SEEING WHAT OTHERS CANNOT SEE

 

"And Elisha prayed, 'O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.' Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." 2 Kings 6:17 Several years ago, a movie was made called Field of Dreams. The story is about a man who had a vision to build a baseball field in the middle of a cornfield on his rural farm. He did not know why; he just knew he was to do it. To the chagrin of his neighbors, he built the baseball diamond in the farm community. One night some players showed up. The man realized these were no ordinary players, but were actually the great players from the past. When the skeptical neighbors came to view this phenomenon, they were unable to see what the farm owner could see. This made it even worse for him. Now he was really a lunatic in their eyes. This fictitious story has a spiritual application for us. First, if God tells us to "build a ball field," we should do it. It is not for us to determine the reason we are instructed to do it. Once we are obedient, God will allow us to see what others cannot see. It is the rite of passage for those who are willing to risk all for God's purposes. God increases the spiritual senses to levels we never knew before. Those around us will observe this. Do you want to see what others cannot see? If so, it will require a level of obedience that will go beyond human reason. It may require risk and ridicule from others. But you will see what others cannot see.

THE TIPPING POINT

 

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers… (Eph 4:11-12). Malcolm Gladwell authored a secular marketing book entitled Tipping Point. A tipping point is when an idea, product or movement becomes accepted by the masses. Gladwell says "It is the best way to understand the emergence of fashion trends, crime waves, or unknown books becoming bestsellers." He says ideas, products, messages, and behaviors spread just like viruses do but he has discovered there are usually three types of people involved in the marketing process for this to happen. He calls them connectors, mavens, and salesmen. Connectors are people with a special gift for bringing the world together. They know lots of people who have an ability to make impact. Mavens are people who accumulate knowledge about a particular area. They are information brokers who like to get information and share it with others to help solve their problems. Salesmen have an ability to persuade when we are unconvinced of what we are hearing. They are critical to the tipping point for word-of-mouth epidemics. I believe these three people correlate to the apostle (connectors), often defined as "one who is sent"; the prophet (mavens), defined as ‘one who proclaims truth" and the evangelist (salesmen), "one who wins the lost"—all described in Ephesians 4:11. John Wesley founded Methodism in the 1780s . He went from 20,000 followers to 90,000 in five years. However, he was not the most Charismatic preacher compared to Martin Luther or John Calvin who were recognized as the leading theologians. His genius was organizational. He was a maven (apostle) who stayed in a city after he preached to form small groups of the most enthusiastic of the followers. He used connectors (apostles) and salesmen (evangelists) to get people to his meetings. This created a community around his beliefs in order to practice those beliefs in the context of daily life. This contributed to his success and ability to start a movement. Mavens, Connectors and Salesmen make an idea contagious by working together to spread the message. Consider bringing these three types of people together to see real success on your next project.

ARE YOU GOD'S NEXT DELIVERER?

 

"But when they cried out to the Lord, He raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them." Judges 3:9 Have you ever heard of a man named Othniel? Probably not. He was Caleb's nephew. When the people of Israel went into the Promised Land, they were victorious through the courageous efforts of Joshua and Caleb. As this generation grew older, a new generation began to emerge. Israel again fell into sin by worshiping idols. The anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He allowed them once more to be enslaved by their enemies. However, the people again cried out to the Lord and God heard them. Whenever God's people cry out to the Lord, He hears them. When they are truly repentant, He responds. He responds by rising up those whom He has prepared for such a time. Every soldier looks forward to the day he can use the training he has received. God had been preparing a nephew for such a time as this. He had the same Spirit as his uncle, Caleb. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him so that he became Israel's judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died (Judges 3:10-11). Has God been preparing you for a time when you will be called upon to deliver God's people? Millions of men and women are enslaved to the god of mammon and idolatry in the workplace. Has He placed you there to be a deliverer? Pray that you will have the same Spirit as Joshua, Caleb, and Othniel.

THE COMING WEALTH TRANSFER

 

But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous (Prov 13:22). In the last days, there will be a transfer of wealth into the hands of the righteous for the purpose of funding a great harvest of souls and for believers to have greater influence on society in the name of Christ. This will happen in at least four ways. 1. Supernatural Transfer - Like the Israelites leaving Egypt, Christians, and non-profit organizations will receive major gifts from individuals or foundations to carry out their Christian mission. In 2004, the Salvation Army received one of the largest gifts ever for Christian ministry via the founder’s wife of McDonald’s, Joan Kroc, in the amount of  1.5 billion dollars. 2. Power to Make Wealth - God is going to give witty inventions to believers throughout the world that will generate wealth. This has already begun. "But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today" (Deut 8:18). 3. Social Entrepreneurship - Just as Joseph was entrusted with the resources of Egypt to solve a societal problem resulting from a famine in the land, God is going to transfer money to believers who are solving societal problems. Governments will fund private enterprises because the government is not been able to do it. 4. Wealthy Individual "Conversions" – Finally, many non-believers who are wealthy will become Christians in these last days and will begin to use their wealth for Kingdom purposes. The transfer of wealth is designed to accelerate God’s activity on the earth, not to simply make believers wealthy. Pray that God uses your work life call to accelerate His Kingdom on earth. And pray that God raises up good stewards of wealth.

ARE YOU SALTY?

 

"Everyone will be salted with fire." Mark 9:49 Jesus used parables to communicate principles of the Kingdom of God. He said each believer's life should have the same impact on his or her world as salt has on food. Salt gives food flavor and brings out the best, while at the same time it serves as a preservative. What allows a Christian to become salty? Fire. God knows that each believer needs a degree of testing by fire in order for Christ's fragrance to be manifested. We cannot become salty without this deeper work of the Holy Spirit's fire in our lives. Fire purifies all that is not of Christ. It takes away all the impurities that prevent His nature from being revealed in us. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7). Are you a salty Christian? If not, pray a prayer that the immature are unwilling to pray. Pray that God makes you a salty Christian. It will result in praise and glory at the throne of God.

WORK TO PLAY, WORK TO ACQUIRE

 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do (John 17:3-4).

A popular TV commercial comes on the screen raising the question of why the viewer works long hours while showing beautiful pictures of a luxurious car. The message was clear. We work in order to acquire.
Another TV commercial comes on showing beautiful aqua blue ocean waves and an attractive couple lounging on the white sandy beaches. "Come to Jamaica says the voice." The message from this commercial is that a vacation to Jamaica is the ultimate reward for your work.
There are many motivations for work. Some might say it is simply to put food on the table. George Barna, the American researcher on religious habits, found disturbing results from his study on the motivations of many Christians in American society. "We are not a society that simply enjoys its time off. We are driven by our leisure appetites. It is increasingly common to hear of people turning down job offers because the hours or other responsibilities would interfere with their hobbies, fitness regimens, and other free time activities. Even our spending habits show that playing has become a major priority. The average household spends more money on entertainment than it does clothing, health care, furniture or gasoline." 
His study also found that many people define success in surprisingly non-Christian terms:
"He found that 66% of Americans define success in life as the acquisition of sufficient money, education, material possessions or career prestige; only 7 percent related success to their faith condition and its influence upon their life." The Christian Church has stagnated, largely due to its comfort with routines and rituals that are neither challenging nor relevant for millions of people," said Barna. [1]
Have you ever asked yourself the question, "Why do I work?"
Jesus had a work to do that was given to Him by His Heavenly Father. You too have a work you are called to do. Ask God to give you a renewed sense of the work you are called to do today.

[1] George Barna, Boiling Point, Regal Books, Ventura, CA p. 223, 2001

THE TRUTH IN THE INWARD PARTS

 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place (Ps 51:6).

History reveals that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes popular mystery series once played a practical joke on 12 respected and well-known men he knew. He sent out 12 telegrams with the same message on each: "Flee at once. All is discovered." Within 24 hours, they had all left the country!
Each of these men obviously had something to hide. Suddenly, though only in jest, the cover had been pulled away to reveal their true nature – and they fled. Such a lifestyle is not a legacy you want to leave behind. [1]
In 1923, the most powerful men of the day ruled the world of money:

• Charles Schwab, president of the largest steel company in America.
• Samuel Insull, president of the largest utility company.
• Howard Hopson, president of the largest gas company.
• Arthur Cutten, the great wheat speculator.
• Richard Whitney, president of the New York Stock Exchange.
• Albert Fall, Secretary of Interior in President Harding’s cabinet.
• Jesse Livermore, the great "bear" on Wall Street.
• Ivan Krueger, head of the world’s greatest monopoly.
• Leon Fraser, president of the Bank of International Settlements.

These men were "movers and shakers," the kind many people envy and wish to be like. Yet something went terribly wrong with these men’s lives. Twenty-five years later:

• Charles Schwab, went bankrupt.
• Samuel Insull, died in foreign land penniless and a fugitive from justice.
• Howard Hopson was insane.
• Arthur Cutten, was insolvent and died abroad.
• Richard Whitney had just been released from Sing-Sing prison
• Albert Fall had just been pardoned from prison and died at home, broke.
• Jesse Livermore committed suicide.
• Ivan Krueger committed suicide.
• Leon Fraser committed suicide.

Something went wrong during the process of their lives. It began in the inner man. Truth in the inner man is where the integrity battles are won or lost.
Pray that God allows you to live a life of integrity and honesty before the Lord.

---

[1] Paul J. Meyer, My Work Is My Ministry, Paul J. Meyer Resources, Waco, Texas., p. 18