Follower of One : Missions For The Rest Of Us

Do you have Attention Deficit Disorder? Many things compete for our attention. As I get older, I know my energy follows my attention and I only have so much energy left. I want to control what grabs my attention.

Temptations are those interruptions that take us away from God. Often, marketplace ministry is being ready for the interruptions that take us toward God. So we have to allow the interruptions. Many people report that they didn't do very well on their first Marketplace Mission Trip. They get surprised at how distracted from God they get at work. Our tasks are the things that take us away from God. Our attention goes with them and we miss the "way of escape" that Jesus offers us. Often a good thing like trying to do a good job can tempt us away from an opportunity God puts in our path. We need to train our minds to evaluate every interruption to see if it pulls us away from God or if it is an opportunity to serve others and make God visible.

And once we know it will take us away from God, we need to look for our escape route. God puts an escape route in front of us each time. If you think your interruption will take you away from God, look for the escape. It will be there. Interrupt yourself by writing a note to a friend or praying for a coworker. We can train our minds to cooperate with God. It just takes practice.

Speaking of practice, we're doing another Marketplace Mission trip in 2 weeks. Sign up now at MarketplaceMissionTrip.com and make your work life count for eternity.

Have you ever felt lost? Confused? Maybe now more than ever. But most of the time, we do what we want and that's based on our own ideas of what's right and what's best. I thought I had life figured out when I graduated college. God spent my first years out of college showing me that I didn't know anything. I thought I knew everything I needed to know. Was I wrong!

Even when we think we know, we don't know. Often, we don't even know we don't know. If we're lucky, the best we can do is come to the knowledge that we don't know. When we know we don't know, then we can make the switch. This verse is a key in knowing we don't know. When we think we have the answers, that's when we're likely to fall. It could be temptation, it could be our success or impact at work. Whatever we think we know, we don't.

Why not consider the idea that you really don't have it all together. Pandemics and plagues show us we're not in control. Let's extend that into our daily life so we can serve our coworkers with humility.

You can sign up for the next Marketplace Mission Trip right now at MarketplaceMissionTrip.com. It begins September 20. This time, we've added a private Facebook Group to enable us to connect with each other and pray for one another better. Go on a mission trip, to your regular daily life. Intentionally walk more closely with God in your everyday activities. Your faith can make a difference daily. Try it out. There's no cost. 

After yesterday's verse, Peter and John were flogged. It wouldn't have been pretty. We don't tolerate punishment like that any more in the west. They would have been hit on their bare backs several times with a whip that contained multiple straps of leather. Yet, after it was over, they rejoiced.

Where does the strength to have joy in suffering come from? I don't have a lot of first-hand knowledge. I whine too much. I complain to God about working from home and having to wear a mask. These men convict me. They lined their life up with Jesus so well, that he gave them his supernatural peace and joy. I read about that joy in Philippians 4 and can even recite some of the verses. But I still whine.

What you face today can be a source of joy. I know it because the Bible tells us. These men rejoiced because God considered them worthy to endure this hardship so that Jesus would become visible. Jesus clearly became visible through the life of these men. Jesus will make himself visible to our friends and coworkers through us too if we can do what Peter and John did. They remained faithful, and they obeyed their authority. Strange combination, but it made Jesus visible and gave them great joy.

What's God asking you to do today? Find a way to act, trusting that he will make himself visible. Your plan may not work. Peter and John didn't set out to be flogged that day. But they understood what God is doing and they celebrated to be a part.

Why not join us on the next Marketplace Mission Trip, too. Signup is going on right now. There's no cost to you either. I don't think you'll be flogged. We practice loving our coworkers, customers and vendors for 2 weeks. Jesus shows up and changes us when we do. Go to MarketplaceMissionTrip.com and check it out.

Do we notice how God changes things? Sometimes in the name of conservatism or standing firm in our faith, we struggle to keep things the same. Even now, as I record this, many churches in my area are meeting together with social distancing. Others are meeting online. Church doesn't look much like it did when I was a kid.

Here, these Jewish leaders are trying to figure out what to do with Peter and John. They threw them in prison last night. Today, they were out in public teaching again. The guards don't know how they got out. They claim God told them to speak up. There are clearly many miracles happening around these two guys and their friends. The Jewish leaders were going to have them killed like they did with Jesus.

But Gamaliel spoke up. He's the one who makes this statement. If God is in this, nothing we do will stop it. And if God isn't in it, it will die. Wise words.

Paul the apostle was probably right there. He tells us later in acts that he was trained by Gamaliel. That would mean that if Gamaliel was doing something, so was Paul. Paul may have even told this story to Luke as they travelled together.

Can we look and see what God is doing? Look for him and trust him. He is at work. He is in charge. Nothing happens without his say-so. Let's watch and see how God uses us as we pray for, appreciate and serve others today.

Also, please check out the Marketplace Mission Trip Marketplacemissiontrip.com. Our next trip begins in less than 3 weeks. Sign up now and watch how Jesus uses you in your workplace!

Spiritual Needs & Relationships Outside of Our Faith Network with Keith Davis, #46

In this week's episode of the Follow of One podcast, Mike speaks with Keith Davis. Keith is a Minister for First Baptist Church Owasso here in Oklahoma. He oversees all of the local, regional and international mission efforts for the church! Please welcome him to the community!

Episode Breakdown

1:05 - Meet Keith Davis

3:30 - Keith's change to Mission Efforts

4:40 - COVID's Impact on First Baptist Owasso

7:00 - theMission with Keith

13:00 - Keith's Thoughts on The Marketplace Mission Trip

17:35 - Inspiring Faith at Work Story

19:15 - Taking Your Faith to The Next Level

25:05 - Connect with Keith & First Baptist Church Owasso

What are your needs?

We all have different needs because we walk different lives but something in common between all followers of Christ are spiritual needs. What type of spiritual needs do you have? Keith talks with Mike about The Mission through First Baptist Church Owasso, which provides services to the needy but more importantly provides spiritual resources to those in a better environment. Most of the time we want to help people based on the few common things, however, your spiritual being is just as important. When is the last time you "fed" your spirit? What does replenishing your spirit look like for you? Is it praying consistently? How about doing something only for the benefit of someone else? Comment below with your favorite way to feed the soul!

Building Relationships with Lost People

What type of relationships are you a part of? Do all of your friends believe in God? Sometimes, especially as we get older, we tend to have a set group of friends and stick with that group. Never expanding, or moving forward. It is a very special thing and should be cherished but Keith talks about how there are some very important reasons to make an extra effort in building relationships with non-believers. Why? Because it builds understanding. It structures new ways to think about things and gives you the opportunity to have a genuine, judgment-free, friendship with someone who may need your help getting on the path to God. Don't take your neighbor for granted. Even if they are opposed to your beliefs, that doesn't mean you can't learn from them and in turn, they learn from you! Do you have any experience with this? Let us know so we can share in our community!

Quote:

"The way we share the gospel is not by just opening the doors anymore ... there needs to be a different passion, and I love the fact that we ask people to go on a mission trip at work"

Connect with Keith

Keith's LInkedIn

First Baptist Church Owasso

theMission Ministry Page

Connect With Follower Of One

Join us over in our Online Community, get social with us; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Listen to our podcast on your way to work and subscribe using your favorite podcast app. Be a part of our next Marketplace Mission Trip

I often do verses backwards. I came across yesterday's passage looking for a reminder of that God does and how he provides for us in uncertain times. For all times, he gave us the Bible. Do we act like it is the love letter from God that we know it is?

Think today about scripture and spend time in it. Double your normal time. We talk about making time for others, but do we make time to learn from God? When was the last time you memorized a bible verse? It's been a while for me.

Today, let's act like what God says matters. Read the Bible for guidance and direction. Read it to know the Author better. Then ask God to use the Bible to do what it promises in this verse. I want the Bible to instruct me and guide me. I want the Holy Spirit to use the Bible to convict me of sin and line me up with God. Is that true for you, too?

Please let us know how we're doing. Or let me know if you have any questions. I love talking with other Christ-followers about the challenges we face being ministers at work. Our goal is to mobilize the body of Jesus, one person at a time. We would love to help you too. Contact Mike by commenting on the website at https://followerofone.org/contact-us .

For the last several months we're battling Coronavirus. It has caused job uncertainty and may other types of challenges. The way we do everything is uncertain any more. Do we wear a mask? Do we shake hands? I just traveled by airplane and I was much less certain than I have been flying in a long time.

So I decided to look for passages of scripture that help us trust God. Yesterday, we talked about giving trust to others. Do we trust God? Really? Where do you disobey him or tell him "No?" That's a point where your trust is weak. If he knows everything about us, as this passage says, can we trust him or not? And what difference does that make in our work? Can we trust him with our career? What about our reputation?

Today, invest in someone else. Be extravagant. Look for ways to serve others, but promise yourself in advance that you won't say "no." Then, when God challenges you to move, do it. Tomorrow, we'll talk about how to know what to try.

Also, check out the Marketplace Mission Trip. Our next one begins in less than 3 weeks. Sign up for free at MarketplaceMissionTrip.com.

Jesus summarizes all of the law in this one verse. We should do for others what we would have them do for us. What kind of employee would you like to have? Then be that person. What kind of boss would you like to have? Again, do what you would want that boss to do. How about your customer? Would you like a big tip? Be a big tipper. Would you like transparent government, live transparently.

Imagine you're a government leader right now during the Coronavirus pandemic. How would you want people to behave? Would you want others reminding you constantly about their rights? Or would you appreciate some trust, and some respect?

Imagine the thing you would want the most. We want to be appreciated, trusted, respected. Immediately we're all challenged as Christ-followers, to be people who do to others, what we would have done to us. Think about that today!

Our next Marketplace Mission Trip begins in 3 weeks. There's no cost. Spend 2-weeks focusing on serving Jesus at your present job within your routine. Sign up right now at MarketplaceMissionTrip.com.

Does this verse sound familiar? Jesus quotes it in Matthew 11:29. We talked yesterday about gratitude being the key to internal peace. Gratitude is downstream of trust. When we obey Jesus, we learn something about God. One of those things is that our trouble won't go away. Jesus intends for us to rest in the trouble. When we obey Jesus, we find rest for our souls.

I could only find the Hebrew or Greek terms for "rest" and "souls" together in these verses. Rest for our souls is rare. We only find that rest by trusting in Jesus. In Jeremiah we find the good way and walk in it. We obey God out of trust and we find rest. The harder I try to engineer rest on my own, apart from obeying God, the less restful I feel.

What does this mean for us today? Can we bless someone extravagantly? Can you leave a $20 tip for a hamburger? Can you pay for someone else's meal? What do you hold on to when God is nudging you to give it away? 

Let's be obedient. Obedience is the goal. We find rest when we obey. How is God challenging you to obey him today. Do it!

Today, ask a friend to pray for you, that you will hear where God is challenging you to obey him more. Then do it. We don't find rest on Saturday, or when our bills are paid. We don't find rest when we have enough money or we get to our vacation. We find rest when we trust Jesus.

Do you experience anxiety? As I've studied thankfulness and the practice of giving thanks of the last few days, I've noticed my own anxiety and fear more. Philippians 4:6 explains the relationship. When I ask God for things, I don't necessarily receive peace. In fact, my anxiety may even increase as I wait on God. It is only when I add the key ingredient, thanksgiving, that I receive his peace.

The antidote for anxiety, is to experience everything through talking to God, asking God for his answer, and also thanking him. Why thanksgiving? Because we need to remind ourselves He is in control. Giving thanks even for difficult things puts us back in the space where we trust God and rest in him. God's peace shows up when we add thanksgiving to our prayers and requests.

Today, let's focus on this key ingredient. What can you thank God for today, even though it may seem difficult? Is it a work complication or a health complication? Find a way to express your thankfulness and gratitude to God even as you pray that he would solve your dilemma. And let his peace fill you, and make him visible through you into the lives of others.

Please also check out our partner podcasts, the Morning Mindset with Carey Green and iWork4Him with Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Thank you for being a marketplace minister and helping others move one notch closer to Jesus.