Money and Spirituality

One of the first things I learned as a disciple of Jesus was about money.  Why would the Lord put that lesson near the top of my things to be learned?  I'm not totally sure but one thing I know, money was important to me.  As a matter of fact, a large part of my resistance to His call to ministry was because most preachers I knew didn't have any money.  Then those who did have money seemed to me to be unscrupulous in their dealing with the topic of money and wealth.  Unfortunately, I still see lot of that.
The way that the Lord dealt with me was in His Word.  He drilled me in Matthew chapter 6.  That chapter talks about our material needs and then Jesus tells us that we aren't to worry about them or even let them be a priority.  That was a tough one.  However, as a part of the Lordship of Christ, placing Jesus on the throne of our life above material possessions is a basic requirement.  It is not that God isn't aware of our needs.  As a matter of fact that is exactly what Matthew 6 is all about.  Our loving Heavenly Father knows us so intimately and loves us so deeply that He knows and provides those needs without worry or fretting.  The key is that this heavenly provision comes as we seek first the Kingdom of God.  The moment that we begin to struggle with our daily provision we weaken God's ability to get the provision to us.  God's ability?  Really? Yes.  The Scripture tells us that Jesus went back to his own home town and while he was working miracles everywhere He went, "He could do no mighty works there"!  Amazingly it says "he could do no mighty works there!"  Familiarity bred contempt.  Contempt is defined as, "the feeling that a person or things is beneath consideration." We can do that with God.  Jesus has declared to us that from his heart we are his "friends".  Yet, we need to be careful that that friendship/familiarity doesn't devalue his ability to work the supernatural in our lives.   We need to maintain the awe for God that says that at any moment He can break through the natural with the supernatural.  

You probably are in a place that you could use more money!  That's not a problem. The problem is our focus and allegiance.  Let's make sure that we are still committed to the Lordship of Jesus and His Kingdom above all other things.

Jesus Is Lord

As a new believer it seemed every message had as an emphasis, "Jesus is Lord".  Yes, I know that was 40 years ago!  Sure there was a lot of man centered stuff floating around as well but there was a strong theme regarding the Lordship of Jesus.  It was a pretty common thing in churches to see banners declaring that message.  We were discipled in the theology that all we did, owned or even thought was under His Lordship.  I don't hear much about the Lordship of Christ today.  I wonder why? Do the Christians of this day have a stronger connection to God than during that past era?  Is Lordship something that we have mastered?  I think not.  It must be that the message of the Lordship of Jesus doesn't fit into the current philosophy and theology.  

The message of the Lordship of Christ starts with a true supernatural conversion of the one being reached.  You see there cannot be Lordship without conversion. Lordship doesn't make room for an attitude that says, "just get them here, entertain them and over time they might just slowly change into a Christian".   Jesus didn't seem to be very good at that method.  Remember the conversation with Nicodemus?  Jesus cut right through the smoke and declared, "you must be born again".  Then Jesus drove the point even deeper when he said, if you aren't born again, "you cannot see the Kingdom of God"!  Amazing!
Then there was the conversation with the woman at the well.  He actually told here that he knew she was sleeping around and called her on it.  That wouldn't be too cool today in many circles.  Yet, Jesus was more interested in getting people to experience real conversion than he was in joining his club.  

Lordship starts with conversion and a part of that conversion is the death to old identities and appetites.  You see, when a person chooses the will of God above their desire, preferences and appetites then that is the fruit of Lordship.  When a person brings their tithe and offerings to the house of God rather than spending it on their own cravings then that is Lordship.  When a person says no to what the Scripture forbids although there may be a temptation to do it, that is Lordship.  Lordship is the message of the Church! Yet, when is the last time you heard a clear message challenging the Church to bow their knee to the Lordship of Jesus?  

It's time!  Yes, it's past time that we beat some the dust off of some old messages! Do you agree?

Establishing Your Authority

Joshua 3:7 And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 

Before choosing this title, I hesitated a few minutes.  The reason for my pause was that I didn't want to give the impression that we should "try" to establish our own authority.  In the world, both in the military and commerce, we are trained how to establish authority in order to lead.  In the Kingdom of God the Lord establishes his leaders by his own hand.  Here the Lord speaks to Joshua and tells him that on this day He would exalt him in the eyes of the people as their leader.  Moses had been such a powerful and influential leader for so long that he was a hard act to follow.  Now it's time for his assistant to take the baton and lead Israel not only in a maintenance mode but to truly take them where Moses hadn't, into the Promised Land.
I think new leaders can miss this and this misunderstanding can cause them to fail.  The wrong thinking is that new leaders following previous leaders who have seen success should follow suit and just keep the ship afloat.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  A maintenance mode is a dying mode.  It's a slow dying mode and one that takes a long time to recognize but a dying mode none the less.  The very thought that says, "I'm here to keep the ship on course" is wrong thinking.  Certainly a new leader of a business or ministry should  be very careful with making too many changes in the beginning but the very fact that a transition was in God's plan is proof positive that change was needed, at least some adjustment.  Here is my major point this week:  your ability to lead your group into and through change is commensurate with your level of recognized authority.  In the case of Joshua the Lord was about to allow miracles in the middle of battles and conquest to establish him in the eyes of the people.  You may think you are a leader but unless the people you are leading see you in that way you are one crisis away from disaster.  It seems to be a patter in Scripture that God allows some crisis to arise shortly after a new leader takes office to display the new leader as one who can be trusted.  It is this confidence of God working through a leader that brings stability and peace among a people.  Therefore, don't hide in the maintenance mode.  Don't run from battles and much needed miracles.  It is in leading in conflict and crisis that you will be established as the leader needed for the hour.  However, remember, it is God who will establish you and not your own efforts.  Someone has said, "responsibility is our response and His ability."