DECISIONS THAT DEFINE HOW YOU'RE SEEKING THE KINGDOM

This list came from a group of believers in California:

DECISIONS THAT DEFINE US

We've made and listed below some decisions that reflect the state of our hearts and the reality we're establishing in our community. We believe these decisions are prompted by the Holy Spirit, and we are so happy to see them applied in the Kingdom. As you read, we want to make sure you understand the context. These decisions are in no way a criticism of any church or denominational movement - they are an articulation of who we have chosen to be, and the path we've decided to follow.

Here are the Decisions that Define Us:

·       We have decided that teaching the Gospel without demonstrating the Gospel is not enough. Good preaching, good doctrine, and being good people is not enough.

·       We have decided that having a good church club is not enough, good fellowship is not enough, and just being a member of that club is not enough.

·       We have decided that having good Bible studies is good, but not good enough, that just making it to heaven is not our goal, and that knowing about God without truly knowing and experiencing God is meaningless.

·       We have decided that having good programs is not enough; that change without transformation is intolerable, and that staying the same is not an option.

·       We have decided that gifting without character is futile.

·       We have decided that singing songs without worshiping is shallow and having meetings without God showing up is pointless.

·       We have decided that having faith without works is not enough and having works without love is not acceptable - that our function comes out of our relationship first with the Father and second with each other.

·       We have decided that reading about the book of Acts without living the book of Acts is unthinkable.

·       We have decided that confident faith is good and bold faith is better.

·       We have decided that hearing about the Holy Spirit without experiencing Him is silly.

·      That believing in His presence without seeing it manifested in signs and wonders is hypocrisy, that believing in healing without seeing people healed is absurd, and that believing in deliverance without people being delivered is absolutely ridiculous.

·       We have decided to be Holy Spirit filled, Holy Spirit led, and Holy Spirit empowered - anything less doesn't work for us.

·       We have decided to be the ones telling the stories of God's power - not the ones hearing about them.

·       We have decided that living saved, but not supernatural is living below our privilege and short of what Christ died for.

·       We have decided that we are a battle ship not a cruise ship, an army, not an audience; special forces not spectators, missionaries not club members.

·       We have decided to value both pioneers and settlers - pioneers to expand our territory and settlers to build on those territories - but we are not squatters - people who take up space others have fought for without improving it.

·       We have decided to be infectious instead of innocuous, contagious instead of quarantined, deadly instead of benign.

·       We have decided to be radical lovers and outrageous givers.

·       We have decided that we are a mission station and not a museum:

Therefore:
    1. We honor the past - we don't live in it.
    2. We live in the present with our eyes on the future.
    3. We see past events - successes and failures - as stepping-stones not stop signs.
    4. We pursue learning in order to be transformed, not learning in order to know.
    5. We are people of engagement not observation.
    6. We focus on what could be, not on what is or has been.
    7. We are not limited to the four walls of this building. Our influence is not restricted by location -  not even the nations are out of bounds.
    8. We are more concerned about how many we send out into the world than how many we convince to come into the building. This building is meant to be filled and it will be - but it will not be the measure of who we are or the measure of our effectiveness.
    9. We raise up world changers - not tour guides. We train commandos, not committees.
    10. We are a people of our destiny, not of our history.

·       We have decided that it is better to fail while reaching for the impossible that God has planned for us than succeed settling for less.

·       We have decided that nothing short of His Kingdom come, His will be done in our world as it is in Heaven will satisfy.

·       We have decided that we will not be satisfied until our world freaks out and cries out "Those who have turned the world upside down have come here too." 

Henry & Rita Pulsifer

As God leads share this message with someone.

Feel free to make copies.

If you would like to know more about how to seek

The Kingdom please contact us:

Email: henry@basicministries.com
Phone:  (228) 255-9251

P.O. Box 633

Grapevine, TX 76099
USA

True Freedom

             If you live in a committed relationship with Jesus;  if you allow His words to sink deep into your soul, and change your heart and mind; then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. 

            Knowing the truth will set you free from your selfish desires, the influences of the world around you, and the schemes of your enemy the devil.   These things have no value, are a waste of time, and can destroy your life.  Being committed to living by God’s truth will enable you to serve Him and fulfill His eternal purpose for your life.  This is the only thing that has lasting value.

            True freedom is being set free from your sinful self to serve the living God.  Only if Jesus has set you free are you truly free. 

            Are you living in freedom today?   If not, write to us and we’ll show you how.

Scriptures:  John 8:31-32 & 36,  16:13, and Hebrews 9:14

Rita’s thoughts

As I took my walk this morning I saw a little gargoyle sitting under a tree.  He was just a statue, but he sat there as if he was deep in thought as he watched the neighborhood.  I was wondering……if we could grasp the Power that we have in Jesus and the authority that we have in His Name all the little gargoyles would be scattering behind bushes and trees shaking at our passing.  This is true freedom, the knowledge that we have all authority through Jesus Name over the works of the enemy.

The Voice of Jesus

The world has so many voices speaking to us today. Through books, newspapers, radio, television, the internet, telephones, iPhones, facebook, tweets, etc. We are being constantly bombarded with information.  If we don’t hear the voice of Jesus through the din, then the enemy will distract us from God’s purposes and His Eternal Kingdom. Our lives can become cluttered with useless activity, and fear of the unknown can rob us of the faith and joy God wants us to have. 

We must learn to base our lives not on the words of men, but on the Word of God.  According to John 1 Jesus is the Word come to earth in the flesh.  His is the only voice we should be listening to.  The voice of Jesus is the only thing that can save, heal, deliver and guide us in the right direction. Proverbs 4:20-27 says: 

      ²⁰ My son, give attention to my words; 
      Incline your ear to my sayings. 
       ²¹ Do not let them depart from your eyes; 
      Keep them in the midst of your heart; 
       ²² For they are life to those who find them, 
      And health to all their flesh. 
       ²³ Keep your heart with all diligence, 
      For out of it spring the issues of life. 
       ²⁴ Put away from you a deceitful mouth, 
      And put perverse lips far from you. 
       ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead, 
      And your eyelids look right before you. 
       ²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet, 
      And let all your ways be established. 
       ²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left; 
      Remove your foot from evil.  NKJV

How can we hear the voice of Jesus?  To hear His voice we must first seek His Kingdom.  This means our greatest desires must be that His will be done in our lives and the lives of those around us.  We must love Him more than any other person. Our goals and ambitions must be based on the things He has spoken to our hearts during our times of studying The Word and prayer.  We must see everything we posses as a gift from Him that He gave to us to be used for His purposes.  

We must know His Word, The Bible.  This means we must read The Bible all the way through.  If you read three (3) chapters a day you can read it through in a year.  If you read it with a heart that is fully surrendered you will hear His voice and He will show you how it applies to your life.  Often times He will speak His word to us through other people.  If your heart is not surrendered, you may not hear what He’s trying to say to you.

One thing that can hinder us from hearing God’s voice is disobedience.  When we are not obedient to His Spirit, He may stop speaking until we have done what He told us to do.  The more obedient we are the more He will speak and tell us the things we need to know.

If we don’t learn to hear the voice of Jesus, we will be led astray into the traps of the enemy.  The result will be wasted lives and broken homes.  We will look to men, political leaders, famous individuals, and our own resources to meet our needs.  These will fail and we will wonder what happened.  Jesus is our only hope.  We must listen only to His voice if we are to be successful on our journey through life.

SCRIPTURES:  Matthew 4:4, 6:33; Luke 14:26,27&33; Psalms 119:11&105; Jeremiah 7:28;        Isaiah 59:1-2

BUCKET LIST FOR THE KINGDOM

There is a lot of talk lately about a bucket list.  That is the things you would like to do before you die, or in the English vernacular, “kick the bucket.”

Our bucket list has only one thing on it.  That is, fulfill God’s eternal purpose for our lives.

Hope this is on your list because when it’s all been said and done it is the only thing that will matter.

Henry & Rita Pulsifer

YOUR HOME A LIGHTHOUSE FOR THE KINGDOM

Part of being the “preacher” in the neighborhood is that you know people are watching you.  It makes you keenly aware that the things you do affect their thinking about God and His Kingdom.

To be sure we’ve made mistakes over the years, but hopefully we’ve learned a few things also.  One of the things we’ve learned is that if people know you’re a follower of Jesus your home is a lighthouse for The Kingdom.  The question is, what kind of light is shining from it?

Some of the things we’ve found that can help your home shine for Jesus are:

1. Husbands and fathers pastoring their homes and leading the family members to find and fulfill their eternal destiny.

2. Fathers learning, living, and teaching the other family members God’s basic principles of personal life, family life, church life, evangelism and discipleship.

3. Fathers leading their families in daily fellowship time together sharing the word, praying for each other, and praying for other things God puts on their heart.

4. As they have opportunity family members sharing with people in the neighborhood about Jesus.

(Where there is no father, mothers can lead in doing these things)

It is our prayer that as you put these principles into practice your home will become a lighthouse for The Kingdom.  God put you where you are for this purpose.

Doing Great Things for God

To do great things for God takes great faith.¹

To have great faith our hearts must be totally surrendered to God.²

To be totally surrendered to God we must love Him more than any person, or anything we possess.  

His perfect will must be our life’s ambition.³

 Scripture References:

¹   Matthew 8:26 & 14:31

²  Acts 6:8

³  Luke 14:26,27 & 33