Tag: move of God

“Followership” is the new “Leadership”

There is a fresh wind of hope and change blowing in our world right now. It is bringing with it the power to restore our lives and our communities to match God’s dreams for the world.

I felt it’s effect while reading “I Am A Follower” by Leonard Sweet a few weeks ago. I highly recommend it to you. Sweet calls us to be followers first and then “first followers”.

Most importantly, he reminds us that there is only one leader, Jesus Christ. The rest of us are called to follow.

The world doesn’t need strong leaders!

In fact, “Followership” is becoming the new “Leadership”.

This morning I was stunned to read these passionate words from Jesus as he unrolled God’s blueprints for the people of his day:

“Anyone who believes in Me is not placing his faith in Me, but in the One who sent me here. If one sees Me, he sees the One who sent Me. I am here to bring light in this world freeing everyone who believes in Me from the darkness that blinds him. If anyone listening to My teachings chooses to ignore them, so be it: I have come to liberate the world, not to judge it. However, those who reject my teachings will be judged; in the last day my words will be their judge because I am not speaking of My own volition and from My own authority. The Father who has sent Me has commanded Me what to say and speak. I know His command is eternal life, so every word I utter originates in Him.”

Wow! Jesus’ identity was as a follower. His words had the power to bring eternal life and to bring things back into sync with God because of His followership.

“Jesus followers” identify themselves the same way. We understand that we are not leaders! We are first followers sent into our communities by the Father armed with His life and message.

The last thing we need is a new breed of leader to arise! What we really need are Fearless Followers!!

Answering my Own Question… What will keep us from destroying eternity?

A few days ago I posted a question on facebook and twitter; “Input wanted… For all who believe in the age to come or an afterlife: What do you think will keep me/us from destroying it?”.

In other words, Given the way we as people created by God with the freedom to choose how we will interact and engage with each other and creation in this time have managed to make such a mess of many things and at the same time have managed to work with our Creator and do some beautiful things… What will govern us in the age to come/eternity/afterlife?

I think I will take a shot at answering my own question:

Our hope in the age to come or the afterlife or eternity (although we are living in eternity now) will be the same as our hope now.

Jesus Christ now reigns as King in every realm that exists. It is hard to recognize it in the world we walk around in every day and yet he demonstrated in his way of life, his teachings, his victory over the dominion of darkness on the cross and his empty grave that God’s kingdom is actually in control and much more involved in our lives than we would imagine.

 

The key in these times is for those of us who make up the Church to follow him in this same journey. The Church is present in the world to testify that Jesus actually is King of all. The Holy Spirit is here with us affirming and empowering the presence of His sovereign authority over creation through us. This was always God’s plan and always will be.

The challenge for us though is to grapple with how that authority is exercised. In fact we will always face that same challenge for all eternity. It is a kingdom of love and since God is love, there is no other law or system that can or should govern us.

In the gospel of Matthew beginning in chapter 5, Jesus explains what will govern us and all of creation now and forever. So, it seems to me that a big part of understanding what will rescue us from repeating the disobedience, sin and destruction of this life in the age to come is found in living in the authority of His kingdom of love now.

 

New Eyes

I have a friend that told me that the best thing she brought back from a compassion/ministry trip to China was “new eyes”. When she told me that, I grinned and nodded my head like I knew what she meant. But… I really didn’t.  I figured she had a great time and her hipster way of expressing it was that she came home with “new eyes”.

But, I listened to a guy named Skye Jethani talk this morning about the way Jesus saw the world completely different than everyone else. You can view his message if you click here  His theory is that the way we see the world comes before the way we act in our world. If we see it as scary and threatening than we will want to attack. But if see it as a place where we don’t need to be afraid, than all of Jesus’ teachings make sense. His teachings only make sense if we can see the world that He saw.  I hope you take 15 or 20 minutes to check out Skye’s message!!

I think I get what “new eyes” means now!

Maybe I found mine.. 🙂

I don’t believe you!

I just finished watching this video called  You Are Gifted  I laughed and I almost cried a few times.  But mostly I just longed to accept the challenge presented. As I listened I honestly felt an ache in my gut for my friends to live into their giftings so they can say something believable with their lives. Please take time to watch the video! You rock!

Alone…

I was moved pretty deeply by John’s article posted on his blogsite .  The article is called “To whom can we go?” Click here to read his article.  As storms are battering our world and it’s systems, the Lord is raising up people, young and old who listen to his teachings and Do what He says. I pray that I will be one of them! I pray that you will be there too!! Let’s be alone… together in Him!

 

Reality for a Kingdom Laborer Part 2

I heard someone say a few days ago that God is shaking all of the systems in our world! I believe it!

Jesus said that storms are gonna come! But, if we will listen to his words and DO what He says our house will stand. Our hearts are being called to be “Passion-Driven”. I shared my heart on this video blog… Check it out (Reality for a Kingdom Laborer Part 2).

Kingdom Laborers love God so much they will obey Him, sacrifice for Him, suffer because of Him all for the ultimate purpose of glorifying His Name. Someone who is passion-driven will pursue love even into and through suffering, just like Jesus did.

Did you forget about your defining moment?

I was blown away today as I listened to this video teaching from Newsong Church. Dave Gibbons is the pastor. He is the author of “The Monkey and the Fish”. The guest speaker is a man named Charles Jenkins. But, Dave’s comments at the end are equally as powerful and “on fire” as the blazing message from Charles.  Please, Please listen… Click here… Defining Moments. I pray that you will be challenged and encouraged.

Enjoy!

Reality for a Kingdom Laborer part 1

Www.kbm.org has posted six realities of a kingdom laborer that I love. I make it a habit to ask God to work these realities into my life and the lives of my friends. So, I decided to post some action steps you can take to grow as a Jesus follower. Hope you catch on fire!!!  Click here to watch my video post Kingdom Laborer Reality #1

A kingdom laborer is:

1. Kingdom-Living
Kingdom Laborers seek to glorify God by doing things His Way. The most important way to live out the Kingdom of God is to Love God and Love Others. Everything else flows from these two engagements (Matthew 22:40).

“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matt 22:37-40

“Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” I John 2:6

“I have made you[a] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” John 17:26

Prayer: “Father, please do a work of the Holy Spirit in my heart so that I will love Jesus with

the same love you have for Him. – Amen”

Something is missing…

I’ve had enough! Have you? I am getting so desperate to see people young and old activated and on fire to live out their personalized God designed world changing mission.

Knowing that every Jesus follower is called to be a “living stone” in God’s spiritual house and that living stones aren’t factory made, brings me to another issue.  They aren’t produced in mass either. There is no bulk store where you can buy mature Jesus’ followers. As I was driving to meet with a buddy of mine today I recorded a few thoughts on this. Click here to watch the quick video.

What are your thoughts about this? Are you seeing signs that people are waking up to the reality that they are God’s plan? Friends who are waking up to a life of ministry in the middle of their everyday life?

I’l love to hear about it 🙂