Living Above the Sun Ministries

" Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. " -2 Timothy 2:3-4 In the last post we discussed how suffering is the mark of a true disciple. In this post we will look at how being a soldier is another mark. This is how the Holy Spirit describes us: "He is not his own. His time belongs to his Master, so does his body. He goes where he is told, he eats what he is given, he wears what is supplied. He has no will of his own, but is an implicit servant of the military forces. He studies the ways of the enemy, he finds means of defense from the enemy, and of offense toward the enemy. This should be true of every believer." Before we can go to war, there are a few questions we must ask ourselves. We can't go into war unprepared, we must know what is required of us. 1. Are you spiritually fit? " Do not waste tim...

"For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know." -1 Thessalonians 3:4 The true mark of a disciple of Christ is suffering, it's apart of our job description given to us in scripture. It's really not preached much anymore in the pulpits across America because the pastors of our day have fallen in the mindset of wanting everyone to like them, so they preach messages that will draw crowds and make people want to join "their" church. This is not what discipleship is, nor is it the way of the disciple. When Jesus our teacher; Rabbi, calls us, He does so with the intention of us becoming like Him. John 15:16 says, " You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. " Jesus' last moments with His disciples b...

When we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we are instantly called into ministry. We read in Acts 1:8 "But when the Holy Spirit (what we receive when we are saved) has come upon you, YOU will receive POWER and will tell people about me everywhere." I recently heard a pastor put it this way, "Missions is that which we are. It's not an option." So we know that we are to share Jesus at all times, but how to we determine our exact calling and our exact ministry. We will quickly learn that Jesus wasn't joking with his disciples when He said leave everything you own and follow me. We have to at times exchange our comfort to be a blessing. It is part of the humbling experience. H umble your heart before the Lord. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. ~ Psalm 25:9 Humility is an absolute necessity for a teachable, moldable heart. To discover our calling, we must be willing to set our agendas aside and surrender to God's. W...

"And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it." -1 Peter 3:15 According to Charles Malik says we as Christians face two tasks in our evangelism, and that is, "saving the soul and saving the mind." In other words converting people not only spiritually but intellectually. The church is lagging dangerously behind in the part of being intellectual. In 1980 Mr. Malik rose to the podium to deliver the inaugural address at the dedication of the new Billy Graham Center on the campus of Wheaton College. In his speech he stated the following: I must be frank with you: the greatest danger confronting American evangelical Christianity is the danger of anti-intellectualism. The mind in its greatest and deepest reaches is not cared for enough. But intellectual nurture cannot take place apart from profound immersion for a period of years in the history of thought and the spirit. People who are in a hurry to get out of the university and start...

The world stands on the brink of disaster. Its need for the church is more evident than in more optimistic times. Christians know the Lord has called them out from the world to send them on an urgent mission. But many are confused as to the precise nature of their task. Is it social work or evangelism, or both? I read in the Charlotte Disturber this morning. Apart from the murders, rapes, missing persons, and Britney Spears coming to town, I was disturbed yet again by a church news article. Right smack on the front headlines "Churches putting out the diversity worship mat. Their mission: Comeback of the neighborhood church." So why did this disturb me? Well, you should read the article. There were a few things in the article that bothered me. It's been my prayer that would not allow me to get stuck in my ways at church. To not get upset when I don't get to sit where I want, to bear with music, and other such things. One thing that we MUST learn as Chris...

Last Friday as I was visiting my Grandmama in Kingsport, TN, I got up and got the paper from the porch. I did not know that the Kingsport Times News would contain such an article that would leave me sleepless as tonight, and somewhat of a haunting thought that the future of our churches are diminishing. What a shame! Here are some quick facts I'd like to share with you that I read in this article which by the way this is from a Methodist standpoint, an article based on Methodist church interview: -In the next five to ten years, 1/3 of all churches across all denominations will close. -In the last 10 years in the United Methodist Kingsport district, membership, and numbers of professions of faith and attendance all have declined and 8 United Methodist churches have closed. -Statistics say that 74% of people in Sullivan Co. don't attend church on Sunday morning. The population of Kingsport according to a 2010 census was 156,823. Stunning. Heartbreaking. The article...

"They all met together continually for prayer..." Acts 1:14 Not long ago I did a series on prayer, if you look back in the December archives, the series was entitled "How Effective is Prayer?" You may find it helpful to look back and refresh your mind on what prayer really is. Sometimes it's easy to loose sight of understanding how important this is in our Christian lives and what God expects of us. We remain in a constant dependence on God. In order to accomplish God's purposes in the world, it requires us to devote ourselves to relentless prayer in the church. Prayer demonstrates our selflessness and God's self-centeredness. When we come to realize that it is impossible for us to accomplish His purposes in our own strength, we express our dependence upon God through prayer. When you read the story of the early church in the book of Acts, for some prayer was fundamental, rather than being supplemental. They were dependent on God's power. Ev...

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 There is a key word in this verse. If you guessed POWER you are correct! Notice what's cool about this context of the word 'power'; that you will receive power to change the world. A strategy for the church to change the world is laid out in Acts 1:1-14, when the church deviates from this strategy the church becomes ineffective. The book of Acts is a continuation of Jesus' ministry with Jesus' power being invested in believers who are possessed by Jesus, indwelt by Holy Spirit, manifest the life and power of God the Father. This is what we call authentic Christianity. Jesus says in the verse above that "you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere- in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth." Re...

So yesterday I committed to do the Radical Experiment after reading the book "Radical." I believe whether you have read the book or not we can all do these 5 things that Dr. Platt has challenged his readers to do. Really, he has not asked us to do anything that God has not already told us to do. I look forward to living out these challenges and to see how God will further use me to impact the Kingdom, and how I will grow in my relationship with Jesus. Will you join me in doing these things too? I believe for Christians to impact the world, we have to first be where we are suppose to be with Jesus. We have to be fully committed to the Christian lifestyle, reading our Bibles, praying, being who God commanded us to be in the Bible. Daily filling ourselves up with His Spirit. So, here's what Dr. Platt has laid out. 1. Pray for the entire world. Intentionally, specifically, audaciously pray for God's purpose to be accomplished around the world. One of my favor...