Do You Know “The Way”?
I am once again going to have to ask you to stretch or move out of your current comfort zone. The Lord has been talking to me quite a bit about the church and what that word really means. Even though we should know that the church means people, our bodies and not a building I don’t think we remember that most of the time. We invite people to church then take them to a building or we tell people who are struggling they need to go to church and give them the name and address of the one we attend or one close by them. Acts 7:48 says The Most High does not live in houses made by men. “What kind of house will you build for me” says the Lord. Good question, could we possibly build a house that was suitable for God? If the address you give as your church is not where you’re standing than perhaps you may need to remind yourself of where God says the church is.
I read a book called Living Water about a missionary in China. He was put in jail on many occasions and sometimes beat beyond recognition to his family. His story is horrifying and the treatment he and fellow Chinese missionaries endured is heart breaking. After his release from one of his prison sentences he met some missionaries sent from the United States. They wanted to know what church he belonged to and what credentials he had to be a missionary. He had no idea what they were talking about. For him your “credentials” were how many times you lived through a jail sentence. The Western missionaries basically let him know that because of his lack of education from seminary school he was not “qualified” to be called a missionary. Later when he met some recent Chinese converts to Christianity and spoke to them about the Lord they too asked the question, what church do you go to? When he replied he did not attend a building he served God where ever he was the new converts didn’t seem much interested in talking to him because they didn’t know the name or teaching of his church.
How did that happen? How many times have you and I asked someone what church they go to then get a preconceived idea of them based on their answer? This was eye opening to me.
I was reading in Acts and Saul is persecuting the church, looking for people who believed in Jesus to kill them. These groups of people were known as The Way. In Acts 4 it says all the believers were one in heart and mind. No one said they owned possessions they shared everything they had. The people were never needy because people would sell land or houses and would distribute the money to anyone who had a need. The bible says they would meet together in their homes and break bread (take communion) and eat together. They had sincere hearts and praised God and enjoyed each others company. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. People were coming to a relationship daily with the Lord in the homes of Christians not in a building somewhere with a denomination name and mission statement. Perhaps if we went back to meeting in homes we could take the money we use on buildings to help each other out so no one would have a need. Wouldn’t that attract people to Jesus if His children were taking care of each other without the burden falling on just a few people? We could read the bible together and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to each one of us directly and discuss what He is telling us as a group. Just a thought.
Back to our story of Saul, he is looking for believers to kill and the bible says in Acts 8:3 But Saul, began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. He didn’t find believers in a building he found them house to house.
In Acts chapter 9 you read the famous story of Saul on his way to Damascus. He is on his way to find more of “The Way” to take back to Jerusalem and put in prison. On his journey a light comes from Heaven and a voice asks Saul “why are you persecuting me.” Saul says “who are you?” And the voice replies “I am Jesus.” Jesus then tells Saul to get up and go into the city and he would be told what to do next. Saul is blind for three days and does not eat anything. I’m sure Jesus got his full attention. Perhaps the Lord took his sight to let Saul recognize his blindness towards The Way.
The Lord also gave a man named Ananias a vision about Saul, whose name would later be changed to Paul. Jesus tells Ananias to go to a guy named Judas’ house and he will find Saul there, but the real interesting part is He tells Ananias he lives on Straight Street. I don’t remember the Lord ever giving an address before. Straight Street, hmmm perhaps this is a play on words, maybe Ananias had to be set straight about Saul and Saul had to be set straight about the believers and perhaps we have to be set straight about the church.
I would not be surprised if in the days ahead we begin to see churches closing down. Maybe persecution of the church for this generation will be just that, church buildings closing down. This however should not affect the “church” at all if we understand that each believer is the church. I won’t be surprised if more and more believers start meeting in homes, having communion and eating together. Having sincere hearts when we ask each other how we’re doing and then helping each other any way we can. Maybe God is going to do a new old thing and bring “The Way” back to the way it was supposed to be, personal, and each person using his gifts daily to bring more into the kingdom of Heaven. I’m not sure what the days ahead will bring I just know my church address in where ever I am at the time. We need to be Jesus where ever we are because He is The Only Way!
1 Corinthians3:16 don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
Ephesians 1:22 and God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 2:23 and in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Gena’s Jewels
Gena's Jewels Keeper of The Testimony available on Amazon
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Love Endures Forever
Love Endures Forever
In 2 chronicles 20 a story is told about King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. The King was told by some men that a huge army was on the way to attack his kingdom and apparently they weren’t to far away. Isn’t it interesting that the Lord didn’t think it important to give their names just some men? The bible says “alarmed King Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord; he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” I think alarmed might have been an understatement. It goes on to say that the people came together to seek help from the Lord from every town in Judah. King Jehoshaphat stands in front of all the people, it doesn’t say how many but if they came from every town to Judah it must have been a lot. Let’s just use Florida for an example, if the people came from every town in Florida you can imagine there would be A LOT of people. The bible says that all the people were fasting and seeking God. The first thing King Jehoshaphat did was remind God and probably the group of all the things God had done for His people, he says “if calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress and you will hear us and save us.” Notice it doesn’t say God’s distress but our distress he then says we will cry out and you will hear us and most important HE will save them. What would be the sense of calling out for help if you don’t really believe the person you’re calling to is actually going to save you?
Apparently when the children of Israel were leaving Egypt the Lord would not allow them to invade the people from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir so they left them alone and these are the very people that are now getting ready to attack them. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. Have you ever done a favor for someone or let them off the hook for something they did to you and they turn around and stab you in the back?
The King tells God that not only are these ungrateful men coming against us but their trying to take the very inheritance YOU GOD gave us. The king then asks “O our God will you not judge them?” That’s a hard lesson in life to let God judge and not us.
I think the next thing in this story is very important, the King says “we don’t know what to do but our eyes are upon you.” Have you ever been in a place where the battle is bigger than you and you have no idea what to do? When my son was a teenager he got arrested and there were more felony charges than I cared to count. His best friend called me to tell me that he was beat up in jail and I had to get him out of there. The law was after him and so were the drug dealers. If you don’t think I felt like one lonely king against a huge army, think again. I cried out to my God and reminded Him of His promise to me that he had a plan for my son and I had no idea what to do. My army consisted of myself a 17 year old a 7 year old and a 4 year old. Not very good odds in the natural.
The next thing that happened in our story is the spirit came upon a man named Jahaziel as he stood in the assembly. Gena translation, Jahaziel was praying and the Holy Spirit spoke to him, some call it intuition but we know better. Jahaziel said to the King and all who lived in Judah and Jerusalem. He said “Listen to me, this is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this huge army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”
I gotta tell you that night in my living room I would have loved for someone to say those words to me. I mean a person I could see and feel but I was alone in my living room. The spirit came over me too and I told myself that the Lord doesn’t lie and He made me a promise about my son and this battle wasn’t mine it was God’s. I had to tell myself not to be afraid or discouraged that God would be with me too. Sometimes you are the only one in your army and what you tell yourself can be the difference between victory and defeat.
The story says that Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.
You know that night in my living room I put on praise music and just laid on my face before the Lord and worshiped Him. I did a bit of crying too, OK a lot, but I made myself worship. I didn’t feel like it but I knew it was the only thing that would get me through the night. This was long before I ever read this story. I guess a good plan doesn’t change
The next day before they set out the King reminded the people to have faith in the Lord, he says two times, have faith and then you will be successful. Having faith is a crucial part, faith is believing in something unseen. They had no idea how God would handle this. Then he tells them to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of his Holiness as they went out at the head of the army saying “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever. “ Now you know where that song came from. Michael W. Smith must know this story too.
If you want all the details of this event you will have to read it, I’ll just give the readers digest version. Out story ends with the men of Judah getting to the battle ground to find all the men dead! Not one person escaped. It took them 3 days to gather all the plunder; actually it says there was more there than they could take away! Only God can win a battle for us without any lose ends and we do NOTHING but believe Him. They ended this battle the way they began praising the Lord and thanking Him for taking care of them.
I too continue to praise the Lord for bringing me through a very dark battle in my life and the life of my “kingdom”. Each new battle I face, I face with confidence and faith that God will get me through it. I pray you too will cry out to the Lord before you go to battle. Have faith that He not only hears you but will save you. Then praise God before and after the battle. Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever!
Gena’s Jewels
In 2 chronicles 20 a story is told about King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. The King was told by some men that a huge army was on the way to attack his kingdom and apparently they weren’t to far away. Isn’t it interesting that the Lord didn’t think it important to give their names just some men? The bible says “alarmed King Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord; he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” I think alarmed might have been an understatement. It goes on to say that the people came together to seek help from the Lord from every town in Judah. King Jehoshaphat stands in front of all the people, it doesn’t say how many but if they came from every town to Judah it must have been a lot. Let’s just use Florida for an example, if the people came from every town in Florida you can imagine there would be A LOT of people. The bible says that all the people were fasting and seeking God. The first thing King Jehoshaphat did was remind God and probably the group of all the things God had done for His people, he says “if calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress and you will hear us and save us.” Notice it doesn’t say God’s distress but our distress he then says we will cry out and you will hear us and most important HE will save them. What would be the sense of calling out for help if you don’t really believe the person you’re calling to is actually going to save you?
Apparently when the children of Israel were leaving Egypt the Lord would not allow them to invade the people from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir so they left them alone and these are the very people that are now getting ready to attack them. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. Have you ever done a favor for someone or let them off the hook for something they did to you and they turn around and stab you in the back?
The King tells God that not only are these ungrateful men coming against us but their trying to take the very inheritance YOU GOD gave us. The king then asks “O our God will you not judge them?” That’s a hard lesson in life to let God judge and not us.
I think the next thing in this story is very important, the King says “we don’t know what to do but our eyes are upon you.” Have you ever been in a place where the battle is bigger than you and you have no idea what to do? When my son was a teenager he got arrested and there were more felony charges than I cared to count. His best friend called me to tell me that he was beat up in jail and I had to get him out of there. The law was after him and so were the drug dealers. If you don’t think I felt like one lonely king against a huge army, think again. I cried out to my God and reminded Him of His promise to me that he had a plan for my son and I had no idea what to do. My army consisted of myself a 17 year old a 7 year old and a 4 year old. Not very good odds in the natural.
The next thing that happened in our story is the spirit came upon a man named Jahaziel as he stood in the assembly. Gena translation, Jahaziel was praying and the Holy Spirit spoke to him, some call it intuition but we know better. Jahaziel said to the King and all who lived in Judah and Jerusalem. He said “Listen to me, this is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this huge army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”
I gotta tell you that night in my living room I would have loved for someone to say those words to me. I mean a person I could see and feel but I was alone in my living room. The spirit came over me too and I told myself that the Lord doesn’t lie and He made me a promise about my son and this battle wasn’t mine it was God’s. I had to tell myself not to be afraid or discouraged that God would be with me too. Sometimes you are the only one in your army and what you tell yourself can be the difference between victory and defeat.
The story says that Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.
You know that night in my living room I put on praise music and just laid on my face before the Lord and worshiped Him. I did a bit of crying too, OK a lot, but I made myself worship. I didn’t feel like it but I knew it was the only thing that would get me through the night. This was long before I ever read this story. I guess a good plan doesn’t change
The next day before they set out the King reminded the people to have faith in the Lord, he says two times, have faith and then you will be successful. Having faith is a crucial part, faith is believing in something unseen. They had no idea how God would handle this. Then he tells them to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of his Holiness as they went out at the head of the army saying “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever. “ Now you know where that song came from. Michael W. Smith must know this story too.
If you want all the details of this event you will have to read it, I’ll just give the readers digest version. Out story ends with the men of Judah getting to the battle ground to find all the men dead! Not one person escaped. It took them 3 days to gather all the plunder; actually it says there was more there than they could take away! Only God can win a battle for us without any lose ends and we do NOTHING but believe Him. They ended this battle the way they began praising the Lord and thanking Him for taking care of them.
I too continue to praise the Lord for bringing me through a very dark battle in my life and the life of my “kingdom”. Each new battle I face, I face with confidence and faith that God will get me through it. I pray you too will cry out to the Lord before you go to battle. Have faith that He not only hears you but will save you. Then praise God before and after the battle. Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever!
Gena’s Jewels
Friday, May 15, 2009
Sticks & Stones
Sticks and Stones
Remember that old saying sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me. The person who came up with that saying must not have had any bad words spoken to him. Words do harm us; the key is not to let them continue to wound us. About a week ago I got a response to a Gena’s Jewel from a man via MySpace and he must have called me an idiot at least THREE times. He let me know about all my grammar errors and spelling errors. The guy was really angry with me and did I mention he called me an IDIOT! I was taken by surprise at first because this was the first bad publicity that I had read. Not the first written perhaps but the first one I read. I was wounded at first, and then ticked off because I didn’t even know this guy or how he got the jewel. Then I noticed that he responded to two jewels not just one. If he thought I was an idiot when he read the first Jewel why did he read a second one? Apparently something in my words hit a nerve. God was obviously doing something in this man’s life. This changed my whole out look about his message. I asked God to forgive me for getting an attitude and prayed for my non-fan. I looked up some scriptures about the power of our words, for me not him, before I responded. Proverbs 16:23 I think before I speak because the mind of the wise instructs his mouth. Psalm 141:3 Help me Lord to keep my mouth shut and my lips sealed. Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.
I’ll be honest the old Gena would have responded first and repented later. The truth is we usually get annoyed with someone when they say something to us that we know we need to work on. I was in a bad mood the other night and barking at my family for no good reason and my youngest daughter said “mom, I’m going to say something to you that you have said to me. Since everyone is getting on your nerves maybe you’re the problem”. The nerve of this kid what an idiot! Just kidding. I actually laughed when she said it because I knew she was right.
This is just a reminder to you and me that before we respond to someone we need to pray and ask God how He would have us respond. We have no idea what another person is going through and even if they offend us I hope that our words are part of the healing and not part of the wounding.
I was not able to reply to this man because as you know me and computers don’t get along and I deleted his comment. Maybe that was a God thing. So if your reading this I’ll make a deal with you, I’ll pray for whatever it is that wounded you if you will pray for my writing skills Let’s all remember Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. I have also decided to re-write that silly saying.
Sticks and stones may break my bones
And words can truly harm me
So I’ll be nice and you be too
Cause Jesus loves both me and you
Gena’s Jewels
Remember that old saying sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me. The person who came up with that saying must not have had any bad words spoken to him. Words do harm us; the key is not to let them continue to wound us. About a week ago I got a response to a Gena’s Jewel from a man via MySpace and he must have called me an idiot at least THREE times. He let me know about all my grammar errors and spelling errors. The guy was really angry with me and did I mention he called me an IDIOT! I was taken by surprise at first because this was the first bad publicity that I had read. Not the first written perhaps but the first one I read. I was wounded at first, and then ticked off because I didn’t even know this guy or how he got the jewel. Then I noticed that he responded to two jewels not just one. If he thought I was an idiot when he read the first Jewel why did he read a second one? Apparently something in my words hit a nerve. God was obviously doing something in this man’s life. This changed my whole out look about his message. I asked God to forgive me for getting an attitude and prayed for my non-fan. I looked up some scriptures about the power of our words, for me not him, before I responded. Proverbs 16:23 I think before I speak because the mind of the wise instructs his mouth. Psalm 141:3 Help me Lord to keep my mouth shut and my lips sealed. Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.
I’ll be honest the old Gena would have responded first and repented later. The truth is we usually get annoyed with someone when they say something to us that we know we need to work on. I was in a bad mood the other night and barking at my family for no good reason and my youngest daughter said “mom, I’m going to say something to you that you have said to me. Since everyone is getting on your nerves maybe you’re the problem”. The nerve of this kid what an idiot! Just kidding. I actually laughed when she said it because I knew she was right.
This is just a reminder to you and me that before we respond to someone we need to pray and ask God how He would have us respond. We have no idea what another person is going through and even if they offend us I hope that our words are part of the healing and not part of the wounding.
I was not able to reply to this man because as you know me and computers don’t get along and I deleted his comment. Maybe that was a God thing. So if your reading this I’ll make a deal with you, I’ll pray for whatever it is that wounded you if you will pray for my writing skills Let’s all remember Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. I have also decided to re-write that silly saying.
Sticks and stones may break my bones
And words can truly harm me
So I’ll be nice and you be too
Cause Jesus loves both me and you
Gena’s Jewels
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