The Dignity Center

04. February 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Other

Most people are looking for encouragement.  With immoral practices advancing against today’s society, people have been struck with unfulfilled expectations, personal hardship, and a sense of hopelessness.  The Christian body has not done nearly enough to make Christ endearing in society, particularly in urban communities.  The result is the embracing of thug culture, a “get-over” mentality, and moreover, a lack of mutual encouragement.  We at Jesus is Alpha and Omega Ministries (JAOM) are launching a Moral Development Center, a Dignity Center, with the vision of uplifting the community and implementing Godly values, empowering individuals, families, and communities to take the world back from the destructive practices that have so long crippled it.

Check out this video about our mission!!!

 

For more information on the Dignity Center, click here.

Eternal Perspective & Being Powerful and Productive

10. January 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Apologetics

In the return in 2012, we transitioned to our eternal destiny in regard to spiritual growth and being powerful and productive, as individuals and as family units. So what does it mean to be spiritually mature in this context?

It’s about perspective.

A temporal, human perspective wants what it wants immediately, and lacks the patience necessary to be able to navigate circumstances that may not unfold for them immediately. A spiritually mature perspective operates out of eternity…understanding that they have the primary responsibility to connect with and listen to God for daily directionality. Remember, to God, “A day is like 1000 years, and 1000 years like a day” (2 Peter 3:8). We must remove ourselves from a “24-hour mentality” when dealing with God and submit to His Perspective.

But how?

Simply put, we must plug into the mentality that we cannot allow our hearts to be troubled, but to believe in both God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ, as Christ has prepared places for us in His House (John 14:1). We know this because once we are saved, everything that is stored up in Heaven reserved for us is already given (every spiritual blessing, Ephesians 1:3).

We have a conflict, however, when demonic hosts enter our minds and disrupted in dealing with God and following His Commandments. We subconsciously plug into what these demonic hosts have to say, because we do not discern all principalities appropriately to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). This lapse in judgment is partially due to paradigms (preconceived ideas) in our business. We must become solid…in that NO other spiritual idea can move us away from God, regardless of its source. Dismissing paradigms is difficult, as the false sense of security they create is STILL a sense of security. However, we must do this to grow spiritually, understand the fullness of our eternal destiny, and operate out of God’s Eternal Mindset. This is how we can remain in the Ephesians 1:3 mentality, and not fall into the flesh due to worry.

The key, again, to this, is listening to God, as His Voice is, among other things, the essence of foreknowledge. We must connect to the Spirit to capacitate our supernatural intellect, as opposed to just being “religified sheeple”. We must remain engaged with God and avoid even the acknowledgement of deception.

A Spiritual Nugget: Sin Accounts and the Judgement Seat

22. November 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Other

Why Should We Keep Short Sin Accounts?

Everyone sins (Romans 3:23), and everyone struggles with sin (Galatians 5:17). But how do we get over it? Calling out the Lord to come to us is a traditional way of looking at it, but it runs much deeper than this, which is a gross misrepresentation.

God wants uninterrupted fellowship with us so we can expect Him to be there (He is there). The Lord is continually with us so we must be ready to make the changes in mentality that bring us closer to Him accordingly, as changing the mentality will ultimately lead to changes in behavior patterns.

We want to be able to do this as our behavior patterns and all things we do and say will be judged when we leave. There is only one death, followed by a judgment by Christ (Hebrews 9:27). Once we are at this judgment seat of Christ, all things done will receive recompense for all done in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).

But what happens at the judgment seat? How will it happen? We will be judged in 5 areas: personal, family, career, church, and community (Colossians 3:1-4:20). And within these five areas we will be judged by three things: our mouth, motive, and deeds.

First, our motives must line up with God…all that we do must be for the sole purpose of giving God Glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). And the judgment in these things will come when God discloses the purposes of our hearts at the judgment seat (1 Corinthians 4:5). Matthew 6:33 tells us that we must seek first the Kingdom, but we rather would hold on to our sin and compartmentalize God in certain parts of our business. However, once we are sealed with the Holy Spirit that allows God access to every part of our being and every act we commit, good or bad. The judgment seat may not send us to Hell when we are sealed with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), but the purpose of having the right mentality and motive to please God and advance His Kingdom is to have something to present to Him at the judgment seat that does just that. In order to have that, we must constantly fight sin, which disrupts our connection with God, to stay empowered by Him.

We will also be judged by our words (mouth). Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:36), and a tree will judged by its fruits (Matthew 12:33-35). When dealing with others, we must deal with them in love, restoring them in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1), and telling them the truth about what’s going on in their business in love (Ephesians 4:15). We must be spiritual (spiritually matured) to do this, as the Spirit will guide us to those God wants us to give reproof or insight to and also capacitate us to say it the way He wants it said. (John 5:19-20) Otherwise we operate out of the flesh and at best are ineffective in empowering others, but more often than not, we damage those around our further.

We will also be judged by our deeds. The things we build up in the Spirit, like fine metals, will withstand the test of fire at the judgement seat. Conversely, the works of the flesh will burn up but the builder himself will be saved (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; Ephesians 1:13-14). God must empower us in Love to bring us what He wants in the manner that He wants. Those who operate out of Love (in the Spirit, Galatians 5:16, 22-23) are in line with God, and know Him well, for God is Love.

A look at Spiritual Health and Its Importance to Us Today

30. October 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Devotion

If the Body of Christ is the reach its potential in fulfilling the mandates given by our Lord Jesus we must be in good spiritual condition.  Our movement focus is on the production of powerful and productive believers that understand their role in the advancement of the kingdom of God.

If the Body of Christ is to be successful in achieving the will of God we must be spiritually developed.  Spiritual maturity is a key component in our objectives because only a mature believer is capable of comprehending the deeper, broader things of God. Spiritual health is a very important aspect of maturity because a spiritually healthy believer has the capacity to respond to the pressures of living a supernatural life.

There are many pressures taxing those who seek to follow Christ.  One major pressure is being holy (powerful and productive) in the midst of an immoral culture.  Another is trusting the Lord before and beyond financial security (Matthew 6:24).  Pressures of life cause dysfunction in the lives of those who know God, those who do not know God, and between those who know God and those who do not.

A Look A Spiritual Health
Spiritual health is characterized by each believer in Christ being able to receive supernatural power that enables them to function to the full capacity of their calling as they were designed by God.  Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 2:10,  Colossians 3:15-4:6

The supernatural power must reach the following areas of the inner man (spirit and soul) of the believer if they are to become a healthy believer.

  • The mind (the power of God energizes the logic and decision making through wisdom, knowledge and understanding). Proverbs 1:20 – 3:20, Philippians 2:5-11
  • The will (the power God energizes the believers desire to obey God) Psalms 1
  • The emotions (the power of God energizes the feelings thus allowing the believer to connect to how God feels) Ephesians 4:30 – 5:2
  • The nature (the power of God energizes the moral values and the Fruit of the Spirit). Galatians 5:22-23
  • The Talents and Gifts (the power energizes the purpose and value of both natural and spiritual gifts of the believer). Ephesians 4:6-13
  • The walk (the power of God energizes the ministry to others through the gifts). Ephesians 4:1-5:18

Biblical Reasoning

23. October 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Devotion

What is Biblical Reasoning? Biblical Reasoning is the practical application of Scripture in the decision-making process of tackling principalities in the invisible arena (Ephesians 6:12) in that we take thoughts captive to obey Christ in maintaining godly direction (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

We must use Biblical Reasoning to understand who we are under God and receive empowerment to do battle against our flesh (Galatians 5:16-17, Ephesians 5:18). In order to reason Biblically we must apply Scripture to our thinking with the following concepts:

(1) Think on these things that are pure/honorable/commendable/worthy of praise/etc. (Philippians 4:8)

(2) We have the mind of Christ so that we may discern all things. (1 Corinthians 2:15-16)

(3) Have the same mind Christ had when dealing with others. (Philippians 2:5)

(4) Hold steadfast onto that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

(5) Purpose of holding onto Scripture…all is sacred for teaching and reproof. (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

(6) Take all thoughts captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

(7) Keep pressing toward the mark given to us in Christ. (Philippians 3:11-16)

(8) Be strong in the Lord in His Mighty Power…as we go do battle in the invisible arena. (Ephesians 6:10)