as we face the modern world with all its trouble and turmoil and with all it difficulties and sadness, nothing is more important than that we who call ourselves Christian, and who claim the Name of Christ, should be representing our faith in such a way before others, as to give them the impression that
here is the solution, and here is the answer.”
{ D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones }
do you know about positive post tuesday?
pastor greg laurie has been posting these short, devotional videos recently which help focus our thoughts on God and to remember all that He has done for us.
this video is entitled Why Should I Give Thanks To God?
it’s a fair question and deserves a thoughtful, Biblical answer.
today i hope you discover a little more of how much God loves you and all that He desires to do in and through your life here on the earth.
it’s tuesday. be positive!
blessings.
Then the Lord spoke to my heart.
He simply said, ‘Who are you serving?’
I said, ‘I am serving You, Lord.’
And He replied, ‘Then quit your griping.’
So don’t serve with a bitter heart.
Don’t serve with resentment.
As the Scriptures tell us:
Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
(Colossians 3.17)
There’s no more important attitude to have in the ministry.
We need to serve as unto the Lord because we’re going to find people obnoxious.
We’re going to find them unthankful.
We’re going to find that they’re demanding and that many times they’re
miserable to be around.
So if you think, ‘I’ve got to serve them,’ it will get to you.
But if you think, ‘I’m serving the Lord,’ then you’ll be able to handle it.
Whatever our service, we must do it as unto the Lord, knowing that
from the Lord, you will receive your reward.
Don’t look for the applause of men.
Don’t look for people to say, ‘Oh thank you. Oh you mean so much to me.’
For so often it won’t come.
You need to keep the mental attitude of doing everything as unto the Lord,
knowing that of the Lord, you will receive your reward.
Chuck Smith • Calvary Chapel Distinctives
churches have lots of different goals.
some churches focus more on evangelism while another might focus on missions.
churches also have a lot of different ways of reaching those goals, be they specific or idealogical.
churches have different styles.
some churches wear loafers and some wear chucks.
these are all good things.
because if 2 churches are exactly the same…the same ideology and methodology, the same style and format, the same when and how, then they should just merge together to better impact this world for the Gospel, which is our common goal.
when we look around, we find a wide variety of churches, each with their own goals and methods and styles and feels.
God is a God of variety, so it makes sense that His people will be a people of variety.
these are all good things.
i know that there are a couple different churches represented in the regular readership of this little blog. so, my question to you is this:
what is one thing you LOVE that your church does?
i’m not really looking for things like, “my church is friendly and makes me feel welcome,” or, “my church is casual and that makes me feel relaxed.”
those are good things, but i’d like us to pause and think about the different methods/styles/ministries/goals of our churches and share them, both to praise the Lord for His power and faithfulness, and also just to share.
because sharing is caring.
so there it is: what is one thing that your church does that you love?
lay it on me…
do you know about positive post tuesday?
if i’m honest, i think sometimes positivity is only possible when things are good. i act like it is a condition of my current situation.
it’s as if i’ve convinced myself that i can be positive (loving, gracious, compassionate) only if my circumstances are beneficial to me in some way.
when we look into the Bible we find that Christians are never promised that things will always be good. in fact, we’re promised much the opposite; that suffering and struggle and persecution and hurt are coming our way.
today people are struggling all over the place, be they Christian or not.
and still, we know that we can be positive because of who we serve…the God of Love.
i was reminded of this fact today when i saw this little video in my reader from pastor greg laurie.
i’m excited about the work God wants to do around the world today and i’m even more excited that He wants me to be a little part of it.
it’s tuesday. be positive.
we have a little joke that a few of us have been kicking around @calvaryhanford recently:
“my liberty, your problem.”
while the doctrine of Christian liberty is a real topic and a real balance that each child of God has to work out with their Father, for the 21st century american Church the topic of liberty is no longer individual and private unto the Lord, but open, bold and broadcast for all the world to witness.
it is interesting to us when we notice how, not only do some Christians seem to be demanding and defending liberties that have not been historically seen as permissible for God’s people, but more importantly, they are actively evangelizing for their liberties, while ignoring the ill effects that some of them have on other Christians and those outside the family of God.
there seems to be a strong current in the Church today that the more mature you are as a Believer, the more ‘liberties’ you have to indulge in habits, substances, attitudes and activities that are usually not associated with holy living.
…mostly because the idea of ‘holy living’ has been all but forgotten in our current Christian culture.
and where our little joke comes in is when we see Christians, with their liberties (whether real or self-proclaimed) who not only seem unbothered by the stumbling block that they put in front of other people when they openly practice and endorse the habits and choices in question, but in fact scold and mock those other people for BEING stumbled!
my liberty. your problem.
we don’t seem to recognize (or maybe just acknowledge) that our endorsement and participation in certain behaviors might stumble the people around us in serious ways.
the apostle paul talked about those sorts of situations in his epistles.
now, liberty is real. stumbling is real. we have to find a balance and live our lives in the way that the Lord directs us. i understand that there are things that stumble others that folks really have been given a green light on from Jesus.
but that’s not where our joke comes in.
our joke comes in when we see Christians broadcasting these habits and indulgences and substances and activities and then failing to admit that it might adversely impact other Christians.
and, often these days, when you attempt to call a person on that issue, you are mocked and derided for daring to intrude into their private life (after it spilled onto twitter or facebook or face-to-face interaction)!
so here’s the thing…it seems like many of us in the american church have made a statue idol to liberty. it seems like we’re looking more and more like our unbelieving friends and neighbors. it seems like all the things they do, we do. all the places they go, we go. all the words they use, we use.
so the question is this: what does separation from the world mean to you and is it necessary today?
maranatha
do you know about positive post tuesday?
today’s positive post is simple. no fancy pictures or attempts at comedy.
just the reminder that the God of the universe is great, merciful and is looking for each and every one of us, that He might speak to us about His love and His plan for our lives.
He is the God who left heaven to live on earth and die on a roman cross while we were yet sinners.
He is the God who fashioned us and formed us in our mothers’ wombs and made us with a purpose.
He is the God who provides His word, His gifting and His Holy Spirit to guide and fill and direct and empower, day in and day out.
He is the God who could look Judas in the face at the Garden of Gethsemane and call him ‘friend.’
a God of love and grace. a God of power and mercy. a God who, even now, is looking at me and offering me life, and that more abundantly.
it’s tuesday.
be positive!
i did a little segment last night at our Ignite service that we’re calling Mid-Week/Re-Cap, where we talk about the different studies and messages that are going on @calvaryhanford.
we believe that God speaks to us specifically as individuals and as a congregation through His word and the messages that He places on the hearts of our teachers, so the things that we’re studying must be pretty darn important! so, the recap is just to help jog our memories of the things God has been sharing with us as a congregation.
audio below.
blessings.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
welcome to the internet.
like most people, you’ve been connected for some time. and in that time you have, no doubt, discovered that the wide, wide world of web can be an angry, cynical, unfair, finger-pointing place…even among Christian sites.
some people would like that to change.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
{ Matthew 5.16 }“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
{ John 15.11 }
as God’s people, we are to demonstrate love, not hate. we are to be full of compassion and mercy and forgiveness and joy everywhere we go and in all that we do.
online it’s easy to become someone else. it’s easy to be someone angry, someone spiteful, someone who doesn’t care about the effect of their words or attitudes. someone who is brazenly negative.
it’s time to be positive.
here’s the idea (it’s not mine, it’s this guy’s): on your blog, on your facebook, on your twitter, on your myspace, on your web space, when you add something new, designate it with either a + or a – .
it’s a pretty simple equation.
+ = something positive
- = something negative
say what you want.
post what you want.
act how you want.
but be honest about what it is that you are broadcasting.
+ or -
for me, it’s a good reminder that i am out here representing Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. i’m representing the One who left heaven that He might put on flesh forever and serve the very people that rejected Him.
He chose to love unconditionally.
He loved us while we loved Him not.
and now i am His representative to the whole world.
the least i can do is think about the words i’m typing for that world to see.
be like Christ.
blessings.
+
