PROPHETS AND DISCIPLES

“Then Jesus said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.’”  (Luke 9:23 NIV)

“We pray for all leaders, Lord, that they may know and do Your will for justice, peace, and joy on earth.” I pray these words with my husband daily. Do I mean them? Yes. Do I believe they will happen? Not really. I have little hope left in leaders and institutions. Sure, I know there are good leaders, but they seem to get swallowed up by the chaos, anger, and ineptitude that swirls through the world today.

“Where are our prophets?” I complained to my friend Sylvia. “Where are our apostles? Where are those seeking the Spirit of God instead of their opponent’s downfall?”

“We have to be those people,” she answered without hesitating.

That brought me up short. A native of Sierra Leone, Sylvia has witnessed firsthand the failure of institutions in her nation and ours, yet she believes we can be prophets and disciples?

I realized how hypocritical it was for me to pray for leaders without trying to help in my own small way. Why should politicians assist the poor if I duck into another door to avoid the Salvation Army bell ringers at the store’s main entrance? Why should leaders seek common ground while I avoid a friend because we disagree? Why should officials do God’s will and work when I resent another request for help from my church?

Sylva was right: It is easy to be a prophet and disciple. And yet so difficult! 

-- Submitted by a subscriber in Wisconsin, adapted from Marci Alborghetti in “Walking in Grace 2025: Daily devotions to draw you closer to God”

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KINGDOM JUSTICE – Part 2 of 2

You can’t have a Kingdom unless you include the King. Our King is Jesus. But Jesus comes with a cross; they’re a package, and that’s where it gets messy. Messy because the cross requires addressing sin and forgiveness. That can be uncomfortable.

Fighting injustice and helping people makes us feel good about ourselves. Dealing with the cross? That can be another story. However, focusing solely on making the world a better place forgets what Jesus said in Matthew 16:26: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

As the Summit continued, I couldn’t stop thinking about a C. S. Lewis quote: “God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” That’s when it hit me: the greatest injustice in the world isn’t racism or poverty. It’s that people are perishing in sin, cut off from the Kingdom, and therefore, their Kingdom Dream.

That’s when it all came together. My identity as a fighter for justice and this book are one and the same. I’m not just writing to inspire. I’m writing so that no one should perish.

I’ll give the benefit of the doubt and assume the Summit’s organizers’ intentions were good. At the same time, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

-- Douglas W. Fearing in “The Kingdom Dream: An Urgent Wake-up Call to Life Beyond the American Dream”

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KINGDOM JUSTICE – Part 1 of 2

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NIV)

In January 2023, a dear friend turned me on to the book, “Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God,” by Jamie Winship. It’s not a book you simply read; rather, Jamie takes you through a process to learn your identity in Christ. I went through the process, hearing from the Lord that my identity is a “fighter for justice.”

This new understanding of my identity opened my eyes to why certain things make me come alive and other things, which on the surface seem exciting, don’t. It brought a revelation.

Writing this book flows naturally from that call to fight for justice -- justice in the most eternal sense.

With my newfound identity as a fighter for justice, I decided to attend the annual Kingdom Justice Summit held in Madison, Wisconsin in March 2023. The focus of this Summit was to bring the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth. The people attending were genuinely interested in making a difference, but were they pursuing the right difference?

I had no agenda going into the Summit -- just a sense that maybe this gathering would align with my newly discovered identity.

The gospel, however, was conspicuously absent. The event spoke of justice, but not Jesus. Compassion, but not the cross. Good works, but not the Good News. That omission was concerning.

The event’s focus was on making this world a better place by helping end human injustices. As followers of Jesus, that is something we should want. It’s part of God’s directive. We must have compassion for the least, the lost, and the lonely.

However, you can’t have a Kingdom unless you include the King. Our King is Jesus.

-- Douglas W. Fearing in “The Kingdom Dream: An Urgent Wake-up Call to Life Beyond the American Dream”

#6497

LIVING IN HARMONY WHEN THINGS CHANGE

“Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.… Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  (Romans 12:10-18 CSB)  

We live in a world of constant shifts -- political tides turn, relationships evolve, endings arrive unexpectedly, and the ground beneath us can feel surprisingly uncertain. In seasons of transition, it is easy for our hearts to become fractured. Disagreements over policy, party, or personal perspectives can quietly creep into our communities, tempting us to draw lines and build walls.

Yet, the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 12 offer a timeless, counter-cultural anchor. He doesn't call us to uniformity; he calls us to harmony. Notice how practical and grounded this passage is:

Honor over ambition: We are told to take the lead in honoring one another, laying aside pride and self-importance.

Empathy over division: We are invited into the shared human experience of rejoicing with those who rejoice and genuinely weeping with those who weep -- regardless of whether their circumstances align with ours.

Peace as an active pursuit: Paul adds a profound qualifier, "If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Notice the personal responsibility. We cannot control how others respond, but we can guard our own hearts against bitterness, retaliation, and pride.

When relationships, eras, or cultural moments change around us, our calling remains remarkably steady. We are invited to love deeply, remain humble, and choose peace, proving that our unity is rooted in something far greater than any temporary circumstance. It is rooted in Jesus Christ, who “is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NIV) 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

#6496

WHAT IS WORSHIP?

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.”  (Revelation 4:11 NIV)

You will find throughout the Word, and then continued throughout history, that when a human heart truly encounters the love of God -- in essence when the created connects with the Creator -- the response is worship, or worth-ship, as we often say. Worship as a response to revelation is displayed through consecrated lives (Romans 12), through wholehearted songs of love and devotion (the Psalms), and by living lives of love and justice (Micah 6:8). Worship is required not in perfection by man’s standards, but in truth, by God’s standards. He has never been impressed by offerings that look good, but offerings that are good. As the worship of God continues to gather momentum across the earth, so too does the awareness of His power and presence, along with the understanding of the authority that comes with exalting the name of Jesus over all things.

The ultimate goal of all we pursue in worship is God’s honor and glory. So don’t get worship and music confused, for what we are involved with is Holy. Not to be confused with marketable tunes that make you feel good. As Pastor Jack Hayford says, “Where worship is released, God’s presence comes to dwell, and where God’s presence abides, there will be power.” Let’s be committed to seeing the fullness of this word “worship,” so that it may reach its potential on earth as it is in heaven. 

-- Darlene Zschech in “The Worshiper” Magazine, Summer 2008

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