The Kingdom Cowboy

Grace - #34

Summary:
Most Christians feel like God gives grace to them mainly when they are in trouble. In truth, grace is always available to us, but it doesn’t always come in just to bail us out of negative circumstances. The true purpose of grace is to help grow us into mature sons and daughters of God.
 
Show Notes:
Grace is there for you. It’s there in every situation in your life, whether you are going through a bad situation, or if you are going through some very good times.
Most Christians have the concept that grace is for our hard times, to make things better. What about the times He shows you grace by seemingly making your situation worse? That’s what Paul experienced when Jesus struck him with blindness on the road. God used Paul’s blindness to change him from being a law man into the greatest proponent of grace in all the Bible.
To makes things worse, God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh to buffet him, and help him not to get proud because of all that God had shown him. Believe it or not, that’s real grace.
If you are being taught a mixture of law and grace, you aren’t being taught grace at all. Law and grace are like oil and water. They don’t mix.
If God had fixed Paul’s problem right away, we might never have had the depth of message on grace that we now have, or the relationship with God that is available to us.
 
Quotes:
For those who have never actually experienced grace personally, it’s an easy word to define. But for those of us who have received a lot of it, we’re still looking for the words that can adequately explain it to someone else.
Which is the greatest manifestation of grace? The guy who prays and gets healed immediately, or the guy who is like Paul, who prayed three times and went through, maybe for the rest of his life, and never got healed or fixed from his problem, but endured and experienced a deeper level of relationship with the Father, which showed him another side of God.
 
References:
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
 
Takeaways:
Grace, in spite of what most Christians feel that it is, can be the most transformative thing that God could ever do with you. It can become a profound treasure of a deep relationship with the Father, brought on only by Him taking us through things that take out the impurities in our nature, so that He can use us as we have been destined to be used by Him. When Grace has produced it’s fruit, the power, favor and presence of God will be able to come through in its fullness. Let’s all open up to the Grace of God, as Paul did.
 

Crossing The Threshold Of Personal Ministry - #33

Summary:
As Christians, we can learn all about the ins and outs of ministering to people, but until we get past our fears and break through the resistance (the threshold) in our own heart, little is going to happen through us. We don’t have to be professionals to reach out and care for, or pray for, someone who has a need. It’s just Bible Belt thinking that makes you feel unqualified or unworthy to do this. People out there need what we have to offer, so let’s not deny them the blessing and prayer that they really need, and are crying out for.
 
Show Notes:
The five fold ministry- apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, were raised up to prepare the body for the work of the ministry. These ministries weren’t raised up to do all the ministry, but their job is to prepare the saints to do the ministry, which is contrary to a lot of Christian thinking.
The fear of doing ministry and praying for people is what keeps the majority of us from getting in and giving it a try.
If you can get past the threshold of caring for or praying for someone who has a situation, you might discover that a lot of people are very blessed, just because of the fact that you cared enough to pray with them, whether they got healed or not. Most just need a touch, more than anything.
When you take the time to care for and pray for someone concerning a situation, you never know for sure what God will do for them, but the connection that you make with them will continue, and you might feel to keep praying for them now and then. That’s how God tends to do it.
Most people can easily spot a religious phony and will tend to shy away from them, but if your approach is genuine and caring, hardly anyone will turn down a word of encouragement or a prayer for healing.
 
Quotes:
The main qualification is if you’re available and allow the Lord to use you, and you are sensitive to the Spirit of God, so when those opportunities arise, then you just go through, and that’s the threshold I’m talking about. We have tried to take away the mystique from that a lot, so the people are not afraid to do that.
I think the prayers that God loves and maybe honors the most is, “God, help”. “I may not even know how to pray for this guy, but God, I just know that you can fix this. I just believe God can heal you”.
 
References:
Ephesians 4:11
 
Takeaways:
It takes courage to get over the fear of encouraging and praying for people who really need a touch. It’s not our pastors’ job to do all of this, but it’s our responsibility to walk through the open doors that God creates, to bless and pray for people who really need a touch from the Lord.

Addressing The Fear In Persoanl Ministry - #32

Summary:
It’s amazing how many good Christians have a fear or apprehension when it comes to being lead by the Holy Spirit to pray for and encourage someonewho has a real need. A lot of the reason is because there aren’t more people who are willing to be equipped to do this. They feel that its up to the pastor or a few others who are supposed to do the ministry. You, as an individual, will never grow or become what God wants you to be if you aren’t willing to step out in faith and embrace this thing of being equipped for the work of the ministry.
 
Show Notes:
It’s so easy for people, especially if they have been raised in the Bible Belt, to think that it’s only reserved for a very few to actually do the ministry and pray over people. It can be very foreign to their thinking.
So many think that being equipped for the ministry means that you have to get up in front of people and preach, or lead in some way. That’s not what we are talking about. What we are talking about is just having a confidence to pray over someone, and believe with them when a need arises.
If you will just try it a time or two, you will start to feel less fear and apprehension, and that’s where the excitement of this starts to come. Don't be overconfident, but humbly approach it, believing that God can, and will, fix it.
Wouldn’t be nice if there were 20, 30, or more people who have been equipped, who you could call of you have a need, rather than always calling the pastor or two or three others employed by the church who normally do the ministry? That could easily happen if there were those open to being equipped to pray with and encourage the people.
 
Quotes:
99% of the time there hasn’t been this mindset or this concept of being equipped for the work of the ministry, and if people won't buy into it, it becomes not just the fear of it, but it becomes an apprehension. They feel like, “You know what? Now I know that’s probably something I should do, but I’m just not sure how to get going in it”.
It’s finding your identity and your place in the body of Christ, and allowing God to use you like He wants to use you. If you will embrace this truth, God will start to give you opportunities. So, heads up, pay attention to the Holy Spirit in these situations.
One of the easiest ways to determine if it’s God or not is if someone comes to you, telling you their problems. They have some level of trust with you, and they are asking for help.
 
References:
Ephesians 4:11
 
Takeaways:
People who have grown up in the Bible Belt, especially, find it very hard to grasp the concept that they could be a part of the ministry, even though they aren’t a pastor or an elder. Actually, being equipped for the ministry should be in everyone’s heart, and not for just a few. If there were many people who were equipped and trained to be a part of the ministry, think about how many needs could be met without having to go to a pastor for every little problem that we encounter.
 
 
 

Honor God In Every Situation - #31

Summary:
Honoring God in all situations that we face can bring such a simplicity to our lives. It’s a human, natural trait to make anything we face complicated and hard to understand. But, by honoring the Father, we start to find how simple and uncomplicated He really is, and how much He wants to move through us to do the supernatural without us getting complex or prideful in any way.
 
Show Notes:
Why do people want to make things so complicated, especially in the things of the Lord? Jesus told us all to be as little children. Children have a way of just trusting, which makes things work for them.
If Jesus was simple and practical in they way He taught, why do we, as humans, take that and try to make it so complex that neither you or anyone else can walk it out?
We are starting to learn, here at Trinity, after seeing well over 100 real miracles in the last 35 years, to honor God in every situation, and give Him all the credit.
 
Quotes:
I’m noticing about my relationship with the Lord and my time with the Father that the things that God is teaching me are not complex, but they are really, really simple, basic spiritual principles.
Jesus taught in such a way that someone who had absolutely no spiritual orientation whatsoever could get the truth. They couldn’t miss the truth. It was that simple.
I believe that is a gift that God has given me, to take some of these complex scriptural issues and make them simple, where everybody can understand it. So, I'm going to roll with it.
My teachings are for the regular guy. I could go in and pick out a message that only 10% of the real Bible hounds in church are going to be able to grasp and understand, but I don’t see any really good reason for doing that, when you have 80% of the people who are regular people, like me and you.
God is testing us in the natural to see if He can trust us with the supernatural. There’s nothing complicated about it. It’s a simple, simple principle.
Any compliments or praises that you might get after praying for a healing and it happens, you should deflect those straight toward the Father, which helps you from getting prideful in some way.
 
References:
Matthew 16:18
 
Takeaways:
Don’t make it complicated. Honor God in everything that you do and experience, and give Him the credit for all that happens through you and around you. God is testing us in the natural, to see if He can trust us with the supernatural.
 

The Father's Unorthodox Ways - #30

Summary:
We as Christians are used to doing the same things that have been done for many generations. However, the Lord is beginning to show Himself in new, unorthodox ways in this day. A great example happened at a Monday night football game when Damar Hamlin just dropped to the ground after a play. The report said that he died on the field but through the prayers of millions of people watching that night, he was brought back to life. The Lord wants us to not be afraid to pray and encourage people who reach out for our help. God never intended for a few in each church to do all the ministry. It’s the responsibility of everyone of us to help those who God puts in our paths.
 
Show Notes:
Start to look for God to do things in an unorthodox way. One of Jesus’s healings happened when He spit in the dirt to make mud to rub in a blind man’s eyes. Then He told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam, and when he did, his sight was restored.
Please never be pushy in your desire to pray for someone. If you feel led to approach someone to pray for them, use spiritual etiquette by simply asking them if you can pray for them. That takes the push out of it. If they decline, back off in love.
If someone shares a problem with you that they are having, one, it shows that they trust you, and two, they are usually asking you for help. That’s an opportune time to offer to pray for them or just speak a word of encouragement to them in love. Show them you care and are concerned for them.
When praying for someone, laying hands on their head can make a difference. There is an impartation and a transference that can happen spiritually for them.
 
Quotes:
There’s no substitute for being sensitive to the Holy Spirit. You can do it. If you’re listening, you can do it.
I think in the Bible Belt, people get so used to go on doing the same thing and going through the same motions all the time. It takes away the need to hear the Holy Spirit, which really doesn’t work long term at all.
I’m beside myself in the things that I’m seeing God do. If you’re listening, He’s doing those things around you. But start paying attention to what God is doing in these situations. When we see God doing things, we honor Him in that.
Go to the Father with no agenda and let Him speak to you, or not, and enjoy His presence if nothing else. It’s not getting more complicated. It’s getting so simple that people have a tendency to just blow it off.
Don’t be tempted to blow this stuff off. God is trying to teach us to pay attention. We’re going to see this stuff more as we work it out and practice it in our lives.
This generation has a chance to see the greatest display of signs, wonders and miracles out of a relationship with the Father. The opportunities now are greater than they’ve ever been.
 
References:
John 9:1-7
 
Takeaways:
As Christians, let’s wake up and start paying attention to what God wants to do in us and through us. Let’s stop backing off of ministering to people because of the Bible Belt mindset, that only a few are qualified and should be doing all of the blessing and ministry. God is calling all of us to step it up and be a part of all that He wants to do in this time.
 

Ministry 101 - #29

Summary:
The church will never be the church, which is us, until we, as God’s people, start connecting with the Father and start maturing in Him. That means opening up to the leading of the Holy Spirit to bless people, whether it’s an encouragement for someone to receive the Lord into their heart, or praying with and lifting up someone who comes to you for help. You don’t have to be some high-powered ministry to do this. All it takes is love and the help of the Holy Spirit for you to help God’s people to be all they can be in the Father.
 
Show Notes:
It’s so important to get people to look at the little everyday things that they go through, and see where they can see God moving, because He’s trying to set us up for something much greater, depending on how good of a steward we have been with what He has already given us.
When talking to someone, we should never try to push any conversation around to Jesus. Ministry usually opens up when someone seeks you out to tell you their problem or the concerns that they are having. They are trusting you enough to talk about it, which is a great sign that they are asking for help.
When these situations with people start happening to you, it’s because God has been working His heart in you to respond. As we are faithful in these things, the Father starts to give you more opportunities to bless and help people.
 
Quotes:
When you start to see those signs and honor God in those situations, He test you in the natural to see if He can trust you with the supernatural gifts. 
God tests us all the time, just in the natural course of life. When we start to get more aware of the kingdom and more aware of what God’s doing, we notice those things more.
If God has your heart, He can get your feet where they belong. God is sovereign in that there are things in front of us that He wants us to respond to in a kingdom way.
When you are in the right place with the Lord, ministry comes to you.
The Father made all of this stuff where it’s simple. If we just do it, it always works. It works every time.
You are not going to get proficient in ministry unless you do a little of it.
I’d rather miss by doing something, than miss by just playing it safe all the time.
 
 
References:
2 Timothy 4:2
 
Takeaways:
We will never be effective at ministering to God’s people until we step out and allow the Holy Spirit to move through us. We only get efficient at ministering after we do it several times, even when it’s uncomfortable and we don’t know what we are doing at first. All of God’s people are crying for someone like us to bless and lift them up.
 

Real Life Stories - Clay Taylor / #28

Summary:
There are so many Christians in this day that don’t even believe in healings of any kind. That is definitely not what we believe here at Trinity Fellowship. The challenge is to keep praying for healings when you don’t see everyone healed. It is easy to play it safe, but it’s another thing to go after it and really believe God, even when things look impossible. Let’s become like little children and just believe. And when you do become a part of someone getting healed, don’t let yourself get puffed up and start biting on the pride hook. That is the thing that can destroy a Christian faster than anything.
 
Show Notes:
There have been many people over the years who have come to Trinity specifically to be healed. Why? Because they know we will pray for them and we listen and we believe that God really heals.
When praying for healings, it’s easy to err on the side of caution and play it safe. It’s another thing to go for it and really believe God, even though not everyone gets healed. It’s better to pray for the impossible and see God move, if He wills.
It’s so important that we, as God’s people, don’t take credit for what God does through us. Pride can sneak in on us so fast if we aren’t careful. That especially holds true for those who are spiritual leaders of Christian groups.
 
Quotes:
It’s not an anointing on just one person here at Trinity. It’s a family anointing. It’s an anointing on this house. So we all have that ability for God to use us that way.
I believe that God is bringing us to a place where we’re going to see more of that (the healings) if we can be good stewards of it. That’s the key.
I can name a dozen healings that I’m praying for every day who have cancer, and then these little kids, who really don’t even know what is going on, can just say, “Fix it, Lord”, and it happens. And God told me, “because I can trust them with it”.
The people that God’s doing stuff in, around, and through, are at the greatest risk of pride. It never comes in the front door. It always comes in the side door.
We all have this desire for our life to mean something of significance. And, you know, we can get so far out of balance that we have to watch out for, as spiritual people, that we don’t take credit for something.
Pride kills what God is doing in your life quicker than anything, and spiritual pride is the worst kind of pride. Everybody knows you have it except you.
When your message becomes more important than the people that you’re supposed to deliver it to, you are out of business and you may not know it for several years.
 
Takeaways:
When it comes to praying over someone for a healing, let’s quit playing it safe, and really go after seeing people healed. Let’s be more like little children, who just believe and things happen. As we start to see more success, let’s not let pride slip into our spirit, and run the risk of loosing everythng that the Lord has given us. 

Equipping The Saints - Crossing The Threshold In Personal Ministry #27

Summary:
So may Christians have a fear of stepping out and praying of lifting others up, whether it is at the golf course, in a group of guys drinking coffee, or at your workplace. That’s why this teaching of equipping the saints is so important. There are so many opportunities out in life, where people are reaching out for help, but not many Christians are really willing to step out and take the chance in asking them if they would like some prayer or encouragement. Crossing the threshold means that you have matured enough in the spirit to recognize and seize an opportunity to minister when the opportunity presents itself. Everyone looses when we, as Christians, fail to recognize and take advantage of these times, but, on the other hand, everyone wins when we do.
 
Show Notes:
When you are talking about the ministry, everyone automatically thinks of the head guy. But he is there to equip the SAINTS for the work of the ministry...so that everyone is sufficently equipped when you're ministering out there in the workplace, or when you are praying for or encouraging someone.
It is a good idea to use the scriptures when you pray. It is a great way to lay hold of what is already ours, through the promises already given.
So many Christians think that knowing what the Bible says is the pinnacle for Christian success. The Bible was never meant to be a substitute for our relationship to the Lord. It was written to enhance our relationship with our Lord and Father.
When we seize an opportunity to connect and pray for someone out there, it might look like a tiny thing, but when you really look close, it’s really a big thing, because it’s relational, and that is a manifestation of the Kingdom of God coming. That’s what I’m trying to get our people to look for. It can be so simple.
When people draw you close to share something with you, first off, they trust you enough to share a problem or concern, and second, they are really looking for help. That’s a very big deal.
When you miss an opportunity, afterwards you can feel a little remorse, but if you have seized an opportunity, usually you feel blessing coming back to you.
What’s the importance of touching someone when you pray for them? There’s the possibility of an impartation of wellness or other spiritual things to that person. The Bible doesn’t use the act of laying on of hands just for the heck of it. When you do that, you’re contributing to their whole body, soul and spirit.
 
Quotes:
Equipping the saints for the work of the ministry is as biblical as you can get, but it’s been ignored, hasn’t been talked about, hasn’t been prioritized in the Bible Belt church. Equipping the saints is one of those key elements that causes the church to really be the church.
“Your Word says that by Jesus’s stripes, we are healed” and “You want us to prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers”. I think there’s some significant spiritual things happening when we use the written Word of God when we pray.
When Jesus was being beaten on His way to the cross, He was purchasing for us, 2000 years later, the legal rights in the court room of God, to appropriate the healing that He paid for with His stripes. We aren’t begging God to heal us; we’re just basically laying hold of what is already ours.
You have crossed that threshold when you discover, “I can do this too!”. That’s a big deal. That’s what needs to happen in the whole body of Christ. After you do it a time or two, it becomes second nature and part of your life.
 
References:
Isaiah 53:5
3 John, 1:2
 
Takeaways:
When people come to us, personally wanting to share something that is heavy on their heart, let’s recognize that they are putting trust in us, and they are reaching out for help. Let’s not fail to step in to help because of fear or feeling embarrassed to be an encouragement, or pray with them over whatever it is that is happening in their life. It is an opportunity to bring forth the Kingdom of God in both their lives and ours.