5 Rules Of Gossip & Real Relationships

Discussing The VALUE of true COVENANT Relationship

A True Friend Sticks By You Like Family

Stand by those you care about in their darkest moments, not because you want to stand in the dark, but because you don’t want them to either.  Brave the shadows alongside them until they’re able to find the light of hope.  On the flipside, stand by these same people on their sunniest days, not because you want to scorch your skin, but because you’re not afraid to let them shine bright!

In other words, be loyal.  Remaining faithful in your covenant relationships is never an option, but a priority.  Loyalty means the world to the people who love you.  When someone believes in you enough to lift you up, try not to let them down.  You can’t promise to be there for someone for the rest of their life, but you can sincerely be there for them for the rest of yours.

Do a favor and win a friend forever; nothing can untie that bond. Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest. Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. Find a good spouse, you find a good life— and even more: the favor of GOD! The poor speak in soft supplications; the rich bark out answers. Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. (Proverbs 18:19-24 MSG)

Keep Your Covenant

Genesis 6:18 "with thee will I establish my covenant."

A COVENANT is the strongest promise two people can make.  Covenant means, “to bind together.”  Sometimes in the making of a covenant there would be an exchange of SWORDS, signifying that both parties would always DEFEND each other.  Other times, they would pass a SANDAL between them, pledging to go to any lengths for each other.  Again, they would take an ANIMAL sacrifice, split it down the middle, and walk between the halves, signifying they were ONE, and each was incomplete without the other.

God has entered into a COVENANT to bless you. 

Deuteronomy 12:7 “There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.”

Promises of our Covenant…if we obey:

• Health
• Safety
• Prosperity
• Guidance
• Victory

God put a list of rules into the Ark of the COVENANT and when Israel went to war and the Ark went before them, nobody could withstand them.  The COVENANT was their power source; God Himself was their ally in battle.  And He is your ally, too!

• The covenant SWORD is God’s promise to fight for you!
• The covenant SANDAL says no matter how far gone you may feel, just call and He’ll come.
• The covenant SACRIFICE means you’re an heir to all that He has promised! 

Keep your COVENANT with Him…
He has every intention to keep His with you!

The Jesus Tribe

Jesus never wrote a book or taught in a university and yet His "MOVEMENT" continues to grow over 2000 years after His earthly departure.  

What is it that makes people want to BELONG to the Jesus Culture?  I'm not referring to the worship band from California...I'm referring to a particular CULTURE of people.  

A CULTURE of people that, through a shared philosophy, form a TRIBE.

In 2009, I read a book that clarified what happens when cultures of people come together under a collective umbrella of thinking.  Seth Godin, a marketing expert, in his book, "Tribes" defines a TRIBE as a group of people who are...

• Connected to one another, 
• Connected to a leader, and 
• Connected to an idea.  

For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another.  

A group needs only two things to be a tribe:

1. A shared interest &
2. A way to communicate.

In Mark chapter eight, Jesus taught His disciples and the multitude that gathered to Him, that whoever wants to join His tribe must: 

• Let Him do the leading
• Embrace suffering
• Be self-sacrificing

It's this kind of thinking that birthed a CLIMATE that Jesus sustained in His inner circle.  In fact, He sustained it long enough until it produced a CULTURE of thinking that revolutionized LAW THINKERS into GRACE THINKERS.

Jesus' Culture is layered with SUB-CULTURES...

• Servant-Leadership
• Father-Son Relationship 
• Covenant Partnership
• Charitable Stewardship
• Apostolic Apostleship
• Successive Discipleship
• Mutual Fellowship
• Accountable Mentorship

No one has influenced people more than Jesus has.  

• Are you part of His TRIBE?  
• Do you THINK like He does?
• Are your VALUES the same as His?

Click here to join The Jesus Tribe!

More to come....

So...I Joined a Church (Part 3)

When Beverly and I exchanged VOWS to one another on our wedding day, we did so in front of God and a room full of witnesses.  They were present that day to REMIND us of the COVENANT relationship we were entering into, lest we would forget when difficult times inevitably would come. 

VOWS are actually a COVENANT. It is a promise, a contract, a profession of commitment between the husband and wife.  What is really going on at a wedding is the making of a Marriage COVENANT and not an issue of "vows" at all.

Vows are exchanged to announce the terms of the COVENANT.  When we enter into relationship with Jesus and His Church...we also make vows.

I believe that the Lord is calling His people within our nation to REMEMBER from where we have fallen, REPENT, and RENEW our vows, or should I say, renew our COVENANT with Him. His judgment over this land draws near. We have turned our back on the One who gave us birth. The protective covering of his “King-dome” over you is gained through REPENTANCE.

Since its conception, America has been under a COVENANTAL relationship with the Lord.  Even since the time of the Mayflower our purpose was clearly stated "For the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel."

God is once again revealing His plan for America, in spite of Satan's plan to erase God's purpose from our history.  It is OUR responsibility to STIR UP our children by way of remembrance.  In this dark hour we live in, we must help our children see and understand the Christian history of our nation.

There is a great conflict before us.  The troops of darkness are aligning themselves opposite us with lies and deception.  We must put on the armor of light that comes through application of the TRUTH, cheerfully bearing the message of Jesus as we march forward to VICTORY!

Who among us today will deny himself, take up his cross and follow Jesus?  

The power of God will be released through His sanctified vessels of honor, establishing His kingdom on the face of this earth forever. We must answer the call. As Paul told the church in Rome; “be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil. And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Amen.

The church of Jesus must truly examine the conditions of the Lord's COVENANT.  When we study the word of God and open our heart to the revelation of the Holy Spirit - the revealed will of God springs forth within us.

A vow should never be taken lightly.  Otherwise, it's just another useless ritual of man.  Any COVENANT we enter into...even a church MEMBERSHIP COVENANT...should be entered into with REVERENCE for the Lord, understanding the price He paid on the cross for our sin.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus...He is soon to return.

So...I Joined a Church (Part 2)

If we can KEEP a covenant then we can also BREAK a covenant.  The Scriptures teach us in Malachi 2:10 "Do we not all have one father?  Has not one God created us?  Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?"

To be in COVENANT with God also means that you are in COVENANT with every other believer.  In essence, it's a DUAL COVENANT... vertical with God and horizontal with one another.  We cannot separate the two.  We cannot separate the BODY (believers) from the HEAD (Jesus).

How we treat ONE ANOTHER, we treat CHRIST.

In Malachi 2, God has a serious issue with the priests because of the ungodly way they were treating one another.  The priests were disregarding the COVENANT that the Lord had started with their forefathers. 

Remember all the "One Another's" in Scripture?  Those aren't suggestions...they're commands.  Anyone who has entered into the NEW COVENANT in Christ are required to behave in certain ways toward one another.  Basically, believers are mutually obligated to one another in RELATIONAL CONDUCT on the basis of LOVE through the empowerment of the HOLY SPIRIT.

• Wash one another's feet; a servant's attitude (John 13:14)
• Love one another (John 13:34, 1 John 3:16-18)
• Be devoted to one another in brotherly love (Romans 12:10)
• Build up one another (Romans 14:19)
• Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
• Admonish one another (Romans 15:14)
• Greet one another (Romans 16:16)
• Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
• Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
• Show forbearance to one another (Ephesians 4:2) 
• Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)
• Be subject to one another (Ephesians 5:21)
• Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
• Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
• Encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13)
• Stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24)
• Confess our faults to one another (James 5:16)
• Pray for one another (James 5:16)
• Be hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
• Be clothed with humility toward one another (1 Peter 5:5)

Look at Malachi 2:10 again..."Do we not all have one father?  Has not one God created us?  Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?"

The Hebrew word interpreted “profane” means, “to defile, to pollute, to desecrate, to break one’s word, to dissolve”. 

The BLESSINGS or CURSINGS that flow to others around us are all dependent on our OBEDIENCE or DISOBEDIENCE to the COVENANT.  That's why it's essential for us to remain faithful to the COVENANT we have entered into with God.  Because, as the church goes...so goes the world.

Another definition for the word "profane" is "to bore through, to wound, to pierce”. To profane the covenant of God is to wound or pierce His Son, Jesus Christ. 

When we mistreat another brother or sister with whom we are in COVENANT, we wound the Lord. This is the original BODY-PIERCING that is taking place today within the body of Christ. Remember...what we do to one another...we are doing to Jesus.  We are ONE BODY.  Every time we mistreat one another...we are profaning His COVENANT.

The way we walk out, or manifest the HORIZONTAL aspect of the covenant, reveals to everyone, including ourselves, the true commitment of our VERTICAL commitment to the Lord.  A half-hearted commitment to one another is due to a half-hearted commitment to the Lord.

Jesus addressed the VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL aspects of COVENANT between God and man in Matthew 22:36-40...

• A Pharisee asked Jesus, “’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ 
• And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (the “vertical” covenant). 
• This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself (the “horizontal” covenant). 
• On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’”

More to come...

So...I Joined a Church (Part 1)

Should I JOIN a church?  What does that even mean?  I'm asked frequently by returning guests "how do I join the church?"  I point them towards the CLIMB - the journey we ask every person take with us to become a practical member of our local church.  

Honestly, anyone who is born-again is already a spiritual member of the body of Christ.  Joining a local church is simply ALIGNING ones self with the vision, mission, values and purpose of that church...and then entering into what I believe is a COVENANT RELATIONSHIP.

For some,  joining a local church seems to be something you do out of tradition...for example..."my grandparents have always attended here."  Some even seem to join a church for the assumed "BENEFITS"...i.e., weddings, funerals and even financial assistance. 

To me, joining a local church should ultimately boil down to the SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE of  believing in the vision, mission, values and purpose of that church and then willingly entering into COVENANT with that local body to achieve it's goals.  

Joining a church should be something you feel deeply passionate about.  It should be more than just a "membership" to another group, club or agency.  In fact, if you're merely joining a church just so you can have a card in your pocket, bragging rights or even the churches name listed in your obituary...then that's the wrong reason to join a church.

Back to my question..."what does it mean to join a church?"

Perhaps we can best describe what COVENANT MEMBERSHIP looks like in the language used in wedding vows.  Jesus (our heavenly bridegroom) is asking us to enter into His marriage covenant per His terms.

Marriage is not a CONTRACT...it's a COVENANT.  Basically, a contract is a LIMITED commitment.  A covenant on the other hand is an UNLIMITED commitment.  God intended for marriage to be a permanent relationships between one man and one woman, freely and totally committed to each other as companions for life.

Marriage is merely a model of God's covenant relationship with His people.  However, due to our western culture and our lack of understanding the meaning of the word COVENANT - we treat it like a contract that is self-serving and comes with limited liability.

When's the last time you heard the word COVENANT?  Not too often in America.  This word carries great significance to believers.  Christians recognize it to reflect our commitment to Christ and to one another.  This relationship is supposed to be sacred, serious, final and irrevocable...which is deeper and more demanding than most of us understand or may be WILLING to make.

It boils down to COMMITMENT.  All you have to do is look at marriage statistics today and you'll see that broken marriages even within the church are a reflection of our half-hearted commitment to Jesus Christ.

When we enter into COVENANT RELATIONSHIP with Jesus, we do so willingly...through repentance.  The blood of Jesus establishes our new relationship and secures our EVERLASTING COVENANT in His Body...THE CHURCH.

Inside of us we enjoy an INTERNAL RELATIONSHIP with Jesus that is expressed through our EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS within His Body...THE CHURCH.

Our public treatment of one another is visible evidence of our private life with Christ. 

More to come...