When the Blind Lead the Blind

As a part of my personal time with God I am reading through the book of Romans. I am doing this for a few reasons. The first is because I cannot be reminded enough that God's grace is abundant and it is the only reason I am who I am. Secondly it is a great reminder that I am so stinkin' sinful and am in total need of a Savior, because if admission to Heaven were based on me...we are all screwed. Finally, Romans is a great reminder (and a great tool) that there are so many people that we need to introduce to Jesus.

Well, today I wanted to share just a small portion of Romans 2 that hit me hard!
19 You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. 20 You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth. 21 Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? 22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? 23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. 24 No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.” - Romans 2:19-24NLT

There are several things that hit me:

1. Recognition of my calling to start and lead Generation Church- I am 100% that this is what God has called me to do and to be a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness.
2. I must be practicing what I preach at all times!
3. My relationship with my wife and my commitment to her, our marriage, and the intimacy between us is the number one priority relationship outside of my relationship with Jesus.
4. It is vital that I do not give anyone any reason to walk away from Jesus.

So what do you get from these verses and how can you live a life so that you are not a blind man (or woman) leading the blind?

You Matter!

Since the age of 16 I have known that my purpose in life is to develop passionate, whole-hearted followers of Jesus. In other words, I know that my calling in life is to create a generation of people who love Jesus with everything in their beings and strive to live daily for Him.

This has not been an easy task. I have had several great ministries that I have been a part of that has allowed me to make a difference for the time being. And to be honest with you, I've had some major successes along the way! However, what most people don't confess is that I have failed along the way as well. These failures are where I have learned the most!

So, what is the point for this post? Here goes...you are called to be who you are! There will be failures along the way, and people who will tell you that what you have done previously doesn't matter. But the reality is that everything matters to God. Your successes and your failures, because YOU MATTER TO GOD! So as I prepare to step out in the next phase of my life, this is more of a reminder to me that I MATTER TO GOD, and He cares more about my faithfulness than my success!

Life UnPlugged

What would your life look like if the Holy Spirit truly flowed through you and out of you like a river?

Jesus said in John 7:37-38 - “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” Verse 39 explains that this living water is in fact the Holy Spirit.

So, if you were consumed by the Holy Spirit, what would life be like? I think many times Christians tend to minimize the Holy Spirit. Particularly, many of us think that the Holy Spirit is an inactive part of God that only shows His face when its convenient for us or when we feel guilty about something. However, time and time the Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit is living and active dwelling in God's New Temple, our hearts.

I think if many of us would begin to come and drink, as Jesus says, that we will begin to experience the rushing rivers of living water, the Holy Spirit. When allowing this rushing river to unleash we cannot help but see our life changed. The way you look at things becomes different, the things you say sounds different, and ultimately your purpose changes. By allowing this river of living water to rush through you others will be changed.

So, do you want to make a difference in your life? In someone else's life? In your church? Allow the Holy Spirit to consume you and take control of everything! That is life unplugged and to the fullest!

5 Things You Should Be Doing For The Church (part 2)

#2. Praying for the Leadership God Has Put in Place

I think many times people get to pray for the pastor's of their church and the ministry leaders. God has placed them in that position with that authority for a particular reason and its essential to cover them in your prayers.

Many times people get frustrated and ticked off at the decisions leaders make for the church, but instead of getting ticked off, you should be praying for them. Obviously they are making a decision for a reason. So what if they think that switching to contemporary style of worship will improve the ability to reach more people. So what if there is no longer your Grandma's organ and drums are now in the Sanctuary (guess what there were drums in the Bible and I haven't found a single mention of an organ yet). God presents his vision for the church through the Sr. Pastor and unless that Sr. Pastor is living against God's Word, your job is to follow that vision. Now, if God has given you clear vision on how the church should be ran...GO START ANOTHER CHURCH. But I promise you if you can't be a follower, you can NEVER be a LEADER!

5 Things You Should Be Doing For The Church (part 1)

Lately, I have really been seeking what God wants from me as a Pastor and even more importantly what does He want from His Church. As I've been praying and seeking His Word, I've come to the realization that God desires us to get up off of our rear ends and be His Bride, His Followers, HIS CHURCH!

So what can you be doing for the Church? This is both for your local church as well as the entire family of God. So you should be...

#1. Praying for People

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results -James 5:16

I really think that James is very clear when he says that we NEED to be praying for people. I believe this is not just for fellow Christians, but definitely for those who don't believe. Why? Well it is clear that there is POWER in prayer and the results are going to be wonderful or as one translation puts it the results are something to be reckoned with.