Author: Kevin Sherman

I can remember the shock and disappointment I felt many years ago when I saw that bottle of beer in my Christian friend’s refrigerator one night. What a bad example he was setting! I had been so sure that he was a deeply spiritual man like myself. After all, I didn’t smoke, drink, cuss, chew or even associate with those who do! I could go to restaurants and pick out the saints and the sinners. The saints were the ones who prayed before their meal. The sinners were the ones who had alcoholic drinks on the table.

As I look back on that era of my life, I’m amazed at the patient love of Jesus for me. He saw those pharisaical tendencies of mine and yet He saw through them all the way to the core of my heart where there was a man who could be pliable in the Potter’s hand and be conformed into the image of Christ.

In my mind today I picture Jesus standing over in the corner of the restaurant watching the people, but He’s not observing what I was looking at. He’s not really too concerned with who’s praying before the meal or the bottle of beer on the table. He’s concerned about the measly two dollar tip left for the struggling waitress by the man who piously prayed before his twenty dollar dinner. He looks with pleasure at another table where a young man drinking a cocktail and dining with his friends grabs the check and pays for their meal, all the while leaving a generous 30% tip for the waiter.

I have heard from many who work or have previously worked in the restaurant business that Sundays were the most dreaded days for wait staff to work. Why? Because Sundays are the days when the church crowd fills up the place. So why would they dread this day so much? Because alcohol sales will be down? No. Tips will be down. Way down. A friend who was once a waiter told me of a man who left what looked like a one-hundred-dollar bill on the table. Imagine his excitement when he saw it only to grab it, open it up, and discover it was one of those gospel tracts that looks like a hundred-dollar-bill. Seriously?

It is not the purpose of this blog to bash the church. After all, I am part of the church. I too was once one of those who calculated the 15% tip in my head to make sure I didn’t leave a penny more than was required.
I’m reminded of the words of Jesus to His disciples,

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;
As I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:34-35)

What does love look like? It looks like giving.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…”

The real gospel would have been proclaimed had that man rolled up a real hundred-dollar-bill inside the tract. There’s something about lavish generosity that preaches the gospel.

The love of Jesus is extremely generous. Our demonstration of the gospel is never more clearly understood than when we love generously. The next time you go to the restaurant, leave a tract on the table. You know, one of those green ones, and if you’re not going to leave a generous tip, please don’t misrepresent our generous God and tell them you’re a Christian. Thank you!

Generously,

Kevin

 

One of the most popular subjects among passionate followers of Christ today is the presence of God. There have been hundreds of books and thousands of sermons preached on this subject, not to mention all the conferences, seminars, and even schools centered on it. Oh yeah, and all the songs too. There are men and women who have dedicated their entire lives to the pursuit of a greater understanding of this topic.

Having been in church circles for the past 30 plus years or so that put a premium on the presence of God, I’ve seen, heard and read so much about it that my conceptual understanding of it can be clouded at times.

Being somewhat of a wordsmith, I am very cognizant of concepts that are conveyed by the way we use words and phrases, especially when we’re speaking “Christianese.” If you’re not as concerned as I am about words and the concepts they bring, then you may view what I’m about to say as nitpicking. Believe me, it’s not.

1. We don’t have to ask Him to come. He’s already here. This is true individually and corporately. He’s dwells within me as an individual by His Spirit. He dwells with us corporately because He said “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:20) No, I’m not demanding that we do away with every song that says “come Holy Spirit.” Instead of judging it for being scripturally inaccurate, I choose to see it as an expression of love for Holy Spirit who is already in our midst (although sometimes I wonder if He’s leaning over to one of the angels and saying “please go and let them know I’m already there”).
2. He’s not going to leave if we don’t do everything just right. Why have an Old Covenant mentality that if we don’t dot every i and cross every t, He’ll be displeased and separate Himself from our midst? He wants to be with us more than we want to be with Him!

 

If all of this is true, then why are there times when we sense His presence more than others? Why do we have church services where we get so overwhelmed by His presence and then have some where we hardly feel anything at all?

 

I believe it can be summed up in one word: awareness. God has told us he will never leave us or forsake us, so if He is true to His word, then I have His presence at all times. Psalm 139:7-8 says,

 

“Where can I go from your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.”

 

If He is always with us, even to the extent that we can’t even run or hide from Him, then when I can’t feel His presence, the problem lies with me. I can choose whether to be aware or ignore Him.

 

Here are 5 ways we can be more aware of His presence: (By the way, these are from my own personal experience and the school of hard knocks)

 

1. Be thankful. Just begin to thank Him for anything, for everything, and in everything. I remember one time a few years ago, I sat down with a pen and tablet and started making a list of everything and everybody that I was thankful for. Two-and-a-half pages later I had to put the pen down because I was so overwhelmed with joy I could hardly contain myself. And as an added bonus, I completely forgot about my problems.
2. Talk to Him. This is otherwise known as prayer. When you talk to your Father, speak from your heart. When I’m alone with God, I call Him “Papa.” When the words “I love you, Papa” come out of my mouth, I can literally feel His presence in a very real way. Of course I can’t neglect praying in the Spirit. Speak in your prayer language. If you don’t have one, ask Him for one. He’ll give it to you. He’s so good!
3. Meditate. Think deeply about Him. Let the word of God that you know in your heart come to mind and let it just roll around in your head. Philippians 4:8 is a good place to begin. When we consciously redirect our thoughts from our present circumstance to Him, we become aware of His presence.
4. Worship. By yourself and with others. Music helps me a lot. I’ll sing, hum, whistle, or listen to some good worship music. Gather with others to worship as often as you can. There is something exponentially awesome that happens when we gather together to love and adore Jesus!
5. Love unconditionally. We are never more like Jesus than when we love. Especially when we love the unlovely. The gospels have much to say about this.

 

 

I’m pretty sure this is not an exhaustive list, but these are the things that have helped me the most to be more aware of His presence.

 

Just remember, He is always with you.

Simply be aware.

 

In His presence,

 

Kevin

I’ve been on a particular journey for a long time, actually for most of my life. I’m on a journey to find Jesus. Ok now, before you begin to show me the Roman Road or The Four Spiritual Laws and tell me how to find Jesus and get saved, let me assure you I do know Him. You see, a while back, what I call a divine dissatisfaction with my understanding of Jesus began to set in on me. I knew Jesus in the sense that He is the Son of God, lived a sinless life, died for my sin, and rose from the dead – the essentials. I had read the entire bible. I had read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I had read the Sermon On the Mount. Many times.

I recently decided to take off my American evangelical glasses and read the story of Jesus for what it is – God became a man. You could put it this way, Jesus is what God looks like.

This has caused some gut-wrenchingly honest soul searching to take place in me. I didn’t like what I saw. I saw a man whose image of Jesus had been molded into a modern, watered-down version of something that was a little easier to swallow than the one who preached the greatest sermon ever in chapters 5,6 and 7 of Matthew’s gospel. You know what I’m talking about? Those statements Jesus made, like

 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”

 

I have to be honest with you, when discussing passages like these with other people, more times than not I would follow them up with a “but.” As if we can take everything Jesus says at face value except the ones that require complete trust on our part. It reminds me of an old hymn…

 

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to take Him at His word…

 

I am finding that there’s no greater peace to be found than when I simply take him at His word. I don’t know about you, but it scares me to think about turning the other cheek or the inconvenience of having to go the second mile, but He didn’t say it would be easy. I get tired of hearing that worn-out cliché that says “God won’t put more on you than you can handle.” That’s not true! Some of His commandments are more than I can handle! If I could handle them I wouldn’t need to trust Him, would I?

It’s becoming easier for me to trust Him the more I realize just how much He loves me. His perfect love does indeed cast out fear. The more I become aware of His love, the less fear can dictate to what extent I’m willing to obey Him.

So let me sum it up like this: If I turn the other cheek and get knocked down, His love is there to catch me.

 

I can’t think of a better place to fall.

 

Trusting Jesus,

 

Kevin.

I am more or less a product of an era known as the Jesus Movement. This movement took place in the 60’s and 70’s and was made up of mostly teens and twenty-somethings who had come out of the drug and hippie culture. Then there were a few like me who were just good church kids that got tired of traditional stuck-in-the-mud religion.
Then at the same time, the hippie culture was in full swing. Think Woodstock. This culture was mostly characterized by rock-n-roll, drugs, free sex, and discontentment with “the establishment.” There were sit-ins and war protests galore. They wanted change. Much of this cry for change was legitimate.
It was at this intersection of movements that the church missed a huge opportunity to change America and the world.

In 1970 author Hal Lindsey wrote a book titled “The Late Great Planet Earth.” The book was about an event he called “the rapture” when Jesus would come in the clouds and instantly snatch his church from the ever worsening planet, taking us to heaven, and leaving the earth to suffer the wrath of God in a seven-year tribulation. And He used scripture to back it up in a very convincing way. Convincing, that is, if you have very little knowledge of the bible or church history.

I, like a lot of my peers, bought into it wholeheartedly. Our goal now was to get as many saved as we could and the sooner the better, because He could come any minute. Ok, so what has this got to do with hippies and Jesus people?
On the one hand you had the hippies who wanted to revolutionize society and on the other hand you had those who had hearts changed by Jesus. So, what happened was the new followers of Jesus went out and revolutionized society, right? Wrong. We bought into the “left behind/I wish we’d all been ready” message. Why change society? Why change government? Why go to college (unless it was bible college)? Our only mission was to get as many souls saved as possible before the rapture. Why polish brass on the Titanic?

That way of thinking caused us to compartmentalize our spirituality and spiritualize our Christianity. We were waiting for a “someday” kingdom, when all the while Jesus had told us the kingdom was at hand (Mark 1:15). Meanwhile, many of the hippies who didn’t come to Jesus went to college and became lawyers, politicians, judges, professors, etc. and became shapers and molders of society.

One of the most overlooked passages in the bible is in Isaiah 9:7 –

Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.

And one of the most misappropriated scriptures is none other than John 3:16 –

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
That whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The word “world” in this passage is the Greek word kosmos, which means the whole created order! When I began to understand that Jesus came not only to change me, but everything, my whole outlook on life started to change.
Where I once saw myself as someone waiting to be rescued from a sinking ship, I now see myself as partnering with Christ Himself in saving the world. The world is going to be saved!

I used to frequently say that it doesn’t matter what your eschatology is (I would throw that out there when I didn’t want to argue about end times). It was a cop out. It is important. With that I’ll leave you with a quote by N.T. Wright from his book Surprised by Scripture –

“When Christ shall come,” we sing in a favorite hymn, “with shout of acclamation, and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.” What we ought to sing is, “When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, and heal his world, what joy shall fill my heart.” In the New Testament the Second Coming is not the point at which Jesus snatches people up, away from the earth, to live forever with him somewhere else, but the point at which he returns to reign not only in heaven but upon the earth. After all, the risen Jesus in Matthew 28 declares that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” and makes that the basis for his commission to his disciples.

All authority.

Hmmmm….

Kevin

The fiery evangelist made his point clear that fourth night of the annual spring “revival.” Hell was a real place that awaited those who didn’t accept Christ. In our denomination it was called “making your profession of faith.”
I sat there in the pew next to my mother with my palms sweating profusely, thoroughly convinced that if I procrastinated and didn’t walk that aisle, I could walk out of there, run the risk of getting killed in a car accident on my way home and split hell wide open. I had heard the stories of others who didn’t answer the invitation and soon thereafter met their fate. I had already been scared spitless the night before when the preacher told us about the Second Coming and the risk of being “left behind.” It frightened me so bad that I had a dream that night that I had died and gone to hell. This was a lot for a nine- year- old boy to take in, but I finally made the decision to walk the aisle, shake the preacher’s hand, and repeat the “sinner’s prayer.” Now I had my ticket to heaven and all was well.

Now what?

That would seem the natural question to ask for one who had just decided to follow Jesus. But I didn’t ask that question. We weren’t trained to ask that question. Now what? I was on my way to heaven. That was the what. It was all about escaping the punishment of hell and going to heaven.
To be completely honest, I don’t think I was really deciding to follow Jesus. I was just scared of the thought of spending eternity in hell. Was I saved? Yes. All He asks is that we believe.
It was as if I had been taught to read John 3:16 like this –

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Do you see the emphasis? One of the most popular and powerful statements ever made by Jesus had been reduced to avoiding hellfire. Here’s the point – Jesus indeed came to give us eternal life, but that life begins the instant you believe. The word life in this verse comes from the Greek word zoe, which means life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body) and to last forever (Thayers).

Jesus came not only to die for our sins, but also to show us how to live. When Jesus called his twelve disciples, He simply said “follow me.” I haven’t found anywhere in the gospels where He said,”repeat this prayer after me” or “sign this card.”
It is absolutely true that Jesus came to save us from our sin and our own destructive behavior, but even more important – He has saved us for something. And what is that? It is that we would be so aware of His life in us that we in turn would be life givers.

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38)

The more intent I become in following Jesus, the more I am seeing that He looks way different than the one I had heard about that night while sitting in the church pew, although I am thankful that someone did at least point me in His direction.
I’ll leave you with this – Jesus didn’t save us to take us to heaven.

He saved us to save the world.

To be continued…

Kevin

Jesus is really messing me up. I was content just being a right-wing conservative American Christian. I was comfortable with my traditional understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Then Jesus started tearing down my beautiful religious structure one brick at a time. It all began with a simple prayer uttered many years ago – “Lord, I want to be like You.”

Of course I’m not the only person who has ever said that. Many millions of Jesus followers through the centuries have stated that same desire and it cost them dearly, some giving the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.

So then, what is it costing me? Not much, compared to others, however I feel like it will eventually cost me my reputation. Not so much my reputation with non-believers, but with some of the church crowd. It will cost me my reputation with some who have come to the conclusion that being a Christian is simply reduced to praying the “sinner’s prayer” and vowing to go to church as often as I can.

Praying that “Lord, I want to be like You” prayer is indeed a dangerous one if you mean it.

Only if you mean it.

How do you know if you really mean it? I knew I really meant it when I finally became willing to shut out all the other voices from western civilization and the American church that clamor for my attention to be turned to a Jesus who has been made in their image. What image is that? There was actually a time in my life, not too many years ago, that I made statements like “there’s no way you can call yourself a Christian and vote any other way than Republican.”

Here in the United States we have a constitution by which we are governed. I have great respect for that document, but there is one I hold in much higher esteem – The Beatitudes, also known as the Sermon On The Mount. I wonder what things would be like if we as Jesus followers here in America held the Beatitudes in higher regard than our country’s constitution. I call The Beatitudes the constitution of the kingdom of God.

Jesus began his teaching by saying

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3)

The more I look at this man called Jesus, the more I recognize my need to be like Him. The more I look at Him, the more I begin to look like Him.

I don’t want to be like the ones Jesus spoke to in Laodicea when He said,

“You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” (Rev. 3:17)

The Jesus I’m discovering looks quite different than the one I seen most of my life. I love Him. I want to be with Him. I want to be like Him. To be like Him might cost me my reputation, but I’ll be in pretty good company.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Phil. 2:5-8)

I have a suggestion for you. Turn off all the noisy voices, open the Gospels, and see Him for who He really is.

 

Be like Him.

 

Kevin

Have you ever met a know-it-all? You know, that person who has it all figured out. I’ve met quite a few in my life, but there’s one in particular who stands out among them all – me. I wasn’t a know-it-all in every category of life, but I was when it came to certain theological issues.

I won’t discuss those issues right now, but perhaps in a future blog. What I will talk about is how I left the know-it-all life behind.

We would all like to think of ourselves as seekers of truth, people who genuinely have an open mind and are ready to accept truth when it is presented to us. I heard this statement from a great man of God named Simon Purvis a few years ago –

 

“Truth is not a destination, it’s a journey.”

 

What? I thought truth was truth. Period. Yes, that is right. Truth is truth. Here’s the issue, truth is not an “it” that we arrive at, drive our stake in the ground, and build a monument there. That is how most denominations were formed. We discovered a sacred truth, set up camp there, and proudly sang “We shall not be moved” for the next hundred years, never realizing that God had already moved.

 

Truth is a person.

 

Remember the words of Jesus, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me?” All who are in Christ began the journey there. He is the foundation of truth. He is the truth by which all truths must be measured. It all begins with Him.

When we focus our pursuit on finding out what He is really like and discovering the nature and character of God the Father as revealed in Christ, the Son of the living God, then He becomes the lens through which we view scripture.

 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb.13:8)

 

Few, if anyone, reading this would disagree with that. He is the same as He always was and will never change. However, if you’re understanding of Him hasn’t changed in thirty years, let alone one, then you’re not growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (see 2 Peter 3:18).

It takes grace to change, and it takes humility to receive grace. In fact, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). He resists the proud! The word resist here literally means “to range in battle against, to oppose one’s self.” I cringe at the thought of God opposing me!

I have often pondered the fact that the kingdom of God is expanding and the church is exploding at such an exponential rate in other parts of the world, but not here in the good ole’ USA. Why? Do we not have enough churches? Hardly. There is no shortage of those in America. In some towns you can find one on practically every street corner.

 

We are proud. We’re proud of our American Jesus that we’ve made into our image.

 

When I began to immerse myself in the gospels again and take another look at The Son of God, I asked God to give me new glasses with which to see. These new glasses are not tinted with another man or denomination’s image of Him. It means I can now read the Beatitudes where Jesus said, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” without adding a “but you know, sometimes there are exceptions.”

My journey of discovering The Truth, which began 48 years ago, has become even more glorious since I removed those tinted glasses. A new wave of grace is washing over me now. I’m seeing Jesus more clearly and its made the path ahead of me brighter than ever. The more I get to know Him, the clearer I see Him, and the clearer I see Him, the more I want to know Him.

Sometimes you just have to read the story like it’s the first time you’ve ever read it.

We need revival in our land. We need awakening in America. When it happens, what will it look like? It will look like us looking like Jesus. You know, the one in the Bible. It will happen when we humble ourselves and confess that we have misrepresented Jesus.

 

Lord, give us the grace to RE-present You!

 

Kevin

Do you know someone who is very opinionated and is not afraid to let everyone know it? I knew someone years ago who was very opinionated and made sure that everybody within hearing distance knew it. In fact, most of his opinions were very abrasive. One time I asked him why he felt like he had to share his opinion about everything with everyone. His answer- “I just say what I think!” How true.

What we think will eventually make its way out of our lips, some sooner than others. One of my favorite Proverbs says:

Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;With their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. (Prov. 17:28 NLT)

And of course, Jesus had something to say about it:

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45 NKJV)

If words originate in our thoughts, then we have to learn how to change our thinking.

“Thoughts occupy mental real estate.” – Dr. Caroline Leaf

Have you ever thought of it that way? Thoughts are occupying mental real estate in our heads because we’ve allowed them to trespass!  We get to choose what we put in our brains.

Over two and a half years ago my wife and I went to a chiropractor who  runs a health and wellness clinic. Through changing my eating habits and taking some natural supplements, I lost 50 lbs. and got off of two prescription medications. It was all because the doctor said I had put toxic things in my body and now I needed to eliminate them and replace them with healthy things. Pretty

There is a prescription for toxic thinking:

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Philippians 4:8 MSG)

Thinking about these things brings about health – mentally and physically.

Jesus told us that it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles a man.

God has the perfect prescription for our brains – His word. It has been my experience that three things will change if you’ll look to His word for change:

1. What you think about God.
2. What you think about yourself.
3. What you think about others.

This holds true because what we think about God determines what we think about ourselves and what we think about ourselves determines what we think about others.

True transformation can only begin with true humility.

God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5b)

Talk about a double-edged sword!

The proud man says, “I’m entitled to my own opinion. Who cares what anybody thinks?” The humble man says, “I want to change. Lord, show me how to do that.” When we humble ourselves, grace is released to us, and when grace is released, change happens.

That’s what happened when I went to the doctor. I humbled myself, he gave me a plan, and I put it into practice.

I’ll share more on what it means to humble yourself in my next blog.

Till then,

 

Kevin

 

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  That was a familiar saying in the neighborhood where I spent my early childhood. Knowing that a good parental whoopin’ awaited the child who dared to throw a rock at or hit a playmate with a stick, words were the weapon of choice in most disagreements. If you hit or pushed someone down, punishment surely came your way as opposed to name-calling, which when told to the parent was usually met with “just forget about it, those names can’t hurt you.”

 

But they did. Words are powerful. They can hurt and they can heal. They stick in your soul like a barbed hook.

 

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” was simply a meaningless defense mechanism that made us feel better for the moment by implying that those words didn’t really hurt, but we knew better. Those words stung.

I was the fat kid on the block. Bobby (fictional name) was the neighborhood bully. I can still hear that clever rhyme in my head – “Fatty, fatty, two by four, can’t get through the bathroom door.” Bobby would start the chant and the other kids would join in.

We adults may not use childish rhymes like that in our communication now, but we do know how to use words to our advantage and we’re fully aware of their power most of the time. Those words I heard in the neighborhood were hurtful, but not near as much as those I heard in my own home. I remember going to bed most nights hearing my dad yelling and cursing at my mother, permeating the walls of our home with degrading speech.

 

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,

But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

And those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)

 

I’ve read books and heard many sermons and teachings on the power of our words. There have been entire movements centered around this truth. And it is truth. However, I believe there is something that gets lost in the emphasis on words and it’s this – words come from thoughts. I think, therefore I speak.

How many times have I caught myself saying, “I know I shouldn’t say this, but…?” If I know I shouldn’t say it, then why am I saying it? Because, If I’m honest with myself, I’ll admit that I really wanted to say it, even though I know I shouldn’t. Kind of sounds like that Romans 7 thing doesn’t it?

I’m writing this under the assumption that the majority of you who read this are born-again followers of Jesus. You are a triune being – spirit, soul and body. Your spirit has been brought to life by the Spirit of God. Your soul is your mind, will, and your emotions. Your soul must undergo the process of coming under the rule of your spirit, which has been made perfectly new in the image of Christ.

It becomes much easier to control my tongue once my soul (mind) has been renewed.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)

 

For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?

But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:16)

 

These two scriptures seem to contradict themselves, don’t they? Actually, they work hand-in-hand. As a child of God, I have the capacity to think the thoughts of God. Through the process of renewing my mind, I am then able to conform my mind to His thoughts. In essence, I am training my brain.

Our brain is the one organ in our body that we literally have the power to change daily.

Whatever damage may have occurred due to emotional trauma through negative words can be healed and restoration take place. I know because I’m experiencing it. How is this happening? One thought at a time.

 

There is hope.

 

I’ll explain in my next blog.

 

Kevin

I’ve noticed a trend in the past 10 years or so in the church, especially in the charismatic/non-denominational circles. It appears that everybody needs a title. Ok, maybe not everyone, but sometimes it seems that way. In the past month I’ve received at least 3 friend requests on Facebook from Apostle so-and-so or Prophet what’s-his-name. A friend of mine told me that he received one from Linda Notitleneeded Smith. The fact that she used that name suggests that she may need a title!

Just to be clear, I believe in apostles and prophets and their function in our present day, but that’s not what I take issue with. Titles are not the real issue. It’s the need for recognition. If I can let you know right up front that I’m an apostle, prophet, minister, bishop or whatever, then I’ve given my ministry some legitimacy. Here’s a novel idea, why don’t you do the stuff and we’ll figure out whether you’re one or not.

I used to need a title. I needed one because I had the wrong idea about what ministry was. When I was young, I felt what was then referred to as “a call to the ministry.” That meant that I would go to bible college and seminary, resulting in having the title of pastor or evangelist (we didn’t believe in modern day apostles and prophets). The only thing that concept resulted in for me was frustration. By the way, I only made it through one year of bible college. It took me many years to realize that the frustration came because I didn’t really know who I was. When you don’t know who you are, you need someone to give you a title or you just give yourself one.

My concept of ministry changed when I began to see myself as a son. A son of God. When it comes to ministry, sons do it like the Son:

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28 NLT)

And this:

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death – and the worst kind of death at that – a crucifixion.” (Phil. 2:5-8 MSG)

If you are born again, you are called to ministry. We are called to serve. What does that look like?

Jesus.

After years of looking for a title, I’ve come to realize I had one all along – SON! I am His beloved son, and He is well pleased with me. That’s all I need.

 

His son,

 

Kevin