The Boy That Changed My Life Forever

September 13th, 2011 · Ray · featured content, Homepage Featured, Ray's Blog 5 comments - Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Six years ago today everything about my approach toward ministry changed.  I remember when I gave my life to Jesus, I was instantly changed, delivered, and filled with this uncontrollable fire to tell every human breathing the truth of the love of Jesus.  Three days after Mike Denigan Jr. gave me my first opportunity to preach the gospel, over 62 people gave their hearts to Jesus and at that moment I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.  Soon after I found myself leading a group of Jr. High kids and then youth pastor, many kids gathered.  At the same time I went to a church where our pastor beat into us the idea that we could change the world.  That we were created to be a history maker, and I believed it.  This is when I first started to see entire cities coming to know Jesus, and I was the one God allowed to make it happen because I said yes to Him.  I was consumed with taking my city, every high school, every middle school….for the cause of the Kingdom.  Our group exploded in numbers, I had the right team and all I could see was the masses.

Then six years ago on Sept. 13, I received a call right before 2:55 am from a student leader in our youth ministry that something was wrong with her brother, who was a sophomore in our youth ministry, and I needed to rush over.  When I got to the house I walked into his room and found him lying there after committing suicide.  How could this happen on my watch?  I remember I just saw him earlier that day leaving school smiling at me when i told him how proud i was of the growth I seen in him.  At that moment I didn’t care about filling a room, my heart was destroyed by the question, “Why didn’t he call me?”.  I had the honor of preaching his funeral and over 100 people came to the alter to give their life to Jesus, including the boy’s father.  The only thing that went through my mind was that I would not lose another kid.  If there was thousands or five I decided that I was going to invest in people, that those I invested in would invest in others, and my group would be known as a place where people really care about individual people.  Not just words…..but every service was tailored towards this end.  I went a little far, looking at suspect kids myspace’s at the time and reporting them to parents, scaring pursuing boys try to vulture our girls but I wasn’t going to lose another one.

I was told by a famous preacher once that relationships don’t grow the church.  He was right, they don’t. The business of the church grows and is ran by the gifts of administration and governments.  What separates church from a business is the relationships…the investment in people; the honoring of one another.  People don’t care how much you know. The world is not interested in what the Bible says and could destroy most believers in a debate with their knowledge of the Word but most believers don’t read the Word.  They aren’t rushing to the truth because true authentic care and honor for one another is rare in the church; they figure they world is better.  People just want to know that YOU really care for them.  Young people will come to know Jesus by the Jesus they see in us as pastors.  Beyond the crowd that grows our influence to gain a network to get the invite to the next youth conference as a speaker, or the pressure to keep your job or to compete with Pastor Pookie down the street at Hip Hop Church, even though thats all good it is not about that.  The central focus is people..real young people that are hurting, and all they want to is does this cool looking guy on the stage shouting about some man named Jesus really give 2 cents about me.  If I call this guys would he be there?

A couple of weeks ago I ran into the mother of a girl that I used to youth pastor. Frantically she grabbed me insisting that I call her daughter.  When I called her she was talking of ending her life because she thought it would make life easier.  Her family was homeless, mom told by a doctor that in 2 weeks the mom will be total disabled.  She had enough, no one cared, wasn’t getting easier, and didn’t see a light. I promised her it would get better and I called her basketball coach, and her school recourse person.  Her coach had her over and talked, we surrounded her with support, and this homeless family in less than one week was had a home and was together.  She told me she didn’t believe me when i said it was going to get better and was going to end her life….but…..she gave me a chance.  I told her she gave the Lord a chance, that the Lord had never left her and all she had to do is reach out for help!  Thank God, I didn’t lose another one, it it took so little from each of us.  To her, it was enormous….life saving!

I’ll never forget Isaac Keller, he has revolutionized my life and ministry forever.  It is because of the affect of his life on me that I have great joy with many all over the US and the world that look to me as a mentor/father to them.  The only thing that we can leave on this earth that will be of any worth is your investment in the life of another.  I still burn with a passion to tell every human of the radical love Jesus Christ has for them, but also to leave a legacy in others by equipping them, empowering them, and releasing them to do greater than I will ever do.

The boy changed my life forever!

 

Framed and Focused By Perspective

June 22nd, 2011 · Ray · featured content, Homepage Featured, Ray's Blog One comment - Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

2 Kings 6:16-17

“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

Perception is reality.  Here we find two men that are in the same situation, facing the same circumstance yet they see two entirely different things; It’s a matter of perceptive.  The way you perceive someone or something determines everything!  It determines the extent in which you can receive from someone and determines weather you fail or succeed; weather you win or lose.  One morning, Elisha’s servant got up early walked outside to see chariots, troop, and horses all around him.  From his perspective, it was over!  He saw death, doom and destruction which caused fear and a sense of hopelessness.  On the other hand, Elisha’s response when facing insurmountable circumstances without hesitation was opportunity and victory!  There was never a question.  When you get up and look at what you face everyday in you world, what do you see?  When facing let downs, set backs, lack, debt, sickness, loss of a job, unfulfilled dreams, or failed/failing marriage what do you see? Failure and loss or success and victory?  Like the servant do you see death and hopelessness or like Elisha do you see opportunity?  Your vision is your future!

We must make a decision to change our perception if we are disgusted with our current reality.  No, changing the way we look the challenges and obstacles we face will not make the better nor will they go away, but it does change how we go through them and where we end up on the other side, if we make it through them.  You will either become paralyzed and stuck in your “stuff” and when that situation fades it something else.  Then the course you started at on is detoured drastically causing you to go down a path you never intend to go.  The devil wants to get you off course.  Sin, as described in Romans 14:23 is not following your conviction, doing anything you believe (trust in, adhere to, rely on) is not right.  This is regardless of stuff you face, people your around, city/country you live in, boss/company you work for or person your married to.  On the other hand, if you change you perception, not only will you make it through the “stuff” you’re facing but you will be stronger, wiser, and on the same course to laid out for yourself.  Two foundational elements to changing you perception are Honor and Wisdom.

Honoring God and Honor His word is a key  element  to change our perception.  The greek word for honor is te-ma which means to value or esteem, to carry weight.  The same word used in John 4:44 which say a prophet has no honor (esteem or weight) in his own home town is used in Acts 5:2 where it says they kept back part of the price of the land sold. The word of God must carry more weight in our life then what we see.  His promises for us must become more vivd that the challenges we face.  What you see and what He says is always in contradiction.  His word that are filled with His promises for us as individuals allow us to see past the challenges of life that we face.  Jesus gives us a spiritual telescope in John 16:33 when He say have peace in ME!  There is going to be problems, trails and what seems like all hell breaking lose in this world, but i have overcome it.  Look to Me(Jesus), have peace.  Do you feed on your doom and gloom tube (TV) more than you feed on His word?  What ever you eat on you are going to add weight to.  Are you fat on the world or fat on His word?  God’s word must have supreme value in order for your perspective to change.  Elisha valued God promise for Him and caused Him to see past the physical world army he was surrounded by to see Heaven’s army around them all!  Do you honor God’s more, doe it carry more weight than anything else in your life?

Wisdom is also a vital element to changing our perception.   Wisdom means God’s perspective.  We need God’s perspective (wisdom) in every area of our life in order to be the people God has called us to be and walk in His will here on earth.  Doubt comes to divide or separate us from our route, getting us off track.  Doubt causes our inner man to be distracted away from the promises that God has for us; distracting us from faith.  Heb . 11:1 speaks of faith being the internal evidence of something that is not seen in the external.  Wisdom amplifies faith, but doubt divides us away from faith and creates fear.  Doubt begins with a thought that is contrary the word of God and continues with a decision.  Accumulated thoughts lead to ongoing decisions and cause us to speak out of the fear and our word over takes our thoughts every time.  The servant saw a massive army, doubt creeped in, and  fear caused him to  ask Elisha what to do(which really mean lets get the heck out of here).  Elisha responded with wisdom (God’s perspective) because honor caused Him to see, faith took over and he spoke out that there was more on his team then the enemy.  His victory was framed and focused by perception.  How do you get wisdom (God’s perspective)?  James 1:5 say, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” Your success and/or failure is framed and focused by you’re perception.

My prayer for you today is that honor and wisdom  would cause you to overcome the circumstances that are attempting to paralyze and destroy  you today.  That they would cause you to see Him in with you, enabling you to forgive yourself and receive His peace and forgiveness today.  In Jesus name, Amen!

 

Who Am I

May 5th, 2011 · Ray · featured content, Homepage Featured, Ray's Blog No comments - Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matt. 16:13-15

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”t “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

At some point in our life, we find ourselves in a moment such as this.  Whereas if the Lord was right in front of us in a conversation with Him asking us, “Who Am I?”.  In this verse, Jesus asked those closet to Him who did people say He was and all kinds of responses came.  Then when asked who do you say that I am, I find it interesting that the only response that came was from one person, Peter.  If you don’t know who Jesus is, then what those around you says will determine what you believe.  We have reduced belief in Jesus to an acknowledgement of a supreme being, but belief has to mean more than a knowing doesn’t it?  The devil believes and shutters; that is lucifer has seen God, he knows of him, but belief has to be much more than that.  Mark 16:16 uses the word believe which is pisteuo which means trust in, adhere here to, and rely on.  What ever we believe changes everything about us, becoming the very fiber of who we are.  Most believers don’t pisteuo the Lord!  It seems as if we have reduced Christianity to church attendance, based on being good people, stay away from bad people that are going to hell so we don’t go to hell.

Today, almost 70% of people that call themselves followers of Jesus do not pray or read the bible on a regular basis.  Most people that come to church do not bring their bible or take notes!  We have worship leaders that don’t know how to worship Jesus without being on a stage leading and playing their instrument.  If kids of parents how are Christian do not see parents reading their bibles at home, they wont read it.  If their parents don’t bring the bible to church or take notes, then the kids will not.  They understand what is important to the family by what they spend time doing.  When I ask most young people why they believe the bible is true or how they are saved they say because their mom and dad are saved, because they told them they are, or because it is all they have ever known.  Sad to say that most of their parents cant answer that question for themselves either.  It shouldn’t surprise us then why less than 4% of this generation are born again.  It’s not stunning that 87% of young people that are raised in church when they go to college never come back to church.  If we don’t know why we believe the bible is true, or how we are saved then what separates Christianity from any other religion?  If we cant answer that question then we can never trust in, adhere to, or rely on Christianity, the bible, or Jesus.  The first pastor I worked for would tell us that a person with an encounter is never at the mercy of a person with an argument, and total agree.  It is not our job to convert anybody, the Holy Spirit does that.  We are all to sow seed, some get to water, and some get to harvest, but if we can’t articulate why we believe and what we believe then when opportunity to drink, do drugs, gossip, cheat, lie, look at porn, have sex or any other sin comes then we will jump in head first.  Not that we wont make mistakes, but when if the Christian life in not a convection to us, if we don’t know why we believe what we confess to believe then mistakes quickly can turn into an away of life to us.  Who is He?  Why is He so important?  What makes Him and things said about Him true?  What distinguishes Christianity from any other religion?

We are not saved by faith.  Muslims have faith, mormons have faith, jehovah witness have faith, every religion has faith.  What separates us is that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.  So when asked what makes the new testament true you must go further then just saying I believe it or I have faith defensively when the truth is you have no idea.  In collage, it is the ploy of unbelieving collage professors is to give a systematic way of believing there is no God.  The New Testament is a manuscript and historians determine the authenticity of all ancient literature by time between the original copy and the earliest copy and how many manuscripts they find like the original.  The Illiad written by Homer is the second most authentic book ever written.  They found 643 copies within 400 yrs.  The New Testament is the most authentic ancient literature with 25, 633 copies found within 50 yrs! These are secular historians that have found this information!  So what does this prove?  There is no archeological evidence for the qur’an, there is no archeological evidence for mormonism or jehovah witness.  That means what the New testament says about Jesus, His death and resurrection, all of writings should be read with, and when compared not only can no other writing compare, but neither can any other religion.  The shows the truth of New Testament and gives me confidence in trying apply what it says to my life, and proves it to be truth.  It causes me to want to spend reading it as much as i can, to study it, to listen to teaching about it, to tell others about Jesus, produces passion to go to church and meet with other believers, and so much more.

Who is He to you?  It doesn’t matter what the people are say around you to Him, but he want you to know Him.  Know why you believe what you believe, not just cause it was past to u from family, momma or daddy.  Belief provokes us to explore the depths, the lengths and the heights of what we trust in adhere to and rely on.  Drives us to be the most like what we have decided to give our lives to.  The question is what you are giving your life to worth what your giving it?

The Lord wants you to know..This is Who I Am!