I believe we should always be willing to change our methods to be more effective in what we do; however, the message is the focus.  What happens when helping people is no longer trendy?  That is why I fell in love with the Dream Center.  We have changed methods so many times I have lost track.  We have never lost our focus on the message.  Now that is not a pat on my back, God and my leaders have done it all!

Trends are great for bait and draw, but you can never build your life on it.  We need to build our lives, ministries, and churches on the same things that our predecessors did in Acts.  That is loving God and Loving People.  If anything falls outside these two arenas, we really need to question why we are moving that direction.  Now, please do not misunderstand me, sometimes we give attention to events and certain opportunities because we know that they will eventually push the mission forward.  Gods future provision is sometimes wrapped in crazy ideas and packages.

If you spend your whole life investing in the truth, your portfolio will show long-term consistent growth.  When the dust clears, people who trust in God and stand for the truth are never on the outside looking in.  Remember, being right is always trendy!

This scripture is so over used to spread a false message about our Lord Jesus Christ.  People quote this scripture and say, “Jesus was homeless!”.  So was Mary Homeless?  Jesus was not married so He would still be living in His father’s house.  A man shall leave his mother and father and Cleave to his wife.

Why do we, as christians, have to spend our whole lives on crazy extremes of Theology?  Either people are preaching that God wants to give everybody a million dollars and a BMW. or He wants us to sell everything and live in a shelter with rags covering our bodies.

I have to admit that this scripture gave me fits until I took off my Super-Spiritual spectacles and read this passage with some good old common sense.  What do foxes do in Holes?  Why do birds make nests?  Simple, to multiply themselves.

Isaiah 34:15 There the arrow snake shall make her nest and lay eggs and hatch, and gather them under her shadow; There also shall the hawks be gathered, Every one with her mate.

Psalm 84:3 Even the sparrow has found a home,And the swallow a nest for herself, Where she may lay her young— Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God.

Jesus was not worried about clothes, money, or safety.  He came to rescue the world.  Why would he tell the disciples to stay in people’s homes, when He wanted all homes sold? Jesus was looking for a body to lay His Head, or Authority, on.  He was interested in making disciples, not starting outward signs of self-sacrifice.  I want to allow Jesus to multiply Himself through my life.  Whatever God chooses for me to have externally I am cool with; however, I want to work on my heart being proper soil for God to be multiplied.

Quit worrying about having stuff or not having stuff.  Just give yourself over to God and allow Him to lay His head on you.  Be the home He has always wanted.

Judges 7:1-7

¹ Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

² And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ ³ Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
⁴ But the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” ⁵ So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” ⁶ And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. ⁷ Then the LORD said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all theother people go, every man to his place.”

There are 3 Major Observations that really stick out in my mind

1. God loves no win scenarios- God is looking for people who will step out in faith and believe Him for a miracle.  So many of us only step out and do what we already know we can do.  We like to keep things predictable and manageable.  God gets no glory from this type of thinking.  He wants to do something in us that will be evidence of His miracle-working power still alive today.
2. Doubt peddlers are the first to go- I find it remarkable that God’s first criteria for elimination was those who were doubting His ability to deliver the Midianites into their hands.  Doubt is a cancer that will spread like wild-fire.  All of us have moments of doubt and disbelief; however, we must stay in the game.  You truly believe what you do.  When our emotions get out of whack, we need to dig in and shout. “I am not going anywhere”.
3. Alertness and Sensitivity to the leading of God’s Spirit is Everything!- Only 300 out of 10,000 passed the water test.  God only choose those who kept their head’s up  and brought the water to their mouths.  Most people go through life with their heads face down in their situations.  God uses people who will never take their eyes off the big picture.  We must be alert to what God is doing all around us every single moment of the day.  Every relationship, phone call, or unexpected encounter could be a channel for God’s provision or miracle.

As with so many things in life, this lesson translates so well into our lives as believers. In Matthew chapter 16 there is an account of Jesus entering into the area of Caesarea Philippi.  He asks His disciples about His true identity.  After several proposals, Peter hits the nail on the head and Jesus confirms his answer.  Jesus then goes on to say one of the most overlooked statements in all of scripture.  Jesus says, “And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

4 Key Observations from this Passage

1. A healthy church can be built anywhere- In Caesarea Philippi, there was a certain pagan temple on a high mountain to the false goat god Pan.  The priests of pan and the worshippers would do horrible acts with goats in the outer courts of the temple.  Could you imagine seeing this in your city while walking with your kids to the store to get milk.  I find it hard to believe that anyone, at least those in America, have to face this kind of crazy environment on a daily basis.  And it was in this city, that our Savior says the church will go forward.  He was not overwhelmed or intimidated by his surroundings.
2. You are the perfect candidate for the job- Simon, as he was labeled since birth, could not have expected what was God was going to use him to do.  All he had to do is give himself over to the will of Almighty God, and God did the rest.  Jesus will find us dead in our sins and bring to life the rock in each of us.  If you commit yourself to the purposes and plans of God, He promises to direct your path.  Even if God places you in the darkest of situations, know that you are exactly what is needed to bring the light.
3. You are never on Defense!- The church has for far to long has given the enemy way to much credit for things.  Jesus says that the GATES of hell will not be able prevail against us.  What are Gates used to do?  To protect what you have and keep unwanted visitors out.  When Adam and Eve fell from the garden, Sin entered into the World.  God has repaired the damage ever since.  That is the very reason God sent His son to earth.  The literal translation refers to the gates not being able to contain the advancement of the kingdom.  If we have to ball, why are we not scoring?  We must look so silly, holding the ball while standing in a defensive position.  We have to stop spending all our time on protection and defense.  We need to go out into our cities and score.
4. You set the boundaries and make the rules- Jesus has given us the keys to the kingdom.  This means if we as a church put our hearts towards something, the enemy can not stop us.  We bind and loose the rules of the game and how things are going to play out. This doesn’t mean we will not face obstacles or tragedy.  It just simple means, we will have the last say as long as we do not lose heart.

Sometimes you can push stuff to the back burner of our lives and not really deal with it till it is ready to explode.  Last night the top seemed to blow off.

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”

This scripture is easy for me until you are no longer talking about stuff.  What happens when the worry is attached to those you love?  My son and clothes are two different things.  I could care less about my shirt; however, do not mess with my kids or wife!

Yesterday our good friend and worship pastor had a horrible accident that could have been fatal, but God had His hand on him the whole time.  When we were being updated on the situation, I could not believe it was happening.  I just kept saying, “ God, you are in control of the universe and everything in it! Move on behalf of your people.”

Last night all the events of the day became too much when my son was added to the equation.  Sometimes we don’t understand why things are happening the way they are happening.  It is in these moments that we need to ask God to help us see things the way He does.

God is always moving and doing something, it is up to us to align ourselves to it.  Bad things happen in this fallen world; however, we serve a God who can take what the enemy meant to destroy us and turn it around to propel us into blessing.

Sometimes it is easy to feel like God is just going around doing what He wants to and We need to suck it up.  But that is not the God we serve.

Jesus was told that His good friend Lazarus was sick and He needed to come and do something.  Jesus then delayed coming for the next two days.  It was when He received word that Lazarus died that He began to move.  Jesus knew He was going to do a great miracle when He got there.

Jesus showed up and saw how grieved everyone was over the loss of their friend.  He knew what was about to happen.  He knew all their grieve was about to be turned to joy. And with all this foreknowledge, JESUS WEPT!!!!!!

Our God knows what He is doing; however, He hates to see His children in pain.  God knows your grief and sorrow.  I believed He wept over my friend Dave and his family.  I believe He wept with me last night.  God cares for you.  He is not an insensitive disconnected God somewhere far away.  He is right here with us, crying over us in our sorrows and rejoicing over us in our victories.

Father, I pray that You would help all of us to seek out Your Will in this world.  Thank You that You truly care about our feelings and our pains.  I pray that you would bring another miracle to my friend David and his family.  I know you are protecting and watching over my son.  And I know You will see all the people reading this through their darkest moments.

Amen

The thing I thought was interesting was the repetitiveness of the crowd and him feeling alone.  In Proverbs 5:14 it states,” I was on the verge of total ruin, in the midst of the assembly and congregation”. According to this verse, it is possible to be surrounded by a congregation or group of people and be on the verge of self-destruction.

As christians, we look at artists and celebrities and say things like,” I saw this coming a mile away.  You can’t find happiness in stuff”.  I hate to say it, but sometimes we can predict everyone’s fall but our own.  We may not put our hopes in stuff, but we do in church.  And by church I don’t mean Jesus.

We go to tons of services and even volunteer in the programs and just expect that we are going to receive the life that Jesus promised.  Being around the right things is a great help and encouragement in our lives; however, we need to learn how to be open and honest about where we are in our lives.  So many people learn how to deal with the pain instead of getting rid of it.  With all these people around, there is no reason we have to live that way.

It is time to be transparent and open about the things we are not happy about and allow God to fix them.

As a good little pastor, I would use this scripture to encourage people to strip off and lay aside everything that is holding them back from moving forward with their lives.   Then I started think, “What if church is holding them back?”  I know, this statement borders on religious blasphemy; however, what if it is true?

For so many people, church has become just another obligation and responsibility on life’s plate.  They go because they do not want to feel guilty or sinful, but deep inside they hate it.  Church can sometimes be set up to only benefit the church.  It is a real shame when the church building prospers and the people in it waste away.

Jesus was accused of working on the Sabbath by the religious leaders of His day.  It was at this time that Jesus says something so life changing and revolutionary.  He says in Mark 2:27, “And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

Are our churches set up to help people, or is it setup to help itself?  There are lost and hurting people in our cities and communities that need the encouragement of the church.  They are getting weighed down all week by the world’s system only to come into the doors of the church and find the same thing.

I am determined more than ever to look and check every aspect of this ministry and make sure it is helping people either connect to God or to other people.  Gone are the days that we run programs because that is the way we have always done it.   Where is the excitement, encouragement, momentum, and fun?

I get so tired of Pastors thinking to highly of themselves and doing whatever they want to do and putting the “It is the Will of God” stamp on it so no one can question it.  The church is for the people, not people for the church.  God does not fill up our churches so we can have great programs.  He brings people through the doors so that we can give them encouragement and fresh vision for their lives.  To help them find ways to move to the next level of their lives.  I love the local church with all my heart and believe it is God’s way of spreading hope to our world.  I just think we need to constantly remind ourselves what this whole thing is about.

Love you guys at NYDC.  Thank you for letting Stella and I share in your lives.  We believe it is the joy and honor given by God Himself.

Brad Reed

The truth is, we as a church will have what we need when we have the capabilities and reputation to receive them.

The bible says in Proverbs 22:1,” A Good Name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving Favor rather than silver and gold”.  I am realizing more and more that resources are easy for God.  It is the good name part that He has trouble finding.

If I can work on being a good ambassador for Jesus in my community, then God will bring the resources.  Money follows ministry and reputation.  If I build a reputation of good works and servanthood, then people will trust we will continue in that pattern the more we are given.

More only amplifies what we already are with nothing.  I hear people lie to themselves all the time and say,” I will start giving when I have more money”.  Another great one is,” I will begin to volunteer once things slow down in my job”.    People do what they have in their heart to do naturally.  More resources only help or hurt the situation.

I am now praying that God would help us work on building relational bridges across the city with people and organizations so that when God thinks we are ready, He can move on someone’s heart to give.

The bible says that He will give pressed-down, shaken together, running over will MEN give unto our bosom.  God uses people to bring the blessing.  If we cultivate the right name and reputation, the blessings of God will flow our way.

Take the loose tooth for instance.  When you were a child and you had a loose tooth, it hurt when you touched it; however, you could not stop touching that thing.  I remember being a child and pushing on a loose tooth till my eyes would water just to see how far I could push it.  I know none of you have ever done something so juvenile in your lifetime, but I have many times.

If the loose tooth is too gruesome for you, then how about the dreaded Hangnail?  Everyone who has had a hangnail can attest to the fact that once you have one, you can never stop messing with it!  I mean,  Your finger is only getting more and more irritated with every squeeze, but you continue to do it anyway.  You try the clippers, biting, chewing, but it only gets worse with every attempt.  It feels so bad, but you find yourself becoming addicted to the pain.

These and many others can be thrown into the group of Hurt Kind of Feel Good.

I am noticing in life that there are people who are addicted to hurt or some sort of pain.  I mean, they can never be satisfied with things running smoothly or with no dramatic craziness going on in their life.  It is like when I go to bed at night.  I want there to be a fan or something making noise because I have grown to hate complete silence.  I must have the noise to drown out the silence.

Some people have to be going through some crazy painful experience so that they feel normal.  Sometimes our home life or up bringing made us accustom to things always going wrong.

When Jesus calmed the sea for the disciples, I wonder if there were a few people on the boat hoping for at least choppy waters?  We pray that God would bring peace to our troubled seas; however, would we really want that or would we just move on to another more troubled body of water?

I think the seas of our lives will calm down way more often when we are truly okay with having them calmed.  Why would God calm something that we will just stir back up?

Peace Out Homey’s