All posts by : Joel Phillips

The character vs. power trap

Many Christians consider it more noble to choose character over power. Recently I was teaching a small group of young leaders about the importance of operating in power while ministering when one of them spoke up,

“I’ll pursue the power of God when I have more of God’s character in me.”

As good as that sounds, it comes from a religious mindset that idolizes concepts and false humility. It causes people to consider themselves unworthy of God using them in the miraculous. Ironically, Christians who value character over power are actually disobeying the Lord’s command.

When Jesus commissioned his followers, he said, “Go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all I have commanded you.” Note that Jesus didn’t give us permission to say we aren’t ready.

No excuses

Many are uncomfortable with a demonstrative move of God’s power because of things they view as unscriptural or excessive. Yet, what should be uncomfortable to us, even embarrassing, is the lack of God’s power moving in our lives and churches.

Teaching, preaching, praying, or witnessing and seeing nothing happen cannot be explained away with God’s sovereignty. We cannot make excuses for powerlessness. The Word must go forth with power. A powerless Word is the letter of law and death, not the Spirit of life. Power is the realm of the Spirit.

Jesus is perfect theology. Jesus reveals the heart and will of God, and he went about healing everyone. Jesus then told us that the works he did we will also do, and even greater. But this is not automatic.

“Faith is spelled, R-I-S-K” (John Wimber)

The move of God’s power is the answer to the tragic condition of humankind. If we really want to see God move, then we must change the culture of religious excuses and risk moving out in pursuit of solutions to impossible situations. This is not to manipulate God, but instead it is a bold attempt to take Him at His Word. The normal for us should be a supernatural lifestyle that insists that God’s Kingdom is greater than anything we face!

New job

Her and her husband were up early. Got six kids off to school. Then they went to the bus stop to catch their buses each going in opposite directions. They wouldn’t see each other until evening.

Nervously she made her way for the first time into the shop where she would be working. The man who hired her didn’t say much as he showed her where to go. She could feel all eyes watching her as she began to work. A lady nearby greeted her, “Good morning.” She smiled and nodded in return. Later at break time, the same lady introduced herself and asked her where she was from.

Now came the moment she dreaded. As she told the lady her name and where she was from, the others standing near who heard her began to laugh. She looked different and talked different. Her accent betrayed the fact that English wasn’t her first language. She was part of a people group they didn’t understand, and many saw as a threat.
                                                                                      

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about this story. It’s not only true, but it’s about someone very near and dear to my heart—my grandma.

Grandma was from Norway, and in the 1930’s her and my grandpa moved from the farmlands of North Dakota to Portland, Oregon. Many of the experiences they had living, raising their family, and establishing themselves remind me of what Latinos face today.

Understanding others

Many view Latinos, and other minority people groups as a threat. “They’re taking our jobs!” some will argue. But the core of the issue isn’t jobs, it’s a collision of cultures. We don’t understand those who are different, and we fear what we don’t understand.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

God is saying that in his church, in his kingdom, and therefore in the hearts of his people, there should be no distinction of anyone that places them at different levels of acceptance. There must be room for everyone, especially those who are different.

Someone might dread going to work or somewhere else because they are different, but let never be said that you or I were the ones that made them feel that way.

Respect the image

Worn around necks, decals stuck on cars, or sitting atop church buildings, crosses are everywhere. Albeit somewhat of a good luck charm, most people have respect for the cross. And most people have some idea of what the cross represents.

Christians are especially respectful of the cross because it represents the horrible humiliation and painful death that Jesus endured. It was on the cross that the debt of sin for all mankind was paid. But was it enough?

“How ya doin?”

Many Christians when asked how they’re doing spiritually will respond with a sense of guilt, “I need to read my Bible more.” Or, “I need to pray more.” Or, “I need to go to church more.”

We could all use more of these, but to say we need them in order to be “doing better” can actually be very disrespectful of the cross.

Jesus canceled out every legal violation we had on our record and the old arrest warrant that stood to indict us. He erased it all—our sins, our stained soul—he deleted it all and they cannot be retrieved! Everything we once were in Adam has been placed onto his cross and nailed permanently there as a public display of cancellation. (Colossians 2:14, TPT)

Notice the totality of what Jesus did. He erased ALL of our sins! He deleted it ALL permanently! In other words, nothing else needs to be done. Saying that anything else is needed is not only disrespectful of the cross, but also of the Savior who died upon it.

The cross took care of everything. Period.

Satisfaction

Many of the things people accomplish don’t require God. The tap into their human talent to accomplish what mankind can accomplish, but you were born for more. The reason God didn’t take you to be with Him when you became a Christian is because you have a divine assignment. Your assignment is to invade the impossible.

There is a sense of satisfaction with any accomplishment, but God wants you to experience the satisfaction of having His power flow through you. Power that allows you to see cancer disappear, lives restored, and demons sent running, all flowing from faith that believes all things are possible with God.

What has God said?

The Angel Gabriel gave Mary a message from God that was beyond comprehension, “You will give birth to the Son of God.” Mary was blown away. She asked, “How can this be?” Gabriel answered with these words, “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Bible teacher Jack Taylor did an excellent word study on this verse. He discovered that the word “nothing” is actually two words, “no” and “thing”; and the word “thing” is rhema in the Greek, which means “the freshly spoken or revealed word of God”. And the words, “will be impossible” literally mean, “without ability.” Therefore the actual transliteration of this verse could be…

“No freshly spoken word of God will ever come to you without containing its own ability to perform itself.” (Luke 1:37, JT)

It all boils down to this…what has God said to you? At minimum, you should at least attempt to do what Jesus did, but the fear of looking foolish to others will keep you from responding to what God has said. It’s much easier (and safer) to just stick to those things that can be accomplished with your own ability. But you were made for more!

As a Christian, you weren’t destined to play it safe. You should have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into your spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around you to bow to the name of Jesus!

Church culture

Culture is the system of beliefs, disciplines, practices, and relational boundaries that reveal how life is lived among a particular group of people. Culture is found in virtually every aspect of life.

There are different cultures within the church. There are various cultures of worship. There different cultures of preaching. There are even different cultures of doctrine.

One culture that remains consistent throughout the church is the priority placed on the sermon. Even though there are many different styles of preaching, all churches have a moment that gathers around the sermon.

Living in God’s presence

While the church gathers every weekend around a sermon, Israel camped around God’s presence (Num. 9:17). In fact, part of the blessing the priests of Israel were instructed to pray over the people was,

“The Lord make His face shine upon you…The Lord lift up His countenance upon you.”

This literally means that God wanted his people to see his smiling face. He wanted them to experience his blessing on their lives. No wonder they wanted to camp around God’s presence!

God hasn’t changed. He still wants his people to experience the blessing of his presence. He is still looking for people who enjoy his presence so much that they make it part of their culture.

Imagine a church where the system of beliefs, disciplines, practices, and relational boundaries were all centered on God’s presence. This is exactly what Jesus made possible for us because we now host the presence of God. This reintroduces us to the original kingdom culture—living in the presence of God.

Kathie and I just got home from two weeks in Paraguay. Kathie went to get our mail from the mailbox and came back with her arms full of letters, bills, magazines, and junk mail. Once we sorted through everything, we tossed the big pile of junk mail in the trash.

No one else looking at our mailbox could tell that we were out of town, but our mailman knew. Every day for two weeks he opened our mailbox for a new delivery only to see the last one still sitting there.

Spiritual deliveries

Before he left, Jesus told the disciples that he was sending the Holy Spirit. He let  them know the Holy Spirit was being sent to encourage and strengthen them. Then he said…

“He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14)

Your heart is like a mailbox. Everyday there are deliveries being made. Some of them are from God, some from people, some from your mind, and some from darkness.

Open your heart

The less you respond to spiritual deliveries, the less sensitive you become to them all. You may not notice the pile up in your heart as you let them go unanswered, but something changes within. You’ve become so overloaded that you stop noticing God’s deliveries. You can’t distinguish between the messages of love and hope from the ones of fear and discouragement.

The good news is that no matter how big the pile of messages is in your heart has gotten, God keeps delivering his mail to you. Everyday he delivers his love and hope. And the Holy Spirit will help you read his messages and reject the big pile of junk mail.

“A date which will live in infamy…”

These were the words of President F. D. Roosevelt in wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. While our nation’s attention was focused primarily on the conflicts in Europe, Japan caught us totally unaware. Over 2400 people were killed and 18 ships were sunk.

Several years ago I was able to take my boys to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Hawaii. The Arizona’s monument is very moving. We saw the oil that still rises from the hull, that many say represents the tears of the 900-plus sailors killed.

We also visited the U.S.S. Missouri which is docked next door. It was aboard the Missouri that the Japanese officially surrendered. I’ll never forget standing on the deck at the very spot where the surrender took place. Here’s General Macarthur’s account of this moment in history…

“When the Japanese captain presented his sword to me, it was evident that he and his officers were taking the surrender inwardly quite hard. Here was a man passing over to a foreign power everything that he stood for. Yet he looked me straight in the eye. He wasn’t haughty. He didn’t turn away. But he was obviously deeply moved.”

Never surrender your sword!

“The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.” (Eph. 6:17). There is nothing more the enemy would love for you to do than to hand over your sword. And many have surrendered their swords without even knowing.

Your sword is used when you speak God’s Word. It is surrendered when you do not. Not knowing the powerful promises of God and making them a part of your confession concedes your defeat. You may survive, but there is no sense of victory.

Take a few moments today and use your sword by saying what God says about you: You are his child. You are highly favored. You have been called to great things. And you will be victorious over every evil plot the enemy has devised!

Kids grow so fast

Growth marks on a wall were a high priority for our family. We would regularly check our kid’s growth and celebrate each little increment upward. It seems like yesterday they were standing as tall as possible with their backs against the wall. We would carefully make a mark, then let them turn around to see it, and then celebrate their growth…

“Look, you’ve grown almost a half an inch!”

Imagine how strange it would’ve been if after making a mark we shook our heads, turned around and said to our kids…

“Sorry, but you’ve actually gotten shorter.”

Don’t stop growing

When it comes to spiritual growth there are times when great strides are made. You are bounding forward in our understanding and applying of God’s word. You can’t get enough time in worship and fellowship. You are getting stronger in all areas.

But then there are times when your spiritual growth seems to not only slow down, but stop, or maybe even go backwards. You aren’t spending time in God’s word. Your passion for worship and fellowship gets put into other things. You’re getting weaker.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Transformation is what your spiritual growth is made of, and it’s done through the Holy Spirit. But it can be hindered. Instead of progressing and moving forward, there’s “backsliding.”

Hebrews 5 says that it is actually possible for someone to become “dull of hearing” be like baby who only drinks milk. However, it’s also possible for someone “to have their senses exercises” and become “skilled” in the word.

Your hunger for the meat of God’s word is causing growth. In fact, there’s a wall in heaven with marks on it, dates on it, and your name on it. Jesus is looking at it with you and is saying, “Look how much you’ve grown! Don’t stop!”

An impossible assignment

It’s interesting to note that whenever the Lord promises He would be with someone, it is always connected to an impossible assignment.

God promised Moses that he would be with him after giving him the assignment to lead Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. God promised Joshua he’d be with him after giving him the assignment to lead Israel into Canaan. God promised Gideon that he’d be with him after being given the assignment to deliver Israel from the oppressive hand of the Midianites. And then in the New Testament, Jesus promised he’d be with the disciples after given them the assignment to take the gospel to the world.

A staggering implication

The implication of the promise of God being with us is staggering. Something is always expected from us when God is revealed to be with us. It requires something from us—the invasion into the impossible.

It is a mistake to think God is with us simply to comfort and/or encourage. He is also present to make possible the impossible task in front of us! One of my favorite verses, one that has had the most impact on me, has to do with Jesus, the eternal Son of God:

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)

This verse reveals that Jesus healed and delivered all who came to Him because, “God was with Him.” This verse also shows us that it was the same for Jesus as it was for the heroes of faith mentioned above. When God is with someone, that person is expected and enabled to invade the impossible.

This helps us to connect with our God-given assignment by realizing and discovering that if God is with us, the impossible is possible. This should ignite our hearts to invade the impossible in His Name and for His glory—for God is truly with us!

Change of menu

Every morning for 40 years, God provided the children of Israel with fresh manna that sustained them in the wilderness. They prepared it many different ways and it was good, but it wasn’t permanent provision. Eventually, the manna stopped coming.

“No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.” (Joshua 5:12, NLT)

When Israel finally crossed the Jordan River, God’s provision didn’t stop, it changed. Now in the Promised Land, they grew crops and ate from the fruit of the land.

Something greater

The fact that God had something much greater in store for Israel’s future is what kept them moving forward. God could have sustained them with manna, but God is a god of increase. He works in seasons, and He always has something better in store for His people.

God provided for them, but they had to plant the crops. Sometimes provision looks like work. God gave Israel the land, but they were still going to have to fight for it. They were still going to have to tend to it. They were still going to have to harvest the fruit from it.

Don’t get stuck in a rut and think that one way is going to last forever. Instead, stay open and be willing to change, make adjustments, make corrections or try something new. If the “manna” stops coming, don’t get upset. Just keep moving forward and be on the lookout for the new provision God has in store for you!