Made for Ministry

 You matter. He matters. She matters. We all, members together of the body of Christ,  matter. We matter to God, we matter to the "church", we matter to each other.  The scriptures say we are all part of a building,  that we are "living stones" (1 Peter 2:5). We each have an inborn purpose for which we are set apart by God.  Each of us was brought into the world with a set of specific skills, and talents, that were meant to be used for the glory of God and the edification of the body of Christ.  Now, not everyone will go into "the ministry", because not everyone has been called to the specific offices of pastor, evangelist, prophet,  etc. Not everyone will lead Sunday school or work in the church office. But, and hear me on this, EVERYONE who trusts in Jesus as savior and Lord, is called to be in "ministry".
 No matter where you work, or even IF you work, you are, as a disciple of Christ,  called to munister the gospel to the people you interact with.  Whether you are in a boardroom,  a storeroom, or your children's bedroom,  it's the call of God on your life to speak God's love and redemption, the truth about sin, repentance and forgiveness to your audience.  It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, healthy or sick, married or single: you have an audience somewhere.
 Don't let the enemy tell you that you don't matter. God made you exactly perfect for the ministry He has called you to.  He gave you talents, skills and experiences that no one else has.  He gave you the right message for just the right moment to bless a certain someone. You matter. You are needed. You are important,  immeasurably important.  If no one else is telling you that,  I am here to tell you that God thinks you are so important that He has you engraved on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). So get on your knees and accept the love of Jesus,  and thank Him for making you perfect for your ministry,  and then...GO MINISTER!

Totally Abandoned to God

Matthew 4:18-20 tells the story of some professional fishermen being called into their eternal destiny by Jesus Christ.  If you look in your Bible at the last verse, you will notice that the men "at once" left everything and went after Jesus.  They didn't make preparation for their business,  they didn't go home and let their families in on the plan, they just got out of the boat and went. They became totally abandoned to God.  It makes me wonder if I am totally abandoned to God.  What have I left behind in order to fully follow after God?  Have I fully left everything,  have I allowed God total reign? Is there any part of my personal life that still keeps me maybe a little separated from where Jesus wants to take me? Can people who have been around me for a long time tell a difference in me since I started following God? These questions are for you too. What have you sacrificed, what have you put aside to follow after the Master? Take some time to think and pray about these questions.  Ask God if there is anything you are doing or saying,  or not doing or saying,  that's keeping some distance between you and His will for your life.

Are You a Defeated Christian?

If you take an honest look around at church, and if you know those around you intimately,  you are going to have to admit that you are looking at quite a few defeated Christians. Today's church is full of people who say they love God,  who may never miss a service,  they may even be in leadership,  but they are in bondage to something. It could be anything: lies, fears, alcohol or drug use,  pornography,  unforgiveness, anything.  But aren't they following Jesus?  He said He was the truth, and that if we knew Him we would be made free. So why are there so many people in the church struggling with bondages? I blame political correctness. What? But why? I think the reason most Christian people are locked down by sin is because what is being preached from the pulpit today is so watered down,  has so little truth in it, that people aren't able to be made free. So many pastors are afraid of offending the delicate sensibilities of the world,  that they speak in softened, feel-good rhetoric and are too afraid to confront the sins that are prevalent in the church today. So, with self-help but no gospel being brought to the people,  it has become commonplace and accepted for people to be in bondage. Now, if you like these watery versions of the gospel,  God has given us free will,  you have every right to stay in bondage.  But you don't have to. *John 8:31-32. The answer? Get in the Word!  After you know the promise of Jesus to make you free, the next step is to line your mind up with the scriptures* Phillipians 4:8. You have control over your mind,  and when bad thoughts come your way, you ARE NOT bound to follow through on them. Replace the bad thoughts with scriptures,  recite them out loud until your mind is focused on Christ *Romans 12:2

Doubly Covered?

It occurs to me that someone might be wondering why the page is called Doubly Covered Sojourner. Well, the sojourner part is easy-this world is not my home.  As for the other part, a short explanation.  Doubly covered, covered twice. First,  and definitely more importantly,  my life, my spirit,  is covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Through this blood, I am protected, delivered, healed, and I have eternal life.  His blood has within it the power to destroy any and all attempts by the enemy to attack me. For the blessings of the blood of Jesus I am forever grateful.
As for the second "covered", I am talking about the fact that I am following the scriptures command of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, in which God commands that women who speak the Word of God outside their homes have their heads covered. God gives no orders as to what type of covering we are to use, only that we are to be covered.  I personally have used everything from scarves to hats to beanies. And since there's no specific outline of the exact type of covering,  I kind of feel that churches that ordain specific rules and regulations concerning the size,  shape, color or design are adding man-made ordinances to the scriptures.  The covering is meant to be an outward visible sign that the woman accepts her position in the God-ordained headship order. It's not a magic formula, and wearing it doesn't mean you are holier than those who don't.  It's simply a sign between you and God. Easy, feminine,  obedience.

Marriage Vows

I was watching a Christian program the other day and decided that I was ready to stop watching the program and get into the scriptures. The statement that came out of my mouth was: "alright, I've heard from the marriage counselor, now I'm going to read the marriage vows." That's what the Bible is, our Husband has given us His vows, His promises, and what He expects from us, His bride. A relationship with Jesus is very much a bridal relationship. And He really expects very little of us: faithfulness, love, commitment. If we can offer these things so willingly to our earthly spouses, who in context have only faded, temporary joy to offer us in return, how much more should we offer them to our eternal Husband, who offers us nothing short of bliss, eternally? Give of yourself freely to Him who has given everything for you.

Inaugural Blog Post

Well, hello out there,  blog readers! As you can see from the title of this post, this is a brand new mission field for me. I must say, I'm really excited!  My main concern in life is letting people in on the indescribeable love of God,  evidenced in His gift of Jesus.  Up until now I have been kind of a Facebook evangelist, posting whatever the Lord placed on my heart. You notice the name of this blog is called Following Christ in Today's World;  I wanted to give my perspective on what it looks like to follow a never-changing God in a constantly-changing world. The term for followers of Jesus is 'Christian'. However,  as many of my non-Christian friends have pointed out, if all the people in this country who claim to be Christians truly do follow the Jesus spoken of in the Bible,  why can't such a massive outpouring of God's power be seen today as it was in those early centuries?  Purely my opinion here, but if God never changes, shouldn't serving Him today look the same as it did then? I'm not talking about religious customs, I'm talking about obedience.  In today's independent society,  obedience is almost a cuss word. How in the world does obedience fit in with the "have it your way" world we have built around us?  These are the topics I want to blog about!  More later!