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POA ONLINE 2/24/2014 Essentials Part 2: The Heart In this series, we examine a series from Pastor Terrys Kingdom Life class. What essentials do we need to operate as productive Christians in todays world? During this three week period, well look for those essentials. We hope you share some of your thoughts with us about what is essential for Christian living today. _____________________________________ A huge essential to living as a Christian is the way in which we treat others. We recently spent three weeks on the topic of Christ inspired love and how we are to exhibit it. If we are to truly call ourselves followers of Christ, we must have a love for others that works both in the temporal and the spiritual realm. In one of his last dissertations before going to the cross, Jesus outlined whom we must help if we want to be considered a good and faithful servant of the Kingdom: Matthew 25:34-36 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. The Hungry Temporal: Jesus says that the good servant will feed the hungry meat. In the time of Christ, meat was a luxury that many could not easily afford. To provide meat for someone else meant that you were either wealthy or you were sacrificing a great deal. We as Christians need to find the hungry in our cities. Bring the homeless or an impoverished family a meal. Pay for a childs lunch at school for the year. These are all good things, and they take sacrifice in order to accomplish. Spiritual: We must also look for the spiritually hungry and give them the meat from the Bible. We must be intentional about pouring into others. Do it with loving admonishment and not controlling judgment (Romans 15:14). Providing spiritual nourishment for others may at times be a sacrifice, but it is something that we must do to be counted as Gods servant. The Thirsty Temporal: Christ proclaims that we must give drink to the thirsty. This might seem similar to the first, but it is actually quite different. When a traveler would come into a town during Christs day, he would sometimes be exceedingly dehydrated as he had been walking for a long time. The nicest thing someone could do for him would be to offer him a drink from the city well. People in many countries go without clean water every day. There are many organizations, both secular and Christian, that work to eliminate this issue. We can do a lot just by donating to those causes. Spiritual: Just as there are people thirsting for water to sustain them for the day, there are many people who are thirsting for a touch of God in their lives. They have been drained by the attacks of the enemy and find themselves spiritually dehydrated on the road of life. Simply by connecting with them and praying for them, we can open up the floodgates and let the rivers of living water flow out of us and into them (John 7:38). This action could result in a harvest we never thought possible just as it did with the woman at the well. The Stranger Temporal: In their 3 1/2 years journey, Christ and His disciples found themselves couch surfing quite a bit. Several times they had nowhere to lay their head (Matthew 8:20). Some of us may be in a position to let someone stay on our couch, but most of us are not equipped to provide adequate housing for the homeless and destitute individuals of our communities. Still, we can certainly donate and volunteer for organizations that do. By showing up at homeless shelters to offer support, supplies and service, we can be a witness to both the unfortunates that use those facilities as well as the workers who operate them. Spiritual: We can also safely take strangers into our lives. When a visitor comes to our church, we can befriend them and take them out to lunch. We can connect with people in our daily lives as well. By making friends with coworkers and passersby, we create a relationship that then can become a pathway to salvation. It takes us out of our normal routine and comfort zone to do this, but we must move out of our comfort zones if we wish to be effective witnesses for Christ. The Naked Temporal: Most of us have closets full of shirts, dresses, pants and other garments. In Jesus day, though, many people wore the same thing every day. There are many people today that do the same thing, not by choice but by necessity. We must look into our lives and closets and find those items that we just dont need anymore and consider donating them to people and organizations that do need clothing. This is one of the simplest ways that we can fulfill scripture simply by giving out of our abundance. Spiritual: People walk around spiritually naked every day. They have no understanding of Gods greatness and they lack meaning in their lives. They are searching, though, and it is up to us to bring spiritual understanding to them. Just like Philip when he went to the Ethiopian, we have to be sensitive to the Spirit and let God lead us to those who we can enlighten so that they can put on the new man in Christ. Like Philip, this commitment just might result in something miraculous happening in our lives, too (Acts 8:39). The Sick Temporal: Most of Christs miracles dealt with those who were sick. Christ healed lepers, paralytics, a man with dropsy, mutes, the blind, the crippled and the possessed. Yet he doesnt ask for us - in this scripture, at least - to seek healing for the sick. Instead, he asks us to visit them. There are many people who need to be visited. By taking time to sit with someone who is ill or bedridden, we build his/her faith and ours and create a witness for family and friends. Spiritual: People all around us are spiritually ill these days. They have been poisoned by bitterness, defeat and stress from overwhelming situations. What they need is a friend. They need someone who will show himself or herself friendly and who will be there for them in their struggle (1 Peter 4:10). It may not immediately bring them out of what they are facing, but it could give a light of hope for deliverance down the road. The Prisoner Temporal: The Roman Empire was notorious for imprisoning anyone they saw as a threat to their kingdom. Many of Christs followers found themselves in prison and they sat with men who were both wrongly and justifiably imprisoned. This may not be for everyone, but prison ministry is an important outreach tool. Even if you are not involved in it, you can support those who go with your prayers. Or, if you know someone who is in jail right now, taking time to go and visit them may be the one thing that spiritually brings them out when they are released. It may be the one thing that sustains them while they are in there. Spiritual: Many are spiritually incarcerated. Bound by sin, fear and the cares of this life, people labor in chains each day. We have the Word that breaks those chains, though. We have the Power that unlocks the keys of heavy burdens. If we will but listen to the voice of God, He will direct us to those who are in need, and we can bring the One who sets the captives free to them (Luke 4:18). Listen as Pastor Terry discusses more about the essentiality of loving one another and how imperative it is in our lives. Click here to listen. Grow Deeper: Look at the list above and decide to do one of the temporal concepts and one of the spiritual concepts this week. See what results you get and consider repeating them or trying something different the next week. In Your Own Words, Pray: Lord, Help me to be sensitive to the least in this world and Your Kingdom. Use me to uplift and bless those who need You today in their lives. Let this be a testimony that I can carry on to other individuals as I commit to being a better witness each day. In Jesus Name. chapelco Watch us on the WEB STAY CONNECTED r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015GIOzBv_q2-mZ6GIuNP08LJgRgVlfoaH4bqbvVMU3k5jIyURJxDBAqjZtkbGczcDzspIIyeMvG66OOVF2Bt4kX5HzVAL-5VMWlpt2bVgrM9WTIANeeiq942H9QQpyTTl0o-X2JE_0DlzRJXcBUP1JPFuB2gePXqU1FwIIJjJ_0Np3G1nMmYFIjq_FLvdkPfCvoOAkO9EB7_GsJMNFjQmShF9HjjDZLU5juwu0yTNkRa4i_MtoJEqdA== r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015GIOzBv_q2-mZ6GIuNP08LJgRgVlfoaH4bqbvVMU3k5jIyURJxDBAqjZtkbGczcDzspIIyeMvG66OOVF2Bt4kX5HzVAL-5VMWlpt2bVgrM9WTIANeeiq942H9QQpyTTl0o-X2JE_0DlzRJXcBUP1JPFuB2gePXqU1FwIIJjJ_0Np3G1nMmYFIjq_FLvdkPfCvoOAkO9EB7_GsJMNFjQmShF9HjjDZLU5juwu0yTNkRa4i_MtoJEqdA== r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015GIOzBv_q2-mZ6GIuNP08LJgRgVlfoaH4bqbvVMU3k5jIyURJxDBAqjZtkbGczcDzspIIyeMvG66OOVF2Bt4kX5HzVAL-5VMWlpt2bVgrM9WTIANeeiq942H9QQpyTTl0o-X2JE_0DlzRJXcBUP1JPFuB2gePXqU1FwIIJjJ_0Np3G1nMmYFIjq_FLvdkPfCvoOAkO9EB7_GsJMNFjQmShF9HjjDZLU5juwu0yTNkRa4i_MtoJEqdA== r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015GIOzBv_q2-mZ6GIuNP08LJgRgVlfoaH4bqbvVMU3k5jIyURJxDBAqjZtkbGczcDzspIIyeMvG66OOVF2Bt4kX5HzVAL-5VMWlpt2bVgrM9WTIANeeiq942H9QQpyTTl0o-X2JE_0DlzRJXcBUP1JPFuB2gePXqU1FwIIJjJ_0Np3G1nMmYFIjq_FLvdkPfCvoOAkO9EB7_GsJMNFjQmShF9HjjDZLU5juwu0yTNkRa4i_MtoJEqdA== ui.constantcontact/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1102557665480&a=1116690397492&ea=garylordsway@aol Forward this email visitor.constantcontact/do?p=un&mse=001_Ke66uLjz74LlC0eqb28OzApVdxMR92P&t=001PC3Y-wCM2IiPG5LDNxKjqg==&llr=igw6y9cab constantcontact/index.jsp?pn=acstechnologies This email was sent to garylordsway@aol by [email protected] | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. 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Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 13:59:58 +0000

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