Few days ago I saw a video-cam of two eaglets who were ready to leave their home nest for the first time. They would flap their wide and powerful wings, and jump from branch to branch on their home tree for days prior to launching. Eventually both eaglets flew away. Interestingly, they both came back to their home nest for the night. Don’t worry they didn’t stay with their eagle parents too long. After a couple of more visits home for the night, the two eaglets didn’t come back again. It’s a good thing because the nest was really too crowded for all of them!
Why am I sharing this eagle story with you? I think a young believer’s first church is like this eagle’s home nest. The eaglets will eventually fly out permanently but it’s so important that they have a stable home nest to fly back to in the beginning of their launch. For those of you with Christian parents and grandparents, you may not understand how privileged you are in having this so close to you. Reports show that majority of young people in our country did not grow up in Christian households. That’s why I think that the first church where they plant in as new believers will be even more crucial to their successful launch as Christians.
What happened to me after I left my college church should never have happened. I was such a dedicated and devoted follower of Jesus Christ for four years of my young life. My college church split up soon after I graduated because of doctrinal differences in the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit by the leadership. I was shocked and so heartbroken. I was that eaglet who did not have a home church to go back to and that’s why I am so passionate about unity in the body of Christ. (By the way, my college church no longer exists. I have to admit that satan did an excellent job strategizing and destroying my college church and their college ministry.)
Our prayer group has been praying for a revival in our churches, communities and country since 2016. From my studies of revival history, the enemy will sow division amongst us to make us fight against each other. I think that’s the only way they can stop the heavenly outpouring of revival. The enemy also wants to destroy as many new believers’ launching as possible. If your church is committed about reaching the younger generation; then please pray proactively for the unity in your church leadership. Even if there’s hardly any youth in your church now, please still pray. Because I truly see the clouds of revival coming our way. Even if I am off in my forecast; there’s no harm in praying proactively for the unity in your church leadership and members. With revival comes much more responsibility because there are just so many more people coming to church. More people, more stress. 😅 Please also learn good, practical EQ (emotional intelligence) skills to help you prepare for that.
I follow Christian news and journalists, and I have to say that God is cleaning house in the American church before revival! So many concealed sins and double-lives of leaders are coming out in the last few years. Everytime, I think ok that’s should be the last one; then another bombshell report comes out of another well-known Christian leader! It makes me search my own life and heart, and to repent daily. I think it’s very good and safe for everyone to have a reverential fear and respect for the Lord. For me, that was the key to obedience and the beginning of wisdom.
Pastor Max Lucado is a great Bible teacher. In here, he teaches about the various spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. I had no idea that he was a cessationist for the first ten years of his 40+ years in ministry. Basically, cessationists believe that the supernatural powers ended with the original 12 apostles. Please hear his reasons on why he changed his mind about the supernatural empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gateway-churchs-podcast/id88410531?i=1000710148190
Work:
As a young adult joining the secular workforce, it was a dizzying and lonely experience. My first job was in the media research department at an advertising agency. I would have loved any pastor to speak to executives in advertising and marketing. The late pastor Tim Keller’s podcast just released these older messages followed by Q and A from his audience. Had I known about this church in NYC when I started working, I would’ve plugged in here immediately! If you have young adult children going into advertising and marketing, please share this excellent podcast with them.
This podcast is for those who are lawyers. After hearing his message, I now appreciate lawyers more. ☺️ Yes we need good lawyers in our society. The questions from his audience of lawyers and law students were very good too. His answers were very insightful and I think can be applied for any workplace dilemmas.
Wow this podcast was excellent too. I would’ve really appreciated something like this as a young professional.
Here’s their episode write up:
“There are two typical approaches to work today, and both of them are wrong. Both of them cut right against what God meant work to be.
One approach says, “Work is a curse—something to be endured for a paycheck.” The other approach says, “Work is my way to find self-esteem through achievement.” But the Bible, and the fourth of the Ten Commandments, shows us a different view of work.
Let’s see what the fourth commandment and Ephesians 6 show us about work: 1) work is not a curse; it’s a calling, 2) work is not for yourself; it’s for him, and 3) three things to do if you’re unhappy with your job.”
This podcast is about “faith and work”. Did you know that we will be working in heaven? I don’t know how I missed that information when I was studying the book of Revelation.
Friendship:
I’ve been thinking a lot about friendships recently. I realized that the thoughts that I have about friendship is from TV and movies, secular literature, personal experiences and watching others nearby me. As I’ve been thinking about friendship, I wanted to learn more what the Bible has to teach about friendship. Holy Spirit lead me right away to pastor Tim Keller’s old messages. Here are three that I heard. I didn’t realize how important friendships are for our spiritual development and physical health.
Here are some writings from their episode intro:
“In fact, all kinds of studies show that people who have fewer friends die more readily of disease and heart attacks.
So as we look at John 15, there are two questions I’d like to ask: 1) why do we need friendship, and 2) how do we meet that need?”
“Let me just ask three questions: 1) why is friendship so neglected today? 2) why is it so vitally important and crucial? and 3) how can the resources of the Christian faith help us understand friendship and galvanize, energize and recover friendship?”
“Proverbs says you’re not going to be a wise person unless you’re great at choosing, forging, and keeping terrific friendships.
For the vast majority of your decisions, there will be many options that are all moral. Wisdom is being so in touch with reality that you know the right thing to do in the situations moral rules don’t address. And Proverbs says you will not lead a wise life unless you are really good at friendships.
If we look at various verses in Proverbs, we can learn 1) the uniqueness of friendship, 2) how to discover a friend, 3) how to forge or build a friendship, and 4) where we get the power for friendship.”
I have given you a lot of information to sift through. I am learning alongside as well, and re-assessing my mindsets about work and friendship.
Psalm 19:7-14 (King James Version)
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2019%3A7-14&version=KJV—
Journal of Faith 