photo by @JohnEdits

At first  listen I wasn’t too interested in Ye and Jay’s latest collaboration, Watch The Throne. But now, it has taken on a whole new meaning. No apologies, head tall and daring yourself to do the impossible. Who Gon Stop Me, huh?

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The saga continues … I posted some notes/thoughts from this past week.

The Bible says we are to be In This World But Not Of It (Romans 12). Which means we live in the cultures of this world but there is another set of rules/standards/culture we live by.

There needs to become a separation of how we view the world and how we view the church. Often times the influences of the world infiltrates the standards of our home.

• Our world says commitment is for suckers
• Our world says affairs are the norm.
• Our world says affairs are more fun that being married
• Our world says marriage is for boring Volvo drivers
• Desperate Housewives, OC housewives, Miami housewives, Cheating is cool, fun and exciting.

Our church should be our wife and not our girlfriend on the side. The world says we can have a wife and a girlfriend – Proverbs says:

18 Bless your fresh-flowing fountain! Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!19 Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose-don’t ever quit taking delight in her body. Never take her love for granted!20 Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a whore? for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?

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You can build the house in two different ways.

Haggai, Zerubbabel and Nehemiah rebuilt the temple physically. Some of us today have an opportunity to rebuild in the following areas. Recommended reading (book of Ezra, Nehemiah).

*Band

*Production

*Host

*Design

*Setup

*Maintenance

*Ushers/Welcome Team

*Cleaners/Janitor

Additionally, there is a bonus pack as we merge our lives to what Christ loves (Ephesians 5:23).

*Prayer

*Leadership

*Protection

*Encouraging

*Asking for wisdom and direction from the Holy Spirit

http://vimeo.com/4895121

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How does branding coagulate with Christ?

Brand recognition is the rage. It’s no longer what you are wearing but who you are wearing. Patterns, colors and fabrics are replaced by names and seasons. The brand brings status and status brings pride.

Do you take pride in the brand of God? How excited are you about his House, his name? Is the focus on your brand or His?

13 However, King Cyrus of Babylon,t during the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the Temple of God should be rebuilt.14 King Cyrus returned the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of Babylon. These cups were taken from that temple and presented to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah. 15 The king instructed him to return the cups to their place in Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple of God there on its original site. Ezra 5:13-15

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God + People

I want to love God as much as I possibly can. I wake up and pray. I listen to Jesus music. I say out loud, “God, give me everything you got.”

But when I walk by someone and neglect to recognize the creator in them, I have missed. I missed loving God when I missed loving His people. Young and old, ugly and pretty – Jesus loves the little children of this world.

30 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’t No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

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This one involves trees, water and fragrances.

I reposted Psalm 92 but this time I want to take a look at a few attributes of the cedars of Lebanon.

12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.13 Those who are planted in the house of the LordShall flourish in the courts of our God.14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, Psalm 92:12-13

Cedars trunk can be as wide as 8 feet and grow to 130 feet tall. They were used to build the Old Testament temple, Solomon’s palace, King David’s palace and numerous other structures.

They grow in high altitudes (3-6,000 feet), require rich soil and plenty of water. They also give out a sweet smelling fragrance.

6 Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees,
as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon. Hosea 14:6 NLT

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Where do you extract your strength? Where is it sourced?

12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.13 Those who are planted in the house of the LordShall flourish in the courts of our God.14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, Psalm 92:12-13

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What does Christ love? What captures his attention?

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27

http://500px.com/devottam

By @AdelekeCreates

Be sure to check out Bright Season and there new release Walk on Water. Big ups to them.

BrightSeasonWes: I think I’m giving up Christianity for now.

@BrightSeasonWes Jesus is not done with you for now or ever I think you simply have been surrounded by hypocrites who make it seem it’s fake                                                                                                                                   @BrightSeasonWes check out http://bit.ly/vtLLq these guys are awesome and real they are practicing true Christianity                                                                                                                                                                                       @AdelekeCreates you don’t even know me how can you diagnose my faith? I’M the hypocrite not the others around me.                                                                                                                                                                                          @BrightSeasonWes im sorry man about that I shouldn’t have rushed to conclusions but I know that walking away isn’t your punishment

@AdelekeCreates what do you mean walking away isnt my punishment                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          @BrightSeasonWes we are saved by grace through faith so if you have been a hypocrite you have been a hypocrite but that’s not the end                                                                                                                                                          @AdelekeCreates ohh i see. but a hypocrite is a bad witness. i dont read, i dont pray, i doubt constantly, havent been to church in months                                                                                                                                                   @BrightSeasonWes man ive been a hypocrite but that’s doesn’t mean Im not a Christian anymore walking away only adds to the hurt                                                                                                                                                                 @AdelekeCreates but hypocrisy is only the start. ive been living the Christian life for other people. i just dont really care about it anymore.                                                                                                                                                 @BrightSeasonWes perfect then you now have a frsh start you can come to Gof for the “first time ” now                                                                                                                                                                                                                                @AdelekeCreates i believe in and have faith in God, but as i told a friend, if im supposed to be on that plane outta here, he’ll see to it.                                                                                                                                                                     @AdelekeCreates and if im not, im no ‘better off’ than i am now or at birth.

@BrightSeasonWes alright I understand I would only say that all this should go to God dont be so hard on yourself                                                                                                                                                                                                                    @BrightSeasonWes ur sounding like a Reformation guy beating himself for sin if u have this much conviction u should tell God                                                                                                                                                                                               @AdelekeCreates i see what you mean. im not beating myself up, i mean i was. now, i feel relieved. free. if god wants to come to me, he will.                                                                                                                                                    @BrightSeasonWes he obviously has something great inside of you if you feel like this Satan wants you because you are special PERIOD                                                                                                                                                                     @AdelekeCreates ive always been a Calvinist and that goes for this as well                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   @BrightSeasonWes hey man do your thing but dont forget that God wants you Ill keep my tweeting eyes on you but I can tell you’re on your way

@AdelekeCreates thanks. i really do appreciate that.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 @BrightSeasonWes Does Psalm 119 Teach Salvation Comes By Keeping the Law? http://bit.ly/kD1fP0 check it out and some other posts God Bless!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have just landed on the moon (or walked on water).

Have you ever stumbled upon greatness? Have you ever received an idea that will rip apart the fabric of society and human existence and push us forward into the next generation of thinking? I have.

You see, God is not just good; he is flat-out ridiculous – ridic, as the cool kids say it. All praise be to Him. All the events leading up to the moment (ruining the Outlaw Preacher timeline trying to promote Pornographic Preacher (by far my most popular post), being reported as spam, getting talked to by @pastornar, being taught Tweetdeck and Twitter etiquette (thanks @sleepthatkills) hashtags and keyword timelines, and seeing the life-changing tweet) seemed random at the time but turned out to be all part of God’s plan.

Twitter Evangelism is exactly that. You simply evangelize through Twitter. How? I’m glad you asked.

Getting Started

Essentially all you need is a Twitter account and, preferably, a Tweetdeck or something similar. Simply add columns on your Tweetdeck with keywords (Christianity, church, Jesus, religion, etc.). If you are using Twitter, just search these words and see what tweets pop up.

Look at the tweets and try to find people sounding discouraged about their faith, struggling with sin, or believing something contrary to the Word. Give them a no-string-attached reply to ignite a conversation. Then, allow them to decide to respond. Do not, under any circumstances, badger!

Implementation

From there, evangelize like you would at the mall or on the street. Be affable, yet stern and Biblically sound. Don’t give your opinion, give the Word in a way that is extremely basic and simple. An opinion is so subjective but a Scripture delivered effectively can make the difference of eternal life.

Every person has a confrontational side of them, especially when Christianity is involved. Don’t let that side get the best of you. If a conversation starts, set your foundation for the subject and then communicate to them how much God loves them and how much they mean to Him. Then, now that they have a softer heart, share the Truth in love. Also, make sure you have your Bible at hand as you want to be as accurate as possible. In addition, add personal stories and experiences to bring the message closer to home and meet them where they are.

Warning

Simple, I know, but unbelievably powerful. Yet, this undertaking is not for the spiritually weak. Only mature, on-fire Christians spending considerable time in the Word and prayer should take this up. I for one will be doing this sparingly if at all. The reason: giving must be done out of your abundance to be truly effective (1 Corinthians 9:27). Otherwise, you are a pounding gong or a clanging symbol from (1 Corinthians 13:1).

Go!

So get on it! Add this to your forms of evangelism; don’t use this as a replacement. Keep in mind this method is not fool proof and people can be up to there same tricks in no time. However, this is a way for leaders in the body of Christ to take back souls for the Kingdom in a way that is mutually amicable. People appreciate an outside voice and often them not knowing you makes them more open. Others close to them may have tried but good news from far away is sweet to the soul. You may be able to minister to someone in a way no one has ministered to them before. So stalk and prey lest they fall into condemnation.

Catch us in Twitosphere, Michael Adeleke, @AdelekeCreates and @tilltheground and the founder and editor of I Hate Church, Anthony Thompson, @Thompsonwrites and @iHatechurch. Also, like our I Hate Church and Till the Ground pages on Facebook.

Check out our videos on Vimeo for more info regarding what we are doing here, our future goals, vision, etc. Deuces!

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I am creating a series of micro posts for us to engage. These are short and may not be a complete thought. My hope is for you to pick up a piece, pray and put it together.

¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹ according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Ephesians 3:10-11 (NIV)