Not Satisfied? Are You Looking Back?

Not Satisfied? Find Yourself Looking Back?

Written by Kevin A. Hall (03/21/17)

"We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted”.

The children of Israel got me thinking. How many times do we look back and wished for things we left behind? Friends, Positions, Way of life, Level of Devotion?

The Israelite nation had been under bondage for years. Maybe you too know what it means to have been bound. Your source of bondage could by physical or emotional. In their case, the Egyptian government made them slaves out of fear. They cried out to their God. He answered their prayer. Their salvation came in the form of Moses. One day, God visited Moses in the desert. Sometimes it takes a desert experience to occur before God will show up. He said “Moses, I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows” (Ex. 3:7)

You can’t tell me that God doesn’t care about His people. Please note that God’s sovereignty dictates that He does not respond to every injustice. Sometimes our pain is the result of our decisions. I think of King David who (1) Saw the woman (2) Called for the woman (3) Entered into a relationship with the woman (4) Covered it up by setting up her husband (4) Issuing a command to kill the husband…. There was a consequence for his actions. 

A Successful Strategy We All Should Adopt (Kingdom Living)

Successful Strategies Every Church Should Employ - 

We Are The Church - That's You And Me

A quick study of 2 Timothy written by the Apostle Paul:

·         Believers are encouraged to pray without ceasing (2:3)

·         Parent and guardians should teach their children about God (2:5)

·         A leader should always encourage others to “keep the faith, don’t get stagnant” (2:6)

·         Christians should hold dear the Gospel; be good stewards (2:13-14)

·         We should always pray God’s blessings upon those who support missionary endeavors (2:18)

·         We should make every effort to support our missionaries – seek them out (2: 17)

·         Paul encouraged Timothy not to get lazy (2:6)

·         The minister of God constantly “reminds and give charge” the people (2:14)

·         Christians should not waste their time on “idle babblings”. We should “rightly divide” so that we can eradicate the cancer of false teaching (2:17)

·         Christians should not practice evil (2:19)

Want To Know Your Spiritual Gift? What Has God Called Me To Do?

I recommend this excellent resource.

Take the following assessment (about 15 minutes) to determine your spiritual gifts. A whole new world will open up to you when you know your “calling in life”. The adventure begins!

Visit :    https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1

image from strongtowerbiblechurch.com

Blessings!

Having Relationship Issues? This is a must Read!

Structuring My Relationships under God’s Divine Order

Written by Kevin A. Hall (03.18.17)

The world and the devil fights against God’s Kingdom Order. If you are having trouble with your marriage, with your children, with the people in your church, with the boss, with your co-workers then this applies to you.

Consider this. Is my life structured under God’s Kingdom Order?

As a Pastor, Bishop, Teacher, are you teaching this to your people? The main responsibility of the Elder/Bishop/Pastor is to be a faithful overseer (shepherd), guarding the flock, teaching them the Word of God (encouraging godliness) and protecting that which is under their care by “confronting and rebuking sin” while guarding against error. How do we know it’s error? Does it line up with God’s Word? Not man’s word. Not just what the preacher says… Check to see if he or she is speaking truth!  How about at home? Are you living under God's Kingdom Order?

The Good News Is... The Bible has provided us with some advice to live a fulfilled life.

Qualities of a Sound Church. It also defines a Healthy Family (Titus 2)

Men:

·         We should be SOBER (not given to strong drink) – Don’t be a drunkard. You Ruin Your life!

·         We should be REVERENT – Dignified, sensible, honoring God

·         We should SOUND in LOVE, FAITH & PATIENCE – Healthy and strong in these areas (Go to church. Be a leader. Be patient with our wives and kids. We do not lay hands on our own blood.

·         We should remain CHASTE if we are unmarried – NO FORNICATION! NO CHEATING!

Would You Like To Know What God Has Called You To Do?

What Has God Called You To Do?  Do You Really Want To Know?

Written by Kevin. A. Hall (03.16.17)

Have you ever wondered what your purpose in life is? When I was younger, people would often call me preacher. You know, when people call you something long enough you begin to believe it. As I look back over my young years I remember being conscious about some task I should do for God, but not sure what it was. As I grew older I recognized that churches were built on personalities. One of the churches I attended, if a young man wasn’t as expressive as the Pastor good luck being used. Then there were all these rules in church – Don’t wear shorts, don’t wear short sleeve shirts, don’t wear a beard, don’t go to the movies, don’t go to the beach, don’t mix with the sinner, don’t get involved in sports, don’t work in certain places! What is a brother supposed to do with his life? I won’t even touch the subject of what women go through in the church. Church can be brutal to women! For some, doing work in church is the result of playing politics. For some it's based on "Who you know and Who you are related to". Thankfully, in many cases God appointed his faithful servant.

Still, how do you know what to do with your life? Should it be based on what people have "confirmed"? Is it just me "seeking after the greater gifts"?

Do you still believe in the Call of God ?

Does God Still “Call” Men and Women?

Written by Kevin A. Hall (11.28.2016)

The missionary call still exists. In fact, it comes in varied forms to different people. I would describe the “call” as God prodding a person to complete a specific duty or task for him. This call comes in many ways, as God Himself is unpredictable. One would say that a “call” is personalized by God, even though it may be fulfilling the same task or duty as another would. Moreau (160) better describes it as “guidance” from God. For some people, this prodding to do may come in the form of a dream, a revelation, a vision, “an undeniable tug on the heart to be involved in a certain part of the world or with a certain people or in a certain type of role”. It is a feeling that is almost impossible to let go; once that will not dissipate until the act is fulfilled; one in which the individual finds fulfillment when engaging in the act/duty.

There are 4 types of calls seen in scripture:

How BIG Is My Faith?

How Big Is My Faith?

Written by Kevin A. Hall (03.15.17)

Lazarus is dead!

With that Jesus heads out to Bethany, hometown to His friends. Word got out to Martha that Jesus was approaching. She goes out to meet Him. When they meet up Martha says “ Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask”. Then Jesus said to her “Your brother will rise again”. She responds “I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (Jn. 11:20-23).

This scene begs me to consider my faith. Big faith or little faith? Kind of what happens when we face a situation and go to God in prayer. Yes we know He is all powerful and well able. Yes we know He can, but does our language really line up with the reality of God (God, You are all powerful, You are omniscient, You are good, Nothing is impossible for You). It seems to me that Martha believed it, hence the reason she said “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask”. But does she fall back into doubt with her next statement “I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day”? Is that what we do when we pray? Do we go to God believing, but then resign to “It’s what it is…Whatever your will is Lord…We know you can”. It looks like Martha believed God can but ….

The Man Jesus Would Not Speak To

The Man Jesus Would Not Speak To

Written by Kevin A. Hall (02.18.2017)

Jesus before Herod Antipas (Luke 23: 6-9 NLT)

“Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked. When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.

Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. 

The key text here is verse 9 -  And he questioned Him^]at some length; but He answered him nothing.

Context: Jesus has been through the ringer. Pilate surely wants nothing to do with this. Being the master politician he seeks a way out. “Wait a minute? This Jesus is not from my jurisdiction, is he?” Jesus is found to be from Herod’s jurisdiction. Them two (Herod and Pilate) were in no way friends, but here’s a chance to appease Herod. So, Pilate sends Jesus off to Herod as a gift.

Going back a bit. Mark 6.

Jesus send His disciples out in pairs. They were casting out demons and healing people. Herod heard about this. He heard that this was Jesus’ men. The people were saying that John the Baptist’s spirit was raised from the dead – Jesus’ source of power and influence. Herod had reason to be concerned.  Herod was a super superstitious man whose wife was wearing the pants. Herod actually enjoyed listening to John (vs. 20). John confronted Herod about marrying his brother’s wife - Herodias. On account of this John was arrested. Herodias cooked up a plot which caused John to be beheaded. John raised from the dead in the form of Jesus? Worried? Scared? Concerned?

John Macarthur | How to deal with “Transgendered” people

Christian Ethics in the Workplace - Do I live two lives?

Ethics in the Workplace

Written By Kevin Hall (10.16.2016)

How is a Christian to conduct themselves in the marketplace? What’s our approach to ethical challenges?

This issue is very important as it speaks to colliding worldviews that influence how we live out our day to day lives. Ethics in the workplace is of particular interest to me as I have struggled with this issue for years. I was a supervisor in different capacities over the past 15 years and in every role to which I was assigned, my Christian worldview dictated my actions. It influenced how aggressive I was in conducting business, the criteria for becoming a part of my team, employee/employer relationships, customer/business relationships, the efficiency of the operations, rewards and motivations, accountability and performance reviews, diversity in the workplace, music in the workplace, religion on the workplace and the list goes on.

One thing that was obvious was that I operated on a different level than my peers. In fact, at one point my boss alluded that my “Christian religion” is what was preventing me from being as demanding as I should be on my employees. He wondered then if I could “play the game”. It was obvious that I was not fighting as the others were (unfairly) doing. Rae (342) mentions that one of the ways this is achieved by many professionals is to employ the strategy of “Dual Morality” – dealing with the ethical challenges in the workplace by creating two separate worlds to operate in. This is a strategy where each sphere has its own set of rules and guidelines to follow. One set of moral rules for the workplace and another set in private life.