Sounds a little extreme, I know, but let me explain. We, the church, have considered for generations a discipleship option that doesn’t exist. You see, Jesus has always given us two options. There is the wide gate and the narrow gate. There is the wide road and the narrow road. There is destruction and there is life (Matthew 7:13-14). It seems we have invented a third option that Jesus never offered or intended. That option is the middle road. Rather than committing fully to Jesus, we keep our commitments to the things of this world and add Jesus to our list.

When Jesus invites us to press through the narrow gate, He requires that we drop everything. That is the only way through. We can hold on to nothing when we choose His way. Our allegiance and obedience are all to Him or they are not at all to Him. There is no middle option. When we hold on to our plans and our stuff, we are saying, “Sure, Jesus is important, He has value, but so do these things.” We essentially put Jesus in the balance and put our jobs, possessions, relationships, plans, future, etc. also in the balance. We weigh Jesus against everything else and see to what degree He is worth committing. We test His value against things. We measure the value of the Creator against things of His creation. As the Almighty God, He is worth everything to you or He is worth nothing. There are no degrees of His worth and, as such, there can be no degrees of discipleship. He will not share glory with anything or anyone. All your worship is God’s or none is.

Back to that narrow gate. Yes, you have to drop everything to press through and follow Jesus, but take heart. Jesus will pick up the things you have dropped. He will give you back whatever you need. He will return to you the relationships, the job, even the possessions that will help you follow Him. This time, however, you will see them for what they are – gifts. Then, the Giver will receive glory not the gifts.

James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

I get where this is coming from. I celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25. I call the day Christmas. If you are not celebrating the same thing, please don’t call it Christmas. Be bold enough, though, to call it what it is. Whatever you are celebrating that day, call it by its name. If the generic holiday is the best you have, you probably don’t have anything to celebrate and you might as well go to work. Good news, traffic will be light.

You see, Jesus is not an ingredient to be added to some “Holiday” recipe. He is everything or He is absent. This is by His command. We can’t simply take this holiday mess of presents and decorations and TV specials and food and debt and stress and Black Friday brawls and add a dash of baby Jesus and pretend it is Christmas. If the best you can do is squeeze a little manger scene in between the inflatable Santa and the pile of gifts arranged as a monument to materialism, please don’t call it Christmas. This is no more than taking the name of Christ and using it in vain.

Jesus commands this of our lives, holidays included: either it is all about Him or it not at all about Him. It is not possible to keep your self-made, self-centered life and add enough Jesus to make you feel good. It is not possible to keep your celebration of consumption and materialism and add enough Jesus to make you feel good.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25

If you are not willing to lay it all down and start over with Jesus Christ at the center and lifted high, please don’t attach His name. His name is too precious to cheapen this way. Call it Christmas when your holiday is all about Him. Call yourself Christian when your life is all about Him.

During this time, our youth will be watching and discussing some pretty heavy videos. This is not taken lightly by our leaders. This will be a difficult study because there is no way to take an honest look at the condition of mankind without shedding tears. Let me tell you, there will be tears shed by my kids and yours. There will be a sick feeling in the pit of many stomachs. I pray that this happens because if it doesn’t happen, we have not taken a realistic look. We should be sickened by what is happening to man at the hands of man.

We often lament the fact that our kids are being desensitized to violence and blood and death and crime and the list goes on. If I can be brutally honest with you and with myself, we are fully implicated in this. When we allow our kids to watch the dozens of police, crime scene, medical examiner, blood and guts television shows followed by playing shoot, kill and blow up the other guy video games we are taking part in desensitizing our own kids. The only way to turn back this effect is to sensitize our kids. To sensitize means to make sensitive. The way to do this is to first take an honest look. Second, engage what you see with all of your senses. If what you see results in pain, you process that pain. I believe senses, feelings and emotions will be exposed this weekend. I pray that after exposure, they will be processed. Our leaders are preparing now to talk about the feelings and emotions. Deal with the shock and the horror. Deal with the sadness and outrage. After processing comes the time to act.  Upon realizing that these horrors are going on right now, how will we act? We can’t stop with saying, “That is really sad.” We can’t stop with hoping things change. It is my prayer that after becoming sensitive to the problems like never before, these young disciples will be motivated to act like never before.

As a parent, I know we will all handle this differently. Every parent wants to protect his children from pain, but at what cost? If pain breaks the cycle of complacency in my kids, bring it on. If it is painful for our kids to realize that the rest of the world isn’t blessed to live in the Disney World bubble of comfort and privilege that we know, so be it. If they don’t know, they will never feel. If they never feel, they will never care. If they don’t care, they won’t act.

As a parent, you will decide what to do with this. I respect your decision because you know your kids better than I do. One reason for writing this was to make sure no parent is surprised by the hard work being done this weekend. Make your decision based on prayer, your kid, your relationship with your kid, and the reality of the fallen world we live in.

Please lift this group of amazing, world-changing young disciples in prayer CONTINUALLY this weekend.

Lets widen our view, Wall Street occupiers. You may not be in the top 1% worldwide, but I am willing to guess you are in the top 5%.

• If your household income is $35000, you make more than 95% of homes in the world.
• If you have plumbing and electricity in your home, you live better than 80% of the world.
• US accounts for 6% of the world population and over 50% of the world’s wealth
• More than 50% of the world’s inhabitants live on less than $2 per day.

I know we have truly poor families in the US. Hearing these statistics doesn’t make this any easier to bear. The vast majority of Americans and I dare say the vast majority of campers on Wall Street, have no idea what it means to live in true poverty.

May I suggest you stop playing this social activism game and go home. Occupy your own street. Reach into your wealthy, privileged, blessed American pockets and impact the needy within your sphere of influence. You have been complaining about the wealthy hoarding their share. You are guilty of the same. Making cardboard signs and sleeping in a tent changes nothing. Change your perspective, thank God for His provision, and cause change.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Matthew 6:19-21 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

It was a difficult study for me because I have a treasure problem. I have a hard time keeping “things” in perspective. I’m certain I am not alone in this struggle, but I certainly wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable, so we will keep this about me. (If I knew how to type a sarcastic tone, you would see it here.)

The first part of my problem is thinking that treasure is mine. I work hard for my money. My home is my castle. I have every right to control my stuff. I fail to understand that all I have is God’s. He is the creator and sustainer of all things including my house and my car and my golf clubs. He is allowing me, for a time, to watch His stuff. I should be thankful for every moment He gives me and I should not expect or assume He will give me one more moment as manager of His things.

Second, when I am not careful how I view these treasures, rather than seeing them as gifts from a loving God, they can become a god in my eyes and in my heart. Treasure can become where I find fulfillment and purpose. Treasure can become where I find security. Treasure can become where I put my faith and trust. Treasure can begin to take God’s place in my heart. True fulfillment, purpose, security, faith and trust are only found in God. Things are temporary. Either you will die and be separated from your treasures or moth, rust, and thief will come and you will be separated from your treasures. Treasures are temporary, God is eternal.

Right now, God is checking my perspective. He has asked me to loosen my grip on a very precious treasure. He is going to separate me from this treasure for a time. Will I hold tight and say, “This is mine! I have the right to hold this!” Will my security and my faith be shaken in the absence of this? Or will I loosen my grip, trust Him and know that the heavenly treasure that comes from earthly obedience is the true prize? Pray for me.

You see, this treasure is my daughter. God has asked her to serve in the mission field for one year. She can not be obedient to the call if I am not obedient. If I stake my claim to this treasure on earth, we both lose. We may never fathom the loss realized by the impoverished in Costa Rica. Jesus, YOU are my treasure. Use our daughter to change the world.

She leaves in June.

We need to share the truth with our children. The truth is, I am not in control. I am surprised by this. The truth is, it’s not all over. There will be aftershocks and when that settles down, there will be events like this in the future. The truth is I want to protect you, but I can’t. When the earth shakes, I am no bigger or stronger than you are.

So, as parent, what do I have to offer? The most comforting words I can speak to my children are, “Join me.” I am not in control, but I know who is. I don’t know the future but I know the One who holds it in His hands. I feel small like you, but I know the Almighty God who created this earth.

When your kids run to you in this crisis or any future crisis (yes, there are more coming) say, “I’m glad you ran to me so we can run together to the One who can help.” As you are making your response plan, include which of God’s promises you will take hold of. Teach your kids by example how to pray, how to claim scripture, how to be secure in the love of God. What a wonderful realization it will be when, in the face of calamity, you realize that your children are not running to you, but they are running alongside you into the arms of God.

Psalm 18:1-2 I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Before you banish me to life in Southern California, hear me out. Socialism is not a viable option for the United States or any other nation in today’s social and political climate. You see, socialism’s strength in theory is its weakness in reality. If I can oversimplify, socialism is an economic system where everyone’s resources are pooled to meet everyone’s needs. It sounds good in theory, but in practice it falls apart. All it takes is for one person to say, “You will get yours after I get mine” and the system begins to crumble. Socialism is based on the premise that man is not sinful and selfish but is, in his heart, good. We know this is not the case.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Socialism is not a good idea for our nation, but what about our families? There is no option other than socialism for our families. My family must run on the understanding that all of us are willing and even glad to share resources to make sure everyone’s needs are met. Sacrificial love for the sake of family fills the inherent gaps of the system.

How about the church? Is socialism a consideration in the church? I would suggest that this depends on the health of the church. An unhealthy church runs more like a government. It functions on compromise and a lack of trust. Between leaders, between committees, between members there is a sense of, “You can have yours after I get mine.” A healthy church operates like a family. “I will gladly sacrifice mine for my brother in need.” This is very clear in the early church.

Acts 2:44-45 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And fthey were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

What does this mean practically? Within the church, if we allow Jesus to deal with our sin and selfishness, we would be able to follow the example of the first generation church. There would be no hungry, no poor in the church. There would be no need for health insurance, no need for government assistance. The family would take care of the family. We read a couple verses later that this church had glad and generous hearts, they found favor in the community and God added to their family daily as people experienced Jesus and were saved.

It is as though a church that is healthy in this area displays health in other areas. How is your church doing? Are you impacting the world around you? Are you, individually and as a church, willing to share with those in need? I hope these stats challenge you as they challenge me.

President Ronald Reagan challenged us by reporting that if each church in the US would see to the needs of ten families below the poverty line, our government welfare system would cease to exist. (Crown Financial)

In the church today, a small percentage of people contribute more than ten percent of their income. If they continued as they are, and the rest of the church would raise their giving to ten percent, the increase would be over $85 billion. (Christianity Today 12/08) The church could continue to operate under its budget and the increase could be used to address world wide hunger. This increase, coupled with the fact that there is currently enough food production worldwide to feed every mouth 2500 calories would end world hunger in our generation.

Selling possessions and distributing to those in need – is this how Jesus would change the world using His Church?

The Casey Anthony “Not Guilty” verdict was met with cries of joy from Casey and cries of outrage from most of the world. How did you react? I must say, a wave of disgust came over me, but that was quickly followed by a voice in my mind asking, “What did you expect?” As evidenced by several high-profile cases over the last several years, our court system is about as predictable as a coin toss. The reason for this is our courts are built on the standard of truth (the whole truth and nothing but the truth) and that standard has all but disappeared. We are encouraged by society to invent our own truth and adjust that as necessary.

The prosecution and the defense each took turns inventing truth as they saw fit. The jury was charged with choosing which truth they would accept. If the defendant were unhappy with the jury’s choice, she could simply come back tomorrow under the premise of appeal and see if truth is different tomorrow than it was today. In the absence of absolute truth, we can expect nothing more from our judicial system than a game of chance. Our Creator God is perfectly true and perfectly just. Created in His image, we have a sense of truth and justice and desire for truth and justice. As He has been removed from this system, we really can’t expect that sense and desire to be fulfilled by this system.

That being said, how do we react when justice seems absent? What do you say?

“She will stand before God one day.” Absolutely true and so will I and so will you. Every person who has ever lived will stand before God. The penalty for our sins will be paid. If you have accepted the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and His work on your behalf, He will stand in your place and say, “Justice has been satisfied, the penalty has been fully paid.”

“She will get what she deserves.” If you choose to stand on your own merit, the penalty for sin falls on you. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) Just like you and me, if Casey Anthony stands before God in her own attempted righteousness, she will receive what sin deserves and that is death.

“If I saw her walking down the street, I would…” Before we start down the road of vengeance, we must keep these truths in mind. God is the righteous and just judge. He has shown mercy and grace to His children in providing His Son Jesus as the perfect sacrifice. The penalty our sin deserves was poured out on Jesus and as such, we can be objects of His love and not objects of His wrath. I stand as a sinner before the Holy God. I deserve justice the same as Casey Anthony. By God’s grace through Jesus Christ, I won’t receive my due penalty. In light of that, I can only pray that Ms. Anthony accepts responsibility for all of her sin and seeks the mercy available through the life and death of Jesus.

I think my reaction to this was, “What did we expect?” Don’t get me wrong, I stand firmly for the protection of marriage as God has instituted it. God designed and created marriage and gave us an instruction manual for it. His equation for marriage is one man and woman until death. His desire for marriage is that it be holy (set apart) as He is holy.

I understand that for many in our nation, the existence of God is questioned and even if His existence is conceded, obedience is optional. I can not expect these people to live by the instructions that God has given if they don’t believe in the God that issued them. I should not expect non-believers to act like believers.

What I should expect is for those of us who wear the name of Christ to live in such a way that we stand out in this world. We are called to be holy and set apart and this applies to our marriages as well. If we will take seriously God’s design, we will show the world a model for marriage that works and the world will want to be a part of this.

We are quick to protect the “husband and wife” requirement , but what about God’s other instructions? We yell that marriage is one man and one woman as it pertains to gay marriage, but why do we turn a blind eye to adultery?One man and one man is not within God’s plan but neither is one man and one woman and maybe one more woman. Whether it’s an actual human or an image on a computer screen, we are all to quick to invite another into our “Holy” marriage.

What about the “until death do us part” requirement. Men, I fear you will fight harder to save your job than you will to save your marriage. We invest more in the health of our body than we do in the health of our marriage. Pastor’s you will stand all day long lobbying against gay marriage, but you will only spend thirty minutes counseling a young couple before their wedding ceremony. The world knows that we are against gay marriage. Do they know what we are for? Do they know that we are for healthy, loving, life-long marriages that are prepared to raise up a generation of husbands and wives who honor God and give Him the glory for their healthy families? Does the world know that we are willing to invest the hard work needed to begin and maintain a Godly marriage?

Until the world sees that healthy, functional families are the result of honoring God and His design, why would they seek our input? Why would they care what we think? Church, let’s take this seriously and live the example.

The study bible was a big blessing to the young church in Kenya -Mumias. Thank you, that through your encouragement and Pastor Uchim Hummer, this church was born & so far the church has a population of 20 people. As we have started fasting and prayer, we’ll remember you and Pr Hummer, as the founders, in prayers.
Stand with us in prayers too. Today 29/05/2011 in the sunday worship, one person gave his life to Jesus and we were really blessed; glory to God. -Pastor Haji Opondo

we are having some rains today. we had a powerful overnight prayer at Pr Akello’s church. 4 drunkards surrendered to christ and they surrendered all their drugs. -Pastor Hummer Ochim

On behalf of the school, we are blessed with you visiting our ministry and the project and supporting our teachers and the money you gave for the scholastic materials we were able to buy some food, and scholastic s for the children. we are praying for you that God may open your doors  and we are looking forward to partnering with your ministry. No one has done to us what you have done you are in our hearts and in the hearts of these little children too, i wish you had seen the smiles on their faces. thank you, glory to God. -Christine Ailo, administrator

Thank you, Summit family for your obedience and commitment to advance the Kingdom. God is using your willing hearts, your overwhelming generosity, and your steadfast obedience to change the world.

Stay radical!

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.