The Hazardous Christian

The Hazardous Christian

By James Ryle www.truthworks.org


"Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 15:26).

Marketers have called it the World’s Most Successful Ad. It was posted in The London Times in 1905 -- “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages. Bitter cold. Long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in event of success.” Signed E. Shackleton. He was looking for a crew to help him discover the South Pole.

The next morning, over five thousand men were waiting outside the Time’s office ready to go. Something in the ad touched something deep inside each man.

But there is an even more successful ad posted in the Acts of the Apostles, and over the centuries millions have responded to its higher call in an even deeper way.

Paul and Silas were commended as men who hazarded their lives. Contrary to what one may initially think, this does not mean to be reckless or irresponsible. The Greek word means “to give over to another.” In other words, they were men who had handed their lives over to Jesus Christ, so as to bring great honor to His name. And while the underlying thought might seem to be one of self-abandonment, the truth of the matter is that this is the ultimate act of personal responsibility.

Paul said, “My friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.” (Rom.12:1, Good News Bible).

The Amplified Bible says it is the "reasonable, rational, and intelligent" thing to do.

You and I were put on this earth to make Jesus famous. It is reasonable, rational, and intelligent for us to use our gifts and abilities to honor Him. But that’s not going to happen if we hold on to our own reputations as something to be cherished and mollycoddled, as they said in the old days. We must hazard our lives.

There is something deep inside every person that is stirred by the daring challenge to live a life of greatness for something other than oneself. Still, not all choose to do so; not every one hands their lives over.

Some settle for the pampered, risk-free environment of a lifeless faith and live out their days making no difference at all. But not you; surely not you. Start now and from this day onward, hazard your life for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Worship - The Door of Kings

Worship - The Door of Kings
(Meeting David and Rita)
Worship - In 1975 a guy named David Kitely came to our church and taught us how to sing over chord progressions and released the congregation and the musicians into a free flowing, extemporaneous worship that revolutionized the services. Prior to that praise felt like pumping water up hill. After learning how to flow, the praise easily moved into worship that felt like a personal communion with Jesus. We soared like eagles, released prophetical songs and instrumentals. I was particularly fond of great brothers and sisters that worshiped through their clarinet, violin, or trumpet. Between the worship, the prophetic songs, and the instruments, the church went to a whole new level in terms of experiencing the presence of God. Something happened in the spirit that caused our hearts to be released with joy into the presence of God. It was liberating, exciting, emotional, and holy at the same time.
Note: It's worth pointing out that our 1975 revelation of how to worship was so amazing that we developed a theology to go with it. We thought the presence of God was so real and powerful that the whole community would eventually be drawn into it. We actually did grow the church... however, instead of releasing Kings, we gave them seat assignments in the only mountain we could see at the time - the local church. Of course it eventually blew up and we all wondered why something so wonderful could end so awkwardly... probably God?
Releasing Kings - Worship is a natural ingredient in our discipleship process where we learn to release our hearts into a new freedom with Jesus. The Holy Spirit woos us week after week until we surrender to the thrill of soaring like eagles in worship; lost in the wonder of his majesty and no longer concerned with what others may think. It's an hour a week of learning to hear the voice of the Father and catching a ride on the wind of the Holy Spirit. There are times so rich that everyone present can prophesy because everyone can hear what God is saying so clearly.
Experiencing your release as a king is another expression of that kind of worship. It feel like a jailbreak from an obedient servant to a friend that walks in the desires of his or her own heart with a clear knowledge of what the Father is doing. It's a step into personal freedom that causes us to soar and reminds us so much of worship. And, it leads right into the presence and favor of God. We used to labor and pump and strive; and now something has changed and our "yoke" feels easy and our "burden" feels light. Networks come together, doors open, finances flow, and the creativity feels like an adventure.
Connecting the dots - God connected something for me. When we do conferences on Releasing Kings there is an amazing impact in people as they begin to awaken dreams and touch the desires of their heart that God planted in them. It's one part inner healing mixed with one part joyful jailbreak with a pinch of adventure thrown in for excitement. Worship is a natural bridge God builds into our hearts to release us as Kings in the Kingdom. We don't normally connect starting a business with worship... unless it's your business and it makes your heart sing and you realize it really is worship! Learning to set your heart free is a key ingredient to inherit Jesus' promise of abundant life (Jn 10:10). Worship is a great training ground for your heart.
Finding your calling in the marketplace will cause your spirit to leap. Or, reversing the sequence, when we learn to set our hearts free we will find our calling in the marketplace.
I met David and Rita Baroni last week (read their interview on the link). It was one of those connections that feels like you've found a long, lost friend. They have spent their lives in music and worship, and they carry that same ability to transform congregational worship and musicians, to set people free to soar in worship; released in the presence of God. Many worship services consist of songs with little participation from the congregation. David's music and his knowledge of free-form worship and the prophetic create a special place for people to "enter in" and release their hearts. You can hear some of their music on You Tube and learn more on the interview page. I'm committed to having a future conference with them to implement this dynamic... releasing hearts in worship and in the marketplace. David and Rita carry an anointing to do that. They are carrying on what King David started; a path to life filled with abundance, joy and pleasure.
You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Ps 16:11 NASU
Finding our role in the marketplace to minister is a song that is playing in our hearts. I think it's dance music! There is a new sound in the camp that is causing a generation to arise.

We're Dancing

John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

PS: I want to recommend some follow-up reading.
Who is God by Harold Eberle provides the best explanation of a more relational view of God. It's must reading that connects our perception of God with everyday life.
Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace takes that foundation into marketplace ministry and the entrepreneurial nature of Kings. Fruit in the marketplace naturally springs out of sound doctrine.
Desire to Destiny - Takes the foundation and marketplace ministry and puts them in the context of seven practical keys or stages of growth you can apply in your own life.
You're invited into the vision to release Kings; communicate the message, make the money, and do the mission.
1. The Message - Our first goal is to get the Releasing Kings message into the hands of the messengers that will carry it... do it, preach it, teach it, example it.
2. The Money - The second goal is to help Kings break out of poverty by networking them with practical opportunities to prosper. We want to introduce them to the right people, the right opportunity, and the right financial approach.
3. The Mission - Network Kings with opportunities to mix business and missions. Accomplish the great commission through the marketplace and occupy the Seven mountains of: business, media, arts & entertainment, education and government in addition to the church.

From Pew to Purpose

From Pew to Purpose
When the Saints come Marching - We live in a church culture believing we should equip the saints but we don't quite know how to graduate them into the marketplace to change the world. Last week we made A Case For Mentors. Let's take that theme one more step into the sequence we all go through. First it's permission to pursue your dream, then it's finding your purpose (mountain, vocation, ministry and model), and lastly it's hooking up with a mentor to convert all of these pie-in-the-sky dreams into a prosperous vocation and ministry.
1. Permission from God - Your dream begins when you give yourself permission to dream. I have to embrace the theological position that God has written His will into the desires of my heart. Not there? Many believe our hearts are evil and get trapped in religion, "I'm obeying the will of God for my life and I'm living above my carnal desires." That attitude is good for new believers, but over a life time, it will eventually ship wreck - I've tried it and so have you.
One of the early signs that God is unveiling your heart's desire is that you see someone else "modeling" your dream… you’ll be drawn to emulate that person. When you see someone with a calling, gifting, and anointing similar to your own, you naturally will gravitate toward them. You’ll experience a healthy envy that draws you into their anointing. They are examples the Lord is showing you to pull you into your own destiny. Let your envy work its way into mentoring. We are drawn into their anointing by the Holy Spirit. Godly mentors don't focus on accountability; they focus on making you a success and letting you hold yourself accountable to something that works.
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Cor 11:1
…for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 1 Cor 4:15-16
Join with others in following my example, brothers Phil 3:17
You became imitators of us and of the Lord 1 Thess 1:6
We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 2 Thess 3:9
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Heb 6:12
The Kingdom is being built by people who are having fun, prospering in every way, and sharing from a cup that runs over in abundance. If you're struggling in this area my first suggestion is to read Releasing Kings. It was designed to provide a very Biblical basis for this move in our hearts.
2. Coaching to Find Your Life's Purpose - It is helpful and encouraging to sit down with someone good at reading people, who will ask the right questions and help you explore what's in your heart. There are many professional coaches who can help you find your marketplace ministry. I'm borrowing a four step coaching sequence from Michelle Bizek as an example. Since we're mentioning Michelle we should also point out that women are particularly being called out by the Holy Spirit to pursue their hearts and often it's women coaches who are setting them free.
Explore where you are, what beliefs and choices got you here, where you want to go and what you want to change,
Discover your dreams, values, strengths, challenges and possibilities,
Align your discoveries to design goals and actions that satisfy and fulfill,
Integrate your actions to create new results and move you toward your goals.
A coach can get us started setting goals, writing a plan, making a schedule... getting off our south side. We wrote Desire to Destiny to address this same process. Read it - you'll be blessed.
Two Suggestions - 1) I'd like to see coaching happen in the church as a pastoral function. Why not set a goal that part of our discipleship process is helping every member of the body find their mountain. It's not that hard and its not very far from the counseling that already goes on in most churches... except it is proactive instead of reactive.
2) Our missions trips should include this same process. We're not about just getting people saved so they can sit in the pews. We need to think of follow-up in terms of helping / coaching new believers to connect with their marketplace calling.
3. Mentoring - It's important to distinguish between coaching and mentoring. Coaches make their money from the people they help and have a pastoral ingredient. Mentors make their money from their field of expertise and help people out of an apostolic fathering ingredient. They don't need your money! Although they love to share their insights and help people become successful, they can't afford to waste time on people that aren't serious.
Mentors can show you how to do things. Even better, they can show you what not to do because they have already made all the mistakes. Mentors have a life time of connections that allow them to get things done quickly and efficiently. They can shave years off our dream realization.
Who's your mentor? For starters, get acquainted with those same people you would like to emulate and ask if they would help you. Couch that question in terms of how you could help them. Use your phone and make a divine appointment! We're not just asking for information or training, we're asking for a relationship with a "father." Your commitment to succeed is measured by your willingness to find a mentor(s).
PS: many who read this newsletter are being called to be a "father" and provide this mentoring aspect of discipleship for others. We've used a web page called interviewing Kings to highlight a few examples of those folks. There are millions more... rise up and find your sons! Pull some one else up to your level.
 
We're Dancing
 
John and Sue     www.Releasing-kings.com

America's Economic Crisis - Lack of Confidence

America's Economic Crisis - Lack of Confidence

By Dr. Keith Johnson www.TheConfidenceCoach.com


I’ve heard it said that a recession is anytime people lose confidence in the future. I agree.
What is America’s economic crisis all about? Lack of confidence!
Consumers lack the confidence to spend in fear of future financial collapse. Lenders lack the confidence to lend, and borrowers to borrow. Shoppers have stopped shopping, and retailers have stopped hiring. Salespeople are hesitant to close the deal, and buyers are taking fewer risks. Homebuyers lack the confidence to even tour for-sale homes, and home builders are waiting, hoping.
“Therefore do not cast away your CONFIDENCE, which has great reward.” Hebrews 10:35
Fear, insecurity, and worry have hijacked the majority of American minds. They have lost confidence in the leadership of our country, of Wall Street, of our financial institutions, and the positive outcome of their futures. When people are unsure or afraid of the future, they do nothing! They don’t act. They don’t buy. They don’t sell. They don’t borrow. Scared or unsure people just sit, wait, watch, and worry, wondering if things are going to get better or worse.
Why Is America Great?
The greatest strength of the United States of America is not our great riches, beauty of our lands, our military powers, or our resources—our strength lies in our belief in God and our mental toughness. Americans have always been the most confident-thinking citizens in the world. We dream big, think big, build big, talk big, dress big, live big, act big, and give big. Why? Because confidence is a natural part of the American DNA. We live in a confidence- producing environment, modeled every day by good, decent men and women who accomplish their goals and dreams.
Then Why Is Our Confidence at an All-Time Low?
I believe there are two major reasons:
1. Leadership Crisis
Many Americans have lost confidence in our leaders because of their lack of character-centered leadership. Leadership is built on trust. When leaders lie, cheat, make decisions based only on what is best for them, and have immoral failures in their private lives, confidence is lost. Recent surveys reveal that 80 percent of Americans believe we are experiencing a crisis in leadership across the board, from government to business to financial institutions to churches to nonprofit organizations.
Confidence is built on two major ingredients: credibility and integrity. Nobody has confidence in someone who does not do what they say. United States President Dwight Eisenhower said, “In order to be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence, the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionable integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. If a man’s associates find him guilty of being phony, if they find that he lacks integrity he will fail. His teaching and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.”
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.” - Psalms 9:17
History has proven time and again that corrupted morals equal bad economics and moral integrity equals great economics. Our lack of confidence is the result of immoral leadership. When leaders lack integrity, the nation’s citizens eventually pay the cost and feel the pain, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. The first price we pay is a loss of confidence, and the problems get greater and costlier.
2. An “All or Nothing” Mentality
The media profit from disseminating information about fear, crisis, and tragedy. The media thrive on negativity because that’s what sells. They present an “all or nothing” perspective of the economy. You have heard it, “Everybody’s business is down this year. Nobody can get a car loan. It is hard to buy a house unless you have outstanding credit. Nobody is selling any houses. Everybody is losing money in the stock market.” Is this true or is it hype?
“Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear...” Mark 4:24
A few instances to the contrary: My organization had our best financial year in 15 years. I recently talked with a vice president of a major fast food restaurant chain who said they had their best year ever and set many company records. An entrepreneurial friend of mine started a new business at the end of 2007 with $1 million, and he grew his business to $400 million in one year. One of our local car dealerships is offering 0 percent financing. Someone I know had his credit damaged because of a divorce; however, he received a loan from a major lending institution for 4.9 percent and bought a beautiful four- bedroom home with a pool. A real estate friend in Florida told me she sold four homes in one week.
The truth: some people have had the very best year of their lives. Yes, some people are having tough times—but not “everybody” as the media would have you believe. America desperately needs leaders in government, media, business, and the church who will be voices of confidence and optimism within their world of influence. We need leaders in times of crisis to show fortitude, strength, character, and confidence to those looking to them for hope.
Regaining Our Confidence
Confidence is the byproduct of predictability. When something predictable is removed or a sudden change happens in our personal lives or organizations, people tend to feel insecure.
To restore your confidence, you must:
1. Ask yourself the right questions.
Jesus was a master at asking the right questions at the right time. Profound questions produce profound answers. Ask yourself, “What predictabilities have been removed from my life?” Then, “What immediate action can I take to make my life more predictable?”
A couple of my favorite questions that I ask myself during times of feeling insecure: “What three things can I do in the next 90 days that will make a 50 percent difference in the rest of this year?” “What one major problem do I need to solve that will make my life more predictable?” Start looking for solutions instead of focusing on problems.
“Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Mark 9:23
You must believe there is an answer to your current problems. If you will confidently believe that there is an answer to the problems you are facing, your mind will design a road map to find it. If you don’t believe there is an answer, your mind will not create one.
2. List your former successes.
“Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." 1 Samuel 17:36
You can increase your confidence by using your memory. Your mind is designed to recall past events. Great achievers, like David, learn to replay the memories of their past successes. You can actually use your past success to supercharge your confidence. Listing your former successes and accomplishments will fuel your confidence to try it again. Your list will empower you with the confidence to say, “I did this before, I can do it again.”
3. Focus on your strengths.
“Do not neglect the gift that is in you...” 1 Timothy 4:14
Ask yourself, “What is my greatest strength or gift?” You might not know right away, but simply ask yourself, “What do I do that seems to be very easy for me, but it is hard for others?” When you answer this question, you have discovered your single greatest strength. Design your life around your strengths and you will notice an instant confidence boost.
Conclusion
What one person calls a crisis, another person calls an opportunity. No matter what kind of challenges you are facing, remember that no one can stop you but you. Confident people do not sit around waiting for someone or something to tell them what their future is going to look like—they create it. Leadership guru Peter Ducker said,
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” I suggest you do the same. You are a leader! You can be the voice of confidence to a fearful world. Promote, support, and vote for leaders of integrity and not leaders of charisma.
Stop listening to the voices of negativity. Build your confidence to an all-time high. This year can be your golden opportunity—go for it.
By Dr. Keith Johnson, America’s Confidence Coach. Receive 5 Free confidence building products when you visit our website at www.TheConfidenceCoach.com

A Case For Mentors

A Case For Mentors
Releasing Kings - Lest Week's newsletter, Church or Kingdom, was the kick off for this theme. The church isn’t mentoring people into their mountains. Five-fold ministers generally lack the expertise for mentoring people in non-church mountains and are specifically not able to teach others how to multiply finances. The Kingdom goal is to help people find a ministry vocation they enjoy (in the marketplace mountain of their choice) coupled with a prosperity ingredient that takes them well beyond a 40 hr/week job so they are really free to engage in the ministry and missions side of their work. We’re searching for a solution to fully equip the saints to the point of releasing Kings locally and to change the “salvation, church-planting only” approach to missions. The result is that missions should be thought of as at least self-supporting and perhaps profitable.
Mentoring - We have a vision brochure that provides a roadmap for releasing Kings based on Desire to Destiny. I want to suggest that in this present hour, personal mentoring is the missing ingredient that helps turn saints into Kings.
From Informational to Relational - Western Christianity is information based. We think if we have a sermon, coach, book, or conference we can run with an idea and bring it into reality. Prophetic people are particularly susceptible because the Holy Spirit is prompting them along the same lines as the "information" they are getting. So... they start a business, make an investment, or get a new job and fail. Why? They had the right idea and the push of the Holy Spirit!
"Information" and "revelation" are only the start of the process. Pastors, teachers, coaches, etc., can teach us what is possible, but mentors show us how. Our relational models to move from knowledge to practice, at present, are surprisingly “non-relational.” We’re prone to assume we can figure it out in one class or one seminar when the price tag is a life-time of being fathered to the next level and fathering others ourselves. Practically, the real secret to escaping poverty and becoming a King, is an enduring relationship with a "father" that is already moving in our vision.
Fathers vs Teachers - Let's clarify some terms and the sequence of events. First we articulate our heart's desire and set our goals on something we want to do and someone we would like to emulate (pick a mountain, a vocation, a ministry, and a model). The second step is finding someone who has the right experience to look over our shoulder and help us on an ongoing basis.
Note - Coaching is very popular right now. However, most coaches have experience in coaching and nothing more. They are generalists that lack the specific expertise you need. They can teach you how to coach and load you up with expensive materials that sit on the shelf. But, they may be missing real marketplace experience in your field. You want a mentor that is already successful at your chosen vocation / ministry in the marketplace.
The purpose of a mentor or father is to make you successful by showing you "how" and helping you see new opportunities. We don't need a contract or a covenant and they have no motive to rule over us or "lord it over us." The right mentoring relationship gets you through blind spots, poverty, and areas of self-sabotage that you can't see - otherwise the information would have been good enough. Get it? We learn by doing, not listening. It's called practice. We do need to be good listeners. Hearing information is just never enough. Teachers have knowledge, mentors have wisdom and understanding.
Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers... 1 Cor 4:15 NIV

Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Tim 4:3 NIV
The relationship can be a single father or mentor, a network of like-minded and experienced peers, or a home group of kings with experience in your area of interest. It's quite often a combination of all three; a father, a network of peers, and fellowship with your support system. Corporate CEO's usually have a "board" for exactly those reasons. So should we.
The price tag - Christians are usually familiar with the concept of apostolic fathering and carry a belief that it should be free. Many marketplace fathers are very generous with their time and interest in other people. However, it's seldom free. Business mentors don't want to waste their time with people that aren't serious. So you should expect to find a way to reimburse your mentor. This is a relationship that has spiritual and financial value. If you find the right mentor the cost will be a bargain relative to the financial gain you receive.
Here's a hint. If your mentor makes his money mentoring, he's a professional coach. You're looking for a mentor that makes his wealth in his business using his expertise. Coaches talk a lot (preach), speak in generalities, and make things sound mysterious. Business mentors can really do things. They can explain a path forward in simple terms and show you how to do it because they are doing it themselves. They can help you find a network of connections, help you through financial decisions, help you find start-up capital, and help make sure your business plan and cash flow are viable so you won't shipwreck. They can see problems coming, not just diagnose a disaster after the fact.
Missions - What if we had enough mentors to cover missions? The gospel isn't just salvation and church planting. Our message is abundant life and changing nations. What if the product of our missions work was self-sustaining believers functioning in the marketplace and contributing to their local society? Prosperous converts, rich in every way and generous on every ocassion! What if we taught them how to multiply finances? What if we learned how ourselves?... from a mentor. Now, go find one.
But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. Deut 8:18 NIV

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Cor 9:8 NIV

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion... 2 Cor 9:10-11 NIV

PS: I decided I wanted to switch from engineering to day trading 18 months ago. I'm not recommending that decision for everyone, "but" I found two mentors that embody the qualities of this newsletter. Greg and Dan... spirit filled, a vision to help people, and totally prosperous from their own trading endeavors. They are examples, not just theoreticians. Thanks! May the Lord unveil a million more just like them.

We're Dancing

John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

All things in Christ

All Things in Christ
by Chip Brogden
“For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen. (Romans 11:36).”
In my written and spoken messages I make frequent reference to the preeminence of Christ. Just what do we mean by Christ having the preeminence? What do we mean by giving Christ the preeminence in all things?
“Preeminence” literally means having the first, highest, chief, and best place in a position of ascendancy over everything else. It is an ultimacy, a glory, an honor, a distinction, a prestige, an illustriousness, a renown, a notability, and a nobility that surpasses all others. Paul simply says that the aim of God is for JESUS CHRIST to have THAT kind of position in - all things. That explains everything God has done, is doing and will do. But what does he mean by “all things”?
Whenever I teach from a passage that includes the phrase “all things” I usually stop and ask, “Now how many things does ‘all things’ include?” And the people always respond, “Everything!” That word “all” is a very large word, a very encompassing word. There is nothing outside of “all”! How casually and easily we allow our eyes to glance past these words. We have not comprehended them. If we comprehended them we could not read them with a yawn, but we would read them with a shout!
If we intend to make some exception to “all” we might say something like, “everything but” or “everything except” in order to qualify what we mean as something less than “all”. But “all things” is without qualification. “All” is “all”, and “all things” is everything. Nothing is left out, nothing is excluded. It is not necessary for us to list every single thing that “all” includes, because “all” is all-inclusive. But what about this, you ask? It is among the All. And what of this, you say? That, too, is included in the All. And what about this thing, or that thing? Oh yes, they are in the All as well. You cannot come up with a single thing that is not included in All.
So in Romans 11:36 Paul sums up the preeminence of Christ into three expressions: “Of Him… through Him… to Him… are ALL THINGS.” “OF HIM” says that everything which exists - things in heaven, things in earth, everything that was created, everything that has come into being, everything that will come into being - is created by, and because of, CHRIST. “THROUGH HIM” says that everything which lives, moves, breathes, operates, exists, or functions in this universe, whether animate or inanimate, whether biological, chemical, spiritual, natural, or cosmotological - does so THROUGH CHRIST, Who sovereignly upholds all these things, determines their place, and keeps them in order. “TO HIM” says that everything, no matter how far from God’s Thought it may be, no matter how chaotic things may appear, is being directed, summed up, and gathered together INTO CHRIST. As the Alpha, all things flow FROM Him; as the Omega, all things flow TO Him.
That is quite a paragraph. A paragraph like that cannot be grasped in one reading. But that paragraph is, in essence, what Paul means, and what we mean, by Christ having the preeminence in all things. We are talking about Jesus as Lord over us individually, over the Church corporately, and over all creation collectively. We are talking about a preeminent Christ Who is exalted above every principality and power, rule and dominion; things visible, things invisible; things past, things present, things future; things in heaven, things in earth, things under the earth: all things are OF Him, all things are THROUGH Him, and all things are TO Him. That is preeminence.
Let us go through the Scriptures and bring out a few gems from the storehouse of tremendous wealth and riches in Christ. Our criteria for selecting these particular Scriptures was very simple. We wanted to look at every reference that mentions Christ in connection with His preeminence over “all things”. We found quite a number. There are dozens more references that support our study, but we have included only the ones which contain the phrase “all things”. Once we gathered the references together, we sorted them according to Romans 11:36 - those that are OF Him, those that are THROUGH Him, and those that are TO Him.
The result of that study is the basis of this writing. I pray these will not be mere verses of Scripture to us, but will be the very means through which the Father gives us greater illumination and revelation into His Son. We ought to meditate on this daily and ask the Lord to open our eyes to see the height, depth, width, length, and breadth of this JESUS Whom we say we serve. May God deliver us from our own idea, concept, perception, and illusion of a small Christ and give us revelation into the preeminence of His Son.
I promise that if you will read through these verses once or twice a day, every day, it will be impossible for you to remain unaffected by the Truth they present! I am affected just in the preparation of this material, and how much more in the application and apprehending of it! When we see Christ as All in All then it will be impossible for us to ever again be reduced to the small, the trivial, the petty things which occupy us and waste so much of our time. Our only hope is seeing a Christ that fills us, a Christ that is greater than us, a Christ that is larger than we can fathom, an indescribable Christ that overshadows, overwhelms, and consumes us through and through!
OF HIM ARE ALL THINGS
“All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:3).”
“And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:9).”
“For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him (Colossians 1:16).”
“For Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things (Hebrews 2:10ff).”
“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of Whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we by Him (I Corinthians 8:6).”
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11).”
The Father declares the preeminence of His Son by involving Him in the process of creating all things. As a result, nothing was created apart from Christ. Of Him are all things - things in heaven, in earth, visible, invisible, spiritual, and physical. Scientists believe there may be as many as twenty-four dimensions in this universe, of which we only know five. However many there may be, He is preeminent over them all. Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Alpha, the Beginning, the First, the Source. This establishes Him as preeminent over all creation.
All things were created by Him, and everything was created for Him. For Him! Why this earth, the moon, the stars, the galaxies? Why the animals, the birds, the fish, the insects? Why men and women, angels, cherubim, and seraphim? For Him! All for Him! God’s original thought is for Christ to fill every created thing with His Life, Love, and Glory. A design implies a Designer, a plan implies a Planner, and a creation implies a Creator. We are not drifting along aimlessly, and we did not come into being by accident. We were created by Him, and we were created for Him. We were created to love Him, and to be loved by Him.
Of the three spheres - of Him, through Him, and to Him - “of Him” is probably the easiest to grasp. It is easier for us to look backwards and see Christ in retrospect than it is for us to perceive the present and to discern the future. But He is All of these at once. It is not that in times past He was the Alpha, and after a lengthy period of time He become the Omega. No, “I AM Alpha AND Omega, the Beginning AND the Ending, says the Lord: which was AND which is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8).” And, “They rest not day and night saying, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, AND is, AND is to come (Revelation 4:8b).” He always has been AND He always is AND He always will be; hence three “Holies” are necessary. What a mighty God!
So we progress forward and see that…
THROUGH HIM ARE ALL THINGS
First, all things are in His hands:
“All things are delivered unto Me of My Father (Matthew 11:27).”
“The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand (John 3:35).”
“Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God (John 13:3).”
“All things that the Father hath are Mine (John 16:15a).”
“[God] hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed Heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2a).”
His hands speak of His Ownership, His Authority, His Possessing of all things. The Father gave all things to the Son. Then, because all things are in His hands, all things are under His feet. His feet speak of His Dominion, His Rule, His subjecting of all things to the authority that is in His hands.
“Thou madest Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; thou has put all things under His feet (Psalms 8:6).”
“And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church (Ephesians 1:22).”
“And He is the Head of the Body, the Church: Who is the Beginning, the Firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18).”
“Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. (Hebrews 2:8a)
This possession and subjection of all things to Christ is not a passive, disinterested, distant, absentee ownership, like a clock that was once wound and now ticks all by itself long after the watchmaker has left it. Make no mistake: at the core of this spiritual and physical universe is a living, powerful, proactive Personality at work to bring fallen creation back to its original state, back into line with God’s Purpose, Heart, Mind, Desire, and Plan, which is CHRIST FILLING ALL THINGS, CHRIST UPHOLDING ALL THINGS, CHRIST AT THE CENTER OF ALL THINGS! Come quickly Lord Jesus! May Your Kingdom be manifest!
“And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist [Greek: find their being, take their place] (Colossians 1:17).”
“Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3).”
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).”
“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13).”
“For the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God (I Corinthians 2:10).”
Everything is upheld by His power, and all things are working together according to His Purpose. The Spirit searches all things and reveals them for what they are. Before Him everything is manifest, and there is nothing hidden from Him. There is no darkness that He does not penetrate, no deception that He cannot illuminate, no evil that He will not eradicate.
“He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).” Christ is ever increasing in order to fill all things, conforming them to His image, so that His glory is manifest in every corner of Creation - and He begins with individual disciples. The increasing of Christ and the decreasing of Self in every individual disciple is but a fragment of an ultimate Plan which extends from each disciple, to “two or three gathered together”, to the Church, and finally to all Creation. We should be able to look at each disciple and see a demonstration of Christ filling All in All: “Look, this is what I intend to do with all Creation.” He will continue to increase, and everything outside of Him will continue to decrease, until there will remain nothing outside of Him. He is Lord!
TO HIM ARE ALL THINGS
“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself (Philippians 3:21).”
“And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be All in All (I Corinthians 15:28).”
“That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him (Ephesians 1:10).”
“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven (Colossians 1:20).”
“He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things (Ephesians 4:10).”
Everything is moving back TOWARDS a Christocentric universe, so that as it was in the beginning, so it will be in the ending. Just as all things have their source and beginning in Christ, so all things will have their ending in Christ. He subdues all things, in order to gather together and reconcile all things, that He may fill all things. What a task that is! How can that be? How can all things ever be subdued, gathered together into one, reconciled, and filled by Christ? We cannot say how, but we know that “He is able”. Praise God, how can we doubt Him? How can we question this Man? Do we not yet know that He is the Preeminent One? Let us bow down and thank and praise God that He is able!
When we pray, “May Your Name be hallowed, may Your Kingdom come, may Your Will be done: as in heaven, so in earth”, this is the End we have in mind: “all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are in earth, even in Him.” This reconciliation and marriage of heaven and earth is a tremendous thing. In heaven, His Word is settled forever (Psalms 119:89); but on earth, things are very unsettled. In heaven, we see Jesus seated at the right hand of God, exalted above all principality and power, name and dominion; but on earth, “we see not yet all things put under Him (Hebrews 2:8b).” We see that “the heavens are the Lord’s: but the earth has He given to the children of men (Psalms 115:16).”
One day that discrepancy and unceasing conflict, that great chasm between Heaven and Earth, will be healed.
“And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new (Revelation 21:5a).”
“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and He shall be my son (Revelation 21:7).”
“How shall He not, with Him, freely give us all things (Romans 8:32b)?”
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us (Romans 8:37).”
“Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ’s; Christ is God’s (I Corinthians 3:21-23).”
How glorious! How tremendous! He is doing all of this for us! Everything He has is freely given to us, and through Him we possess all that He possesses. When He has all that we have, then we have all that He has. When we give Him all that we are, He gives us all that He is. Oh, the depth of this love! Oh, the depth of the richness of His grace to us! Who can understand it? Who can know it?
The chorus to a song comes to mind, that says
How could you not love Him back?
How could you hold out your heart
For even another day?
How could you not love Him back
When you’ve learned every loving fact?
How could you not love Him back?
Oh Jesus, may You have the preeminence henceforth and forever!

Whole Hearted, Simple Commitment

Whole Hearted, Simple Commitment

By Jim Liebelt www.jimliebeltconsulting.com


But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. —2 Corinthians 11:3
Some years ago, a train in the United Kingdom traveling 117 miles per hour derailed. The crash left four people dead and more than 30 people injured. An investigation showed that track defects had contributed significantly to the cause of the accident. The company responsible for maintaining the tracks was found to have not met its commitments on track repairs.
Half-hearted commitments can end in disaster. I’ve seen it happen over the years, in areas of life ranging from sports to marriage, from friendships to business. All of us, at one time or another, have probably been hurt by others who have made half-hearted commitments.
Most Christians would say they have made a commitment to following Christ. Yet, there are those among us who have made these commitments half-heartedly. Tragically, half-hearted Christians hurts themselves the most. Sometimes they fool themselves about the nature of following Christ. For them, following Christ is an exercise in frustration. It doesn’t seem to work. Sometimes they walk away from the faith. Their faith, as the apostle Paul wrote, has been “shipwrecked.” (1 Timothy 1:19.)
Half-hearted commitment to Christ is nothing new. Jesus himself encountered half-hearted followers. He said to them, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, but do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) Jesus challenged people to be wholehearted about their commitment, counting the cost of following him beforehand. (Luke 14:25-33)
Why is it important to walk in wholehearted, simple commitment to Jesus? Because the “things we do” as Christians can easily become the focus of our faith. It is all too easy to end up committed to a Christian program or church rather than being committed to Christ. Programs and churches can let people down. Jesus never does. It’s all too easy to commit to following the “rules” of Christianity rather than being committed to Christ. Following “rules” can become sterile and confining. Following Jesus is about relationship not rules. Following Jesus brings freedom and life.
Jesus said that following him is a matter of choice, made on a daily basis. (Luke 9:23) Sadly, most people won’t make this choice for it’s not the easiest road to take. But, it is the only choice that leads to real life. It’s the only choice that allows you to become all that God intends for you to be. Today, choose to be devoted to the person of Jesus Christ.