The Gospel of Grace

Posted: August 9, 2009

The gospel of grace nullifies our adulation of televangelists, charismatic superstars, and local church heroes.  It obliterates the two-class citizenship theory operative in many American churches.  For grace proclaims the awesome truth that all is gift.  All that is good is ours, not by right, but by the sheer bounty of a gracious God.  While there is much we may have earned — our degree, our salary, our home and garden, a Miller Lite, and a good nites sleep — all this possible only because we have been given so  much: life itself, eyes to see and hands to touch, a mind to shape ideas, and a heart to beat with love.  We have been given God in our souls and Christ in our flesh.  We have the power to believe where others deny, to hope where others despair, to love where others hurt.  This and so much more is sheer gift; it is not reward for our faithfulness, our generous disposition, or our heroic life of prayer.  Even our fidelity is a gift.  “If we but turn to God,” said Augustine, “that itself is a gift of God.”  My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.

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

Three Voices

Posted: July 7, 2009

John 10:27 (NASB): “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Do you ask God for guidance regarding life decisions? Do you believe God can speak to you regarding your situation? These are very important questions because many people (Christians included) don’t believe God will speak to them.

At any point in time we hear three voices which we must recognize and separate. The voices are our own voice, the voice of satan, and the voice of God.

Imagine that you are in a conversation with three people all at the same time. Each of the three people are trying to give you directions to a particular destination. All these voices, speaking at the same time, makes it impossible to know what direction to go because you can only give full attention to one person. This is the scenario that is replayed over and over again as we try to hear God’s voice regarding the direction we need to go and the decisions we make.

Do you ever “talk to yourself?” Let me answer the question for you – YOU TALK TO YOURSELF. Your voice is developed from all the life experiences you have had throughout your life. Our voice speaks based on our perception of reality regarding our past history, our present situation, and our expectation for what will happen in the future. But you may or may not have an accurate perception of reality. It is crucial that you are aware of your own voice because your preconceived notions can interfere with hearing God’s voice.

The second voice we hear is the voice of satan. In John 8:44 (NASB) Jesus describes Satan by saying, “he is a liar and the father of lies.” In 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Satan is described as one who “disguises himself as an angel of light” for the purpose of deceiving people with his lies. Satan is a counterfeit. He is always trying to imitate the voice of God by speaking in what seems to be truth, but ultimately leads people away from God’s truth.

The third voice is the voice of God (the Holy Spirit). Just as satan is “a liar and the father of lies,” who only speaks partial truth so that he can distort it and deceive you, God’s voice (the Holy Spirit) is the voice of all truth. John 6:13 (NASB): “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” Based on this passage the Holy Spirit is: 1) the voice of all truth, 2) guides us in the right direction, and 3) He discloses what is to come.

Satan’s goal is to do just the opposite. He wants to: 1) distort the truth, 2) guide you in the wrong direction, and 3) keep you from seeing God’s plan for your life.

Hearing the voice of God is the birthright of every born-again believer. God is always speaking – the real issue is can you hear Him. Your ability to hear God’s voice is based on three things: 1) Being a believer (born again), 2) filled with the Holy Spirit, and 3) discerning the three voices.

A.W. Tozer on True Prophets

Posted: June 14, 2009

Great industrial concerns have in their employ men who are needed only when there is a breakdown somewhere. When
something goes wrong with the machinery, these men spring into action to locate and remove the trouble and get the machinery rolling again.

For these men a smoothly operating system has no interest. They are specialists concerned with trouble and how to find and correct it.

In the kingdom of God things are not too different. God has always had His specialists whose chief concern has been the moral breakdown, the decline in the spiritual health of the nation or the church. Such men were Elijah, Jeremiah, Malachi and others of their kind who appeared at critical moments in history to reprove, rebuke and exhort in the name of God and righteousness.

A thousand or ten thousand ordinary priests or pastors or teachers could labor quietly on almost unnoticed while the spiritual life of Israel or the church was normal. But let the people of God go astray from the paths of truth and immediately the specialist appeared almost out of nowhere. His instinct for trouble brought him to the help of the Lord and of Israel.

Such a man was likely to be drastic, radical, possibly at times violent, and the curious crowd that gathered to watch him work soon branded him as extreme, fanatical, negative. And in a sense they were right. He was single-minded, severe, fearless, and these were the qualities the circumstances demanded. He shocked some, frightened others and alienated not a few, but he knew who had called him and what he was sent to do. His ministry was geared to the emergency, and that fact marked him out as different, a man apart.

To such men as this the church owes a debt too heavy to pay. The curious thing is that she seldom tries to pay him while he lives, but the next generation builds his sepulcher and writes his biography, as if instinctively and awkwardly to discharge an obligation the previous generation to a large extent ignored…

The Progression of Sin

Posted: June 13, 2009

Where does sin begin and what are the effects of sin?  In Romans 1 the Apostle Paul gives us the answer to this question.  There is a progression of sin and  Paul says it starts when we:

Step 1:  Romans 1:18 = Reject the truth. When we reject the truth of the Scripture we ultimately start down the road to destruction.  When we reject the truth the next step is …..

Step 2: Romans 1:21 = Distorted thinking. Paul writes that their thinking “became futile” and in doing so their “hearts became darkened.”  They claim to be wise, but they became fools.  When there are no absolutes in the world and we take God out of the equation, our thought processes are faulty, our conclusions are inaccurate, and our bad decisions begin to bring judgment upon us.  Distorted thinking leads to ….

Step 3: Romans 1:24-25 = Idolatry. Our distorted thinking makes us look into ourselves instead of looking up to God.  When we make our thoughts, ideas, and opinions the law of life instead of the will of God we ultimately become self-centered and not God-centered.  What does modern day idolatry look like?  Where do you spend the majority of your time and money?  Who/What does our society worship?  Idolatry always leads to …..

Step 4: Romans 1:26-28 = Sexual immorality and moral perversion. Idolatry always leads to sexual immorality and moral perversion.  Look around our world.  Pornography is a multi-million dollar business.  Recent studies show that the sale pornographic material is greater than the NBA, NFL and major league baseball combined.  Internet pornography is climbing the charts as one of the leading causes of divorce in our country.  Child sex trafficking is a growing business and Atlanta is the center of commerce.  Rejecting the truth, distorted thinking, idolatry, and moral perversion lead to …….

Step 5: Romans 1:29-31 = Chaotic lives and society. In these verses of Scripture, Paul, tells us that sin brings us to a place of no restraint.  We become a people and a society that is corrupt and without self-control.  The next stage is …..

Step 6: Romans 1:32 = Complete Impenitence. When sin is full swing and at it’s worst, society, begins to approve of (even applaud) the sins of others.  This is also the state of the person who has no conscience of God.  They’ve turned from God (the truth) for so long they loose the ability to see truth.

This is a sobering picture of what happens when we deliberately turn from the truth and we expel God from our thinking.

Tell me what you think?

Jody

Mt Bethel and Facebook

Posted: May 31, 2009

Last year, a group from Mt. Bethel attended Saddleback Church’s small group conference. It was an amazing event for all, and we gained a greater understanding of the limitless potential small groups can have within our congregation. One of the more interesting concepts was small group networking and management software available for churches. These different networking softwares have great features for managing and connecting people into small groups, but they also have the ability for small group leaders to connect with their groups and to create group discussions among the members of the group. This one feature was my favorite because it allows small groups the ability to stay connected in a really unique way outside of the small group meeting times and to have ongoing discussions about relevant topics.

We currently don’t have the ability to purchase small group networking software, but we do have the ability for our small groups to stay connected, and it’s totally free. The many different social media sites have made it possible for people to connect and stay connected to friends and family all around the world. Using these sites you can send messages, chat (audio and video), and share pictures and video of special occasions. These sites also give you the opportunity to create special interests groups. Using Facebook, for instance, you can create any kind of special interest group you would like and invite people to join those groups. There are several hundred of these special interest groups alone on Facebook related to Mt Bethel. For example, there is our main Mt. Bethel group, a Mt. Bethel Missions group, an Encounter worship service group, multiple youth groups, and many small groups. There are presently around 2,000 members of Mt. Bethel who use Facebook (WOW). I use Facebook as a way to stay connected to our congregation and the different Life Groups I facilitate.

I would like you to consider using Facebook as a means for staying connected with your Life Group, Sunday School class, or Bible study group. I’ve asked Mickey Mellen, our webmaster at the church, to show you in this short video how to create a group using Facebook and some of the creative ways you can use this technology to stay connected. Oh, by the way, it’s FREE!!

Disturb Us Lord

Posted: May 28, 2009

“Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.

“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

Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone

Posted: May 21, 2009

Meet one of my good friends and fellow MB members Betty Hornsby.  Betty’s a member of the choir, Life Group leader, and volunteers in the front office of the church.  Recently she went with a group to serve the homeless on the streets of Atlanta – so I asked if she would share her experience.

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

Reaching Your Potential

Posted: April 29, 2009

Our trip to work with the “7 Bridges” ministry this past weekend was awesome!  I was excited to see members of our church working with other churches sharing God’s love with people who needed food and clothing.  At the end of the day, as I reflected on all that we had encountered, I realized that we gave food and clothing to every single person that lived under those bridges and not a single one of them will go hungry tonight.  Our church has great potential!  When we come together, joined by great vision, there’s really nothing we can’t accomplish.  There is nothing that we can’t overcome together.

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.

What’s All This Talk About “A Dangerous Church?”

Posted: April 16, 2009

A Dangerous ChurchI’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

The Power of One

Posted: April 1, 2009

One Solitary Life

“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