Church getting it right as to money! Francis Chan does

I blogged back in December about churches not giving the money they take from their members to God, giving only on average less than 3% to God,that they instead spend 97% of it on buildings, salaries and other worldly things. They do not use it for what God said, how we are to give to Him, by giving to the needy, poor, orphans, widows and starving, and as we read in the book of Acts, that no one in the church was in need because they took care of each other.

I just read about two churches that have it right, are doing it the way God said to. One of them is Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, California.

Around nine months ago Cornerstone Community Church when the church was set to spend $20 million on a new facility the pastor Francis Chan said, “No” He said he could not in good conscience be the pastor of a church that spent $20 million on a building. Instead He suggested that they build a much, much cheaper facility, an outdoor amphitheater and community park. And the multi-millions left over? He said they should give it away. His board agreed. Apparently several hundred people left the church, because they where so outraged by this decision. Which I think goes to show that a lot of people give only to reap the benefits to themselves, amenities they can enjoy, you know a Starbuck in the lobby and cushy pews with cup holders and elaborate sound systems, the biggest building in the city. But Chan and his fellow ministers committed to giving away millions and millions of dollars. Chan said that one great benefit of the outdoor space is that whenever it was too hot/cold/rainy/windy, it would remind those gathered that there were many people around the world who never have a roof over their head.

So Cornerstone Church amended their budget to now give 50% to missions. Half of everything they receive goes right back out the door to the hurting, poor, starving, and dying. They even made an additional pledge to give $1 million to the Children's Hunger Fund over the next year and they made that mark in April, in less than a year. And have committed to give as much every year.

Amen and praise God, a church that has it right, that has read the bible and is doing what Jesus said to, how God said to give to Him.
I applaud pastor Chan and his staff and the people of that gathering of the church, and there is so much more to this church, more to talk about later. Take note pastors, take note body of Christ, behold a real church that is doing it right. Tomorrow on the other church that has followed Chan lead after hearing his story. Read part two.

Scripture reading plan for July

Here’s a suggestion for your personal reading of and meditation on Scripture for the remainder of the month of July:

First, read the Gospels noting specifically the life and person of Christ, Who He was, how He lived, what He spent His life doing and saying.

Second, pray for spiritual illumination to understand and faith to believe who He is, His Deity.

Third, give sustained and prayerful thought on the glory of these great realities so that your heart is lifted up in joyful worship and awe that He is God.

Fourth, preach the truth of these texts to your own heart every morning, afternoon, and evening with abandonment to who He is, God.

Fifth, taking note of how He lived and what He did in His daily life, remember that John said in 1 John:2:6 “walk in the same way in which he walked”, Peter advises in I Pet 1:22, "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps", that Paul said in I Cor 11:1 “...be imitators of me as I am of Christ”. And most of all that Jesus said "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. John 14:12.

Sixth, take the life of Christ as your blue print for you life, go and do as Christ did, be like Paul and inmate the life of Jesus, be like Him be found daily about your heavenly Fathers business.

Seventh, share the fruit of this spiritual exercise with others within the sphere of your Christian community for their spiritual encouragement

Power of God

I am always hearing in certain circles of Christians talk about the power of God, getting the power of God in their lives, needing the power of God, or getting the power of God as well as people defining certain acts as the power of God. But yet everything I hear people attribute a lot of things as to being the power of God, like an act of nature such as an earthquake or hurricane. Or act’s on their behalf like healings or holding back the strongholds of the enemy, est, est. Although these things are limited expressions of God’s power in action no where in scriptures are any of these things call, labeled as God’s power, there are only two things are call the power of God, Jesus and the Gospel. How powerful, then, must the gospel be that it would warrant such a title! So if people really want the power of God in their lives, the true power of God, not power for selfish gain, notoriety or the power to control things for their own purposes, but for the sake of God’s glory and the advancement of the Kingdom of God, we simple need the Gospel in our lives for it is the power of God.

This is why all Christians need to be Gospel Centered in their lives, Gospel centered in how we live, in interrupting the scriptures, in our worldview and Gospel centered in who we are. This is why the New Testament teaches that Christians need to hear the gospel just as much as non-Christians do.

And to do so requires that we daily preach the Gospel to ourselves, continually remind ourselves of the Gospel, the is what Ehp 6:13 it telling us, we need the “put on” the Gospel daily to fight our daily battles both outside and inside of us. As I just covered it is one of the only two things called the “power of God” in the scriptures, and so if I want the power of God in my life all I need to do is be Gospel centered, preach the Gospel to myself every day. Incorporated it into who I am and how I see and live life and I have the power of God in full action and display in my life. Earthquakes, healings and other things can be explained away by the world with scientific theories, but the Gospel and its work in me and through me can only be explained, attributed to God, the real power of God at work, on display.

Gospel Centered Life part 2

I heard a message a month ago on preaching the Gospel to yourself daily, and for the last month I have been doing that very thing, preaching the Gospel to myself daily. And what a difference it has made, as the scriptures really do point out that the Gospel is not just a message for the unbeliever to hear, but something we must preach to ourselves continually, it must be come the heart, foundation of who we are and the why we do what we do in our daily lives. God did not give us His gospel just so we could embrace it and be converted. He offers it to us every day as a gift that keeps on giving to us everything we need for life and godliness.

I underwent an amazing change with in just the first few days, in my thought life, the way I conducted myself, related to and interacted with others, my relationship with God and my motives for everything I did or did not do.

On the days when I forgot to or was too busy to, what a difference it made, I could feel myself digress back into carnal ways and thought life, and my relationship with God was greatly reduced on those days. By Two weeks into doing it I found myself become a different person in so many ways, priority changing in a dynamic way.

So this is my new way to be, preaching the Gospel to myself daily, and I recommend it to every true believer.