The Messenger

Cruise With A Cause

2011-06-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Cruise with a cause was a tremendous success. On the morning of Monday, May 30th 3090 soldiers of Christ began to make their way on board the cruise ship Carnival Destiny. The ship was rightly named as most certainly there was a spirit of unity, expectation, and intention on board. Knowing the hopes and desires of the nation of Jamaica, I felt as though we had been called to war.

As we pulled away from port, meetings and coaching began. The PraiseFest staff began preparing the way and the battlefield two years ago. I remember when, Matthew Dunaway founder of PraiseFest, first began discussing it with me. Having gone to the Bahamas previously he felt that God was leading him to Jamaica. Boy was He ever! In watching the progression of things & events from the beginning in people, pastors, the government of Jamaica, and numerous levels of participation, it's been an amazing journey and now a great testimony for Matthew and the staff of PraiseFest Ministries. They are a great testimony of the don't quit attitude. God gave Matthew a vision and he refused to listen to the nay-sayers and allow the difficulties of the logistics to halt him. Matthew listened to the call of God and walked head strong into the fire on nothing but faith. What an inspiration! Thank you to the staff of PraiseFest who stepped out on faith and quit their jobs to work strictly on this missionary journey.

The Carnival Destiny in Montego Bay

Upon deporting, there were numerous conferences, concerts, and coaching sessions available for all to attend. Really just too many for me to list here. The God gifted assembly of talent upon this ship was amazing. People the likes of Josh McDowell, John Hagee, Bishop Paul and Deborah Morton, David and Tamela Mann, Casting Crowns, Johnny Hunt, The Crabb Family, Hezekiah Walker, Mathew Hagee, Joe & Linda Johnson, Martin Houston, Frank Shelton, John Gray, and on, and on. I counted it a great honor to be listed among them as a speaker on the ship. These incredible people and more saw the great need and came out to support it in a major way.

We arrived in port and on Wednesday, we began readying ourselves to go to schools, prisons, and campuses around the nation to share our testimonies of what God had done in our lives. Others, went into the streets and met with people one on one. Our group of 10 boarded bus #31 and began our 45 minute ride to the Salt Marsh Primary School.
It was a modest little school of 215 students from the 1st - the 6th grade. Upon our arrival we were informed we didn't have much time that they were getting ready to have lunch.

The principal immediately called for assembly and the children began to excitedly line up outside. Charlotte Chaney of Tucson, Arizona was assigned to our group to lead worship for us and did an excellent job. The kids loved her and really got involved in the song she lead by joining her in singing, clapping, and jumping with her.

Afterwards, I had the opportunity to share my personal testimony of coming to know Jesus. It was a stellar moment for me, in that I was able to include things that they could relate to from my own childhood, stuff that I hadn't discussed in years. God moved in a great way and of the 215 students 191 of them responded and made a decision to ask Christ into their lives. The other 24 student's said they new Christ as their savior and Lord and gathered around me to pray for those that were then meeting with our counselors. After our counseling was complete and we had a chance to talk with every student it was lunch time and recess time. This gave us an excellent opportunity to get to know the children better and to tour the school.

Alyssa Middlebrooks one of our teen counselors
joining in the fun.

I was aware that Jamaica was considered a third world nation. I must confess I was not prepared for it to be as far behind U.S. development because it is such a heavily traveled tourist stop. These children are thriving and happy living without many of the amenities that we in the U.S. feel we cannot live without. God bless them! In some ways I hope that progress comes, but that much of it won't. I say this, because while we live in a nation that feels to have a classroom without air conditioning, new blackboards, projectors, the finest books, and everything else is akin to abuse, these children are happy and well. What they need is not things. They need our prayer and support to avoid the temptations of revolution, war, stealing, violence, drugs, and pagan religion that is so prevalent in the culture.

Presently, there is a government in place in Jamaica that wants to show the world what can happen when a nation totally gives itself over to Jesus Christ. Join us in prayer that they will do it. I can tell you from first hand experience and the conversations I've had with various people, they have a plan in place. Their hope is that by 2030, Jamaica will no longer be considered a third world nation. They teach respect for each other at an early age. Their national motto says, "Out of many, one people." Unity, is their strength and their persistent and open dependence upon Christ is their assurance that they will succeed.

On Wednesday night we had a crusade which involved powerful speakers and music. Together this culminated into a 3300 decisions for Christ that night. The nation of Jamaica truly felt the impact of a mighty God. By Thursday afternoon, we were leaving port headed back to the port of Miami. Later that night Matthew Dunaway and dozens of others took the stage to announce the results of our combined efforts. All totaled between all the schools, prisons, campuses visited, and the crusade we had over 21,000 hand written recordings of personal decisions for Christ and put out over 60,000 tracks! Here is a link to the announcement click here.

Again, hats off to PraiseFest Ministries for the obedience and continued efforts. It was our great pleasure to be a small part of this mission. Thank you to those who accompanied me and served on our team. Jim & Linda Jones, Alyssa, Nora, Anita, and Cris. You were great company on the trip and your valiant efforts contributed greatly to the success of our mission. There is still much to be done in Jamaica. Please, pray for this government and nation, as they set a new standard in national Christian leadership and obedience. Below are a few pics of some old friends and some new, enjoy.

The Children of Salt Marsh

Josh McDowell

Rick (Sonic Flood) & Cecilia Heil and their two
great kidsgetting in on the fun!

Martin Houston and great servant of our Lord!

Darrel Rundus creator of Prayer Stop (great guy!)

Frank Shelton a great friend in ministry.

Tye Tribbett one talented and awesome man of God.

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful!

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise." - Proverbs 11:30

FootWash Ministries Banquet 2010

2010-10-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

We would like to thank you for your prayers. Please, join us on the evening of Nov. 4^th, 2010 at 6:30 pm for our 2^nd anniversary banquet. The event is hosted by Sylacauga First Baptist Church and doors will open at 6pm. We will serve dinner and singer/song writer Matt Jackson will perform. Special guest also include Pastor Freddie Edwards, Martin Houston, Pastor Tim Childers, Scott Dawson, and myself.

We will recap a few of the wonderful things God has accomplished through us as a ministry and our purpose and vision for 2011. Together we can do great things in and for the kingdom of God. I pray you will join us at this special event. All ticket sales will go toward feeding 2000 people in need on Thanksgiving Day in our local community.

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan Taunton

Exec. Director FootWash Ministries

205.746.8864

Cynical Church

2010-10-18T10:18:00.006-05:00

Christ instructed us in Mark 12:31 “…‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Our ministry FootWash Ministries is a ministry of helps. We help churches, ministers, & ministries internationally, nationally, and on a local level in whatever way we can. In doing so, we seek to follow the example that Christ gave us in John Ch. 13. It’s amazing how difficult this is.

When you are focused on serving others great difficulties and road blocks begin to arise. I’m not talking about difficulties such as pride of self, which prevents an individual from serving others by refusing to be the servant, desiring to be at the top of the heap. It excites me to say that in the past year we have been able to serve in many different capacities. Sometimes I’m personally called to be the headline speaker at an event and at other times we, the ministry, are called for organizational support. The point of our ministry is that we are just as content being center stage as we are being the oil in the machine that just helps things run smoothly and efficiently. We are focused on the advancement of the kingdom of God and not on self.

This attitude meets a very cynical world. More so, it meets a very cynical church. It’s amazing how people become totally lost when you ask them, “How can I serve you?” Our ministry provides thousands of FREE high resolution photographs and is currently building a bank of quality video loops. We make these available FREE from our website. We’ve created the SalvationApp for iPhone and iTouch users which is also FREE. Our decision book, “Ok, I Believe What Next?” is available for FREE download from our website. We are working feverishly to create a new website that will offer High Resolution video sermon starters for FREE. Our goal in all of this is to save churches and ministries finances, so that they may place more funding into evangelism.

Cynicism has so grossly infected the church community that people refuse to believe it. They want to know, what is the catch? Why would you do this? To just offer a helping hand is resisted because people are lost in themselves. They either refuse help because of pride or they are so distrustful they won’t work with you.

Here’s a Model conversation: I love the question.

Pastor: “What’s in it for you?”

My reply: “Nothing.”

Pastor: “Nothing, well how do you support your ministry?”

Me: “Nothing, but if you would like to help us we would love for you to consider putting us in your missions budget to assist us in developing more FREE resources.”

Pastor: “Ahhhh…”

Now in the flesh when I hear that “Ahhhh…” from the pastor I want to say, “Ok, you caught me we are trying to get rich by giving away FREE resources.”….lol Naturally, I don’t say this. My genuine reply is, “We have supporters who believe in our ministry and assist us regularly on an individual basis. Our desire is that as we grow more churches will see the value of our contributions and come along beside us in our efforts. Through their support we will be able to produce new and greater resources which will assist others in their ministry efforts and allow them to use more of their funding in the mission field.”

As a person with a servant’s heart, I find opportunities regularly to serve others. In the cynicism that exists in this day, people simply do not know how to deal with genuine kindness. They immediately assume you have an alternative agenda. We must realize love works both ways. It is ok to be served and it is ok to be loved. If we were honest with ourselves, we would see that we have elevated service to the place of the Master only. What I mean by this is to say, we are willing to work for someone else but when it means opening our hearts and receiving, this is considered impractical. This says, “I am worthy to serve you because I am the most capable or have the most, you cannot serve me because you have nothing I want or need.” Ouch!

This is the greatest reason; I have found people who refuse to be served. This is why we have so many who are islands unto themselves in ministry. There is no give and take. Often in ministry it’s only the service from the “Master to the servant” where as the master is viewed as servant but in reality is still playing the part of master. This says, “ I don’t need you but you need me so I will play the part and help you.”

Our lives should be built around relationships. Relationships are built upon love and admiration. In this comes a willingness to serve and be served and an attitude of equality. This was Christ example in John 13. We are to serve one another, but as equals. We cannot place ourselves above others and only accept their love in time of need because we view them as beneath us. Truthfully, it is when we earnestly set others above ourselves that we begin to fulfill Christ illustration, seeing their value above our own.

How can I serve you today?

Bryan Taunton

Exec. Director FootWash Ministries

btaunton@FootWashMinistries.org

Glass House Mentality

2010-09-09T11:25:00.002-05:00

Christ instructed us that we should let our “yes be yes and our no be no” in Mathew 5:37. Living a life of complete transparency is dangerous. Most only want the truth that taste good therefore most refuse to speak openly & honestly for fear of reprisal. If we truly saw each other as blood kin, we could speak the truth openly without fear of losing a brother or sister. With real love there is no wound that separates!

Living in a glass house is a costly endeavor. People, say they want transparency yet refuse to be transparent themselves. Most, when faced with the transparency found in honesty and truth become offended, then seek to destroy those who are transparent. Many have the hurt, “I’m gonna get you and everyone who likes you attitude.”

Churches have split, relationships are lost, some leave and move to a new Church, people change jobs, move to new cities all because of refusals to either tell the truth or listen to truth. Oscar Wilde once said, “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” Wow, what a world we are living in. A world of political correctness at any cost, most people have become so fragile that to stand in the boldness of truth would surely destroy their entire lives.

I frequently speak to Pastors who are struggling with hurt feelings, distrust, or second guessing in their Church. Most of this could be done away with, if real conversations could take place. It seems on the Church level, no longer can we have perfectly frank and passionate debate or discussion on any matter. People have become so tender hearted that they can’t deal with the truth and take personal offense. The truth is, if we love one another as we should there is no grievance or offense that can separate us. We may become angry, we may become mad, but at least we can be honest about it. When the fear of reprisal is removed honesty comes much easier.

Christ was preaching and teaching and was approached and told that his mother and brothers wanted to speak with him. His reply was,

Mathew 12:⁴⁸ But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹ And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

One would think that if Mother is outside and wants to see you, that you would take a break and see what she needed. Rather, the implication here is that Jesus was less concerned with offending Mary his mother, over the needs of those of whom he was bonded with in the spirit who obeyed the will of His Father.

Today we are bonded in a greater brother and sisterhood. As Christians we are bonded in the spiritual family and body of Christ. As per Christ example, the bond we have spiritually should be stronger than the bond we have with our earthly brothers and sisters. This being said, I should be more likely and willing to sever my relationship with my earthly family than my spiritual family. I have a younger brother and we can can yell, scream, get mad, call each other names, and in the past even physically fought, but there is nothing that can separate us. This should be even more evident with a spiritual brother. There can be no offense that should separate us.

As spiritual brothers and sisters, we should be able to lock ourselves into a room yell, scream, whatever it takes to get our emotions emptied out onto the table, with complete amnesty. There is nothing that can separate us if we are operating in the spirit of Christ. Granted, if we are operating in the Holy Spirit there won’t be much yelling and screaming, but the point is that even when the flesh comes out we realize that the bonds cannot be broken.

It is ok, to deal with anger, hurt, and disagreements. As long as there is the appearance of peace without honesty we are living in an illusion. Real unity comes when we deal in truth & honest disagreement, yet still worship together. We can have unity in the presence of disagreement as long as we know where each other stands.

Some say that I personally expect too much. I’m not a person that hides my feelings well and have the tendency to be overly blunt speaking my mind. It’s never my intention to be hurtful just honest, in the hopes that someone will hear and be lifted up. What’s more, I really appreciate the same in return. I would rather someone confront me with complete honesty, than to hold onto something and carry it around for months before talking it out. Time is short; we must focus on the gospel. We don’t have time for pettiness.

Philippians 4: ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

I pray this devotion has blessed you today and given some insight.

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan Taunton

Exec. Director FootWash Ministries

btaunton@footwashministries.org

Plowing Fields

2010-09-02T13:05:00.001-05:00

Luke 9:62 “But Jesus said to them, “no one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

There is so much wisdom in this verse. After being approached and followed by a group of self proclaimed followers Christ began to point out the difficulties and sacrifices they must make. We see this illustrated in the actual physical sense to these men and the very real issues that they must be willing to face.

In the spiritual sense, we face the same issues today. What a potent verse Luke 9:62 becomes, when we look at the full ramifications. “Having put his hand to the plow…” implies both actual labor and commitment. The great flaw in doing so is in looking back. Anyone who has ever plowed a field knows that the only way to create a straight furrow is by looking forward to your destination.

I remember as a young child watching my grandfather plow his fields with a mule, fondly named Dooly, and a spade plow. It was a real site to see. Man and animal working together breaking the ground and creating furrows to catch and funnel rainwater. It is important that the furrows all run accordingly so as to make the most use of the land and allow the crops to grow best. I remember he had funny looking blinders that mounted over the mules eyes with the harness. I once asked him what they were for and he told it was so that the mule couldn’t look back. It was in this way that my grandfather could best keep Dooly headed in the right direction. Because Dooly now only had partial use of his sight it only took a gentle nudge on the reins from my grandfather to keep him in line. If not, for the blinders, Dooly would have shifted his head and been distracted by all that was going on behind him and in doing so would have pulled the plow off line into the direction he was looking.

Christ desire is that we are able to plow straight furrows. We cannot look to the future, our goal, or the finish line when we are perpetually second guessing everything, wishing things to be different, or holding onto past grievances. Christ perspective on this was that if we were going to commit ourselves looking back then we are not fit for the kingdom of God. Wow, what strong words. How hurtful this must have been to those following Christ that day? How does it ring to our spiritual ears today?

Christ has called us to a great and mighty work. We cannot allow the distractions of the past: sin, past grievances, old arguments, disgruntledness, regrets, indecisions, grudges, temptation, dislikes, and etc. We must lay these things aside and focus on the prize. Just like old Dooly, we must be willing wear the spiritual blinders of the word of God and respond to the gentle tugs of the reins by the Master. If not, rather than a field of straight furrows set ready for a bountiful harvest, we have a jumbled mess that resembles more the forest around it than a well tended garden.

Our value is found only in Christ Jesus and the garden He plows through us. I pray that today, you will set the past in the past and look to the value and the promise of a wonderful future in Him.

Bryan Taunton

Exec. Director FootWash Ministries

btaunton@footwashministries.org

Holy Cow!

2010-08-23T11:04:00.002-05:00

Many Christian Americans seem to be following the Holy Cow. Just like the Israelites clamoring for a God they can see, made of something they see as of worth, and allowing them to design their own form of worship. Many today are kneeling before their own golden calf. Often, these same individuals have spent their entire lives in church and have sat in congregations before Godly preachers proclaiming the truth, yet these individuals still design their own personal brand of Christianity.

A 2009 survey from The Barna Group (view article) showed that of 1871 professing Christians surveyed 78% said that God was the all powerful God who ruled the world. A full 22% viewed God as something different than what mainstream Christians would believe; such as we are all God’s ourselves, or perhaps that God refers to man reaching his highest potential.

Regarding Satan, 4 out of 10 surveyed said that Satan was not an actual being but a fictional symbol of evil. That’s 40%! Additionally, another 20% said that they agreed somewhat with this point of view. The remaining portion survey disagreed that Satan was fictional with 9% saying they were unsure. With this math, only 30% of the Christians surveyed actually believed in the fallen angel Satan.

A major point in Christian teaching is that Christ went to the cross for our sins having a perfect and sinless life. Yet, tens of millions of “Christians” do not accept this teaching. In fact, this survey showed that fully 22% strongly agreed that Christ was not without sin with an additional 17% who said they somewhat agreed with this statement.

The survey article list many more alarming statistics. I would say that most who have taken the time to read this blog or who will listen to the podcast, probably already know or have heard similar statistics, and at the very least do not find the statistics surprising. My question is why don’t we? We talk about reaching a lost and dying world yet that same world sits in the midst of our congregation’s week end and week out portraying themselves as believers/Christians. These beliefs go to the very core of having a real personal relationship with Christ and in having a true grasp on the basic fundamentals of our faith.

Granted, many people hold on to or create their own golden calf in the image of Christ because of their desire for personal justification. That’s the justification of self by self and not of Jesus Christ. Many in the body of Christ refuse to accept reality because to do otherwise would mean they would be forced to face their own sin. This example is easily found when the view of Christ sinlessness is brought into the picture. As a “Christian”, how easy would it be to justify my own sin if I show or portray Christ as a sinner, or if I remove the fear of hell, or its existence?

So what is the culprit: lack of sound indoctrination, rebellion, lack of accountability, or faulty teaching? It’s the opinion of this writer that it is all of the above. Here are 4 quick Examples:

1) Many churches welcome new people into the family of Christ yet never take the time to sit them down and teach the fundamentals of our faith, assuming they will catch it along the way. The result is a total lack of real discipleship.

2) Many welcome individuals into the membership of our congregations without so much as a question as to their core beliefs, life condition, or membership intent.

3) Many welcome a simple transfer of a letter without contacting the individual’s previous pastor to review their reasons of transfer. It may be a sin issue and as the individual was confronted they decided to leave. Then they simply move to the next church who welcomes them in to the membership of the church without reservation. No accountability!

4) When you combine these individuals who never grasp the core values of Christianity with the great need for workers in our churches these views pass along from one individual to the next like a virus.

When we take the lack of real spiritual accountability that is taking place in the body of Christ today and put it together with the faulty teaching that is happening in our schools, and the alternative spiritual views the world presents then, it is no wonder such a large percentage of Church goers have a flawed view of their own spiritual condition. We’ve allowed a freedom of choice to creep into the sanctity of our faith. We know that there are doctrines of which Christ set forth in scripture, which are not open to debate in principle or reality. We must begin to refocus and bring our congregations back to the realities and facts of our faith and re-insuring that our teachers persistently hold them up as absolute truths.

You may feel that you are doing a good job and the fact is you may be. That doesn’t change the fact that these statistics still hold true in some part to your congregation and certainly to our society as a whole. We must create a sense of urgency on these matters and remind ourselves of Christ words.

Matthew 7:21-23 “21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'”

This is our plight! Why does so much of our church body appear to be doing all the right things yet fail on the fundamentals? They do not know the Lord. To move forward with a right perspective, we must persistently teach the fundamentals of our faith, test the spirits of others to see where they stand, and look at the fruit being produced. I pray that this article has refreshed some these issues in your heart and that you have a renewed since of urgency in these matters, in your life, and in the life of your congregation.

Bryan Taunton

Exec. Director FootWash Ministries, inc

btaunton@footwashministries.org

Carnal Piety

2010-07-21T11:18:00.001-05:00

Serving Two Masters:

Carnality has long been an issue in our Church body. The question of where we should draw the lines that separate worldliness from our Godly appearance, has often plagued us and has split churches and even created new denominations. Women wearing makeup, hair styles, earrings, clothing, and more have often established visual lines of separation of the world and of our Christly Piety. For the sake of this article we will not try to set new standards of piety but take a look at today’s infiltration of the carnal world into our Church body and how our tolerance of such has expanded.

By most standards piety would be defined as having personal reverence for God, parents, or those in authority; living in a frame of personal obedience both in public and in private, while not putting on an overtly outward display of those things for the sole purpose of being seen. Humility is often thought to come with piety. Today, people look at our lives and evaluate where we stand in Christ according to the fruit that we bare and the Christ like walk they see in us. Read Matthew 6:1-8 for a good illustration of true piety as instructed by Christ himself.

Why is this article important? It seems today that the lines between our Christian Piety and the carnal world are being increasingly blurred. More and more churches must take action among members who blatantly flaunt worldly activity. Even greater, churches who should take action are choosing to look the other way under the guiles of, “We are not to judge.” This second attitude leaves a congregation in turmoil, members with justification of their own sin, and open doors to the approval of a sinful nature.

Let’s take a look at this by comparing the types of carnality (love of or resemblance of the flesh & the world) that are infiltrating our midst today through the very fabric of the body of Christ. Carnality is carnality on any level, but we will place a greater focus on Double Minded Carnality the third type of carnality described here.

The first is Righteous Carnality. This is when a Church becomes much like the Pharisees and Sadducees of old. This Church body or individual becomes so focused upon what they believe is right and wrong in the world and the lives of individuals that they fail to point the way to Christ. An example of this would be an individual who spends their time fighting for various “Christian” causes but has most likely never shared the gospel with anyone. Righteous carnality is much different from piety as it is focused more on the outward appearance than the inward change of man.

The second is Hierarchal Carnality. This is when the focus of the individual or Church is elevating oneself through and not in Christ. Advancement of the kingdom is simply a by-product of their actions, though they would not have you believe that. They use Christ as the mechanism of their self promotion. This individual does all the right things, says all the right things, seems to be in all the right places, and is very visual in doing so. This is the carnality that Christ warns us about in Matt. 6: 1-18. These individuals are seeking more the approval and recognition of man than heavenly reward. Per Christ instruction those of this nature, receive their reward here on earth and miss out on their heavenly reward.

The third is Double Minded Carnality. This individual is stuck in two worlds. They appear to want to follow Christ and His teaching yet perpetually surrender to the world in their lives. This individual seeks personal justification for sin in their lives relying on God’s “infinite” grace to overcome all. While it is true that God’s grace (Christ Sacrifice) was sufficient for all sin, it is also evident that if an individual has accepted Christ as Lord, their tendency should be to edify Him by living a life He has instructed us to live. We are called to strive to perfection in Jesus; His grace is our protection when we fall short. The dividing factor of grace is when we define grace not simply as unmerited favor but, as the outward reflection of Christ to the world around us. A good indicator is when our faithfulness to the word, prayer, devotion, and obedience to Christ outweighs and regularly overcomes our temptation of the world. This is not to say that we never fail or make mistakes but that when we do, we take proper action in true repentance and if possible repairing any damage we may have done.

What does the bible say about Double Minded Carnality?

· Matt. 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

· Rev. 3:16 “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

· 1 Peter 1:13-16 “¹³ Wherefore, having girded up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope with perfect stedfastness in the grace which will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ as children of obedience, not conformed to your former lusts in your ignorance; ¹⁵ but as he who has called you is holy, be ye also holy in all your conversation; ¹⁶ because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.”

· Gal. 5:17,18 “¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these things are opposed one to the other, that ye should not do those things which ye desire; ¹⁸ but if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under law.”

· Romans 6:1-14 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?...........”

It is obvious through Biblical teaching that we are to be in the world but separate from it. We can give numerous Bible quotes to this defense. Why is it, we appear so much like the world and/or lack the desire to hold one another to a level of spiritual integrity? I’ve had the opportunity to hear the hearts of pastors all across this nation. The great sin is that often times we lack the loving desire to hold one another accountable for personal action. To see evidence of this double minded carnality we need look no further than the social media sites we often use. Individual postings, comments made, photographs, pages, and groups joined or followed display much of one’s personal awareness in Christ. Much of what many professing Christians are posting is disturbing. If you've seen it then you know what I’m talking about. If not, then count yourself fortunate and should you decide to begin using social media sites consider yourself warned.

Many refuse to call friends out and use the excuse saying we are not to judge. Let’s be clear, I do not have to judge what the Bible has already declared to be sin. Second, understand that judgment is not in the determination of right and wrong but takes place when the penalty for action is determined. I can say and determine what is right and wrong according to the word, but it is not in my ability to pass judgment or sentencing. That action is solely reserved for Christ our Lord. Some may remark, “What about your compassion?” I would submit that it is less compassionate and less loving to allow someone you care about to continue in their carnal pursuits without addressing it, but simply praying they will change. We are the agents of change. We are to encourage growth. This cannot happen if we cannot offer honest friendship, companionship, and leadership.

Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Let us move forward in faith, kindness, and love to lift one another up in prayer and Godliness. It’s never too late for God to turn things around. To do this we must allow him to work through us to build one another up. His desire and call is that we walk upright before Him, relying on His sufficient grace for our salvation and not that we seek to abuse His grace and take salvation for granted. As according to Ephesians 4:3, may we endeavor to keep unity in the bonds of peace.

Serving Christ By Serving You,

Bryan Taunton

Blinded By Rainbows

2010-07-12T23:36:00.008-05:00

Blinded By Rainbows written by Mick Jagger and released on the album Voodoo Lounge is the 20th studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in July 1994. In my opinion this song “Blinded By Rainbows” is one of the most profound songs of the 20^th century. I am impressed by the lyrics and impressed that such beautiful words could come from someone who has led the life of Mick Jaggers. I pray, if not already, that he comes to the understanding of all the words he has written into this song. He wrote it in response to the conflict that was taking place in Northern Ireland.

This song symbolizes much of the pain, suffering, death, and destruction that is taking place in the world today that is missed because we are blinded by the rainbows in our life. The rainbows represent wealth, a good job, our security, lack of personal strife, and the “things” we place so much pride into in today’s society. The writer even makes note that we not only miss the suffering of this world but ask the question in his opening verse, “Did you ever feel the pain that He felt upon the cross?” Well, do we?

We’ve become so preoccupied in the precious little things in our own lives, our “Rainbows”, that we’ve forgotten everything that truly matters. Whatever it takes as long as we look good, smell good, and have good we will do it. In our misplaced focus and passions we’ve lost or at best are losing our sight of the cross and the redemption that took place on it. Oh, we see it, but we see it through tainted lenses.

James Ch.4:17 & Ch. 5:1-11 ESV

4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

5:1 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.”

Here, James warns us of misplaced focus and the passions of self indulgence. He is warning us of our earthly rainbows and how in our self indulgence we persecute, condemn, and even murder the righteous, who does not resist. He ends the previous chapter with a tough word instructing us that knowing the truth and not doing it is sinful in itself. Here James epitomizes the term “Tough Love.”

But alas, he encourages us saying,
“7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Now, there are several things we could take away from this passage but for the sake of this devotion, let’s focus on being steadfast and on verse 12 that our “yes” be yes and your “no” be no. We must reach a point at which we are no longer fixated on the glitter and glam. We can’t be fixated on rainbows if we are to be steadfast in the Lord. Not only this, but we must be clear in our objectives and unafraid to draw clear lines. So often today, people assume to say I’m a Christian or I believe is enough. They feel no need to draw lines of distinction between themselves and the world. They often become so caught up in the blindness found in their rainbows that they miss clarity, patience, and the righteous sufferings found in Christ.

Christ return is inevitable! Are you ready or have you become so blinded by the “Rainbows” in your life that you’ve lost focus on the suffering of this world? Ask yourself this, are you ready right now to give account for your life to Christ? Do you hurt when others hurt? Are you compelled to share the gospel? I hope so, but if not I pray that you feel compelled to see past your rainbows and begin to focus on the call of Christ in your life. Lock onto the hope that is found in Jesus Christ and let Him radically change your life. I promise things will change and your view of this world will never be the same. He is our guiding light and our salvation, in Him is our righteousness found!

Listen To Song "Blinded By Rainbows"

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan Taunton
Exec. Dir. FootWash Ministries
btaunton@FootWashMinistries.org
http://FootWashMinistries.org

Never Judge A Book By It’s Cover

2010-07-06T15:30:00.004-05:00

Just because someone says and appears to do all the right things, that doesn’t mean they are doing a righteous work. Christ gave us a very potent scale or measuring stick to determine the reality of what we are looking at. It also serves as a great indicator in our own personal lives as to how we are performing in our daily walk, service to our Lord, and eternal security.

Mathew 7:15-23

¹⁵Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. ¹⁶Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? ¹⁷Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ²⁰ Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

²¹ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Christ first gives us a warning that there will be false prophet’s who come to you appearing harmless, but their true intent is to devour and destroy you. He gives us a great barometer as to how we can determine who is on the level and who is not. He said, “we shall know them by their fruits.” The key word here is “fruits.” According to the Enhanced Strongs Lexicon this translates as:

2590 καρπός [karpos /kar·pos/] Probably from the base of 726;; 66 occurrences; AV translates as “fruit” 66 times. 1 fruit. 1a the fruit of the trees, vines, of the fields. 1b the fruit of one’s loins, i.e. his progeny, his posterity. 2 that which originates or comes from something, an effect, result. 2a work, act, deed. 2b advantage, profit, utility. 2c praises, which are presented to God as a thank offering. 2d to gather fruit (i.e. a reaped harvest) into life eternal (as into a granary), is used in fig. discourse of those who by their labours have fitted souls to obtain eternal life.¹

Why is this important? It is of dire importance that we understand that this is a direct interpretation to reflect offspring. We know the truth of an individual’s intent when we look at the offspring which comes as a result of a ministry or individual. Of good preaching, good works, good testimonies, great wonders, etc none are evidence of truthfulness and the intent of one’s heart. In verses 16 – 19 of this passage Christ provides us with example of this very fact.

He goes on to explain, beginning, in verse 20 how many will stand before him in judgment speaking in their own defense of their lives through their works. There is one defining factor in all of this passage, “FRUIT.” We can work and toil in many things and according to Christ, if it does not result in the production of fruit then our lives are doomed. The fruit that Christ is talking about here is not your spiritual gift or the fruit of the spirit. The fruit He is pointing to is your spiritual offspring. This is a scary fact when contemplated.

My question to you today is, are you producing fruit? Take a moment and reflect upon your life. Have your works resulted in the production of offspring for the kingdom of God? Have you ever personally led someone to the knowledge of Christ? Is the greater purpose in your life to have nice things or promote the gospel?

Be encouraged today, to direct your life in such a way, that you become a fruit bearing tree.

^{^[1]}Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G2590

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan K. Taunton

Exec. Dir. FootWash Ministries

btaunton@footwashministries.org

http://FootWashMinistries.org

The Christian Perspective

2010-06-23T14:36:00.013-05:00

More and more it seems that the Christian point of view is becoming muddled and more difficult to acknowledge in today’s world. Often, when we use the terminology of Christian we automatically assume conservative and believe that these two words are mostly interchangeable. While it is true that a Christian is considered conservative by todays standard, Christ was a radical and viewed as a liberal of his time. Measured by our standards today, Christ would be way conservative. This does not imply that a person who is classified as a conservative is a Christian. In looking at our politics, government, our nation, and our world today, having or using the term Christian in association with oneself is seen to be unacceptable. It is better to be viewed as a conservative rather than a Christian first. Now there are many reasons for this, but for the sake of this article I will not delve into this. In strict sense let’s look at how we must elevate the Christian Perspective in America’s leadership and in the world today.

Why is it important that we elevate the Christian Perspective?

First, simply put, it is the Christian perspective that this nation is founded upon. A primary reason for our founding forefathers in establishing this nation was that we be able to have and practice a freedom of religion. It is this liberty that is found in Christianity that motivated our forefathers to do the things that they did. Yes, it is true that many of our forefathers where not Christians, but most were. Regardless, all believed in the freedom of choice that came with Christianity and in the moral code at which is encapsulated in the Old and New testaments of the Holy Bible. Now, we know God sent Christ and Christianity is the only answer and way to salvation, but our founding fathers understood that even God allowed for choice. The point is, we must work to make our Christian Perspective heard because it was the right choice of the founding principles of this nation and is what has made this nation great. The principles of service, compassion, integrity, truthfulness, patience and more taught in the word of God have been largely forgotten in our governmental politics today.

Second, it is our right! America was founded with a liberty and freedom of voice. It was founded that it be a government, “of the people and for the people”. This means that our government should listen to the hearts and cries of its constituency and should understand that it is not the boss of the people but that the people are the boss of it. If this, were the case and the Christian Perspective were in the majority then our government should be forced to hear and obey the wishes of its people. It is the Christian’s responsibility and right to train people of integrity and vote them into office.

Third, it is promoting our Christian Perspective that people will see our respect and love for the world around us through our government as a true representation of its people. It is also through this perspective that other religions are tolerated and not persecuted and this means our own. Currently, it seems our nation will tolerate and even lift up any religion with exception to Christianity. I submit that it is time; we of the Christian Perspective gracefully coordinate our agendas in the best interest of our nation to begin redirecting the interest of our politics back to the original documents of our founding fathers with a few exceptions. For example, our forefathers failed in their own politics when they did not abolish slavery. This was a travesty and a great blight upon our nation!

So, how do we re-ignite and promote our Christian Perspective?

First, we understand the terminology of “separation of church and state”, promote, and teach its true meaning and intent. These words are nothing more than a commonly misstated metaphor. It is commonly used to lead one to believe that it means that the church should stay out of the state’s business and the state should stay out of the churches business. In fact, it’s used so often that many believe that it is in the constitution. The truth is that it is not in the constitution at all! The phrase “wall of separation of church and state” was in fact written by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist. His letter was meant only to provide them with the assurance that the state would not meddle in their affairs. The grand purpose being to provide them with comfort that the state should not be in the Church’s business and not that the Church should not be in the states business.

Point of fact our constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This statement only reflects that congress shall make no laws restricting or interfering with religions or denominations. No separation of church and state exist except to say that congress cannot establish a “State” religion. Unfortunately, the true intent of this clause has been misused and mishandled by the promotion that it means the Church is not to be involved in the business of the state. We know this cannot be true when the overwhelming majority of our founding fathers where Christian and were practiced men of faith. Even to those who did not accept Christ they accepted the concept of God and the biblical concept of morality. However much of our government, judiciary, ACLU, and various other liberal and media groups would not have you believe the truth. This is a trend that began long before our current administration, but this writer believes it is being made most evident in our current state of affairs and is gaining great momentum.

Second, we must understand the urgency of our plight and promote it accordingly. Christ instructed in Matthew 22:21 “….render unto Caesar the things which are Caesars…” Caesar is representative of our government. This verse does not mean that our contribution is limited to taxes. Rather our contribution should include many things such as prayer for our leaders, taxes, tribute, honor, obedience, personal action, accountability, and leadership. Caesars government was one of emporial rule. We have a government designed as a government run by the people. This places more responsibility upon our shoulders than those of which Christ was speaking to. Our “things” as Christ put it, give cause to personal accountability to our current state. It is we the people who allow ourselves to be herded and instructed like cattle in blind obedience to wrongful doing that which is diabolically opposed to the teachings of our God. Certainly, this could imply as to our personal accountability to our God when given opportunity to do what is right in His eyes, concerning the things concerning our State.

Christ instructed us in Matthew 5:13, 14 that we are the salt of the earth. As in His example, we appear to be a salt that has lost its flavor and are being tossed out! We must gain a great sense of urgency in our personal lives and in our churches to revitalize our flavor and scatter it abroad. Few other times in history have a people had greater opportunity to govern themselves and put Christ first in such a way as we have had. Yet, it seems we are willing to idly stand by and watch it happen. If the promotion of the gospel is first and foremost our purpose, then surely living and governing according to the principles we teach must be second. Similarly, this is what Christ is referring to in verse 14 concerning the fact that as the light of the world we cannot be hid.

Third, we must challenge ourselves, our families, and our churches to be a people of salt and light. If salt is of worth it must have flavor. If light is present there is no darkness. To accomplish this task means that we must be open in sharing our beliefs. This especially includes our political expectations and desires in government.

There was a time, when I would never speak about my personal political views from the pulpit. In fact I resented the many African-American Churches who seemed to exercise this freedom without reproach. I could not understand why our black America churches so freely spoke out concerning their political views. Then it came to me how wrong I was. This is a wonderful body of intelligent people who were persecuted by their government in a great and horrific way and which was totally opposed to their human rights, but even more so their “Christian Perspective.” As per our original declaration, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Our African-American brothers and sisters were left with no choice spiritually, but to speak about their plight from the pulpits of America. Their situation was opposed to ethical Christian Perspective of the day as according to the rights given them as citizens of this great nation and their rights as free Christians. Had they not taken their plight to the streets by way of the pulpit and the church then their voices would have never been heard. It was through the preaching, teaching, and public expounding of men such as Dr. King who changed the course of this nation and brought the plight of a great people to forefront of this nation. It was the “Christian Perspective” that put these principles in place and opened the door to change because it was a Christian nation’s responsibility to hear.

Here is what I have learned: When in the course of our existence the Christian code of ethics and morality is not represented or is tread upon we (spiritual leaders) are left with no recourse but to take the truth to our people through the pulpits of our churches. This is not to say that we spend an entire sermon on political topics but that we do preach unapologetically about what is right for the course of our nation and government. Not to do so is offensive to Christ instruction. I understand, many will say, “Well if I voice the truth I may offend some in my congregation.” My reply, “Doesn’t the truth always offend some?” My advice would be to simply discuss those issues of which there is no debate. For example, we cannot idly set back and condone a government that upholds the rights of homosexuality equal to that of a marriage between a man and a woman. I’m not talking about a homosexuals rights as an individual, but we cannot condone a recognition of marriage nor a candidate who does. We must work to promote and create a better grade and class of government.

The bottom line is this; the extreme liberal part of society has spent years infiltrating our school systems with their teaching and theologies. This infiltration is culminating in and made most apparent in the millennial generation that is now coming to the forefront of society. It’s been reported that fully one in four do not accept the concept of a God and of the remaining 75% another 32% have a pluralistic view of God. This means that 57% of the next generation does not recognize the Judeo Christian ethics by which we live by and our country was founded upon. Of the remaining body of “religious” people they are not all Christian nor do they practice their faith, faithfully. The only hope that our nation has is through the shouts from the rooftops of our Churches.

I have come to the conclusion: We must raise up men and women of integrity who believe in the intent of the foundation of this nation, are tolerant of other religions and denominations, but who are believers and followers of Jesus Christ in order to get our nation back on track. To do this means we must focus on soul winning and education. Convert them to Christ, educate them in His teachings, encouraging them, and voting them into public service. We cannot continue to simply voice our opinions over coffee or at the water cooler. It is time that we take personal responsibility and action.

I challenge you today to get more involved in your local, state, and national government to insure that our Christian voice is heard and our influence is not lost. I fear if we allow things to continue as is, the Christians of this nation will be viewed strictly as a radical movement that must be stomped out. We can prevent this, but we must assume personal responsibility.

I look forward to hearing your comments and reviews on this blog.

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan K. Taunton

Exec. Director FootWash Ministries

btaunton@footwashministries.org

Introducing "Super Shepherd!"

2010-06-03T17:48:00.012-05:00

Pastors are leaving the pastorate, experiencing moral failures, and experiencing stress related health issues more than ever before. Are the reasons related to our overbearing expectations on them? Often, Pastors are viewed as nothing more than hired Super Hero’s – “The Super Shepherd.” We place such high expectations on them as Pastors to our Church and to us individually. Please, read this article with personal self evaluation about what your expectations are of your pastor.

First let’s look at what the church as a whole is looking for.

Pastoral Expectations of the Church:
· Teaches and works directly with adults in adult religious education classes and/or special seminar series.
· Participates in community projects and organizations (such as school boards, community involvement).
· Ministers to the sick, dying and bereaved.
· Plans and leads public worship services.
· Works with congregational boards and committees.
· Maintains a disciplined program of prayer and personal devotions.
· Accepts speaking engagements before community and civic groups for special community occasions or for radio and television.
· Oversees church office activities, church bulletins, correspondence, records, etc.
· Tries to maintain harmony and resolve conflict among church members over church programs, finances, elections, etc.
· Prepares and preaches sermons.
· Visits new residents and recruits new members
· Counsels with people about their personal problems.
· Follows a disciplined program of continuing education & personal growth.
· Teaches and works directly with children, visits Sunday School, preaches children’s sermons, etc.
· Assists victims of social neglect, injustice and prejudice; cooperates with social service and charitable programs.
· Personally leads people to Christ.
· Remains spiritually pure, reverent, repentant, and Christ like at all times.
· Is responsible for the vision of the church even if it is not his vision
· He is responsible for the growth of the church
· Answers to the expectations of the church to the community
· If possible, is present at every church function.
· Spends time with his/her spouse and family apart from church activities

Now let’s look at what we as individuals desire or expect from our Pastor.
· I expect him to teach me how to be a Christian.
· I expect him to teach me the best bible verses.
· I want my pastor to be an entertaining speaker
· If I’m sick I want a visit or a bare minimum a personal call.
· If I’m in the hospital I better get a visit.
· If I lose a relative, friend, or co worker I expect a call or visit depending on how close I was to the person
· If I miss church I should get a call and if it’s been a while since I attended I should get a personal visit if not, I won’t go back because the Church doesn’t care.
· If I have a need I expect the Pastor to be aware. I don’t have to tell him, he should be close enough to me to already know.
· I expect my pastor to treat me as though I’m always the most important member of the congregation.
· My pastor should resolve all disputes in the church and especially hear my complaints.
· My pastor is my example of Godliness and is not allowed to be human or display human frailties.
· If by chance I bring a visitor my pastor should visit them.
· It is my pastors responsibility to reach the lost
· We pay our pastor a salary and he works for our congregation.

The Super Shepherd, no doubt, is under a lot of stress with the great expectation placed upon them. We expect them to fulfill all our expectations as individuals and as a church collectively. We forget that they are just one person and expect them to be super human. Equipped with super human stamina, will, fortitude, knowledge, how-to, administration, vision, servitude, creativity, and more. Many of our Super Shepherds are hitting the wall and falling to the way side. Very often the same pastors who are expected to lead are trapped into a vision that is held strong by tradition, a deacon/administrative board, or elders who refuse to relent and follow the shepherd. These people view the role of pastor as a paid servant/preacher, wanting them to be a dynamic speaker on Sunday and chief servant evangelist during the week. Never able to fully express themselves for fear of losing members, being fired, or creating turmoil pastors give in and fall into the deep trap of Super Shepherd and as a result lose their personal vision and drive. It seems in many ways the flock/congregates have lost all sense of personal responsibility.

“A willing heart left unaccessed, unheard, and unused becomes a barren wasteland of despair and anxiety.” Remember that quote. God gave that to me and it is powerful. Pastors all across the world are trapped in despair and anxiety because they are expected to be hired guns for the pulpit and never allowed to pursue the vision and dream that God has placed inside them for their Church. As a result, many churches exist in a fruitless state. These churches refuse to adapt to the pastor but expect the pastor to adapt to the church. Let’s gain some understanding of what the real duties of the pastor are according to the word.

The word “Pastor” means shepherd. The Bible gives great instruction to our pastors and elders as to what they are to do and what role they should fill. This is seen largely by the instruction to and examples of the disciples.
· The Pastor is the overseer of the Church. Acts 20:28
   o As such we should hear our pastor and follow after their vision. The only time we shouldn’t is when their vision goes against scriptural teaching. Personal theology or preference does not and cannot come into play when following our shepherd. A sheep follows the voice of the shepherd when the shepherd is safe. Even a dumb sheep will not follow the shepherd off of a cliff. Having said this, when the leadership of a church or a congregation refuses to follow the shepherd be sure, that they are clearly putting the life of a church in jeopardy. Otherwise, we should follow the Shepherd.
   o This also means that the Shepherd must lead, have a clear vision, and be able to communicate that effectively to the congregation.
· The Pastor should administrate, 1 Peter 5:1-3
   o Feed and teach the flock as the Shepherd
   o Does not take oversight, but is given it willingly
   o An ensample to the flock – an example of what we should all be
· Devoted to prayer and ministry, Acts 6:4
· Oversees all doctrinal matters, Acts 15:6
· Pray for the sick when asked for, James 5:14
· Oversees church discipline matters, Matthew 18:15-17

Now most notably, this list is short and I’m sure there are some things that are missed and should be added. The point is, we put entirely too much expectation on our pastors. We do this and at the same time we often tie their hands by subjecting them to administrative fallout and leadership. Often, deacons or other administrative boards expect the Pastor to operate according to the standard at which the administrative board sets. At the same time, they also hold the "Super Shepherd" accountable as to the success or failure for all church activity and growth. This is diabolically opposed to the operating setup as set forth by scripture. If we truly want a Super Shepherd then we must allow our pastors to lead and we must follow the vision that God has given them. If we truly believe that a pastor is a called of God then they must be given the leeway of a loving understanding and allegiance. Our job is to work to make the vision that the pastor has a reality and to find ways to make that job as simple as possible. Thereby making their time more valuable, dedicated to the wellbeing and teaching of the flock, and preaching to the lost.

I am not saying that every pastor deserves a blind following, but they do deserve our complete support and love. Pastors find themselves so limited in time and duty that they are rendered ineffective, because of the almost limitless expectations we’ve placed upon them. Many of these expectations are task of which others could and should undertake. This is especially true in mid to small sized churches. Because the pastor knows most every congregate by name then they are expected to be intimately involved with everyone. The irony is these same people wonder why their church is not growing or not baptizing new congregates. They cannot see that it is because 1) they are not fulfilling the roles that they should be and 2) the pastor is so busy tending the flock and the needs of individuals that they cannot focus on the church as a whole. Often individuals view service by any member of the church other than the pastor as an insult. Not understanding that the pastor was responsible for administrating and insuring that not just they, but that all the congregates needs are met. Any system that is in place is a direct result of the leadership of the pastor and therefore they are being served by the pastor whether the pastor is actually present or not. We must be willing to let the pastor be the pastor “Shepherd” and allow them to shepherd in all things. We cannot limit them by placing expectations of personal service upon them. If a flock is going to grow then the shepherd must either bring in more herders or split the flock. Having said this, we must allow the shepherd to train up herders and give them authority to serve.

We must follow after the vision of the Pastor and not chain them with tradition and the gallows of submission to a board. A real shepherd loves his flock and will always do what is best for the flock. Our boards must follow and support our pastors and work to fulfill the vision that has been placed upon them.

I fear that today our pastors are so over worked that our churches and communities are paying the price. I spoke to a fellow evangelist the other day that is hurting because he just can’t get bookings to churches anymore. He’s not alone, many evangelist are hurting. We want to say that it’s the economy and that churches just aren’t willing to pay or give additionally to bring an evangelist in, because they don’t have the funding. Honestly, I think it has more to do with the fact that our pastors are hurting. They are so overworked that they don’t care or are not willing to take the time to plan for an evangelistic event or revival. I’ve had opportunity to speak with hundreds of pastors. Their problems are all similar, mostly, how to motivate a congregation to do what they should and reach out to a lost a dying world. Your pastor carries a heavy burden of love for you and the entire congregation. I beg you the reader/congregate help your pastor! Pray for your pastor! Love and support your pastor! Never say anything publically to hurt your pastor! Realize your pastor is human is not there to serve in your place so that you don’t have to. Send them a card or a letter of encouragement. Lift them up and edify them whenever possible. Tell them you want to be there for them and help them reach your community. After all, we are all on the same team and every team needs a quarter back to lead. Get on board and join their Godly vision and do what you can do to assist in seeing it through.

Serving Christ by Serving You,

The Winning Edge

2010-05-24T11:38:00.007-05:00

Having and keeping the winning edge is something that we have heard about in sports and business all our lives. Finding that special technique, training regiment, system, or guidance that will give us an edge over our competitors. Gaining that edge has driven many to a point of competitiveness that they have gone to such desperate lengths as to lie, cheat, and take extreme measures to insure their success. It’s the level of competitiveness that triggers something inside an individual to win at all cost and to be at the top of their field. The desire to be viewed by their patrons, followers, colleagues, and competitors as great seems to trigger the fight or flight mechanism. These few choose to fight. They take a win at all cost attitude. When that mechanism is triggered, with adequate training, and time a dedicated individual will usually find the success they are looking for.

To aspire to greatness, is our purpose. Everyone, at some level, would enjoy standing before a group of their colleagues and individuals to be recognized for the achievements of which they have worked so hard. The long nights, the sweat, the tears, worry, sacrifices, training, giving, and all that it takes to truly achieve greatness must stand for something. It must mean more than a simple trophy on a shelf. To know, that your hard work and success has not gone unnoticed and is appreciated is something everyone loves to hear and is the ultimate culmination of the hard work of a winner. This represents a level of success that many never see. Why not? They are missing that special something, the winning edge.

What is the “Winning Edge?” It is an attitude. This attitude brings to it a fixation on the task at hand. It has a laser guided focus. It has a clear understanding of everything that it takes to complete the goal. It is relentless in its pursuit. It doesn’t view minor failures as failures but learning experiences. It fights with a desperateness that others do not possess. It refuses to hear when others say discouraging or disparaging words. It adapts to situations, to continue moving forward. It seeks out opportunities in every situation and capitalizes on them. In this attitude, every moment in life has a purpose of which drives the individual to achieve. This attitude has a plan and works it aggressively!

We need this same attitude in regards to our faith! Paul compared salvation to running a race in I Cor. 9:24-27.

He said, “²⁴Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. ²⁵ And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. ²⁶ I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: ²⁷ But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Our winning in the race for salvation in Jesus Christ is beyond measure in comparison to a competition or a job. Yet, here, Paul makes this rather visual comparison to illustrate the similarities. He states that first one must strive for mastery and in doing this you must be in control. He goes on to point the vast difference in winning the race of man and in winning in the race for salvation. We must run and obtain that winning edge even in regards to our salvation, because the prize we seek is eternal. What if we put the same dedication to living our life for Christ as we do in the things in life that bring us such temporary pleasure? What if that “winning edge” attitude where truly applied to our salvation thinking? This is what Christ is looking for and this is what it takes to obtain the prize. We cannot simply say, that Christ died, He did all the work, and all is done. I believe so I obtain the prize. No, time and time again, salvation is compared to running the race. You win or lose a race. There will be an awards ceremony. There will be a time at which we will stand and be recognized for our achievements or lack thereof. When that time comes we will hear one of two things, “Depart from me I never knew you,” or “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Please, note this has no bearing on God’s grace in our lives. We must first be in the race for His grace to mean anything to us. That grace took place at the cross, beyond that we must strive our best to win. His grace is sufficient beyond our failures, provided our failures happen in our struggle to win. Did you get that? God’s grace is sufficient as long as you are trying to win the race! Don’t expect God’s grace when your choice is to enter the race but simply stand on the track. You can’t win a race by standing still! Paul said, “run all!” All should be running for the prize! These are strong words I’m sure. Some will struggle with this principle. Understand we are not simply talking about works. We are talking about a relationship! Our relationship with Christ is built upon our time spent with Him in study, prayer, telling others, giving, personal sacrifice, works, and more. This where we find the winning edge in Him.

I pray you take the time today and take a look at your life. Do you have the winning edge? I challenge you to truly stop and evaluate your situation. Does your Christian walk exist of simply saying, “I believe” or is your daily life consumed with living it. It’s one thing to say that I’m in the race and it’s another to say I’m striving to win it. This is what Paul means when he says “²⁴Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” We don’t run simply to run, we run to win and obtain the prize. Christ sacrifice was not made so that we could simply rest on our laurels and wait for his return. His sacrifice was made so that salvation would be attainable. We still must live in His grace and strive to exist and live as He did. This calls us to action, obedience, and personal sacrifice. Our existence with Him in the future rests on our persistence in Him today.

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan K. Taunton

Executive Dir. FootWash Ministries

btaunton@footwashministries.org

Stormy Weather

2010-04-26T12:10:00.001-05:00

Stormy Weather

I awoke this morning to a brisk breeze outside, the clouds are dark and look heavy, and there is a thick haze like just before a storm. I had plans to work outside in the yard today. We have several acres of land. Spring cleanup of tree limbs, debris left from the winter, along with controlling the new spring undergrowth, is a cumbersome task that must be done. I intended to work further on cleanup today, but with the way it looks outside, perhaps I should wait. I pulled up the local weather radar on the computer and it shows no moisture in the area, but it sure looks like rain outside. Could the radar be wrong? Even if it is, is that a reason not to get started on the work that needs to be done?

There is always a reason not to do something. There are always going to be obstacles and difficulties. Sometimes the looming storm is not real and other times it’s everything it looked like it could be. Often we have goals that we want and need to accomplish and we can plainly see the storm that looms. We see all the difficulty, heartache, and problems that we will or may face. Sometimes those storms are real or are imagined. I’m reminded of the time that Christ instructed the disciples to get aboard a ship and he would meet them later. Most people think of this story and point to this as the time that Jesus walked on the water and Peter took his eyes off of Christ and began to sink. This was a great miracle but for the point of this devotion. Let’s look at Christ instruction and the obedience of the disciples.

Now, we could get really deep and look at all the particulars but let’s look at the simplicity of this initial example of obedience. (Matthew Ch. 14) The disciples had just witnessed Christ feeding the multitude with two fishes and 5 loaves of bread. Matthew says that Christ “constrained” (KJV) or He compelled the disciples to get onto the boat and go to the other side. The disciples said they wanted to stay and help Him disperse the crowd, but Jesus said no and instructed them to get onto the boat. He apparently had to be fairly persistent to get them to leave. Why do you think that was? Do you think the disciples could see the storm coming as they looked across the Sea of Galilee? Could helping Christ with the crowd have been an excuse to postpone their leaving? Just as you may have stood on a sandy beach and looked into the ocean and once saw a storm moving in from afar, I’m sure the disciples could see the coming storm. They probably didn’t want to get onto that boat.

Disciples had a choice, obey Jesus or revolt and disobey. They could have responded by choosing to obey Christ instruction, to leave and not get on the boat, or to get onto the boat but try and sail another route. Having just witnessed such a great miracle, despite their fears they obeyed. Now, as it turned out their fears were justified and they sailed straight into the storm. Per Christ instruction they were headed across the Sea of Galilee and in the midst of the storm they met Christ walking on the water. Had they not have obeyed; they would not have met Christ. In fact, the story may have turned out much differently, perhaps even with a tragic ending.

So what is the point? Don’t miss your miracle because you fear the storm! It is in facing your difficulties and fears that you grow. Christ has called you to a life of excellence. Seek the direction that He is telling you to go and set sail. He will meet you there and He will be there in the midst of the storm!

Serving Christ by Serving you,

Bryan Taunton

Exec. Director FootWash Ministries

btaunton@footwashministries.org

Running On Empty

2010-03-31T13:38:00.001-05:00

Have you ever run out of gas? What happens? What about this scenario? The car begins to hop, skip, jump, spit, and sputter and finally it takes its last gasp of air and suddenly goes silent. The gauges drop and the lights slowly burn out as the battery dies. Sometimes you sit dazed confused because you really didn’t see it coming. You where so focused on your plans or rush to get there, that you didn’t stop or slow down long enough to check the fuel gauge. Other times, you simply shake your head in shame, because you knew better. You knew the tank was low, you knew you needed to get some fuel, but you thought it was worth the risk. Now, here you sit on a busy highway or perhaps on an old country road embarrassed, angry, and frustrated about what this stupid lack of judgment is going to mean. You begin to grasp at straws. Do I have a gas can in the trunk? No! Hmmm, I knew I should have put that emergency kit in the back. Oh no, it’s starting to rain. Oh, snap I don’t have an umbrella either. Well let’s get my trusty cell phone out and call for some help. Great , no signal! Now, I can’t call for help and I can’t even let my appointment know I am going to be late. Man oh, man….my appointment! I’ll never make it in time.

So now, here you set. Out of gas, no tank, no cell phone, it’s raining, no umbrella, and you’ve just missed an important appointment. People were expecting you. Perhaps, it was a job interview, a child’s little league game, a birthday party, or maybe you were just having coffee with a friend and you missed it because you didn’t stop to get gas. Certainly, frustration and regret sets in. The consequences of our choice may be small or it may be very costly. While missing that little league game, may not a big deal to you, it could be a huge deal to the child. What if you missed a job interview, while the interviewer could’ve been at home with a sick child or parent? What if the birthday party you missed was someone’s 50^th and you were the only close friend that did not make it? Oh, we can shake things off and assume that other people will do the same; the truth is our empty tank affects more than just us.

Are you running on empty? Do you wake up day after day simply going through the motions? Do you feel you are being pressed on all sides and it’s just a matter of time until the gas run’s out and everything comes to a halt? Ever felt like you were just a fraud and sooner or later everyone’s going to find out about you, because things aren’t right or going well? Perhaps, you’ve got that funny feeling down deep in your gut and are unsteady, because you know you are at your limit and cannot go any further alone. Perhaps you have unpaid bills, made a bad career choice, dealing with substance abuse, have a relationship problem, a sexual addiction, overworked, stressed out, or know things just aren’t right. The tank is getting empty and about to run dry. You may be reading this devotion and the reality is you are empty, there’s nothing left, you can go no further, and you’ve done all that you can do.

In 2 Kings ch. 4, there was a woman in a similar circumstance. She had just lost her husband, she had no money, and the creditors where coming. She went to Elisha the prophet to plead her case, because her husband was a man who loved the Lord. Elisha asks her what property she had and her reply was, “a jar of oil.” He then instructed her to get her son’s and all the empty vessels they could find and shut the doors and begin to fill the empty vessels from the full one she had. They did so and the oil continued to flow from the full vessel until they ran out of empty vessels. When they finished they had enough to pay off the creditors and to live on.

Oil in scripture represents many things. It may represent consecration, cleansing, refreshing, a new work, emancipation, blessings, healing, etc. Regardless it is always of merit and represents a form of purpose. For the sake of this illustration, let’s look at the oil as a representation of Christ and our purpose in Him. If you notice before the widow could be blessed, Elisha asks her a question. He asked what she had. Before she could receive she had to be willing to step up and take action. Once she did as Elisha had instructed her life was changed completely. Had she not have done as the prophet instructed she would have, most likely, found herself in a worse state than she was currently in. She was running on empty, but in her obedience to truth she became blessed. Now you may say, “At least she had something to start with; I don’t have a vessel of oil, I have nothing.” You may be correct, but it’s a problem you can fix and move from emptiness to fullness.

Your emptiness is eating you up inside. Christ once approached a Samaritan woman at a well and asked for drink of water. She was taken back. As a Jew, Christ was not expected to associate, let alone speak to a lowly Samaritan woman.

John 4: ⁹ Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

¹¹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? ¹² Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The Samaritan woman was immediately intrigued and wanted to know more and engaged Christ to the point that he eventually confided to her that He indeed was the Messiah. She saw that he had no vessel, nothing to draw water with. It was not needed. When she believed Christ, much like the widow woman, her vessel was filled, because Christ is the source of the living water.

Are you running on empty? Rest in the assurance that regardless of your situation or current outlook you are not alone or empty. Your fullness is found in the acceptance of Christ as Lord and in his promise and fulfillment of emptiness. You see, Christ also left something empty. That emptiness was found in the form of an empty tomb. His death, burial, and resurrection are the evidence of His deity and Godship. The empty tomb is the evidence that every prophecy and every promise ever made in scripture by or about Christ is absolute and true. This makes the Bible an actual historical account and your road map to moving from feeling empty to experiencing the fullness that is found in a relationship with Christ.

Perhaps it’s time for acceptance of the reality and truth of the gospel of Christ, or perhaps it’s time for a true conversion and transformation through Him. To begin, you need only act as the widow and take a simple step. Your full vessel is your profession of belief in Christ and the repentance of sin. Christ is right here and willing to fill your vessel completely. You may say, “Well, that’s great but that doesn’t solve my problem.” It may! It may not, but regardless your acceptance of Christ as Lord will change your perspective and the focus of your life. The widow and her sons took her full vessel and began to fill every empty vessel they could find from the full one she had. When you accept Christ, you are given a full vessel. If you take that vessel and do just as the widow and begin to focus on filling other empty vessels, I promise your perspective will change. Your identity, who you are, and your fulfillment in life is not defined by your circumstances. When you receive Christ and take the focus off of yourself, place it on Him, and focus on your ability to share Him with others (fill other vessels) your focus in life changes.

Galatians 2: ²⁰ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

There is nothing in this life that can beat you down or steal your victory when you allow His spirit to live within you. The world is not going to be rosy. We will have problems, have struggles, and we will still make dumb decisions and suffer consequences. Yet with all this, you have hope because it is not what happens to the flesh that matters if I’m living by faith. As you grow in your relationship and obedience to Christ the pain and suffering you have in this life will grow less and less. You’ll make better choices and grow as an individual and when things do fall apart you know it’s not the end of the world, your tank is never empty!

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan K. Taunton

Exec. Director Footwash Ministries

A Cry For Liberty

2010-03-22T17:09:00.003-05:00

The Crisis, by Thomas Paine: Dec. 23rd 1776

"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God."

Never would I consent to the need for politics in our Christianity but there is a need for Christianity in our politics. For far too long we have stood back and waited for others to effect change in our nation. Most have left it to someone else to take office, to lead, and to legislate. While, I do not agree that we can legislate Christianity we can legislate our values. We have tried creating influence in times past, but it’s been a frivolous effort. Our idea to establish our agenda has been to picket, write letters, make calls, complain, point fingers to try and influence votes in our government. We continue to support political agendas and political leaders who put their politics first. It’s time now to take personal accountability and action. We need strong people of Godly character to begin assimilating themselves into government. We need people who will fulfill their positions by listening to their constituents for the moral majority without harming the minority.

We cannot continue to idly sit back and wait for someone else to take action. We need personal accountability and integrity which comes from an obedience and acceptance of Christ. I am convinced that if we, “The People” do not wake up and accept the call to arms that is now going out, our nation will be lost. We may find ourselves lost to a sea of godly pluralism, socialism, government securities and provisions, and social yes men. Tolerance no longer means that we agree to disagree, respecting one another, and acknowledging one another. No, today, tolerance means that we agree to disagree but I must also agree that your opinion, thought, or doctrine is just as valid as mine. Opinions do matter but there is only one absolute truth on which all other rest! That absolute truth begins with the acceptance of John 14:6 “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.”

Anything that diverts from or doesn’t support this fundamental truth, points to the wrong direction. We must change the support grid of this nation to support John 14:6. Our success as individuals and as a nation falls flatly upon this verse. We will tolerate other points of view but we will not acknowledge them as equally valid. We will not punish those who do not acknowledge our viewpoint as valid. Instead, we must love, lift up, and assist where and whenever we can. Finding a way to turn this nation around can be found in this method. To live, to love, and to serve is our greatest challenge. Will you accept that challenge? Are you ready to make a stand? Are you ready to be a person of action and not just talk? I encourage you to get involved with your local government or party today and begin to instill a sincere Christ head leadership. It’s going to take a lot of work. You will face obstacles. Every political party whether on a national or local level has it’s good-ol’-boy network. We must move in a massive front into our political parties. I don’t care if your democrat or republican, it’s time to do what is right. Do what is right according to Biblical principles first and everything else will work itself out. Do not compromise your personal integrity, realizing your integrity is measured against that of Christ. Strive to fulfill that challenge!

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan K. Taunton

Exec. Director FootWash Ministries

The Millennium Crunch

2010-03-15T15:03:00.005-05:00

No, it’s not a new candy bar or ice cream flavor. It’s the startling new attitude that we are facing in the “Millennium” generation of students rising today. The Pew Research Center recently released a large survey about this generation entitled “Millennials, Confident, Connected, Open to Change.” [About PRC: a nonpartisan “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does so by conducting public opinion polling and social science research, by analyzing news coverage, and by holding forums and briefings. It does not take positions on policy issues.] For the purposes of this article, we will not look at everything in this survey but focus on the religious aspect in applications to what I would like to call the “Millennial Attitude” and the urgency to which our spiritual leaders must address this issue. It’s Millennial Crunch time!

In the pages of the survey, they set out to compare the values, attitudes and behaviors of Millennials with those of today’s older adults. And, to the extent that they could, also compare them with older adults back when they were the age that Millennials are now. It’s too easy because most readers don’t need a team of researchers to tell them that the typical 20-year-old, 45-year-old and 70-year-old are likely to be different from one another. People already know that. It’s too difficult because, try as we might, we know we can never completely disentangle the multiple reasons that generations differ. At any given moment in time, age group differences can be the result of three overlapping processes: 1) Life cycle effects. Young people may be different from older people today, but they may well become more like them tomorrow, once they themselves age. 2) Period effects. Major events (wars; social movements; economic downturns; medical, scientific or technological breakthroughs) affect all age groups simultaneously, but the degree of impact may differ according to where people are located in the life cycle. 3) Cohort effects. Period events and trends often leave a particularly deep impression on young adults because they are still developing their core values; these imprints stay with them as they move through their life cycle. ¹

The new generation of teens, and twenty somethings, who are speeding their way into the new millennium are more ethnically and racially diverse than their predecessors. Typically, you will find them to be confident, self-expressive, open to change, and positive. On the one hand, this is surprising given the economic & world turmoil into which they have been released. On the other hand, this information is not so surprising because previous generations became closed off when faced with similar circumstances. With the “Global” views of today and the advent of social media attitudes, times are changing. This generation finds itself to most likely be the highest educated generation in American history, with the highest number who have served in the military, and who have radically reduced desires for religion.

This generation overwhelmingly embraces social media and rarely can be found without their personal PDA which is relied upon and almost viewed as a 5^th appendage. This has spawned self expression on almost limitless levels. Blogs, social sites, pages, tweets, flicker, text messaging, and more are used to the point that email is no longer considered main stream. The Millennial Generation desires user friendly, instant information, and instant action. Therefore, if information is not delivered in this manner, it will most likely be overlooked.

The Millennial Generation (MG) are increasingly less affiliated with a specific faith. When compared to past generations at the same age, fewer are involved, attend, or claim a specific religion or faith. “Fully one-in-four members of the millennial generation are unaffiliated with any particular faith.”² Of the MG'ers who do believe they maintain the tradition of their parents "and" grandparents in terms of life after death, God, heaven, and hell, the survey indicated that the pray less often. On the other end of the spectrum, they are much more open socially and politically. This would tend to indicate to the author that while MG’s hold many of the same spiritual values or traditions, these views do not necessarily have a great influence over their social or political decisions. Though they may acknowledge religious practice or theology, they may not apply them effectively. This is indicated by a greater acceptance of homosexuality, “Hollywood” values, evolution, and the Government- set morality standards.

“Compared with their elders today, young people are much less likely to affiliate with any religious tradition or to identify themselves as part of a Christian denomination. Fully one-in-four adults under age 30 (25%) are unaffiliated, describing their religion as “atheist,” “agnostic” or “nothing in particular.” This compares with less than one-fifth of people in their 30s (19%), 15% of those in their 40s, 14% of those in their 50s and 10% or less among those 60 and older. About two-thirds of young people (68%) say they are members of a Christian denomination and 43% describe themselves as Protestants, compared with 81% of adults ages 30 and older who associate with Christian faiths and 53% who

are Protestants.”³

Revealing statistics:

25% of people under age 30 classify themselves as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular
68% of MG’s claim to be members of a faith denomination
18% of MG’s say they were raised in religion but are now unaffiliated
42% of MG’s subscribe to a Christian Protestant or Catholic faith following
18% of MG’s say they attend a worship service at least once a week.
45% of MG’s say that religion is very important to their lives

While some of these statistics differ slightly among the MG’ers to the previous Gen X’ers the trend remains the same. From generation to generation, God, Christ, and religion are becoming less valuable to our lives. The statistics above are alarming. The most alarming to the author is that only 42% claim a Catholic/Protestant Christian faith. While we may initially take comfort and say that 68% are affiliated we must realize there are faiths other than Christianity and many are classified as Christian by followers, i.e. Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, Orthodox, etc.

We must begin to develop strategies that MG’ers can and will identify with and that will cause them to apply what they receive in Christ to their daily living. It is becoming increasingly alarming and revealing through life allowances, tolerances, lack of personal judgment, and refusal to draw lines, that while MG’ers may take part in occasional religious practice it is not necessarily pouring over into their daily living. This is a statistic that is revealed when it is noted that only 45% of MG’ers say that religion is important to their lives but only 18% attend services regularly. Both numbers are alarmingly low, but when only 18% of the whole is compared to the 45%, it is apparent that life application is sorely lacking.

At a glance it would appear that the MG’s see the global view and acceptance of the day and are gobbling it up like candy. To fix the problem, it will take a total overhaul and change. not the kind of change that is being held up today. Rather, it is the opinion of this author that this trend will continue, provided ministerial leaders of various denominations cannot come to some type of universal agreement and strategy to create a unified front. We need a multi-denominational pledge of unity, strategy, and application to develop a real working evangelistic movement to save this nation one person at a time. I dream of a day when we see a real ministry summit to target this very idea and begin to go to work and create this unity. Sadly, far too often pride and ego will not be set aside long enough to allow something of this nature to take place. It’s not too late. There is hope, but it will take the working hands of the most influential people in ministry today --or will it? Quite frankly, it should start right in your own home town. Honestly, we don’t need another program or campaign. Though it would be wonderful to generate funding on a national basis and simply campaign for Christ, we can influence a culture by influencing individuals who transform cities, then states, then nations. I encourage you to find a way today to unify your spiritual community and begin to transform your city. Join me in prayer to see this happen before the next generation climbs even further into the abyss of sin and despair.

II Chronicles 7:14 “if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.” nkj

The author Bryan Taunton is Executive Director of FootWash Ministries and is available for speaking upon request.

Serving Christ by serving You……..

The author recognizes these contributions:

¹This portion is partially excerpted from the preface of Pew Research Center report series that looks at the values, attitudes and experiences of America’s next generation: the Millennials. Find out how today’s teens and twenty-somethings are reshaping the nation at:

www.pewresearch.org/millennials.

²Direct quote taken from ch. 9 pg 92 pr 1 pewresearch.or/millennials

³Direct quote taken from ch. 9 pg 93 pr 3 pewresearch.or/millennials

FootWash Ministries Introduces InSight Surveys

2010-03-11T15:29:00.006-06:00

Have you ever spoken to a group and wondered what were they thinking? Have you ever thought of or desired to ask your group a question but couldn’t because of the fear that they would not be honest? Polling a group by the raised hand on sensitive issues may cause some to refuse to participate, embarrassment, and even hurt relationships. Giving someone the privilege to answer a question with complete anonymity allows you the opportunity to get to the heart of an issue or probing question.

In 1987 only 1 million Americans owned cell phones. Today over 250 million own mobile phones and the list is growing. Presently mobile phone technology is growing at a rapid rate and social networking such as text messaging, twitter, facebook, and others is growing even faster. Most mobile phones today offer one or more forms of social networking. One statistic states that there are over 400 million text messages sent in America a day. While not everyone uses text messaging the overwhelming number of today’s techno savvy adults and teenagers are text friendly. This being said text post are accurate because the majority of people in your groups of people age 60 and under use a text messaging service. Imagine as a Pastor, Evangelist, or Student leader being able to ask your group to take out their mobile phones and look at a graph on your overhead screen and see a question with various responses. Simply ask them to text the adjacent number of their answer to CODE#.

Sample of a recent survey taken in a small group of 200 to 300 “Believers”.
Notice 13% (there were no visitors at this Church that day) believed that Jesus was not the only way.

How could you use this information in a live poll of your group or congregation? Do you think it might add a new twist or tool to your sermon or message? Contact FootWash Ministries today and discuss your options and possibilities. Each live Insight Survey can be designed specifically for you. and the results are completely anonymous and viewable simultaneously while voting is taking place live on your overhead screen.
   Results are anonymous

   Results are instantaneous

   Survey is viewable live on screen while actual voting is taking place

   Each phone can only submit one vote

   Produces true analytic results

We will work with you one on one and develop the best strategy for your survey and create a survey that specifically meets your needs.

Click the link below and download the PDF and call and schedule your InSight Survey today.

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan K. Taunton
Exec. Director FootWash Ministries
btaunton@FootWashMinistries.org

Evangelism Trends:

2010-03-02T15:46:00.011-06:00

In a 2008 survey by LifeWay, they discovered of 1,684 adults who had not “attended a religious service in a church, synagogue or mosque, other than for a religious holiday or for a special event such as a wedding or funeral at any time in the past six months” revealed that only 49 percent would visit in person if they were looking for a church. By contrast, 83 percent of church switchers in an earlier survey said they made an in-person visit when they “actively searched for a new church.”

Significantly, more than half of un-churched people would follow a recommendation from family, friends, neighbors or colleagues if they were looking for a church, but 24 percent said they didn’t really see themselves using any of the usual ways of finding a church, as reported by Transworld News (http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=44244&cat=13)

Now this is not a “recent” article or survey, but the trend has not changed. The fact remains that if we are going to reach the un-churched, while the message stays the same we must change and update our methods. In many ways the Church is trying to reach the world using methods that were developed some thirty plus years ago. The world has moved forward in its development of social interaction and communication. While, many churches today would fail the modern day litheness test, refusing to bend from old traditions to reach modern day society. Persistently, we find that the Church is chasing trends rather than creating them.

People in society today confess the need for a faith in their lives but more and more are not looking at Christianity as their primary choice. This is a growing disease in our society and is a direct result of faulty outreach and evangelism strategies. Most churches today rely primarily upon active visitation as their source of evangelism. Not that they are actively visiting people but that people who are actively visiting and looking for a church come to a service. The sad fact is that, most often a visitation to a service is a result of a “believer” seeking a new place to worship. People who are in the world and do not yet know Christ as Lord are not looking for a church. Yet, we set back week after week and wait for our great worship service or the fantastic expoundings of the pastor to be the drawing card. They may be a draw to a believer but remember, the lost person doesn’t care about what the pastor is saying on Sunday morning. Now I’m not saying that no one ever comes to or visits your church because they aren’t looking for something i.e. Christ, but let’s be honest it is a rarity.

So what do we do? Well, I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers and be able to present them in this blog. There are volumes of books on the subject of which my feeble mind cannot even begin to compare. But for starters let’s look at these things:

Christ said in Luke 14:23 “….Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

Here are a few ideas:

Witness as Christ

a. Non-offensive in truth

b. Speak in love

c. Serve then share!

Be real and genuine and be who you say you are
Be a person of integrity
Encourage members of your Church to share the gospel!
Create non-evasive ways and strategies to share faith and invite members to your church

a. A friend of mine has a great ministry called prayer stop. It’s a great way to reach people by simply praying for them, allowing them to come to you rather than you making a quick gospel sales pitch.

b. Create strategies to serve the needs of your friends, neighborhood, and community.

c. Create events which are “World” inclusive that cause interaction with the Church.

Disciple and teach your members and new believers to effectively defend and share their faith.
Simply invite the lost to come and when I say this, often it takes more than an invitation in passing and must be repeated in love and not in nagging.
Make use of social networking effectively {Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Tangle, You Tube,etc}
Have a nice attractive website for your church

These are just a few quick ideas that come to mind. I’m sure you will come up with better. The main point is to make people feel comfortable with you when pointing out their uncomfortable position of not knowing Christ. If your conversations become adversarial you will not make a connection. You must make the connection first, and then encourage the individual in the ways of the gospel. A pointing finger makes people look the wrong way, you need people to listen to the message you are sharing and most often it points back to self. People will come to Christ and to Church more often if they feel comfortable, loved, and wanted. Bottom line, if you want your church to grow, then you must effectively get outside the walls of your Church.

Great Skit from the skit guys on this subject click pick to watch.

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan K. Taunton

Exec. Director FootWash Ministries

btaunton@footwashministries.org

The Basin Group

2010-02-25T11:29:00.016-06:00

The Basin Group follows the same mission statement as our founding ministry FootWash Ministries. This mission states that, “We exist to advance the gospel modeled after the servant’s heart of Jesus Christ.” This model comes straight from the example as set by Christ in John ch. 13. His example of leadership by being the model servant, unafraid to give and serve in humility, is an example that we should all seek to follow.

Through “The Basin Group” (TBG), our goal is to assemble a body of believers who offer a ministry, business, or service that meets or exceeds our ethical standards and provides a unique opportunity, service, ministry, or idea for our many members/viewers/ users. TBG is a powerful networking tool for those who follow our ministry. Our primary focus is that of sharing the gospel, creating and providing low to no cost resources, and restoring the family. The participation of these businesses, ministries, and ministry minded individuals assist FWM in enhancing our capabilities to provide creditable ministry services. It is important that you know, these ministries are a part of The Basin Group at the expressed invitation by FWM, because of the exemplary ministry or business that they are and conduct. Most of the members of TBG are coordinating with our ministry in the development of content or other contributions to the "Salvation App" for iPhone, iTouch, and iPad users or like resources, but not every one. Other associations in TBG exist because of the uniqueness of the business or ministry and we want to assist them by high lighting their efforts.

Our goal is to do our best to enhance your networking capability, viewer, and followership. In today’s social market, your ability to be at a fingertip glance to your audience, and those you serve, is of vital importance. TBG offers this own many levels:

Click on ministry to receive more information:

Cruise With A Cause

2010-02-25T01:05:00.010-06:00

Join us on CRUISE WITH A CAUSE 2011 OFFICIAL DATES are May 30 - June 4, 2011 on the Carnival Destiny as we take our mission to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Start making plans for the most family friendly and family affordable fully chartered cruise anywhere that is also the World's Largest Mission trip.

We will share the Gospel with over 133,000 students in more than 200
schools.

BOOKING HAS BEGUN!!

CONFIRMED Lineup (More to be announced soon)

SPEAKERS

Pastor John Hagee, Dr. Johnny Hunt, Jentezen Franklin, Bishop Paul S Morton, Bishop Dale Bronner, Pastor Matthew Hagee, Dr. Debra Morton, Mark Hall, Dr. Ergun Caner, Josh McDowell, Brandon Crouch, Lex Luger, Ted Dibiase, Nikita Koloff, Acton Bowen, Jim Raley. Jamey Ragle, Julie Wells, Martin Houston, Ryan Garrett, Darrel Rundus. Lyrica Smith, Frank Shelton, Chris Dorrity, and Bryan Taunton

ARTISTS

Casting Crowns, Donnie McClurkin (Island Only), Hezekiah Walker, David & Tamela Mann, The Crabb Family, NewSong, Sonicflood, Byron Cage, Jason Crabb, Tye Tribbett, Vicki Yohe, Russ Taff, Anthony Evans, Martha Munizzi, Mike and Kelly Bowling, John Gray, Papa San, Crabb Revival, Aaron and Amanda Crabb, Buddy Mullins, Patrick Dopson, Comedian Rodney Allison, Danny Ray

Mission: This is your opportunity to join with us in the world's largest missions trip. We will be going into Jamaica and sharing the gospel with over 133,000 students.

WE NEED YOU TO:

Righteous Carnality

2010-02-22T20:27:00.007-06:00

In my last note entitled, “Be My Valentine, signed Jesus” I used Romans 5:8 as a demonstration of the great redemptive love that Jesus has shown us. Today, I would like to review this same passage in comparison to how we, “The Church”, appear to the world today.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.^”

What an awesome demonstration of love. Yet, I am afraid that in many ways the Church today has lost this perfect picture. Over the years the Church, which defines how Christianity is perceived by the world, has become known more for what it stands against rather than what it stands for. To that end let me say this, “The Church or ministry that defines itself by what it stands against rather than by what it stands for is plagued with carnality.” What does this mean? Simply put, when one focuses on what they stand against they are themselves focused on the wrong things and in fact may find themselves in the same predicament as those they are accusing. Now this is not defining right or wrong action. It’s simply making a point. Without question there are things that we stand against. I’m simply questioning our methods, misplaced passions, funding, and anxieties.

Now, let’s be honest. There aren’t many ministries or Churches that are out there promoting themselves by what they stand against. Then what is my point? The point is, they are doing it, but they are not doing it intentionally. Example if you announced in your Church that you were going to have a rally against abortion, or against homosexuality, or against an upcoming gambling bill then you would most likely have many that would show up or want more information. While on the other hand if you announced that you were going to host a rally for an upcoming evangelistic event or outreach program how would your attendance be and to what level of passion would you see your attendees?

Time and time again, “Christians” are pictured at a ballgame, a rally, a political campaign, or some politically charged event picketing, holding signs, making boisterous accusations, and being overly assertive toward this cause or that cause. I wonder if those same individuals have ever used as much energy, time, or money to introduce someone to Christ. Often, and organized campaign for a political cause will reach across many denominational lines and serve as a unifying cause for believers. Yet, can we rarely come together for a unifying cause simply uplifting the name of Jesus. In conclusion let me ask you this question, where do you feel this nation would be had we “Christians” taken the billions of dollars we’ve spent fighting this cause or that cause but instead invested in uplifting the name of Jesus. I don’t have to worry about a young woman getting an abortion if I she knows Christ as Lord. That’s not to say that she won’t make a mistake and get pregnant but it dramatically reduces the risk, and it will dramatically reduce the risk of abortion being an option for birth control. After all, being carnal simply means to be focused on the things of the world or the flesh. Righteous Carnality is when an individual or group is more focused on sin, causes, or agendas rather than the promotion of the Gospel. They then make themselves subject to their own speculation because they are equally carnal.

Here’s the thing. Christ came and offered us salvation with no guarantees that we would accept His sacrifice. Yet, He did it anyway. He loved us enough that it was worth the chance. We would have no guarantees that our showing love, and becoming more passionate about lifting Christ instead of causes would make a huge impact, but isn’t it worth that chance. Certainly, trying to politically legislate our conservative agenda hasn’t worked. I submit, we concentrate on creating change by changing individuals with the love of Christ rather than beating them down with our mass cause/agenda. This is what has made the “Christian” nation known more for what we stand against rather than what we stand for. I submit to you, we need to be stripped of our carnalities (focusing on the world, it’s fault and wrong doing) and begin focusing on the Cross and the empty tomb and thereby change the world! Christ said, "If I am lifted up, from the earth, will draw all men unto me". John 12:32 We have the most powerful tool to draw people to Christ, the gospel! Let's strive to put as much time into it as we do our "Causes."

Giving God the Glory,

Bryan Taunton

Executive Dir. FootWash Ministries

btaunton@footwashministries.org

"Be My Valentine", signed Jesus

2010-02-14T15:43:00.001-06:00

"Be My Valentine", that’s what Jesus says, today and every day. Never has there been such a relevant example of what true love is all about. I remember years ago I had a very cynical professor say, “I challenge anyone to define the word love that applies to every circumstance.” No one, in the class accepted the challenge. I wish I would have had the wisdom then that, God has granted me today. Her point being, there are so many different types of love that it is impossible to truly define it in a general way that it is applicable to all circumstances. This was a disturbing idea to me, because if I can’t define something how can I recognize it. Just today, I heard my Pastor make a great observation. He said, “We throw the word “love” around like it is interchangeable with the word, “like”. In reality, it is not and we shouldn’t do that.”

We have greatly done the word, “love” and all that it encapsulates a great discredit. You see to love something or someone is not an emotion or great overwhelming feeling, such as a Hollywood movie might suggest. Rather love is a decision. It is a rational choice that we make based solely upon our decision. Christ gave us the ultimate example and definition of love.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.”

This verse represents the perfect definition of love. Here’s what you can take away as the greatest example of love and should anyone ever ask you to define love tell them this, “Love is self fulfillment through self sacrifice by which you gain an appreciation for not from someone or something.”

You see, God is fulfilled when He invested in us through Christ, and therefore he now has a vested interest in us and appreciates us as His creation. He loves you! He is fulfilled with or without you but His choice is to be with you.

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.^”

God sent Christ to die, for your sin even while you are still living in sin. He had and has no guarantee that you will ever accept this sacrifice. Yet, God said, it’s worth a chance. In essence God said, “Son, I know there are no guarantees. In fact you and I both know they are not all going to listen and they are not all going to accept you. But Son, I love you and I know you love them as I do. So, it’s worth a chance. Let’s give them a chance at an eternal guarantee.”

Christ said, “Yes”, even though it hurt, even though he knew He would be rejected, even though He prayed for another way, ….He obeyed. Christ loves you so much! He doesn’t care about your situation. Every day is another day that Jesus says, “I Love You!” The Bible is your Valentine card from Him. Praise God, His love for us is not dictated by our behavior or circumstances! Tell Him, you love Him today.

Giving God the Glory,

Bryan K. Taunton

www.FootWashMinistries.org

The Lucifer Complex

2010-02-05T15:46:00.007-06:00

II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

The good: Dr. Peter Church, Dr. John Cortz, Bro. Joe Johnson, Bob Santusiano, – great men of God, whom I’ve had the opportunity to meet and some to even develop a relationship with over the years. When they walked into a room they were so full of the Holy Spirit that it was in the air around them. These were real men of integrity. Their relationships and personal belief in Christ had grown so much that, their lives were lives of impact by their very being. The life they led was made evident in that it was the same in the open as it was behind a closed door. While they weren't perfect they were great examples. The kind of examples we aspire to be. While falling short of those aspirations doesn't make one bad by any means there is a great and grave culture taking place.

The Bad: No names…. But many of those I and you have met fall greatly into this category. Not that they were bad people, or bad ministers, but lacked the integrity to honor their word. They treated ministry as business more than privilege, honor, and duty. These are men and women in ministry who have yet to come to the full knowledge of Jesus Christ. Much like Judas, they hold positions of power and often high esteem but their true motives are questionable. These motives are made suspect by the actions they so often take. I feel this is a virus that runs amok in the Church today. You may know someone very much like this in ministry or even in your own church.

Our issue is: The Lucifer Complex - The Devils brand of belief.

Definition: Believing in God/Christ without having a relationship… i.e. Confessed belief, without believing or submitting

Diagnosis – Terminal to Body, Spirit, & Soul

Symptoms:

Says I believe in Jesus
Speaks to God often
Produces Fruit but the plant is found undesirable…ex. The raspberry plant.
Is Visible
Is absent of Peace
Lacks a true relationship with Christ

Mathew 6:21-23

Christ defines what will happen to those afflicted with this disease of the soul.

Let us pray for the following:

That we stand united as one body and operate with integrity!
That those afflicted with this deadly disease of believing without believing this “lucifer complex” might be healed and we are given opportunity to share and bring them to the realization of the need for more than a simple minded belief, but rather a deep and meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ.
The needs of our communities might be met

People will recognize their need for Christ
Their private needs will be met financial, family healing, sickness, hunger, etc.
Good and Godly community leadership
We realize the need for real relational evangelism and that means maintaining and integrity with the people around us.

The Challenge: To walk upright in your calling, seeking to be an uplifting tool, standing for what is right, doing what is right, following through on your calling, and helping others do the same.

Blessings,

Bryan K. Taunton

Pres. Founder of FootWash Ministries

www.FootWashMinistries.org

Announcing the "Salvation" App for iPhone & iTouch users!

2010-01-29T12:27:00.026-06:00

Click to download

The "Salvation" app will be the perfect application to add to your iPhone or iTouch to assist you in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ or to accept Him as Lord yourself. It’s been said that 85% of believers do not know how to share their faith. Through the use of this application you will no longer fall into that percentile and you will be fully convinced of the truth that is found in the greatest selling book of all time, the Holy Bible. You will obtain a greater understanding of Christ and equip yourself with all the tools necessary to share the undeniable truth of the Gospel confidently and competently, conveniently at your finger tips.

At present the Salvation App is being used in the US, Great Britain, France, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Russia, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, and Italy! It is a resource that is perpetually growing and reaching more and more people across the globe.

With features like:

The Plan of Salvation
Romans Road to Salvation
Prayer
Discipleship training materials
8Study Guides sections including 100's of devotions
Helpful Verses dedicated to specific needs
Opportunity to make a Public Profession of Faith
Websites, contact tools, videos, & blogs to assist your witness

There are millions of iPhone and iTouch users around the world. Imagine if each one downloaded this App and used it to share gospel with someone else. We could change the world! Encourage others to download it, but most importantly USE IT!!

Obey the call of the Lord to, “Go”.

Go and tell others
Make disciples
Baptize them
Lead the life your called to lead
Develop a real relationship with Christ

Through this App you and others will be inspired and enabled to share your faith and to deepen your knowledge of the word of God.

Current Partners& Contributors to the Salvation App Are:

Tim Hawkins

Serving Christ by Serving You,

Bryan Taunton
Executive Director FootWash Ministries
FootWashMinistries.org
btaunton@FootWashMinistries.org

The Grace Card

2010-01-28T11:50:00.002-06:00

We as Christians like to use the "Grace" card.

Rom. 6:1 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?"

Often we seem to live our lives as though we allow sin so that the evidence of Gods forgiveness is proven. Do we push the envelope to far? Often it seems that we push away from holiness by relying on grace, rather than seeking to be holy.

John 8: " (10)When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? (11)She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.(12) Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Christ doesn't condemn us, because if we do not obey we are condemned already. The truth is Christ calls us to live a life of sinlessness. Our problem is instead of waking up to a day of sinlessness we wake up expecting to sin and to rely on His grace. Christ calls us to be light in darkness and to be the salt of the earth. We are the catylist of change. We are to make things different! We are to be in the world but not of the world. His instruction to the adulterous woman was to "go and sin no more..." He didn't say, "I'll see you later don't worry about it, I gotcha covered." He desires us to seek perfection!

1 Cor. 9: "(24) Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.(25) And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.(26) I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:(27) But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

Have you ever watched a motorcycle race? Have you noticed how they outline the track with hay bales? Think about that for a moment. The hay bales represent Grace. We are to strive to win the race not to abuse His grace! Grace allows us to finish the race. The idea is not to hit the hay bales. We don't run a race to hit the hay bales, we run the best line that we can. The Hay bales are there to catch/ help us when we crash. This is Grace. The hay bales allow us to live to get back in the race.

By using the "Grace cards" we teach others how to run a very sloppy race. If we're going to enter the race, run the race for the prize! If I'm not careful playing the "Grace" card too wildly may make me the joker in the deck. His Grace is not our license to sin!

Heb. 4: "(1)Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left [us] of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it."

Some will fall short and miss the promise. To think that God's grace is so easy as to allow one to go on sinning and be covered by grace is the same as saying "God approves of sin, he gave me salvation anyway."

This is a very dangerous misconception. The argument is if an individual truly has a relationship with Christ then why would they accept sin in their lives and openly accept it so easily. Grace can be measured by the outward reflection of Christ in an individual life. How much of God are you reflecting to the world around you. This is your true measure of grace in your life.

1 Thes. 4: "(7) For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."

Don't be made the joker in the deck by thinking you've got the Grace trump card.

This text does not reflect on personal liberty. While it is true there are individual sins that are personal, there is much more that is openly sin at which we engage in. For example Christ command, "Love thy neighbor as thyself". How many can truly attest to that? Answer, very few. Why? Because we do not seek to.

Let us live to be examples of His grace by putting it on display in our lives in love and obedience to His word. Let us endeavor to keep from the very appearance of sin, even if we don't see it as sin but others do. Let us not seek to cause offense.

Giving Him the Glory,

Bryan K. Taunton
President & Founder FootWash Ministries
www.FootWashMinistries.org