Stick Your Neck Out--Commit Yourself to Someone

Stick Your Neck Out—
Commit Yourself to Someone!
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses,
The same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also
--2 Timothy 2:2

Can you think of an occasion when you were hurt by someone so badly that you were tempted to think, That’s it! I’ll never give my heart to anyone like that ever again! This hurts too much to go through this a second time. I’ve had all the abuse I can take, and I’ll never put my neck back on the chopping block again!

I think everyone has been through heart-wrenching experiences of betrayal, disloyalty, deception, and unfaithfulness in his or her relationships with others. Sometimes people put on one face in front of you but show a total different side when they are out of your presence. Maybe it was a close friend you thought would be faithful to you forever; but then that person walked out on you, stabbing you in the back as he exited! Or perhaps you had a trusted friend whom you confided in, but he violated your trust by repeating all the private things you had shared with him.

There’s no doubt about it—it hurts when you find out that certain people in your life have been unfaithful especially if they were who you sincerely believe would be loyal to the end. These feelings of hurt must be exactly what Timothy felt as he was serving as senior pastor of the church of Ephesus. After investing his life into his group of leaders for three years—spending time with them, loving them, caring for them, teaching them, forgiving them, literally pouring his whole heart and soul into them, as pastors are required to do—Timothy correctly expected a return on his investment. In other words he expected those leaders to stay with him forever!

The return Timothy anticipated from his leaders was commitment and faithfulness. For those same men to deny him their loyalty after all he had poured into them was a flagrant violation of relationship, yet that is precisely what they did. The majority of those leaders walked out of the church and deserted Timothy.

It is a historical fact that because of Nero’s persecutions against the Church, masses of believers left the Ephesian church and returned to their old pagan temples. The fires of persecution had revealed the genuine level of these people’s commitment to Jesus. When they realized they might die for their faith they reevaluated their commitment and deserted the Lord, the church and their pastor in order to save their lives.

Many of those who left the church of Ephesus were the leaders Timothy has trained and poured his life into. Timothy thought he could count on these leaders to serve at his side in both good and hard times. But now hard times had come, and the ones he had assumed he could trust walked out and abandoned him.

As a result, Timothy had severe deficit of leaders whom he could rely on and was facing the task of selecting new leaders. So Paul tells him, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men…”

These are pretty heavy instructions for Paul to give his young disciple! Timothy had already been “burned” once after giving his life to a group of people. He knew what it felt like to have people he trusted stab him in the back. Nevertheless, Paul now tells Timothy to choose a new group and start over again!

At that moment, Timothy’s emotional pain must have been enormous. I’m sure Paul’s words were hard for him to hear. Just as you and I have felt in the past, he probably thought, Forget it! I’ve already been through this pain once, and I don’t like the idea of going through it again. I’ll just pastor this church by myself.

But it’s not possible to do any monumental job alone. Therefore, if a person has been hurt, he eventually has to get over it, choose new leaders and friends and start over again. That is why Paul told him, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men…”

The word “commit” comes from the Greek compound word paratithimi, a compound of the words para and tithimi. The word para is a Greek word that means alongside It refers to something that is near or close by. But in Second Timothy 2:2, it presents a picture of close relationships.

The second part of the word is the Greek word tithimi, meaning to place, to lay something down, or to position something. When the words para and tithimi are compounded together, creating the word paratithimi, it means to come close in order to make some type of deposit, like a person who goes to the bank to place into the repository for safekeeping. Significantly, this is now the word Paul uses when he tells Timothy to “commit” himself to a new group of leaders.

Timothy clearly understood Paul’s instruction. He was to pick a new group of leaders, come closely alongside of them, and deposit his life into them. The Greek word, para made it plain that this was not something that could be done from a distance. Timothy would required to push aside his hurt and pain to make himself vulnerable to a new group of leaders; in other words, he had to give his heart a second time.

Because of Timothy’s past experience with leaders who had defected, this order from Paul may have been one of the scariest thoughts the younger minister had ever had. Timothy may have thought, Wait a minute! I already poured my life into one group of people. But when I needed them—when I needed to draw on that deposit—they were gone! My last deposit in people didn’t work out too well. They hurt me. I don’t know if I’m willing to make that kind of investment in people again!

Timothy may have asked himself, Isn’t this taking things one step too far? Does God really expect me to stick out my neck all over again after I’ve been hurt? But that is exactly what Paul was telling him to do—and it’s what you must do well! Stick out your neck and your heart, and try again!
The use of the word paratithimi meant that
Paul wanted Timothy to understand this message:
“…You need to choose some new people who have proven themselves faithful. Pull up alongside those people; get as close to them as you can so you can deposit everything you are and everything you know into them.”

Timothy’s future depended on how well he was able to connect and work with other people. The same is true with your future. Rather than allow the pain from past experiences to paralyze you today, you must do what Paul commanded Timothy to do: Put the past away; decide to quit focusing on how others have failed you; and begin to search for a new group of people or friends so you can start over again. If you don’t do this, the devil will have the victory over you—paralyzing and immobilizing you, effectively preventing you and your gifts from ever being fully realized. Don’t give the devil the pleasure of that victory!!

It’s time for you to grab hold of the power of God and to emerge out of your place of hiding! It may be true that a person or a group of people hurt you in the past, but there are friends out there who are just waiting for you. They are the ones who will be faithful and steadfast all the way to the end. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and direct you to them. Once you connect with them you’ll be so thankful that you didn’t hide from relationships for the rest of your life and that you took the bold step to start all over again!
My Prayer for Today
Lord, help me to overcome the hurts and disappointments I’ve experienced because of people who proved to be unfaithful. When I am tempted to judge those who have wronged me, help me remember those I myself have wronged in the past. Just as I never intended to hurt anyone, help me realize that my offenders probably didn’t intend to hurt me either. As I was forgiven then, I am asking You now to help me forgive—and not just to forgive, but to stick out my neck and begin to rebuild my life with other people in the Body of Christ!
I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today
I confess that I don’t hold grudges or bitterness against anyone who has wronged me in the past. Just as I’ve been forgiven. I freely forgive. As others gave me a second chance, I give people the benefit of the doubt and allow them to prove themselves even if they’ve done something to hurt me. The devil can’t paralyze me with fears of being hurt again, because I refuse to allow that kind of fear to operate inside me. I have too much to do to let the devil immobilize me with something that happened to me in the past, so I confess right now that I am freed from every past hurt and I am moving forward to possess all that God has for me!
I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions for you to consider
Has anyone ever let you down so badly that you felt like you never wanted to stick out your neck and risk getting hurt again?
Have you ever been the source of this type of pain to someone else? If your answer is yes, did you ever go back to that person to repent for being the source of his or her pain?
What can you do differently in your relationship today to make sute that never happens again?

Whose Faith Are You Following?

Whose Faith Are You Following?
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them
Who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
--Hebrews 6:12

Let me ask you a question today: Who is the most influential spiritual leader in your life right now? Is there one leader whom you respect and admire so exceptionally that you would want to emulate him and try to be like him in your own life? Is there one certain leader producing the type of fruit you long to see I your own personal life? If so, who is that leader?

You may wonder if it’s right to follow someone so closely that you actually start emulating them. But the Bible is replete with scriptures that instruct us to be followers of spiritual leaders One such scripture is Heb 6-12: “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Notice that the scripture says we are to be “…followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” The word “followers” is taken from the Greek word mimete, from which we get the English word “imitate.” Other words that are derived from mimete are “mimic” and “mime.” However, the best translation of this word is actually the word “actor.”

Therefore, the command to “follow” isn’t referring to casual type of following; rather, it implies an intentional study of the deeds, words, actions, and thoughts of another in an attempt to fully understand the person and then replicate his attributes in one’s own life. This type of following enables a person to this like his subject, walk like his subject, mimic his subject’s movements, make the vocal intonations of his subject, and act like his subject in a masterful way. However, this can only be achieved by those seriously committed to the act of replication. Such a commitment to act, mimic, or replicate a respected leader is the result of true discipleship.
Therefore, you could actually translate this phrase:
“…But skillfully and convincingly act like those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
A good actor studies the character and life of another and then portrays that person on a stage or on film. The actor obtains every bit of information he possibly can about the person in order to better portray him in his acting role. Then the actor begins to practice acting just like that person—trying to talk like him, think like him, and even walk and dress like him. If the actor acts long enough and consistently enough, the character role he is playing can actually become a part of the actor’s own identity. That’s the power of acting!

The writer of Hebrews understood the power of imitation. That’s why he said in essence, “If you want to walk in faith, find someone who successfully walks in faith. Watch what he says, how he behaves, and how he lives—and then act like him! Do what he does; say what he says; and behave like he behaves. Be an imitator of those who through faith and patience have inherited the promises.”

You may ask, “But isn’t it hypocritical to act like I feel great when I really feel bad?” Absolutely not! Acting and imitating is foundational to the Christian life. It is for this very reason you are instructed to “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh…” (Romans 13:14) When you wake up in the morning, you may not feel like smiling, talking, or saying anything nice, to anyone. But because you want to please the Lord, what do you do? You choose to be nice, to smile, to speak kindly; in order words, you choose to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. You make the decision to act differently than you naturally feel.

Putting on Christ is a daily mindset—a daily, hour-by-hour determination. So wake up and declare that you have the mind of Christ! Find some godly people who live according to who they truly are in the Spirit—new creations with the nature, character desires, and behavior of Jesus Christ. Study their lives, and follow their example. In other words, ACT like those who through faith and patience inherit the promises!

My Prayer For Today

Lord, I need an example that I can follow and imitate! Your Word commands me to imitate strong and successful spiritual leaders, so I am asking You to help me find that exact leader whom You want me to follow and imitate. Give me the grace to do what he does, say what he says and act the way he acts, until finally I no longer have to ac because I have become like the person I have been imitating. Holy Spirit, I want to be obedient to God’s Word. Since God tells me to mimic those who through faith and patience inherit the promises of God. I’m asking You to please help me recognize the people whom I should look to as spiritual examples in my walk with God.
I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession For Today

I confess that I do not have to find my way by myself! By locating godly examples, I can imitate these people’s lives and produce the same fruit the produce in their lives. So right now I choose to follow the examples of those who preceded me—acting like them and replicating both their acts and their godly fruit in my live. God’s Word says this is what I am to do, so I will do it as I am commanded. The Holy Spirit will help me know exactly who should be the supreme examples in my life, and He will help me follow their example as I ought to do.
I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions for You to Consider

Who is the most influential spiritual leader in your life right now? Have you ever taken the time to let that leader know that you appreciate him?
What have you done to establish a relationship with that leader? Write down ideas regarding what you can do to strengthen your relationship with him.
What in particular do you respect about this leader, and what fruit is demonstrated in his life that you want to see reproduced in your own life? Take this time to really think about this question, and write down your answers.

ummm... i don't question your walks... but i will pray for you...

Lord, thank you for these sisters... for their hearts and there service.

may you heal their fingers and eyes from burnout.

You are awesome.

in Your name, amen.

by the way... i don't know what ina's talking about, i never said to put each song on one page.... that's just ridiculous. really.

love you guys though,
jam

ummm... i don't question your walks... but i will pray for you...

Lord, thank you for these sisters... for their hearts and there service.

may you heal their fingers and eyes from burnout.

You are awesome.

in Your name, amen.

by the way... i don't know what ina's talking about, i never said to put each song on one page.... that's just ridiculous. really.

love you guys though,
jam

Praise Band vs James Kwon part 1

Theme: Song Books

The Objective: Sort through James Kwon's mind of mass confusion

The Minion: Shannon and Ina-Robin

Results: MUST ANNIHILATE JAMES KWON

Proceedure: How we got this result

Refrer to comments below..... LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Renew,Restore and Rebuild

As a praise team we need to be prayed up and our spirits free before we can minister in music.
Go back to the book of Nehemiah.

1. Pen/Pad

• Remember to write down what comes to mind. Even scriptures that God gives you.

2. Blisticks

• Refresh and renew your mind besides your lips

3. Battery

• Always be engerized by the word of God and by music.
• Dance in the presence of the Lord to get your day started or to shake loose anything that may want to stick to you...ie; having a bad day or just plan frustrated.

4. O-ring

• God is in the details.
• Doesn't matter what you do in life God will always be in the details if you let Him.

5. Velcro

• Helps secure things into place
• Neatly woven threads interlinking together( that is what we aew as a praise team)

Bind us together Lord, Bind us together like cords that can not be broken Bind us together Lord, Bind us together Lord , Bind us together with Love.

6. Band aide/ Superglue

• When we are hurt we can become wounded deep down in our spirit where we need healing, you have the word of God to be your band aide... Yet God himself is the superglue that holes everything together.
• God is very strong and powerful and can not be moved.
• When we are we He is strong. Let God be your Superglue... strength

7.Lego

• We are just a small piece that links together with many more pieces that does God's work
• Know your place
• Know where you fit
• Know that you can be creative in it
• Know it's not in vain

You never know whose life may depend on what you say or do when it comes to walking in love and doing the work of God. Let God take you from Glory to Glory daily. God bless and have a great Spring trimester.

Love Always in Christ Jesus,

Ina-Robin

First TNT of the spring tri!

are you excited? i am. Jesus is alive. holy cow.

6:30, i was thinking about playing in thirds a lot tomorrow... what do you think about:

• indescribible


• famous one


• You must increase

i like it... i think

love you guys~!

in HIS.jam

Parise Band Alert

I need some help printing off the song books for the praise band for TNT

• Give me a time for availability
• Give me notice for those who need rides