Living Above the Sun Ministries

"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...

"One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus." -Acts 13:2-4 Writing on my blog makes me so happy! So, lately, I've been studying through the book of Acts. Acts, is still being written today, as the church continues to progress. It is important that every Christian know the power they possess through the Spirit. But more importantly than that, I believe every Christian has a responsibility to pray over and for each other. Remember in the last post we looked all through the book of Acts, instances where things happened as a result of prayer. In our key verse for today, because a group of men were worshiping they heard from ...

"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...

God has been good in my life. He has sent many people my way who have intervened in my life at the just the right time. People who reached their hand out to me and made a huge difference in my life. Not only do they reach their out to me, but I do the same for them, even when I don't have everything together I can still love. But I think that's how most normal relationships go. I love what Romans 1:12 says "When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours." I am grateful for the people I have had the privilege of knowing and loving. I'm thankful for the footprints they leave in my life. I don't know why God doesn't allow some of them to stay in my life for a long period of time. However, I know he sees the bigger picture, and I just enjoy the time I do have with them. I am reminded of the story of Saul and Ananias in Acts 9. Ananias made an intervention in Saul's life and as a result Saul...