift to Jesus, tell someone what you are doing.

Share your ideas for gifts to give to Jesus by commenting on this article.

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A Bird in the Hand

Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap…The one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-10)

There is a wonderful promise in “Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” The certainty of this promise is constantly illustrated in nature. We have total confidence that apple seeds will produce apple trees. Sometimes I get discouraged as I try various projects to encourage spiritual growth in myself or others. We read books, attend seminars, host retreats and daily seek God. There is often struggle, resistance, rejection and apparent failure. Where is the fruit? God tells us and nature illustrates that it is coming as certainly as the bean stalk springs from a bean.

Our challenge and privilege is to seek and implement ways to plant seed to the Spirit. This often involves the investment of something we “possess”. It can be our time, money, home or even a loved one. I’m thinking of our daughter who is teaching English in another country. She has found explaining Christmas and some Christmas carols to students of a different culture to be a great way to tell the Good News of our Father’s love. For her parents, it has been a sacrifice and an investment of a loved one in the planting of spiritual seed. The eventual fruit will be known only to God. We have spent thousands on her education. Are we getting our money’s worth?

“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” is a worldly philosophy because it is a statement of lack of faith. We are called to risk what we can see, hold and count for something unseen, hard to put our arms around and impossible to count. The things of this world can be exchanged for spiritual seed which will inevitably produce a harvest of eternal life for many. But, do I have enough faith in God and His promise to risk the bird in my hand?

“And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.”

Project:

• Commit to daily ask God how to plant good seed that day.

• Ask God to reveal something He wants you to exchange for spiritual seed.

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Risking Everything

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:11)

Here is an incredible statement of the power of the message of our lives and mouths. Our society has slid into its current mess largely because we have either kept our testimony covered or have remained silent in the face of evil. God’s power is still available. The blood of the Lamb can still conquer and cleanse sin. But, when the message of God’s love is not proclaimed, then people do not hear and faith does not come. How many of us live lives that are different from the masses around us who are pursuing the goals of Self? What is the testimony of our life to our neighbor, co-worker or relative?

If we are genuinely plugged into Christ through the Holy Spirit then our lives will definitely be “different”. Our focus will not be on material success but on eternal value. Instead of being worried about getting taken, we will be trying to give. Rather than being guided by the almighty dollar, we will be guided by trying to do all we can to build God’s Kingdom. We like to think we are ready to suffer for Christ. But, how many of us are willing to suffer the lose of an hour, thirty minutes or even fifteen minutes of sleep to daily rise early and seek God? Some days, I’m not willing to suffer that much. How many of us actually pray about decisions and seek God’s guidance compared to how many just talk about praying and do whatever we feel like or what seems wise by worldly standards?

Faith comes by hearing. But, the message of Christians in this country is warped. We need a clearer message about the Truth. What do we need to change if our life is to be more focused on seeking Eternal value? Maybe we need to give up a little more sleep, accept more risk, change jobs, confront evil, pray in public, take our children out of the schools of atheism, help a widow, ask forgiveness or love an enemy (an ex-spouse?). What message is our life broadcasting? Is it that this world is all that’s really important or that we are looking to eternity and are willing to risk everything to build the Kingdom of the Lamb?

Project:

Let us:

• Ask whether we are willing to actually suffer for Christ (even giving up sleep),
• Ask God whether we love this life too much to proclaim the Truth.
  
• Ask God for His cleansing and His power to change.

WorldNetDaily: Pencils and other lethal weapons

WorldNetDaily: Pencils and other lethal weapons

WorldNetDaily: The children's crusade

WorldNetDaily: The children's crusade

Thirst for the Wonderful

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. (Psalm 139:6)

Psalm 139 tells us some wonderful things about God. Read it and see whether you agree that God's Word says the following:

• God is working behind us and before us and actually affects our circumstances.
• He knows our most trivial physical movements.
• Every word we speak or even think about speaking is known to Him.
• He knows our priorities, our goals, our habits and our daily activities.
• God discerns our thoughts even if we are far from Him.

• He is always present and available no matter whether we are in some lonely place physically, emotionally or spiritually.
• If only we will reach out to His hand, God’s guidance is always available no matter where we are.
• Our hidden sin is plain as day to Him.
• He knows each of our histories and has made definite, detailed plans for each one of us.
• He plans each person even before they are conceived and He forms each one in the womb according to His own design and purpose.
  
• God thinks about me more and knows more about me than I ever will.

• We should be friends with anyone who is a friend of God’s and an enemy to anyone who hates God. (Who are our friends? Including our computer, TV and books, who do we spend our time with? Who are our examples, mentors and heroes?)
• We should thirst for God to try us, purify us and lead us into the ways of eternal life. This is thirst for the Wonderful.

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God's Kitchen

I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, “The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.” (Zephaniah 1:12)

Here is another definition of Mr. Lukewarm. He is complacent in his faith. For such a man, meaning in life is found in distracting stimulations, toys and entertainments. In contrast to these attractions, God’s Word is to be endured rather than being eagerly consumed and diligently searched. The complacent man makes worship into a ritual with little or no genuine focus on our Creator and Lover. Such a man needs to be shaken up so that he will wake up before it is too late. I've been shaken up a number of times. May God send earthquakes when they're needed.

The natural pressure of life tends to push us toward this state of complacency. A law of physics says that a system tends toward confusion (disorder) unless it is infused with information (ordered energy). As Christians, we tend to move toward lower levels of faith, enthusiasm and love unless we are daily taking in the truth of God’s Word. Jesus said that man can not live on bread alone but by every word of God. But, many of us daily demonstrate that we do not believe even this word of Jesus because we daily eat bread and meat but frequently ignore God’s Word.

We are dying, our families are dying and our churches are dying from starvation. Many in our churches no longer expect the Lord to act for good or ill. As we approach another new year, let’s end this one with a change of diet and a move toward a transformed heart. Let’s eat less candy composed of worldly entertainments and let’s increase our consumption of milk, bread and meat from God’s kitchen.

Project:

• Let’s pray for an appetite for God’s food, “Give us this day our daily bread”

Help the Thief

The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing. The Fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. (Proverbs 29:24-25)

An employee of an air conditioning business fed me a lie about our A/C unit. I believed him and we almost got taken. By the grace of God, we were preserved. I contacted the owner of the business and he sounded legitimately concerned. But, as I followed up, he began to defend the lies of his employee who had worked for him for twenty years. I wonder how many customers have bought equipment they did not need. I originally went to the company because, years before, I had had good experience with a company that had the same name. But, it turns out that my previous experience was with a brother. Sadly, this owner has darkened the name of his family and is spoiling a good reputation.

It is easier to become a thief or a partner to a thief than we realize. Little compromises are all it takes. Doing nothing or maintaining silence can make us a partner in wrong doing. Cutting too many corners with a trusting customer, being too extravagant with our employer’s resources, or being silent about someone who does these things can lead to the loss of one our most valuable possessions – our good name.

When we find that we are roommates, brothers, or employees of a thief, we have a responsibility to go to him and encourage him to change his mind and his ways. But, we may eventually face the decision to either cover up sin or expose it. If we cover it up or justify it, we become partner to a thief. Fear that we will lose friendship or job may tempt us to keep silent. But, when the truth eventually comes out, those who remained silent will be treated as partners in the crime. God may have revealed the problem to us so that we can help the thief to find the paths of repentance, love and righteousness.

Project:

• Ask God to reveal how we may be partnering with a thief.
• Ask God or a wise counselor for help how to respond and do it.

Wild and Wonderful Fanatic

The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad,
because of your great iniquity (Hosea 9:7)

I’ve heard sermons and teaching which I rejected as too extreme. But, later – maybe years later, I sometimes find that I’ve changed my mind. What held me back from accepting the teaching in the first place? At first, I may have even labeled the ideas as fanatical. What held me back? Was it misunderstanding? “Except you eat my flesh and drink my blood, there is no life in you.” Or, was it wrong priorities? “I will follow you. But, first let me…”

The same thing which causes us to have wrong priorities can deafen us to the words of truth and blind us to the guiding light. What is it that disrupts our relationship with God and others but our important, whispering, dissatisfied, and whining Self? This is the part of me which listens to the voice of the Tempter, believes the lies of the Liar, wants to sell my soul to the Devil for a pot of pleasure, and says, “I’m too tired to seek God this early.”

When we don’t “get anything” out of reading the Bible, or think that someone is too fanatical in his teaching or beliefs, it is important to consider whether we are actually open to hearing Jesus. Is He too fanatical for me to follow? Maybe we just want to be “ordinary”. It is possible for someone to be too impractical or fanatical. But, when we find ourselves applying such a label, it should be an alarm that warns us to examine ourselves. Isn’t it possible that our “wisdom” may actually be worldly wisdom? Who is the fool but the one who rejects God’s Word? At such times, let’s ask, “Who is actually sitting behind the steering wheel in this area of my life?” Many times our daily schedule shows our priorities and who we're letting drive. When Self drives, we live "sensible" lives like most of the world, and waste our life. But when God drives, wild and wonderful things will begin to happen and life will no longer be ordinary, normal or "sensible".

Project: (This is a tough one -- change your daily schedule)
Get fanatical: commit to a daily time alone with God and His Word.
Get foolish: wake up earlier than you “feel” like to seek God.
Get a little crazy: let God sit in the driver’s seat. Actually apply a little of His Word.

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