Christian Maturity

The Rising Tide of Resurrection Life

Posted on September 3, 2012 by mcalmond

Revelation 20:4 (ESV) Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

We’re speaking of an ever-increasing pressure to live in a very compromised manner within this world. As believers, we also find ourselves under this ever-increasing pressure from within and without the so-called Church. The pressure to compromise will increasingly show itself forth with consequences to match, for those who refuse to submit to the power of compromise and tolerance. However, where sin abounds, God’s grace much more abounds.

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Categories: Accountability, Awakening, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Christian Maturity, Dying to Self Will, New Beginnings, Persecution, Political Correctness, Prophetic Revelation, Resurrection Life, Separatism, Steadfastness, Visions, Word of God | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Dismantling

Posted on July 22, 2012 by mcalmond

Note: This is a personal post written by my daughter Dana Summers ***

I wanted to share with you that the Lord has been doing in my life over the last year and half.  This has been a trying year for us, as a couple, a family and for me personally.  The Lord began this year by revealing to me, by His mercy, what he was doing.  In January 2011, as I was sitting in a Bible study, I heard one word to start off my new year: “dismantling”.  “What?  I knew that this word was for me, however I hoped it was for someone else.  What does dismantling mean exactly?    The dictionary defines Dismantle as  1. to deprive or strip of apparatus, furniture, equipment, defenses, etc.: 2. to disassemble or pull down; take apart: 3. to divest of dress, covering.  He then gave me the rest:  Embrace the dismantling, Deal with fear of exposure, Remove walls of protection, Begin to see weakness as strength, Be thankful for the past, repent of regret & disappointment, Let go of expectations, Receive new directions, Receive new wisdom and  Restoration.

Apparently I had been holding on to some things and the Lord thought it was time to deal with them.  His timing is perfect, I had to remind myself of that over and over.  I am not going to lie, this has been a really difficult year/season for me.  The Lord didn’t have to let me in on what He was doing.  I am thankful that He did, but still do not have total understanding.  I have learned not to try to interpret what God is doing but to trust him in the unfolding, because it never looks like what I expected.

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Categories: Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Accountability, Anointing, Being a PK, Being Built Up, Belief System, Breaking Forth, Changes, Character, Christian Maturity, Core Values, Covering, Dependency, Divine Encounters, Encouragement, Family, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, Hearing The Lord, Honesty, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Misplaced Dependency, New Beginnings, Prayer, Presumptions, Timing, Transcendence, Victory, Work of God | 2 Comments

What is The Heart Of Ministry?

Posted on June 20, 2012 by mcalmond

Below is an email that I received and my response to it. I am posting it to see what others might think of this discussion and have some input. So have a shot and we will see where this takes us.

Blessings in Christ Jesus!

Email:

For me to minister, I need a heart to minister, but people are not that enjoyable to minister too.  How do I develop compassion and love for people?

I find people who are going through trials, I find it hard to minister to them, cause I really don’t want to help them, even though the right thing to do is still to minister to them.

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Categories: A Simple Reminder, Absolute Dependency, Authenticity, Awakening, Being Built Up, Benefits, Christian Maturity, Confidence, Dependency, Empowerment, Genuineness, God's Love, Hope, Seeking The Lord Jesus | Leave a comment

Middle Class, Where Art Thou?

Posted on May 26, 2012 by mcalmond

It is not the responsibility of Leadership to increase the size of the church. It is not the responsibility of Leadership to grow up and mature the church. It is not responsibility of leadership to do all of the work of the ministry for the church. The mandate of Leadership is to assist, help, pray for, cover (protect) encourage, guide, train, equip, and facilitate. It is the responsibility of the Church to reproduce, to mature, and to do the work of the ministry, in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and through the living and alive Word of God, Worship and Prayer.

However, the church of America is not growing, Christians are not, generally maturing, and the work of the ministry is being done by the oh so very few and watched by the many. This is why the few are so lifted up and exalted. We, as the Church are all called as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession (1 Pet 2:9). This nation of the USA is our nation and our calling as a Church to reach and influence, for the Kingdom of Almighty God and our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. In the previous post, “What In The World Are We Doing?”, I wrote of my deepening concern regarding the Church and a few of the general issues I see as severely detrimental to its growth, maturity and healthy development, on a personal level. These issues seem to stem from some basic assumptions being made by those in primary leadership and influence that has caused much of the church’s focus and ministry to become directed toward the lowest common denominator, thus creating a ministry of co-dependency, immaturity and laziness.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Accountability, Anointing, Breaking Forth, Christian Maturity, Church Forms, Discipleship, Misplaced Dependency, Priorities, Steadfastness, Training, Word, Work of God | 4 Comments

Holding Fast To The Truth

Posted on April 28, 2012 by mcalmond

Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ESV

In the face of all that is going on around us in the world, let us remain strong in our hope, in our confident expectation regarding the Lord Jesus Christ and His faithfulness, His promises, His Word of Life.

Let us not become those who shrink back, or draw back into fearful compromise, acquiescing to those who would threaten, be offended by the truth, or would attack the message and thus the messengers of the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not surrender our genuine saving faith and its message for the sake of cultural acceptance or relativity, self-preservation, or even of a worldly appeasement, or worldly acceptance and approval.

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Categories: Authenticity, Calling, Christian Maturity, Church, Communion, Confidence, Encouragement, Following Through, Genuineness, Hope, Persecution, Perseverance, Readiness, Sacrifice, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Suffering, Surrender, Tenaciousness, True Love, Victory, Word of God | Leave a comment

What In The World Are We Doing?

Posted on April 19, 2012 by mcalmond

Proverbs 25:2 (ESV) It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.

There is a very real need to inquire that seems essential for each one of us. Need simply refers to that which is essential for life. We are strongly encouraged in scripture to seek that we might find, to search out that which is hidden with the assurance that as we seek and search we will find, in Christ Jesus. We are commanded to seek first the kingdom of God that all we seek after in and of God’s Kingdom may then be added to us. The problem is that there are far too many who want to do it all for us, simply because they see us as just too ignorant or lazy to do it for ourselves. Then having created this dependency, us on them, they turn around and criticize us for not doing or learning to do for ourselves.

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Categories: Authenticity, Belief System, Bible Translations, Body of Christ, Calling, Changes, Christian Maturity, Church, Core Values, Death, Elitism, Fear of God, Holy Ghost Burdens, Misplaced Dependency, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Suffering, Theology, Wrestling | 3 Comments

Thoughts About Age and Changes

Posted on April 14, 2012 by mcalmond

Change comes hard for most of us and as we get older, change seems to become even more difficult. It may simply be because of our age or it is simply because when you have spent a life time moving through one change after another, change just gets harder, more difficult and seems to require more of you than ever before. The motivation, energy and drive required for these changes seems to wane and not be as sufficient as it once was, to see you through these seemingly essential changes.

The truth is however, that true change is hard, risky and is always stressful whatever its ultimate fruit and our age at the time.

As a pastor or one who has spent the majority of his life in the ministry in one form or another, I find myself in such a season of life. The real question arises for me, regarding my need for change, is simply, is it worth the effort, difficulty, stress, etc? I have experienced a lot of changes in my life, from one move after another, from one church or ministry organization after another, from one home to another, one state to another, from one ministry crisis to another and even from one job after another. So, yes, the question arises, is this change worth all of the effort, stress and hardship it requires of us to accomplish this change and the promises that these changes hopefully contain?

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Absolute Dependency, Being Built Up, Breaking Forth, Changes, Christian Maturity, Dying to Self Will, Fear of God, Genuineness, Grace, Hearing The Lord, Holy Ghost Burdens, Hope, Jobs, Mentoring/Discipleship, Ministry Motivation, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Spiritual Fathers/Mothers, Timing, Word of God, Work | Leave a comment

Persecuted Christians

Posted on March 31, 2012 by mcalmond

Matt 16:24-25 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ESV

I found my thoughts focusing upon the persecuted Christians throughout the world. Did you realize that Christians as a people group are the single most persecuted group in the world? Did you realize that of all the martyred Christians since the time of Christ Jesus, half of them have been martyred in the last century alone? I am not sure of the exact numbers but I believe that the number range maybe close to 100,000,000 Christians have died for their faith in the last century or so alone, with most of these occurring in the last half of the century and the beginning of this one.

Christians are dying for their simple faith in Christ Jesus every minute of everyday. They are not dying because of their hatred for the western culture or governments. They are not dying because they have some kind of a holy war against others. They are not dying because they are strapping bombs around themselves seeking to destroy themselves and any others they can along the way regardless of who they may be. They are not dying because they are out trying to destroy others for any reason at all. No!

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Categories: Believer, Body of Christ, Calling, Christian Maturity, Commands, Death, Exhortation, Faith, Following Through, Hatred, Hope, Mercy, Persecuted Christians, Persecution, Perseverance, Readiness, Spiritual Warfare, Steadfastness, Suffering, Transcendence, Victory | Leave a comment

John Wesley’s Holy Club Questions

Posted on February 28, 2012 by mcalmond

These are questions the members of John Wesley’s Holy Club asked themselves every day in their private devotions.

  1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
  2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
  3. Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told me in confidence?
  4. Can I be trusted?
  5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
  6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
  7. Did the Bible live in me today?
  8. Do I give it time to speak to me every day?
  9. Am I enjoying prayer?
  10. When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
  11. Do I pray about the money I spend?
  12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
  13. Do I disobey God in anything?
  14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
  15. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
  16. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
  17. How do I spend my spare time?
  18. Am I proud?
  19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?
  20. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
  21. Do I grumble or complain constantly?
  22. Is Christ real to me?
Categories: A Simple Reminder, Absolute Dependency, Arminianism, Authenticity, Believer, Boundaries, Character, Christian Maturity, Genuineness, Honesty, Humility, Self Examination | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Monergism

Posted on February 20, 2012 by mcalmond

{The following article was discovered in an older folder by itself within my computer. I am not sure if I wrote it originally but I don’t think so. However, I have honestly re-worked it quite a bit in order to post it here. I am not sure where I may have gotten it from. It may have been when I was originally doing my research on this topic of Monergism years ago. If anyone reads this and recognizes some its basic nuts and bolts and can identify who wrote them originally, I would gladly post an acknowledgment saying so.}

*****

“It is the Spirit who gives life [quickens]; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me [i.e. believe in me] unless it is granted him by the Father.” John 6:63-65 ESV [text added for clarity]

Definition
The Century Dictionary’s definition of monergism may be helpful:

“In theology, [monergism is] the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is the only efficient agent in regeneration [the new birth] – that the human will possesses no inclination to holiness until regenerated [born again], and therefore cannot cooperate in regeneration.”

Etymology
The word “monergism” consists of two main parts. The Greek prefix “mono” signifies “one”, “single”, or “alone” while the suffix “ergon” means “to work”. Taken together it means “the work of one”.

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Categories: A Compilation of Sources, Authenticity, Belief System, Believer, Calling, Christian Maturity, Confidence, Dependency, Edification, Foundations, God Faith, Grace, Holy Spirit, Hope, Reformed Theology, Saving Faith, Teaching, Thankfulness, Theology, True Love, Word of God, Work of God | 2 Comments

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