Matthew 28 and Mark 16

GO INTO ALL WORLD MAKE DISCIPLES

The great commission of Jesus to His church is captured in the above six words. All the other work we do, and all the words we say should be distilled down into these six words. We are called to make disciples of all nations. It is our mandate. Successful Christians live these six words daily.

GO
We live to go. We are a green light people who look for opportunities to rise up and go. Life for us is about doing the journey and loving life to the full.

INTO
We are always on a mission and going into things. Getting involved in things is our nature. We are explorers of new things. Things exist for us to get into. Get involved. You are commanded to do so.

ALL
Nothing is sacred anymore. We are all and everything people. It is no longer either or, but all things. You can have your cake and eat it too. Learn to be an all inclusive person. Enlarge your world to include all people, places and opportunities.

WORLD
The world is now a small global village and is ours for the asking. There are worlds for us to explore and conquer, and we must not shrink back from the opportunities afforded to us. Become a world citizen. Decide to live in the biggest world possible.

MAKE
We are called to be creators and builders. To be people who make things. We are not people who pull things down, but rather build them up, and our greatest achievements are the people we make into champion disciples. Decide to make something that outlives you on planet earth.

DISCIPLES
Ultimately, our lives are measured by the people we influence for God and for good! We are to live in such a manner that people want to follow our example as we follow Christ. Count the number of people you are personally mentoring and you will have a correct measure of your obedience to the commands of Christ, and your real influence in life.

Proverbs 29:7 – The righteous considers the cause of the poor, but the wicked does not understand such knowledge.”

It is very easy in life to discount the poor and oppressed as having no right or voice in the matters of life and to believe that only the learned, wealthy and successful should get to voice their opinions and stake their claims. The Bible seems to disagree. It declares that the poor have a cause and a case to put, and that righteous people should give the poor room to make their case and stake their claim. The righteous are commanded to consider the cause of the poor.

Where would we be without the Wilberforce’s, Mandela’s and Mother Teresa’s of this world? People who considered the cause of the poor and then did something about it! Those who consider the cause of the poor are close to God’s heart.

Caring for the broken, defending the unprotected, carrying the wounded, and delivering the oppressed, are all actions motivated by the love of God for mankind. The wicked cannot understand such things, as wickedness is borne out of a love for self, and such selfless actions are incomprehensible to the wicked person.

Jesus said, “the poor you will always have with you.” We are surrounded by “poor people” who do not have the capacity to help themselves, and it is these people who need a saviour with skin on who looks like you.

Hey before you run out and grab anyone who looks like they need some help here are a few helpful hints.

• Take time to listen to their cause
• Then consider if their cause is genuine.
• Work out a self-help solution with them
• Give them what is required to get them started.
• Walk with them until they see good success.

PROVERBS 14 : 24. – The crown of the wise is their riches, but the foolishness of fools is their folly.

Wise people use riches in such a way they become a crown of honour on their lives, whereas a foolish person uses riches in such a way it become a clown’s hat of folly.

Have you ever seen someone who either inherits or makes a lot of money but does not know how to use it. They have to wear the most expensive clothes and jewellery and buy the fastest sports car or boat they can find, and to them it is marvellous. But to everyone else it looks like a clown’s hat at a circus.

God is not against prosperity, He is for you being blessed. In fact He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants. God actually wants you to prosper so that you can use your riches as a source of blessing for others. See that you use your wealth in such a way that it brings honour on your life and to your God. God’s plan is for you to prosper. What God doesn’t like is when your prosperity is reduced down to a pile of possessions, and a list of pleasures.

Foolish people think that prosperity is simply possessions and lifestyle, and so they pile themselves up with all kinds of stuff until they look like a clown trying to juggle silly things at a circus. Make sure that everything you have is held as a blessing from God and used to bring Him honour. Don’t flaunt your little bit of wealth like a clown with a huge hat at a circus.

Enjoy the blessing of God on your life and use it wisely to bless others. Remember; freely you have received so freely give. The more generous you are with the blessing and riches that come from the Lord, the more honour He will bestow upon you in the future.

So many people extend themselves to such a degree that they have no safety margins in the lives.

It is possible to live close to the edge for a while, but sooner or later a situation will arise that demands more of you than you can currently give.

People without margins or buffer zones are then overextended, and often lose everything through the time of stretching.

This applies to our emotional lives, as much as in any other area of life.

Often the flashpoints of relational breakdown are actually not that big a deal, but because the people involved have no emotional reserves, every little thing can push them over the edge.

It is therefore extremely important to build buffer zones into your lifestyle.

You must plan for them. You must make time for them, and see them as absolutely essential.

A day off every week is not a luxury. It is a necessity to keep emotionally strong.

Regular church is not a religious activity it is a time of spiritual renewal.

If you stay strong on the inside it is amazing what you can handle from outside.

Time with your family and friends is not an afterthought but should be a priority in your program.

All of these things we often take for granted, can actually be the difference between a life enjoyed and a life endured.

Make sure you build buffer zones into your life so that when the tough times come, as they will, you have an inner reserve to get through them and keep on going.

STEVE PENNY

DAY FORTY NINE | ONE LANGUAGE AND ONE SPEECH

Genesis 11:1, ” The whole earth had one language and one speech.”

To me there is a difference between our common language and the speech we use in a certain area or culture. It is very clear that Britian, Australia and America all use the one common language called the English language. However, there is a huge difference in the speech we commonly use in these different nations.Phrases we use in Australia are totally foreign and sometimes offensive to other English language nations. So it is with the Christian believer and their local church. A person can speak the right Christian language but have a completely different speech when it comes to their function in their local church or organisation. You must learn the language and speech of your house.

Let me give you some reasons why it is important for you to learn the speech of your organisation.

1. Your speech identifies the desires of your heart.
2. Your speech unifies your team around a common vision.
3. Your speech carries your culture and convictions.
4. Your speech builds your house and your world.

What you say is very important, but how you say it and the speech you use to convey it is even more important. You must learn to use key words if you want to create a strong culture in your world. Choose key words carefully and use them over and over again until they become the common language of your world. Key words crystalise and define the kind of world you want to live in, so be ruthless to eliminate repetitive use of words that clash with the speech you are trying to adopt.

Your words build your world, so adopt some key words that over time will become the building blocks of the world of your dreams.

PSALM 110:2 The Lord said to my Lord. Sit at My right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies.

Being seated with Christ in Heavenly or High places is both “positional” and “practical.” In other words you must understand the “authority that comes with the position” and the “power that comes with the practise.” Being seated in “High Places” does not exempt you from the challenges of life, nor from stirring up a few enemies. However God has two roles for any person wanting to exert influence on planet earth. You must learn both the “Rule & Reign” of Christ.You see we are to “Reign over our subjects” and to “Rule over our enemies.” The two expressions of authority and power are quite different and must be understood if you want to go from strength to strength in life. To reign in life is to walk together with others of like spirit, giving Godly leadership and inspiration so that all who know you will walk in faith.

You do so by knowing how to walk in High places and learning to rest in Him until all things are under your feet. It is a position of faith from which you dream big dreams and expect them to come to pass.

The second aspect of our exalted lives, is to learn how to “Rule over our enemies.” Ruling is different to Reigning. Now you must use the authority of your position, and the power of your strength to overcome all oppositions. Your enemies are meant to be conquered – not pampered. You have been given the “Rod of Your strength” to use against you enemies.

This does not mean you fight against your enemies, but rather rule over them with a rod of authority. You use the word of God to declare that Christ has defeated your enemies at Calvary and has given you all authority to rule over them on His behalf.

Do not for one minute leave your position in high places to come down to the level of your enemies. The Rod of Your strength is expressed out of Zion; the place of God’s presence. Stop fighting your enemies and start ruling over them and they will soon become your footstool.

PSALM 110 : 1 – The Lord said to my Lord. “Sit at My right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.

There is no getting around the fact that we were created to “Rule & Reign” with Christ from an exalted position. Heavenly places are not just spiritual. God has exalted Him – Christ – far above all, and we are raised up together with Him. Heavenly places are both the realms of the heavens at the right hand of our God, and also the high places on planet earth. Places of leadership and influence. These positions are occupied by people who have seen their role on the planet, as more than instinctive and basic.

We have been created by God to be His Kings and Priests on the earth to “Rule and Reign” over creation for our Heavenly Father. God has given us the wonderful privilege of being His custodians of creation and we must rise up to accept such a wonderful role on planet earth. To “miss the mark” is one of the terms for sin in the Bible. It also implies, “to miss your position” and is also considered sin. Do not miss out on your position in life through such personal sins as inferiority, or false humility or fear etc.

God has given you an invitation to sit at His right hand in life. WOW! It is an amazing offer and one that leads to victory and blessing in all areas of your life. But you must learn to be comfortable in “high places.” Read the word to see what is promised for you and begin to believe you are “born again” for such things. Take some courses and learn how to live and work at another level in life.Study people who have succeeded in their lives and learn how they think and act.

Be comfortable hanging out with people in high places, and learn how to dress and act in their presence. But most of all, spend much time, and be comfortable in the presence of your Lord, who teaches you how to prosper in life.

Dan. 3:25 – “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

What a contrast to verse 23 when we see our three heroes, bound, falling down and burning. It would appear as though everything they had lived for was wasted. They were losers. Their cause was noble but ineffective. The huge world system was about to swallow them up. But wait! There is a fourth shadow in the fires and it looks like the Son of God. Amazing how three young men can actually find deliverance whilst still in the fiery trial. We so often wait for some miraculous deliverance to get us out of our trials, rather than getting Christ into the furnace with us.

Here they are now; Loose and walking and unhurt. Try it, get up in your fiery trial and start walking with Christ. The only thing the fire will touch are the ropes and things that shackle you in your flesh. The consuming fire of God on the inside of you is now your protection against the fiery attacks of the enemy. The fiery trials of life will never destroy the person on fire for God. The fires of passion raging within your heart will bring you through any fiery trial. Unhurt, unscathed and without even the smell of smoke!

Consider verse 27. On whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed, nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. Don’t be one of those people who has survived a fiery trial, but smell badly of smoke. All they talk about is the ordeal they went through and how they somehow survived. Get up now! In the fire, and start walking around with Christ. What a buzz it is to know that the fire has no power over you. You are consumed with a fire far greater than any opposition contrived by man or devil.

The fire of the Holy Spirit within burns with an intensity not seen or understood by the human mind, but it will deliver you from all the works of the evil one. Get up and start walking around in the fire, and the Son of the Living God will walk with you.

Dan. 3:18 – But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

There are times when one must stand up and declare their faith. In those times when the pressure of circumstances and opposition, is demanding of you some form of surrender. The Hebrew boys were facing a fiery furnace for taking a stand concerning their allegiance to the God of Israel. They did not have to renounce Him, only acknowledge the sovereignty of the God-person who ruled their lives on planet earth.

There are many times when the Gods of this world will demand we give them their rightful due. Sure be a Christian but be real about everyday life. It is in these times that you need to “let it be known” that your allegiance and service is to the Living God. To “let it be known” is to choose the way of the Lord over the way of this world. To choose the delights of heaven over the fleeting fantasies of earth! To choose to walk in the way of the Lord rather than stand in the way of sinners! To choose to obey His word rather than the dictates of men! To choose to build His kingdom and serve His cause above all others! To choose to honour your commitments over your emotional feelings! It is often when things are extremely hot that you will have to make a choice.

Either decide to accommodate the ways of the world and conveniently avoid a confrontation, or take a stand for righteousness and pay the price for what you know to be “His way.” Know this! You may well end up in a fiery trial for your righteous convictions, but there will be one standing with you who will lead you through the fires and bring you out stronger and greater than when you went in.

Today! Let it be known to those around you what you really believe. Stop accommodating things that can destroy your soul and “let it be known” you live for His cause, and Him alone.

ISAIAH 48:17 – Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.

Learning to profit in life is not as easy as it sounds. If it was, we would all be living very profitable and prosperous lives. However, God is very keen for His people to prosper. In verse 15 He declares of Israel, “Yes! I have called him. I have brought him, and his way will prosper.”

Learning to profit in life is all about knowing who sent you and who sustains you. To be called of God into His great cause for creation, is the most wonderful, the most noble, and the most rewarding vocation on planet earth. Once you have settled the issue that you are called by God to fulfil His cause, then whatever you put your hand to in life will prosper. Whether you are a housewife or a politician, a truck-driver or a teacher, a servant or a great leader, you will prosper when you fulfil your role as unto the Lord.

Learning to profit and to prosper begins by knowing you belong to the elite band of creations “rich and famous.” You joined when you received Christ into your life. You became a child of the most High God. You were granted a place at the right hand of God in heavenly places to rule and reign with Him over all creation.

Your role is to learn “heavenly places” living. You can learn how to sit with Christ in royal places and be taught from the Most High how to profit in all you do. He is the Lord your God and He will teach you how to profit. Spending time in His presence and in His word is the only way to learn from Him. Verse 18 declares, “Oh, that you had heeded my commandments.”

There is only one manual on earth that teaches us how to live in royal places, and it is available to all. Today get your Bible and learn how to profit in all you do.