It's All About The Change

Don't you just love this Jesus?
How can you not love Him?
Have you read about this guy?
He is incredible.
Have you read about some of the things He did?
I mean this guy is just out there.
Funeral directors sure did hate to see Him coming, this Jesus.
He could get all up in a funeral and bring it to a screeching halt.
Families demanding their money back because their loved one was raised back to life.
That Jesus is too much.

He did a whole bunch of stuff down here on earth, but took it even farther.
He got all up in the devils business....breaking up the authority of death and hell and the grave.
Seems to me that Jesus didn't fear that unholy three too much.
He took them on and broke their power.
Not just as a show to say, "Hey, look at me! Ain't I something?"
No! This Jesus did it for you and me and everyone we know.
Clean and sober...
Or drunk and high....
He took on the Kingdom of darkness by allowing himself to be killed on a cross.
He allowed it to happen.
Oh, He could have summoned more angels to come down than the number of fleas on a Bogaloosa bloodhound, but He chose not to.

He took the best shot that the devil and his bunch could throw, then stood up and walked out of a tomb, letting them know that once and for all time, the way to God and eternal life had been reestablished. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for all humanity. It was a battle of epic proportions that has no equal anywhere, anytime. Imagine what it was like when Jesus strolled up to the devil and took away the keys to death, hell and the grave. That is hardcore power and authority.
Now the wonderful part in all of this is that this Jesus loves His heavenly Father and the creation known as humanity. He was willing to go all the way.....ALL THE WAY to make sure that we could have relationship with God. A relationship that had been broken in the garden of Eden when the man and woman sinned by seeking their own way above what God had commanded them not to do.

Now this Jesus is the mediator and keeper of this new type of life that has been offered to anyone and everyone who believes in Him. Not just a mental nod to who Jesus is....c'mon...even the demons acknowledge and believe in Him. When we talk about "believing" we are talking about a heart-change that affects every area of our character. In other words, we not only say that we believe that Jesus is who He claims to be,  and will do what He claims He will do.....but our very every day, walking around, sleeping, working and eating life reveals evidence of this belief.

I want you to understand that Jesus has invited you on the greatest adventure you could ever hope to experience. Jesus will get up all in your life if you let Him and you get to do some pretty cool things.
You get to worship!!!!
I came to find out that worship was more than music and songs and group sing-alongs. Worship is a lifestyle that pours out from me in everything I do. I don't work for a person or company here on earth...I work for Jesus and I want to do my best for Him. I want to reflect Him in my work place. Not to stand out so my ego will be fed and people will see me as some great religious know-it-all.....NO! I want to do my best for Him so that when ever someone may speak against me, there will be no truth to their accusations. I want to reflect Jesus so that others will see Him. I don't care if they every see me or even remember me. I pray that they never forget Jesus.

One of the things I keep hearing about our upcoming meeting at the Vineyard, is that it will be a time to "learn" how to be a follower of Jesus. It isn't a school...and yet it will be a school. Didn't we expend ourselves on learning how to be an addict?
Sure we did.
We had to learn who we could trust to buy our drugs from.
We had to learn what a fair price was...this usually happens after we have been scammed a few times. But we learned didn't we.
We learned where to go and when to go...
Where not to go and when not to go.
We were in school in learning  this lifestyle. We gave ourselves to the idea of learning all we could. Did we not? Yes, we did.

Why would following Jesus be any different?
It wouldn't.
Jesus modeled for those following Him how to live as a believer.
He taught them how to pray.
He showed them what real worship was all about.
He corrected them when they messed up and then showed them the proper way to minister.
I want to learn...I don't have to.
I want to learn how to follow Jesus.
I want to learn how to hear Him when He speaks to me.
Realizing that Jesus "speaking" does not always translate into an audible, vocal voice...but comes in many forms. Impressions......dreams.....the natural world around us.....but the ultimate way in which Jesus speaks is through the Word of God....the Bible.
Guess what?
If I'm not reading it....
If I'm not studying it...
I won't be able to hear Him as well as I could be hearing him.

Ephesians 3:20
Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope for.

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, April 13 for our first Vineyard Recovery Meeting.

God on you....
mb