Dedicated to teaching God's Love and God's Government

I find it amazing that folks like to use funerals as an excuse to be boorish, obnoxious, and just plain foolish.

What should be a time of mourning for family and friends and a time of sincerity and respect for everyone else frequently becomes a sad circus of role-players and bit-performers clamoring for the spotlight, and armchair commentators attempting their best “Siskel and Ebert” imitations – dissecting every element of what should be a solemn celebration.

All of this is true when it comes to the funerals of everyday folk; more so in the case of celebrity funerals. Folks who tend to put on a show for their own loved ones will give an Oscar-worthy performance for their beloved celebrities.

The family of Whitney Houston did the right thing, in my opinion, by celebrating her homegoing in their family church. And I’m sure they were attentive to every detail to make the service a celebration of life. They prayerfully selected who would speak and who would sing. And, in deference to her fans, they decided to stream video of the funeral to the world – and, sadly, most of the world didn’t deserve to observe it.

I’ve looked over a wide swath of comments in the various social media outlets and am aghast at some of what I’ve read. With the exception of some really thoughtful, heartfelt remarks, the vast majority of comments range from the cruel to the downright stupid.

What’s truly sad is that much of this commentary comes from so-called Christians. Folks who feign holiness but engage in banal banter and outright gossip. Jesus had a word for these kind of folks: hypocrites.

These folks need to grow up, spiritually and naturally.

All so-called saved folks criticizing the order of service and performances at Whitney Houston’s funeral ought to be ashamed of themselves. When a grieving family is gracious enough to share this time with you, respect the solemnity of the occasion, and stop being a critic!

If you can’t say “Amen,” say “Ouch!”

© 2012 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

I ASK YOU, in the Gospels, to whom did Jesus say, “I will not heal you because your sickness is perfecting you” and/or “I will not heal you because you aren’t saved” and/or “I will not heal you because My Father is getting glory through your sickness.” I’ll help you: NO ONE! So, if Jesus didn’t say any of these things, why do people say this today? Allow me to help you again: religious indoctrination. I will keep preaching this until you get this…whoever YOU are!

© 2012 – Derrick Day derrickday.com)

Whitney Houston died yesterday. Like many, I am saddened by her passing, as her music was part of the anthem of my early adulthood. Whitney had vocal power and range that belied her petite frame, catapulting her into legendary status early in her career. While barely out of her teens, she was spoken of in the same context as luminaries such as Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Diana Ross.

Now, she has had some ups and downs. Life problems. I will not recount them here; check out the tabloids for that. In the aftermath of her passing, there will be plenty of fingers of blame pointed in many directions. Rumor-mongers will be at full-throttle and in high-gear, churning out a range of product from idle speculation to damnable lies.

And the sad part about this is that many of these are so-called “Christians.”

I’m wondering how all the folks who wish to trash Whitney Houston would stand up to the scrutiny – in life AND death – that she’s had to and still maintain a modicum of dignity. As some folks spew their speculative negativity with virtual stones in your hands, Jesus is writing in the sands of time just as he did in John 8:6-8. And just like those folks scattered at the revelation of their own sin, so shall the folks that raise their voices, as they were, at Whitney Houston.

Whatever you THINK (because none of us KNOW) what happened to Whitney (or Zachery Tims or Michael Jackson, for that matter), you need to examine YOUR OWN life. This speculation and heresay is the fruit of a sin-conscious life and is proof that one hasn’t awakened to righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:34). If your soul is still operating in sin-consciousness, you will live your life either pointing out the sin in others or, even worse, using the sins of others as the yardstick for justifying why your life isn’t so bad.

I think that, instead of trying to assess the post-mortem of Whitney’s life, a little introspection is in order. Not to examine our own sin, but to understand why, as Christians, we haven’t grasped righteousness-consciousness (click here for supporting article). Only then will we get the idle-mindedness that leads to trading in rumors exchanged for mind of Christ. Understand this, rumor and speculation are not the hallmarks of Kingdom Citizenship.

Church history is good information, albeit as a sidebar. The more pressing issues are how to effectively reach the lost and holistically minister to the saints. To use a natural example to illustrate a spiritual truth: the surgeon, while well versed in medical history, does not have the luxury of historical retrospection when the patient is on the operating table.

Historical perspective is essential in preparation and a luxury in debriefing, but almost useless in the theatre of battle. I think two of the biggest issues facing the modern church is a tendency to contemplate history and an inflation of ecumenical protocol. I understand the point of historical study on the part of some but I think that it is overwrought by many others.

My issue is not with history, rather the application of it. History is important, to be sure, but I have concerns about so many men and women of God bogged down in history and ecumenical affairs to the point that it draws our attention from more needful matters.

When you look out and see that folks are dying – literally – from gunshots, aids, cancer, traffic accidents and so forth, how is dedicated discussion of church history pertinent to that? Folks are dying without Jesus! We need sound preaching and teaching, not history lessons.

If we get mired in historical discussions, we will invariably head down the denomination path, and God only knows where that rabbit hole will lead.

No, we need to be ministering the Gospel of the Kingdom and the full counsel of God to this sick and dying world. We need to be about what Jesus said do – healing the sick, cleansing lepers, raising the dead, and preaching the Gospel to the Poor. While we sit up in our ivory towers of learning discussing history, the world is going to hell in a hand basket.

No discussion on church fathers and church history is going to get anyone saved, healed, delivered or prospered. Again, not saying historical discussion is not meaningful, just that there are more important things to do.

© 2012 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

Today we observe the birthday of a great American, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is clear the nation owes him a debt of gratitude for what his accomplishments in the realm of social justice and equality. However, I would like to speak briefly regarding Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., the man of God.

Dr. King understood something the Body of Christ misses today: that if you want to change the social fabric of a nation, you must first change the hearts and minds of that nation. He understood that what plagued America was a spiritual problem and that it required a spiritual solution.

There were other civil rights pioneers that proffered solutions to racial inequalities. Booker T. Washington believed that social change would follow addressing economic disparities. W.E.B. DuBois believed the path to change lie in education and political empowerment. Rosa Parks and Bayard Rustin thought that embracing socialism was the means to that end. All of these efforts were doomed to fail because they addressed symptoms without treating the root cause.

Dr. King studied the successful employment nonviolent resistance of Mahatma Gandhi in the liberation of India. Mr. Gandhi, in turn, derived his strategy by studying the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus, while a King in command of the heavenly army, withstood insults, beatings and, ultimately, crucifixion without resistance of any kind. As a result, Jesus changed the entire world!

Today, the country (indeed, the world) is plagued with all manner of social ills. In spite of Dr. King’s efforts, racial inequality is still an issue. There are violent political disagreements. Proposed changes to the social order (e.g., homosexual “marriage”) threaten the very fabric of our nation. Hunger, poverty, and physical illness still pose serious problems. But, like Dr. King, we must come to the realization that the root of the problems are spiritual and, likewise, the change must be spiritual.

The reason why the Civil Rights Movement was successful is that it had the Church as its power-base. It was only when the Church and its leadership stepped up and stepped in that the Movement gained traction.  Similarly, it is high time that the Church steps up and asserts itself to impact the world with the will, culture and intent of the Kingdom of God. Dr. King understood the Church was the world’s  spiritual trauma center and rehabilitation facility and sought to engage it to treat and correct social injustice.

Romans 8:19 declares that “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” In other words, the whole world is waiting for God’s people — the church — to stand up and speak out against the ailments of the world. Jesus, Himself, said it best:

For verily I say unto you , That whatsoever you shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that these things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. (Mark 11:23)

The problem today is that we — the Body of Christ — are reluctant to speak up. But it is when we speak God’s Word to the situations of the day — then standing in faith that we have what we speak — that we begin to see change!

Dr. King was a mighty drum major for justice but, first, he was a mighty man of God. He understood the power of speaking to the mountain. Today, we need to pick up where he left off — see the problem and then SPEAK GOD’S WORD  to the problem!

The hallmark of a great leader is that they not only leave organizations in BETTER shape than when they arrived but they leave the PEOPLE around them in better shape!

Good leaders equip and edify; poor leaders rob and tear down (John 10:10).

Having been a leader in both corporate America and in ministry, I submit the following:

Corporate America was at its zenith between 1935 and 1985. It was eminently successful because captains of industry were tested in the battlefields of WW1, WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. These folks understood the difference between leadership and management. Today, we have precious few leaders that have any combat-tested leaders in corporate boardrooms; just a bunch of B-school grads that fawn and swoon over numbers with no regard for human capital.

Likewise, in ministry, we are seeing the advent of pulpit managers instead of preaching leaders. In ministry, we’re seeing increased attention to monetary and material management without the manifestation of the power of God or the development and discipling of men. This is not an indictment of all ministerial leaders but it is an eerily growing trend.

I think corporate America would benefit from conscripted military service; indeed, there would be a fallout-benefit to the country at large. Likewise, the church needs to start reaching out to young people, engaging them in stewardship and service; thus equipping them to be leaders. Kingdom leadership begins with service and continues with stewardship.

In both cases, the leadership paradigm should be based on Jesus, who led and taught by example and, ultimately, laid down His life for those in His charge.

That’s my $.02…

© 2012 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

Ok. Here’s the deal. If we call ourselves CHRISTIANS then we should be concerned primarily with the words and teachings of CHRIST, right? 

Here’s what Jesus has to say about “holiness:” NOTHING!

I have this – dare I say – revelation on teaching the Word of God:  the Gospels are the FOUNDATION for ALL teaching, followed by the remainder of the NT (which only ILLUMINATES the person and Word of Jesus, followed by Genesis (which is God’s MISSION STATEMENT), followed by the books of poetry (which are types and shadows of the LOVE and WISDOM of God), then the Prophets (who POINT TO Jesus and His Kingdom)’ followed by the law (what we’ve been DELIVERED FROM 
because Jesus FULFILLED IT).

That said, the Bible says “be ye holy for I (God) am oly. Here’s the bad news: YOU CAN’T BE HOLY AS GOD, NOT EVEN CLOSE. Your best efforts will frustrate you at best, and brand you as a hypocrite at worst! 

To get to the crux of this, we need to have a knowledge of what makes God, “GOD;” at least one we can wrap our peanut brains around.

Here’s one thing that we can wrap our finite minds around: one of the key attributes of God is that He and his Word are one, inseparable! 

Because the Entire universe is suspended by the Word of His Power, the moment He violates His Word, He ceases to be “GOD” and He ceases to be Holy!

So the ONLY way we can even emulate His Holiness is to emulate how He keeps His Word. We can NEVER be as good, pure, or clean as God, but we CAN be men and women of INTEGRITY; that is we say what we’ll do and do what we say IN ALIGNMENT WITH GOD.’S WORD!

Holiness does not equal righteousness. Righteousness is right standing with God made possible ONLY by the Blood of Jesus. Holiness is our conversation or LIFESTYLE. but to that end, we will never be as good as God and attempts to do so start us on a slippery slope to works, effectively nullifying grace.

Tis vain attempt to accomplish holiness trough works has resulted in the kind of religious schizophrenia that makes people run from “Christians” instead ofe running to Christ.

Y’all, this is how we BE holy. Trying to DO holy apart from this is doomed to fail.

© 2011 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

We are approaching another New Year. Soon, 2011 will be but a memory and 2012 will unfold with promise. The question is, what will you be in this New Year?

The Apostle Paul, in the aforementioned scripture, reveals something that – if caught – will change your life. When we are in Christ, we are something entirely new – a species that, heretofore, did not exist. That means your old nature, along with your old spirit, died with and was reborn with Jesus!

You are no longer a creature of sin, rather, now you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). As a new creature, we obtain a new consciousness – Righteousness Consciousness – and shed our old sin-consciousness!

What does that mean? Whatever a man is actively conscious of, that is what he does. For example, a carpenter spends most of his waking moments thinking of working with wood. An electrician spends his time thinking of wire and switches. A sinner thinks about sinning. But, when you become righteousness-conscious, you are immediately convicted and prompted to repent; that is, to change your mind, not confess your sin!

Which brings me to another mind-renewing point: if you are in Christ, you are no longer a sinner, you are a saint. Change your speech along with your mind!

So, as you go into this New Year, do not set your mind on carnal resolutions that you cannot keep.  Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing (a constant process, not a one-time thing, by the way) of your mind! Set your mind on righteousness and you will assume a posture of righteousness. And this righteousness is not of our own doing, it is part of the finished work of Jesus Christ that is imparted to us in the New Birth!

Receive and appropriate what Jesus has done for you, saint! When you allow this to manifest in your spirit, it will change your life!

© 2011 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

The Magi (and there weren’t necessarily THREE) brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh; all of which were precious, costly commodities (Matthew 2:11).

I’m going somewhere with this…

Joseph went to Bethlehem to be counted in a census and TO PAY HIS TAXES; y’all hear me, you don’t pay taxes on nothing! The situation was not that there was no money for Mary and Joseph’s lodging, rather ALL THE HOTELS WERE BOOKED!

I’m gonna get there, y’all stay with me…

God told Joseph to take his wife and son into Egypt to hide from Herod (Matthew 2:12-13). Now, recalling from the Exodus, Egypt was about 8 days walk from Canaan – you need provision for the journey…and that costs MONEY.

And while Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were in Egypt, they needed sustenance until Joseph could get a job!

I submit to you, the cash value of the gifts of the Magi would have provided ample means to make all this possible. Remember, God does not give vision without sending provision!

Thanks for staying with me – we’ve hit our destination: Jesus wasn’t poor!

Jesus’ poverty was this: he came from Heaven and it’s infinite resources to finite earth. In that context, even if he came to earth as a billionaire, he’d have still became poor for our sakes (2 Corinthians 8-9)! Contrary to popular belief, Jesus was not a poor, vagabond, itinerant minister. He was acknowledged as a Rabbi or Teacher, and his garments were costly enough that Roman soldiers cast lots for them (Matthew 27:35).

Now don’t misunderstand me, We are here to minister (serve) as Jesus did. That’s so clear a blind man could see it! The point is that folks try to say Jesus was poor to equate poverty with piety – and that is absolute rubbish. Likewise wealth does not equate to sin. We need to change our traditional paradigms to line up with Scripture!

Bonus information: Joseph, Mary, and Jesus went into Egypt to hide from Herod. Herod sent soldiers into Egypt looking for the Christ child. In order to successfully hide, perhaps they had to look like the natives.

Give that a minute to sink in!

Merry CHRISTmas, y’all!

© 2011 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)