Offense…sometimes it’s a balancing act

I love this guys post:

http://theothersideofwill.rochow.ca/2012/04/crap-ive-offended-again.html

Hearing from me and hearing from Him

For many of us, in the past the impetus has been to convince people to hear from us, instead of taking our mission one step further in leading them to hear from Jesus for themselves.

After re-reading the story of the Samaritan woman a few days ago and reading Ross Rohde’s excellent book “Viral Jesus”; something dawned on me after a little meditation; someone else hearing the Good News of the Kingdom from me is wonderful and a good beginning, but hearing it from Him is the ultimate seal on our faith and more.  Now I have always known this but to be honest with you, that has not always been my primary focus (for too many reasons to discuss right now).  Jesus called us to make disciples; and one aspect of making disciples is to: continually seek to introduce Jesus into the lives of those people we are in relationship with. Many of us forget this and end up being the focal point of the relationship when in fact, as the Samaritan woman demonstrated, we are to bring them to Jesus so they can hear for themselves. Our introductions are wonderful, our understanding and wisdom are wonderful, but it is so very limited and we cannot stop there. What we share of Jesus is wondrous because it is God breathed divinely empowered and motivated; the Holy Spirit is wonderful in this, but unless it brings people to the limitless one (Jesus) and He writes His own words on their hearts, we will make dependents and not disciples.

My wife Dori and I have discussed this on and off for quite awhile; the importance of helping others understand that they can hear from God themselves in every situation. She has a deep conviction that this is at the forefront of what God is doing in the church right now in this season of change. I have to say I agree and I am beginning to understand how critical it is to hear from God personally and sharing this truth with everyone God places in my path. The woman at the well shared what she had heard from Jesus with her fellow Samaritans and she brought them back to the source. This is what they had to say afterwards: “We no longer believe just because of what you have said, but also because we have heard Him for ourselves” (John 4.42) 

So I have concluded a few things that I will continue to explore:

• We provide an introduction to a person; not an idea. In this person is the measure of all things; so what He wants to share is important.
• If we do not hear from God then He becomes imaginary and our imaginations die after a season.
• He will always give us what we need, when we need it to bring people to Him. This can be word(s) of knowledge, scripture, situations…you name it; if we are accustomed to hearing Him, then we can bring others where they can hear as well.
• We need practice hearing and sharing what we have heard. What God has told us is important and always leads back to the person of Jesus.

Beyond Grapeness

Reblogged from While We Slept:

• 

We live in this beautiful place surrounded by vineyards. Throughout the year we watch how the farmers take care of their vine. In the spring they check if the wires are tight enough for the vine to spread on them. Then they remove any dead trunks and prune the healthy branches. They manage the pests with the necessary applications. They mow the rows to control the weeds so they don’t suck the energy out of the soil.

Read more… 514 more words

Excellent read for my early morning bus ride! We wonder when the "crushing" and "pouring out" will end? It never does...never.

Listening helps you understand

The listening ear and seeing eye; the LORD has made them both

Proverbs 20.12

The beginning of any conversation that God wants you to have involves a great deal of listening. Jesus himself referred to those who cannot see and those who cannot hear and  I believe He was referring to those who were not in a place to allow what God had arranged to become apparent to them personally. We usually cannot engage in or continue in any ” God appointed mission” without positioning ourselves to allow participation in what God has arranged. That begins with prayer and spiritual reasoning (really listening ) with God and the practice of really listening to people. We cannot really see what is really true in a persons life without first really listening to what God has told us and continues to tell us as we engage with one another. The beginning of any worthwhile God “scheduled” conversation begins with, and allowing for listening that leads to further conversations. Hearing first allows us to let go for a moment and “see” what is really going on, what is needed and where it goes from there. The King is continually guiding and directing those who want to participate in Kingdom affairs and His diplomatic communiques to His subjects come in various forms, but they always require listening and seeing in faith.

Good post on “Just in Time Faith” from Mercy Simson

This post from Mercy and Wolfgang Simson blessed me as I was sorting out something in regards to “walking in faith”. It is a real time testimony of how God reminds us again, that He has his provision, right on time, every time.

http://whileweslept.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/just-in-time-or-just-in-case/

Imagine

Imagine a kingdom where one ruler has:
The answers to ever question.

The ability to direct every facet of government with a good result for every one of His subjects.

All the wisdom required for all things.

Never makes a decision that harms any of His subjects.

A personal familial relationship with all His subjects.

Sounds like a pretty perfect arrangement huh?

Cool little discussion by Alan Hirsch…worth a listen

How the Gospel Changes our Church Community by Alan Hirsch from Vintage21 Church on Vimeo.

God’s idea or mine? He’ll let you know

Is it just me?

Just a quick note this morning to share something that I always profess, but am exceedingly pleased when God does it again. I have this question I have been asking God about for a couple of days and it involves some risk. My base question is this: “Is this my idea or yours?”. That is a question I have found to be very important, and in recent days it has been placed before me repeatedly in several ways; from the book I am reading to the prayers I’ve prayed. The questions I have been forced to asked myself in regards to this “idea” have revealed a few very personal things to me about myself and I have to tell you; It always come back to a question of faith and purpose. This morning on my way to work I was prompted in my spirit to read a blog post I haven’t read in a few days and let me tell you, I was pleasantly reminded that He will provide some answers to help you discern whether you are hearing your own voice or His. He can do this in many ways, so be open to the answers you receive. He is always faithful in helping you discern whether you are hearing Him or not. That is a refreshing reminder for those like me who need help with their faith. Sometimes i find myself identifying with the father in Mark 9 as he exclaimed: “I believe; help my unbelief!” I sincerely hope that this cry will become less frequent in my life and yours, by His supernatural reminders.

What is it you need?

What is your need?

God ensures that we understand that we are to bring our needs to Him. It is something that we are constantly reminded of through Jesus’s words and the words of others as they proclaim the Father’s desire to connect relationally with His creation.

The sticky part I find as I have grown older, is the discernment of our need. I suggest that that may be the most important part of the whole proposition. We can have our needs fulfilled by God and so it must be important to discover what is really needed.

I say discernment, because telling the difference is very important. We are inundated with situations, feelings and talking heads daily and in the middle of all this, life as it happens. We feel have to identify what it is the we are lacking and how to fill these voids. We choose daily what to fill them with, some things we choose only last a season because they are temporal and here we come again with an empty bucket. Perhaps we are always looking for “a way” to fill us instead of “the way”? I can only speak for myself in certainty, but I know I see many others who seem to contend with the things I constantly battle. If God knows our needs before we ask, and He does, it isn’t for His benefit that we figure out what we need, so it must be for ours.

2+2=4 and other spiritual truths

Yes, 2+2=4. If the the 4 is Jesus, then why do I spend so much time on the 2′s? I want to grasp the parts that make up the truth, I may even vary the parts, say I use a 3+1, but the truth is in the answer, and the answer is where I must always begin.

I think I need to spend a little more time on the truth(answer) and work backwards from that. I’m thinking it will sound something like: Jesus said, Jesus did, Jesus does, Jesus made….etc. I am going to stop worshipping 2′s, they are too small. I’m refocusing on the “sum” and the source…It’s a lot bigger and gives me a revelation of the smaller parts. Maybe someday I’ll be able to work backwards from square roots?