A tearful reunion ... some day...

January 12, 2009

The Staff and Board of Cornerstone Assistance Network wish to inform you that after nearly two months of struggle with pneumonia
and other pulmonary problems, Scott Manley entered the presence of our Lord on January 9, 2009.
While we celebrate with Scott his transformation to glory, we are deeply saddened by our loss.
However, the work of Cornerstone will continue. Preparations for ShareFest OKC 2009 are well underway
and the newest Cornerstone ministry, Stand in the Gap, already has several churches beginning training in the next few weeks.

We thank you for your support and love for Scott and this ministry. Please know that the Cornerstone board members and staff
understand its mission and vision and share Scott’s heart for the poor and the needs of this city. We ask for your continued
support and your prayers as we honor Scott by moving forward with God’s work.

A Memorial Service will be held at 5:00pm Saturday, January 17th, at Our Lord's Community Church, 11400 N. Portland, OKC.
We would love for you to come celebrate Scott's life and legacy with us.

In His Strength,

Cornerstone Assistance Network
Board Chairman


“Scott carried the spirit of Jesus that taught us all that cities are worth weeping over; they are worth serving,
and the conviction that entire cities can be transformed by the spirit of the living God. The legacy he leaves is great.
He will forever be remembered in our city for ShareFest, a city-wide movement of compassion and service.

We can best remember him by carrying this torch and pounding this drum,
'Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’”

Ben Nockels, Skyline Church

A faithful friend in need of prayer agreement

Hello Friends & Family. Scott Manley is seriously ill at Mercy Hospital. We all appreciate your fervent prayers for his recovery. (click on "read story" below)
Scott Manley became quite ill back in November of this year with a respiratory infection. After doctor's visits and home health nurses, he was hospitalized 2 weeks later in serious condition with possible respiratory failure due to influenza A & B organizing into pneumonia.
He had a relapse on Dec. 24 and was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. His primary doctor has reassessed his condition this week and are starting PT and RT treatments.
The family and doctors request NO visitation or calls at this time. Pray for restoration and healing for Scott and for strength for Ann and the family.
If you have a desire to communicate with Scott, he would love to receive your emails at scottmanley@sbcglobal.net or post your comments on this site.
You can also go to mercyok.net and send an e-greeting.
Scott has asked that we join him in the Prayer of Hezekiah from Isaiah 38:
Hezekiah’s Life Extended
1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’”2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, 3 and said, “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.

Missions Reach to Matamoras

Start praying now for a mission to Matamoras, Mexico. A small group will go from OKC to scope out a local congregation to help. The pastor is a medical doctor working with addicts and in the dumps. Elizabeth will join us from Mexico City to interpret and help. Should that not be the way we do it? Oklahoma City, Mexico City, Matamoras.... all working together?

Delighting in Praise - Jan 13th

Psalm 84:1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even faints for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crys out for the living God.

Praise is the language of the people of God. In His courts, praise is the way of life. Without praise His people are silent. Without praise they are no more than the world’s inhabitants. Praise is the expression of a changed heart to the challenges of life lived in Him. Delighting in the church means delighting in praise.

Together
Psalm 22:22: I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise you.

Praise is meant to be an act of the gathered. We are the gathered out of many types of people. Praise is meant to reflect the gathering of peoples, styles, actions, modes, and means of expression. Delighting in praise means delighting in the act of praise no matter the style or form. It means delighting in being among a people of praise.

Apart
Isaiah 61:3: To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

At times in our heaviness, we need personal praise. It is the praise of the personal devotional life that takes us out of depressive modes and keeps us out. Many saints of God have found the positive emotional value of starting the day off with praise to God. It is an action that joins us to the body of Christ even when we rise in the morning and throw off any weight that tries to attach. It is an action of preparation to greet the brethren of the workday, market day, school day, service day, or simply home day with joy on our faces.

Intense
Psalm 35:28: And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.

Praise never stops. It is impressive that when we live the life of praise and delight in it that it wells up in us at most inopportune times. It is a joy to walk away from the day’s work with praise coming out of our lips. It is God’s way to wake us in the morning with a song of praise rolling in our minds, consuming and changing our thoughts even on our beds in the night. Delighting in praise is an intense lifestyle.


BREAKING THROUGH
Bear was looking for something more. The real smile on the face of Krons and Maria and the others was beginning to bother him. He had seen so much. He had seen conflict handled with firmness but love. He had heard the banter of Jack, the owner, handled with humor. What was it these folks had?

Krons noticed the inside struggle of Bear and slipped into a chair at the table in the corner Bear huddled over. The bible in Bear’s hand was open to one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. This had been movie night at XiRo. The movie had been a documentary about a praise group travelling through South Africa during intense days of apartheid. The stories of conflict and concern had moved many. The testimony of people praising together against the mode of the day moved others.

“What about this praise stuff,” Bear questioned.

“How come all of those people who were fighting in politics could get together and praise God together. It just doesn’t make sense. Something must be powerful in praise. Something must stir men and women beyond themselves. I’d like to know what it is.” Bear was serious. His face was screwed on tight.

Krons met the pressure. He leaned totally over the table into Bear’s personal space. Bear was nervous. He liked his space. He liked to stay away. Krons was in the danger zone. Bear was still. Krons began to speak.

“Look, Bear, I see you are reading on love in that letter of Paul’s. He points out that all the right stuff in the world is just noise without love. Praise is like that. The praise those people experienced together came out of their love for God, His love for them, and their love for each other. Love is bigger than hate. Love is bigger than fear. Love brings praise to the max point.”

Leaning back from the table and deeper into the corner of the room, Bear hesitated before speaking. For the first time since he came through the door, a little smile came across his lips. Eyebrows relaxed over his face. A deep laugh bellowed out. This was unexpected. This was abnormal. This was spontaneous. Bear was never spontaneous about anything.

The music playing overhead got louder and louder. “Shout to the Lord” was playing. Maria just could not resist. She had been watching and praying. When Bear began to break into a new life, she had to join the celebration in her way. People were tapping tables and bowing heads and lifting hands. This had never happened in the shop. They had been so careful to avoid being too “religious”. But this was just a real, spontaneous moment for everyone.

Never ending
Hebrews 13:15: By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Delighting in praise is a never-ending part of the assembly of believers. Never should praise go low. Never should praise be subverted to some lower position in the life of a believer. Praise is life-giving along with a life of prayer and study of the scriptures. It is an essential along with fellowship and obedience. It is never-ending in importance and impact on our lives. Too many times has it been witnessed a believer who begins to choose a “deep prayer life” or a “deep study life” that simply gets buried in the weights of life. Their appearance becomes serious and gloomy as they “spiritualize” all actions.

Some years back a rather young believer came to me for counsel. She had been praying many hours a day and was beginning to worry about everything that needed attention. Her focus was centered on everything less than perfect and praying those items into obedience and perfection. Going from a joyful recipient of grace to a gloomy “prayer warrior” disturbed me. Looking directly into her eyes, I encouraged her. “Jill, how much time do you spend in praise every day?” An astonished look answered that she spent none. “Try this for a month. Spend two minutes in praise for every one minute interceding in prayer.” The wonderful result would be that she came back a month later full of joy. The real result was, she did not listen and eventually left the assembly of believers and many years later is still detached and a “prayer warrior”.

Taking Inventory On Praise
Praise is derived from the Latin word "preisier" which means to prize -- praise is an expression of approval, a worship, and a valuation of that which has worth or merit. To praise is to prize; it is to glorify that thing or that one worthy of glory and honor. To the degree that something or someone is worthy of glory and honor -- to that degree praise is due. God is of infinite value and glory; he is due our infinite honor, our infinite praise. Michael Hodgin
What do you prize in life?

How much of your thoughts are consumed with your prizes?

How often do you prize God?

Taking Action On Praise
Take a shift in your prayer life. Double the time you spend in prayer with praise. Do it for thirty days and see what happens.

Prayer on Praise
Father, You are my prize. I value you above all else. There is none who can compare with You, Lord. You are the "prize" of my life and my portion forever. Whom do I have in heaven besides You? Who is there on earth that I would value above You? Can I see any other glory but Yours? Engulf me with Your love and beauty. Cause my eyes to see You in action in my life all day long.

Marriage Growth

A young marriage needs the blessings of unity of thought, emotion, vision, and connection. Pray with us.

Job Need

Join as we pray for a single mom looking for good employment. Some old stuff in her background is blocking employers. God has the right place and position for her.

Praise Report

Mimi reports from Cuernavaca that a friend for whom we have been praying has been returned home. He was a child of a family in a local congregation. The young man had been kidnapped for ransom. Praise God and pray for his emotions to be peaceful and steady and that of his family.

Delighting in Battle

Psalm 84:1 How lovely is Your tabernacle (are Your dwellings), O Lord of Hosts.

Taking the Highway to Zion means loving war, loving battle. Now, that ruffles a few feathers. Where does that conclusion prove itself? In all of scripture.
Jehovah Tse-ba-wah - the Lord of Hosts
Psalm 24:7: Lift up your head, O you gates; and be you lift up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8: Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9: Lift up your heads, O you gates; even lift them up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10: Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.

The Lord of Hosts is one of the most frequently used names for God in all of history. Isaiah, Zephaniah, and Zechariah used this name almost exclusive of other names for God. They lived in embattled times. They lived in times of war, where taking and holding were a daily regimen. The Lord of the armies encamped for war is what that name means. We are that army. We are that host.

"Austere perseverance, harsh and continuous, may be employed by the least of us and rarely fails of its purpose, for its silent power grows irresistibly greater with time." Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

In Pursuit of Canaan
Genesis 14:8: And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar); and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; 9: With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
10: And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. 11: And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. 12: And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.13: And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
14: And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. 15: And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. 16: And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

To defeat the armies of four kings when five could not and to do it with 318 men, you have to love war. You have to know how to fight. You have to be skilled in fighting. When you follow God into His dwelling, you must love a good fight.

Possessing the Land
Joshua 1:9: Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayoud: for the LORD thy God is with you whithersoever you goest. 10: Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11: Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days you shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God gives you to possess it.

Nothing came easy for Joshua and the Israelites in taking the land given them by God. Joshua fought through 40 years of skirmishes in the desert and then 40 years of intense battle in Canaan. God's cloud went with him by day and God's fire by night. You must love war to move in God's presence.

Growling Generalities
His Friday night had been horrid. It seemed like every attempt to talk to someone had met with resistance. People were unfriendly. People were downright hostile when the gospel was mentioned. One man had begun cursing and throwing his arms about when Jerry asked him to leave at closing time. This was one tough night.

Even Eddie seemed down about the night. He had come in later that afternoon. This was the first time he came in the evening. He did not hold the door. He bought his own coffee. He bought coffee for two other folks that he brought with him. They sat quietly and somewhat sadly in the corner booth and watched the people come and go. None ever spoke. Sometimes they would poke each other and laugh a little. Never disrespectfully, just in observation.

Krons noticed an odd new member of the Friday night crowd. She sat in the corner and visited with many. Dark glasses conveniently covered her eyes. She smirked more than smiled and had some odd attraction to people. He had not been able to go over and greet her. In fact, every time he headed that direction some problem cropped up in the kitchen or with a table of people or some odd unsolveable question would come from Bear. By the last hour of the night, he began to wonder if those incidents were not purposed by some external agent of interference.

Then he saw. He saw the Tarot cards. He saw her taking upturned palms and plying her trade as she read history into innocent lives. This was real. She was not a circus fake. This lady was the real thing. Every person walked away either down or happy, but always more confused than they came.

In the back Maria and others began to pray. This was real. How do they handle this situation? She needs Jesus as much as anyone. What could they do? They could not allow her to stay and disrupt in this manner. Suddenly one of the women in the prayer circle began to pray for God to intervene in some significant way. Could He simply do something to convince her to leave and everyone else to stay?

In a few moments, the woman screwed up her face and complained of an odor. She moved to another table. In a few moments, she complained aloud again. Again and one more time she moved. This time as Krons approached, nothing interfered. As direct as possible, he bolding offered to pray with her. She rankled and spoke.

“You are full of demons just like me,” she declared.

“You are so holy you don’t know it. But it is true. Everybody has demons.”

This stuck Krons back but did not deter him. He pressed into the conversation and refuted her ridiculous accusation. At the same time, he offered to take her into the back room for prayer. She would have none of it. Storming out the door, she promised to never come back. The odor never was apparent to anyone else. Noone else ever smelled anything but coffee and nachos. No one ever remembered such an exhausting night. They were glad the battle was over for an evening.


Holding Ground
2Chronicles 32:8: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

War never stops. Hezekiah was known for his love for the temple of God. He cleaned up and restored the temple. He brought the people back into praise relationship with God. Hezekiah was unafraid to go into battle for those reasons.

Onward Christian Soldiers
Matthew 11:12: And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

Our quest is not different. We must be forceful. Delighting in the fellowship home of God means delighting in fighting the enemy to regain land and keep what we have. In prayer, we battle. In praise, we battle. In standing in the promises, we battle. This kingdom is taken with zeal that consumes us.

Taking Inventory On Delighting in Battle
'Now they went on; and when they were come to By-path meadow--to the stile over which CHRISTIAN went with his fellow HOPEFUL, when they were taken by Giant DESPAIR and put into Doubting Castle--they sat down and consulted what was best to be done: to wit, now they were so strong, and had got such a man as Mr. GREAT-HEART for their conductor, whether they had not best to make an attempt upon the giant; demolish his castle; and if there were any pilgrims in it, to set them at liberty before they went any further. So one said one thing, and another said the contrary. One questioned if it was lawful to go upon unconsecrated ground; another said they might, provided their end was good: but Mr. GREAT-HEART said, "Though that assertion offered last cannot be universally true, yet I have a commandment to resist sin; to overcome evil; to fight the good fight of faith. And, I pray, with whom shall I fight this good fight, if not with Giant DESPAIR? I will therefore attempt the taking away of his life, and the demolishing of Doubting Castle." Then said he, "Who will go with me?"'- Pilgrims Progress

Taking Action on Delighting In Battle
Pick a battle of your soul today. With what do you contest? Anger? Despair? Defeat? Anxiety? Take up the shield of faith with Mr. Great-Heart, Abram, Jesus, Hezekiah, and Joshua and say, "NO”, to the giant. Take the scripture of promise in hand and fight.

Prayer on Delighting In Battle
Father, I would rather rest, but I know I need to fight. I know that loving Your fellowship home means defending my heart. I know I must wrestle my own giants to the ground that the gathering of the saints would be filled with goodness and peace and mercy. Righteousness, peace, and joy come in the kingdom, Father. They are hard won and hard kept. Stir in me the warring spirit to join the Lord of Hosts, the Lord of My Heart.

Delighting In His People

Jeremiah 31:21 Set you up waymarks, make you high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which you wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.

Psalm 84 How lovely is Your tabernacle (are Your dwellings), O Lord of Hosts.

Peoples
I Corinthians 6:19: What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? 20: For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

"Peoples will be peoples." Somewhere I heard that in a movie line. A great supporter of law enforcement, Jack Webb, was once questioned about how a police officer could "go bad". With extensive application procedures and qualifications and more extensive training and preparation, the questioner was plagued with confusion as to how this continually happened. How did a law enforcer become a lawbreaker? Webb replied, "The problem is we must recruit from the human race."

The tabernacle of God is first and foremost us. Each individual and the body of Christ together is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Walking tabernacles of the glory and divine character and nature of God seems to be a strange description of these flesh and bone mistake makers called humans. Yet, that is how He sees us. That is how He plans us. That is how He supports us. By the way, "us" includes "them" as long as "they" call Jesus, Lord.
Passioned Peoples
2 Corinthians 6:16: ... for you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Each of us has a passion for which we contend. That passion motivates our life, our soul, our speech, our actions, and our feelings about circumstance and others. Christ impassions us. To stay in our fleshly passion and interest is to deny the power of the Gospel. The will of God is to reveal in us His way that is higher than our way. Some stay. Some go forward. In each instance, we as believers must contend with the passions of others. These seem to be opposite ours. Really they are not opposite or opposed. They are conjunct. They are conjoint.

The Holy Spirit in us produces a delight in the passions of others. His temples are enjoyable. The variety in the kingdom spices our lives. Delight in His temples, and you delight in Him. Supporting the passion of others is a delight. Thrilling in the working through of difficulties when passions connect close up and confrontational is a part of having a heart for the highway. Working through leads into the fellowship of the saints. How lovely are Your tabernacles!

Yesterday, I had lunch with a software inventor and a business administrator and his wife, who serve in an east coast state in a very different church than the one in which I serve. What a group! The discussion was vivid and passionate. Regularly, I have bible discussion with businessmen passionate about building businessmen for Christ. They represent different expressions of faith in Christ than my norm. What is that about? It's about sharpening my saw. It's about getting out of my box. It's about letting others' passions rub off on me, while letting our common denominators build on each other. It's about breaking down preconceived notions and barriers.

Problem Peoples
Life always has problems attached. Problems always seem to have people attached. Some people are like the old character in Li'l Abner who went around with the cloud over his head. The character, Mr. Mxyzptlk in the old Superman comics, presence always meant disaster even though he was friendly. There are just people who live problematic lives. You need to delight in being a part of their solution in life.

Purple Peoples
Zig Ziglar tells the story about the man who walked into a bookstore and asked the female manager, "Ma'am, can you tell me where I can find the book, Man, The Superior Sex? She replied, "Oh, yes. It's upstairs in the Science Fiction department!"

People come in all different sizes and makes, customs and colors, hairs and ornaments. Our task is to delight in all of them. When we love the fellowship of God, when our heart is turned to the path into the city of our Savior, we love all kinds of people.

Call Me Eddie!
Call him Eddie or call him enigma, the man meant the same to Krons. Every morning he had shown up for the last two weeks. Before the door opened, he was dressed in the same jeans and boots and jacket and hat with his sleeping bag and belongings neatly tucked in a duffle bag. Eddie’s smile was real. It had a taste of pain behind the lips, but the smile was real. He never talked. Just nodded his head and began opening the door for folks coming for coffee.

Standing at the table closest to the door so he could keep his eyes on his accumulated earthly possessions, Eddie served with a smile. He never asked for anything. The blustery hard wind sharpened by 20 degree weather did not stop him from smiling and nodding. An angry face on a customer bothered by being served did not stop him. The aloof attitude of the suburbaned lawyer in tailored dress that moved her well out of his path did not stop his smile. He served.

The boots on his feet belied the streets. They were as shined as they could be after keeping feet warm in the outdoors all night. No other person living on the streets had such shining boots. His clothes were neat with a few wrinkles. How did he accomplish all of that living on the streets? No one knew. He did not talk. He did not come to share a hard lot story. He came to serve and smile.

Krons had gotten his name out of him. He even found that Eddie had served in war time in the Middle East. That was about it. Eddie did not come to talk. He came to serve.

Around noon, Eddie would disappear back to the streets. Every once in a while, someone would give him a dollar tip and a smile. For Eddie, that seemed like a fortune. As gracious as any concierge in a $750 a night upscale hotel, he would thank the person and continue to serve. He was surely an enigma. Krons always brought him a first cup of coffee. Eddie never asked. He just received it and continued to open the door. He was happy to serve.

Maria was getting a little worried about the situation. What if people began to fear being robbed? What if people found Eddie offensive. Krons contemplated that for the last week. He concluded that Eddie was an angel. Maybe not a ‘real’ angel, but surely a messenger from God. They did not know the message he carried, but they did believe there was a message for them all in Eddie’s service and faithfulness.


Taking Inventory on Delighting in People
Are there some personality types that just rile you? How do you handle it? Can you see them as God's creation?

When was the last time you spent a great evening doing something with a group of people that have a radically different background than you do?

Taking Action on Delighting in People
Find someone who is entirely different than you are this week. Take them out to lunch or have them over to your home. Get to know them. Listen more than talk.


Prayer on Delighting in People
It is amazing, Father, that You do so much for us. In our daily routines, we can get so bogged with our own focus that we miss others. Give us the love for people that turns our hearts to Your home. Construct Your home Your way. Let all the passions, problems, personalities, and purpleness of people come into harmony. Build in us a love for the heavenly choir made of many sounds that form one voice of praise to You in our variety of service.

Delighting in His Surroundings

Psalm 84:1 How lovely is Your tabernacle (are Your dwellings), O Lord of Hosts.

Preference
Each of us has certain accouterments that please us. One likes a flowered field, another likes soft cello music, another likes Victorian furniture, another likes cinnamon tea, another likes the smell of automobile leather interior, and another thrives on word puzzles. Each of us has preferences that please our nose, our eyes, our ears, our touch, our taste, and our mental processes. Surrounded by those preferences, we would be ecstatically stimulated and express a sheer delight in living. Overstimulation would ensue and breakdown of emotion would follow. None of us get the privilege of living 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the pure preferences of our life. None of us would survive long in it either.

Persistence
Life imposes certain environs to which we become accustomed. Waking early in the morning to be at his place in the market is required of the businessman. Gathering the sounds of many little children on a school playground adjacent to her home teases the patience of one retired widow. Inhaling the morning stench of the stockyards becomes the daily routine of a cattleman. For each of these, the choice is to persist in what may not seem pleasant for the moment in order to achieve some joy. To rise early is to profit quickly for the businessman. That is his focus and life and purpose. To live in the neighborhood where life was lived out makes the somewhat irritating noises meaningless to the widow and her memories. The stench of cattle is a sweet aroma as the cattleman counts his gains in the trading of the day. The impositions of life can be easily assumed in stride when we move toward our life's purpose and the joy of our heart.
Thomas Edison was always one for changing his world. At his summer home, he delighted in showing guests labor saving devices throughout the property. Following the path back to the gathering, each guest was required to push through a tough turnstile. With such propensity for saving labor, one guest was perplexed and asked why such a hard turning device was necessary. "Everyone who pushes the turnstile around pumps eight gallons of water into the tank on my roof," was Edison's smiling reply. He then used the tank to water his garden.

Choices
Whatever the surroundings have become, they are the product of the accumulation of our daily choices. While we take pleasure in trying to lay the blame at the feet of destiny or life, any of us with the smallest abilities can change our environment a moment and a facet at a time into something entirely different. Some choose to deny the realities of choice and responsibility and create worlds of their imaginations. Even at that, they have mentally created a new environ of choice. Others choose to carve out worlds that did not exist before them like Thomas Edison bent on pursing a land of light and electricity. For him it existed at first only in his mind and now for us exists as a given condition.

New Crib
After a few weeks of opening XiRo at 5:30am for coffee for the neighborhood, Krons was getting weary. Maria picked up at 8am so he could make it to work on time. But the early time was busy. People came and took advantage of the first week of free coffee and loved the low prices. Getting a cup on the way to work seemed to be attracting some regulars already. Jerry always came by in the evening before closing to clean up and lock up and get everyone home. Sometimes an uncooperative crowd would entrench and not want to leave. It was good to have Jerry. Bear was coming by every night. Maybe he could take a few evenings on his own and let Krons and Maria have some nights off. Yet, he was so full of questions and conversation. It did not seem right to leave him for now, but what would one night hurt?
It sure was good to be Friday. Weekends were closed right now. More willing saints were needed to make this work.

The owner from the bar next door popped in unexpectedly. He was good about doing that. Sometimes he was downright irritating in the way he sauntered around as if he owned the place. He did own the building, but it would be good to have a landlord not so close and inquisitive. He always expected a free cup of coffee along with his rent.

“Hey, Krons, got some of that mud for me? You owe me. People are taking up bar parking and sitting around in here all night. That sure doesn’t help me make money on my brew. Watcha gonna do about it? Huh? Make me an offer.”

Krons struggled to answer. This was frustrating. This guy was getting on his nerves. Maybe this was a good time to do a little witnessing. Maybe he would go away.

“Look, Jack. You knew when we rented we would be talking to folks and giving them a rest stop. Only about half are driving. Most of the ones that hang around walk up. The drivers only stay for 15 minutes or so. Anyway, haven’t you wondered what we are talking about with people?”

“I know what you are talking about. You are filling their heads with that Jesus stuff. So far most still come by for a beer after they leave. It really has increased my walk in traffic at the bar. Maybe this Jesus stuff is good for my business. Sold a lot a sandwiches last week. Must get them hungry listening about all that baloney.”

“What about you, Jack? What do you think about Jesus?”, Krons struck to the heart of the matter.

“Think about Jesus? I don’t ever think about Jesus. Wasn’t he some guy who got in trouble with the law so they strung him up? I know lots of folks strung up by the law in jail. Maybe he is my kinda guy.”

Krons laughed. This was a good diversion. Jack could sure banter. The conversation did not seem to go anywhere, but Krons enjoyed the back and forth talk. Over in the corner, Bear was listening to every word between the two. Krons was tired. He wanted to be home. Something made him come and do this thing at XiRo. It sure wasn’t comfort. But it needed to be done.

Environs of God
Have you ever thought what the environs of God's choices are like? You would love to live there, wouldn't you? Or would you?

Choosing the surroundings of God means leaving the surroundings of our accumulated choices. It is no neverland of Captain Hook and Peter Pan in which He lives, but a real dwelling place to which He invites us. The choice is to overcome the impositions of life and carve out a world that for some exists as joy unspeakable and full of glory and for others is only a haunting dream. Dreams come true when lived out with choices actively expressed.

We can choose to live in the lovely dwellings of God. We can choose and act to inhabit with Him, His environs. The trappings of His gathering can be ours. But we must love them. We must desire them. We must overcome the pleasured choices we have made and take on new ones. Our minds must be renewed into His mind, and our inner man must take on His image.

The funny part about this whole journey of delighting in the dwelling of God is that when we enter His dwelling, we become a part of the environ. We become a choice of God for His pleasure. We become a part of His persistent will to create a new heaven and a new earth. He chooses us as part of His lovely tabernacle, the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit.

Taking Inventory on Delighting In His Surroundings
Are you resisting His surroundings?

What part of your surroundings would you have to give up to spend more time in His?

Is there a part of your life's environs conflicting with the environs of God?

Taking Action on Delighting In His Surroundings
While the physical house of God, a church building, is only a part of God's environs, it is an important part. Take time this week to break your schedule for His. Go up to the physical house of God and actively take on a short project. Clean a room, cut some grass, wash a row of windows, fix a broken hinge, and put your hands on His gathering. While you are there, remember you are in His environs at His invitation. He chose you.

Prayer on Delighting In His Surroundings
God of the living give me a holy delight in Your surroundings. Dwell in me that I might dwell in You. Create in me a heart of holy dissatisfaction to be anywhere but in Your presence, Your surroundings, Your dwelling place, and Your environs. Show me choices that lead me closer into Your light and life 24 hours a day. Engulf me, Lord, with You.

Any Time Any Place

1 Corinthians:3:16: Know you not that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
2 Corinthians:6:16: And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
1 John:3:24: And he that keeps His commandments dwells in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us.

Our Journey Into His Courts
The incredible truth of the gospel is that we now all become temples of the Holy Spirit. The tabernacle of His dwelling is each and every individual believer and the joint gathering of those believers. The assembly is where He shows Himself strongest. The power of unity in prayer and praise is simple to observe in all of scripture. Any time and any place we meet with Him, He meets with us.

The Shadow That Gives Light
Let the sons of Korah expound into your heart the insight they have in serving in the gathering place of their God. Let them explain to your soul in words unutterable how excellent is the name of the Lord they serve. Explore with me the dwelling place of God and the joy of serving Him in that place. See the benefits of dwelling with Him in the fellowship of the saints.

For the sons of Korah, all they could see was the shadow, the type of what was to come. For us, the Holy Spirit becomes a resident in our hearts, our tabernacles. For them He visited. He came and went. For us, He comes and stays. He never leaves us or forsakes us. They had the beginning of the promise. He promised He would live in the gathering of the believers. Our joy is to have the fullness of the promise. His flow and life are ours on a continuing basis. That is the way He means it to be. Every day and every time we meet, He is here.

Psalm 84
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
My soul longeth, yea, even faints for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh cries out for the living God.
Yea, the sparrow has found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.
Blessed are they that dwell inYour house: they will be still praising You. Selah.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You; in whose heart are the ways of them.
Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also fills the pools.
They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appears before God.
O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed.
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in You.

In exploring this psalm and its relation to the collective assembling of the saints of God, these will be some of the sessions:
v Beautiful Dwellings –Delighting in His Surroundings
v Lovely Tabernacles – Delighting in His People
v Jehovah Tse-ba-wah – Delighting in War
v Courts of God –Delighting in Praise
v Living God - Delighting in Living
v Nesting at the Altars – Delighting in Worship
v The Gathering and Presence - Delighting in Him
v SingingPraises – Delighting in the Positive
v Strong in Him - Delighting in Weakness
v Highways in the Heart – Delighting in Birth
v Place of Springs – Delighting in the Anointing
v Strength to Strength – Delighting in Growing
v Hear Our Prayer - Delighting in Prayer
v The Shield - Delighting in Leadership
v Doorkeepers - Delighting in Serving
v Sun and Shield - Delighting in Grace
v Sun and Shield – Delighting in Using Grace
v Good Things - Delighting in Liberty
v Trusting Him – Delighting in the Long Haul
v Final Thoughts

Finding Common Grounds
Jerry came out from the back with a wide smile on his face. He’d found an old fan motor in the junk in his backyard to fix the air unit. Jerry’s backyard was a parts heaven from years of taking things apart and never throwing any away. Seemed like a God thing that he had just the right size fan for the unit. It smelled something awful when it cranked up the heat, but soon the dust and bugs in the unit burned up and heat was blowing through the place. He looked a little crazy with wild hair everywhere and dirt and grease over every inch of his body. But, the heat was wonderful.

Maria got the main coffee urn going and fixed some exotic brew. She figured it was time to try out one of the planned menu items. Here was some Korinth Kava. The mix of light and dark coffees was an idea she concocted. The aroma flooded the newly cleaned rooms. They still needed some work, but they would do for starting up. No tables or chairs had arrived, so a few crates found in the back had to do to sit and relax.

“Whew,” exclaimed Bear, “I could really go for a mug of that brew. What is it made out of? Smells wonderful.” He was 6’6” and 300lbs. Everything about him was huge. And he was a hard worker with a soft heart. Krons had been working side by side with him scraping caked grease off the kitchen floors for hours. Nasty work and great friendship.

As Maria explained the mix of coffees, Sharita laughed loud and long. She explained she was known to mix coffees all the time. When one can was low and the next one came in from the local food bank, they never knew which coffee it would be. One time it was Maxell House light and Folger’s dark. Another time it might be something else. It was kind of a household joke about what the coffee of the last mix would be like. Sometimes it would turn your stomach. Sometimes it was really good. They all laughed at the irony. Maria had planned for Sharita’s Surprise as the family called it.

Krons seized the moment. As everyone filled up their cups, he raised his in salute and prayer.
“Father, this has been a good day. You have brought friends and fun. You have helped us clean and mix coffees and mix with each other. How can we thank You for such a day? Thanks for these friends. Thanks for You.”

Quiet hit the boisterous group for a minute. They weren’t used to someone praying so freely and so easily. To them, God was a distant image in a religious room of formality. The different approach of Krons being so free to talk to God in the middle of messed up room with some messed up people made Bear frown with puzzlement. He wasn’t angry. Just puzzled. Sure was good coffee though. Tasted like Sharita’s Surprise the time it was really good.
Taking Inventory on Any Time - Any Place
Has your view of Gods acceptable gathering place been limited by what you have seen before?

When was the last time you felt the presence of God at your work-place? in your home? at the grocery store? riding in a car?

Can you think of someone who seems to be able to enjoy God's presence wherever they are?

Taking Action on Any Time - Any Place
Practice the presence of God for one day. Every 15-30 minutes stop and talk to Him for 30 seconds. Remind yourself He is there.

Prayer on Any Time - Any PlaceRight now, Father, I recognize Your presence. You are here. In the depths of the ocean, You are there. On the highways, You are there. When I don't feel You, You are there. When I am angry, You are there. When I am in sin, You are there. When I am living victoriously, You are there. When I lie down, You are there. When I read a book, You are there. When I work to earn my wages, You are there. When I am eating, You are there. You are here, always

Together in Jesus

Matthew18:18: Truly, I say it and you need to hear it, whatever you restrain on earth is restrained in heaven: and whatever you release on earth is released in heaven. 19: Again I say and you hear, That if two of you agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20: For where two or three are gathered together in my name and submitted under my authority and purposes, there am I in the midst of them.

Turn Out
Jeremiah takes a turn in his challenge to the church. Now, he is talking about those that have left and need to come back and get involved. It is one thing to be born into a family or congregation. It is something else to come back after leaving. The stresses are different. The needs are different. When we have been apart for a while, we need some extra love and attention to get back in the groove.

So often, when we are a part of a group, we forget to keep the doors open for others to join. Families are meant to always get bigger and bigger. It has been our joy for years to have a family reunion of the family of my wife’s grandparents. 30 years ago there were a few. Now the teenagers of those years have married and have had children who will soon be having children. Seven becomes 30 becomes 90. A congregation should be grafting in new families not just growing on the older ones. There is always a new marriage or a new looker at the reunions. There is always one that has not been for a decade that comes once again to see family together.

Sometimes those families move away for the wrong reasons. They need to come back. There needs to be a wide open door for them to enter.

Jeremiah 31:15: Thus says the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. 16: Thus says the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, says the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy (the harvest of souls will be great). 17: And there is hope in your end, says the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border (those that have left and lost their way will come back home to the assembly of believers). 18: I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn me, and I shall be turned; for you art the LORD my God. 19: Surely after that I was turned, I repented (great, real repentance will overtake many),; and after that I was instructed (revival will come according to the Words of God, the scriptures, the breathings of the Holy Spirit – look at Psalm 119), I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.(conviction and commitment to do it right sets in) 20: Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, says the LORD. 21: Set you up waymarks, make you high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, (make it clear and easy how to be a part) even the way which you wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities (the assembly of believers, expressions of the body of Christ, the places of safety, satisfaction, and supply.)

First Timers
There is always a place for the person that never knew. We need to remember that. So many times, we can get focused on those that know Jesus and lose sight of the ones that need Him desperately. First timers are important in the sight of God. They are part of the assembly. We need to seek them out and bring them in. They are part of the ones brought together in Jesus. For years as a deacon and a pastor, I would come to Sunday services early and float the congregation looking for first timers. It is easy to come to a group where everyone knows you and be accepted. It is harder to put aside being known and seek out those that may not know anyone. It is humbling. You won’t be called by name or title. You won’t get that welcoming family smile from someone who loves you and knows you. But you can sure make an impact and a connection with a precious person loved of God and lonely for a friend.

First timers tend to come early. They sit alone. They put their heads in a bible or other book and pretend to be a part, not knowing that real church folk come in and talk to each other. They are new. They need a friendly face, a friendly touch, and usually a friendly prayer. This beautiful person did not come because life was wonderful. Something unsettling has happened, and the new person is looking for answers and friendship. God sent you to bring it.

Coming Back
Yes, coming back can be accomplished. The scripture says that children will come again to their border. There was a place in Jesus that was protected for them. It had borders. It had lines drawn to keep the enemy at bay and the sheep in the fold. Something or someone violated the border. Somehow these are taken outside the border and need to come back into the fold. Our arms should be open and ready with new borders of protection and provision. They are part of the ones brought together in Jesus.

Connections:
Krons and Maria were tired. After weeks of preparation, planning, and inviting others, they found themselves alone in the coffee shop. XiRo was such a wonderful idea. So many friends told them they would be a part of helping. Now, when it came down to being there on a cold January Sunday afternoon to clean, only a few had come. Most had gone on after a few minutes of work. Jerry and another were in the back working on a blown out heating system. Being dejected crossed their minds. Why not just be a dejected martyr for a minute?

The front door creaked open and a group of 15 people entered. Only two of them were vaguely familiar. Okay, those two had been at the bible study last week in Krons and Maria’s home. It was the first time they had come. Who were the rest of these people? They looked a little scary. Anthony and Sheba came smiling up to Krons.

“Remember us? These are our family from the neighborhood. We decided to come help you clean up. This place is a real dump right now. But, we can help. Got any extra cleaning stuff?,” said Anthony.

It was a miracle. Maria just began to laugh and weep at the same time. Here was a group of people they did not even know. They came from this neighborhood to help knowing how badly the storefront needed repair. The bible study and prayer group had stayd away and only half-heartedly helped. What would happen?

In a few minutes the members of the family had scattered to different tasks. Some were washing walls. Some were cleaning floors. Some were sweeping. It was wonderful. Krons took the time to introduce himself one by one. They were shy. But, these people were workers. What was God doing? Krons had a lot to think about.

Real Repentance
Turning back is what repentance is all about. Our journeys can take us into unknown and unfriendly territories. We get separated from friends and family. Repentance brings us back. Turning around, we see the warm fellowship of the saints for what God meant it to be. It is not about form and function and deeds and doings. It is not about religious arms of flesh and rules. Our turnaround must be to come back into pure religion and undefiled. Our turnaround is to do justice and love mercy and walk humbly together with our God. Our turnaround is to spend ourselves on behalf of the hungry and reach out to the afflicted souls. (Isaiah 58) Our turnaround is to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Our turnaround is to love God with all of our heart and soul and might and love our neighbor as ourselves. Real repentance means real faith based on a loving relationship with a loving Father, who sent His loving Son to bring us into the family. ( John 3)

The Revival of the Word
After the turnaround, we are face up with the scriptures. They become the instructional instruments of the Holy Spirit to convict us of what is out of synchronization and convince us of directions we need to pursue. Revival is not only moving away from sin. Revival is moving toward life. REAL REVIVAL means that the life of God is stirred up to do the works of Jesus again in our lives. REAL REVIVAL is based on the scriptures, the breathings, and the life of God spoken into our lives. REAL REVIVAL is the believers in Jesus coming together in Him based on Him, the Living Word.

Taking Inventory on Together in Jesus
When was the last time you experienced the presence of God? Were you with others?

Have you ever been convicted of an action to stop it and change?

Think about the last firm commitment to a idea or group you made? Did you do something as a result? Did that action include others?

Taking Action on Together in Jesus
This week, find two other believers to meet with. Have a cup of coffee or a donut or lunch together. Get the conversation turned to something you might do together that would help someone else who is not a believer.

Prayer on Together in Jesus
Father, You are family. You are the main family creator and sustainer. Too often, I get caught up in my needs and my focus and my wants. Father, You are family. Help me to see the others with whom I can assemble. Show me how to take positive action to get together with them and enjoy each other's company.
REVIVE me, Father. Commission Your Holy Spirit to breathe fire into my soul. Burn out complacency. Burn out lack of commitment. Convict me, Lord. I open myself, my most inner hidden man of the heart and ask You to search me out. Convict me of unrighteousness. Cause it to be black and ugly before my sight. Cause me to get sick of looking at sin and repeating it. Cause me to see the light of Your righteousness that will melt it out of me.

Called Out

A Better Day
Take a few moments to consider the language of Jeremiah. As a young prophet, he saw well into our future as a people of God. God spoke through him to those around and to us. He painted beautiful pictures of life in the Father. These words spoken directly to the people going into captivity and a time of pain, brought hope for a better day. We live in that better day. Explore with me what these words can mean to us today as members of God’s kingdom come here to the earth. The shadowy language of the prophet can become a clear directive to how we can now live together in Christ. He has gathered us together in congregations and small groups and community organizations and neighborhood bible studies. How do we then live?

We live in that better day!

Here is a picture of unity, provision, leadership, joy, comfort, connection, and generational mix. Each uses best what is in them. Each submits to the gifts and strengths of the others. Each is a part. Each is an individual. Old and young dance in the same room. There is singing and laughing. All races and nations are the same. Are you having trouble seeing that in the verses? Well, come with me then on a journey of learning and living.

Jeremiah 31:10: Hear the word of the LORD, O you nations (cultures and races), and proclaim it in the far off isles and coastlands(those totally unlike us in any way), and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock. 11: For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. 12: Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion(the church of Jesus Christ of whom he is the chief cornerstone), and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD (there will be no disunity, but a spirit of preference for each other from every tribe and kindred people of all cultures) , for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd (all forms of service will be productive and provide a place of full supply): and their soul shall be as a watered garden (the anointing will be rich and bountiful); and they shall not sorrow any more at all (because the comforts of serving united bless them and comfort them). 13: Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together (no dividing lines of generations): for I will turn their mourning into joy (old habits and ways will drop aside and be replaced with life giving ways), and will comfort them (strength will be supplied for the tasks and lost years restored), and make them rejoice from their sorrow(what was a curse will now be a blessing, what the enemy meant for evil God will make productive and good). 14: And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness (the leaders will be supplied in all areas), and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness (bickering, finger-pointing, and dissatisfaction will give way to being pleased with God's goodness), says the LORD.

ekklesia from ek, "out of," and klesis, "a calling" (kaleo, "to call"), was used among the Greeks of a body of citizens "gathered" to discuss the affairs of state ........Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

Called Out To Go In
Get focused on the fact that the Father has called us out of the world to go into the world. The word, church, in the Greek New Testament is ecclesia. Ecclesia means to be called of in order to come together. It is translated assembly, church, and congregation. I like assembly. Any group of followers of Christ assembled is a good thing.

Delightful Assemblies
Be delighted in the saints, especially when they come together. The delight of the assemblies of the saints of God is a most pure form of worship. There are many expressions of these assemblies. The heart of a saint of God should love all of them. Some are quiet. Some are load. Some are formal. Some are casual. Some are austere. Some are gregarious. Some dance. Some stand. Some sit. Some hug. Some kneel. Some weep. Some laugh. Possibilities are limitless. Delight in the gathering place of the believers in Christ. These gatherings are the dwelling place of the most high and the tabernacle of holiness.

Delighting in the assemblies brings strength. The Father means for us to have family sit down time. So often in my home, my teenage kids would make noise about family supper time. They would remind me how none of their friends ate together as a family. On Sundays they would all want to break up and spread out across the congregation. We sat together as a family. The Father means for us to function in families. Now that they are older and have families of their own, they are grateful for those moments and I am grateful my wife and I stood our ground to keep a sense of family unity in a world of disconnection and divorce.

There is time for home family and youth group and bible study and couples and co-workers and community and many types of gathering. Getting a heart fix on enjoying this time will take you through triumph and tragedy. We need to be as strong in coming together in family with other saints as a good family is in coming together as blood family. When one hurts, the family is there to comfort. When one has a birthday, the family is there to celebrate. When one is playful, family is there to enjoy the time. Let the same cheerful countenance of assurance that we are His children as a family in hard and easy times grace your face. Having family around us protects us.

The City of God
Zion is the city of God. Zion in scripture is generally interpreted as symbolic of the body of Christ. It means elevated or raised up or monument. It was one of the hills on which Jerusalem was built. The best representation of the body of Christ in action together is an assembly of believers. This grouping is meant to be a city on a hill that is elevated so that the world may see us. When you turn your heart to the highway that leads to Zion, you are focusing on one of the local expressions of the body of Christ. Wherever two or more are gathered in His name, He is there. When we connect with other Christians, He is localized and He is findable by others. Love for the local expression of His body is pure love for Him. It is the heart of the Father to have His family together at the table of blessing regularly. He is passioned for people.

Passioned For People
Remember that local expressions of His body are not limited to gatherings in buildings or physical churches. The church is not a building, it is the people called out of the world to assemble for worship. It is the believers in Christ meeting whenever and wherever. Our hearts form the home in which the Father loves to spend His time. He is focused on people for people. Get a passion for people with Him

"This promise was to have its full accomplishment in the days of the Messiah, when the gospel should be preached to all these countries, and a general invitation thereby given into the church of Christ, of which Zion was a type. That God shall have the glory and the church both the honour and comfort of this blessed change." (Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 31:6)

Hebrews 12:22: But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

1 Peter 2:6: Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."

This picture drawn in words through the prophet, Jeremiah, is one that every servant of the Lord should cherish as a look into the life of the assembly of believers. While it is a strong prophecy of the return of Israel to a single nation, it is more importantly a prophecy of the coming together of the bride of Christ in unity, worship, fellowship, service, prosperity, and comfort. It is a picture that crosses all generational barriers and cultural expressions.

The Field and The Vineyard
As we go through this study, you will read a series of vignettes. These small stories will example the principle being taught in the lesson. You will need to spend time in prayer and meditation to find their application to your life and your field and your vineyard. Let’s take a few moments to introduce a little background. You will learn more as we go along.

Crons and Maria are two twenty-something believers. Through bible study at their church, CBC (Christian Believers Connection), they decide to launch an outreach into the community and a business. XiRo is a coffee house, free reading center, and gift shop. It is a front for outreach. There is a subtle Christian influence in everything. Drinks with names such as Korinth Kava ( a mixed blend of light and dark coffees) are next to treats named Nasty Nard’s (a ham, beef, bacon, swiss cheese, avocado, tomatoe sandwich) on the menu. Books written by the greats of philosophy and literature are mixed on the shelves with such Christian tomes as “Pilgrim’s Progress”. It is located in a section of town that sits between the suburban sprawl and the urban gang zone. People come there from both environments.


Taking Inventory on the Highway To Zion - Called Out
How have I helped my assembly of believers be welcoming? Do people want to come? The greeting, Welcome, means to come, join, and be well, be comforted. Are people more well after they come?

How have I hindered people from seeing our group as a place of supply, satisfaction, and safety?

Do I enjoy the collective body of Christ and serve together with people different than me? Who do I love to be with that is different in personality, temperament, talent, skill, ability, or interests?

Taking Action on The Highway To Zion - Called Out
Write a note to a leader in your congregation of believers. Tell them what it is that makes you love the body of Christ that is expressed through them. Put it in an envelope and send it to them. How surprised do you think they will be when they open the mail? Taking the personal time, with your own hand, and addressing it adds personality and thought. Turn your heart to the highway.

Prayer on The Highway to Zion - Called Out
Father, You are determined to make the assembly of believers Your best blessing. It is the jewel of the crown of victory on Christ's head. Please Yourself, Father. Help me to be one of the members of one of the families that flow together. Enable me in my place in the local body of Christ. Empower me to bring others in to enjoy the wheat, the wine, the flock, and the oil You supply. Turn my heart to the highway that leads to the assembly of believers. Help me to help others to enjoy, enter in and come together in the fellowship of the saints.

Introduction

Be Active
There is no higher calling in the Kingdom of Christ than to be active in the daily labors of the local congregation. Glamorized pulpit ministry and committee involvement leaves people wondering where they fit. Our congregation models make the public and power ministry the pieces to pursue. The New Testament scribes tell us to make the less comely parts look more glamorous. How do we get it right?

The Quadrenabled Disciple
Shows the 4S approach
1. Is a Spirit
2. Has a Soul
3. In a Soma (Body)
4. Lives SociallyLiving in the kingdom on a daily basis
brings us closer to Christ

Expressing God’s forgiving love to a world full of grief and pain lunges us forward in becoming more like Him. Gracing others with kindness and gentleness prepares a path for those on the fringe of our congregations to follow. As they attempt to peer into the kingdom from a safe distance, they will shuffle closer to the borders of pardon and peace. How do we get it right?

Can I be fulfilled yet not a super Christian and decision maker? Yes! The answer is, Yes!

Can I be fulfilled, yet, not winning soul-scalps on the evangelism team? Yes! The resounding answer is, Yes!

Community Craftsmanship
God has crafted community in which we are to flourish. Too often our piercing intensity has been on our personal development of spirit, soul, and soma (body). Expanding our view to encompass society with spirit, soul, and soma brings life for many for the first time. It is not the tripartite person God seeks us to become but the quadrenabled disciple.

Look Out
Disciples have an outward view of living. Disciples are all about loving the Lord, their God, with all their heart (spirit) and all their soul (soul) and all their might (soma or body) and loving their neighbors (society) as themselves. Take time to read Deuteronomy chapters 6-11. You will find a continual focus on loving God and loving others, especially strangers.

His purpose for the house of Abraham, the lineage of Jacob (Israel), was always to learn His ways and then show them to the rest of the world. Retreat and self-serving for Israel was always met with dispersion to get the message of God’s love back out. He has not changed.

Break Out Message
Jesus broke the message out and opened the gates of the kingdom eternally for all of us. There can be no retreat. The kingdom has been dispersed abroad. No longer is there Jew and Gentile. All that is left is those in Christ and those outside of Christ. The kingdom exists wherever two or more gather in His name. The intent in the heart of God is to get the message out through all of us. There should be no place, no language, no people group, and no race on earth that is not claimed for the kingdom.

Old Testament Shadows
The shadow story of the Old Testament that applies to our study is that of the occupation of Canaan by Israel. Yes, the OT is meant many times to foreshadow the new. The light of God from behind the story casts a shadow our direction for lessons today. Moses brought the people to the point of occupying. Joshua led them in. Israel fulfilled their destiny as did Moses and brought us to the point of occupying by delivering the messiah, the Christ, the anointed one, Jesus. Jesus takes us forward to occupy as did Joshua. In fact, they have the same name. We just pronounce it differently

This time it is not a small area. It is the entire world. This time it is not a single nation. Now there are no more Jew nor Gentile. There are just those in Jesus and those not in Him. We have been given the inheritance of Christ, the whole world. Oh, and this time we are not supposed to clop off heads if they don’t agree. This time, we make them a part of the family and put up with them.

Occupy by presenting
your spirit, soul, and soma (body) as living
sacrifices acceptable to God in
society

Occupy
Occupy we must. Occupy with the weapons of the Spirit of God, not the physical weapons of injury death. Occupy with love and joy and peace and patience and prayer and kindness and thanksgiving and praise and goodness and gentleness and meekness and humility and righteousness and encouragement and edification and mercy and forgiveness and self control and worship. Occupy by presenting your spirit, soul, and soma (body) as living sacrifices acceptable to God in society. Such is our reasonable and rational and spiritual service before Him.

So, let’s get on with the study and the action. I’m not much of one for sitting around chewing cigars and spitting tobacco. Neither am I one for acting super spiritual about it and
taking up pew space in a praise service while people are living hell at the apartments across the street. Get moving when God talks to you. Put some feet to your faith and watch God bless your life and the lives of everyone around you.

Study Guide

Study Guide

Each lesson is designed to cause you to come to conclusions about changes in your life. Don’t rush! Take time to let God speak to you in the quiet moments. Pause. Think about the sections in each lesson.

Each lesson will have the following sections at the end:

Taking Inventory – Asks questions to get you focused.

Taking Action – Gives a tip on putting the WORD to practical use in your life. Be a doer of the WORD.

Prayer – Pray along. Pray out loud. Let the power of the Holy Spirit change you.

When you act on the Word, it becomes a part of you. There is an activation of a path for the Holy Spirit to use continually in your life. He is a builder of you.

Prayer is not passive. Communication with the Godhead, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit brings connection with all of His creative power. It is focused toward you. Even the same power that raised Jesus from the dead focuses with laser intensity on your life and those for whom you pray for good.

Some books to help:
A good study bible with notes. Two versions help.
Strongs Concordance
Vines Dictionary of New Testament Words
Blank writing book to keep track of
Prayers
Answers Study insights