Acts 29 Fellowship of the Christian and Missionary Alliance

God Is Looking For Men And Women Of F-A-I-T-H

FAITHFUL — There are a lot of people out there proclaiming how good they are, but few who actually deliver the goods.

“Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?“ (Proverbs 20:6)

AVAILABLE — Many of us are so overcommitted we resemble a person skiing down the hill in front of an avalanche: There is no margin for error and disaster is imminent.

Are you emotionally available to God so that if He were to speak to you, you would be able to hear and respond to His gentle voice?

“He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets… And after the fire came a gentle whisper… Elijah heard it… “ (Isaiah 42:2; 1 Kings 19:12b, 13a)

INTERDEPENDENT — Some of us parallel the fierce independence of Rambo, wanting to be and do the whole show. Over the long haul however, loners don’t make it spiritually. A study of 1 Corinthians 12-14, and related passages, clearly teach and illustrate the principle of interdependence, rather than independence. The fact is that we need each other.

TEACHABLE — Tell me, as you mature and gain in stature, are you still willing to learn from the most humble of sources?

“Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.“ (Ecclesiastes 4:13)

HOLY — The reality is that God uses clean vessels:

“In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.“ (2 Timothy 2:20, 21)

Are you one of them?

During mission team weeks, the Acts 29 staff seeks to bring relevant devotionals to the teams. These morning devotionals reflect years of loyal obedience and longsuffering in the Urban setting and reflect core values and life lessons that the Father has instilled in us. Sharon Buttry shared from heart on one of the fundamentals of Urban missions in her devotional on Compassionate Ministry.

You can download the full article here.

1 Peter 2:21

(NIV)

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

No life remains more phenomenal, revolutionary or impacting than the radical life of Jesus Christ. While on the earth in physical form, Jesus preached an extreme message, healed the sick, touched the lepers, forgave sinners, raised the dead, gave hope to the hopeless and set the captives free. His life cannot be duplicated, imitated, counterfeited, reproduced, qualified, compared or even understood on any human terms. And yet the word of God makes a startling statement commissioning all those who believe to follow in Jesus footsteps: to actually put our feet on this earth in the imprints of Christ, to live like He did. 1 John 2:6 makes an even stronger statement: “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” It qualifies all life in Christ—all life with God—as walking in the way Jesus did, living as He did on this earth. There is no escape from this incredible calling. The demand of discipleship, the demand of life with Christ, is following in the footsteps of the living, incarnate God. It goes beyond all human capability. It goes beyond all natural possibility, but it finds its fulfillment in Christ’s availability.

The Bible holds up a glorious, heavenly standard that far exceeds any natural life, but demands the only supernatural life. There is no list of laws to follow but “the law of the Spirit of life” (Romans 8:2). The Bible does not qualify its demands or weaken the impact of such radical statements; instead it exalts the life of Christ and reminds us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). The Bible reveals Christ’s removal of our past lives and His provision of His own resurrection life as the source of all Christian life. Jesus does not demand that we fulfill the requirements of His character in our own efforts, but fulfills His life in us through the victory of the resurrection and the person of the Holy Spirit, who is His continued presence on this earth. Colossians 3:4 states “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory,” revealing that Christ is our life—our daily walk. Christ wants to fulfill His life in our existence. He wants to actually control what we say with our mouths, what we do with our hands, where we go with out feet. He wants to continue His ministry in us. He wants our lives to be the overflow of His life in us. He came to give us His abundant life (John 10:10, John 14:6). Is it yours today?