Spiritual Friendships

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As this article is being published, I am traveling back to the Evergreen State (Washington, of course) after spending the last three days at the 2012 Calvary Chapel Senior Pastors Conference. It dawned on me that I have been a yearly attender at these conferences for eight years. There are many draws to this conference. The conference center in Southern California is beautiful. There is teaching and worship. They give you free books and resources.

But more than anything, the greatest blessing of this conference is the friendships that have developed over the years. I am continually amazed at the number of pastors that I have been blessed to get to know. Some of those relationships are slowly evolving. Other of those relationships are fully formed. But either way, it is the friendships that draw me to the conference year in and year out. Out of those relationships, there are Paul, Barnabas and Timothy types. I am grateful for the Pauls in my life. There are men who have made significant investments in my life as mentors. I had many conversations this week with men who challenge me, teach me, encourage me and sometimes just let me process out loud. I am also grateful for the Barnabas’ in my life. These are the men who are my brothers and co-labors. Like Paul and Barnabas, these relationships are those amongst people who walk through life together. I always enjoy the Timothy type of relationships. These are guys that I can pour into. Realistically, I get to function as a Paul to men who are Timothys to me.

No matter what the relationship is, he reality is that spiritual friendships are essential to our growth. Sanctification does not happen in a vacuum. Instead growth happens in community and relationship. I have many conversations to process through. Many new ideas and thoughts to pray and think through. I just find myself extremely grateful for the spiritual friendships that God has blessed me with.

I also realized that 8 years of continued attendance has greatly fostered these relationships. A good relationship needs to be invested in. True interpersonal intimacy is fostered by communication over time. We are not entitled to deep relationships but we need to make an investment in them with intentionality. I am absolutely blessed by the investment people make in me. I am so thankful to have peers who I walk through life with. I am humbled to get to poor into people’s lives. Overall, I am eternally grateful for the intentionality of all involved to fill my life with spiritual friendships.

Ponder the Path

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“Ponder the path of thy feet,

And let all thy ways be established.

Turn not to the right hand

Nor to the left:

Remove thy foot from evil”

 

Seems a good a time as any, since many are at the Senior Pastor’s Conference in Murrietta to pause and reflect upon the path we are each treading.

Think about the “Path” you are on today. Think about where you started and where you find yourself today. Look back at the amazing faithfulness of the Lord who has called you out of darkness and transferred you into the Light of the Kingdom life of His Son, whom He loves. What power, what love, what trustworthiness, what faithfulness! Words cannot paint a pleasant or fitting enough picture worthy of the One to who it is ascribed. God has taken us from the dungheap of a vain, empty and damned life because of our rebellion against Him, and has redeemed us from the curse of the law having sent His only Beloved Son in whom He is well pleased to bear the curse for us and vicariously nailed it to the cross for all those who would believe on His Name! What mercy, what grace, what peace, what forgiveness!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”

Do not turn from the One who called you and set you on the path your on today. Keep your hands in His. Fix your gaze afresh upon the One who loved you and gave Himself for you. Follow His lead, for His rod and His staff are there to protect, guide, and comfort you. His desire is to restore your soul in the path He has prepared beforehand for you to walk along. Do not be afraid of what lies ahead or how you will be provided for.

“Behold the birds of the air. They neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?”

Don’t waver, or turn from the path. Don’t meander into the fields of another. Look to the Good Shepherd, let Him know your requests, and you will find the greates clarity and the greatest satisfaction you have ever known.

 

The Machine

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What I have written might ruffle some feathers. However, it’s something that many of us church folk are aware of and may be in the midst of. I don’t mean in any way to point fingers but to encourage you the reader to seek a Spirit-led life. If churches aren’t being Spirit-led, then I think it’s safe to assume that those attending most likely aren’t being encouraged to allow the Spirit to lead in their own lives. In my course of ministry I have encountered several churches that I would refer to as “machines.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to be organized, to have goals as a church, and to have fresh vision. Those are all great things. The problem is when the church becomes so efficient at running its programs, meeting its goals, and fulfilling the vision, that the church finds itself not relying upon the Spirit’s leading. With service rehearsals, focus groups deciding what the sermons will be, scripted announcements/prayers, and cues becoming the norm, it’s easy to see how the Spirit would not be acknowledged. These churches have it down to a “T.” Production is flawless and they are fluid. All great, but the main issue is that most machines are engineered to fulfill one task. If you’ve ever seen a car manufacturing line there are several robotic machines that assist in assembling a vehicle. It would be redonkulis if the robotic welder malfunctioned so they decided to use the robotic paint sprayer. It wouldn’t fly! When the church becomes a machine it’s good at doing what it does. But when the Spirit comes along and wants to change things up, it’s very difficult for the machine to fall into sync with what the Spirit desires to do in the body.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ‘

Revelation 2:7

Through chapter two and three of Revelations we see, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” It’s a scary place when the church is so machine-like that there is no longer an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying. It’s a scary place in our own lives when we don’t have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying. The church today needs to continually surrender to the Spirit’s leading.

Pour out your Spirit, Lord!

 

Phillip MacIntosh was the Director of 1-800-HIT-HOME, the National Youth Crisis Hotline and Senior Pastor of Horizon Christian Fellowship UTC, San Diego. Phillip now currently serves alongside his father at Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego. He also serves as a Chaplain for the San Diego Harbor Police, Chula Vista Police and Chula Vista Fire Department. Phillip is happily married with three young children.

“Good works”, the key to minimizing “run-off”

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Two days ago we loaded up a Budget truck and made the move from Phoenix to the San Diego area.  Needless to say, it’s been a jam-packed and crazy week and because of that, I will be very brief with this post.  A portion of what I’m about to share is the result of what God placed on my heart to share on my last Sunday as the pastor of the church in Phoenix.  But some of the points from Matt Kottman’s post from the other day (Drought), has also contributed.

I transitioned the church in Phoenix over to a much younger man who is stepping into the role of being a Senior Pastor for the first time.  As I prayed about what to share on my last Sunday as the Senior Pastor, the Lord led me to share the truth’s contained in the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, and then stitch it all together with a quick overview of Titus.

Suffice it to say here that Jesus directing the apostles to be the ones to meet the needs of the multitude that had spent all day listening to Him was a crucial lesson that they needed to learn.  Surrendering the insufficient inventory we possess to the Lord and then being obedient to take a step of faith and serve others with that inventory which He will increase to meet the need was an astounding truth they needed to understand.  The miracle was certainly a “good work” that they did for others with His favor and power making it a huge blessing to them and those they served.

And then Paul’s emphasis on “good works” in his letter to a very young pastor named Titus as he served a church on the island of Crete.  I find that very interesting.  What does a much older, ministry-tested former missionary church planter emphasize time and again in a letter to this young pastor?  The importance of “good works” from a number of different angles:

2:7  Titus is to “show himself a pattern of GOOD WORKS”

2:14  That the grace of God does many things, which includes producing a special group of people that are “zealous for GOOD WORKS”.

3:1  That Titus should remind his church members to “be ready for every GOOD WORK”

3:8  That Titus should “affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain GOOD WORKS”.

3:14  And that “our people” need to “learn to maintain GOOD WORKS”.

I find that in our desire to teach good doctrine and give our people the truth, especially regarding grace, that we neglect the role of telling our people the importance of GOOD WORKS.  Jesus and Paul never neglected to do so.

This may be one of the reasons for the “drought” Matt mentions.  The hearts of our people can’t receive any more because the truth that is already there isn’t being put into practice.  If it is, the heart will need and demand more truth.  The “run-off” will be minimal when that which has been absorbed already is actually being put to use.

Pastoral Ministry Practice #1

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In John 17:4 Jesus refers to the work He has already accomplished.

I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

Suffering a sacrificial death and rising in power were not the only assignments given to Jesus.   In John 17:6-13 He lists out the work He accomplished before going to the cross.   These verses serve as an outline of the pastoral ministry of Jesus Christ.  These verses set before us the four essential practices of pastoral ministry.  What Jesus exampled in His ministry and reviews in prayer here before His Father are the essence of being a shepherd to the flock of God.  The first essential work of pastoral ministry is given in 17:6 –

I manifested Your name to the men You gave Me out of the world.

God’s name is not what He is called, but who He is.  His name is what characterizes Him – it is His nature, His heart.  God is holy.  God hates sin like you hate sickness – you hate what it does to you.  God hates what sin does to people.  When Jesus said that He manifested the Name of His Father to those given Him, He meant that He had brought it into light, caused it to shine, and to illuminate others.  He was saying,

Father, I showed them what You are like!

Jesus showed us the holiness and the love of God.  This is the high calling of ministry.  Your pastoral ministry is far more than explaining the Bible to people.  Your ministry is not only declaring the written Word of God, it is demonstrating the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ.  The latter is the far more demanding work.  Your week by week declaration of the written Word of God apart from an ongoing demonstration of the Living Word of God is a charade that others won’t put up with for very long.  Nothing hardens the heart of men toward God and the church than declaration divorced from demonstration.

Moses had a revelation of God’s name, whereas Jesus is the revelation, the manifestation of God’s name.  Moses spoke a word; Jesus is the Word.  When Jesus manifested the name of the Father He didn’t take the disciples aside and whisper in their ear a new name for God.  The manifestation Jesus speaks of isn’t information, but incarnation; it’s not what He said to them – it’s what He showed them.  Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father.  His heart’s desire was to see God.  Jesus told Philip that if he had seen Him, then he had seen the Father!  In the person of Jesus, the nature and character of God – His name – could be seen. This has huge implications for what it means to be in ministry.  Jesus said,

As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.

You have been sent to continue the pastoral mission and the ministry practices of Jesus.  How He related to people sets the pattern for how you are to relate to people.  Manifesting the name of God is the first thing mentioned by Jesus.  And if you don’t manifest the name of God, if you don’t incarnate the character of the Lord, your life and  ministry won’t pack much of a punch.  Ministry is life touching life.  But it is not ministry that bears life – it is life that bears life.  And a life bereft of the name of God is not life-giving.  Manifesting the name of the Father is strategic to any ministry seeking to make Christ known.  This is true ministry.  Your effectiveness and influence is made or broken here.

Jesus gave us a full revelation of God – not a theological explanation, but a living demonstration.  This is the need of people in every generation.  Thank God for theologians who can help us navigate through the rapids of theological explanation –  who can help us to clearly understand the omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience of God and what they mean for today.  And thank God for pastors and men and women of God in whom there is a depth of character – the name of God – being lived out day by day.

Can people see what God is like by being with you?  Do you manifest the holiness of God and the love of God?  Holiness is a separation from the pollution of the world and a separation to God – the opposite of which is carelessness.  Love is pursuit of the hurting people of the world – the opposite of which is callousness.  If you are careless of the call to purity and are callous toward the needs of people, you are falling short of how Jesus conducted Himself in the ministry given to Him.  Many who will not darken the doors of our churches today trace their offense to the carelessness and the callousness of the ministry.

It was said of Napoleon that his personal presence on the battlefield gave the tactical advantage of an additional 10,000 men.  His influence was so great, the confidence of his men was so swelled, that a victory seemed assured.  The influence of a pastor who lives out the name of God is of incalculable value that will only be determined by eternity.

Drought

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England is a very wet country. We get some rain almost every day. Those of you in the Pacific Northwest can identify with the climate here. The weather here is so variable, that it is the most common theme of conversation. In fact, I dare anyone in England to engage in a conversation with someone without the weather being mentioned!

All this weather talk gets me thinking. Recently, because of a draught here, the government called for a “hosepipe ban”. In other words, if you use your hose to water your garden or wash your car or whatever, you will be charged a fine of £1000! I found this intriguing especially as I am from California and it never rains there. I guess Californians have the luxury of stealing water from neighbors, but when you’re on an island, this becomes more difficult.

Strangely, we have had some extremely heavy rain storms come through causing flooding over the past several weeks. Wondering if I was able to wash my car, I checked to see if the ban was still on. YES! It is still on. Apparently we received too much rain! The water came down in such volume that it all turned into runoff and hardly any had sunk below the surface.

Enough about British weather… It is a wonder to me that people (including myself) who hear lots of Bible teaching can still have a drought in their soul. But the fact of the matter is that it’s not the volume of Bible that we hear, but rather the depth of penetration what we hear has. I can tend to think a person just needs to listen to more Bible studies, which may actually just turn into runoff. I can hear some people at this point say, “Wait, God’s word doesn’t return void, certainly more Bible is better.” Hear me out.

Jesus said we are to “take heed how you hear” (Mark 4:24-25 NKJV). Hearing the word doesn’t profit us if that word is not absorbed. At best, we get wet on the surface, but the soul is still parched. What our people may need is not necessarily more Bible studies, but rather focusing on the heart’s reception of God’s truth to which they are already exposed.

Recently we decided to use the same text from Sunday’s teaching in our home groups. Our desire is to see the same truth that was heard on Sunday absorbed with the help of community. My thinking is that if our people could learn one truth about God well from his word each week and truly absorb that truth, the drought of soul would be replaced by a well-watered garden. Their capacity for intake would increase. We can focus on how that truth teaches us, rebukes us, exhorts us, and helps us walk with Jesus (2Tim 3:16) both as individuals and in community.

The Loss of Community

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I began a new series of teachings on Mother’s Day at CCEsco called “Reconcile.” The series has grown out of a number of conversations, encounters and times alone in thought and prayer that have lead me to some great [new] realizations for myself and those that I have the privilege of leading at CCE. Primarily I’ve been impacted by the importance of this “ministry of reconciliation” that each of us as believers has been brought into by Christ.

This last week [especially] I’ve been meditating upon what humanity lost in the fall, and how those things are restored to us in salvation. Very little exegesis is needed to identify and account for what was lost in the fall. At the close of Genesis 2, man and his wife were naked and unashamed; 7 verses later everything had changed.

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Genesis 3:7

With the fist sin shame entered in, and the glorious oneness experienced by the first humans was devastated. With sin came the loss of community and ever since man has been trying to restore that which was lost by his own sinful efforts. Those efforts took the shape of fig leaves in Genesis 3; today it’s all manner of sinful behavior which is practiced with the fleeting hope of satisfying the inner longing for that which was lost in the fall.

The second loss of the fall is illustrated by man’s response to God’s presence in the garden after he and Eve had sinned, and by God’s question to Adam in Genesis 3:8-9.

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Genesis 3:8-9

Adam and Eve hid from God because of the shame of sin, and God identifies the separation between He and humanity in His inquiry, “Adam, where are you?” Sin caused separation between man and God, the loss of communion.

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Isaiah 59:2

I highlight these losses—of community and communion—as I’ve come to realize that by their loss man is left yearning for them to be restored. Although man may not be able to adequately verbalize his want, it is I believe, the deepest desire of every human soul. We were created to live in genuine oneness with one another and fellowship with God. Of course, this that was lost at the fall is restored by the cross; and we, ministers of reconciliation/restoration, are given the privilege of reintroducing the lost to communion and community.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:20

 

Unspiritual Christianity

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Today is one of those articles that I am going to try and say something that I don’t really know how to say. I really have struggled over the years to articulate this reality and find myself struggling today again to find the words to express something of value.

My pondering began with a simple question, “How is it possible for Christianity to be perceived as unspiritual?” The gospel is simply the Lordship of Jesus. When a person believes in Jesus, they are indwelt by the Spirit of God, the third person of the Blessed Trinity.There is no Christianity without the Spirit. Yet, as I look around the body of Christ, there seems to be way more examples of unspiritual Christianity then there are spiritual ones. Now when I speak about the need for Christianity to be spiritual, I mean “of the Spirit” in the simplest of terms. Not even necessarily the expression of spiritual giftings. I am talking about the basics of love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, patience, goodness and self control (Galatians 5:23). I am talking about lives that are lived out in the simplest aspects of agape love and service. I am talking about the ‘shalom’ of God being at work and being outworked through the body of Christ. Concepts such as agape, simplicity, service, unity and peace-making are in my mind.

As I survey much of the Christianity around today, I don’t see much of this. So I started to wonder why. Why is so much of Christianity look so little like the life of Jesus? I see much personal politics, attack-dog disagreements, sin cloaked in religion, bickering, jockeying for position, niches and cliches. It is so common for people to rise up in churches if they are charismatic or sychopantic rather than having a Jesus-formed character.

So I am going to list a few reasons why this may be the case. Instead of commenting on each of them, I will simply list them and let you all have fun with them.

1) When information is king
2) When theology is not translated to the street level
3) Classic Self-salvation plans
4) Cultural Idolatry
5) A lack of any focus on spiritual formation (true biblical discipleship)
6) A western individualistic focus rather than community formation
7) Prayerlessness
8) The Curse of Affluence
9) The Influence of Business Practices upon Church Leadership
10) Tax-exempt status
11) Church as entertainment

Comfortable Christianity?

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If there’s one thing my own heart has convinced me of, and my interactions with other Christian’s has taught me time and time again, it is that many Christians in the west expect God to provide us with a comfortable Christianity.  We gauge whether or not God is calling us to serve Him by cost, comforts, and conveniences we may have to sacrifice. If we feel called to something that will cost more money than we’d like to spend, think we have, or can provide, we conclude the feeling must not be from God. If we sense the nudge of the Holy Spirit toward a project or person that would cause us discomfort (physically or emotionally), we back out. If serving some way is just inconvenient, either at church or elsewhere, many Christians conclude God must not be leading, or things would just go smoothly.

Comfortable Christianity Slogans

Here are some of my favorite statements I hear, and some I’ve said, which demonstrate our expectation of a comfortable Christianity:

 “If I’m stressed out, it means I’ve taken too much on and need to let something go.” (Comfort)

 “We want to come to church, but we live fifteen minutes across town.” (Convenience)

 “We want to tithe, but money’s a little tight right now.” (Cost)

 “We’d love to go to a small group, but I have to rush home, eat quickly, and get the family packed up in a hurry, and by that time we’re just stressed.  Going to Bible study as a family shouldn’t be stressful.” (Convenience/Comfort)

 “I meant to come to the once per quarter discipleship event at church, but Saturdays are when I sleep in.” (Convenience)

 “I know those people need help, but my kids can’t miss their nap.” (Convenience/Cost/Comfort)

 “We haven’t been at church in three months because it’s SUMMER!” (Convenience/Comfort)

God’s Not a Kill-joy

Now, to be clear, I’m not saying all of the above statements are sinful every time they’re made.  For instance, sometimes a kid just needs a nap. But too often, these kinds of things become excuses for not wanting to suffer in any way, to be part of the body of Christ, or serve people. The truth is, biblical Christianity includes the call to joyfully suffer. If our Christianity is the Christianity of the Christ, it will mean great cost at times, to us and our families. It will mean inconvenience, and it will mean discomfort. It will include things like only camping two weeks in the summer with your family instead of ten, specifically so you can serve your church and community on the other weekends. It may include kids going without naps, stressful drives to the prayer meeting, spending money you don’t have because God promised to provide, and sacrificing days off on the couch, for days off in the trench serving God.

Jesus and the Apostles

Consider a few verses, and ask yourself if they represent legitimate potential experiences in your life, based on how you live out your version of the Christian life:

Matthew 8:19-20: “Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’” That’s right. Jesus was telling this dude that he may have to sleep on the street to follow Jesus faithfully. What if following Jesus meant that for you? Would you write off His call to sacrifice as the voice of the Devil? Some would conclude that  Satan was the one speaking if they were merely being asked to give up a spare room to a guest, let alone their entire house.

Matthew 16:24-25: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’” That’s a tough cost to ponder. As John Piper reminded a group of students in regard to this passage, “The cross isn’t some annoying person sitting next to you in history class. The cross is the place where you die with nails driven through your hands and feet, while the crows eat your eyes out.” Jesus’ point is that truly following Him will feel like that spiritually at times for us all. And for some, they will literally be called to die for the faith, as He did.

Acts 5:41- “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” This was the response of the apostles when they were persecuted for their faithfulness to Jesus and His gospel. Most of us would think God was punishing us if He allowed us to suffer for Christ.

1 John 3:16- “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” This one is brutally plain, but true, and needs no elaboration.

What about You?

So, does your version of Christianity demand comfort, or is it real and biblical Christianity? Christians worship the crucified Christ, a suffering Savior. If you follow Him, you should expect to meet His experiences. And yet, the mystery of Christ is that He can grant a greater joy in giving, and suffering, than we experience when we avoid such things at all costs. The paradoxical thing is that when we avoid cost, inconvenience, and discomfort, we actually avoid joy, blessing, spiritual maturation, usefulness, and sanctification, which, at some levels, the Holy Spirit only uses the tool of suffering to provide.

I leave you with two quotes to pray over today:

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed– always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”[1] –The Apostle Paul

 “We can only achieve perfect liberty and enjoy fellowship with Jesus when His command, His call to absolute discipleship, is appreciated in its entirety. Only the man who follows the command of Jesus single-mindedly, and unresistingly lets His yoke rest upon him, finds His burden easy, and under its gentle pressure receives the power to persevere in the right way. The command of Jesus is hard, unutterably hard, for those who try to resist it. But for those who willingly submit, the yoke is easy, and the burden is light. ‘His commandments are not grievous’ (1 John 5:3). His commandments are not some sort of spiritual shock treatment. Jesus asks nothing of us without giving us the strength to perform it. His commandment never seeks to destroy life, but to foster it, strengthen and heal it.”[2] –Dietrich Bonhoeffer

[1] 2 Corinthians 4:8-11 NKJV

[2] Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship. Page 38.

To What End?

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Thought:

When I stand before the Lord, and present my life’s work to Him, I picture Him leaning toward me and asking (as my life’s “work” is being tried in the fire), “Tell me…what was the end you had in mind when you did this?”

Question:

“To what end am I walking in those good things He has prepared for me beforehand to walk in?”

I am either:

1) Strengthening the things that remain

or

2) I am shoring things up.

Jesus says to the church in Revelation 3:2 “Strengthen the things that remain.” And yet, the snare that is so easily sprung upon me is the one where I slip from “strengthening” to “shoring”.

When I am shoring things up, ministry is very subjective. It is mostly (if not all – trying to be kind here). It is primarily filtered through MY circumstances and MY situation; not through the vision that God has for me personally and those He has given me to equip for the work of the ministry…and that is a horrible and destructive place to be…to myself and those around me.

I begin TO say things from the position God has given me…but I DO NOT model them.

I expect things FROM people because they SHOULD be doing them…but I don’t expect anything FOR them.

yikes…my time is now spent shoring up the ministry so it doesn’t fall apart.

God began to ask me to do things that are “impossible” because I had forgotten that God does the impossible!  I had forgotten that God did the impossible in my life! He asked me to step out and trust him, despite all my fears, my questions and my apprehensions. He wants me to walk in simple obedience. All He wanted to know then, as He does now, is “Do you trust Me?”

And that is moving back into the rightful place of Strengthening the things that remain.

I should be doing what I am doing so that by my walking in simple obedience to do the one thing the Lord has asked me to do, it would provoke/stir up the Body to love and to good works. And that out of my passionate love towards God, that my obedience would display itself in a greater love for the Body in desiring to equip them, sharing with them the things I discover along the way, and would then overflow into other believers lives, and that would spill into increased areas of ‘ministry’ for the Body to walk in.

The ministry could be so much more effective, and far reaching if I would multiply myself by pouring myself out into others. They would be strengthened. The ministry would be strengthened. The kingdom will expand.