Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' Today to Acts 20 {It's here now, but You Don't HAVE to read it :-)}

In what order is the hearing or studying of God’s word, on in your list of priorities? Does God get your left over energy? Do we sleep when we hear the word or are we rested, ready to attend to it, and be as alert as guards and keepers of a special treasure?
I remember one time the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart saying, you spend your life everywhere, and when it comes to giving Me the best part, you have already spent it on whatever else is more important to you. Ever have so much of God that you are too tired to watch TV, read the newspaper, go shopping or out for the night on the keep yourself from other pleasures, so you’ll be more awake and available to Him?
These are new thoughts, huh? God thinks this way. He knows what is important to us, what is more important than Him. It is seen by what we do.
The one man in this passage was tired, and I don’t fault him, he was there listening at least, but his weariness, whatever the reason, brought him to a death.
Attending to the word is what gives life back to us. God is more interested in the intent pursuit of the word in demonstration in us. He is looking for the word to become alive in us. So much so that when we do attend meetings, they are like governmental meetings that will require homework of us so we can do what is said. There’s no way that can happen if we are asleep!
We must wake up, not allowing ignorance; we also must re-prioritize, giving God our best, on purpose. That means purpose to give Him the firsts, so we give the best and not the leftovers. Being awake means being aware of all this and living differently because of it. Being asleep in this time, is dangerous, it will lead to our death, but definitely the death of the effectiveness of God’s word being made alive in us.
We have but one message to portray in living form, the exact message Paul had, was awake for, and lived for. This is that message - the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.
This is also how we should feel as kingdom citizens and ambassadors: my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
Living for this, is the Christian lifestyle. What else is important? How do we tell others most effectively? By being and doing the word. Can’t be or do if we have never heard or understood the word.
Disciples no longer look for the Lord to chase after them, they accept the offers of the Lord to come and follow, come and meet with Him. In fact they show up without a formal invitation if it means being with or learning from the Lord. They are followers of Christ. They are hungry and know where to get the words that give spirit life.
When I say what I just said, I have not at all neglected the necessity of their get alone with God time, communing with Him in prayer and worship where they are receiving personal instruction and direction. There is just an element that a lot of “followers” miss and that is the portion of following another man as he follows Christ. It would be like Elijah and Elisha, or Jesus and His 12 disciples. In this day, we’d so much rather just stay at home and get in tuned with God for ourselves. Yet He asks us to follow other human beings, and also become ready to lead others to Him. A disciple finds a Christian who is stronger than them and hangs with them as often as possible.
When I say, “hangs with them as much as possible”, I mean where is that person studying the word or giving the word? Go to that place and re-arrange your life to be there. Don’t just show up at their house, but never their Bible Study. Be available to help them with something else they are already doing or working at. Let’s say they serve at the church, find out what day that is on and ask to help alongside them. If they say to your group, “Hey I’m gonna go to such and such a place, you are welcomed to come, if you want to be there”. They are not making a suggestion as in this is all optional. It is not optional for disciples who follow. They are there. They show up. They take the “option” to be there! They take subtle invitations seriously. They’ll know whether you want to or not, the disciples will come, the multitudes will go out and do whatever it was they’d already planned to do. The leader will or won’t see you there, for people always do what they really want to do.
If we want to take our kids to Disney, we do what it takes. If there’s a special ballgame we want to go to, we make arrangements. What do we do about meetings that are called by leaders to assemble with them where they are? How do we respond if it is called on a whim? Are we ahead of the “game? Have we simplified our lives and organized it in such a way that we are willing and able to change plans whenever beckoned by the leader? The disciples left all to follow. Elisha left all to follow, Paul left all while he still worked his job to follow! Why do we count ourselves any different than they are?
Don’t ask to have a personal time , with who you are being beckoned to follow, on a different day than they deem, like instead of showing up for what they are already doing. No, you follow them, fit into their plans. It is great exercise to fitting into God’s plan, rather than making God fit into yours! If they say, “hey we’re doing this”, do it, be a me that makes the we happen for them, make their visions and dreams come true. Lay your own down, even personal dreams for your home and family, bring those under the vision of your church house, spend your time making the church house visions and dreams come true, rather than just participating in some of the stuff done at church, Thinking more like your church has stuff to offer you.
What do you offer your church? When a leader says stuff to a group or to you personally, take it seriously, don’t act like it is a whole lot of great suggestions from someone who is wiser than you, and in your mind you could never do it like them. By faith in God follow after their lead, make the impossible happen. Most of the stuff impossible to you is merely inside of your head. Tell your head what you are doing, to be more flexible and solution oriented, tell it who you are following. Lead your mind into right thinking and right living! Discipline yourself into change of mind and heart. That’s what disciples do, they change!
Do we live to give? Do we live to receive more from God and our leaders, so we can give more? Do we purpose to get enough for us, our house, and to have leftovers to give the world? Or are we already spent on everything and everyone else? I heard my leader tell me once that I kept giving out me all over the nation, yet God set me here in this house to concentrate my efforts here in this place. Here is my ministry, where living people can daily make me accountable to my example. Now whenever I start to spend elsewhere the Holy spirit is so gracious to speak those words again to me and center and focus me in on the place he sent me to. It’s beautiful, for I’m only so big and God knows how to take good care of others. I don’t have to reach out away, spending of me what is meant for my home, family, church and local community. When I get that, he’ll expand my “world” I won’t need to do it.
Paul also said Watch out! How much of a priority is getting and keeping the word of God to us? Enough to be set on watch over our own spirits’, souls, and bodies? Enough to be keepers of the guard, not allowing any way the enemy can get in and steal God’s word form us?
Do we say we can’t or do we believe God, to be able to do more of what He desires and has asked us to do?
I think of a meeting I was in where a leader said we have to read. I have heard so many comments given about that word, seemingly valid excuses. Yet we do what we want to. I hear the more you read the better you read. I believe what we really want we’ll go after, even if it means practice or lessons. It’s like that in other areas of life. We’d learn to read better if it means making more money. People change their personalities, become another person for money, but when God says something like that, they offer a ton of self reliant unbelieving excuses. Can God help me with anything at all? Do I believe He can? Does he cause impossible things to happen? I belive he does. And what better thing to help us with than obeying words he’s give us through teachings and leadership. Words we hear form leaders are edicts of the kingdom of God to obey. He would not give us stuff to do that we can’t do without His strength. He so wants us to be challenged into believing Him for more, even the improvement of our minds and souls. We have the mind of Christ. His mind in us can overcome and learn anything he needs or asks u to. It’s our move, It’s up to us!
What is our gut response when we are told to follow a person? It may be we need to face the giant of rebellion and independent thinking and slay him on purpose. David cut off the mocking head of His giant. It silenced the lies once for all.