Secrets Revealed

“Have no regard for his outward appearance, nor for the maturity of his stature, because I have refused him. For man does not see as God sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord sees into the heart.” -Samuel the Prophet of God It was spoken that “your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” The focus of this teaching was the basics of spiritual living: prayer, fasting, and alms giving (Matthew 6:1-18). However, God is not simply interested in what you do, but why you do it. The Apostle Paul wrote that faith without love is nothing and there is no profit in our works if they are not done in love (1 Cor.13:1-3). God is seeing if what we are doing is to obey His commandments to love Him above all things and others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40). Some do works and proclaim faith as hypocrites. They are like actors in a show, strutting and fretting their hour upon the stage, hoping to get something from their audience. However, when all is said and done actors only play pretend and though they may fool the world, they cannot fool God. Some even try to do good works to fool themselves. They work hard at doing good, hoping to feel like a good person. However, this feeling is meaningless since all have sinned and will probably sin in the future. The rag which they try clean themselves with is already dirty with the filth of their past. No matter how they try to clean themselves, their past dirt is always upon them. Then where is the “secret place” if even in the isolation of our hearts we deceive ourselves? This is because isolation is not the goal of Spiritual living. The goal of a Spiritual life is one which is in communion with God who sees into the heart. If what we do is about pleasing God, then we must look into the heart of God and see if our hearts are aligned with His. What we need to clean ourselves is not our old tired rag filled with stains we can never wash off. What we need is a clean rag, one which can never get dirty regardless of its use. This is the Grace of God given to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual living is about living for Christ and through Him so that we no longer need to play pretend but can learn to live in truth. This concludes the introduction to Secrets Revealed. This three part series will continue tomorrow with fasting through the Testimony of the Prophet Daniel

HOW TO SAVE A LIFE FOR REAL!

After reading Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan; my spiritual eyes were open wide. I learned greatly about a missionary ministry he started called Gospel for Asia and how somebody half way around the world like me can be directly involved in saving lives in South Asia. In South Asia alone there are 2.7 billion people that haven't been reached by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news is that God has blessed us with abundance so we can do something about their dire need! Follow the link to see how you can fulfill the Great Commission by planting churches and ministries by supporting gospel for Asia. Revolution in World Missions is available for FREE download as an audio book at www.gfa.org. Be compelled. Be empowered. Be blessed.

Many are called. Few will answer.

“I have some doubts about Christianity.” “I’m not a religious person.” “People will judge me by my past.” “What will others think of me?” “I’m not good enough to go to church.” “I can’t control my sinful habits.” “I don’t believe there is a God.” “I’ve been betrayed by so-called Christians.” “I belong to another religion.” “I’m a good person.”
Well I have some news for you! The gospel of Jesus Christ has everything to do with you! You’ve been created and since then has taken part in infecting the world around with sinful actions. Your sins will always have a hold on you and hurt the people around you until you surrender your will to Jesus Christ. Try using your own goodness to go a day, a week, a month without sinning and you’ll learn very fast that your “goodness” does not add up. It can’t supply you and it definitely can’t supply anyone else around you with the power to live life in a righteous manner. Whether you are a believer or not the wages of sin will still affect you and everyone around you. Because there is sin in this world there’s death in this world also. Everyone is a victim. Our only hope is the grace given to us through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through it we know that we can be transformed into righteous people and live a godly life that leads us straight into an eternal one in Heaven. We can only see the effects of the gospel of Jesus Christ when people stand up and act out on faith. We see light overcome darkness, forgiveness overcome resentment, healing overcome pain, and life overcome death.

MY WORLD

“Let's make the world a better place!” We hear this slogan so often. But with the bad shape this world is constantly in, words just aren't enough. When my life was filled with hate, envy, greed, pride, lust, and profanity, I felt like I was lost cause. I knew God would not let me into heaven with the things I used to do and feel towards myself and others. In fact I was trapped in my own lifestyle. When I wanted to stop, the bad habits just kept creeping up and taking over again. That was it! I wanted to pray to God but I didn't know if he even would listen to me. I was reluctant to find out that His mercies are new every morning. I was ready to receive a new lifestyle from God! He doesn't care what you look like, where you come from or where you've been. He took me in like an adopted orphan. Like a heavenly Father he called me his own child. Salvation was right under my nose the whole time! All I had to do was confess my wrongs with my mouth and believe that Jesus died for a sinner like me in my heart. I was set free! My world is a better place because I have Jesus in it today. Heaven isn't so far away after all!

Practicing the Presence of God

By Michael Richards

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first Commandment” Mathew 22:37-28

Faith is more than just reading your Bible, going to church and doing good works. Our works without God is not only useless, but it is also a sin (Rom.14:23). When we do good works for God, we should not do it for ourselves to make ourselves feel good (Matt. 6: 2-4). Any work we do should reflect our faith, so that by our works others may see our faith (James 2:18). The First Great Commandment of God is the foundation of faith, even more so than the ever more popular Second Great Commandment (Love your neighbor as yourself).

God is always with us and even sent the Holy Spirit to be our teacher (John 14:26), comforter and overall companion in our faith. Even though He dwells within all believers (John 14:17), I find it awkward that He is often ignored in our prayers and in our daily lives. Most people think of God as some king clothed in majesty, sitting in heaven looking down upon all His people, or as Christ who became the sacrifice for all of our sins. Yet, God gave us another part of Himself so that we could build a relationship with Him.

Its probably best to mention that the mere proclamation of belief is not faith. Real faith is the firm belief in your heart that God is always present and wants to spend time with you and work with you in your faith. Its coming to the recognition that the only thing keeping you back is your sins, which are forgiven through Christ. Lastly faith is the belief that God is what gives your life meaning and that He didn't ask for some of you; He wants all of you. At my church we often pray “I proclaim with my mouth and believe in my heart”. Our verbal proclamations and our actions should reflect the belief which stems from our hearts. This is best done by having a relationship with God, not merely a knowledge of Him. To have this relationship, we must first believe He is really there.

The best way to remember God is always there is to practice the presence of God. Its best to start by remembering God is there when you do little everyday things (like chores or work). Do those little chores or typical work at your job as if you are doing it for God. Talk with God as if He is really there (because He is). Also keep in mind God's presence when you feel you are being tempted, especially as your emotions begin to flair up. Also, find something you really don't do often (or even want to do) and do it for the sake of God (like those chores you don't like or talking with the person at work who aggravates you).

It's best to start small. Its not easy to practice God's presence, but over time you will find that the relationship you build with God will astound you and be a huge blessing. It's always important, that while you are practicing, keep in mind that the Holy Spirit is there with you every step of the way. Before going to the Father with your prayers, ask the Holy Spirit to help guide those prayers in a way that will be pleasing to the Father. Keep the whole Trinity of God in mind in your prayers. I felt that has helped not only my prayer life, but my walk with God as well.

(Note: This article was inspired by the book Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. I highly recommend reading it.)

LOVE IN ACTION

Suppose a brother or sister has no clothes or food. Suppose one of you says to them, "Go. I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. Eat well." And you do nothing about what they really need. Then what good have you done? It is the same with faith. If it doesn't cause us to do something, it's dead. But someone will say, "You have faith. I do good works. "Show me your faith that doesn't do good works. And I will show you my faith by what I do. (James 2:15-18 NIRV) When Jesus began his three year ministry his love for others was set in motion. He was the ultimate “love mover” and is still leading the love movement till this day! What did Jesus do in the name of love? You can read about it in greater detail in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John of the Holy Bible. Jesus Christ healed the sick, fed the hungry, prayed for and encouraged others to believe, and ultimately paid the ransom for the sins of this world by dying on the cross; giving sinners a chance at eternal life in heaven. Now that you know this, look around you! There's a world full of lost and and hurting people. Whether they are hurting physically, spiritually or both you can show them God's love. Jesus Christ has set the example; now go!

ARE YOU TIRED?

Ever wondered why you get a feeling that everything that you've put your hope in runs dry? Your coworkers, your family, your friends, your spouse, can't live up to your expectations. You've got your feelings hurt by some of these people. They let you down. You try to buy more things in order to make yourself feel happy. You experiment with new relationships to in order to get in touch with others in a deeper way. Still, you're left feeling empty. You may feel like you're out of touch with God, and that he doesn't have time to hear about your problems. Or that he is disinterested with you and only deals with church goers or “good people” instead. Have you ever heard about God saying this: "Come to me, all of you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest. Become my servants and learn from me. I am gentle and free of pride. You will find rest for your souls. Serving me is easy, and my load is light." God is waiting to hear when you admit that you're tired of “trying to live right” and “trying to do good by others”. When you admit it, he will give you a peace of mind. This is what he means by rest.

Tithing

The one question all pastors attempt to answer is "Why a should Christian tithe?" Some give the reasoning that tithing comes with a promise of better living and God's protection from the devourer. Others contend that it is a way for us to show God that we place Him over our earthly possessions. There are many reasons and all of these reasons are biblically sound.
However, there is one primary reason that has often been ignored or underwritten, humans did not create anything on earth, only transformed those things which God has created.

Since God made all things and left to individuals the duty of caretaking, no man can say that he has obtained all that he has on his own. Through tithing we come to recognize that God is the creator of all things, and we are merely the transformers and caretakers of those things. After all, we believe a man should be paid for his labors, so then what sense does it make for a believer to withhold God His fair due. Like any other business transaction, God looks for those who recognize they owe Him for his service and what He does. Not only does God find favor with those
people but seeks their wealth by expanding their wealth both physically and spiritually.

Christ has shown that the way we handle our relationship to God will determine our place in Heaven. If we cannot show God our gratitude here on earth over little matters, then how can God trust us with more important things in Heaven. This is why God doesn't force us to give. He wants to know our faith in Him is moving from glory to glory. He wants us to give happily in recognizing that
all we have is from Him and is kept secure by Him. Christ freely gave Himself on the cross so that our souls can be saved. This Grace was given freely but was given at a cost, God's only begotten Son. If what I said before doesn't convince you the importance of tithing, always remember, God sacrificed for you long before you ever sacrificed for Him.

EMERGENCY: WE ARE IN CRISIS

Voice of Truth Press
We see it in our newspaper headlines, watch it on our television screens, and hear about it on our radio stations. Crisis, war, famine, theft, murder, disease outbreaks, and the recent financial meltdown; is there any real solution to it all? What about all the envy, abuse, profanity, lust, idolatry, adultery, slander, and pride? Will humanity ever see a happy ending despite all these cruelties? What about the emotional pain, guilt, anger, shame, uselessness and brokenness resulting from these cruelties. Is there any real answer? Is it revenge? Is it religion? No. Even though human nature takes the blame for much of the hurt and lost produced by these crises, God is still full of mercy and is calling all of humanity to his side. God, our creator, still wants to change us. This is because he loves us and has created us to love just as he does. He showed us the extent of this love by stepping down on earth as Jesus and repaid all of our evil doings by dying on the cross. He is also a righteous judge and a friend that can live in our hearts. Not only does his death give us a blameless life here on earth but it also gives us a never ending life in heaven after we die. So don’t be discouraged when you see others around you misbehaving. Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord. Romans 12:19. Instead, allow the love of Jesus to change you and you will become a living witness to others around you. Want to see a miracle? Just ask: Jesus I want this change that I’m hearing about. I just realized that I’ve done wrong. I believe you can do that in me. The Love Movement has already begun. Jesus has changed millions of hearts worldwide. It’s never too early to join. Do you have any questions? Get answers. Visit www.votpress.blogspot.com

What it Means to Be a Friend

Most people know what it is like to have a best friend. Someone who they can laugh with, cry with, and build fond memories with. However, say you were engaged in some illegal activity. Your friend, innocently walks in and sees you in the act. All of the sudden, you and your friend hear police sirens while the incriminating evidence is still in your friend's hand. Would your friend push you to the side, grab the evidence and take your punishment so you may be spared? Most would ask, “why would anyone ever do that for me?”

In all the time that I knew Christ as my Lord and Savior, I am still amazed at His love for His people. In the book of Matthew it says, “

Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him(15-18 NIV)... But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”(20-23 NIV)...Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.(26 NIV)

The amazing part of this event is that Jesus appears to say nothing to the crowd or to Barabbas. He knew that the people rejected Him. He still went to the cross for them so that all their sins may be forgiven if they one day chose to believe. He also went to the cross for us, so that we too could escape punishment for our sins on earth. “Why would He do such a thing?” It's because He loved us so much that He could not bare to see us convicted for our crimes. As a Christian, I am glad to have a friend like that.

HOW CAN YOU KNOW THE TRUTH?

How can you know for certain that Jesus is truth? Jesus clearly says in John 14:6 “I am the way the truth and the life. Pretty heavy claim for anyone to make at the time. During that time, Jews were taught to worship and follow an invisible God. Jesus appeared to them as a man. However Jesus performed miracles that set him apart from the many prophets the preceded him. He lived a blameless life and he rose himself from the dead. We weren't there 2011 years ago to see the events take place with our own eyes. So, how do we know that Jesus is the truth? We can know the truth based on it's characteristics. John 8:31-32 testifies that Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. People today are being set free from their sins by accepting Jesus, the truth, into their hearts. Some people have over come pride, lying, addiction, jealousy, stealing, murdering, lust or sexual promiscuity, and even cursing by accepting the Truth as king over their hearts. Another characteristic about the truth is that the truth has no contradictions. John 4:24 testifies that God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. When someone is changed by the truth a real commitment shows in their lifestyle and personal attitude. So if the son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be freed indeed. John 8:36 (NIRV)

THE FIGHT IS ON!

It began over 10,000 years ago and it is still going on now. The fight is on! What fight? You may ask. The fight of your life. The fight for your attention. The fight for your heart, your allegiance, your will. For too long, our hope has been placed in temporary things. It's about time we open up our eyes to the obvious sin that's been going on inside and around us. Take a stand against evil and join the fight for good! There's good news! The battle has been won. Jesus stepped in and saved mankind from the grips of hell by sacrificing his life as a payment offering for all our evil doings. You are not alone. Jesus is with you in the middle of life's biggest battles. Don't let your soul and will get pushed around by sin; there's no promise or peace in the kingdom of darkness. There's a better kingdom at hand. One that will last forever and ever: The kingdom of God. His kingdom come. His will be done in earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). When you become a good fighter you have hope and a purpose in this life and an important role in the afterlife in heaven. What does a good fighter look like? A good fighter is always wearing the full armor of God. So stand firm. Put the belt of truth around your waist. Put the armor of godliness on your chest. Wear on your feet what will prepare you to tell the good news of peace. Also, pick up the shield of faith. With it you can put out all of the flaming arrows of the evil one. Put on the helmet of salvation. And take the sword of the Holy Spirit. The sword is God's word (Ephesians 6:14-17). Remember, the battle has been won for you, just keep fighting the good fight of faith and you will celebrate in the victory; here on earth and in heaven!

WHY PICK JESUS?

There's hope, healing, forgiveness, and renewal, when we surrender our lives to Jesus. He's is mighty to save us from our self destructive paths but we have to make a move, we have to believe, ask, and receive. In doing so, we make a choice to let Jesus take over our hearts and make us clean and whole again. We can hold our heads up high because we know that Jesus Christ has redeemed us. He set us apart to make a difference in our lives so that we too, who are strong in faith, can make a difference in the lives of others. Believe. Ask. Receive.

DOES GOD LIKE SEX?

Without sex; there goes the human population! Sex matters a lot! The question is does God like sex. The answer is yes, yes and many times over yes. After all he created sex. It's the just this world's deceptive view of sex that God frowns upon. Especially the way people treat each other by involving themselves in sexual sin. Fornication, incest, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, and rape in God's eyes all fall under the same category as sin; no special class or level of sin is implied. When we involve ourselves in sexual sin we are not only turning our backs on God's better plan for our lives but we are also hurting the people we get ourselves involved with. Not just emotional damage but also physical damage as well. Rejection, heartache, emptiness, brokenness, regret, addiction, disease, and illness to name a few are some of the consequences that flows from sexual sin. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Philippians 2:3. Wrap your body as a pure gift before God in holy matrimony to your current or future spouse. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. 1 Corinthians 6:13.
It's okay to feel sexy but having sex is one thing for one person who is committed to you and you to them. So go ahead have sex but in the right context!

Entrepreneurial Church: Quality VS Quantity

Michael Richards
1 Corinthians 2 (Paul's letter)
Chapter 2 primarily deals with the subject of knowledge. One of the main points of chapter 2 is the discernment between spiritual knowledge and worldly knowledge. The point Paul is trying to make is that man's knowledge is too small to “plan” out everything. This is one subject that most pastors (or any person in charge of an organization) appears to least understand.


I often hear my pastor wonder “Why is there not more people in our church?”, “What can we do to bring more people in?” The problem is that the pastor is asking the wrong question. The real question is “What kind of people are in my church?” In the last section we dealt with the issue of uncertainty.No Pastor can honestly answer why his church is the size that it is. So why bother asking. God does what He does for a reason. This section is going to be about how to lessen this problem of uncertainty.


People have what is known as subjective valuations. This basically means they like different things as a matter of choice.This means that people like different churches for different reasons. Some like churches that are loud with strobe lights and a party type of atmosphere. Others like the more intellectually stimulating church. And others like the traditional church.

The most important thing a church can have is that the people truly love gathering together to worship Christ. A pastor's goal is not numbers, this is an earthly measurement of success. The goal of a pastor is to keep the people in the church to love coming to Church and excited to see in what way God can use them. Love is a form of spiritual knowledge. To have a mind of Christ is to have a mind that focuses on love. Love of God and love of our fellow man.

If people are excited to go to church, then they are more likely to invite others. People tend to pick a church that appeals to some part of their personality. They are also more likely to have friends with similar interests who may not be Christians. However, due to their common interest, a person may talk about church with his or her friends as part of everyday conversation rather than the awkward traditional route. When a person talks about church, it will come from the heart and will be filled with excitement not just some statement that is on the back of a flash card.

In conclusion, a pastor should look more within his church than without. If there are members of the congregation who are not active in the church (as in they just come on Sunday but don't get involved) then that may mean your church is not the right one for them. It may sound harsh, but it may be true. Its something which should be considered as the pastor's first concern is spiritual matters (including the spiritual well-being of his congregation). Also, try to discover why people like your church and what areas your church can and does specialize in. Develop a loving church environment that makes your members excited to experience the word of God every Sunday, not just hear it. You can't possibly know all the reasons why your church is the way it is, but God brought those people to you for some reason. Your goal as a pastor is to find out why and use your Christ-like mind (and faith) to make your church profit.

What's Love Got to Do With It?

When you hear the word love what's the the first thought that comes to mind? Is it a romantic candle light dinner? A love for a hobby. Two people in a relationship? Family? Hippies and The Beatles' music? How about God? Does God ever come to mind when the word love is uttered or thought about? What does love and the bible have to do with me? Are we just looking for a feel good message on Valentine's Day or is there something more to love? The word of God mentions love more than 164 times. God is definitely trying to tell humanity something about love. For instance, Jesus Christ said the greatest commandment is to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind and with all your strength.'—(Deuteronomy 6:4,5) And here is the second one. 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'—(Leviticus 19:18)(NIrV)
How can loving God effect me? You may ask. When you begin to surrender your heart unto the Lord you will experience a greater love. A love for not just your fellow neighbor but a love for people who've done you wrong in the past; a love for people who don't love you back. It's not an easy, feel-good love like the ones we hear playing on the radio ever so often. It's a love that builds character and shapes the environment around us; from hopeless today to hopeful tomorrow. Happy Valentine's Day; from The Love Movement!

Entreprenueral Church: Dealing With Uncertainty

By Michael Richards
Commentary on Chapter 1 of the First Book of Corinthians

(1:4-5) It is a nervous task for pastors and ministers to start any work for the Lord. This is because we humans live in a world of uncertainty. There are so many things which can go wrong that it is impossible for any pastor to prepare for them all. However, this is no reason to be discouraged when starting a new path for your church or ministry. In fact be encouraged that God has called you to lead.
When Paul starts his letters, he doesn't start by focusing on the problem. He starts by thanking the church of Corinth for all its successes. When looking at the future of your ministry, try to see where God has placed you. It is important to remember that the most uncertain thing of all for a pastor is God's will. This is because God is far more wiser than even the most experienced pastor. If God calls you to do something extraordinary, trust Him. You may not know what is going on, but He does.
If there is something to fix in the church, don't let it blind you and steal away all your hope. God has placed you there, even if you don't understand why.If you don't feel at least a little uncertain about the future of your church, then you are in trouble. Complacency breeds problems in the future.

(1:10-11) The most important thing for a church is to be of one accord. God has given His church leaders visions for what He expects from their church. Contention is born out of loss of vision. Don't deviate from God's vision with your own pet projects. These projects can overwhelm a pastor as they divert resources and time from more profitable ventures. A leader without a vision is like the blind leading the blind. Have a goal and stick to it.
This also important when deciding how to allocate church resources to your various ministries. Do your ministers effectively fulfill the goals that you have for your church? Do some of your ministries deviate from the goal? As the church entrepreneur allocating resources and personnel in the most profitable manner is the top priority. If a ministry is not useful for achieving the vision for the church, it may be better to scrap it and allow resources to be allocated where they are more productive.

(17-18) What happens when God tells you as a leader to do something that is not only seemingly impossible but ridiculous as well. David Wilkerson, founder of Teen Challenge, had a similar experience. God told him to go to New York to help young boys on trial for murder. After the trial, he failed to even talk to the boys and ended up gaining some unwanted media attention. He found himself in an embarrassing article all over the front page of local newspapers around the country. Needless to say, he was mortified. However, it was from this that local gangs in the area began to respect Wilkerson and he ended up saving a lot of souls who were lost in a cycle of violence and drugs. You can read more about Wilkerson's amazing journey in his book, "The Cross and the Switchblade"".
Remember, God's plans are uncertain to us because He knows so much more than we do. After all, Noah looked pretty foolish building his arc, but look how it turned out. He lived while everyone else drowned. If you try to rely solely on the wisdom of the world you too will drown in the uncertainty of life. Even in worldly things, that which seems foolish today may be genius tomorrow. Look at the airplane. Only 200 years ago the idea seemed out of reach, but today its an everyday part of our travel experience. Trust God, and you too can fly to new heights.

(1:29 and 31) God, does not want us to rely solely on our own strength. When all is said and done, don't brag like all this is your own achievement. Give God credit where credit is do. Without Him, there would be no Bible and no forgiveness. The Bible is a perfect example of how God deals with uncertainty. In the Bible, God set up a plan that spanned for over 1,000 years. Talk about great planning!!! Even today, God is still working out His plans. Any attempt to try to do God's work without Him is foolish. Businessmen know they are providing a good service through profits. A pastor knows that he is providing a good service in how much God is moving through his church.
However, unlike business people, money is not the way a pastor knows if he is succeeding in his ventures. Pastors do, however, have a way to measure if God is moving through his church. This will be explained more in later chapters.

Good News from China!!! :D

The Love Equation?

Why Lord?