During a leadership panel discussion, I heard a word from the Lord very clearly saying, “We in the church use titles like the LGBTQ+ community uses pronouns.” And that “this issue, oriented in the church.”
I am concerned that much of the church is not ready for the surge of AI that has already started to emerge like a tsunami THIS YEAR (2023).
When I say I'm concerned for the church...Most don't even know what I'm saying when I use the term Artificial Intelligence. Here's what I see happening…
What’s the quickest way to a person’s heart? To serve them! Now the idea of serving can be about taking care of physical tasks to lift the burden off of them but there’s more to it. Husbands are called to serve their wives just as Christ served the church. These 5 strategies for serving are a great start to help you show your wife you care and that you believe that you are purpose partners!
Communicating can be the death of a marriage if it's not done well. How can two people walk together except they agree? Now it's not about seeing the same way, but about understanding the other person's perspective and coming to an agreement about how you're going to move forward together. We’ve put together 8 tips to help you communicate more effectively with your spouse.
There is no greater personal defeat than to know what is right but to do wrong! The guilt and shame that is attached to bad decisions are intensified, when you know within yourself, that you could have done better! So how do we become overwhelmingly inclined to do right, when our flesh wants to do wrong? I could be naming a number of things here; addiction, bad relationships, bad attitudes, responding in anger, and the list goes on... I'm sure you can think of something for yourself...
Stay with me to the end of this post and you will not regret it....make the right decision...
Purpose is established by God the creator and is revealed through the unction of the Holy Spirit. We are predestined by God to end up at a certain place and following the leading of the Holy Spirit will guide us to that destination.
Although this is revealed to us through the scripture, we still have to realize that destiny is decision-based. You will only be as successful as your daily decisions. Although success is guaranteed through Jesus Christ, this guarantee is only given through your decision to follow Christ.
Here's a good example...A car can have a warranty all day long and any type of product can have a guarantee, but that means nothing to the person who has not puchased that car or product. Let’s just call it being fully convinced… So let me ask you a question? Are you fully convinced? Yes, there is a guarantee to your success but are you "ALL IN"? Unless you make a daily decision to follow Christ, the guarantee does not apply.
So why is it so hard to make the right decisions? If we know that our success is determined by our decision-making ability, then we have to uncover the mystery behind the decisions that we make. Cause decisions aren't made by accident.
Have you ever wanted to say no to something in your gut but your "will" just kept saying yes? Maybe it's an addiction or a relationship...I know that we all have been there in some way or another. So why is it that do what we know is wrong for us?
In order to understand why we make the decisions that we make, we have to place our focus on the place within each one of us where we make all of our decisions. Why do we make certain decisions; even if we know those decisions are not prosperous?
Why do you always say yes to that certain type of man? Or woman? What inclines you toward certain responses?
Proverbs 4:23 NLT
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
If we look at the Hebrew translation of this scripture you will see that there is more to these words than what we have translated in English. I have formulated a literal translation based on Hebrew. I'm sure you will find it interesting...
"Guard (like a prison guard) your heart (your inclinations and the seat of your appetites) because this is the place that produces all that you experience in life. The status of this one place will determine your direction and success."
I have found this statement to be true; the difference in a successful person is in their ability to follow the unction of the Holy Spirit instead of the urges of their flesh.
Paul writes about this common struggle in the book of Romans 7:4-6, 14-25 (NLT). He talks of this personal battle that almost all of us face. You know...the wanting to do what’s right...but inevitably doing what is wrong, or what we don't want to do. Here's exactly what he says here:
So what is this nature within each one of us? And how do we overcome it? Well, this battle is within your mind...more specifically your heart, which is the 2nd compartment of your mind. It's a lot to get into in one blog, but your mind can be described as your conscious thoughts, while your heart is your subconscious thoughts. Or even more specifically, your heart is the filter that you process all other information and experiences. Some call it a "World View".
It's your heart that must be transformed in order to be able to rightly discern the will of God for your life. You can change your mind temporarily, but if your heart is not transformed the change is not sustainable. Jesus came to give you this heart transplant that you need in order to change the way that you think entirely. Not a momentary change but an eternal change.
Your mind is a spiritual faculty but is also connected to the physical world at the same time. It's a part of your soul, that we as humans are distinct from all other creatures as having. It's what makes us "God-like" so to speak. This is because we were made in the image of God and at the same time given physical bodies made of earth.
Stay with me here...cause this could change your life...
The heart is the second compartment of your mind. This is the placement of your urges. This of how your physical heart instinctively pumps blood and sends messages throughout your body by way of the blood. It’s amazing that the human heart can produce life even if the brain is shut off. That means that you can be brain dead but your body is still living because your heart has a mind of its own so to speak. But the heart is instinctively driven by a certain code.
That takes me back to what Paul was saying…. My mind is telling me one thing but my heart is producing another thing. My wish is to do one thing but my decisions are following another pattern…your heart will produce what you do as second nature, so to speak. What you do without really intentionally thinking about it.
Let's understand this heart thing a little more: If your heart is your "World View" then it is like the operating system of a computer. Everything that is viewed through your computer comes through the context of what operating system you are using.
Your worldview tells you how you ought to live. Even if it isn’t Biblical or morally correct…it’s what you believe to be personal truth. Even if it is in conflict with absolute truth, you will still perceive it as truth because it’s the context that you are view life from.
This is because we all experience life through the boundaries of our minds. What you are experiencing by reading this blog right now is defined by your physical senses but it is interpreted by your World View.
To help you understand how each of our World View is formed I have decided to use a Deck of Cards! Each of the following are the things that shape our World View and must be challenged in order to fully transform our perception of the world and our purpose in Christ.
Everyone in life is dealt a hand of cards in life. If you have ever played poker, you know what a poker face is and how important it is in playing your cards to their greatest advantage? This is the same in any card game...where you make sure no one can look in your hand and you make everyone believe you have a great hand when you may not...just to have "confidence" play in your favor.
In life, so many times we believe that we are confined by what we have been dealt in life and this is our current worldview. Everything that we see and experience in life is filtered through this lens. So here is what those cards you've been dealt represent...
SPADES: A spade is a picture of a unique little shovel (I never knew that before). So this represents the geographic location of where you were born and what part of the world you are currently planted in. This refers to your city, your neighborhood. Whether you were born into money or born into poverty…whether you live in a free country or one that is ruled by a dictatorship will shape your worldview. This is your country, state, city…geographically where you are in the world.
CLUBS: This is easy to define. The clubs represent your social constellation. Basically, these are the people in your inner circle of relationships. It represents the people that you can’t help being placed with and those that you have chosen and allowed. Those relationships that you have chosen are in some part based on your past relationship experiences and needs.
HEARTS: This represents your culture. This includes your ethnicity, family traditions, religions, and upbringing. This represents your spiritual experiences and also your natural talents and passions. Just think of it as the things that you love to do and have impacted your personality.
DIAMONDS: Because of the great process that a diamond goes through to become what it is, this represents your past experiences both GOOD and BAD. It represents the way that life has processed you and whether or not those experiences have had a positive or negative impact on you.
So you have all of these cards and most people make the most of what they’ve been dealt…they play the game and are successful in their own right. Other people look at the hand they have been dealt and start comparing in their mind with what they think they know about the person next to them and choose to FOLD…throw in the towel…Unfortunately, the sad thing is that many of those people will get to the end of their life and realize that that there were people winning in life with a worse hand than they had but they didn’t stay long enough to discover that.
And that's where all the "Self-Help" teachers end their advice..."Do the best with what you have been given"
God goes a step further...
The world will lead you to believe that is where the road ends. And people are making millions teaching seminars and writing books on how to play your hand well and in the most positive light. That is all good but God’s plan is better.
This man named Jabez could have been listed among the ordinary, like scripture details, but he refused to be labeled by his story and experiences up to that point. He refused to be limited by his parent’s idea of what he would become. He said...."God, I want your hand!"
That is the mighty power of God's grace at work! He gives us what we need to overcome our present state to become what He had originally intended!
This is what Paul wanted us to understand. We have these urges that come from our old nature or World View but what God will do, is through Jesus Christ introduce you to a Kingdom Paradigm.
A Paradigm (a pattern) is a firm set of beliefs and theories that have been established within a certain discipline.
The Kingdom is not a religious concept but it’s a culture, a mindset, and a new way of life. The interesting thing is that your worldview isn’t completely taken away. The kingdom of God is superimposed over the old so that you still see it but with a different context. With a Kingdom Perspective, you still remember your past but you see your life circumstances from a different perspective. You no longer see problems but you see possibility. You see potential!
So you have a new mind that has now been attached to your worldview and it goes in and turns everything that was upside down, right side up.
So how do you allow this process to take place? It doesn’t take place overnight. Sure, there are some instant changes when you are born again…but remember…a baby has all the potential to do everything that you and I can do but has to be taught. It’s something that seeps in over time. That means that God now gives you a new family context and creative outlet as a part of the church (hearts), he plants you in specific geographic areas on purpose with an anointing and an assignment (spades)…. he directs you to a new set of relationships (clubs) and takes the pain from the processes that you have gone through and produces something great (diamonds)! He gives you a testimony!!!
It may take several years of discipline to overcome the urges that exist within your mortal body, but the more you give in to the unction of the Holy Spirit, the more you will become like Christ!
Have you ever been in a crowded room and tried to answer a phone call? Maybe you tried to answer but couldn’t hear the person talking on the other end because of the noise in the room and you ended up misunderstanding what they wanted to tell you…or maybe you just hung up determined to call them back later…the problem is that they just keep calling.
Its easy to look at our phones now a days and hit the big red “end” button on our phones when someone calls…especially if where we were at was more than just a crowded room…maybe it was a party with music and games and the thought of leaving the people and entertainment in that room outweighs your desire to answer the call…. A lot of people respond this same way when they hear the call of God... What do you do?
Revelation 3:20 (Jesus Talking)
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
“I will come in to him”---I thought I read it wrong but even in the Greek this phrase here means a type of possession. But here it more specifically means that God will be your food…your source of life. To those who invite him in...he will literally sustain you.
When you dine with HIM you are not just eating any kind of food…you are literally taking in his nature and his goodness. Then you become infused with his DNA. This is where you will desire what God desires above everything else.
Jesus even said that, “if you do not eat of my flesh, and drink of my blood you have no life in you.” He’s not talking about cannibalism …but what he is talking about is your dependence on him. That you would so long for him that it would outweigh even your desire for natural food and drink!
Your calling is articulated by Jesus who himself had to heed and obey a calling that was on his life. A Father gives identity and he is the one who establishes your spiritual DNA. Your calling is a part of who you are inherently. It’s in you to accomplish it…. you have the abilities and the anointing from God! God places his mark upon you and you are called his own.
The calling that I am talking about goes beyond the calling to accept the free gift of salvation, I’m talking about the calling to take up your cross and follow him. Your cross is your calling and it never goes away.
He longs for us in the scripture to open the door…
A door represents an opportunity. The thing is that it’s not about him giving you an opportunity to do something great…it’s about you giving Him the opportunity to do something great in you! It’s not about what we can do; it’s about how much we are going to let him do!
The instruction on how to respond to the calling of God is clearly defined here in Revelations
---to HEAR, REPENT, and RESPOND.
In other words God is calling you to LISTEN, to POSITION YOURSELF, and to OBEY.
It sounds simple but requires loving God more than stuff.
This is the next thing that this chapter in Revelation teaches us.
Your calling requires a letting go of good to attain great. It’s not that God doesn’t want you to be blessed, but we have gotten it twisted when it comes to really understanding God’s blessing…because being blessed means that God has chosen to use you as his vessel…and in that…He desires that you would be more obsessed about his presence and fulfilling his will than you would be about having the latest and the greatest… “thing.”
That’s why I believe the rich man who asked Jesus “what must I do to inherit eternal life” was so perplexed by Jesus’ response. Jesus told him he would have to sell everything he had...and then follow him. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to be blessed financially…but are you willing to give up everything for the sake of the calling to follow Christ? And maybe it’s not about money…maybe it’s a set of friends…maybe it’s a job…maybe it’s your comfort zone…maybe it’s the thought of losing everything that scares you so much. But you have to believe that everything that you give up for the sake of the calling is returned to you in a greater level of glory!
Listen, every calling has a cost but the reward of obedience is far greater than any thing you may give up along the way. What you desire to keep are temporary things anyways…but what God longs to give you in return is eternal! His presence is more valuable than anything in the world!
That was exactly the state of the church that God was speaking to in the book of Revelation. Lets go back a few scriptures before…
Revelation 3:15-19 (NIV)
“To the Church in Laodicea I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.
What we can see here is that those who refuse the calling of God (the knocking at the door), they become lukewarm in their faith, their prayer life, and in their overall pursuit of God. And what Jesus is saying is that what you have earned in this life will never be enough to buy what you really need…. because you can’t buy eternal life…
Have you determined within yourself that what you have right now is too precious to give up for the sake of the call? Have you given up eternity for the temporary desires of your flesh? When will it be enough? When will you have enough stuff? Will you ever be satisfied?
What happened to the burning desire on the inside of you to see a move of God? Have you forgotten the promises of God, that he would bring a great outpouring of his spirit upon you? Do you not remember fasting and praying for a move of God and now that the move of God is at your front door you ignore the knocking.
We have failed to realize that to refuse the calling of God is to sin. It’s not the sin of commission, or the "what you did" type of sin. Instead, it’s the sin of omission, where you failed to do that God asked you to do.
Vs 19 said “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”
As you ignore the calling of God, the voice of God becomes more and more saturated in the other voices that you are responding to. Where there is the sin of omission, the sin of commission is inevitable.
The more you disobey the voice of God and his calling you become more desensitized to the things of this world. It’s not long before your standards will be lowered and you will end up committing a sin of your flesh. Then you are left wondering why! Why did I do what I know is wrong? It’s because you have failed to listen when God is directing you.
To Repent is to Reposition. It means to change the way that you think so that you can be in the position at all times to be used by God.
I find it interesting that the bible speaks of another knock at the door of our lives...
Genesis 4:7 God says to Cain (the first murderer) “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
So we have both sin and Jesus knocking at the door of our lives and the choice is yours as to who will you respond to every day!
There are 2 callings going on simultaneously…Until you close the door to sin, you will not be able to fully articulate the calling of God.
So you’ve Listened….Repent…and Finally God calls you to Respond!
You have to being putting action behind the calling. You have to get with God and start building a strategy to fulfill that calling…
When it comes to the instruction from God...Most people say to themselves…Is this God’s calling or am I going crazy? If you’ve said that to your self...chances are, you’ve probably been hearing the call.
You know it’s the calling of God that you need to respond to because:
Moses… can you hear the cry of my people?
Face it; the calling of God requires action! The purpose of the calling is not just to hear but also to DO! And Just like being in a crowded room and trying to answer a phone call… To clearly hear the calling you have to get in alone in a quiet place of worship. You have to posture yourself to listen to the voice of God without distraction. This requires fasting, this requires prayer. You may even be called to the people around you making all the noise and creating distractions…but…you have to get alone with God to be able to hear his instructions!
He will call you away from among the mediocre…away from the lukewarm so that you can actually make an impact. God says, "Come out from among them my people!" You will never be able to impact those around you by being just like them…
Some of you have heard the call of God and you know that he has placed his mark upon you but you have ignored that calling and have been distracted by so many other things.
I have learned that you can't lose the call of God but you can loose sight of it. A minister by the name of David Hernandez says this well in his sermons on the call of God.
Many feel like it’s too late to fulfill the calling of God upon your life because they feel like they missed their window. There is a window of timing upon the call of God over you life…but you have your entire life to fulfill it. Assignments are time sensitive but the calling of God is upon you your entire life, and God does not change his mind about you.
Romans 11:29 says the gifts and calling of God are without repentance…meaning that he’s not going to take it away from you once he gives it. He doesn’t change his mind about you!
You can run from the call of God but you can never outrun the call of God. The more you resist the more it will resonate within you! There is peace when you surrender to the purpose and plan that God has for you life! SURRENDER ALL TODAY!
-Pastor Ryan
First off I know that the picture that I put with this blog doesn't really match the title...but you will understand as you read on...I also know this title seems a bit extreme, but it's not that extreme to those who are going through it. Let's face it, there are seasons of life where we feel as if everything that can go wrong does go wrong. These are the times where we feel that no matter which way we turn there is opposition. Maybe you feel like you have done everything you know to do and that you shouldn't be experiencing this hard season. Well, I have been there and I know how hard it can be.
If you are anything like me, sometimes the hardest times of your life are when no one seems to notice that you are going through anything at all. Have you ever felt isolated? Picked on? Singled out? Well if you have, I have good news for you! The greater the opposition, the greater the level of breakthrough!
Click to Tweet: "The greater the opposition, the greater the level of breakthrough!"
Think about it...why would the enemy fight against what he is not threatened by? Now, don't get me wrong, I know that we have to take responsibility for the bad decisions that we make in our lives...but I'm talking about the things you didn't sow for. These are attacks that came and you were seemingly doing all the right things!
1 Corinthians 16:9 "There is a wide-open door for great work here, although many oppose me."
This is what Paul was saying about an area of ministry that God had called him to. He realized that for every great opportunity for doing the work of the Kingdom, there would be an equal level of opposition. You must also realize that the opposite of this statement is also true. For you who may be asking God, "Why am I going through this??" Here is your answer...
If you are going through some type of opposition, there is an unrecognized opportunity at hand for a great manifestation of God's Kingdom! The prayer I always decree when going through hardships and trials is this:
"I decree that the Law of Recognition is activated in my life. My eyes are open to the resources, opportunities, and beneficial relationships that are surrounding me. I declare that my ears are open to the frequencies of heaven and I am ready to take action for the cause of Christ and His Kingdom!"
Maybe you should stop right now and pray that prayer too! What the enemy wants you to do is be so distracted by the chaos of your present circumstances, that you lose sight of the purpose of God! However, what the enemy doesn't know is that every obstacle that he places before you will be used as the platform or the stage that you will stand on in this season to declare the message of the Kingdom.
Click to Tweet: "This present pain is preparing a platform for you to preach and proclaim the Gospel!"
What you are going through will either break you or launch you. What do I mean? The trials that you are facing will either stop you completely in your tracks or will be fuel for you to accelerate into fulfilling your purpose. My mentor, Dr. Cindy Trimm has always told me, "Your next level has been booby-trapped to keep you out."
It's the process that prepares you for your next level. Do you think what you are going through now is bad? Don't you understand that God knows the pressure of the next level? Don't you think that he knows that you will be completely broken if you are not prepared before he gives you access to that next level? So what am I saying in all of this? Don't stop now!
My answer is pretty simple to the question that I raised. What do you do when all hell breaks loose? You REJOICE because you are closer to your breakthrough than you have ever been!
James 1:2-4 "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."
There is a purpose in this that you are going through. Though you may have not known it...you can now recognize that God will use the trials that you face, the attacks of the enemy, and the pain of your experiences to prepare you for GREATER>>> So PRAISE HIM now for the breakthrough that is inevitable!
As believers, we understand that the death of Jesus was the price He paid so that we can live victoriously. This statement is not just an abstract idea that we think about once a year. This truth; that through His death and resurrection we ALREADY have been given victory over every trial and crisis in life...over sin and death, means that how we approach every day should always be from the offensive position instead of a defensive position.
I wrote about this in my book Constructing Paradise in the chapters on spiritual warfare. For most people, the idea of spiritual warfare looks a bloody battle against the devil. The truth is that spiritual warfare is not about fighting a battle or striving to win a war. Jesus already did that for us.
We are already more than conquerors through the finished work of Jesus Christ. The grace that Jesus Christ gave us is the victory over a war that we did not and never will have to fight. So stop squaring up with the Devil as if he isn't already defeated. Take your place of DOMINION and call those evil forces back into alignment. When we choose to position ourselves in “warfare” with the Devil we reveal our ignorance and we undermine what Jesus Christ has already done for us. When we operate defensively, we are stating that the work of Jesus Christ was not enough. Believe now the truth that, Satan has been defeated. With this truth in mind, the question arises as to what type of warfare should we engage in.
Well, the victory that Jesus afforded to us, gives us the confidence to step into territory that was once ruled by the enemy, to enforce the culture of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are in the army of God but serve more so as occupational troops. This is a term that I use to describe prayer as our means of pushing back the enemy in our lives. This is a victorious position. We are not fighting to win, we are fighting to occupy. We wear the victory of Jesus as our armor and we push onward to possess what God has given to us already. The earth is ours to rule, this is evident in the book of Genesis. However, sin was a barrier that kept us from accessing our true potential and in being able to live in the realm of Dominion. Jesus solved the problem of sin!
Ephesians 6 teaches us about the Armor of God. The interesting thing is that the armor is given to us so we can stand against an enemy who is already defeated. This is shown throughout ancient history, as one kingdom would confront and defeat the armed forces of another Kingdom in order to possess new land. Thereafter, that king or ruler would send in troops, not to continued fighting, but to fully occupy that land and introduce those citizens of a new culture. This is exactly our position in Christ. The challenges we face every day are in occupying and bringing the culture of heaven into a world that has been ruled by the forces of darkness. I talk more in-depth about this in my book but one part of the armor that I want to highlight here is the armored shoes on our feet:
Our feet are covered with the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15.) The Greek word here for peace is eirēnē, which can be defined as “the exemption from the rage and havoc of war”. The Gospel of the Kingdom is considered good news because it is a proclamation of victory. Jesus guaranteed victory in every confrontation. Warfare is something that every believer engages in, in their mind. Overcoming lies, negativity, fear, and misunderstanding about our identity is the first step in living in the victory that Christ has given us. From there, our lifestyles and our position in society gives us the ability to rule over the culture of this world and introduce the ways of God to a world, ignorant of God’s power and wisdom.
Remember today, that you have guaranteed victory in Christ Jesus!
Check out more on this in my book Constructing Paradise: Click Here
Everyone struggles. Some struggles are harder than others and sometimes we wonder why we have certain struggles. We know too, that everyone’s struggles are not the same...but we can all relate to the fact that the struggle is real…
The struggle was all too real for a man named JACOB in the bible. In fact, his name meant “heel grabber” because he was a twin that was born second, and he came out with his hand grasping his brother’s foot.
Genesis 25:20-28 (NKJV)
20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. 21 Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her:
“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”
24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.[a] 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob.[b]
From birth, Jacob had this innate desire to "get ahead". And he would struggle with this internal desire for the rest of his life… to try and be “good enough” for what God had called him for.
…Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
You see…Jacob was not the strongest one. He was not the man that you would have expected. He was what you would call “a mama’s boy”. And because of this, He carried this inferiority complexity with him. I'm sure he thought to himself..."I must do whatever I have to, to be good enough for a blessing." To the point where he tricked his brother Esau out of his birthright by trading him a bowl of beans when he was exhausted from hunting…
Over the years, tension and the sibling rivalry grew and yet Jacob was not satisfied with birthright alone…yes he got ahead for a moment...but he still was not content. He wasn't satisfied because he still didn't understand his PURPOSE!
Finally, Jacob's father was getting old and was going blind…the day would come soon that he would die and Jacob knew that even though he had the birthright…he was still not his Dad’s favorite…
Genesis 27:1-29
1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son." And he answered him, "Here I am." 2 Then he said, "Behold now I am old. I not know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me....that my soul may bless you before I die. 5. Now Rebekah was listening...
So Rebekah came up with a plan…She remembered the prophecy that was spoken to her and she knew her son was chosen…she had to take measures into her own hands right?
So she made a meal. She took wool and put it on Jacob’s arms so that when Isaac would touch him he would be deceived. She had Jacob to put on Esau’s best clothes and she sent him in for the blessing.
Isn’t it amazing how when God gives us a prophetic word that we always end up trying to make things happen on our own? We formulate an idea of how God should work and even if we have to lie…we will do whatever we have to make it happen…so we think. The problem is that God does not need us to rush his hand. The prophetic word may not be how we perceive it to be...so we must be patient with the process.
When we try to rush the hand of God we will only end up frustrated!!
You see this only added to Jacob’s complex…Can you imagine the statement it made to him...that his mom, virtually wanted him to be someone else to be good enough...
“So I have to pretend to be like somebody else to be good enough…okay, I can do that. I just wear this certain outfit…and I’ll talk like this…and I’ll do whatever it takes to be the person that everyone else wants me to be…then I’ll be good enough…"
The Scripture goes on to show this whole ordeal. Jacob received the Father's blessing alright...but was it enough?
You see, they tried to orchestrate the prophetic word, but there is something on the inside of you that cannot be extracted by the blessing or affirmation of a man, it can only come out in the presence of God. It won’t come out through any effort of you trying to be good enough…it can only come out in the presence of your creator!
The word of God didn’t say you have to be anybody else to fulfill God’s plan for you…you have to be you!!! And God can’t bless you who you pretend to be…
There is a struggle beyond the striving to be good enough where you realize that the real struggle is not outward at all…but inward.
All while you keep trying different things to please a man... God is calling your name, pursuing you...asking you to come close and find out the real meaning of the word that was spoken over your life!
Will you stop the striving and hear the voice of God today?
He wants to bring clarity to your struggle…he wants to show you the purpose in your pain…in your rejection…in your hurts...
We see that Jacob gets exactly what he was after…but was it enough? When Esau hears of what they had done…he is bitter because his blessing was given away to Jacob and he vows to kill Jacob…
Mark 8:36 (NKJV)
36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Is it really worth it…what you’re doing to get that guy’s attention? Is it worth it…who you’re becoming to get that job…or make enough money? Are you selling your soul to the propaganda the word is feeding you? Or that religion is feeding you?
You see, we can even be in church and still struggling! We can be so obsessed about the house of God that we lose sight of the God of the house of God...And that's the place that Jacob ended up at. As he was running from his brother, Jacob has an encounter with God...
Genesis 28:11-19
11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night because the sun had set... 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven, and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “HOW AWESOME IS THIS PLACE" This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
18 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel;[a] but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
Once again…Jacob struggled with understanding what God was really trying to do in him…because even though God had given him this great vision…it would still be years before he really knew what God was wanting from him.
So he went and worked 14 years for his Uncle for the affection of Rachel and was tricked into having Leah as a wife too…He thought that running from his issues would solve them...but he ran from his own sibling feud right into another one...between the two women that would be his wives.
Here's the thing...you may run from that problem, but if you don't deal with the internal struggle that is really going on....you may have a new job, or move to a new city, or make new friends...but the same issues are gonna pop up. Same issues different people.
Jacob struggled to find his place in a foreign land and eventually angered his father-in-law until he had to run…again…back to his brother.
Isn’t it funny how God…no matter how much you run…will always bring you back around to the same place until you deal with the real issue at hand?
Then it happened…As his life seemingly came full circle back aground to the struggle with his brother that started in his mother’s womb…he waited there…the night before he was to meet is brother and God came to wrestle with him…
Genesis 32:24-30
Then Jacob was left alone, and a Man (an angel which some scholars say was actually the pre-incarnate version of Jesus) wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”
Listen…Your purpose is not to get the affirmation of man…but to please God. Your external struggles are only an indicator of the internal struggle that is going on inside of you. You have been wrestling with your purpose and your search for your identity has led you to dead end after dead end…but in the presence of God…something about you is going to change…you’re going to walk out of here having been touched by God…and just like Jacob walked away with a limp…you are going to walk out of the presence of God and everyone is going to know that something has happened to you….
28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel;[b] for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
The name Israel means the one who struggles with God…but even more than that it means that God rules. It means that he wrestled with the purpose of God and in the end…God got him right where he wanted him…and
…THERE GOD BLESSED HIM
Some of you have been in a fight…you've been struggling and you can’t seem to figure out why. You know that God has a purpose for you but somewhere along the way you have gotten caught up in trying to be somebody else…to please God.
God loves and wants the REAL you. The struggle is Real alright…because we are all in a struggle with trying to accept our REAL selves… and all it takes is pursuing God.
Not religion…because we can get caught up in church too and lose sight of the God that we are serving…
Even Jacob in Genesis 35 went back to Bethel and demolished foreign Gods and literally scratched off Bethel and called the place "El Bethel" meaning the God of the house of God…because no longer would he just be obsessed about the house of God…he was obsessed with the God of the House of God!!
Just because you struggle doesn’t mean that God can’t use you! In fact, God will use your struggle sometimes to get your attention!
Have you become so distracted that you can’t see the trees because of the forest? Have you tried to make God’s will happen on your own? Have you stopped to ask him where you should be? Have you stopped asking long enough to listen to his response?
Jesus said…if you lose your life you will find it!
Matthew 16:24-25
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Maybe you're like Jacob...and the struggles that you are facing are difficult. What if those external struggles are only an indicator of an issue of your soul? What if you said yes to the calling and pursued God? How would things be different?
I'm not saying that struggles won't come....but will you be in a better place in your soul to handle them and respond to them well?
From my perspective as a 26-year-old pastor...Here's what I believe is going to be the pattern of the church in the years to come!
FYI- This is a continuation of another blog I wrote about Millennials and the church!
As a person who has a strong fascination with culture...i have placed my hand on the pulse of our current "western" culture and through prayer have come to terms with what the church will look like in the near future and how we can succeed in presenting the gospel to the next generation while maintaining the integrity of the scriptures! Here we go...TOP 10!
1. Technology will be embraced on a larger scale and the majority of Millennials will not attend a "Large Gathering" except for a 3-4 times per year at a maximum. By Large I mean more than 1200 people, and that will be the extreme high-end anomalies. Some of you may consider 1200 large but remember that before this point megachurches were being built to hold at least 3-4 thousand people. Even at the larger end of the 1200 people mark, this will only be effective if the feeling of intimacy and community are the center of your focus. In terms of the most commonly effective congregation...I see it being around a 300-400 mark as the norm, yet still be considered a "mega-church" because of technology. As the term "Mega Church" shifts, you will discover that your largest audience will be gathered through the use of technology, using platforms online. Millennials will still gather weekly in a "church" setting...it just may not be in as "large" of a setting. So shift your focus from numbers in the door...to the impact of discipleship!
2. On that note...Educational value in the church will become more important than entertainment value...so make sure that you actually have something to say. In saying this, we are still looking for the "excellence" value and the use of the creative arts! Even with great creativity, you better have some impact in your presentation in terms of educational, transformational, and empowering revelation.
3. Because of the focus on community that we will need to take, we will have to rely on partnerships for large local alliances and impact.
4. Millennials, unlike the former generations, have a great distrust of large institutions because we grew up watching the great scandals of corporations, banks, and churches. If we are going to be a part of a large ministry there better be integrity, transparency, authenticity, and an evident move of the supernatural power of God with the demonstration of the Kingdom.
5. You will see Millennials embrace smaller house-like settings in the sense that they will be discipled through one-on-one mentorship and relationships more than they will be showing up to a classroom in a building. Give a Millennial the information through technology and give them activation and relationship in person! We crave mentorship but we also crave acceptance. We want to know that you are with us even when we fall and that you will lift us up with grace!
6. Okay here is where the prophetic word takes over... There will be a large diving line in the church....between those that have bent the church around the world's culture and those that have maintained the "oil" but have also embraced new methods and technology. In other words, there will become a very distinct difference in the church world. Denominational lines will be blurred and at the same time there will be 2 distinctively different groups of "Christian Movements" arise. Because of this, where we stand on theology will challenged and be One group will focus on Discipleship and Kingdom Theology along with a movement of the Holy Spirit and signs and wonders while the other will be built on the strength and power of man and the embracing of a "melting pot" of spiritual beliefs w/ very blurred lines in doctrine. The latter will put emphasis on individual spiritual discovery in the sense that everyone will be able to embrace a personal truth without solid lines of theology. Both of these sides to Christianity will succeed but the latter will be based on deception. It is also possible that the use of the word "Christian" may be rephrased or redefined because of this. We must as believers recognize which movement represents the actual Church as we mirror the results and effectiveness of the New Testament Church.
7. The next revival and expansion of the Kingdom will occur in the marketplace and in communities. The focus of the Church will shift toward the empowerment of individuals as carriers of the Kingdom of Heaven. You will see more salvation take place outside of the church walls in homes, communities, work fields, etc... We will reach out more for people to be saved where they are...and then become connected to the church building to be disciples.
8. Church Services will become driven by Prayer and Kingdom Teaching. There will be more corporate prayer than ever before and this will birth revival in communities, homes, and businesses.
9. The Social System will be a great place of ministry. As the fabric of what a Biblical "Family Unit" is torn, we must be here with the example of solid family structure and function. The individual Purpose of a Man and Woman will need to be clearly taught and defined as well as displayed through the church. We must be prepared for any and everything to come against us in our pursuit of reflecting Christ and His Church (Husband and Wife). As the transgender and homosexual culture has emerged and is playing a dominant role in the construct of the next generation...we have to be fully equipped with the answers they are looking for. Not religious paraphrasing but answers...through the word of God and be able to approach these issues with great compassion and understanding. Remember, that it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). In saying that we must also have an unwavering stance on what God defines as a marriage and what is the most healthy family construct and we must be able to display it. We won't have a firm ground to stand on if the divorce rate of Christians continues to rise. This next generation is looking for a Show and Tell...not just a Tell, so demonstrate the power that you talk about! This is another reason why ministries that place an emphasis on Mentoring (Fathering and Mothering) will likely succeed more than those that do not.
1 Corinthians 4:20 "For the kingdom of God consists of and is based not on talk but power."
10. Persecution will rise against those that stand on ideas such as purity (abstinence from sex before marriage), biblical marriage (between 1 man and 1 woman), the bible's view on cross-dressing and the transgender lifestyle, and other topics that are diametrically opposed to cultural norms. The interesting thing is that the persecution will be subtle because it will be in the forms of governmental intrusion (which there are ways to get around this but that's for another blog). We as a church must depend on unity, more than ever before if we are going to succeed in our missions here in the United States. As we leverage our corporate influence and power as the church, we will be able to shift culture and impact the next generation effectively!
I will continue to write more of what the Lord shows me along the way...I am excited about the church! WE have never had more potential than we do right now and we must seize the moment!
-Ryan Cole
June 11, 2015
With so many ideas going around about why "Millennials" are leaving the church I decided to write a blog on why I've decided to stay....
So many of these blogs and statistics that I am reading have been done from researchers and Pastors who are trying to figure "Millennials" out without sitting where they have sat...There's been some good views and some very wrong views about what our contribution to the global church will be. I'm here to sort through the madness to help bring some clarity.
As a Young Adult myself, I have been heavily involved in church for the last 11 years. I have watched people come and go and I have had to ask myself the questions...Why have I stayed while others have gone? What has been different about my experience that has caused me to rise in leadership while others have forsaken "Church" all together? In the process of studying the journey of both myself and my peers I have also received strategy from the Holy Spirit on the direction and future of the church, as Millennials take center stage in Church Leadership.
As I look at the trajectory of my own journey, I have discovered that what has set me apart from others that have left the church, is in the fact that I have aggressively pursued Mentors. This is something that many people are not as comfortable doing, especially when you face a lot of rejection, bad leadership, hurt, and disappointment. What has kept me, was my ability to filter through the inadequacies of people in order to partake of their treasure. That meant me having a lot of forgiveness toward people and putting my dependency on God instead of man. We have to be able to see past the flaws and failures of man and trust that God can still use them to speak to us regardless of their downfalls.
By the grace of God and through great patience on my part, I came across 2 specific leaders that were Pure in their motives, sacrificial, and did for me what everyone else is now calling..
Here are some key points that define this process of "Reverse Mentoring":
1. This process requires that the leader be very secure in their own calling as to not allow a spirit of competition to hinder the process of empowerment. Millennials are seeking "room to grow" and "space to create".
2. Millennials want to be able to question your process without the fear of rejection. They don't want to just do what you say without also wanting to know WHY you do what you do. If you believe in the supernatural...they wanna know why and they want to see results. Because of this we all have to evaluate our methods and ask ourselves if what we are doing is "scriptural" or just "traditional". You should allow those that you mentor to ask questions and be able to give them answers, strategies, and demonstration of power. Don't be intimidated by the WHY'S...we are not questioning your authority...we just want to know how you do what you do! In the end...our questions can help you become a greater leader and to be a more effective leader. Listen, many parents will tell you that they have learned more through parenting their kids then they actually taught there kids...be open to learning yourself too!
3. Reverse mentoring requires great transparency! We want to know your story and your struggles. We want to know that you will not judge our future based on our past. We also want to know that you are not ashamed of us and that you will claim us as your own no matter what! We don't want sugar coated and remember that we don't relate to you just because you watch reality TV and use a Kardashian as a sermon illustration or joke...we will relate to you because of your STORY and your AUTHENTICITY!
4. Allow us to challenge your methods by giving us space to experiment with new strategies while keeping the same anointing! Trust that we can hear from God too and embrace the fact that we know how our generation is responding to new technology.
5. Don't just place us in a role that you need filled because of your need. Get to know us, our strengths and gifts, and help us discover the right place for us in the church!
6. Don't falter in your integrity and theology just because a large group of us say so. More than ever, young adults need to hear clear lines of theology and that includes making a stand for holiness and living a life free from sin! BUT REMEMBER! We will respect you and hear you...only if your life reflects the same boundaries that you are proclaiming!
Continuing on...
Statistics show that Millennials are the most educated generation that has ever been...with more degrees than ever before, but with less practical knowledge than ever because they have not been given a space to try it out for themselves...this includes the church. Everyone under the age of 25 in most churches have been placed in a "sub ministry" with ill equipped leaders, and by the time they have graduated college there is no reason for them to stay at your church because they have never really been included in the actual "church". This generation has extended adolescence well past the age of 25 because they have yet to "comprehend" what their place in the world is. They are still living at home because there is not an empowerment mechanism in most cities to launch these Young Adults out of complacency. The infallible truth is that the CHURCH is the only answer and we cannot fail!
The church is NOT a religious institution to help numb the pain of life and hardship that people face. It's not intended to be a "drug of choice" to help soothe individuals and their lack of effective decision making abilities....THE CHURCH is the Educational Institution of the Kingdom of Heaven!
Our role is to re-educate individuals with the mandate of God! We should be creating a culture that is not a mirror image of the "world system" but is distinctly different. Our goal should be in making disciples and with that comes the empowerment of purpose! The enemy has shaped the culture of this generation through the way that we have educated our young people. We have taught them word recognition but not word COMPREHENSION. Meaning that the majority of people in the workplace have been trained for a task instead of being empowered to THINK for themselves. This is because we have allowed Schools and Media to shape the belief systems of our young people. On top of that..the church has, for the most part, forsaken discipleship. Therefore...
For too long the church has moved tried to move from Information >> to Presentation >> to Revelation >> strait to ACTIVATION. We want young adults to give...to serve...to invite others...and they will FOR A WHILE....but then they will become burnt out very quickly because there is not COMPREHENSION!
The only way to bring Comprehension is through personal relationships! In the end we are not going to come to your church because of good music or presentation....were going to come to your church because we are able to integrate our faith with our real life! That means that there has to be a place where effective relationships and accountability is set established within the church! Sure Large Gatherings are great AND ARE NEEDED! However, Acts 2 shows us that they not only had large gatherings but also went HOUSE to HOUSE teaching and breaking bread together!
Statistics show that Millennials are are not interested in work and life balance they are interested in work and life INTEGRATION. The same is true about their faith. They don't just wanna show up on Sunday if they have not integrated their LIFE >> WORK >> and FAITH together as one! So...
How are you facilitating relationships? How are you empowering individuals to take the Gospel to their workplace and to shift culture? Also, does all of this fit within the current church pattern that we have in America? Well...the answer is yes and no....There are ministries that are moving in that direction but the majority of churches are clueless about what is going to take place here in the next 5-10 years when it comes to church!
So why have I stayed? Well, because I have a firm conviction about the importance of the local church! I know how much we are needed! I have stayed because I have been taught the message of the Kingdom! That teaching has grounded me when a lot of people and systems have failed. The Gospel of the Kingdom is a message of empowerment and I have been challenged to pursue the purpose that God has given me.
I believe that if we make discipleship (from a Kingdom perspective of empowerment) our focus along with meaningful relationships we will be successful in reaching the next generation with the Gospel!
-Ryan Cole
