Away from the blog...

I will be away from the blog this week (Conference).

May the Lord bless and keep you.

One Person's Intimacy with God

What can one person's intimacy with God accomplish?
Well...let's think about it.
Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus...all of these lived with an intimacy toward God that had never been displayed. Each of them had a profound impact upon God's people.

Corrie Ten Boom, He Cares for You, wrote:
"My Father prayed because he had a good Friend with whom to share the problems of the day. He prayed because he had a direct connection with his Maker when he had a concern. He prayed because there was so much for which he was thankful.
"...When I was a little girl I was sure that Jesus was a member of the Ten Boom family. It was just as easy to talk to Him as it was to carry on a conversation with my mother and father. Jesus was there. I was closer to the reality and truth of Jesus' presence than the one who makes fellowship with the Lord a problem by reasoning and logical thinking."

Sounds like Corrie Ten Boom had a father whose intimacy with God became a catalyst for her own. What she learned from him is a lesson that each of us should hope to pass on to our children. Our personal intimacy with God will impact our families, our friends, and all whom we meet. God intimacy?

Think about the names that I mentioned earlier.
Abraham (whose originally name was Abram) walked a unique path with his Maker. God told him that all of the nations of the earth would be blessed through him. Have you ever considered that your own intimacy with God had that type of impact?

Moses was God's chosen vessel to lead Israel out of bondage. While he may not have been Israel's choice, God had a unique relationship with this servant. Scripture tells us that God spoke to Moses (at that time) in such a way that was very personal - face to face. This man's intimacy with God allowed to see things no one else saw, hear things that no one else heard, and do things that no one else had done.

David was given the title "a man after God's own heart." There was no committee meeting to determine this title. He didn't apply for the position. This title was given to him by God. David's worship of his Creator impacted a nation and continues to serve as an example to us all. This intimacy with God led to the downfall of a giant, rise to a nation, and a lineage that produced the Savior of the world. By the way, it's the tabernacle of David that God says He will rebuild.

Jesus walked the most unique path of anyone. In fact, He is the only one that could walk in the earth without sin. His intimacy with the Father allowed Him to view life from Heaven's perspective, affect the world in which He lived, see what the Father was doing, and bring Heaven to earth. Jesus' intimacy with the Father allowed Him to say "Not my will but Yours be done." This intimacy led Him to the cross, paid the penalty for our sin, and allows to experience the fullness of God's love.

What can your intimacy with God accomplish? Let's start with your family. Do you think your kids can glean from your personal prayer life, your understanding of Scripture, your walk in the Spirit? Can you wife gain security in knowing your heart for the Lord as you transfer that love unto her as well? Take this same approach with others. Watch as people experience your personal walk with the Lord. Your intimacy will lead them to ask you for prayer, seek your counsel, and trust your judgement. As we walk in intimacy with the Lord then His grace and mercy spill over in our lives touching everyone.

May all the nations of the earth be blessed through you.
May God speak to you in personal ways.
May you be a man/woman after God's own heart.
And may your life be a revelation of the heart of the Father.
All of this is possible when you learn to live a life of intimacy with God. He has made it available through Jesus. The question is whether or not you will take Him up on His offer.

The Church...

If you were to look up the word "church" in the dictionary, this would be the definition (for the most part):
1) A building used for public Christian worship
2) A particular Christian organization, typically one with its own clergy, buildings, and distinctive doctrines
While that definition may seem suitable to most people, it falls way short of God's intention.

The church in Scripture is referred to as the "Body" and "Bride" of Christ. The word was used to signify a group of believers who had come together through their faith in Jesus Christ. In the book of Acts we find that the "church" was in reality a community of believers. They cared for one another, shared with one another, had fellowship with one another, and worshiped together. The church is seen as an active, living, organism that didn't need a building to function.

When we take time to understand the biblical view of the church, we must carefully examine our own. How do we function as the body of Christ? What does the bride of Christ look like in the world? This is done much easier when you remove the building from the equation.

I realize that much of my writings about the church cast it in a negative light. My intention is not for you to look negatively upon church but to see how we have missed the mark. I don't believe that it was God's intention that His body of believers be regulated to schedules, a building, or a budget. I believe it was God's intention to have a community of believers who would advance the kingdom of God in the earth. This is the vision that we must reclaim. This is the mindset that we must recapture.

Here's how we do it:

#1 - We have to reclaim our identity in Christ. For far too long we have allowed the church to define us instead of allowing the church to be defined by us. God's Word is very clear on who we are in Christ. And who we are in Christ collectively is far more impressive, effective, and powerful than a building.

#2 - We have to get rid of the law. Jesus died to set us free from the burden and penalty of the law. We have a choice to make: Are we going to live in grace or are we going to live under the law. Religion is the product of the law. Relationship is the product of grace. I choose grace.

#3 - We have to get back to the biblical mindset that teaches us that everyone is gifted, everyone is capable, and everyone is necessary. All my life I have watched the church function predominately under one man's office and one man's gift. We must get back to a five-fold ministry approach where the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher equip the body for works of ministry.

#4 - We need to live what we believe. The old saying is still true: The reason most people don't want to have anything to do with church is because they have been there. The world has not been impressed with the show we put on every Sunday. They are looking for a faith that works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

#5 - We need to start living out the Divine Nature within us. You do realize that Jesus died upon a cross and rose from the dead to give us a new nature don't you? He made it possible for all of us to have His nature. His Spirit living within us. His love loving through us. His words speaking through us. We should not be satisfied with anything less.

Pray with me that the church will find her God-given identity in the world. Pray that we will recapture His heart for the advancement of His kingdom. Pray that we will once again "turn the world upside down."

PBC in South Dakota...

PBC has a presence in South Dakota. That's right folks, history is being made by the first ever Trailblazer Mission Team to travel to this part of America. The team will be working near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (Lakota Sioux nation).

The goal of this Trailblazer team is to break new ground, i.e. pray, prophesy, and proclaim the praises of God while seeking to connect to the people of the land. I cannot wait for how God manifests Himself to the group.

Psalm 67:1-3, "God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You O God; let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!"

I believe it was John Piper who said, "Missions exists because worship does not." Every tribe, tongue, and nation was created to bring praise to their Creator. While many of us may think of "Native Americans" in terms of the United States, God views them as individual tribes, tongues, and nations. The Lakota Sioux nation was created for the glory of God. It's the mission of this team to bring them into this revelation. Paul (preaching in the book of Acts) said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth...gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth...so that they should seek the Lord...for in Him we live and move and have our being...Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent..." {Acts 17:22-30} See the connection? See the mission? It's making God known among the nations so that they may worship Him - the One True God.

Would you join me in praying for the South Dakota Team?
> Ask the Father to bring Divine revelation to them.
> Ask that they be sensitive to the move of His Spirit.
> Ask that they receive Dreams, Visions, and Words of Knowledge.
> Ask that the team will be engage the people of the land.
> Ask that the Word of God will permeate the culture and that God will manifest Himself.

Trailblazer Missions - blazing trails, opening roads, and clearing the path for the spread of the gospel. To God be the glory!

Facing the Facts

In Wolfgang Simson's book "Houses that Change the Word" we are confronted with a serious question: "Are we content with a relatively full hell and a relatively empty heaven?" While most of us would shy away from such a statement, we need to face the facts that the rate of conversion (those who are being saved) is not even close to keeping up with the population. What needs to change?

Simson in his own words [p.244]:
"With more than 6 billion people populating the planet, then out of the possibly 20 billion humans that have lived and died since the beginning of history, more than 25% of them are alive today. Jesus says that he came into the world not to judge the world, but that the world, through Him, might be saved. Many Christians, even many of our mission strategies, seem to be overwhelmingly satisfied with scratching the surface, winning a few, not 'saving the world'. The fact is that, even if many of our contemporary strategies succeed, we would still be left with a relatively full hell and a relatively empty heaven. Can we truly say: if 5% are saved, it is enough? If we win a handful out of each nation, is our mission really completed?"

Here are the facts that we must face and change:
1) Just because we have church on Sunday doesn't mean that we are "sharing the gospel."
- This is the approach of many believers. We have made ourselves open to the world through our church doors, and trust that what the preachers says on Sunday morning will be enough. Jesus told His followers to "Go" not "Wait for them to come to you."

2) The larger the church does not mean a more effective outreach.
- While larger churches may boast greater growth numbers, the growth percentage of the church is greater in smaller churches. A church that averages 51 people on a given Sunday that adds 32 people in 5 years grows 63%. A church that has 200-300 people on a given Sunday that adds 39 people over a 5 years span only grows by 17%. While the number of people who join the larger churches is larger, the growth percentage is much weaker. However, if we took a megachurch and divided it into 56 churches of 51 people each, they would, statistically, win an average of 1,792 people in the same 5 year period, 16 times more than if the megachurch remained as it was.
*Statistics from Houses that Change the World - Simson [p.248]

3) It takes every believer sharing the gospel to effectively win the lost.
- Sure...some people seem better equipped to share the gospel than others. Some even function in an anointing and gifting that makes it much easier. However, their gift should never override our obedience. The fact of the matter is that there are people in your life right now that you could effectively evangelize. They listen to you, respect you, and honor you. You have permission to speak into their lives. They cannot afford to wait for the "evangelist" to show up - they need a witness now.

While we sit back and read this alarming statistics, the gospel is still the power of God for salvation. This isn't about your effectiveness but the effectiveness of the gospel. This isn't about your ability to communicate but the ability of the gospel to communicate. We have to stop putting everything on ourselves and simply agree to share the gospel allowing God to do the rest. All He needs is a "Yes" from you.

Here's my challenge to you: Do you know the Gospel? Do you know someone who has never accepted Jesus? If you answered "Yes" to both of those questions then I want you to take the gospel to the person. Begin praying right now for the person with whom you are going to share. Pray for yourself that God will give you the courage you need. Then...go share.