Kingdom Paradigms

What Is Worship?

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ, Kingdom Paradigms, Life in Christ
“We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.” John 9:31 ESV.

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Worship is the outer expression of your inner values. Jesus taught “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (MT. 6:21).” Therefore, worship is expressing what you value most. The question is then: Who or what do you worship?

Every person worships someone or something. If you listen to yourself talk, you will quickly discover what you worship. If your conversations are always recurrently filtered with family, money, movies, people, sex, sports, self, business or whatever, you may have a hint toward what you consider most important in your life.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, our primarily focus is Him. As we invest more and more time with Him, we naturally find ourselves speaking about Him or his Domain or his Spirit. We become more and more attuned to his ways and can’t shut up if we tried. We want everyone to know Him and make Him known to others.

Whether we praise him in church services, through our work, or in our relationship with others, Christ-centered worship is simply recognizing God in the situation you are in and giving him the glory He deserves. When He is the center of every aspect of our life, then our life becomes a living sacrifice of worship to Him (Romans 12:1).

We worship Him as we pursue His Truth. We worship Him as we share our testimony with others. We worship Him as we surrender our lives to Him in service for others. As He matures us, we worship Him as His witness before others. Whatever we do in His Will, wherever we do it, and whenever we do it, we do so for His glory. This is our outer expression of the treasury in our inner heart toward Him. This is worship.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Discipleship 360
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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Problems, Trials, Obstacles

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , ,
“…strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14.22 ESV.

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Question: what is one of the biggest illusions faith communities portray to the world? Answer: that the Christian Life is free from pain, troubles, and heartaches.

I remember in my mid-thirties having a heated discussion with Mom about being unprepared to handle the constant problems life throws at us. Growing up under the false assumption that life is a formula when applied will result in favorable outcomes, I came to the slow realization that the only person who prospered from such erroneous thinking were the authors and publishers generating such propaganda. Life involves constant battles of survival, obstacles that need to be overcome, and many activities without guaranteed outcomes.

Yet if someone had told me back then what I now know, would things turn out differently?

Maybe. Or maybe not. But it would have been more focused and life-generating.

Today’s scripture was the outcome after the apostle Paul was left stoned to death a few days earlier. Being left dead, his associates gathered him and brought him back to the city where he arose the next day to preach the gospel to his audience. Did Paul know something we don’t?

His message? “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

God doesn’t necessary always prevent crap from happening in our life. Most of the time, he promises to walk through it with you and I. As he joins us in the cesspool of life, we come to know him better, learn to communicate with him, and develop a trust in him. In the process of overcoming the turmoil, we also grow in godly character and may even redeem the situation for Him. You may also come into contact with others who will witness your patience and trust in Christ. You become a living testimony. When your Savior and Lord works out the mess you are in, you will discover more of his grace. After you walk through several of these undesirable situations, your faith is strengthen. You begin to realize how much God truly loves you.

Yes your circumstances may stink, but life is good. God not only resides in you, but is actively involved in morphing you into his divine image. You slowly or quickly learn that tribulations are the escalators that Father-Son-Spirit use to strengthen and encourage us and others in our daily walk with Him. Like an Olympic athlete, we appreciate the coach; knowing we are being pushed and trained for bigger purposes. The event: a taste of God’s Kingdom now while we wait for the full completion in the world tomorrow.  The earlier we realize the circumstances and problems this life brings our way are designed to prepare you and me for eternity, the quicker we will turn to our Savior and walk with Him through the ordeal. The process may be unnatural, but the outcome is definitely supernatural. So the next time you face problems, trials, and obstacles – pray, rejoice and learn from the Master Builder and Coach: Father-Son-Spirit. You may  be pleasantly surprised to find yourself rejoicing through the ordeal.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Discipleship 360
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2017 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

 

God’s Purpose

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms ,
“he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” Eph 1:9-10 NIV.

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Somewhere in your walk with the Eternal, you will or have come to the realization that your life purpose is not centered around you but with the Triune God. The quicker one acknowledges that reality, the faster one discovers who they truly are in Christ. So for those who may have forgotten or need a refresher course, God’s purpose as revealed through Scripture includes:

 

The restoration of creation back to His original intent leading to the culmination of all things including the merging of a new heaven and new earth (Rev.22:1-5).

The adoption of humanity fully integrated into the home-life of the Triune God (Rm. 8:15, 23; 9:4; Eph. 1:5).

The expansion of His Kingdom government under the authority of Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:8; Lk.4:43).

The transformation of you and I into His (Jesus Christ) image for the sake of others and His glory (2 Corinth. 3:18; Phil.3:21).

Initially in our walk with Father-Son-Spirit, we focus on our personal salvation. Over time though, we come to the place in our lives realizing that our salvation is nothing more but the opportunity to participate with the Triune God Family Business; that sin was only a hiccup in God’s plan to birth an Eternal family. That when we focus on developing a stronger relationship with our Heavenly Father, we discover more who we are and how we are wired to serve in the Family Business.

God’s Plan isn’t centered around you or I. We were created to participate with Him in His plan. So if you haven’t done so yet, ask Him to show you where and how you can serve the King of Kings. You will be pleasantly surprised where you end up!

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Director & Founder
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Does a Friend Need Encouragement…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2016 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved