Shine Your Light On Us

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Another song of those who are poor and dependent upon Christ.

Oh, my God, shine Your light on us that we might live.......
Oh, my God, shine Your light on us that we might live.......

I’ve been over long, I’ve been over long
All that is inside me screams to come back home

If you feel lost, if you feel lost, sing along
If you feel tired, if you feel tired, sing along
If you feel lost and tired, this is your song

I’ve been broken down, I’ve been broken down,
I ain’t giving up, love’ll come back around

If you feel lost, if you feel lost, sing along
If you feel tired, if you feel tired, sing along
If you feel lost and tired, this is your song



Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee:
let such as love thy salvation say continually,
The LORD be magnified.
But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me:
thou art my help and my deliverer...
Psalm 40:16-17(c)



Click on the arrow in the middle of the video screen below to hear the song and consider these words as the Robbie Seay Band singsShine Your Light On Us.







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"Wouldn't It Be Good?" sing the poor

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I got it bad
you don't know how bad I got it.
You got it easy
you don't know when you've got it good.
It's getting harder
just keeping life and soul together
I'm sick of fighting even though I know I should.
The cold is biting through each and ev'ry nerve and fibre
My broken spirit is frozen to the core.
I don't want to be here no more.

Wouldn't it be good to be in your shoes even if it was for just one da:
And wouldn't it be good if we could wish ourselves away.
Wouldn't it be good to be on your side
The grass in always greener over there.
Wouldn't it be good if we could live without a care.

You must be joking
you don't know a thing about it.
You've got no problems
I'd stay right there if I were you.
I got it harder
you couldn't dream how hard I got it
Stay out of my shoes if you know what's good for you.
The heat is stifling
burning me up from the inside.
The sweat is coming through each and ev'ry pore. (to Chorus)

It is compelling to consider this song as a song from the poor to the Church, a Church who has "made it out" and now with a superior air supposes to help those "still in ingnorance." These lyrics plead with us to understand that we still can be quite ignorant of the very bondage in which we ourselves were trapped before Christ. These lyrics plead with us to see that our lives can sometimes be comprised of self-centered, petty complaints at the very same time that we are basking in great blessing. They plead with us to see life as it really is, for us and those who are poor in any way.

"You brag, 'I'm rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from anyone,' oblivious that in fact you're a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.
Here's what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that's been through the refiner's fire. Then you'll be rich.
Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You've gone around half-naked long enough.
And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see."
Revelation 3:17-18

For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied).
2 Corinthians 8:9

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3

Jesus takes care of those who are poor. They are His. Please give each of us eyes to see, Lord Jesus, so that we may become poor.



Click on the arrow in the middle of the video screen below to hear the song and consider these words as Nik Kershaw singsWouldn't It Be Good?.







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Seeing The World From The Bottom Up

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When [Jesus] noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:
"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.
If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.
But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Luke 14:7-14



Click on the arrow in the middle of the video screen below to learn more of how Jesus teaches us to see the world from the bottom up.







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Becoming The Poor

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"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30



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Every Member Brings: Part 7 (Conclusion)

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This is Part 7 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 7: Conclusion

We have spent some time looking at the Biblical concept of every member bringing, expressed in 1 Corinthians 14:26. We have looked at the spiritual portrait of us presented by God’s Word, but reality may not immediately, or ever, take on the appearance of this spiritual portrait.

The many members of the Body of Christ who are one are also human. That fact will always affect how we manifest this spiritual portrait in actual practice. Those who have walked in this for years know that. They have lived it, and are living that reality today.

Some people may not agree with what has been shared here; this study tends to get a very marked response from those who read it. Some people may consider this a “lightweight presentation” of God’s Word, and still others might consider it “out of reach” for today’s believers and impractical. That’s OK. Some may not agree because they reject the concept of eldership outright, or conversely believe that it should remain in place as it is today. And that’s OK if they feel that way. Some may never feel comfortable facing their fears and bringing forth what God has placed within them. They may never speak a word in gatherings. There may be many other responses, and that’s OK, too.

Coming to the place where we, as God’s people, begin to walk in this way of living and worshipping is not a tidy proposition. The Journey is based upon both individual and group learning, with the Word of God learned and lived through God’s Holy Spirit by individual members and the whole Body alike. It is a marked by shared mistakes and failed attempts, jointly experienced deadlocks and exhilarating breakthroughs. And that’s OK.

This same Journey, regardless of how each of us may or may not as individuals begin to embrace and live this Biblical spiritual portrait, produces in us a spiritual growth that is the hallmark of a genuine and spiritually growing spiritual community. Daily, we all grow to be a little more like Christ because of God and Him in those around us. Seasons characterized by giant leaps, or by baby steps, or by seeming setbacks waiting to be overcome through Christ Jesus are all OK. It’s all part of the Journey.

God loves us as we are, and He loves us enough not to want to leave us that way. As much as is within us, we must grab His hand and the hands of those around and embark on this Journey together. We must simply and in sincerity be who are in Christ and live the Journey day by day.

This spiritual portrait that we see in 1 Corinthians 14:26 gives us a picture of who we can be as a Body through Christ Jesus and God’s Holy Spirit. It establishes a Truth from God, and dispels a lie from satan.

We are not a boat full of holes, brethren, as satan would have us believe. If we see boards on the Ark that need more sealer lest we leak, or more pegs lest we come apart, it is not because we are falling apart. It is because He is still building us. He has but a little left to finish, and then it will begin to rain.

If we look at the horizon, we can see that there are clouds that are growing dark for this world. It is not growing dark for God’s children, though. Our path grows brighter and brighter until the last day, God tells us in His Word. The day will someday come, perhaps soon, when it will begin to rain. We, however, need not fear nor strive, for we are safe and sound upon the Ark of our salvation, Christ Jesus.

In God’s Word, we read of Nehemiah, who instructed his workers to work with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. Let us do likewise, serving in the Kingdom of God by making disciples with one hand through God’s Word, and with the other hand lovingly standing against the enemy satan who seeks to divide us.

We are one. Let us, with His help and one another’s, manifest it.

12-13 You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body. It's exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.

14-18 I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, "I'm not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't belong to this body," would that make it so? If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

19-24 But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, "Get lost; I don't need you"? Or, Head telling Foot, "You're fired; your job has been phased out"? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it's a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

25-26 The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

1 Corinthians 12:12-26 (The Message Translation)

Every Member Brings: Part 6

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This is Part 6 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 6: It Must Be Done For The Strengthening of the Church

Next, 1 Corinthians 14:26 goes on to say:

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done.....

God is a loving God. Does He forgive when we err? Absolutely. But does He require obedience of us? He does. Does this make Him unloving? Hardly. God knows that obedience to His Word and will bring righteousness, safety, peace and blessing. Our God loves us SO much, and wants the very best for us!

Together, we can work as one to be obedient to the instruction God gives us in 1 Corinthians 14:26 and see righteousness, safety, peace and blessing spring up among us!

And finally, 1 Corinthians 14:26 tells us:

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.

We see God’s ultimate purpose in having every member bring a a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation - the strengthening of the church.

In these days, the church and its individual members are being attacked worldwide in a way not seen since the days of Acts.

We need to be strong, and we need to be one.
We need to be one, and we need to be strong.
And we must remember that our strength lies within our oneness with God and one another.

We intimately know the wiles of the devil, for he has sought to use them against each of us since the day we received Christ as our Saviour and Lord. This comes with the territory. There are Christians, however, that are more intimately familiar with satan’s attacks than they are with God and one another. Whatever our spiritual state, this is a day to draw near unto God and with one another as never before.

And it all starts with every member bringing.......what God gave them to bring today.

Every Member Brings: Part 5

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This is Part 5 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 5: The Spiritual Buffet

There is one other thing that I am will share on this topic of The 5 Courses. It is the concept of the spiritual "buffet." This is what God intended the gatherings of His people to be - spiritual buffets that were supplied by Him, for His glory, through the entire church and for its edification.

Corn here, salad there, roast beef there, pie over there, fresh water there, bread over there. You get the picture. A spiritual buffet.

But how would you feel if you went to your local buffet-style restaurant, paid your money, got a plate and approached the buffet - only to find that each and every container on the buffet held corn? Most of us like the taste of corn, even love it. And it’s nutritious, as well. Nothin’ bad you can say about corn. If you had to, you could live on only corn and water.

This "boring" buffet - with corn as its only course - is too often what man has created in today’s church. The pastor or assistant pastor or teacher speaks almost every week in most churches and, anointed and “nutritious” as it may be, it is only corn.

Many in the Western, and especially American Church, have tried to integrate big sound systems and multimedia screens and church outreaches for every concievable "group" of believer, all with the purpose of "making church interesting" and "drawing people to God." There is nothing in God's Word that says that big productions are inherently wrong. The book of Acts tells us of three thousand people becoming disciples of Christ in one day. That's a big production.

There is a vibrant and growing number of house churches and para-church ministries throughout the world. The popularity of their focus upon "simplicity and intimacy" has been chronicled by the media. There is nothing in God's Word that says that smaller groups are inherently wrong. The book of Acts tells us that the Church began in this fashion.

But if we, whether in larger church settings or smaller, whether in institutional church or house church or para-church settings, are still serving up "just corn," we have missed something vitally important about God's way of doing things. We have forgotten that God's Word is clearly trying to tell us that "what's interesting" and "what will draw people to God" is God's people jointly sharing a manifestation of Him and His Son and His Holy Spirit.

True Biblical community as evidenced in the book of Acts and 1 Corinthians 14:26 and lived out in whatever church size or form, lifts up Christ. As such, it presents people with something that - if they have eyes to see - they can't take their eyes off of.....Christ Himself.

And when He is lifted up, He tells us, He will draw all men unto Himself.

Would you go back to a buffet that only offered corn to eat? No. It is for this same reason that people - in droves - are switching churches or leaving the church altogether.

Don’t get me wrong. Perhaps some of us in the church meant well. Perhaps some of us looked at building the church on a practical level, and that’s where we got into trouble. The church is not a practical organism, it is a spiritual organism.

Perhaps some of us looked at building the church on a professional level, like a successful company, and that’s where we got into trouble. The church is not a professional organism, it is a spiritual organism.

And sadly, perhaps still others of us looked at building the church on a personal level, seeking to build our own Kingdom to give to God, and that’s where we got into trouble. The church is not a personal organism, it is a spiritual organism, and God created it to give to Himself.

We are not called to build the Church. Jesus said that He would build His church. He told us to make disciples of all men. And the best way to disciple is that way that Christ Himself did; by sharing His daily life with those whom He was seeking to disciple.

That is why every member bringing when they come together is such a powerful thing. What is experienced there and is shared there is a spiritual product of God's work in and through His Church, an ordained response to what He is doing in the hearts and lives of each member and amidst the community of believers as a whole. When this happens, there is nothing more worshipful, more praising unto God, more laden with glory for our Creator and Father.

God has created us in oneness to provide a buffet that is representative of our Heavenly Father, a feast of the Holy Spirit beyond human measure, a banquet that is fit for the King.

Every Member Brings: Part 4

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This is Part 4 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 4: The Five Courses

Next, we reach God’s explanation of the 5 courses of this spiritual meal that He desires to bring to His people through His people.

When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.
1 Corinthians 14:26

A Hymn

A hymn, as defined here in its original Greek meaning, refers to a Hebrew psalm. The significance of this meaning, as opposed to a meaning like “a song,” etc., is this:

~ The Psalms of the Bible are almost always praise directed toward God.
~ Psalms do not necessarily rhyme.
~ Psalms do not necessarily have musical accompaniment.
~ Psalms are simple songs, sung as a person might pray it in a prayer of thanksgiving.

This shows us that the term hymn is not referring to the “shows” that we sometimes see during "worship" in many churches today. Remember, God’s Word in this verse says “every member brings,” not “those who have been called to the ‘worship team’ bring” or “those who have signed up to sing a guest song bring.” God says that every member brings.

Is it scary for people to sing a hymn this way? By all means, YES! :-D One must first practice this scriptural principle at home, as we are instructed to do in God’s Word.

In Ephesians 5:19, God Word tells us that we should first be Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord... Then, later, God’s Word tells us in Colossians 3:16 that we are to Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

By practicing the singing of hymns at home in this manner, we become comfortable with this profound expression of thanks and ministry to God. Then, mixed with faith, we can step forward to minister to the church in "public" at gatherings (church services) in the same way.

A Word of Instruction

A word of instruction is, for the most part, a revelation of Scriptural Truth. Whether in the form of sharing one or two scriptures and sharing what God has revealed to you through His Spirit regarding those verse(s), or sharing word of testimony based upon the application of a revealed Truth in your own life, words of instruction are “meat and potatoes” to the church.

A Revelation

A revelation is best understood by looking at the original meaning of the Greek word. The term revelation means to take the lid off of something so that it can be seen. There are a number of ministries amongst the church which are revelation ministries, with prophecy, words of wisdom and words of knowledge, and Spirit-birthed testimony among them.

A Tongue

A tongue simply refers to speaking in tongues, be it in the tongue of man or of angels.

An Interpretation

A interpretation is the revelation, in the common language of the listeners, of a tongue.

Every Member Brings: Part 3

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This is Part 3 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 3: Everyone Brings

Note that in 1 Corinthians 14:26, God’s says When you come together, everyone has.... If you use your concordance, you will find that the term “everyone” means “everyone.” This simple Truth is of enormous impact upon the Body of Christ.

When God says “everyone has,” He means “everyone has.” Now, it is true that when we review 2 of the major reasons, previously stated in Part 2, that this scripture is not being accurately practiced in the church today:

~ Many people are afraid to, are too lazy to, or don’t believe that they’re able to effectively speak in front of the Church.
~ Some selfish elders lustfully and pridefully fear giving up “control” of church services - even temporarily - to the "common man."

....we see that one of the causes may be the people themselves. If someone is too afraid, too lazy, or too insecure, no one - including elders - can bring them out of their shell. By the same token, if an elder is too lustful, prideful or afraid to give up "control" of the church to God, then no person is likely to change their minds.

In the interest of Truth, however, it must be stated that the lion’s share of the responsibility for the accurate practice of 1 Corinthians 14:26 first rests with elders. If they have not served the Church by humbly helping them to live their lives, including corporate worship, in the manner that God commands within this verse, then they bear great responsibility when the church is not being effectually edified.

So, elders are first responsible to serve the Church by humbly helping them to live this scriptural model for the operation of the Body of Christ, and then to humbly train up God’s people within that to minister and edify.

Once these 2 things have taken place, now it is the responsibility of each believer to come to every gathering with the hymn, word of instruction, revelation, tongue or interpretation that has been given to them by God.

Note that I have not written that every believer is responsible to bring A hymn, word of instruction, revelation, tongue or interpretation that has been given to them by God. Rather, THE hymn, word of instruction, revelation, tongue or interpretation that has been given to them by God.

We must be careful not to get the cart in front of the horse when discussing and living out this scripture. 1 Corinthians 14:26 is not a laundry list to believers, to be used as a reference to “come up with something” to share at every gathering. It is a statement about what God will be causing to happen within us and then out through us when we, as individual believers and the Body of Christ as a whole, are walking in accordance with His will for our lives.

When we are in oneness with God, with our spouse, with our brethren and with God’s Word, a hymn, word of instruction, revelation, tongue or interpretation that has been given by God will already be upon our lips, from out of the bounty that He has placed within our hearts.

The result of these two scriptures (1 Corinthians 14:26 & Ephesians 4:11-12 ) practiced obediently and working in tandem, will be believers growing up to become like Christ Himself, and the church being strengthened through every member in oneness. And this is what every faithful believer so desires to see.

Every Member Brings: Part 2

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This is Part 2 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 2: In Tandem and As One

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.
1 Corinthians 14:26 (NIV)

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Ephesians 4:11-12

One of the most influential scriptures in the entire New Testament regarding the effective day-to-day operation of the Body of Christ is 1 Corinthians 14:26.

It is often overlooked or under-applied for a number of reasons, 2 major ones being:

~ Many people are afraid to, are too lazy to, or don’t believe that they’re able to effectively speak in front of the Church (and virtually everything detailed in 1 Corinthians 14:26 is in spoken or sung form).
~ Some selfish elders lustfully and pridefully fear giving up what they perceive to be “control” of church services - even temporarily - to the "common man."

1 Corinthians 14:26, is to be practiced in tandem with Ephesians 4:11-12, and thus does a mighty work of God amongst His church:

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Ephesians 4:11-12 tells us that one of the elders’ primary purposes is for the perfecting (equipping / training) of the saints for 2 purposes; to equip / train them for the work of the ministry (evangelism, etc.) and to equip / train them to edify. Verses 13 - 15 tells us that the result of this equipping / training will be very positive and productive, namely that the believers will grow up to become like Christ Himself.

It is clear that we have each been given a special role in God's plan. Our special role, however, is one with the special plans that He has for the rest of His children. In some way, they dove-tail with one another. They fit. We, who are created by God for an individual purpose which is yet one with a greater plan, are not able to fulfill the the individual purposes of others as effectively as God intends.

God has not done this to create "classes" amongst a people whom He has called to be one. Rather, He has done this to create a myriad of ways in which He manifests Himself in this world, through Christ Jesus and in the midst of His people.

As such, those who are created by God to function as elders while being one with God's people and plan cannot fulfill the call of those who are not, and those who have not been called to function as elders while being one with God's people and plan cannot fulfill the call of those who are. No class distinctions. No lording over God's heritage instead of selflessly and sacrificially serving God and His people. No lazily leaning upon "people in charge" when we should be faithfully depending upon God and doing what He created each of us to do.

It takes everyone doing their part to accomplish the fullness of God within and through the Body of Christ, and it simply will not happen unless this scripture (1 Corinthians 14:26) is taught and practiced without fail.

This is the purpose of this series of writings....to take a close, loving look at what we will allow God to do in our midst when we obediently practice 1 Corinthians 14:26.

Every Member Brings: Part 1

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This is Part 1 of a multi-part series of posts entitled Every Member Brings.



Part 1: God's Desire For Oneness

God desires oneness. He desires oneness with us (Ezekiel 36:28), He desires that we have oneness with His Son (1 John 1:3), and He desires that His Son’s Body, the church be one with one another (1 Corinthians 12:12 - 26).

In Ephesians 4, God’s Word tells us that Christ Jesus sent elders to the Body of Christ - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers - and then speaks of the result of their work for Christ amongst the church.

In Ephesians 4:15(c)-16, God’s Word says:

15 .....which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
In these verses, we clearly see God’s great plan for His people, that they - in oneness with Him and His Son and one another - would edify / strengthen themselves in love.

In Verse 16, God says that the whole Body of Christ is fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part. What a wonderful vision of oneness!

In this passage, the term fitly means to lay [like “laying a foundation”] joints together in union, with the example being given of a chariot that is well fit together (the word together implying a profound level of union). Wow.

And here we thought us "regular folk" were only supposed to give “praise reports” or “announcements” or such at church, right? Who knew that the Holy Spirit desires to see every member - through what Spirit-inspired sharing they bring to each gathering - lay the joints of the church together in union like a chariot is fit together? The church - a chariot of God? It is an eye-opening revelation, isn’t it?

The term compacted means, in essence, to drive together into unity. This driving together, much like Noah hammering the first Ark together, brings the joints (members of the church) together in a way that there can be no space between them - no leaks, no separation, no division. How wonderful that we can, through simply sharing what God has placed upon our hearts to share, be part of building the Ark of the last days - the Body of Christ awaiting His return.

The term supplieth means to contribute, with its root meaning to furnish while beside. Here again, this oneness, this being “beside” one another shows God’s loving plan for oneness in the church.

And finally, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part shows us that each member of the church (each “part”), in their own measure (their role and contribution as assigned by God through the Holy Spirit), does this work and must do this work.

The result? What God has always wanted. Oneness. Oneness. Oneness.

Unlikely Candidates

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In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln was confronted with a dilemma. The North was not having a great time of it in the civil war. Lincoln had over 200 senior-level generals at his disposal, but only one - a flawed alcoholic named Ulysses S. Grant - was winning battles.

And so, Lincoln did something that many of his aides could not conceive of doing; he appointed Grant the senior general of the North's forces in the Civil War. It is said that when one aide approached President Lincoln and expressed concern about Grant's ability to lead the North's forces in light of his alcoholism, Lincoln replied, "Find our what brand he drinks and send a barrel to all our other generals."



Lincoln you see, was almost as practical as he was Christian. It is true that Lincoln's primary reason for wanting to stop slavery was to preserve the union of the states, but his foundational intention behind that very reasoning was profoundly Christian. Lincoln knew that if the unity of the states, much like the unity of the Body of Christ, were to be destroyed, Christianity would have little chance of existing or prospering in any faction that remained.

In spite of Grant's alcoholism and numerous other personal flaws, the profoundly prayerful President Abraham Lincoln sensed that Ulysses S. Grant was the right man for the job. Talk about choosing an unlikely candidate. Would we have made the same decision were we in his place?

It's Not So Strange, Biblically Speaking
When the Baby Jesus was born, one would think that the high priest of Israel would have wanted to be present. He didn't. One would think that the nation of Israel would have come in droves to worship a Messiah for whom they had prayed so long. They didn't. One would think there would be at least one prophet whom God would call to be present with that most special little boy. There wasn't.

Instead, God brought three "magis,” interpreted in some versions of the Bible as "wise men" for convenient reasons. The term "magis,” after all, is the root of the English word "magicians" and in translated in the New Testament's original Greek language as, in essence, "sooth sayers." We can understand why the translators might have chosen to substitute the term "wise men" instead, can't we? I mean, why would God have three heathen magis be the ones who were sent to welcome and first worship the new-born Messiah?

The reason rests in the fact that, while it is true that Jesus was being sent to the Jews, it is also true that He - after His coming rejection by his own people, the Jews - was actually and ultimately being sent to the heathens (me and you), as well as to them. That's why it was the heathens who were called, showed up at his birth, and proclaimed it thereafter.

Consider, too, the nature of most of the apostles when they were first called. They were a motley crew to say the very least. The only one out of the bunch who even seemed qualified and "normal" was - you guessed it - Judas Iscariot. So, throughout His Word, God has used "unlikely candidates" to do His work, even when it came to proclaiming the birth of His only begotten Son.

God's Recruiting Style
Where I live in the US, I work with a non-profit organization that provides food and personal care items. We provide for the needs of poor and disadvantaged people in our county and surrounding areas, and even internationally. Recently, our need for additional staff has grown dramatically.

Something of which the current staff is all aware is that many of the people who now work there first showed up in the strangest ways. Our staff list, including myself and the CEO, are the embodiment of the term "unlikely candidates." Everyone we know would agree that a bunch of people like us could have never done what's been done there. And it's true. We didn't. God called whom He wanted to work there. And then He did it.

So, as we sensed the need for additional staff, a natural thought might be for us to contact local churches for people who might be interested in serving at the non-profit. In spite of the fact that she had a list of churches and pastors to call, however, the personal assistant to the non-profit's CEO didn't call. It didn't feel right in her Spirit. At the very same time, I was in prayer, and God was telling me something wonderful and exciting.

He said, "Don't beat the bushes at the churches to find the people you need to help there. If they are there, they will come of there own accord as led by Me. But there are others whom you and the CEO and the personal assistant might not even recognize if I had not spoken this to you. I will bring them to you as you wait upon Me, and you will recognize that I have sent them. Know this, they are "unlikely candidates." Some of them are not even saved."

Not even saved? Get a load of our God. He's still using unlikely candidates.

Something New
Many of you reading this know in your Spirits that something "new" is coming. Just as God needed to use unlikely candidates when Jesus brought something new to this world, God is preparing to use unlikely candidates to do the next "new" thing He has purposed.

Call it whatever you like. People use all kinds of terms, accurate or not. An "outpouring." A "revival." A "move of God." Or maybe we should just call it what it may be and hopefully will be - a wave of many people turning their lives and souls over to God through Christ Jesus. Something "new" is coming. And yet it is something that happened before.

From Where Will It Come?
Doesn’t it seem unlikely that the coming "move of God" will come from within or out of any denominations or non-denominations that are lifeless, just as it did not in Jesus' day? The move of God in Jesus' day happened in spite of any denominations or non-denominations of that day that were lifeless, and in some cases in spite of bitter opposition from them.

Doesn’t it seem more likely that the coming "move of God" will come from out of the very place to which Jesus instructed His followers to go and love and teach and reap. Not in the temple building made with hands, not within that glorious structure of beauty in which God was not abiding. Not in the likely places, and not among the likely candidates. He told us where we will find the unlikely candidates, and so isn't it likely that this is where the coming "move of God" will begin?

12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
Luke 14:12-14

Doesn’t it seem more likely that the coming "move of God" - whatever it may be - will begin and spring forth amidst the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind?

16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Luke 14:16-23

Again - doesn’t it seem more likely that the coming "move of God" - whatever it may be - will begin and spring forth amidst the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind? We will not often find them in our churches, but rather in the streets and lanes of the city, in the highways and the hedges. Jesus didn't invite people to church.

He went and found them where they were, as they were...Unlikely candidates found in unlikely places.

And so let us, as former unlikely candidates whom Christ found in unlikely places, share with one another so that we can learn and grow together in Christ Jesus. Let us encourage and exhort one another to strike out for destinations sometimes unknown to us, but where we will find Christ abiding among the lost. Let us help one another in love. We need each other.

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don't need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don't need you!”
22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,
24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.
26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1 Corinthians 12:12-26

In Christ alone.

David's Crummy Army

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After some time serving in Saul's palace as a musician, David's presence began to anger Saul and Saul purposed to kill him. Tipped off to this by his best friend Jonathan (who was also Saul's son), David fled into the desert wilderness.

There, God provided David with the army he would need to accompany him, protect him, and fulfill the ultimate will of God in placing David upon the throne of Israel. You would think that God would send a big army, or at least a smaller group of Israel's very elite soldiers. But God didn't do that. In fact, in 1 Samuel 22:2, we see that God ended up sending David a crummy army.

The Distinct Qualities of a Crummy Army
The men that God sent to David had three distinct qualities:

1. They were all distressed. The original Greek definition of the word "distressed" in this verse speaks of a person who is oppressed or has a disability.

2. They were all in debt. The original Greek definition of the word "in debt" in this verse speaks of a person who is in financial debt, while noting the possibility that the person also may have been led astray, is mentally deluded, or has been morally seduced.

3. They were all discontented. The original Greek definition of the word "discontented" in this verse speaks of a person who has a bitter vitality (in other words, as opposed to a person who is grumpy sometimes, a person whose bitterness has a life of its own).

So this was the army that God caused to gather themselves unto David, the men with whom He surrounded him, the men of whom He would make David captain......

They were oppressed or had a disability, were in financial debt and perhaps led astray or deluded or seduced, and they were men whose bitterness had a life of its own.

What a crummy army.

Trained Up In The Pasture
David was anointed as a child by the prophet Samuel, Samuel initially looked upon the outward appearance of Jesse's sons and was unable to see God's elect. God admonished Samuel that "I do not look upon outward appearance but upon the heart." The moment Samuel began to approach his assignment in the Spirit, he was led to ask if there were any more sons, David was brought to him, and Samuel saw the chosen of Israel and anointed him.

And then David assumed the throne, right? No, he didn't.

David went back to the pasture where the sheep were. There, he had been learning all about caring for and protecting his father's sheep. And in quieter moments, he would simply worship God. Years later, having been trained up in an earthly pasture to care for and protect his earthly father's earthly sheep, David would be called to care for and protect His heavenly Father's sheep (the children of Israel) as king of Israel. And he never forgot the importance of the worship he had learned in that same earthly pasture.

One Man's Desert Is Another Man's Pasture
David may have felt that he would need a proficient army to survive the rigors of the desert wilderness and the pursuits of Saul, but the reason that God sent these specific men to David had nothing to do with David. It had to do with them.

You see, God had purposed that these 400 men would go with David to be trained up in the desert wilderness just as David had been trained up in the pasture.

As they traveled from plain to plain, mountain to mountain, valley to valley, cave to cave, God led and guided and protected David and his army at every turn. There were times when Saul would arrive at David's camp to find it abandoned just before, with the campfires still smoking, no doubt. Through His Holy Spirit, you see, God had warned David and his army of Saul's impending approach. They were learning what it meant to be men of war, men of obedience and men of worshipful adoration of God Almighty.

The desert wilderness through which they were chased was the same to those men as the pasture had been to David in his youth. It was God school, and they learned lessons to last a lifetime. Both the pasture and the desert were far away from their "home", their comfort, and their preferences, and so it is for us.

One man's desert is another man's pasture, and this is born out in the original Hebrew definition of the word "wilderness"; it means either "desert" or "pasture."

A Destiny Forged In The Desert, A Purpose Founded In The Pasture
We know of the Godly purpose, founded in that sheep pasture as a youth, that would eventually be realized in David.

But these 400 men, so marred and troubled when they first came to David, had a Godly destiny of their own. Having been trained up in the desert wilderness, they were later referred to as "the mighty men of valor". Yes, these 400 men in David's crummy army grew up in God to become the generals of Israel.

Going by their outward appearance, by their attitudes, by their actions, by their track records, no one could have predicted that these 401 men would amount to anything at all. But God saw their hearts, and knew their destinies, and had a purpose for each of them. For us, too.

Calling All Crummy Soldiers!
Say, are there more times than you'd like to mention when you feel oppressed? Do you sometimes feel like you have a spiritual disability? Are you financially in over your head, or feel confused or weak at times? Is it possible that you privately harbor bitter resentment that just won't go away, hard as you try?

There's a train pulling up at the railway station of your heart. Look up at the destination on the railside display, my friend. It says either "Desert" or "Pasture." Either way, this gut-wrenching but very necessary trip is in your future, and it leads to blessings unimaginable!

Be encouraged by God's Word that we've considered today, my friends. God knows your heart and He has a very special destiny and purpose for your life. He will never be disappointed in you, He will never leave you, and He will always be there to teach you about His thoughts and ways. He is your biggest fan, and He knows where you're headed. Trust Him, and He will lead you through the desert or pasture to a land of promise.

By the same token, do you have some people in your life that fit the "crummy army" description we've learned today? It is easy to look at others' outward appearance, attitudes, actions, and track record and form what we suppose to be a Godly, Biblical opinion. Maybe, though, we need to heed God's instruction to Samuel. Maybe we need to pause for a moment and ask God to reveal to us the hearts of those who stand at our sides. Maybe that's not really an annoying, obnoxious weirdo beside us at all. Maybe it's a future mighty man of valor.

If We Can Do It......
Whether it is in a pasture that is at times viciously attacked by lions and bears, or a wilderness seemingly devoid of any kindness or sustenance at all, we learn of God's plan for us. But we also learn something greater, a foundational Truth that is the underpinning of all else that we will ever learn from God. Whether it is in the pasture or in the wilderness, we learn one thing.

If we can do it, God's not in it.

Scary as it may be, we must release it all to Him. We must give Him our everything, and trust in Him alone. There will be wounds and failures in the desert and in the pasture but, in the end, God will have created within us something of eternal value...

A faithful child.


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Below is a skit version of the Max Lucado book entitled You Are Special. It is performed by young believers as someone narrates the story by reading Max Lucado's book. Please check it out; it ties in nicely with what is written above.

Insinuations

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The author of "Insinuations" says that it speaks to how we as Christians sometimes "go through the motions of kindness, while not loving and accepting the way that Jesus did."

There are many people both outside and within the Church that are desperately attempting to make a connection with us as the people that are the Church.

It is good for us to remember that their hearts and lives - like our own - are fragile, and that we should handle them with care.

As you read this compelling writing, written from the standpoint of someone seeking to be both accepted and loved by the Church, consider God's own words to us all:

Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).
1 John 3:18

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You think it's hard to deal with me.

What you don't understand is it's hard to depend on you.

Knowing I'm accepted, not wanted.

You've never been in this position, and you never will.

I come and I go still feeling alone.

If home is where the heart is, I have yet to find my heart.

When I leave will all be solved?

If it were so, I would not have stuck around this long.

I push myself away from you.

Because if I come too close my soul might be exposed.

And we wouldn't want that.

You might find I'm real and I hurt and I'm not made of stone.

If fact, I cry. Quite often.

But it's not for you to hear, it's for me to know. To do. To experience.

So I suppose... Let's stay this way.

Never finding out what might happen if we accept one another.

Jesus said to love. And then He died.

He didn't say "Love them if they're different and unsure."

It was only insinuated.

Hope and The Church

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As we seek to become that which God intended His Church to be, we must have hope born of Him, and retain that hope with an utmost confidence in His ability to transform us into the image of His Son.




If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Do not depend on the hope of results. You may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself. You gradually struggle less and less for an idea and more and more for specific people. In the end, it is the reality of personal relationship that saves everything.
Thomas Merton

Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
Reinhold Niebuhr

If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.
Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Not only is another world possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.
Arundhati Roy

Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing.
When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!"
Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, "It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child." Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up.
He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what He had said.
That's why it is said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right."
But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.
Romans 4:17-25

A Sam's Club Kind of Faith Community

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I was shaving this morning and thanking God for a little thing. I was thanking Him that I had discovered that, while I would have to pay upwards of $8.00 for 4 razor blades for my shaver, I could buy 20 blades at Sam's Club for about $30.00. That's 25% less! I get more, and it costs me less.

Different Kinds of Stuff, And Lots Of It
People love Sam's Club because you can find almost anything you'd want to buy at their giant, sprawling stores. You can get a lot of different kinds of stuff there, and whatever kind of stuff you'd like to get, you can get a lot of it.

When you've been shopping in a regular grocery, Sam's Club overwhelms you. From floor to ceiling, from side to side as far as you can see, there's beautiful stuff everywhere. You know the way you feel the first time you walk into a Catholic cathedral? That's how people in the world feel when they walk into a Sam's Club for the first time. Complete, speechless awe.

You see, satan binds people by offering them temporary escape from their problems with a false form of comfort that’s always running out. That false form of comfort might be alcohol or drugs or sex or soap operas or football games or biting their nails. The effects are always temporary, and the supply always runs out. People who trust in a false form of comfort are always wanting and needing.

As believers, though, we should walk out of every encounter with Christ saying what people who are shopping at Sam’s Club sometimes do. "How in the world am I going to use all this stuff?"

And that's the point. We can't use all of what He's given us for ourselves. It's too much. It's too big. From the floor to the ceiling of our hearts, from side to side of our lives as far as you can see, there's beautiful stuff everywhere.

"How in the world are we going to use all this stuff?" By giving it away to a needy world.

.....At A Lower Cost
People also love Sam's Club because you pay less there. Since Sam's Club is so big, they can buy everything at a lower cost, and pass on the savings to the customers they serve.

In Revelation 3:18, Jesus tells the Laodicean church, I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Jesus is our storehouse. We can buy wondrous things from Him - big things - at a much lower price than weight and sin will extract from us. And it's not just so we'll be blessed. It's so that we may pass these blessings on to others.

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

On a physical level, consumers at Sam's Club and - on a spiritual level - the lost in this world are concerned with the "cost of living."

On a physical level, Sam's Club and - on a spiritual level - much of the church today is sometimes concerned with the "cost of giving."

This is an important understanding for believers, because our attitude about giving reflects what we perceive to be "the cost of giving." If we are consumed with what we perceive to be an endless struggle through life, in spite of our Christianity, we will eventually become bitter and resentful toward those in need. What's more, we'll not be able to spiritually recognize just how much God has given and is giving to us. We won't be able to see that daily He has loaded us with blessings.

You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
Hebrews 10:34-35

And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.
Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little‘;
2 Corinthians 8:10-15

The bottom line is that when we daily comprehend and joy in the great blessings we have received from God at a price to us that is so low, we will be able to "pass on the savings" to others.

Free Gifts
Another reason that people love Sam's Club is because there are people standing around all over the place giving you free samples of stuff. Not expensive stuff, but neat stuff or tasty stuff. And it's cool because it's all free.

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Romans 8:32

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:8

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Acts 3:6

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 10:7-8

We in the church may not have silver and gold, but that's not what people are really looking for, either. We do have what people are really looking for; peace with God through salvation in Christ Jesus. We have comfort. We have joy. We have hope.

When people come to church, wouldn't it be wonderful if they saw people standing around all over the place giving you free samples of that kind of stuff? Neat stuff or tasty stuff. And it would be really cool, because it was all free.

Try It For Free!
At Sam's Club, anyone can get a free membership for a day. That means they treat you like a real member for the day that you're visiting. It doesn't matter how you're dressed or how you talk or what side of town you're from; anyone can be treated like a full-fledged member on the day they're visiting. The employees are really nice to you, too, and you walk around the place in wonder, thinking, "Wow, I would love to be able to be a member and come here all the time. There's so much neat and tasty stuff here, it's stacked up so wide and so tall, it's everywhere! And everyone is so nice and helpful."

So that servant came, and [told] his lord [that all whom He had at first invited to His supper had refused]. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Luke 14:21-23

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 13:34-35

But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.
John 12:32

When people come to church, wouldn't it be wonderful if they felt as though they were loved like a full-fledged member and not just as a visitor? Imagine those people visiting church and receiving all that neat stuff and tasty stuff from people that really seemed to love them and each other.

The Best of Both Kinds.....
Our churches are not meant to be a bunch of isolated, independent Mom and Pop corner stores. Mom and Pop corner stores are nice because you know the people that work and shop there. It's comfortable and familiar.

But there's a lot of stuff that you can't get at a Mom and Pop corner store that you can get at Sam’s Club.

I think that Jesus would like us to understand that instead of our churches being isolated, independent Mom and Pop corner stores in our town, we are actually like different departments in a Godly Sam's Club.

Each department offers something different, and lots of it, at a great price. Some people will tend to shop more in certain departments, but at some point we all will venture into every department in this Godly Sam's Club and be able to experience the loving wonder of His blessings and the loving touch of His people who work there.

If the leadership and management of Sam's Club could ever their stores to feel like a Mom and Pop corner store, no one would ever shop anywhere else again.

When people come to church, wouldn't it be wonderful if they experienced the intimacy of our welcoming love, coupled with the wonder of God's storehouse of blessings? That would give our Godly Sam's Club the intimate, friendly feel of a Mom and Pop corner store. And if that were the case, it's hard to imagine people in the world ever wanting to "shop" anywhere else again.

It's A Good Thing To Be Unpopular With satan
Now, when a Sam's Club moves into a community, there is sometimes a great outcry against it. It comes from Mom and Pop corner stores who claim (and rightfully so) that Sam's Club will eventually draw everyone away from their own stores. They claim that, because of Sam's Club's ability to provide more to people at a lower cost, people will eventually completely abandon Mom and Pop corner stores and they will forced to close.

While this might be bad news in the business world, it is great news in the spiritual world. The writing is on the wall for Mom and Pop churches that have chosen to be isolated and independent from the rest of God‘s people and the world of the lost. }

God is bringing together His people to manifest the oneness that He gave them through His Holy Spirit through whatever means necessary; gently as possible, firmly as needed.

God is building a Sam's Club that feels like a Mom and Pop store.

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22

satan is scared of this. satan doesn't want a Godly Sam's Club that feels like a Mom and Pop store. He doesn't want that kind of a manifestation and demonstration of God's great blessings or our great love. It was the same way with satan and his followers in the days of Acts.

And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto
them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
Acts 17:2-6

When Paul preached Christ, it turned the world upside down. When Paul preached Christ, Jews, Greeks and many important women believed on Him. As we learn Christ, live Christ and preach Christ it will be the same. Through God's Holy Spirit, many different peoples will be transformed into one Body by one Christ.

In Closing
So, yes, there will be opposition, but it spite of that opposition God will bring many souls to Himself and transform them. What's the right way to handle opposition?

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
Acts 4:29-30

Notice how it was okay for the disciples in this passage to ask God to be aware of the great opposition that was facing them. But, having done that, they then turned their attention to where it should be; upon God and upon those in need.

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants to speak Your word with great boldness. Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.

Focusing too much on opposition makes everything about "us." And it's not about us anymore. It's about God, and it's about those who are still without Christ, broken and hurting and without hope. It's about them. So we must acknowledge that opposition is imminent and ask for God's help, but then turn to God for His unmerited favor that we might stretch forth His hand to the world.

In turning my own eyes away from myself and toward the lost, I am asking myself a question and answering it with the only answer I can give:

Do I think the world is ready to receive big blessings from God at a low price ("For my yoke is easy, and My burden is light"), in an awe-inspiring storehouse of God that feels like a Mom and Pop store, surrounded by welcoming people that pour out their sincere love for them and each other?

"Welcome to Sam's Club. How may I help you today?

A Relationship With Them

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In my dream, I was standing in the expansive lobby of an enormous office building in a major U.S. city.

It was night time, and the office building was closed and deserted except for a small group of people standing in the darkened lobby, of whom I was one.

There were no street lights outside the building, and there was a very pale, barely visible blue light on the inside of the building. The building's windows which were facing the street were 20-30 feet wide and 30-40 feet tall. In the middle of this span of windows was one that would slide open to a width of 10-15 feet to provide the entrance to the building. It was closed and secured.

Although I could not see them, I heard a small group of people around me talking about something. Somehow, I knew that they were professing Christians. As I listened to them speak, I sensed a fearful, strident tone to their voices. They were speaking over one another and the focus of their conversation, I realized, was a small group of men who were standing in the darkness just outside of the front windows of the building.

There were 8 or 9 men, shadowy figures milling about nervously near the secured front entrance. I heard the people with me say that these men were "menacing," and they wanted to do something about them.

At that moment, I looked down and saw a sledgehammer in my hands. It was different, though, in that the sledgehammer was made completely out of wood. The head was wood as well as the handle.

Now stirred up and apprehensive from having listened to the incessant speaking of the small group of people with whom I was standing, I joined them as we - with hearts pounding - proceeded to slowly cross the lobby of the building and approach the sliding front door. We were "going to do something about these men."

Suddenly, as we were approaching the sliding front door, it unexpectedly opened to a width of just 4 or 5 feet. The group of people with whom I was advancing froze in fear, not knowing what would happen next, and fearing what the men outside might do now that the door was open.

As we stood staring at the men outside, they hesistantly - one by one - slowly and fearfully approached the small opening in the sliding door and gently tossed a bouquet of roses on the floor of the lobby, just inside the opening of the door. One by one they came, dropped their flowers on the floor, and then retreated back to the dimness.

That was my dream.

I asked our Lord what the dream meant, and this is what He told me:

The lobby of the office building was the Church at large. The people there with me were, as I had suspected, those who professed to be Christians.

Our Lord drew my attention to the great darkness outside of the building (the Church), and to the fact that the light (the dim blue light) inside of the building (Church) was barely more light than the darkness outside of it.

He then spoke of the sledgehammer - made completely out of wood - that I had seen in my hands. "There were other weapons in the hands of those with you that you did not see in the dream," He said. "These weapons were made of hay and stubble." I knew that our Lord was referring to 1 Corinthians 3:10(b)-13, which says:

But each one should be careful how he builds.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.

I asked our Lord, "But who were the men that we feared so much in the dream, and why were they tossing bouquets of roses on the floor for us?"

Our Lord said that the men were homosexuals, and that they were throwing bouquets on the floor because they wanted the love of the people in the Church at large. And then He spoke words that He wanted me to share with me and with everyone in that Church at large, words that broke my heart.

"They want a relationship with you, more than you want a relationship with them."

Aliens and Strangers

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It was undoubtedly the most unusual gig I have ever been involved in as a musician. Early on in my career as a cellist for the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, in order to pad my meager income, I learned to say yes to just about every opportunity for an extra job that came along. Performing for private parties, weddings, churches, and political events became a common occurrence. But this particular job was truly unique. Three other symphony musicians and I, along with two members of a local dance troupe, had developed a program geared toward introducing grade school children to the wonderful world of the performing arts. We had been well received in many local schools and our schedule was rapidly filling up with requests for our program. One such request came from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Some brilliant bureaucrat had decided that Arizona's "culturally starving" Native Americans (aside from the fact that they were also physically starving) needed to be exposed to classical music and interpretive dance. It seemed like a ridiculous idea to us but hungry musicians are not in a position to question the sanity of anyone offering a paycheck. Consequently, a few weeks later we found ourselves on an adventure that would take us to what is perhaps the most remote village in the lower 48 states, the community of Supai on the Havasupai Indian Reservation at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

After an early morning car trip that included a two-hour drive over a dusty, deeply rutted, badly weathered dirt road, we reached Hualapai Hilltop, the starting point for our descent into the canyon. The only two ways into this remote area were on foot or by horseback. We chose the latter, although in a few hours I would have given anything for a chance to make another choice. Our Native American guides met us at the top of the canyon with our horses for the journey and a pack of mules to carry our suitcases, sleeping bags, and (gulp) our musical instruments. I watched in horror as these seasoned pack guides strapped my cello to the side of a mule and proceeded on down the narrow, twisting, cliff-hanging trail. Silently I prayed for the safety of my instrument and the sure-footedness of that mule. I learned later that my cello survived the trip in far better shape than I did.

Then it was our turn. Climbing onto our horses in the midst of that desolate wilderness it was easy to imagine ourselves on an Old West adventure. We were cowboys in tennis shoes, pioneers in sunglasses, intrepid explorers in baseball caps on a dangerous quest to seek out new civilizations. It didn't take long, however, for our imaginations to be quelled by our growing (or should I say groin) pain. I soon learned there is only one thing worse than a city-slicker’s rear-end on a long horseback ride. That is when the ride is decidedly downhill and with every step of the horse one’s delicate derriere slides forward into the saddle-horn. I gained an entirely new appreciation for the term "rawhide."

After three hours of riding in the hot sun through jagged rock formations and extreme wilderness, we rounded a bend in the trail and suddenly found ourselves in the Garden of Eden. Lush green trees, multi-colored wildflowers, and a thick carpet of grass lined the trail. Meandering through this paradise was a crystal clear stream of turquoise colored water. It was all stunningly beautiful. I was reminded of the meaning of the name Havasupai, "Blue-Green Water People," and I began to envy those who called this place home.

Later that evening the villagers gathered together in an ancient, rustic meeting house to hear a group of white strangers making strange sounds with their strange music boxes. Our music was politely received but I could tell these people had no comprehension of what we were doing. Classical music could not have been more out of place in that setting. I would have felt totally foolish were it not for our two dancers. They were the hit of the program. Although ballet steps were completely foreign to their culture, these isolated Native Americans understood the art of the dance.

After our program they insisted on showing us their steps. Quickly a pair of drums appeared and two elderly gentlemen began beating a simple pattern. Others began chanting a mournful melody while several children danced together across the wooden floor of their tribal meeting house. We were soon accompanying them by improvising rhythm and notes on our instruments while our two dancers tried, amidst the giggles of delighted children, to pick up on their intricate footwork. It was a magical moment I will never forget. Rhythm and dance had managed to bridge the gap between two cultures. I remember thinking on my way out of the canyon the following day (with my foam rubber mattress pad cushioning the impact between the saddle and my smarting backside), "How could anyone call these people culturally starved?" Indeed, those thought to be impoverished had fed us all!

I have often thought about that unusual gig in recent years while attempting to take the message of the Gospel to a modern culture which, at times, seems to have no comprehension of what we're doing. To be sure, much of what comprises the typical church program seems to be encased within a culture that is completely foreign to many of our neighbors. Sadly it is the church that all too often has become isolated from the surrounding community. When those outside the faith visit us they feel like aliens in a foreign land. Our music, our programs, our buildings, even our language, all of which seems so normal and so comfortable to us, may in fact be alienating us from the very people we are trying to reach. I'm not advocating that the Church adopt a worldly lifestyle, just one that is more culturally relevant. And I'm certainly not saying we should allow the world's sin to infiltrate the Church. In contrast, we need to learn how to more successfully infiltrate the world.

I believe we need to spend less time criticizing the culture that surrounds us and more time trying to connect with it; less time complaining about the evils of our society and more time trying to bridge the gap that separates us from that society; less time insisting that everyone else conforms to our culture and more time trying to understand theirs. Without compromising our message, we need to learn how to dance to their music. "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." - 1Cor. 9:22.

I don't mean to be a proverbial “pain in the rear-end” nor do I wish to rub you the wrong way with this. I would, however, remind you that as Christians we are the true "aliens and strangers" in this world and we will never feel entirely at home here (see 1Pe. 1:17, 2:11-12). ...our citizenship is in heaven. - Phil 3:20. But one glorious day, after traveling for many miles through this sin-filled, temptation-laden, spiritually-starving, desolate wilderness called Earth, we will round a bend in the trail and suddenly find ourselves in a lush paradise...across a sea of crystal...in a beautiful Garden of Eden...and we will finally be home.

Until that day, anyone care to dance?