Honoring In Our Giving

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Matthew 10:40-42

Many of us may think that this scripture is about rank when actually it is about honor and love. Many people have given up on tithing or giving because of the obvious abuses in the church but what we don't realize is that we are getting ripped off. God rewards honor and love. If you notice Jesus said, "Anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me." We need to see that honoring people, honors the Lord. He doesn't even overlook anything as small as a glass of water. He wants us to recognize those who He has sent into our lives even if they aren't your big name preachers. We so often honor people who are "well known" in church but ignore the usher and look down upon those less "gifted." I have been in ministry many years and have found this type of partiality grieving to God. We will pile on the money on the name brand preacher but won't give a thought to a single parent or someone who is struggling in the body of Christ. Let's face it, ministry has become a business instead of a place of equipping, imparting and loving people into the maturity of Christ.

If you notice in the book of Acts  "All the believers were of one  heart and of one mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need." Acts 4:32-32-34

It's time that the body of Christ moves past selfish motives, agendas and business models. We want God's powerful grace but if you read the above scripture you will see that they were of one heart and one mind. It was a place of unity, love and giving. We need to stop treating people that come to bless our ministries with so much disdain. That's Jesus playing your music, straightening your chairs, taking up your offerings, feeding the hungry and sacrificing their time to do the will of our Father. There are people that go to our churches everyday that are hungry, sick and facing homelessness. We think that because we give our left over change in the offering that we are fulfilling our duty. That's not love my friend. That's religion. We need to stop being so preoccupied with wanting to be blessed that we seek out to be the blessing. This is true Christianity and the heart of our Father. For God so loved that He gave...

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Reborn Identity

As I was laying in bed this morning I kept hearing the word "Identity."  Who are we?  Why are we here?  Can we have meaningful relationships?  Can I move on pass the divorce?  Am I lovable?  Am I worth the time?  Am I employable.  Identity is by far the most talked about topic right now as people struggle to find out who they are and overcome their personal struggles with their sexual orientation, unemployment and relationships.  The roles of men and women have changed over the years.  This has brought so much confusion to our society.  Especially in homes where single moms have to play the roles of mom and dad just raise up their children.  The breakdown of gender and parental roles have caused such fragmentation in our society that it has left us wandering around trying to find out who we are.  Have you ever heard someone say "I just need to find myself."  Well, most of us cringe when we hear that because it means that the person who just said that is going on a personal journey to find themselves and you are not invited.  The next thing you know they pack up their bags and they are gone.  Is it really that they can't find themselves or it is that they don't like their life and think they can have a better life without you?  What is sad about the statement I just made, is that they think their identity will change if they change scenery.  The truth is we define our world by and how we see ourselves in relation to it.


So what is identity?  I will define identity as the characteristics that define who we are, evidenced by what we do.  We are often defined by what we believe about ourselves and sometimes what others have said about us.  For instance, if your parents told you that you were good for nothing and nobody will love you; then most of time people live up to those expectations.  Let's say you were bullied in school and called names.  The most likely outcome will be that we take on the identity of our accusers.  A worse scenario would be to be molested, raped or abused and take on the identity of shame.  There are many divorced people out there who take on the identity of rejection.  Children whose parents leave and abandon them take on an identity of rejected orphans.  Everyday all over the world people allow events to define them instead of allowing God to tell them of their amazing value.

So who are we really?  Are we here just get by and live just another day?  Are we here to be abused by others?  Are we here to become successful, happy and raise a family?  What was our original design?  Some of us don't seem to know who we are!  If you don't know I will tell you... YOU WERE MADE TO BE LOVED!  You were meant to have an amazing life and have a relationship with your creator.  If you are reading this and you don't believe in God then I have only one thing to say...GOD BELIEVES IN YOU!  God decided to risk it all and give up his life to demonstrate your value and His love for you.  He didn't know if you would accept His proposal but He was willing to take the chance because YOU ARE WORTH IT!  Why am I capitalizing my words?  I want to give you the opportunity to start thinking about yourself in the way God thinks about you.  Before your mind starts to argue with you about your value and identity; I want you to know that you can become someone completely different.  Your heritage, past, crime record, mistakes, upbringing, divorce, abuse and etc. does not have to determine your future or define who you are.  God has already defined who you are and declared your value.  You are God's treasure!  All of God's Kingdom is destined to dwell in you along with God's son; Jesus Christ.  When He looks at us He sees Jesus.  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)

Many people are held to horrible images of themselves because they have believed a lie!  The devil is a liar!  He can only enter our lives though deception and lies.  Once you embrace the truth he can't keep you a prisoner of your past anymore.  He can't torment you with fear.  He can't cause you to be depressed, sad or suicidal.  He can't cause pain in your heart and he can't keep you defeated!  Why?  Because you have a new identity and it is Christ's!  Christ is victorious and already defeated him so don't give him a voice in your head!  Give no place or thought to the devil.  (Ephesians 4:27)  Realize that you win!  You are a new creation with God's DNA (destiny - now - activated)  You are now being conformed to the express image of the Son.  Circumstances don't define you; you define your circumstances.  You have nothing or no one to fear.  The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?  Psalm 27:1

Some quick points:  To find your Christ identity you must realize:

1.  Baptism was meant to leave our old identity in the grave and take up a new one by following Christ.  God came in the flesh so he can be an earthly man with struggles and adversity but still walk in victory!  Jesus came out of the wilderness in power not defeated.

 In those days there appeared John the Baptist, preaching in the Wilderness (Desert) of Judea² And saying, Repent (think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. John 1:1-2 Amplified

¹⁴ Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵ And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  Luke 4:14

2.  We have already been given a new spirit and God's nature when we got born again.  I hear a lot of people say "Well, I was born that way."  When are born of God's spirit, we take on His nature and leave behind our parent's nature.  We have a new Father and we take after Him not our culture or upbringing.
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

3.  We can't allow events, people or external judgments define who we are but we need to get a new mind set by receiving God's truths and implementing them, causing us to know what pleases the father's heart!  Don't let people tell you who you are.  We were meant to define the world around us because of who we already are!

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Roman 12:2 Amplified

4.  We need to embrace our future and let go of our past!  You can't be the new you and still be holding onto past hurts and events.  We can't allow past hurts trump the cross.

I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  Philippians 3:13

5.  We have to embrace a mindset of humility and be stripped of our rights to possess the fullness of Christ's identity.

⁵ Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility: ⁶ Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, ⁷ But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. Philippians 2:5-7

6.  Our identity is love.  It's not we do, it is who we are!

By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]. John 13:35

7.  Self must be crucified that Christ's identity can live!

Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].  Matthew 16:24

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  Galatians 2:20

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Jaziz Gutierrez
Official Website: http://www.jazizgutierrez.com
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Made In The Image of Love

In the beginning the glory of God covered man and woman.  They freely walked around the garden clothed in the garments of His love and fellowship until the day that Satan broke the mirror and caused them to see something other than the image they were created in - God's image.  When they saw each other they saw the image of love because God is love.  The banner over them was love. Songs of Solomon 2:4  Nothing could be more attractive than God's image.  Yet in an instance that image was broken and it gave way to another image.  The image of shame, sin, and separation from love itself .  Not only did they hide themselves from God but from each other.  The transparency of relationship could no longer be enjoyed because they could no longer see God's image.  They could only see each other...the fallen image.