How can we impact our local world and community as Processionals and the general church at in whole?
Question:
What is the responsibility of Christians with regards to economic development, leadership within the community, and the mandates of the Gospel?
The world is full of people who are religious in nature. The gospel is clear that true or pure religion Is in a relationship with Jesus Christ that is alive and spent serving others. Compassion is a key to how Christians live their lives out and their purpose for Christ. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 Christ spoke about this in the new testament serval times pointing to the fact that what we do for those who cannot repay us we do to Himself. We are called to serve as Christians and Servant Leadership is the model we should be using as we dynamically impact people as we carry out our purpose in life. Leading in the workplace with a servant’s heart is powerful, “servant leadership puts more emphasis on employee emotional well-being than other leadership theories do,” (Lu, 2019 p 509)
Stewardship of God’s principles in our lives is key to living out our purpose in the world around us. If we are to become like Christ as Scriptures teach, we must model our lives after the values of the Bible and its teachings in all areas. Early in the church, we were told that business and our faith are separate from Pastors. Pastor’s for example are often Bio-vocational in our society now. Faith is to live out in all areas of our lives including money, giving, time, talents, service, and abilities. We are made new when we are born again, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV) Christian are learning to think differently than the world around them as God’s wisdom is not like the world’s wisdom. God honors us as we look after those who are hurting, sick, poor, widowed, dying, and work to help improve their lives. Community development is critical in allowing faith-based organizations such as churches to partner with them in planning strategic opportunities to impact the community. Teaching Biblical values and principles is vital to the business community and the community in general. Ethical sound business practices are vital in the world.
We are the salt of the earth shining a light in the darkness. We are the vessels God chooses to use to impact the world around us. Stewardship is “Often defined as the wise and responsible use of natural resources.” (West, 2018 p 31) Economic development is a stewardship that is acted out in the interests of an entire community, city, or even larger scale the world. We as Christians are called to practice sound stewardship principles in how we see Economic development. The proper analysis and data will help to develop great stewardship principles to see relationships and shareholders’ interests. (McDonald, 2016 p 69) When we collect data, organize, analyze, pray over seeking God’s wisdom and taking into consideration God’s principles we are better equipped to make decisions.
The context of doing good in an organization is very broad without an absolute truth of basic values and principles to guide an organization. Many people believe doing good involves things like abortion, youth in Asia, child labor, prostitution, legal drug use, and many other accepted cultured values in the world. The values of Christians will encounter people with values systems that differ it is vital to be able to share Christian values in Economic development in a community.
The world is heading into more of a non-Christian value system we need to teach our families, churches, and professionals’ absolute truth from God’s Word that is meant to impact economic development and our lives in general. We are called to be salt of the earth, 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Mathew 5:13, KJV) We must be about serving those who need to see Jesus in us and through us leading them to the truth in our professional and personal lives.
References:
Lu, J., Zhang, Z. & Jia, M (2019). Does Servant Leadership Affect Employees’ Emotional
Labor? A Social Information-Processing Perspective. J Bus Ethics 159,507–518
https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1007/s10551-018-3816-3
McDonald, O. M. (2016). Collaborative stewardship: An analytical approach to improving
quality of life in communities. Suffolk, VA: Grace House Publishing.
ISBN: 9780983565277.
West, S L Haider, J Masterson, V Enqvist, J P Svedin, U & Tengö, M (2018). Stewardship, care
and relational values, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Volume 35, Pages
God is Faithful…….
Know that the LORD your God is God, the trusted God who faithfully keeps his covenant to the thousandth generation of those who love him and obey his commands. Deuteronomy 7:9
I am reminded today of the pain many people go through in life. People lose loved ones, sickness, pain of loss of relationships and many other things cause people to turn away from God instead of running to His open arms.
God is faithful
God never changes
God never stops loving us, but at times we turn away from Him. We back off by not spending time in worship, prayer, study, and personal time with the Father. We do not see ourselves giving to others. I have met some of the kindest people who for one reason or another have never made Christ Lord of their lives.
There are a few things that we should see out of our current situation with Covet-19.
We are not in control
Our jobs are not guaranteed
Live is but a vapor, we know not when our time will be up. No one is promised tomorrow it is a gift. Time is precious and life is precious.
Love is greater than any leader, country, person, love sparks incredible works of kindness.
Our money, economies, business, homes, land, families, friends, and so other many blessings we have are gifts from God. We do not actually own them but instead we are given a change to manage them, grow them, love our families, enjoy them but there are no guarantees for tomorrow, our trust should not be in things, but in God.
for the LORD is good and his gracious love stands forever. His faithfulness remains from generation to generation. Psalms 100:5
8 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Hebrews 8:16
Foundations of the Truth value system from the bible
God is the creator of us all and everything. Trinity, God, Jesus (son), Holy Spirit. 3-1
God is love. God was first, last, King of Kings; we are created in God’s image and likeness.
God loves us- God created man and women, Sin entered mankind in garden by disobedience, Jesus was sent God’s only Son as a sacrifice to solve the issue of sin separating us from a Holly God. Salvation is a gift paid by Jesus on the cross for anyone who will repent of sin, believe, and make Jesus Lord of their lives. When we are saved or born again we start living in a right relationship with God. We are adopted as one of His children. Our new creation requires us to adopt God’s value system for creation which is found in the bible.
Any value system formed apart from God’s value system is out of line with creation. The only solid foundation of a truth values system is God> He gave us the bible to reveal the plan for us, our value system, and guide to purpose and success in our lives here on earth and for life everlasting.
We are born to live forever. Our spirit, soul, live forever the body will die but we get a new one to live eternally. God gives each person a free will to choose to live in Heaven or in Hell, with God or apart from God.
The Ten Commandments are absolute truths for us to live by. Proverbs is full of great guides for our lives to keep these absolute truths. The bible is filled with truth to live in our lives.
We do make mistakes, sin, but God gives us the plan to deal with that in our lives.
Forgiveness, agape love, is absolute truth. The fruit of the Spirit is evidence we are growing in Christ as we see these grow in our lives.
The Holy Spirit is our teacher, empowers us to live out Christ likeness, boldness, comforts, and so much more. Faith is an Absolute truth without faith a relationship with God is impossible or following absolute truth. God has given each person a measure of faith when they are born or conceived. God knows us even in the womb, which allows to understand abortion is against God’s absolute truth (Murder, Killing) He has plans for each person, life is valuable, purposeful, and we each have gifts and abilities God gave us to use in our lives. We must discover them with God’s help. God teaches us to use our resources in life carefully.
Giving is a truth principle. We reap, sow, plant, harvest.
These are just a few but a great start to the foundation of Absolute truth we all grow in. When we allow these things to develop our value systems we can judge
I am not chasing rabbits but chasing the giver of life.
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Romans 6:4-5
There are all kinds of distractions in our lives today.
Jobs, fear of virus, sickness, friends, family, material things, people, and so much more we can chase these little rabbits down trails that lead us to very little.
The truth is these things often have a place in our lives but too many times we all them to control our lives.
Perspective is important
God is first
Family is next
Serving others in Christs love, our jobs, families, and so many other areas of life are listed after our personal relationship with Jesus. It all starts there if we do not know Christ, we truly do not understand how to live a successful life. We only live for things that are not really all that significant for life and eternity.
We all will die, we all will face eternity, but the question is will we spend it in heaven or hell?
Will we be apart from the one who loved us so much he sent His only son to die and resurrect on a cross or with Satan the stealer of live everlasting with God?
Will we be fooled by living for our selfish desires, lusting after what we want in our sinful nature or become a new creation in Christ?
I have the resurrection power of Christ living in me. Yes, that makes me different from others in the world who do not know Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit moving with our lives to live out our purpose here on earth, to share Jesus with others, and become the new creation He is calling us to be.
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ but honored that Christ loved me enough to die on a cross to give me a new life. To be adopted into the family of God, to have the Holy Spirit of God living with me. To exercise faith always knowing God is still all-powerful, all-knowing, able to do miracles.
Those who know me understand I love to learn; some may say I am book smart, but I want most of all to be known as a servant of Christ. If we are not careful, we think we can grow beyond God as if we have the answers of the universe somehow in our reach instead of the creator of the universe.
Pride was crushed in Jesus life as He hung on the cross it was done in love. Pride comes before our destruction it is the foundation to living a life without Christs love.
Take time today for your breakthrough, give Jesus your total heart, life and allow Him to make you a new creation. Do not allow pride, sin, selfish desires to keep you from eternity with God, with Jesus who sacrificed Himself for you to save you from the hell.
God does not send us to hell but out selfish pride, sin will send us there, but Christ has made a way of escape.
John 3:16 tells us God gave His only son for a sacrifice for our sins. The great gift of God is eternal life through Christ a way of escape, a way to have a personal relationship with the creator. Repent of our sins, believe, and except Christ into your heart today.
Do you call yourself a Christian? -Christlike disciple.
As a Pastor now for many years and someone who has tried to become Christlike in my llife spending time in prayer the last year or so I have felt God calling the church to closeness, to relationatiion with Him. The church is not the building, it is but a gathering place, the church is in our hearts. The resurection power of Jesus Christ lives within our lives.
Where is the evendence of that power of the Reserection in our lives?
Where is the Holy Spirit activily living in our hearts with the evendence as in the early church of Acts?
Are we trying to be like the world or like Christ? Are we trusting in only people or first in God?
As we draw close, humble ourselves, fast, pray, worship out of a true and prue heart God will meet us.
We have direct access to the Father through Jesus and the cross, forgiveness, and power. God still heals, God is still all powerfful, God is still allknowing, God is in control.
The scripture is coming to me so strongly this week. Now is the time for us to repent, pray, humble, and breakthrough. We have power to stand in these times, we are not powerless. I believe God wants to give us a breakthough this weekend in our hearts, souls, and in our country. Revival in so many hearts including mine. We all can become more like Christ, stronger, faithful, love like Jesus believing God will do something great, God will give us a breakthough. We know God uses man, we use wisdom, after we do what we can we stand in prayer, in faith believing God will make a way. Knowing God will bring us through cursing the sickness, standing agains sin, and turning from our sinful nature to serve God. Jesus died on the cross to reconcile us back to the creator, He shed his blood for the forgiveness of our sins, healing, and there is great power in the that blood.
This weekend let us breakthough, let us pray, seek God we are His children.
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14
The call of Fasting, prayer, it’s not time to be passive in our response as Christians but to use our weapons.
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Today the Son is Shining in hearts throughout America. People are talking more maybe today on the internet about Jesus and praying for Gods help. I pray we do not miss the facts that in life we can get busy, distracted by the world and lose sight of what is truly important.
Spending quality time with our Father in Heaven
Reading the bible
Repenting of our sins, searching our hearts
Turning from areas making changes God puts on our hearts to change.
Some people look to Doctors, Governments, others for all the answers in their lives but God has the answers. God uses all these wonderful people to help us, but the answers come from God.
Humbling ourselves is a sign of powerful people. Those who see humbling as weak truly do not understand what it means or the significance of it. Humbling is a process of surrender to God, his authority, love, power, moving in our lives. It provides clarity for us, focus on what is important and strength for our everyday lives.
The bible teaches us in Proverbs the start of all wisdom is in the Fear or Respect of the Lord.
Christians today are not powerless but powerful and its time we follow scriptures we should be in a time of fasting and prayer for our people, country, leaders, and those around the world. This is not a time for division but unity, strength, love, prayer, fasting, and following scriptures. It is time for many around our great country to stand together crying out to God from our hearts for healing, God still heals, still delivers, defends, protects, God is the same today, yesterday and forever.
Ephesians 6 read this chapter
share the journey 
