We live in two worlds, it has been said.  Those of us who belong to Christ are left here in the world to be God’s agents of change and reconciliation, but we live by a whole different set of standards in relation to how we conduct business.  Ours are a higher set of standards with little room for compromise.  And yet, when each of us came into the Kingdom, we were already indebted and already part of the kingdom of this world.  The change of allegiance, the transition that occurs, is bought and paid for by Jesus’ blood.  However we must walk out the change in our own lives.  This is dilemma we face, particularly in relation to handling finances.  Will we continue to work according to the wisdom of the world and just ask God to bless it anyway?  Or will we begin anew, to understand and follow the biblical principles?  This third installment deals with the redeeming or re-marking of wealth, to make it productive in the Kingdom and the provision of God.
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]]> http://wfstapleton.podbean.com/2009/04/08/faith-finance-part-3/feed/ We live in two worlds, it has been said.  Those of us who belong to Christ are left here in the world to be God’s ... We live in two worlds, it has been said.  Those of us who belong to Christ are left here in the world to be God’s agents of change and reconciliation, but we live by a whole different set of standards in relation to how we conduct business.  Ours are a higher set of standards with little room for compromise.  And yet, when each of us came into the Kingdom, we were already indebted and already part of the kingdom of this world.  The change of allegiance, the transition that occurs, is bought and paid for by Jesus’ blood.  However we must walk out the change in our own lives.  This is dilemma we face, particularly in relation to handling finances.  Will we continue to work according to the wisdom of the world and just ask God to bless it anyway?  Or will we begin anew, to understand and follow the biblical principles?  This third installment deals with the redeeming or re-marking of wealth, to make it productive in the Kingdom and the provision of God.Download Standard Podcasts theology lifestyle philosophy bible-study culture christianity, William Stapleton No No http://wfstapleton.podbean.com/2009/04/06/being-missional-part-5/ http://wfstapleton.podbean.com/2009/04/06/being-missional-part-5/#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:20:32 +0000 wfstapleton Spiritual Lifestyle Bible Pop Culture Postmodernism Spiritual Leadership http://wfstapleton.podbean.com/2009/04/06/being-missional-part-5/ This 5th installment in the “Being Missional” series builds upon Romans 12:5 “and we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” The community of believers as we found them in the early church, and as we must become in postmodern America, is a transformational community. By that, we mean that it is composed of people whose lives have been transformed by Christ, that it involves people who continue the transformation of lifestyle through obedience to Christ, and also that the presence of the community in the world transforms the world around it. The structure and practice of the Christian community are in view in this session.

“Beloved, let us love one another,” John writes, “for love is from God, and everyone who does love is born of God and knows God.  Anyone who doesn’t do love cannot possibly know God, because what God IS is love.”  Not only by His longing for our freedom, but by the love, which is both His chosen mode of being and the very essence of His existence, shall we come to know and understand God.  Once these things are in place, we can begin to understand what to expect in our relationship with Him.

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Part 4 continues the discussion on what it means to be missional, looking at the structure of the church. Our idea of proper organization is probably not biblical, since the New Testament says precious little about actual church orgainzation. We have been given great latitude concerning the practical aspects of organization in the church, and yet we continue in the same pattern we have used for hundreds of years. We need to consider organizational principles that will meet the needs of the church in the new century, not in the 16th century

Part 3 continues the discussion on what it means to be missional, looking at the elements that make up church with a view to sharpening our focus. The church needs leaders, everyone knows. But how do we get transformational leaders if all we do is look at those faithful few who are still happy with the status-quo in the church? We need to look outside the box, perhaps even outside the circle of people we like, and who agree with us, to find the leaders who can carry the church into the next generation.

I find it almost a universal truth these days that people sense an empty spot in their lives in regard to understanding who God is and what He’s trying to do, both in the world and in their own lives as well.  Through this series of teaching sessions I’ll explore the various ways of coming to know God more intimately, understanding Him as a Father of fathers, and highlighting the difference between knowing ‘about’ God and actually coming to ‘know’ Him in a personal, intimate and, some might say, dangerous way.  My goal here is more to provoke independent thought than to give pat answers, since I believe, as the book of Hebrews teaches, that the first step in faith is to “believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

In this introductory session we will explore the steps God has taken to draw men and women near.  God longs for fellowship with His lost creation, and finds that through the sacrifice of Christ.  In truth, we can never know God apart from what Jesus has revealed to us about Him.  But we find that as we approach Jesus, Himself very God, we come into intimate relationship with the Father as well.

Part 2 continues the discussion on what it means to be missional, looking at the elements that make up church with a view to sharpening our focus. The church really just consists of people, so before we look at better structures for leadership and better church management, better buildings and physical plant, etc. we’d best begin by building better Christian people who intentionally live a missional lifestyle.

In this session we’ll discuss our attitudes toward stewardship, money and wealth and define prosperity.

This first little musical and philosophical mashup is intended to set the stage for following pieces on faith and finance. Just listen, and then think it over before you move on to the next part.