JUST ENOUGH for The Journey - The Church is NOT your "Good Luck Charm"

In the Old Testament, many people in Judah believed that the very existence of the Temple, served as assurance that God would protect them from their enemies and from the consequences of their sins.

Unfortunately, the times have not changed. People feel and believe that just because they come into the church on Sunday, sit through a service, sing a few songs and place their Offering (sacrifice) in the Collection Plate, that they are covered.

However, the prophet Jeremiah was told by God to preach at the Temple Gates (Church Doors). His message was simple...the people needed to change their behavior. They needed to treat one another right. They needed to live lives that reflected the Holy Character of the God that they claimed to worship in the Temple (church), because without these changes, God would not be with them regardless of how many sacrifices (how much money), the people offered.

Through Jeremiah,  God asked, "Do you regard this Temple, which bears My name, as a hiding place for criminals and in the New Testament, in the Gospel of Matthew 21:13 Jesus says, "You have made the Temple a hideout for crooks"

It's laughable to think that we who are acting/pretending to live right and for those of us who haven't changed their ways to live a Godly life and for all of us that claim safety of the church to even THINK that we are fooling God! God is not fooled folks!

You see, we have a false sense of security if we are counting on the church for protection or for it to be our "Good Luck Charm". It is far more important and beneficial to simply do the work of living right...for when we live right, we are truly covered by "The Church", which is not a building made by hands!

God is done with those of us who are playing church! Change your ways because If you dont, then you've only succeeded in fooling yourself!

For the full context of this Post, read Jeremiah 7:1-15, but the verse that I'm lifting up this morning is verse 11.

"Do you regard this temple, which bears my name, as a hiding place for criminals? I can see what’s going on here, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 7:11 CEB)

Be changed and be blessed!

JUST ENOUGH for The Journey - I "THOUGHT" that I was only out for a Walk

I'm out walking this morning thinking and praying for my church family who are out today doing Outreach as they evangelize the surrounding neighborhoods. I'm not with them because I'm traveling to see about my parents and to spend time with them and my brother, Kevin.

Little did I know that God had a plan to use me to evangelize on this stretch of country road on this early morning.

I met a woman walking her dog on the opposite side of the road. She greeted me and began talking immediately about her life, drugs, spousal abuse and pending divorce and relocation.

She mentioned that she was a believer, raised Roman Catholic,  but since has been attending a Baptist church. We shared our names and I heard her story. I let her know with great assurance that God is STILL God!

That's all that I had to say, her eyes welled up with tears and instantly I knew that God spoke to her.

Witnessing isn't about directing people to our buildings and events. As Rev. Brown shared during Wed Night Study, ministry is a culture not an event.

The Great Commission is STILL The Great Commission!  Get out there and tell them about Jesus...even if it's on a country road early in the morning.

Be blessed today Journey of Faith Church!

JUST ENOUGH for The Journey - Reflecting...Great Men

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV)

JUST ENOUGH for The Journey - JESUS' Supremacy In ALL and Through ALL

We'll folks, it's really a very simple choice for this guy right here on who I will place my faith, my hope and my trust. You can have your say to try to convince me otherwise, but let me save you some time. Jesus created and rules and is LORD over ALL things, so....I'M GOOD...I'M CONVINCED...I'M A CHRISTIAN!!

Now, allow me to convince you:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.  Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation— (Colossians 1:15-22 NIV)

JUST ENOUGH for The Journey - The Will of God

We oftentimes ask, wonder and even try our best to "guess" what The Will of God is. We see Him in judgment. We see Him as unchanging. We see Him as Just, Righteous and Holy. Simply put, "We SEE Him as...God". What we don't do is, we don't get to KNOW HIM. We don't LISTEN to Him and we don't BELIEVE Him!

Get to KNOW GOD - We need to spend more time with Him; talking with Him in prayer; listening to Him through the reading, understanding and then living by His Holy Word; and trusting and believing that His Holy Spirit which you have received...KNOWING that The Holy Spirit is God's promise of salvation that has been sealed in you as your guarantee for eternal life with God.

Do we only SEE God or do we make the effort to truly KNOW God? If you KNOW God, then you have joy and you have peace because you already KNOW His Will for your life through Christ Jesus.

KNOW today that His Will is for you and I to spend eternity with Him in His Kingdom!

Jesus tells His Disciples about the Will of God - "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40 NKJV)

JUST ENOUGH for The Journey - Arrogance Always Destroys Opportunity

Let it be known that all of this worldly stuff (money, property, fame, education, position, etc) is not that which should define us. These things do not cause us to be truly successful.

Yes, they are things that we strive for and things that we can be proud of when we achieve them. However, let us be very careful of how we perceive ourselves once we've obtained a certain level of success!

You see, it is extremely difficult to humble ourselves when we have the perception of having obtained a superior status. This superior status is different for each of us as we each have our own ideas of what success looks like.

King Agrippa had it all...wealth, fame and position. When the Apostle Paul began to witness to him about the goodness of The Lord and how God showed favor to the Israelites, the King's ear was attentive and his heart was "slightly" touched...until he looked at all of his "stuff" and instead of humbling himself, he became arrogant and missed his opportunity of salvation.

Let's learn a very important lesson this morning. All of our worldly things will cease to exist one day. Our "stuff" is only temporary and not eternal. Don't let your accomplishments blind you and lead your heart away for the need of salvation.

One day, we will face our Lord and He will judge each and every one of us. I pray that at that moment, that what was uttered by King Agrippa, "You Almost persuade me to become a Christian", is not something that would come from us.

Don't let arrogance keep you from getting to Jesus as your Lord and Savior!

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.” (Acts 26:28-29 NKJV)

JUST ENOUGH for The Journey - Why all of the Commotion?

In this life we are going to have sickness. In this life we are going to experience difficulties. In this life we will know how it feels to be abandoned, confused and uncomfortable. In this life we will experience loss of loved ones. In this life we will experience...well, we will experience life!

Stuff happens, it's a simple as that. It's just life. However, when stuff happens, we don't need to lose our minds and preoccupy ourselves with a defeated attitude.

When the Synagogue Ruler's daughter became sick unto death, Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; only believe." When Jesus walked into the house, He saw a bunch of people crying and mourning the loss of this little girl. He asked, "Why all the commotion?"

You see, we're quick to doubt the power and authority of The Lord. We cry before praying we give up before asking and we mourn instead of seeking the miraculous.

Jesus is still healing. Jesus is still resroring. Jesus is still delivering. Jesus is still in control!

Today, before you give up, get down on your knees and seek The Lord in your situation. Avoid the commotion and put in motion the Power and Authority of Jesus, the Christ!

"As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who  were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of  age. And they were overcome with great amazement."
(Mark 5:36-42 NKJV)