Faith Factor (5) – The Price Tag
Have you ever heard someone say, “if it doesn’t cost you something, it’s really not worth much”? In Luke 9:23, Jesus tells His disciples that in order to be one of His followers you have to 1st deny yourself, and then take up your cross and follow Him. That sounds to me like faith may cost you something.
Jesus is asking us to nail our agenda to the cross. Even though salvation is FREE, living out a radical faith has a price tag. Luke 9:24 says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it”. Have you ever gone to the store and bought something you really wanted, like an IPOD? Once you pay the price you get to take the coveted IPOD home as your reward.
The Price Tag Precedes The Reward!!! What’s the reward? Hearing your heavenly father say, “well done”. If you are going to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, you better pull out your wallet, calendar, and work boots, because you’ve gotta put in the time in order to get the Benefits.
Faith Factor (4)
When was the last time you took a radical step of faith where you would be sunk if God didn’t show up? God has called us to a real faith. One that shows itself in action. Real faith is believing to the point of action. We respond. We do something about it. What do you do when:
someone is hungry?
you see a struggling marriage?
a neighbor loses their job and they have no money?
someone is in the hospital?
I could go on. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is impossible to please God if we lack one thing. Do you know what that is? FAITH!! While we may please ourselves and the world around us, it’s entirely possible that God isn’t the least bit happy with us. God puts extreme value to faith and so should we. How does your faith in God factor into how you live?
What pleases God more than anything on this planet is when we put our faith into practice.
Faith Factor (3)
Radical faith is when you choose to step out to fulfill God’s clearly defined will even when personal risk and sacrifice are involved. When I think of Crazy Faith I always think of Saul’s son Jonathan. In 1 Samuel 14, we read of how he took off with his bodyguard with 1 sword to go after the Philistines. He said to his bodyguard, “perhaps the Lord will be with us”. And sure enough He was.
Don’t you wonder if God looks down with anticipation waiting for His children to take a step into the unknown while at the same time knowing that God is in control?
Radical Faith isn’t a faith you just have, it’s a faith you practice. If you are a believer there is something in you that lets you know that there is more to life than sitting in your comfortable house in Lazyville, USA.
Is there something deep within your soul that is crying out for more, begging you to go just a little bit farther? Is there something that leaves you a little unsettled because you know God has something greater for you to do?
Just some questions we all should ask.
Faith Factor (2)
Are you like me? Sick and tired of being told that your faith needs to be kept to yourself. They tell me I need to separate my “Public Faith “from my “Private Faith”. As if you could have two faiths. Or here a faith, there a faith, everywhere a faith, faith.
I like how it’s o.k. to say that everyone has a right to speak boldly and freely, that is until someone mentions Jesus and then your told to keep your faith to yourself. So it’s o.k. to choose to have faith, just make sure that Jesus isn’t the object of your faith or you’ll lose your freedom of speech.
But we must speak. We must share our faith in Jesus. Paul writes in Romans 10:14, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
Don’t let this world stuff you in a sound proof booth. Say that 3 times fast. We have the single greatest message of all time that requires faith to respond to the simple message that Jesus died, He was buried, and rose again on the 3rd day for our sins. How can we not get loud (not obnoxious) and get serious (seriously joyful) about our faith?
So here goes. Permission to speak freely granted.
Faith Factor (1)
This week I will be blogging about faith. Before you tune me out because you know everything there is to know about faith, please consider taking this journey with me this week. We will explore what faith is and why it is so important to God. I am hoping it will be challenging and encouraging at the same time. Go ahead and hop on the bandwagon, trust me it will be a great ride. Also, I would love to hear from you. So don’t be afraid to leave your comments.
It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming
I can’t wait for Sunday. Of course I feel that way every week. WE are in a series called, Blueprint 4 Life looking at the life of Nehemiah. What an incredible man of vision. If you want to learn how to get something done look no further than his life. If you want a life that Rocks, like Nehemiah, it starts with letting God get a hold of you heart. Man, this dude spent so much time in prayer he had to have rug burns.
But prayer without action has no teeth. It’s just a bunch of words. You still have to get off your butt and do something. STOP USING THE EXCUSE THAT YOU ARE WAITING FOR GOD TO LEAD.
When the king asked Nehemiah what he could do for him he had a plan, a specific plan. While he was in prayer he was planning. That my friends is real faith. Prayer and planning. Just because we pray doesn’t mean that God is obligated to make up for our lack of preparations. So when you pray don’t forget to prepare. THAT’S FAITH!!
Crazy In Kenya
Maybe you’ve caught the news lately and like me are blown away by the political upheaval in Kenya. Having been there a couple of years ago and knowing some of the missionaries there brings it really close to home for me. In the midst of this unrest there are christian being targeted for their faith. I know we think we have it bad sometimes, but let’s get real. We live in the lap of luxury while they literally fight for their lives every day.
As if famine or aids wasn’t enough now they have to deal with violence. In Africa the average lifespan is 43 years. By my estimation I would already be DEAD. I hope that stops you in your tracks, because while we squeeze all the goodness out of our churches and america they struggle to survive let alone worship without fear. WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT? If I am correct probably nothing.
If you would like to do something our church supports 2 feeding centers run by missionaries who use that as a platform to share the gospel. It cost about 20 bucks a month to make a difference in a child’s life. You can go to our website, shore fellowship.com and click on giving and set up an account and start right now. Stop talking and start doing.
Check out this interview I did with a friend of mine who spent time in Africa as a missionary. His name is Shon Koonce.
YOU GOTTA FIGHT
It was the Beastie Boys that told a whole generation, “you gotta fight for your right to party”. We’ve had it crammed down our throats that a woman has the right to do what she wants with her own body, even if it means taking the life of another innocent woman (baby) who apparently lost her rights somewhere along the way. Today, is MLK day and as as nation we we celebrate civil rights and the accomplishments of that movement.
With all this talk about my rights, equal rights, and the right to free speech, is it possible that we have gotten hung up on our right to choose rather than choosing what is right.
Proverbs 14:12 states, “There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death”.
Just because we think something is our right doesn’t make it right. Jesus stated in John 14:6 that He was The way, The truth, and The life, and that no one could get to God unless it was through Him. The bible also says, ” you will know the truth and the truth will set you free”. Let’s just make sure in our zeal to get our rights, we get it right.
Expect The Unexpected
When it comes to serving God, you can always count on it that was He has in store for you is much bigger that what you can handle or comprehend. Just today I got word that Shore Fellowship Church is going to be one of 20 churches highlighted in a new book out of Granger Community Church about the use of “POP CULTURE” as leverage in attracting people to church who may not otherwise attend church.
How exciting is that? We will keep you up to date so you will know when the book comes out. I am so proud to be a part of a church that understands how to ” be all things to all people“. We are reaching people in so many ways not to mention by the simple old fashioned way of just reaching out to those around you on a daily basis. In just 8 years we have transitioned from a Traditional Baptist Church environment into a cutting edge, technology enhanced, contemporary worship experience that is reaching out to the culture in South Jersey in a fresh way without compromising the message of the gospel.
Hey, SFC give yourselves a hand, you deserve it for all the hard work you do to see people transformed through Christ!!!!
CONCERNED
If you’re like me you have a lot of things on your mind. For me, having been in ministry for almost 24 years, every week is a deadline. I am always thinking about the weekend message. I want to make sure that I am sharing what God wants people to hear. That’s a lot to think and pray about. It can be very consuming. Although I may not always hit the bulls eye my hearts desire is to share the heart of God each week.
Maybe on your job, and in your relationships, or with your finances you find yourself consumed with the busyness of life. It is in those times we can lose sight of Gods Agenda and start living out our own agenda. Whether it’s in the day to day pressure of preparing a message or just dealing with life’s issues I have been challenged to make sure that what I am burdened with is what burdens the heart of God. What burdens the heart of God? P E O P L E !!!!!
