Kingdom Ready Blog

101 is a slang term that means “basic introduction”. Many in our society use the term, especially in academics, when designing short courses to introduce students to the basics of a given subject.

Eg. “Geometry 101, Physics 101, Chemistry 101, Biology 101, etc…”

Within Christendom, there are many evangelists, preachers and pastors who are trying their very best to present Christianity and the Bible’s primary message to a lost world and to those who have questions and are seeking to know about God. Sadly, many of these ministers have failed to accurately convey, even the simple facts of the faith. The results are half-converts, living without any sense of purpose, lacking vision, ignorant of God’s plans; they live without a spiritual compass in their life.

I think the title says it all. The world as we know it is battling with hopelessness. Everything in our society these days has become uncertain. Nothing is guaranteed. Hence many are living in fear and misery. All they see is a pitiful life with no end in sight. Sometimes they wish death would take them and be rid of this little existence. How about when this begins to creep into the church? Today, I want to speak on the subject of hope and its importance in our life. Hope is an integral part of Christianity and each of us must learn about it and live it out.

Consider the following:

Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

A little over a year ago brothers Sajid and Rashid Emmanuel were martyred by Muslim extremists in Pakistan. (Click here to read about our relationship with the Emmanuel brothers). Just the other day I heard new information on the work still happening in Pakistan from a brother of these courageous heroes, a man named Vaster Saajan. He recently wrote and told me he was praying for us. Imagine that! He’s living in extremely difficult circumstances and he’s praying for us! He asked us to pray for him because his family is still receiving threats regularly. Just last month an unknown caller threatened them. What was their response? Did they tuck tail and run? No. They decided to stay and continue the work of the ministry. In fact Vaster’s mother, who has already lost two of her sons to martyrdom, told him “go and spread the true word of God.” Wow! What a woman of God! They are continuing to distribute Bibles in one of the most Muslim countries in the world in full faith that God’s will is being done in Pakistan. Please pray for brother Vaster Saajan and the fellow Pakistani believers in the One God and coming kingdom of the Messiah.

Some sobering questions I have been challenged with of late that I thought I’d share with you:

Semantics aside, in the last year or so have you:

1 – preached the gospel to someone?

2 – been the agent God used for someone’s conversion?

3 – read the entire Old Testament, New Testament or both?

4 – prayed for one hour uninterrupted?

5 – prayed for and done good towards an enemy?

In being effective ministers we must be able feel peoples emotion, when working with people it is always better to meet them where they are. To meet them on their level of emotion.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15 (NASB)

Acts 26:16-18 16 ‘But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;  17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,  18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

The following post is by our brother, Patrick Navas, the author of the book Divine Truth or Human Tradition? You can listen to an audio interview with him on the Truth Matters website.
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Hello Everyone,

I just had an interesting but sad encounter with a Trinitarian man at a restaurant called Panera Bread here in Valencia.

He overheard me talking about the Scriptures and our home fellowships with my cousin and introduced himself when we were done with breakfast. He asked about our home fellowships, our group name, and about our “distinctives.”

This was my message on podcast at Midwest Family Camp last summer.  It’s entitled, “I Believe, therefore I Speak.”  (or maybe a better title would have been “How NOT to be a Chicken when Sharing Your Faith”)
http://www.familycamponline.org/Site/Podcast/Entries/2009/10/14_Angela_Moore.html

I would like to encourage anyone interested in enjoying some fellowship with other believers of the faith, to join us in Indiana this summer, June 20th – 25th for “Midwest Family Camp.”  It will encourage you and deepen your faith in the one true God, His only begotten Son Jesus, (our Lord Messiah and soon coming King!); and make you look forward with great hope and anticipation to the day of Christ’s return and His coming Kingdom!

(Facing God’s Calling Upon Your Life)

Most everyone is familiar with the story of Jonah in the Bible.  He even has his own book in the Old Testament named after him.  He was made famous for running away from God, getting swallowed by a big fish, then spewed out, so he could be obedient to God and go preach to Nineveh.  Jonah sometimes gets the bad rap because he didn’t really want to do what God asked, was disobedient, and had a bad attitude.  We, Sunday School teachers, shake our fingers at him, and say, ‘tsk tsk. See what happens when you don’t do what God has called you to do?’ Yet, how many times does God ask us to do much smaller, easier, insignificant things, and we turn away as if we didn’t hear Him ask?