When election time comes every citizen of the United States has the privilege to vote. In fact, as a citizen we have an obligation to vote. The people running for office encourage people to get out and vote. Yet, unless the situation affects them (the people) 50% never do but, everyone would agree that democracy is everyone's business.
We Christians need to get out and vote also. Not every two or four years, but every week. That's right every week. We cast our vote every Lord's Day when we come to church. We are voting to have a church. We are voting to keep the doors open. We are saying by coming “I am loyal to my Lord and Savior.”
Yet, like voting on national elections, 50% of professing Christians in America don't go to church. They are not voting for God but the world. They are sending a message that we don't need the church. We don't need pastors and teachers just us the benefits of a good life. We want to go to heaven someday but we don't want to support the church. Let someone else educate our children spiritually. And, we surely do not want to be volunteers!
When you come around the Lord's Table for communion you are voting for Jesus Christ. You are saying I am loyal to my Lord. He died for me and I will be faithful to the end. You are saying I need the spiritual food and accountability. I need fellowship. I need to let God know how important he is in my life. My vote every Lord's Day is for the moral and spiritual training of our children. My vote is, I enlisted for life and I am a faithful soldier of the cross.
When we give our tithes and offerings we are voting to keep the church going. We want God to know how much He has blessed us and we are grateful. We want God to know we are not freeloaders or neglecting our duty as citizens of the Kingdom of God.
When we volunteer to teach or serve we are voting again, because we believe and support the Kingdom. We are Kingdom people and we want the world to know that our allegiance is to Jesus Christ. We live in this world but we belong to God. We are saved and we are loyal voters.
When we witness we are voting. When we go to or join a growth cell we are voting. We Christians need to stand up and be counted.
The people are the church. We are not perfect or we would not need the blood of Jesus Christ. But Christ died for the church. He is coming back for the church! That is why I want to be in the church, the body of Christ. Thousands, no millions will miss heaven because daily and weekly they vote against the church. Pride, selfishness, stubbornness and selfish ambition will keep good people out of heaven.
I am urging you to get out and vote every Lord's Day if possible. Vote with your presence and tithe! We need God more than He needs us. Bring someone with you to church. Witness to everyone you see about your church. Remember, the Bible teaches “no other name under heaven can we be saved.” The name is Jesus. Let's show the world some real Christianity. Get out and vote!
See ya in church,
Bud
SPIRITUAL POWER
Where does real spiritual power come from? Of course you are going to say, “from God.” That is very true. But, why does that spiritual power come to some and not to others? That is the question.
The apostles were promised power in Acts 1:8, which was the gift of the Holy Spirit. They were told to wait in Jerusalem for this power to come. The Holy Spirit did come with power on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.
There was a reason these new kingdom people were to receive this power. So it was that they could live as God's subjects and serve Him. So that they could change from the old way of life and have the true victory over the sinful nature. This power from God became very evident in their lives.
But, is having the gift of the Holy Spirit all that the Christian needs to live this victorious life?
No, we now allow this power to produce in us a new desire to obey and mature to become godly and Christ-like. Without this desire the power is useless to those who are converted.
It all starts with God's Will. God's Will for our lives. God's Will for our church. God's Will for our families. Our calling is to learn and do God's Will. Those who learn this and do this are now the true demonstration of a real spiritual power from God.
We learn God's Will by reading God's Word. This is one of the ways God communicates to us. How can we know God's Will without reading God's Word? How can we obey or serve without knowing God's Will?
We obey God's Word by applying God's Word. How do we know it's God's Will to pray? Prayer is the lifeline for every believer to communicate with God. Jesus gave us permission to pray in His name. Jesus set the example of prayer and taught His disciples to pray. A prayless Christian is a weak Christian. Reading and studying God's Word is not complete without prayer. The inner man must connect to God's power to be victorious and to truly walk by faith.
When the Christian is walking in God's spiritual power something else is very evident; the Fruit of the Spirit. For Paul declared in Gal 5:24 “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. This is God's Will that the Fruit of the Spirit is the result of His spiritual power in the believer's life. Kingdom people are God's body that do His Will and live above the sinful nature, which is of this world.
Again the question: Why does the spiritual power come to some and not to others? God gives every born again person the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit. But some believers either do not understand or refuse to allow the Holy Spirit to take control of their lives. The ones who do, grow and mature. The ones who don't will fail the test of obedience.
Spirit filled believers are pray-ers, Bible-readers, tithers, loyal to worship, sin fighting, evangelistic people.
The Fruit of the Spirit is the bi- product of a submissive people who love God and obey Him. The church, Christ's Body, is the testing place of those who seek and worship God.
Paul said to the Corinthians: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” Cor 13:3
See ya in church
Bud
1. The way you think determines the way you act. The way you act determines what happens to you.
2. Fear is a false power we allow to govern our actions because of imagination.
3. Your level of awareness will give you new and better understanding of situations.
4. You see the world as you are, not as it is. Uplift what you are and the world changes.
5. You attract people to yourself like you are. Your friends are a mirror of yourself.
6. Every new growth season is a delightful surprise. New adventures await the risk taker for change.
7. To change others, first change yourself. He who refreshes others, will himself be refreshed.
8. To be free from bondage, we must discover first what holds us in bondage. Now break free.
9. Just because you made a mistake, does not make you a mistake. Don't let the mistakes own you. Get it behind you.
10. Don't drain your energy by thinking negative thoughts about someone who has hurt you. Forget it and move on.
11. You are never truly successful until you really enjoy life. True success is of the mind, it's not material things.
12. Rewards come after success not before. To build a brighter future, be true to your calling. The feelings of a job well done is a great reward.
13. Life never requires you to do anything beyond your present ability. People may require it or you may require it of yourself, but God said He would not put on us more than we can handle.
14. When you can't solve a problem, try another way. Every problem has a solution.
15. The more you dare to do, the more you can do. How much of your ability do you really use?
16. It's not enough to hear the truth only, we must receive it and then act on it for the right results.
17. To keep you thinking fresh, you must constantly feed your mind information.
18. To change for the better you must first change your outlook then behavior change and then results will change.
19. A satisfied mind is different for every person. It will be determined by moral standards and character.
20. The ideas from which you think are the spring boards that make your life whatever it is. Timid thoughts project timid actions. Positive thoughts produce positive actions.
21. Courage is not the opposite of fear. It's the absence of fear.
22. Courage moves you on, fear stops you. Ask yourself, “Why do I fear it?” The answer may surprise you.
23. The greatest inspiration on this earth is truth. Nothing in this world works like truth.
24. When God bless you, he expects you to be generous. We are blessed to be a blessing.
25. When you find your true self, false self has to go. Learn these principles and find true freedom.
Bud's Proverb: “He who lives with too much tension does not live to collect his pension.”
Bud
How little is the world that each of us live in. How limited our thinking when we only think of self and our needs or ministry. To understand everything, we must always see the BIG picture. I am not saying this is easy or not painful, but it's the truth.
Everything in this world is governed by seasons. A season for everything. But seasons have a limit. Seasons have a beginning but also an end. Nothing lasts forever except our souls and spirit. And that, God controls also.
Changes are inevitable regardless of how important what is being changed affects me. This is why we should not waste time or opportunity. It will not last forever.
To see the BIG picture, we must be in tune with God first. This eliminates selfish ambition. The question to be asked “what is it that will benefit the whole when changes are made?” Some have to give up something so others can receive. That's just the way it is. Life is not always easy or pleasant when it comes to change. But, sometimes it is necessary.
Most of us struggle with change if we are honest. We become satisfied with our little world. So, don't upset it or complicate it! And what we want is not always the best for the whole. So are we going to be stubborn and rebellious or are we going to be Christ-like? Sometimes peoples' true character comes out in this kind of testing, and it's not good. Again, could the reason be selfishness instead of cooperation and love?
We must remember that only two things last forever. “The Word of God and the souls of human beings.” All else will fade away and be no more. This being true, our Christian walk must be under the authority of God at all times. If not, we become roadblocks for the advancement of the Kingdom.
We all have a continued series of choices in life. Every person in God's Kingdom is a person of influence. We can use our influence for good or evil. We can help others see the BIG picture. Does this mean we don't have opinions about things? Of course not! But, use your influence to build up the Kingdom not tear it down. Souls are always at stake. We are to think of others more highly than ourselves. This, too is difficult when our territory is threatened. But try to see the BIG picture.
The church, being made up of people, if it is growing will always produce differences of opinion. As people, we are willing to voice and share those opinions. As a church we have one mission; to seek and save the lost. Let's not forget it. To do this ministry we must give and take. Eliminate the roadblocks and do the will of the Father.
Remember, if you always do what you've always done, you will always have what you always had.
Do I always have to agree? No! But I always have to support the body for the good of the whole. I want to be loyal to Jesus Christ. And I believe you do too.
See ya in church
Bud