Brian Becker: here I go

Last night we took about 20 people to Clackamas Town Center Cinema to see "We're All In This Together" a feature film documentary from Hillsong United about reaching a wandering and wounded world with the action of love and the message of Jesus. This movie was revolutionary for this reason:

For too long Social Justice advocates have left out the necessity of Christ as the cure, and for too long Christians shouting "repent" have left out the necessity of compassion as the cause. The I-Heart film blended both, giving us a clear picture of how our message and our actions must be seemlessly tied together.

Here are my favorite quotes:

• The future will be written in the way we respond to the moment in front of us
• The church does not exist to meet our needs but to meet the needs of the world around you
  
• "You can choose to look the other way, but you can never say you did not know." - William Wilberforce
• You don't have to travel across the world to make a difference, just walk out your front door!
• The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved. - Mother Teresa
• history will never be made till you recognize where you fit in HIStory, see a need do your part & meet it the best you can
• If what happens inside the walls of church doesn't make an impact on the streets around it then maybe we r missing the point
• "5 corporations control 90% of what is seen in the world"
• Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's love to humanity.
• The love of God cannot be measured but it can be demonstrated.
• If you are not part of the solution you are a part of the problem.
• “I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.” - Amos 5:21-24, The Message
• What we are not, He is
• Isaiah 58:9-10 - ”If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
• Injustice and indifference walk together hand-in-hand.
• Talk is cheap, put feet to your vision

We're headed to our leadership retreat today - this film and our response will be much of our discussion - yet what we truly need to do is talk less and "be" more. We need to "be" the sequel to this film. God help us.

Continuing from last week's post about VIPER BITES...

Viper bites are not good...there's no way around it. If you asked 100 people if they would choose a viper bite over being "bite free" we'd have a 100% consensus that nobody wants to be bit.

But vipers do bite.
And we do get bit in life.

"Bites" happen in this world, because it is a fallen world...if you want a reason for all the tragedy, it can be traced back to one man's (Adam's) sin. Nothing can change the fact that this world is full of "unfair viper bites". Yet, though this world is fallen and full of viper bites, there is a plan of redemption that has been fulfilled with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has made all things new, and he is our only option.

Sometimes viper bites can cause us to look to the ONLY option we have - and that is to be rescued by the power and might of Jesus Christ.

There are things that are constantly "biting" me. Don't get me wrong - I live a totally blessed life. I have more than I deserve. I'm overwhelmed at the provision and grace of God in my life. Yet, there are things that disturb me. Things that shouldn't be. And today I'm reminded to turn to the One who can heal every disease, who has conquered death and the grave and who makes all things possible.

The youth of our nation have been bit - and I don't like it.
Too many people are unfazed at the peril of their destiny without Christ - and I don't like it.

I don't have answers.
I can't change it.
I have no idea how the tide can turn.
I've been bit.

So, now I get to do what Paul did...shake it off. Paul couldn't fix the viper bite, and neither can I, so I turn to my ONLY option and ask the divine power of God would bring redemption to not just a fallen world (big picture) but to my fallen situations (small picture) that people would be amazed at the One who has crushed satan beneath our feet.

Acts 29:3-5 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When p the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, q “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, r Justice [2] has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, s shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.

I HATE SNAKES...hate, hate, hate, hate. If I see a snake, I will scream like a girl (sorry ladies), and run, crying out for my mommy. A quick Google search says that the "viper is one of the most dangerous snakes in all of Asia, accounting for thousands of deaths each year. Once bitten, people experience a wide variety of symptoms including pain, swelling, vomiting, dizziness, blood incoagubility and kidney failure."
Why does God let vipers bite? Here Paul has given his whole life to honor God and serve Him, and proclaim the Gospel (that Jesus alone can save us and that he paid the penalty for our sin, and that we must call upon the name of the Lord to be saved) and as the last book of Acts unfolds a nasty viper comes out from hiding and bites Paul with lethal poison.

Have you ever been serving the Lord and living in His grace - doing your best to propel the cause of Christ when...BAM! Out of nowhere comes a lethal viper and bites you. Why would God let that happen? Why does God let bad things happen to good people?

The next few blog posts will dive into this much deeper, for today think about this:

Miracles are only needed where there is a need. Instead of focusing on the viper, perhaps we should focus on the God who can overcome the Viper. Instead of focusing your attention on your tragedy, perhaps God is simply preparing to show You that He is in control of all situations.

"And I will...refine them as one refines silver,and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name,and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people';and they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'" Zechariah 13:9

This is just the beginning, and honestly it sounds easier than it is...Real life tragedies are just that...tragic...and the result is not always the miracle that we would like. Yet time after time, regardless of the outcome - we see God's love revealed. We'll look at more later. Until then - may you experience the God who overcomes the Viper.

b.

Jenn Becker: SEVEN! WHAT?!

gotta read my wife's post and see the amazing pictures she posted of our beautiful baby!

I'm convicted. I'm repenting. I'm headed in a new direction. Here's why:

A word-for-word excerpt from Isaiah 58 about why some prayers are dead and never answered, accompanied with the solution and action to remedy the situation:
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"Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves

...this is the kind of fasting I want:

1. Free those who are wrongly imprisoned
2. lighten the burden of those who work for you
3. Let the oppressed go free
4. Remove the chains that bind people
5. Share your food with the hungry, feed the hungry
6. Give shelter to the homeless
7. Give clothes to those who need them
8. Do not hide from relatives who need your help
9. Remove the heavy yoke of oppression
10. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors
11. Help those in trouble.
    

Then

1. your salvation will come like the dawn
2. your wounds will quickly heal
3. Your godliness will lead you forward
4. the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind
5. when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
6. your light will shine out from the darkness, the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
7. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.
8. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
9. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.
10. the Lord will be your delight.
11. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
    

I, the Lord, have spoken!”

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"They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me."

To be near to God is to be near to the broken and hurting...anything else is pretending. When we move, God moves. If you are desperate for God to move in your life, be desperate to fulfill the needs of others. Your direction - not intention - moves the heart of God.

Point Blank: List the people who fit the one or more of the needs listed above and minister the love of God to them. Do this today, do it everyday...and watch God shine in and through you.

Never apologize for setting goals. ever. I'm a goal setter...I aim at targets...and I miss the target most of the time. (all you have to do is look at my new year goals, summertime goals, etc.) Even when I miss the target, I never lose site of the target. I just grab another arrow and aim again.

I'd like to hit the target with more frequency, but for today I'm simply reminding myself and possibly you that the most important thing is staying focused on the target - not hitting it, because if you do stay focused, you will eventually hit it.

Make sure your targets are legit, God-inspired targets...and then keep firing away. Eventually, you'll see the changes come to pass...and as you keep aiming you'll become better at hitting it more often.

Set goals, go for it...regroup, and stick with it.

Benny Perez, Pastor of The Church at South Las Vegas, courtesy of Swerve when he said "I can do all the study and bring in all the consultants but I must go back to the place of prayer, solitude and trust in the Lord that He will help me..."

Jud Willhite, Pastor of Central Christian Church, of courtesy of Rethink Monthly when he said "I have been convicted that my prayers are too small. I have been reading about he Great Awakening in America and just thinking about how the entire city of Philadelphia went out to a field to hear George Whitfield speak. It has happened before, and like how small my prayers are to imagine the entire city of Las Vegas going out into the desert to hear a message about Christ. My prayers are too small, and our God is so much bigger than I give Him credit. It hasn't sunk into my life enough but I am trying to expand my vision of what God can do and who He is, and all that He is accomplishing." Jud recently baptized 600 people spontaneously after preaching a message on following Christ. Someone stood amazed and said they remebered when the church only had 600 people. Jud replied that now the church had 15,000 and there would be a day when they would baptize 15,000 in a single day...God is big.

Joel Houston, of Hillsong Church and the band United, who said via twitter: @joelhouston to whom 'much' is given... 'much' is required...... how 'much' do you really want it?

2 Chronicles 11 & 12, where I am reminded time and time again that the people of God are an ADVANCING people, a VICTORIOUS people, and MIGHTY people, who live DANGEROUSLY, and COURAGEOUSLY.

excerpts from 2 Chronicles 11...

⁷ David then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the City of David. ⁸ He built up the city around it....And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD Almighty was with him. ¹⁰ These were the chiefs of David's mighty men—they, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the LORD had promised- ¹¹ this is the list of David's mighty men:
Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was chief of the officers; he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

¹² Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ But they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory.

²⁰ Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. ²¹ He was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he was not included among them.

²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab's best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. ²³ And he struck down an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver's rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men....

excerpts from 2 Chronicles 12

¹ These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; ² they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed...⁸ Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains. ¹⁴ These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. ¹⁵ It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west...

¹⁹ Some of the men of Manasseh defected to David....²¹ They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army. ²² Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.

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