Nyquil Christianity II

Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV)

 

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you and remember I am with you each and every day until the end of the age.

For the church to be the church and be transformational in kingdom thinking she (which is you and me) must bow before her King and embrace the mission given to her.  Really folks its not that complicated of a commission we have but its been all but abandoned in trade for a false gospel of "ME". 

For those that would say this is the job or duty of the pastor or evangelist would be ignoring the very words of Christ himself.  For some who have been saved for 5, 10, 15 or more years and have not been discipled or been part of discipling others is again either selfish or naive.  Please hear my heart as I am not trying to make anyone upset but I believe its time for the body and mechanism of the church to grow up and take its rightful place on earth today.

I see so many Facebook posts of so much political things from Christians that are upset that this country is not running according to the constitution and I would agree BUT also point out our real home again is not here.  The kingdom we belong to and its King have written us a way, a constitution if you will to live by and we ignore it. 

It is said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.  It is interesting that the Greek word for martyr is translated as witness in our language.  Yes sometimes like public speaking being a witness for Christ can bring a fear as big as death to us but the first step of making disciples is to bear witness preaching the gospel to all the nations.  Dare I say we can start in our back yards. 

In the first century the people that turned the world upside down where persecuted and feared for their lives.  Many were killed and martyred and scattered to save their lives.  In this intense time the church GREW and transformed the world.  Seeing much influence in the world today?  Seeing much being transformed?  Me either?  Why?  Is God hiding?  No....but the current representation of Christ on earth today, his body, IS!

Yes I want our country back to where it once was.  Yes I want schools run better and our economic system run more constitutionally but those changes wont come to the voters box before it first comes to the church through reformation and repentance and going back to our calling.  All of these wishes and hopes we feel in lack in our lives stem from running away from our basic calling.  We have again been distracted by self and our needs and desires in this present place and time and that has our advisory the devil dancing with pleasure. 

Bear witness for the truth today!  Become a disciple of Christ and enter back into your pilgrimage to the Kingdom of God and turn from the kingdom of this earth.  God Bless!

In His Service and Under His Mercy!

Brian

Nyquil Christianity

Have you noticed that Christ is being marketed as NyQuil?  You know the sniffing, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever so you can rest medicine.  Jesus has been reduced to a quick bottle that we run to on the shelf that we take a "swig" and hope that it takes away all those symptoms away.

When I hear prayer requests it is very personal centric and individual in nature and not much about kingdom work.  Kingdom work, Brian, what are you talking about?  Didn't Jesus come to blah blah blah....fill in your own answer here____________________________________________.   If you didn't catch that Christ spoke more on the kingdom of God than any other subject you need to go back and read those red letters...lol!  I don't say that to be harsh but its really a heartfelt suggestion.  Yes!  Please go read your Bibles!

Side note:  I find it odd that many can quote Oprah and Dr. Oz more than the Bible and or this author or preacher more again than the Jesus and yet say they follow him.  Its not the gospel according to ....fill in your favorite author here__________________________ or preacher here_____________________________________.  To be a disciple of Christ means to walk in the dusty footprints that he walked and guess what folks for this life that is not a bed of roses and cheesecake.  MMMMMMM Cheesecake!  Seriously his footsteps lead to a cross and on the way there is let down, betrayal, death, doubt, misunderstanding, ungratefulness, traps, schemes to harm, work, obedience to the Father, and so many more hardships that I barely recognize what's being sold as Christianity today!

I hope to be blogging my thoughts of kingdom living and walking the way of Christ and hope to get your input and thoughts as well.  The first thought I have about kingdom living is first after being born again we become citizens of heaven and this place is no longer our home.  So what you might be saying...I already know that.  Well, do you believe it and live like it?  Let me restate it another way.  If we were kingdom minded and lived with a mindset again that this place is not our home and that we are to keep our minds on things that are above and not on things that are on the earth as it says in Colossians 3:1 then we would have different attitudes, actions, speech, expectations, thoughts and prayers.

We are distracted by self.  Distracted by want.  Distracted by discomfort!  We want some spiritual Nyquil to swallow down and make everything easy and restful and that is just a false gospel being preached to often these days.  Becoming a Christian is not a get rich, healthy and wise self improvement for self program.  One can argue that we do improve as we grow and walk in those dusty foot prints of Christ as we realize as the Apostles finally did that they were not there own and that if their Lord was mocked, spit upon, judged and killed that they too would have the same fate.  Why would we feel now that our lives would be different and here's the key folks IF WE LIVE AS HIS DISCIPLE.

So when we live no longer for this place and for self we really have the first glimpse of kingdom living.  Its hard to imagine that this is the life and more abundant that Christ has promised us because we cant trust that this type of living can be fulfilling.  But trust me its easier than trying to hold on to all your stuff, all your ego, and all that you thought you built for yourself.  There is so much more I can write but lets stop here for now and lets see what you have to say.

In His Service and under His Mercy!  Brian

Extravagant Giving

I'm probably not going to make a lot of friends with this post in the church leadership community but I hope that is not ultimately what happens.  I write because of some recent information brought to my attention in a board meeting at "Bridge of Hope York County" that crushed my spirit and almost brought me to sin in anger.

First I want to say thanks to all the generous people out there that get it.  They understand everything they have is not their own but given to them from God to do his work and so when they see a need in the community they are always the first ones to respond.  They are also mature enough in Christ to not be judgemental towards the people that are in need or the agencies that are there to assist for direct and targeted service. 

Which brings me to the object and target of my blog today.  Bridge of Hope York County of which I have the pleasure of being on the board is a ministry to at risk or homeless mommies and their children.  We welcome the families in need as they are with the knowledge that where they are today will not be where they will be upon graduating in the program.  (Go to http://bridgeofhopeinc.org/ to learn more about our model).  Although our families are paired with a mentoring group from a local church we do not in the model "REQUIRE" church attendance to be accepted into or benefit from the program.

This has become a stumbling block for some people and churches in helping Bride of Hope and ultimately these families.  This kind of thinking is bewildering to me as I can not find an example of Godly giving that would withhold help in or outside of the faith community for such as the families we help.  Christ understood very well He could not minister to the spiritual side of a person until first he ministered to their physical needs first.  He was moved to compassion time and time again to meet physical and emotional healing and feeding of people before he would minister to them with the manna from heaven for their spirits.

Another point I want to build on again is nothing we have is our own.  Now I'm not repeating what President Obama said that you didn't build or work for what you have but that its not really yours anyway.  Everything we have, much and little is because of our cooperation with God and his blessings to us.  We have in proportion differently than others around us here and around the world each according to how God ordains.  Will we be faithful with what little or much we have been given? 

Remember the early church was under much persecution and poverty and yet all their needs were met from within and even the far off churches collected and sent money to the church in Jerusalem to help with the needy.  We see in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 of how the Churches in Macedonia who as Paul descibes were under the most extreme suffering and poverty voluntarily gave  and even begged to help Paul with the blessing of the saints in Jerusalem.  This passage rings true even today as when I grew up in the poverty of the streets of Baltimore the poor churches were always the ones that were the most generous to me and my family when we were in need.

They fed us, clothed us, helped pay for gas for the car or even oil for the furnace in the winter until my mom could get on her feet.  We were not even Christians at the time but that didn't matter to the good folks at "The Little Tabernacle" church at the corner of Caroline and Baltimore Street. My brother and I got hugs and our hair shook up by loving men and women of mostly different backgrounds than us but they had the unconditional love of Christ that said these folks need our help and never asked for anything in return.  This kind of love and generosity is what helped the beginning of our faith journey and to this day I find a special place in my heart for those people and I ask all of you to have the same hearts as the church in Macedonia and the one in Baltimore that helped my family. 

Give extravagantly to the needy and not out of what you wont miss or what wont even hurt.  We are coming up on the Holiday Season for our families and some of you may be stressing of how will you ever get all the presents you need to make everyone happy as this has been a tough year on a lot of us in the community.  Can I say and even ask that you give till it hurts to Bridge of Hope York County?  Can I say if it hurts to give without any expectations of church attendance or even a thank you to do it anyway to share in the blessings as the church of Macedonia understood.  It would be an awesome feeling of Gods Grace to have people begging how they can help homeless mommies and their children in this town as Paul was being begged to help the church in Jerusalem.

TO get involved with helping us help these families takes money, time, and talent.  Please call me at 717-515-0913 and lets talk on how you can get involved to shower the love of Christ on these families in need.  God Bless! 

Brian Winograd

Has it been that long?

Hello all!  A lot in life has changed since my last post and I apologize for not keeping up to date but there were more pressing issues.  Tomorrow is not promised to anyone nor is the tomorrow that you thought you would have or have worked and planned for.

Thats the lesson I learned in the last 20 months through many trials and tears and yet I am thankful to our God and King for the grace to carry me through.  Amen.  My wife of 23 years and best friend for 28 years all of the sudden just left me and the kids and has already remarried.  Ill spare you the details as they dont matter as it relates to this blog but I will tell you it knocked me and the world as I knew it for a trip out of orbit.  The hardest part was watching my three great children suffer and cope through it as well with not much I could do but pray, trust God and love on them.

So what I can say and report is this.  God is good!  He has been faithful to me even though my wife wasnt.  He has been a protector of me when the enemy tried to take my youngests life in the midst of all this.  He has provided finance in the midst of a finacial attack.  He has blossomed love in my oldest son and daughters lives as they have found significant others and the ones they will vow the rest of their lives together.  He has brought my friends close.  He has taken away all bitterness and replaced some of my thinking with a new understanding.  What the enemy thought would tear me down the God of the Universe has used it to make be stronger!

Take nothing for granted.  Assume nothing.  Run after God!  Those are the hard lessons of this in a nutshell.  I pray you dont have to cry the same tears as I to also learn these things and that you live today serving the Lord and the purpose he has created you for with everything within you.  Shalom!

Brian Winograd

So you say you have the truth and speak for God........Really??

Denomination Blues and other miscellaneous thoughts. I have been around the church scene now since 1974 and along the way I have seen and heard about everything you can imagine. The consistent theme I have seen is how every sect of Christianity claims to have the truth and how arrogant this has come across to me.


Lately I have seen a methodical plan of attack against all Protestant and Catholic beliefs by the “Messianic” sect of Christ followers. Its no different than the others when they claim all truth or pure truth and that all others are misguided at best and not even saved at worst. I remember when the Reformed Theology bunch started their militant Calvinistic attacks against their non-suspecting brothers and sisters who like me believe that as much God is Sovereign and calls me it is also partly my responsibility to recognize, validate and answer that selection or call of God.

The argument that if God has not elected me or called me as part of his Kingdom that I was doomed to hell no matter if I recognized who He is and surrendered to his call of salvation or if I was not part of the “elect” few than it was hopeless for me. If that is indeed how God works then how can one be sure they are in that group? And sure we all use scripture to back all our points of view and the church we attend stance and dogma but is it total truth? Can any of us say that for sure on each stance we so forcible take? O, we are so good at drawing lines in the sand.

I'm tired of peoples opinions and even their ideas of Gods Kingdom and am only interested in the Bible from God's point of view. But here is my argument today to all my brothers and sisters of all different denominations and sects if you will follow this blog entry just a bit further. How can we know in such certainty the things of God that we would heap hot coals on or at another believer if they do not believe exactly as us??

Indulge me further for arguments sake. I have been married to a wonderful woman for 23 going on 24 years now. Before marriage she and I dated for 5 years. During this entire 28 year process I have tried to get close to and know this woman that I have covenant with and yes even love with all my heart. We have spent countless hours on the phone, writing letters, and talking. We have been through thick and thin and back again, with lots of laughs and tears. We have gone through raising 3 children and taking care of and watching loved ones die. We have struggled in many areas and also have been mightily blessed. My point is this....after all these years I still don't know this woman in all she is and she does not know me entirely. The point could be made who can fully know a woman....lol! But I have devoted my life to this woman and yet can I fully speak for her or know her every word of intention or purpose even when it comes to me? NO WAY! Now before you say Brian you need help in your marriage I would ask you to say what other person in life do you really know fully? Do you even know who you are in all things?

We are so complex and also so mortal. Who can speak for God? Who can be so arrogant as to say I have total truth? He sits outside of time! He knows the end from the beginning! He knows the hairs on your head and every little detail not just about you but every man, woman and child breathing, not breathing and not yet breathing as well as every living and dead thing here and in the entire universe.....and YOU WANT TO TELL ME WHAT HE THINKS AND SPEAK FOR HIM?????

This is the same arrogance of the first sin and that is one of PRIDE! Are any of you greater than the Apostles? They confessed to only know in part and to not have a clear picture of all the things of the Kingdom. We are lucky when we get glimpses! We are blessed to be invited to start with God and see where this journey of walking out and working out our salvation takes us. Let us remember that our ride on this planet is exactly that.....uniquely ours and my walk with fear and trembling into the call and purposes of God most likely will not look like yours. Sorry if that makes you conformist uncomfortable. We are not to conform to a system or style but to our maker. We are not going to be satisfied in any yoke other than that of Christ! So be ready to give an account and stand for what you believe and don't stop the journey. But in all things show love to your brothers and sisters even if they don't agree with your position. Give them the grace to hear you and your point and then to let God be God. Pray and Fast for them if you really are worried about what they believe or practice but you can't be the Holy Spirit for me or anyone else. More important though is to remember that all of us have been shown so much love and grace from heaven even in our ignorance, our sin, and our foolish pride that we should not be so unloving and so provoking to others. That is how they will know we are Christians not in what we agree but in how we act in disagreement. In a moment we all we be transformed into perfection and we will know Him as He is......Until then, let love prevail!


In His Service and Under His Mercy! Brian

Muslim Center near 9-11 site

I've been in many discussions lately over the issue of a Muslim Center near the World Trade Center site better known as Ground Zero in Manhattan. I've been shocked by the anger, venom and hatred spewed by my brothers and sisters in Christ.

I'm shocked by how distracted the church is today in the politics of man and forgets the teachings of the head of the Church. Muslims are at this very time more vulnerable to the testimony of Jesus Christ more than any other time in History. In a time when we we as Christians are called to love our neighbor as Jesus summed up all the law into love your Lord with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself, we find a way to get caught up in politics.

I get all the arguments, really I do. But, how does this show them, our neighbor and maybe even our enemy the love of Christ? How does opposing this give the power of the gospel any chance to glorify God in this situation? If we believe the words of Jesus, and I do, then how can we add the rhetoric up and justify the hate through our saviors message of how we are to win them over??

Who is our neighbor? Just the ones that look and sound like us? Agree with us? Dress like us?? Are they not also created in the image of God and didn't the blood of Jesus spill out for their salvation as well? Let us not also forget the blood of US young men and women in the armed forces that have died to give all citizens an equal opportunity for enjoyed freedom in this great land!

I say we win them over with the love of God! I say we show them the power of forgiveness as Christ has forgiven us and first loved us. I say to let the testimony of the only God that has given His life so we can live be shown to them as living testimonies. Our lives need to be grounded and led by the power of the Holy Spirit and not by Fox News or Facebook Groups that want to stir us up in our emotions.

We as the church need to do a better job when the world gives us an opportunity to shine in the crisis. 9-11, Katrina, etc. etc are all opportunities for us to show the real power of God alive on earth today and yet we sit by passively and let the government take front row center leadership. Let us respond to the call of action by showing our love for the Lord Jesus Christ by being his ambassador's and doing His will here on earth as it is already in Heaven.

In His Service!
Brian

An Open Letter to the Church

AN OPEN LETTER FROM BRIAN WINOGRAD OF IN HIS SERVICE MINISTRIES, INC.

I have been in much prayer and sorrow for the mechanism of the church for many years now. The Lord has used me from a young believer until now to be part of pioneering three different churches at different stages of my life. My eyes have witnessed much and sadly the testimony and witness of these three places of worship have fallen short of the purpose, calling and instructions of whence they first began.

This letter is not to go into any details of the negative experience’s or to judge, condemn or crucify my brothers and sisters in the Lord. In His Service Ministries seeks to find the truth and teach on those findings from a Biblical perspective. I hope this paper encourages you to ignite a conversation within your church to come back to the heart of the function of the body of Christ.

From the beginning of time God looked to bless the world through His people. We see a picture of this in the story of Joseph saving Egypt and also Israel. Romans 1:21 says in the NLT, “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused.” We often look upon this writing as for the “unbeliever” but lets for this papers sake look at it as where the nation of Israel was spiritually when Christ arrived and then apply it the mechanism of the church today.

Israel had traded the intention of God for relationship with him and also being a blessing to the nations for religious ceremonies and sets of human structure. The law was given to Moses when Israel rejected the offer of relationship and to worship him in spirit and truth after being taken out of slavery. The law as we know was a taskmaster to show our need for Messiah Yeshua, Jesus Christ. Jesus said that he came to restore that which was lost. What was lost from Adam, to the Sinai failure till then was that relationship for a called out people of which God looked to bless the world.

Enter the church age! That is the purpose of the mechanism of the church today. We are called corporately to worship in spirit and truth and to be a blessing to a dying and lost world! The church then is God’s appointed society whose main function is to bless the world! As Joseph was used for the salvation of Egypt so are we to bring God’s saving truth, love, grace, mercy, compassion and so much more to all of mankind. Instead what man has done is once again fallen into ceremonies and human practices and doctrines of man.

The society of the body of Christ, the church, is supposed to be then a place of equipment of the saints for the salvation of the world. One might say from that statement that I believe Evangelism is the work of every saint and I would say, yes and amen. Are all evangelists? No! Are all Prophets? No! Are all Pastors and Teachers? No! Are all Apostles? No! But all are to be ready to give an account of the good news that is in them. All are supposed to be salt and light. All are supposed to live in such a manner that when we lift Jesus up people can’t help but come to us like an insect is drawn to a bright light.

Isaiah 56 gives us a harsh picture of what happens when the leaders of the church are not in tune with what God’s purposes are. God is always calling and wooing people to His Mountain with the same offer of relationship, worship and salvation. The people suffer from well and ill intentioned leaders that have lost their way from the basic purpose and truth of what they are made to be. We are, as I heard a good Biblical teacher named Eugene Smith, say,” The current representation of Jesus Christ alive on earth today”!

Jesus did not stay inside the walls of the temples and synagogues only being with the “healthy”. Have you noticed how weak and impotent the mechanism of the church body has become from staying inside her walls? Remember King Zedekiah had to watch his own sons being put to death and then had his own eyes gouged out? How many leaders in the church today are watching their own being killed and are blind to the reasons or the remedies? Or worse….assigning the blame of their spiritual defeats on the congregation as if they are purposely trying to thwart them from succeeding.

Paul teaches us that the purpose of the church is to be the holding place of the love and grace of God poured out to all in a very apparent way. This is how I see Ephesians 3:10-11. We love the verse that says we can now come boldly in verse 12 but forget that it’s not for us to feel good about our position in him but to be a visible proof that the one we profess is manifest in our midst. Amen!

Another great picture of the church walking in its purpose can be found in Ezekiel 47:12 which paints this image of a healthy, vibrant body,” All kinds of fruit trees will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, without fail! For they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing." Let this be so even in our day is my prayer.

Let us repent of making the church about buildings, programs, leader’s ministries or anything other than to worship him, have fellowship with him and complete his work of freeing the captives from the gates of Hell. Let us get back to the encouragement of the Apostles to train, equip and send out to do that work. Let us lift our stiff necks up to heaven and also to the cross. Let us be the people that bless the nations with the God of our salvation.

In His Service and Under His Mercy!
Brian Winograd