The Power of Weakness

December 28, 2008 By 3 Comments

One time I was ministering in Nigeria and sharing how marvelously God has moved in my life whenever I finally become willing to stop avoiding my weaknesses or putting up a front of “faith” (strength) and rather embracing my weaknesses. I shared how I was delivered from alcohol this way, delivered from being independent and having an irritable edge toward my family, and even learning to deal with cross-cultural differences working in missions by doing this. I still remember the day, after years of frustration in the third world, thinking, “What if they do rip me off a little and get a little more money out of me for some service or repair, does it really matter? These people have nothing”. I embraced weakness and let go of my “rights”. Anyway, some of the Nigerian pastors came up after the message saying, “We never share our weaknesses, only our strengths and victories”.

Most of the church lives right here, just like the world system does. Not much changes from high school really. Oh, we become more sophisticated in how things are presented, but there is still a standard of acceptance and honor toward those who come from the “right” family, drive the “right” car, wear the “right” clothes or play sports well enough. Many churches and ministries still operate with an “in-crowd” mentality. I’ve been at minister’s meetings where the pastors are asked, “So, how many were in attendance in your church last Sunday?”; or the missionaries stand around and try to top each other with their latest mission trip’s feat of how many were saved or healed or how desperately poor the people they reached were or how dangerous the place they went to was, etc, etc.

Our fellowship with one another can end up being based on our strengths rather than our weaknesses. Church life becomes a subtle game of “one-upmanship”. What freedom there is in simply letting down our walls, all our works and strivings just to be acceptable!

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Filed Under: Agape Reformation, Christianity

Will I Try?

December 21, 2008 By 3 Comments

By Robert

These are scary times. Many are facing financial challenges. It is certainly a time for me to exercise faith as someone working in full time ministry. So what does exercising faith look like anyway?

 In 2 Peter 1:5, the Bible says to “employ every effort in exercising your faith” (AMP). If I am not careful, I can easily find myself worrying about finances and other challenges I may be facing, maybe even complaining, and not taking any action of faith. God has challenged me lately to try expressing my faith, to step out.

 James 2:14-”What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” Vs.18-”You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

 These scriptures have something to say to us, we cannot just dismiss them. Faith, when it is real, has fruit. What effort of faith am I making in my situation? Am I standing on God’s promises daily? Am I giving out of what I have? Maybe it is a time to add fasting to my prayer.

 In the early 90′s I had a sales job that came to an end. I had to take on two jobs, working 70 hours a week to try and make ends meet and even then we were falling behind on our bills. At one point we were behind on our mortgage and almost lost our home, yet we never stopped tithing and giving offerings. Our giving had decreased because our income had decreased, but we gave what we could and God honored it. At the end of a year God started blessing us in multiple ways we could have never foreseen. We got caught up on our bills and our income increased greatly!

 As we remain in this season of financial challenges while living in this Christmas season of giving, may we put our faith to work, continuing to give what we can (even if it is just our time or talent), and exercise in word and deed our hope in the Lord.

Filed Under: faith

God’s Project

December 14, 2008 By 1 Comment

By Cyndi

Ever have a list of projects you want to get done? You know, like cleaning out the garage, baking cookies, washing and waxing the car, remodeling your bathroom or even building a shed (if you remember from last week). This time of year it might just be getting a tree and putting up Christmas lights. I think we all have a list, written or not, of projects we would like to see done; so I, being in the midst of several projects right now, got to thinking about God’s point of view of things. I think we are His projects.

Yes, I believe we are His sons and daughters, but also His own personal projects that He loves to work on. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works”. I think this is a very comforting thought. Why? Because whenever I do projects, I tend to run into little unexpected things that frustrate me and cause me to lose my patience, and many times the whole thing turns into something bigger than I was expecting (maybe more costly even), and I get overwhelmed. But I know God is not like this. He is all love and patience as well as being omniscient. If He already knows what “surprises” are coming up, then He’s not surprised or frustrated!   

Philippians 1:6 tells us that “He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”. He will finish what He started in us. No matter what things happen in our lives, God will use them to work in us to mature us and complete us. It’s kind of nice knowing that He already knows what’s ahead, that way I know He is in control so I don’t have to be. Now I think I’ll go put up some Christmas lights.

Filed Under: Christianity, faith, Rest

A Sure Foundation

December 7, 2008 By 2 Comments

By Cyndi

Have you ever put up a shed? If you have, you know that the first thing you have to do is lay a foundation for it. We took this Saturday to help out Robert’s mom and step dad put in the stones needed to begin the process of building a shed. We had no idea how long and involved this could be to us amateurs.

We did know that the foundation was the most important part of building the shed; the whole thing would rest upon it and we needed to do it right! So we dug up dirt, did some measuring, and laid the stones in their places. Then we used the level to make sure they were all even with each other. Boy, did this take some patience!  First it was too high, so take some dirt away; then it was too low, put some more dirt back. Over and over again-what a process! Watching that little bubble on the level go left, then right…how frustrating! We would never have guessed it would have taken the time and effort that it did just to lay out and level a bunch of stones!

Laying a foundation is the same way in the spiritual realm. It takes time and effort but it is so vitally important; the rest of our lives are resting upon it. 1 Cor. 3:10, 11 says that we should be careful how we build and make sure that Jesus Christ is the foundation of all that we do.  Reflecting upon Luke 6:48, the story of the wise man building his house upon a rock, I happened to notice that little word “when”. Ever see that word? In this verse it doesn’t say “if” the flood comes-those challenges, trials, tragedies that we all find ourselves in sometimes-but WHEN the flood comes. These things are going to come upon us but if we are firmly built upon Jesus, our Rock, we will not be shaken. We will stand and not fall.

So all the digging, leveling, moving dirt back and forth and laying down the stones in our lives is worth it. Taking the time to read the Word, to pray, to worship, all these are “stones” that make up our foundation. As we live in the midst of these challenging times, even a “flood” to some of us, let us go back and check our foundation, the roots of our faith.

Filed Under: faith