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

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)

The reality is that tithing is not commanded for New Testament Saints. Now the argument can be made that, because Abraham tithed, tithing was before the law. However, what Abraham tithed on was what could be construed as either a bonus on his income, or “hitting the lotto” (Genesis 14:16-20).

It was never stated that Abraham tithed on his income, even though he was a man of great substance (Genesis 13:2).

That said, the New Testament, Kingdom model for giving is illustrated in Luke 6:38…

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

…Acts 2:44…

And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

…and 2 Corinthians 9:7.

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

We need to give as our hearts purpose, not out of obligation. If we compel folks to tithe, we must compel them to uphold the law, thus nullifying the work of the cross and the grace of God. It should be noted, too, that the Lord Jesus did not compel any of His followers to tithe!

Now, if anyone chooses to tithe and does so with a cheerful heart, they will enjoy the blessing that comes along with New Testament Giving. However, if someone gives 80% and treats it like a monthly bill or other obligation, well, I doubt there would be a blessing attached to it.

As for me, I would like to emulate Pastors Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, or Francis Chan – individuals who practice “reverse tithing;” that is, they keep 10 percent of their income and give away 90 percent!

It’s all about love, not obligation; relationship, not religion!

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

Folks have misinterpreted scripture concerning women in ministry, e.g., 1 Corinthians 14:34. Here, Paul was dealing with specific folks with specific issues (Corinth had women who were out of control), hence the use of the word “your” instead of “all.” It’s important to note that many, if not most of the first century churches were started by women, the woman ad the well (John 4) was sent by Jesus to preach to the Samaritans, and Mary Magdalene was the first person to preach the resurrection.

A little story, a Deacon I know back in Crockett, TX had a conversation with one of his daughters that went like this:

“Daddy, God called me to preach.” His reply, “Oh Lawd!”

That night, God took the ol’ Deacon back to his childhood in a dream. On their farm, they had a reliable rooster that would crow on time every day. Well one day, that old rooster up and died.

Now, if you know anything about chickens, you know a good rooster is hard to find. So, during the search for a new rooster, one of the hens jumped up on a fence post and began crowing like the rooster did, and did so until they got another rooster.

The Spirit of the Lord asked Deke if he ever cursed that hen for crowing, and Deke said, “no…”

The Spirit continued, “Then don’t curse your daughter.”

The Deacon’s daughter pastors a thriving church …with her Daddy’s blessings.

True story…

The point is, God calls, God anoints, and God appoints. It is not for man to decide. This is one of those traditions that burdens the body of Christ and needs to be done away with.

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

The reason why many “churches” do not have the nature of The Church is because there is a widespread lack of understanding of what The Church really is.

First of all, The Church is not a building, a charter, or a gathering of folks. The Church is a living, spiritual and natural being comprised of many members that carry out vital functions.

Contrary to popular belief and contemporary manifestation, The Church is not a “country club” for the saints or the museum of the “frozen chosen.” When you become a member of The Church, you are not simply a number, you are grafted in, as a finger to a hand. You are part of a glorious body. This body nourishes each member and the Head, Jesus, gives each member instructions for the work to be performed.

While I’m here, let me hang my hat for a minute…Each member has a UNIQUE function. All of us are not called to preach, just like every cell in the body is not called to be the eye. Imagine a body full of eyes…that is a freak of nature! Speaking of the ministry, not everyone is called to preach the same message or even to preach in the same manner. Each of us are fearfully and wonderfully designed — individually and expressly — by the Hand of God with a unique purpose to carry out equally unique assignments.

The Greek word for “Church” in Matthew 16:18 is “ekklesia.” It is a word meaning “called out assembly.” More to the point, it is a GOVERNMENTAL, not a RELIGIOUS word! Many folks dont know this, but the Government of Rome at the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry called their upper legislative assembly the Ekklesia. Furthermore, the ancient city-state of Athens called its legislative body Ekklesia.

Now put this in context…When Jesus said, “upon this rock (the truth spoken by Peter) I will build my Ekklesia; and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, He was saying that upon the truth that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, He will establish His everlasting government. This is what was prophesied in Isaiah 9:6.

Jesus did not come to establish another religion; the world had (and has) enough of them. What He came to re-establish was the governmental order that was ordained from the foundation of time!

That said, The Church is not about religion. The Church is the point where God connects with man through Christ. It is God’s earthly government, duly deputized and empowered to have dominion over the earth!

Church should be an ER for the wounded, a kitchen for the hungry, and a sanctuary for the besieged. It should be the point where God’s Heavenly Government is dispensed on the earth. It should be the place where the lost can come to catch the revelation of a loving Father, who wants to reconcile them to Himself and loved them so much that He gave His very best in the Person of His Only Begotten Son!

I feel like preaching, but I’ll take my seat now…

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

DON’T BE DISCOURAGED! Out of nearly 850 Facebook “friends,” about 20 or so (and I love y’all dearly) regularly “like” my posts, and less than 10% of these “friends” have clicked “like” on my book page. Those are daunting statistics, but, like David, I encourage myself in The Lord and keep moving. God has given me a divine assignment and I will be faithful to execute it, in spite of opposition and naysayers.

I’ve come to the conclusion that, outside the core of folks who really love you, people on Facebook fit into one of four categories:

1. The perpetually busy. These are the “movers and shakers.” I understand folks who are busy doing kingdom work, building businesses, and otherwise changing the world for the better. They cannot respond to everything…and that’s cool. I want to stay connected to them because they inspire me to greater levels of achievement.

2. The haters, AKA “frienemies.” These are folks who are watching your every move, anticipating your fall. But, if your steps are ordered by God and you are walking in your purpose and assignment, your haters are doomed to disappointment! In due season, God reveals them to me, and I delete them.

3. The voyeurs. This is the reality tv crowd. They haven’t plugged into their God-given purpose, so their lives are – temporarily, at least – devoid of meaning. Of course, some folks are just plain nosy (yep, I said it). And, when God reveals them, I delete them.

4. The gleaners. These folks don’t respond to a lot because they’re either shy or otherwise reserved. However, they are really blessed by what you post but don’t vocalize it. Many of this group possess tremendous wisdom!

So don’t get down in the doldrums when folks don’t respond to your posts. If you’re a preacher, keep preaching. If you’re a teacher, keep teaching. If you’re a writer, keep writing. Get into your God-given purpose and operate in your divine assignment, ignore the haters, block out the voyeurs, and walk in your divine assignment!

BE ENCOURAGED!

Matthew 22:37-40…here Jesus outlined what the sum of the law is. In other words, He is the express manifestation of love and the fulfillment of the law. And if we are in Him, then the law is fulfilled in us and, therefore, we don’t have to uphold the law.

The problem with the mixing of law and grace is that folks want to uphold the law selectively or “a la carte.” I call these folks “cafeteria christians;” they take what they think is good and leave the rest behind. These folks will uphold those points of the law (earrings, etc.) that serve their agenda but exclude those things that do not (e.g., having bacon for breakfast). Cafeteria christianity is both legalistic and hypocritical.

The beauty of grace is that all we have to concern ourselves with is being in Him and having His Word abide in us, then the law is fulfilled!

WDJK – Who did Jesus kill? If Jesus is the express image of the father (Hebrews 1:3) and He only did what He saw the Father do (John 5:19), and the chastisement of the peace of mankind was upon Him (Isaiah 53:5), then you MUST conclude that God is not killing folks!

GOD IS NOT A MURDERER!

Stop saying that!