know you are serious [+] Tuesday E-Devotion

I have been preparing for our 30 Days to Live series for almost 6 months. We are now in countdown mode with only 12 days until we begin. Our leadership team has been praying, and we believe that this is a time when God is going to bring some people, many people to accept Him. So, we ask you to join us in asking God for 45 plus people to be saved. That's big!

What's different about this series, about The Community church or about this prayer time? It is our understanding that God has been preparing us, preparing this time and that God is going to move. We mean business, and we are serious about this. God is too. How do you know that you are serious?

First, you take God at His word. He is the Savior, forgiver, healer and lover of people. Nothing has changed that from day one of creation. But do we get serious about God? Here is a verse to prove the case:

Revelation 3:15 (nlt) --- I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!

The Apostle John was put away on an island all by himself, out of the way, but God shows up. Here is a message for the church from John, and we are still reading these words thousands of years later. People who are serious about God, get hot for God. They literally take Him at His word and get busy.

Here is another verse that proves the case:

Matthew 17:21 (nasb) --- But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Jesus was talking with His disciples, some other followers and a man who had a demon in him. What Jesus said was essentially when something is hard, is that these things are to be dealt with through prayer and fasting. I believe that prayer and fasting says to God "I am serious about this thing." Does that make sense?

Luke 9:23 (nlt) --- Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me."

Following Jesus is not for cowards, not for people who are not serious. We are dealing with eternity, with heaven and hell, with stuff that will matter after we die and after all this world is gone. Do we really mean business about God and our relationship with Him? If you and I do, then answer this question: Do we care if people are saved or not?

Answer that one. By the way, then you (and others) will know you are serious.

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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