Author: Lalo

I am a Servant-Leader who is service minded, purpose driven and results oriented.

Plan Each Day

It’s no secret that to be successful with your finances, you must plan where you will spend your money before it winds up in your bank account. We should take the same disciplined approach to our time. After all, unlike money, we can’t earn more time, so we should be even more inclined to budget our hours than our dollars. – Jordan Raynor

Faith 247

Most Christians are living so far below what God intended for them that when someone begins to live a normal Christian life (according to God’s standard), then everyone thinks he’s abnormal. We will be successful when we not only build our faith but destroy our doubts.



Don’t Take Jeremiah 29:11 Out of Context
By Kelly Givens

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” – Jeremiah 29:11

My Old Testament professor had this to say about the ever-popular Jeremiah 29:11: “I am going to destroy what this verse means to you, but then I’m going to reframe it so you understand it better within it’s original context, and then you will love it even more when we’re done.” He definitely had our attention!

We often approach Jeremiah 29:11 as a security blanket: God has a plan for me that is good, so clearly this suffering I’m going through will end soon and then my flourishing will begin! But that is not at all what God was promising to the Israelites, and it’s not what he’s promising us, either.

Author and blogger Mary DeMuth addresses our misunderstanding of this verse in her article, Jeremiah 29:11 Doesn’t Mean What You Think. 

As she explains, the heart of the verse is “not that we would escape our lot, but that we would learn to thrive” in the midst of it.

Here’s the context for Jeremiah 29: the Israelites were in exile, a punishment from God as a result of their disobedience.

The prophet Jeremiah confronts the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in two years (spoiler alert: God doesn’t do this).

Jeremiah calls out Hananiah’s lie, and then states the promise we read in 29:11. God does indeed have a good plan for the Israelites, and it is a plan that will give them hope and a prospering future.

Sounds good, right?

The thing is, before he shares this promise, just a few verses earlier, he gives them this directive from God: “seek the peace and the prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (29:7)

This is not at all what the Israelites wanted to hear! They wanted to be told that they were going to go home. They wanted to be told that their suffering was going to end. Instead, God’s plan was for them to stay right where they were, and to help prosper the nation that enslaved them!

And then came the biggest blow of all. In verse 10, God says that he would fulfill this “after seventy years are completed in Babylon.” This meant that none in the current generation of Israelites would ever return to their home.
What a crushing thing to be told!

Mary DeMuth writes:
Yes, of course God knows the plans He has for us. And ultimately He will give us a glorious future. But as we walk out our lives on this crazy earth, let’s remember that the best growth comes through persevering through trials, not escaping them entirely. And when we learn perseverance, we find surprising joy.

What hard thing are you currently going through? In the midst of your suffering, cling to Jeremiah 29:11, but cling to it for the right reason: not in the false hope that God will take away your suffering, but in the true, gospel confidence that he will give you hope in the midst of it.

The Importance of the Local Church

The Importance of the Local Church

May 12, 2014

“NOT FORSAKING the assembling of ourselves together, AS THE MANNER OF SOME IS; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”  – Hebrews 10:25

   If you are a born again child of God, you should know by now that the Word of God teaches that the Body of Christ is also known as the Church. The Greek word for church is ekklesia and it means “called out ones”. In other words we are called out of darkness and called out from among the world (1 Peter 2:9 / 2 Corinthians 6:14-17).

The Church-at-large is comprised of believers all over the world who worship God in what is referred to as local churches. A local church is a body of believers who share the same vision, mission, and purpose in reaching their community, city, and ultimately the world for Jesus Christ. At least it should be.

  The Apostle Paul planted churches in various cities and all of these churches were independent and self-governing. There weren’t any denominations or hierarchies. There was no religion. The churches were governed by pastors who had elders under their authority assisting them with the daily responsibilities of the ministry. Although there were some churches that were larger than others in size, such as Corinth and Ephesus, most of the churches Paul ministered to were small.

As a matter of fact, we read in the New Testament that churches frequently were held at someone’s house (I Corinthians 16:19 / Colossians 4:15). All of these churches collectively made up the Body of Christ as they do now.

  In this initial lesson, we’re going to emphasize the importance of the local church. First of all, God’s Word says in Psalm 92:13 “Those that be PLANTED in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.”  It says “Those that be PLANTED…” 

My friend, God wants you to be planted. Why? This word “planted” is talking about becoming “rooted and grounded”. When you become rooted and grounded, you  develop  stability. That’s not something that’s talked about in the Church today.

People who are stable are settled.  People who are settled are  committed.  They don’t wander around. They connect with the vision of a local church, find out how they can get involved, and remain faithful there.

Church membership is not just so you can have your name on the church roll. It’s important to know that you belong to a family of believers that are going to be there when you need them.

Our opening text in Hebrews 10:25 says that we are not to forsake “…the assembling of ourselves together, AS THE MANNER OF SOME IS…” God’s Word Translation says “…We should NOT STOP GATHERING TOGETHER with other believers, AS SOME OF YOU ARE DOING…” The New International Version says “…not giving up meeting together, AS SOME ARE IN THE HABIT OF DOING…”  Did you notice that last translation? It says “…as some are in THE HABIT OF DOING…”  In other words, it’s a bad habit not to go to church!

  Unfortunately, their are literally thousands and thousands of Christians who are walking around like spiritual nomads, constantly searching for the “perfect” church much to no avail.

Why? There is no such thing! Nevertheless, (if there were such a microcosm in existence) when they get there, it won’t be perfect anymore! This is one of many reasons why so many Christians are still living like “church hoppers”. They are focused on the wrong thing. Instead of focusing on  growth  and  development,  they are focused on perfection. However, the Bible’s definition of “perfection” is maturity. Well, maturity takes time; time that some folks don’t want to invest in.

   Most “church hoppers” are afraid of becoming a member of a local church because they don’t want to get hurt, they don’t want to get involved, or a myriad of other excuses that they feel exempts them from becoming committed. Quite frankly, if you are not a member of a local church, you are out of the will of God. You are like “a fish out of water”. I know many of you don’t want to hear that, but it’s the truth, and I will not apologize for the truth.

    Psalm 92:13 goes on to say “Those that be planted in the house of the Lord SHALL FLOURISH…”  The word “flourish” means “to prosper”. God wants you to know that if you are rooted and grounded in the church, you are going to prosper. You can’t prosper in the things of God without becoming rooted and grounded, and you can’t become rooted and grounded by going to church whenever you feel like it.

I’ve had Christians tell me that they were called to visit different churches every week to receive the benefit of experiencing a different anointing. That’s rubbish!

You can’t become rooted and grounded by hearing part one of something at one church this week, and part five of something else at another church the following week. What you’re going to get is a whole lot of confusion, and God is certainly not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). It’s okay to say amen!

   The role of a pastor is to “Feed the flock of God…” (1 Peter 5:2) The Bible says in Jeremiah 23:4, when a pastor feeds the flock of God “…they shall FEAR NO MORE, NOR BE DISMAYED, NEITHER SHALL THEY BE LACKING…” When you are prospering, you do not live in fear, you are not dismayed, and you are not lacking. That’s what the Word of God will do for you when you become rooted and grounded.

So, the first important reason for the importance of a local church is because you will be taught the Word of God so you can grow up spiritually. A good pastor will teach you the Word of God precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little (Isaiah 28:9-10). He’s going to make sure you are growing spiritually according to the law of progression. Mark chapter four calls it the thirty, sixty, and one hundredfold principle; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. That’s how you become established.

  Some folks just want to jump from A to Z without learning all the “stuff in the middle”, but God did not design the system to work that way. 1 Peter 2:2 says “As NEWBORN babes, desire the sincere MILK OF THE WORD, that ye may GROW thereby…” Hebrews 5:14 says “…STRONG MEAT belongeth to them that are of FULL AGE, even those who by REASON OF USE have their senses exercised TO DISCERN BOTH GOOD AND EVIL.” When you went to school, you first had to attend elementary school, then high school, and finally college. Some of you even continued on to graduate school. My point is if you try to expedite the learning process and graduate prematurely you won’t become established. What you’ll end up doing is committing spiritual abortion and end up on the spiritual junk heap! Moving right along…

  Another important reason for becoming a member of a local church is to have fellowship with other believers. Notice what the Bible says in Acts chapter two.

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles DOCTRINE AND FELLOWSHIP…  –  Acts 2:38-41

  We’ve already discussed that one reason for the importance of the local church is because you will be taught the Word of God so you can grow up spiritually. Another reason is to have fellowship with other believers. The Greek word for “fellowship” is koinonia and it means “participation, with the idea of partnership, communing with one another, and sharing.” When you get born again you come out of the world, it’s darkness and it’s influence. Now it’s time for you to develop new, godly relationships, with people of like precious faith that are going to communicate with you about the things of God, as well as life in a way that you all can relate to. 

Fellowship is about community, and you’re going to need that in your life especially when times get rough and you need a friend to talk to about your problems to receive encouragement and mutual support. Don’t neglect this important truth, my friend. Let’s look at our next point shall we?

           …and in breaking of bread and in PRAYERS. – Acts 2:42

  We won’t focus on the phrase “…and in breaking of bread…”, because it’s referring to Holy Communion, in terms of the Lord’s Supper. It is an important ordinance of the Church, however, we won’t take the time to teach on that subject right now. Notice it goes on to say “…and in PRAYERS…” It’s good to know that you can go to church, or call your fellow members and know that if you need special prayer you can receive it. Notice James chapter five:

14 “Is any SICK among you? Let him call for THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH; and let them PRAY OVER HIM, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

15 AND THE PRAYER OF FAITH SHALL SAVE THE SICK, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have COMMITTED SINS, they shall be FORGIVEN him.”  –  James 5:14-15

  Praise God, the Church is supposed to be a place of refuge where we can receive forgiveness and healing all at the same time!

Maybe you’ve had bad experiences in church and you don’t have much faith and trust in confiding in others for prayer because of that. My suggestion to you is “don’t throw out the baby with the bath water!” 

You may have gone to a church where things aren’t being done according to the scriptures. Well, don’t sit around and complain about it and stay sick, broke, sad, and depressed. Make a quality decision today that you are going to find a good, strong, Bible believing church that’s preaching and teaching the Word of God in truth and power, where the sinner is receiving salvation, the sick are being healed, the oppressed are receiving deliverance, and’s God’s will is being done. Make sure they have groups for fellowship and the type of support you are needing. Then get connected by taking their membership classes, so you can get plugged in and become a part of what God is doing through the local church in these last days. And most of all, beloved, be faithful! God is looking for faithfulness. Be faithful with your time, your talents, and your offerings. That is how He is going to bless you.

PRAYER TO FIND A LOCAL CHURCH:

Dear heavenly Father, I thank You for the Holy Spirit who is my Guide. I pray right now that He leads me in the way that I should go. I will hear His voice, and the voice of a stranger I will not follow. I thank You for giving me wisdom to know Your will and for the witness of the Holy Spirit in my heart when I find the church I am supposed to become a part of. I believe that I receive guidance for this now in the name of Jesus, Amen!
— Read on alwaystriumphant.org/new-believers/importance-local-church/