We make decisions and life choices based on what we think the truth is.   The truth is important, but sometimes we mistake facts for the truth.

Imagine three people – three people from the mid-1800′s – before TV and radio, from a time where people may not know more beyond there own isolated experiences. The first person lives on a small tropical island. The second lives in the artic circle and the third lives in a desert region. Each of their beliefs of what the world is like is colored by their own life experiences. The person from the tropical island has no knowledge of the snow and cold that can occur in other climates and the others have their own limitations based on their own experiences. The world is not just like what their limited experiences tell them.

We can’t let the known facts interfere from our knowledge of or faith in the truth. And how do we find the truth?  Do we look beyond ourselves to the truth that has been left to us – to the Bible and to the Holy Spirit, or do we continue to base what we think the truth is to a few facts picked up by our experiences?

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. – John 16:13

There may come a time (or times may already have passed) where our knowledge and faith in what the truth really is make a difference.

When you or someone you know face a life-threatening illness and all the facts line up to say terminal; do you want to rely on those facts or what the Word and the Spirit say?

When God tells you to do something and it seems impossible that everything can line up to make it happen are you going to believe the facts of the circumstances or are you going to believe God?

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. – Matthew 24:24

- When you are sad, call on John 14

- When you don’t feel loved, call on Romans 8:38-39

- When you have sinned, call on 1 John 1:8-9

- When you are facing danger, call on Psalm 91

- When people have failed you, call on Psalm 27

- When God feel far from you, call on Psalm 139

- When your faith needs encouraging, call on Hebrews 11

- When you are scared, call on Psalm 23

- When you are worried, call on Matthew 6:25-34

- When you are hurt, call on Colossians 3:12-17

- When you feel no one is on your side, call on Romans 8:31-39

- When you are seeking rest, call on Matthew 11:25-30

- When you are suffering, call on Romans 8:18-30

- When you feel you’re failing, call on Psalm 121

- When you pray, call on Matthew 6:9-13

- When you need courage, call on Joshua 1

- When you are in need, call on Philippians 4:19

- When you are hated because of your faith, call on John 15

- When you are losing hope, call on 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

- When you are seeking peace, call on John 14:27

- When you want to do good works, call on John 15

- When you want to live a happy life, call on Colossians 3:12-17

- When you don’t understand what God is doing, call on Isaiah 55:8-9

- When you want to get along with others, call on Romans 12:9-21

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

I have heard of several tragic deaths today; including two women that were friends of mine. They were neighbors. Their kids were about the same age as mine.  We went to the same church for several years.  This weekend their lives were taken from them.

Tomorrow (really this morning) many of us will go off to play church while we ignore that there is an adversary that seeks our ruin.  An adversary that seeks influence over others – that causes tragedies – that will take from us unless we remember we are in a struggle.

How much of the tragedy that we see occur every day happens because the enemy found someone to influence?  How much more would we be in prayer and intercession for others if we thought that the enemy was roaming about?  How would we see corporate worship differently if we really saw what was happening spiritually all around us?

Pray for your family, your friends and whoever God prompts you to pray for.

Now these are very rough ideas, but these are a few things that I have thought about.

1 – A network of churches (congregations) working with a common purpose. Many churches have ministry ideas but not necessarily the resources or all the personnel to complete the mission. Why not join forces in common goals? (We are working on this – see http://www.facebook.com/midgachristian )

2 – We have all these buildings. Why not work on ways to invite the community in to use them. Let’s build relationships with those in the community. If you have a gym or playground start working on ways to let the public use your space rather than ways to protect the area. Make rooms available for groups to meet bin from scouts to neighborhood watch – look for civic organizations that need space. Give classes for people in the area – if you have entrepreneurs in your church see if they can give a class in starting a business, use rooms for free exercise classes or Zumba or whatever else you can think of. Do it for free – these aren’t to raise money but to build relationships with people.

3 – There are neighborhoods to take back and every one of these neighborhoods have churches in and surrounding them.

* Pray against the dark spiritual forces which are heavy in some areas.
* Pray for the Holy Spirit’s influence to come on these same areas.
* Pray for the people in these areas.
* Exemplify the love of God to these people.
* We can’t just pray and wait for spiritual change – we need to be out in these areas. Ideas – Street clean-ups – Every congregation needs to adopt some streets near them and take responsibility for them – clean up the debris, clear overgrown empty lots…..get volunteers to spend one weekend a month doing this and while you are doing it take time to meet your neighbors – some of them are you and some of them are people desperately looking for God whether they know it or not.
* Assemble a group to raise money to buy a rundown property in the area – fix it up – sell it to someone – do it again.
* Help people in your target neighborhood that need help with their homes, the sick and the elderly that may be having trouble maintaining the home before it becomes a major problem.

4 – The churches need to become ministry centers – places where people come to in time of need. maybe one church in an area needs to have a food pantry, another a clothes closet, another something else while all the congregations in that area gather the food and the clothes and whatever other resources are necessary to stock for those needs.

5 – I envision a Christian ministry center eventually – a place where people can come to when they need to get back on their feet. A place for families that have fallen on hard times to be healed and restored. A place to train or retrain those that need it.

Is there anyone else in Macon that wants to become involved in being the hands and feet of Christ to our area……………if so, please contact me.

What if our idea of Christianity extended beyond Sunday morning service and Mid-week service and choir pratice and dress rehearsal and our men’s group and our women’s group and what we focused on extended beyond the churchyard?

What if we joined together?

What if territorialism wasn’t a factor and we cared more about brand new souls in the Kingdom than where the current ones are going to next?

What if there was money to reach out rather than most of it being gone after paying for buildings and salaries?

What if we all considered ourselves ministers of the gospel?

What if we exemplified the Love of God?

What if we took back caring for people rather than abdicating that job to the government?

What do you wonder what if?

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Galatians 3:26-27 (21st Century King James Version)

²⁶For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁷For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.

If you are a believer then you are a child of God.  As a daughter of the King that makes you a princess in the Kingdom of God.

I wish you to know that no matter what your past, that you have a father now, a daddy that loves you.  I really believe that His heart hurts when He sees that you don’t understand who you are.

You are a princess, and yes He knows that you are flawed, that you are human, that you make mistakes.  But make no mistake that as a princess in the Kingdom that you deserve so much more than what you are looking for at times.  Your Daddy has a grand plan for you if you will allow it to come to pass and not try to bring it to pass for your own flawed designs and efforts.

Look to God to fill the holes in your heart.  They won’t be filled by some guy that talks and talks and promises you his heart but all he has in mind is using you.  Don’t you know that you are special. Don’t you know that you are made for a purpose. Don’t you know that He not he has your best interests in mind. Players come and go, but the same one that asks you to be a princess in His Kingdom will never leave you.

He sees His potential daughters walking the streets and giving away themselves for money or maybe just a slickly turned phrase from the mouth of some guy.  He sees them trying and trying to fill a lack in their lives with guys that want only sex and give only abuse in return.  He made them for someone else special and He watches them give themselves away to those that don’t really care for her.

He asked you to come into His Kingdom and be a princess, stop settling for less than the prince He is preparing for you.

The last few weeks I have had a bit of spiritual confusion going on.  Have had  since we shut down LifeQuest Church a couple of months ago.  I had felt spiritually homeless since then.  On August 7th God gave me the City on our Knees Vision ( http://www.facebook.com/cityonknees ) which I was working on till I ran into some roadblocks getting timely event permission from the city.

Last Sunday evening I was invited to a tent revival going on in Unionville where I discovered them carrying out what City on our Knees was to be plus a lot more (though I now believe that maybe City on our Knees is to possibly be something slightly different – waiting to hear about that). Well anyway, what they were doing there fell all along into what I have felt God calling me to do for a long time.

BUT, by Friday night I was actually a little irritated and probably a little upset with God.  I saw what was going on here and how they were living my vision bigger and better than I had seen it…and well I started having me a little pity party about becoming a spectator then rather than a visionary.  BUT, earlier that night a pastor had spoken about God’s deliverance from the cancer he had been diagnosed with.

On Saturday God had sent me back to the tent meeting, this time to inquire about two things. The first of the two was personal and I won’t go into it here.  The second was about us and our vision being sidelined and not wanting to be a spectator in ministry.  After talking to Pastor Fambro, God showed me something else.

He brought me back to the message the other pastor had given on Friday night, the message about deliverance from cancer.  God reminded me that he had also delivered me from a diagnosis of cancer – a diagnosis that the doctor was 100% certain of and that God healed me of. I will give my testimony of that at another time, but what God was showing me was that scar was my God Scar and I am in a way privileged to have it.

It is there as a reminder.

A reminder at times when my faith may want to waiver.

A reminder that God is able.

A reminder that God still heals today.

A reminder our God loves us.

In Genesis 32:25 God touched Jacob’s hip – I have a God Scar where he touched me….as a reminder of Him.

Notes from a sermon delivered at LifeQuest Church on Feb 14, 2010

I have written a couple of non-fiction books but I always toyed with writing fiction – which is really to say just a good long story. As I have thought about this I have wondered how the elements of story relate to us in everyday life – the life we could have and whether there is something there to help us find a better story.

Most everybody loves a good story. We watch stories on TV. We pay money to buy and read books. We pay money to go see movies and then even more money at the concession stand to make it a better experience.

When we were kids we would beg our parents or grand parents to tell us a bedtime story. There is something deeply ingrained in us as humans that craves a story.

Take a look at some of the stories in the Bible.

Judges 4:20 – Sisera was exhausted and soon fell fast asleep. Jael took a hammer and drove a tent-peg through his head into the ground, and he died. – That is a death worthy of a scene in any horror movie you might see.

1 Samuel 18:25-27 (New Living Translation)

he told them, “Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.

David was delighted to accept the offer. Before the time limit expired, he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. Then David fulfilled the king’s requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him. – David had to really want this girl to readily agree to give the King 100 foreskins for her!

There is the story of Tamar and when she pretends to be a prostitute to expose her father-in-laws deception to himself. David having an affair with Bathsheba and having her husband killed.

There are stories fit for disaster movies – a worldwide flood, the 10 plagues of Egypt – all the water turning to blood, frogs. Lice, flies, dying animals, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the first-born die.

There are a lot more stories, you should read it sometime.

But lets look at our stories-

Every story needs a main character – 1^st we will assume that the main character of our stories is us. If the main character of your story is someone else then that’s a problem right there. I’m not saying that other characters in your story aren’t important – you can influence the direction of other characters if they let you, but your most influence is over your own direction.

There is another element of character that you have a great degree of control over and this is characteristics of a person – these include you mannerisms, how you carry yourself and think about yourself and how you react to other people and circumstances.

Setting – this is place and time – the place of your story takes place where you are and you mostly have control over this during the course of your story. You will make choices that determine where the place of your story occurs. So unless you are like the survivors of a plane crash like with Oceanic flight 815 in Lost or some other major event where control of this element is forcefully removed from you – then you have a lot of control over this.

Before we move on – lets talk about scenes – we spend much of our days in ordinary settings in ordinary places – but think about movies you have seen. How many times have you seen the scene of the movie where the ordinary conversation takes place in something just a little more unusual like the roof of a building. Or why do people go to fancy restaurants or something else scenic for something like a proposal – they are trying to make something memorable – something that helps us make memories of our stories as we live them. Go do things in your life as you live your story that make them more memorable.

Time – You may think you have little control over this but you have more than you think – you can’t control that time happens during your lifetime but you do have a degree of control over when certain things happen. Let’s say that you know that there is something you are supposed to do – something like confronting a friend about something. You have control over when and if you confront the friend. Doing that when you are supposed to has the potential to influence both of your stories and has all kinds of implications – does the confrontation affect both of your friendships – do you put it off so that what you are confronting them about occurs again and it causes something disastrous to happen in your, their or other people’s stories – or do you do it when you should so that it has the best effect.

To recap so far we have looked at the basic elements of setting and character of story.

So we have a character you in the setting of here and now …..

Is anyone here totally happy with your story so far – I hope not!

Think for a minute – what do you as the main character in your story want??????

Next, the character must want something – In story the character may or may not know what that is when the story starts. This is where ignition incident occurs. Something must happen to us that propels us along. If you are happy with your story so far you aren’t going to be happy when the ignition incident comes along – If you aren’t happy with your story – look for the incident or create an ignition incident yourself.

Let’s say that you are overweight and want to lose weight (I can relate to that) and you aren’t inspired to do so. Create an ignition incident to inspire you – go look in the mirror without any clothes on for a while and really pay attention to how your body looks or go to the doctor and see what he tells you about your weight and what it will do to your lifespan.

Do you feel called to minister to a certain group of people – then do something that puts you in contact with that group of people. If you feel called to speak then volunteer to speak. Do you want to minister to the homeless – well you won’t do it sitting in your living room wishing – light a fire under your butt, get up and do something that causes you to contact them.

If you think you want to be a Doctor – get the grades you need in school to get into Medical school – it won’t happen wishing and watching House every Monday night.

Many ignition incidents happen beyond our own control.

There is a local charity called Jay’s Hope that exists to improve the quality of life of children battling cancer and their families. It was started by a woman that lost her child to cancer – that was her ignition incident though – what started her on her mission to help other children and families.

There can be health issues, family issues, job or financial issues, friend issues – all or any that can serve to start an ignition incident in your story.

And this is where the meat of the story comes in – the conflict – the struggle as we reach to overcome what our goal or what stands in our way.

Here is the story today as many see it:

1. A Character: You.

2. That wants something: To be fulfilled.

3. And overcomes conflict: Jesus came to fulfill you, either to make you happy, or to provide the things that will make you happy on earth. But you have to be good, you can’t sin. You have to get up and have your quiet time so you can be the person God designed you to be.

1. To get it: You should be happy, and if you’re not happy, you aren’t doing religion right, or you aren’t a good enough person.

But there is a problem with this story. First, it is a very selfish and it is a search for something that can never happen. Sure, you can have short-term fulfillment and I hope you do at times, but fulfillment as a feeling is temporary. We aren’t made for long-term fulfillment. We are made for satisfaction as we reach our goals through the struggle.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (Joh 10:10)

Too many times we look at this verse as though abundant life is one in which there is an absence of struggle, an absence of conflict and one in which God is a gigantic wishing machine that gives us the desires of our heart.

But that is not how it really is – the Bible itself is a story – sure it has 66 books from various authors – but overall there is a consistent theme and a point –

Here is the story from God’s view

1. A Character: God

2. That wants something: To be reunited with humanity, for their sake.

3. And overcomes Conflict: Sends his son to invite people (not force them) into a relationship through which mankind can be reunited with God.

1. To get it: And this will happen partially here and fully at a wedding in heaven.

We play a part of this story – the Bible may have stopped being written but the narrative story continues – we are part of the Part 2 there that God wants – the humanity He wants to be reunited with. We are the invitees – the ones being welcomed into a relationship with God.

And this is our real story…..

1. A Character: You

2. That Wants something: Was designed to be in relationship with God and others.

3. And Overcomes Conflict: Trusts Jesus, and walks in faith that he is going to fully reunite us with God. Shares that hope and faith with others.

1. To get it: This will fully happen in heaven. And until then we are able to account for the hope that rests within us and carry out the mission of God.

Our stories are meant to intersect with Gods and to intersect with the stories of others. Our stories aren’t just about us – the other characters in our story – me and you and everyone we interact with – they aren’t just bit players in our story – they are living their own story – and all of us are characters in the continuing story and narrative of God.

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One thing that has been almost a constant with me over the past few years is the search. I went and looked at some old blogs of mine and they had a topic that appeared over and over which is that something different is coming and speaking of a search.

I thought maybe the search was over when we started LifeQuest last year but instead it was just put on hold for a little while and has been coming back out again lately. It’s not a desire to leave and start something different – LifeQuest is to be something different. Suite200 is a start to us being different but it isn’t the end. God is calling us to be different – to reach people in a different way – to show God to people in a different way- to come to know God ourselves in a different way.

Go to Mark 8:28

When I was searching this week for what message God wanted me to pass on this week several things came to mind. First – this was a week straight from hell. Secondly I had a whirlwind of thoughts and ideas racing through my head and could get no clarity because of the way the rest of the week was going. It wasn’t till Saturday that I could receive a consistent word from God on what I should say.

And He said to them, But who do you say that I am? And Peter answered and said to Him, You are the Christ. (Mar 8:29)

Christianity has a multitude of denominations – each with their own belief about doctrine. There are false beliefs about what the Bible says that are thought of as common knowledge. There are conservative Christians, liberal Christians, middle-of-the-road Christians. If you really look at it – it is almost like we have a personal pet Jesus that we have molded to fit our circumstances.

Jesus is probably one of the most repeated names in the world. When John Lennon tried to explain how bog the Beatles were by comparing them to someone he picked Jesus. Nobody has had their message more repeated than Jesus – though how accurately is debate-able. He is quoted and talked about by more people – many people claim to love Jesus message even though they can’t stand Christians.

Some churches have the get-out-of hell-free Jesus. There have been millions and millions of people come to a church, a christian event or conference where they say the prayer then go on living a life totally without any presence of Jesus in it. That’s okay though – we had 14 salvations this week – we just don’t know where they went.

In the early ’70’s there was Hippie Jesus – a Jesus that didn’t mind the drugs and the orgies because he was our un-questioning friend and would never harsh our vibe.

In the ’80’s through today ATM Jesus came on the scene – this Jesus primary concern was that we should be rich. Sow and reap – that is all you have to do.

There is the blonde-haired blue-eyed Jesus from the pictures that hung in our grandparents or great-grandparents house. I have seen pictures of black Jesus, Asian Jesus, Mexiacan Jesus and so on.

There is the Great example Jesus – that serves as role model on how we should live our lives – that is when it is convenient – but when we are more confident in our surroundings we don’t need to lean on him so much and he is out of our minds.

There is the Cultural thanks Jesus – the Jesus that gets thanked at awards shows and sporting events. The one that gets thanked by the artist whose music is full of pornographic imagery, objectification of women and obscenity. Bono referred to these people at an award show one night when he said “God is looking down and saying “Don’t thank me for that””

There is also invisible Jesus – the Jesus that some Churches fail to talk about. They can have worship services and messages without ever mentioning his name or his word.

There is NRA Jesus that carries a .45 on his hip while directing wars.

There is left-wing bleeding heart Jesus that has only a concern for caring for the social ills of society.

With so many Jesus’s being portrayed the world is surely confused about who he is.

But do we really know? Have we found out for ourselves? Who do we say he is? Do we know what the Bible really says about Jesus or many of the other events or have we just taken common knowledge that is wrong and gone on from there?

Turn to Jeremiah 10:2

At Christmas time do we think that there were 3 wise men (actually we have no idea how many there were), we think that how ever many wise men there were showed up at the manger in Bethlehem ( nope, they most likely didn’t get there from following the star till Jesus was 1 or 2 years old ), we think that December 25^th is Jesus Birthday which in all likelihood it isn’t.

Many Christmas customs come from pagan rituals – take for example the Christmas tree.

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. (Jer 10:2)

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. (Jer 10:3)

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. (Jer 10:4)

I’m not here to tell you not to have a Christmas tree – what I am saying is that some things that it can’t be Christmas without, actually come from pagan rituals and we don’t even know it. The tree comes from them, the date comes from them…

We believe the common story that Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose on Sunday and try to align it with Jesus own words that contradict it – For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Mat 12:40)

Go to John 19:31

We don’t dig deep enough to discover that even though Jesus was crucified the day before the Sabbath – the day before the Sabbath is usually a Friday, that is if it is a regular sabbath. Look in – The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. (John 19:31) It was passover week and the special feast days or high days were also referred to as Sabbaths and Jesus was crucified the day before that sabbath – not the regular sabbath – letting what he said about being in the earth for 3 days and 3 nights also be true.

Noah didn’t have just 2 of each animal on the ark .

The forbidden fruit Adam and Ave ate probably wasn’t an apple.

Jesus spoke in parables not to help people understand what he was saying but to keep people from understanding.

Mar 4:10-12 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. (11) And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: (12) That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

I have said all I have said so far to reach this – we need to open our minds to finding the truth. If we lean on all we think we know already – if we pick up our theology from the culture whether it be what the world thinks about Jesus, what you learned in Sunday school, what we sung in praise and worship songs – instead of being a searcher – then we are sure to miss the truth of Jesus – the whole view of who Jesus is and what he wants for each of us individually, and corporately as LifeQuest to achieve. Because if all we see is a distorted and incorrect view then the decisions we make as a result are sure to be wrong.

I recently finished reading  Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” which got me to thinking about some things.  There were some things I really like about parts of the philosophies she espouses but she goes over the top and takes it too far.  The part that really got me thinking though was the 50 page or so speech by the John Galt character in which he attacks two types of people as being the cause of major problems of man.  The two types are the mystics of muscle and the mystics of the spiritual – both of which he accuses of seeking to enslave the mind of man.

This has set me to thinking about what he refers to as the mystics of the spiritual and what the truth really is.  There is no doubt that there have been so-called spiritual leaders through the years and today that do what they do for personal financial gain or power – yet this is still not what my search is for.

What I really want to look at is what is man created to be.  What did God have in mind when he created us and what is our current nature – the nature of the saved and the unsaved man?  What if anything does a man owe other men because of their common humanity?

If I really want to know the answer I need to dig into the Bible without preconceived notions of the outcome to really see what the answer is.

Before I start I wonder if any of you have any input on what you think I will find.