word – Page 29 – Cross Culture Church

Meditation: June 4, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“For He says, In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation, I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; and behold now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2

When the gospel of Jesus Christ is heard, the day of salvation and the accepted time of deliverance come. Eternity is interjected into time in order to produce within the soul what would otherwise be impossible. It may appear to be so simple and often is taken for granted and generalized among many other statements that are made when not fully understood. But something more dynamic has happened, but its entrance is so subtle that those seeking the spectacular will often miss it. The grace to become what the Lord has promised is introduced through such simple words as these. They prepare the heart and soul to be with Christ and to reign with Him throughout eternity. We have been given the assignment and the authority to deliver salvation to a dying world. As the Holy Spirit so directs us, we can speak His Word with power and at that very moment a life-changing experience occurs among the hearers. We cannot afford to be silent. God will use somebody. Why not us?

29 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 29, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” James 3:6-7
Words give expression to the disposition of the heart. Eventually, not always immediately, the mouth will be engaged in speaking the truest feelings that reside deep within the soul. It is never a matter of merely guarding your words in order to sound off appropriate expressions. The issue must be addressed at its root. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. When the heart is rightly governed, the tongue is sure to follow. But what comes out of a man defiles him for when he speaks he spreads the contagion to others. You are responsible for how you influence the people with whom you come in contact. Not just your body, but the whole body is defiled and set to follow the course of nature. It is what you have heard in the past that has influenced your future. Sweet water must flow from a pure fountain for no bitter water is contained there. God gave you a new heart in order for His Word to be given expression through a new creature. Now guard your heart so that the old references are no longer your conversation.

25 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 25, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out. The king asked him secretly in his house, and said, “Is there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah 37:17

When it appears as if everything is well, any word will do. Extracurricular activities and entertainment may occupy one’s time and attention. There would be a generalized approach towards Church, leadership, and life. Convicting messages appear to be too harsh and insensitive. An approach to reach common ground among all men is then the agenda of those where a distinct sound of warning is not heard. Then trouble comes! New questions and concerns are raised when we hear from Him. There is a quest for real answers that can navigate the lost soul to a safe harbor. “Is there any word from the Lord?” We want to know if there is a true message to be relied upon. We need more than what would otherwise tickle our ears. That would be the same as taking a drug to desensitize oneself from the pain and somehow thinking that we have escaped the pressure. God is speaking today, but not what many wish to hear. His truth challenges the very core of our being. It convicts us thus bringing us to the foot of the cross, repenting for our wrongs and embracing what is right. It is His absolute truth alone that has the power to liberate us from shackles of popular opinions and self will. He is true and His Word is truth.

21 May 0Comments 0Likes

May 2013 Article: “Doers of the Word”

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Articles

“Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!”James 1:22 (The Message)

The application of biblical principles is the fuel for a revelation. A revolution is necessary when the direction of government, education, the economy, entertainment, and religion is on a collision course with the will of God. The alteration in reasoning allows room for the majority to intellectually argue their point in defense of error. Even when godlessness makes sense and explanations for foolish decisions make one appear to be wise, the end result remains the same; what is believed is fatal. Therefore, a revolution is needed today in order to rescue our generation from self-destruction.

Although the potency and power of God is contained within the simple truths spoken, that power can only be released when the principles are applied. All truth is God’s truth. Truth is not always the way it appears because much of what is in process has yet to be fully revealed. Truth abides when it possesses the ability to survive the contrary winds that attempt to contradict it. Truth outlasts the scrutiny of critics and naysayers who observe the current scene, limiting their reality to what is sensed or visibly known. God never asked us what we may feel about truth in order to make it truthful. Our task is to pursue what He knows and to seek emotional alignment with His will. Our feelings ought to be subjective while His word remains objective.

Few have seen the benefit of God’s truth in full operation, thereby dismissing it as being non-effective and obsolete. It has been misinterpreted by some who approach it void of understanding of its meaning. Others, however, reinterpret the meaning by attributing whatever meaning may fit their fancy. Each category of people does much harm to the work of the Kingdom of God by placing stumbling blocks in the way of multitudes which would otherwise enter into an experience that produces peace within and without.

The Word is to be both taught and applied rightly if one is ever to experience the full benefit of God’s love. In a love-starved world, people search for significance and the meaning of life while too many die never knowing why they were born. The antidote to violence, sexual promiscuity, and all other vices in the world is purpose. To live intentionally with true values and goals creates adventure in life. The pacification of being overly stimulated through entertainment alone is insufficient, but the adventure that comes when you know that you are making a difference in the world is what endures.

I am designing a workshop for those who wish to tap into their God-given creativity in order to function at their fullest potential. The objective is to eliminate the excuses that are so often offered for the failures in life. You were born for a reason and created to give expression to an aspect of your Creator. I believe that God is able to give everyone a greater measure of success than they ever realized was possible. We need to become more than hearers of the Word, or even proclaimers of the Word. We are to become doers of the Word that we have both heard and proclaimed.

27 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 27, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” Hebrews 2:1

We should pay special attention in reflecting on what has already been said. We need to meditate on what we have already heard. Contained within those messages are words that are needed for our future growth. It is within the course of living that God will test as to whether we took seriously those things that once excited us. It is not the initial enthusiasm that matters most. But will it endure the challenges of the future? It is the cares of this world, the deceitfulness, of riches, and the lust for other things that will snatch away what we once possessed and treasured. They drift when our attention is diverted away from them. Then it is as if we had never heard. God’s desire is to build upon the revelation of Jesus Christ established within our hearts. We can then grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him. Attention given to the Word of God in the past requires a more earnest heed. Then the Holy Spirit will preserve what we have committed to Him from ever leaving the life that has become the expression of God’s truth.

01 Nov 0Comments 0Likes

November 2012 Article: “Lip Service or Life Service?”

Posted by wwalker Categories: Articles

Hebrews 13:15-16 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

Although our lips possess the potential of bearing good fruit, deep within our souls lies the memory of a life much different than that to which we are accustomed. We were not there, but God’s original intention for all of humanity is yet the yearning that continues to create a crisis that resides deep within. Even though we do not see it around us, the tensions continue to surmount within us. We are not condemned to merely regurgitate the information made available that gives expression to the ideals of our current environment. Nor are we sentenced to the fate of saying what is right while the heart remains divorced from truth and words becoming nothing but meaningless flattery. There is a truth that exists outside of our familiar references. It appears to be so strange to our system that it must pierce the darkness of the soul, causing a reaction to all that we once held true. Then it can penetrate the heart with a reality of the wrongness of our reasoning based upon our limited understanding. Only then can we embrace what is real with a reference that surpasses things that are soon to be proven false.

Have you ever said what you thought was right, or what you thought you meant merely to reach a point where you had to take your words back? Some say that you had reached a point where you had to eat your own words. The heart is radically joined to the lips in order to express the deepest feelings of the soul. Even with the art of training the lips to speak idealistically, there are those times when there is a slip of the tongue. Before the words are carefully and strategically crafted, you say what you really mean. However, the objective is to mean what you say and to say what you mean…but to be right in both thinking and saying. It requires the humility of admitting that you are wrong even when you think that you are right. Truth resides in a distance that is much higher than perceptions. The knowledge of the truth comes from above where Christ is seated. To comprehend the truth requires a heart transplant. God takes out the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh and He will make your heart pliable to correction and teachable so it can receive Godly instructions.

Not that you will always speak the right words at the right time. But a reference is there to correct idle words or expressions void of the knowledge that takes all factors into account. God knows the end before the beginning and all that exists between the two. When wisdom guides your heart and your words express the truth, then continuous praise is offered as a sacrifice unto the Lord. God has given you His word in the Person of Jesus Christ. You have been privileged to participate in His life and love that are directed towards His Father. What a tremendous opportunity for one so deserving! Your lips possess the potential to bear good fruit as your heart is full of praise giving thanks to His Name! This is life-service and not just lip-service, for you are now saying what you mean and meaning what you say through a life that reinforces your words!

18 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 18, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” Job 42:3

We all have spoken before we had given thought to what we should say. Those words were merely from the top of heads and not words from the depth of our hearts. These words we live to regret if we ever develop a humble and a tender heart. It is the wisdom of God that tames our words enabling us to speak wisdom. When we have taken the time to seek the Lord in prayer and meditate over who He is and what He has done, we are more careful to think before we speak. Many a people have been misled by counsel that generated from the resources of the hearts of unregenerate men. They have listened to the counsel of the ungodly, even among the religious, and have followed the course that leads to destruction of the character and souls. God’s counsel is shrouded by the careless opinions and faulty interpretations of men. The Word of Truth is very precious. When we realize its true value we will seek it with greater diligence and treasure it above the value of silver and gold.

17 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 17, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” Jeremiah 15:16

It is not merely the exposure to the Word that will transform lives. The Word ingested is the cause for rejoicing. It is able to do its work of transformation remaking the individual into becoming a vessel of honor. It is the contrast from the old to the new that is so amazing. Before the Word was eaten, it was made available. There was no appetite to reach out and take it in. But God allowed the void to become more apparent. Then He shut off the optional appeals that would in the past bring temporary pleasure. He placed me where the Word may be found and placed within me the desire for something other than what I was accustomed. Then I ate what is true rather than continuing to feed on the lies of the past. Never would I have imagined that what I once rejected would bring me such joy!

12 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 12, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Diligence is required in the preparation for the presentation of oneself as an authorized worker who is able to wholly participate in the work of God. God’s work must take place within the worker before the Holy Spirit is able to work through the worker. We must be careful not to engage in efforts we deem to be important prior to the life-changing experience of conversion. We are converted into seeing things from God’s point of view in heaven rather than ours which is limited to what we observe on the earth. He then takes the worker and places him among other workers in order for the work to be complete. No worker is able to complete his without the assistance of others who have been assigned to assist. The work of God is not just what we do but who we become. We are the raw material God uses to erect a spiritual house in which He will dwell throughout eternity. Our proper placement adds to our worth. Whatever it takes in assuring that our efforts are according to His specifications and is not in vain is of utmost importance. Be diligent that each may qualify as living stones in their rightful place.

07 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 8, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord, to do good or bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak’?” Numbers 24:13

Hearing and obeying the Word of the Lord is more important than the benefits of hard work and labor that would take us beyond it. There are those who ignore the standard established by God and wish to justify their position thinking that they are too busy or have risen above the instructions given. Their price is met through the fame, fortune, and acceptance of others who would reward them with tangible benefits or accolades affirming their significance to a particular cause. Yet if we are not speaking what God has spoken or doing what He has ordained, it is either blessing what God has cursed or cursing what God has blessed. We must not judge the Word of God has being optional but absolutely necessary in every endeavor. A transgression is going beyond the word whether it is for good or for bad. As ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must speak what God is saying in order for the people to fully participate in what God is doing. We too will be judged if we preach ourselves or address topics of interest to us and others at the expense of what thus sayeth the Lord. The judgment of a godly word is not what we may feel about it, but how can it transform us into the image of the Son of God? I must speak what God is saying and we both must do what God has instructed. Only then will He be pleased with our efforts.

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