Sky Links, 10-16-14

Photo: Spacebridge by longobord CC 2.0

Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
-Gal. 5:22-3 (NLT)

We need, I need, to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit.  I have been thinking about Jesus words about moving in the opposite spirit, all the way to being the slave of all.  So Graham's word's go right along with these thoughts I have been having.  Are you read to, "take another thought?":
"It's not our responsibility to ever move in judgment. When someone behaves unrighteously towards us our question is, “Lord, how much goodness and kindness does this person need in order for them to receive a touch from you?” And when the Lord tells you, then that is what you give them. It's called moving in the opposite spirit."- Cultivating  The Fruit Of The Spirit With Graham Cooke:




Graham: "We have grown up, learning how to process life through the negativity of the world around us.  That means that we've learned largely to react against people rather than respond for them.  We've grown up in a culture and a language that is adversarial, more bent upon defending ourselves against people, rather than becoming a blessing to them.
The kingdom of heaven allows us to move in the opposite spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is the most powerful way of developing great relationships with people and also becoming Christlike at the same time.  So, it doesn't really matter if a relational issue is adversarial, oppositional, or just difficult, or there are things going on causing misunderstanding, and so on.  None of those things matter.  
What matters is how we actually come a across to people within the nature of God.  That's what this message is really about.  The fact that God has put a fruit of the Spirit next to every negative circumstance of life.  So, that we can say, there is no negative situation that does not contain a fruit of the Spirit attached to it..."
God has allocated the ability to grow in his nature in every challenging relational situation in our lives.  We are neither victims or judgers.  We don't react as victims nor as judgers, but we respond in the fruit of the Spirit that God grants to us.  Graham's full talk on the Fruit of the Spirit, given in Spokane (7/13) is here.



The Age 30 Transition and The Myth of Adolescence 

Dave Black was in California this summer and preached in San Jacinto.  His sermon was on Jesus and the Age 30 Transition:


Jesus and The Age 30 Transition from 412 Church on Vimeo.

Dave's message was so good.  I completely agree with his thoughts about the myth of adolescence.  I don't know if you realize that adolescence is a modern invention from the world.  Teenagers need to be learning responsibility and be disciples of Jesus, with all that youthful energy, growing into becoming kingdom adults.


God is not a Republican

Did you know that God is not a Republican?  Sounds silly, but what I mean is that the Republican party and its operatives are corrupt and ungodly or not Christlike, just like the Democrats.  To put it another way, the salvation or renewal of American did not come through an authentic Christian president.  I was pretty disappointed that Bush (44) was not successful in many ways.  One reason why he wasn't is that many of those who worked for and with him were not godly, but were corrupt.

Republican Christians and Democratic Christians both point their fingers at the other party, blaming them for our country's demise.  Some say that Bush 44 failed because he was not conservative enough, like Reagan.  But our country has been going downhill, no matter which party holds the white house or congress.  We do need godly leadership, yes.  But America will only be saved by God.  We, the people, need God.  We all need a new great awakening that will purify a whole generation that will be called to work in (smaller) government and bring our country back to it's roots and calling.

Take a look at David Kuo's book, Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction.



Christian Economics

Ron McKenzie has written a very good series on money & Christians, here.  I first read his article unrighteous wealth.  Some of the advice or counsel from Dave Ramsey and Robert Kiyosaki is faulty, because, for example, they espouse the idea of gaining wealth through rental property, which is sometimes unrighteous wealth.  This may come as a shock to you.  Read the posts by Ron, if you don't get this, and you will understand.

I chose that stained-glass window photo, because it looked to me, like Jesus' encounter with Zaccheus (Luke 19).  Note how Zach's life changed after he met Jesus.  That is a picture of the transforming work of Jesus in our lives!  I commend Ron McKenzie's series of posts on Christian Economics to you.  Ron's posts on world affairs, the church, and life in Christchurch, New Zealand have been very interesting to me as well. 

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