Love is Kryptonite to the Enemy

Tags

Apostles, church, Discipleship, Follow Me, Harvest, Jesus, leadership, Movement, Parables

Love is Kryptonite to the Enemy

 

 

Have you ever had a frustration conversation with the Lord? You know one of those prayer times where somethings off, you feel stuck, heaven seems silent on an issue? I had one of those talks with the Lord just the other day. During this, let’s be honest, one sided conversation, I was doing all the talking, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Follow the yellow brick road”. Now for religious people that will be hard to believe God would say that, but to relationship people, they totally get it. God said, “Follow the yellow brick road.” I had just bought the movie the Wizard of Oz, as someone I met is doing a prophetic project in Kansas and asked me to watch it. I grabbed my pen and paper and sat down to watch the Wizard of Oz like I would a sermon. What I didn’t know was how prophetic that movie would be for me.

“Jesus called a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you, He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4). As I watched this movie the Lord began to speak to me from go. First of all, Dorothy was living with her aunt and uncle, so she was either orphaned or some other situation happened to her parents. Next, she had a dream, which is what put her into the land of Oz and she knew she had gone over the rainbow. Upon arrival in her house, which was the vehicle that took her to the land of Oz, she landed on the wicked witch of the East and killed her. With instructions from the leader of the munchkins, she took the ruby red slippers off of the wicked witch of the East and put them on her feet and was told these slippers would protect her, so just follow the yellow brick road. (There are so many prophetic things right here for you to consider).

The story goes on and she meets three men on her following of the yellow brick road, a scarecrow who needs intelligence, a tin man who needs a heart and a lion who needs courage. As each joins her on following the yellow brick road, to Emerald City to meet the Oz, she encounters along the way the wicked witch of the West. The truth that hit me like a tidal wave was, that because she was wearing the ruby red slippers, the wicked witch of the West could not lay a hand on her. When the Lord highlighted this to me, I remembered that in scripture rubies mean passionate love. The Lord spoke to me and said, “Lisa, passionate lovers are kryptonite to the enemy, because he has no love in him”.

Immediately, I began to weep, as I knew that love is the answer to victory in our lives as believers. When we are lovers, the enemy cannot touch us, love is kryptonite to the enemy. No wonder Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Our love for God and for one another is what keeps the enemy at bay, for if we are lovers of God and lovers of people, he has nothing in us to work with. No wonder the enemy had nothing in Jesus (John 14:30), Jesus was a lover of His Father and of us as people. This is powerful to me, for I knew love was the answer, but I did not realize how powerful it actually was.

As the movie came to an end, they arrived at the door of the Emerald City and finally met the Oz, who did not grant their requests as presented for a brain, heart, courage and a home, but he gave them more than they asked for. Not only did love keep the enemy at bay, love kept them on the yellow brick road that led them to the place where they were given more than they could have asked or even imagined (Ephesians 3:20). When we are wearing the ruby red slippers of passionate love for God and for people, the enemy cannot touch us, for love is kryptonite to the enemy.

 

Take the Land

Tags

Christianity, church, Jesus, kingdom of God, Land, leadership

In the Old Testament, Israel was commanded to take the physical land of Canaan and all the other lands the Lord was giving to them as their inheritance. Each tribe was given a section of land that was designated as theirs. They had to conquer kingdoms, fight giants, tear down walls and keep advancing in order to take the land that Yahweh was giving to them. The Lord even went as far as to say, wherever your foot treads, that land will be yours (Deuteronomy 11:24/Joshua 1:3). So, Israel marched in and took over land from other peoples who were enemies of Israel and were squatting on land that belonged to Israel, for the Psalmist tells us, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” (Psalm 24:1, NIV). But when Jesus came to the earth, there was a significant change that took place, but that many, if not most have missed it.

In John 2, Jesus is having a discussion with some Jews after He turned over tables in the temple and this is what Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body” (NIV). Jesus makes a significant shift in understanding from the temple being brick and mortar to the temple being His body, He now was the temple. Then Paul takes the thought one step further when he says, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” (1 Cor. 6:19, NLT). So, there is a shift that takes place from that which used to be outside of them to it being inside of them.

As New Testament believers everything that Israel obtained in the natural or outside of them, like land, like defeating of enemies, like building temples, all of these things are what the Lord has placed inside of us. Think about this for a minute, Jesus prayed in Matthew 6, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. Who is the earth Jesus is referencing? Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7 that we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Is it possible, Jesus was praying that the kingdom of God would advance inside of us, that God is seeking to take ground in our hearts, in our lives, not in the earth, but in people? Think about this for a minute, Christ in you is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27), then from what direction is the Lord seeking to advance His kingdom, outside of you or inside of you? Where is your real battle, is it outside of you or inside of you? James says, “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice” (James 3:16, NIV). James, Paul, Jesus all say that everything is inside of us.

The land the Lord is calling us to take is inside of us, not outside of us. The battles we face are not outside of us, they are inside of us and inside of others. The only way anything is outside of us is if it comes out of our mouths (Luke 6:45) or our actions. The fruit of the spirit is inside of you, the spirit of God is inside of you, the kingdom of God is inside of you. Everything you need is inside of you, but it all starts with you allowing the Lord to advance the kingdom of God within you. Many people are not successful, not effective, not because they have not had a door open, or an opportunity arise, but because they have resisted the advancing of the kingdom of God in you. 3 John 2 says, “May you prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers” (NIV). The land the Lord is trying to take is inside of you, so who controls how much land is taken, you do. Let Jesus, Take the land!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM Shuffling the Deck

Tags

church, Injustice, Justice, leadership, Racism, Society, Voice

When you buy a brand new deck of cards, they come color coordinated. All the hearts are together, all the diamonds are together, all the spades are together and all the clubs are together. Even the hearts and the diamonds are next to one another and the spades and the clubs are all side by side in a brand new deck of cards. There is something about us as human beings that likes to be around people who have the same color as us. To take it a step further, we tend to be suspicious of people who are of a different color than us. So, this prophetic word God gave me about a month ago has finally made sense to me, God said, “I Am shuffling the deck.”

Revelation 12:7-12, says, “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, ⁸ but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Did you know the Greek word for accuser is kategoros, which is where we get the English word, categories? The enemy, the devil, Satan himself seeks to bring division by putting us into categories. Black or white; rich or poor; slave or free; spiritual or sinner; Democrat or Republican; Baptist or Pentecostal; leader or laity; the number of categories that we have been placed into us beyond naming, and the goal of categories from the enemy, the accusers standpoint is so we are divided. Division is the goal of the enemy and what we are seeing on the earth right now is the highlighting of categories or can I say division.

God said, “I Am shuffling the deck.” When we rise up in anger based on injustices we see, the enemy, the accuser is right there to egg us on to strengthen the categories. If the media highlights a mistake that Trump makes, the categorically Hillary supporters jump on the band wagon and character assault Trump, if Clinton and the DNC fire someone, then the enemy eggs on the Republicans to reinforce the belief that Democrats are not trustworthy. Now, if you are not a Christian, these divisions, party lines, attacks on one another, in many ways is to be expected, because the god of this world has blinded the eyes of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4). But as believers, as Christians, as people who claim to be in the light, we should have eyes to see the scheme of the enemy who is seeking to put us in a category and divide us as people.

God is shuffling the deck not just on the streets of America, not just in companies around this country, not just in politics but He is shuffling the deck in the church, which if we were honest is the most categorically divisive place on the earth. What we are beginning to see and will see more so in the days to come is black preachers speaking in white churches, white preachers speaking in black churches and women preaching in every church. God is shuffling the deck and the church is not going to be exempt. Leadership teams are going to be including women and men, black and white leaders, young and old, all serving together, all leading together. The revival that is coming is multigenerational, multiethnic and multi-gender, because as Paul said, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for you are ALL one in Christ” (Galatians 3:28).

The reason the church has very little voice in the racial challenges our nation is facing, minimal authority in the political arena or in the streets of our cities, is not because we lack authority given from Jesus (Matthew 28:18); not because we do not have the truth (John 8:32); but because we are just as categorically divided as they are and Jesus said in Matthew 12:22-28, a house that is divided cannot stand. God said, “I Am shuffling the deck.” Kenneth Copeland said just the other day at his SW Believers Conferences, “thus saith the Lord, nothing is going to look like it has looked, a change is coming that is going to be so different than anything we have ever seen.” So, God is the I AM and He is shuffling the deck!

 

Who’s Serving Who?

Tags

Discipleship, discipline, Humility, leadership, Servanthood, Service

Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Each generation seeks to give their children something they did not have. My grandparents gave my parents 3 meals a day, clothes on their backs and a roof over their head. This was a step up from the depression through which they lived and wondered where their next meal may come from. My parents’ generation gave us bikes to ride, video games to play, phones to talk on and televisions to watch. This was a step up from the radio they listened to and the games they made up in the neighborhood like kick the can or hide and seek. Now my generation has given the next generation maid service, abundance of food, money and computers (including $500 phones with unlimited data). Each generation since the early 1900’s has prospered greatly and this is a sign of a growing nation that has been blessed in ways that many take for granted.

I celebrate these advancements and thank the Lord for them, but I have noticed something, we do not have the faith we used to have when we had less. We have become comfortable with divorce, homosexuality, sickness, rebellion and both blatant and subtle disrespect of authority of all kinds from police to parents. We have not disciplined, trained, nor equipped this generation for a life of service. One thing that got passed down in my family line was a work ethic, whether we had a lot or a little, we always were taught that a work ethic is critical to success, so when I became a Christian that did not change, that same attitude continued. Being a servant is part of having a work ethic, for when there is work to be done you do not sit on the couch and wait to be served, you get up and find out what needs to be done. This is sadly lacking in our current culture and it is not the “kids/teenagers” fault, the adults are modeling this type of attitude and the “youth generation” is adopting what they see many adults doing.

Deuteronomy 8:11-14 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

My concern is we have forgotten who is serving who. We pray prayers that make it sound like God is serving us. Bless me, heal me, help me, prosper me, awaken me, pour out your spirit on me, we pray for God to do things for us, as though He is serving us. The challenge I see is a passionless church who is standing with their hands out waiting for God to come down and fix everything for us. While I was in worship today, the Lord showed me a butler. When we see a butler’s suit, we know he is there to serve. He stands at attention, waiting for the master, king or whomever it is he is serving to give him orders, he is there to serve the master, he is not waiting for the master to serve him. We are God’s butlers, we are His waitresses, we are His servants, He is the King, we are the servants. In a culture of abundance, in a church that loves to be the head and not the tail, we must be very careful for some have crossed the line of thinking they are the king and that God is their servant. This is dangerous territory, for in this place we can do whatever we want and still be convinced we will be blessed.

The Lord has extended extreme patience to Christians, but make no mistake about it, disobedience will be punished. 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 says, “On that day—when the clouds draw back displaying His powerful heavenly messengers in a fiery blaze, Jesus the Lord will appear from heaven dealing out perfect justice to anyone who doesn’t know God and anyone who disobeys the good news of our Lord Jesus. And what’s to become of them? They’ll pay for what they’ve done; their punishment will be eternal destruction. And what’s worse? They’ll be banished from the Lord’s presence and glorious power.” We have entered a new season in the spirit, the shift from the last season to this one was quick, but we are in a new day and the warning lights are flashing, God is not here to serve us, we are here to serve Him, not out of fear of punishment, but out of love for Him. Our only job as believers is to obey. Obedience is how we show love, obedience is what servants do, they obey the orders of their King, their Master, their Lord. Disobedience brings distance between us and God, many have lived in disobedience for so long they don’t even recognize they are not in the presence of God, but when the shakable mountain they are living on shakes, they will know that disobedience has brought separation. But thanks be to God, if we are judged on earth, we still have time to repent, return and be restored back to a place of obedience. Your butler suit is hanging on the hook in the Father’s house right where you left it and the only thing you need to do is repent, return and obey, then we will see the restoration of wealth and health that is desired. We’re serving Him, He is not serving us!

Roster Rotation

Tags

advancement, Effectiveness, King David, kingdom of God, leadership, Spiritual warfare, War

It is no secret that the church in America is having minimal impact on our nation, the enemy has pushed us aside and propelled his agenda on many fronts in this nation. The same happened in Israel’s history when Goliath and the Philistine army was in a verbal showdown with the people of God. Israel’s history is to be lessons we learn from and I see a lesson coming that some are not going to like at first, but many others will be so grateful for. There is a roster rotation coming and the older brothers that have been ineffective are going to be replaced by younger brothers that will advance the kingdom of God on the earth.

Psalm 115:16 says, “The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, But the earth He has given to the sons of men.”

The Lord is in charge of the heavens, we are in charge of the earth and if there is no advancement on the earth, God will rotate the roster for the advancing of His kingdom. But the challenge is, this roster rotation is going to move out the older brother and put in the younger brother. Now this is not an age issue, this is an order issue. The older brothers have been leading for years now, but the ineffectiveness is obvious, so it is time for a roster rotation. But, the older brother is not going to be happy about this, and we see this pattern throughout scripture.

1. The prodigal sons brother was not happy when the younger brother looked favored (Luke 15)
2. Esau was not pleased when Jacob got the blessing of the firstborn (Genesis 27)
3. Cain was so angry he killed Abel when his offering was accepted. (Genesis 4)
4. Simeon and Levi were furious about Joseph’s dreams, so sold him as a slave. (Genesis 37)
5. Eliab and Abinidab, David’s brothers questioned why he came to the battle line. (I Samuel 17)

No one who is in a position likes to be removed from that position, but the thing with God is, we all get to play. When David took the lead and defeated Goliath, the whole Israel army went in pursuit to defeat the enemy; when the prodigal son returned, the party was for the whole family, not just the prodigal son; when Joseph was put in power at the palace, all his brothers got to take part in the land of Goshen. So, God does not rotate the roster to demote someone, He does it to reposition the army for maximum effectiveness.

There is a roster rotation coming, some are going to be mad initially, but when the army starts to win, we all win. The war we are in and the wars that are coming will demand the whole army being in the right position. We are in a time in history where we need to be living by design for maximum effectiveness as a body. I Corinthians 12 says, we all are apart of the body, we all have a role to play, one is not more significant than the other, but some are playing mouths when they are supposed to be hands, so we need a roster rotation.

The church is about to go through a restructuring, this is not a negative thing, this is a positive change that is coming, but the transition is going to be turbulent for very few people like change, it exposes our insecurities and when that happens people say and do things out of fear. So, extend grace to those that are being shuffled. Some are prepared to be put in position, others are not going to see it coming, but this roster rotation is God’s idea, not man’s so it will work together for everyone’s good.

Living in Congruence

Tags

Betrayal, Harmony, leadership, Self-Deception

Mark 3:25 “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”

 

I John 5:7-8 “For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.”

 

Congruence: agreement or harmony; compatibility

 

In the book Leadership and Self-Deception written by the Arbinger Institute, they talk about self-betrayal and how that causes us to live in a box towards one another, which means we do not see each other as people, but as objects. As I read this book, it had so many spiritual applications to it, brought such conviction of sin and a level of repentance I had not experienced in a long time. This book opened my eyes to the reality that when we betray ourselves by not having boundaries, not speaking the truth in love, by ignoring problems or by acting like your heart is in something when it really is not. These are all examples of self-betrayal and is actually self-deception because we are not being true to who God has created us to be.

 

The Bible is very clear that a house divided against itself cannot stand, the context of this verse is when the religious leaders were accusing Jesus of casting out demons by the spirit of a demon called Beelzebub. Jesus said, I cannot betray myself as God and use the devil to cast out demons. The Pharisee’s who were living in self-deception did not understand what He was talking about, because they were trained their whole life to live a life of self-betrayal and not see people as people, but to see them as objects. Henceforth, why they clung to their traditions as noted in Mark 7, but did not know how to be in a relationship with people or God. The culmination of this type of life was manifested in the murder of Jesus on the cross. When you treat people like objects you will murder them with your words and actions and more often than not be unable to recognize that you did it.

 

But there is hope, because all of us at some point in our lives have done this very thing, whether we see it or not. Some are living in self-betrayal even now and can’t see it, because it is so much a part of who they are. Jesus however, who is the Great I Am, the Great Physician, the Almighty God who called us out of darkness on more than one occasion, is inviting us to begin living in congruence. Living in congruence is living with an understanding of who God has created, called and commanded you to be. What you don’t know about yourself, can and will hurt you.

 

Living in congruence is knowing who you are, what you bring to any given situation and how you can be a servant to those around you. When you are living in congruence, you can be free to love, free to laugh, free to serve, free to give and free to live an abundant life. Jesus promised in John 10:10 that the devil came to steal, kill and destroy, but He came to give you life and life abundantly. The abundant life comes from living in congruence, being true to who God has made you to be, not seeking to be what everyone else expects you to be. Many Christians are caught in a performance trap because they don’t know who they are and they are so desperate to be affirmed, they will do anything to get the applause of men.

 

More than any time in my short history, God is highlighting the importance of knowing your identity in Christ. If you don’t know who you are, you are living a divided life and that is why you can’t stand. The Lord is seeking to show you who you are in Him, Christ in you the hope of glory, so you can stand, so you can live in congruence, so you can love God, love people and love yourself. This is how you live an abundant life and can be generous with your words, time and money on every occasion, because you have learned the timeless truth of living in congruence.

Are You Playing Politics with Penguins or Empowering Eagles?

Tags

America, Eagles, leadership, Ownership, Penguins, Politics

Being a leader, whether in the marketplace, church, home or community is a trust given to you from those who have chosen to follow you. As a leader, you impart to those under your care, who you are, so what you see in them is actually a reflection of who you are as much as it is who they are. Many politicians, pastors, leaders, managers, coaches, parents look at those who are following them and get frustrated with the follower, rather than examining themselves as the leader. We multiply who we are! So, if you don’t like what you see in those following you, it is time to look at who you are, rather than complain about who they are, and watch how things change.

Ownership is a mark of leadership. If you can take ownership for the nation or organization you lead, the church you oversee, the family you are a part of or the marriage you are in, you will realize that to be a successful leader is to be a person who takes ownership of both successes and failures. Many times we do the dance of dysfunction and then wonder why we are not advancing, having success or seeing the increase we desire. It all starts with taking ownership, recognizing as the leader in any given situation, you set the atmosphere that others who have given you the privilege of following them, adhere to.

The media, for example, is an amplification of the leaders they follow, so whether you watch the more liberal CNN, the more semi-conservative FOX, listen to the extremely conservative Rush Limbaugh, or the MSNBC version of politics, you will hear a bent toward an agenda. One of the challenges most Americans have is we listen to opinions and either agree or disagree, we do not engage in the discussion, seek out the truth, or ask questions that lead to deeper understanding. It is a lot like penguins, they find all their food on the surface, even though they are aquatic animals that can dive deep into the waters for different food.

Since we are on the subject of penguins, did you know that they used to have wings, but over time they evolved into flightless birds, so they have the appearance of wings, but they can’t fly. People love to watch penguins, they are cute, fun to document, and make movies about, but they are birds that used to be able to fly. Who or what, over time caused their wings to become flippers, even though they look like wings? Sounds a lot like what political correctness has sought to do to Americans.

This is why it is critical to know your identity, exercise your authority and fulfill your destiny (Luke 15:22). You were created to be an eagle, you have wings, you need to fly. Many people are frustrated because they are eagles wearing a tuxedo. They know they were created to fly, but from politics to the pulpit people have pandered to you as a penguin, rather than empowered you to be an eagle. Fear is the root issue of why people want you to stay a penguin. Jesus said, “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering” (Luke 11:52). Jesus is not afraid of you being powerful, that is why he was a leader that provided leverage for his disciples, He was not a lid on them.

Leadership is trust that demands humility, which is a continual listening, learning, and loving. The more you lift up those who have chosen to follow your lead, the more their updraft will lift you up, for this kingdom is one of lifting up, not tearing down and the last time I checked, the national bird of the United States of America is an EAGLE! It’s time to stop playing politics with penguins and to start empowering eagles in every area of life.

 

The Fragrance of Love

Tags

leadership, love

Every person carries and atmosphere with them, we call it an attitude, but I like to call it an atmosphere, because it invades the room when they arrive and it departs when they depart. Some people’s atmosphere is more pronounced than other peoples, but nonetheless, everyone carries an atmosphere with them and people adjust to your atmosphere or they resist your atmosphere. An atmosphere is invisible, but noticeable. People do not walk in the room with a sign on their chest that says, angry, wounded, cynical, sassy or some other label, but the atmosphere they carry speaks of what they carry.

Not only do individuals carry an atmosphere, marriages, families, communities, churches, companies and even countries carry an atmosphere. Atmospheres are experienced by others even if they are not recognized by the one carrying it. Many have wondered why an omnipresent God does not move in all churches in the same way? Some have asked how can revival and the power of God break out in that church but not the one down the street? Or how can healings happen in that man or woman’s ministry but not in someone else’s? It is because of the atmosphere that people create when they walk into a room. If you are the leader of any given space, you set the atmosphere for that space. Leaders of churches set the atmosphere of their church; executives of companies set the atmosphere of their business; moms and dads set the atmosphere of their home. When people walk into a place where you are the leader they can sense the atmosphere of the place and they adjust accordingly to the created atmosphere.

The analogy of a thermostat versus a thermometer has been used in a variety of settings as it pertains to this thought. Some people are like thermometers they take the temperature of the room, while others are like thermostats they set the temperature of a room.  I would propose that leaders are thermostats and that they set the temperature of the room whether they are in a titled leadership position in that room or not, because lovers have a fragrance.

In Luke 7:36-50 it says, “When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little. “Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven. “The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

In a room full of religious leaders who carried titles far greater than her own, an unidentified woman by name, but an identified woman by behavior enters the room and changes the atmosphere with the fragrance of love. What I noticed about this woman is that she was prepared for her meeting with Jesus, she came with perfume, very expensive perfume. This woman was courageous, she followed Jesus into this house of Pharisee’s and did not care what atmosphere was in the room when she entered. She was coming with a love that would change the fragrance of the whole room. As she knelt down, in her regalia that identified her as a sinful woman, you can almost hear the crowd gasp, wondering what she is going to do. Can you imagine yourself as a Pharisee, watching this Rabbi, named Jesus, come into this house with this questionable woman, and now she is getting on her knees, behind him. What is she about to do? Is she about to do it in front of all of us, whatever the it may be? The room was stunned, shocked, holding its breath, you could feel it in the atmosphere, people were not sure of what was going on, and Jesus, He was completely at peace the whole time, not moved by what was going on around Him.

Then she opens the jar of perfume, the aroma fills the room, it smells so good, even the hardest heart cannot resist the smell of it, for it was not just a really expensive perfume that filled the atmosphere, it was the behavior of a lover that was leading the way. With all eyes on her, she wets Jesus’ feet with her tears, she then takes her long hair and wipes his feet, not in hurry, in a way that expresses gratitude, love, kindness. The fierce love of Jesus melted the hardness of this broken woman’s heart, and she began to respond with weeping, wetting and wiping of his feet. Can you picture it. So often we read the Bible as though it is a dry history book, rather than a love story, an actual account of someone who did the unthinkable in a time in history that she never knew others thousands of years later would read about. She was leading like a lover, she was responding like a lover, she was creating an atmosphere that only a lover can create.

Now with His feet washed, she lifts the jar of perfume, that was filling the room with its smell in a very subtle way and she begins to pour it out, liberally, upon His feet. She thought nothing of cost, she never considered it a waste, she only had one goal in mind and that was to pour it all out on the feet of this man who emanated with fierce love. She knew who she was, she knew her past better than all her accusers, but lovers don’t take notice of cost, they only take notice of the object of their affection. Now the room is filled with the smell of this perfume, the whole atmosphere has been changed by the love of this sinful woman for Jesus. The Pharisee’s can’t handle this much intimacy, so they begin to question who this woman was to Jesus and why a “man of God” would allow such a woman to do such a thing to Him. The atmosphere of the room was changed by love and no one could deny it.

Whether it is actions or attitudes, lovers that are leaders, titled or not, change the atmosphere of every room they enter. For love smells like something and we were created to be lovers, so we can smell it when it is there, we can see it when it arrives and we can hear it when it speaks. The fragrance of love filled the house of some Pharisees and the words of love, changed a sinful woman’s life forever. You don’t have to have a title or even be welcomed into a place, to change the atmosphere if you lead like a lover.

Same Same But Different

Tags

leadership, Servanthood, Value

When I lived in Malaysia, I was given the opportunity to go to a conference in Bangkok, Thailand. While there we rode a tuk tuk, which is a Thai taxi, down to the plaza where they were selling anything and everything you could think of. With the Thai Baht being 36 to 1 against the US dollar, we felt like millionaires in that place with our minimal money. While there I found a t-shirt that I liked and it said SAME SAME on the front and BUT DIFFERENT on the back. Little did I know how true these words were in so many areas of life. As I was blessed to travel to a variety of International cities, like Bali, Indonesia; Singapore; Phuket, Thailand; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I came to realize that all cities, cultures and even people are same same, but different.

One of the challenges Christians around the world face is competition in the body of the Christ. People are competing for pulpits, positions and people. We measure success by the size of our church, the title we carry, the amount of money in our bank account or the places we have been and experiences we have had. Whether in one of the large churches in Nigeria or small house churches in China, believers are battling the same voices that seek to put them in competition with one another, rather than in complementing each another. It is same same, but different in the church just like in the world. But this should not be, as believers in Jesus Christ, we are to be the light of the world, not the echo of the darkness.

Mark 10:45 says, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Every human being that is called by the name of Jesus Christ is the same, we have the same calling, we carry the same value, we are all called to be servants, but we are different in our function. There is only one calling for a believer and that is to be a servant, but there are a variety of functions that this calling operates out of. In the kingdom of God, there is no hierarchy, no competition, because we are all servants of the Most High God and each other. Jesus’ calling was to be a servant, but His function was to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and die for the sins of the world. Even though His function changed throughout His life from carpenter’s assistant to Rabbi, His calling as a servant never did. That is why in John 13 it says, “Jesus knowing who He was…took a towel and began to wash His disciple’s feet”. He knew He was called to be a servant, so whatever function He did had no relevance to His value.

Every person has the same value in the eyes of God, He values us as servants, sons, daughters, and no one has more value than another to God, so where does the challenge arise? The challenge comes because we as people place differing values on differing functions. We have been taught that the function of Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist, President, Pope or CEO has more value than that of dishwasher, domestic engineer, street sweeper, or janitor. We decide what functions have what value and so we jockey for positon, we speak of promotions, and we have an identity crisis when our function changes, because we see value in function, but God only places value on calling, the calling to be a servant. If you think about it, every function is just a different way of being a servant. We could end the battle of pride, envy, jealousy and jockeying for position if we realized we all have the same calling, the same value, but different functions/responsibilities.

Galatians 5:25-26 says, “Now since we have chosen to walk with the Spirit, let’s keep in perfect sync with God’s Spirit. This will happen when we set aside our self-interests and work together to create true community instead of a culture consumed by provocation, pride and envy.”

We are the same same, but different.

One Thing You Can Only Find at Church

Tags

church, leadership, pastor, worship

There is a lot of debate and discussion going on about whether you should be in church or not. Many have undertaken the reasons why you should be church, others have countered with why you don’t need to be in church. Most use the same verses from Paul which say not to neglect meeting together or that they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching in the early church (Acts 2:42). And people go back and forth in a tennis match style discussion, which can turn into in an argument for or against the side you are on.

The debate as to what is church, is it a building or a body of believers is another log people throw on the church fire. But from what I have read, I have never heard any convincing argument for or against church, because it is mostly tit for tat, based on people’s preferences rather than production. One thing I have been taught, yes by my Pastor, Steve Gray, is that there are consumers and producers. People that produce are always looking for things that produce. No business owner wants to be a part of something that does not produce. And honestly, many Christians are tired of church, because they are not producing anything.

I hear both sides, and I am not hear to add my two cents one way or the other, however, I am here to say, there is one thing you will only find in church and that is what I want to add to the discussion, debate or down right brawl as it pertains to the subject. You can listen to sermons from many and varied preachers online; you can give money to a variety of organizations or ministries; you can pray alone or with others on a multitude of venues; you can even find community in an array of places. So, what is the one thing that you can only find in church?

Corporate worship is the one thing you can only find at church. There is nowhere else on the planet that people come together consistently, weekly or more than once a week even and sing together. You can’t find it at rock concerts or baby showers, you can sing alone in your car to the radio or join a worship service online, but there is no substitute for corporate worship. Everybody singing the same song, to the same God and the same time, this only happens at church. Pastor Dustin Smith of Dustin Smith Ministries teaches on worship and he says, “worship is ascribing worth to God!”

As we come together as a group of believers in church and begin to worship, to ascribe worth to God, there is something that takes place in us as a group that does not happen anywhere else on the face of the earth. In my church we call it the Power of All, we all sing, we all lift our hands, we all bow, we all ascribe worth and we all experience something together that we cannot experience a part. Our God is a God of the group more so than we realize and He produces something in our lives as we come together and worship, that can only happen in that setting.

With the various challenges our world is facing, with the rise of organizations that are bent on annihilating people at any cost, more than ever, we need each other and we need God to do what only He can do in us as we enter into corporate worship.

So, you don’t have to go to church if you don’t want to, but there is one thing you will be missing in your life, because there is one thing you can only find at church.