Scripture: Hebrews 1:8-9 But about the Son he says, ” Your Throne, o God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you will the oil of joy.”

Observation:
What is it that caused Jesus to stand out from the crowd?
JOY
Jesus was anointed with the oil of joy. Now for Jesus to be anointed with joy it means that someone had to anoint him because in their culture you couldn’t anoint yourself. His joy came from God and it was his joy that made him stand out from the crowd it set him above his companions. Jesus is our model, which means joy is what will cause us to stand out from the crowd also. A joy that is given by the Father. It’s supernatural. Our world badly needs to see joy in operation over and over and in a person’s life. Life for many is drudgery under the tyranny of sin trapped in darkness.

It is interesting to note the conditions that Jesus fulfilled to receive this anointing of joy from the Father.
1. He Loved Righteousness,
2. He Hated Wickedness,

Many followers of Christ miss it today not because of their failure to love righteousness, but because of the failure to take serious our tendency to flirt with wickedness. We tolerate things, sinful practices, in our life that shouldn’t be there and the we wonder why there is no joy in our life?

Loving Righteousness + Hating Wickedness = receiving the Anointing with Joy from the Father!!

Application: I need to start getting really serious about any thing, action or thought that leads me to accept, condone or turn a blind eye to sin. I have to start to hate wickedness that infiltrates my life and others. Even the sin of unbelief is wickedness that we often tolerate or make excuses for! No more, I want to see the circuit completed and the current of joy flowing in my life continually as that is what will make me stand out from the crowd as a faithful witness of Christ!

My Prayer: Father help me to recognize quickly when I am starting to tolerate wickedness in any way shape or form. Give me a heart that is quick to repent, turn away and pursue after righteousness. Anoint me with the oil of Joy I pray. AMEN

Scripture: John 5:37-39 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Observation: The scriptures are not an end in themselves, they are just a guide that keeps leading us towards Jesus the author and perfecter of life. When we make them the final destination we then become Pharisaical in needing to defend them. We actually step out from under the spirit of the law “grace” and back under the letter of law “judgement” which kills. Make no mistake this book is a sharp two edged sword and it can either be deployed for good or evil depending on who is wielding it.

Application: I must as 2 Timothy 2:15 says be very careful to rightly divide the Word of Truth otherwise I may unwittingly use that which God is showing me for good for evil by controlling and manipulating others. If it becomes all about the scriptures then through us it could become a harsh letter that kills unless so I must always allow the scriptures to lead me to the saviour and healer so I accurately discern what he wants to say or convey!

Prayer: Father help me to always follow the rainbow to the pot of Gold. Teach me to allow the scriptures to lead me directly to the saviour every time so that I am known as a man of God whom brings spirit and life from the Word of God where-ever he goes!

Isaiah 48:3-4 Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Observation: I am amazed at just how big our God is, and how all encompassing His love and power are. Think about it for a moment.
God:
Upheld us since our conception,
Carried us since our birth,
Even in old age and gray hairs he sustains us,
He made us and will carry us,
He will sustain us and rescue us,

Who would not want to know a God like that? And yet people everyday snub there noses at Him as He patiently holds their life and souls in His hand. Our God waits hoping one day all humanity will finally acknowledge His desire for relationship with them.

Application: I must remind myself that my God is in control of every aspect of my life. It is He who will carry, rescue and sustain me all the days of my life. I simply need to keep my focus always on Him and Him alone!

My Prayer: Father please help me to not get concerned with the demands and opinions of people in this world. Let me always relax in the knowledge that you are in control and you will see me through everything to the right decision and conclusion.

1 Peter 3: 8-11
“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.”

Peter is setting out for us here the kind of relationship we should have with one another. He says be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Never repay evil for evil or insult for insult, but repay such wrong with blessing! How hard is that to do? How hard is it not react when we feel we are being wronged and attacked?

Our ability to bless in the face of evil and insult is a sign that we are growing up in our faith. It is also interesting that Peter uses the term harmony – which means it has nothing to do with us thinking, acting and being exactly the same. It’s possible for human beings to live harmony with each other. Peter then tells us that those who live like this will experience the blessing of being able to love life and see good days.

It saddens me today the amount of people who have a lot of stuff but their love for life has all but gone. On the outside they have everything but on the inside they have nothing and they are nearly always angry with most of the world around them. They have lost the inheritance of being able to love life and see good days.

I think verse eight sums it up nicely for us as Christ followers. It says to this you “were called” so that you may inherit a blessing. Did you get that? Our future blessing is tied directly to our ability to live in harmony with one another!! I must do everything through the power of Christ in me to make sure I live life in harmony with others. If I can do this I am fulfilling my calling and I will inherit a blessing. A blessing that will allow me to love life and see good days.

How will I do it? Verse ten says that I do it by keeping my tongue from evil and my lips from deceitful speech, turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it!

My Prayer: Father help me to live out this scripture in my life. Teach me to live in harmony with others and then instruct me how to model it for people that they too may fulfill their calling and receive their full blessing in this life. Lord teach me your ways that I may walk in them! Amen

Lifechurch.tv are excited to announce the launch of VideoTeaching.com! Now your church, along with churches around the world, can access a library of high-quality teaching videos… all for free. A few key things to know before you dive in:

Your church can create an account and download high-quality teaching videos today for free.
You’ll find messages from some amazing pastors and teachers, with more on the way in the near future.
The site also features a Learning Center with lots of great tips and advice to help your church get the most out of VideoTeaching.com.
A huge thank you goes out to the generous communicators who jumped on board to share their messages for free. We’re looking forward to seeing how churches everywhere use these resources in leading people to Christ.

So, go ahead – explore, download, and tell your friends about VideoTeaching.com!

VideoTeaching.com is a service provided by LifeChurch.tv.

Interview from Swerve Blog…
Kevin pastors Christian Community Church in Queensland, AU. They’re a faithful Lifechurch.tv Network Church. He writes…

1. What is the biggest leadership lesson you’ve learned over the past year?

Learning to wait for God’s perfect timing in transitioning a whole church into a new culture. It’s got to be the right ‘God thing’ at the right ‘God time’ otherwise the wheels fall off everywhere.

2. What is God showing you personally?

If I am to be a great leader in the 21st Century then I must always lead from a still axis. I must learn to lead from a still quiet place in God, rather than be driven by the urgent chaos of life. To do this I need to spend time in the Word of God daily. Reading and journaling what the Father is saying to me is essential. It is my time to be with Jesus and allow him to lead me up the mountain so he can show me His glory!

3. What is the top ministry challenge you’re currently facing?

Transitioning a leadership and culture from what has been for 17 years into what God desires for the next season. Creating a new wine skin and infrastructure for a new outpouring of wine!

4. What do you do for fun?

To be honest I have failed miserably at this for last 15 months! What I love to do and need to make more time for is… dining out with my wife, Anne, having coffee in inspiring locations with friends, walks on the beach, exercise (or at least thinking about it) , song writing and performing, photography and motorcycle riding (when I can afford to buy another bike).

5. What books are you reading?

Sticky Church by Larry Osborne
The Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro
The Leadership Baton by Rowland Forman, Jeff Jones, Bruce Miller
IT by Craig Groeschel

optical communication

One Prayer 2009: One Prayer began in 2008 with a simple idea: We pray to Jesus asking Him to answer our prayers – what if we became the answer to His? He prayed that we would be one, and One Prayer is an opportunity to see what can be accomplished when the Church works together.

Last June, thousands of churches formed unprecedented partnerships across cities, continents, denominations, and cultures. More than two million believers stood together to learn, pray, fast, and love others. This year, we’ll be joining forces once again as we go out into the world to share, serve and give during One Prayer 2009.

I’m excited about One Prayer this year and the LifeReach projects that our church is engaging in to reach out and impact the lives of those in our local and national community!

Let’s take the world by storm this June! Sign up for One Prayer 2009 and we’ll stand united to share, serve, and give: http://www.oneprayer.com/

I have never met anyone with a heart like David. He is able to not react to Saul who is doing everything within his power to stop him from taking the position of King, and he is able to not react to Absalom who is trying to remove him from his place of leadership from within.

Neither threats from without, nor threats from within turn his heart from loving God and respecting and loving the one bringing the offense. David has such peace and confidence in his heart that God’s will would be done that he could not be shaken so he would not take matters into his own hands, he would wait for his God.

I will say it again, I have never met anyone like David, except Jesus with his ability to love and accept the Judas within his ranks. I guess it just proves once again how far we are from where our relationship with God really should be!

My Prayer: Father help me to completely trust you, help me to not react to those who would try and stop me from taking leadership and help me to not react to those who once there would try and take me out. Grant me the understanding that my times are in your hands and yours alone!

Bible reference: 2 Samuel 16:23 and 2 Samuel 17:23

Here is a valuable lesson that every leader must learn fast! Ahithophel gave counsel to King David because his advice was not only sought after and listened to, but it was always believed and acted upon as a word from God. He was a well respected man of God in the community. He was seen as one who hears from God. However, look what happens when his advice is rejected and not followed.

Ahithophel takes offense, he walks out on his service taking his bat and ball heading for home! Once he gets home he falls into deep depression at the fact that he has been rejected. His advice has not been acted upon as a directive from the Lord. He fixes up his house putting everything in order and then swiftly commits suicide to make a final statement of his disgust at not being listened to.

Friends, be careful to not get who you are in God blurred with what you do for God! This blur will only cause you to either become aggressive, defensive & fight, or it will cause you to sulk and withdraw, spiraling into depression, pulling away from others. Once you seperate yourself that is the beginning of the end, it’s “Spiritual Suicide”.

My Prayer: Father help me to always keep a distinction between who I am in you and the act of service I do for you.

These thoughts are based on 1 Samuel 14 in the Bible.

I find 1 Samuel 14 a very interesting account as it shows how God will not be put in a box by human beings, no matter how great they think they are.

Jonathan, with his armour bearer, has just achieved a mighty victory for the people of Israel because by faith he stepped out believing that God would go before them and He did. The panic was sent to cause confusion and bring about a mighty victory!
So here is my thought…
Saul as the King has the appearance of having the presence of God with him contained in his religious box of ‘human tradition’. He has the Ark of God, which supposedly guarantees him victory and also keeps the people looking to him for success. However, Saul suddenly realises when a victory is taking place by the hands of some else that in fact all he has is an empty box of tradition. God has left the building! He is off working with someone else to bring about victory because of the state of Saul’s heart!

Sadly many people today are no different to Saul – they would rather have their religious box of tradition to try and impress and control people, rather than paying the price to keep their heart right with God! The really sad part is they think they are fooling the people, but the people are smarter than we think. The people know who is bringing about the victory, they know who is carrying God’s presence, they know who God has approved of and who He has rejected. That is why when Saul wanted to kill Jonathan for making him look bad the people rose up and would not allow such a course of action. They knew all Saul had was an old empty box of tradition, while Jonathan had God’s stamp of approval.

Religious people love boxes, they carry their own personal ‘Ark’ for the God they have created to suit them. God will not be confined to your or my box of religious thinking. He will find a willing heart that is soft towards him and then step out in faith to achieve his plans and purposes!

My Prayer: Father protect me from myself. Enable me to keep my heart soft before you so that I will never try and confine you to my religious thinking. Every time I start to build a religious box please break out of it in a spectacular way like you did with Jonathan to wake me up from my own self important arrogance! Shake our generation out of its new found religious box. Be the God I know you are!