The Message for the Messenger of God

The messenger is to devour the Word.  He is to take it in so much as to fill himself with it.  As he is filled by the Word, he is to taste of its sweetness which is like honey.  He must then prepare himself to regurgitate the Word that he has taken in as God's message to His people.

In the Book of Psalms, we are told to taste and see that the Lord is good.  The metaphorical reference is that we can ingest and digest God's goodness.  How do we do this? In most cases, we will experience this by taking in His Word. 

By reading His Word, we get an inside look at God's heart for mankind.  God offers us His Word as a direct message to both our hearts and souls.  We experience His goodnes when we engage in the reading and study of His Word.

As we read His Word, we come to recognize how God is and what God does and says.  We become exposed to the numerous incidents of God's interaction with man by seeing His relationship with Israel unfold through the Scriptures.

God uses the Scriptures to communicate to the ones with whom He has a relationship and those who seek a relationship with Him.  He carefully crafted sixty-six books to demonstrate His relationship with man, including Moses and the Prophets.

We are encouraged to read the Word with the enticement that once we taste of it that we will see that the Lord is good.  We will see that He is so good that we will feel the urging to echo the same sentiments as the psalmist and share it with others.

The Word is for both the messenger's filling and fueling.  

• It is his filling for his own satisfaction.  It is good for him to partake of it.  
• It is his fueling for the people's sake, taking the Word to them with the utmost urgency.  

He has tasted of it himself and knows of the value it contains.

Pastors and Political Involvement

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.
-Mark 6:17-20 (NRSV)

Pastors have a long history of political involvement.  That is in contrast to the popular sentiment in America that tosses out the separation of church and state oftentimes during election years and controversial debates on issues like Planned Parenthood, stem cell research and gay marriage.  Regardless of the platform, pastors have a history of braving the foray of politics through political involvement.

Adam Clayton Powell stands out as a pastor who turned to a life of politics for many years.  Prior to ever campaigning for a political office, Powell spent much of his time outside of the pulpit pressuring New York's city hall for policy changes. Powell demonstrates one manner by which pastors stood out in the political spectrum.

Jerry Falwell was involved in politics.  Falwell led an evangelical Christian movement to bring morality back into the mainstream of American life.  The Moral Majority pushed and pulled on all sorts of matters in the political arena from indecency and pornography to issues like prayer in schools.

Today's pastors find themselves under fire when congregants and others share that they only want to hear the gospel message from the pastor.  Many will argue for pastors to stay in the pulpit and stay out of politics.

The case can be made for pastors to go beyond many of their predecessors, though.  Look at the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street.  There is an element of unrest in America today.  Jesus could view a plasma TV screen today or an iPad and look on compassionately, seeing plenty of sheep without a shepherd in this plentiful harvest. 

The fact is that we need more pastors involved in politics through advocacy and activism.  We need them to stand in the midst of the mayhem like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. took a nonviolent stance for civil rights and the poor.  We need them to push the agenda with local and national politicians.  We need them to testify the depths of disparity that exist on the streets and in our communities that extend beyond the homeless to the working poor and shrinking middle class of America.

In essence, we need more pastors who can deliver stirring words outside of the pulpit as much as we need them to handle the Word of God within the pulpit.

Out of the Ordinary Outreach

12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

- Luke 14:12-14 (NIV)

There is an open opportunity for out-of-the-ordinary outreach today.  People can reach out in all sorts of ways through various multimedia mediums such as social networking and viral marketing platforms.  You can make difference through community-based programs such as CDF Freedom Schools or AmeriCorps.  You can use traditional VBS or Christian youth camp.  You just need to put your trust in the Lord to lead you into the endeavor that He has for you to undertake.

Think through your next move.  Pray over your outreach opportunities.  Make the most of everything that will expand your demographic diversity.  Partner with other organizations to streamline your outreach resources for a singular focus.  You don't gain any ground by remaining in the same place and not making any changes.

Visit National Outreach Convention for a special resource information.

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.- 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

Some time ago, as we were developing a evangelism program called Youth-N2-Action, I shared the general concept with my children. They were in middle school at the time and found it difficult seeing themselves as evangelists. They had tagged along with me and had learned a lot about sharing the gospel through good works with the homeless and others, even door-to-door evangelism. Yet, I realized in that one conversation that they had been educated about salvation and evangelism methods but not edified to the point where they were comfortable and confident sharing it with their peers. Sadly, they are not alone when we look at the state of many of our Christian youth today.

We tend to sell our youth short. I say "we" because I have been guilty of it myself as well. Yet, there is a biblical solution. We need to engage our youth to become equipped and empowered to share the Word where they have influence. We need to teach and train young people to share the gospel on their own level and in their own way.

Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive.- Titus 3:14 (NLT)

• If something doesn't change in the way that we REACH teenagers, the statistics indicate that in just 5-7 short years we could see only 4% of this generation being bible-believing Christians.- http://ernestdebra.blogspot.com/2007/01/youth-statistics.html
• "Our continuing research among teenagers and adolescents shows that the trend away from adopting biblical theology in favor of syncretic, culture-based theology is advancing at full gallop." "Americans draw theological beliefs from diverse points of view" (Barna Research Online) October 8, 2002. - http://www.crossroad.to/charts/church-statistics.html
• In a recent study 50 percent of American teens 13-17 report attending a local faith community within the past seven days.- http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2929

The stats don't tell it all. I was introduced to Christ as a teen. A friend approached me as I was shooting dice at school between classes and pronounced before all of my thugging and drugging buddies that he was going to pick me up for church that night. I laughed, but he came through and the Lord worked on me from there.

I believe that one day we will stop telling our teens what they shouldn't do and who they shouldn't hang around. We'll start teaching and training them to be like Christ. Who ate with tax collectors and sinners? Who touched the untouchable and unclean? let them follow Jesus' example and live out their faith. Teach them to share their faith with confidence. Help our youth to become ambassadors for Christ as they inspire and influence others for the sake of the Lord.

I am living, born-again proof that it works.

Never Stop

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. - Acts 5:42 (NIV)

Things go wrong. Things fall to pieces. People quit. Plans fail. It's inevitable. It comes along with being in ministry.

So what are you to do?

Keep going. Don't quit. Never stop.

Look at the early church. With no Facebook status updates or tweets on Twitter, they forged on through hard times. They kept teaching and preaching. Even after the persecution of the church, it says: Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. They shared the Good News that Jesus is the Christ. They lived and breathed for the sake of kingdom living.

"Nothing can stop the man who feels the presence of God in his life." - Robert h. Schuller

Just as They Killed the Prophets

They killed the prophets of God, one after another. Read http://revbruce.wordpress.com

Is There a Word?

I heard the Word
...in my spirit.
I saw the Word
...coming at me
Like a dove
Descending from heaven!
He revealed to me
The Word
...with a flaming sword for a tongue
That destroys demonic powers
And saves souls from scorching fires.
Is there a word?
Not a word!
No, not just any word.
There is the Word.
There is the God-given sacrifice
Who takes away the sins of the earth.
There is the Word!

Bruce Jackson (2008)

Stewardship 101

I am convinced that much of how we taught people in previous years transcended beyond the simple, especially in the church. Whatever happened between the old school and new school did a lot to get us away fom the basics of what the Bible teaches us about how we are to live in Christ. We soon discover all of these new terms like atonement, propitiation and reconciliation amid the countless treasures of biblical knowledge available to us. We need to learn about stewardship and that's real. Churches and pastors should teach from the broad spectrum of stewardship rather than Christian giving. Why? Well, let's identify the benefits that outweigh simply teaching about giving. Stewardship is a lifestyle, not a mere act. As stewards, our actions are driven based upon how God has positioned us in this life. We can become better parents, spouses, employees and even employers as we learn more about stewardship. Stewardship teaches us about accountability as well as responsibility. As we share more about wise stewardship, we will reveal more and more about our actions as a response to our relationship with God. Start with Stewardship 101 and we should see a change in the people and their actions. I believe that we can do this. Learn about giving and you can give an offering Sunday by Sunday; learn about stewardship and you can learn to take care of the kingdom business just as you would take care of your own.

Jesus is the Model for Ministry

When we look at ministry, look at Jesus. Consider the standard for ministry to have been set by the Master Himself. Jesus simply sets the example for us. We don't need to look elsewhere. Jesus offers us a model by which we can follow His footsteps and make the most of what He offers us in ministry. Look at Jesus for :

• Message: Look and listen to what Jesus shared and how He shared it with the multitudes and His disciples. From the Sermon on the Mount to the upper room before Calvary, hear what type of message Jesus shared with people. He interwove the Word from the prophets and others with a "new command" like loving one another.
• Methods: Revisit Jesus' journeys through the Gospel of Mark. See Jesus moving in and out of situation after situation in the Gospels, dealing Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood. Even when Jesus is confronted with the woman caught in adultery, His method of response appears to have made Him an offense to those who sought to keep the law themselves.

Jesus did provide us an example. He exemplifies what we should have as our ultimate ministry "hero." He gives us the blueprint of what we must live up to. Look at Jesus. He is our example.

Moving Beyond Four Walls

The dynamics of ministry are not merely regulated to the church building. Ministry must move beyond the confines of the four walls of the church. By breaking down the barriers to true ministry, we are able to serve the wants and needs of others through both words and our works.

John the Baptist and Paul both led "external"ministry and missionary work that took place outside of the church. The Lord prepares us for such work. Even the internal work of the church prepares us through prayer, Bible study, and discipleship with other training. Look below to see one way God gets things done on the outside through us.

Three-Way Ministry Approach:

1. From God: our service is for His glory.
2. Through man: our service is directed from God the Father, conducted with Christ and fueled by the Holy Spirit.
3. To the world: the aim of our service is to bring others closer to God through Christ and His offer of salvation.

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Operation Reach Out embarks on a new venture this fall with "Giving Thanks by Giving Back."

Building Up Biblically Day to Day

". . . Exhort one another daily. . ."
-Hebrews 3:13

Exhortation has almost become a lost art. It is as if many are satisfied reading the Scriptures and not getting into depth to the point where many of these so-called theologians and Bible scholars are unable to share the story behind the text. Dumbing down the Word has become vogue when the Bible shares that we are to exhort one another daily. We have to take care of how we handle the Word and the "flock" under our watch and care. Let us be mindful of what we are called to do by God Himself.

• Deliver the truth with sincerity regarding your fellowman and the walk of life God has called you both to live out.
• Dedicate time throughout the day to read and reflect upon the Scriptures
• Discuss the Word with others in order to grow in knowledge and maturity
• Drop your preconceived notions of what the Word means and is trying to say to you

We have the power to accomplish what God has called us to do if we will do so by the means by which He provide to us. Let's not add to any confusion that already exists among believers. The strong should take care to uphold the weak, especially through the Word.

Return from Hiatus

The minister is to use all means to save some.

- C.H. Spurgeon

I would like to consider this time that I have taken off to focus on some key projects as highly important towards the advancement of Life Path Ministries & Services as well as both my personal and professional development. That's the beauty of being a minister of the gospel. You are experiencing things on both a personal and professional level, not always at the same rate for each. Nevertheless, that brings me to this quote by Spurgeopn, the "prince of preachers."

What type of effort are you making that others might be saved? Are you making an effort with all that you have? Is it like that old school underground quote that we attribute solely to Malcolm X: "By any means necessary." [It was actually discovered to come from Freddrick Douglass initially.]

The responsibility, as Spurgeon suggests, is on the minister. It is about what the minister is willing to do in order that other people might be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. It questions whether he will lead people to Christ, teaching and preaching the gospel. It asks whether the minister will serve the people, praying for them earnestly and frequently. What we need to discover, as ministers of the Good News, is how we are to be used by God and how we are to use what God has given to us. Then, and only then, we will come to know that it takes all kinds of people and all kinds of methods in order for many people to come to know Christ as the Savior.

Back on Track

Hip-hop's Rakim made real noise when he would start out with the words: "It's been a long a time. . ." I felt the same way as I started on this blog entry. It seems as if I have neglected some sacred duty, but I have been very busy doing some productive work for both the church and community.

• I have really gotten into Twitter and at least hitting up an update daily if not more than once. Follow me tweet by tweet at www.twitter.com/lifepath01/
• I am preaching every Wednesday night at Bayview Bapttist Church for the month of June. I preached last week on "Being Blessed Beyond Belief" about Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. . .where is God sending you and to whom for your blessing? I've got two more to go. We crank it up at 7 PM.
  
• I've got to give all of those who preach and teach with the Good News, the Word of truth. This is no small thing. Preaching and teaching take a lot out of a person. Each requires a great amount of study and commitment. You are in my prayers daily.
• I am putting finishing touches on my latest book of inspirational poetry entitled Lamentations in the Storm. I am planning a few book-signings this summer for this and Words from the Underground.

What's next? I cannot say yet. The baby is keeping us on our toes and that's expected. I have a few plans underway for some new ventures in ministry and community services, so I stay prayerful. Andrew Murray said,"I pray, expecting an answer." Yes, and I pray for clarity and understanding to follow my obedience and acceptance of what God has to say. Amen.