Obama’s Stimulus Package (Back in the G.A.M.E.)
Unless you’ve been extremely busy or uninformed, this past Tuesday the United States Senate passed President Barak Obama’s $838 billion dollar economic stimulus package. The purpose of this economic plan is to stimulate our economy so that our country can avert heading into a depression similar to the catastrophe we experienced back in the 1930’s. Our leaders are already past admitting that we’re in an economic recession. The U.S. has been experiencing losses of approximately 500,000 jobs per month. And those statistics are real people, some even within our own congregation. No matter if consider yourself a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, nobody wants to experience another Great Depression. In order to avoid repeating history, President Obama has been travelling throughout our country. He’s trying to educate the American people so that we can understand why we need such a massive influx of borrowed cash in order to stimulate our economy. We keep hearing the word “stimulus”, but what does it mean? The verb “stimulate” means “to goad (provoke to action), activate, motivate, or energize”. The thought here is that something from the outside has to be added to our economy in order to provoke it into producing more. The goal here is to activate it, motivate (move) it, and energize it, which means to get it working instead of receding. Stimulation is the means by which our country is trying to avoid depression. The same holds true with God’s Spiritual Economy (economy meaning the management of the resources of a community, country, etc., esp. with a view to its productivity). God’s community or country is called The Kingdom. God has added someone to our lives whose job is to – Goad us (1 Samuel 1:6-18), – Activate us (1 Samuel 10:6-9), – Motivate us (Acts 4:29-31), – Energize us for the purpose of averting “depression” so that we can expand His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33). That person is the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). His joy stimulates us, getting us back in the game of Kingdom life by helping us to avoid depression (Nehemiah 8:10; Galatians...
read moreAfter 2 weeks, what happened?
So after two weeks of consecration, what happened? Over the last two weeks, we starved ourselves and/or ate food that was high in nutritional value but, as said in an old commercial, it was certainly “less filling”. We began by asking ourselves: Why am I doing this? And the reason we did all this was to consecrate ourselves. That is, we set aside more time in our personal lives to spend with God in order to pray and to read the Scriptures. So now the question is: What did we come out with that we did not have prior to our consecration? Or simply put, What did we get out of this? The answer is found in one word: DIRECTION. This is what God is directing us to do this year: • We must set aside other times for personal consecration. • We must harvest what we’ve planted, so we must plant good (God) seeds. • We must take more risks for Him (Luke 5:4-10). • We must have more of the attributes of David (1 Samuel 13:14). • We must stop seeking quick fixes for our lives. And finally…. • We must understand the attributes of God if our lives are to be successful. Now the question is: How does all of this tie in with what we’ve heard in the past regarding our lives and our church? How do I proceed into the next eleven months with a clear and concise directive that makes sense? Well, hopefully the following will help us. Remember the theme for our congregation in 2009 is: God’s Spirit to Serve. In his book, What the Spirit is Saying to the Churches, Dr. Henry Blackaby states: • “Wherever God indicated He was working (Spirit), we were obedient to follow (Serve)”. p. 45 • “God was letting us know where He was working (Spirit). We were convinced this was His way of inviting us to join Him in this work (Service)”. p. 47 • “As God took the initiative to reveal His activity to us (Spirit), we responded (Serve). And when we did, He accomplished His greater purposes through us (Service)”. P.47 What does the type of service God desires look like? • It must be FIVE STAR. God expects us to give Him our best effort. • It must involve FAITH. God expects us to take risks for Him. • It must bear FRUIT. In this Year of Harvest, plant good (God) seeds. (Galatians 6:9) If we make every effort to follow this map of significance and success, we will definitely end this year in a place called...
read moreRacism in the American Church
One of my pastor friends is white. He voted for John McCain. He did not vote for John McCain because he is white. He voted for John McCain because he believed that John McCain was the candidate who most closely represented his core values. And yet after Barak Obama won the election, my friend did something within his congregation which I believe every leader within the Body of Christ (that is, the church) ought to do as well. He declared that the election is over and it is time to get behind OUR president-elect and pray for his success. This pastor leads a very diverse congregation and many of the black members in his congregation deeply appreciated his leadership on such a passionate and very sensitive subject. Some of my friends who are black pastors voted for Barak Obama. I know them well enough to know that it was more than just because he was black. However, I also believe that Barak Obama clearly does not hold some of their deeply held core values. We’ve had some very deep conversations regarding how we view this election. The one thing we can agree on is that the election of Barak Obama has exposed something very ugly within the Body of Christ: Racism. Racism is defined as “Discrimination (making a distinction) based on race (ethnicity)”. As a black pastor (and no, I am not telling you for whom I voted ), I have told other black folks that when white folks criticize Barak Obama, more often than not, it is due to ideology and not racism. I pointed out to one pastor friend that the religious right would have attacked Senator John Kerry, who is white, when he ran for president four years ago on the very same views Obama supports. We need to be careful not to be so passionate about a black man in the White House that when anybody criticizes him, they’re accused of being racist. But the stuff I hear and read about Barak Obama that is coming from some of our white brethren seems to be both ridiculous and racist. An article in this week’s (11/24) issue of Newsweek magazine sums up the madness: Is Barak Obama the Antichrist? In addition to this, other Christians have compared him to Hitler. Some question whether or not Obama is a Christian, even though Obama clearly stated that he received Jesus Christ as his savior. George W. Bush declared he’s a Christian, and yet these same people do not question his salvation experience. I believe that God is using this election to force us as the churches in America—whether we are white, black, brown, yellow, or whatever other colors you might want to add—to deal with our racist attitudes, which persist but have not been adequately addressed. I really believe we must pray that God would help us to adequately address one of the greatest challenges that hinder real revival and spiritual renewal for our country. Of course, I invite your thoughts. PRAYER: Holy Spirit bring Your Church together and make us one, as You, the Father, and the Son are one (John...
read moreFresh Bread: Hallow Him!
In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, HALLOWED be Your name. (Matthew 6:9-10; New King James Version) The word “Hallowed” is a word that we do not often hear used in our culture. In fact, the only time we hear the word used much is when people prepare to celebrate “Halloween”, which means “All Hallows Evening”. The purpose of this day was to celebrate the end of the harvest season. It was believed that on this evening the boundary between the living and the dead was dissolved. The dead would then be in the position to cause problems for the living, which included the destruction of one’s harvest. Thus, this evening was used as a time for protection and placating those spirits. It’s interesting that long before this word was used to celebrate a holiday, Jesus taught his disciples (learners) that they should include “Hallowing” the name of God during their time of prayer. One of the definitions of this Greek word “hallow” means “to venerate”. Our English word “venerate” is derived from a Latin word that means to “worship”. The word “worship” means “to adore”. The word “adore” is derived from two Latin words: “ad”, which means “toward”, and “orno”, which means “to embellish or decorate”. As one can see, our English word “ornaments” is derived from this Latin word. So what does all this mean? When God introduced Himself to Moses, He introduced Himself by the name “Jehovah” or “Yahweh”, which means “The Self-Existent One” (Exodus 3:14). It seemed that whenever God did something to make a name, that is, a REPUTATION, for Himself in an area of a person’s life, God expected them to add to His name a description of what He did for them. So, when Abraham experienced God’s provision of a sacrifice to replace the life of his precious son Isaac, Abraham called Him “Jehovah” but added the description or decorated God’s name with an ornament called “JIREH”, which means “provider”. The following are some of the decorations and ornaments people attached to God’s wonderful name (reputation). He is Jehovah: 1. Jireh = Provider (sees, perceives, looks out, gives attention to) 2. Nissi = Banner (standard, signal, sign) 3. Tsidkenu (Tsid-kay-noo) = Righteousness (justice) 4. Shalom = Peace (completeness, soundness, prosperity, safety, quietness) 5. Shammah = There (present) 6. Roi or Ra’ah = Shepherd (feeder, ruler, teacher, companion) 7. Rophe or Rapha = Healer (makes healthful, physician, restores favor) 8. M’Kaddesh = Sanctifier (consecrates, proclaims, purifies, appoints, prepares) 9. Chanan (Khwa-nan) = Favorer (gracious) 10. Yada = Knows (perceives, finds out, is acquainted with, skilled in, is wise) 11. Kwun (Koon) = Establisher (sets up, prepares, arranges, makes firm/ready) 12. Quwn (Koom) = Raises me up (brings on the scene, proves, makes valid, builds) 13. Riyb (reeb) = Contender (quarrels, conducts a legal case, sues, strives) 14. Nadab (nawdab) = Largesse (willing, incites, volunteers, impels) 15. Nathan (Naw-than) = Giver (bestows, grants, stretches out, issues) 16. Adan (aw-dan) = Who is Pleased (delighted Himself) 17. tsadaq (tsaw-dak) = Who is Right (has a just cause, is justified, vindicates) 18. Ruwm (Room) = Raiser (exalted, lifted, causes to grow, sets on high) 19. Yasha (Yaw-shaw) = Who Saves (delivers, liberates, gives the victory to) 20. Shaphat = Judge (governor, ruler, decider of...
read moreFresh Bread: Overcomers! (A review)
The front page of the October 10th issue of USA Today read “Fear’s a Slippery Slope for Stocks”. Another cover story read, in even bolder letters, “Confidence Cracks”. On July 20, we began a sermon series based on Revelations Chapter 12 entitled “The Overcomers”. Little did we know that almost three months later, our nation would find itself in one of its worst financial crises in decades. God always prepares His people prior to times of crisis. So what has He taught us thus far? 1. “The Great Escape” reminded us that our opponent (Satan) wants to destroy the God-given purpose (the baby) within us. King David is an example of how God will take us through Three Wildernesses to prepare us to accomplish great things for Him (1 Sam. Ch 23 & 24): • Zin = The Place where God refines and perfects us. (1 Kings 17:10) • Maon = The Place where God protects us. (Psalms 91:1) • Engedi = The Place where great leaders are developed. (Jeremiah 50:8) 2. “The Dragon” is Satan. He is the one who gives us his “deadly” glance (perspective). There are three perspectives Satan tries to give us in order to destroy our perception of life. • Passionate (lustful) 1 John 2:15-17. • Pessimistic (negative) Numbers 13:31-33. • Panic (fearful) 1 Samuel 13:11-14. 3. “Who are the Overcomers?” These are individuals who get the “upper-hand” in life. Like Jabez, they get the hand of God involved in their life circumstances (1 Chronicles 4:9-10). 4. “The Blood” of the Lamb. One of the least appreciated reasons that the Blood of Jesus is essential to our lives is its ability to “release” our consciences (minds/thinking) from initiating actions that lead to death (Proverbs 14:12) so that we can serve God in an appropriate manner (Hebrews 9:14). 5. “CSI (Crime Scene Investigation)”. Revelations 12:11 states “They overcame the dragon by… the word of their testimony…”. The word testimony means “evidence”. This sermon taught us that when God’s hand gets involved in our circumstances, He leaves His fingerprints as evidence. Therefore, what God does in our lives becomes a crime (a wonderful act of God that makes no natural sense). The result is the initiation of an investigation by those around us in an attempt to discover how God did such an unexpected deed in our lives. 6. “CSI: Exhibit #1”. The overcomers got God’s Hand involved in their case when the Word (what they said) was based on their testimony (evidence). In Exhibit #1, the word “Evidence” speaks of our FAITH. (Hebrews 11:1 & 1 John 5:4-5; KJV). Elijah illustrates how God’s hand gets involved when what we say is based upon our faith in God (1 Kings 17:13-15). 7. “CSI: Exhibit #2”. The word evidence is derived from two Latin words: “e”, which means “completely”, and “video”, which means “to see”. Therefore “faith is…seeing completely the things that cannot be seen by our natural eyes” (Hebrews 11:1). We call it “Vision”. Habakkuk’s circumstance teaches us how faith works through vision (Habakkuk 2:1-4). As we continue to ride out this financial crisis and prepare for what seems to be a very crucial presidential election, let’s continue to learn how we can cooperate with God. We need His hand to perform deeds through our lives...
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