What better way to start the New Year than in prayer.
As you pray – how do you start?  I often start like this,
“Lord, I want You… Lord, would You… Lord, I need…”
I am seeking to start in a new way – “Lord – You Are!”
Our prayer times are best when started with Him and not with us.

There are many names of God. I had this thought, “Could Jehovah of the Old
Testament be seen in Jesus in the New Testament?”  It would make
sense because Jesus said, “If you have seen Me you have seen the
Father.”  Consider this list and you can begin your prayers, “Lord You Are…”
 
Jehovah-Jireh – My provider
Genesis 22:14 – “The Lord will Provide.”
Jesus – Philippians 4:19 “My God will supply every need of yours according to
His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Jehovah–Rapha – My healer
Exodus 15:26 “I AM the Lord, your healer.”
Jesus –  Luke 4:40 “All those who had any who were sick with various diseases
brought them to Him, and He healed them.” 

Jehovah-Rohi – My Shepherd
 Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd.”
 Jesus – John 10:11 “I AM the Good Shepherd.”

Jehovah-Sabaoth – My Victor
1 Samuel 17:45 – “I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts.”
Jesus –  1 Corinthians 15:57  “But thanks be to God, who gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jehovah-Shalom – My peace
Judges 6:24  –  “The Lord is Peace.”
Jesus – John 14:27  “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.” 

Jehovah-Shammah – My Presence – 
Ezekiel 48:35 – “The Lord is There.”
Jesus – Matthew 28:20 “I am with you always.”

Jehovah-Tsidkenu – My righteousness
Jeremiah 23:6 –  The Lord our Righteousness
Jesus – 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “In Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 

Consider changing your focus in prayer to Him and say – “Lord You Are!!”

Ted Sellers

Gen3:5-7 “ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

As you read this passage notice what the sin was that entered the world and mankind. “You will be like God” is the sin that all mankind struggles with. Our desire to do our own thing or what pleases us is what destroys God’s perfect plan of blessing in every area of life. This desire is usually expressed in one of three ways- trying to control all of life, wanting to set standards of behavior and judge by them, and seeking for praise and approval apart from God.

Adam and Eve immediately started to do their own thing after this event. They started acting like they were God. That action got them expelled from the garden and began a life of toil and turmoil. Genesis 4 follows with murder, bigamy, idolatry. Sin passed to all mankind because of Adam’s sin.

Rom.5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—“
Fast forward to today and what do we see. Divorce is rampant and immorality is widespread. Tell someone who wants to marry his boyfriend or her girlfriend that it is wrong and you are called a hater or worse. Man wants to be God and do their own thing!

2Tim. 3:1-5 describes our day “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded , lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:”
We may face dangerous, perilous times but, thank God, He chose us to live now. Next time I’ll discuss the solution and what our commentary today should sound like.

Gen. 2:24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
Eph. 5:31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two united into one.”

In Genesis this scripture comes right after the creation of woman from Adam’s side. In order to comply with God’s plan, a man and a woman are to form a family through marriage. Also note that the bible says a man leaves father and mother implying again that it takes a man and a woman to form a family through marriage.

Here are a couple of reasons for the marriage sacrament.

Gen.1:28 God blessed them and told them, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals.”
Other translations say be fruitful and multiply. Clearly procreation is part of the reason for marriage. That purpose is impossible if a marriage is two people of the same sex. God’s plan is to populate the Earth with His special creation having babies after marriage.

Eph. 5:28-29 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church.
Another reason for marriage is to show the world how much Jesus Christ loves them. This scripture comes right after a lengthy discourse on how a husband is to love his wife and a wife is to respect her husband and how God treats His beloved church.

Marriage is a picture of how much God loves mankind and desires an intimate relationship with us. It is a gift that helps us lead a joyful and fulfilled life. It’s no wonder there is so much opposition to biblical marriage. I’ll write more as to how God’s gift and plan got messed up in future blogs

He prays for these things:
1.  That God would give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Why? 
2.  So that we would know the HOPE we have of a glorious inheritance in the future.
3.  So that we would know the POWER we have for the present situation.  

I am praying differently.  It sounds like this,

“Lord, I care about my friend who has this need. 
I want them to be delivered from the financial, physical or relational pain. 
I don’t want them to feel the pain. 
However, I ask that You will give them the Spirit of wisdom and reveal Yourself to them. 
Let them come to know You better because of this need. 
Show them the HOPE they can have for the future. 
They are experiencing pain now. 
I ask that they begin to see that their ultimate hope is living with You in Your painless presence forever. 
I also pray that they will experience your present POWER for their current need. 
Remind them of Your power that raised Jesus from the dead. 
They have the same power available to them for this need.” 

Hope for the future and Power for the present. 
What a great way to pray for people.

Ted Sellers

Were you impressed by the dedication of the athletes?
They trained for years to be able to do what they did on the world’s largest stage.
I remember the two little 6 year old girls who were in a gymnastic class together.
They had been training for the past 10 years!  Serious training pays off in GOLD.

Consider what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27  in The Message Bible
“I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line.
I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition.
I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.”

Can we allow these athletes to encourage us in our Christian lives?
Do we have sloppy living?
Are we alert to Satan’s efforts to trip us up in our race?
Can we get caught napping?

We may not be able to run like Usain Bolt or stick the landing like McKayla Maroney or
slice through the water like Michael Phelps.

However, we can run to Jesus when we are in need,
we can stand firmly on God’s truth when tempted and
we can swim in the ocean of God’s deep love for us.

Let’s keep our eye on the goal where God is beckoning us onward to Jesus.
We are off and running and we are not turning back.  Philippians 3:14 Message

Ted Sellers

As I think about our freedom, I remember the tremendous sacrifice of men and women who put their lives on the line to give us the United States of America. I know that anything worthwhile demands our passionate involvement. In order to have our independence, it took not only the “foot soldiers” but also a nation of people who passionately believed in the cause enough to give their fortunes to fund it.

I often feel like a “foot soldier” for the cause of maturing the Body of Christ through discipleship worldwide. It is a daunting task but since 1979 we have been moving forward with great passion to see this happen. I am thrilled to tell you that today we have reached hundreds of thousands around the world with the VCLi SALT messages.

The future is also exciting.  With the addition of Mandarin, we will soon have SALT available in the top 4 spoken languages in the world along with several others. One thing is certain, without the support of people who believe in this cause- our foot soldiers-we could not be setting captives free all over the world. Thank you for standing with us as we push forward to set the captives free.

He spoke about the “Four Laws”, Eternal Law, Divine Law, Natural Law and Human Law.

We can count on Natural Law to bring us the four seasons. Winter, spring, summer and fall arrive like clock work. You can depend on it. The Bible has Divine Laws that are irrefutable as well. One law that comes to mind is found in Luke 6:37-39. It is the Law of Giving.

Amplified Bible
Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you.
Luke 6:37-39

I know most of you would acknowledge how much God has blessed you. I am convinced it is because you operate in the Law of Giving.

WE DON’T GIVE TO GET BUT GOD WILL GIVE YOU HIS BLESSING BEYONG MEASURE! IT’S THE LAW!

Thanks to all who give to this ministry and partnering with us to help people everywhere live life better. May God continue to bless you.

In His service,

Ray L’Amoreaux

President/CEO

Victorious Christian Living International

PS: I would like to invite you to visit our web site, www.vcli.org and click our blog section. You will find over 50 challenging and impactful articles written by your staff at VCLi.

What does Jesus say?  Right in the middle of His nine beatitudes In Matthew 5:6 He says,

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” 

People hunger and thirst for love, security, happiness, money, and acceptance. 
They all are supposed to satisfy. 
Definition: “to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands of a person.”
 
Are you seeking to be satisfied or do you love someone who is trying to be satisfied? 
Where is it found?  Some popular sources include: drugs, sex, money, possessions,
appearance, food and entertainment. 
All of these are an illusion and often produce more frustration not satisfaction.

As a young boy I remember asking my mother if Pall Mall cigarettes satisfied. 
She asked me why I asked. 
I said that the big red and white sign said, “Pall Mall, They Satisfy!”  
I said that if they did satisfy then why did she buy them by the carton! 

It is time to get hungry – to be unsatisfied.  We should not be satisfied in this world. 
Quit looking to it to satisfy.  Seek Him, talk to Him, tell Him you love Him.

 “I have set the Lord continually before me.”  Psalm 16:8
“You open your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.”  Psalm 145:16
 
Consider these spot on quotes:

“God can’t give us peace and happiness apart from Himself because there is no such thing.” ― C.S. Lewis

“God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him.”  John Piper

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
- C. S. Lewis in “The Weight of Glory”

Be satisfied – In Him.

Ted Sellers

Are you in a fiery furnace today?  It could be financial, physical, relational, or emotional. 
How are you dealing with it?  How do we get that mastery? 
One way is by trusting in the very presence of God. 
We don’t go through times of suffering alone. 
God wants us to allow them to draw us closer to Him and experience His love.

What was the last promise Jesus gave to His men and to us?
“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20
The Lord was with Joseph…”his master (Potiphar) saw that the Lord was with him.” 
“Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison…But the Lord was with Joseph.”
Genesis 39:2-3, 20-23 

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” 
Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear, for I am with you.” 
Isaiah 43:2  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”
No matter what you: face – fear – or fight – He is with you.
He is with you actively, not passively. 
He will give strength, power, help, courage, comfort and victory.

What are you facing today?  He is with you and will go through it with you.
You are not alone – ever! 

Call upon Him, Come to Him, Cry out to Him, Collapse upon Him,Crash upon Him, and Count upon Him.

As a Good shepherd He is with His sheep all night long. 
Worship In The Heat

Ted Sellers

However, Discipleship was woefully neglected. Why? I had no idea how to do it or what materials to use. People came to meet with me with various needs.  I was lost with no rudder to guide me. 

Several years later I discovered the discipleship materials produced by VCLi. I wanted to yell – Eureka!! I saw that I could still use my gift of teaching only now it could be guided in an excellent format. I didn’t think I could disciple someone in a one-on-one context. Now I had a rudder, a guide. God has used the SALT books to guide me to disciple many people with a variety of needs. 

They have also been a primary tool to challenge me in my walk with God. I have learned the source of my negative emotions as I try to play God. Walking after the flesh is happening less frequently now. I know how to forgive others and do it quickly. My wife and I now have a clear way to enhance our communication. 

It has been delightful to see how God uses these 7 books to help people in all areas of life. One man said, "It is amazing. When I have a problem or struggle all I have to do is study the next lesson and I get the answer." He said this as he was banging his head with the book for emphasis! 

Now when I meet with someone I have a treasure of truth based on God’s Word that I can share. I encourage you to check out the SALT books and see how God could use them in your ministry.

I would often think about and sometimes review our bible school text “Competent to Counsel” by Jay Adams. It stresses nouthetic counseling- authoritative use of scripture to warn, admonish and instruct. However after most sessions, I remember often feeling anything but “competent” to counsel. I trudged on hoping people would receive the life change information they needed from the Sunday sermons and personal prayer and counseling times. Unfortunately for the majority of those hurting in some area of life, that didn’t happen.

Then I discovered a ministry called Victorious Christian Living. Their emphasis at that time was to train lay counselors within the local church setting. The ministry was compelling and productive in people’s lives. Plus after taking my church leadership through the training, I didn’t have to do all the counseling. The one drawback however was that the training was pretty extensive for the typical lay person and took considerable time to reach the truly effective point.

I now work for this ministry and am pleased to say that the SALT (Seven Areas of Life) materials embody all the principles of the original lay counselor training. However they are in a format that is much easier to present and train with. As I train leaders in churches today, not only do they receive ministry but they have a simple tool to help others too.

The ministry has changed from a counseling model to a discipleship model and the results are amazing. Life change is the norm with participants and the materials lend themselves to be used in various discipleship venues- groups, seminars, classes as well as personal mentoring and coaching. SALT solves the counseling dilemma for the pastor. It covers all areas of life so it is comprehensive. It is the simple word of God presented in an easily understood and reproducible format. Jesus said to “make disciples” not counsel people. Remarkable what happens when we do what He said!

Practicing Effective Communication Skills

We use the 4 lessons from the SALT Marital book and add some helpful activities after each lesson. Here’s an example of the schedule and the check list we use when we host one of these events on a Saturday.

MARRIAGE SEMINAR
Saturday Schedule

10:00 – 10:15 Registration

• Purchase SALT Marital book
• Get nametag
• Enjoy coffee & donuts

10:15 – 10:30 Welcome and Introductions

• Explain the conference schedule
• Couples introduce themselves (ask: How long have you been married? Or when is your wedding?)
• Give an overview of the SALT discipleship series
• Explain that they can take notes and draw the diagrams during the teachings
• Opening prayer

10:30 – 11:00 Teach or play DVD Lesson #1 “Two Becoming One”
11:00 – 11:05 Couples activity (Facilitators demo) – play music during activity

• Hold hands (Physical Intimacy)
• Tell your spouse 2 things you appreciate about him/her (Psychological Intimacy)
• Pray together -Thank God for your spouse. (Spiritual Intimacy)

11:05 – 11:10 Break
11:10 – 11:45 Teach or play DVD Lesson #2 “Psychological Intimacy”
11:45 – 11:55 Couples activity (facilitators demo) – play music during activity

• Use the communications diagram to share your thoughts, feelings (p. 18) and desires concerning something coming up this week. Listen to each other. Take turns being the listener and speaker.
11:55 – 12:00 Explain what restaurants are nearby or potluck instructions
12:00 – 1:15 Lunch break
1:15 – 1:20 Q & A or Comments about Chapter 1 and 2
1:20 – 1:50 Teach or play DVD Lesson #3 “Spiritual Intimacy”
1:50 – 1:55 Individual activity – play music during activity
• Silent prayer to repent of competing with God or not fulfilling your role.

1:55 – 2:25 Teach or play DVD Lesson #4 “Restoring Intimacy”
2:25 – 2:30 Break
2:30 – 2:45 Do a short teaching on Forgiveness from Social #3.

• Ask forgiveness for something you’ve said or done that you know has hurt your spouse.

2:45 – 2:55 Pray for each couple – play music during prayer time
2:55 – 3:00 Have couples share one main thing they got out of the seminar.
3:00 Dismiss

I think you can see it’s very easy to present a Marriage Seminar by teaching the lessons using the Instructor’s Guide or the Marital SALT DVDs. The testimonies have been incredible from these events.

]]> http://www.vcli.org/hosting-a-salt-marriage-seminar/feed/ 0 http://www.vcli.org/a-pastors-legacy/ http://www.vcli.org/a-pastors-legacy/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:26:56 +0000 fpaine http://www.vcli.org/?p=1529 Read More]]> In John chapter 21, Jesus tells Peter that because of his love for Jesus, Peter was to ‘Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, and feed my sheep’. Praise God for faithful pastors who give of themselves to feed and tend. Thirty four years ago my “spiritual dad” and pastor fed and tended me.

Papa Jerry, as many of my group called him, was a man full of love for Jesus and others. He and his wife, Ruby, preached and taught God’s word uncompromisingly and discipled their little flock by letting us into their lives. I remember them frequently saying to me “Jesus loves you; I love you; and by the way you are called into the ministry”. These words often came after confessing faults, trials, and sins to them. They were always ready to show what the bible had to say about my questions. Even though the words “you are called into the ministry” seemed way off target at the time, the words “Jesus loves you and I love you” encouraged me to grow in my relationship with Jesus Christ. Today I look back at over 25 years in full time ministry- 12 as a senior pastor. For many of those years, Papa Jerry sat in the congregation with a huge grin on his face.

I currently work at this excellent discipleship ministry creating materials and training that assists pastors and churches to feed and tend their lambs and sheep. My most gratifying moments, however, come when I am able to encourage pastors and ministers who come to us for ministry with the words “Jesus loves you; I love you; and you are called into the ministry”.

]]> http://www.vcli.org/a-pastors-legacy/feed/ 0 http://www.vcli.org/thank-you-pastor/ http://www.vcli.org/thank-you-pastor/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:30:40 +0000 rlamoreaux http://www.vcli.org/?p=1520 Read More]]> Today I sit as the President/CEO of a wonderful ministry. Victorious Christian Living International creates curriculum for the church. We train both clergy and laity. We know that the church is God’s vehicle to get His story out and we want to help. However none of this would have happened if a pastor in a small United Methodist Church in Elmira, New York  hadn’t taken his call seriously. He and his wonderful wife poured themselves into a group of people that included my wife and me.

When I look at Ephesians 4:11, I am thankful that pastor is one of the 5 fold ministry. In this verse, the Latin word for pastor is shepherd. The shepherd would watch and care for the sheep even to the point of putting themselves in danger to protect the sheep. My pastor and his wife, Claude and Zella Corbett,  spent endless hours of selfless service to their flock. Their door was always open to us new believers. We could come over to the parsonage any time day or night and no matter the silliness of the question they  were there to disciple us and give us an answer. To this day I believe that without their love, care and concern for me and my family I would not be in the ministry today.

Over the years I have grown to believe in the absolute importance of the pastor in the life of a believer. He or she can be the most positive influence possible to your growth as a Christian.

To all my pastor friends I want to say keep up the good work of your calling and THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

]]> http://www.vcli.org/thank-you-pastor/feed/ 0 http://www.vcli.org/pastor-you-are-valuable/ http://www.vcli.org/pastor-you-are-valuable/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:36:13 +0000 tsellers http://www.vcli.org/?p=1515 Read More]]> God tells pastors to, “Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season.” 2 Timothy 4:2

Let me tell you how my first pastor did it.

When I was 16 a friend of mine invited me to his church. 
I had not gone to an evangelical church before. I still remember what the pastor preached about. 
It was the subject of Faith. I understood it.
He preached the Word in season in church.
I continued to go and listen. He was not polished but he was sincere.

That summer my friend invited me to help with Vacation Bible School. 
He told me we would be in the class with the older kids and be in charge of the refreshments. 
I was in!  Who taught the class? The Pastor did. 
He preached the Word in season at VBS. 

He talked about heaven and how to get there. 
He said if we were sure we were going to heaven to sign a sheet. 
I wasn’t sure.  I asked if he would explain how to get to heaven. 
He preached the Word to me in season in his 1956 Chevrolet. 
Right there I opened my life to Jesus. 

Sometime after that he discovered that I wanted to learn to drive – remember – I am 16. 
My parents didn’t want to teach me. The pastor took many hours and taught me how to drive. 
He preached the Word out of season as he taught me to drive.

He taught my friend also. On one occasion my friend started the pastor’s car and jammed
down on the gas pedal while turning the key — until the engine raced to a loud roar and died. 
The engine was shot! The pastor didn’t tell his parents.  
He preached the Word out of season by taking a second job driving a school bus to pay for the new engine. 

I will be in heaven because of that pastor. I am a pastor now.
Pastor, you are important today to the people in your church. 
Continue to preach the Word in and out of season. God is pleased with you today.

]]> http://www.vcli.org/pastor-you-are-valuable/feed/ 0 http://www.vcli.org/wheres-the-unity/ http://www.vcli.org/wheres-the-unity/#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:01:20 +0000 rlamoreaux http://www.vcli.org/?p=1487 Read More]]> The word that Jesus prays in John 17:20-23 is a very joy-filled, optimistic message about what the church could be like as we come together in unity. Let's take a look at part of the message in John 17:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:20-23

The topic of this month's post is not going to be much fun. I'll warn you in advance; if you prefer not to take a deep, hard look at some realities in our North American Christian culture, either delete this or save it for another day. I also want to emphasize that this post is not intended to bash anyone or any institution. My hope is to simply look deep into the heart of the church, of which I am a part.

The scripture quoted above is from Jesus' prayer immediately preceding his arrest, trial and crucifixion. He knew what was to happen next, so I have to believe that in this prayer we get to hear the passion and depth of Jesus' heart. It was time to sum up his ministry and desires for his followers after spending 33 years here on earth.

The prayer starts with a simple request that Jesus now be restored to what was since the beginning of time — that he once again be glorified with his Father. "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." He then prays for those who have followed him while he was on this earth, those we now call "the disciples." Then Jesus prays "not for them alone" but "also for those who will believe in me through their message."

It still blows me away to this day that Jesus, while he was in the flesh over 2000 years ago, prayed for…me. And for you! We ARE "those who will believe in me through their message." What does he pray for you, for me, and for everyone who has believed through the writings of those disciples? He prays that "all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you."

It's at this point that I have to stop and take a deep breath. Then, with as much self honesty as I can muster, I have to ask myself this question: how am I individually, and, how are we, corporately, doing at "being one?" I'm ashamed to say that the answer is so obvious that we need not even say it aloud. In fact, I'm pretty sure that not only are we not "one," we may not even be three or five or twenty or a thousand. I'm not sure I know what that means, but I say it to make this point: we are deeply missing the mark on this one.

Jesus goes on to say, "so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."Complete unity? Have we been "brought to complete unity?" I'm not sure where we're at, why we're there, or how we got here…but I'm fairly sure that no one would describe us, the "church," as being in complete unity.

And the price for not being there? Look at the next line. As a result of our missing the mark, the world — and more specifically, our next door neighbor — does not know that Jesus was sent by the Father and that the Father loves them. That seems to be a very high price for others to pay for our desire to live out our individualistic, self-driven, locked in our own home, "personal" form of Christianity. It doesn't seem very biblical and it certainly is not seeing us reach the world.

I'm afraid that in this case the culture has far outstripped the church in its influence on our lives. We "go" to work, we"go" to our meetings, we "go" home, and then we "go" to church. When we're not happy, we change our place of work and we change our "church" until the next time we're unhappy and we change again. Then we read the most recent hot Christian book on sale at the Christian bookstore or listen to some new podcast of the new hot preacher and we try to change again. So it goes — we continue, in our Christianity, to try and keep changing things so that we might eventually be "happy." I believe it was K. P. Yohannen, in his book "Revolution in World Missions" that said "The church in America has caught a cold. It's "Ahchoo! Bless me! Ahchoo! Bless me!" And on and on we go, chasing happiness … instead of pursuing God.

I believe with all my heart that everything man truly desires is wrapped up in our relationship with God. It is there and only there that we will find true love, true joy, and true peace. But we MUST come to some basic agreement, complete unity, on what that looks like and how that happens. That's never going to happen without true discipleship.

We have to stop birthing baby Christians and then setting them on their feet and telling them to "go and prosper." Babies must be raised up to become adults. Baby Christians must be raised up to become adult Christians. This responsibility is yours and mine and ours. If I'm not a part of the solution, I'm just a part of the problem.

As always, would love to hear your thoughts. I continue to be humbled by your love and your support.

]]> http://www.vcli.org/wheres-the-unity/feed/ 1 http://www.vcli.org/does-obedience-bring-immediate-blessing/ http://www.vcli.org/does-obedience-bring-immediate-blessing/#comments Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:09:37 +0000 tsellers http://www.vcli.org/?p=1475 Read More]]> You would naturally think that our obedience to God brings His immediate blessing. 
Consider Abram’s call by God.  He is told to leave his home and family and move to a new country.
He is promised blessings and that he would become a great nation.

“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home,
and go to a land that I am going to show you.  I will give you many descendants,
and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous,
so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:1-2

But look what happens when he arrives at God’s new home for him. 
Verse 10 says there was a famine in the land. 
What?!  How could God send him to a place of famine? 
Where is the blessing?  He decides to go down to Egypt. 
Was that a good decision?  Did he ask God what to do?

Some commentators have said that Egypt is a picture of the World. 
Before he even gets to Egypt he tells his wife to lie about being his wife.  
Why didn’t Abram stay in Canaan?  Couldn’t have God taken care of him there? 

Often there are problems at the beginning of a task. 
William Carey went to India as a missionary from England. 
His wife didn’t want to go.  A few years after his arrival, his young son died. 
His wife was furious and even tried to kill William.  He stayed and became,
“The father of modern missions.” 

Where has God placed you?  Can you stay there by His power and trust His provision? 
Have you asked God to do something and He didn’t do it? 
Don’t be tempted to walk away from Him and go to Egypt (the world) for answers.
 
We can do that with our finances (take out another loan),
our appearance (this will make me look good),
our walk with God (I’m upset with God’s apparent silence so I will turn away from Him and look to the world),
or our relationships (I shouldn’t do this but I think it will bring me acceptance.) 

God’s blessing will come if we stay faithful to His direction, but it may not be immediately.
He is God and we can’t  make Him perform like a little puppet.

]]> http://www.vcli.org/does-obedience-bring-immediate-blessing/feed/ 0 http://www.vcli.org/feeling-weighed-down/ http://www.vcli.org/feeling-weighed-down/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:59:41 +0000 rlamoreaux http://www.vcli.org/?p=1466 Read More]]> I was listening to the news today and came to the conclusion that there isn’t much good happening in the world today. Wars, skirmishes, inflation, poverty, lack of gas, lack of food, murder, scandals, high prices and the list goes on and on. There is nothing positive or happy in the world. The left hates the right, and the right hates the left. No one can get along. The weather is disastrous, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and drought. Have I got you feeling bad yet? If your only source of news is what the world offers then I can understand.

Let me give you an alternative. It’s often referred to as the “Good News”. It’s history, future, and daily living rolled into one exciting dialogue. Let me recite some of the things that it says:

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation,
the news that the God of Israel reigns!
Isaiah 52:7 (NLT)

And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (AMP)

Of course, you know I am talking about God’s Word, The Bible. The Bible can be and is very practical. In fact it has stated succinctly the reason for our bad feelings: our thought life!

For as he thinks within himself, so he is … Proverbs 23:7 (NASB)

God also gives us a practical approach to not being defeated in our thinking. This is found in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 8:

For the rest, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Philippians 4:8 (AMP)

Our way out is by thinking about that which is good! It must begin with what we put in our minds. So if we continue to put what the world dishes out on a daily basis in our mind and hear this only, this will become our point of reference!  This becomes our reality and it truly is very bleak. If however; we fill our minds with the Good News, constantly and consistently we will see the glass as half full, the lining as silver and our future as exciting!

]]> http://www.vcli.org/feeling-weighed-down/feed/ 0 http://www.vcli.org/to-fail-is-to-give-up/ http://www.vcli.org/to-fail-is-to-give-up/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:49:53 +0000 rlamoreaux http://www.vcli.org/?p=1448 Read More]]> I recently attended a board meeting where a dear friend was let go.  I was one of two dissenting votes. I made my points and the others heard but they still voted to let him go. Now how do I respond? Was I going to quit because I did not get my way? Was I going harbor ill-will toward my fellow board members? How was I going to handle this very sad situation? It occurred to me that God has spoken to just such situations. In fact there are hundreds of verses that deal with our response to these hurtful episodes in our lives; and  I have chosen just a couple to make my point.

In James Chapter 5 verse 10 and 11 we read:

My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

The prophets of old did indeed suffer. They spoke the word God gave them for Israel the Israelites did not like what they heard and many of these prophets were persecuted for doing what God told them! James puts a wonderful spin on this by telling us that these prophets were counted as blessed because of their endurance.

In Job 42:10-17, we get to see how God handles those who persevere. We hear about the “perseverance of Job”, in the midst of extreme difficulties, Job was faithful and endured and at the end of his tribulation God returned to him much:

And the LORD restored Job’s losses[a] when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.

Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days.

Another of my heroes of faith William Wilberforce showed great perseverance as a parliamentarian in England. For twenty years Wilberforce brought to the floor of parliament laws to abolish the slave trade. Ridiculed, mocked and scorned he did not give up and because he persevered the slave trade was indeed abolished after twenty long years.

Now to my recent problem, I truly believe in my friend and I truly believe in the cause, helping to get jobs for ex-offenders. For me to quit is to give up on the overall program. If I proceeded stubbornly and quit because I did not get my way even though I felt justified I would miss the blessing of being one who perseveres and in this case see hundreds of ex-offenders become gainfully employed.

Winston Churchill in a speech at an American college put it best: “Never, Never, NEVER GIVE UP!”

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