Being a Christian in the Workplace - Daniel Series Part 1

Daniel 1:8 - 9
Daniel resolved to not defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favour and sympathy to Daniel...

For those that may not know the story; Daniel, along with a few of his royal Jewish friends, had been drafted into Babylonian royal service after Nebuchadnezzar had defeated and captured Israel.  These Jewish royals were destined to become great advisers and leaders in Babylon.  Nebuchadnezzar had great plans for them.  As those of elite Israeli nobility, they were seen as assets to Babylon, and thus trained as such.

These jewish nobles didn't have a problem with that.  They did as they were told and submitted to the requirements placed on them by the Babylonian rulers.  As long as these requirements didn't compromise their faith in the one True God.  He was their number one priority, always.

When the Babylonian requirements conflicted with their Godly standards, they stood their ground.

Friends, I want to encourage you today, and with this series study through Daniel, that it is possible to work in and for a secular environment and yet still honour God.  And when you do, Grace will flow beyond what you thought was possible.

Christians face this challenge daily.  Trying one's best to remain faithful to the call of God all the while living in a secular world filled with dishonouring decisions and selfish choices.  It's not an easy challenge to overcome, but necessary if we are to fulfill our commission...  to make disciples of all nations.

In order to make disciples of all nations, we must impact all areas of society.  In order to impact all areas of society, we must immerse ourselves in those areas, get to know the leaders within them, and hopefully ourselves become the leaders within them in order to pioneer the way of God's design; a culture of honour and love.  Establishing the Kingdom of God on Earth.

The key to successfully overcoming this challenge is to keep God as first priority in our lives.
(It may sound a bit legalistic to you, but trust me, when you realise how good God is, and let His Love into your life, it is easier than you think!  Not to mention His Power that will flow through you!)

If, like Daniel, God is first priority in your life, you will find yourself standing your ground where others around you are succumbing to dishonouring choices.  And when you make those "quality decisions", the favour of God, already there because of Jesus, will be activated in your life.

For example, just by making the decision that you want to honour God with your finances will activate the favour of God!  You will attract God's favour to take you further than you ever imagined!  You will find yourself with better business deals than before, you will find yourself promoted to better positions, you will get meetings you wouldn't normally get.  All while your colleagues and competitors look on in bewilderment.  All because your choices and actions reflected that of what you believe.

Friends, when you act on your faith, that God is the one who looks after you, provides for you and promotes you, you will be raised up into positions of influence you never before imagined!

Rise up!  Take your place as princes and princesses of the Most High God!  And invade Babylon like Kingdom covert agents.

God Will Never Rebuke You Again!

Isaiah 54:9

To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.  So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.

Do you feel like you have disappointed God?  Do you feel like there may have been things you should have done but you didn't, and thus you've created room for God to be unhappy with you in some way?  Maybe you made a mistake that you deeply regret, and you feel like God has every right to be angry with you.  You feel like you've rebelled against God.

My friend, if you ever feel that way, stop it!  Get that out of your thinking and renew your mind to the Truth of the Gospel!  The Gospel announces God's anger has been consumed at the Cross!

The Scripture tells us that His anger lasts for a moment but His Love endures a lifetime.  This verse clearly reveals that God will never be angry with us again, and neither will He ever rebuke us.  This sheds some clear light on the topic of God disciplining His children.  If He is never going to rebuke us again, His discipline cannot be a rebuke!

Friends, God can and will never be angry with you again!  He rebuked sin, its effects, and evil in the Body of Jesus Christ.  His anger was consumed and absorbed in the Body of Jesus, and because of that God is in such a good mood it is stunning!

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcanoes and other such disasters are not God's anger being expended on mankind, but the groanings of a fallen planet longing for redemption.  God is in love with the world.  He so loved the world that He sent Jesus to save them.  God is not angry with them!  And neither is God angry with you!  God is happy with you!  God is deeply in love with you!  And the more you realize His Love for you, the more you will be transformed into His image.

Stop hiding from God today because you think He is angry with you, turn to Him, and allow His Love to transform you from the inside out.  He's not angry with you.  He Loves you.

How To Grow Your Faith

Romans 10:17
"Consequently, faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

We have been seeing lately that in order to walk in our inheritance as Christians and enter into everything God has for us, we need to do so by faith.  Without faith, not only is it "impossible to please God", but it is also impossible to step into the inheritance God has for us.

That may sound a bit harsh.  But before dropping your head and feeling like you're not worthy enough (please no!), remember that we have each already been given a measure of faith (Romans 12:3).  So it's not like you have no faith!  The point is to grow the portion of faith we have within our hearts.

Before I get into "how to grow your faith", let me answer some of you questioning "why it is impossible to step into our inheritance without faith".  Well, if you don't have some small ounce of belief that what you are about to do might just work, then you will never do it.  Every person who prays for a sick person has at least a tiny ounce of belief that the person might just get healed.  Every person who takes a risk on a business idea they believe God is leading them into does so because they believe, even slightly, that the idea really was from God and it might really just take off.  This is what faith is all about.  Our challenge is often countering unbelief, it is not necessarily that we don't have enough faith, it is that we have too much unbelief counteracting our faith.  But that is another topic.  Hopefully this paragraph has helped some of you shed some light on what faith actually is.

The topic I am addressing here is how to grow your faith.  Well, it is simple:  It is clearly laid out for us in this verse of Romans 10:17.  It comes by hearing the message of Christ.

Firstly, note that the verse says the Word of "Christ", not the "Word of God".  While I agree that the Word of God is our sustenance, I can also tell you many people who think they are preaching the "word of God" are actually preaching a legalistic message of condemnation.  This is where and why I am glad the Scripture differentiates it with the "Word of Christ".  Because the term points toward a hearing a message about our Saviour and what He has done for us.  The Good News.

My friend, if you want faith to go out and pray for the sick, to take business opportunities, to sow financially, etc...  Get your hands on Gospel-based materials!  Read brief encouragements like this, download Mp3 sermons from Gospel-centered churches, read books magnifying the Work of Jesus, read/listen to testimonies of what God has done for other people, watch DVDs or YouTube videos of Gospel-centered sermons and preachers.

Fill your life with the Word of Christ!  For It is our daily bread.  He is our daily bread.  When we consume Him, our faith cannot help but grow.  And when our faith grows, we will truly shine among the nations!

Glory and Grace 2012 Summary Recap

Glory and Grace 2012 was simply an incredible time.  God moved in so many of our lives, and we will truly never be the same again.  There are mighty things happening in the spirit realm, and as we turn our ear to Heaven, we will be aware of what to expect and prepare ourselves accordingly.  In this blog post, I am just going to highlight some of the stand-out points that the speakers made in order to recap on what was shared, and to provide a reference for you to remind yourself of what inspired you.

Here are some of the important points made and shared:

Session 1 - Wednesday evening - Rob Rufus
- God so loved the world He didn't send a Message, He sent a Person!
- Theology and doctrine can never replace the Glory of the Presence of God.
- True identity comes from a true vision of how God sees you.  We need revelation of this!
- How God saw you before time began is how God sees you today!
- We must learn in our identity not to fall into the trap of self-pity.
- If you keep reaching for more power deeper than the level you understand your identity, eventually you self-destruct.
- Nothing can stop your destiny when you see yourself the way God sees you!
- "Blessing" means "the empowerment to prosper"
- Untested faith is no faith at all.
- We must make the Gospel of Grace attractive by the lives we live and display to the world!
- Most of us have been trained from childhood to see ourselves negatively.

Unfortunately I was unable to take notes during Fini de Gersigny's Session 2.  You can download it on our sermons page:  http://www.highwaysermons.com/sermon/?date=2012-1-01&enddate=2012-12-31&series=16
The sermon is entitled:  "A call to spiritual fathers"

Session 3 - Thursday morning - Rob Rufus
- The Bride of Christ exists to change the culture of nations.
- Our business is to change the world, see the lost saved and to equip to change the world!
- Our weaknesses are an invitation for other people's strengths
- True service in the Kingdom must come out of a place of a secure heart
- The church has manu vision casters but not enough vision carriers
- "Your seed will dispossess cities!"  Abraham's promise from God.
- If cities do not dispossessed by the sons of God, He will be guilty of perjury.
- The Law condemns the best of us, Grace approves even the worst of us

Session 4 - Thursday Evening - Isi de Gersigny
- The voice of God is faster than the sound of reason
- Too many of us doubt what God has done in our lives because we think it was us who did it!
- God doesn't grieve the way we think He does, because He is not in time
- God doesn't need to change His mind about who you are
- Nothing is birthed without waters
- Creation recognises the sound of God
- When you agree with God you resonate with His reality and you start to manifest His Nature
- God is so worthy, that we will never run out of the desire to cry our how worthy He is!
- You can have as much revelation as you want to
- You can become as much revelation as you want to
- The greatest gift God ever gave us is the gift of hunger
- Prepare your kids for Heaven
- Revelation 5:8 - You are never worshipping alone
- The angels come from the Face of God and look for your voice, and they match it with THE Voice of God!
- Don't be intimidated by the Bible, God won't give you all 5 loaves at once!  He will give you the Truth of Manna and multiply it in you.
- When God reveals something to you, bury yourself in it.  Saturate yourself in it.  SAY IT!  Because when you say it, you create it!

Session 5 & 6 - Friday morning - Rob Rufus
1 Corinthians 1:17 - What empties the Cross of its Power?
- When you go back to Law, your faith stops completely!
- If you take the Law off people but you don't release them into faith you will have worse people!
- I don't just want the doctrine of faith, I want the spirit of faith!
- Galatians 3:12 - The Law empties the Cross of its Power
- Faith in the Power of God is unbelief in the wisdom of man
- A man hearing how He is the righteousness of God is not compatible with being stuck in sin

Session 7 - Friday evening - Rob Rufus
Mark 5:21
- Faith mobilises us to touch and engage the Power of God
- There is something very dangerous about passive self-pity
- You need 3 gifts to raise the dead:  1) Faith to do it. 2) Miracles to uncongeal the clotted blood etc. 3) Healing for whatever killed them in the first place.
- Faith cannot work with condemnation
- Faith is knowing you can receive good things from God that you don't deserve
- People say "I don't have time to meditate on God's Word".  Well, worrying is meditating on the demonic!
- "I'm not aggressive with people. I'm aggressive with the devil!"  Smith Wigglesworth
- Jesus didn't say "my anointing made you well", He said "your faith has made you well."
- Fear will make you run from God, faith will make you see God Face to Face
- Look at Mark 6:56, after the miracle of the woman with the issue of blood.  Her faith set a divine precedent for all to touch His cloak and be healed!

God Will Make Your Name Great - Like Abraham

Genesis 12:2
I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

Deep inside each and every one of us, there is a longing that our lives, or at least what our lives contributed to, made an impact on this world.  That is the destiny of God inside His children.  He created us with that longing.

Abraham was spoken something over him that I am sure would have galvanized every fibre of his being.  He was told that his name would be made great.  And He was told it by Almighty God.  What a promise!

Most believers today are weary of such a promise though, and understandably so, as they are careful not to chase fame, instead walk in Love and humility in serving the people of this world, much like Jesus did.  But Jesus' life was the most famous ever lived.  You see friends, if you walk in the purposes of God for your life, your name becoming great is inevitable.

You may ask how this promise to Abraham applies to us?  Well, Galatians 3:8 tells us that the Gospel that applies to us was announced to Abraham first, and the author is referring to this verse in Genesis 12 when God made this promise to Abraham.

You see, the Gospel is so life-transforming that it empowers what would have been average lives to become greatly significant.  So much so that our names will be remembered for ages to come.  That is the kind of impact we were created to make.

And of course, clearly it is all to "be a blessing".  Greatness is not without a purpose.  It is to be a blessing to the world.  To those around us.

Friends, we have been designed and created to make a significant impact on this world.  Not just an average one.  A significant one.  Believe God that His purposes for your life are great, step out in faith as you believe that, and watch as your greatness blessed many!

At the onset of our 3rd "Glory and Grace" conference 2012; I believe Highway Christian Community's name is destined for greatness.  I believe the plans that God has for us as a church are gigantic!  I believe God wants us to shape the very social economic structure of our country, and even Africa!  Such a conference is all part of God's plan to equip us to become the great people, and great fellowship of saints that He has destined us to be!

Amen!

How Good And Pleasant It Is When God's People Live Together In Unity! - Psalm 133

Psalm 133:1
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

We have heard this verse shared so often.  But I fear we don't apply this verse to enough areas in our lives in order to see the radical blessing God commands in verse 3...

"...there the LORD bestows His blessing..."


A stunning verse.  A majestic line.

Friends, we all disagree on something.  If you are married, you will know that you can have disagreements with the person you love the most!  You can even have disagreements with your own children!  Disagreements are common.  Because we are human and ever since eating of the "tree of knowledge of good & evil", we became incredible opinionated.

The unfortunate reality is that those opinions divided us.  But the good news today is that they don't have to!

Think of all the denominations in the world today.  How many different splinter groups have started because people disagreed with a simple opinion based on a perspective of Scriptural interpretation?  Far too many.  (I don't want to get into talking different denominations here, I just use them as an example.)

My point is that if we would simply look past our disagreements, we could be walking in unity, and therefore walking in greater numbers together, and thus walking in even greater blessing!  It is ok to disagree with someone.  This verse doesn't say "when brothers live in agreement".  It says "when brothers live in unity".  There's a difference.  You can live in unity with someone even if you disagree with them on somethings!  Hence my marriage illustration.

Friends, I want to encourage you today...  Disagreement is ok.  But be big enough to "agree to disagree" and walk in love with those who we call brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ.  And let's watch as the blessing of God increases in measure over our lives and we make an even greater impact for the Kingdom of God!

Never Give Up On God's Faithfulness!

Isaiah 40:31
Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

I am sure many of you have faced questions about God's ability or willingness to answer prayer at some point in your life.  Many of us have faced such questions recently, especially with the sudden passing of Zoe Grace Dunbar.  The tragedy came as a shock to all of us, and has brought the family of the church together in an incredible way to support, love and care for our dearest brother and sister Wade and Roxanne and their whole family.

In the midst of tragedies such as this, it is easy to point fingers at God.  And there is space to do so.  There were times when David cried out to God in ways many of us are afraid to do so.  Such tragedy drives that kind of emotion out.  And it is helpful to let it out.

But in this edition of the "encouragement", I want to encourage you all to never give up.  There have also been many people being afflicted with serious viral infections (like Chad and Dayna Parkes), others coming down with the flu and the list goes on.  It is clear we are under attack.  Friends, it is imperative in this time that we do not succumb to the lie of the enemy and abandon our faith in God's Goodness.

Our God is always good.  His Word declares it, and His Word is the highest authority for Truth.  The challenge is knowing this Truth but living in a seemingly different reality.  It is one of the biggest challenges living the Christian life faithfully; seeing what should be but experiencing a different reality.  (This is something I will hopefully touch on in my sermon on Sunday night).

My friend, as this verse declares, if you don't give up on hoping in the LORD, your strength will be renewed!  You will be given strength to face this life and rise on the wings of your Saviour.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray without giving up in Luke 18 when He told them of the parable of the persistant widow.  Friends, we too will not give up on the Goodness of our God!  He is Good!  Despite what our experiences tell us at this moment, our God is Good and His mercy endures forever!  And it is with this heart that we will encourage and offer our deepest love to people like Wade and Roxanne, and Trevor and Chan, and the many others we will come across who have faced such extreme trial.  Our hearts go out to you our amazing friends, we love you with all our hearts.

We will never give up.