It is clear from the Bible that if you are a follower of Christ you are called to go and take the message of Christ to those who do not know Him. It means going across the street, to the other side of town, to the other side of the country, or to the other side of the world. As a lover of Christ I must be concerned about all of those areas. As a church we must be focused on the mission to passionately get the message out to all who have not heard. If we fail to do this, we fail to be a church.
This week at our church is all about challenging us in greater ways to look beyond the very small circle of our life into the lives of people all around us, people different from us, and people far away from us. If we are truly walking with Christ the eternal destinies of people in each of these areas will come to the forefront of our thoughts and actions. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14 that it was the love of Christ that compelled Him. When compelled by Christ's love, we see Paul desperate to see people reconciled to the Savior later in that passage. If you love Jesus like you say, you cannot live half-hearted lives for Him focusing only on your bible studies and your well-being. When you are walking with Christ there is an outward focus that drives you to reach your friend, your enemy, and that person on the other side of the world who does not know about Christ.
This week, ask the Lord to radically change your perspective and let your heart beat for the things He is most passionate about.
Until the whole world hears,
Brad

Well, the actual fast is over, but I believe the effects are just beginning to happen. The services yesterday morning were powerful and I really felt the Lord was working. I believe God is ready to move in power at Lawrence Drive. We talked about the freedom we have in Christ. The enemy's power over us has been broken when we trust in Jesus, but many times we go right back to our chains. We do not have to live that way. If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. We are called to walk in that freedom.
As I looked at all of the chains that were broken yesterday at our church, I was amazed at the work of God. He is the bondage breaker and I want to exhort all of you who moved yesterday to see those chains broken in your life to remain steadfast trusting more in the Word, than in your circumstances.
Lord you are amazing. Please work mightily in and through me. Work mightily in our church and our community. We are hungry for You.

The Lord is showing me so much in my own life through this time of fasting. I see myself yielding more to His ways and purposes in my life and less of a draw to what the world offers. There is a starving to the world taking place and I desire for Him to be most glorified in me at all times.
As I think about our church, the word that keeps coming to mind is freedom. God desires freedom to flow through our body. What type of freedom? I believe freedom from sins that so easily entangle, freedom from religious ritual that has no real power, freedom from the world's thinking, freedom from arguments and bitterness, and freedom from worldly pursuits. So that we can have freedom to relentlessly and passionately follow Christ. Freedom to love Him with every part of my being. Freedom to shine His light into a lost and dying world. Freedom to experience Him in true intimacy and power.
I want to encourage all of you to come Sunday - Freedom Sunday - in our church and allow the presence and power of God to bring Freedom to your life.
Love
Brad

Good morning to all. I hope your week is off to a tremendous start. I am praying for our church today for God to move mightily through our midst. We are totally reliant on His work. I am so hungry to go beyond the surface into the depths of God's love and presence. That when the body of Christ would gather, we would experience God in powerful ways.
I was reading in Mt. 15 where Jesus is talking about the Pharisees and He uses a passage out of Isaiah when He says: "these people honor me witht their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men."
The Pharisees were getting on to Jesus' disciples for not ceremonially washing their hands before they ate. Jesus said, it's not what goes in the mouth that defiles the man, but what comes out, because what comes out comes from the heart. What comes out of your mouth most often? Not just when you have on your Sunday best and you are singing songs in church, but in your day to day. This is where your heart is. Jesus said you can honor me with lips and your heart is far from me. I believe many in church today are here. Not just the extremely negative and vocal and bitter people in church, and not just those mired in public sin, but the majority of church goers. Not because they are not sincere or desiring a walk with God, but because their hearts are still tied to worldly pursuits or religious ritual. Jesus said, "teaching as doctrines the commands of men." We have made our forms of worship the most important thing and many times miss the Savior.
In "My Utmost For His Highest" today, Oswald Chambers made this statement. "Consecration means the continual separating of myself to one particular thing," which for us is Jesus Christ. Allowing the Lord to strip away the world, our man made forms of religion, and anything else that would keep us from Him. Where is your heart today?

For those of you joining the fast, the good news is that we are past halfway. I hope you are finding strength and rest through the Lord and are being nourished in your Spirit. As we seek Him through the Word and prayer I hope your greatest desire is Him. So often we get caught up in asking Him for blessings but we miss the one who is doing the blessing. He will work in those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. Make Him your chief desire today.
As I was reading in Psalm 16 I was touched by the Father's great provision and love for me. In verse 5. it says, "Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future." Then verse 7 and 8 say, "I will praise the Lord who counsels me - even at night my conscience instructs me. I keep the Lord in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." What a great Psalm of assurance from our Lord. I hope today you will rest in His promises and be blessed by His word.
In Christ,
Brad

A new week has begun and I am glad to be home from North Carolina safely. I hope each of you is doing great in your fast. Remember, the most important thing is giving the Lord opportunity to speak to you by spending more time in the Word and more time in prayer. As we focus our hearts solely on Him, He will work in our lives and in our church powerfully.
Iv'e been thinking about the passage in Acts 2 today where it describes the new believers after the 3000 had been added to the Kingdom. In verses 42-47 it describes the new believer's lives and how they interacted with one another. It was a whole new way of life for the new converts, all of their priorities changed and they became a life transformed, transformational community.
It all begins with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit to change their life. As they were ushered into the Kingdom, you see the difference that came about in their lifestyle - devoted to teaching, daily met, gave as anyone had need, gladness, simplicity of hearts - there was a depth of relationship there only God could bring that many times is missing from church today. The Greek word for this type of fellowship among believers is koininia. It is a group of believers sharing the life of Christ with one another on a deep and abiding level.
I want you to notice one other thing, however. Their koininia was turned outward. The Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved. They were outwardly focused, desiring everyone to get in on what God was doing.
Many times as believers we like the idea of koininia, but we want it with just our friends and we attempt to build great relationships and tight bonds. If the outward element is missing, however, we will never get there.

Well, we have almost made it a week. I am excited about the Lord's work and want to encourage all of you, at whatever level you are fasting to be strong! I am currently in North Carolina at school for the weekend. It seems to be a little more difficult away from home to stick with the fast, but I find the more I focus on the Lord, the less I think about food. I am so blessed to be His child. I want to draw nearer to Him day by day. I don't want to waste a day where I was not moving closer to my Lord and Savior.
I was reading in Matthew 7 again today and I was struck with how strongly Jesus deals with religiosity in this passage. If you remember, religiosity is one of the strongholds we are praying against over these 21 Days. Its the idea of having some form of religion, but having no living relationship with Jesus Christ. It's trusting in my works to save me or my church attendance record or my good moral upbringing. Religiosity leads to legalism which leads to ostracizing those not like you which leads to hate and hostility.
Religious people many times have logs in their eyes. I believe that log is their high view of their own works, their religion, their pride. They are experts on pointing out specks in the eyes of others. They love to put others down for their shortcomings. Their blinded by their log of pride to the reality of their situation.
The cure for religiosity is humbled brokenness before the Father. Seeking Him wholeheartedly and not trusting in anything we have done or think we can do to obtain His favor. We must lay ourselves out before Him so that He can save us and transform us.
Brad

Good morning all. It is day #4 of our 21 day fast and by far the best I have felt. I hope all is going well for each one of you that are participating in the fast. I am glad to beback blogging and excited about what God will bring through this time with Him. I am praying that God will hone our hearts to such a degree that we will be able to hear the Spirit working clearly and precisely. That through this fast, God will cut out all of the noisy worldly distractions so we are free to hear Him.
Over the past two days the Lord has been bringing the passage in Luke 9 to my attention. In that passage (verses 57-62) Jesus has some strong words about following Him. If you are going to follow Him, you must cut away from worldly things. As I struggled with caffeine headaches over these couple of days, the Lord was showing me that when something is entrenched it is hard to get removed. Spiritually speaking, when ideas and thoughts and worldly things get entrenched in our mind and heart and lifestyle they are not easily taken out. It takes complete abandonment to Him.
Throughout this process of prayer and fasting, I would encourage you to make abandonment to Him your ultimate goal. Ask Him to show you thoughts, attitudes, actions, and beliefs that are not truly from Him and allow the Holy Spirit to change your mindset and how you view this life to bring it into conformity with His.
If we are not willing to get to a place of abandonment and let go of notions that are not from Him, we will never experience Him in power.
Please post and share with me how things are going for you or email me and let me know how I can pray. The Lord is already working and I am looking forward to more as we move forward.
God Bless You.
Brad

I apologize for being a day late and a dollar short with the blog.
Monday - John 13:12-17, Jude 1-7; Job 21:1-21; Daniel 7-8
Tuesday - John 13:18-30; Jude 8-16; Job 21:22-34; Daniel 9
Wednesday - John 13:31-38; Jude 17-25; Job 22; Daniel 10-12
Thursday - Sunday is for catch up or review or more reflection on the passages already read. Have a great week.
Brad

Happy Wednesday! Almost one week to Thanksgiving Day. I hope you are thankful for the blessings you have received.
I hope the Lord is speaking to you through His Word. What is He saying to you? I would love for you to share with me how the Lord has been working.
As I was reading in John this week, I was reading about Mary and Martha talking to Jesus after Lazarus had died. In John 11:38 - 40, Martha is telling Jesus that it is hopeless. They can't move the stone because Lazarus already stinks.(v 39) It is amazing Jesus' response. "Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?"
What a powerful thought that in the face of difficult times, God is getting ready to reveal His glory. I believe, I am trusting Him to move in the midst of difficult situations to show His glory. Are you believing? Are you ready to see the glory of God in your life? I hope that is your great desire.
Random thought of the day: It doesn't matter so much who you are when everyone is around if you don't live well when no one is.

Good Monday to all. Here is the reading list for this week :
Monday - John 11:38-44, I John 3:19-24; Job 15:1-16; Ezekiel 40-41
Tuesday - John 11:45-57; I John 4:1-6; Job 15:17-35; Ezekiel 42-44
Wednesday - John 12:1-11; I John 4:7-21; Job 16; Ezekiel 45-47
Thursday - John 12:12-19; I John 5:1-12; Job 17; Ezekiel 48
Friday - John 12:20-36; I John 5:13-21; Job 18; Daniel 1-2
Saturday - John 12:37-50; 2 John; Job 19; Daniel 3-4
Sunday - John 13:1-11; 3 John; Job 20; Daniel 5-6

Happy reading. Look for a post soon.
Brad

Friday is here and I hope everyone has had a productive week. I have enjoyed my time in the Word and I pray God is speaking to you as you read also. I was reading Job 11 yesterday and then 12 ad even the first part of 13 because I was fascinated by Zophar and Job's conversation. You can hear Zophar's pious response to Job's situation. He is espousing all of these attributes of God and how wrong Job is for talking to God in such a way. Zophar has not experienced any of the pain or heartache of Job and he stands on the outside judging Job for the way he is handling it. Job fires back in chapter 12 and 13 to Zophar's reasonings. Basically Job says listen, everything you have said is things I already know and in a greater and deeper way than you. You guys are no help at all. Then, in verse 5 of chapter 13 Job says, "If only you would shut up and let that be your wisdom."
For us what Job was saying is that the "Sunday School" answer is not always what is needed. What Zophar needed to do was not regurgitate all of his knowledge to Job, he needed to get down and feel Job's pain and empathize with a hurting friend. Zophar had no idea of the depth of pain and emotion Job was dealing with and his piousness was no good for Job. How often do we callously deal with others who are going through difficult times without ever trying to get a sense of where they are or what they are going through. Many times in painful situations a friend might need us to bind their wounds and ease their pain much more than they need our advice.

What great things the Lord desires to do in our lives as His followers. John 10:10 today says I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly. More abundant than we could ever imagine! It is abundant for those who hear His voice and follow Him.(v.4) It is not for those who love the world and the things of the world. (I John 2:15-17) The love of the wrong things keeps us from experiencing God's best. I am praying for God to accomplish unexplainable moments in my life. I love the story of Jesus healing the blind man in John 9. I don't know much about this Jesus, but I do know this... I was blind but now I see! It was an unexplainable moment. I am looking for God to show up in power in my life that the only way it could be explained is by His power. Why don't we spend more time seeking God for His unexplainable moments. What burden or pain or worry are you carrying today? Trust God for an unexplainable moment in that situation. Love Him, know His voice, follow Him and do not love the world or its things. Then, we will see more and more of these moments.
Brad

I was reading a devotion this morning from David Jeremiah this morning saying exactly what has been the emphasis of our challenge in the Word. If you would like to read it, go to www.davidjeremiah.org/site/magazine.aspx?id=4408. It is going right along with the importance of being in the Word and obeying the Word. It was a confirmation in my spirit.
Brad

Good Morning all,
I should have probably posted the weekly schedule yesterday, so you could be ready for the new week. I will try to do that next week. I hope you are being blessed and encouraged through the readings. Once again, I want to remind you that you do not have to read all of the suggested readings to participate. The main goal is to get what you read into your heart and let the Lord speak to you through His Word. I would love to hear comments and insights from you as you read.
Monday - John 9:13-25, I John 1:5-10; Job 9:1-20; Ezekiel 24-26
Tuesday - John 9:26-41; I John 2:1-11; Job 9:21-35; Ezekiel 27-28
Wednesday - John 10:1-10; I John 2:12-17; Job 10; Ezekiel 29-30
Thursday - John 10:11-21; I John 2:18-23; Job 11; Ezekiel 31-32
Friday - John 10:22-42; I John 2:24-29; Job 12; Ezekiel 33-34
Saturday - John 11:1-16; I John 3:1-10; Job 13; Ezekiel 35-37
Sunday - John 11:17-37; I John 3:11-18; Job 14; Ezekiel 38-39
I look forward to hearing from you this week. Remember, the Word is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. Get His Word into you and He will begin to transform us!
Love in the Lord,
Brad

"Then they will know that I am the Lord." As God speaks through Ezekiel He consistently uses this phrase. In the midst of pronouncing judgements on the wickedness of Israel He constantly reminds them that He is the Lord God. All of the idols of the Israelites could not compare to the Lord God. He was making that abundantly clear in His decalrations. How sad that it was made known in the midst of judgement. How great it is that we can know that He is the Lord God through His mighty work in and through us. The passages in John and 2 Peter show that we don't have to wait on God's judgement to know His awesome work, we can know it through all He desires to do in us. In 2 Peter 1:16, Peter says, "we were eyewitnesses to His majesty." How great is that?
Today, as God's children, we have a choice. Will we see the majesty of God through how He moves and works powerfully through us, or will He have to show us by His judgement because we have put other "idols" ahead of Him? Choose today to walk with Him, remove all other allegiances, and see His glory displayed in your life.
Brad
PS - you can post comments now!

I love the truths that are presented in the first few readings this week.
In John 7, Jesus encourages all who are thirsty to come to Him and drink. He promises in verse 38 that streams of living water will flow from him - that the Holy Spirit will flow out of us who are His. John 8:12, Jesus says "I am the light of the world, anyone who follows after me will NEVER walk in darkness, but have the light of life." It ties together with 2 Peters reading. In chapter 1:3-11 is a great passage of promise for living in Christ's way. Verse 3 says His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness. What great and precious promises the Lord gives to allow us to partake in the divine nature.
Do you believe this? We must take the Word at its word. We must speak the Word into our life, to burn it upon our hearts and to allow it to have its work in us. All the promises of God are true. We must accept them and walk in them. What a wonderful promise we see in these words.
I encourage all of you to read the Word. Remember, you don't have to read all of the suggested readings, but get the Word in you so that you can be transformed, that yo0ur mind can be renewed.
Love to all,
Brad

Good Morning everyone,

I know it has been awhile since my last blog, but I am back on task! I have challenged the members of my church to be more into the revealed Word of God, the Bible, and to allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word to them. In order to help all of us, beginning today I will be posting daily Scripture readings. I will be posting blogs a few times a week on the Scripture for the day. I would love for all of you to read the Scripture and post comments and insights also. If you cannot read all of the Scripture for a day, just read some of it and follow along. The main thing is to get the Word of God in you and to allow the Holy Spirit to bring that word to bear on your life and your situation. I look forward to the ride ahead. I will post the readings for the whole week.

Monday, November 2 - John 7:37-53; 2 Peter 1:1-21; Job 1; Ezekiel 1-3

Tuesday, - John 8:1-11; 2 Peter 2:1-9; Job 2; Ezekiel 4-8

Wednesday - John 8:12-20, 2 Peter 2:10-16; Job 3; Ezekiel 9-12

Thursday - John 8:21-30; 2 Peter 2:17-22; Job 4; Ezekiel 13-15

Friday - John 8:31-47; 2 Peter 3:1-9; Job 5; Ezekiel 16

Saturday - John 8:48-59; 2 Peter 3:10-18; Job 6; Ezekiel 17-19

Sunday - John 9:1-12; I John 1:1-4; Job 7; Ezekiel 20-21



There it is. Remember, if you can't read it all, focus on certain passages. If you fall behind, there will be makeup days at the end of every month. Focus on praying for the Spirit to speak to your heart through the passage. Write down what He speaks and respond to Him. As the Word moves into our life, the Lord will begin to work in mighty ways and begin to transform us acording to His will. Join the challenge with me.

Brad

This past Sunday I shared with our congregation the marks of the mission. Things that should be evident in a believer's life if they are growing in Christ. These are marks we are laying out for our people, but they are probably good marks for any Christ follower.
Here they are:
1. A growing desire to be with Jesus.
2. A growing desire to honor Him with my words, actions, thoughts, and attitudes
3. A growing desire to meet others needs.
4. A growing desire to bring others to Him.
Could you examine your life and use these as marks to see where you are in your walk? Many times as believers we live our lives with no way to know whether we are going in the right direction or not. Let me hear from you about the effectiveness of these and any ideas you might have for more.
Brad

Saw this video this morning and it resonated in my heart. Thought I would share it with you.
Brad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGMG_PVaJoI