JUST BECAUSE.....I GO TO CHURCH....and

Luke 13:23

A bystander said, "Master, will only a few be saved?" He said, "Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you'll sit down to God's salvation banquet just because   you've been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you're going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you'll find the door locked and the Master saying, 'Sorry, you're not on my guest list.'

So simply put.....do you just go to church, or are you really the church?  Surely we can all testify to the very heart of this scripture that we've encountered "spiritual" people that carried themselves like modern day Saducees and Pharisees that hung around the church, did church like stuff, talked "churchy" and really didn't love people (espcially if they were sinners, looked differently, or dressed outside of their standards), but put on as if they loved GOD!

In the 2 & 3rd chapters of Revelations the picture is painted of these 7 churches, and I challenge those of you that actually said you "are the church or becoming the church" to peer inside the scriptures of that book to discover which church are you.  All of us are a work in progress so we will be one of the churches mentioned in that book, and it offers us encouragement to join Christ in working out our issues regarding our serving as the church. So that He may be pleased and glorified!

At the end of the day...at the end of this life...how awful would it be to have lived it thinking just because we attended services, fed a few hungry folks, and gave away some of our possessions that we are surely in......and go to knock only to discover.....we didn't......really LGLP.  FOCUS PEOPLE....He really meant it....LOVE GOD (HIM) and LOVE PEOPLE (all of them, every last one of them....no matter the ethnicity, what path they've chosen in life, where they live....you get to them....and LOVE THEM).

NEXT WEEK's BLOG we TALK ABOUT:     NOTHING

JUST BECAUSE......WHAT, DID/DO YOU REALLY ENCOUNTER CHRIST?

John 4:42
And they told the woman, Now we no longer believe (trust, have faith) just because of what you said; for we have heard Him ourselves [personally], and we know that He truly is the Savior of the world, the Christ.

Here's the scriptural encounter of the Woman at the well, and immediately following it was her running to tell here people (Samaritans) of encounter with the Christ.   After she had informed them of her time spent with Him, her story was convincing enough that they too, sought to hear for themselves and experience Him.  It appears to me today that people still haven't changed, in most cases seeing, is believing for most people.   Albeit that too, isn't great because with technology being what it is, we have the ability to make things look one way, when in actuality they never even happened.   So my question to you is....how do people KNOW your FAITH is real?  Or a better question is do people have a genuine experience of CHRIST from your daily living?  Does it (your living your faith aloud) encourage them to GO FIND CHRIST for themselves....or do they rather not....again because of you?

We don't read later about the woman in the well, preaching outside of her initially tell them about her encounter with Christ.  Nor do we see or read her feeding the hungry, clothing the naked....etc, but for that one excerpt her retelling them about Christ converted many that day.  JUST BECAUSE you are a Christian, DO the watching world EXPERIENCE YOUR CHRIST, or you daily encouters with Him (your prayers with Him, your devotional time, etc) through you....or are they still left empty.   I KNOW THIS....there is NO WAY you can encounter CHRIST, and not rub off on NO ONE!  LGLP

Just Because.......THEY'RE POOR

Proverbs 22:22
Don't walk on the poor just because they're poor, and don't use your position to crush the weak, Because God will come to their defense; the life you took, he'll take from you and give back to them.

I know.....this picture is heartbreaking, and when you stop to look in the mirror or at your own kids realizing how RIDICULOUSLY blessed they are you are struck with grief in wondering " how can I help" especially when this is an epidemic.   Pictured are some kids from Somalia.....but let's not lose sight of the real problem, us.   Christ told us..."the poor you'll have with you always, (Mark 14:7)" and the amazing thing is HE wasn't just talking about those without money, but rather those without what they really need, and that's the hope found in Him.   CHRIST dwelled with , live amongst those that no one else would.  He didn't use His heavenly position or authority, and dwelled with like-minded folks, as we do.  Take your cues from HIM, befriend people that are totally different than you, and enjoy hearing their stories for in their stories you may learn how to bless them.

TODAY, I will remind you again, you will come in contact with plenty of poor people, some of them may even live within your home, but WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT IT?  Today's scripture reminds you that we are not to trample over them (like at a Black Friday sale (ridiculous..and selfish)....so how will you address those in need (maybe you refer to them as needy) today?   You know the woman/man that sits next to you at work?    How about your nosey/noisy neighbors...will you really continue to pray they move...or will you LOVE THEM as CHRIST COMMANDS?  Remember mistreating the poor, will only result in you one day switching roles........REALLY?  REALLY!  LGLP

Just BECAUSE.....IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO

Romans 1:8a  I thank God through Jesus for every one of you. That's first.

Paul was full of thankfulness.  He was aware that all the people God blessed him to intersect with were divine appointments, and opportunities to share the Message of the Gospel with.  Today, all of us will come in contact with a variety of people.  Maybe you'll be dropping off/picking up clothes from the cleaners, or grabbing a bite to eat, or a cup of morning joe, no matter what it will be a day filled with opportunities for you to deposit a seed of love (Christ) into folks that may radically change their lives.   Yesterday GOD, began a new work in me that I'd like to share with each of you.  My day began with taking my neice to school, and being flagged down by another driver who observed my tire was hazardly low.  She didn't have to, but she said " I didn't want to see you stranded or in any accident."  This woman didn't know me, but she didn't need to...she genuinely cared about people.   Moving on I later took my vehicle to a shop on my way that couldn't see me for a while, but the front desk man came out and aired my tire for free (while he made others wait)...again why because he too cared.    I later took my vehicle to Sam's Club where I knew they'd fix it for free because of membership, and while sitting there waiting over an hour...I observed the care of the personnel there (Patricia) , and the impatient of many of the people.  My repairman, Richard took time with my raggedy car, and when he was done the SPIRIT of GOD put it on my heart to tell him, " Hey Richard, if no one has told you....Let me be the first to say I THANK GOD FOR YOU today!"  

I don't know if he was a Christian, and it didn't even matter if he was, but I know the reaction I got from him, and Patricia (at the service desk) was one worthy of Praise to God.   AS I SAID you will come in contact with many people today, and I pray when you do......they are encouraged by you, and GOD IS GLORIFIED....why....JUST BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!  LGLP!

Just BECAUSE: " I was afraid/ashamed"

GENESIS 3:9-10⁹ God called to the Man: "Where are you?"  ¹⁰ He said, "I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid."

SO many of us know the story....God said don't eat of a particular tree, and Eve presented Adam fruit from that very tree, ADAM chose to eat the fruit of that tree, and once he had eaten, consumed, enjoyed the taste of the fruit....knew!  Knew that what he had done was wrong.   

Nothing has really changed....God surely hasn't....we have THE TEN and we have people openly murdering people ( verbally as well as physically), people stealing from the government, Him, or each other.    Kid's not honoring their parents, probably because the parents aren't honoring THEM or GOD. But GOD hasn't changed.   There are people looking at their neighbor's cars, homes, wives, or even lives and lustfully living alongside them.  People still are working 7 days a week, not taking the sabbath serious...while they are paying the price for such living.  We don't even LOVE GOD, for real.....if you protest that you really do, all one has to do is see how you treat the person who works your nerves the most.   BUT while we haven't changed much, GOD HASN'T CHANGED at all........He sought Adam out in this excerpt, and He is seeking you too, his child out.   

He knows what you did, or didn't do according to HIS WILL/WORD, but He still desires fellowship/relationship with you, His child. Will you come out of hiding?  Will you attend a growth group (small group), church service, Bible Study, even kneel down to pray and hear HIS forgiveness towards you?  The reason why your neighbors don't come out, or church attendance is down, or families are distant from one another is because they're afraid of rejection, and ashamed of what they've done.   Let us forgive as HE forgives....and call people out of their fears!  LGLP