Loving the city of Jerusalem

Cities have always held a special place in the heart of God. Yes, they can be a place where there is so much crime and evil, which in all reality simply reveal they are places of great great need. Cities have governments that are either for the people or they are against the people. Some are small. Some are large. Some are considered mega. They are places of history and places desiring a great future. Of all the cities in the world, one stands out above them all - Jerusalem. Even today it has such significance, for the Jew, the Muslim, and the Christian, it is an important city.

This week there has been a turn in our current administrations view of Israel and the land that is rightfully theirs, promised and given to them by God. It is a dangerous thing to be against Jerusalem. If you do not believe me, listen to the prophet of Zechariah. I don't know where you stand on Jerusalem, but I hope you pray for its peace and long to see the Jews come to faith. Look at the words of Zechariah and let them speak for themselves.

"I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people, and all that burden themselves with it will be cut to pieces.." Zechariah 12:3

Rated R Post - Top 50 Internet Acronyms Parents Need to Know

1. 8 - Oral sex
2. 1337 - Elite -or- leet -or- L337
3. 143 - I love you
4. 182 - I hate you
5. 1174 - Nude club
6. 420 - Marijuana
7. 459 - I love you
8. ADR - Address
9. AEAP - As Early As Possible
10. ALAP - As Late As Possible
11. ASL - Age/Sex/Location
12. CD9 - Code 9 - it means parents are around
13. C-P - Sleepy
14. F2F - Face-to-Face
15. GNOC - Get Naked On Cam
16. GYPO - Get Your Pants Off
17. HAK - Hugs And Kisses
18. ILU - I Love You
19. IWSN - I Want Sex Now
20. J/O - Jerking Off
21. KOTL - Kiss On The Lips
22. KFY -or- K4Y - Kiss For You
23. KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless
24. LMIRL - Let's Meet In Real Life
25. MOOS - Member Of The Opposite Sex
26. MOSS - Member(s) Of The Same Sex
27. MorF - Male or Female
28. MOS - Mom Over Shoulder
29. MPFB - My Personal F*** Buddy
30. NALOPKT - Not A Lot Of People Know That
31. NIFOC - Nude In Front Of The Computer
32. NMU - Not Much, You?
33. P911 - Parent Alert
34. PAL - Parents Are Listening
35. PAW - Parents Are Watching
36. PIR - Parent In Room
37. POS - Parent Over Shoulder -or- Piece Of Sh**
38. pron - porn
39. Q2C - Quick To Cum
40. RU/18 - Are You Over 18?
41. RUMORF - Are You Male OR Female?
42. RUH - Are You Horny?
43. S2R - Send To Receive
44. SorG - Straight or Gay
45. TDTM - Talk Dirty To Me
46. WTF - What The F***
47. WUF - Where You From
48. WYCM - Will You Call Me?
49. WYRN - What's Your Real Name?
50. zerg - To gang up on someone

www.netlingo.com/top50/popular-text-terms.

Lessons from Luke on Communicating the Gospel

Honestly, Luke is my favorite Gospel as I really like the way he communicates the story of Christ. As he begins the book, he sets forth several things about why he was writing in the manner in which he did. Luke's style offers us some clear ways to understand how we can better communicate the Gospel. Here is what Luke says was his intent in writing:

"Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught". Luke 1:1-4

Here are the things we can learn about communication of the gospel story:

• Details Matter - Luke says that he had followed all things closely for a while. The details of the story of Christ matter. Don't skip over things. Knowing the details allows us to communicate more effectively.
• Incarnational Communication - Luke says that the message came from eyewitnesses who had already started compiling a narrative about Christ's life. This is not some made up story we have faith in but came from those who saw and heard it all and passed it down to us. The gospel is told best by a life that is living out faith.
• A Story for Future Generations - The eyewitnesses told the story and it has come to Luke who is in turn passing the story on to Theophilus. Here we are 2000 years later continuing the story.
• Long View of Evangelism - Theophilus may have still had questions or doubts so Luke took the next step in the communication of the story by writing it down for him. As we tell the story of Jesus to those we know, it is important for us to find new ways to communicate the story to those we have met. Don't give up so fast on them but find new ways to invest and speak.
• Establish a Certainty of Faith - Luke wanted his friend to have a certainty about the things he had been taught. That is the goal all of us in ministry must strive for - that those we lead to be sure of what they believe.

These things can help us be much better in leading our ministries.

A Sign of our Times

If you have a clue, it is clear that our society has officially embrace rude as a natural expression of who we are. All of this stems from a man-centered thinking where we are at the center of things.

3 things this week to verify this:

1. Serena Williams at the US Open
2. Joe Wilson - Republican yelling out during the President's Address
3. Kanye West at MTV Awards

I have a suggestion to us all. Shut up! We are not the center of the world.

God has a few suggestions:

James 4:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

Proverbs 12:8 A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of twisted mind is despised.

Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.

Who wants to live in a society where respect is gone? As Christ followers, let's not get caught up in this.

Lessons from The Prophets to our Generation of Ministers

I have some sobering thoughts for our current generation of workers both here in the USA and those serving around the world. Why do we do what we do? What is our motivation in being one who proclaims the gospel to the nations? Do we get it? I mean, do we really get what we are called to do in our days hear on earth. Yesterday, I began to walk through 1 Peter with our Life Group and was really struck by the prophets of the Old Testament. They got it and there are some things we should embrace about them. They did not Twitter and have Facebook where they spent a lot of time sharing with the world what they were doing. (Do we really need to know what some people are doing 6x a day? I know that I am not that interesting.)

They did not spend their days communicating about themselves, but communicating about the greatness of God. Here is how Peter shared about the prophets: "Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to your through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. 1 Peter 1:10-12

They never saw Jesus, heard Him preach or saw Him perform a miracle and yet they lived to proclaim the message. Peter says that they did not do what they did to serve themselves, but those who came after them. They loved the kingdom so much that they did not do what they did to advance themselves, but it was done to for the good of the future generations yet to come.

So, who do you serve? You, your advancement, your next bigger position, a book deal, a conference to speak at, etc. etc.

They served not themselves, but for those who came after them. Whether it brought them fame or success in their lifetime, they looked much further into the future and saw all who were yet to believe.

Do we love our church, cities, people groups enough to proclaim Christ for their benefit of others while we lay aside any desire for personal gain? Maybe this is what is missing in the effectiveness of our ministries.

Ronald Reagan in 1961 - Socialized Medicine

Now back in 1927 an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for president on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program. There are many ways in which our government has invaded the precincts of private citizens, the method of earning a living. But at the moment I'd like to talk about another way because this trip is with us and at the moment is more imminent.

One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. Most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can't afford it.

Now, the American people, if you put it to them about socialized medicine and gave them a chance to choose, would unhesitatingly vote against it. We had an example of this. Under the Truman administration it was proposed that we have a compulsory health insurance program for all people in the United States, and, of course, the American people unhesitatingly rejected this.

So with the American people on record as not wanting socialized medicine, Congressman Ferrand said, if we can only break through and get our foot inside the door, they can we can expand the program after that. Well, let's see what the socialists themselves had to say about it. They say once the Ferrand bill is passed, this nation will be provided with a mechanism for socialized medicine capable of indefinite expansion in every direction until it includes the entire population. Well, we can't say we haven't been warned.

James Madison in 1788, speaking to the Virginia Convention said: “Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations.”

Now in our country under our free enterprise system, we have seen medicine reach the greatest heights that it has in any country in the world. Today, the relationship between patient and doctor in this country is something to be envied any place. The privacy, the care that is given to a person, the right to chose a doctor, the right to go from one doctor to the other.

But let’s also look from the other side, at the freedom the doctor loses. A doctor would be reluctant to say this. Well, like you, I am only a patient, so I can say it in his behalf. The doctor begins to lose freedoms; it’s like telling a lie, and one leads to another. First you decide that the doctor can have so many patients. They are equally divided among the various doctors by the government. But then the doctors aren’t equally divided geographically, so a doctor decides he wants to practice in one town and the government has to say to him you can’t live in that town, they already have enough doctors. You have to go someplace else. And from here it is only a short step to dictating where he will go.

This is a freedom that I wonder whether any of us have the right to take from any human being. In this country of ours, took place the greatest revolution that has ever taken place in world’s history. The only true revolution. Every other revolution simply exchanged one set of rulers for another. But here for the first time in all the thousands of years of man’s relation to man, a little group of the men, the founding fathers for the first time – established the idea that y ou and I had within ourselves the God given right and ability to determine our own destiny.

This freedom was built into our government with safeguards. We talk democracy today. And strangely we let democracy begin to assume the aspect of majority rule is all that is needed. Well, majority rule is a fine aspect of democracy, provided there are guarantees written in to our government concerning the rights of the individual and of the minorities.

What can we do about this? Well, you and I can do a great deal. We can say right now that we want no further encroachment on these individual liberties and freedoms and that you demand the continuation of our traditional free enterprise system. You and I can do this. The only way we can do it is by writing to our congressmen, even if we believe that he's on our side to begin with, write to strengthen his hand. Write those letters now. Call your friends and tell them to write. If you don't, this program, I promise you, will pass just as surely as the sun will come up tomorrow. And behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country... until one day as Norman Thomas said, we will awake to find that we have socialism. And if you don't do this and if I don't do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free.

Living for the Gospel

"Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him." - 2 Samuel 10:12

The setting of these words is quite a remarkable story. David has sent delegates to expresses his sympathy for the death of the former king. Upon their arrival, the advisors around the new King, Hanun, whisper in his ear that the delegates have come to spy and get word back to David. In an act of utter humiliation, half of the representatives beards are shaven off and their clothes are cut off at the hips by the Ammonites. They leave and word gets back to David who sends Joab to battle against the Ammonites. In the meantime, Hanun the king of the Ammonites has enlisted the Syrians to help him against Joab and the mighty man. As Joab and the warriors arrive, they become surrounded in the front and rear. Facing real death, Joab says to his brother Abishai the words above.

So here they are, facing death in the eye, and they see and know that they are living for something bigger than themselves and do not walk away, but get more courageous. How do we do this? How do we see the gospel as so valuable that we are willing to die for it? 3 key things are found in the verse:

1. Be of good courage - What Joab is saying is "Be strong in God". Let what we do today not be based in past experiences in the battle or in our strength but let us rest in God today. Only he can pull this off so all of our focus must be on Him. Where is your strength today? In you or in God?

2. Courageous for our People - Joab calls the men to fight for the good of God's people. He calls them to lift their eyes off of the impossible task before them and the potential slaughter of their lives to the people who are God's people. He calls them to look beyond themselves and fight for others.

3. Love and fight for our Cities - The reality is that the people of God should love their city more than anyone else. Government never will love the city the way the church can and should. If we would take our eyes off of our buildings, budgets and the how many butts we have in the seats, we could go out better into the actual streets where people live. Would you say your church calls your people to be at the building more or in their neighborhood more? I recall Jesus one time saying in Luke 14:21-23

"23 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.

For the first time in my life, I learned what loving a city meant when we lived in Duesseldorf. I loved it so much (still do) that I think of it everyday. After 4 years of walking the streets sharing, praying, building relationships I learned to love the city and hope Christ offers. It is what I am beginning to really feel for the cities of Collin County.

I pray we all love our city and are willing to invest and fight for its good even if it costs us our life.