What is Your Capacity for Kingdom Impact?

As we embark upon this New Year, I have been struck by this question. Am I leading the Missions Team of the BCNY to make the maximum impact for the Glory of our Lord and to impact His kingdom coming on earth? What are the artificial ceilings that prevent us from being all we can be? What is preventing you from living a “high capacity” life?

While listening to one of our fine BCNY pastors preach on Sunday, the Lord spoke to me about some hindrances keeping us from living at a high capacity:

1.) The tyranny of the urgent. When Jesus was tempted to turn stones to bread in Matthew 4, it would have short-circuited his ultimate purpose which was fulfilled at the cross.

2.)An incorrect Biblical interpretation. The Bible is not a book of inspiration just to give you warm fuzzies, but is to be obeyed. Our capacity for kingdom impact could be greatly enhanced if we learn to obey rather than just to gather knowledge. In Matthew 4 both Jesus and Satan quote Scripture. Satan misinterpreted while Jesus was absolutely correct in His interpretation.

3.) Spelling kingdom wrong. In Matthew 4, Satan offered Jesus all his kingdoms if He would bow down and worship him. Jesus knew that it was His Kingdom with a capital “K” that He was all about and not the one Satan showed him. Are you selling out for a kingdom rather than for the Kingdom of God?

It is my prayer that we will settle for nothing less than the highest capacity for Kingdom impact!

I Wish You An Unhappy New Year

I Wish You An Unhappy New Year!
In Psalms 17:15, David is praying, “…I shall be satisfied when I arise with your likeness”. If I may amplify these words, he is saying that he will be satisfied when he has fully become conformed to the image of Christ. Surely David was at peace with God. After all, he was a man after God’s own heart. As a person, he was 100% right with God. However, his performance lacked compliance with that condition of grace. I wish for you an absolutely miserable 2010 with all that is in your life which keeps you from being an exact image of your Savior, Jesus Christ! This unhappiness will lead you to have the greatest year of your life.
Dissatisfaction or discontentment breeds progress, when dealt with properly. A preacher has two jobs. He is to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable. I am glad someone got discontented with candles and lanterns. Therefore, we now have electric lights. I am glad that Orville and Wilbur Wright’s one hundred and twenty feet in twelve seconds did not satisfy the hunger for flight. Now, we can get on a plane and travel the world. Unless an oyster is disturbed by a grain of sand, there are no pearls. Imagine a world without butterflies. Suppose the caterpillar became so contented within the cocoon until he refused to come out. There would be no butterfly.
Have an unhappy new year which will lead to your happiest year yet!