Magnification

CONSIDER
In science class we were introduced to a microscope, which is also used to magnify. During lab time a few glass slides were offered for investigation. With amazement we examined cells, hair, tadpoles, and a myriad of other items. The classroom filled with exclamations of “Wow!” “Cool!” “You gotta come see this!” “I never knew that was there!” The inquisitive would examine one item after another with astonishment and awe.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31 NKJV).

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Ps. 34:3 NKJV).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
When we follow the exhortation given in Psalm 34:3 to “magnify the Lord,” we function as a magnifying glass so the watching world can look through the lens of our lives to view the splendor, brightness, magnificence, excellence, majesty (glory) of God. We are to be a tool to allow others to

• perceive God as bigger than ever
• see God better
• make God easier to see
• see God in more detail
• make God appear closer
• view God like never before

Then those around us will exclaim “Wow!” “Cool!” “You gotta come see this!” “I never knew God was like that!” The inquisitive will investigate one life situation after another through the lens of our lives.

PRAYER
Lord, let me hear of Your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting You. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. . . . (Ps. 143:8, 10)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

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The God Place - A Maltese Perspective

The following blog post is shared with permission from Alton Costa whom we met in Malta earlier this year.

“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.” Jesus in Luke 14:26

How can Jesus speak about hate when He is portrayed and acknowledged by many as love. Can love and hate co-exist? Doesn’t love mean to accept anybody and anything, for the sake of peace and serenity?

Many would say, “This is so confusing.” You have two choices right now in front of you. 1. You can either give up thinking about it and continue your life or 2. Read this and sincerely reflect about the contrast Jesus is challenging you with today, in the situation you are currently facing.

God being the creator of all, created a special and sacred place within us all – The God place. This is that place in which ones finds true purpose and fulfilment. This place cannot remain empty and being made by God, it should rightfully be occupied by HIM. Since this sacred place cannot remain empty, failure to accept our dependency on Jesus (The creator and owner of this place), we will fill it with a God substitute.

This kind of substitute comes in various forms and shapes. It can be your career, your family, you husband or wife, your children, love for money, love for power, hobby, love for self pleasure etc….In other words all those things that take the place of God. What I am calling God substitutes will certainly bring contentment, fulfilment and a great dose of pleasure but you will soon discover if not yet discovered that all this will be temporary. It is fit to tell that when speaking about an eternal God, even a lifetime is temporary.

These God’s substitutes will at one point fail you. if not during your life time, they will certainly do at the point of death, because they will have no longer effect over you as they will be gone once and for all and then you have to face the true owner of that sacred place.

Using substitutes instead of the original explains, these million and 1 religions and ideologies, depressions, divorces, suicides and may other ill facts.

That is why Jesus is using such a sharp contrast in  Luke 14:26. because in order for you to discover your true life purpose and everlasting fulfilment, He must be the only one filling that special and exclusive place in your heart, even to the point of having to go against what today you feel are the most valuable things in your life. If those things or persons are holding you back from allowing Jesus to take His place within you, then you have to hate them, that is eradicate them from your life and deny them the faculty to interfere with your relationship with the only One who can give you eternal life. All this cannot be understood unless you truly value your life and value its creator. You were not created it for a 100 years but to live for eternity. Now you know, act on it and do not leave it until tomorrow, because tomorrow might never come.

For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his life? (Jesus in Mark 8:36)

Reflection triggered by a life changing book by the name of "Desperate Dependency" by J.Kirk and  Melanie D. Lewis

Alton Costa desires to use Desperate Dependency as a foundation course for new believers in Malta. Desperately Dependent Community will provide these books free of charge to Malta with your help. Click HERE to contribute to the gofundme campaign that will pay for shipping costs. 

“Can You please explain what we’re supposed to be doing?”

CONSIDER
Are you confused at this point? Perhaps you have been inundated with all the lists that you need to check off in order to be a good Christian. You want to do right, but you don’t know how. If we allow God to be in control of our lives, what is our job?

BIBLE TRUTH
In Mark 12 the Sadducees and Pharisees were debating about all the rules, regulations, and requirements of the law. There were 613 commands in the Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy). One of the teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (12:28). Restated, “Can You please explain what we’re supposed to be doing?”

Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God, he is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God. Love him with all you heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ These two commands are the most important commands.” (Mark 12:29–31 ICB)

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Bottom line? It is our job to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Sorry, but I can’t give you a checklist on that one, any more than I can give you a checklist that verifies that you are doing a good job as a husband or a wife. Sure, we may have expectations for our relationship with our spouse like, “Tell me you love me at least once a day”; “Take out the trash”; “Have dinner on the table at 6:00”; “Bring home a paycheck that will pay the bills”; and so forth. But if your spouse could place a checkmark by each of those tasks, does that guarantee a close relationship?

PRAYER
Jesus, please keep reminding me to listen. I believe You are the Lord my God, You are the only Lord. Lord, I want to love You. I want to love You with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength. Help me. Please help me to also love my neighbor as I love myself. . . . (Mark 12:29–31)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

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Join DDCommunity

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Desperately Dependent Community is uniquely qualified to succeed due to the following reasons:

·  Ministry families are suffering in isolation while surrounded by the demands of needy souls. We offer relevant relationships to promote hope and healing.

·  Teaching, tending, and training are provided through a variety of means.

·  The management team has demonstrated decades of effective, sustained ministry.

·  Our ministry team has personally experienced the life changing results of an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ that produces spiritual maturity.

Desperately Dependent Community resources are offered locally and globally. Our compassionate caregivers are available to minister services where needed or even connect via modern technology (i.e. Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangout, etc.). With our primary location in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area, we may easily service our close neighbors in Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. While serving an interdenominational community, our primary focus is on the Southern Baptist Convention.

Considering that most churches have at least one pastor, and add to the statistics other staff members and their families, the prospective need base of Christian ministers, their families, and workers in our neighborhood alone is staggering.

How can you get involved with Desperately Dependent Community?

1.     Make a commitment to find Christ relevant to every area of your life.

2.     Accept that spiritual maturity is a lifelong process.

3.     Recognize that everyone, including Christian leaders, must commit to the lifelong process of spiritual maturity.

 

4.     Appropriate the principles of Desperate Dependency: Finding Christ Relevant to Every Area of Life.

5.     Teach others to find Christ relevant to every area of their lives. 

6.     Share the ministry of DDCommunity with your pastor and others who desire to find Christ relevant to every area of life thereby promoting effective, sustained ministries.

7.     Let us know how you would like to be a part of DDCommunity.

8.     Contribute your time, talents, and/or treasures as God directs you to further the ministry of DDCommunity.

9.     Pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen us with power through His Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. And pray that we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that we all may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:16–19 NIV).

If you would like to receive our blog posts via email, simply submit your email address in the box on the left. They will make you verify your request by jumping through a few hoops, but that is for your safety!

We would love for you to POST A COMMENT about the insights you have received on your journey toward desperate dependency.

Motivating Spiritual Maturity

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What makes Desperately Dependent Community distinctive? Specifically, DDCommunity offers these advantages:

·  Solutions: Not just symptomatic relief, Desperately Dependent Community communicates Christ as the sufficient solution for every need. With practical application we present Christ as relevant to every area of life.

·  Point of need: Desperately Dependent Community endeavors to come to the point of the need. Our community of compassionate caregivers is available to meet at a coffee shop, in an office, at your church, in a retreat setting, at a seminar, or even on a mission field.

·  All ages: Unfortunately the pressures and conflicts of Christian service impact individuals at all ages and stages of life. From the insecurities of the youngest child, to the loneliness of the pastor’s wife, to the fears of the ageing minister, and all points in between, Desperately Dependent Community desires to administer the healing balm of a relevant relationship with Jesus Christ.

·  Discipleship: Discipleship is essential for all. The Great Commission is not to just make disciples of new converts, but for all followers of Christ to grow “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Eph. 4:13–15 NIV). Our ministry motivates spiritual maturity.

·  Mentorship: The multifaceted continuum of ministry toward maturity supplies relevant mentorship. This is not a time limited process but may include life-long involvement.

Desperately Dependent Community exists to challenge Christian ministers and workers to find Christ relevant to every area of life thereby promoting effective, sustained ministries. While cultivating a community of compassionate caregivers who desire to serve the body of Christ, our ministry motivates spiritual maturity.

If you would like to receive our blog posts via email, simply submit your email address in the box on the left. They will make you verify your request by jumping through a few hoops, but that is for your safety!

We would love for you to POST A COMMENT about the insights you have received on your journey toward desperate dependency.

Relief for Ministry Workers

There are plans for ancillary services of Desperately Dependent Community (in the development stages) that are designed to reinforce the ministry efforts.

The Ministry Library serves the multifaceted purposes of teaching, support, training, and fundraising. Many ministry leaders spend a lifetime gathering resources. With topics spanning sermon preparation, leadership skills, theology, counseling, quotations, illustrations, applications, dissertations, evaluations, explanations, elaborations, language studies, Christian history, biographies, apologetics, current culture, fiction, and more these resources offer an extensive education and support. Personal notes contained within donated books present a legacy of the generations. By offering donated libraries for lending, sale, and trade, we provide valuable tools and resources to make the wisdom of the past and present available for the future thus furthering our ministry of promoting effective and sustained ministries. We are currently accepting donations of new and used Christian books, which may be incorporated into The Ministry Library or sold to support ministry operating expenses.

Design Verses serve as reminders of God’s design for life. These graphically designed Scripture verses are used to personalize God’s Word and make it relevant to every area of life. For personal and professional use, these relevant Bible passages can be applied for Scripture education, encouragement, enrichment, memorization, art therapy, conversation starters, card making, creative crafting, décor, gifts, class activities, church bulletins, and so much more. As a part of Desperately Dependent Community services, Design Verses are supportive for individuals and toward the financial income of the ministry.

Crafting classes promote unity within the Community as well as encourage attendees to find Christ relevant to every area of life. Applications of Scripture verses serve as a reminder of specific truth that can affect life changes. Completed projects continue to offer visual remembrances of transformation. We are currently accepting donations of art and craft supplies to be used for crafting classes or sold to raise funds for the ministry. 

Doesn’t it all sound exciting?? We would love to hear what you think!

If you happened to miss the introduction to Desperately Dependent Community you can read more on the "About Us" page or scroll back through last week's blog posts.

If you would like to receive our blog posts via email, simply submit your email address in the box on the left. They will make you verify your request by jumping through a few hoops, but that is for your safety!
 
We would love for you to POST A COMMENT about the insights you have received on your journey toward desperate dependency.

Desperately Dependent Community

“Okay, Kirk and Melanie, hold on a minute. I think I’m missing something. What is it you are talking about???”

Here’s a recap:

Desperately Dependent Community exists to challenge Christian ministers and workers to find Christ relevant to every area of life thereby promoting effective, sustained ministries. While cultivating a community of compassionate caregivers who desire to serve the body of Christ, our ministry motivates spiritual maturity.

Let’s take it apart word by word. Maybe these definitions will help you understand the nuances of the DDC mission statement.

challenge: a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities; an objection or query as to the truth of something, often with an implicit demand for proof: a challenge to the legality of the order; a sentry’s call for a password or other proof of identity; make a rival claim to or threaten someone’s hold on (a position): they were challenging his leadership. invite (someone) to do something that one thinks will be difficult or impossible; dare : I challenged them to make up their own minds.

Christian minister: a person whose job involves leading the functions of a church, performing religious ceremonies (such as marriages), and providing spiritual or religious guidance to other people: a member of the clergy; one officiating or assisting the officiant in church worship

Christian worker: those who put forth an anointed effort to serve Christ

relevant: having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand; affording evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion

promoting: further the progress of (something, esp. a cause, venture, or aim); support or actively encourage

effective: successful in producing a desired or intended result

sustained: cause to continue or be prolonged for an extended period or without interruption

ministry: the spiritual work or service of any Christian or a group of Christians

cultivate: try to acquire or develop (a quality, sentiment, or skill)

community: a group of people living together in one place; all the people living in a particular area or place; the people of a district or country considered collectively, esp. in the context of social values and responsibilities; a group of people having a religion, race, profession, or other particular characteristic in common; a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals

compassionate: feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others

caregiver: a person who provides direct care

desire: a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen

serve: perform duties or services for (another person or an organization)

ministry: the spiritual work or service of any Christian or a group of Christians

motivates: stimulate someone’s interest in or enthusiasm for doing something

spiritual: relating to God

maturity: the quality or state of being mature; especially: full development

Now that we have taken it all apart, word by word, let's put it back together. 

The Mission Statement of Desperately Dependent Community:

Desperately Dependent Community exists to challenge Christian ministers and workers to find Christ relevant to every area of life thereby promoting effective, sustained ministries. While cultivating a community of compassionate caregivers who desire to serve the body of Christ, our ministry motivates spiritual maturity.

Yep, it’s a tall order! Stay tuned for more information!

If you would like to receive our blog posts via email, simply submit your email address in the box on the left. They will make you verify your request by jumping through a few hoops, but that is for your safety!
 
We would love for you to POST A COMMENT about the insights you have received on your journey toward desperate dependency.