Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Supreme

Colossians 1:17-18 NIV
"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."

Now we look at the word supreme with very little pose. Think about what we relate supreme with? Surfer lingo, and a pizza filled with toppings. When was the last time you let your mind wander on this word? Or, how about the word King? Even Lord? Being a Lead Pastor most people often associate you as the head of the Church. Not many of these people do this in negative fashion or disrespect to Christ. The reality is though that no Lead or Senior pastor is the head of the church, no Bishop, and not even the Pope gets that title. It belongs to only one that is Jesus. Supreme is a word that means "incomparable" nothing can stack up against it, and nothing can overcome it. That is Jesus Christ and His role in the church. Often times we look at Jesus though the eyes of Savior, or friend. Both are good references to Christ and both are found in the Bible. However, we can quickly loose sight of His Lordship, and Kingly position if we only focus on our friendship to Him. Think about all of the churches you pass on your way to work, school, anywhere for that matter. Think about your own church, or a church you grew up in. Jesus is in change of all if them even if the people in the building don't think so! That is so crazy to understand Jesus is the lead pastor of every church. As a matter of fact the churches sole purpose in existence is to teach about Him, and further His mission. Now, to make it personal. When was the last time you looked out your window and said King Jesus I will go wherever you want me to. I will obey your teachings and I will be a loyal servant in your Kingdom. I often times wonder what the church could do if every single one of us (myself included) would stand and say "King Jesus lead us on your mission!" It would be a sight to see when an army of grace and hope flooded the streets. Nothing could stand against it, nothing could overwhelm it. Nothing could overcome it. Until that day when Christ returns to teach us this truth face to face we have to move forward day by day. It may not be a wave a people, but you and I we can serve our King one loving gesture at a time.


Strive on my Friends, Strive on,


Richard Hiltibran

focusonthecross.org

Saturday, July 6, 2013

The beginning

"Watch your life and your doctrine closely. Preserve in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Timothy 4:16 NIV

In an age where we are being feed constant information it is hard to know what to believe, what to think, but most of all what are we to do! This post marks a change for me, not a small change but quite a large one. I have stepped out of a secular career to stand in the trenches with my brothers and sisters in full time ministry. In preparation for this weeks message I found this powerful verse in 1 Timothy. What it implies is that no matter what you hear You and I are responsible to uphold our faith regardless of the information overload of the world.

Do you and I approach our relationship with Christ with this sense of urgency and importance? As if what we say, do, and even think will have not only the power to transform our lives, but also the lives of those around us. Sometimes in an age of self absorption its easy to forget this faith in Christ does not just belong to us. I myself fall into the trap of "it must not be important to anyone else." This is a fear mechanism. I do not share because I am afraid my beliefs are outdated. But, the reality is that the grace of God cannot be outdated. People need to know that there is someone who gives a crap about them, that being is God Almighty.

The charge for us all is to treat our faith in Christ as if it matters. Can you imagine what the world would look like if all the Christians in the world stood on this verse's foundation. If every morning we awoke with a true sense of urgent evangelism? The call to be a Christian is not an easy one, but one that will change the world.

Strive on my friends, Strive on,

Richard Hiltibran
focusonthecross.org