Making Church Relevant

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms
“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27 ESV

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One of the biggest obstacles facing traditional churches is making themselves relevant in today’s world. It is a known fact that the educational institutes have contributed strongly toward including Christianity with other religions teaching the irrelevancy of faith. Yet when the message of Jesus is fully convene, understood, and accepted, everyday life becomes full of meaning and purpose. One then slowly learns how Jesus Christ is the answer to the problems facing couples, parents, executives, and politicians.

So how can churches make themselves more relevant?

What if we begin by explaining the difference between a Christ-follower and a Jesus fan? Then maybe, we can discuss the difference of living a Jesus-centered life versus a Jesus-principled life. But more importantly, what if we expounded the Christian mystery as Paul writes in the letter of Colossians’ that God lives in you. That the reason Paul preached weakness, self-denial, and joy in suffering, is to allow the power of the Holy Spirit to fully express Himself in and through you.

What if we had more mentoring relationships where marketplace disciples become better equipped with integrating the struggle of performance with grace-filled outcomes?

What if we did a better job of emphasizing our relationship with God and less about the religion of performance?

What if we aligned our preaching with our teaching? (Ever notice how some ministers preach relationship but teach religion).

What if the Church was more inclusive and less divisive?

What if the Church was more active to demonstrate God’s love in the community?

What if the church stopped preaching formulas for success and invested more time comforting the downcast?

What if the Church invested more time praying and less time planning?

What if the Church did a better job demonstrating how a grace-filled, life-giving life compares to a non Christ-centered life?

Whatever the solution, change is required. We can’t expect to continue doing the same thing and get different results? Or can we?

PS: I would love to hear what you believe needs added to the list.

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

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The Real Blessed Life

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , ,
“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8 ESV

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What is the blessed life? There are those who say that being wealthy, healthy, and wise makes a blessed life. Other say it’s more than these three amigos.

In the same concept, is the blessed life something we cause to happen? Or simply a response for something that has happened to us? Who is our model for the blessed life?

Whenever this discussion arises, I like to point toward examples of the blessed life by the people found in Scripture. The best example, of course, is Jesus Christ.

Can we say if there is any one person that walked on the earth who exemplified the blessed life, wouldn’t it be him? God in the flesh. The Author and Maker of the Blessed Life. Yet for many of us, he may be a stumbling block of what the blessed life truly looks like.

As a carpenter prior to his public ministry, there is no record that he became wealthy. In fact, during his ministry he depended on the support of women. It would be safe to say that He was not a self-made billionaire.

During His ministry, his family thought Him to be crazy. His religious peers saw him a radical. He was betrayed by a friend. His students with the exception of John deserted him at his trial. He was condemned by the government as a traitor. He was buried in another person’s grave. Does this look like a person who lived the blessed life?

Often times we have a limited view of the truth. Seeing only a portion of reality, we erroneously build an entire doctrine around it. This is what happens in the narrative of the American Blessed Life. If you expounded this version of the gospel to your brothers and sisters in the Middle East or Africa, would they recognize it? Sorry, but they would wonder what you have been smoking.

The real blessed life is simply our response to the love of God. To know God and to be known by God places one in the center of an awesome life. As our relationship develops with the Triune God, we begin to experience His divine blessings. He is the great cause of everything that is good. We are simply the recipient of His goodness. And like Jesus who was blessed by His Father for good works, we likewise response to God’s love by living a sacrificial life for the sake of others.

We are not the initiator of the blessed life. God is. We simply respond to His love, truth, and grace. Our response glorifies Him, uplifts others, and allows us to experience the fruit of His divine nature. The measurement is not wealth, health, or wisdom. The real measurement of a blessed life is the character and attributes of the divine life flowing through you. This relationship with the Triune God and the process of walking with Him is the real blessed life.

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

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Think God

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms ,
“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.” Philippians 3:14-15 ESV

think god2

The journey through life becomes more adventurous when one has purpose and meaning behind the people you meet, the circumstances you face, and the outcomes you seek. In hindsight, the people, places, and purposes all align into a pattern that help make you the person you are today and the person you will become tomorrow. Though in the beginning, each step is a movement of faith battling doubt.

For instance, we go to college selecting a major unsure where it will lead us. We marry the person who seems to be our soul mate yet are apprehensive whether or not it will last more than a few years. We accept a job offer on the other side of the country unsure whether or not the move will prove best for the future. With or without a game plan, we are tossed about by the circumstances of life.

When young, many of us learn that we can feed ourselves, cloth ourselves, make money, and relate with the opposite sex without God in our life. We blind ourselves in believing that everything is under our control because we know what we want and where we are going. Then something happens. We suffer loss. One of our life goals is taken away from us. It may happen because of a health crisis, a financial collapse, or an act by the government. Whatever the event, your life becomes empty. You grieve. You are angry. You are not sure which way to turn.

Then somewhere, someplace, somehow, you come into contact with the God of the universe. You begin to discover more about the Author of life through the Bible. You begin to realize how insignificant you are when compared to Him. Yet you also find out how much He loves you. That He has always been near you. At times He even intervene to help you even though you took the credit.

The more you begin to think on Him, you are drawn closer to know Him. You begin to see Him work in your life and in others. You begin to think God first when you meet a new person or restart a relationship with someone you haven’t met in awhile. You seek out God first in the circumstances and problems you are confronted with each day. Your thoughts are focused toward working with the Holy Spirit in the situation you are currently facing. God becomes more than an idea. He becomes real.

You begin to see how God has taken your journey through life and imprinted His character and values into your inner being. What seemed like a forty-year journey through the desert was really a discipleship mentoring process with your heavenly King. You have slowly learned how to think God first in every area of your life. Some people may have learned the process earlier and quicker. You are simply thankful God took the time to help you learn to think Him first.

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

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!