Chad Michael Wright

A healthy shift of mindset

I read an amazing statement today and it goes like this:

"The practice of giving up so-called secular interests in order to go to church, Bible studies, prayer meetings and other social activities with other Christians has taken many believers out of the culture. Too often we withdraw from our neighborhoods to a Christian 'ghetto' "

Disqualified

Disqualified is a timely message for believers in this prophetic time period of world history.  I heard this word used this week and it sparked an interest in me to study what "disqualified" means.  It would make sense to begin on this topic where we should always begin every topic; God's Word. In Colossians 2:16-22 (ESV) says,

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.  These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

This portion of scripture seems to reveal the truth as to just how much qualifying of other people we should be doing in the name of God.  Do we believe that every member is a minister?  Do we believe that we are all parts of His body?  At what point in the process of a man or women's refining by the inner-workings of the Spirit of God does one become qualified to serve only as the gluteus maximus of the body of Christ?   

If we have been called, God will qualify us. We must, in turn, trust God, not ourselves nor man to accomplish this task.  It is not about being adequate, it is about being faithful and trusting God to complete the work that He started in us.

For those in authority who would disqualify us, let it be said that:

Jacob, a deceiver and runaway who had to work fourteen years to get the wife he wanted, became the father of the nation of Israel.

Joseph, a bragging, spoiled brat turned slave and ex-convict, saved his family (the twelve tribes of Israel and the ancestors of Christ).

Moses, a murderer turned shepherd--a man so timid he told God to look elsewhere--led Israel out of bondage and to the edge of the Promised Land.

Rahab, a prostitute--a woman who lived a morally bankrupt life in a morally bankrupt culture-- played a pivotal role in helping the Israelites take the Promised Land.

Hannah--a barren housewife--became the mother of Samuel, one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament.

Eli, a man who blew it big-time with his own children (Hophni and Phinehas), became the spiritual father of Samuel, who became the spiritual father and mentor of David.

David, a humble shepherd boy and youngest in his family, who later committed adultery and murder, became Israel's greatest king and penned many of the most beautiful, comforting, and inspiring passages of Scripture.

Esther, a girl married to a Gentile, saved God's people from an impending massacre.

Mary, an unmarried peasant girl, became the mother of Jesus. Matthew, a despised tax collector and symbol of Israel's oppressors, became an apostle and writer of the first book of the New Testament.

Peter, a hot-tempered fisherman, became an apostle, leader of the early church, and writer of two New Testament letters.

Paul, a vicious persecutor of the early church and approving witness of the stoning of the first Christian martyr, took the Gospel to the Gentiles and wrote more New Testament books than any other author.

This list can be found at it's source: http://www.donnapartow.com/qualifies-the-called.html

Conclusion: It is certainly not my intention to convey that one should continue to sin because His grace abounds.   The intended conclusion to ascertain from your own study will hopefully look something like this:

"I am thankful that You, God have not disqualified me from serving you because of a bad day, bad month, bad year or bad decade.  I'm thankful that my qualifications are as filthy rags in comparison to the image of Your holiness.  I'm thankful that you have not called the qualified to serve you, but continue to qualify those you call with a Father's loving and just discipline.  Help me not to pass judgement on those around me who walk in ignorance of Your agape love and it's manifestation in the lives of those with uncommon challenges that prepare us for uncommon destinies."

May God have mercy on the souls of the modern day pharisees, saducees and professional christians of the institutional church who seek to heap rules, rituals and relics on the backs of those Christ came to deliver from all bondage.

 

Listen

Are you listening to those around you who may think and believe differently than you? Or since 'they' lack in certain areas in which you are stronger, do you count them as below you and not worthy of being heard? I honestly heard something loud and clear this week and I want to share it with you. I believe that the world thinks we hate their sin and and that we hate them also.  I can completely understand why those outside our fellowships are not coming inside our fellowships. We have forgotten that everything must be done in love. If the fact that I'm right overshadows my love for my brother, then I am COMPLETELY wrong. If the song of truth I am playing is not in the key of love then I am deceived at best and a son of Satan at worst. Do I need a scriptural reference for these past statements?  Can you not hear Jesus as he hung on the cross and cried out to His Father, "Forgive (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE), for (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE) does not perceive what (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE) has done to me!" If we want to share the love of Christ, then we should share the love of Christ.  The love of Christ does not begin or end with, "You are sinful".  It begins and ends with, "God loves you and is not mad at you!" Wake up, Christ-followers!

He Has You Hidden for a Purpose - You Are His Secret Weapon!

"My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place." Psalm 139:15 At the Verge of Breakthrough Have you ever felt forgotten by God? Do you feel invisible? Does God seem to be blessing everyone except you? Do your expectations of God seem to meet with cold indifference from Him? If your answer is "yes," then rejoice, because you are at the edge of a miracle! You are on the verge of a breakthrough! The door to your destiny is about to swing open! The most difficult time of any birth is the few moments right before you deliver your baby into the world. You are exhausted beyond what you can even endure...you cannot stand it anymore. You have pushed and pushed and have exhausted all your strength. You want to scream, "I can't do this...I can't!" BUT you must! It is at this moment that you must push the hardest and exert yourself the most. You are crying, "I can't," and everyone around you is yelling, "PUSH!" Then, somewhere deep inside you, strength arises! You have a determination now, where a hopeless feeling used to dwell. Now you cry from the depths of your heart, "I can," and "I will!" You are at the verge of a breakthrough and perhaps you are tired of believing, but only you can break through to your miracle. Only you can give birth to your destiny! Only you can fight through to your dream's fulfillment. Your God will give you His strength when you have none of your own. When you fall short, He will pick you up because, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak" (Isaiah 40:29). Prophetic word from Victoria Boyson Read complete message here 

The Spirit of Confusion

  I am completely disgusted with those among us who claim the name of Christ, testify of His presence in their life, yet preach a gospel that is vastly different than the good news that Jesus preached.   Nevertheless, the spirit of God is seeking to bring clarity in discerning the heart of God towards you! Here's an example of how the spirit of confusion distorts the Word of God in 1 Corinthians 2:9:

It is written,    "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,    nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"

If we read this scripture on its own and try to understand it, we would most likely come to the conclusion that we, as christians, will remain clueless to the awesome things our God has prepared for us.  But I tell you; this is absurd!  Read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 2 and then we'll discuss the vast differences between these two Gospels.

1 Corinthians 2: 6-16 (ESV) Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him" - these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.  For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.  And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.  "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

So what does this mean? In the 10th verse of 1 Corinthians 2, we see that God has revealed to us the things that He has prepared for those who love Him, through the Spirit!  The Spirit is our teacher and aids us in renewing our minds to the mind of Christ, through the Word of God.   The false gospel teaches that we must beg and plead with God and continue to make peace offerings with Him in hopes that someday He will reveal His good and perfect will to us.  It also continues to deny the power of the gospel of Christ and positions us, instead, as poor beggars that can not hope to experience peace with God and confidence as His children. The world does not need a powerless gospel of sin consciousness and works of the flesh to achieve righteousness with God.  It instead needs to be introduced to God, the Father who loved us, even while we were sinners, enough to send His son, Jesus Christ to become the high priest and very righteousness of those who, by faith, call out His name and trust that He is able to complete the restoration of our soul by the ministry of the Spirit and exchange of our will for His. We can't save ourselves, we can't perfect ourselves, we can't ascend to higher places in the Spirit by working harder in the flesh.  What God desires is for His children to enter into His rest and cease from our toiling.  His Kingdom is to be our primary focus.  When we set aside confusion, misunderstanding and bankrupt religion, we position ourselves to become again the church we see in Acts.  That's when we'll see God interact with us as He did our true spiritual forefathers.

Is Revival the right word?

God is moving among us but let's not confuse the purpose of His moving.  To claim this to be revival would connote the America church an authentic mirroring of the New Testament Church at Pentecost.  I must disagree with this suggestion by challenging you to think about our pursuit as Americans. Let us return to the words of our forefathers and their Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

My confusion has revolved around the last part of this ; "the pursuit of Happiness". I've assumed throughout my life that it meant the happiness of the American people. (i.e. ME.) In response to that statement, I've spent my entire life on this planet pursuing happiness.  In fact, I almost divorced my wife because I was unhappy during the first few months of our marriage.   Marriage as an institution is the earthly model of the relationship of the bride of Christ (those who have a love life with Jesus inside and outside the 'church') and the Groom. (Jesus, the Holy and Spotless Lamb of God that purchased His bride from slavery by sacrificing His Most Holy Self.) Marriage just like the Gospel of the kingdom was never created to make us happy.  It was created to make us Holy. "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).  The Gospel of the Kingdom was not intended to make mankind happy.  Happiness will only be the by-product of the greater work; Holiness.