Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "Happy are you poor; the Kingdom of God is yours! Happy are you who are hungry now; you will be filled! Happy are you who weep now; you will laugh! Happy are you when people hate you, reject you, insult you, and say that you are evil, all because of the Son of Man! Be glad when that happens and dance for joy, because a great reward is kept for you in heaven. For their ancestors did the very same things to the prophets. But how terrible for you who are rich now; you have had your easy life! How terrible for you who are full now; you will go hungry! How terrible for you who laugh now; you will mourn and weep!” (Luke 6:20-25)
Lately great emphasis has been placed on the financial difficulties in the world. For the people whose life savings have been lost by the collapse of the stock market, the danger is that we will focus too much on money, riches, and wealth without thinking about true values in life.
The words of Jesus (above) remind us that true values are not measured by the size of our bank account or the financial legacy we may leave behind, but true values are in the measure of a man or woman in their relationship with God and one another; that being Humility.
The thrust here is not an appeal for us to give away everything we have, go on welfare, reduce our calorie intake by half, stop laughing, and encourage people to reject us. Jesus gives no such command in this passage.
Rather, he is telling us .. his followers .. to accept our low state, because if we are less concerned about our economic security, our social acceptability, and our reputation, we will be happier then if we are obsessed with these things.
The focus of this passage is not on world hunger or poverty .. although Jesus felt deeply the plight of the underprivileged .. but on the individual disciples and their value system.
For us who are disciples of Jesus, we need to appreciate our modest circumstances and place our value on the kingdom quality that is humility. The apostle Peter tells us in his first letter; “Humble yourselves, then, under God's mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you. “ (1Peter 5:6-7)
I appreciate the fact that some of us are worried and concerned about the situation we face. The question is; what difference can you make in your situation?
If you can do something, then stop worrying, pray for wisdom and do it! If you cannot do something that will change your situation, then stop worrying and pray .. let the Lord care for you. Either way you will discover happiness.
Paul Weresch
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Listen to Paul Weresch MP3 NOW!
Please listen to this great encouraging audio from Paul Weresch I found on the Internet. I found this audio file on the Web and I would like to collect these precious nuggets spread out all over the internet to bless you with the treasury of rich God inspired insights. Please hear Paul Weresch speak on the subject "What can you do with nothing?".
I really hope you've been blessed by this message.
Alexander Shein, Editorial team
Monday, October 6, 2008
Challenge for the Missions
Watch this video with Paul and Betty Weresch as they challenge us for the Missions in a new and fresh way. If you are wondering what God is doing in our present latter days world as it faces the crisis you need to watch this
Alexander Shein, Editorial team
If you are experiencing problems watching this video on our page, please follow this link to the original place. http://the-grove.net/v2/index.php?option=com_seyret&task=videodirectlink&Itemid=130&id=7
Alexander Shein, Editorial team
If you are experiencing problems watching this video on our page, please follow this link to the original place. http://the-grove.net/v2/index.php?option=com_seyret&task=videodirectlink&Itemid=130&id=7
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Missions As I See It
I just returned from a wonderful visit to churches in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Culdesac, Idaho ... two diverse but wonderfully identical bodies dedicated to the work of Christ. The church in Edmonton has 1200 souls in a metropolitan area. The church in Culdesac has 40 attendees in a ranching and logging culture.
However, they are alike in their quality relationship with missions. You see, the quality of a fellowship of believers is not in the geography nor the size … God does not measure your stature, He measures your commitment.
He measures the commitment to the job that Christ urgently gave us when He said in John 4:35-36, “Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”
The apostle, Paul, lays it all out in Romans 10:9 when he says, “... if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Then he continues by explaining the dynamics of reaching the lost in Romans 10:14-15, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Where are the lost we are to reach? In the story in John 4:35-36, they were right in front of them … the Samaritans. In our world today, they are everywhere.
We are all to reach the lost but we cannot all go. However, we can be an important part of the labor.
God needs three things: a willing heart to go .. an obedient church to send .. and a receptive heart to listen.
Each has his responsibility. And what is that?
1. We must have a willing heart. We must be willing to say, yes, Lord, send me. That may be our labor. But we may not have to go far. As we relate to the story in John 4, the lost are in our neighborhood, in our town, across the street or even in our home.
2.Give as the Lord prospers us! No one should feel guilty giving a small amount. Give as He has promised. Feel good about the penny you give and rejoice over it. Put in a little extra labor for ... Little is much when God is in it.
3. Pray. Labor can be prayer that storms the gates of heaven! Fervent, interceding prayer for the labor of all concerned. We are not beating the air with our labor ... we are actually moving people into the fold.
4. And as you pray … do so for the third thing … that the fruits of our labor will fall upon a receptive heart to listen.
So, go now … labor for the Lord. And, if you go … do not rejoice over success you didn’t earn. Many labored for that success. According to chapter 4 of John, some of us will be reaping where they did not sow. Some will be reaping where they didn’t labor. The victory belongs to the Lord!
Remember … the final reward for your labor is to hear those words, “Thou good and faithful servant.”
Paul Weresch
However, they are alike in their quality relationship with missions. You see, the quality of a fellowship of believers is not in the geography nor the size … God does not measure your stature, He measures your commitment.
He measures the commitment to the job that Christ urgently gave us when He said in John 4:35-36, “Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”
The apostle, Paul, lays it all out in Romans 10:9 when he says, “... if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Then he continues by explaining the dynamics of reaching the lost in Romans 10:14-15, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Where are the lost we are to reach? In the story in John 4:35-36, they were right in front of them … the Samaritans. In our world today, they are everywhere.
We are all to reach the lost but we cannot all go. However, we can be an important part of the labor.
God needs three things: a willing heart to go .. an obedient church to send .. and a receptive heart to listen.
Each has his responsibility. And what is that?
1. We must have a willing heart. We must be willing to say, yes, Lord, send me. That may be our labor. But we may not have to go far. As we relate to the story in John 4, the lost are in our neighborhood, in our town, across the street or even in our home.
2.Give as the Lord prospers us! No one should feel guilty giving a small amount. Give as He has promised. Feel good about the penny you give and rejoice over it. Put in a little extra labor for ... Little is much when God is in it.
3. Pray. Labor can be prayer that storms the gates of heaven! Fervent, interceding prayer for the labor of all concerned. We are not beating the air with our labor ... we are actually moving people into the fold.
4. And as you pray … do so for the third thing … that the fruits of our labor will fall upon a receptive heart to listen.
So, go now … labor for the Lord. And, if you go … do not rejoice over success you didn’t earn. Many labored for that success. According to chapter 4 of John, some of us will be reaping where they did not sow. Some will be reaping where they didn’t labor. The victory belongs to the Lord!
Remember … the final reward for your labor is to hear those words, “Thou good and faithful servant.”
Paul Weresch
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