IDENTIFY

2018-06-12 18:26:30

Hello: We just finished up Freedomgate Bible Camp 2014, “Freely Give.......You be the drop that starts the ripple”....What a wonderful time in the Lord. We had about 96 young campers and the wind of God was definitely blowing gale force by the time we closed out Saturday night. It’s been a little while since my last blog, sorry about that. I have not been idle. Our theme camp verse was Mathew 10:8 “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.” One of the things the Lord is speaking to my spirit is that our mission is not about us. I think most Christians would agree in theory, but in actual fact, because the majority of the global church is living their daily lives mostly in the natural and not in the spirit they are inclined to ask themselves, what am I really getting out of this deal? A lot of our preaching, conferences, books and the like are geared toward affirming us and that may be fine up to a point. But remember this, our major goal is not to be affirmed, accepted, liked or honored in this world. We are already accepted in the beloved. Jesus said if they hated me...... Our identification originates in the cross. The cross is an instrument of death. Death is a vehicle of separation. We are to be separate from this world even though we are physically located here. Our mission is almost certain to separate us from the affirmation, from the love, from the appreciation, from the acceptance of men. Our goal is to lay down our lives here so we can save the world from the impending destruction of hell. We are certainly blessed in the city and in the field, both coming in and going out. We are the head and not the tail....but we are those things because we have been empowered to go and bring the wheat into the barn. Like our master.....to seek and save that which has been lost. Not because we are a big deal and deserve the recognition of men. What affirmation did Paul, Peter, James or Jesus for that matter get from this world..... The greatest preacher that ever lived, who also built the best ministry that ever was, who also trained and raised up the best disciples who were ever sent....was beaten beyond recognition, crowned with thorns and crucified on a cruel cross, while people spit and jeered and gambled for his clothes. So what kind of affirmation do you think you deserve for all the great things you are doing and have done? The disciples did not fare too well in their worldly reception either....seeing tradition reports all but one of them were martyred for the cause......and John the beloved was boiled in oil and exiled to an island penal colony for his efforts....so he was treated a little more gently. We are not the Yuppie church......although we are upwardly mobile....but we only get high by going very low.... Love and Blessings Pastor Randy