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The Only black man in town

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I am a missionary. My mission statement is, “God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.” –David Livingston

Well, I live and minister in the middle of nowhere. I usually refer to it as, “my ends of the earth.” For a long time, we were the only black family in town. Now, there is two other black families, I think. I find absolutely nothing wrong with that. We love everyone equally and expect the same.

Besides the occasional stares, we love it here,. We are on a mission. We love our church as well, it is the most loving church in the world. We are proud to be their pastors. There is no other group of people I’d rather spend my time doing life with.

Haven said that, when my youngest daughter was about 6, a kid in her class looked at her and said, “why are you so black?” Well, to that my daughter replied, “I am not black, I am brown, dummy!” Oh well! It was rather a, doh! But you get the drift.

Two years ago, a young girl from my older daughter’s school start calling our house. her calls were about her desire to beat my daughter up. The last three phone calls we received from her dripped with the stereotypical jokes of Kool Aid and Watermelon. Kool Aid we don’t drink, but Watermelon, we do eat – all summer long babe!

About two months ago, I had a very ugly experience right in front of our home. At about 8:30 PM that fateful spring evening, I stepped outside my home for my usually stroll. In the distance, I saw a car turn unto my street, full beam, coming toward me. I recognized the car and the driver, she’s our city mayor. As she approached, I realized that she was driving awfully too close to the curb, forcing me to step out of the way. Well, she drove by without waving or saying a thing.

When she hit the corner of the next block, she turned around and started heading back toward me. At this time, I too had turned around walking back toward my house. She approached slowly, looked at me in a scrutinizing way. At this time I am hoping she would stop, roll down her windshield and say something. Well, she didn’t. She turned away and drove off into the dark night. I was confused, I didn’t know what to make of it.

The next day, I called a member of our church who happens to be on the city council and explained what had happened. I needed answers. By the end of the day, this church member got back to me and said that the city Mayor said that she did not recognize me. I was infuriated, flabbergasted – “she didn’t see me, nor recognized me?”

I live two blocks away from the City Hall, apparently, that very night from what I gathered, there was a robbery in progress at the city hall, and the cops told the Mayor that the robber was on foot in the area.

She recognized me alright. She knows I live right on that street. But since I was walking toward the city hall, she assumed that I was the robber, hence she turned around and drove behind me, pulling up closed to me, looking me right in the eyes.

Think about it, “Mayor caught the pastor of a small town robbing the city hall.” When I heard this, I was even more furious. I burned with anger. But that’s when a sweet, still and small voice hit me like a piecing crescendo in an A Capella song.

Too often this sweet, still and small voice is crowded out by the noise of hate, revenge and justice. As important as justice is, we too often “exalt our rights over the one who makes us righteous.”Ron Kenoly

What am I supposed to do as a black man when I find myself dealing with injustice, racial profiling and discrimination? What do I do when I see another black man being choked to death? How should I respond when my son dies in police custody from a Spinner-cord injury? What should I say, when I watch my brother being gun down in the middle of a public park on the six o’clock news?

What do I do when the Mayor of my town thinks the Pastor of the only church in town is a thief, drives by twice, looks him in the eye, neglects to give him the heads up, drives away, all the while knowing there is an armed robber walking his streets?

Well, I confess, I have no easy answers. But a close examination of the scriptures, which is the embodiment of Jesus Christ, can shed some light:

Seek the welfare of the city and pray for its peace

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf,for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Jeremiah 29:7

God has called everyone of us to seek the welfare of the city. The word seek calls for deliberate and positive action. God has also called us to pray for the city. The word invites us to seek God’s plans and desires for the city. His plans are for good, for peace, and for prosperity. This is our full-time job. We ought to be at, in season and out of season.

Pursue the ministry of reconciliation

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18

I think, for race relations to work, we must all be proactive instead of reactive. We must build bridges between each other so that when we feel disenfranchised we will already have a relational system in place to seek and bring about justice.

Love your enemy and do good

“Let no man pull you so low as to make you hate him.” Booker T. Washington

Whether you believe the bible or not, the truth stands. God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.” It is the same God who calls us to love those who feel they are better than us. I understand that this is a difficult call, but like Martin Luther King once said,  “we must meet hate with creative love… and if the streets must flow with blood let it flow with our blood in the spirit of Jesus Christ on the cross.”

Step back, accept the fact that not every incident is racially charged

In all fairness, my situation with the city mayor in my small town, could be a simple misunderstanding. It was dark, she may or may not have recognized me. She may or may not have assumed that I was the thief on foot in the neighborhood. The thought, “here is a black man walking the streets this late at night, maybe he is the robber,”may or may not have even crossed her mind. We need to be okay with the fact that not every incident is racially charged.

God back to the plan

A few days after the incident with my city mayor, I gave her a call and asked if I could meet with her to talk about the situation. She turned down my request to meet and offered a lukewarm explanation about her behavior. I thanked her for at least answering my call, politely hung up with a resolve to forgive her and continue praying for her.

When justice is denied and there is no closure or apology, continue in love and the pursuit of peace. After you’ve done everything and vindication doesn’t come, entrust yourself to the Lord and expose your soul to Him for inner healing. Go back to the plan:

Seek the welfare of the city

Pray for the peace of the city

Pursue the ministry of reconciliation

Love your enemies

Seek wisdom

Every thing will be alright!

Everything in life is about stewardship

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Stewardship

is a careful, responsible and faithful supervision and management  of something entrusted to a person. As much as I like to think that everything I have, who I am and what I am capable of originates with me, the truth is:

  • He made me
  • He gifted me
  • He prospers me
  • He uses me

My good looks, bank rolls and resource

My time, talent and treasure

My smarts, style and pzazz

all come from a generous and loving God. God owns everything. We have all been entrusted with something. It is our responsibility to not only recognize that everything is His, but to also respond to this trust with dedicated and faithful stewardship.

Scripture References

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth”

1 Peter 4:9

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

1 Corinthians 9:17

“For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with stewardship.”

Ephesians 3:2

“Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you.”

Ephesians 3:9

“And to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.”

Colossians 1:25

“Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known.”

1 Timothy 1:4

“Nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.”

1 Peter 4:9

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

1 Corinthians 4:2

“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”

You can ignore the idea of faithful stewardship, but you cannot avoid it. From the rising of the sun till the setting of the same, we are all confronted by it.
  • Am I going to steward my time, gifts and good fortune?
  • Am I going to squander it?
  • Am I going to leverage it effectively, employ it faithfully, and harness it strategically?
  • Am I going to misuse it?

7 obstacles to faithful stewardship

In Matthew 25:15-28  we come across the ‘Parable of the Talents.’ From this chapter, allow me to share a few thoughts about what might hinder one from being a faithful steward. Here are my observations:

  • A talent, first of all, was a monetary unit worth about twenty years’ wages for a laborer.”
  • To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.
  • Each one of these guys had a certain level of potential. Two of the three were functioning at the highest level of their potential. The third, functioned below his potential.

There are several reasons for his poor performance:

Laziness  

Laziness presents itself in the form of procrastination. See Proverbs 6:9

If there is anything that separates the guys with 5 & 2 talents from the guy with 1, here is it: They immediate went to work. “At Once” v. 16.  Procrastination, a lacked a diligent pursuit, and a lack of discipline are toxic signs of laziness.  See Proverbs 19:15

Unfaithfulness 

The master returned with praise and compliments for 5 & 2 talents guys. In verse 21 He called them faithful. Interestingly, He adds that they were faithful over a “little.’ The master does not differentiate between 5, 2, and 1 talents – they are all equal in His eyes. Somebody once said, ” it is not how much you have that matters – it is whose it is.”

Uncleared Perspective

He failed to offer to the master the one thing the brought Him Joy – ‘faithful stewardship.’  “Enter into my joy.”

Lacking a plan and set goals

He didn’t know nor understand what the master’s will, goals and plans were. Instead of finding out, at least by asking his master – he assume to know.

Clarify the win

He didn’t know what the master was trying to accomplish in his life. The master’s desired to entrust him with something more, something bigger

Fear of failure  

The bible says he was afraid, and that led him to dig a whole and put his master’s talent in the ground. Fear always buries your talents and hinders you from reaching your full potential.

Give up easily

He allowed himself to be influenced by a set of misguided circumstances. This led him to a place of indecision and decreased motivation

I hope we can all:

In giving, recognize His gift

Go break to the needy, Sweet Charity’s Bread “For Giving is Living” …the Angel had said. “But must I keep giving again and again?” “Oh no,” said the Angel, chilling me through, “Just give til the Master stops giving to you!” – Author Unknown

Recognize that He is your source.

In gifts, recognize His purpose

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it back to the world.” Pablo Picaso

Recognize that He has a purpose your life.

In purpose, recognize His strength

“Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” Jim Elliot

Recognize that your strength comes from Him.

In strength, recognize His glory

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Apostle Paul

Recognize that all of life is for His glory.

In glory, recognize His eternal reward

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” Matthew the Apostle

Recognize that your faithfulness will achieve for you an eternal reward.

Prayers to become great stewards/ Prayer with me today!

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Oh Lord, giver of life and source of our freedom, we are reminded that Yours is “the earth in its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.” We know that it is from your hand that we have received all we have and are and will be. Gracious and loving God, we understand that you call us to be the stewards of Your abundance, the caretakers of all you have entrusted to us. Help us always to use your gifts wisely and teach us to share them generously. May our faithful stewardship bear witness to the love of Christ in our lives. We pray this with grateful hearts in Jesus’ name. Amen. See Prayer Source here.


Two things I learned about Mercy in Jude’s Epistle

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As you may know, Jude the Epistle, was written by Jude, brother of James and Jesus (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3. “Judas” is the same as “Jude” in Jude 1). I have written and spoken from the passage below many times, but every time I revisit, something new pops up. Take a peek:

Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Jude 1:21-23

Looking again at these verses, the word mercy stands out for the first time. Therefore, I want to share about two things I’ve learned about mercy in the book of Jude. First let’s define it:

liberty_wide_t_nt

What is Mercy?

According to Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of biblical Theology, “the chief Hebrew term is hesed [d,s,j], God’s covenant “lovingkindness.” In both the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the LXX) and the New Testament, the term behind “mercy” is most often eleos [e[leo”] in one form or another, but oiktirmos/oiktiro [oijktirmov”/oijkteivrw] (compassion, pity, to show mercy) and splanchna/splagchnizomai [splagcNIVzomai] (to show mercy, to feel sympathy for) also play roles.

Mercy is both Vertical and Horizontal.

Vertical Mercy

Mercy is mentioned over and over in the entire Bible, but here in Jude it is mentioned about four times. Two of which is in reference to the vertical aspect of it. Check out the following references:

Jude 1:2

May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Jude 1:21

keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

We ought to daily praise God, our Father , for in his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. If you really want to know how merciful God is toward you – look to Calvary and you will see his mercy on full display.

Jude says this mercy is multiplied unto us. In other words, God has opened the flood gates of heaven and literally poured out his mercy upon us. We get to experience his mercy here on this side of eternity. But wait, there is more! This multiplied mercy leads to eternal life, the full experience to come.

The cool thing about this is, we didn’t deserve any of his mercy.

We were vessels of his wrath. But in his love, compassion, and 'great mercy' he save us, bestowed upon us unmerited favor and made us vessels of his mercy.

Horizontal Mercy

Here are the other two references mentioned here in the book of Jude. This time it is in reference to the horizontal aspect of mercy. Check out the following references

Jude 1:22

And have mercy on those who doubt;

Jude 1:23

Save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

In view of God’s mercy towards us, we must channel that same mercy to everyone around us – especially to those who oppose us. Jude names specific people we ought to show mercy to:

  • False teachers –  The people who pervert the grace of our Lord; the scoffers who pervert the gospel of our Lord. These are often within the walls of the church.
  • Doubters – Are those who do not believe at all. Those who believe differently than we do. And those who believe in everything.
  • Immoral – Those we are quick to condemn by telling them, “you will not inherit the kingdom of God. The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who practice homosexuality, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers. “
  • Others – White collar, blue collar; rich or poor; black or white; gay or straight; 1% or 99%; religious or Nones.

In an effort to change minds and change morals, the church has sometimes taken the dark path. It’s approach has sometimes been misguided and wrong. The name and shame game has never been a part of God’s game plan. Publicly calling people out with intent to humiliate them and tell the world how wrong and different they are is anti Christ. Being mean spirited, rude, nasty, argumentative, and arrogant is not in line with scripture and it’s call to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit.

It is not sinful to contend for the faith; it is sinful to contend sinfully. 

God never called us to go down that path. The scriptural way to contend for the faith is by “building ourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God, and waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” 

Showing mercy does not mean compromising our values or dogmas or beliefs. Jude says we ought to “show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

When we speak in defense of the faith, it should always be done with mercy, gentleness and reverence. The only sound, effective and proven way to “save others” (v. 25) is not by starting a culture war; it’s not by leading a life of us against them;  it’s simply using the most powerful weapons this world has ever known – love, mercy, grace and truth in all gentleness and humility.

WWJD with Difficult People?

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My first attempt at a title for this post was, “7 types of people I really don’t like.” I know! I know I should love people unconditionally. I know I should go the extra mile. I know I need to be like Jesus, but I fall short so many times  in my love and patience for difficult people.

How many can handle a church member who’s always giving you a dirty look, a sarcastic remark or a backhanded compliment.

Frankly, only those who know difficult people can really understand what I am talking about. This is the kind of people I want to talk about in this post. I will briefly mention 7 character flaws of people, and frame them as highly difficult to live or work with.

Having said that, I hope to encourage all of us to strive and commit to growing into the likeness and character of Jesus. This, I believe, is the first key to  dealing with difficult people.

The second is to become cognizant of the fact that these people are – family members, co-workers, neighbors, friends. The are in our immediate surrounding.

And the third key is a realization that difficult people are in every organization. They are not only in cooperate America,  they are also in churches and on our church staff. They are a part of our lives, one way or the other.

The easiest way to deal with them is to avoid them, stay away from them. But I hope we can realize that:

Learning to live and work with difficult people is a life changing opportunity to go deeper with Christ in character development.

So, how would Jesus deal with

  • People who Kiss Up
  • People who kick down
  • People who are Lone Rangers
  • People who are Moody
  • People who are full of themselves
  • People who just want to use you
  • People who are cold vicious backstabbers

Allow me to share a few effective ways that you can deal with difficult people:

Confront with a Christlike attitude

When it comes to dealing with difficult people, we need to understand that being angry, abrasive, showing disgust and snubbing are ineffective ways of handling them.

We also make a big mistake when we say things like, “that’s the way they are.” When we do that we are enabling them and indirectly telling them it’s okay to be difficult to deal with. It isn’t sinful to confront difficult people. It’s sinful to confront them sinfully.

Surround them with unlimited grace

The MO of difficult people is to dominate, control, intimidate. They are aggressive and relentless to this end. They can ruin your day in a hurry. As aggressive as difficult people are in making other people feel small, incompetent, and worthless; as aggressive as they are in scrutinizing, criticizing and telling us what’s wrong with us – so must we aggressively extend grace in unlimited fashion.

Look beyond the flaw

It may sound strange, but difficult people also have other positive qualities. It would be wasteful to isolate them. Looking beyond their flaws can cause you to hear honest feedback, see your own blind spots, and elevate yourself to the place of exceptional leadership. Learning how to tap into and bring out some of their good qualities could also affect them for good.

WWJD?

We know Jesus had to deal with a bunch of Pharisees and religious leaders earlier in His ministry. He confronted them by pointing out the error of their ways:
  • blind Guides – Matthew 23:16
  • Fools – Matthew 23:17
  • Serpents – Matthew 23:33
  • Hypocrites – Luke 11:44
  • Unmarked graves – Luke 11:44
  • Whited Sulpulchres – Matthew 23:27

On another occasion, He drove some out of the temple because they had turned it into a den of robbers. When we look at his life we see an extraordinary ability to confront difficult people, reason with them, and point out the error of their ways. We see an ability to extend unlimited grace by being a friend of sinners.

Finally, we see an ability to look past character flaws and see what could be. He saw the whole man redeemed in Him. For example, He called Peter ‘Rock.’ We know Peter was no ‘Rock.’He was a headstrong guy who always acted and spoke before thinking. Yet Jesus saw something in him.

Jesus’ approach was gospel centered – The ability of God to change broken men and women.

May our approach be the same.

Monday Night Meditation

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Lead Me to the Rock that is higher than I

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Psalm 61:2 New King James Version (NKJV)

Monday Night Meditation

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Little by little

And I’ll send Despair on ahead of you. It will push the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites out of your way. I won’t get rid of them all at once lest the land grow up in weeds and the wild animals take over. Little by little I’ll get them out of there while you have a chance to get your crops going and make the land your own. I will make your borders stretch from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Wilderness to the Euphrates River. I’m turning everyone living in that land over to you; go ahead and drive them out.

Exodus 23:28-31

Don’t Bungee Jump Naked!

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Welcome to – “On the Lighter Side.” A Monday morning post geared toward putting you in the right mood to start not only your day, but also your week.  Today’s Humorist is Jeanne Robertson.

Jeanne is an American humorist and professional speaker. In 1963, at age 19, she was named Miss North Carolina and went on to be named “Miss Congeniality” in that year’s Miss America competition. I hope that she will get you fired up for the week by putting some humor and laughter in your life. Have a great day!

7 Tested Ways to develop Endurance

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For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

James‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ NLT

Some of the greatest athletes of our time, never would have made it without a certain level of endurance. Not only physical, but also, as we have seen in recent years, mental toughness.
Some of our heroes and heroes of faith would never have made it, had it not been for a certain level of tenacity, spiritual endurance developed along the way.

Endurance is like a muscle.  It grows with a proper use of exercise or training and it shrinks for the lack of the same.

Endurance is not only “the ability to withstand hardship or adversity; the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity, but it is also the ability to improve.

It is not a matter of if our faith will come under immense testing and trial, but a matter of when. During these times, there are seven thing we can do to keep our edge and win in the battle.  Look with me at these:

1.  Count it all joy.
See verse 2

“God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.” AW Tozer

When troubles come our way: We should “Count it all joy.”  Consider it an opportunity for great joy. This is one of those great paradoxes of the Kingdom.  It’s all about perspective.  It’s all about seeing the big picture and the design of trials.  If we can only see the purpose of trials is to produce spiritual maturity in our lives, we will never allow them to discourage us.

The Greek dokimion (“testing”) denotes a positive test with a favorable outcome. If you can imagine or believe that God has wrapped a favorable outcome in your trials, it can set you free from worry, fear and anxiety.

So remind yourself, “this trial is good for me.” This is how I can build endurance. And this is my chance to grow it.”

2. Seek Wisdom from above. See verse 5…

Wisdom is a God given, God centered discernment regarding the practical issues of life. We need discernment. This discernment comes to us from above, but we must first ask God for it,

If we try to bring our own experience or preconceived ideas to our situation, we might miss what God wants to do. If we fail to seek God and act on impulse or some “gut feeling we might get ourselves in more trouble.

Scripture says we should “ask our generous Father for wisdom and he will give it to us.”  His ways are higher than our.  The way of a man seems right at the moment, but in the end, it leads to death, destruction, trouble.

God invites us to pray – to pray for wisdom because He does not want to us to settle for earthly (fleshly), unspiritual or even demonic wisdom. If the wisdom we seek to apply to our circumstance is not “pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere,” will put ourselves in more trouble.

God is always a step ahead of our trials, so it make sense to get to know what He knows. He said, “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths straight.”

So remind yourself, “this trial is good for me.” This is how I can build endurance.  And this is my chance to grow it.”

3.  Perspective counts too.
See verse 9

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation.”

There are a few radical, mind bugging phrases in the scripture that really gets me thinking. For example: When it says –

  • “let the weak say I am strong…”
  • ” let the poor say I am rich…”
  • or “call the things that are not as though they are”

I know this is calling me to change my perspective on things. In other words, seeing my lack or my poverty, shouldn’t paralyze my faith. Seeing my enemies surrounding me with soldiers, horses and chariots doesn’t mean I am alone.

Too often, in times of crisis, and lack, we focus to much on the impossibilities instead on the possibilities.  There are three kinds of people when it comes to seeing beyond the natural.

  1. Doubting Thomas – if they can’t see it – they can’t believe it.
  2. Mystical Gideon – extra proof is better for them to believe it.
  3. But Jesus talked about a third kind of people – they believe it even though they do not see it.

I believe Jesus wants all of us to believe it even though we don’t see it.

So remind yourself, “this trial is good for me.”  This is how I can build endurance.  And this is my chance to grow it.”

4.  Stay under the pressure. See verse 12,

“If you are not bleeding – you are not leading.” Sam Chand

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.  I have never met a single person who truly enjoys the pressures and burdens of life.  Every time it comes around we lose heart and throw in the towel and run from under it. But we need to understand, that not because we back down the pressure is going to go away.  We must stay steadfast under it, and after we have stood the test, we will receive the crown of life.

So tell yourself, “this trial is good for me because I need endurance,many this is my chance to grow it.”

5.  Beware of deception. See verse 16.

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.”

If we are not careful and discerning, we can easily be tricked into believing a lie.  If we are not careful, we can easily get off track. Too often, the enemy tries to tell us that the God we serve is not a good God. Unfortunately, we buy into that lie too many times. God does not make you sick to grow your faith or to make you strong. He uses the good, the bad and the ugly to make us strong.  Remind yourself that “every good and perfect gift comes from above.” God will never waste a good opportunity to make you strong.

So remind yourself, “this trial is good for me. because I need endurance, and  this is my chance to grow it.”

6. Don’t offer the sacrifice of fools. See verse 19

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”

This passage is one of the clearest verses in all of scripture, but it is amazing how we seem to complicate it and or ignore it altogether.  In times of crisis, it is to your advantage to adopt a listening posture.  You want to hear from God. You also want to receive wisdom from friends and family. But at the same time, there is a lot of emotions and thoughts rushing through your mind. The only way to deal with all of this, is to become a listener.

So tell yourself, “this is a smart move for me, because I need endurance, and this is my chance to grow it.”

7. Stand on the word. See verse 22

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

I have observed a disturbing trend in among many Christians when it come to the word of God. Why is it that some Christians are more apt to obey a word of prophesy, a prompting by the Spirit or a dream with a clear direction than they are obeying what is simply written on the pages of the Bible.  God has given his word to guide us through every crisis in life.  Just stand in obedience upon his word. That is key to developing great endurance

Here’s the bottom line: We need endurance to run this race set before us. And God has given us proven ways to grow it. God can use every trial to make us stronger. He can take every setback and turn it into a stepping stone.

Don’t go chasing after trials. But when them come, don’t go running from them either. Let it build you up, let it help you grow. “For when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ NLT)

So tell yourself, “this is a smart move for me, because I need endurance, and this is my chance to grow it.”

5 Ways to actively share your faith in the marketplace

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The Priesthood of Every believer

I believe in the Priesthood of every believer. We are not all call to stand behind a pulpit, nor do we all have to be named prophet or evangelist, but we are all called to give an account for why we believe in Jesus Christ.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

There is a great deal of responsibility that goes with the idea of being a priest. It is a role that should never be taken  lightly. That’s because the life of many depend on it, especially in the Marketplace. I believe that God has strategically called everyone of us to shine His light in every corner of our world. For many, it is the Marketplace. The question is – How can one effectively and actively share his faith in the marketplace? I have five suggestions:

Cease opportunities but don’t over play your hand

We need to listen and look for opportunities to introduce Jesus to our friends and co-workers. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear co-workers share things they are struggling with. Use tact and wisdom to introduce Jesus, offer a prayer or a godly advise. But sometimes, the reason why they confide in you is because they see something extraordinary in you.

Acts 17:19-30 English Standard Version (ESV)
19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
Paul Addresses the Areopagus
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,[a] 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;[b]
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’[c]
29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

Tell your story and tell it well

The act of storytelling is useful in telling your story about who Jesus is and what He means to you. Simply tell your story. It is good when you are led to speak with razor sharp precision by the Holy Spirit, but also learning how to tell your story without confusing or freaking out your friends can prove very useful in peaking their interest.

John 9:25 English Standard Version (ESV)
25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

Value friendship no strings attached and show interest in the life of co-workers without reservation

1 Thessalonians 2:8 has always stirred something powerful in me. Paul says, “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

Let’s look at it in the Message Translation:
1 Thessalonians 2:8The Message (MSG)
6-8 Even though we had some standing as Christ’s apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. We weren’t aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.

How many of us seek to only share our gospel with others but could care less about sharing our lives? Speaking about sharing one’s life in the book he writes with Mark Batterson, Richard Foth says,

Being with someone is an entirely different paradigm than speaking at someone. The difference between pushing my agenda or just living life determines whether a listener feels like a target or a friend. If in fact the good news is embedded in us, as opposed to a cliche that we spout on occasion, the implications are monumental.

Don’t fake it

I believe one reason we are ineffective in our witness in the workplace is – we want everyone to think of us as having it all together. Well, we know we don’t have it all together, so we fake it. Friends, that is a really bad idea. Walking around with a ‘holier that thou’ attitude really hinders one’s witness. Do your best to represent Christ, but when you blow it – own it and show genuine repentance. Your friends will respect you for that. It’s all about living with authenticity.

Romans 2:24 English Standard Version (ESV)
24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Matthew 5:13-16
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[b] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Know your stuff and know it well

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have and the faith you profess. You don’t have to memorize every verse in the bible, but you have to be well versed. You’re gonna have to master the grand themes and realities of our time. Don’t worry, you don’t need to become a scholar. All you need to do is sum up everything in Christ and Him crucified. It was Spurgeon who said,

“A sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without flour. No Christ in your sermon Sir? Than go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching. A sermon without Christ is a mistake in conception and a crime in execution. However grand the language, it will be merely much-ado-about-nothing if Christ be not there. And I mean by Christ not merely his example and the ethical precepts of his teaching, but His atoning blood, his wondrous satisfaction made for human sin, and the grand doctrine of ‘believe and live.'” [ 7/9/1876 Sermon #2899; 10/23/1881 Sermon #1625]

1 Peter 3:15 English Standard Version (ESV)
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect

When it comes down to it, I think being light in dark places and being salt in our world are the keys to making a difference in the world. It is a close walk with Jesus and a willingness to take Him with us everywhere we go. Do you actively witness or share your faith in your corner of the world? Could you take a minute to share a story of someone coming to faith in Christ through your witness?

Stay useful in the Master’s hand!

WAR

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He can’t have your Family
He can’t have your Increase
He can’t have your Breakthrough

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.
Isaiah 54:17