Solid Marks

Solid Marks of Christians -

Love - John 13:34 - 35 says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love for one another.

In a world devoted to self seeking and where love has grown cold, love makes believers stand out.

Unity - John 17:21 says, "That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me."

If the world can see a unified family, or a unified church, people will believe the Jesus Christ is in fact the Savior sent from God to Us. The world understands division, destruction, and an "every man for himself mentality. But to see a group of people live with kindness and gentleness toward one another leaves a mark.

Holiness - Hebrews 12:14 says "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."

A consistent and God honoring lifestyle is necessary for true love to be manifested, to be seen, and to accomplish its powerful witnessing work.

Good Works - Mathew 5:16 says, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Let's be people who take the love that we have in our hearts and put it into action. When this happens the world will be able to see Jesus, and it will forever leave a mark!

Hope - 1 Peter 3:15 says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

The world should be able to see the hope that we have no matter what circumstances we face to the extent that it makes them ask us how we could have such a hope despite what is going on in our lives or around us. Whether things are good or bad, it should be obvious to all that we still believe that God loves us and that God is on the throne.

Be people who leave a Mark!

A Blog By Perry Noble

Perry Noble, has thrown down southern style! And it's way too good to simply link to. So here is the entire post:
One of the lessons I’ve learned while being in the ministry for the past 17 years is sometimes what people say isn’t exactly true…things such as…
(WARNING…you will probably only like this post if you are a pastor or a staff member of a church!)

What They Say: “I’m looking for a church that preaches the Word!”
What They Mean: “I’m looking for a church that preaches MY view of the Word. I think the BLANK translation should be used…I think BLANK should be talked about a lot while BLANK should be ignored. And if you ever stop preaching my view of the Word I will leave and tell others that you don’t preach the Word!”

What They Say: “Lot’s of people have been coming to me and saying they don’t like is…”
What They Mean: “I basically only have three friends…and all of them think exactly like me. The other night we were enjoying a time of self righteousness because, after all, we are right about everything…and were also slandering you (in the form of prayer requests) and thought it would be wise to approach you with our pet peeve. We’ve actually talked to no one else about this but said “lots” because we wanted to validate our dysfunction.”

What They Say: “I’m leaving the church.”
What They Mean: “Beg me to stay. If you will just ask me I will share with you several ways you can compromise God’s vision that He’s given you, thus becoming nothing more than a people pleasing pastor who is more interested in popularity than obedience. If you don’t bow to my demands I will remind you that I tithe and that the church needs my money, reducing you to a mere preaching whore…one who is paid for a service for the pleasure of another person.”

What They Say: “I want a church that is more focused on discipleship.”
What They Mean: “I want a church where everyone knows me and how important I am! I don’t want to reach people who are different from me, be it economic class or race or even musical preference. I already know WAY more than I do…but I somehow equate spirituality with knowledge rather than application and I rather enjoy feeling intellectually superior to those who don’t know as much as me.”

What They Say: “Don’t take this personally…but…”
What They Mean: “I am about to lower the BOOM on you…but you can’t get angry because I told you not to take it personally. Even though you have dedicated your life to this and pretty much invest every ounce of energy you have to this cause…and I think about it once or twice a week…you need to receive my attacks, even when they are personal…and you cannot retaliate because, remember, it’s not personal.”
OKAY, that was fun! I typed it all with a smile. Trust me…I’m not mad or frustrated with anyone…I just thought a pastor or two MIGHT get a smile out of this. :-)
Thanks Perry. Now I'm going to take a deep breath.....

The Boldness

Today I realized just how intimidating it is sometimes to have an idea and try to contact people that have "Rockstar Status" to find answers. There are people on tv, radio, and the internet that we all watch and think to ourselves, "I wish I could just talk to that person and ask them a few questions on how they got started.." The challenge I want to pose today is, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOOSE? GO FOR IT! Make the call and see what happens. If the person doesn't want to talk to you, you'll find out, but what if they do? What if you end up having the best conversation of your life? What if you find the answers you have been looking for? What if it leads you onto a path that you have been looking for? What if you have the biggest breakthrough of your life? If you ask me it is worth breaking through the intimidation, making the call, and see what comes to pass. Don't allow intimidation to keep you from potentially leading you toward the largest breakthrough of your life.