“I am among you as one who serves.”  (Luke 22:24-27)     Jesus came as one who serves. It’s important for you to think about what this implies: one who serves is one who puts the needs of others (even those you disagree with) above your own. One who serves is one who does not receive recognition or even thanks at times. One who serves is the one who is willing to do the menial work of cleaning off the table and providing for the master. Only the one who serves will have the kingdom authority to influence the world around him/her, and this is the main reason why the…

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13)     I want my children to understand the difference between having money and serving money. To serve money is to make it your master, which means that every decision will be dictated either by what it will cost or what there is to gain. To serve money is to make it your idol, to give it your heart and to see riches as the answer to every problem. A disciple must always…

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple … In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (Luke 14:25-27,33)     This generation has failed to obey the great commandment to “go and make disciples of all nations.” It has substituted the idea of going and making converts for the command to go and make…

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread …  I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:5,…

For the past few months I’ve been hearing some things that I believe to be from God in my personal prayer journal … but I’ve pretty much kept them to myself. I suppose you might call them “warning notes” from the Father, but they would definitely (for some) be called controversial notes from the Father. I’ve been dragging my feet for weeks, but I strongly feel that God wants me to put together these warnings into one post. It is my hope that these notes will have the same effect upon you that they’ve had upon me … to fervently pray for repentance in the Body of Christ.     April…

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. (Luke 9:23-24)     The way to transformation is never trying to “save” or improve your life, it is losing your life for me. Understand that this is different than mere asceticism, for a person can lose their life for many reasons: to gain power or success also requires a kind of denying of self, but when you are determined to lose your life out of love for…

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:27-31)     This is the only way to change the hearts of those who are (whether they realize it or not) enemies of the gospel. Repaying curse…

“Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? Jesus answered them, it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:29-32)     The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were not offended when Jesus taught sinners, but they were deeply troubled when he ate and drank with them. It’s important to…

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance … What should we do then? the crowd asked. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same. Even tax collectors came to be baptized. Teacher, they asked, “what should we do? Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, and what should we do? He replied, don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” (Luke 3:8,10-14)     Many of my children do not repent because they do not understand what the fruit of repentance really is: when someone…

“Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:35-37)   My command to watch for my coming is not given to make my children afraid, but to make them alert. The greatest danger that comes against my church is not spectacular evil, but a spiritual lethargy where people stop looking to see what I am doing in the world around you. You are not watching for my…