I love to express what I feel called to say. Writing helps me to open up my heart and do that. I hope that what I write helps you in some way. I hope it makes you think, encourages you, or inspires you. If it challenges you or if you disagree, I hope you know that I respect your right to have a different point of view.
My favorite time of the year is anytime I am with my best friend, and my attention is focused on listening to him. He is always with me, but if I am not careful, I can become unaware of His presence with me and living inside of me. His name is Jesus.
“Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” –Jesus (John 11:40)
I believe that Christians are supposed to see the glory of God and behold the Lamb of God (John 1:29) throughout each day. We are supposed to look not at the things that are see but at the things that are unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18) and to continually fix our eyes on the invisible Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) who is always with us (Matthew 28:20) and always living inside of us. Paul declares that Christ in you is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1;27) No matter where Christians go there Christ is (Psalm 139:7-12) ready to reveal His glory to our heart. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) Yet it is very easy to be distracted from and unaware of Christ’s immediate presence the way the two disciples on the road to Emmaus were. (Luke 24:13-35) Christ in you, God the Holy Spirit, will never let you down, but we frequently ignore or overlook His presence and let Him down.
Christian leaders and churches are called to empower people to live out their faith fully aware of and obedient to the presence of Jesus so that they become dynamic doers of the word, not just passive hearers. (James 1:22) So, where can you discover a church that actually equips people to put the word into action, and that invests time and effort into training people to live out what they’ve learned from the sermon? Churches that embody James 1:22 and train people to be continually aware of and surrendered to Christ’s never-ending presence are a rare and precious find!
Dear Lord, help me not only believe all that I have just written. Help me to be constantly aware of, in awe of, and surrendered to Your never-ending presence both within me and around me. Help me to rely on and depend on Your presence more faithfully than on anything or anyone else. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I have two favorite places to go in Nashville, Tennessee. One is a few blocks from my house. I love to go there and walk with my wife and even by myself. It’s full of trees and flowers, numerous interesting buildings, two roaring creeks. several trails that wander through woods, an 8-acre farm that grows all kinds of produce, a farm store, and even a museum. It is Ellington Agricultural Center, and it is the headquarters of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. It’s never crowed except when they host an annual festival. The nature there points me to its Creator, and I hear His voice as a stroll along.
Ellington Agricultural is a wonderful place today, but it hasn’t always been. There is a small family cemetery that reveals a history of men, women, and children being abusively held in forced life-long labor and bought and sold like cattle. Walking there among slaveholders’ graves helped inspire me to write a book about the history of race-based human trafficking in America. If you want to read it, google: Off the RACE Track–From Color-Blind to Color-Kind.
My other favorite place to visit in Nashville is the Saint Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church building. It’s actually in Franklin, Tennessee just South of Nashville. My wife and I have been visiting it for many years. We even celebrated our 10th anniversary there with a marriage rededication ceremony in the sanctuary and a reception in the fellowship hall.
We love to go there and sit alone in the sanctuary full of beautiful icons and incense. As we enter, we begin to sense the presence of the risen Jesus Christ. As we quietly listen to Christ’s inner voice, we hear Him speaking to us and feel Him touching us deep within. I love to listen to Jesus anywhere and everywhere, but Saint Ignatius is one of my favorite places to do so. I’ve written a book about how to listen to Jesus. Google: The Joy of Early Christianity book.
I was listening to Jesus last night as I was visiting a friend’s home. This is what I heard:
Divisiveness among Christians is a sign. It reveals that they are not listening to Christ’s voice but to the world’s voice.
Jesus’ sheep hear His voice and follow Him. People who aren’t His sheep don’t. (John 10:26-27) When Jesus’ sheep listen to Him, they discover that they are connected heart-to-heart with all of His other sheep worldwide regardless of religious affiliation. (John 10:16)
When there is jealousy and quarreling among Christians and when they align themselves with a man or an organization they are acting as “mere human beings” instead of as Christ’s sheep. (1 Corinthians 3:3-4) People who are listening to Christ’s voice don’t boast about human leaders. (1 Corinthians 3:21) “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31)
Be Spirit-led by Christ in you. 1) Ask Jesus to speak to you. 2) Notice what comes into your consciousness as you listen. 3) Embrace and obey what aligns with the Bible and your conscience. (Romans 8:14)
No religious institution has the right to say who can listen directly to Jesus and who can or cannot speak for God. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”
There is amazing hope for your life. No matter what you have been through or are currently going through there is incredible hope is available to you supernaturally. If you look beyond systematized church and formalized religion, you can encounter the living and resurrected Jesus in a way that will propel you into indescribable inner healing, peace, and joy. Here’s how:
Sermons heard Fly like a bird In and out Of the mind. But when people Do God’s Word It comes alive And burns in them. (2 Timothy 1:6)
Who Will do Christ’s words And be Made new? Will you?
Listen directly to Jesus Himself, not just to a religious talk about Him. Gather with Christians to together listen to and obey the ever-present Jesus, not to hear yet another sermon about Him. Sermons are shallow substitutes for the supernatural presence of Christ. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” The Bible never says: “If you want to go to Heaven, simply say a onetime prayer and be in the audience for a weekly sermon.”
When Christians are true doers of the Word and not just passive sermon-hearers, Christ’s light shines through them (Matthew 5:16) and changes their nation and transforms the culture around them. Then they experience genuine revival and spiritual awakening, and they don’t feel a need to rely on political power. Unfortunately, Spirit-led Christianity will soon shift into structured Christianity if it isn’t kept stirred up. (2 Timothy 1:6)
Sermons are soon forgotten. A direct encounter with Jesus is something that a person never forgets. Seek Jesus not another sermon. If spiritual growth came from sermon-hearing contemporary church attendees would be the most powerful Christians of all time.
For far too long churches have focused almost exclusively on human leadership and ignored the direct leadership of God the Holy Spirit and His supernatural gifts and fruit. The majority of Christians believe that Jesus can’t lead a church service, so they depend on a preacher to program and control it.
How many sermons must someone sit through before he’s allowed to speak up in church and testify about Jesus? No amount will do. To freely speak up in church a person has to either have official “ordination” or start his own church. If not, then people are only allowed to sit and listen (and maybe sing together a bit).
Churches call their Sunday meetings worship services. To me they seem more like sermon services.
Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God and His right living, (Matthew 6:33) not just to sit and hear a weekly talk about it. Jesus also said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” (Matthew 5:6) not those who show up for a Sunday sermon.
Sermons make audience members. Hands on interactive Spirit-led training makes disciples. Sunday morning audiences are called churches, but is that really what Jesus had in mind?
The Bible tells Christians to meet together (Hebrews 10:25) but when it describes what they are supposed to do when they come together (1 Corinthians 14:26) it doesn’t sound anything like a church service: “When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation . . .” That Bible verse is completely ignored or explained away.
Don’t wait till Sunday mornings to sit and hear another talk about Jesus. Allow Him to directly talk to your heart night and day!
Unfortunately, only a hired person is allowed to freely speak in most churches, yet Jesus said: “The hired hand is not the shepherd (pastor).” (John 10:12) Christians are called to humbly and daily demonstrate Christ’s presence and love, not to be bench warmers for a hired pastor’s talk.
I don’t see how anyone can read the Book of Acts in the Bible and then go to a church service and not realize that God wants to do so much more than He is allowed to do in Sunday services. Let the glorious works of God be displayed in and through your life (John 9:3) so they can demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s power and presence. (1 Corinthians 2:4) Work out your own salvation with profound awe and amazement because God is at work in you to do His will and pleasure. (Philippians 2:19)
Don’t ignore or put out the Spirit’s inner fire. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) Always keep God’s spiritual fire stirred up within you. (2 Timothy 1:6) Abide in the vine because apart from Jesus you can do nothing. (John 15:5) Christ in you is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) If you love God and are called according to His purpose then consistently trust in and rely on Him to work all things, good and bad, together for your good. (Romans 8:28) Then you will be able to supernaturally rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8) as you continually celebrate His grace (Titus 3:5-7) and redemption. (Galatians 3:13)
Sermon-hearing keeps Christians toned down and quietly stuck in their seats as mere hearers of the word–not doers. (James 1:22) Be someone who always rejoices and praise the Lord, not a toner-downer.
Toner-downers say Don’t praise Christ that way. It’s enough to pray Very quietly. You should always stay Calm and dignified And sit passively In church on Sunday. Hear Jesus Christ say: “Shout from the rooftops.” Who will you obey? (Matthew 10:27 & 2 Timothy 1:6)
What I write and proclaim isn’t about church hurt. Because I am outspoken about my belief that Christianity is far more than Sunday sermon-hearing I’m sometimes accused of reacting to church-hurt. However, my belief that the risen Jesus has the amazing ability to personally and supernaturally lead a gathering of His followers is based on Scripture and personal experience. I saw Jesus directly lead a church service weekly for just under 10 years. My belief has nothing to do with church hurt. I even wrote a book about it. Google: Beyond Church–An Invitation to Experience the Lost Word of the Bible–Ekklesia.
I read from my favorite book every day. Why? Because it inspires me in many ways. Reading it produces hope, insight, courage, conviction, and creativity in me. Here’s what it produced in me just now.
Self-Righteousness is “Stoney” Ground (Mark 4:5)
Guilt confessed And expressed Unto God Is addressed By Christ’s blood. Guilt repressed And denied Eats away Deep inside Of people Until they Are obsessed And depressed. Rely on God’s mercy Not on your Righteousness. (Luke 18:13)
Self-righteous people are active accusers, shame slingers, and guilt stoners. Only sinless people have the right to “stone” people, but the truth is there are no sinless people. (Romans 3:10) “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone . . .” (John 8:8)
True Christianity depends on Christ’s empowerment not on human effort. Jesus said: “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
Rather than trying harder, Christians need to surrender their opinions, feelings, and desires to Jesus. They need to depend and rely on Him instead of on their own ability.
Paul asks a key question to the Christians in Galatia. “After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you not trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3)
So, I ask you: When you go to church do you encounter the supernatural means of God’s Spirit at work within and around you? Or do you see human effort and religious programming? An honest answer to my questions will reveal why there is so little life-transforming power in contemporary Christianity.
Be a balanced Christian. Without daily absorbing the written Word we can be deceived by an evil spirit appearing as an angel of light. Without the direct, personal, and intimate leading of Christ the living Word abiding within us as our ever-present hope of glory we will drift into the mere religious formalism — that Paul tells us to avoid. (2 Timothy 3:5)
White water rivers are inspiring. All that living water rushing mightily by stirs up my heart and makes me feel wonderfully invigorated. I love to raft with the strength and power of their flowing. I am talking about the inner rivers of God the Holy Spirit. (John 7:38)
Is anyone thirsty for more of Jesus? Is anyone hungry for spiritual awakening. Is God’s word burning in anyone’s heart? God the Holy Spirit says, “Come!” Anyone who is thirsty and wants God’s living water is invited to freely come and drink. (Revelation 22:17)
Go beyond mere religion. (2 Timothy 3:5) Lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) Instead, acknowledge God’s presence and reality in everything you think, say, and do. Train yourself to always hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) and to unceasingly seek King Jesus to rule and govern your life as your overarching priority. (Matthew 6:33)
Constantly rely and depend on Christ’s rivers of living water to abundantly flow from within you as the astonishing and glorious presence of God the Holy Spirit. (John 7:37-39) Don’t neglect the Holy Spirit’s presence inside you. (1 Timothy 4:14) Instead keep His inner rivers stirred up (2 Timothy 1:6) and freely flowing from your innermost being, day and night! Let Christ’s living water be a never-ending fountain springing up from the depths of your soul. (John 4:13-14)
Hear, do, tell. Break the spell Of passive religion. Learn to dwell And live in God’s presence. Say farewell To self-will. Allow Christ To indwell Your heart with His Spirit. Show and tell What God’s done. Obey His Living Word.
1) Hear what the Spirit is saying. (Revelation 2;29) 2) Be a doer of what the Spirit says. (James 1:22) 3) Tell what you hear far and wide. (Matthew 10:27)
The goal of Christianity isn’t to get people to attend religious services on Sunday. The goal is to train people to faithfully listen to, follow, and obey the risen Jesus throughout each day. Drink up!
Christians are being lecturized, sermonized, systematized, ritualized, and politicized. What we need is to be revitalized by the presence and power of Christ’s rivers of living water!
The song, “I Can Only Imagine” isn’t biblical. The Bible says that we can do so much more than imagine. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) We don’t have to only imagine. We can know unseen things by direct revelation from God the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 4:18)
The coolest thing I’ve ever found is an abiding, heart-to-heart relationship with the risen Jesus. I can’t keep quiet about how Jesus has freed me from inner bondage and daily fills my life with peace and joy.
Let Jesus be Your sin dissolver, Not merely Your problem solver. Deny Yourself, Rely On Christ!
Inner freedom is far more important than free stuff. The internal freedom of the fruit of the Spirit will grow as a gift within you if you consistently work to surrender to and align your heart and your will with Christ in you.
The fruit and the gifts of the Spirit are far more important and valuable than anything physical that Jesus can give you. Work diligently like a farmer to cultivate them and make room for them to fill and overflow your soul.
Feed Christians with Scripture facts and they might know the Ten Commandments, but they won’t know how to consistently obey them. They will know some Bible stories, but they won’t know how to love their enemies. They’ll probably know who Jesus is, but they won’t know how to daily abide in an intimate, surrendered relationship with Him.
Churches need to shift from merely feeding people more and more religious information. It’s vital that churches begin to effectively train people to actually and literally abide in uninterrupted intimacy with and obedience to the risen Jesus. Christians are being lecturized, sermonized, systematized, and ritualized, but what we need is to be revitalized by the presence and power of the risen Jesus!
Church is too often Sunday déjà vu. The words may change but the program’s the same song and sermon routine. I always feel like I’ve sat through the same thing many times before. But in extremely rare times when the Holy Spirit is allowed to take control and people begin to move with and obey His inner promptings, all Heaven breaks loose!
When life’s rough Churchy stuff’s Not enough. You need to Rely on Christ living Inside you To get through All that’s tough. Churchy stuff Without Christ Is just fluff — A mere bluff. Please uncuff The Spirit Of God now. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
Be courageous! Christians who call people their enemies, need to at least have the courage to obey Jesus’ command to: “Love your enemies.”
Self-focus makes me sad and unhappy. Skipping self-focus makes me skip with joy! Even so, I often feel compelled from within to make self-focus my routine. Instead, I make it my priority to always try to skip self-focus and to put my attention on the resurrected Jesus Christ instead of on me.
If we Christians want to get well (John 5:6) as individuals and churches, we need to let the risen Jesus take over and personally lead and direct us from within by His Spirit (Romans 8:14) as the living Head of His body. (Colossians 1:18) We all need to begin to listen to Jesus and do what He tells us to do, both in our day to day lives and in church services. (John 5:8)
Christ ignored Is Christ denied. (2 Timothy 3:5) Let Jesus be Your constant guide. (Romans 8:14)
An Acrostic About Institutional Churches:
Christ’s Headship Usurped and Replaced by a Counterfeit Head.
The risen Jesus is the only legitimate Head of a church. (Colossians 1:18) Let the living Jesus personally take over, direct, and lead every church service worldwide!
Don’t just go to church and passively sit through a service. Make church a gathering where everybody present is encouraged to “do business with God” by listening to and obeying the inner voice the Holy Spirit throughout the meeting. Let everybody in church have the freedom use their “response-ability” — their ability to listen to and immediately obey God the Spirit.
When Christ’s love Is allowed To freely flow It will grow. When it’s not No amount of Church attendance Can make you know What His love Is truly like.
Do Christians quench God’s Spirit? Where love isn’t freely flowing . . . God’s Spirit is quenched. Where peace isn’t present . . . God’s Spirit is quenched. Where people are impatient . . . God’s Spirit is quenched. Where there is unkindness . . . God’s Spirit is quenched. Where goodness is held back . . . God’s Spirit is quenched. Where people are unfaithful . . . God’s Spirit is quenched. Where there is little gentleness . . . God’s Spirit is quenched. (1 Thessalonians 5:19 & Galatians 5:22-23)
When Christians are tasteless salt and buried light, they rely on physical power and politics instead of on God the Holy Spirit. (Mt 5:13-16) Reading Matthew 5 deeply touches my heart with how blessed I am. I am blessed with poverty of spirit, tears, humbling experiences, hunger and thirst to do what is right, compassion for others, burning desire for a pure heart, yearning to be a peacemaker, and some insults and persecution. According to Jesus I’m super blessed!!
I know a famous person who loves to warmly interact with all kinds of people from all over the world. He’s incredibly kind and compassionate and makes time for everybody. His name is Jesus.
Jesus interacts with people one to one and heart-to-heart. He gives them living water (John 4:10) that becomes an inner “spring of water welling up to eternal life,” (John 4:14) not dry religion. He makes radical disciples who daily follows and obey the risen Christ who lives within each one of them (Colossians 1:27) not just comfortable audience members who sit through a church service.
Oops! Christians have made Sunday morning audiences all over the world, but Jesus said to make disciples. (Matthew 28:19) It’s time to directly reconnect with the risen Jesus and His “rivers of living water” that freely flow from deep within His Spirit-led disciples. (John 7:38-39)
Institutional church trains Christians to be mere sermon spectators instead of powerful fruit of the Spirit cultivators. I’m not a good Christian spectator. It’s extremely difficult for me to passively sit and watch one man run and dominate a Sunday program when God’s fire is blazing in my heart.
Here it is. This is my pet plea — the desire of my heart.
Christians don’t be An audience. Make church about Active heart-felt Obedience To God’s Spirit And reliance On Christ’s presence. That’s the essence Of true worship. (John 4:23)
I don’t want to be A Sunday morning Hearer-only. I want to be A doer Of the word. (James 1:22)
Hearers-only Go to church To only hear But not to do Anything about What they’ve heard. The Bible says Not to do that. How much more Hearing only But not doing Do churches need? Enough is enough. (James 1:22)
Do nothing Christianity Invites people To sit and hear A sermon But gives them No time at all In the meeting To do something About what They have heard.
Christ My Desire
I want my eyes To see Jesus, Not to see One preacher Monopolize A church service. Spirit arise And take control. Only You can Make people whole. Where’s a God size Spiritual fire?
Sunday morning church gets to me. It’s so far away from what I see in the Bible and how I relate to Jesus that it breaks my heart. Contemporary church is an audience maker not a disciple maker.
What is a pastor? Here’s a definition: A pastor is a person who thinks he is the only one who has a right to speak in front of a congregation of Christians. He is someone who turns Christians into a passive audience.
I think Catholics may be closer to what God wants church to be than Protestants, evangelicals, and charismatics. Catholics at least get people actively involved in doing a few things — kneeing, praying silently from the heart, repeating prayers together out loud, participating in rituals, coming to the altar, and confessing their sins. Most of the rest of the churches merely let people sing a few songs and then make them sit and passively listen to the same man week after week monopolize the meeting. Why can’t God’s people in a congregation be free to listen to and obey God the Holy Spirit?
It will cost you your pride to stop shutting down the Holy Spirit. (James 4:6) It’s worth the price. Humble yourself and pay it. (James 4:10)
Too many Christians have shut down their faith. (Hebrews 11:6) They have shut their heart down and rejected the invisible inner government of God the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) They have been unwilling to hear and obey what the Spirit is saying. (Revelation 2:17) They have neglected and refused to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) They have set aside and ignored the gifts of the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
Instead of humbly repenting (Acts 3:19) of their sins, shutdown Christians have blamed and accused other people. Instead of seeking first the invisible inner government of God (Matthew 6:33) and His right living they have put their country first. Instead of denying themselves (Mark 8:34), they’ve focused on their own desires, feelings, and opinions. They have relied on their own power and ability instead of surrendering to and depending on the presence and power of God the Holy Spirit. (Zechariah 4:6)
Shutdown Christians have an outward form of godliness, but they don’t give it any power to change how they live their daily lives. (2 Timothy 3:5) They are merely hearers of the word, but they refuse to actually and humbly do what it says. (James 1:22) Instead of blessing those who curse them and loving their enemies (Luke 6:27-29) they insult and despise them. Have you shut down the inner flow of God the Holy Spirit? (John 7:38-39)
