How To Start A Ministry

A long time ago, I watched a YouTube video, entitled "How to Start a Ministry." The premise was beautiful. If you want to start a ministry, take half of the food out of your own pantry and give it to someone in need. Take some of your clothes, and clothe the naked,

I think that many people believe that ministry requires some sort of "special" calling. I think that is a lie. The Bible says that "we are one in Christ Jesus." In Corinthians 12, we are told that we are all part of a Body of Believers, and we are told that we have a role in the Body of Christ. We are told that Christ is the Head of the Church, and that we are equally important. 

We do not need an honorific title to share the good news of Jesus. The Great Commission is not something reserved for the important church leaders. Have you been told lately that YOU are an important member of the Body of Christ? Are you using your gifts to serve others? Or have you become passive in your walk, going to service once a week and relying on your "works" to try to appease God. The Bible says that God is a jealous God. He loves and wants you. If Christ is living in you, then you have a light living inside you. 

Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

You don't need anyone's permission to start a ministry. Jesus already told you to shine your light. He told us in His Word that you are important. He tells us to share the good news with others. He tells to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick, pray for others, visit those in prison. He tells us to care for the orphan and the widow. These things aren't hard to do. There are homeless shelters in your community. Food banks. There are suffering people all around, and if you ask Christ to open your eyes to them, He will. There are widows at the nursing home, and even in our families. 

I'm not preaching to anyone. Actually, I'm writing to myself at this point because I often fail in these areas.

What did Jesus do Before He started His ministry? 

Before Jesus began His ministry, He went to the desert. He fasted, and He prayed. He didn't rush off to a Bible college. He didn't need to be educated. "He confounds the Wise and reveals Himself to Children."

Jesus didn't do any of those things. His ways are not OUR ways. Instead, He gave His life to the Father's will, went into the desert, fasted, and prayed. 

The Bible says that "His (God's )power is made perfect in our Weakness

If you truly want to start an effective ministry, you have to be willing to go to the desert. You have to be willing to be made weak, giving your own life to the Will of the Father. 

That is how you start a ministry. 

There is a lot of darkness out there. There are children that are being bullied and taking their own lives. There is drug, alcohol, and pornography addiction. I could go on and on. The truth is that the world NEEDS your light. And, as Christians, we have the authority to use the name of Jesus to cast out demons (darkness) (More about my testimony on that, later)

You are an important member of the Body of Christ. Now, Go.

He Confounds the Wise and Reveals Himself to Children

A few years ago, I was in a very deep relationship with Jesus. He was showing me so many things. I began studying. I began researching. I began to question a lot of what I had believed about the way that church is done. I began to consider myself "wise."

It was then that Jesus spoke a verse into my Spirit, "He confounds the wise, and reveals Himself to children."

I immediately realized how wrong I had been. The sin of pride had crept in my heart because I thought I was, in some way, "special".

Imagine the brevity of that verse, "He confounds the Wise, and reveals Himself to children."

The Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus' day, were considered wise. Many people looked to them for guidance. They were honored and revered. The Bible says that they wore fancy clothes and loved to be greeted in the marketplace. They said loud prayers and loved attention. They faithfully attended every religious service. They adhered to each and every religious requirement. However, the Bible says

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

There is another verse in the Bible that says that many people were bringing children to Jesus. The disciples tried to stop them, but Jesus said, 

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Here, we learn that Bible knowledge and leadership are NOT a prerequisite for entering the Kingdom of Heaven, but those willing to have the faith and love of a child. Those, willing to put their trust in a loving Father.

He reveals Himself to Children. We must become, as children.
Have we allowed Him to restore our innocence? Are we trusting Him as a child would trust a loving Father? Are we clouded by the pride of our religious knowledge? Have we become as Pharisees with cold hearts toward our brothers and sisters, and "the least of these?"

Jesus came to show us that His ways are not our ways. He demonstrated true leadership by washing the feet of His disciples. Do our leaders look like Jesus or are they simply, wise? Jesus longs to lead us. The Spirit longs to teach us. He is our Shepherd.

Just some food for thought.
He loves us.
Seek Him and you will find.

Pagan Christianity: Book Review

Please note that I wrote this post about 4 years ago. I never shared it because I was too afraid. I don't think that it is wrong to question the way things are done. The Bible says to study to "show thyself approved," and "To test everything against the Word of God, and yet often we go about life, not really questioning or asking questions. We often accept everything we hear as truth,because we respect those in leadership positions. 

The Book, Pagan Christianity, is NOT an attack on Christians. It is simply a book that challenges us to ask deeper questions. What did "church" look like in the Bible? 

My purpose in reviewing this book is NOT to attack the institutionalized church or it's members, only to try to point others to Christ. All too often, I see people both in and out of churches who do not have a relationship with Jesus. Many have left the church because of spiritual abuse. Many of these people do not have a relationship with Jesus because of the hurt that they have experienced. This book would be a breath of fresh air to such people. 

Many others have attended church for all of their lives, yet do not have a relationship with Jesus. They simply rely on their "works" for salvation. This book will challenge such people. 

Here is the post:

This week I read a book, entitled, "Pagan Christianity." The authors, Frank Viola and George Barnes, set out to find out the roots of our church practices.  How much of what we are doing in "church" is even in the Bible? How much of what we are doing is based upon human tradition?

What they found is that many of the things that we deem as normal or customary actually evolved from pagan practices.

These men were not, in any way, promoting a witch hunt that attacked the institualized church. They simply wanted to find out why church was no longer a sense of community with Christ as the Head. They asked the question why the "church" is often associated with brick and mortar when Christ said that the "church" was comprised of 'living stones' not made by human hands.

They sought to look through history to find out how the model for church in the Book of Acts, in which there was a Christ centered community, has become what it today.

Did you know that 80 percent of people are leaving the instiutionalized church? The truth is that people are craving a true relationship with Christ and many people simply cannot find Him represented in His truest form while sitting on a padded pew.

The truth is that we are called to be more than what we have become..Through the centuries, we have lost our sense of community, and our focus has shifted away from Christ.
We are designed for more.
How much of our routines and practices are truly found or even rooted in the Bible?

The men had some startling conclusions. I am going to write extensively on their findings in my upcoming posts.

Here is the blurb from the book:

"are we really doing church by the book? Why does the pastor preach a sermon at every service? Why do church services seem so similar every week? Why does the congregation sit passively in pews?

Not sure?  This book makes an unsettling proposal. Most of what present day Christians do in church each Sunday is rooted, not in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Authors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence and extensive footnotes that document the origins of our modern Christian church practices.

In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the chuch functions more like a business organization than the living organism it was created to be. As you reconsider Christ's revolutionary plan for His church - to be the head of a fully functioning body in which all believers play an active role - you'll be challenged to decide whether you can ever do church the same way again.


according to Barnes and Viola,j the signs of a healthy organic church are:

• the building together of sisters and brothers into a close-knit, Christ-centered community
• the transformation of character in the lives of the members
• meetings that express and reveal Jesus Christ and in which every member functions and shares
• community life that is vibrant, thriving, authentic, and where members grow to love one another more and more
• a community of believers who are magnificently obsessed with their Lord, and who are neither legalistic nor libertine in their lifestyle

the signs of an unhealthy organic church are similar to the problems the apostle Paul pointed out to the church in Corinth

• a perversion of the grace of God to be a license to sin
• a sectarian and elitist attitude
• self-centeredness among members

Interesting verses that point out what the original church in the Book of Acts looks like

• The early church met in homes for their regular church meetings (Acts 20:20, Romans 16:3,5 , 1 Corinthians 16:19
• They took the Lord's Supper as a full meal ( 1 Corinthians 11:21-34)
• Their church gatherings were open and particapatory (1 Cor. 14-16, Hebrews 10:24-25)
• Spiritual gifts were employed by each member (1 Corinthians 12-14)
• They genuinely saw themselves as family and acted accordingly (Galatians 6:10, 1 Timothy 5:1-2, Romans 12:5, Romans 12:13
• They had a plurality of elders to oversee the community (Acts 20:17, 28-29, 1 Timothy 1:5-7)
• They were established and aided by itenerant apostolic workers (Acts 13-21; all of the apostolic letters)
• They were fully united and did not denominate themselves into separate organizations in the same city (Acts 8:1, 13:1, 18:22; Romans 16:1, 1 Thessolonians 1:1)
• They did not use honorific titles (Matthew 23:8-12)
• They did not organize themselves heirachically (Matthew 20:25-28, Luke 22:25-26

quotes and ideas from the book

" The "church" building is so connected with the idea of church that we unconsciously equate the two. Just listen to the vocabulary of the the average Christian today:
 Wow honey, did you see that beautiful church we just passed? My goodness! That is the largest church I have ever seen! I wonder what the electric costs to keep it going?" Or how about the vocabulary of the average pastor: "Isn't it wonderful to be in the house of God today?" "We must show reverence when we come into the sanctuary of the Lord."

Ancient Judaism was centered on three elements: the Temple, the priesthood, and the sacrifice. When Jesus came, He ended all three, fulfilling them in Himself. He is the temple who embodies a new house made of living stones- "without hands." He is the priest who has established a new priesthood. And He is the perfect and finished sacrifice. Consequently, the Temple, the professional priesthood, and the sacrifice of Judaism all passed away with the coming of Jesus Christ. Christ is the fulfillment and he reality of it all.

In Greco-Roman paganism, these three elements were also present: Pagans had their temples,their priests, and their sacrifices. It was only the Christians who did away with all of these elements. It can be rightly said that Christianity was the first non-temple based religion ever to emerge. In the minds of the early Christians, the people - not the architecture- created a sacred space. The early Christians understood that they themselves-corporately-were the temple of God and the house of God.
(1 corinthians 3:16, Galatians 6:10, Ephesians 2:20-22, Hebrews 3:5-6, 1 Timothy 3:15, 1 Peter 2:5, 4:17)

Nowhere in the New Testament can we find the terms church (ekklesia) temple, or house of God, used to refer to a building.

The church edifice demands a vast infusion of money. IN the US alone, real estate owned by institutional churches today is worth over $230 billion. Church building debt, service, and maintenance consumes about 18 percent of the 50 to 60 billion tithed to churches annually. Point: Contemporary Christians are spending an astronomical amount of money on their buildings. We so easily forget that the early Christians turned the world upside down without them (see Acts 17:6) They grew rapidly for three hundred years with out the help ( or hindrance) of church buildings.


* an especially interesting chapter deals with money in the church..once you read this chapter you will NEVER be the same!

In Sum, this book changed the way that I think. It is considered controversial because it cause us to question the way that things are done. If you want your world to be shaken, then I highly recommend this book.
If not, then this book is not for you. 

In Case You Needed To Be Reminded.

The other day, I was praying and asked Jesus if He still loved me. I told Him that I desperately needed to be reminded. A few days, later I got a card in the mail from a dear friend of mine.

Here are the exact words: God loves you. He thought you needed a little reminder.

So, in case you were wondering and asking the same question...
He loves you.
He is proud of you.

The Bee Miracle

Our house has been plagued with bees over the course of the past few years. First, they were on one side of the house. Then, they moved to the other side of the house. Each time, i would have them removed. At times, I have paid to have them removed and other times, friends and family would come and remove the hive. This has happened about three times. They have stung me in the head multiple times, and even in the stomach.
Last time they were removed, my dad and a friend of ours got at least 50 bee stings between the both of them. It was brutal, ya'll.

Then, peace. Alas, the bees were gone. I managed about 6 months without the threat of bees.

And then one day, I looked and there they were...again. At least a dozen or more swarming,building a nest.

When I saw them, I said a small prayer, "Jesus please send them away. I don't want to deal them, I just want them to go." Truthfully, I wasn't sure if I was expecting Jesus to answer that prayer, but the next day I went outside and the bees were gone.

All of them. My logical mind wanted to explain away the bee's disappearance by something scientific. And even though I'm all about the science, I have seen so much of Jesus, His Power, and the Supernatual that I have to take the Word of God at face value.

Anyhow, as I was looking at my bee-less house, Jesus whispered a verse into my spirit,

"If you have faith the size of a grain of mustard, you can say to this mountain move, and it shall be moved."Matthew 17:20

I sat there in awe.

Jesus is calling us to greater faith. He says to ask and we shall receive. He hears us. He longs for a closer relationship with us. If we ask and seek Him, He will answer.

He loves us.

Gossip-y Women

"They Honor Me With Their Lips, But Their Hearts are Far From Me"

Several years ago I was at a religious function. I accidentally overheard a few ladies in the next room talking very negatively about another person. I think that person was me. Truthfully, I'm not bothered by it anymore, but lately I've been remembering. Tonight, however, I'm going to lay it down and just pray for them. Even Jesus said to bless those who curse you and to love those who spitefully use you.

Jesus said that there would be many who would misrepresent Him. He told us that there would be many who would "have a form of godliness" but would deny the power, thereof.  I've seen it time and time again. Sometimes, I wonder if people actually read their Bibles or seek to know Jesus at all. We live in an age where it is acceptable for people to cheat on their wives and then cart the family off to church on Sunday.

"a form of godliness"

what does that even mean? It means that many people will look religious but will lack the love of Jesus. I know that I'm not perfect. I struggle. I lose my patience, at times. But if there is one thing I do know, it is this

1. Our religion won't save us. (One whose religion is pure is one who cares for orphans and widows)
2.  Our politics won't save us."Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. Mark 12:17
3. Our leaders won't save us. (The Lord is My Shepherd, but that is another story for a different day)
4. Our good works and religious appearance won't save us (even the Pharisees had that going for them)
5.Pastor Tim, Ted, Tony, or Travis won't save us. (Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12)
5. Our churches won't save us. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. Acts 17:24

We are only saved and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. He longs to work in our hearts to transform us. Are we letting Him in? Or are we content with our "forms of godliness"
Are we denying the power thereof? The power is the Cross and it's ability to transform our lives into the image of Jesus.
Are we seeking Him? Or are we content to just hear a message once a week and call it good? Jesus is real, and He longs to work in our lives. He longs to make us into His image. He longs to give us "beauty for ashes"

He loves us.

Once again, I know that I am not perfect, but I am learning to lean of Jesus and when I feel the desire to speak against others or when I am tempted to act in hatred, I just have to give it to Him and He takes it from me. He will do the same for you.

And that is all.

for now.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, loveyour enemies and pray for those who persecute you,45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

Taming the Tongue

1Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

I recently rediscovered a cd that I had long forgotten. It's called "Hidden in My Heart." The cd features a collection of very soothing music that incorporates scripture into the message.

I was reading the reviews of the cd, and kids that were having nightmares and night terrors stopped having them while listening to the music. People reported that their anxieties melted away, and claimed that they felt closer to God. Seriously, read the reviews on Amazon. This cd is powerful.

I think the cds are powerful because they plant verses that we all need to be reminded of on a daily basis. He is with us, He loves us, We can cast all our Cares upon Him. The Word of God is a powerful weapon against the darkness, and knowing who we are in Christ is equally as powerful.

I am providing a link to a few of my favorite songs. They are salve to the spirit, my friends. Listen, and be blessed. Know who you are in Christ. You are beautiful. You are important. You are so loved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWxbYzAUYPA&list=PLUhndoJzCQZwLjvPKSIyn6NvBSNAMLtL3