Blessed to Bless Somebody

And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive - Acts 20:35

The Christian has a distinct duty to support the needs of others. It is part of what the faith upholds as we espouse to be of one accord and having all things in common. How we treat others is an indication of what we think about God's creation. It says a lot about us, too.

Download our FREE tip sheet on giving to the poor & needy

The Book of Proverbs offers us an indication about the blessing of the Lord. "The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it" (Proverbs 10:22). It is a blessing that indeed offers to make "one rich," but it "adds no sorrow with it." All the worry and fuss that consumes our time is worthless and pointless. Our blessing from the Lord is not meant to serve as a burden to us.

Giving is a key to understanding the truth about the blessing of the Lord. You can freely give of what you have been given if you have the proper perspective and understanding of God's blessing on your life. Combine that with the passage from Acts where the Lord is quoted as saying that it is more blessed to give,

Have you been blessed by the Lord? If so, then you are one step closer to becoming a blessing. 

Coffee & Chat with Rev Bruce today includes a special guest Mz. Sharifah, a cancer survivor who advocates for and supports other cancer patients along their cancer journey. Her fundraisers include raising funds for chemo kits that are designed and delivered to local hospitals and cancer canters for patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Tune in live at 10 AM PST and hear more of her story and you can help her help others by being a blessing.

Here is a short list of tips on blessing others:

• Prepare your hearts before you place it in another's hand.
• To freely give, you must release what you are giving from both your heart and your head as much as from your hands.
• No blessing is meant for you to boast or brag about your wonderful work; offer praise to God for blessing you.

He who gives to the poor shall not lack . . . – Proverbs 28:27

In Need of an Eye Opener in 2014

And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized- Acts 9:18 (ASV)

Paul got an "eye opener" after he had his run-in with Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Many of us do not even see it that way, though.  

We see Paul's encounter with Jesus on the road as the eye opener.

Nope.

That was just the shocker that got homeboy's attention.  The eye opener did not happen until he had been humbled due to to being rendered dependent on the care of others, particularly the folks around the way on a street called Straight.  That's when things started to come together and make sense for him.

I find that the local church may need more of an eye opener than it would care to admit in such an age of enlightenment and information sharing.  We have websites with plenty of popups and other bells and whistles.  We have lots of folks giving us a thumbs up and liking the pastor's latest status updates and photo mashup uploads.  Yet, we leave a whole lot to be desired right in our own midst.


When was the last time that the church just invited the visitors from the past quarter or the past year just to come and have fellowship with the pastor? I mean like cookies or cake and punch like a party without the dog and pony show.  I am thinking that we could invite some of the folks who just recovered from years of battling alcoholism or imprisonment, even widowers and former battered wives, to share their testimonies of survival and victory through faith and trust.  let those folks and their testimonies serve as the keynote addresses and let the pastor simply invite the attendees to join in prayer, then let them meet with a prayer counselor or elder of the church- however you do it in your church or congregation- to share their decision to join or to seek more answers about salvation, church and being a Christian.

Something like that may be the breakthrough that we have been awaiting.  The sound system and the projected song lyrics on the big screen are indeed impressive.  In fact, I love seeing that.  But the "true riches" that Christ spoke of will not  be reached and placed in our possession (under our stewardship, rather) if we do not stop for a moment and address our own blind spots to get those around us to come to know us as more than holy hypocrites.  They need to see that we are flesh and blood just like them but the we have the favor of faith that is also readily available to them, too.

Imagine if our local churches took on the role of community center and resource center more than simply just worship center.  What would alter and change in your community? Would your pastor still be seen as the guy who talks about Jesus and God? Or, would people in your community come to know Him as a servant of the Lord and a true man of God in their opinion? It is all in how outsiders view us that is considered public opinion.  How we view ourselves is called "self image." We do not get an eye opener from looking in the mirror or leaning over and telling our neighbor on the pew that we are doing great and doing God's work.

Open up your hearts and mind, then begin to open your doors, so that you have a new image in the community where your church is located.  Maybe you won't change the community in one day, but you surely can change the community's perception of you and your congregation.

For more insights on this please read my article on local visitors and the local church.

Your Best You Have to Offer

And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord.

And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord.

- 1 Kings 8:62-63 (KJV)

What ever you have to offer the Lord, let it be your best.  Give Him the best that you have to give.  Let Him bless you like you have never been blessed before based on your willingness to give Him of your best, not just what you decided to part with.

And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.  On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.

- 1 Kings 8:65-66

The king led the people in offerings and prayer.  Then, after all of that was done, he led them in celebration for an extended period of time.  You see, when you offer God your best, you can enter into His rest.

New Pathways to Pioneer

“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller


Things are good, but we know that they could be better.

Your ministry might be growing, but there also could be some growing discontent that you have not dealt with inside of your ministry or small group.

You could be experiencing a new sense of direction as your people feel a sense of a lack of leadership from you.

You could be on your way to banner year, but at the same time you could also be watching the bottom fall out from under everything that you have built throughout your career.

Don't let things going good allow you to mistake the fact that there could be better things out there.  Do not overlook what you have and what you have to do.  Maintain the proper perspective on both your purpose and the task of pioneering new trails and pathways as a leader.  Moses could have gotten out of Egypt and to the Promised Land if he had just left all of those stiff-necked people behind, huh? Right? Imagine that.

Extreme Experiences of Edification

Key question: Have you built a ministry that builds up people to be better servants of the Lord?

Take your time.  Think about all of the people who serve under you.  Let things play back in your mind. 

We need people experiencing edification.  We need people being built up within our midst.  We need to get busy building folks up.

Why?

Their responsibility is to equip God's people

to do his work and build up the church,

the body of Christ.

- Ephesians 4:12 (NLT)

We are called to do so.  We have been commissioned to do so.  It is our calling.  Let us live up to it.

Give the people who come to you an extreme experience.  Offer an edifying experience.  Take people to the edge by standing on the cutting edge as opposed to the status quo.  Let people experience Christianity beyond the stuffy, Sunday morning sermonized Savior that seems so distant that He could not have possibly walked on earth.  Give them the real deal when you share about the Savior.  Show them the Jesus who saves.  Share the Jesus who sacrificed for the sinful.  Provide an opportunity to experience Jesus in spirit and in truth.

Look at some examples of radical Christianity. . .

Going Green for God

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof..." - Psalm 24:1

The church of Jesus Christ can go green.  That makes sense.  It may not be easy to shift from traditional methods, but it is certainly worth the work.

Going green can do more than save the environment.  It can prove to be a cost-effective method for environmental stewardship.

Here is a list for going green with God:

• The Green Church
• God is Green
• 50 Ways to Help Save the Earth
• Green Revolution

Growing in His Word

“Don’t wait to fast, read, pray, or to do anything else.” – Charles Finney

Use the Good Book to get back on track.

Let truth show you the way.

You need to pray over some things.  You just need to get into some deep prayer and let loose.  I have one word of advice for you, though.  You do not have to hurry when praying, but you surely need to hurry up and pray.  Allow God to draw you in nearer and nearer, closer and closer.

Spend some time connecting with the Lord.  Go to the Word.  Read and hear the Word of God.  Listen to sermon podcasts and the Bible dramatized on iTunes. 

Take some time to make things work for you, especially as you work towards serving God daily.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. - Colossians 3:16 (KJV)



Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.- Romans10:17 (NIV)
 
We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. -ColossiansNIV)
 
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.- James 5:13 (KJV)

Marketplace Messengers

“God is moving in a powerful way in the marketplace”- Henry Blackaby

In this era of multimedia, the Christian entrepreneur has a plethora of information sources.  Many of these are exclusively online, but others are in print, on television, even the radio, and online.  These men and women offer insights and ideas on how the Christian can be a powerful vessel of God in the modern-day marketplace.


John C. Maxwell

Dave Ramsey

Ken Blanchard

Steve Marr

 

Zig Ziglar



Laurie Beth Jones
Henry Blackaby

Bob Briner



Larry Burkett 



Ron Blue