Open Door Ministries Blog

Fixing Vs. Seeing

Thanks to an Alert Listener to last week’s teaching on ‘Family Sin’, the following is up for discussion.

Of special note is that our ‘Alert Listener’ is a teen from our AMP Youth Program…be prepared to be amazed at the thought and maturity exhibited! 

She shares. “After hearing about the sins that can be in my family line, I know there actually are some. What do I do with this information? How can I determine if the things I’m already dealing with might be related to this? Can I deal with them between me and God, or do I always have to suffer from the effects of those sins that my family committed? How do I walk forward in life without having these things hang over me? What do I do now?” 

So, first let me, yet again, pick myself up off the floor! Followed by, I am SO glad you asked! I’m opening this discussion with these thoughts and trusting that you and others will join in with your own thoughts, opinions, answers and additional questions! 

Jesus wants us to be enlightened by His truth alive in us. I John 1: 7 say, ‘If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.’ When light is present, you can see, you’re aware of dangers and obstacles and can make adjustments to respond or act either offensively or defensively. But darkness leaves us so vulnerable…. we can’t see, so things kinda creep up on us or trip us up. Life nor light are always about being able to ‘fix’ something, but about being able to see, adjust and move forward; awareness. The fellowship with one another is talking about our relationship with Jesus but also to one another; we’re in this thing together. For now, a lot of your cues will come from your family, friends and others like your AMP Leaders. 

Relationships are so important at every stage in life! Having heard this message, you’re already aware or at least tuned in to places/thoughts/opinions/stories you’ve heard or comparisons you’ve made that are worth taking a deeper look at. First, I’d strongly recommend that you read a book by Joyce Meyer, ‘Battlefield of the Mind for Teens’. Remember, the first series of steps will be information gathering.... so here we go!

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Deana 

You Want To See God's Glory?

The story we’ve shared, was first told over two thousand years ago and has almost been carried to the ends of the earth. Some of us struggle to believe whether this is a sweet story that adds meaning to our Christmas season or whether this baby actually was Jesus, the Messiah sent to redeem a fallen world.

That struggle is really understandable; he didn’t make a grand and godly entrance-instead he came to a borrowed stable. He seldom interacted with kings, priests and well to do-instead he was most often found with the poor and common. There never was a grand parade like Prince Ali’s in Disney’s Aladdin; only a donkey colt and a few palm branches. He didn’t have a secret service detail, personal chef and grand palace; instead He was surrounded by fishermen, He cooked their breakfast and fed thousands but had no roof over His head. And while He may be exactly what we need; He may not be anything like we want.

Why? Well we have to roll the clock back an additional four thousand years or so, to the beginning of time. When God created this vast universe, uniquely designed to support life that ‘was made in His very own image’…and He said, ‘it is good’. And it was good, very good; so good that daily, God walked right beside Adam and Eve and they talked intimately. At least until the day man made a willful decision to disobey the one simple restriction God had put on him; God had said eat freely of Life; stay away from evil…I don’t even want you to know what evil is. Man didn’t listen; the world God had created was changed forever and our minds have been clouded by things God never intended to even be there.

On an episode of the Cosby Show; Dr Huckstable tells Theo ‘I brought you into this world; I can take you out and make another one’. Why didn’t God do just that? Can God exist without man; yes. Does God want to exist without man; apparently not. Therein was the dilemma for God; His justice could not overlook the sin; His love could not overlook the man.

When we started today’s service, I read a passage from Isaiah 8 ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given….’. Just two chapters before that, there’s another commonly quoted passages: Isaiah 6:3 ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty; the whole earth is full of (not his holiness, but)…the whole earth is full of His glory.’

His glory represents his unbelievable beauty, all His power and energy, His righteousness, holiness, goodness and love. It’s really not my job or any staff minister’s job to tell you how to think or even believe; our job is to create an atmosphere where you can experience God’s fullness and take your next step on that journey from your head to your heart….but if I could unzip your minds and literally pour in one piece of truth…it would be for each of us to grasp that we are ‘created in His image; that the fullness of God’s glory was meant to be experienced in and through us; it’s not holiness God is filling the world with, but his glory….Christ in you, the hope of glory; that when people look at us, HIS PLAN was for them to see His unbelievable beauty, all His power and energy, His righteousness, holiness, goodness and love…

You want to see God’s glory; I can show you God’s glory? There’s a small envelope under your seat, take it out and as the lights come up…take a look, God’s image, the possibility of His beauty, all His power and energy, His righteousness, Holiness, goodness and love filling a portion of the earth wherever you are and go….it’s why Genesis was the forward to Isaiah, Isaiah was the introduction to Matthew and Matthew is the prequel to Revelation.

It’s more than a sweet story that adds meaning to our Holiday season, it’s the essence of our very existence, what we are created to be…and the Babe in Bethlehem is a step on the journey from your head to your heart….as His Glory Appears.

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The Geese

On a snowy Christmas Eve, a young wife and her children wrapped themselves snuggly in their winter coats and prepared to attend the candlelight service at their small, country church. One final, pleading attempt was made for her husband to join them but was met with the frigid answer: ‘That story is nonsense, why would God lower himself to come to Earth as a man; it’s ridiculous!’.

Awhile later, the winds grew stronger and the snow became a blizzard, so he settled himself in his most comfortable chair before the crackling fire. Within a few moments, he was started by a loud thump, followed by another; something was hitting his picture window. But because of the blinding snowstorm, he could see little more than the ledge of the window.

When the storm let up a bit, he ventured out and spotted a flock of geese in his field. Apparently lost in the snowstorm on their southward trek, they flew blindly and aimlessly in low circles, stranded without food or shelter in temperatures far too cold. Though tough in his opinions, the man was yet compassionate toward the geese and wanted to help. His barn would offer shelter from the storm so he opened the doors then watched and waited, hoping they’d notice and go inside. But instead the geese only fluttered and continued as before, completely unaware of what the barn could mean to them. All of his attempts to get their attention only scared them; even the breadcrumb trail he made did not catch their attention and his attempt to shoo them in, scattered them in many directions. Nothing he did could draw them into the barn.

Frustrated, he exclaimed; ‘Why don’t they trust me, why won’t they follow me, I’m offering the only thing that will save them from the storm. If only I were a goose, then I could save them.’ Then he had an idea; he went into the barn and got one of his own geese. Carefully, he circled the flock with the goose in his arms, then let it go. His goose returned immediately to the warmth of the barn, followed, one by one, the entire flock.

Feeling the warmth of his success, he was suddenly struck by his own words….’if only I were a goose, I could save them…. Why would God lower Himself, to come to earth as a man? Ridiculous?’… Or does it make perfect sense?

Deana

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Big Trouble

There were two brothers, 8 & 10 years old; extremely mischievous. If there was any trouble in the neighborhood, you could be sure these two had a hand in it. Their parents were at wits end trying to control them so they asked the parish priest for his assistance. He agreed to talk with the boys, but asked to see the younger boy first and alone. 

The priest sat the boy down across from him at a huge and impressive desk. For five minutes they just sat and stared at each other. Finally, the priest pointed his index finger at the boy and asked. ‘Where is God?’

The little guy looked under the desk, the corners of the room, all around but said nothing. A second time, a little louder, the priest pointed at the boy and asked, ‘Where is God?’ Again the boy looked all around but said nothing. 

A third time, even louder and firmer, the priest leaned across the desk and put his finger almost on the boy’s nose and asked, ‘Where is God?’ The boy panicked and ran all the way home. Finding his older brother, he dragged him upstairs and into the closet, where they usually plotted their mischief. Breathlessly, he said, ‘We’re in BIG trouble.’ 

'What do you mean, BIG trouble?’ asked his brother. His little brother replied, 

‘God is missing, and they think we did it!’ 

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmahanukwanzaka...if God is missing, we really are in BIG trouble!

Deana

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Rocket Science

Scientists at NASA built a gun specifically to launch four-pound dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea was to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields.

British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high-speed trains. But when the gun was fired, the British engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer’s back rest in two, and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin—like an arrow shot from a bow.

The horrified British engineers sent NASA the disastrous results of their experiment, along with the design of the windshield and begged the US scientists for suggestions.

NASA responded with a one-line memo: ‘Defrost the chicken.’ 

Sometimes we miss the most obvious; Pastor Greg made an important ( and you’d think, obvious) statement in this past Sunday’s message…’you can not be more spiritually mature than you are emotionally mature.’ And yet, we try to harness the power of the Holy Spirit and His gifts for our own immature and selfish purposes and wonder why ‘they’ don’t work. It ain’t rocket science, folks!

Deana

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True Peace

A king once offered a sizable sum to any artist that could capture the truest essence of peace in a painting for his castle walls. Thousands of artists responded to the challenge and presented the king with the most beautiful paintings imaginable. After much consideration, the king narrowed his choices to two.

One was of a serenely calm lake that reflected the towering, green hills like a mirror. Above the hills could be seen the fluffy white clouds in such detail that the soft movement of the breeze could be detected. Meandering down the mountainside was a bubbling brook from which a doe drank lazily of the cool waters. All who gazed upon it at once sighed, the countenance of their faces softening. 

The other was similar but quite different at the same time. Instead of hills, the earth swelled into bare and rugged mountains above which rose an angry sky. Dark clouds circled and lightening flashed. Down the side of the mountain, water crashed over the rocks into a foaming whirlpool currant filled with debris. Those who looked upon the painting recoiled, tension etching their faces.

To this day, the second painting hangs majestically in the castle. The king had a very keen eye and had noticed that behind the waterfall a tiny bush was growing in the crack of a rock. In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest and sat at peace in the tumult that raged about her.

Wise kings know that peace does not mean there will be no work, noise, toil, trouble or even, war. Peace means that when those things are at their worst, we are still calm in our hearts…. true peace passes all understanding.

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Deana

Remember the Duck

While visiting his grandparents’ farm, a little boy was given a slingshot to play with in the woods and fields. Try as he may, he never landed a single shot at the many targets that caught his attention. Totally discouraged, he headed toward the house for dinner. The fresh aroma of grandma’s fried chicken and buttery biscuits wafted across the field, adding a little hitch to his gitty-up. As he rounded the corner of the house, he spotted a new target and impulsively let the slingshot fly; the rock popped as it hit its mark. But this was not a certain knot on a tree, a bottle on the fence post or stick in the brook; this target exhaled a final breath and fell lifelessly to the soft ground---Grandma’s pet duck.

In a panic, he hid the duck behind the woodpile. Wiping the soft tears that coursed down his cheek with a dusty sleeve, he turned toward the house and to his horror saw Sally, his sister, watching, then turning slowly away without a word. 

Although he’d been plenty hungry from his day in the woods, he ate very little that night. Grandma asked Sally to help with the dishes, but she quickly mentioned that Billy had said he wanted to be a helper, and then she whispered in his ear, ‘Remember the duck’. A little later, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go for a stroll and a story, but Grandma needed Sally to help with the last feeding of the chickens. Sally said that Billy really liked feeding the chickens, which he did not, all that pecking and scratching and smell; and again she whispered, ‘Remember the duck’, leaving with Grandpa on a walk to the pond. 

Sally’s tormenting was even worse than his own guilt, and after several days of doing both he and Sally’s chores, Johnny couldn’t stand it any longer. He ran straight to Grandma and confessed the whole awful truth. Kneeling down and wrapping her soft arms around her grandson, she said, ‘Sweetheart, I know. I’ve known all along, I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. And because I love you, I forgave you at that very moment. I was just wondering how long it would take you to come and let me tell you and how long you’d let Sally make a slave of you.’ 

We all have a past. And God has this incredible window on the world that allows Him to see each and everyone. On the cross, He said, ‘It is finished’. He forgave us that very moment on that very day….and waits patiently for us to allow Him to tell us. 

How long will you make Him wait….how long will you be a slave?  

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Deana

Body, Soul, Spirit

A wealthy man took his son into the rural countryside with the sole purpose of showing how impoverished people live. The trip resulted of concern that the son was showing unhealthy signs of an ungrateful and reckless spirit. After spending a day and night on a tenant farm with dirt floors, no running water or electricity, the father asked his son how he felt about the trip. The young man answered that it had been exceptional and he had learned a great deal! 

Anxiously the father asked for details as to what his son had learned and was surprised to hear: ‘I saw that we have a dog at home and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden but they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have the whole horizon. Thanks Dad, for showing me how truly poor we are.’ 

It’s a rather interesting twist to what the father had desired to impart to his son. It’s really not what you have but how you look at it that matters. Let’s face it, the Pharisees knew the Word but missed the Messiah. Most of us have multiple versions of the Bible on our phones no less, walls of books and files of downloads, catalogues of worship music and videos; yet we’re more depressed and stressed than any generation before. Somehow, we seem to be missing a very real point. 2 Peter 1:4 says,’ For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you can become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.’ Peter is talking about not only the knowledge of the word but also the understanding of the word. 

Remember, each person is a trinity. The body must have food and water for energy and to function in a healthy manner. The soul must receive love, security, praise and purpose for emotional maturity and the ability to maintain healthy relationships. We can have all of these and yet, if the spirit-man isn’t fed, a person will never mature as a Christian. (Imparting the Father’s Heart Course Manual) 

It’s what He wanted for us….’life, and that we have it more abundantly.’

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Deana