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

To Legit to Quit

That title is for all you MC Hammer fans.lol! Just a quick entry today to let everyone know that In His Service Ministries is now an offical 501c3 non profit organization. I have been blessed to have many speaking engagements and a 2 week trip in November to Ghana Africa. If your church or organization is looking for a speaker and a time of worship feel free to contact me at 717-515-0913. I have a new study ready to go on the Bride and the Bridegroom as well as the two other studies that have been well received, the Cannanites and Rebuilding the Walls. These are exciting times we live and I am blessed to be alive in this time.

In His Service and Under His Mercy!
Brian

Shall a Man Rob God? A different idea

Keeping with my tradition of searching for truth in the scriptures I have to visit a most often quoted and in my opinion abused scripture.  Malachi 3 is used to beat people into tithing money to a church or an organization.  It has been used to bully people and guilt people into handing over 10% of their income to the church.  I am not going to teach on the tithe and how we should support our churches today in this blog entry but to just hint that God was not talking about money here.

Let's go back and set a foundation.  God created everything.  We know the Earth is the Lords and it is also his footstool.  We know he is the same yesterday, today and always.  God in the creation week looked and saw everything was good except one thing.  He said it is not good for man to be alone!  Spiritually we know it is not good to be alone.  God knows this very thing and has created mechanisms to bring his people together to celebrate with each other the fullness of who He is.

The tithe was a celebration and a feast all together.  It was a way God provided for the sons of Aaron but also to draw close and gather the people he called his own together to celebrate and worship!  Today we miss that part.  We have made it all about money.  Will a man rob God?  Right before that the Lord charges that he never changes and that his people have constantly failed to obey his commands, laws and decrees.  They had moved from this celebration to "religion" or a phariseeical approach to giving.

When we do the letter of the law without the spirit of the law we Rob God!  We rob ourselves too!  Those that fear the Lord talk with one another, pray with one another and celebrate the God that is inside each other with love.  Remember Paul taught on this another way by comparing our corporate spiritual organization as a body?  Pauls inspired of the Holy Spirit reiterates that it is not good for man to be alone and that we have need of one another.  We have need for fellowship and need of encouragement and prayer.  When we try God and not do what he has commanded and then complain we rob God of His Testimony on the earth as we are the current representation of Christ alive on earth today.  How many have something the world would buy?  Even have interest in? 

Its not about money!  Its about obedience to the decrees and laws of God in the spirit they were and still are meant to be followed today.  When we disobey God we Rob him.  And its not about the 10% you may or may not feel compelled to put in the plate. Its not about how many books you read or how many home groups or seminars you attend.  It is letting Yeshua Jesus Christ be the focal point of who you are and what you do and what your world view is.  It is all about him and zero about you.  When we serve him with wreckless abandon and foresake all others we then become the bride of Christ and no longer the flirting woman who changes with every season.  I encourage you today to re-think on how much we have robbed God and to come to Him in a pleasing manner.

In His Service and Under His Mercy!
Brian Winograd

What are you Hungry for??

I am not looking for sympathy but I feel like I am on the island of misfit toy's sometimes in my walk with God.  In some circles I walk in I am the most liberal and in others the most conservative.  I am too academic for some and looked down on by others.  I'm too "free" or pentecostal for some and to "uptight" for others.  I'm too Jewish for some and not Jewish enough for others.  Get my point???

This morning I was thinking to myself that I am for the most part, flaws, frailties and all the person God has created me to be in this time.  Don't hear pride or too much self confidence here but I believe the person of Jesus Christ who began a good work in me Will continue to do so until I look and act like he wants.  For I and you were created by Him and for Him and for His pleasure.  We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works.  And listen to me....God don't make junk!

I know that in my walk with God I am always letting the "light" of Jesus penetrate me and expose the darkness in me that sometimes I was not aware of.  I am always taking personal inventory of my walk and more importantly studying to know what it is I am supposed to be doing and whom it is I am supposed to be.  You see and this is a point that is far lost in the church, if I call Jesus Lord, I am not my own.  As Paul said it is no longer me that is living but Jesus living in me. 

So here is my biggest study and struggle and why I feel like a misfit.  Jesus said if you love me keep my commandments.  Pauls first reaction to the blinding light of the Holiness of Jesus when he was thrown from his horse was this....LORD WHAT WILL YOU HAVE ME DO?  I don't hear that cry from the people in today's church.  I don't hear that cry from the church leaders, elders and pastors.  What I do hear is God BLESS ME IN WHAT I WANT EVEN IF ITS NOT YOUR WILL!!  That is so opposite of the correct attitude we are to have and why I feel so alone in the church. 

I also feel alone in that people excuse away the commands of God and yet confess and claim almost God Like capabilities and have this special gift from God that they can act in anyway they chose.  I have asked men to come close to me and pray and seek God together and reason together as the word of God say's and for the most part that plea has gone unanswered.  There is not a hunger out there except when people want to ask God once again to bless them.  Matthew 5:6 says and this is Jesus talking,"Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be FILLED." 

I'll say this and agree with the Bible again that there is none righteous except for the Lord.  So we are to hunger and thirst after Him and we will be filled;we will be satisfied.  In the day Jesus spoke these words there was a lot of physical hunger so the appeal to the natural hunger and equating it to being filled and satisfied meant something to the origination hearers more than it does to the western church goer.  There are so many things that we hunger and thirst after and 99% of it has little to nothing with Jesus.  I'm hungry!  I'm thirsty!  I'm hungry and thirsty to know God as he defines himself and not a way I can make myself feel good about him and justify what I do and still call myself a believer.  Again, Jesus said if you love him to follow after him with all you are and deny yourself and pick up your cross.  These are the basic truths of our faith and yet where are they being taught and followed in our church culture?? 

Please hunger and thirst for the things of God in the way he has designed them and not in the way that is pleasing to your flesh designed by a man.  Find others that are just as hungry and seek Him, reason together and pray.  If you are near to my location of Southern York County Pa. I invite you to do that with me.  To seek Him together, pray and hunger and thirst after His righteousness.  I hope there are others like me looking for something different.  There must be or I am alone on the island of misfit toys!

In His Service!

Brian

How's the View?

I am overwhelmed today in the goodness of God and what he has provided for us!  I have an awesome privilege of marrying a couple later this afternoon and I had a chance to hang out with their families last night at the rehearsal dinner. Observing the different families and the conversation it was obvious in an instant that God was showing me something.  Have you ever noticed that people talk about any situation from "their point of view"?

Don't you love it when an answer comes your way that starts out sounding like this....Well, from where I sit or from where I stand or from how I see it...blah blah blah.?  LOL!  Probably not if you are like me.  For so long I have been searching and seeking Gods point of view from the scriptures but then in an instant that spiritual light bulb lit up last night.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus!  I think that is what Paul said in Ephesians 2:6 (if not I need to look it up) ...  We are seated with Christ at the right hand of the Father in Heaven right now and never take advantage of that vantage point.  What is the view from there?  What does our situation that we are so burdened with look like from the seat of authority?  What point of view do we have and have not understood that we are at Abba's ear and better yet his face to seek a heavenly position to our earthly condition?  The passage does not say we will be one day at that place BUT are PRESENT TENSE are IN HIM IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS! 

We can change the view from looking far out from earth to heaven and hoping we can get something to fall on us like a dog waiting for a crumb to fall from the table or we can change our "Amish" thinking and accept this fact that we In Christ have the best access and viewpoint ever.  Better than all the wisdom of this earth!  Better than all the advise of "religion" and systems of man!  Better than seeing ourselves as that lowly dog waiting for a crumb!  We need to train our Spiritual eyes and ears for the view from on HIGH!  Having eyes to see and ears to hear!  Isn't that what Jesus kept saying?  Now it makes sense that part of his victory on the Cross was not just for Salvation, Justification and Sanctification but a seat at the table right now.  On earth as it is in Heaven!  WOW!  Thank you Jesus!  I pray you help us today see and hear from your seat down to earth and that we learn this mystery of your kingdom and apply it to our lives.

Hows your view today?  Look down from the seat of Jesus at your life, your problem, your issues, your loved ones and see it from a different vantage point! 

How low can you go?

An old rabbi said to his students,"In days of old men used to see God". In which one student replied why is that not so today? The rabbi answered,"Because men don't know how to bow down that low anymore".


Jesus said in the best sermon ever on the Mt. of Olives in Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We are to proud! Americans are loud, proud, arrogant and self sufficient. We rely on ourselves and put the trust of all into the hands, intelligence and capabilities of men more than the power of the kingdom of heaven. Humble is not a word that is put into action.

Jesus is telling us that we must take on the attributes of the kingdom of God and that those things we have learned from this world are in total contrast to "the way". Watch our good friends the tv preachers and they will tell you that you are little gods that have so much power, authority and glory that you can create things as God did by just speaking. Never seaking, never hearing and never getting into that lowly position that all those things can happen.

I believe in the power of Pentocost and the work of the Holy Spirit.  I fear that most of what my eyes have seen in the "Pentocostal" movement has been driven by human emotion and not the sustaining power of God.  We are in my opinion at the point where the Prophet Elijah was before he confronted the so called prophets of Baal.  Here is what the Bible says...And Elijah came to all the people, and said,“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. 

People, stop wavering between two opinions.  Stop being tossed to and fro by the tickling of your ears and emotional appeals that look like there is the power of God in it.  How low on the knees is the person having spiritual input into your life????  Maybe they are a dynamic speaker, or maybe they can sing really well or maybe they can stir things up and bring so much emotion into a service that you are moved to Feel something but your life is UNCHANGED!  Let me tell you something that I've said 100 times before.  You can not have an encounter with God and stay the same.  So after all is said and done if you are unchanged it was probably not the power of God moving but something in your mind, will or emotions.

How you can get the wisdom to discern the difference is again in that lowly position our friend the rabbi told his student.  Get on your face and pray to your God.  Stop chasing the Hot air baloon waiting for it to land on you to get some excitement.  God is exciting enough if you find Him right were you are....In your prayer closet.  How low can you go?  Hopefully right where God wants you to be! 

In His Service and Still Under His Mercy!
Brian

And Forgives us our debts

Hello again everyone. We have been looking at how we should pray as exampled to us in Matthew 6 commonly known as the Lords Prayer. In the last blog entry we stated that Jesus did not institute a new prayer for us to repeat mindlessly but rather a manner in which to pray. We discussed in little detail what each section means to me and how it reminds me of certain elements I bring to my prayer as I think on this section of Matthew 6 and our Lords words.

We left of in the part of the prayer of give us this day our daily bread and we will pick it up from there.

1. And forgive us our debts..... Yes! We can't stand before a Holy God with unrepentant sin in our life and expect to be heard. The prayers of the righteous accomplishes much. We are not in a right relationship with God while we are knowingly disobeying his will and claiming the act of the cross once again into our lives. We need this forgiveness as a lifeline for our spiritual health. Think on it this way if you will. We can eat all the organic whole foods for our natural bodies but if our colon is blocked and full of disease we will not gain the nourishment from it and still remain sick. Without forgiveness flowing in our life we are spiritually constipated. Oh No! Did he really say that? What this church generation needs is a spiritual enema!! And the medicine is a daily dose of forgiveness. Forgive is Father once again and once again keep us tender to quickly come to you and others as we sin.

2. As we forgive our debtors.... This is a part people look past in prayer and their daily christian walk. We cry out to God and ask for forgiveness and our bread for tomorrow and yet we do not truly forgive others of their trespass against us. In the same manner you forgive others is the manner in which your Heavenly Father will forgive you. Houston we have a problem! This is where we become sickly and diseased as believers is becoming deceived in thinking we are alright when we are filled with the poison of unforgiveness or the old I forgive you but I won't forget what you did syndrome. Which one of us wants our God to forgive us in that manner??? We are to take the example of again the cross by learning from these words...."Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Think and chew on that for awhile and then ask yourself if things are not flowing in your life like they once did could it be because you are holding on to hurts, pains, issues that your should have gotten rid of years ago. Maybe its yourself you need to forgive but let me encourage you to be free in Jesus is to be free indeed of all that junk.

3. Lead us not into temptation.... I hate that English version! God would not lead you into temptation. Jesus was saying that we should pray for God's strength to accomplish his will and to not yield into temptations. The fact that this comes right on the heals of forgiveness of others would clearly say to me that the temptation to ignore this part of the prayer is strong. Why? It is very difficult to die to yourself and confront others who you need to ask them to forgive you or the other way around. Also we need the Holy Spirit to guide us through and protect us through times of tempting. It's like us saying today, "Don't go down that road". IF we are diligently seeking him first and living a disciplined life we can pray for God to go before us an keep us from the very things our flesh will struggle with today.

4. But deliver us from evil..... In the times when we do face evil and the evil one GOD DELIVER US!! God fight for us! God protect us! Be our strength and smash the mouth of our enemies. God I need you when I am tempted to cover me like you did the doorposts of Israel with the saving blood so that this spirit of death would pass over me. Deliver me from the evil one and teach me to rely on you in times when darkness closes in.

5. For thine is Kingdom and Power and Glory Forever, Amen! That speaks once again that all Praise and Purpose for this life should be aimed at the one who holds it all together. Live for him today and forever.

I hope this breakdown of this prayer model has encouraged you and challenged you to think differently when you do pray. Go out and practice today in your prayer closet and with somebody else. Get a prayer partner and magnify the name of Jesus today.

In His Service!

Brian

Give us Today the Bread we need for Tommorow!

I was at my wife's uncles funeral the other day and something struck me as curious. The "Lords' Prayer" as found in Matthew 6 is known by the saved and unsaved alike. The minister leading the service led everyone in the prayer and all the people knew it word for word. It made me wonder and think why we are so eager to fall back into wrong practices.

OK Brian what are you talking about? Jesus said to pray in this manner; not to repeat this example of prayer. He further said to not pray like the heathens by vain repetitions. I love my brothers and sisters in the main stream denominations and the Catholic Church but repeating this prayer is in direct contradiction to the warning of Jesus right before he spoke it. I would like to share some of my thoughts of pray in this manner and what it means to me.

1. Our Father who art in Heaven Hallowed be thy name..... This part of the example of prayer should have sounded familiar to the original listener and readers as this followed the Hebrew prayer of Kaddish which exalts the greatness, splendor, majesty, power and holiness of Father God. It is to settle us and turn our focus rightly towards the author and finisher of our existence and faith. To remind us that only through the adoption as son's through Christs act on the cross can we even communicate with God and come boldly before the throne of grace. It changes our attention off us and towards heaven as it says in Colossians. So for me and when I pray this part of my prayer is to shift my eyes, my thoughts and my entire being towards God.

2. Thy Kingdom come thy will be done as it is in Heaven..... I take this personally and to heart. I know the rebellion in heaven has been dealt with and that as it is in heaven come into my life, my kingdom here on earth. In other words I pray that the same authority and power that overcame the evil and rebellion against God in heaven, that same power come into my life and make it so in my life even now as I live and breathe here on earth. The same evil one that came against the throne of God is also trying to attack my kingdom and even though I am forgiven of my sins by the act of the cross the stain of those sins in my soul (intellect, will and emotions) needs to be overcome. That is nothing in my own strength I can accomplish so Jesus is saying here to invite the power of the Holy Spirit to empower and quicken your mortal soul and body from the consequences of sin. To have his government set up in my life by my life being yielded to his loving perfect authority.

3. Give us this day our daily bread......Or better translated to mean give us today what we require for tomorrow. This again was understood to the hearer of the day as workers labored all day to get paid daily at the end of the day. They took their daily earning to buy what they needed to sustain themselves for tomorrow by most likely buying graines to make bread. The method of weighing the grain was by either pressing down the wheat or shaking the wheat into the container to fill it completely. We are promised to get the required grace from God pressed down and shaken together for the day we are to face. Remember the Bible tells us that we do not go through more than what God says we are able to endure. The key though is that we must make room for the grace in our life daily to receive it. Put yourself into the shoes of again the listener here. When he went to the market to get his wheat he probably said give me a container full of wheat. He had of coarse to pay for it from the work he just got done that day. We must work out our salvation daily and not take it for granted. We can't receive from the storehouse of heaven unless we put in the work to seek him first.

Well this post is getting a bit long so I will break it up into a part two. If you have any questions, complaints, gripes or discussions I would love to hear your input.
In His Service!

Brian

Don't be like Esau

The worst thing we can do as a church is nothing. The writer of Hebrews in chapter 12 verse 17 says, "You know that afterwards, when he wanted to receive the blessing that the firstborn son was to receive, he was rejected. Even though he begged and cried for the blessing, he couldn't do anything to change what had happened."

This is reminding us of the story of Esau and as individuals and as the church we are to value the things of God more than this world. Esau as you remember rejected his blessing from God and his earthly father by being caught up in disobedience and caring little for what he "presumed" would always be his. In other words his thoughts were it was already his and he did not have to do anything to get it. Much like the church today and people in it, we hear messages of blessings of God but not the responsibility of receiving and caring for that blessing.

People and churches that think like Esau only care about themselves and the blessings they can get. I would dare say that they care little about the person of Jesus Christ and the price he paid to pour out the grace of heaven unto us. For a single meal Esau gave up the rights and blessings of God and his earthly father. What is in your bowl? What are you putting ahead of your relationship with God? Don't be fooled that the blessing of salvation is something you make with your mind and not live it out with your heart. Don't be fooled that you can pursue the lusts of your soul like Esau and then come crying with earthly sorrow when you are rejected of God. Hebrews 6:4-8 tells of this kind of false salvation. Jesus said that many will call upon me Lord, Lord and he will say depart from me I never knew you!

Our salvation is not just hearing the word and making an intellectual or emotional decision as given in the parable of the seed. We must cultivate the soil of our lives and let the word grow inside us and through us. We must deny ourselves and unlike Esau we must live for righteousness and value the blessing of our salvation and grace of God. We must defend our faith and when we see others getting weary like a boxer in a long fight we must remind them to keep their arms up to protect themselves and get the strength back in their legs. That's what is mentioned earlier in Hebrews 12:12-13. We as a church do nothing when we see others getting beaten up.

We see them drop out of church. We see them grow weary of the fight and do little or nothing to give them the strength they need to continue to fight. We watch as they fall into temptations and pursue things that are not called of God in their lives. We watch their marriages fall apart and their children get devoured in the process. We like Esau do nothing to the most valued blessing on earth and that my friends is the Church;the Bride of Christ. We must do better. We are called to do more and instructed to if I read my Bible correctly.

Esau made no confession of sin but just remorse for what he lost. We can learn from this! We must be a people who are fast to repent and fast to pray for others we know are hurting. Take time today to value your blessing. Take time today to remove the weeds from your soil and let the word of God grow deep and do its nourishing work in you. Pray for others in your prayer closet. Call up a friend you know can use a kind word and an encouraging prayer. Come to church with your hands up and your legs under you! Value the blessing of your salvation!

In His Service!
Brian

Worship

I was in a local market recently and stopped by my favorite french fry stand (Brickers Fries) and talked with the owner. I have been stopping by Craig's booth for years and over time we have formed a great relationship. Anyway he like to introduce me to people that are at his stand and always announces to people to watch their language because Brian is a man of God. Pretty cool!

Anyway, he introduced me to another gentleman that was also a Pastor. I asked him about his church and he just hung his head and then gave me the following not so uncommon story. He was the retired Pastor of this congregation but had stuck around. He told me the church is mixed between members his age and a crowd in their 30's. He went on to say that the older crowd loved hymns and the younger crowd loved modern worship. They had come to an agreement to do the worship service with 50% of each style of worship. Well over the next year the crowd of younger folks grew bigger and they either forgot or ignored the request of sharing the style of songs and before you knew it there was a big controversy in that body. To make a long story short they could not as Christian brethren come to the grace needed to work this out and so the church split. Over 100 people left the church along with to my surprise this retired Pastor.

Can I say this without anybody getting mad at me??? Worship is not for YOU! Worship is something we present to the Lord and not because it feels good but because we get to. One day every knee will bow before the Lord willing or not in worship but for now we get the honor and privilege to come before Him and give back to him a part of the perfect love he has given us. The bi-product of that is feeling His awesome presence and being drawn into his Glory. If and listen carefully, if that is why you worship you worship amiss. Worship is about blessing God and filling your selfish soulish wants.

Style of music is selfish and soulish! Grow up church! It's not about you. I repeat. It's not about you! How you feel. How many fast or slow songs. How many new or old songs. How long or short it is. All of that is irrelevant to what you bring before the Lord. Stop giving the enemy a foothold into your mind and into the bride of Christ by having these evil desires devour what the Lord is and wants to do among us. Repent before your God for bringing division inside the very place of worship and repent before your church leaders for your attitude. Give worship and if you are in the house of worship the Lord has called you be faithful. It may mean a trip to the cross for your flesh but it will end the battle in you and the strife if any in your church.

In His Service.

Brother Brian

What is the Church Doing?

Our family had company over last night as we often do and we talked about many things. Can you tell me what your church is doing? That is my question. Many will answer back with times of service and the many programs that their church is keeping busy doing but what is the statement the "church" is sending to the community?

Television style ministries and copy cat cookie cutter churches and programs rule the day. But when you go to the street and ask a person that lives in the community what that church does you would be crushed to find out what their answer is. Most would say they didn't even notice that there was a church there. Most would say that they are turned off by the constant plea for money and empty promises from the pulpit that have no root in Biblical interpretation.

I tried to watch "Christian" television last night on 6 different channels and the biggest message that I heard was to send in money. 1 Timothy 6:3-9 tells of how many will be attracted to being church leaders but with the wrong motives. Jesus said that we are his workmanship created for the expressed purpose of doing good works. We are not saved by these works but we show that the same Spirit that rose Christ from the dead is alive in us and it quickens us to do the works of Jesus on earth today. What a concept!

What is your church doing to the least of these? Or does your church just pay attention to those that can support them with finances? What do the people around your church testify about you and the benefit of having your church in their community? Do they know you are there? Do they know you care? Let's stop playing church and start being the church.

In His Service and Under His Mercy!

Brother Brian

Confusion is not from God

Did you know that the author and finisher of our faith is not a God that authors confusion? There is a great deal of confusion in the body of Christ today and that is a sad statement regarding the level of maturity in our leaders and congregations.

I was reading a sermon this morning from Smith Wigglesworth that was delivered to a bunch of church leaders in the 1920's. He was talking to them from a position of integrity of the walk he had been and still was living. He said that he does not read books other than the Bible. He said he never refers to himself while preaching. He said while others liked to tell stories about others and meetings they had in the past he only preached the gospel. He taught that the power was in the word of God and not anything in him that he could give except the truth of Jesus Christ.

Charles Finney was also a man of great integrity. He was so careful to not let man put him on a pedestal that he would shut down meetings when they got out of order. Today we have people chasing after a group of self proclaimed "special anointed" men and women to get something of them all in the name of Jesus.

All the while they say they are standing on the foundation of these men of integrity and are walking in and past their level of anointing. We have false teachings and glorification of angels, prophets, and such self promotion that confusion abounds. Error is even embraced as long as the desired outcome is reached in the eye's of the people. We have third heaven visitations and cultist manifestations and mind control and and men and women in leadership are flocking towards this like bugs to a night light.

There is a vacuum in leadership in today's church and an absolute drought of the word of God. You know we have no power to make the Bible say what we want it to! God has intentioned his word to be understood and in the manner he has ordained. In other words we can't manipulate the word to suit ourselves as if we are gods to ourselves. The word of God can not mean something today that it never meant when it was written. It can not have a different understanding than that of which the people who first read it understood it or better yet the first writers inspired by the Holy Spirit meant it.

Nobody can tell you what I really mean to convey in my writings but me. You can say, "Well this is what I think it means" but without talking with me about this blog you would make some wrong conclusions. Without having the teacher of all things reveal his word to you in study you can be deceived to believe a false conclusion and therefore have wrong application of the word of God in your life. That is confusion and that my friend is not of God.

Stop being fed from men and women falsehoods about the kingdom of God! We will talk about things that are in confusion and abound in the church today that are misunderstood and misapplied. They are anointing, glory, word of knowledge, power, worship, impartation, mantels, soaking, trips to third heaven, etc. We will explore the word of God and see what is truth and what is fiction. Stay tuned and God Bless your day.

Revival? Still Watching

I have been silent on the Blog for some time and have been very busy elsewhere. I have also been watching the "Healing Revival" taking place in Florida. My time watching this has not been one of great joy as many have been sharing with me in my circle. I have also been tired for some time since the 1990's and the Toronto and Brownsville movements trying to make sense of why God is good to us despite our willingness to get what he doing wrong.

Now don't hear me wrong here, I am not saying these movements of the past or what is happening in Florida is not of God but how we as the church react to it. Follow along with me if you will. I have watched over 20 hours of this event on God TV and I see a lot of God's love being poured out to His people. I also see, hear and feel lots of man's pride. My phone has been ringing off the hook from friend and family all over the country and they all have the same things to say that I find curious.

The focus of the reports I hear from past events and this one are focused on a person in leadership or gold dust and gold teeth and not the Love of Christ for His Bride! I was also at a leadership conference recently that talked about having new wine skins to contain the new wine that God wants to give. I heard also that we need not be defenders of what God has done so much as to leave room for God to do new works today. HMMMM???

Although I agree with these statements to a group of leaders who are mature I can also see that people will react how they want. There is a feeling of old Jewish Mysticism and 2nd century Gnosticism mixed in together here in the mass of people at these events. I don't look for gold dust or gold teeth but Salvation's as a true marker of the fruit of a revival. Charles Finney said that the power of God's presence would show up to bring conviction of sin and conversion to righteousness. I'm not set up to judge these current events or past events in any other way as to ask where are the conversions??? Isn't that the ultimate healing?

I have seen my share of God's healing power. I have to line up what God is doing today as with what he has done in the past. I have to discount the teaching that tells me that God would do something today or tomorrow that would disagree with the Word of God. Jesus healed people and did miracles to draw people to repentance. To look back at Toronto and Brownsville we should have seen a great influx of people into our churches and the facts are that church membership and attendance is down all over North America. I would say that whatever God is doing today in Florida or in your backyard let us not lose sight that we who are saved should look to be refreshed in these movements but for the betterment of our towns and cities and the lost. If all this is going to be is another feel good display of self absorbed self seeking what can God do for me events than count me out.

I pray that you join with me and pray that we respond to what God is doing in a proper way for his Glory. Amen!

Pearls before Swine?

Remember the Girgishite Spirit is about earthly matters so much that it can not contain the things of God's Spirit. What I am about to say will probably be deemed controversial and hateful but let me say my life is not aimed at either. I am writing this from many years of finding the resource of God's people and of the church wasted on fighting what we have not been called to fight. Therefore these resources have been wasted and frustration has battled individual Christians and the body of Christ.

OK Brian what are you talking about, you may be asking? Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Matthew 7:6). These are the words of Jesus. He knew in our compassion and eagerness to share the gospel that we would also get bogged down trying to save that one that is not ready for Him or should I say not ready to stop living a life devoted to anything but themselves. Again, the Girgishite spirit can waste and ruin a church's time, talent and treasure.

A dog cares not whether his meal comes from a holy alter of worship or the garbage pits of hell. A pig does not appreciate the value, beauty and time it took to make a pearl as it watches it thrown carelessly at its feet. Yet we lack the wisdom of when to pour out and when to withdrawal as exampled by Christ himself as he faced similar situations. Your life, time, energy, opportunities and abilities are God's pearls. They're His! Amen! You and I are merely His stewards overseeing His possessions (1 Corinthians 6:19,20; 4:1,2; 1 Peter 4:8-11). Yet out of confusion of not understanding our limitations and the instruction's of God we waste them and fall flat, exhausted and ready to throw in the towel and settle for something less than what the promise of God is for us and our churches. Can I say something here? STOP IT!!!!

Jesus also said this: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore, be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves." Matthew 10:16 I believe we have been out of balance in this equation for to long. We have not walked in the shrewdness Jesus has said we could and all the while his prophesy of sheep being in the midst of wolves has overtaken us. We are not protected from the wolves if we are not obedient and trusting in Him in that time. Staying innocent as doves mean we may feel really bad when we have to walk away but we have used the wisdom of God not as an excuse to not do something but to let God deal with that person or that situation some more until it is ready for heavenly treasure. All the while we can feel safe that we obeyed the instruction of our Lord and remain innocent with clean hands.

Christian, if you are feeling low on batteries today let me suggest you go to the storehouse of God and renew your strength. Learn how to recognize the Girgashite spirit alive in someone that you may be dealing with that is draining you and pray for that heavenly shrewdness of how to expend the treasure of heaven. Have a great day in the Lord! Brian PS. Did I mention that many times these people are in our family or inside our church walls?? I'll write more on this next time.....