AdvanceChurch.org

Hello Great People,

You can now read my blogs at advancechurch.org.

Grace and peace,

BHC

 

Your Hat and Your Keys

A month or so ago, I went to a restaurant to order food to go. I sat at the bar, ordered a glass of water, and placed my food order. After taking off my hat, I placed the keys in my hat and placed my hat on the counter. I chatted with the bartender while waiting. (Please pray for this gentleman as I am working to help him know Jesus.)

Many people were at the bar, drinking and having a great time. The smell of great food was in the air and I was on a dual mission: water the seeds of the gospel in the bartender and get the good food for my wife and me. So far, so good. It’s a great time at the bar. (Oh that God would raise up some believers who are passionate about Jesus who will go to places like bars, full of the Holy Spirit, order a glass of the finest ginger ale, and reach out to people who go to bars simply to talk.)

Well, my food comes out, I tip the waiter, put on my hat and leave the bar. When I get to the car, whistling and content, I cannot find my keys. I search around the car and under the car. No keys. I trace my steps from the parking lot to the bar. No keys. I look around the bar, on the bar, at the bar. No keys. I ask the host and the bartender, “Have you seen my keys? Has anyone turned in keys?” No keys. At this point the bartender goes outside to help me look. No keys.

Now, I’m asking the ageless question of Nicodemus: “how can these things be?” LOL!

Then, I have a great idea: Pray! (Pray first, that’s always the best strategy.) “Lord, help me find my keys.”

Suddenly, out of know where, I feel a little pinch on the right side of my head. “Could it be? No, I wouldn’t have. This is embarrassing. Come on!” Yes, my friends, the keys were in my hat, which was on my head.

Have you stopped laughing at me yet? LOL!

I repeat, the keys were in my hat on my head.

What are you searching for? God says, Take Off Your Hat! Everything you need, God has given you and put on the inside of you. The solution is not outside, it is within. Christ in you is the hope of glory!

Let’s not waste time and energy trying to find keys to life, keys to marriage, keys to business, keys to church growth, keys to health, etc. etc. in external things. Jesus said He give us the keys to the Kingdom.

We don’t have to look far. Just Take Off Your Hat. Get in the secret place with God and discover the keys.

Take Off Your Hat.

 

Another Lesson From Birds

The other day I was sitting on our deck, praying, listening, watching, and, looking at birds. There was a particular bird traveling very quickly in and around our yard. It would stop on the grass or stop in a plant and pick up little sticks. It would fly high into the tree for a while and then fly out very fast. When I looked up, I noticed that it was building a nest. It look liked the nest was almost complete, but not yet. It was as if the bird had a deadline. There was a certain level of intensity and focus that this particular bird had. It was not simply whistling the day away. It was on a mission. There was a sense of urgency.

I believe God is speaking to me, and us, through that bird. There is a sense of urgency for us to go through the doors that God is opening. This is not a time to analyze, but a time to actualize. This is not a time to only watch and pray, but a time to work and pray, on every front.

Get to it.

 

I Don’t Want That Tea

I went to a coffee shop this morning and ordered a certain type of tea that I enjoy. I wanted it to brew for a while and then I wanted the waiter to add steamed soy. I made the request, paid the cashier and sat down. After watching others receive their drinks, I went to the counter to ask about mine. The waiter went on to say, “I have the soy all ready to go.” She was supposed to make the drink, but when she realized they did not have the kind of tea I wanted, she did not take any other action. Then, another waiter opened a package of tea that I did not order and said to me “we don’t have the brand you want.”

I was not happy that they did not tell me this before I paid. Instead, they assumed that I would just accept another type of tea. That, my friends, is mediocre and as some would say from my old neighborhood: “that’s some weak game”.

How often do we offer God “some weak game?” How often do we attempt to offer God something He does not want?  You can’t “play” God.

Do you want to know what God really wants?  It is not simply your best performance. It is not simply your community engagement.  It is not simply your wealth.  Those “tea bags” have merit, but they fall short.

When God comes to your counter to place an order, he is asking for one specific thing.   He wants your trust.  Give Him what He wants: Trust God. Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God.

With faith it is possible to please God.

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

 

One Question

“And he [Jairus] fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house.” – Luke 8:41

The multitude is crowding Jesus. They all want to see Him and hear Him. They all want something from Him. Such was true of a man named Jarius, whose twelve year-old daughter was extremely ill. What is the difference between Jarius and the great multitude?

He asked.

It is amazing that one of the major tipping points in our walk with Jesus is a simple request. Asking God in faith, according to His will, is the thing that can distinguish you today in the eyes of God and bring to your life what God has for you. The Bible instructs us:

• Ask, and it shall be given you. [Matthew 7:7]

• If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. [James 1:5]

• Let your requests be made known unto God. [Philippians 4:6]

God is listening. He hears the cry of His people. The one question before you today is: What one thing would you dare to ask if you knew God would grant it?

 

Self-Government

We don’t need more self-esteem. What we need is more self-government.

The first and most important thing for people to govern (rule, manage) are themselves. The book of Proverbs lets us know that he who rules his spirit is stronger than he who takes a city.

Self-Government is built upon Self-Denial & Sacrifice.

With the increase of self-help books, teachings, and conversations, why is there an increase in counseling, depression, and discontent? Could it be that the focus on self is counterproductive?

What if we turned our focus to others?   What if we took to heart the example of Jesus and laid down our lives for others?   

God’s ways are not our ways.   Instead of seeking to save our lives, life is found in giving our lives.   The more we give our lives through self-denial and sacrifice, the more we govern ourselves.   

I pray today that we all would advance from the bondage of self-help to the freedom of self-denial and sacrifice. 

Through the power of the Holy Spirit we can manifest one of His fruit: self-government.

 

Prayer for Our President

Oh Lord my God, give President Obama wisdom to lead this nation under your authority. Give him the strength to follow Your voice more than the voice of others. As he leads the nation, give him understanding of how You have dealt with nations in the past. And may he reverence Your name.

As he moves among the nations of the Earth, let Your agenda be on his lips and mind. Keep him by Your power.

Bless his wife and children, and keep them all safe.

Lord, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Be our God, oh Lord. Be our God.

 

The Spirit MADE Me Do It? – Pass the Test

Once you pass the test, you don’t have to take it anymore.

A friend of mine called me from out of state with a dilemma.  He is a worship leader at a rather traditional church and ran into an issue with the minister of music (MOM).   My friend felt a “move of the Spirit” to take the worship service in a different direction.  Well, MOM did not like it and told the friend never to do that again without first getting MOM’s permission.

My friend called and said, “Bruce, how shall I handle this?”

I told him that, first of all, the Holy Spirit does not come to control us and MAKE us do something.  The God who gives us a choice to trust Him or not, also gives us the choice to obey Him or not.  So, let’s get off of this trip that whenever the Holy Spirit is moving, I am now out of control.  This is certainly a prescription for disorder in the house of God.   (Read I Corinthians 14:32)

Then, I went on to say, that if you are playing on a team, you’ve got to play by the coach’s rules or find another team.  If MOM wants you to get permission before you sing a different song, or whatever, then get his permission.  Or, find another team.   The only challenge with finding another team is that you will have to take the same test there.   The test being, are you willing to let go of your religion, opinion, and personal agenda for the good of the team.   No matter what your motive, or how pure it is, the team can’t function with a different set of rules for each player.

Now, I don’t know if I agree with MOM’s approach.  But, that’s not my point here.  The point is, my friend had a test to pass.  This was his opportunity to show God that he would abandon what he felt (or even knew) for the sake of the larger good at the time.   Turns out, he had never passed this test.

So, my final counsel to him was this:  Once you pass the test, you don’t have to take it anymore.   The moment you learn to abandon what you think, in service of another, doing it the next time won’t be a test, but a matter of discipline.

What’s your test?

Pass it.

 

The Ekklesia

Jesus said: “I will build My Church.”  Jesus is building the Church.  Thank God, because we sure would mess it up.  LOL!!!   

His Church is not a club, nor a group of folks enjoying good music, good preachin’, and good eatin’.   (Although, there’s nothing wrong with any of those in moderation.)  His Church is His Ekklesia – a community of called-out people who govern on His behalf.   His Church does not exist to  blend in, nor simply stand out.  His Church is simply called to BE a “live expression on Earth of what is happening in Heaven”, as Tom Skinner would have put it.   His Church is called to maximize human potential by practicing the fellowship with the Holy Spirit and revelation of the the Word of God.  His church is called to govern in the land with righteous and justice, mercy and truth.

His Church is the most glorious organism on the planet.  The very gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

I love the Church, because she is Jesus’ Church.  There’s no need in looking for something that will work, apart from the Church.  She is a unified unstoppable force of sold-out overcomers.  She still is the pillar and ground of truth.  She will remain God’s voice to the World.  She will be presented one day to the Bridegroom Jesus without spot or wrinkle. 

All of creation is waiting for the Church to know who She is and walk in Her purpose.

Will you be the Church today and govern in your sphere of influence, increasing in the character of Jesus for the glory of God?

 

$900B to 9 million people?

$900B in the hands of the same greedy folk will produce the same greedy result:  grief.

Greed will always bring grief. (Proverbs 1:19)

Giving to the poor is a loan to God.  He repays.  (Proverbs 19:17)

What if we took that $900B and gave 9 million productive middle-class citizens $100,000 each and told them, this money must go towards a savings that can’t be spent for 2 years, a mortgage, credit card, student loan, food, or some community organization that is helping people during this crisis?   They would also have to volunteer 300 hours of community service over the next two years.  Would that not stimulate the economy?