- Blue Rose Tuesdays 05/11/2012
- What Love is This? 04/13/2012
- Rapture, Purpose, and the work of Jesus 05/12/2012
- The New Church System & Spiritual Sex-Trafficking 05/09/2012
What Does it Mean to be His “Body”?
The pressure that we all face to be just like someone else is one of the most detrimental cancers infecting the church today.
If we think about the fact that all throughout Scripture, we are referred to as the “Body” of Christ, the notion of trying to force your own personality or methods on other people really becomes quite foolish.
Paul spoke on this in his letter to the Corinthian church when mentioning how strange it would be for certain parts of the body to insinuate that they don’t need each other.
I need you to be good at being you, and you need me to be good at being me. My eyes are awful when they are trying to hear and my elbow has an atrocious sense of smell.
Each part of the body is wired to and created to function in a specific capacity, and at the same time, they do NOT function well in other ways.
I am convinced that as the representation of Christ’s body on this planet, we must collectively figure out a way to see all of His members functioning in what they are created to do.
We must stop trying to discourage the knuckles from acting like the knuckles, and we must stop trying to impose our crazy ideas that the mouths should act like the eyes.
Would you get upset if your barista wasn’t using her foot to prepare your coffee in the morning? Of course not! Why?
Because your feet weren’t created to function that way. Nor was your nose created to digest your breakfast sandwich.
I use these bizarre and mildly humorous examples to illustrate a very real issue that has been plaguing the church as a whole – we’ve got a whole lot of people that are wired to function in a very specific, and NECESSARY capacity, trying to impose their own methods, opinions, and functions on other parts of the Body who simply are NOT created to function in those ways.
I am speaking on my own behalf in this regard as well. We all obviously have a natural bent towards our own ways of thinking. At the same time, until we figure out how to let each other be who God has created us all to be and to stop trying to get others to be just like us, we will remain ineffective, complacent, frustrated, angry, bitter, and oh…did I mention ineffective?
With such a wonderful privilege to partner with the Spirit of God in bringing His love, power, and freedom to the world around us, is it really worth it to continue wasting our time meddling in childish games of trying to get everyone to be just like us? The Greek word for ‘evil’ all throughout the New Testament can be translated to mean ‘fruitless labor’ or ‘toil’. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a whole lot of time to figure out that expecting someone’s finger to act like their spine is pretty fruitless.
I need you to be just like God created you.
And you need me to be just like God created me.
Let’s resolve to all work together as His body and let each part do what it’s good at.
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Jesus’ Position on Prayer & ‘Intercession’
I am convinced that what many people have defined as ‘prayer’ is one of the biggest idols and hindrances to seeing the Kingdom of God advance and be demonstrated in the church today.
People seem to get so tweaked out when I mention the fact that Jesus never emphasized many of the things that are so heavily emphasized in churches today, but the undeniable reality is that much of what is taught in our churches on the subject of ‘prayer’ and many other topics for that matter is actually the complete polar opposite of what Jesus taught.
On the subject of prayer specifically, not only is it the polar opposite, but it is something He specifically instructed people NOT to do!
Do I believe we should pray? Of course!
Do I believe there are right and wrong ways to do it? Absolutely!
How can I say that? Because Jesus did!
Have you ever noticed that before Jesus taught how TO pray, He had to first rebuke and shut down the bad mindsets that the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day had created about “prayer”?
Here are some passages of Scripture that you probably won’t hear taught much from pulpits because it so blatantly exposes things that occur and are encouraged in churches all over the world every day:
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues (church buildings of the day) and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”
- Matthew 6:5 (NIV)
So the first thing Jesus mentions on the topic of prayer in the Sermon on the Mount is what NOT to do.
That’s interesting seeing as so many people are so against the notion of preaching against bad mindsets because we “don’t want to be known for what we’re against, we want to be known what we are for”.
I agree with that sentiment. But the reality is that if you are for something, you also have to be against the opposite of what you are for.
If I am “for” love, that must mean I am “against” hate. If I am “for” freedom”, that must mean that I am also “against” bondage.
If I am “for” right ways to pray, that must mean I am “against” wrong ways to pray.
Again, how can I say that there are right and wrong ways to do it? Because Jesus did. He clearly outlined the characteristics of wrong ways to pray…and one of the first qualities of that was often exhibited by the religious elite of His day — those hypocrites LOVED to pray. Check out the Message translation of the above verse:
“And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?”
- Matthew 6:5 (MSG)
Sound familiar?
Ever been to one of those (zillions of) prayer meetings where everybody is jumping on the microphone shouting their prayers at God, trying to get Him to do something? I know that I’ve been to more than I can count.
It’s not a new practice. It’s something that was going on even in Jesus’ day with the Pharisees and teachers of the law who thought they were earning brownie points from God with all of their prayer meetings.
This is the mindset I am addressing. The very same one Jesus had to address in His day because there was so much nonsense being paraded around and called “prayer” when it was little more than human performance trying to earn something from God.
Let’s keep looking at what Jesus said:
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
- Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”
- Matthew 6:6 (MSG)
Here Jesus clearly draws a line in the sand between what God is looking for and what the religious elite of the day had been perpetuating. Have you ever been in those kinds of meetings where a bunch of people around you are praying loudly or with a lot of eloquent, perfect-sounding speech and you felt guilty or condemned because you had this thought go through your head:
“You’ll never be able to pray as well as them…listen to how holy they are…listen to how well they can pray…you can never measure up to that standard, etc…”
I’m here to tell you point blank that is the voice of the devil and his entire goal is to get you to try and perform in prayer or for God to try and earn something instead of learning to rest in the grace that God has for us.
That is what Jesus was addressing. The religious elite of His day had turned prayer into a show for those who were watching. It is the same today.
Let me state once again, I am NOT saying “don’t pray”!
What I am saying, is that your prayer life is something that should be between you and God in the same way that the intimacy you have with your spouse is between you and them. Can you imagine what it would do to your relationship with your spouse if you started broadcasting all the details of your intimate conversations to everyone in your church?
That is what Jesus was talking about. Don’t be duped into letting your prayer life be on public display for all to see.
Have you ever wondered why there are so many prayer meetings and yet seemingly so few actual answered prayers?
It’s because of this. Jesus said clearly: “…they have received their reward in full”.
Let’s keep going.
“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
- Matthew 6:7-8 (NKJV)
“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.”
- Matthew 6:7-8 (MSG)
So here Jesus states that it is the heathen, the pagans, the people of the world, who pray with ‘vain repetitions’ and think they are ‘prayer warriors’. Meaning, repeating the same phrases over and over, ‘bombarding the gates of heaven’, thinking that it will get them better results.
Jesus clearly says to NOT do this, because our Father in heaven already knows what we have need of even before we pray!
How people can think this isn’t incredibly good news is absolutely beyond me.
The only time that people don’t think this is good news is when they legitimately believe that they need to convince God to do everything and that without all their important prayer meetings, the world would fall apart.
Colossians 1:17 says that Jesus holds all things together, not all of the so-called ‘prayer’ meetings that happen around the world every day.
What this really boils down to, friends, is that much of what has been called ‘prayer’ today, is not prayer that pleases God. Much of what is called ‘prayer’ today is more along the lines of the prayers of the religious hypocrites and pagans of Jesus’ day.
It denies the work of and words of Christ openly, defiantly, and plainly. It is undeniable when one looks at the verses above.
Jesus then goes on in the passage to talk about a simple way to pray — where your focus is on God and who He is, trusting in His faithfulness instead of our ability to work really hard at trying to stay faithful.
You are now probably wondering, “Okay, what next?”
Listen to this free audio series called “A Better Way to Pray”.
I promise you that it will change your life completely if you listen to it and put it into practice. You will start seeing that your prayers are answered much faster, and with a lot less stress and work on your part.
Here are some video clips:
A Better Way to Pray (Part 1):
A Better Way to Pray (Part 2):
A Better Way to Pray (Part 3):
Also, if you are wondering what many ask — about 2 Chronicles 7:14, please go here and here.
Your life will never be the same. Be blessed and be free!
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Maintaining this site and everything it is connected to takes up a lot of time and we greatly appreciate any and all help that you can extend our way!
“The World is Getting Better” – Harold Eberle
This is an article by Harold Eberle.
“The world is getting better! Start off the year with this optimistic view.
As I travel around the world and minister, I find Christians in my own country very pessimistic. I don’t see it in Africa.
In fact, in poorer regions of the world I meet Christians with incredible hope and vision. Even in the midst of poverty and oppression, they have confidence that the Kingdom of God will expand and eventually will take control of their countries.
Here in North America I see the opposite. Christians seem to have so little faith.
It makes me mad. I think it is a demon of pessimism. Don’t submit to it. Resist him and he will flee from you.
A quick dose of the truth will help you see clearly. Just glance back in time and take a few snap shots of how life was at various moments in the past.
As an American, I can glance back 200 years and see the conditions of my country in the early 1800’s. Of course, there were some godly individuals laying the foundations of our government, but the moral and ethical climate of America was tragic.
The enslavement of tens of thousands of Africans was a curse upon our culture. Thousands of Chinese people also were being brought into our country to serve as forced laborers.
Several of our early presidents owned slaves. President Jefferson is known to have fathered several children through his slaves. The native Americans were being forced off of their lands and many murdered. Pioneers who pushed into the West had almost no churches to attend until years after their settlements were established.
A recent book entitled Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Church, draws on the church membership records of that time and reveals that the percentage of US citizens attending church then was much smaller than it is today. It also reports that the age of sexual consent in some states was 13 years old.
History books also tell us that alcoholism was at its highest rate in our country’s history. Things were not better morally, ethically, nor spiritually at that time in our history. The good old days were not so good.
Glance back further and look at the whole world 2000 years ago.
Around the time Jesus came into the world, the Roman Empire was controlling civilization, which centered around Europe and Northern Africa. Most of the Roman and Greek peoples worshipped many gods, such as Zeus and Venus. Even the Roman emperor was considered a god, and people throughout the Empire had to pay tribute to the emperor, recognizing him as divine.
Outside of the Roman Empire people in most of Africa, Asia, and Australia worshipped nature, demons, and their own dead ancestors. Here in North America the people had no revelation of the coming Messiah, and in South America millions worshipped a bloodthirsty god who demanded human sacrifices, often numbering in the thousands in one ceremony.
When Jesus came to the Earth, there was only one tiny little nation located in the Middle East that had a revelation of the one true God, and even its citizens were living in a time of great doubt.
All of the rest of the world was lost in darkness. As the apostle Paul wrote: “…formerly you, the Gentiles…were at that time separated from Christ…having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:11-12). That was the condition of the world 2000 years ago.
So many Christians today miss this. They don’t realize how far the world has advanced.
They forget that today Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with 5,000 to 10,000 new born-again Christians every hour. However, when the news media brings some tragic event into the living room of their homes, they lose sight of the big picture.
They immediately fall for the lie that everything is going down hill. They forget that the same television is broadcasting the Gospel to every corner of the Earth for the first time in history.
I recently heard a sincere believer ask, “Is America going to collapse like the Roman Empire did because of moral decay?” How foolish!
First of all, the Roman Empire did not collapse because of moral decay. The city of Rome was destroyed in 410 AD and usually the date 476 AD is assigned to the fall of the Empire. But consider the conditions of the Empire in the Fifth Century, compared with any time earlier in its history.
…we need to consider why the Roman Empire fell in the Fifth Century. Daniel the prophet gave us the answer when he interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:31-45). Daniel explained that a “Rock” would come into the Earth at the time of the Roman Empire and eventually that Rock would grow into a mountain which would destroy the Empire. Daniel also made it clear that the Rock was the eternal Kingdom of God.
According to Scripture what destroyed the Roman Empire? The expansion of Christianity. And that is exactly what happened. When the vast majority of those in the Empire embraced Christianity, the whole culture changed. The emperor no longer could demand to be worshipped.
By the Fifth Century, almost all of the temples of the false gods had been turned into Christian churches. Certainly there was still evil in the Roman Empire, but the savagery of the masses watching people being murdered in the Coliseums was eliminated. Christianity changed the culture. Good overcame the Roman Empire.
The same thing happens today when Christianity comes into a country where false gods are worshipped and/or dictators rule. When Christianity flows in, people take on Christian values. When people realize that they are created in God’s image, they begin to want to rule themselves rather than serve a dictator. When people recognize that we all are created in God’s image, they put an end to murder and slavery. Wherever Christianity goes, values and societies change.
Of course, today there are still terrible atrocities going on in the Earth. But we must not lose sight of the bigger picture. Many Christians are fixated on abortion, which is, indeed, the curse of our generation. However, we must not fixate on this. The battle is not over. We still can change things.
God has not given up. Neither have I!
Christians sometimes compare today’s baby slaughter with those which happened in the days of Moses and Jesus.
Babies were murdered en masse, but Satan did not succeed either time in stopping the deliverance which God had planned. Moses came. Jesus came.
The Evil One will not succeed this time either. [This generation] will lead the Church into the full promises of God.
Consider from another perspective this scourge of abortion. Everything Satan does ultimately brings his defeat.
Killing the Savior brought salvation for the world. With that revelation, consider the tragic outcome of today’s abortion crisis. Who has been removed from the Earth? The babies of those who believe in abortion. Those people are without a generation to fill their shoes.
Of course, God is grieved over the slaughter of the unborn. Of course, we must show compassion to people who have been involved in this holocaust.
But do not be fooled: God will turn all things around for His glory and victory.
Whenever someone asks you, “What is this world coming to?” give them the truth: “It is coming to the feet of Jesus!” It is happening rapidly—very rapidly.”
- Harold Eberle
Also check out Harold’s book for a more hope-filled, biblical end-times view:
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating.
Maintaining this site and everything it is connected to takes up a lot of time and we greatly appreciate any and all help that you can extend our way!
- Healing In Eternity 05/16/2012
- Are You In Need Of Rest? 05/14/2012
- How Deep is Your Relationship with God? 04/12/2012
- Organic Church Introduction 01/30/2012
- The 7 Most Popular Verses in the Bible 05/16/2012
- The Way 05/04/2012
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