WEDNESDAY'S WORD - EQUIP - Sadell Bradley- 3/31/2021

WEDNESDAY'S WORD EQUIP 3/31/2021 "We must open the doors of opportunity, but we must also equip our people to walk through those doors." - Lyndon B. Johnson GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE 7:00 PM FB LIVE The Warehouse OTR YouTube @warehouseOTR EQUIP means to supply with the necessary items for a particular purpose, or to prepare someone mentally for a particular situation or task. Equipping is the responsibility of every parent, teacher, coach, boss, and pastor. According to Ephesians 4:11-13 "Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ." As parents, we offer our children exposure, education, and a loving Christ-centered atmosphere that breeds success. Coaches take their recruits through a disciplined, often arduous regimen to win. Supervisors send employees to training and offer them wisdom and guidance for their mutual benefit. As ministry leaders, it is our duty to ensure those under our charge who demonstrate faithful commitment, are not only given opportunities but are equipped for them. Who can say that you discipled or equipped them? And... WHO IS EQUIPPING YOU? The Apostle Paul had a protege, a mentee, whose name was Timothy. He prayed for him. He gave him advice. He affirmed his calling and warned him about problems he might face as the world grew darker. Paul gave Timothy assignments to mature His leadership. He encouraged him not to be afraid. Paul exhorted his pupil to fan the flame of his passion for Christ, to stir up God's gifts within him, and to hold on to the faith instilled within him by his mother and grandmother. (2 Tim. 1:3-7) They shared a close and transparent relationship. His mentor shared both the joys and difficulties of ministerial leadership. Paul also emphasized the importance of the Word of God for the equipping of his apprentice, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17) These days there is much talk about the need for financial literacy in our society— in the Church, Biblical literacy is the key component that equips us for ministerial service. Now may the God of peace...equip you with every good thing to do His will. (Heb. 13:20) WEDNESDAY 7:00 PM FB LIVE The Warehouse OTR YouTube @warehouseOTR

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SEATED - Sadell Bradley- 3/24/2021

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD SEATED 3/24/2021 "Be sincere; be brief; be seated. " - Franklin D. Roosevelt As a pastor, I couldn't help but chuckle at President Roosevelt's public speaking advice. It applies to folks we ask to sing songs in services or make remarks at funerals, lol! Be brief; be sincere; be seated, is good counsel for communication. To be SEATED means to sit down. Colloquially, you could be asked to, 'set yourself down' in the South if people have had enough of what you are doing or saying. Figuratively, SEATED means to position yourself or to be positioned by another. Have you ever been disgruntled at a restaurant because they seated your party by the bathroom? Where you are seated can be a matter of honor or dishonor, even in church. Jesus warned his disciples to watch out for the Scribes, "They love to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets." (Matt. 23:6) Jesus instructed His followers, "when you are invited to a banquet, take the lowest place so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests." (Luke 14:10) Are you attempting to be seated in a place to which you weren't called? Do you crave that place so much that you would try to displace someone more deserving? Be seated. WHERE ARE YOU GONNA SIT? As a child, I would go to the movies or an event with a friend and ask, "Where are you gonna sit?" I asked because I wanted to ensure we would be seated together. Then I would gleefully plop myself down next to them and enjoy. In Ephesians 2:3-7, Paul states that before God forgave us we were, "gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." God wanted us to be seated and enjoy life with our Friend and Elder Brother, Jesus. So He made a place for us with Him! This photo reminds me: my seat's location and vantage point are Heavenly, and my disposition is to rest and trust in God. Earthly seats are so stressful. Where are you gonna sit? TONIGHT! 7:00 PM FB LIVE The Warehouse OTR YouTube @warehouseOTR

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - HIDDENNESS - Sadell Bradley 3/17/2021

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD HIDDENNESS 3/17/2021 "The singleness of eye and heart corresponds to that 'hiddenness' which knows nothing but the call and word of Christ, and which consists in perfect fellowship with Him. " - Deitrich Bonhoeffer

HIDDENNESS means something is put or kept out of sight; concealed from the view or notice of others; prevented from being seen, or kept secret or unknown. You don't see the descriptive word hiddenness often, but theologian Deitrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic book, "The Cost of Discipleship" uses this word to characterize the life and preferred disposition of a Christian. He discusses the seemingly paradoxical reality that though our lives as disciples and our good works shine as a light in the culture; we should also have an inconspicuous quality - not desirous of attracting attention or praise to ourselves. How we crave attention! but Bonhoeffer instructs us that, "the Christian life is of its very nature extraordinary, it is at the same time ordinary, natural, and hidden. He uses Jesus' Sermon on the Mount to illustrate this virtue of hiddenness in an over-exposed culture.

MOTIVES MATTER. In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus warns His disciples against the motive to be seen and applauded as they do good works, pray, and fast.“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." This hiddenness, as we partner in our Father's business, is a trait that goes counter the world's system. Nowadays, social media is where we take pride in announcing all that we do, think, accomplish, pray for, and give. Have we come to believe that if all of the aspects of our lives are not on social media, they do not really exist? Jesus admonished His followers, when you pray and fast, do not do it for the attention of men, but seek God privately; and your Heavenly Father, who knows what you need before you ask, and sees what you do in secret, will reward you openly. (6-8, 16-18)

TONIGHT! 7:00 PM FB LIVE The Warehouse OTR YouTube @warehouseOTR

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SIMULATE - Sadell Bradley - 3/10/2021

WEDNESDAY'S WORD SIMULATE 3/10/2021 "There is no disguise which can hide love for long where it exists, or simulate it where it does not."  - Francois de La Rochefoucauld We have many new things in our home — yet we still have these old alarm clocks. It makes absolutely no sense, but it's true. The other day, as I awakened, I turned my head and was shocked to see a "SIMULATED WOOD" sticker on the side of one of the clocks. How had I missed that all of these years? I chuckled, "Duh!" Were we that naive in the '90s? Did they think they'd fooled us into thinking this ugly plastic was real wood? SIMULATE means to imitate the appearance or character of; to pretend to have or feel an emotion; to produce a model of, copy, or represent. Astronaut Sally Ride said, "Even though NASA tries to simulate launch, and we practice in simulators, it's not the same—not even close to the same." Simulation, whether in love, clocks, or shuttle launches, is not the same as the real thing. Why are we so enamored with imitations and fakery? Why do we want phony relationships? What is attractive about "virtual reality?" Why hold on to simulated wooden clocks? I WANT THE REAL. In Mark 13:21-23, (The Message), Jesus reminded his disciples that He was the genuine article. He warned them about the leadership landscape in the time to come. It feels eerily similar to what we are seeing today, “If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and bewitching performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. So watch out. I’ve given you fair warning." Maybe we're so used to simulations that we've forgotten who the real anointed Savior of mankind is. It's not a celebrity. It's not a politician. It's not a wealthy mogul, a sports figure, or even a televangelist. It's that carpenter's son Jesus from the town of Nazareth, whose own neighbors didn't believe in Him. (Mark 6:5) Maybe our penchant for raising up and worshipping simulated Messiahs is causing us to miss out on the real...to our hurt, but we will find... It's not the same—not even close to the same. TONIGHT! 7:00 PM FB LIVE The Warehouse OTR YouTube @warehouseOTR

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - ETHNOCENTRIC - Sadell Bradley - 3/2/2021

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD ETHNOCENTRIC 3/2/2021 "People don't contest that I'm British as a black man, but they do contest that I'm English. Too many people are going back to an ethnocentric idea of what English means." -David Lammy Politician TONIGHT! 7:00 PM FB LIVE The Warehouse OTR YouTube @warehouseOTR I was in a discussion about the ways in which Jesus has been ethnically depicted across the world over the centuries. In movies, on TV, and in paintings, folks have chosen to make Jesus in their own image. One colleague stated that the well-known picture of a Caucasian Jesus that used to be found in the homes and on the church fans of African-American families across the US was created by someone from their denomination. European Jesus. Latino Jesus. Chinese Jesus, etc. In America, we see what I call Brad Pitt Jesus, a good-looking actor-type with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Somehow in the movies Jesus always has a British accent. ETHNOCENTRIC means evaluating other peoples cultures according to the standards of one's own culture; characterized by or based on the attitude that one's own group is superior. An argument was put forth that the Godhead made us all in their own image and likeness (Gen. 1:26), so everyone ought to have the right to illustrate Jesus in their own ethnicity. My first impulse was, NO! so I asked the question, "Why can't we all just be ok with the fact that Jesus was a Middle Eastern Jewish man?" Then we can use anthropology, biblical accounts, and technology to depict him as a Jewish man from the Middle East, including probable olive or darker skin. He wasn't Brad Pitt-like. Isaiah told us, "...He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him." (Isa. 53:2b) LOOKOUT! YOUR ETHNOCENTRICITY IS SHOWING. When Jesus was born, the wise men asked king Herod, "Where is He that is born king of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2). Herod was so threatened by this little Jewish baby, that he had all of the children in his kingdom under two years old killed. (Matt. 2:16) Jesus was circumcised, and sat among the teachers in the Temple courts. (Luke 2:27;41) He told the Canaanite woman, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." (Matt. 15:24) Even when Jesus was on trial before His crucifixion, Pontius Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” (Matt 27:11) In God's sovereignty, He made a great nation from Abram. Israel was not previously an ethnicity nor a religion. God chose them to be His own, and He sent His only begotten Son through that Jewish lineage. What are we saying about how we view God's choice when we cloud Jesus' identity with our ethnocentricity? Could it possibly be a matter of prejudice to not affirm that Jesus, in His humanity, was Jewish?