REVOLUTIONARY HABIT #1

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

As a Jesus revolutionary it's vital to embrace three basic habits. It has been said that to develop a habit, you must do it for 3 weeks. If you do it everyday for 6 weeks, you'll own it as a part of your person and character.

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

I heard it another way: "A trail through the mountains, if used, becomes a path in a short time, but, if unused, becomes blocked by grass in an equally short time. Now your heart is blocked by grass."

The first habit in the Jesus revolution is WALKING WITH JESUS. As a friend of mine said, "It's like the announcement that is made on every flight. 'Put your oxygen mask on first and then help those around you.'" Walking with Jesus is just like that. You must put on your oxygen mask-your personal relationship with Jesus. That's what comes first-always.

Walking with Jesus is being aware of His constant presence in your life. It's being with Him, hanging out with Him and in a constant dependence on His strength and His lead. In a very real sense, walking with Jesus is learning to count on Him in your everyday life.

Walking with Jesus is in response to God's great love for you. Oswald Chambers said, "No love of the natural heart is safe unless the human heart has been satisfied by God first." Embrace God's love for you and respond to it by practicing walking with Jesus at your side every day.

The there are five cautions in walking with Jesus. FIRST-Don't walk ahead of Him. SECOND-Don't walk away from Him. THIRD-Don't walk out of step with Him. FOURTH-Don't walk too far behind Him. WALK WITH JESUS EVERY DAY.

Here are three steps that will help you walk with Jesus. I. Breathe in. This means take in some Scripture, especially from the words of Jesus, Himself. II. Breathe out. This means talking to Jesus about your desires-your heart. III. Hold your breath. This means to take note of your relationship long enough to take the time to listen.

In simple terms, DO WHAT HE SAYS. No matter what He says to do and say, you just do it. I heard it in a funny way several years ago: "If you pray for a Cadillac and God sends a jackass, ride it." It's signing off as king of your kingdom and making Jesus the King of all Kings. This reminds me of the bumper sticker that says: "Want to hear God laugh? Tell Him your plans." To walk with Jesus is to be willing to let Him call the plays of your life.

You know, what Jesus wants more than anything else is a personal relationship with you. And, once Jesus resides in your heart of hearts by simply walking together, you will find yourself living a revolutionary life. The revolutionary life that Jesus offers is completely satisfying to you and most attractive to everyone else. It's like a light. It's like a fountain.

THE REVOLUTION IS STILL ON

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

Yesterday I shared with you the publication of our new book, THE KINGDOM SECRET, The response has already been great and we are looking forward to what will come through this new tool and the other materials to follow.

There is an amazing Jesus revolution going on around the world! It's like Jesus is whispering the same message in those who have ears to hear all over the globe. It's one of the most encouraging movements I've ever seen. And, it's all around the irresistible person-Jesus-and the irreversible Kingdom-the Kingdom of God.

This revolution is being fueled by an increasing, inner longing that burns inside everyone. I think it's all about getting back to Eden. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed the presence of God. They were all set-good jobs, lush place to live, great retirement benefits and a personal relationship with God. They were to fulfill three purposes: · REFLECT the image of the Creator-God-man and woman were the image of God! · REPRODUCE godly children and fill up the earth with them! · REIGN together against evil-to cultivate and guard the garden-co-rulers with the Creator!

Well, without laying more blame on the woman or the man, it's sufficient to note that they blew it-each in his/her own way. You see, they had only one prohibition that was set up by God. However you want to characterize that prohibition and the subsequent encounter with the serpent who lured them into breaking that universal law set up by their Creator, THEY BLEW IT. They blew it by not trusting their Creator-God and disobeying what He said.

What's interesting is that by breaking the law of God (disobeying Him) they not only broke the law, but the law broke them. They were kicked out of the Garden. There were three definitive consequences: 1. They lost the Kingdom where they were co-rulers with their Creator. 2. They lost the personal relationship with the Creator-God. 3. They lost the abiding presence of God's Spirit within them.

And ever since that great loss mankind has been desperately trying to recover. It seems that the hole in the soul of every man and woman can be attributed to those three losses-the Kingdom of God, the personal relationship with God and God's abiding presence through His Spirit. NOTE they didn't lose heaven, but gave up the Kingdom, personal relationship and abiding presence on earth.

Since that epic rebellion against the Creator-God, men and women have become enslaved by the very things they were supposed to rule. · PLANTS have been used to produce a variety of drugs and alcohol to be abused with the end result of being addicted and controlled by them. · PASSIONS in mankind have easily become out of control to the point of wallowing in them to the point of living life lustily rather than living life passionately. · POSSESSIONS have easily taken a prominent place in our lives and we live under the deception that people, places and things can make us happy. All of these promise so much more than they can deliver!

Every religion, philosophy and politic is a noble attempt to fill up that hole in the soul: · To seek the Kingdom. · To seek to re-establish a personal relationship with the Creator. · To seek the abiding presence of God.

NOTE that most every religion is setting up a system and many times an obstacle course to make your way through in order to get out of here-to heaven, nirvana, eden, shangri-la, paradise or the promised land. I see every religious system as a well-meaning attempt with its desires and standards. Christians are trying to be the best Christians, Buddhists the best Buddhists, as are Hindus, Moslems, Jews, and Animists. Since God created all peoples and is holding them together, eternity has been placed in everyone's heart to grope for God. At the core of this groping is this deep ache from the hole in the soul. They are seeking the Kingdom, seeking that personal relationship with the Creator-God and seeking an abiding presence with God as in the beginning in the Garden of Eden.

But setting up ways to get out of here doesn't seem to be the way of God; it's the way of man. Nor is it God's way to set up a system of do's and don'ts to avoid going to hell. It's interesting to note that there was no system set up there in the Garden and no worship, but a relationship with the Creator-God, walking together in the Garden. This is why, after establishing a massive system of sacrifices and feasts, the Lord says through the prophets, "I want compassion rather than your sacrifices." God wants a relationship. I like the distinction made between religion and relationship. Religion is man's best attempt to avoid going to hell. Relationship says, "I've already been to hell and don't want to go back!" Religion is man's idea. A relationship is God's idea.

God has not given us a way to get out of here. That's not the direction! He's doing all that He can to get down here-to dwell among us. So, this is what God has been up to ever since man lost the Kingdom, the personal relationship and abiding presence of God. Through the priests, the judges, the kings, and the prophets God wanted to dwell among those who would trust Him and those people would be a blessing to all the nations of the world. During that time the presence of God through His Spirit came upon individuals to empower them for a temporary task and then would depart.

After the prophets, there was a period of 400 silent years. It was at this point that Jesus was sent to earth. His mission was to reveal the GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM and by doing this to restore what mankind had lost-the Kingdom, the personal relationship and the abiding presence of God. So, Jesus announced the Kingdom, established the personal relationship and introduced the abiding presence of God for all to experience. He brought the Kingdom of God to earth, because He is the King. Wherever the King is, there is the Kingdom. He was the dwelling place of God on earth, fully indwelt with the Spirit of God. God had finally come down here to dwell among those who would trust Him.

Jesus did one more amazing thing. He re-introduced the Spirit of God as the abiding presence of God-to permanently indwell people again as in the Garden. And, with this introduction it is again possible to enjoy a personal relationship with the Creator-God-to walk with Him in the Garden. So, the Kingdom, the abiding presence and the personal relationship with God are no longer longings and things hoped for, but they have become a reality in Jesus.

He came to turn the religious stress into REST. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." You can have all that was ever lost in the Garden. Jesus can fill up the hole in your soul.

In THE KINGDOM SECRET study series you will discover for yourself what it means to know the irresistible Jesus and the irreversible Kingdom of God. Jesus came as a revolutionary. The revolution is all about restoration and transformation. And, you will come to understand that the revolution is still on today!

THE KINGDOM SECRET STUDY SERIES

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

If you have been reading and/or listening to ACTS 29 DAILY, it is no surprise what we are attempting to do with respect to making Jesus known-to take a fresh look at the Gospels and what Jesus actually said. It's an attempt to rid ourselves from the blinders of our past indoctrination and to do our best to examine Jesus of Nazareth with fresh eyes to see and ears to hear.

In addition to the ACTS 29 DAILY, which is literally reaching many parts of the world, we believe our calling by Jesus is to mentor (disciple) those who are interested, so that they will be able to bring others along to become followers of Jesus.

We are doing this both personally and in written form. Personally we have been asked to spend more extensive time with faithful followers in other countries, where we will have the opportunity to discuss in depth the basic teachings and principles of Jesus within their cultures. In turn, several of these new leaders will also come to visit us here to spend even more time together.

We are also spending lots of time training a few here who have a passion to go into other countries, but want to go in with Jesus plus nothing rather than as another Christian missionary. We have not sought any of these opportunities, but they have clearly been open doors from Jesus, Himself. We are also happily involved with pastors in this country who really want to re-introduce Jesus to their congregations.

The written materials we are producing are emerging out of several small groups who are committed followers of Jesus. We experience the study material within these groups and learn together how to best write the study.

Our first study book is THE KINGDOM SECRET. It's a non-religious, cross-cultural examination of Jesus of Nazareth and the Kingdom of God. We are so thrilled to make this available to those who are tracking with us. We already have several groupings using the study within the first few days it was made available. These groups have popped up out of prisons, corporate small groups, a group in Alaska being taught by a long-time friend who has found Jesus and loves to share him simply and clearly and it is already being translated into Japanese for the new followers of Jesus there. Each day we are hearing more feedback on what's happening out there.

I want to encourage you to check this study out for yourself. The most important issue in life is your personal relationship with Jesus. It's your personal transformation that is most satisfying and it is most contagious.

The purpose of this study is all about Jesus transforming your life. Enter into this study with an open heart and a prayer for the Lord to change you inside out. Make it your goal to stubbornly follow Jesus. So, first begin with YOU-take the time to study and embrace it for yourself. Make it your passion to be a follower of Jesus.

Also, consider sharing this study with a few of your friends. We're convinced that where two or three are gathered together Jesus will show up-meaningfully and powerfully. You see, if you knew that Jesus was going to show up some place, wouldn't you do whatever you had to do to be there. So try studying this with a few. Encourage each person to do his/her personal study and then come together to share all that was received in the process. You will be amazed at the dynamic of Jesus showing up in your midst.

When someone asks, "What's happening?" or "What are you up to these days?" we have learned to respond, "I'm doing the toughest thing I've ever done in my life. I'm attempting to follow the teachings and principles of Jesus." These are not empty words or clichés. What we are learning as we gather together around Jesus is to interpret the popular WWJD? personally and as a group. WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? To ask the question is to discover the answer. But there's more to WWJD? than originally thought. It's WDJD? or WHAT DID JESUS DO? We're learning more and more that the most important thing of all is to do what Jesus did in every way possible.

A major theme for our spiritual journey has become JESUS PLUS NOTHING. Our tendency is to complicate Jesus and our relationship with Him. And, that tendency leads to smothering the dynamic of following Jesus with a multitude of ADD-ONS. These add-ons may be good, but they are not the best and become insidious distractions away from the simplicity of devotion to Jesus.

Since Jesus apprehended our lives in the past few years, we and a few of our friends are stubbornly devoted to the following covenant: · Embrace the teachings and principles of Jesus as a lifestyle. · Mentor others to do the same. · Believe God for raising up leaders. · Empower the youth of the world. · Restore the broken, abused, addicted and poor. · Serve everyone Jesus brings to you.

So, I want to encourage to acquire THE KINGDOM SECRET and get started on your Jesus journey. To order this book requires a minimum donation of $10 (plus P & H) to THE PARTNERSHIP. Your donation goes entirely back into printing additional copies to make available. To order, either call 949-285-2212 or email tim@timtimmons.com.

Tomorrow I want to share with you how the Jesus revolution is working.

CHRISTIANITY ISN'T THE WAY-IV

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

Anyone, anywhere can be a follower of Jesus-Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Animist, Agnostic, Moslem, and even Christians can all be a followers of Jesus. Christians have said for years that a Jew doesn't have to renounce being Jewish in order to follow Jesus. Following Jesus makes a person's Jewishness more full and meaningful. I believe this translates into the many cultures of the world. Following Jesus brings out the fullness of any and all cultures. A Buddhist can be a follower of Jesus. A Moslem can be a follower of Jesus. It's just like a Catholic can be a follower of Jesus without renouncing his cultural background or a Mormon or Baptist or a Methodist. Anyone can be a follower of Jesus and still remain within his or her cultural background and this is quite Biblical as demonstrated yesterday.

NOTE that each of the passages listed yesterday has to do with the good news of Jesus and the Kingdom reaching to the ends of the world-to everyone everywhere.

To take this one step further, there is a spirit of anti-Christ taught in Scripture. "Anti" is not only "against Christ", but "instead of Christ", therefore anything that takes us away from JESUS PLUS NOTHING is not only an add-on, but in the spirit of anti-Christ. This is why Paul says, "I am afraid as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness that your minds might be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (II Cor. 11). I wonder if this is what is going on in our ministries.

I don't want to slam any church or Christian leader by what I'm saying, but I do want to be helpful in awakening leaders everywhere to the simplicity and purity of following Jesus. I have pastored a few churches over the years and know how easy it is to fall into the habit-patterns of keeping the "show" going-whether it is the Sunday morning service, the youth program, the children's ministry, and the obligatory prayer-letter back to supporters. Sometimes we get caught in the trap of pleasing our constituencies and are not free to see Jesus and His teachings as they are. We pray for a special releasing of the people of God everywhere to be free to see what Jesus said and did and JUST DO WHAT HE SAYS.

By the way, when Jesus spoke of being hated by the world as He was hated, He was referring to the religious leaders ("They will put you out of their synagogues.") and that's where I receive most of my attacks, from those brothers who ought to know better. Jesus and the kingdom are spread through a few who have been transformed by the power of Jesus.

PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION is what is normally called "conversion" and because of a misunderstanding of what this is, the modern missionary movement has attempted to "convert" the natives throughout the world. This is what I call "doing missionary work the hard way." No missionary, no matter how effective, has the power to produce genuine, spiritual transformation.

The great modern missionary, E. Stanley Jones, was confounded by this problem and was a quick-study on what Jesus would do in other cultures. He said: "In conversion you are not attached primarily to an order, nor to an institution, nor a movement, nor a set of beliefs, nor a code of action-you are attached primarily to a Person, and secondarily to these other things.

To pass from estrangement from God to be a son of God is the basic fact of conversion. That altered relationship with God gives you an altered relationship with yourself, with your brother man, with nature, with the universe."

Recently a blogger by the name of Bill stated this beautifully when he said, "The more I study Jesus' message the more I'm convinced that it is non-religious. In fact, until the modern mission movement that began in the late eighteenth century, Christianity mostly moved into culture rather than converting it. That is, Christian missions more often converted the heart but left much of the culture intact. For the past 200 years, we have been converting whole cultures to the Euro-American style of Christianity. What I'm beginning to understand is that the 'Good News' requires little change in culture-which often includes a religion. The gospel message is relational and spiritual, not religious."

And that relational, spiritual transformation can only happen through the power of Jesus, not Christianity.

Why has the church become a distribution center for religious aspirin? Most people only go to church at baptisms, marriages and funerals-only to be hatched, matched and dispatched.

Why is the church viewed as irrelevant and out of step with the culture? Why is the church so impotent and dying out in the USA at the rate of 70+ churches per week? Why is the church not expanding in our country?

The building and expansion of little local kingdoms called churches has replaced genuine transformation through the good news of Jesus and the Kingdom. Jesus mentioned the "church" only twice and spent His entire ministry teaching the principles of the Kingdom. Christianity, though well-intentioned, has placed the emphasis in the wrong place and is missing the power of personal transformation. The emphasis must be upon Jesus and the Kingdom and churches gather in the name of Jesus to teach and practice the Kingdom lifestyle.

So, it's not so important that a person becomes a Christian or Catholic or Baptist or Adventist or whatever. What's important is to be a follower of Jesus.

CHRISTIANITY ISN'T THE WAY-III

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

TODAY we are making our way through the 3rd segment of Christianity Isn't the Way; Jesus Is.

Jesus made it a habit of reaching out to people from all kinds of religious and cultural backgrounds. NOTE the following illustrations of how the approach of Jesus and his disciples was all-inclusive: John 4:12-Woman at the well was a Samaritan with very different beliefs regarding the center of worship. He left her with cultural beliefs in tact, except that He trumped the center of worship by saying that someday the center of worship will not be in a given location, but in your heart.

Acts 10:28-Peter's experience with the non-Jews. After Peter was supernaturally led to the house of Cornelius by a radical vision from God, he told them: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right."

Mark 7:26-The Syrophoenician woman. She was a gentile from a godless culture. Her faith was evident in her persistent conversation with Jesus about her daughter. Jesus honored her faith, however He didn't pull her into a new religious system or study class, nor did He have her renounce her cultural upbringing. Again, there was no renunciation of her false doctrines. Why not?

Luke 9:54-Rebuke of James & John. They suggested that Jesus call down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans who were not of the Jewish faith. Jesus rebuked them soundly.

Mark 6:45-7:23-Trip to Gennesaret. Do you notice how many times the Gospel writers refer to going to the other side of the Sea of Galilee? Whenever they were on the Jewish side, they crossed over to the other side. Why? Jesus performed the same works among the gentile world. He never urged them to change their religious culture, but let them remain right where they grew up. However, they were drawn to Him.

Matthew 15:30; Mark 7:24-8:9-Trips to Tyre, Sidon and Decapolis. All of these were non-Jewish areas where Jesus ministered.

Mark 7:31-38; Matthew 15:29-38-Feeding of the 4000. It's almost as if Jesus made a point doing the same miracles among the gentiles as He did with the Jews. This was a feeding within the world of the gentiles.

Matthew 8:5-The Roman Centurion. No doubt the Roman Centurion grew up with the Roman gods, yet Jesus does not speak to this at all. His concern was his faith. When Jesus declared the Roman official's faith as outstanding, even greater than He had seen among the house of Israel, Jesus didn't tell this man to make sure to repent and go renounce the many Roman deities or his faith would be for naught. Why not?

Matthew 8:10-11-Continuation of the Centurion story. Further in the scene in the healing of the Roman Centurion's servant, Jesus says: "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 24:14-Jesus' message regarding the nations of the world. Here Jesus says: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

Matthew 28:18-20-The great commission of Jesus. Jesus repeatedly gives the same command to His disciples before His departure: MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS.

John 10:16-Jesus mentions "other sheep" that are His. Who are these other sheep? Could it be that they are from the various cultures of the world?

Acts 17:26-27-Message of Paul in Athens. "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." God made the nations-all nations-were made by God in such a way so that all men might seek and find God.

Acts 17-When Paul spoke before the gentile audience in Athens, he didn't quote Scripture, didn't use Jesus' name at first, stroked them for their many idols of worship and proceeded to explain to them who this UNKNOWN GOD is that they commemorated. He didn't call for the renunciation of these "gods", yet many believed in Jesus that day. What's that all about? I don't know many with this kind of approach.

Acts 8:26-40-When the Ethiopian eunuch was approached by Philip, sent by God to do so for this Divine appointment, why doesn't Philip bring up the renunciation of his Ethiopian culture? They had already built many temples to some gods back then, so why not a call for renunciation of these gods and especially before baptizing this eunuch, which must have served to make him feel he was now OK with God and a follower of Jesus?

I Corinthians. 9:19-22-Cultural identification. "Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." NOTE the strategy here was not to export a given culture to another, but to identify with the culture in such a way to introduce Jesus to that culture.

Revelation 5:9-Every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Jesus came to reach all of these, not by exporting any given tribe, tongue, people or nation, but from within each of these faith in Jesus naturally emerges. Since the Creator-God is the source of all people, He has already marked and prepared all of these people groups to respond to Jesus.

You see, Jesus didn't come to destroy any culture or religious system, but to fulfill them. Jesus gives the fullest meaning to every culture. He relates to all who have ears to hear and eyes to see and receives them into His Kingdom. Jesus is above all cultures and religious backgrounds. Jesus trumps everything.