Back to Basics

Greetings to everyone. I felt like I had to bring some things back to focus for a minute. It seems like today everyone is or has lost sight of the binding principles of that keeps us in constant flow with God. So, let's take it back to the basics.

First of all, let me give you a quote from a Christian rapper by the name of Flame. " Be more concerned with being somebody in Christ versus doing something for Christ. " This is a very powerful quote that needs to be addressed. A lot of times, it's so easy to get wrapped up in doing ministry for Christ. DON'T GET IT TWISTED. IT'S GREAT TO BE INVOLVED IN MINISTRY AND USE YOUR TIME TO BRING PEOPLE TO CHRIST. However, it shouldn't be number one over giving God worship. Spending time with God should be our primary focus. Now, you know I have to dive deeper into this. Let's dissect the difference between the two.

Being somebody in Christ.
Who are you? This is in terms of your relationship with Christ. You must have a continual relationship with Christ for the Father to know you. It has been said many times in the Bible that people will proclaim salvation. Many will do many things in the name of Christ, but does that mean that God knows you? NO, NOT REALLY. That doesn't mean that you know Christ either. This ties in directly with the biblical warning of false preachers. This issue was a problem in the days of Christ and it's still a problem now. Some people do many things in the name of Christ, only to find out later that some of them AREN'T EVEN SAVED. Some of them got caught up in the fame of doing ministry that they haven't spent any time with God, and others have gotten what I call 'Christian Inferiority Complex'. This is where Christians get so much praise for ministry that they think it was them, instead of thanking God for even letting them be alive to be a part of that certain ministry. You must have a relationship (continual) with Christ. If you don't, be prepared to hear those words: "Depart from me, worker of sin. I never knew you."

Doing something for Christ
Ministry is necessary for the body to grow and teach about Christ. However, it shouldn't be the only thing we do. A lot of you have ambition to do something for Christ. There is nothing wrong with that, at all, but there are some questions that must be addressed to God before you even get involved in ministry. Here are just a few: Do you want me to a part of this ministry? What is my gift? How do you want me to work this gift? Is this what you want me to do for this season? Am I even called to do this? These are just some questions to bring to God before you can even start ministry. Some people get caught up in doing things that they weren't even called by God to do, which puts even more strain on the relationship. All this could have been avoided by spending time with God, which brings us to the finale.

The Basics
1. Reading God's word
2. Prayer

Reading God's word is MANDATORY. The bible says that man can't live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of God's mouth. The word of God is the blueprint for how we live on Earth. How can you know how to deal with certain spirits if you don't read the word? How can you know how to please God if you don't dive in the scriptures? How can you have strength to live life day by day if you don't read? Do you understand what I'm getting at? I hope you get the point.

Prayer is also MANDATORY and it's a COMMAND. Prayer is how Christians communicate with God. Do you know how awesome that is for man to have casual talk with the Creator? That is truly incredible in itself. We were given the privilege to communicate with God about our concerns, our pains, our issues and even just to tell Him how much you love Him. Why wouldn't you want to talk to God?

In the end, you must understand this. You can never outgrow the basics, please don't be silly. Never think that you have grown past the basics. You are setting yourself up for failure if you do. The basics is what drew us closer to God, why would we stop working those things that have established the relationship with yourself and the Father? Remember there is nothing wrong with ministry, but spending time with God is more important. During that quality time, you grow closer to Him and He gets to hear what we don't say often. You love Him. Take it back to the basics.