Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, pg. 25.
Published by Multnomah, 2005.

The Gospel of Grace is a post from: Jody Ray's Blog

“Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

“Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.”

Yes Lord, let it be so.
Confront us with our complacency and fill us with a Holy Hunger that is insatiable.
Instill within us a Divine Desperation to see Your Kingdom come and to cease from building our own kingdoms.
Pull the rug out from under our frivolous ambitions and give us eyes to see our own true motives and frailties.
Send us into the depths of  adversity, if need be, to cause us to stretch our hands toward yours, lest we perish.

We admit and confess to you that we have no way of knowing you, and your ways, without your divine intervention working in us to show us the way.  Lead us on Father , lead us on.

Prayer of Sir Frances Drake, circa 1590

….and my prayer tonight for us.

Jody

Disturb Us Lord is a post from: Jody Ray's Blog

I was very anxious about the 7 Bridges experience. Ben, my husband, had been before but it just didn’t seem to be my thing. I volunteer at the church in the office and we have worked on the Great Day of Service but minister to the homeless? That was really putting myself out there. Jody Ray had challenged us to be dangerous Christians and to step outside our comfort zone. I reasoned that if Jesus were here today that He would be helping the least, the last and the lost. Why not me?

It was an eye opening experience to meet with Christians from other churches who had also answered the call. Our friends, the Gallentines, encourage me and help me to know that I would know what to say and do when I met the people who lived under the bridges. After prayer and an inspirational talk from Pastor Seven, the founder of this ministry, we are off to the first bridge where we meet a woman who was talking with her friend. She is happy for the nourishing bag lunch, which a group of people had prepared. Not many people are under that bridge but we left lunches and prayed for them. A group of young people is there from Alpharetta United Methodist as well as several young people from our church. I am so impressed with their boldness as they hug the people and offer prayer and encouragement.

The second bridge is very steep and not one I will approach since I don’t have the best back but there are a group of men sitting at the curb that we talk with. One is a former truck driver from Brooklyn who is very friendly and happy for the good meal. His hands and body are so dirty. Another man looks out of place with his polo shirt, clean pants and boots. He says he hasn’t been there long and I wonder if he will accept this as a way of life or whether he will get off the streets. Again, the rest of the group doesn’t find many people under the bridge but they leave lunches and pray.

The third stop was in the shadow of the dome of the state house. We are told by Bob, a leader, that many of the people had been rousted by the police in recent times and that they had moved to another place. All that polished beauty and manicured lawns contrasts the dirty, matted quilts where people had slept the night before. The simple belongings are clustered in some open spaces and someone has even made a little lean to out of orange construction material. We again pray and leave lunches. We see a young man who has a forlorned look in his eyes but gratefully accepts the bag lunch as well as a hygiene kit. He is given a hug and we hope that he knows that we care about him.

The fourth stop is near the area that the horses are kept for the carriage rides. Here we encounter more men who are sitting in discarded chairs at street level and under a bridge. One of them serenades us with his own gospel music. We have seen Bibles at some of the stops and realize that this is what many cling to for hope. An older man used to play football with Morris Brown College and talks sports with our son, Will and my husband, Ben. His knees are hurting and we talk about bringing him a brace for his knees when we come back. This area is very messy with discarded clothes and litter and I wonder how someone can live like this. The men seem content to be there and with there life.

What a day! I have not been afraid and I have felt comfortable talking with all the people that we have met. They seem to appreciate our being there and the food that has been brought. I wish that they would want to get off the street but this is their choice. It is my choice to do what I can even though it is small. A person wiser than I assured me that we are not responsible for the results, only the effort. It tugged at my heart to see people live like this and it inspired me as I watched people care for the bridge people. God’s commandment was that we should love others as He loves us. I saw this in action. Sometimes, being dangerous is good.

Betty Hornsby

Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone is a post from: Jody Ray's Blog

Webster’s Dictionary defines potential in this way: “Something that has power; something that is very potent, but it’s unrealized and hasn’t come into being.”  I’m not saying that we don’t do awesome things together as a church, but I do believe we haven’t come close to realizing our God given potential.

If we are going to reach our potential, we must develop “spiritual vision.”  Spiritual vision is knowing where God is calling you to go and then having the faith to pursue that calling.  Spiritual vision is the ability to see the direction God is leading you – it’s having the ability to “walk by faith and not by sight.” (2 Corin. 5:7)

Proverbs 29:18 states: “Where there is no progressive revelation the people cast off restraint.”

What this verse is really talking about is having “spiritual vision.”  When you don’t have  ability to see things in the spirit, you run the risk of chasing every whim that comes your way, and you never get to where God wants you to go.  Ultimately, you will never reach your God given potential.

I want to give you four things spiritual vision will do for you.

Spiritual Vision will ….

1.  Help you make difficult decisions. When you have a clear revelation of what God’s calling you to do you will be able to make difficult decisions because you know where you’re going.

2.  Cause you to pay the price. Your God given potential is bigger than you are – that’s why it’s God given.  If it’s not bigger than you are, then you aren’t seeing the capacity of your potential.  Do you have a dream inside of you today?  Then it’s going to cost you something to get there.  When people don’t know where they’re going, they’re unwilling to pay the price to get there.

3.  Cause you to overcome your fears. When you really see what God wants for your life and when you understand your potential in Him, your insecurities will vanish.  Fear is the greatest road block to reaching your potential.  You must overcome the temporary fears if you want to reach your potential.

4.  Cause you to live for the eternal and not for the immediate. Many times people don’t reach their potential because they react to temporary circumstances instead of focusing on the big picture.  The greatest problem in the world today is our obsessive desire for immediate gratification.  Pursuing the immediate gratifications in life will always keep you from reaching your potential.

Dr. David Yonggi Cho is the senior pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea.  The church has 900,000 members and 3,000 pastors on staff.  WOW!!  Dr. Cho once said something that is imprinted in my mind.  He said, “Tell me your vision, and I’ll tell you your future.”  Because if you can’t see it – you can’t have it.

I want you to know that you have great potential!  The God who created you has already given it to you, but you must go get it!  The key is having spiritual vision to see where God is leading you even when your present circumstances make it look impossible.

Reaching Your Potential is a post from: Jody Ray's Blog

I’ve invited Chris Dunagan, a member of the Mt Bethel family, to be my guest blogger today.  I hope you will take a couple of minutes to read his blog post.  Let us know what you think.

What’s all this talk about a “dangerous church”?  What does that look like?  Does a “dangerous church” see something we don’t see?  Is that what Paul had in mind when he wrote to Timothy about that which was revealed to us by the incarnate living God in the person of Jesus Christ?  Is this something new, or is it already done?

Paul writes to Timothy, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.”  2 Timothy 1:8-11 (NASB)(emphasis supplied).

Biblical scholars tell us 2 Timothy is Paul’s last letter.  Paul is in prison awaiting his execution.  Paul is a death row inmate, waiting his turn to walk “The Green Mile,” so to speak.  Paul is in a sobering season of waiting for his head to be separated from his body in a dramatic and decisive way.  While he waits, Paul is thinking of others more than himself.  Paul, in his final days, is concerned to care about Timothy, to build him up and encourage him.  Paul writes to remind Timothy “of the sincere faith within you” and to “kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you[.]”  v1:5-6 (partial).  Paul then goes on to instruct and encourage Timothy.

Do you see how Paul is a very dangerous man?  Do you see how Paul is a great threat to the spiritual forces of wickedness and the evil powers of this world?  Do you see how Paul, so very dangerous to the enemy, is a powerful encourager to those who build the Kingdom of God?  I believe the greatest encouragement Paul offers to Timothy, the greatest encouragement 2 Timothy offers to me and the encouragement I want to share with you, is when Paul says, essentially, “Timothy, it’s already done.  You just need to receive it and walk it out in faith.”  (My paraphrase.)  Friends, I believe when we catch hold of what was revealed to us “from all eternity,” and believe it’s already done, we are going to be a very dangerous church full of very dangerous followers of Christ.

What do I mean, “It’s already done?”  How can that be?  Well, what does “from all eternity” mean in Paul’s letter to Timothy?  When I first think of eternity, I think of the future.  I think of an unending future that goes on forever, for all eternity.  Fortunately, God is not limited by my logical, analytical, linear concept of time.  “From all eternity” is not limited to the future.  A popular lexicon defines “eternity” as “without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be.”  Eternity is something qualitatively different than time.  Eternity both succeeds and precedes time.  Different modern translations give additional insight to the words translated in the NASB as “from all eternity.”  The NRSV translates the same phrase as “before times eternal.” The NKJ version says “before time began.”  The ESV says “before the ages began.”  Do you see where this is going?  What God revealed to us in Jesus Christ was not new from God’s perspective.  From God’s perspective, it’s already done.  God already has it handled “before the ages began.”  What the Father revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ, already is handled “from all eternity.”  We see it in the biblical meta-narrative of creation and redemption.  That is to say, we see it in the story of the Bible, from Genesis to Abraham to Moses and the prophets to Jesus to Paul and the other apostles to Revelation.  God revealed to us in Jesus Christ what was already granted to us from all eternity.  Abraham was reckoned righteous through his faith, before he was circumcised.  Romans 4:10-11.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9.  The nature of God’s purpose is unchanging.  It’s already done.  We just need to receive it and walk it out … in faith.

Does that mean that our salvation is predestined?  No.  The eternal fate of “Israel,” the collective body of the people of God, already is determined.  The identity of “Israel,” however, those who are of the faith of Abraham, is a choice that is in our hands.  Will we choose to accept God’s grace to believe and follow Jesus and be the people of God, or will we choose to follow culture, or a myriad other idols, and be people of the world?

Today, some of us are on the brink of something big.  Some of us are at the decision point of a breakthrough.  Some of us, metaphorically speaking, are on the edge of the promised land and we have to decide whether we are going to run back to the false security of Egypt or whether we are going to drive out the Canaanites and take the land that God has prepared for us.  That is to say, some of us are on the brink of decisions between spiritual death and spiritual life.  Today, some of us are at the foot of the cross and we have to decide whether we will deny Christ and indulge our flesh or whether we will die to self and be crucified with Christ so that He may live in us and we may have eternal life.  Today, some of us have to decide whether we will cling to our commitment to our plans for what we think life is supposed to look like or whether we will take that hard right turn and surrender to God’s plans for our life in Christ.  Today, some of us need the encouragement of Christ to sustain us.  Today, some of us are wounded and hurting and we just need a bear- hug of love from the nail-scarred hands of Jesus.

Where are you today?  Where is your land of Canaan?  Do you believe the grace of God is sufficient to overcome your giants?  What areas of your life do you need to surrender to Jesus for the glory of God?  Are there any relationship issues in your life that need God’s healing grace?  Is there any part of your being that stands between you and the full measure of God’s grace, mercy, hope, love and purpose for your life?  “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12.  Do you believe you are set free, through Jesus Christ, from the law of sin and death.  “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”  Romans 8:1-2.

Wherever you are today, God loves you right where you are.  He also loves you too much to leave you there.  “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.”  1 John 4:9.  I ask myself today, am I going to keep trying to do things my own way, or will I yield and follow Him?  Have I had as much grace and transformation as I can stand, or will I continue to follow Him daily?  Am I going to quit the race, or am I going to finish the race marked out for me?  Am I going to shrink back in spiritual timidity, or am I going to be dangerous to the pattern of this world, walking in faith, blanketed by the peace of knowing it’s already done?

A little more than two years ago, I was a partner in a successful law firm.  With 14 years of law practice under my belt and closing in on 40 years old, I was heading into my prime.  Then one day God messed up my plans for my idea of success with a few, very simple, very dangerous, words:  “It’s time to get out of the boat.”  God did not speak to me in an audible voice, but the message was as unmistakably clear as the sound of a large truck falling into a small pond.  The next day, I got out of the boat – with a wife, two kids and a mortgage.  It was a huge leap of faith.  (Note well:  I am not suggesting anyone should quit their job.  No one should follow me.  Everyone should follow Jesus.)  As we began walking in faith, things started taking shape.  The full path was not immediately made visible, but God has been incredibly faithful as we have taken the steps revealed to us.  Along the way, Jesus Christ changed me.  Jesus Christ flipped my perspective upside down, or, perhaps I should say, inside out.  In a way, He healed me from something that was holding me captive.  For a long time, I thought I had to be something other than what God created me to be in order to “be somebody.”  I was a slave to my professional identity, and true satisfaction and fulfillment were always just one step away.  Jesus Christ changed my identity.  Now, I am His child and I find true satisfaction and fulfillment in His purpose for my life.  There has been a dangerous, formative thread running through this season of my life.  God has been faithful in preparing the way and making provision.  Through this experience, which continues today as a walk of faith, He continues to form and mold me to trust in Him and not my own abilities.  He continues to reveal to me the false sense of security of ever preferring my own abilities to His redeeming grace.

Sign me up for the dangerous church, the one that finds its identity in the biblical meta-narrative of creation and redemption through Jesus Christ.  Sign me up for the dangerous church that scouts the land of Canaan, counts the cost and says, “the sovereign God is with us.  By His grace, we can turn from idols, worship Him and take the land for the glory of His Kingdom.  It’s already done.”

Wherever you are today, my prayer for you is that you will remember the sincere faith within you, kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you, and receive it and walk it out in faith through the power of God’s grace and blanketed in Christ’s peace because it’s already done.  Praise God, it’s already done from all eternity and I pray for God’s grace for you to just receive it and walk it out in faith with renewed power and strength in the name of Jesus Christ, to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been granted.  May your walk be cloaked with the authority of the most powerful Ambassador of all eternity.  Thanks be to God for the blood of the Lamb; thank You Jesus for showing us how to walk it out in faith all the way through to the finish line.  Thank you Father, Son and Holy Spirit, “It is finished!”  John 19:30.  Great, worthy God, encourage us with the grace to experience the joy of believing it’s already done!  In Christ’s name, Amen.

Chris Dunagan

What’s All This Talk About “A Dangerous Church?” is a post from: Jody Ray's Blog

“He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.  He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter’s shop until he was thirty.  Then for three years he was a wandering preacher.  He never wrote a book.  He never held an office.  He never had a family or owned a house.  He did not go to college.  He never visited a big city.  He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born.  He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.  He had no credentials but himself.  He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him.  His friends ran away.   He was turned over to his enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial.  He was nailed to a cross between to thieves.  While he was dying his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth.  When he was dead he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of friend.  Nineteen centuries have come and gone.  Today he remains the central figure of the human race, and the leader of mankind’s progress.  All the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of this planet so much as that one solitary life.”

Anonymous

All through history there have been people, against the greatest of odds, who set out to change the world.   Individuals who refused to except things as they were but rather chose to believe the world could one day be a better place.  People like Martin Luther, John Wesley, Mother Teressa, Dorothy Day, and Billy Graham looked at their world with the incredible desire for things to be different.  These men and women didn’t start out as the popular influential leaders they are recognized as today, but rather they lived as outsiders to main stream culture and in the organizations in which they belonged.  They where, however, in tune with God to the degree that they took great leaps of faith, often with much resistance and personal heartache, to pursue the call of God.

Jesus demonstrated the power that one person can have in the world, and I believe today he’s calling all of those who follow Him to take great leaps of faith for the Kingdom of God.  What can you do today or this week that could influence someone for the Kingdom?

There’s POWER in YOU because of the ONE who lives in YOU!!!!

Jody

The Power of One is a post from: Jody Ray's Blog

While I have always believed in a Creator, I was not raised in the
church.  After spending some time with my family at Mt. Bethel, I
accepted Christ just before my 30th birthday. Like many of us, I was
content as long as my relationship with the Lord was on my terms.  Why
shouldn’t I call all the shots in my life?  I was quickly climbing the
ranks of a large company.  I was young, smart, and just starting to make
some real money.  I had MY life under control, and I was achieving MY
goals.  The only God I needed was the warm feeling I got during the
Sunday morning sermon.

During a Rock Eagle men’s retreat, I was fired up and signed up for a
Thursday night men’s life group.  I attended the group sporadically for
a while, but I soon allowed my busy schedule and fatigue from the work
week to be an excuse to skip our meetings.  Eventually, I stopped
attending altogether.  I would regularly run into the members of the
group at church, and, rather than pour on the guilt, they would always
tell me they missed seeing me and would love to have me back.  They kept
me on list for the weekly e-mail list, which was a constant reminder
that I was welcome, but I had better plans for MY time.

In 2001, the Lord began to greatly bless me by showing me that I was not
in control.  My company was purchased by a larger one.  It was clear
very quickly that the new management team did not think as much of me as
I thought of myself.  Although I held on for four turbulent years, I was
displaced (their fancy word for fired) in late 2004.  With my
overinflated ego stomped flat, I crawled back to my men’s group,
wondering if they would still remember my name.  Without a hint of
judgment, they welcomed me back with open arms.  With the love of
Christ, they stabilized my shaken world and offered me wise counsel,
plenty of humor and much needed prayer.  I’ve been a faithful member of
the group ever since.

In community, we share our daily struggles and our triumphs. We have
read through Christian books, walked through bible studies, worked on
local service projects and shared plenty of social time.  We try to hold
each other accountable, and we discuss the tough questions about faith,
family and Christian action.  We also find the time to chat about our
marriages, our kids, our jobs, and, of course, football and politics.
Christ has used my relationship with these men to change my heart.  I
know that I can depend on them for anything at any time.  We’re all so
busy.  It’s hard to even consider giving up a morning or an evening
during the week.  Ironically, the time that you set aside to attend a
life group is the greatest gift you can give the other people in your
life.

Where do we experience life change?  I believe it happens most readily
in small communities of faith.  My life group has supported me (and
sometimes carried me) in my Christian walk and helped me become a better
father, husband, and friend.  I can no longer imagine my life without
them in it.  Join a life group.  Don’t delay.  It will change you if you
let it.

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but
shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. ~ C.S.
Lewis

Kevin Combs

Where do we experience life change? is a post from: Jody Ray's Blog

The word “church” is derived from the Greek word ekklesia and is used 114 times in the New Testament. In every case this term describes the people of God when they met together in Christian community. The New Testament concept of church (ekklesia) is not a reference in any way to buildings or organizations but rather to the called-out assembly or the covenant people of God. The church was the people wherever they were meeting. In Acts 2:42-47 (NASB) we are given a description of the early church meetings.

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Based on the passage of Scripture from Acts here are some of the concepts used to describe the lifestyle of the church in Acts:

1. The devoted themselves too “the teaching of the Apostles.” We have the Scriptures.
2. They devoted themselves to “fellowship.” The New Testament church was a faith community where people gathered together and shared their lives with one another. They were “breaking bread from house to house.”
3. They were of “one mind.” They had a common goal and vision.
4. They were “praising God.” They worshiped together.
5. They were breaking bread (probably the Lord’s Supper) and praying for one another.

The end result of this vibrant faith community is found in verse 47: “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The early Christians made a huge impact on their world. There was a transformation taking place in their character as the Holy Spirit worked in them that attracted people. Qualitative change in character opened the door for people to receive the gospel message, and, in so doing, people found healing and a deep sense of community which gave them purpose. The Church corporately also made a great impact on the world because no where else could you find slaves and masters, Jews and Gentiles, nor rich and poor engaging in fellowship around the table and showing a real love for one another. It was this love that overflowed out of them that greatly influenced people. Sadly, in our modern society, it’s hard to distinguish the lifestyle of the Christian from any other group – even those who profess no belief in God.

We are living in a time in history when the Church can really make an impact by sharing the gospel with people. Our world is in desperate need of a relationship with God that can only be found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. God loves us unconditionally and with no strings attached. It’s up to us to recapture that sense of God’s love so much so that it overflows out of us and into the world around us.

AND THE LORD ADDED TO THEIR NUMBER is a post from: Jody Ray's Blog

John the Baptist was in prison because he rebuked Herod Antipas of Galilee openly and sternly for seducing his brother’s wife.  During a visit to Rome, Herod lures his brother’s wife to return home with him.  Upon returning home he divorces his own wife so that he could marry his sister-in-law.  John publicly and very sternly rebuked Herod for his sin.  The problem was that it was never safe to rebuke a king and because of his actions he was thrown into prison.

In Matthew 11:1-3 John, while in prison,  sends messengers to Jesus to ask him a very important question.

“Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

“Are You the One?”

It’s really a great question.  It’s a great question that every one of us at some point must answer for ourselves.  Jesus – are You the One?  I think John questioned Jesus because he was wondering if Jesus had forgotten about him.  I can imagine that John’s circumstances caused him to question whether Jesus truly was the Messiah.  Jesus, remember me?  I’m the guy who told everybody you were coming?  I’m on your team Jesus.  Have you forgotten me?  Are you going to leave me in this prison cell?  Jesus are You the One, or should we look for someone else?

Have you ever felt like John?  Have you ever questioned if Jesus was really the One?  Have your circumstances caused you to question whether or not Jesus can deliver you from the prison?  Jesus, are You the One?

It’s a vitally important question for all of us to answer.  If Jesus is not the One then we need to stop following Him today!  If that’s the case, then let’s  sell the church property because this whole thing is just one big made up story that has been crafted in the minds of men.  It’s all a really bad joke.

But on the other hand – IF JESUS IS THE ONE – then we need to follow Him at all costs.  We need to follow Him with everything we have – with all of our attention and all of our energy.  If Jesus is truly the One, then we need to follow Him with a reckless abandonment, with every fiber of our being.

I really like how Jesus responded to the question in verses 4 – 6:

“Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

The question: “Jesus, are You the Coming One or should we expect someone else?”  Again, this is a very important question because how we live our lives, the day to day activities, is a testament to what we believe and reflects what our answer to that question is.

Are You The One? is a post from: Jody Ray's Blog