To the United States Church:

Dearly beloved, I write this to you that you may break out of the insecure walls of self-protected individualization, buried in your technological advances.

I hold against you the fact that your culture and church have become ones of self-absorption with expectations that only return to the motive of self and not to the benefit and extension of God’s Kingdom.

Selfishness prevails and it is convenient for you to choose your acts of service, which is not servanthood. Why has the very example I have given you been overlooked? Why have you not become the servant in your love toward our Father and your neighbor?

Your poor commitment also shines light on your priorities. How will you become a living sacrifice? When you love the images of lust and pornography more than the Creator, my heart breaks for my children because our intimacy has been broken.

Now, stop and remember the Lord! Do not place the idolatry of any leader or man over God’s name. He is the Alpha and Omega, who is and was, and who is to come; He is the Almighty.

Be encouraged and refreshed, though, even knowing that by His grace and power you will endure in your faithfulness. Walk with Him daily to hear His voice as the Spirit guides your life to abide in Him; then, your fruit will be evident.

Continue to fear God your Father and obey His commandments; then, He will know you love Him with all your heart as He prepares your dwelling place. Take delight in Him and allow Him to quiet you in His love forever….

Amen.

 Randy Stewart

This is a compilation of three letters that were read to the Post community on July 28th.  Each highlighted section represents a different writer and reader with a specific message for our community.  

To the American church,

      Love with absolute humility.
      Our pride only brings glory to our enemy, the father of lies. The more we satisfy our pride, the more we become blind to it. When I speak, is it to bring glory to myself, or glory to God? When I listen, is it to hear others’ faults so that I may build myself up, or is to hear the needs of those who I am commanded to unconditionally serve? 

To my fellow disciples,

I begin this letter of encouragement, exhortation and admonishment with a confession: I’ve been a coward.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit working in me, I’ve been able to discern not only between right and wrong, but also between a selfless union with our LORD and a selfish union with the evil one. Too often I have chosen cowardly to abstain from speaking, in fear that I might lose friends or become someone’s enemy.

My word to you is this – such cowardice ends today.

To my brothers and sisters,

I wish to write of many things: of love, passion, integrity, honor, righteousness, truth, dignity, submission, the willingness to learn, obedience, but choose to speak of RELATIONSHIP of the HEART. Our heart's relationship with the One who created us; we are inseparable no matter the distance perceived between the two.

When I act, is it to bring attention to myself, or to make those aware that I am living solely for God? Do I view my life as something I’ve created, or as something that God has given me?

I ask questions because it is in the search, in the journey that we begin to understand what it means to intimately know ourselves because we personally know Him.  The two are intertwined. Ask God to reveal Himself to you and He shows you things hidden within us that have shaped the very ways we think, feel, and act. Seek to find yourself in Him and He begins to unfold more of His mysterious nature.

      If we take pride in our own humility, we really do not have humility at all. If we claim to have humility, yet point out others’ pride, we do not have true humility. Do not misunderstand this: our talents are valuable to God. Humility is not found in trying to ignore that we each have been given unique gifts and abilities. For Joy is found in humility when one becomes a servant with your gifts.

I refuse to be the average coward in my generation

As I write to you, hear the intent of my heart

We are settling for so much less than what God intended.

I love you and am writing to you because I have faith in your ability to revolutionize the hearts of others in this dying world. I’m writing to encourage you to adopt a bold and brazen mentality. I’m writing to you because I walk with my heart on fire and adopt these words from Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:9),

“If I say: I won’t mention Him or speak any longer in His name His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in.”

What message burns in our united heart?

      Humble yourselves to community. Who are we to judge others? Instead, we should honor one another above ourselves. When we are united as one body, in Christ, we have the fullness of the Holy Spirit in us. Christ made himself nothing for the church—we ought to do the same. Speak for those who do not have a voice—the poor and rejected matter to God. Our patience is not something that has to be earned. Our joy is not found in comparing ourselves to others.

Listen to the message behind the words. My desire is to encourage and inspire you to search the deep places, the tender, sacred places of our heart we so often fear to go. Go there with Him. Go there with the Beloved. For in those most sacred, guarded places we find the One we have been looking for all along. In Him is life, life everlasting yes, but also satisfying, fulfilling life in the present.

We must be willing to sacrifice our daily routines for the sake of loving those in need—many of whom we’d never meet if we weren’t living by the Spirit. Cultivate a passion for generational unity. We must crucify our pride and realize we can learn invaluable knowledge from both older and younger generations.

      Humble yourselves to discipline. Study God’s Word and memorize it. Pray continually—for your family, for your church, for your country, for your enemies, for those who do not know freedom in Christ, and for your brothers and sisters in Christ, wherever they may be.

Pray fearlessly and without doubt – to repent for previous impure heart conditions; for the compassion needed to love the LORD our GOD with all our heart, soul, mind and strength while we love others as ourselves; for the wisdom needed to seek first the LORD’s kingdom and righteousness; to intercede for others – the poor, the sick, the oppressed, the leaders.

 Become a disciple of Christ, following so closely to him that others may be drawn to his character through you. And hold each other accountable to this:

     Humble yourselves to authenticity.

May we find  our true selves as we come to intimately know the heart of our Beloved and the thoughts He has for us. They are good. In His eyes you are good, know it in your heart for it is true.

Be intentional with those who you call friends, for your loyalty will be a testimony to God’s pursuit of His children. What is it that God has specifically created you for? Who has God specifically called you to?

In this, forsake not the One who has first loved us. Allow Him to teach you the art of pursuit so that you may see and know how deep the Father's Love for you is. May Your eyes be opened to the intimate, personal passion the Holy One has for you.

It is easy to become over committed, thinking that we are doing great things for the kingdom of God. But even Jesus, in his humanity, had limitations. The goal is not to have as many friends or responsibilities as possible, but to practice discernment with the time God has granted to us.

In this way, build community – the LORD created us to exist in community to support one another and also to embrace the amplified power of the Holy Spirit within the unity of a brotherhood and sisterhood of believers.

Be not afraid to look for you might begin to see. Allow your heart to ask so that He can respond. Fear not when you knock at His door, for He hears and answers those whom He loves.

 And yes...

HE LOVES You

And may His love be sufficient for us.

Above all things, we know that He loves us.

Let His boundless love be sufficient.

Grace and Peace.

Dear Post Community,

I bow humbly on my knees before God, asking for forgiveness for the selfish and earthly desires that fill my heart. Without the grace of God and the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, I am lost, a sinner with no hope.  It is through the cross that we all have a path to Heaven, although we live an imperfect life!  I am so thankful for the Body of Christ and for the selfless people who have poured into my life and showed me the love of Christ. 

The Post has greatly helped me in my walk with Christ.  Without you all I don't know where I would be right now.  My prayer for all of you is that you live selfless lives, reach out to those who are lost and in need of guidance, and in all things you show the love of Jesus Christ.

The love of Christ can change lives.  If Christ's love is so transformational, then why do we succumb to the everyday temptation to hide Christ's love to those around us? We need to live boldly, without regard for our own selfish desires and live selflessly for Christ and others. It is through Christ and his grace that we have hope.  I pray that all of you can share that grace and hope with those around you.

God's imperfect servant

Dear Post Family,

I am so encouraged every time I see this community of believers come together in fellowship and worship of our Lord. He has sought out each of us and lavished his grace upon us during a time when many Americans choose to walk away from their faith. He has set our feet upon a solid rock during a season of great life transition and questions, yet our Lord remains constant as we run this race trying to keep our focus on Him.

We are surely running the race, but I often wonder whose race we are running. Are we running the race that we want to run? Do we have our ideas of what success is; are we unwilling to examine our greater purpose? So many of us have painted a picture of what life should look like now, in five years, in ten years, and so on. We seek God’s guidance only if it fits in with the picture that we have already created for ourselves. There is no room or no time for reconstructing that picture…it is all mapped out.

Are we running the race that our friends are running? Do we see the lives that our friends lead and try to fit into that mold? We compare and compete, somehow feeling unworthy if we do not keep up with those around us. We look at relationships or education or jobs that we don’t have and work to validate ourselves by joining that race rather than seeking our own. Or better yet—maybe we try to stay ahead of our friends, striving to be the first to attain certain things, lest we come in second place. We are only interested in shortcuts, never braving an unknown path.

Are we running the race that our culture tells us to run? The pressures in our American society are sly and cunning as they seep into our minds, convincing us that we must constantly work to measure up. We are taught that we have little value if we aren’t a certain size or build. We see that success is measured in possessions or moments of happiness rather than true joy in Christ. We learn that we must look out for ourselves in order to secure our futures. We want to rise to the top, sometimes regardless of what it takes. We fill all of our time running around trying to reach that next best thing or earn respect through what we do. We measure our self worth with the world’s standards in a race that never ends.

We are all running a race; that is for sure. But why is it that we are often discontent with the race set before us? Do we even stop to think and absorb the fact that we are set apart for a greater purpose than to run a race that is not our own? The God of the universe sent His son to earth because the people needed to be saved. Jesus lived a perfect life and laid it down so that we may find fulfillment in Him.

God could have chosen to bring you to this earth in any time period, to any city, around any people. But He chose to send you here, right where you are. He chose to gift each of you with your unique personalities, talents, and viewpoints. He has allowed each of you to have your own stories of struggles and redemptions. You are his elected representative in your very specific place in the world. Why is it that this is not enough for us? Are we afraid that God will somehow overlook us? Maybe He has more important things to deal with or maybe His will for us just isn’t quite to our liking.

Perhaps it is fear—fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of giving God that one last piece that we are holding onto. What if Jesus had chosen not to give God that one last piece and decided that death on a cross was not necessary? His friends certainly didn’t have to go down that path and He could rise from the dead without all of the pain and humiliation. But that was not God’s plan for our redemption. I fear that we are not living out God’s complete plan for each of us.

When we ask God to compete with ourselves, with our friends, or with our society, we turn our focus inward rather than upward. We are so hooked on ourselves and somehow solving this puzzle of what our lives will look like that we miss what God has for us now. Why has God placed us where we are at this precise moment? He asks each of us to be faithful in living for Him in the here and now rather than looking in the rear view mirror or keying in our destinations in the GPS.

The amazing thing about our creator is that He gave us His own son to carry our burdens; He promises that we are never alone, even when it seems that no one is near. He never says, however, that He is content to follow us around as we lead; He asks us to hand over our fear and insecurities in exchange for the peace and confidence only He can provide. He has traveled each of our paths before us and waits as we decide to trust his providence. Think of what this community could do if each of us chose now to daily hand over our control, our own plans, our competitiveness, and our search for significance to Him.

We are called to run our race with perseverance, but let us not become tired running up the hills that were not meant for us, nor satisfied jogging along a path that the Lord has not ordained for us. Let us find that our identities lie solely in our redeemer, confident that if He takes us off the beaten path that is exactly where we belong.

Your Fellow Runner by Grace Alone,

Christina Morrison

I wish to write of many things: love, passion, integrity, honor, righteousness, truth, dignity, submission, the willingness to learn, and obedience, but I choose to write of relationship of the heart—our heart's relationship with the One who created us. We are inseparable no matter the distance perceived between the two.

As I write to you, hear the intent of my heart. Listen to the message behind the words. My desire is to encourage and inspire you to search the deep places, the tender, sacred places of your heart you so often fear to explore. Go there with Him. Go there with the Beloved. For in those most sacred, guarded places we find the One we have been looking for all along. In Him is life; life everlasting, yes, but also satisfying, fulfilling life in the present.

I find myself wondering, "What do we really know about relationship: the relationship with Him, with ourselves, and with others?" It seems there is depth and a mysterious beauty we fail to see; yet, we catch a glimpse every now and then, but are never able to truly grasp it. Why? Why do we run from the very things that offer us life? What inner doubts, fears, questions, and messages from others cause us to hide from the One who longs to hold us in His arms? What stops us? Who stops us? Do we truly know what it means to, “Taste and see that the Lord is good?”

I ask questions because it is in the journey that we begin to understand what it means to intimately know ourselves—because we personally know Him. The two are intertwined. Ask God to reveal Himself to you and He shows you things hidden within you that have shaped the very way you think, feel, and act. Seek to find yourself in Him and He begins to unfold more of His mysterious nature. “Things hidden become revealed.” Knock on the door of His heart and discover His thoughts toward you are for good, not harm. In searching, He begins to unveil the “treasure hidden in jars of clay.” We find in the journey that we know so little. What we once thought was, no longer is. Yet what remains is something of great value and worth, more precious than silver and gold.

We have been purified in the Refiner's Fire, made whole and pure. Let us open our eyes and see what is already there, removing the dirt we have allowed to cover us. See what He has created you to be, not what others have told you. His ways are not our ways. Yet, if we place our hope and trust in Him, He makes our paths straight before us.

My words to you are this: forsake not the One who has first loved us; allow Him to teach you the art of pursuit so that you may see the ways and know how deep is the Father's love for you; may your eyes be opened to the intimate, personal passion the Holy One has for you. Let us delight in the Lord because it is in Him we find the fulfillment of our heart's desire. May we find our true selves as we come to intimately know the heart of our Beloved and the thoughts He has for us. They are good. You are good; know it in your heart because it is true.

Be not afraid to look for you might begin to see. Allow your heart to ask for what it needs so that He can respond. Fear not when you knock at His door because He hears and answers those whom He loves.

And yes...

HE LOVES YOU!