Knowing God
Do you know facts about God?
Or do you KNOW God intimately?
There is a difference. God wants you to know Him relationally, deeply, and intimately. He doesn’t want you to simply know facts about Him.
When you know Him, you find eternal life (John 17:3; I John 5:20). Think about that: eternal life is knowing God, not knowing a bunch of facts about God, but knowing Him relationally.
Christianity is NOT a bunch of rules, rituals, and do’s/don’t’s. It teaches a relationship with God through Jesus Christ only Who is the way and the truth and the life.
God is relational. Read all the books you want, but when it comes down to it, talk to Him in prayer and listen to Him in Spirit and in the truth of His Word. Then, trust Him by obeying what He says because when you truly know Him, you know He is good. He will take care of you.
In fact, He likes you.
-Mark (God likes me better than I like myself)
Responsibility – a key for overcoming all Addictions
A first “fruit” I look for in a “transforming” (Rom. 12:2) addict is RESPONSIBILITY. Is the person taking full responsibility for his/her actions or are they shifting the blame to someone else and/or other things?
Only when we take FULL responsibility for our choices, wrongs, and sins, does healing begin. Proverbs 28:13 tells us to confess and forsake our transgressions and we will find the mercy of God. Mercy is NOT getting what you deserve and is a blessing received through Jesus Christ. Confession is the spoken part of taking responsibility and Forsaking is the action part of taking responsibility.
If you know someone struggling with any type of addiction, encourage them to be accountable, obedient to Christ, and responsible. That’s the first fruit that is produced in a transforming “addict.”
-Mark (challenging myself to be more responsible to the Lord every day – letting my “yes” be “yes” and my “no” be “no”)
Is your heart broken for the world?
When you think of poverty, sickness, and spiritual lostness around the world, do you cry? Is your heart broken?
If you just say, “Aw, that’s so sad” and go back to living for your new car, house, and material possessions, then you do not have the heart of Christ. His heart was broken for this lost world. He shed tears (Luke 19:41). Do you cry?
If you don’t cry, then pray that God would break your heart for the world. Pray, give, support, and go on missions trips to spread the Gospel to the world.
Hopefully, Truth in Love will be doing just that in Kenya and Japan for starters. We want to reach the world for Christ and spread the transforming message of the Gospel.
-Mark (sobbing for the world and lost people everywhere – in Birmingham, too!)
NEW TIL Survey
In an effort to better serve those the LORD continues to send TIL, we have developed a short survey for you to share your feedback. For those of you who have visited Truth In Love, please take a few minutes and complete this 10 question survey. You can click at the top of the page on the TIL SURVEY tab or click here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Hthuh8NdgD31fId4O_2ffDMQ_3d_3d
Your input is vauled & will help us to continue to provide quality care to those we serve!
Jesus is LORD,
-Jason
Unity in the Body of Christ
For those of you who are new readers, I blogged a lot on UNITY in the early days of this blog! Unity is near and dear to my heart though it’s a struggle for me at times. I have to fight to keep unity just as you do, too, I’m sure!
I love unity in the body of Christ. I love that the Bible and biblical discipleship can be unifying. I love that what we do at TIL is unifying the body of Christ. Want proof that TIL is unifying?
How many ministries can say that they have taught at methodist, baptist, christian & missionary alliance denomination, a national conference uniting all denominations (like Mennonites, charismatics, Bible churches, presbyterian, and a broad mixture of other groups), and non-denominational churches this year? How many? By the grace of God, TIL can. We also have many of our biblical counselors who come from a variety of churches and denominations! Praise the Lord for His unity!
Our message is unifying: the Holy Spirit and God’s Word TRANSFORM hurting souls for the glory of God through His body (the church) all over the WORLD and secular, psychological so-called “help” is NOT needed since Christ alone is enough to solve a person’s problems. That’s it. That’s the basic message we promote. We don’t get into eschatology, baptism, Calvinism, Arminianism, and other such potentially divisive topics. We just don’t.
We are NOT for unity at the cost of compromising the GOSPEL. The Gospel and the Word of God must NEVER be compromised!
We long for unity in the body of Christ and experience it some in TIL. When are we going to cut down denominational lines and unite around the essentials of our faith? When? Is God pleased with all of this division? He’s allowing it but is it pleasing to Him?
TIL is “eager to maintain unity” and peace in the Spirit of the Lord.
Ephesians 4:1-3 COMMANDS Christians to be eager to maintain UNITY of the Spirit in the bond of peace – it’s not a suggestion, but a command: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.**
Let’s put away religion and division and in-fighting of mankind and find unity in Christ alone for the sole purpose of reaching Birmingham to eventually reach the world for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
** The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Eph 4:1-3). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
-Mark (worn out by all of the division I see among the brethren)