Goals

 

Goals provide direction in your life and nurture your motivation

1. The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed.

2. The specific target towards which is an objective

3. An objective or desired outcome

DEFINE YOUR GOALS

Develop a written plan of your purpose in life. If an individual has no purpose in life they will lack the significance of motivation and when they lack motivation hopelessness is the result. When God created us, he created us with purpose, destiny, significance, and a sense of belonging. Then why do I feel empty, like there is a huge void that I am attempting to fill with other things, but God. This is because we were created to belong to God. We also were created to have a free volition or will, we have chosen to walk in independence from our source of life. Living naturally instead of spiritually is a choice. Independence comes from self-sufficiency and self- reliance. Our source thereby becomes our own self instead of God. This is what I Call the God shaped soul in our soul.

 

Joshua a five-point strategy

God gave Joshua a five-point strategy

1. Be clear in your direction.

In the first four verses of Joshua 1, God specifically outlines when and where Joshua is going. He knew exactly what God wanted him to do. If you’re going to be a leader that God can use, you must first be clear in your direction. We all need a goal, a dream. But those goals must be clear and specific. Nothing becomes dynamic until it becomes specific. And the more specific you are in your direction, the more you’ll find a magnetic pull that’ll take you along.

2. Be confident in your desires.

Once you know the direction that God wants you to take, you must have the confidence to move ahead. You can’t doubt what God’s called you to do. Doubt is the opposite of faith. The Bible says, “Whatever is not of faith is sin.”

Once you’ve set your goal the devil will get you to start questioning it. Is this really God’s will? What if I’m wrong? Do I really deserve this? Am I just being selfish or prideful?

Evidently this was a real problem for Joshua. He lacked confidence. He felt inadequate in his leadership. Sound familiar? I’ve identified with Joshua many times. God had to keep giving Joshua a pep talk. Four times in Joshua 1, God says, “Be determined and confident.”

Why? It isn’t the obstacles that keep you in the desert. It’s fear. Fear keeps you from being all that God wants you to be. It’s fear that keeps your church from growing how God wants it to grow. You must be confident in your desires.

3. Be committed to your decisions.

Once you’ve started, don’t look back. Joshua 1:9 says “Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” God says stick with it. To be a success in life, you must outlast your critics. An oak tree is a little nut that refused to give its ground. Commitment is a key to accomplishment. If you don’t have commitment to your ministry, you’ll never finish anything.

What are you committed to? What are you willing to die for? Many people in your church are afraid to commit to anything. They begin one job and when it gets tough, they switch to something else.

When high achievers make a decision, they die by it. You can’t just jump across a canyon with several baby steps. You have to commit yourself to your goal. If you’re going to cross a canyon, you’ve got to go for it with gusto. It won’t work until you commit to making it work.

4. Be corrected by your defeats.

1. In chapter 1, verse 7, God tells Joshua, “Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey all the law. Don’t turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go.” He tells Joshua not to get sidetracked. When you have a failure, get back on track. Let God’s Word help you reorganize your ministry and your priorities. Mistakes are a part of life. You’re not perfect. The pencil eraser industry was built on your mistakes. If there weren’t such things as mistakes, we wouldn’

t have any need for erasers.

The difference between successful and non-successful people is not that successful people don’t fail. They do. It’s just that successful people learn from their failures. Corrections after defeats are the key to the future. Thomas Edison once said, “Don’t call it a failure; call it an education.” At Saddleback, our staff is highly educated! We’ve done more things that didn’t work than did. We’re not afraid to admit it when we’ve made a mistake and to learn from it. The road to success is paved with failure. But we’ve learned from those failures.

Joshua did too. Remember the story of Ai, the little dinky town that the Israelites came upon after their great victory at Jericho. They’d just taken on the greatest, most fortified city in the land (Jericho) and God had given a tremendous victory. They were getting a little confident and cocky. Then they began to presume upon God’s grace. When they had to take the little city of Ai, Joshua said, “Go out with a small battalion of troops.” They went out and were absolutely wiped out. When the news came back to Joshua, he threw himself onto the ground and prayed. He asked God what happened.

God tells him to get up, dust himself off, and get the sin out of the camp. Don’t just pray – do something. They later discovered that Achan had stolen three things even though God had said not to take plunder. Because he hid those things, his sin was causing the entire camp to suffer.

But Joshua had to discover the problem and take appropriate action. He learned by his defeats.

5. Be conscious of God’s dependability.

God promises enormous benefits in his Word as we trust him and follow him. Joshua 1 is full of God’s promises. He specifically promises Joshua four things:

a. Power: In verse 5 God says, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses so I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you.” God tells Joshua to trust him and he’ll provide all of the power he could ever need.

b. Protection: He tells Joshua that nothing can harm him. In verse 5 he says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” He’ll be with him always and protect him.

c. Prosperity: God says in verse 8 “Don’t let the book of the law depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night. Be careful to obey everything written in it. Then you’ll be prosperous and successful.” Prosperity is being everything God wants you to be, having God’s blessing your life, and using the talents he has given you. God guarantees that you’ll have more than you need if you trust in him.

d. Presence: That’s the best promise of all. In Joshua 1:9 God says, “I will be with you wherever you go.” Many times I’ve felt lonely in ministry, but God always gives me a new sense of his presence when I trust him.

Quotes on Goals

George Shinn: Goals Quotes
There is no such thing as a self-made man. You will reach your goals only with the help of others.

Scott Reed: Goals Quotes
This one step – choosing a goal and sticking to it – changes everything.

Orison Swett Marden: Goals Quotes
We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out.

Maxwell Maltz: Goals Quotes
We are built to conquer environment, solve problems, achieve goals, and we find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve.

Henry David Thoreau: Goals Quotes
We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success.

Zig Ziglar: Goals Quotes
What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.

Nido Qubein: Goals Quotes
When a goal matters enough to a person, that person will find a way to accomplish what at first seemed impossible.

Napoleon Hill: Goals Quotes
When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.

Greg Anderson: Goals Quotes
When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing — then we truly live life.

Denis Waitley: Goals Quotes
When you are in the valley, keep your goal firmly in view and you will get the renewed energy to continue the climb.

Les Brown: Goals: Motivation Quotes
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

Edgar A. Guest: Goals: Motivation Quotes
You are the person who has to decide. Whether you’ll do it or toss it aside; you are the person who makes up your mind. Whether you’ll lead or will linger behind. Whether you’ll try for the goal that’s afar. Or just be contented to stay where you are.

Les Brown: Goals: Motivation Quotes
You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.

Mark Victor Hansen: Goals: Motivation Quotes
You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands – your own.

Tracy Brinkmann: Goals: Motivation Quotes
You must have an aim, a vision, a goal. For the man sailing through life with no destination or "port-of- call’, every wind is the wrong wind.

Les Brown: Goals: Motivation Quotes
Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.

Ralph Marston: Goals: Motivation Quotes
Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality.

Bo Jackson: Quotes about Goals
Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.

Tom Landry: Quotes about Goals
Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.

Herodotus: Quotes about Goals
Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; while others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than ever before.

Paul J. Meyer: Quotes about Goals
Success is the progressive realization of predetermined, worthwhile goals.

Mack R. Douglas: Quotes about Goals
The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it.

Brian Tracy: Quotes about Goals
The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.

Francie Larrieu Smith: Quotes about Goals
The most important thing about motivation is goal setting. You should always have a goal.

Cecil B. De Mille: Quotes about Goals
The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.

Denis Waitley: Quotes about Goals
The secret to productive goal setting is in establishing clearly defined goals, writing them down and then focusing on them several times a day with words, pictures and emotions as if we’ve already achieved them.

Edgar A. Guest: Quotes about Goals
The timid and fearful first failures dismay/ but the stout heart stays trying by night and by day/ He values his failures as lessons that teach/ The one way to get to the goal he would reach.

Richard Bach: Quotes on Goals
Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete. If you’re alive, it isn’t.

Jim Valvano: Quotes on Goals
How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal and you have to be willing to work for it.

Og Mandino: Quotes on Goals
I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.

Robert Townsend: Quotes on Goals
If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it’s ok. But you’ve got to shoot for something. A lot of people don’t even shoot.

Alberto Salazar: Quotes on Goals
If you want to achieve a high goal, you’re going to have to take some chances.

Mary Lou Retton: Quotes on Goals
I’m very determined and stubborn. There’s a desire in me that makes me want to do more and more, and to do it right. Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and to keep it.

Norman Vincent Peale: Quotes on Goals
It takes struggle, a goal and enthusiasm to make a champion.

Mary O’Connor: Quotes on Goals
It’s not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted.

Unknown Author: Quotes on Goals
Knowing your destination is half the journey.

Vince Lombardi: Quotes on Goals
Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.

Dechurched?

There are 12 million Dechurched people in America right now.

I wanted none of the language to or Labels to stereotype anyone who may be reading this article who is either unchurched or de-churched. This is absolutely  not US verse THEM mentality, the purpose for discussing this matter is my personal burden and passion for young adults in crisis. Discovering the systemic causes of their needs and to discover practical methods to help them effectively. I am simply using these descriptors for the purpose of clarity and amplify the topics. Furthermore, these both topics have been researched in a more in depth way than I could ever give it justice and encourage you to research these both topics more fully on your own time.

I briefly will introduce the topic of the unchurched to clarify they are not the DE-cHURCHED. The latest statistics report 12 million dechurched people in America right now. I have researched this topic and have listed numerous sources for your own private study and research.

BARNA ARTICLE on The term “unchurched” has become quite popular in missional efforts to re-evangelize and re-church North America. To be sure, there are a lot of unchurched people in the U.S. In fact, no county in the US has registered a greater percentage of church persons over the past decade. Church attendance has declined over the past few years by 10%, and the US is the only continent where Christianity is not growing! With these kinds of statistics, I wonder if “unchurched” language and perspectives are falling short of adequately describing the challenges facing the American church (more Barna stats). Perhaps we should pick up the language of missiologists who have used the term “resistant.”

The resistant are those who have or are receiving an adequate opportunity to hear the gospel but over some time have not responded positively (Pocock, “Raising Questions about the Resistant”). The resistant are NOT unreached, though they are often unchurched. What constitutes “some time”? More importantly, should we shift our strategies and discourse to approach unchurched Americans as resistant peoples?

Not unlike the term unchurched, defining the resistant is has its problems; however, Timothy Tennent has helpfully pointed out that peoples can be resistant in at least four ways: culturally, theologically, ethnically or politically (Tennent, “Equipping Missionaries for the Resistant”). Depending on what area or peoples of the U.S we are considering, any one or combination of the four areas may apply.

 

If your town is average, thousands of recently dechurched people live near your church.1

Craig Bird, in a recent article at www.faithworks.com, called these dechurched “postcongregational” Christians.

Jamieson, who studies the quest of these post-congregational Christians, compares them to “travelers who abandon a luxury liner in mid-cruise. They grow tired of the endless buffets and entertainment, the carefully designed activities, or the captain who makes all the decisions about the ship’s speed and direction. They are longing to experience what is not on the itinerary. They sell all they have to buy a small boat and leave the welltraveled sea lanes for uncharted waters.”2

“George Barna noted two years ago that large numbers of American adults regularly participate in faith activities – prayer, Bible reading, use of the religious media – even though they haven’t attended a church service in six months. They are ignoring church, not faith, he said. Relatively few unchurched people are atheists. Most of them call themselves Christians and have had a serious dose of the church life in the past.”3

Is your church designed to
reach the “leavers”? Michael Johnson, in an article titled “If We Can’t Reach the Dechurched, Can We Really Reach the Unchurched?” suggests the following:

· Would it make more sense to first become the kind of church that is highly

effective in reaching the dechurched?

· What we can learn from the dechurched may be more important than what they

can learn from us.

· Collaboration, rather than assimilation, may be a more appropriate goal to set with regard to the dechurched.

· Understand that dechurched people are probably closest to the solutions needed to reach and transform your city.4

· It is important to take a second look at those people leaving the institutional church. Rob McAlpine, in his article “Detoxing from Church,” reminds us, “…these are people who are in love with Jesus, and who want to be a part of the healthy functioning Body of Christ. If they didn’t care, there would be no issues. They wouldn’t be upset. They would either leave altogether and never again seek out fellowship with other believers, or they would passively go through the motions week after week and never give their spiritual status second thought. It is far too easy for the church to make these people the enemy when in fact they are not.”5

When people leave our church fellowship, it is easy to write them off and never seek to find out “Why?”

The trouble with the Church today?

A perception of irrelevancy. There is a vast number of "unchurched" people in the World who see the Church as irrelevant. Some of the people are Christian believers who once attended an institutional church, but no longer attend; some are Christian believers who attended, but infrequently; and some are unbelievers.

Their reasons for abandoning the institutional church vary, but behind those reasons is one commonality: They believe the institutional church is irrelevant. It is perceived as irrelevant to their life, in that it cares little for them, or their situation, except for wanting to add another name to the church roles; and it is perceived as irrelevant to their community, in that churches only care about those people who are "like us."

That is not a new revelation, but it is one that the Church must meet head-on if it is to meet the mandate of the Great Commission — that of going into the world and making disciples of Christ, for the sake of Christ. Churches who make the gospel relevant to the hungry, to the hurting, and to the disenfranchised will meet the mandate; those who do not, will not.
Think of this: A church can grow in membership, launch building programs and increase the budget exponentially and still be irrelevant.

How? By focusing on membership, building programs and the budget, while neglecting the hungry, the sick, the naked, the imprisoned, the disenfranchised … Jesus Christ among us.

A reality of immobility. While the focus of the past decade has been on establishing new worship services — first targeting baby boomers, then targeting twentysomethings, Millenniums, or whatever is the demographic of the moment — the Church seems unable to move what appears to be a vast army beyond the sanctuary doors.

Why is that?

If you believe that what we call discipleship has its roots in worship, then the fruit of discipleship is correlative to the degree in which we worship in spirit and in truth. Superficial attempts at worship (whether in contemporary or traditional settings) will result in little or no fruit — an immobile congregation. Those engaging in true worship — worship in spirit and truth — will naturally produce a bumper crop of discipleship. They will look for ways to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned and sick, and focus on being disciples of Christ, for the sake of Christ and others.

Finally, the Church is in trouble because of …
A resistance to change. Again, that is not a new revelation, but this is the most dangerous foe of all in postmodern Christianity.

Much has been written and said in recent years concerning the "emerging church" and "postmodern" faith, but if you find someone who claims to be an expert, keep looking. Still, one constant component in what is being said and written is that doing things the way we’ve always done them because that’s the way it’s always been done will no longer get it — if it ever did. Another component is that those working the field of the emerging church are uncovering what some might find as an unexpected surprise: Therein lies a fertile field of faith.

But, to mix a metaphor, the field of faith today is as fluid as the ocean. The Church has to catch the wave, and for some of us there’s some hard paddling to do.

The bad news: Some believers are already worshipping outside of our doors, because they believe the institutional church will remain irrelevant, immobile, and unable to change.

Jesus says that he "was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Likewise, when he sent out his apostles he said: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." This restriction is a very important consideration because it tells us that his primary mission was to reclaim those who were by birth included in the promise to Abraham. But they were lost, he said. Why did he call them lost? Anyone who has read through one of the gospels knows that Jesus went to the sick and afflicted. He himself went to Samaria where descendants of Abraham lived cut off from the Temple of the Jews. His detractors accused him of associating with those they considered beneath their piousness to even acknowledge on the road. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them. I tell you that this Jesus would be unwelcome in some of today’s churches.

This is the way that Mary Tuomi Hammond defin

es unchurched.

The word dechurched is hardly adequate in describing the variety of individuals in question. Any term that utilizes "church" as its root can easily be misunderstood due to the myriad of popular conceptions and definitions applied to it. Does the word dechurched include those who simply neglect to make time for public worship or those who drift away from Christianity out of disinterest and distraction? Does the term primarily refer to individuals who have left mainstream denominations due to serious concerns? Can one be considered dechurched by virtue of simply attending a church and leaving it, regardless of whether that person ever made a genuine commitment to a life of Christian discipleship?

With these very valid questions in mind, I wish to clarify my use of the word dechurched for the purposes of this article. I use this term to describe those who have lost a faith that they once valued or have left a body of believers with whom they were once deeply engaged. I limit my exploration further by focusing on those who have felt damaged and alienated amid this process. I cannot judge the authenticity or a person’s prior experience with the Christian faith; I can only listen to the pain and disappointment, the questioning and confusion, the anger and even rage that the stories of the dechurched often embody.

With the risk of sounding melodramatic, I must say that the last sentence above affects me deeply; it breaks my heart. And that’s why my own anger and even rage sometimes bubble over when I read the attacks of one professing Christian against another. These dechurched are the collateral damage of these battles for power. They, and those attacked, are the ones who suffer when church leaders fight among themselves and when they abuse their positions and pompous titles.

But who will stand and speak out for the unchurched and dechurched? Who will go beyond theological and denominational squabbles and continue the job that Jesus began? Who will lay aside their pride, put their trust in God rather than doctrine and dogma, and humble themselves for the good of others? And who will give up their human notions of worthiness and give up their pride for the unworthy? Who?

IDEAS:
1. Dispel the stereotypes. Research points out that the growing portion of this group, are not weak in faith, but in fact are strong Christians. Many are former church leaders, many have years of ministry experience, and some are even former pastors. They are not disillusioned with God, just the organized church they’ve known; and many are experimenting with the house church movement or pursuing other creative formats like marketplace or community missions. In fact, for the most part it is because of their strong faith, not the lack of faith, that they have the courage to step beyond the known comfort zones of their traditions and face the misunderstanding of other Christians.

2. Avoid Simplistic Definitions. If someone is part of a house church, mission group, marketplace fellowship, or  even on a temporary sabbatical, they are still part of THE Church. We say the church is not a building or an organization, it’s the Body of Christ, but we tend to forget this when we attach labels.

3. Listen to the Dechurched. Seek them out, know who they are, listen to their perspective. Focus groups and one-on-one interviews with the Unchurched are good to get a broad, uninitiated, community perspective so important. But the recently Dechurched will have the most informed and intuitive perspective, the kind that can uncover great insights and ideas for change.

 

4. Partner With The Dechurched. Sound strange? But think about it. The Dechurched are probably the closest   people to the creative solutions needed to really reach and transform your city. But, you say, isn’t that like reward-ing independence? Would that not legitimize them? What if all my people took their path? Stop for a minute and unpack that line of thinking. Don’t we want all of our people to be independent, to stand confident in their gifts and calling, follow the call of God, to meet the needs in the community they are uniquely meant to fill? They should not have to leave the fellowship to do that, only if we’ve made it necessary. We may have to admit that if people have to leave to follow their calling, or for that matter if they are that easily drawn away by outside influence, there is something inherently wrong with the way we’ve wired our organization. Could it be that the reason they are disconnected from much of the Body the result of church institutions that fail to provide a wide birth for creativity, imagination, risk, and missional ideas? We also must admit that God may have these people where they are for a reason, to experiment, venture into new areas, cross-pollinate with different cultures, or take a sabbatical to      process or work through something important with God in a way which a high level of church activity would be a major distraction. But they still might be open to collaborate or partner for specific reasons. Whatever relationship that might be, can you see the mutual benefit?

5. Create Community Idea Factories. In almost every case, the reason people leave the church, is not a relational problem in and of itself. At its base it’s a failure to channel inspiration and imagination. If dreams and ideas keep bumping up against walls and internal obstacles, sooner or later they will find their way outside the enclosure. A    better way would be to take the proactive position and actually stimulate ideas. But, facilitating ideas is not the     same as endorsing or funding ideas. Read some of Tommy Barnett and his son Matthew Barnett’s experience       with the Dream Centers (The Church That Never Sleeps) for effective ways to create and channel an idea    movement. Remember, the path to transformation goes through dreams.

There are 12 million Dechurched people in America right now. That means if your town is average there are thousands of recently dechurched people living near your church. With a little openness and creativity put into it,    what could an intelligent outreach strategy that effectively connected with them mean to your church, and in turn, what impact it could have on your city?

Yet in these deep longings of the urban youth, the voices of the streets seem louder than the faint cry of a church stuck in institutional patterns of the past. A growing "non-church Christianity" is growing up where God-talk is hip but church is out.

Hood Kids

hood kids
but good kids
not bad kids
just misunderstood kids
watch mom shoot up
and dad shoot bullets
and combat the words
that scream that I’m useless
I’m not
just hot
and mad at dad who split
and mom who took him back
even though he split
her lip the third time
I watch from the s
idelines
and grow full of hate
from parents’ guidelines
and you, pastor
push me faster
to hate
taking our crumbs to fill
your already full plate
your frock is stained
you mock the name
of He who commissioned
cuz you’re more concerned
with titles and pensions
than the mission to save me
don’t forget the babies
don’t be so lazy
cuz I need you greatly
it’s not about parking spots
and who pays a lot
but who gives a lot
and who prays a lot
for me
the lost sheep
but nobody’s looked for me
don’t you know God made
the Good Book for me?
but I need direction
some protection
much affection
not rejection
I…NEED…YOU
man of God
woman of God
be of God
and keep your eyes peeled
for real
we’re crying
and dying
but still trying
though momma ignores us
and daddy abuses us
I’m sure that God still
wants to use us
when momma doesn’t hug us
and daddy slugs us
I’m confident that God
still loves us
cuz I’m a hood kid
but a good kid
not a bad kid
just misunderstood kid
and I need your help
before it’s too late
and I walk the same path
that my parents made
look at us
behind the chain linked fence
pain wrenched kids
such tainted kids
who were struck
but never fainted kids
we live hellish lives
but can be saintly kids
if you just try TRY!
until then
we’ll continue to die
continue to cry
the hood kids
that no one really cares about
it’s so obvious that no one
really cares about ‘em…

mms://media.kybaptist.org/Man on the street256k.wmv

1 Mindstorm Idealetter, June 7, 2005, breakthroughchurch.com

2 A churchless faith, Craig Bird, June 7, 2005: www.faithworks.com

3 Ibid

4 Mindstorm Idealetter, p.1 breakthroughchurch.com

5 Detoxing From Church, Rob McAlpine: www.robbymak.org

Why Does God Allow Evil?

"If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand" (Psalm 130:3).

Traditionally, there are three main categories of evil: metaphysical, moral, and physical or natural. Blindness, deafness, and lameness are examples of metaphysical evil; cruelty and malevolence are examples of moral evil; and earthquakes, droughts, and tornados are examples of physical evil. All moral evil is the direct or indirect result of moral agents’ free wills or ability to choose. Physical and metaphysical evil may or may not be the result of moral agents’ choices.

One of the most common questions every person wrestles with in life is this: "God, if You are loving, just, and all-powerful, why do You allow good people to suffer?" Many choose not to believe in God because they cannot adequately explain this question. Evangelist Billy Graham addressed this question in his book Answers to Life’s Problems:

We do not know all the reasons why God permits evil. We need to remember, however, that he is not the cause of evil in this world and we should therefore not blame Him for it. Remember that God did not create evil, as some believe. God created the world perfect. Man chose to defy God and go his own way, and it is man’s fault that evil entered the world. Even so, God has provided the ultimate triumph of good over evil in Jesus Christ, who on the cross, defeated Satan and those who follow him. Christ is coming back and when He does, all evil will be ended forever and righteousness and justice will prevail.

Have you ever thought about what would happen if God suddenly eliminated all the evil in this world? Not one person would be left, because we are all guilty of sin.

Whenever we suffer, we should remember that the Son of God went before us, drinking the cup of suffering and death to the dregs. Because Christ is fully man and fully God, we know that God understands our fears, sorrows and suffering. He identifies with us. Most important of all, the Father has given us the gift of His Son so that we don’t have to die and suffer forever in eternity.

Because Jesus suffered and died for us, our suffering can be made like His -purposeful and meaningful. Evil, suffering and death came into the world when the first man and woman listened to Satan and committed the first sin. Evil was never part of the Garden of Eden. The moment Adam and Eve crossed the boundary of God’s command, evil became the terrible reality of this world.

There are some questions that will remain unresolved until we are able to meet face to face with our Creator in Heaven.

The answer lies in both our greatest blessing and our worst curse: our capacity to make choices. God has given us a free will. Made in God’s image, he has given us the freedom to decide how we will act and the ability to make moral choices. This is one asset that sets us apart from animals, but it also is the source of so much pain in our world. People, and that includes all of us, often make selfish, self-centered and evil choices. Whenever that happens, people get hurt.

Sin is ultimately selfishness. I want to do what I want, not what God tells me to do. Unfortunately, sin always hurts others, not just ourselves.

God could have eliminated all evil from our world by simply removing our ability to choose it. He could have made us puppets, or marionettes on strings that he pulls. By taking away our ability to choose it, evil would vanish. But God doesn’t want us to be puppets. He wants to be loved and obeyed by creatures who voluntarily choose to do so. Love is not genuine if there is no other option.

Yes, God could have kept the terrorists from completing their suicidal missions by removing their ability to choose their own will instead of his. But to be fair, God also would have to do that to all of us. You and I are not terrorists, but we do harm and hurt others with our own selfish decisions and actions.

You may hear misguided minds say, "This must have been God’s will." Nonsense!

In a world of free choices, God’s will is rarely done! Doing our own will is much more common. Don’t blame God for this tragedy. Blame people who ignored what God has told us to do: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

In heaven, God’s will is done perfectly. That’s why there is no sorrow, pain or evil there. But this is earth, a fallen, imperfect place. We must choose to do God’s will everyday. It isn’t automatic. This is why Jesus told us to pray, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

The Bible explains the root of evil: "This is the crisis we’re in: God’s light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness … because they were not really interested in pleasing God" (John 3:19, Message Translation). We’re far more interested in pleasing ourselves.

There are many other questions that race through our minds during dark days. But the answers will not come from pollsters, pundits or politicians. We must look to God and his Word. We must humble ourselves and admit that each of us often choose to ignore what God wants us to do.

We were made for a relationship with God, but he waits for us to choose him. He is ready to comfort, guide and direct us through our grief. But it’s your choice.

Energy-Sappers: Smoldered Wick

 

 

These statistics below are for pastors and their wives. However the energy-sappers are for everyone.

 

STATISTICS ABOUT PASTORS

Pastors today are faced with more work, more problems, and more stress than any other time in the history of the church. This is taking a frightening toll on the ministry, shown by the (North American) statistics below:

Pastors:

· Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout or contention in their churches.

· Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.

· Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.

· Eighty-five percent of pastors said their greatest problem is they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people, such as disgruntled elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors. Ninety percent said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people.

Pastors’ Wives:

· Eighty percent of pastors’ spouses feel their spouse is overworked.

· Eighty percent of pastor’ wives feel left out and unappreciated by the church members.

· Eighty percent of pastors’ spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.

· Eighty percent of pastors’ wives feel pressured to do things and be something in the church that they are really not.

Pastors’ Relationship With the Lord:

· Seventy percent of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor.

· Ninety-five percent of pastors do not regularly pray with their spouses.

· Eighty percent of pastors surveyed spend less than fifteen minutes a day in prayer.

· Seventy percent said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.

Now… take a moment and give us your energy-for-God sappers. What have you found that depletes your desire to get up and serve the Lord?

Here are ten energy-sappers:

10. Compromise.

You’re doing something displeasing to the Lord and you know it. The guilt lingers and weighs you down. When you try to read your Bible, pray, or worship, the fog is so thick you could cut it. God seems far away, and you know without being told it’s because you moved. You’re being torn down the middle and it’s a miserable feeling. The greatest compromise, I have found is not only in doing obviously sinful deeds. It is when we are operating in our own goodness and works based on our own performance. This births a cycle of defeat, frustration and utter failure. We must come to end of ourselves and stop trying to operate in self-salvation. We can never save ourselves, ever be good enough or do good enough deeds to please God. Only our Faith Pleases GOD.

Isaiah 59:1-2 comes to mind. "Your sins have separated you." Confess them and move back closer.

9. Nay-sayers.

The discouragers around you are constantly pointing out that you cannot do this, you are not the Christian you ought to be, the Bible cannot be understood, your prayers never go beyond the ceiling, and your pitiful offering amounts to nothing. To make matters worse, sometimes that negative voice hounding us is our own. You lose heart and want to give up. I listen to words very carefully to make sure that they are coming from the proper source. The source of Grace and Truth. I stop listening of speaking when I am sensitive to recognize that the Word’s of Grace and truth are not present. This takes years of Practice and development by the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 103:1-5 comes to mind. "Bless the Lord, O my soul." Speak to yourself words of faith. Believe your faith and doubt your doubts.

8. Nit-pickers.

A family member, a colleague in the office, or a so-called friend has taken it as their personal calling to remind you of your failures in living up to the standards you claim. Your clothes do not match, you need a haircut, why do you waste your time on those books or that writer or that church, why aren’t you exercising more, you’re putting on weight, and I don’t think you’re right for this. Of course, he tells you this for your own good. You leave your friend’s presence feeling worthless and hopeless. I have been o

n both sides like many who have been the unkind friend to the Hurting and not deeply caring enough to take time to be a hope-bringer of God’s wonderful Peace and grace. I have been on the receiving end of harsh criticism when I was sick for an extended period of time. Either has changed my personal character for the better and changed the words I chose to use. If my words will not edify and build an individual I keep them to my self. Words are very powerful and need to be used carefully. Even when words of Correction are sometimes needed, I take the opportunity to have the word’s be of encouragement that help an individual be able to be convinced of the Word of God in their personal capacity.

Philippians 4:8 comes to mind. "Whatsoever things are true, think on these things." Choose where your mind will land and come to rest and what it will feed upon.

7. Time-wasters or Bloodsuckers.

A few years ago, we would have named television as the biggest time-waster. It still is for many, but these days, the tube has lots of competition: the computer, computer games, the telephone, worthless reading materials, shopping, mall-crawling, and such. Each person has his own battlefield in this regard. But it’s not just the time; the problem is that it robs you of your energy for God or service to His will for your life. It weakens your discernment in relating to other people. Be AWARE that their are many bloodsuckers in the Church who will sap the strength out of you if you let them. I always want to remain tender to weak individuals in the church and make my self available to loving them where they are in life. This is ultimately Christly time management and requires being lead by the Holy Spirit. Some pastors that I have spoken to who are extremely successful church planters Have stated that they do not do any counseling anymore nor do any thing but invest in this future generation’s leaders. They focus on building the next generation of leaders in the Church so they can in turn invest in weaker individuals. I personally have done both and not been overwhelmed by caring for those who are poor in spirit and weaker members of the Body of Christ. I never want to become a man who forgets where he came from, I was once one of those weaker individuals who was definitely poor in Spirit. God sent a Man of God to me to teach me to walk with Christ moment by moment. I needed plenty of Biblical Counseling, Nurturing, Grace and practical love when I came off the streets homeless at 19 years old.

Luke 18:1 comes to mind. "We ought always to pray and not to lose heart." The old hymn told us to "Take Time to Be Holy." It takes time.

6. Starvation.

When you’re really hungry, instead of pausing for dinner, you gulp down a soft drink and a bag of chips. Now, you have stopped the hunger but you’re starving your body. A few minutes later, your wife or mother calls you to dinner. You beg off; you’re not hungry. You dare not admit what you just did. That foolish scenario happens spiritually, too.

Try this experiment. After watching two hours of television–especially sitcoms of the type the networks are running these nights–get up and go get your Bible and read a couple of chapters. You’ll have to make yourself do it. After a steady diet of mental junk food, you have no appetite for real nourishment. I also am carefully monitor what I am allowing to stimulate my mind. Plenty of things and images bombard our mind in billions of parts per second that we are not conscious or aware of the stimulation. These stimulations seem to dull  the ability for us to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit through the Word of Life the Word of God.

Matthew 4:4 comes to mind. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." And Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the Lord is good." You need to feed your soul if you expect to have any energy for God.

5. Fatigue.

You’re doing good work; you’re just doing so much of it that you’re exhausted. When tired, you get irritable and are no fun to be around. You end up having to force yourself to do your spiritual activities. It’s not an admission of weakness to confess you have physical limitations, that you need 8 hours of sleep at night and maybe a little rest in the daytime and a vacation once in a while. Many of men have burned out because they failed to spiritually disciple themselves to take a Sabbath day per week to renews and be strengthened by God. This is not a mandatory for we are under Grace. I believe in strong work ethics and long Hours. What is the use of working hard and not being sharp. What is the use if God decides to use you for a task and you are so exhausted you fail to hear the whisper of His Voice. We can Work Hard by Working Smart. Working Smart is to take any day of the week to be our Sabbath day for renewal. I also have counseled numerous burned out pastors who in over thirty years of ministry never took a single day off, not even a well deserved biblical sabbatical. They are not walking with God today nor are they finishing the race well. They started very well and even impacted my life personally when I first became a Christ-Follower, they are now left the ministry and are drifting daily farther away from God.

Mark 6:31 comes to mind. "Come ye apart and rest for a while." And Matthew 11:28-30: "Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden."

4. Depression.

You are a Christian, one who believes your Bible and has the Holy Spirit, so how could you be depressed? Ever say that to yourself? The roots of depression (mental, emotional, whatever) are many and complex. You might need to remind yourself that some of the finest Christians ever to walk the planet have battled depression. You have good company. Those believers made the same discovery you have made, that sometimes you just have to get up and go on with your day while depressed, that you don’t dare give in to it. Missionary leader and inspirational writer Elisabeth Elliot has said that when she’s depressed, her method for dealing with it is: "Do the next thing." She does not make a long list of tasks to accomplish that day, but does the next thing before her, then she looks around and decides what is next, and so forth.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 comes to mind. "Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines… yet I will exult in the Lord." Praise Him anyway.

3. Rebellion.

Compromise is one thing; you rationalize a sin and turn a blind eye toward a practice you know is not wise and is hindering your spiritual life. But rebellion is another matter altogether. In rebellion, you drop all pretense about wanting to do the right thing. You enthrone your self and devote your life to pleasing only you. This really gets scary when you’re in the Lord’s service and draw a paycheck from a church or religious organization and yet are in rebellion against the Lord. I’ve been there; I know. People are looking to you for spiritual direction and expecting to hear God’s voice through you, but what they are receiving is shallowness and staleness, negativism and putdowns, all bubbling up from the acid eating away at your soul.

Revelation 3:4-5 comes to mind. "I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember… and repent." The prodigal son story of Luke 15 applies.

2. Laziness.

Sloth. Idleness. Lethargy. Listlessness. Dullness. Slackness. Find yourself in any of these? You just can’t make yourself get up and do anything spiritual such as reading the Bible or praying meaningfully or volunteering for a service project. You "just don’t feel like it." Sound familiar? There’s a law of physics you may be familiar with. Inertia is the tendency of an object at rest to remain there, and a moving object to continue moving. Now, it takes energy to get the object moving and it takes energy to stop it once it’s in motion. Like priming a pump, we use energy to get energy. This pertains, whether speaking of the physical or the spiritual.

Proverbs 6:6-11 comes to mind. "How long wilt thou sleep, O thou sluggard?" Wake up. Get up.

1. Satan. The enemy himself.

You wondered if we would get to that? The unholy trinity of the world-the-flesh-and-the-devil are always at work to discourage believers from living the life Christ commands and we profess. The devil has had longer to study human nature than we, so he knows methods we have yet to discover. He uses detours, overloads, and even good works to keep us from doing the best things. He uses our diversions to sap our time, people to sap our joy, and work to sap our energies. Our time gone, our spirits depleted, and our energies sapped, we decide not to read our Bible tonight, to skip on our prayer time, and to get our rest tomorrow by sleeping late and skipping church. Chalk up another victory for the roaring lion who walks about.

I Peter 5:6-9 comes to mind. You know what it says. "We are not ignorant of his devices." 2 Corinthians 2:11

Now… take a moment and give us your energy-for-God sappers. What have you found that depletes your desire to get up and serve the Lord?

What is Effective Biblical Counseling?

Everyone needs spiritual direction and Godly Counsel at some time in their lives. God did not make us to live totally isolated, independent lives one from another. God uses the analogy of sheep to describe us. Sheep are animals that need a lot of care. God is the Chief Shepherd, but He also appoints others under Himself to aid in the care of the flock.

There are specific situations where getting Godly Counsel is appropriate:

• When you face major decisions such as marriage, career choice, and spiritual direction.
• When you face crisis issues such as divorce, job loss, major or long-term illness, financial loss, the death of someone near, and physical, mental, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse.
• When you face unresolved conflicts such as in family relations, employer-employee relations, other social relations, church relations, and civil relations.
• When you face addictions such as substance abuse (drug, alcohol, nicotine, and food), sexual addictions, work, ministry, or entertainment addictions, and fantasy addictions.
• When you face uncontrolled negative emotions and thoughts such as fear, anger, jealousy, bitterness, hate, suicide, depression, doubt, and guilt.
• When you have difficulties with sleep such as needing excessive amount of sleep, getting too little sleep, or having nightmares and excessive daydreams.
• When you experience physical problems without a known physical cause.
• When you become spiritually unsure or confused about your salvation from sin, your relationship with God, your spiritual future, or living a proper spiritual life.

Which Counselor?

We should begin by understanding that there are various levels of counseling:

First, there is the friendship level. If you have a minor problem, you may go to a close friend for advice. Second, there is the authority level. In certain situations you may seek the counsel of your parents, the boss, a pastor, a minister, civil or governmental authorities.

Third level is that of trained counselors. A trained counselor is someone who has specific training in the area of the problem that you are experiencing. God may work through all three of these levels.

There are also different general approaches to counseling. The sociologist will emphasize the importance of the influence of society as it molds the character of your life. The psychologist will emphasize the importance of "self" and the factors which influence "self-esteem". The psychiatrist will emphasize the importance of physical and chemical factors which influence your mental and emotional states. The biblical / pastoral counselor will emphasize importance of both the Living and the written Word of God and their influence upon your nature, character, and your inner life.

 

Effective Counseling

First, effective counseling is to be Jesus-centered. David declared, "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory" (Psalms 73:24). He also stated, "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD" (Proverbs 21:30). Therefore, in a general sense, all good Godly counseling must come from the LORD. Furthermore, the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus must be the grounds for counsel. His life is our example. His death is our victory over sin. His resurrection is our assurance of new life. His ascension is our basis for victory over the enemy. The counselor’s only hope in counseling is for the Spirit to intervene in the life of the counselee. When the Spirit of God intervenes, miracles occur, and God changes our lives.

Second, effective counseling is to be Scriptural. Paul tells us that the Word is the basis for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in right living (II Timothy 3:16). David said, "Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors" (Psalms 119:24). The Bible is our instruction manual. It is our guide for life. Things go wrong when we fail to follow the manual. James declares that we are to receive the engrafted Word that is able to save our souls (mind, will, and emotions) (James 1:21).

Third, effective counseling is to be spiritually inspired. Solomon, in a dream, asked for wisdom, and God gave it to him (I Kings 3:9, 12). God also promises to give us wisdom. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5). Wisdom is the ability to see from God’s perspective. However, one must not only see from God’s perspective, one also must be able to communicate what God wants communicated. Therefore, one must be filled with the Holy Spirit. The counselor needs to be like Stephen. "And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake" (Acts 6:10). Good counseling should have Isaiah

11:2 as a motto.

Fourth, effective counseling should be discerning. The enemy may appear as an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14). Therefore, the counselor should test the spirits (I John 4:1). 

Fifth, effective counseling should be judged for accuracy. The Word says, "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety" (Proverbs 11:14). There should be no "Lone Rangers" in counseling. Most counselors have some blind spots that are seen by others, but not by themselves. The enemy also is more likely to attack the lone sheep. Those in counseling should be willing to submit to counseling themselves if needed.

Sixth, effective counseling is mature. We should heed the warning from Scripture. Rehoboam turned the people of Israel against him because " . . . he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him" (II Chronicles 10:8). Mature counsel also knows when to feed milk and when to feed meat (I Corinthians 3:2 and Hebrews 5:12). Mature counsel has learned to discern between good and bad (Hebrews 5:14). Mature counsel is stable (Ephesians 4:13-14) and exemplifies the counsel of Christ. The result of spiritually mature counsel is that you learn the difference between what is right and what is wrong, repent, and receive freedom.

Seventh, effective counseling is progressive. God does not always answer us when we ask. "And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day" (I Samuel 14:37). Sin blocks the receiving of God-inspired counsel. Sin in your life also may block you from making progress. The counselor always desires that you make spiritual progress. However, when the counselor discovers a wall of resistance in your life, he may be unable to give the counsel that he would like to give until that wall is torn down. God may say, "Do what I have told you to do before I give you any more instructions." Christian counseling is to address the wall of resistance in love and with the authority of Grace.

Eighth, effective counseling is to be conviction based not naturally opinionated. My opinion is to be what God says in His Word, this takes time and maturity for an individual to have his opinions processed through the Cross of Christ and through God’s Word.  Paul said, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (II Timothy 4:2). The primary reason that most people need counsel is that they, in some way, have not obeyed God or have not been taught to follow the Spirit. These are usually from independent effort to live by our own abilities in self-sufficiency and reject the grace of God, this to live off the mark and path of God’s will. Therefore, one must come to see the roots of sin before he can get very far on the road to recovery.

Ninth, effective counseling needs to speak the truth in love. The truth will convince individuals in their minds  and then cause a turning of their mind from one direction to another about the direction they are on. "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death" (II Corinthians 7:10). Paul declared that he had a clear conscience before God and man (Acts 24:16). Once one receives a clear conscience, he can see clearly to make a stand. David said, "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD" (Psalm 112:7). Paul declared, ". . . for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (II Timothy 1:12). He also exhorts us, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (I Corinthians 15:58).

Tenth, effective counseling must be prayer-centered. The Christian counselor will begin the session with prayer. When Christian counselors pray, God often brings to the surface the real issues. When Christian counselors pray, you receive deliverance, healing, and direction for your life. When you pray you may receive forgiveness for your sins, eternal life, and confidence that God will continue to work in your life.

Eleventh, effective counseling must deal with the whole person (spirit, soul, and body). We need to realize that each of these areas is interrelated. Moreover, when spiritual issues are dealt with, the other areas are dramatically effected. John wrote, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (III John 1:2). When you confess bitterness as sin and forgive the offender, then depression may leave and the symptoms of arthritis may also disappear. When you turn worry over to the Lord, then the confusion leaves and stomach trouble leaves.

 

The Whole Person Approach

Where does Whole Person Counseling get its name? The Bible speaks of the whole person as being spirit, soul, and body (I Thessalonians 5:23). The spirit pertains to the spiritual part of man and involves a relationship with God and other spiritual beings. The soul pertains to the psychological and social aspects and involves the mind, will, and emotions. The body pertains to the physical part and involves the senses of hearing, seeing, smelling,, and tasting, and feeling. Whole Person Counseling is based upon the concept that these three parts of man (spirit, soul, and body) have a profound influence, one upon the other. What we believe and what we think has an enormous effect upon our mental and emotional stability, our physical health, our relationships with others, and our overall degree of success in life. Therefore, Whole Person Counseling looks at the relationship between each of the parts of man, recognizing that counseling must deal with the Whole Person in order to have a positive, lasting effect upon one’s life. By God’s grace you may set each part (spirit, soul, and body) in its proper order and achieve victory over many of life’s most difficult problems.

Soul Scars

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth (lives) no good thing (that is my sinful nature): for to will(desire) is present with me; but how to perform(carry out) that which is good I find not.

Rom 7:18

“For the word of God is living and operative, and keen above any two-edged sword, and penetrating up to the parting of soul and spirit…”

Heb.4:12

Soul Scars

· Scar tissue of the soul leaves a debilitating loss

· Scar tissue of the soul is also called hardness of the heart and stubbornness of heart. The Lord Jesus Christ quoted Isaiah 6:9-10 as the reason for teaching in parables to the Jews of His day who had hardness of the heart (Matthew 13:13-16; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40)

· Scar tissue of the soul that restricts capacity for life and love.

· Scar tissue only cure for such problems is a divine solution, which requires application of Bible Doctrine which brings in The Mind of God in to the categories of our Mind.  Our unconsciousness after we are saved still has residual effects of irrational thought and hardness. The Word of God will till the hardness of our thought life. How we think will transfer into how we believe, how we believe, translates into faith action.

Scar tissue of the soul, however, is not the same as the Old Sin Nature, which is the motivation to sin.  Every cell of the body contains the Old Sin Nature or the flesh.  In the absence of the Filling of the Holy Spirit, the Old Sin Nature our Flesh will motivate irrational thinking and sin will control the our outward life from within our minds that are naturally bent towards a temporal value system.  Scar tissue of the soul will add fuel to the fire of the soul under the control of the Old Sin Nature.  However, the power of scar tissue of the soul will be thwarted by the Filling of the Holy Spirit. The Zoe life of the Holy Spirit will convince us in our the battle Ground of the mind. We are not to fight our own battles, not fight our own thoughts. God will fight them for us if we just live in faith rest in receiving the Holy Spirit of Grace, through Mercy, and by the Word of Living  Truth.

We have a lifetime of habits and wounds that have caused soul scars  over the many years our minds we not merged with a Christly Mind. A scar is a natural part of the healing process.  The worse the damage is, the worse the scar will be.

A soul scar is SCAR TISSUE: unhealed wound,unresolved pain, deeply seated doubts, hidden chambers of idolatry, and any other initiations from our senses or impressions from the cosmic world system that have marked us in the past or present. The combinations of these have caused numerous residual effects such as  to have mental blocks, spiritual blindness, and mental darkness. We need more than salvation we need illumination. “Illumination may be defined as the divine quickening of the human mind in virtue of which it is enabled to understand truth already revealed.” It does not reveal new truth, but makes the old truth understandable. Someone said, and I don’t know the source of this, “What light is to the eye, illumination is to the mind.”

"BEING CONVINCED" – ILLUMINATION

· REMOVES BLINDNESS IN OUR MIND

· GIVES INSIGHT

· PREPARES ACTION IN THE WILL

Illumination brings deliverance which promotes spiritual harmony with in our mind which in turn will heal the soul by the Holy Spirit .

Our lives are full of unwelcome behaviors and overwhelming emotions. The fact that we still feel the pain from our past is not a sign of a failed relationship with God. The presence of the pain does not lessen the impact of the salvation in our lives. This is a signal that we need to begin the process of moment by moment inner-healing. God will make the necessary interior healing and transfiguration. To admit to pains and problems may seem to be a contradiction of our claim to salvation, but it is not. The bible is a masterpiece of men and women who struggled continually to overcome past mistakes and present temptations. This is the evidence that God is at work in lives to conform individuals into His Image.

Look at the Apostle Paul , he wrote about this matter clearly and proves the bible is true. He wrote about his uncontrollable life and behaviors as proof of his separation from God. Yet, his admission does not interfere with his commitment to do God’s will. Paul’s will got in the way with God’s will. This is part of the pride complex that is in every man. The pride of the old man that cries with in us for his own will and works against us to frustrate God’s plan for us.

We have a culture that places a high value on individual accomplishment and success. There for we want to have our own Human remedy for our own problems. We want to follow our spiritual father the FIRST ADAM who operated in independence, self-sufficiency, relative righteousness  and preoccupation. These aspects of personality are in various degrees of impression on every person. So it is very common to bring in the Cosmic world system in to our new found faith and return back to the way of self-performance. These human remedy’s will leave us frustrated and experiencing constant defeat. This is right where the we get debilitated and usually remain not moving forward through life, If we think that we are defeated failures, be will begin to act like defeated failures.  

Most of us from birth have been bombarded by our self the old sin nature, the devil, and the world system the ideal of high achievement and performance. Being successful and competitive is viewed by society as important. We are taught that if we compete hard enough we will be “winners” and, therefore good people. If, however we don’t measure up to what is expected of us we are losers, we believe of ourselves as failures. This combination creates a poor s

elf-image, desperation, frustration, and utter despair. Due to the absence of good role models, during childhood, many of us are confused with these ideals and the biblical definition of a Victorious Christian life. We don’t know where we fit in. We continue to allow our worth and self-esteem to be determined by what we do and what others think about us, and not by who we are in Christ and what he has accomplished upon the Cross. We have conditioned ourselves to fail and learned anxiety from our much confused and misguided lives.

Surrender to Grace, we admit defeat and recognize that our obsessive traits manipulate the affairs of our lives to ease inner pain of our separation from God. Thus making our lives uncontrollable and will continue to be until we surrender our own will.

Romans 11:6-7

6 But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace [it would be meaningless].

7 What then [shall we conclude]? Israel failed to obtain what it sought [God's favor by obedience to the Law]. Only the elect (those chosen few) obtained it, while the rest of them became callously indifferent (blinded, hardened, and made insensible to it).

AMP

[And if grace ...]

If the fact that any are reserved be by grace, or favor, then it cannot be as a reward of merit. Paul thus takes occasion incidentally to combat a favorite notion of the Jews, that we are justified by obedience to the Law. He reminds them that in the time of Elijah it was because God had reserved them

Romans 11:6

[Otherwise grace ...]

If people are justified by their works, it could not be a matter of favor, but was a debt. If it could be that the doctrine of justification by grace could be held and yet at the same time that the Jewish doctrine of merit was true, then it would follow that grace had changed its nature, or was a different thing from what the word properly signified. The idea of being saved by merit contradicts the very idea of grace. If a man owes me a debt, and pays it, it cannot be said to be done by favor, or by grace. I have a claim on him for it, and there is no favor in his paying his just dues.

[But if it be of works ...]

"Works" here mean conformity to the Law; and to be saved by works would be to be saved by such conformity as the meritorious cause. Of course there could be no grace or favor in giving what was due: if there was favor, or grace, then works would lose their essential characteristic, and cease to be the meritorious cause of procuring the blessings. What is paid as a debt is not conferred as a favor.

And from this it follows that salvation cannot be partly by grace and partly by works. It is not because people can advance any claims to the favor of God; but from his mere unmerited grace. He that is not willing to obtain eternal life in that way, cannot obtain it at all. The doctrines of election, and of salvation by mere grace, cannot be more explicitly stated than they are in this passage.

(from Barnes’ Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved ( delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;

9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

AMP

Galatians 5:4-6

If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God’s gracious favor and unmerited blessing).

5 For we, [not relying on the Law but] through the [Holy] Spirit’s [help], by faith anticipate and wait for the blessing and good for which our righteousness and right standing with God [our conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action, causes us] to hope.

6 For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.

AMP

Romans 4:1-7

Chapter 4 1 [BUT] IF so, what shall we say about Abraham, our forefather humanly speaking — [what did he] find out? [How does this affect his position, and what was gained by him?]

2 For if Abraham was justified ( established as just by acquittal from guilt) by good works [that he did, then] he has grounds for boasting. But not before God!

3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed in (trusted in) God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness (right living and right standing with God). [Genesis 15:6.]

4 Now to a laborer, his wages are not counted as a favor or a gift, but as an obligation (something owed to him).

5 But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God).

6 Thus David congratulates the man and pronounces a blessing on him to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does:

7 Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried.

AMP

Ps 6:6-7

6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.

7 Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.

(KJV)

1) What keeps you from recognizing your unrestrained life?

2) What area of your life is causing you the most sadness?

Our pride
cries out against the idea of being not in control and giving up power. We are accustomed to accepting full responsibility for all that happens in our lives and in the lives of others. The dysfunction of the environment of the world system that surrounds us teaches us reaction and we learn to become overly responsible. Liberation and renewal of strength will come from total surrender.

3) What events in your life caused you to realize the extent of your pain?

Deut 30:19-20

19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land

(KJV)

4) Pain is a signal to act out your addiction, obsession, or compulsion. Now pain can be a signal to acknowledge your lack of control and to choose life. What specific pain is your strongest signal?

As we begin to accept and surrender the reality of our condition, we naturally reach out to others for answers. There will be no true relief for us until we, by ourselves, in our own minds ands hearts acknowledge our lack of control.

1 Cor 8:2

2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

(KJV)

5) We think that life is working when we rely on our old survival techniques. How has this blocked you from seeing your real problems?

The ongoing commitment to surrender, we remember that our damaging traits, habits, and behaviors are a part of us. They are unconscious reactions to the scars that are in our soul. The unhealed wounds are these soul scars. We observe our behavior patterns for the appearance of destructive tendencies. As we notice self-defeating behaviors and reactions surface, we can surrender and seek rescue from God. God will open new courses for action for us.

6) In what area of your life do you experience the strongest need to be in control?

7) What are the results of self-defeating habits?

Mark 4:35-40

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

(KJV)

The apostles felt fear and doubt, because of the situation of their personal powerlessness. What do you fear the most? What causes you to doubt?

Recovery from Scar Tissue of the Soul

By your patience possess your souls —Luke 21:19

When a person is born again, there is a period of time when he does not have the same vitality in his thinking or reasoning that he previously had. We must learn to express this new life within us, which comes by forming the mind of Christ (see Philippians 2:5 ). Luke 21:19 means that we take possession of our souls through patience. But many of us prefer to stay at the entrance to the Christian life, instead of going on to create and build our soul in accordance with the new life God has placed within us. We fail because we are ignorant of the way God has made us, and we blame things on the devil that are actually the result of our own undisciplined natures. Just think what we could be when we are awakened to the truth!

Scar tissue has been around throughout history.  It is a common problem.  Our Lord dealt with it in those he tried to teach, and through his teaching the recovery process can be learned.  When teaching people with scar tissue, our Lord taught them in parables.  After teaching the Parable of the Sower,  his disciples asked him why he had taught in parables.  His answer was because his audience had scar tissue of the soul.  He quoted Isaiah 6:9-10 in Matthew 13:14-15.  Since most people with scar tissue aren’t going to learn Bible Doctrine anyway, because their internal capacity is very minimal and their mind continually wanders therefore He taught them with symbolic messages, or parables, to illustrate the Spiritual principles.  The parables served two purposes:  (1)  They hid the true doctrine from those who would never learn it anyway, and (2)  they required analysis to understand just like the application of Bible Doctrine that would be required to handle the testing associated with scar tissue of the soul.

The Recovery Process

The recovery process from scar tissue of the soul was taught by our Lord in Matthew 13:14-15.  Recovery is complicated by the problems that characterize scar tissue. The person with scar tissue of the soul is his own worst enemy; and what’s more, he doesn’t understand his own problem. There are certain things in life that we need not pray about— moods, for instance. We will never get rid of moodiness by praying, but we will by kicking it out of our lives. Moods nearly always are rooted in some physical circumstance, not in our true inner self. It is a continual struggle not to listen to the moods which arise as a result of our physical condition, but we must never submit to them for a second

"And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; (Matthew 13:14)

People with scar tissue of the soul may see the Scars of their soul but not be able to understand what it means spiritually.  Although they have heard doctrine taught, they are unable to make application.  They keep on hearing Bible Doctrine taught, but they do not understand how to apply it to their life individually.  Thus, scar tissue of the soul hinders the metabolization of Bible Doctrine and the execution of the Spiritual Life.  The only solution and hope of recovery is to stop Trying and begin Trusting that God’s way and power is the only deliverance of  our Soul Scars.  The divine recovery procedure must be received by Grace not by our own strength no performance; otherwise, there will be no recovery from scar tissue. The Scar Tissue will only be more deeply engrained and habitual failure becomes our frame of Reference. This old frame of reference energized by our own performance and frustration of defeat forms a cycle of failure. The only divine remedy to break this cycle of Failure is to stop trying in our own performance and receive the Grace of God which will cause us to trust in God’s performance even when we do not immediately see results. God works in the invisible not in the visible. That is why we need to look through faith eyes not though our own perception and opinions of our own mind which is conditioned by the comic world system, our flesh, and from the Devil.

For the heart of this people has become insensitive,
And with their ears they are hard of hearing,
And they have closed their eyes
Lest they should see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I should heal them.’ (Matthew 13:15)

You have become estranged from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have run aground from grace. (Galatians 5:4)

The word for running aground is the Greek ejkpivptw (ekpipto), which means to drift off course or run aground.  Those who run aground cease to advance in the Spiritual Life. 

Scar tissue of the soul makes it more difficult to stay on course.  In addition to ignorance, which makes navigation in grace difficult, scar tissue of the soul may add the additional lure of lust and lasciviousness or legalism to go astray.

Ephesians 4:18-19
18 And they have been darkened in their way of thinking, and they have been alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance which is in them, because of the scar tissue in their heart. 19 Who, because they have become callused, they have given themselves over to licentiousness resulting in the practice of every kind of immorality with insatiable lust

The believer with scar tissue of the soul is alienated from the life of God and easily tempted by lust to go astray from grace.  Scar tissue of the soul is an added burden to those who are trying to advance in the Spiritual Life. 

¹ Strong, James, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Crusade Bible Publishers, Inc., Nashville, TN, pp. 1340, Dictionary of the Hebrew Bible, pp. 127, Dictionary of the Greek Testament, pp. 79.
² Kittel Gerhard, and Gerhard Friedrich (Editors), Theological Dictionary Of The New Testament  Collected Dialogues Of Plato Including The Letters, Abridged and translated in one volume by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, W. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 1985 (Reprinted 1992), ISBN: 0-8028-2404-8, p. 1342-1353.

The SOUL

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth (lives) no good thing (that is my sinful nature): for to will(desire) is present with me; but how to perform(carry out) that which is good I find not.

Rom 7:18

“For the word of God is living and operative, and keen above any two-edged sword, and penetrating up to the parting of soul and spirit…”

Heb.4:12

SOUL AND SPIRIT SEPARATE

The distinction between soul and spirit is no less pronounced. Besides the passage in Hebrews 4:12, which gives the Word of God the monopoly on this distinction, we have the list “spirit and soul and body” (1 Thess.5:23).

Now, instead of the soul and spirit being the same, they are put in striking contrast in the discussion of the differences between the first man, Adam, and the last Adam, Christ Jesus. The first became a living soul, the last a vivifying, or life-giving Spirit. This same contrast is even more apparent in the adjectives “spiritual” and “soulish.” In the second chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians this distinction is obscured by the rendering “natural.” Not the “natural,” but the soulish man is not receiving those things which are of the spirit of God (1 Cor.2:14). Such perception is reserved for the spiritual man (v.12). So, too, in the fifteenth chapter. The body is there called a soulish, not a “natural” body, in contrast to the spiritual body of the coming resurrection (1 Cor.15:44,45,46).

THE SOUL SPEAKS OF SENSATIONS

The truth that the soul refers to sensation or conscious experience is really acknowledged by the translators themselves, though they have concealed it from their readers by their renderings. Many who think of the soul as the seat of our highest spiritual faculties would be surprised to know that it finds its fitting place between such words as “terrestrial” and “demoniacal.”

In James 3:15 we have “terrestrial, soulish, demoniacal.” The translators rendered it: “earthly, sensual, devilish.” Here, however, if we take the word sensual in its present day acceptation, they have overshot the mark. But in their days it probably meant very nearly what soulish means—one who is swayed by physical sensation. The crowning proof of its antipathy to spirit lies in its last occurrence. There we read of those who are “soulish, not having the spirit” (Jude 19). Here again the translators rendered it “sensual.”

THE SOUL, AND THE SENSES

Plants have life as well as animals, but it is not a conscious life. They do not see and feel and hear and taste. This is the force of being a “living soul.”

The connection of soul with the senses is evidenced by a selection of interesting passages. We will give the renderings of the Authorized Version. The taste is especially intended in such scriptures as “whatsoever thy soul lusteth after” (Deut.12:15,20,21), “thy soul longeth to eat flesh” (Deut.12:20), “eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure” (Deut.23:24), “Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat” (Psa.107:18), “a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul” (Prov.6:30), “eateth to the satisfying of his soul” (Prov.13:25), “an honeycomb, sweet to the soul” (Prov.16:24), “if thou be a man given to appetite” (Prov.23:2), “The full soul loatheth an honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” (Prov.27:7), “should make his soul enjoy good” (Margin reads: “delight his senses,” Ecc.2:24), “the appetite is not filled” (Ecc.6:7), “to make empty the soul of the hungry” (Isa.32:6). In all of these cases the point lies in the sensation accompanying the use of food, the physical satisfaction which the soil furnishes when we partake of its products.

A CONVINCING CONFIRMATION

This is amply confirmed by our Lord’s words: “Do not worry about your soul, what you may be eating, or what you may be drinking…Is not the soul more than nourishment” (Matt.6:25)? These creature needs are what the soul craves, yet true satisfaction is not to be found in them. Even as He said on another occasion: “For what will a man be benefitted, if he should ever be gaining, the whole world, yet be forfeiting his soul? Or what will a man be giving in exchange for his soul” (Matt.16:26)? This is the evil which the wise man saw: “A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it…” (Ecc.6:2, AV).

OUR SOULISH BODY

In perfect accord with all this we are told that there is a soulish body and there is a spiritual body (1 Cor.15:44). The last Adam became a life-giving, or vivifying spirit, in contrast with the first Adam who became a living soul. Flesh and blood, indeed, is not able to enjoy an allotment in the kingdom of God, for the blood is the badge of a soulish body, while flesh and bones is in accord with a spiritual body (1 Cor.15:50). The statement that Christ’s flesh was not acquainted with decay (Acts 2:31) in the tomb is enough to show that it was the very same flesh which endured the suffering of the cross. And this is put beyond question by the nail prints and the spear wound. And the further fact that His body is bloodless reminds us that a propitiatory shelter, for the pardon of Israel’s sins, as well as those of the whole world, has been accomplished (1 John 2:2). The “blood” that is “making a propitiatory shelter” has been poured out.

The Soul and Related Biblical Terms

Old Testament

Soul (nephesh, neh’-fesh, נפש) Strong’s Number 5315 from 5314; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental). ¹

the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (nephesh). Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

In his hand is the life (nephesh) of every creature and the breath (ruwach) of all mankind. Job 12:10 (NIV)
Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation. Psalms 35:9 (NIV)

Spirit (ruwach, roo’-akh, רוּחַ) Strong’s Number 7307 from 7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions).¹

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:2 (NIV)

Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?" Ecclesiastes 3:21 (NIV)

and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7 (NIV)

New Testament

Flesh (sarx, sarx, σαρξ) Strong’s Number 4561  probably from the base of 4563; flesh (as stripped of the skin), i.e. (strictly) the meat of an animal (as food), or (by extension) the body (as opposed to the soul [or spirit], or as the symbol of what is external, or as the means of kindred), or (by implication) human nature (with its frailties [physically or morally] and passions), or (specifically) a human being (as such)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NIV)

Body (soma, so’-mah, σωμα) Strong’s Number 4983 from 4982; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively.¹  The biblical definition of death is found in James 2:26 where it says that death is the separation of the spirit from the body.

As the body (soma) without the spirit (pneumatos) is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:26 (NIV)

Soul (psyche, psoo-khay’, ψυχη) Strong’s Number 5590 from 5594; breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from 4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from 2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew 5315, 7307 and 2416).¹

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:35-37 (NIV)

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 (NIV)

Spirit (pneuma, pnyoo’-mah, πνευμα) Strong’s Number 4151 from 4154; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy Spirit.¹

God is spirit (pneuma), and his worshipers must worship in spirit (pneumati) and in truth." John 4:24 (NIV)
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit (pneuma), soul (psyche) and body (soma) be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1Thessalonians 5:23 (NIV)

Mind (nous, nooce, νους) Strong’s Number 3563, probably from the base of 1097; the intellect, i.e. mind (divine or human; in thought, feeling, or will); by implication meaning.¹

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 1 Corinthians 14:15 (NIV)

Conscience (suneidesis, soon-i’-day-sis, συνειδησις),Strong’s Number 4893 from a prolonged form of 4894; coperception, i.e. moral consciousness.¹

So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. Acts 24:16 (NIV)

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds (nous) and consciences (suneidesis) are corrupted. Titus 1:15 (NIV)

But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification [intellect] and exhortation [will] and consolation [emotion]. 1 Corinthians 14:3 (NAS)

Jesus replied: "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart [kardia] and with all your soul [psyche] and with all your mind [nous] .’ Matthew 22:37 (NIV)

Our new proclamation:

2 Cor 5:17

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (KJV)

We took control to protect ourselves, but the results frequently have ended uncontrollable and unreliable. We now don’t want to give up control and release ourselves from the torment. This now is a great opportunity to face reality and admit that our life is not working with us in control. We stop pretending, we admit that we can’t continue the illusion of control. The way we have managed our own lives brings us to this point. We prepare ourselves towards the walk of wholeness.

This may seem overwhelming to most of us until we begin to see our lives as they really are. It is threatening to realize could be uncontrollable. Our life experience testifies against us and reminds us that our behaviors did not produce peace.

When a person is born again, there is a per

iod of time when he does not have the same vitality in his thinking or reasoning that he previously had. We must learn to express this new life within us, which comes by forming the mind of Christ (see Philippians 2:5 ). Luke 21:19 means that we take possession of our souls through patience. But many of us prefer to stay at the entrance to the Christian life, instead of going on to create and build our soul in accordance with the new life God has placed within us. We fail because we are ignorant of the way God has made us, and we blame things on the devil that are actually the result of our own undisciplined natures. Just think what we could be when we are awakened to the truth!

Ambassador of Christ Profile Of A Disciple

So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ's personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20 (Amplified Bible)

If you read the epistle from the beginning you can see that in chapter 5 verse 20 the “we” and “us” is himself and Timothy, and the “you” refers to the Corinthian Church. Christians are no more automatically ambassadors for Christ than they are disciples of Christ on the level of discipleship in Luke 14, unless they have met the three conditions set forth in verses 26, 27, and 33.

Moreover, it is inconceivable that one would be an ambassador for Christ if one is not even a disciple (learner) on the discipleship level of Luke 14. Sad to say, that most Christians today in this country are not only not ambassadors for Christ nor disciples of Christ (according to Luke 14), but rather are yet carnal like the Christians in Corinth whom Paul rebuked in his first epistle to them (1 Cor. 3:1-4).

Would Christ send someone to be His ambassador who is carnal rather than spiritual, who is not even a disciple according to the conditions of Luke 14?
The purpose in this study is to make clear what is involved in being a true disciple of Jesus Christ. We will do this by looking at Jesus’ own words. There are seven statements about discipleship that Jesus makes in the gospels.

These statements give us a :
One statement that tells us the goal of discipleship.
Three statements that tell us the marks of a disciple.
Three statements that reveal the cost of discipleship.

Are you are a disciple of Jesus?

An ambassador is…

· Ready. An Ambassador is attentive for chances to represent Christ and will not back away from a challenge or an opportunity.

· Patient. An Ambassador won’t quarrel, but will listen in order to understand, then with gentleness seek to respectfully engage those who disagree.

· Reasonable. An Ambassador has informed convictions (not just feelings), gives reasons, asks questions, aggressively seeks answers, and will not be stumped by the same challenge twice.

· Tactical. An Ambassador adapts to each unique person and situation, maneuvering with wisdom to challenge bad thinking, presenting the truth in an understandable and compelling way.

· Clear. An Ambassador is careful with language and will not rely on Christian lingo nor gain unfair advantage by resorting to empty rhetoric.

· Fair. An Ambassador is sympathetic and understanding towards others and will acknowledge the merits of contrary views.

· Honest. An Ambassador is careful with the facts and will not misrepresent another’s view, overstate his own case, or understate the demands of the Gospel.

· Humble. An Ambassador is provisional in his claims, knowing that his understanding of truth is fallible. He will not press a point beyond what his evidence allows.

· Attractive. An Ambassador will act with grace, kindness, and good manners. He will not dishonor Christ in his conduct.

· Dependent. An Ambassador knows that effectiveness requires joining his best efforts with God’s power.

http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5188

Pressures of Life

 

John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world..”

In this modern society, many people have difficult on dealing with their own pressures. Therefore, learning how to lessen the pressure has become an important issue. With the right method to lessen your pressure, you will be more efficient in your work or whatever things you are engaged in.

Thlip´sis

Compression, especially external cause.

Constraining influence oppressive condition of physical, mental, social, or economic distress

In Life: 2 Corinthians (thlipsis = pressure)

· 1:4 Tribulation = Generic troubles

· 1:8 Trouble = Persecution

· 2:4 Affliction = Caring

· 4:17 Affliction = Aging; passage of time

· 6:4 Tribulations = Ministry life in general

· 7:4 Tribulation = Present, specific difficulties

· 8:2 Affliction = Finances; economics

· 8:13 Burdened = Taking up slack for others

Steps

1. Realize the root of the problem.

2. Find out the sources of the pressure. For example, come from work, economy or family, etc.

3. Think a moment for those questions. How does the pressure cause? And what influence does the pressure bring about? For example, sleeplessness or have no energy on doing everything.

4. Plan the solution that can work out such as reducing the amount of your work, improving your relationship with others, or saving your money, etc.

5. Think of the influences of that external pressure is causing in your life.

6. Carry out the method to reduce external pressure you choose.

7. Reflect on the way overcome external pressure if you can and accept it if you cannot reduce pressures

8. Review the effect of the method you choose to reduce external pressures and share it with another individual who is experiencing similar pressures in their life

9. Think whether the method you carried out is as ideal as the way you expect or if you need to modify the method next time

• Think the root of the problem caused by pressure carefully.
• You can also plan a schedule to make sure you work on pressures in your life the right way.
• You can ask your family or friends for some constructive suggestions.
• What you have to do is concentrate on your formula.
• If you don’t satisfy with the result, you will have to calm down, and then carry out step 1 and step 2 again.
• Don’t be overhasty on carrying out the formula.
• Don’t take a risk on using the wrong way to lessen your stress.
• Cutting, Drinking, Smoking, and Doing Drugs will not solve anything, despite their popularity for doing so. They are all just new problems to deal with.

THE TRILEMMA: LORD, LIAR OR LUNATIC?

 

THE TRILEMMA 

 

 

 

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg – or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left  that open to us."

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

 

In the words of Kenneth Scott Latourette, historian of Christianity at Yale University: "It is not His teachings which make Jesus so remarkable, although these would be enough to give Him distinction. It is a combination of the teachings with the man Himself. The two cannot be separated."

Jesus claimed to be God. He didn’t leave any other option open. His claim must be either true or false, so it is something that should be given serious consideration. Jesus’ question to His disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15) has several alternatives.

First, suppose that His claim to be God was false. If it was false, then we have only two alternatives. He either knew it was false or He didn’t know it was false. We will consider each one separately and examine the evidence.

If, when Jesus made His claims, He knew that He was not God, then He was lying and deliberately deceiving His followers. But if He was a liar, then He was also a hypocrite because He told others to be honest, whatever the cost, while He himself taught and lived a colossal lie. More than that, He was a demon, because He told others to trust Him for their eternal destiny. If He couldn’t back up His claims and knew it, then He was unspeakably evil. Last, He would also be a fool because it was His claims to being God that led to His crucifixion.

Many will say that Jesus was a good moral teacher. Let’s be realistic. How could He be a great moral teacher and knowingly mislead people at the most important point of His teaching ‑His own identity?

You would have to conclude logically that He was a deliberate liar. This view of Jesus, however doesn’t coincide with what we know either of Him or the results of His life and teachings. Wherever Jesus has been proclaimed, lives have been changed for the good, nations have changed for the better, thieves are made honest, alcoholics are cured, hateful individuals become channels of love, unjust persons become just.

William Lecky, one of Great Britain’s most noted historians and a dedicated opponent of organized Christianity, writes:

It was reserved for Christianity to present to the world an ideal character which through all the changes of eighteen centuries has inspired the hearts of men with an impassioned love; has shown itself capable of acting on all ages, nations, temperaments and conditions; has been not only the highest pattern of virtue, but the strongest incentive to its practice…. The simple record of these three short years of active life has done more to regenerate and soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers and all the exhortations of moralists. 

Historian Philip Schaff says:

How, in the name of logic, common sense, and experience, could an imposter‑that is a deceitful, selfish, depraved man‑have invented, and consistently maintained from the beginning to end, the purest and noblest character known in history with the most perfect air of truth and reality? How could He have conceived and successfully carried out a plan of unparalleled beneficence, moral magnitude, and sublimity, and sacrificed His own life for it, in the face of the strongest prejudices of His people and age? 70/9495

If Jesus wanted to get people to follow Him and believe in Him as God, why did He go to the Jewish nation? Why go as a Nazarene carpenter to a country so small in size and population and so thoroughly adhering the undivided unity of God? Why didn’t He go to Egypt or, even more, to Greece, where they believed in various gods and various manifestations of them?

Someone who lived as Jesus lived, taught as Jesus taught, and died as Jesus died could not have been a liar. What other alternatives are there?

 

Was He a Lunatic?

If it is inconceivable for Jesus to be a liar, then couldn’t He actually have thought Himself to be God, but been mistaken? After all, it’s possible to be both sincere and wrong. But we must remember that for someone to think himself God, especially in a fiercely monotheistic culture, and then to tell others that their eternal destiny depended on believing in him, is no light flight of fantasy but the thoughts of a lunatic in the fullest sense. Was Jesus Christ such a person?

Someone who believes he is God sounds like someone today believing himself Napoleon. He would be deluded and self‑deceived, and probably he would be locked up so he wouldn’t hurt himself or anyone else. Yet in Jesus we don’t observe the abnormalities and imbalance that usually go along with being deranged. His poise and composure would certainly be amazing if He were insane.

Noyes and Kolb, in a medical text, describe the schizophrenic as a person who is more autistic than realistic. The schizophrenic desires to escape from the world of reality. Let’s face it; claiming to be God would certainly be a retreat from reality.

In light of the other things we know about Jesus, it’s hard to imagine that He was mentally disturbed. Here is a man who spoke some of the most profound sayings ever recorded. His instructions have liberated many individuals from mental bondage.

Clark H. Pinnock asks:

Was He deluded about His greatness, a paranoid, an unintentional deceiver, a schizophrenic? Again, the skill and depth of His teachings support the case only for His total mental soundness. If only we were as sane as He!

A student at a Cali

fornia university told me that his psychology professor had said in class that "all he has to do is pick up the Bible and read portions of Christ’s teaching to many of his patients. That’s all the counseling they need."

Psychiatrist J. T. Fisher states:

If you were to take the sum total of all authoritative articles ever written by the most qualified of psychologists and psychiatrists on the subject of mental hygiene ‑if you were to combine them and refine them, and cleave out the excess verbiage ‑ if you were to take the whole of the meat and none of the parsley, and if you were to have these unadulterated bits of pure scientific knowledge concisely expressed by the most capable of living poets, you would have an awkward and incomplete summation of the Sermon on the Mount. And it would suffer immeasurably through comparison. For nearly two thousand years the Christian world has been holding in its hands the complete answer to its restless and fruitless yearnings. Here … rests the blueprint for successful human life with optimism, mental health, and contentment.

C. S. Lewis writes:

The historical difficulty of giving for the life, sayings and influence of Jesus any explanation that is not harder than the Christian explanation is very great. The discrepancy between the depth and sanity … of His moral teaching and the rampant megalomania which must lie behind His theological teaching unless He is indeed God has never been satisfactorily explained. Hence the non‑Christian hypotheses succeed one another with the restless fertility of bewilderment. 

Philip Schaff reasons:

Is such an intellect ‑clear as the sky, bracing as the mountain air, sharp and penetrating as a sword, thoroughly healthy and vigorous, always ready and always self‑possessed ‑liable to a radical and most serious delusion concerning His own character and mission? Preposterous imagination!

Was He Lord?

I cannot personally conclude that Jesus was a liar or a lunatic. The only other alternative is that He was the Christ, the Son of God, as He claimed.

When I discuss this with most Jewish people, it’s interesting how they respond. They usually tell me that Jesus was a moral, upright, religious leader, a good man, or some kind of prophet. I then share with them the claims Jesus made about Himself and then the material in this chapter on the trilemma (liar, lunatic, or Lord). When I ask if they believe Jesus was a liar, there is a sharp "No!"

Then I ask, "Do you believe He was a lunatic?"

The reply is, "Of course not."

"Do you believe He is God?"

Before I can get a breath in edgewise, there is a resounding, "Absolutely not."

Yet one has only so many choices.

The issue with these three alternatives is not which is possible, for it is obvious that all three are possible. Rather, the question is, "Which is more probable?" Who you decide Jesus Christ is must not be an idle intellectual exercise. You cannot put Him on the shelf as a great moral teacher. That is not a valid option. He is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord and God. You must make a choice. "But," as the apostle John wrote, "these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and" ‑more important‑ "that believing you might have life in His name" (John 20:31).

The evidence is clearly in favor of Jesus as Lord. Some people, however, reject this clear evidence because of moral implications involved. They don’t want to face up to the responsibility or implications of calling Him Lord.

Jesus could only have been one of four things: a legend, a liar, a lunatic–or Lord and God. There is so much historical and archeological evidence to support his existence that every reputable historian agrees he was not just a legend. If he were a liar, why would he die for his claim, when he could easily have avoided such a cruel death with a few choice words? And, if he were a lunatic, how did he engage in intelligent debates with his opponents or handle the stress of his betrayal and crucifixion while continuing to show a deep love for his antagonists? He said he was Lord and God. The evidence supports that claim.

 

YouTube – Jesus- Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?

 

Here are some of the key claims Jesus made about himself

He claimed to live a sinless life

Jesus could look at a crowd of people angry at his claims to share God’s nature and ask, "Which of you can point to anything wrong in my life?" Even more amazing is that none of them could give a reply! No human being has ever lived a sinless life, except for Jesus.

John 8:28-29 "So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.’"

John 8:46-47 "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

He claimed to be the ONLY way to God

Not one of several ways, but the one and only way. Not to teach the way, but to be the way to God. Nobody has ever made claims like that before and backed them, but Jesus did through his love, balanced life, and miracles.

John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."

Matthew 11:27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

He claimed to have shared the glory of God in Heaven

Jesus claimed to have pre-existed the

people he spoke with. The apostle John–who shared bread with Jesus–wrote that Jesus was with God in the very beginning, and that "all things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being." (John 1:1-5)

John 17:5 "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."

He claimed to be able to forgive sins

One of the reasons that the Jewish leaders were so angry with Jesus was his continual practice of forgiving people’s sins. The religious leaders understood clearly that since sins were rebellion against God Himself, only God could forgive sins.

Luke 5:20-21 "When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’"

Luke 7:48-49 "Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ The other guests began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’"

He claimed to be a Heavenly king

Luke 22:69 "But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God."

Luke 23:1-3 "Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, ‘We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.’ So Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied."

John 18:36-37 "Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.’ ‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’"

He claimed to be able to give everlasting life

He didn’t just tell people how they could find everlasting life, or deepen their own life experience. He actually claimed to give life himself.

John 6:40 "For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 6:47 "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life."

John 10:28-30 "I give [my followers] eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one."

John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die…’"

He claimed that he would die and come back to life

John 10:17 "Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father–and I lay down my life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life–only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

John 12:32-33 "’But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.’ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die."

John 16:16 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

Luke 18:31-33 "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, ‘We are going up into Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.’"

He claimed that he would return again to judge the world

Matthew 24:27-30 "So as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man… At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory."

Matthew 25:31-32 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats."

Mark 14:61-62 "Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I am,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

 

References:

http://www.tektonics.org/jesusclaims/trilemma.html

 

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

 

Answers To Difficult Questions : Suffering

 

WHERE’S GOD WHEN IT HURTS?

This question has probably created more atheists than any other question.

http://www.biblesociety.ca/free_scriptures/escriptures/it-hurts/it-hurts.html

This above link is a wonderful video to watch before you you read this article below.

If these kinds of attitudes accompany your answers to difficult questions, even the best argument will fail. Is the person more important than the answer? Are you arguing for God? He can defend Himself Just Fine. We as believers must be very careful with our words and have them seasoned with Love not pride because we can cause such pain with our words. Is it God to win an argument and damage seeking skeptics opportunity of future faith in Christ because of our attitude. Our words can push a person further away from God and the questions that people are asking are a good thing because they are searching for answers for life. If we are not able to give answers in the Holy Spirit, and easily loose our tempers and have a prideful spirit it is best to let another believer answer difficult questions or learn to walk in a grace and speak word even if they are hard words seasoned with he love of the Good News. Always remember that your actions will speak louder than you arguments. You life is a living message and represents the King of Kings. When you are arguing and debating, people are listening especially if they know you are a believer. They will be listening how you will answer for many reasons to see if you are being judgmental (speaking down to doubters with pride), are hypocritical (not living your answer),  being exclusive (a know it all and treating people as outsiders in a we are better than you because we live a clean and moral life).

In His Grace Forever,

Young Adult Crisis Hotline

Pastor Teddy Awad, CMHP

1-877-702-2GOD

Listen Before You Answer

Good counsel comes from those who combine empathy and insight.

James 1:19

A psychologist, counselor, and teacher shares his thoughts on how to speak to people in difficult circumstances.

The most important thing for us to recognize is that what people need most is understanding. While understanding always provides the foundation for other kinds of help, it is important in and of itself. Understanding is a wonderful gift to give others.

Having all the answers is overrated. Ask 20 people to tell you who has had the most influence on their lives, and in the vast majority of cases you will find the notable absence of the phrases “gives good advice” or “always provides great solutions to problems,” and the frequent presence of phrases such as “is a good listener” or “really understands.”

We all want to be understood. We want to be around people who show genuine humility, who empty themselves of their own concerns, and who give us their full attention. We are drawn to people who suspend their own needs to control and dominate and who display openness to our story. We seek relationships with people who really want to tune into the meaning of another’s experience and are willing to express that meaning back to us. And of course, such a posture invites us to look inside ourselves and recognize that we need to be that kind of person.

Two Steps to Understanding
1. Work on your listening skills. Listening is hard work because we are not just processing what others are communicating, we are seeking to pay attention not only to the meaning embedded in their words, but also to what they are not saying. In doing so we are not engaging in a process of evaluation but in a process that seeks to accept and value the other.

2. Expand your understanding of the problem. This takes us beyond the skills of listening to a broader view of the problem itself. Doctors are a good example of a combination of these two skills. They need to be good listeners and ask the right questions. But they also need to understand medical problems. Good process needs to be combined with good content.

—Rod J.K. Wilson Copyright © 2006 Rod J.K.Wilson. Adapted from How Do I Help a Hurting Friend. (Baker, 2006.) Used with permission.

Mistakes to Avoid When Answering Difficult Questions:

1. Impatience, unkindness, or intolerance for skeptics or people with genuine questions

2. Appearing brusque or prideful

3. Treating a legitimate question as if it could easily be answered

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

When dealing with tough questions about God and evil, the most severe weakness of some Christians has been the tendency to confront the apologetic challenge and fail to hear the voice of suffering behind the question, “Where is your God?” To not weep with the person who suffers, but rather offer platitudes, Bible verses, even excellent philosophical lectures, is like sending greeting cards to people in a burning building. We need to listen to the voice and not merely the words.

My hope is that Christians will become the apologetic—choosing to live in a way that is much more important than spoken words, no matter how articulate, profound, and convincing the arguments. They will, instead, work where there is human suffering and demonstrate to the world that God is doing something about it: he is sending us into the heart of it to heal it.

Christians are not likely to produce many new and satisfying answers to why and how God acts in pain and evil. But, in the future, they can come alongside others in hardship as they, with their lives as much as their words, try to show others how God enters the places of dark suffering. In these situations Christians can demonstrate how God does deal with evil—not as a theoretical challenge to be solved but as a tragedy to be remedied. In this way, Christians can live as people who have been enlightened by Jesus Christ, who was both victim and victor over evil and suff

ering.

—Chuck Smith Jr. And Matt Whitlock, Copyright © Chuck Smith Jr. and Matt Whitlock. Adapted from Frequently Avoided Questions. (Baker, 2005; ISBN 801065437) Used with permission.

 

Suffering Can Be Good

"Why, God, why?"

When we let the cross shapes our theology.

Philippians 2:5–8

It is remarkable that there were so few attempts to solve the “problem of evil” prior to the 18^th century. Certainly there was no shortage of suffering and disaster. Life was nasty, brutish, and short. In Martin Luther’s day the Black Death had decimated the population of Europe and still threatened. Villages and towns lived in constant dread of fires and natural disasters.

Is it not curious that only when life seems to be easier do thinkers set out to “justify God”? Perhaps it is as Hannah Arendt remarks, “When man could no longer praise, they turned their greatest conceptual efforts to justifying God.” But the problem of suffering should not just be rolled up with the problem of evil. Only false speaking lures us into doing that.

This world is no stranger to suffering. The last one hundred years–which saw greater technological and medical advances than people living in previous centuries could ever have imagined–witnessed suffering, pain, and despair on a nearly inconceivable scale. Disease and sickness, earthquakes and other natural disasters, war and genocide, poverty and death–a stranger to Earth might be forgiven for concluding that suffering was the defining element of our world.

And suffering in its myriad varieties continues to this day, scaled to fit our everyday lives. We–and people we know and see around us–struggle daily against a world full of pain, a world full of hurts that seem to serve no purpose beyond inflicting misery. Some people struggle to feed and shelter their families; others to understand the loss of a loved one, to find the strength to keep standing beneath the weight of a terrible illness, to lift their eyes to heaven and demand an answer to the age-old question: "Why, God, why?"

I don’t know what you’re suffering. Maybe it’s one of these horrors. Perhaps it’s much more personal, more mundane. We each live unique lives with unique hurts, sharing in common an experience of a world that just doesn’t seem to work like it should. Each of us suffers personally, in ways that no other person can understand.

Is there hope? Is there an answer to be found? There is, although we may not see it yet. In the meantime, this most important fact remains: we do not suffer alone. That is the promise of God. "… we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:17-8). "For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows" (2 Corinthians 1:5).

WHERE’S GOD WHEN IT HURTS?

This question has probably created more atheists than any other question. Worse, the seething anger that sometimes lies behind it has probably created more insane people than any other. And justly so. While faith in God doesn’t logically stand or fall just on this matter, it hinges on it more than any other so far as our experience of life and faith is concerned.

If that offends some of you, well, tough. True, we have no right at all to expect or demand a suffering-free state of false bliss that would leave each and all of us as bored living a sterile and stupid life. That is, if you can call something ‘life’ which has no challenge, no learning, no growing, all of which only come through trial, error, taking part, success, pain, loss, and suffering. (We can safely ignore the many fools who think that way.) But does there have to be the kind of suffering that some people go through? Suffering of apparently unquenchable pain, immeasurable loss, utter hopelessness, total abandonment? Suffering that will end in a slow death, like lung cancer? The very fact that there is such suffering gives good cause to doubt not only the value of the whole human race, but also the existence of any God that can be said to care in the slightest for what’s been created, any God who has power over all things, any God who is anything other than a horrible brute who finds sadistic whimsical joy in squeezing every last drop of suffering out of them. It would seem to rule out anything even vaguely resembling the God that Christians speak of — and rule in a God who deserves our utter hatred not our worship.

Except for one thing ……..

…except that God knows this is true, and set out to do something about it. Not by overriding the freedom God had put into nature and into creatures, especially the human ones. Not by working instant repairs on the universe so that all is blissfully well (that would be a jerk-God, a more powerful version of the fools I wrote off earlier), or by pulling a string here or there from a distance. But by choosing to fully take part in what is happening. The choice : soiled ancient diapers, skinned childhood knees, and dirtied adult feet. God felt what acceptance and rejection are like at a human level. God walked among people in the same way they walk among each other, talk to them at their level, with their sufferings small and large, face to face, person to person. God taught them in their language, with sound waves instead of spiritual whispers, from within their tradition, from within the world they knew, a world teeming with truth smothered in their own lies. But even more : God had to face the ultimate in human rejection — to be publicly executed for having spoken and lived the truth. That’s something not even God wanted to go through, but the whole point of it all was to go through things that no one wants to go through, if that’s what it takes to complete the task at hand, for real. (In fact, that’s what ‘for real’ is all about.)

Jesus was that choice. Jesus is the divine answer to suffering. Jesus is the answer a Christian has to the problem of suffering. Jesus knows. Jesus cares. And Jesus is suffering alongside each one who suffers, ever more so as the suffering increases. The ‘why’ of suffering is a m

ystery; you’ll never know the reason why, or even if there is a reason. The reply of God is no mystery, or at least, no more mysterious than love itself.

"Mystery is not the absence of meaning, but the presence of more meaning than we can comprehend"
—- Dennis Covington

"You need not cry very loud; God is nearer to us than we think."
—— Brother Lawrence

BUT, HE’S NOT HERE ANYMORE …

Yet Jesus is not the Christian’s answer to suffering by Himself. The phrase that the New Testament used for describing the fellowship of Christ’s followers is "the Body of Christ". Jesus is the head of the Body. That, of course, means that Jesus is not the arms, legs, hands, and such. That is what the believers are. As Paul saw it, they are a unit, a whole, just as a human body is a whole, yet each believer is an identifiable part with a function in the overall Body.

Jesus is no longer physically here. His role as head is signaled to the Body through the Spirit, the nerve impulses that cause the Body to work. Jesus can no longer hold the hand of the sufferer, wrap His arms around them, and give the comfort of a physical embrace. He can no longer move His legs to where the sufferers are, so that He can physically address them face to face, look them in the eyes, grasp hold of their needs, render through sound waves the needed words of comfort or challenge, lay hands to bring physical healing. That role is to be done by the Body of Christ in the physical world — that is, by the believers, as a whole, in subgroups and organizations, and as people.

If you want to see a key part of God’s answer to suffering, look into a mirror. If what you’re looking at isn’t much of an answer to anyone’s suffering, then pray that the Spirit’s signals start directing you.

Good Suffering

Evil does cause suffering—but not always. Love can cause suffering. Beauty can be the occasion for suffering. Children with their demands and impetuous cries can cause suffering. Just the toil and trouble and stress of daily life can cause suffering. Yet surely these are not to be termed evil. Humans have an unfortunate tendency to try to prove that God has nothing to do with suffering and evil. Meanwhile, suffering goes on.

Martin Luther suffered spiritually and physically. But he saw God’s hand in the suffering and wrote: “He kills our will that his may be established in us. He subdues the flesh and its lusts that the spirit and its desires may come to life.” Beyond his own experience—based, in fact, on the cross—he asserted that whoever does not know God hidden in suffering does not know God at all. If God has nothing to do with suffering, what is he involved with?

Salvation Through Suffering

Suffering, the Bible proves, can be redemptive. This must be the case because it is only through suffering and the cross that sinners can see and come to know God. The cross is suffering. But it is suffering from God and it is good. That is the deepest reason why we call the Friday of the crucifixion good.

Rather than knowing God in a way that would be convenient for us, the only way to know God is through suffering, the suffering of the one who saves us. Luther called this a theology of the cross—a theology that calls a spade a spade, and suffering, when it is redemptive, good.

—Gerhard O. Forde, Adapted from On Being a Theologian of the Cross, © 1997 by Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI. Used with permission; all rights reserved. To order this book on demand title, contact the publisher at 800.253.7521 or visit www.eerdmans.com.

Self-Mutilation=Self-Medication

Startling Stats

1. 1.5 percent of all Americans deliberately harm themselves.

2. 12 percent of college students admit to harming themselves.

3. 60-70 percent of self-injurers are female.

4. 35-80 percent also battle eating disorders.

5. Self-injury usually starts in adolescence and lasts between five to ten years-longer if untreated.

6. 90 percent of self-injurers begin cutting/burning as teens; their struggle often extends into their mid-20’s to early 30’s.

—Elaina Whittenhall

Self-Mutilation

A disturbing situation has emerged among teens: the practice of self-mutilation. Teenagers who self-mutilate – overwhelmingly girls – are inflicting pain and injuries on their own bodies. While it’s estimated that only one percent of the American population self-mutilates, the emotional issues that drive them – and the physical fall-out from such practices as cutting and burning – make self-mutilation a serious problem.

Types of Self-Mutilation

Cutting is but one of the self-mutilating behaviors adolescents may exhibit. Other common practices of self-mutilating behaviors include burning, bruising, breaking of bones (especially digits), picking at the skin or "wound interference" (the practice of producing a wound and not allowing it to heal).

What Causes Self-Mutilation?
There is no stereotypical person who will choose to mutilate his or her own body, but experts say it’s a process that stems from the inability to deal with stress or intense emotions.

"Self-mutilation is a desperate attempt to have some control over unbearable feelings of aloneness, loneliness and helplessness," says Dr. Margaret Paul, a book that examines self-mutilation. "When a teen or young adult has not learned healthy ways of managing these intense feelings, they turn to physical pain as a way to blot out the emotional pain or gain a sense of control over the pain they feel. In a strange way, they are really not trying to hurt themselves – they are trying to protect themselves from something even more painful than the physical pain."

According to SAFE-Alternatives, an organization that helps self-mutilators, those who practice it say they do it when they feel fear, anger, guilt, sadness, anxiety or other emotions that are just too much to handle. Those who self-mutilate often feel they can’t express themselves verbally or otherwise. As these feelings remain inside, they build up to dangerous levels and can eventually result in self-mutilating behavior.

"Cutting is physically painful – it hurts," says Dr. Paul. "But to a mutilator it’s absorbing. It’s doing something. It’s controlling something. It’s causing something. It’s making it happen and not being at the effect of outside forces over which they feel like they have no control."

When parents learn a child is hurting herself, they often feel helpless.

According to SAFE-Alternatives, most adolescents who self-mutilate tend to be perfectionists. They feel they must live up to or exceed the standards set for them by their parents and peers. When they are unable to do this, their emotions become confusing, and they tend to result to what they know – causing harm to their own bodies.

"Children are put under a huge pressure to perform," Paul says. "They have to perform in all aspects of their lives. They have to do well in school; they have to get good grades; they have to have enough friends; they have to look a certain way. There are these huge pressures on them to look and perform in certain ways, and they are often not seen for who they are."

What Can Parents Do

Parents may discard their child’s altered behavior as a phase or something that will pass. And the "weirdness" of the behavior might induce a "taboo" effect – parents will often approach the issue timidly.

"Their parents don’t even begin to know how to see [the kids] for who they are," says Dr. Paul. "So  even if the parent tries to go and talk to [the child], they are talking different languages. The parent isn’t really getting what the child is truly feeling, what the pressures are, what the fears are, what the stressors are, what the overwhelming feelings are about. These feelings can get so intense as to be unbearable that the child wants to jump out of their skin. A parent doesn’t want to hear that. They want to know that their child is normal and that all is well."

Parents should not assume they are the cause of the stress in the child’s life. Adolescents experience intense stress in places other than the home such as school and work. "Although the home environment needs to support what’s going on with the child, it’s not always that the parents are hypercontrolling or unavailable," says Dr. Paul. "It may be that [the parents] don’t understand what’s going on at school o

r what’s going on with peers or how to help their child."

What to Look For
There are signs parents can watch for if they suspect their adolescent may be practicing self-mutilating behaviors. Unexplained or frequent injuries, wearing jeans, long pants or long sleeves consistently – even in warm or hot weather – exhibiting the want for isolation or "being alone" and the presence of blood stains on the inside of clothing may be clues into a child’s self-mutilating behavior.

These behaviors are not attempts at suicide. They are attempts to gain control over life. "Self-mutilating behaviors, as well as eating disorders, drug or alcohol use and extreme violent behavior are all cries for help," Dr. Paul says. "These kids are saying, ‘I don’t know what to do, so this is what I do instead. And don’t try to take it away from me because it is all I have.’ There is no place where we learn how to manage our intense fear, anxiety, hurt, anger, depression or whatever the feeling is. There is no one place that teaches that. A person must find a method that works for them. Whether spiritual meditation, breathing or something else that helps an adolescent manage inner stress, having the equipment to deal or cope is the first step in gaining control."

"What does the Bible say about self-mutilation / cutting?"
In the Old Testament of the Bible, self-mutilation was a common practice among false religions. 1 Kings 18:24-29 describes a ritual in which those who worshiped the false god Baal slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom. Because of the traditions of pagans, God made a law against this sort of practice.

Leviticus 19:28 says, “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.”

In the New Testament, cutting oneself was associated with someone who was possessed by demons (Mark 5:2-5). It was characteristic of behavior caused by evil spirits. Today, self-mutilation is rarely used for ritualistic practices or actual demon possession, but instead usually by teen-agers and young adults who have misplaced anger and pain that they are attempting to work out in self-destructive ways. Instead of dealing with emotional pain, some people would rather bring themselves physical pain, which actually serves as a relief from stress. Unfortunately, though, this sense of relief is quite short-lived, and the feeling of wanting to be more self-destructive quickly returns.

The Bible doesn’t talk about self-mutilation in terms of depression or anxiety, but it is very important that whoever is making a practice of this seeks immediate psychological (and hopefully Christian) counseling. This behavior also indicates, or can lead to, drug and/or alcohol abuse, eating disorders, identity disorders, and suicidal thoughts or even attempts.

1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us how important our bodies are to the Lord. We no longer belong to ourselves, but instead we belong to Christ, who purchased us at a high price. We should not abuse one of the greatest gifts we have been given.

A person who is struggling with self-mutilation should seek immediate counsel from a pastor and/or Christian counselor. Self-mutilation is the result of an incorrect view of yourself and of your personal value to God. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a proper understanding of His love is the only true cure for self-mutilation

Why even Christian teens aren’t immune from the epidemic of self-mutilation

—and what you can do.

A Troubling Trend

This behavior has many names: cutting, self-injury, self-mutilation, self-violence. It includes not only cutting but also scratching, picking scabs, burning, punching, bruising or breaking bones, or pulling out hair. Though death isn’t the goal of this deliberate, repetitive harm to one’s body, it can cause scarring, infection, and even fatality if a cut goes too deep or an infection isn’t treated.

Self-injury crosses economic brackets, education, race, gender, and age. But the majority of those involved are middle- to upper-class adolescent girls. Exact statistics are hard to pinpoint because the behavior often is hidden. But one thing’s clear: The growing trend of self-injury isn’t confined to teens outside the church.

"I know people whose self-injury started because they were so disgusted with themselves, they felt hurting themselves was the only logical thing to do."

"I felt rejected. My mother was a counselor but didn’t have time to talk to me. My father lived in a different state. Boyfriends failed me, and I didn’t know Jesus for whom he was. I wanted something I could control, a sense of power—and cutting gave me that."

When parents see the wounds on their teen’s arms, they often react in fear, shock, and anger. They threaten. They beg. They want it to stop. "Two common reactions are either to become furious at the teen and to punish her, or to minimize the behavior as a phase or bid for attention and to ignore it."

"Endorphins released during cutting often soothe some deeper emotional pain—rejection, depression, self-hatred, or helplessness," Vernick explains. A teen who self-injures finds instant release through the biochemical reaction and correlates cutting with comfort.

Lader describes self-injury as "self-medication." Cutters haven’t learned to express their emotions, so the feelings persist. "The teen uses physical pain to communicate something she’s unable or unwilling to put into words," explains Vernick. "She needs help to process whatever emotional pain she feels so she’ll learn healthy ways of dealing with hurts instead."

"It’s more prevalent among Christian teens than people like to think," she says. "Self-injury is just beginning to be recognized and treated in Christian circles. If you do it, you feel like a freak. You feel unlovable, as if you were beyond God’s grace. But a cutter needs to realize Jesus loves her as she is—and that his atonement is sufficient for her s

ins."

While self-injury can be a squeamish topic, it’s an important one. And no matter how this behavior appears to the outside world, God views these teens and their parents through a lens of worth.

Resources :

1. Meier Clinics 1-888-7clinic or www.meierclinics.com

1. Suzanne Eller tseller@daretobelieve.org

1. Wendy Lader wlader@aol.com

1. Leslie Vernick LeslieVern@aol.com

1. Lysamena lysamena@lycos.com

1. Lysamena Project on Self-Injury www.self-injury.org

1. S.A.F.E. Alternatives 1-800-DONT-CUT or www.selfinjury.com

1. Secret Shame www.palace.net/~llama/psych/injury.html

1. Brooke Shewmaker littlelamb81@aol.com

Essential Resources

1. Cutting: Self-Injury and Emotional Pain (e-book) by Elaina Whittenhall (InterVarsity Press)

1. Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-Mutilation by Steven Levenkron (Norton)

1. A Bright Red Scream by Marilee Strong (Viking)

1. Bodily Harm by Karen Conterio and Wendy Lader (Hyperion)

24 Hour National Crisis Lines

Young Adult Crisis Hotline

Call Toll Free: 1-877-702-2GOD

                                        (2463)

     800-273-TALK (8255)  www.nmha.org
     800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
     800-334-HELP (4357)
     800-799-SAFE (7233) Domestic Violence Hotline
     866-4-U-Trevor – for GLBTQ youth
     877-332-7333 Teen Hotline

           ______

S.A.F.E. ALTERNATIVES®

Need Help? 800-DONTCUT

S.A.F.E. ALTERNATIVES® is a nationally recognized treatment
approach, professional network, and educational resource base,
which is committed to helping you and others achieve an end
to self-injurious behavior. Self-injury is known by many names,
including self-abuse, self-mutilation, deliberate self-harm.

           __________

Therapist Referrals

http://www.selfinjury.com/referrals_therapistreferrals.html

Engaging our Culture? or ARE WE STUCK ON LIVING Christian PRINCIPLES?

Engaging our Culture? Or ARE WE STUCK ON LIVING Christian PRINCIPLES?

 

In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make. Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it”. So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.” (John 1:1-5; 14 NLT)

 

…"having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Tim 3:5).

 

ARE WE STUCK ON LIVING Christian PRINCIPLES?

God never called us to to live by Christian principles. He calls you to live in relationship with the living God, Jesus Christ. We are to literally live an incarnate life moment by moment. Asking God to help us when we fail to get up quicker than the last time we have failed. Incarnation living is to live life from not our own self or our own desires. Incarnation living is to represent in a bodily form Christ who is supplying our life from within as our source. When we embody Christ to those around us we are representing the pierced hands, feet, and speared side of Christ. We are helping people to the heart of God through in living form being who Christ is and all that he has done by Grace not representing oneself, we represent a Kingdom here on earth because Christ who is our King reigning and ruling from our hearts as a channel of His kingship to those of another kingdom. We make the subjective,objective and through having God’s interests, thoughts and feelings live them through our Human spirit that has been regenerated inwardly to outward representation of the Throne of God that is with in us now. When we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, who is our Source that has internally transfigured us from within.  We are by every moment the reality of Christ to the world by manifesting the Glory from within our very lives demonstrate plainly, relevantly, and practically the bodily form of God upon this earth from our new hearts and new nature. Our new nature with in us was birthed from above and from within ourselves so it does not depend upon our own effort to have God be channeled or flows out from us. God the Holy Spirit is the Living Water that will flow through us to make obvious and apparent who God is and what He has already performed and accomplished. The unfinished work of God is to emerge the Finished work of God to the Lost and depraved world around us through our lives as we are the manifestation of the invisible God.   We are the visible and external embodied truth of God for God’s Truth lives within us we can be the personification of Christ who has preeminence of our lives. This means that we live the personal qualities of God’s nature that lives within our new hearts and by our new Christly minds.

Incarnational Living

Incarnational living finds its source in the love and concern of God for His creation. God proved, in a real way, His care for humankind by becoming human being. It must be this love of God that embraces us and motivates us, in turn, to care for others.

Without giving up His divine character, Jesus became fully immersed within the culture of the people to whom He brought the excellent News. He was part of the culture, yet transcended it. He lived contentedly surrounded by the culture, yet was a representative of transformation. The incarnation is a difficult to comprehend and exist within the world of the un-churched culture. We must make the Great News culturally relevant to them, and take it into their world.

Outreach to the un-churched must consider the issues of incarnation by going where people go, and living in their world. The methods we use to reach them must be based upon developing authentic relationships that are living. We must model a lifestyle of Christ-likeness in the context of friendship and serving people as Christ has served us. The church must meet the needs of the un-churched within the world in which they live, instead of confrontational evangelism, practicing servant evangelism and living an incarnate life as living epistles that can be easily read, overflowing with the life of Christ from within as a follower of Christ.

Because Jesus is love incarnate, He chose to leave the glory of heaven and dwell among men. Think about this… God the eternal Son became man to dwell side by side with each of us that he created! Now we must prove through our lives that man can still dwell eternally side by side with God.

Incarnational living is not just about remembering an event in the past but the events of the future as well. We must come to realize that the best days are ahead of us, not behind. The Kingdom of God is just around the corner. We must stop yearning for the good old days and begin to look forward with joyous anticipation and excitement that the best is yet to come. God is yearning to be incarnate in your life…today and in all your tomorrows. The Kingdom of God is just ahead of us. It is time for us to look farther down the road. The fullness of His Glory is still yet to be revealed !!

Jesus, the God who became man, is our example. Without giving up His divine qualities, He nevertheless became fully immersed within the culture of the people to whom He brought the Great News. He was part of the culture, yet transcended it. He lived happily within the culture, yet was an agent of transformation. Are willing to be also agents of transformation today with our lives and engage culture.

Incarnate Defined:

Incarnate can be defined as: To represent in or as if in bodily form; to embody: To represent in bodily or material form to include; to integrate: represent; materialize; externalize: make external or objective, to turn outward; To direct interest, thoughts, or feelings into a channel leading outside himself or herself. make external or objective, or give reality to, make manifest: To show or demonstrate plainly; reveal, exhibit, make plain, clear, obvious To make manifest or apparent to represent  in or as if in bodily form: body forth Readily seen, perceived, or understood materialize : emerge To take physical form or shape. To cause to become real or actual , objectify: To make objective, external, or concrete, make external or objective, or give reality to, personalize: To take (a general remark or characterization) in a pe

rsonal manner. To attribute human or personal qualities is to personify Make personal or more personal, personify: To think of or represent as having personality or the qualities, thoughts, or movements of a living being from within  

One of the weaknesses of the Church today is that we preach and teach people principles without the relationship. We teach so much head knowledge and bible doctrine on one extreme or on another extreme share stories that contain little or no biblical truth nor how to apply it relevantly in practical Christian living through the Word of God.  These extremes are so prevalent in the American or Western church that we have disengaged from the culture and put bars on our churches to keep the sick or those that don’t dress like us, act like us, talk like us, behave like us, or who really doubt and are just as skeptical as Apostle Thomas, which Christ came to seek and save out of the religion to bring them into a relationship. The church mostly has become institutionalized or become so established in organization it has lost its organic nature. The church is Christ’s Bride and is living we can try through religion to over program, make it consumer friendly, or become a movement of together through the organism of the Body of Christ here on earth. Instead it has become a refuge from the World, as an alternative to Changing the world by turning the World upside down by operating within the world but not of the world through living Christ incarnate to the lost and dying world.  

The western church is big on ten step programs, "how-to" methods and acrostics to illustrate memorable ideas. There is a place for establishing principles to change negative behavior. However, we are not called to have a relationship with principles, but a living God. Living by principles is the equivalent to living by the law in the Old Testament. It is rooted in the Greek system of learning and is dependent upon our strength instead of being led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Principle-based living is powerless living. This makes our Christian experience a religion instead of a relationship. "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law" (Gal 5:18).

We read about principle-based followers in the book of Acts, "The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people" (Acts 5:12-14). There was a group of followers who liked being taught but never entered the game.  The prophet Jeremiah tells us about the nature of God and His desire for every believer.

This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Engaging our Culture?

When the church embraces this mandate, how does it engage the culture around it? On the one hand, everyone within the church interacts daily with the culture in which they live. On the other hand, the church exists as a subculture that is out of step with larger Western society. We as the Church have tended to be reactionary rather than missional. We are known for building high walls around our churches and doing in-reach really well with programing our people like prisoners are programmed in institutions. We have our unspoken rules in the church, that sound like prison programing instead of freedom and Grace. This lack of missionary spirit has contributed to the churches mass marketing approach and consumerist culture. Every culture that has no missionary presence will eventually become a secular society. We are loosing ground every day with thousands of churches closing or declining in attendance rapidly. If we do not wake up and sound the alarm we will look around ten years from now and wonder what has happened to the CHURCH.

Instead of engaging the culture in which we exist, we have been prone to long for the return of 1954. Rather than incarnate the body of Christ within our present culture, we tend to stand against the culture and chastise the deterioration of society.

Should the church seek to be relevant to the culture in which it exists? On the one hand, the Church must always be distinct from the world in which it exists. We must, for instance, be distinct in the way that we treat one another, as our love for one another is a witness to the power of Christ within our community. On the other hand, we can not be the body of Christ incarnate to this culture if we do not become part of this culture. Christ came into our world and entered a particular time and place. So we as the church becomes Incarnational, the body of Christ manifested within the culture of our missionfield which is everywhere we are in the culture.

One might argue that the church should be wholly distinct from culture, that the culture within the church should be formed only by scripture. This argument would be stronger if it were possible for any church to remain distinct from its culture.

Friend, have you been guilty of living a life based on principles instead of knowing the One who authored the principles? Invite Jesus to be Lord over your life and begin to spend time with Him every day. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you through every moment of your day.

Visioneering & MAKING VISION STICK Book Reviews

               MAKING VISION STICK by Andy Stanley

Andy Stanley is one of my favorite leaders, pastors, and authors.  I devour everything he writes.  This is a nice, "little" book on some great points about "making your vision stick".  Great title huh?  At first I thought that this was just a reprint of some of the sections of Visioneering, Andy’s phenomenal book on getting a vision from God and living it out with everything in you.  Visioneering  focuses on Nehemiah and his journey on rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem.  The first part of Making Vision Stick reproduces some of that material but much new material is added and it is great.

Andy’s wisdom and insight regarding vision is very practical.  "Vision Slippage Indicators" and there was some great stuff in there to apply to your leadership.  Let’s face it, all leaders, organizations, and churches can be guilty of "vision slippage" every once in a while.  It’s good to know there are indicators out there to help us see that.  This is a tiny, 75 page mini-book that you can easily read in an afternoon.  It is worth your time.

MAKING VISION STICK noteworthy quotes:

"Vision is all about "what could be" and "should be", but life is about right this minute… The urgent and legitimate needs of today quickly erase our commitment to the "what could be" of tomorrow."

"To make your vision stick, your audience needs to understand what’s at stake.  It’s the "what’s at stake" issue that grabs people’s hearts."

"To make it stick, you need to find ways to build vision casting into the rhythm of your organization."

"To make vision stick, a leader needs to pause long enough to celebrate the wins along the way."

"When there are no stories to tell, something’s wrong."

"Leaders must keep their antennae up for "new" things that have the potential to distract from the "main" thing."

MAKING VISION STICK by Andy Stanley

(Summarized in these 5 things Below.)

5 things that help make vision stick:

1.  STATE IT SIMPLY.

Take time to think through what exactly it is you are trying to accomplish.

What is the vision?  And state it in a way that you can say it quickly and succinctly. 

The memorable is portable.  You need a portable vision.

Doesn’t have to be cool or rhyme…

Curse of Knowledge – you know so much of what you’re doing you assume everyone else knows what you’re doing.

Vision doesn’t stick!

People aren’t asking stupid questions….they’re just showing us how poorly we’ve communicated it.

What is it that people who volunteer in your organization come together to do?

One campaign – “to make poverty history.”  You’ll know this vision for the rest of our lives!

Doesn’t even have to be original.

Not just committed to GROWTH….committed to MULTIPLICATION.

Its’ one thing to say one thing over and over who sit in front of you in rows….  Entirely different to communicate it through several tiers…

Sometimes very powerful statements and vision statements come accidentally!

As you think about what you’re trying to do, you serve yourself and others well to ask yourself, “when people show up for work or plan a service, etc…  What have we come together to do?”  What’s the one sentence job description associated w/ organization?

2.  CAST IT CONVINCINGLY

Neh 2 – the ultimate explanation/illustration of casting vision.

Nehemiah – the WALL has been town down for a long time….  Casts vision as to WHY they need to REBUILD NOW….

Did it in 50 + days…

3 components:

    Define the problem
    Offer a solution
    Explain WHY and WHY NOW.

If people don’t feel the problem they are not excited about the solution.  EVER!  You need to learn to craft your vision as a solution to a problem.  You’ve got to understand the problem that your vision is a solution for.

Most people don’t have a problem w/ Jesus…..they just don’t like the church.

What is the problem that our vision addresses?

To ask yourself:

What must be done in the environment you find yourself in?

What would go undone if your organization ceased to exist?

“Business Solutions” – Google this.  Because businesses ha

ve learned to position themselves as a solution to a problem.

3.  REPEAT IT REGULARLY

You have never stated it enough.  Look at the rhythm of your organization….

At Northpoint – Jan high attendance….  Uses this time for vision casting.  Staff asks, “Shouldn’t we do something practical?”  No! 

You need to discover what those are and build into the rhythm the times to cast vision.  Can’t do it sporadically.

When Andy casts vision, he almost always feels like he just preached the SAME THING!!  But people still get moved by it!  Why?  Because vision doesn’t stick!

4.  CELEBRATE IT CONSISTENTLY

Not only a matter of repeating it…. But find ways to celebrate it!

When you catch somebody living out the vision the way you anticipate, celebrate it!  Show it! 

Say, “This is what I’m talking about!”

Stories do more to clarify more than anything.

An emotion brings to life these phrases, sentences, etc…

5.  EMBRACE IT PERSONALLY

Talk about it!  In your attempts to be humble or below the radar – you might be missing opportunities.  Gives people permission to push the envelope in their own life.

Influence of our Tongue

The tongue is influential weapon and its ammunition is the words we articulate. Our words are so authoritative that they can consecrate or curse, give confidence or dishearten, injure or mend, shred apart or construct. Our words can even persuade the way we act and feel as well as determination our mind-set and attitude on life in impacting our viewpoint. Our viewpoint then will effect out action and lifestyle. Our thoughts control our will which relates to daily life from the inside out.

The power of influence can change individuals. There is a big effect of our words on the people around us and also will cause action individually. Therefore we should be very careful with the influence of our words, calculate your thoughts and carefully listen to every syllable to what we are saying. Why? When we shâma` we are listening and in word pictures it is directly connected to obedience. In the west we hear something process the thought and it does not directly correlate with action.

In Hebrew language In ancient Hebrew, like in Chinese and ancient Egyptian, every word is formed by adding pictures together to "paint" or illustrate the meaning of the word. A word picture is a word that is described by pictures.

You don’t have to be able to read Hebrew in order to understand and to use this effectively when you read the Bible. When Hebrew was first written, each letter represented both a sound and a picture. Even if you or the people you teach are not familiar with the Hebrew sounds and have no experience with this language, the pictures you see inside the words will speak for themselves.

Why is Hebrew Word Pictures are important to believers?

"Every so often, something comes along that can help move your spiritual life into high gear. I’m convinced that "Hebrew Word Pictures" is such a concept. With so many books and conference about biblical principles, this one can help you better understand and love God’s Word itself.

As someone who’s studied "word pictures" for years, seeing them come alive in the very letters of Scripture is like adding color to a classic movie. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in gaining a deeper love and understanding of the Scriptures.

shâma` – ‘hear, heed, understand & obey’

If you constantly complain, you release poison into your life. Complaining is not based on your circumstances; it’s based on the attitude of your heart. If you will keep the right attitude during your time of adversity, God will honor you. When you truly trust God there are times you will have unanswered questions – don’t let that keep you from fulfilling your destiny. When you have a heart full of gratitude, it leaves no room for complaining. You can always find something to thank God for, no matter what kind of adversity you may face in life. So decide today to live a life of thanksgiving!

"Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put devious lips far from you." (Proverbs 4:23-24)

Let us encourage you today to watch what you are saying. Your words have creative power and you can use them as a destructive force or as an instrument of blessing. If you continually speak negative words over your life, then eventual defeat will be the result. In the same way, if you speak words of faith and victory, you will see a harvest of blessing not only in your own life, but also in the lives of those around you.

Your words have the power to pollute or purify.

Proverbs 18:21 – Power of the tongue.

A. The tongue has the power to kill or the power to give life

B. “…they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” – They that love using the tongue shall eat the fruit thereof. In other words, they shall reap the rewards of the use of it, whether good or bad.

James 3:2 – 8 – Control of the tongue.

A. Verse 2 informs us that if we are able to control our tongue, we have reached some level of spiritual maturity.

B. It says we have achieved a level of spiritual maturity where we can control the rest of our body if we can control our tongue.

C. In Verses 3 & 4 we are given 2 examples of large things that are controlled by small things.

D. Verse 5 compares the tongue to the horse’s bridle and the ship’s helm (the ship’s steering mechanism).

E. Verse 6 explains the danger of a loose tongue. Expound…

F. Verse 7 explains that the tongue is harder to tame than wild beasts.

G. Verse 8 explains the evil nature of the tongue, the dangerous poison it spews out, and the inability of anyone to tame it. Only the one using it can control it.

James 3:9 – 12 – Inconsistencies of the tongue.

A. Here we see the often inconsistencies of the use of the tongue.

B. We’re reminded of the absurdity of such inconsistencies.

Matthew 12:34 – 37 – Connection between the tongue and the heart.

A. Here we are shown the connection between the heart and the tongue.

B. Basically, the tongue is connected to the heart, in a manner of speaking.

C. The words of the tongue are and extension of what resides in the heart.

D. Verse 34b makes it clear that the tongue expresses the heart’s content.

E. Verse 35 explains that the spiritual condition of the heart is evidenced by the words of the tongue.

F. Verse 36 informs us just how responsible we are for the words we wield.

G. Verse 37 makes it clear that justification or condemnation rest in the words we speak.

· If then, we our words wield these kinds of power toward others and in the judgment we are judged with, it stands to reason we need to understand how to use our tongues in a way that is acceptable to God.

Ephesians 4:24 & 25 – Speak the truth.

A. We must speak the truth.

B. We can lie so much we begin to convince ourselves our lies are true.

C. But, God is not deceived. He knows what is true, whether we will acknowledge it or not; and He will judge us according to truth, not according to what we present as truth.

Ephesians 4:29 – Corrupt use of the tongue.

A. Here, we are instructed to guard ourselves to keep corrupt words from coming out our mouths.

B. Corrupt words can be words that are vulgar, cursing, or damaging.

C. Notice, we are only to speak those things that minister grace to those who will be hearing our words.

D. Do you speak words that minister grace to those you speak to or about? Or, do you just ‘say what’s on your mind’ and consider what you have said later?

Proverbs 31:26 – Use kindness with the tongue.

A. Here, in the Biblical picture of what we call the perfect woman, I believe we see a type of the church in the state God intends it to be.

B. First, our mouths should express wisdom.

C. In James 3:14 – 16 we see described, a picture of earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom.

D. But, in James 3:17 we see a description of wisdom that is spiritual, from above.

E. Where the tongue is expressing the characteristics in Verses 14 – 16 we know the heart is filled with devilish content.

F. If the tongue is expressing the characteristics listed in Verse 17, we know the heart is spiritual.

G. Back in Proverbs 31:26, it also says “…in her tongue is the law of kindness.”

H. The law of kindness means that the mode of operation of her speech is consistently kind.

I. Ephesians 4:32a says to “…be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…”

J. Words of kindness are not optional to the Christian; neither are they contingent upon deservedness.

K. Matthew 5:44 & 45 explain we are to “…bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

L. Our words are to be kind, blessing words; words of prayer, even when we are being rewarded with treachery and mischief.

Psalm 12:2 – 3 – Manipulation using the tongue.

A. Flattery and double-hearted deception will be met with the harsh judgment of God. They will be cut off, destroyed.

B. Verse 3b – 4 explains that those who think they shall prevail by manipulating the people in their lives with their skillful, but deceptive use of words.

C. These are proud, thinking themselves more intelligent than those they are attempting to manipulate.

D. Here, though, God makes it clear He will destroy them.

E. In their pride, they have not taken God into consideration.

James 2:12 & 13 – Use mercy when speaking.

A. We are to speak mercifully.

B. We will be judged according to the same degree we speak and show mercy.

James 2:14 – 18 – Vain use of the tongue.

A. Here we are warned of the futility of empty words.

B. Words without corresponding action to confirm their validity are empty and profitless.

Ephesians 5:1 – 2a & 3 – 4 – Using the tongue for foolishness.

A. We are to refrain from foolish or jesting words.

B. Foolish talking and jesting would include speaking vainly of things pertaining to God and His Word.

C. They would also include things that are indecent (filthiness).

D. They would also include jokes or jests that make fun of or demean others – such as ethnic, or racial jokes, or jokes about someone else’s appearance or intelligence.

E. These would also include words that would incite the flesh to sin.

Ephesians 5:4b & 19 – 20 – Spiritual content of the tongue.

A. We should speak words thanking the Lord.

B. We should speak words that invoke spiritual thoughts and heart yearnings.

Titus 2:7 & 8 – Careful words that need not be retracted or apologized for later.

A. We ought always to be careful to speak words that cannot be condemned; words we will not have to be sorry for saying or have to justify later.

Colossians 4:6 – Use consistent grace in speaking.

A. With grace – always speaking things that reflect the grace God has extended to you.

B. Seasoned with salt – words that, like salt, tend to preserve the one it is applied to; and words that provide a good flavor to the person or subject being addressed.

C. Our speech must “…always…” be like this. It should never be inconsistent.

D. We must remember that good, honest, pure words can quickly be nullified by destructive words.

E. Ephesians 4:29 – Therefore, our words should consistently be those that minister grace to the hearer.

Galatians 5:13 – 16 – Walking in the Spirit allows control of the tongue.

A. Verse 15 – If we bite and devour one another with the use of our tongues, we must understand that the result will be that we destroy each other.

B. This ‘biting’ and ‘devouring’ warned against is that of biting or devouring one another.

C. It is not strange, but rather to be expected that attacks will come from without, from wolves; but it is unnatural for sheep to attack each other.

D. It has been said that Christians are the only ones who shoot their wounded.

E. Ephesians 4:1 – 6 – The unity of the church is quickly destroyed by contentious or malicious words.

F. Mark 3:25 – Divisive destructive words wil

l destroy the effectiveness of a church and sometimes even the very church itself.

G. Verse 16 – The key to controlling the tongue and using it for the right purposes is to walk in the Spirit.

H. Proverbs 13:10 – A fleshly or carnally minded person will speak in pride, demanding his way, and this will always generate contention.

I. One who walks in the Spirit, on the other hand, will always seek the good of his brother instead of his own will; and will therefore speak only those things that edify his brother.

J. Verse 25 – Here we find that we can live in the Spirit and yet not walk in the Spirit. So, our salvation should be validated by our corresponding manner of life, particularly the way we use our tongues.

Ephesians 5:11 & 12 – Use the tongue to reprove wickedness.

A. We are not to participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, either by our involvement in them, or by our discussion of them.

B. Instead, we are to use our tongues to reprove, or confront them concerning their wickedness.

C. We should not let our silence give the appearance that we approve of evil.

D. The only way to keep this from happening is to speak against it.

E. This will not make us popular, for those who commit wickedness do not like to be challenged in it.

Romans 10:13, 14, & 16 – We must speak the gospel in order for people to be saved.

A. Verse 13 makes it clear that calling on the name of the Lord is how we are saved.

B. Verse 14 explains by the questions it asks that we cannot call on Someone we have never heard of.

C. Verse 16 plainly tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

D. Lifestyle evangelism is great but the message of the gospel must be heard in order for someone to believe and receive it.

 

How Do You Develop Spirit-Control?

  

God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and Self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NCV)

Victorious people have one obvious trait in common: personal discipline. They are willing to do things that average people are unwilling to do.

Victorious individuals express their Spirit-discipline in these six ways of well established principles of living:

1. Victorious individuals master and their moods – They live by their commitments, not their emotions. They do the right thing, even when they don’t feel like it. “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28 NLT).

2. Victorious individuals study their words – They use their minds to think carefully before opening their mouths. : “Those who control their tongue will have a long life ….” (Proverbs 13:3 NLT).

3. Victorious individuals surrender their reactions by living a yielded life – How much can you take before you react in your emotions? “People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs” (Proverbs 19:11 NLT).

4. Victorious individuals develop an established schedule – If you don’t establish your time, how you will spend your time, you can be sure that others will decide for you! Time is mans greatest gift and commodity. We can never make up for wasted nor for idle time. God wants us to redeem the time because the days are evil.

Let us detach ourselves from things trifling and insignificant, and give ourselves up to the study of things worthy our nature and capacity. We all value our possessions, and much more ought we to estimate our time.

“So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NLT).

5. Victorious individuals are stewards of God’s money – We discover how to exist on less than what they make, and we invest the difference. The value an individual places on a concise budget will reveal management or stewardship of God’s money that we are privileged to manage rather than wondering where it went having it control you. You can tell: "Show me someone’s check book, and I’ll tell you where their heart is." “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get” (Proverbs 21:20 NLT).

6. Victorious individuals preserve their health – That way they can complete more and enjoy their achievements: “… control your body and live in holiness and honor” (1 Thessalonians 4:4 NLT).

The spiritual disciplines you establish today will determine your victories tomorrow. It takes more than just willpower for lasting self-control. It takes a power greater than yourself, it comes from an internal victory that has been birthed inside of you before the foundation of the world by Christ. Think about this promise from the Bible: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT).

Will….is what is within a person that drives them to do what they do in life. It is the drive that influences major or even minor choices.The will can also be define similarly to the "any internally motivated action" usage, but more narrowly. In this sense, will is more a "creative spark," which has a certain independence and stubbornness. 

Willpower, is having the power to take control of it in a healthy level and able to manipulate those choices in order to achieve an important goal. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “The strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans.”

My experience has been that willpower has absolutely nothing to do with long term success.  You can will power yourself to do something for a day or two, or a week or maybe a few weeks or even a few months, but eventually if your POWER TO CHANGE comes from will power, then you will fail.  Why?  Because will power was not designed to be a long term source of power in our lives.  It is a short term power source that we get used to tapping into for short term activities, and then try to use for long term activities out of habit.

So if will power doesn’t work, what does?  How do we make long lasting changes?  The answer is not a simple one that I can answer in a single paragraph.  Will-power,can only be part of the solution because it is so easy to “run out of gas.”

You can exercise your will-power without adopting a habit. Of course, if you direct your will-power at repeating the same activity day after day, week after week, you can form a habit. And, yes, if you do form a habit, very little will-power would be required after its formation.

Spirit-control is having the proper amount of Spirit discipline from the source of Living Waters which provides persevering strength and power. The Source of Life, through the internal river that flows through us develops Godly Spirit Control which translates into Discipline over time by Grace through systematic Faith (confidence). We can then choose what to do with God’s will, and therefore choose God’s desires and will continuously during every moment if we are plugged into the right source. When I am operating with an integrated Christly mind and I process my will through the right source the Holy Spirit, I am submitting my will to the will of the father in my daily life which gives me His control and thoughts about any given choice. I therefore can only think with the Mind of Christ which is through His Word which is God’s rational expression of thought.

Our Will power is related to Spirit-control,  except that it can happen for people do not operate through Christ. The exertion of one’s own will on one’s personal self – their behaviors, actions, thought processes can be modified through a source that is not alive and living. Godly Spirit-control comes from the perception of self hidden in God as our source and the ability to set up God’s given boundaries for that new self that is now integrated in to our new nature given as a gift from Christ by God’s Grace. Spirit-control can be expanded into several different areas gradually

. Godly Spirit-control is therefore is received from the living source of Christ through the Holy Spirit who has the the divine ability from within us to exert God’s strength and will over the inhibitions of the mind, soul and  body. This new source causes internal life change through the Living Water of the Holy Spirit which now flows through us as new creatures and our new hearts.

The source of Spirit-Control must be Christ or it becomes behavior modification, self source willpower or legalism rooted in our own strength not God’s Grace. God’s Mind integrates with our Mind to develop the Christly Mind. Christ’s Mind in our Mind is the source of the power of your unconscious mind which is fighting against your conscious intentions and resolutions. When we live the daily abundant life from within, from the source Christ, the things you want to do to overcome bad habits have no internal control because Christ has set us internally free from within, we need to harness the power of Christ integrated in the mind of Christ in our unconscious mind in a new abundant way so that your Spirit-control will be effortless through Christ alone. "Spirit-control and Spirit-discipline are the most important things we need to live an effective life through Christ."

The more I accept God’s control over my life in total surrender of my own will and desires, the more I am living a  spirit-controlled life which may look to be self-control but the source God gives me to fulfill His unique will and His particular desires for my life individually! This is a heavenly economy of God, always rewards those who have eternal victory from seeking first the Kingdom of God. God’s always gives His Eternal favor of internal victory for every believer who has Christ upon the Throne of His heart first.

Where do you need to develop Spirit-control? Is Christ upon the throne of your heart? Pray this prayer and call me at 1-877-702-2GOD please.

Father, I know that I have sinned and have been separated me from you. Forgive me, and now I want to turn my heart over toward you and Give you the throne of my Heart. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

 

In His Grace Forever,

Teddy Awad, CMHP

Young Adult Crisis Hotline and

Biblical Counseling Center

Call Toll Free: 1-877-702-2GOD

                                        (2463)

theodoreawadjr@comcast.net

http://yacrisishotline.tripod.com/

http://youngadultcrisishotline.blogspot.com/

youngadultcrisishotline@comcast.net

 

Interesting Article : http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0846/is_7_24/ai_n13606433

WHY YOUNG ADULTS HATE CHURCH?

 

Statistics that I recently read shed new light on my thoughts about church and what there is to like about it…

Did you know that…????????????????????

· Church members divorce their spouses as often as their secular neighbors.

· Church members beat their wives as often as their neighbors.

· Church members’ giving patterns indicate they are almost as materialistic as non-Christians.

· White evangelicals are the most likely people to object to neighbors of another race.

· Of the “higher-commitment” evangelicals, 26 percent think premarital sex is acceptable, while

· 46 percent of “lower-commitment” evangelicals believe it to be okay also. ^[1]

There are far too many young adults– both the ones that were never raised in church and young adults that were raised as active members of a church – that simply hate church.

Not so long ago, young adults began voting about their opinions of church with their feet. Today, many will vocally express the reasons why they hate church. Below are a few of the reasons that I have heard over and over from young adults. This is not a scientific study. These reasons are subjective, but they bear witness to some startling attitudes about church.

1)      Young adults hate church because they feel like it has nothing for them. They have trouble finding their place. How many times have you heard a young adult say, “I would go to Church, but they don’t have anything for me.” Or “I don’t go to church on Sunday nights, because they don’t have anything for me.”

Young adults do not see themselves as adults and therefore don’t feel like they fit into any of the adult activities. They also don’t see themselves as youth. What’s ironic, is that they are correct. Recent research has proven that adolescence in America goes on for much longer than it used to.^[2]  Popular songs such as Britney Spears’ “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” is an anthem for this generation’s feelings on the subject.

2)      Young adults hate church because they are idealists. Many young adults’ spiritual depth, capacity for faith, and risk for God far outshine church members. (Of course, this is not true in every case.) This generation of young adults has a strong desire to live out their lives in a way that is wholly pleasing to God. They have not yet been jaded by many of life’s disappointments. They still believe in fighting for what is right. Too often, we, as adults, have learned to compromise in order to live a more comfortable life.

3)      Young adults hate church because they are self-focused. The act of being a vital member of a church requires a level of self-sacrifice that many young adults find too uncomfortable. Sin nature, our culture, their developmental place in life, and the generationally segmented church culture all have significant roles in this attitude of self-focus.

4)      Young adults hate church because young adults are immature. Young adults are often both immature and arrogant. Many of our churches value maturity and humility and subtly denigrate young adults for lacking those qualities.

5)      Young adults hate church because young adults hate anything that seems fake. Many churches subtly ask people to “fake it till they make it.” Young adults will not tolerate fakeness. They want authenticity and transparency and they can smell a fake a mile away.

6)      Young adults hate church because they think it is boring. Let’s be honest…. oftentimes church is not much fun. The elements of church that adults find satisfying and fun are very different from those of young adults. Young adults are looking for adventure and novelty and reality shows us that we are in a battle. Other than being scared occasionally, they concentrate on what makes them happy while adults run around trying to save lives and care for the wounded.  

7)      Young adults hate church because they hate bureaucracy and churches are associated with bureaucracy. Finding a  young adult with a positive stance when the word “denomination” is mentioned is like trying to find … well you get the point. The word denomination is associated (rightly or wrongly) with bureaucracy, fighting, and the politicization of Jesus.

8)      Young adult hate churches because churches are “lonely places.” I have heard this phrase over and over again. I suspect that it is a statement that the church has no real community for young adults. It could be a statement that churches are unfriendly places, but I suspect that it has more to do with a lack or real community.

Admitting that young adults and young adults have a problem with church is not easy for me. I think that it should not be easy for any of us. After all, we love Jesus, His church, and His young adults. We know that Christ started the church and that He loves His church. We know that young adults need to be actively involved in a church body – to be obedient and to become all that Christ wants them to become.

So, what can we do to help young adults overcome negative feelings about church?

1)      We must recognize where their negative feelings are coming from….

a.       Friends – although young adults are young adults, because of delayed adulthood, many still behave and rely on friends in a profound way. In a recent book entitled The Nurture Assumption, author Judith Harris hypothesizes that parents actually have less impact on an adolescent than the friends that he or she chooses.^[3]  As ministry leaders, we must recognize that friends’ opinions about God and church are of primary importance to an adolescent.

b.      Culture via Television and Media –
it’s easy for us to ignore this influence because of over-talking, but what’s influencing our adolescents’ culture is a multi-billion dollar business. Companies like MTV make their money by creating a culture that kids will buy. This is a generation of media gluttons and as we know from scripture we become what we take in.

c.       Past personal experience – young adults may be young but they remember negative past experiences and unfortunately many young adults have had negative church experiences. (such as church splits, worship wars, and clergy immorality).

d.      Family attitudes – although friends are of primary importance, family experience is a close second and young adults “catch” attitudes about church from their families. Unfortunately, the percentage of adult Americans involved in church is dropping dramatically^[4] leaving fewer adults with pro-church opinions.

2)      We must work to address their specific reasons for hating church.

a.       Idealism – Young adults are idealistic. They take Jesus seriously. They will give their whole heart to a cause in which they believe. We need to expose young adults to the outlandish challenges of Jesus and help them strive to live up to His expectations. We need to teach them to ignore the criticism that comes from adults that are no longer idealistic. We should encourage their idealism and seek to protect it for as long as possible. If young adults find a church that is radical about Jesus and His claims, they will respond.

b.      Maturity – Young adults are not adults. Because of delayed adulthood, they are really not young adults until very near the end of the college undergraduate degree. Therefore, we should not treat them like adults. We should strive to move them adulthood and maturity in Christ, while still recognizing the real maturity challenges that they face. As churches and ministries we should still seek to provide specialized ministry to young adults like we do children and youth. They are a special class of people and as a whole they do not possess the maturity to get over the “I’m not going because they don’t have anything for me” attitude.

c.       Community – Young adults travel in packs like wolves. If we seek to create a ministry that will truly reach lost young adults and disciple young adult believers then we must create a community for them. For too long we have viewed community-building activities such as retreats and fun events as a waste of time and a distraction. Many have felt that these “fun” activities distract us from evangelism and discipleship. However, this generation must have community as a foundation before anything else can be done.

3)      We must pray that God will speak to this generation about His church – that He will change their attitude and our attitude. Let’s face it, apart from a unique move of God, this generation will continue to struggle through life without the benefits of a church community.

---

[1] The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience by Ronald J. Sider

[2] Youth Ministry in an Age of Adulthood by Chap Clark, accessed at http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/ adolescent_development/delayed_adulthood.php

[3] The Nurture Assumption by Judith Harris (The Free Press, New York 1998)

[4] The End of American “Religion as We Know It”? by Charles Harper, accessed at http://moses.creighton.edu/kripke/news/S97-3.html

Culture of the Inner Man

Do not forget the culture of the inner man—I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God’s sword, His instrument—I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.

Robert Murray McCheyne

 

 

CAN WE REALLY SAVE OURSELVES?

 

DOES BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION WORK?

IS MY WILLPOWER ENOUGH?

If you received a deadly snake bite, what would you do, submit to the prescribed treatment or question and doubt it? Would you first have to have all of your medical questions answered about the treatment? Would you rely on your own ability to provide the needed cure? Or would you do what common sense tells you to do, realize that you are in a serious condition and about to die, and without further delay accept the offered cure for what it is, the only remedy, your only hope.

In the Old Testament portion of the Bible we read where the people of Israel faced just a situation. In Numbers, chapter 21, the people of Israel rebelled against God and Moses, and as retribution God sent poisonous serpents among the people, and as they were bitten they died. In God’s mercy He provided a cure for the snake bite by instructing Moses to make a brass serpent like the ones biting the people. After the brass serpent was made, Moses put it on a pole and lifted it up, and those who were bitten by a snake, if they would look to the uplifted brass serpent they would live. This was an act of obedience and faith by the one bitten.

The New Testament tells of One Who was lifted up for all to behold and to be healed. This healing, however, is not from a snake bite, but rather from the ravages of sin. You see, we all inherited Adam’s sin nature (Rom. 5:12), and out of (or because of) that sin nature we commit the acts of sin. None of us are exempt – we are all sinners doing the acts of sin (Rom. 3:10-18), the wages of which are physical and spiritual death (Rom. 6:23), judgment (He. 10:27), and eternal damnation in hell for those who die without receiving Jesus Christ as personal Savior.

Our problem is similar to the one that the people in Numbers 21 had – we can’t do anything to save ourselves. We are like two men in quicksand – neither can save the other, and the more self-effort struggle is applied, the deeper we sink. So what are we to do then? Hear the Word of God in John 3:14-16, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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.”

Repentance: 

Repentance is the translation of the Greek word “metanoia”.  The literal meaning of “metanoia” is “a change of mind”.  “Meta” means, “change”.  “Noia” means “mind”.  So, therefore, “meta-noia” means a “change of mind”.  Before learning about metanoia, I am sure that you are already familiar with a Greek word with the prefix “meta”.  That word is “metamorphosis”.  “Meta” means “change”, and “morphosis” means “form or structure”.  This word metamorphosis is used to describe the change a caterpillar goes through to become a beautiful butterfly.  I am sure that you have studied about this change of form.  Repentance, therefore, (metanoia) is a change of mind.

This simply means that any person who will Change their mind of their sins and believe that Jesus Christ shed His blood and died on the Cross of Calvary as the full and final payment for the sin debt that we owe which is the judgement of death, and receive Him as personal Savior, that person will be saved for all eternity.

We Just look at Jesus. Do we Cure ourselves of our own sin by behavior modification or try to fix ourselves? We may and will or can to try,obviously resulting in the effect of utterly failing all the more. The powdering or perfuming of the flesh (the old sin nature, we all inherited Adam’s sin nature (Rom 5:12 ) will still remain dirty and smelly because of the root cause that need to be dealt with which is  our sin nature. The root cause of our old sin nature that needs to die daily by us looking to Christ daily and the work that Christ has already accomplished on the cross for all of us. We look at the person of Christ and He does the healing, Christ causes the internal changes of our lives from the work Christ finished on the cross of Calvary we daily are receivers of the past action that has continual effects. We do not perform the action of saving ourselves or cause ourselves to change. Christ has already, He became our sin and we become His Righteousness right in Him) (2 Cor 5:21).

This is a matter of looking and believing, Not looking and doing ourselves over to be like Christ. It is a daily process of becoming like Christ daily through the person and Work of the Cross, this is the Gospel of Grace which is the Good News. It would be really Bad news if we had to or must pay for our own sins in self-salvation to save ourselves. This type of Goodness is just as evil and wicked as an act of adultery. It is Spiritual adultery to even think that we can or could  save ourselves or cure ourselves from the serpent’s bite. The bite to be cured has only one remedy it does not need us at all, it only needed the person of Christ to be nailed to a cross to die a death so that we may live in Christ’s Finished Work.

The believing in John 3:16 is connected to looking in John 3:14-15 and Numbers 21-6-9. Did the ones who were bitten cure themselves of the serpent bite. They just turned from one direction they were going to another and just gazed at th

e Brass serpent on the poll which is a type of the Crucified Christ on a pole or Cross to satisfy the judgement of God toward us once and for all. The very moment they looked they lived. They received deliverance and healing from looking. We continuously receive Eternal life day by day. It is all in the look at the Cross and then our then faith then comes. Our faith is birthed from turning in our mind to the Work that was already accomplished for us through the person of Christ. We just have to receive life from looking to Jesus daily for he paid it all already.

Spiritual healing and deliverance from the grasp of sin is possible, today, right now – but only through salvation in Jesus Christ. The “old” way of life and habits are to be let go, because we have  become a new creation in Christ. Hear again God’s Word, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new.” (2 Co. 5:17) Once a person receives Jesus Christ as personal Savior, he is not perfect, just forgiven, having the personal responsibility to just look to therefore live for Christ (2 Co. 5:15; 1 Co. 6:19-20).

The people in Numbers 21 were to look upon the brass serpent that Moses had made on God’s directions for their deliverance. No other substitute would do, no rocks, trees, birds – only that which God provided was acceptable. The same is true today my friend. For our salvation we are “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith: …” (He. 12:2).

In His Grace Forever,

Pastor Teddy Awad, CMHP

Young Adult Crisis Hotline 

Call Toll Free: 1-877-702-2GOD

                                        (2463)

theodoreawadjr@comcast.net

http://yacrisishotline.tripod.com/

http://youngadultcrisishotline.blogspot.com/

youngadultcrisishotline@comcast.net