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How many times have we heard how awesome it is to be in the presence of God. We hear people say how God “showed up.” We hear people literally begging for the presence of the Holy Spirit. I love the heart of these people who long for what they already have.

A ubiquitous God doesn’t need to show up. You don’t need to go looking for air, you just breathe. A fish doesn’t look for water, it simply dwells in it.

Old Covenant saints had to wait for the presence of God to show up because they did not have a receptor for His Spirit. In other words, even though God was ubiquitous, He limited His presence to only rest upon His saints.

The presence of God is not limited to three-dimensional space! He is everywhere at all times!

But just like we need a diving apparatus to survive in water, or how we have a space suit to survive in space, and an earth suit to survive on earth, we need to be clothed in the spiritual to thrive in the spiritual. The clothing in this case is not external but internal — the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is what we need to survive in the spiritual realm!

Every Sunday morning, much ado will be made about being in the “House of God.” More specifically, people will talk about how wonderful it is to be “in the Sanctuary” and how we must labor with our efforts and our money to keep “the Sanctuary.”

Indeed, a lot of emphasis is placed on physical “places of worship.” This sounds spiritual and holy but it is terribly misguided.

If you’ll spare me a few moments, I’d like to talk about the “presence.” Let’s start by taking a look at some words of Paul that are obvious to this discussion and some words of Jesus that would not seem so:

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20 AMP) 19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, 20 You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body

The first thing we see is Paul telling us that the presence of God does not dwell in buildings made with the hands of men but the hearts of men made by the hands of God. We were purchased with the Blood of Jesus to become part of the family of God and the dwelling place of the Spirit of God.

It was never God’s intention to dwell in buildings. When God created man, He breathed His life into us. He gave us his appearance, the ability to think and speak, and His essence. God created the earth to be the dwelling place of His dwelling place!

Something we need to consider is what theologians call “creative intent.” Nowhere in the creation account is there a “place of worship.” If places of worship were so important to God, surely He’d have established one with the man He originally created, Right?

Fast forward to David. David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). David loved God and was the first man after Adam to catch a glimpse of God as Father (Psalms 68:5, 89:26). He wrote in Psalms that He wanted to dwell in the house of God:

(Psalms 27:4 KJV) One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

David caught the heart of God — it was God who wanted to dwell in His people!

David wanted to build a temple for God but God passed that responsibility to David’s son, Solomon. Solomon did, indeed build the temple but, eventually, the people placed more emphasis on the temple instead of its Tenant. This caused the people to veer from the precepts of God which led to centuries of captivity.

In the Old Testament,

via IFTTT How many times have we heard how awesome it is to be in the presence of God. We hear people say how God “showed up.” We hear people literally begging for the presence of the Holy Spirit. I love the heart of these people who long for what they already have. A ubiquitousRead More

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The church is real good at talking SHIP but kind of lacking when it comes to doing SHIP.

Contrary to popular belief, SHIP doesn’t just happen, it has to be cultivated.

Your SHIP must be fertilized in order to grow.

Discipleship

John 13:34-35 (AMPC) 34 I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. 35 By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

Matthew 5:43-47 (AMPC) 43 You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy; 44 But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike]. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that?

Without understanding of what it means to be a disciple, you can’t even begin to get your ship in the water!

Worship

Matthew 15:8-9 (AMPC) 8 These people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me. 9 Uselessly do they worship Me, for they teach as doctrines the commands of men.

John 4:23-24 (AMPC) 23 A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers. 24 God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).

WorSHIP is what gives direction to your SHIP.

Fellowship

Hebrews 10:25 (AMPC) 25 Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.

FellowSHIP without worship is a sinking SHIP.

Stewardship

2 Corinthians 9:7 (AMPC) 7 Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (Hetakes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it” ) giver [whose heart is in his giving].

Without StewardSHIP, you will sail on a poorly maintained SHIP.

Some people don’t know SHIP from shinola.

A lot of people are trying to sail on a battleSHIP, when God created us to be on a cruise SHIP.

When you’re on a battleSHIP, you’re expected to handle all the SHIP but when you’re on a cruise SHIP, all the SHIP happens in the background.

When you’re on a battleSHIP, you will find yourself frequently cleaning other’s SHIP

© 2017-2018 - Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

[vsw id=”LbG1dGtyzvs” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”] The church is real good at talking SHIP but kind of lacking when it comes to doing SHIP. Contrary to popular belief, SHIP doesn’t just happen, it has to be cultivated. Your SHIP must be fertilized in order to grow. Discipleship John 13:34-35 (AMPC) 34 I give you aRead More

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The Gospel Brings Social Justice

There are many folks who think of the Gospel as merely a religious construct. In the past, I’ve taught that the Gospel has both governmental (change of citizenship) and biological (change of DNA) implications. Today, I want to take it in a different direction — that the Gospel is the greatest catalyst of social change. It works wherever it’s applied.

Here’s the deal — that in order for the Gospel to be THE GOSPEL (too-good-to-be-true-news), it has to be good news for all who hear it or it is merely another historical footnote.

First to level-set. Even under the Old Covenant, there were provisions for the poor and the oppressed.

"Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits." Exodus 23:6

"During the seventh year, let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove." Exodus 23:11

“Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:10

"Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly." Leviticus 19:15

? "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 23:22

"If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold. . . . If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. . . . If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave." Leviticus 25:25, 35, 39

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:18

"At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied." Deuteronomy 14:28-29

"However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you." Deuteronomy 15:4

"If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother." Deuteronomy 15:7

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11

"Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge." Deuteronomy 24:17

"'Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow.' Then all the people shall say, Amen!'" Deuteronomy 27:19

"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor." 1 Samuel 2:8

"When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up and kills the poor and needy; in the night he steals forth like a thief." Job 24:14

"because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him." Job 29:12

"Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?" Job 30:25

[vsw id=”b-jF3czqVw4″ source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”] The Gospel Brings Social Justice There are many folks who think of the Gospel as merely a religious construct. In the past, I’ve taught that the Gospel has both governmental (change of citizenship) and biological (change of DNA) implications. Today, I want to take it in a different directionRead More

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The phrase that every believer wants to hear when they leave time and cross over into eternity is “well done, good and faithful servant!” Likewise, the phrase they don’t want to hear is “Depart from me you worker of iniquity, for I knew you not.” The latter phrase — taken from scripture — has been used for centuries to keep the saints in bondage.

But I’m here today to interrupt your regularly scheduled condemnation to bring you this important proclamation of Good News — They taught it to you wrong!

Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

One of the first things that needs to be considered here is the target audience. You have to understand this that everything in Scripture is written for your understanding but is not written explicitly to you. Here Jesus is wrapping up the Sermon on the Mount and he’s in a segment pertaining to judging others.

Here’s the point — people who are secure in themselves do not measure themselves against others have no reason to judge. Sin-consciousness causes you to trot out a sin-scorecard by which you can measure yourself against others — see I sin less than you or I sin differently or less sinfully than you do! Sin-consciousness is the fruit of religion and religion is promoted by its chief salesmen — religious zealots or legalists. Jesus was speaking to the folks who fancied themselves the judge of men — ultimately the men who fancied themselves the judge of Jesus.

And, for the record, let me say here that the best way to be secure in yourself is to be secure in the Holy Spirit who dwells in you!

We are to do the will of the Father. That is patently clear. But what is the work of the Father? Better yet, what is the essence of the Father? How will the world see that we are in the Father?

Love.

Love is the work. Love is the straight gate that is difficult to pass through. It is easy to love those who you want to love but it is nearly (I emphasize NEARLY) impossible to love those you don’t want to love. As a matter of fact, without Jesus, it IS impossible to love those you don’t want to love.

Love sacrifices its own desire! Do you think Jesus — the man — wanted to love and forgive those who cursed Him, spit on Him, mocked Him, beat Him, and crucified Him? Love doesn’t always love because of; sometimes love loves in spite of!

See, in the natural, sometimes we look at people and want to say “depart from me.” You know, “get outta my face!” And sometimes we want to depart from others. But, according to the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), we should be patient and kind. According to the definition of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8), we are to endure all things. In other words, sometimes you need to put up with some stuff. Now don’t get me wrong, we don’t have to put up with stuff to the point of harm to ourselves but we can’t just cut and run!

Here’s the thing, religion will try to look like Christ. It will say the right things and put on the right face. It will have ceremonies and celebrations and will do its best to look like Christ. It will even use love as a hook to bait you into its clutches where it can beat and abuse you. It will pray publicly and fervently and will have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof. And it will delude itself into thinking that it is actually doing the work of God. But ultimately it amounts to nothing.

[vsw id=”0d3l1u16bk0″ source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”] The phrase that every believer wants to hear when they leave time and cross over into eternity is “well done, good and faithful servant!” Likewise, the phrase they don’t want to hear is “Depart from me you worker of iniquity, for I knew you not.” The latter phrase —Read More

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The Difficulty of Pastoring - A joint teaching by Henry Harris and Derrick Day

Pastoring is one of the toughest tasks in the world. This teaching identifies some of the most difficult aspects of it. It will bless both pastors and non-pastors, alike!

© 2017 - Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

© 2017 - Henry Harris (www.facebook.com/The-Bro-Henry-and-You-Show)

[vsw id=”TU5-zpJK7z4″ source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”] The Difficulty of Pastoring – A joint teaching by Henry Harris and Derrick Day Pastoring is one of the toughest tasks in the world. This teaching identifies some of the most difficult aspects of it. It will bless both pastors and non-pastors, alike! © 2017 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)Read More