ABUNDANT LIFE MINISTRIES

When we learn to love like this our marriages, friendships, parent-child relationships, for that matter society around us will never again be the same!

Love (is patient) refrains and abstains, it endures, and is patient with self control when subject to annoyance or being provoked. Love (is kind) shows oneself useful and desires to do good to others intended for benefits rather than profit. Love (does not envy) has no bad feelings or discontent or jealousy with ill will at seeing another’s superiority, advantages, or success, it doesn’t desire for some advantage possessed by another. Love (does not boast) does not speak boastfully or brags excessively about ones own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc. Love (isn’t proud) isn’t showing a high opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, or superiority it is not self satisfying and puffed up. Love (isn’t rude) doesn’t create an unfavorable impression, it is not unattractive in appearance, character, or reputation.

Love is not self seeking and easily angered, irked, annoyed, aggravated, irritated, or instigated. Love does not think evil and harbor wickedness. Love is not glad about or delights in wickedness, evil, and sin, it is not unfair or unjust. Love rejoices in all truth. Love bears without resistance with patience and tolerance, it continues to exist, stand, support, abide, and covers all things with silence. Love trusts and has faith in, upon, or with respect to another person or thing, it entrusts and believes all things. Love expects and has full trust and faith, it hopes and perseveres and remains in all things.

Love never falls short of success or achievement in something expected or attempted, desired, or approved. It never declines, fades, or disappoints.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Culture is defined as, "The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization." Why is this important? I believe that God is challenging Abundant Life Ministries to change our culture as an organization, as a ministry, in order for us to change the culture, the attitudes and behavior of society. I once read a simplified defintion of culture, it said, "culture is quite simply the way we do things around here." We have to stop looking at church as just a place of worship on Sunday's, just a place we go to so we feel justified, just a place we go to out of religious habit, or even a place we go to because we carry a title or perform a function, and begin to look at it as the difference maker in our society. How do we make a difference? By meeting the needs of people, weather it be physical needs or spiritual needs. We have a mandate as the Body of Christ to help the helpless, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and to reach out to a lost and dying world, no matter the color of thier skin, their economic status, their past or present failures, we must be willing to be the hands of Christ, the feet of Christ, the eyes of Christ, the ears of Christ, the compasstionate heart of Christ, in this world since we are literally the Body of Christ. How else will the lost ever see and experience Jesus if we are not showing Him to them. So, if you are interested in changing your mindset about church, and about Christianity, then come experience the "changing of our culture" at Abundant Life Ministries.

I recently posted a blog on my “Pastors Message” page of the website (abundantlifepalatka.com) entitled “When God Comes to Dwell With You.” It talked briefly about a man named Obed-Edom who allowed the presence of God to move in to his home. Wow!!! Does that sound powerful or what? This story can be found in 2 Samuel 6.

The occasion was suppose to be grand, exciting, and the most important day in the history of Israel. The presence of God (the Ark of the Covenant) was being transported back to where it belonged. The occasion that was suppose to be full of joy and praise turned into one mans death and King David’s anger. I won’t get into the details on this blog but the reason why things went wrong was because they were transporting the Ark negligently. (Another message for another time...Not Properly Caring For The Presence of God).

As things went awry David did not want to proceed in the journey to carry the Ark back to the people so he found an unsuspecting person by the name of Obed-Edom to open up his home to the presence of God. Read this excerpt from my previous blog:

O.K. imagine this....you hear a knock at your door one day so you open it up, and who is standing there? Your king (or president depending on where you live). As if that was not amazing enough, the request he has for you is mind numbing...he ask you if you can take something off of his hands for a while. Struck by the intrigue and awe of what is happening to you, you inquire, “what is it?” The response is enough to make you think you are getting pranked, but there are no hidden cameras, no actors, no surprises the response is straight forward and serious....The king answers your question, “will you allow the literal presence of God to stay in your home for a while?”

This is essentially what happened to Obed-Edom in 2 Samuel 6:6-12 (read this today, then read it again and again).

This account of Obed is not known by many, but I feel like it needs to be discovered by all. Let me take a few moments to uncover some truths in this obscure passage:

Why Obed-Edom?

Obed-Edom’s name literally means “work or serve, slave or servant, worshipper servant.” Obed wasn’t a priest...he wasn’t born into a family that would make him eligible to house the Ark. I think that is a powerful truth about this passage...The presence was entrusted to someone who was known for being a hard worker and a person known for being a worshipper. God is looking for some people that are willing to understand “they must be about their Fathers business” as the boy Jesus so eloquently put it, and some people that know how to worship, not just when the praise team sings your favorite song, but a lifestyle of worship...Putting God before everything else in your life, honoring God with your lifestyle, your words, your choices, your relationships and so on.

2 Samuel 6:11-12 says, “Obeds entire household and everything he had was blessed”

What a powerful, powerful, set of scriptures. When the presence of God came to live in the house of Obed, EVERYTHING he had was blessed. People of God I want you to understand what it is that you are housing in your life....the PRESENCE of God, and when God shows up on the scene, I truly believe everything in our lives should be effected. Our family, our children, our places of employment, or relationships...everything should experience the blessing of God. It is not meant for us to be the dwelling place of God but have distant and broken marriages, and have anger and temper problems, and have a bad relationship with our children...If God is present in your life, then you should walk in blessings in every place of your life!

Speaking of children watch this...1 Chronicles 26:4-8 says, “that God had richly blessed him with 8 sons, his sons had sons with great ability who earned positions of great authority,” and then 1 Chronicles 26:8 says, “All these were descendants of Obed-Edom; they and their sons and their relatives were capable men with the strength to do the work—descendants of Obed-Edom, 62 in all.” The blessings of Obed-Edom was passed down to his children and his children’s children! If the Body of Christ could get some fathers to have this Obed-Edom spirit about them....ushering in the presence of God into their homes to begin a family legacy of great ability and great authority!

It changed his life so much that he went with the presence of God, leaving his old life behind...

Obed was so affected by the presence of God in his life that he refused to ever let it leave him. Three months after David placed the Ark in the care of Obed-Edom he returned to get it back because he heard of the many blessings. Obed-Edom refused to let the presence depart without him, he picked up everything he had and went after the presence. After experiencing the presence of God there is nothing to ever go back to. He and his family literally followed the Ark and served and worshiped the Presence of God the rest of their life. Obed initially became became a gatekeeper, then a door keeper, and then a musician. Obed-Edom became a worship leader and is mentioned along with Aspah the Chief Musician. Due to Obed-Edom’s desire and love for the Lord and his faithfulness, God begins again to bless him and promote him.

When you allow God into your life you get addicted, you can’t get enough, you have to have more, so much so, you are willing to change your entire lifestyle around to accommodate the presence of the Living God!

Look what happened when the presence of God showed up @ Obed’s home!

The pastoral staff of Abundant Life Ministries is excited about the opportunity to continue to encourage, train, and equip you in your personal and corporate journey into becoming the "New Man."