What does it mean to “deny yourself”?

How is the new life that we live with Christ different from the life we lived before the gate? How is the path different?

The path is different because it is the path of discipleship, of following Jesus. As we follow Jesus, we start to “look” more and more like him; and as we look more like him, we look less like the world.

There are many descriptions in the Bible of the path of discipleship and why it is so different from the world, but my favorite is in the book called “Mark,” chapter 8, verse 34. This is the pivotal verse in my life when it comes to how I think about life as a follower. It changed the way I think, and actually led me to write this blog.

We are at a turning point of Jesus’ story. Jesus has been conducting a public ministry, speaking to large crowds, teaching about the kingdom of God, and doing miracles to prove his authority. At Mark 8:27, it is like Jesus has finally come to the point where he is willing to ask the disciples to make a commitment. Who do they think that he is? Peter, probably speaking for all twelve of them, says, “We believe you are the Christ, the Messiah, God’s king who was to come into the world.” Jesus accepts Peter’ confession as true.

But then everything in the gospel story changes. Jesus’ ministry becomes mostly private, not doing as many miracles, and primarily teaching the twelve disciples what it is like to live as disciples in God’s kingdom. In verse 34 Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

If anyone, man or woman, wants to follow Jesus, to be his disciple (be a “Christian” we tend to say), then he must do two things. He must “deny himself” and “take up his cross.” When Luke tells this same story, he clarifies that we are to take up our cross “daily” (Luke 9:23). What does this mean? The answer to this question shows why the path is so different form the world.

To “deny” yourself means to say “No” to yourself and “Yes” to God. Paul is not talking about asceticism — forgoing earthly possessions, not eating certain foods, ignoring the world, etc. To say it differently, the process of denial is “to humbly submit my will to God.” It is to go through life repeating the words that Jesus said the night before he died. When he was praying in the garden, he said to God his Father, “Not my will but yours be done.” It is what millions of Christians have prayed for centuries when they repeat what we call the “Lord’s Prayer.” “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”( Matthew 6:10).

What does it look like to live out this prayer? Someone hurts you. Your natural reaction is to lash back, to get angry. But the path of discipleship is “not my will but yours.” It is humbly submitting my will to God’s will. Instead of getting angry, we realize that God is calling us to forgive even our enemies. A verse that is becoming more and more important to me is Paul’s instructions to the church in Ephesus. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (4:32). When I am hurt, I am called to submit my will to God’s will and follow his example. This is what it means to “deny” yourself. Now, I don’t always do it. Sometimes I like to reword Jesus prayer: “not your will but mine be done.” But that’s not what Jesus said.

What does it mean to “daily take up your cross”? The cross was a horrid symbol of pain, shame, and death. A person hung on it, naked, until his skeletal structure collapsed and he suffocated to death, without air and with his body drowning itself in its own fluids. Every day we are to live in such a way that it is apparent to everyone that we have died to ourselves, to our selfish ways and ambitions, and live for God. Another translation words the verse: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me” (NLT).

Something unfair happens and instinctively we want to get even. But we have died to that “right,” we have prayed “not my will but yours be done.“ Hopefully we humbly submit our will to God’s will, and we respond in kindness and humility. Will you always do this right the first time? Of course not, and that is, in a sense, okay. Life is a journey. God understands that over the years we have created habits of our heart that are not easily broken, and he is patient with us as we learn to walk the new path. Nevertheless, we are called daily to humbly submit our will to his.

To get back to the original question, why is the new path of discipleship different? It’s because we have been changed. We now follow Jesus, and the new longings in our heart are to do his will, not our own.

Don’t be frightened. God is not standing there with a scowl on his face, arms folded, with a whole new list of things we can do and things we can’t do. Remember the theme verse of this blog. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11, ESV). The path of discipleship is the path of joy, but it is also a path that is different.

Because Jesus is different.

By Bill Mounce |

Goodness of God

 

Goodness of God - What It Means
The goodness of God is one of the attributes of God, as well as a description of His very essence. God, by nature, is inherently good, as Psalm 34:8 tells us: "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” He is the foundation of goodness and of everything good—He did not obtain it from another source. People can have good traits or do good deeds, but goodness is not in our character. Our goodness comes from God.

Goodness of God - What It Does
The Goodness of God is evident in all His creations and accomplishments. Genesis 1:31 says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good..." We cannot earn and do not merit His goodness. It is available to us regardless of our station in life, and even though we are not worthy of it. Matthew 5:45 says: “...He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." And we read in Psalm 145:9 that “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made."

God’s goodness is personal. The lyrics of an old chorus say “God is so good; He’s so good to me.” We can all sing this song because He is good to each of us personally, in ways that meet our individual needs. His goodness provides us with benefits such as:

• It gives us the perfect model of goodness. By knowing God and learning about His goodness, we can come to recognize true goodness and strive to do good things. We should pray as the Psalmist did, “You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees” (Psalm 119:68). We can look to God as the perfect role model to teach us about goodness and how to do good things.
• It assures us that God’s purpose for us is good. Just as parents want good for their children, our Heavenly Father wants only good for us. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” We should remember, however, that good things may not always show up as happy experiences. Sometimes good can come disguised as adversity or hardship, but God can use difficulties for good, as we learn in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
• It offers us security and encouragement. We can depend on the unchanging goodness of God. Psalm 52:1 says, “The goodness of God endureth continually” (KJV). God will always be good. His character does not change. He will continue to be the creator of all things good and we can be confident He will provide good things for us according to His perfect plan.
• It draws us to God. The purpose of God’s goodness is to draw us to Him. This was manifested in the highest degree when God sacrificed His Son, Jesus, for our salvation. Because of His goodness we have been given opportunities to hear His word and to claim eternal life by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Goodness of God - Conclusion
The Goodness of God is the core of our Christian faith. It is because of His desire for our good that He provided salvation through His son. Everything God does is for our good. We can see proof of the goodness of God all around us in the life-sustaining provisions He supplies—from crops that provide our food, to the very air we breathe. We can have goodness in us, and even desire to do good, but true goodness comes from the One who is perfectly good and wants good things for all people. Our goal should be to show the goodness of God to others every day.

http://www.allaboutgod.com/goodness-of-god.htm

The Benefit of Dwelling in God's Presence

Throughout the Bible we have read about those Men and women who benefited as a result of dwelling in the presence of God. When we talk of dwelling in His presence it’s not a house that you get in, as far as God is omnipresent His presence moves with you wherever you go.
This is what God told Moses: “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give the rest”.
Exodus 33:14.
Listen what, the Lord say “My presence shall go with you” means the presence shall go with you wherever you go, at your work place even when going to the supermarket. Its power and peace shall go with you everywhere you go. Anyone who goes with this presence has benefited from it
It’s not anyone who goes with the presence of God, some even denied His presence and got penalties from running it. Still those who went with the Presence of God are known by their lifestyle praise. They praise God in difficult times they don’t allow their problems to exemplify their Praise,
What is Praise by the way? Praise is honouring God for what He is, Praise differ from thanksgiving as it honours God for what He has done.
Now when you honour God for what He is (Praise) as you go with His presence everywhere despite your situation, your praise brings God into your situation immediately?

………..And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. Acts 16:26 (KJV)
When Paul and Silas was put in prison the Bible says at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God. The moment they began praising God their deliverance come immediately why because their praise brought God into their situation .
What praise does, Praise brings God into your Situation immediately, and Praise brings deliverance .
You may be imprisoned right now by Debt, Poverty, Fear or Sickness, just begin a lifestyle of Praise and the presences of God shall strongly manifest upon your life and your deliverance shall come immediately- Amen

On Being God’s Instrument

A plain ball-point pen in the hands of an average human being can make some cute doodles, but a pen in Rembrandt’s hands can create a masterpiece. It is not the pen – the instrument – that matters. Rather, it is the Author and Creator who can wield a glorious work of art from simple tools.

 When I was younger – a child, a teenager, a new college grad – I had big dreams and goals for my life. I observed grown-ups and thought to myself that few of them seemed to be very goal-oriented or intentional about personal growth. Most of them just seemed to live to get through each day. I have known a small handful of individuals who have admitted to keeping a list of goals for their lives, often arranged in categories, like physical, mental, spiritual, etc., and this has impressed me. I have often thought to myself through the years that I did not want to lose that sense of purposeful learning, growing, and striving.

 Periodically, maybe a couple of times a year, I pause to glance back through the recent past and imagine the future, and I am inspired to work towards a particular goal. Sometimes these goals are personal and internal, like training for a new goal in my workouts or learning how to create a new crafty project. Increasingly, the goals are spiritual, and I sense they are promptings from God, who is always growing and changing me (Phil 1:6: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”).

 The theme of my thoughts and prayers lately has centered around being an instrument of God. Over the past few years as my relationship with God has developed, I have been intentional about Him working *in* me; I have taken classes and read books to learn more about God, to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to die to myself and to live for Christ. While God has worked *through* me to some extent, I have not been as intentional about allowing Him to truly and deeply use my life.

 Providentially, as I have been praying through these thoughts over the past month or so, our pastor’s sermon this weekend focused on this very issue. He quoted 1 Thessalonians 2: “We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.” I do not wish to just learn about God and allow Him to change me, though I do want to continue to be intentional in that way, and I do not desire for God to use only my skills, but I want Him to use my life. This year, I want to focus on intentionally becoming God’s instrument.

 As I have begun thinking this way, God has revealed to me several occasions where to say “yes” would be to serve another person, yet because of my selfishness and desire to avoid discomfort, I am tempted to say “no.” What kind of ambassador for Christ am I if I am praying that God would use me, yet the moment it infringes on my personal comfort, I shy away? I am thankful God is revealing these occasions to me.

 I have been reading the book “Instruments in the Redeemers Hands,” and Paul David Tripp, the author, writes that “everybody ministers and everybody needs ministry. . . I need to wake up in the morning and say, ‘God, I am a person in desperate need of help. Please send helpers my way and give me the humility to receive the help you have provided.’ And I need to pray further, ‘Lord, make me willing to help someone else see himself as you see him today.’” That passage is powerful to me. I want to be God’s instrument to help others see themselves as God sees them

God’s Love

There isn’t a heart too cold,

that God can’t melt

there isn’t one too stony

where He can’t be felt.

There isn’t a heart too cynical,

that God can’t shake

there isn’t one too hardened

that He can’t break.

There isn’t a heart too rigid,

that God can’t move

there isn’t a heart too rough

that He can’t smooth.

There isn’t a heart too lost,

that God can’t find

there isn’t a heart too far off

that He’d leave behind.

There isn’t a heart too broken,

that God can’t love

there isn’t a heart in the world

that He would ~ let go of.

~~~~~~~~~~~

John 3:16

King James Version

“For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish,

but have everlasting life.”

Copyright 2014

Deborah Ann Belka

5 Signs of a DYING Church

5 Signs of a DYING Church


There is a difference between your church:

Being small and dying.

Plateauing and dying.

Declining and dying.

Merging and dying.

Being large and healthy.

Being large and reaching the lost.

Being large and having a lengthy future.

The truth is, for a church, only dying is dying.

Nevertheless, it’s also true to say there are symptoms your church may be on the path to death. Misdiagnosing the actual state of the union and what the real issues are is a slippery business.

However, speaking generally, here are five signs your church is beginning to die:

1. Leadership is gridlocked.
If leadership is hopelessly fractured and there is no real plan to fix the issue it could be a sign your church is starting to die.

If no one has agreed to step down and leadership is unable or unwilling to self-correct by removing someone from the ranks, or agreeing to disagree--it could be a dangerous direction for the life of your church.

2. No real growth for the last five years.
What I mean by “real” is a year where attendance went up at least 10 percent.

Unless you are in a rural context, this means you are no longer reaching people with the Gospel, or you’re losing more people than you’re reaching — and you’ve done it for five years. This is a good time to recognize that there may be a problem and work and pray toward real solutions.

3. Your vision is in the rear-view mirror, not the windshield.
I call it, "rear-view vision." Whenever vision comes up, you think about a return to the past rather than a new future.

This tends to happen because the pain caused and received by moving forward is substantial and leadership would, subconsciously, prefer to go back to the past — which they think everyone can agree on. It’s also a result of thinking that if it worked then it will work now.

Another symptom of “rear-view vision” is constant consideration of what the congregation will think as supreme to what might best reach new people with the Gospel. A church needs to do that now and then, but if it’s a way of life, you’ve got "rear-view vision."

4. You’ve lost the ability to attract quality staff.
Generally, smaller, non-growing churches value staff the least. This couples with the less attractive parts of the church to prevent churches from bringing in quality people whom God has gifted for ministry.

One of the best coaches I know was asked by a man coaching a bad team what his team needed to turn things around. He said, “Great players.”

Everyone laughed. Then he said, "Or a well-coached team of good players will do."

Undervaluing and mistreating staff is common among dying churches. Churches that have quality staff who are released to serve the Lord rarely find themselves in this spot if the leadership team is healthy.

5. God shows up looking for your church’s lampstand.
We often think God wants our church to go on forever, and in cases where little openness to God’s agenda for your church has atrophied for lack of action, He may send you notice your days are numbered.

In my experience, this happens when churches have not heeded His will for years. It isn’t something that happens after one mistake — it usually takes at least a decade.

Before your church literally has to close its doors with no real agenda, God will usually offer at least one opportunity to rebirth through merger, dissolution and joining another church, or replanting. Make sure it’s of God, but don’t pass on these because of pride.

Think Kingdom. I’ve seen churches whose best days are past them change their city for good through wisdom at the death stage.

One last thing: don’t be afraid to initiate conversations with churches you think might be interested in partnership. Look for flexible churches with similar theological DNA — who also are growing, have healthy leadership and quality staff.

Do you have some other marks?