This Interview

The Good Series, 7

I saw this and it REALLY caught my attention and I have been thinking about it. Please read and think about it too.

An interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren

This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California. 

People ask me, what is the purpose of life?

And I respond: In a nutshell,

Life is preparation for eternity.

We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth.

I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before.

I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence.

He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves:

Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better.

God didn't put me on earth just to fulfil a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

In the happy moments, PRAISE GOD. In the difficult moments, SEEK GOD. In the quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. In the painful moments, TRUST GOD. And, in every moment, THANK GOD.

The Church

The Good Series, 6

The church is the body of Christ (the body of believers) and not the physical structure where Christians go to worship. Some have said that within the body of Christ there are differences in teachings, thereby bringing about controversies in certain subjects.

Let me make it clear, the gospel of Christ we received is one and only one – the gospel of life. There is no problem or controversy in or with the gospel. I will tell you where the problem is – the problem is with a few of the preachers and teachers of the gospel.

These few have agenda different from Ephesians 4:11-13. Their agenda are personal and some self-servicing, so what do they do? They twist and bend the gospel to fit into their agenda. But you can know them, just place their teachings side-by-side with what the bible says and you will see discrepancies and at times complete fallacy.

The church is not just for perfect people, the reason we have preachers and teachers of the gospel is - ‘’for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ’’ Ephesians 4:12 (KJV).

When we twist the gospel to further our personal agenda - are we taking the saints through the path of perfection, and edifying of the body of Christ? – NO

When we start to import the values of the world into the church - are we taking the saints through the path of perfection, and edifying of the body of Christ? – NO

When we see or know of, sexual immorality in the church and we don’t address it - are we taking the saints through the path of perfection, and edifying of the body of Christ? – NO

When we see people that we know that their source of income is not very clear or questionable and we don’t call them aside to inquire, just because they are bringing money to the church - are we taking the saints through the path of perfection, and edifying of the body of Christ? – NO

When we see all sorts of anomalies in the church and we close our eyes to them or pretend that they are not there – are we taking the saints through the path of perfection, and edifying of the body of Christ? – NO

And for every one that is a member of the church, if you have been in the church for a while and your life is not challenging people around you to become better, then you are wasting you attendance to church. For those living in disobedience to God’s word to be comfort around you is an anomaly

Finally my brethren, the purpose of the church is to change us and get us ready for the coming of the Master, what is the use of being in church and then end up in hell with those that did not go to church at all?

If you are touched by this series, I would love to hear from you. Just drop me a comment.

                                                                                                              

God Bless You

Grace

The Good Series, 5

Several people have given grace several definition, the popular one being that ‘’grace is un-merited favour’’. I tend to agree with it somehow, but that definition does not capture completely what grace is. Grace itself and not the word is beyond human comprehension

When someone gets employed in a company and after six months gets double promotion, while those that have been there for years are still in one place – that is Grace

When a hardened armed robber that has no regard for God talk less of man, get invited to a child dedication ceremony in a church and an altar call is made and somehow not out of his own will, he finds himself in front shading tears and giving his life to Christ  - that is Grace

In a family of nine children, eight has PhD and the remaining one refused to go to school, not even secondary school. The rest saw him as useless, a waste that will amount to nothing in life. Suddenly out of the blues he becomes the star, the financial pillar of the family. If a family meeting is called and this illiterate is late in coming all the PhD holders have to wait till he comes and if he does not show up that meeting has to be rescheduled and if any decision is taken in his absence, when he shows up that decision will either be changed or reviewed – that is Grace.

When a man is living in serious and un-tamed disobedience to God and his word but still anything that man touches turns into gold – that is Grace

When an armed rubber goes for operation every other night and returns home successfully – that is Grace

… and there is more to the list

But there is a ‘’but’’ in the matter – grace can expire, yes it can dry up. Many people are enjoying grace without knowing that it has a limit. Ezra 9:8 “But now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the Lord our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant. He has given us security in this holy place. Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from our slavery. (NLT) you can read it from verse 6

What makes grace to expire?

Taking God for granted can cause grace to dry up

Living in disobedience to God’s word can cause grace to dry up

Every act of disobedience to God or evil reduces the grace upon a man. Romans 6:1. ‘’What shall we say [to all this]? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace (favor and mercy) may multiply and overflow? (AMPC)

What happens when grace expires?

When grace expires life becomes unbearable

When grace expires what used to work stops working

When grace expires, that armed robber that grace has been preserving his life to see if he will repent, will either get caught or killed

When grace expires life becomes miserable

What do you do when grace expires?

Wake up from your slumber, go back to God, and surrender your life to him and pray for him to restore back your grace. Then start living in obedience to his word

If you are touched by this series, I would love to hear from you. Just drop me a comment.

God Bless You

This New Life

The Good Series, 4

Am sure you remember the account in the bible of the apostles, after receiving the Holy Spirit went about preaching the good news of Jesus Christ and healing sick folks.

Because of their teachings and the super natural things they were doing, many believed in the Lord and got converted. The people brought more sick folks for them to heal. It was recorded that even as Peter passes on the streets his shadow was healing the sick (just mere shadow, can you beat that?). The apostles became celebrities.

However because of their teachings, miracles and how highly the people regarded them. The high priest and his associates, the sad-ducees (sad dudes) got jealous. They arrested the apostles and put them in prison.

But the bible records that in the night an angel opened the door of the prison, brought them out and asked them to go to the temple and tell all the people about ‘’this new life’’. This is how the bible put it in Acts 5:20 –   “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” (NIV). You can read the whole account in Acts 5.

The bible said in 2 Corinthians 5:17. ‘’When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!’’ (TLB)

This new life the tent maker talked about in 2 Corinthians 5:17 is the same new life that the angel asked the apostles to go tell all the people in Acts 5:20.

As a born again child of God, the father wants you to know that this new life in you now is not the natural life you got from your human parents when you were born into this world. That human life was replaced by divine life – the God life – the day you got born again. So you’re not just a mere man but a super-being, born into God’s class. You have to believe this because it is the truth.

Having this new life in you means that you are a super-being indeed; one that is superior to satan, sickness and disease and has authority over all the powers of darkness. The problem is that many people lack this knowledge, but God wants you to have this knowledge about yourself because this consciousness will affect the way you live your life and the decisions you make.

If you have confessed and believe the Lordship of Jesus Christ, this new life is what you have received into your spirit. And God wants you to be conscious of it every day and live the supernatural life, naturally.

If you are touched by this series, I would love to hear from you. Just drop me a comment.

God Bless You