Break Out Of The Bucket Rom 1:16+17 #Nightlight #RTTBROS

Break Out Of The Bucket Rom 1:16+17 #Nightlight #RTTBROS

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." - Romans 1:16 (KJV)

The power of Christ is not just a concept or an idea. It is a living force that can transform our lives and give us hope in the darkest of times. When we put our faith in Christ, we are tapping into a power that is greater than anything we could ever imagine.

In his book "Six Hours One Friday," Max Lucado delves into the meaning of Jesus' last hours on the cross. He writes about how Jesus' death was not just a tragic event, but a powerful demonstration of God's love for us. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death and gave us the power to live new lives in him.

There is a story about a man who was walking along a beach one day when he saw another man fishing in the surf with a bait bucket beside him. As he drew closer, he saw that the bait bucket had no lid and had live crabs inside.

"Why don't you cover your bait bucket so the crabs won't escape?" he asked.

"You don't understand," the man replied, "If there is one crab in the bucket it would surely crawl out very quickly. However, when there are many crabs in the bucket, if one tries to crawl up the side, the others grab hold of it and pull it back down so that it will share the same fate as the rest of them."

This story illustrates how we can be like those crabs in our own lives. We can be held back by our fears and doubts, by our past mistakes and failures. But when we put our faith in Christ, we are set free from those things that hold us back. We are given new life and new hope.

So let us not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Let us embrace it with all our hearts and allow it to transform our lives from the inside out.

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POWER OUTAGE ACTS 1:8 #Nightlight #RTTBROS

POWER OUTAGE ACTS 1:8  #Nightlight #RTTBROS

The book of Acts is a powerful testimony of the early church and the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells his disciples,
"Acts 1:8 -But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.."
This verse speaks to the incredible power that comes from the Holy Spirit and the impact it can have on our lives and the world around us.

The Holy Spirit is not just a force or an idea, but a person who is part of the Trinity. He is the power of God at work in our lives, guiding us, comforting us, and empowering us to do the work of God. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we are given a supernatural power that enables us to live a life that is pleasing to God and to be effective witnesses for Him.

However, sin can break our connection with God and cut us off from His power. Sin is a dangerous thing that can lead us down a path of destruction and away from the will of God. When we allow sin to take hold in our lives, we are essentially telling God that we don't need His power or His guidance. We are cutting ourselves off from the very source of our strength and our hope.

The good news is that God is always ready and willing to forgive us when we turn away from our sin and turn back to Him. He is a loving and merciful God who desires to see us live powerful lives of purpose.
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Come As You Aren't Norman Kissinger

I like Matthew West's new song, "Truth Be Told." It spurs a couple of thoughts in my mind about the church today. One phrase in the song takes me all the back to the 1970s. It is the phrase, "come as you are." That message was on a sign in front of the Community Church in the small town in southern Oregon I grew up. It certainly brings back memories. 

In the song Matthew West makes the point that we have not done a very good job of allowing people to come into the church and accepting them as they are. I would say that he is right to some degree. We still have many churches that are personal clubs and new people are not necessarily welcome. 

But I think the church has become definitely more seeker friendly over the last several decades. In fact I think there are entire churches that their  seeker friendly philosophy is the entire mission of the church. Jesus was  certainly out and about and involved in the lives of people, so being accepting  of  new faces should be at least part of the model for the modern Church. I would say over the years we've at least made it to c+ in trying to reach people in the community. We probably do need a lot more work with this issue. 

But where the church has gotten a decided F is in while we are allowing people to come and experience the church we are putting up with false doctrines and teachings that are destroying the church from within. Allowing someone to come to the church who's homeless and living under a bridge is exactly what Christ would want. But adopting humanistic, anti-biblical teachings and outright witchcraft in the church has weakened us to the place where we often struggle to be effective in our ministries.

We absolutely need lots of work in learning to accept people the way Christ did without expecting them to meet all of our personal and cultural expectations. It is very much true that still many churches are more willing to accept the semi moral businessman who makes money than they are to accept the poor family that really has nothing to offer and can only take from the local church. It pretty much shows our lack of emotional maturity and a lack of personal relationship with the Risen Christ.

The evidence of our compromise on theology is shouted in social media on a daily basis. Christians who should have even a basic understanding of the Bible are spouting views that are decidedly unchristian and anti-biblical. Their viewpoints make me wonder if they've ever picked up the Bible at all. I have studied the scripture for over 45 years and I have to say that I don't know even close to as much as I should because of being lazy in study. But we shouldn't be confused about the basic doctrines of the Bible. Any Junior High age Sunday school student of the 1950s would not be-would not be-confused about these basic doctrinal principles.

The deplorable lack of biblical maturity comes about through the following process. As the church has become more seeker-friendly we have become more accepting of others. Fine so far. But as we've attempted to love people into the church we have been tempted to keep them by compromising the basic principles of scripture in order to keep them because they're unwilling to repent of sin or change their humanistic philosophies. 

Herein we fail. As a counselor we are taught that every relationship should have boundaries. And if the relationship does not have boundaries then one or both parties will not respect each other. That has certainly happened here. In order to keep people in the church or get them into the church we have been willing to compromise on basic teachings such as the Ten Commandments. The world may be confused about whether or not the Ten Commandments are necessary but the Church should not be.

Yes we should be patient and loving with folks as they move towards salvation and discipleship in Christ. But we are doing neither them or ourselves any favors by compromising the truths of God's word. They will be the proverbial pigs that turn again and rend us. When we finally wake up and realize that the only people that have made any compromise is the church we will start demanding change and acceptance of the truth. But it will be too late. The church will have watered itself down into apostasy and those who are left to cry foul will be persecuted even among these so-called seeker Christians.

Living the balance of loving people without compromising truth is an incredibly difficult one. And I have failed at these very principles on both sides. But at least we have the example of Christ who lived a perfect mixture of both. Thank God for His grace. We just need to keep trying. We have no choice. It is a matter of life or death. 

The Fellowship Of The Unashamed

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

 

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."

The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.

The decision has been made. I am a disciple of

Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down,

back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present

makes sense, and my future is secure.

I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,

small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,

chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

 

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,

promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by

presence, lean by faith, love by patience,

lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace

is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my

road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,

my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought,

compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,

diluted, or delayed.

 

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the

presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy,

ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander

in the maze of mediocrity.

 

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until

Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know,

and work until He comes. And when He comes to get

His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.

My colors will be clear.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

 The Author of this work is a Rwandan man in 1980 who was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain death. He refused to renounce Christ, and was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the commtment "The Fellowship of the Unashamed" which was found in his room. Bob Moorehead had written this in his book "Words Aptly Spoken" c. 1995

Paul had said: I am not ashamed of the gospel . . . Romans 1:16