LIVING ON THE EDGE

Those of you who know me best know I’m not very political and really would like nothing more than to have this election over and done with. LOL. But since we are in the throws of this heated and often time’s ugly election, I had to weigh in with my two cents worth. So, the best way I can do that is give my readers a choice in where they can get their facts and the truth about the candidates. Since the “drive-by” media is so in love with the ANNOINTED ONE and won’t ask him the tough questions and feel compelled to destroy Sarah Palin, here’s a site where you can get some honest, fair and un-biased reporting. Enjoy NEWSMAX.

Over the past several days I have been in this mode of re-evaluating and examining my life and my “CALL” to ministry.  The personal time has been very trying and at time down right frustrating. I know God has a call on my life and I have never really doubted that but I guess my question was “What is God doing in my life and what impact, if any, will I or can I make on those people God has placed in my life?” (I know, I know-just trust God. It’s not for us to ask what or why. Just be obedient. BULL. God has given us the freedom to ask Him those tough questions so I take Him up on it.)

Well, I’m one of those guys who like to use confirmations-reaffirmations when making decisions, especially when those decisions concern my family, WC and so many other people. I realize God doesn’t need to give us confirmations but I’m thankful for when He does when He deems it worthwhile.

In one area of ministry that I have been asking Him for reaffirmation, God reaffirmed it this week in three different ways. He used a card given to Carolyn and I this past Sunday by a lady who has no idea what I’m going through; He used a guy at Starbucks to speak the exact words that were in the card and then He used a message from a pastor I don’t even know who is in another part of the country to reaffirm what the other two had just done. Blows my mind how God does things. I don’t have the freedom right now to share what it is but I will when God gives me liberty. All I can say for now is, I know what God is doing and what He wants me to do next. That is very liberating. I will fill in the blanks later in this blog spot so look for details in the coming days.

I hope this and other blogs about this issue will be of help to others who have those moments in life where they examine their life in detail and wonder what God is doing and whether or not they too will ever make an impact on their world.

Hang in there-God has a call on your life. Allow yourself to be a conduit of His power to impact those around you.

Surfing the net the other day, I ran across a churches web site that advertised them as “A SPIRIT FILLED CHURCH” in their town. My first thought when I saw this was they must be a charismatic church. But then I began to think about how assuming of them to think the other churches in the area were not Spirit filled. Or maybe they were just branding themselves. One thing it did was get me to thinking-dangerous, I know.

Just what is it that makes them a “SPIRIT FILLED” church?  Is it the size? Is it the style of music they sing? Is it the emotional or experiential services they employ? What makes a church SPIRIT FILLED?

I’ve been doing a study in Acts and it has been messing with my mind to say the least, but the one conclusion I came up with on this subject is found in Acts 1 when Jesus told His followers right before He left them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Looks to me that the evidence is the POWER to be His witnesses, not just at home but all over the world.

Spirit filled churches, I believe will demonstrate a power that cannot be manufactured by human methods; a power that only can be explained by the person and presence of the Holy Spirit. Life change, transformation, restoration and Church HEALTH, being balanced in all five areas of church ministry-Worship, Fellowship, Ministry, Evangelism and Discipleship,  all these are signs of a spirit filled church.

I realize that there are some LARGE churches that are not very spirit filled or healthy. But I also realize and know some smaller churches that are experiencing life change in a very powerful way. Why they are not a huge church can only be answered by God when Paul said in 1 Cor. 3:6 (NIV) “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” (See previous blog on this issue)

I believe we as Christ Followers need to be very careful when we call ourselves SPIRIT FILLED, either as a church or as individuals yet never bear fruit, the physical kind and spiritual kind.

I, for one, am now striving to be a SPIRIT FILLED pastor who is leading a SPIRIT FILLED church.