Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me hear Your heart. Help me have Your heart, as I entrust my life and my day to You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)
I’ve had much, and I’ve had little. I’ve lived in a mansion, and I’ve lived in a cabin. I’ve tasted and seen the things of this world, and I’ve tasted and seen the things of God. I’ve passionately pursued the hopes and dreams of my culture, and I’ve come to find my peace and pleasure in the One whom my soul loves (Song of Solomon 3:4).
Thank You for taking hold of my heart and giving me a heart to take hold of You. Thank you for aligning my soul with the priorities of heaven and putting a heart for heaven in my soul.
It’s so freeing to my heart to pray, “Your kingdom come” instead of trying to build my own. It’s so restful to my soul to pray, “Your will be done” instead of insisting on my own (Matthew 6:10).
As it turns out, the kingdom that really matters, the whole world that really worth pursuing, is right here within me, as I entrust my plans, my hopes, my dreams, my priorities of my life to You. “The kingdom of God is within (me)” (Luke 17:21). “For the kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
By the grace of God, by the salvation of my soul, that’s the kingdom I’m pursuing. That’s the kingdom I want to come and the will of God I want to be done -- here on earth, here in my heart, here in the priorities of my soul each and every day, as it is in heaven. For what good would it be to gain the whole world and all this broken and fallen world has to offer, but to lose my own soul? ... In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you may be at rest in your soul with the priorities of heaven in your heart, in Jesus' name. God bless you, my friends!
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I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!!
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Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn to You to begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with Your Holy Spirit. ...
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22).
In You, we’re citizens of the kingdom, companions on the journey, the construction of something You began when You set Yourself as the chief cornerstone of all You’re building up in each one of us. Our hearts are now Your home; our lives are now where You display Your glory, as Your glory comes and fills the temples of our souls.
As The Message expresses it:
“That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all--irrespective of how we got here--in what He is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now He’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day--a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.”
It’s good to belong. It’s good to be a part of what You’re building--“brick by brick, stone by stone,” moment by moment and morning by morning. It’s good to be home in You and to know You are at home in me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
My family,, I pray you may be filled with peace in the knowledge of the truth that You belong to God and He abides in you with your heart as His home, in Jesus' name. God bless you, my friends!
Please take a minute to share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
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I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!!
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Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Lord I seek you this morning to receive your peace, and give me no peace today unless I share it with others.
“Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, so that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many, including me.
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my compatriots and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my good friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my compatriot. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, laborers in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother who was also a mother to me. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the believers who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.” (Romans 16 1-15)
I get so excited when I read Romans chapter 16! Matthew and Luke in their Gospels contain the genealogy of Jesus. Paul in Romans 16 gives the genealogy of the birth of the church. It contains the names of ordinary people, who in and through their faith in Jesus planted churches, spread the gospel and birthed the church. And when you read this list of church planters and leaders you see there are people missing we today think of when we think of church leaders. The list of people contains no names of ordained pastors, Elders, ministers, priests, bishops, or popes. No Jewish Rabbis, Scribes, Pharisees, or members of the Sanhedrin. There is not listed any titles from denominations, mission agencies, evangelist organizations, or church planting agencies. The names are those of “gentiles,” ordinary men and women, who were not chosen by a board, ,ordained by a committee, or given the title “Reverend” by anyone or any denomination. They were given thier position by their baptism in Christ, by God alone through their faith in Jesus.
The names are a list of ordinary women, men, sisters, brothers, married couples, mothers, fathers, friends and neighbors who simply imitated Jesus as his disciples, made disciples, and shared their faith and love of Jesus with others. The churches they birthed where not in buildings filled with pews, chairs, a stage with video screens and a band, or a holy altar to gather around,. Their “churches” were their simple homes with couches and sofas and their holy altar was their dining room table to gather around. “Church” was not something that they invited people to attend an hour on Sundays, that was not even a concept in their minds! “Church” was their home, their neighborhood. They did not invite people to “come meet my pastor,” but “Come meet Jesus.” They invited people into their lives and gave access to their lives every day. They were simple people, using simple homes, with a simple knowledge and theology, who simply loved Jesus with all their hearts, souls, minds an strength, and loved their neighbors. And the “church” they birthed walls could not contain and spread like holy fire.
My family, I pray that as you read the list of the names of the people in Paul’s letter, you deeply understand that they are ordinary people, the same as you and me. I pray the Holy Spirit will convict and encourage you to add your names and write them into this letter as men, women, married couples, mothers, fathers, families, who out of love for Jesus and neighbors, re-evaluate their understanding of church” and open up their lives and their homes and simply share your love of Jesus with others, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please take a minute to share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
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I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!!
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Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning, Lord Jesus. In the deep communion of prayer, help me begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
After I read this, I believe I hear in my heart this morning Your Spirit speaking these words: "Gary, be hopeful." As I take time now in silence to meditate on Your Word, I close my eyes and listen in my heart. I believe I see these words written like this: "Be hope full." And it seems I hear You saying, "Be full of hope Gary”. Not as something that is wishful thinking, but in assurance and expectant waiting. Not passively waiting, but purposefully awaiting what is to come and who you are to become in Me. Embrace My thoughts in your mind and My desires in your heart, that I may guide Your steps in My will and bless your days with My favor and my hope."
Yes, Lord. I want to embrace every word that's of You, every word of spirit and life and truth. As I hear Your voice in my heart, I am abounding in hope by the power of Your Holy Spirit. You are filling me afresh with all joy and peace that comes in believing in You. By the power of Your grace at work within me, I am "hope full" of all that is to come and all I am to become in You. And I can be a person of hope that brings hope into all my encounters with people I will have today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, In my prayers over you this morning, I pray that as you begin both a new week and a new morning your heart will seek a new anointing from the Holy Spirit and be "hope full" today. May you walk out your door into your day full of hope, filled afresh with all joy and peace in believing by the power of the Holy Spirit moving mightily in your life and on your behalf, especially in ways you don't yet see but choose to believe by faith, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of me. God bless you, my friends!
Won’t you please take a minute to share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
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I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!!
TO GIVE , CLICK HERE
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done -- here in my heart and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
"For the kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).
When You rule as King in my heart, there is righteousness in the Holy Spirit. You're setting things right -- right between me and my God, right between me and others, and right within myself.
When You rule as King in my heart, there is peace in the Holy Spirit. It's Your peace, not the world's peace -- peace between me and my God, peace with others, and peace within myself.
When I choose to prioritize listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and reading the thoughts and theories of King Jesus, instead of presidents, world leaders, and internet experts and conspiracy voices, I chose to allow my heart to be guided by The Way, The Truth, and The Light (John 14:6).
When You rule as King in my heart, there is joy in the Holy Spirit. It's the fullness of joy You desire me to have when my joy is made complete and the joy of the Lord is my strength -- joy between me and my God, joy with others, and joy within myself.
You said, "The kingdom of God is within (me)" (Luke 17:21). Jesus, I need more of Your kingdom within me. I need more of Your righteousness, more of Your peace, more of Your joy. I need more of Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). I need more of You ruling and reigning as King in my heart.
So this morning I cry out, “Come Holy Spirit!” You are the One who moves in my heart to bring forth and advance the fullness of the kingdom of God within me -- the kingdom of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit within me. "For God is working in (me), giving (me) the desire and the power do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13 NLT). The more I yield and surrender, embracing Your Presence and Your plan, entrusting my heart to You and Your will, the more the kingdom of God advances in me. That's how Your kingdom comes and Your will is done, on earth (and right here in me) as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Father God, let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done. As we prepare tomorrow to celebrate the day of the birth of our county, what our country needs the most is a re-birth of its desire for you to fill us afresh with Your Spirit, with Your righteousness and peace and joy. A nation who’s people open their spirits and bow their hearts before You, "that the King of glory may come in!" (Psalm 24:7) A nation who’s citizens celebrate the blessings of the country they live in, however the claim these blessings flow out of their primary embracing and identity as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you ask as well that the fullness of the kingdom of God comes in you in a fresh, new way this morning and filling you with the Presence of God, with His righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name! May the King of glory come into you today and everyday of your life! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
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Thank You!
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice, for Your sheep hear Your voice (John 10:3); and the sons and daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
As I’m waiting, what comes to my heart -- into my spirit and up to mind, in the communication of Your Heart to my heart, Your Spirit to my spirit -- is this:
“Draw near to Me. Pursue Me. Press in to Me. Position yourself to hear Me and trust Me and obey Me, as I transform you by putting My thoughts in your mind and My desires in your heart. This is how I change and transform you into My image and transform you with My mind renewing your mind.” ...
Yes, Lord. I know every word I ever believe I’m hearing in my heart must be tested against the Word of God as my Plumb Line and Standard (1 Thessalonians 5:21). And this written Word immediately comes to mind to confirm Your spoken word:
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert...” (1 Peter 5:6-8).
By the leading of Your Spirit and in the power of Your grace, I do choose to position myself to hear You and trust You and obey You. I do choose to humble myself before You in prayer, to press in to You in worship, to allow You to transform my nature into Your nature, my character into Your character, and transform me by the renewing of my mind. I do choose to be positioned to be changed by the Presence of God.
Let this be my discipline in obedience and submission to Your discipleship. In this way, may You make me more like You each day (Romans 8:29). For as You are, so are we to be in our world (1 John 4:17).
“Thus (You have) given us, through these things, (Your) precious and very great promises, so that through them (we) may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust and may become participants of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Lord, let it be so in me and in the heart of every soul who is called by Your name -- day by day, step by step, morning by morning, “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
My family, may you be positioned to be transformed by the Presence of God, to be conformed into His image and participate in His nature, from glory to glory, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the Comments Box below..
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
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I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!!
TO GIVE , CLICK HERE
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin this day and every day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with Your Holy Spirit.
"Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all" (Romans 12:9-18).
I read Paul’s words and I think to my self, wow! Lord, is my love genuine? Does it come from a heart that's been wholly surrendered to You? Does it honestly express a true desire to be genuinely concerned for the needs and hopes of those around me You bring into my life? Or do I only love to be loved; do I only give in order to get; do I only act like how I think I ought to look in the eyes of others; do I only say what I think someone wants to hear if it will advance my cause and serve my plans? Or is it a little of both?
If I'm really honest with You and honest with myself, I'd have to admit I still have a long way to go to have a heart like You, completely genuine in love. "The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse -- who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).
But at the same time, "(You) test the mind and search the heart" (Jeremiah 17:10). You long to "create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). And Your Spirit pours Your love into my heart to make my heart more like Yours every day that I continue to open my heart to You (Romans 5:5). So by the power of the grace of God, "(I) do not lose heart. Even though (my) outter nature is wasting away, (my) inner nature is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16).
Throughout the moments of my day, You offer me the choice to embrace the heart of genuine love You continually offer to me. You continually invite me to live into the truth of the new and clean heart You've created in me. "For the love of Christ urges us on ... So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) And praise God that even includes my heart and the genuineness of my love. Thank You, Jesus! I love you Jesus! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray today you live into the genuine love of the renewed heart given to you by the grace of God through Jesus Christ, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!!
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Jesus, I sit here and rest in your presence as I need your to be present with me throughout my day.
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has first given to God, that God needs to repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)
In this passage Paul quotes from Isaiah 40:13 and Job 41:1 to help him speak into the unimaginable depths, riches, wisdom, knowledge, judgements, and ways of God. For this mornings devotion on Romans 10, I am going to turn to Isaiah. Listen to his “morning reflections” as he tries to speak into the unfathomable aspects of God.
“Who has measured out the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or carefully measured the sky,
or carefully weighed the soil of the earth,
or weighed the mountains in a balance,
or the hills on scales?
Who comprehends the mind of the Lord,
or gives him instruction as his counselor?
From whom does he receive directions?
Who teaches him the correct way to do things,
or imparts knowledge to him,
or instructs him in skillful design?
Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales…
To whom can you compare God?
To what image can you liken him?....
Do you not know?
Do you not hear?
Has it not been told to you since the very beginning?
Have you not understood from the time the earthʼs foundations were made?
He is the one who sits on the earthʼs horizon;
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him.
He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin curtain,
and spreads it out like a pitched tent.
He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing;
he makes the earthʼs leaders insignificant.
Indeed, they are barely planted;
yes, they are barely sown;
yes, they barely take root in the earth,
and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,
and the wind carries them away like straw.
“To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?”
says the Holy One.
Look up at the sky!
Who created all these heavenly lights?
He is the one who leads out their ranks;
he calls them all by name.
Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,
not one of them is missing.
Why do you say, Jacob,
Why do you say, Israel,
“The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me,
My God is not concerned with my vindication”?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is an eternal God,
the creator of the whole earth.
He does not get tired or weary;
there is no limit to his wisdom.
He gives strength to those who are tired;
to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.
Even youths get tired and weary;
even strong young men clumsily stumble.
But those who wait for the Lordʼs help find renewed strength;
they rise up as if they had eaglesʼ wings,
they run without growing weary,
they walk without getting tired.
(Isaiah 40:12-31)
My family, I pray as your mind tries to wrap itself around God’s incomprehensible greatness and holiness you take time this morning to quietly sit, kneel, or lay face down on the floor and wait on the Lord. And as you wait on Him and soak in His Spirit, remind yourself that what ever you are going through God is big enough to take care of it and let Him renew your strength at the beginning of your day. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!!
Gary Liederbach- Leadthat
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning, Lord Jesus. In our morning communion of prayer, let my spirit arise and soar into the heavenly realm of Your Presence. ...
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.... But (we) are not in the flesh; (we) are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in (us)" (Romans 8:5-6).
You set before me the choice of life and peace every day. I can have it or not. In the freedom You allow in the sovereignty of Your will, You let me choose this day who I will serve and how I will live. And what determines the destiny of my day is my choice of where I will set my mind. According to Your Word, "to set (my) mind on the flesh is death, but to set (my) mind on the Spirit is life and peace" (v. 6).
So to have my days full of the life and peace You desire for me, I need to know how to "set (my) mind on the Spirit." In a way, it is the most important choice I'll make all day. And in the same way, it should be the first choice I make all day. Just as importantly, it should be a choice I keep making throughout the moments and all the decisions of my day.
So, Lord, teach me how to "set (my) mind on the Spirit." Show me how to do it; show me what it looks like. What does it really mean to "set (my) mind on the Spirit?"
As I listen in my heart and wait for Your leading, it seems I hear You saying: "My son, I am the Spirit of God within you. I am the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit of the Living God, living in you. To set your mind on the Spirit is to set your mind on Me -- to seek first My kingdom and My righteousness, to give Me first place in your life, to allow Me to shape your thoughts and your desires as you choose to allow Me to guide your steps throughout the moments of your day. It is not an accidental attitude that just “happens” because you call yourself a Christian. It is not an attitude of passivity or complacency. It is an active attitude that flows out of a conscious choice, a deliberate decision to seek Me first and trust Me always with the leading and Lordship of your life -- each moment by moment and choice by choice in your life by the power of My grace."
My reply to you Lord is, “Yes, Lord. Let it be so, as You have said. By the power of Your grace, give me this attitude, give me the intentionality, give me the persistence, give me this desire -- the desire and the power to live my life in Your Spirit -- by seeking and setting my mind every moment by moment and choice by choice, every day of my life in Your Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray that by the power of the grace of God you will intentionally set aside time, consciously choose and deliberately decide this morning to set your mind on the Spirit and live your life in the Spirit today and every day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!!
Good morning Lord Jesus, I seek your Spirit inside me to guide me throughout my day..
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “ But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)
I saw a documentary on The Church in China and how it is spreading like fire. The interviewer asked, a couple small house church leaders why they think it is spreading? One Chinese woman replied, “When we were being persecuted for our faith, our persecutors forbid the mention or sharing of the name of Jesus or the spreading of his Gospel. Now that we can share it, if we do not share it everyday, the days we don’t share Jesus's name we partner with those that persecuted us. The days we do not share the name of Jesus we are like those persecutors who will not share the name of Jesus. For if we go throughout our day and do not share Jesus with someone, how are we different from those who do not believe in Jesus, who hate Jesus and try to stop the spreading of the Gospel? Each day we we do not share Jesus with someone we are no different from our persecutors and join their side. We want to be on the side of Jesus every day, so we must share his name to at least one person every day.
If you look back on your past week, how many days this past week have you been on the side of Jesus and how many days have your been on the side of unbelievers who hate, persecute and try to silence the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus? We are almost half way through the year. Open up a calendar of 2023 and put a check in the days on your calendar you shared Jesus with someone. Now look at your calendar. Would your calendar confirm that you as a persecutor of Jesus or a presenter of Jesus? Remember that omission is a sin.
Below is a video of my daughter Milan when she was 17 years old and a senior at Bob Jones High School. In her English class they read the book “Beowulf.” Their teacher assigned the class to present a “Beowulf” speech; boasting on themselves, their greatness and their power. The video is of my daughters speech to her class. Without fear, (or maybe with fear) she shared the Gospel and name of Jesus to her class. When you watch it you may reply to yourself, that is amazing! However, this is not supposed to be amazing. It is supposed to be the norm of your daily walk, some thing you are doing on a daily basis. “People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” (Matthew 5:15). Jesus was not killed by the world and resurrected to give you light in your baptism for you keep to yourself and tuck the light away in a hidden box to pull out at your time of death to keep you from going to hell. The light was given to you to share and rescue others from their hell. Your personal knowledge and relationship with Jesus and the light you received has absolutely no impact on those around you and their darkness unless you share it.
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). The salvation that is found in no one else but Jesus is only possible if the Name of Jesus is given among men, meaning shared by you with others. To the people the name of Jesus is not given, salvation does not occur.
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” 2Timothy 1:8-9
My family, I pray today as you begin a new week you will reflect on, “Who’s side you will be on today?” I pray by the leading of the Holy Spirit that at the end of this day you will be able to put and “X” on your calendar that you sided with Jesus and those who are not ashamed of the Gospel and shared it with someone. I pray that every morning of this week in your calendar, and everyday you are given the gift of awakening, from this morning until you leave this earth there will be an “x” marked that you sided with Jesus. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!!
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!!
Good morning Lord Jesus, Yours is the Lordship I choose to obey as I begin my Day. Give me the strength through your Spirit to obey you only today.
“ Any weapon that is forged against you will not succeed, and any tongue that rises up with you, you will find guilty. This is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness from me, says the Lord.” (Isaiah 54: 17)
I love this powerful verse! Whoever attempts to use a weapon or tongue against the people of God will not succeed, as all things must eventually serve God’s purpose. They may be able to injure God’s people, and appear to destroy them, but they will never be able to do so. It appeared Babylon had destroyed Israel, but God delivered them. In modern times, it appeared the Nazis and their holocaust had destroyed Israel and Judaism. Yet the main final result of its horrific acts was the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel, which had not existed for 2,000 years.
This morning I watched on the news the sufferings of our Christian brothers and sisters in the Ukraine. I pray this verse over the country and people of the Ukraine “ Any weapon that is forged against you will not succeed, and any tongue that rises up with you, you will find guilty. This is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness from me, says the Lord.” V. 17. Lord Jesus, we pray a prayer of protection over the people of Ukraine against the attacks of Russia. Come to aid of those who are flooded out of their homes, without food and water, and had facing sever hardships because of the destroyed dam. Send your warring angels down to fight for them. Release your created forces of nature against them. Empower us watching this horrific event in comfort with the boldness to do the next right thing in support and assistance of our brothers and sisters in the church of Jesus Christ who are being persecuted and suffering as a result of Russia’s evil actions. Lord have mercy on them, Christ have mercy on them, Lord have mercy on them.
My family, This is verse is the inheritance of those in the family of God, those in Christ Jesus, this is the inheritance of you and me!!! You may find your self in a situation now that is destroying your joy. It may even be one as the result of your deliberate sin. Israel’s exile into Babylon was a result of their deliberate sin against God. But when you repent and turn back to God, turn back to Christ, the destruction stops and healing begins as your relationship to God is renewed. I pray this verse this morning over your lives as well, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and prayers for those in the Ukraine in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You
TO GIVE CLICK HERE
“Now one of the experts in the law came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is: ʻListen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your “mind, and with all your strength.ʼ The second is: ʻLove your neighbor as yourself.ʼ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him. And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Then no one dared any longer to question him.” (Mark 12:28-34)
I am still pondering and reflecting on my post yesterday on Acts 29, the purpose if the church today, and the questions it contained. Why am I here? Why is our church here? What is our vision? As the book of Acts reminds us of the beginnings and visions of the early Church, I went back and read my notes and reflections I wrote on the early beginnings of planting this church to remind me of its beginnings and why it is here.
We had our first ODC gathering in my living room in March of 2013. Here are my journal entry reflections from December of 2012.
“We together must come to the realization that Christianity and discipleship is not about imitating religion and church structures, but imitating a person, namely Jesus Christ. We must also believe that if you start with trying to form a church, you do not always end up with community. But if you start with simply forming community, then a church will be formed. And lives will be transformed. Because of this, our hearts must not just be opened, but convicted and compelled to doing church "new” again. Which basically means in reality not forming a new expression of our faith, but returning to the "old school;" faith of churches and communities of faith we find in the New Testament and early church, communities that Love God, Love Neighbor, and Make Disciples.
A disciple I define as a committed apprentice of the Lord Jesus Christ who is growing in Love for God and others, sent out to make disciples, all through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our church must be a radical community of disciples, centered on the Lordship of Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, that is organized and focused around relationally and missionally reaching out into our context of Madison, Huntsville and the surrounding areas.
Our Prayer: “Lord, send us the ones that no one else wants and give us the strength and grace to love them and even greater strength and grace to allow them to love us.”
Our Mission:We are relationally and compassionately reaching out to those society would label ”un-churched” by living out Jesus’ commandments to Love God, Love our Neighbor, and Make Disciples. (Mk 12:29-31;Mt28:18-20) We can only accomplish this by exhibiting Immediate Radical Costly Obedience.
Our vision: To plant churches that are missional communities from the start. Where Sunday mornings is not "church," but a “Koinonia,” a fellowship of the people of God, missionaries who are sent out into the context of their community, gather to celebrate what they have done as “the church” throughout their week. Churches that do not focus on, "How do we get to heaven?" but on, "How do we get heaven here? Churches who at their core is extraordinary prayer, the Word of God, Holy Spirit fire, a resurrected Christ, compassion for the lost, a desire to make disciples who make disciples, and have a heart breaking in love for its neighbors. Lord, may it be so! Lord, let it be so in me!”
My family, We have read the about the stories, mission, vision and prayers of the early church in Acts. What is your mission, vision, and prayers? What are the church you attend vision and mission statements? What is it’s pray and definition of disciples? Do you know them? How are you entering into, encouraging, supporting and fulfilling them in your day to day life? I pray you will do as I did, and go back and read and reflection why your church exists, and reflect and pray over your church and how your are to be a disciple, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
As I am in a season of reflection, I would love to hear your reflections on my posts by sharing them in the comment box below.
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You
TO GIVE CLICK HERE
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Jesus, help me love you more this morning so I can love more those I meet today…
“King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” vs. 27-29
Agrippa's question was an attempt to sidestep Paul's question to him. The king neatly avoided denying his belief in the prophets and accepting Paul's presentation of them, that Jesus is the Christ. Paul replied that whether it took a short time or long, he did indeed hope to make everyone as he was, a disciple of Christ. Those in attendance could not have failed to have been impressed with the bravery and wit of Paul in engaging a king in such lively conversation!
Aggripa's question and his attempt to avoid denying his belief in the prophets and accepting Christ I believe powerfully illustrates the the totality, depth, and all encompassing truth that comprises faith in Christ. We modern "Genitles" I believe fail to realize and embrace this. The Scriptures that Paul claimed were fulfilled and used to argue that Jesus is Lord and Christ were all Old Testament (OT) Scriptures. There was not yet written John 3:16, or a "Roman Road" or any other verse in the New Testament to use to lead someone to Christ.
The use of the OT to argue that Jesus is the Christ was a powerful argument for Paul because those who he was speaking to had the Torah, if not the whole OT memorized and knew it well. Most of those we witness to today do not know the OT well, and I believe most people in our pews really do not know and understand the over all mega narrative and prophesy of the OT as it relates to Christ. This may actually have made it more difficult for Jews to believe in Jesus as the Christ. For if a Jew believed in Christ, it effected everything they knew as a Jew. It affected their laws, culture, religion and understanding of God. The “great I Am” would now has a face and a name. And they would have to surrender and place everything they know and understand of Scripture in the truth that Jesus is Lord.
And we, those in church today, believers, and those sojourners seeking Christ do not grasp this. The lyrics to the song, "What if God was one of us" state, "If God had a face, what would it look like? And would you want to see it, if seeing meant believing in things like heaven and in hell, and the apostles, and in Jesus and the saints, and all the prophets." If God has a face, and you come to believe and see the truth that that face is Jesus, then you must accept all the other truths in all of Scripture: the prophets, saints, apostles, the new earth to come, hell, the patriarchs and the cross.
The Jews who came to belief in Jesus as the Christ were in awe and wonder of him because they understood the depth of who he is: He is the Son of man spoken of in Daniel; He is the suffering servant and the root of David spoken of in Isaiah; he is the desperate soul who cries out in Psalm 22; and the list goes on. Christians today are grafted into a tree by faith and most have little or no understanding of its roots. In this age of materialistic, entitlement, and prosperity gospel, Christians really do not understand that the tree they are grafting themselves into roots go deep. It is a tree in the shape of a cross.
My family, I pray you reflect on, “Who is Jesus to you?” Everything written in the OT was fulfilled in Jesus. How deep do your roots and understanding, and awe of him go? I pray that the Holy Spirit will instill in you a desire to go deeper in you understanding of who is Jesus. I pray that the Holy Spirit will instill in us as a community of faith who claims Jesus as our Lord, a desire to go encourage each other to deepen our understanding of Jesus and the totality of his Lordship. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections of Acts 26 with us in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!
Good morning Father, I rest here in your arms and embrace of love.
“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” v. 24
Paul was ready to surrender his freedom and, if needed, his life itself for the sake of Christ and his service. Self-preservation and comfort were not a motive which he sought after. His main concern was to fulfill the course which Christ had marked for him to run, sharing in the Spirit’s power the good news of God’s free grace in Christ. Life or death was not the issue that mattered: what mattered most was, as he told the church gathered, that Christ should be magnified in his body and life.
The leaders of the church gathered around Paul and he laid on them a weighty responsibility. The Holy Spirit had entrusted them with the charge of the people of God and the church in Ephesus. They now were charged with the sharing of the gospel to the city and caring for its people as shepherds care for their flock. Their responsibility was great in that the flock which they were commissioned to was the church of God which he himself had purchased for himself with nothing less than the life-blood of his beloved Son.
Paul then looks forward to their future and the prospects for the Ephesian church was not completely promising. He tells them the sheep will have to be guarded with unceasing vigilance, for ferocious wolves will try to force their way among them and ravage them. As in Jesus’ parable of the good shepherd, it is the leaders of the church who are now called to be the good shepherds of their flock. They are called protect the church from false teachers, here described as wolves, because of the spiritual death and havoc they cause. They need to protect the church not only from wolves that will try to intrude the church from the outside, but that false teachings will come out of their own ranks and arise to try to seduce their followers away from the fold. Later in John’s writings in Revelations, the Ephesian church is chastised for abandoning her first love. Foreseeing these happenings, Paul urges the church leaders to be vigilant and follow his example: He urges them to maintain their course God has set them to run; to share the good new of God’s free grace; to shepherd and show compassion and concern on new converts; to be ready to surrender freedom and life; as all that mattered was that Christ should be glorified in their body.
My family, as you read chapter 23 and my reflection, I pray you understand that each of you in your baptism and receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit are now one of the leaders of the church today and Paul is speaking to you.. I pray you realize you are now called to be the good shepherds over the flock in your city and the church that God purchased with the blood of his Son. You are now called to keep the wolves out. And together as leaders, we are called to maintain our course God has set us to run; to share the good new of God’s free grace; to shepherd and show compassion and concern on new converts; to be ready to surrender freedom and life; as all that matters is that Christ should be glorified in our bodies, in Jesus’s name, Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections on Chapter 18 with myself and others in the comments box. My purpose for writing the daily reflections is to encourage your own reflections and prayers. I would love to hear what God is revealing to you.
Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You! Thank You!
Good morning Jesus, send your Holy Spirit to guide my life today
Acts 18 is a chapter on discipleship. In this chapter we meet Aquila and Priscilla. A couple that took Paul in and were discipled by him for 1 1/2 -2 years in Corinth. And where did Paul’s discipleship training take place? In a church classroom? In a lecture hall? No, At work! “Because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade” (v.3). Paul discipled them at his workplace. The result was that that when Paul left Corinth for Ephesus, it was not Timothy or Silas that accompanied him on his trip, but Aquila and Priscilla.
While Paul was in Ephesus, God led him to witness in his neighborhood. “Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.” (v,7-8). Paul walked next door, walked around his neighborhood, and made disciples of his neighbors. Paul’s discipleship training also took place in his neighborhood. Aquila and Priscilla went with Paul as he talked to his neighbors, watching him, learning from him, being discipled themselves. The results of this was that after Paul spent time in Ephesus, he left but Aqulla and Pricilla stayed behind, continuing to make disciples there and helped plant and birth the church in Ephesus.
We see later in chapter 18, how Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos into their house, and discipled him for a time, then sent him out to Achia to plant grow the church. “But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” (v. 26). Discipleship changes individual(s) to go out and change the world and to go out and make disciples who make disciples.
The Lord spoke to Paul, ”Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people." (vs. 9-10). The Lord said there were many in his city that were “his people”, people who the soil of their hearts was good and ready to receive the seed of the gospel if Paul would just go and sow it in them. The Lord is speaking the same to you and I. Put your name and city in that verse, “Do not be afraid Gary, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in Madison, Toney, and Huntsville who are my people."
So who are you discipling now? In your workplace? In your neighborhood? All the years you have attended church and and walked with God, all your personal knowledge of Jesus and love for Jesus has absolutely no impact or any benefit at all to those around you, brings absolutely no light to the darkness around you, is a “light hid under a basket,” unless you personally share it with others. You are not called to your church. You attend your church, just like Paul attended the synagogue. However if all Paul did was attend his synogague once a week, you and I may not be going to church on Sundays. You are called to your work place and your neighborhood. You attend your church, however it is the front door of your home that you are called to open and invite people into. Who are your Aquilas and Pricillas your co-workers; who are the Crispus your neighbors, that you are pouring into and giving them real access to your lives so they can watch you, learn from you, read the Bible with you, pray with you, and grow as disciples? Real access does not happen in a hour church service or by sending text messages or FB posts. Real access requires a personal involvement and an investment of real time. We are called to be a church with discipleship making at our core. Discipleship requires investing personal and intimate time with other individuals.
Memorial Day is coming up when we remember the thousands of men and women who gave their lives to grant us and give us the freedom, hope, comfort and privileges we now live in as citizens of the USA. As a citizen of the USA, you have won the lottery with all the resources available to you.
We also remember we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. You have had thousands of saints of God and Christ himself who were martyred and died to grant you the position you are in now as citizens of heaven and to receive all the resources, power, grace, joy, mercy, forgiveness that has been bestowed upon you. You add those two together and we are blessed and equipped to share the gospel and disciple others greater than any other people on this earth!
You have won the two biggest lotteries available to you in the world! You and I had thousands of men and women give their lives to grant you and give you the freedom and privileges you now live in as citizens of the USA. You and I had thousands of men and women give their lives, and God himself gave His Son and Jesus willingly gave his life to grant you and give you the freedom and privileges you now live in as citizens, sons and daughters of the Kingdom of God..
What are you doing with it all? How is your life honoring those that died to give you the position of these two citizenships? You have won two lotteries, one from heaven and one from earth, how are you using those resources given to you at the cost of the lives of others? You and I have more resources than anybody else in the world to share the Gospel and bring people to Christ? How, where, to whom are you using your resources to bring people to Christ?
Prayers:
Discipleship flows out of us individually investing more personal and intimate time with God. Pray this morning that God will strengthen your resolve to invest time in Him by daily reading our chapter in the New Testament and reflecting on it. By, fasting day a week in prayer, spending at least one solid hour a week in prayer, and meeting weekly in a group for accountability.
Pray that our church, your church will finally awaken and move out of individual lives of isolation and move forward so we will invest more in each other, that true discipleship among us will occur. Pray for unity among us.
Pray as we move forward we will invest more in others by opening out homes to our neighbors and starting Bible studies and house churches, Band groups, and increased fruits into and of those you are discipling now.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you two or three people you know who need discipling in their life right now. Pray that God will give you the love to step into their life. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections on Chapter 18 with myself and others in the comments box. My purpose for writing the daily reflections is to encourage your own reflections and prayers. I would love to hear what God is revealing to you.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Discipleship Training.
One of my passions is helping churches or small groups understand and embrace their call to be disciples of Jesus out in their community. I offer and lead discipleship trainings in person and on-line. If you or your church are interested I would love to help you and talk to you bout it. Email me at garyl@onedirection.community.
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You! Thank You!
I love Acts 17. It is a chapter of proclamation! It is a chapter on overthrow of idols and false gods and implementing the revolution of Jesus Christ! It is a chapter on the spreading of the Gospel and the claiming people and places as part of God’s Kingdom on earth!
“These people who have stirred up trouble throughout the world have come here too, and Jason has welcomed them as guests! They are all acting against Caesars decrees, saying there is another king named Jesus!” v. 7
“This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” v.3
"Paul had also proclaimed the word of God" v.13
"because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.”v.18
We too are called to join in today and proclaim there is another King named Jesus! "For in him we live and move about and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, For we too are his offspring."(17:28) If this is true, then our very lives should be proclamations of our King Jesus, and as his subjects, declaring that the Kingdom of God is at hand. The people were accusing Paul, Silas, Jason and other of proclaiming “Throughout the world.” Jesus is king. (v. 6) Those present in Thessalonica had knowledge of what had happened elsewhere in the world. Word about Paul and his companions and their message was spreading. The gospel was turning the world upside down! Paul says, ““He now commands all people everywhere to repent” v.30. God was now asking all mankind to turn to him. No nation or race was excluded. This includes all of Huntsville, Madison, Toney, and Harvest, Al; Cleveland and Northfield, Oh where I am writing this now; your city, your neighbors, your family, and yourself.
John Wesley said, “Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God; such alone will shake the gates of hell.” We are called to join in shaking the gates of hell!
We are called to radically join in this revolution! We are called to stir up trouble, up-set the world, and turn the world upside down and declare in the face of all the idolatry in our cities,” There is another king named Jesus!” v.7. Everywhere Paul preached in Acts 17 he was driven out of town. John Wesley once said that if after sharing the Gospel he wasn’t driven out of town he feared he did not share it well enough. The gospel is radical message. C.S Lewis said, “A man who first tried to guess 'what the public wants,' and then preached that as Christianity because the public wants it, would be a pretty mixture of fool and knave”
My family, I pray over you that you will intentionally plan for, write down dates in your calendar and participate in nothing short of a revolution::
"Nothing great happens when you hold back." Pray that God will remove from you today anything that is "holding you back" from proclaiming Jesus is King.
“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” Martin Luther said, “Delay is the sharpest arrow in the enemies quiver.” Pray over your immediate Radical Costly Obedience to share the Gospel.
Pray right now that the Holy Spirit will lead and put in your path today the un-avoidable and obvious opportunity to share the gospel with one person today. Pray over this with sincerity and expectancy, and then walk out your door expecting and searching for it to happen and be prepared to share when it does.
Pray that your life today will boldly and joyfully proclaim Jesus is the King!
Pray for those you know: friends, family members, co-workers, who as Paul refers to in Athens, that are worshipping an unknown god or gods. Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to them the existence of the one true God.
Pray for the cities of Madison, Huntsville, Toney, Cleveland, Northfield, your city and your neighborhood, that the proclamation that Jesus is Lord will be the chorus heard through out it!
Pray all of these in Jesus’ name! And please pray the same over me. God bless you my
Please share your thoughts and reflections on Chapter 17 with myself and others in the comments box. My purpose for writing the daily reflections is to encourage your own reflections and prayers. I would love to hear what God is revealing to you.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You! Thank You!
This morning instead of continuing on with our journey through The Book of Acts, my reflection flows out of my experience serving in prison the last four days.
I spent the last four days in St. Clair Prison as part of a Kairos team of remarkable men who went into the prison to share the Gospel of love and grace of Jesus with inmates. It was a n amazing weekend. In the conversations around the tables with team member and inmates was not heard any of the common replies of “I’m fine.” The conversations and exchanges were raw and real. All allowed themselves to become vulnerable, sharing real struggles and failures, weaknesses and hurts, and “fakeness” and hypocrisy in in life,. Both team members and inmates confessed sins, shared deep remorse, asked for forgiveness, repented, shed many tears, many deep embraces, and cried out to Jesus. The prayers shared that came from the broken, humble hearts of strong men were spontaneous, emotional, struggling to get the right words out as they bared their souls before God. The forgiveness, grace and love that outpoured was tangible and thick. The smiles through the tears of joy of those who received and accepted forgiveness was beautiful. The worship! Oh my God! The worship was a sold-out offering of their complete selves to God in praise and thanksgiving. It brought chills to the skin, life back to dry bones, freedom to the soul, and brought heaven down to earth.
To sum it all up: for 4 days we had church. We experienced the power of the church. We were the church.
And I guarantee that yesterday on Sunday morning, any of the men on the team besides the fact they were away from their spouses and family, would rather be sitting in a chair inside prison, than in a pew outside in a church. I still have allot to process from the four days.
My family, I pray this morning as we step out into the beginning of another week of work and routines, we seek in desperation to be raw and real before God. We seek to find ways to enter into conversations with others where we and they can be vulnerable, be real with life, real before God, really love each other, and really be The Church. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts on this reflection pin the comments box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You! Thank You! .
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“About that time King Herod laid hands on some from the church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too.” (Acts 12:1-3)
Having the faith in God to serve him, can be scary and intimidating. In fact, it is supposed to be. If your plans, if your faith are not intimidating to you, they are insulting to God. Because is you can do it in your own competency and comfort, then there is no faith involved. You can do it, you don’t need God. It is in those plans that if God does not show up we are screwed that you need faith, you need God. We cannot afford to be of smaller faith.
You do have those who’s great faith ended happily in this world, on this side of glory:
o Daniel's deliverance from the lion's den in Dan. 6,
o Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace Dan. 3.
o Those are found in Hebrews 11:17-35a
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead.
By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection.” You have in this chapter of Acts 12 the story of Peter being miraculously free. These stories all ended in a “Happy ending” as these persons names were entered into heaven’s hall of fame.
But you also have Hebrews 11:35b-40. It does not always end in a happy ending in this world, on this side of glory.
“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
You have as we read in Acts 7, Stephen, who was stoned and in this chapter James who was behead.
How the story turns out on earth has nothing to do with whether you enter the Hall of Faith or not. How the story turns out on earth has nothing to do with whether God is glorified or not. It may not have a happy ending on this side, but on the other side God is glorified. But whether it turns out happy or sad by earthly standards, cannot take away or hinder the glory that comes from big faith.
God delights and honors that big faith. Like Caleb and Joshua in Canna, Numbers chapter 13, who said, “Let us go up and occupy it, for we are well able to conquer it.” They are not looking at the problems, they are looking at their God.
My family, As I stated above, if your plans are not intimidating to you, they are insulting to God. What are your plans for serving God and living out your faith? Do they really even require faith? Or are you simply “following Jesus” and “carrying your cross” in a routine way that you can handle and that fits your schedule? Do you have plans you are stepping out in big faith and trying to achieve that you are on your knees fasting and praying for God’s help and provisions because if He does not show up you are screwed? I pray as we read through Acts and the amazing big faith of those that birthed The Church, you will reflect and pray on your level of faith, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections from reading Acts chapter 12 As we read through these chapters, though certain verses in each chapter stood out to me that I comment and pray on, other verses probably stood out to you. Please share this with us.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You! Thank You! .
CLICK HERE TO GIVE
