Baby Dolls for Mexico - Touching Lives

We, at Rebelutionary Musings, absolutely love coming across project ideas and actions that result in both the givers and the receivers being equally as blessed. The givers are blessed simply in seeing the pure joy and excitement light up the receiver's face. And the receivers are blessed by being handed something they never knew they could have or even want. Our very own Hillary Hipps's heart was touched by seeing what a simple baby doll could do for a child while she was on a missions trip down in Mexico. And with that solitary event, she seeks to put baby dolls in the arms of as many Mexican children as she possibly can. But, she needs all the help she can get! Here's both her story and what you can do to help:

Baby dolls. Such a simple item that can be found in almost every home in the United States. When I was in Mexico, I held a little girl as she received her very own baby doll. She was the only one of the girls to get one and all the others gathered around to gently touch her new "baby." The wheels in my head started to turn as I saw the desire in the other girls eyes.

About a month later, cleaning out the "toy bin" at home, I found five baby dolls that no one wanted any more. We have lots of girls and dolls in abundance, not to mention most of us are past the age of actively playing with them. What if we reached out to our sisters all over the world with something as simple as a doll? What if we could take our unused baby dolls and send them down to the little Mexican girls as a ministry? What if we could use that which we never use to change someone's life? What if God could take out "trash" and use it to bring treasure?

I talked to the missionaries down in Mexico and they thought that the dolls would be a great blessing to the girls down there!

The project: Collecting baby dolls cleaning them up and shipping them to Tucson, AZ where they will be brought to Mexico and given to the girls.

Girls: Go through your closets and boxes! Get your friends involved! Make a day to clean and dress all the dolls for delivery. Just imagine what a blessing we could be to these little girls and what fun we could have while doing it!

Guys: Okay, so hopefully you don't have any dolls in your closet, but that does not mean you cannot be involved! Spread the word among your sisters and female friends! We will need some funding to ship all the dolls; perhaps your little sister is getting a box together; perhaps you can help her with the postage! If you don't have that option, I am sure there will be sisters with out brothers, you can sponsor a box for a sister in Christ that you may not even know!

Please feel free to email me at miakalista[at]hotmail[dot]com, if you have any questions or would like to contribute. =) You can also find us on facebook under "Baby Dolls for Mexico" ♥

We Shall Speak: A look at Jeremiah 1:7

Hello all!

Most of you probably read our post last week about We Shall Speak - The Jeremiah 1:7 Project, a Rebelutionary blog and writing project that exists to "impact the world with the writing of books, essays, short stories, and poetry all in a bold, Christ-glorifying way" by assembling a team of passionate young Christians to work together towards accomplishing this common goal." Not suprisingly, the theme verse of the project is Jeremiah 1:7 and We Shall Speak has posted an article offering keen insight into the challenge for young people contained within Jeremiah 1:7.

Please read and offer any comments you may have! :-)

A look at Jeremiah 1:7

Our theme verse is Jeremiah 1:7. Why? Because it's a challenge for boldness. It's a command from the Lord. It's not a request.

"Do not say, 'I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak."

God is very specific here when He says that we will do as He commands. And He doesn't say "the things that you like that I command of you, you shall speak". He says whatever He commands us. That means going up to the lonely kid at school and speaking the word of God into their lives. That means standing before a crowd and speaking out against what's wrong. That may mean going to another country and sharing Christ to untouched places. Whatever it means for you, you have to do it.

Some people say that you can be too bold. I do not agree with that. You cannot be too bold in anything involving the Gospel. Honestly when you take away everything but the Cross, you either have it, or you don't. Those who do are going to Heaven, those who don't are going to Hell. You might say "But they'll laugh at me. They'll mock me, or they'll ignore me." Well, to be blunt, they aren't going to be laughing at you, mocking you, or ignoring you when they are standing in the fires of Hell. God didn't call us to be passive in deed. He called us to take action.

Mark Twain once said "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear." We are never so courageous that we have no fear. But we do have a way to resist the fear, to go on despite the fear, to overcome the fear, and to do what needs to be done. We have a God who has promised never to leave nor forsake us. He doesn't command something that He will not give us the strength to do. In Mark 10:27 we see Jesus telling the disciples that with man things will be impossible, but with God, nothing is impossible. In Philipians 4:13 we see that all things are possible in Christ. In Acts chapters 4, 9, 13, 14, 18, 19, 26, and 28, we see at some point disciples being bold and speaking out boldly. Why? Because it is what God commanded them to do. And as the Lord commanded, so did they.

This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
~Ephesians 3:11-13

In Ephesians we see that it is only through Jesus Christ that we have boldness. What He has called us to He will give us the strength to accomplish! And it is only because of this that you, or I, or anyone else can do anything that God has commanded of us. We need to see that there need not be a need to hesitate. We know not how much time we have left on this earth. This earth is quickly passing, but souls are eternal. The only thing that really matters is where your soul ends up. Every person whos soul has not been dedicated to the cause of Christ, and does not believe that he is their Savior, and that by his blood they are made clean, is one more person condemned to the eternal grasp of Satan. Without Jesus they cannot break loose. You could be the one to help them break loose. When we allow God to speak through us, we are priviledged to aid in the touching of one more heart, one more mind, one more soul. God doesn't need us to speak for Him. And yet He commands us to. We should be able to do so with confidence and boldness in Christ, but still maintaining a gentle humility and love for all mankind.

I extend a challenge to you today. It's not my challenge. It's God's challenge. I'm taking the challenge through my writing. You may take it in your own personal style- speaking, writing, music, or art. But I challenge you to do as God commands, go where God commands, and speak what God commands. And I challenge you to start now, and to never stop. You would be amazed at what you can accomplish with faith that He will do the impossible through you.

The Lord Will Protect You From All Evil

Daniel Osborne (Administrator on the Rebelution Forum) recently posted a neat story on his blog that illustrates important truths about God's protection, our obedience, and internet safety. :-) We won't add commentary to Daniel's post though because it explains those things very well without our help.

Enjoy!

The Lord Will Protect You From All Evil

Yesterday morning, I received an email from my handball coach (from the national team) and he said that he and his family were at the park by their hotel out in London and they got mugged. He, of course, had all their money on him... credit cards... cell phone... etc., but not passports, so basically, they were having trouble leaving the country because they had to pay for the hotel but had nothing to pay with. He was born in Europe, so it wasn't surprising that he was out there. Their plane was leaving in like 2 hrs, and I really didn't want to loan him $1,800, but was reminded of the verse in Psalm 112:5, "It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgement."

I told God that it is His money and that I would go ahead and do it. I asked my coach to call me really quick... as I was headed out to work at that very moment. He said he couldn't call until he got to the airport. So, I tried to send him the money via westernunion or whatever it is. It failed for some reason. So, I told him... hey, sorry, but it didn't work and I'm at work... am the only one in the office at the moment and I just can't leave right now. (I usually don't check my normal email at work, but made an exception for this). He replied asking if I could perhaps send someone to do it for me.

So, after some more people got into the office... and thinking of James 2:16, "And one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what is that?". I got permission to leave for a bit. I probably would have just not done it expect for the fact that I said I would pray for him... so I kind of locked myself in. haha Anyway, went to print his email, and the printer failed. Ended up having to print to a different printer. At this point, with everything not working, I was sensing... that perhaps it's not God's will for me to do this!

I called mom (should have done that way sooner), asked her to call the handball office and check into it... and I went to the bank to check some things with them. Both came to the conclusion that it indeed was a scam. I have seen these things many times before, but it is always from a junk email address... this was actually from his real address with his real signature. It annoyed me greatly that he couldn't call me, and looking back, I was pretty unwise, but so thankful for His grace and protection. I'm reminded of Psalm 121...

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.

I am so thankful! :)

Announcing 'We Shall Speak- The Jeremiah 1:7 Project'

Greetings all!

It's always exciting to see Rebelutionaries work together to enact and pursue the second and third of the three pillars of the Rebelution: competence and collaboration (the first is charater). So, naturally, we are excited to see that in the spirit of these two principles a team of Rebelutionaries has come up with a great idea and project that Rebelutionary Musings whole heartedly endorses. The project is called "We Shall Speak," and its purpose is to "impact the world with the writing of books, essays, short stories, and poetry all in a bold, Christ-glorifying way" by assembling a team of passionate young Christians to work together towards accomplishing this common goal. It's a tremendous opportunity for aspiring and interested young Christian writers to make an impact for Christ while honing their skills with their peers.


You can find the blog and read the more about the project and how to get involved by clicking on this link.

God bless!

Are Young Pro-Life Evangelicals Inconsistent?

We, at Rebelutionary Musings, all share a strong passion for life and, specifically, the life and cause of the unborn. We believe life is a gift from God that no man can take without just cause and that we are called to be guardians of life, not destroyers of life. As Rebelutionaries, we hope and pray that we will never let an opportunity to defend life slip by without grasping it and holding to it until its end.

One of the most important ways to defend life is to educate yourself and educate those around you. Never assume that an value is so self-evident that we needn't be bothered with studying how best to defend it.

The best place to start in spreading your beliefs is with those that already agree with you a lot. So, to this end, Mark Driscoll and Randy Alcorn share keen insight into an inconsistency within the thought processes of "pro-life" evangelicals. Their basic point is that you can't be "pro-life...but...".

Please listen to and pass this on to your friends that you think would be encouraged and benefited by it and those who could be persuaded by it.

Are Young Pro-Life Evangelicals Inconsistent?

God bless!

The Cinderella Syndrome

Jasmine Baucham posted a great article on her Joyfully At Home blog about "servant-heartedness, in the true sense." We believe it fits perfectly the spirit and message of the Rebelution; and therefore would like to pass it on to our readers.

The Cinderella Syndrome

"Well, nobody likes to be used."

A Lesson from a Chef

I sent those words in a text to my cousin, who -as the youngest graduate of her culinary school (at seventeen, set to graduate this fall) is now hard at work in a local externship. The world of interns and externs is a thankless job: this girl works as a sushi chef six to seven hours a day, six (sometimes seven) days a week, without pay. It's a thankless job, and, Lord bless her, she doesn't complain. But the oldest cousin/mama bear/mother hen/bossy side of me reared her ugly head when my cousin admitted that she was tired one seven-day, eight-hour afternoon: "Well, nobody likes to be used! I'd like to have a conversation with your boss!"

My cousin maturely responded, "I am tired, but I'm really grateful to have this externship -I searched for a long time for someone who would hire a chef under eighteen."

Okay, so beyond being a bit molded (I'm supposed to be setting the example here, right?), my cousin's words gave me something to think about: servant-heartedness, in the true sense.

American Servants

Switching gears here, from the fast-paced world of culinary arts to the spiritually sharpening world of home life, how many of you have ever heard that a woman who wishes to serve her home (especially an unmarried woman, who is usually off doing something else entirely) is just a glorified doormat?

Okay, how many of you have ever felt that way? You know, when your mom asks you to check on the laundry when you're in the middle of a good book -when one of your little siblings needs to tag-along on one of your outings with girlfriends -when the dirty dishes are piling in the sink and you'd rather be in the dining room chatting with company?

"Doormat" is one of the worst insults that can be hurled in our culture: in the land of the free and the home of the brave, we have been taught that there is no cause higher than to fight for our individual rights. We have to look out for number one. Service is all fine and good as long as we're collecting a paycheck or following our hearts, but as soon as this servant-heartedness stuff begins to infringe on our whims, it's time to read those requesting our service their rights.

Right?

Is that really servant-heartedness, though?

I mean, sure we've been taught to puff out our chests and square our shoulders and refuse to be "doormats," because "nobody likes to be used..." but what is servant-heartedness really?

What is a Servant's Heart?

The best example of servant-heartedness we can find is in the Scripture is (of course) Jesus:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~Philippians 2:1-11

True servant-heartedness is humility -the kind of humility displayed by the King of Kings, who became lowly for the Bride that he loved and the Father he sought to obey him.

True servant-heartedness is displayed for us when the one who flung the stars into the heavens washing the feet of his disciples (John 13:1-17). It's the height of love.


What does this look like for us?

As we serve our family, our church body, and the community around us, we should strive to serve with the same selfless devotion that our Lord served, ever willing to humble ourselves, realizing that Christ humbled himself more than we could ever fathom. We should be willing to do the things we may not want to do in order to serve others -we should be willing to work even when we're a little tired, because we are able to meet a need -we should be willing to serve in solitude, even though we would want thanks.


True-servant-heartedness is being too busy caring for the needs of others to stamp our foots and declare our own rights.


What a Servant's Heart is Not

Love does not seek its own.

Those words in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 are often quoted to support everything but true servant-heartedness, but looking at them in that light helps us understand what love and service is not:

-It is not done to gain applause. Sometimes, we will serve without thanks or notice, because our aim is to show love and humility, not to gain notice. (Matthew 6:3)
-It is not done to gain righteousness. Somewhat akin to the last point, we serve because we love the Lord and our brethren, not to gain the love of the Lord or the brethren. (John 14:15)
-It is not done to gain respect. Perhaps, in a different time and place, true servant-heartedness would not be seen as something to be cured or scoffed at; perhaps, in different time, it will no longer be so. But despite the fact that some may not understand our desire to serve others, we are seeking to bring glory to God, not to gain respect for ourselves. (Matthew 5:1-13)

A servant's heart is also not easy. Although some of us may be more tuned in to the needs of those around us than others, I think all of us sometimes has the tendency to balk at serving at one time or another. We have to fight against the gut reaction to shirk the tasks that need to be done (whether we have been asked to do them, or we simply see that there is a need we can fill).

True service is also done joyfully, not grudgingly. If I babysit my brothers while my mom runs an errand and bark at them the whole time she's gone, I was a legalist -I obeyed the command, technically, but I missed the humble heart that Jesus Christ exemplified.

Fighting Cinderella Syndrome

It has never been as easy for a young woman to heave a loud sigh about service as it is in the twenty-first century, where Cinderella Syndrome runs rampant. It is easy to cast our family members as the harsh step-mother and the evil step-sisters when we simply don't feel like serving. It is so easy to imagine ourselves victims when we don't receive the thanks we feel that we deserve.

It can be so easy to forget that our acts of service aren't for our families -not really -or our bosses -not truly -but for the Lord, who has made the ultimate sacrifice for us.

This is not to say that there are not truly abused Cinderellas out there: there are.

But I would wager that most of us can trace our aversion to true servant-heartedness back to selfishness, which, though it is glorified in our culture, runs counter to the meekness that the Christian has been called to. (James 3:15-17)

Embracing True Servant-Heartedness

My dad has worked in many capacities over the years, and has always been willing to serve others as much as he can; more than once, Trey and I have felt that Daddy was perhaps being used by someone who wasn't grateful enough for his time and energy.

Daddy's response to our concerns has always been a smiling, "What good are you if you can't be used?"

The kind of service that Christ was known for runs counter to our sensibilities: the quest for our own rights and interests has been so deeply ingrained in us. But I have this revolutionary dream of becoming the type of woman who serves, not for any sort of payment or gratitude, but simply for the glory of God and the joy of serving him. I have this dream of onlookers not understanding my devotion: as a sister who is always willing to aid her brothers; as a daughter who is always willing to help her parents; as a friend who is always there for brothers or sisters in Christ, sacrificing her own concerns to serve others and doing so joyfully.

I want to be a servant -a girl who lays down her rights and whims and puts the interest of others before her own (Philippians 2:3), the one who serves the Body of Christ boldly and unconditionally -

Starting within the context of her home.

Starting now.

Charles Spurgeon: The Forbearance of God Part 1

TheRESURGENCE posted some great sermon notes from Charles Spurgeon on "The Forbearance of God" with more to follow (we'll post them as they are updated at TheRESURGENCE). We believe this is an important issue because far too many Christians misunderstand or abuse the Grace of God and suffer mightily as a result. Just think though of the extraordinary communion with God and power from God that is acessible to those that understand His grace and apply it to their lives!

The beauty of reading and/or posting only an outline of the issue is that it encourages us to dig through the scriptures ourselves and discern their meanings and applications in our own heart. So, be sure not to skip over all the scriptures without looking them up! :-)

The Forbearance of God

Romans 2:4—"Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"

It is an instance of divine condescension that the Lord reasons with men, and asks this question, and others like it (Isa. 1:5, 55:2; Jer. 3:4, Ezek. 33:11).

God not only acts kindly to sinners, but when they misuse his kindness he labors to set them right (Isa. 1:18, Hosea 11:8).

It is a sad thing that any who have seen God's judgments on others, and have escaped themselves, should draw from this special mercy a reason for adding sin to sin (Jer. 3:8).

Honor God's Goodness and Mercy. A reverent sense of it will be a sure safeguard against taking it for granted.

It is manifested to us in a threefold form:

-Goodness which has put up with past sin (Ps. 78:38)
-Forbearance which bears with us in the present (Ps. 103:10).
-Long-suffering which, in the future as in the past and the present, is prepared to bear with the guilty (Luke 13:7-9)

It is manifested in great abundance: "riches of his goodness."
-Riches of mercies bestowed, temporal and spiritual (Ps. 68:19)
-Riches of kindness seen in gracious deliverance, measured by evils averted which might have befallen us, such as sickness, poverty, insanity, death, and hell (Ps. 86:13)
-Riches of grace promised and provided for all needs.

It is manifested in its excellence by four considerations:
-The person who shows it. It is "the goodness of God" who is omniscient to see sin, just to hate it, powerful to punish it, yet patient towards the sinner (Ps. 145:8).
-The being who receives it. It is dealt out to man, a guilty, insignificant, base, provoking, ungrateful being. (Gen. 6:6)
-The conduct to which it is a reply. It is love's response to sin. Often God forbears, though sins are many, wanton, aggravated, daring, repeated (Mal 3:6).
-The blessings which it brings. Life, daily bread, health, gospel, Holy Spirit, new birth, hope of heaven (Ps. 68:19).

It has been in a measure manifested to you. "Do you presume?"

A New Wardrobe and a Smelly Old Coat

A fourteen year old Rebelutionary young lady sent us the following article. We think she beautifully expresses and describes what sanctification looks likes and what the basic challenges of being sanctified are. Thus, we wanted to pass it on to our readers for y'alls benefit. :-)

When you are born again you become a new being (II Corinthians 5:17). You have been washed fresh and clean; however, you are still wearing the smelly old coat of your flesh (Colossians 3:5-8, I Peter 1:14-16). Scripture tells us to put off our flesh, and put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11). Because when you are born again, you have a new nature. When a born again Christian sins, it is not the new nature that causes them to sin but the old nature. As Christians, we have to get rid of that smelly old coat! Just throw it out! It’s not easy, and it will take much time and effort; but it will definitely be worth your while when you throw it out and put on the beautiful robe of Christ! It’s almost as if someone were to take a four hour bubble bath, and after being cleansed and soothed and completely washed clean, goes and puts on that smelly old coat again! It may seem ridiculous, and quite gross, yet we all do it without realizing it!

As a born again Christian, you are called to be set apart. The world hates; yet, you are to be full of love. The world is foolish; yet, you are full of knowledge. The world is proud; yet, you are humble. These are just a few of the many differences between Christian’s and the world. We are a new creation that has been washed COMPLETELY clean! Why on earth would we even WANT to put on that smelly old coat?!

Responding to others wardrobe:

"Why are you wearing that? Its ugly! And as if that wasn't enough to say, it stinks!"

That’s what we say when those around us put on that smelly old coat of the sinful flesh; but, when do we ever look in the mirror and see that we are wearing that SAME coat, just in a different color? It’s easier to condemn others for their sins and their weaknesses, rather than focusing on our own. Now if it’s so easy, why not just do that all the time? Why work to get rid of that? II Corinthians answers that question quite clearly for us:

"Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." ~2 Corinthians 5:16-17.

We are new creations in Christ having been born again of His Spirit, yet we are still in the flesh. The flesh has many weaknesses and there is no doubt about that. God has left us with a weak flesh; but if we only complain about that, we are not fully submitting to His will.

Norm Wakfield excellently illustrates this point in the following quote:

"Don't bite into the skins of an orange. But within, it tastes pretty good! Picture the flesh as the bitter skins of an orange, don't bite into it."

We no longer look to the weakness of the flesh, we have been made new.

When we put on that old smelly coat, God looks down and says "Why are you wearing that? Its ugly! And as if that wasn't enough to say, it stinks!"

Throw off that old smelly coat!

Drawn to the Mysterious

Rebelutionary Musing's own Hannah Marie has shared some excellent thoughts on being "Drawn to the Mysterious" on her blog 'The Trickling Waters'.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a wagon ride (yes, a real wagon pulled by horses) through the deepest valley in Wisconsin. Sure, I will admit, it was not very deep at all compared to the other valleys I could have traveled through. But, the depth of the valley was not what got me. The walls, made of sandstone, had been carved away by the melting glacier waters many a year ago. One particular place along that valley held the meetings of Native American tribes many years ago. Over eighty years ago, the first people to actually tour the valley walked on foot though the stone encased area, carving their own names somewhere along their journey to signify they had been there. I wanted so much to reach out and touch the walls that surrounded me, to lay my hands on the walls that many hands had touched in the past. Part of me did not even want to be in the wagon; I wanted to walk in the footsteps of those before me. If I listened closely, I could hear the whispers of generations past still echoing off the walls and grasping for the next people that we bound to walk through there.

The feeling is everywhere for me, whether I am walking through antique shops, museums, ghost towns, old buildings, historical documents, history channel recount expositions, the field that belonged to my relatives that are now in Heaven, the trees of a forest that are old and moaning, the mountains that hold mysterious cabins and homes that are not always occupied, the old and abandoned lighthouses; the list goes on and on. Every time I go into one of those ancient places or hear the history of something similar, I want to linger in the moment; I want to let my mind wonder and explore all the possibilities of who and what those people were. What were their thoughts when they walked through this place or experienced this event?

In a world that is always striving to accomplish and develop the new and the better, in a society that is always pushing to know every answer and every piece of logic, I just want to go find a mystery; I want to find something that is not answered according to the book, that cannot be fully known for anyone during their time here on this earth. I want a mystery; I want something I can puzzle over and imagine; I want something that I know the truth about, but can still discover something new every second I think on it. I want something that does not have a logical and planned out answer, something that does not work the same for everyone. I want something special, divine, mysterious, inviting, enticing, captivating, solid, real, and as ancient as time itself.

And guess what? I have that. I have had that. I will have that. And He is right in front of me. He is the Lord. Now, some of you may say that God is not a museum or an ancient house or an antique. You are right; by definition He is not. But, He is a mystery. He cannot be fully explained in a single setting nor in a life time. He is not a by-the-book type of God; He loves to work in everyone's hearts in different ways and at different times. See, God is not science; He is not a logical being that was created at some point in this life. His origins are a mystery. His purpose in every little detail in life is a mystery. His ability to know all of our thoughts and every detail on this planet and in the universe is a mystery. He, the Lord Himself, is one large and never-ending puzzle defining truth itself. That is what I search for and desire. That, I believe, is what every human being searches for and desires.

We all have a heart for the mysterious. Sure, we put all of this effort into finding out the answers to everything around us, but the truth be told, we are not looking for the answers so much as we are looking for experiencing and uncovering a mystery. People are out there looking for the answers to a deep longing, a longing that they cannot satisfy. They are looking for solutions, but pretty soon, those solutions represent nothing but loss to those people. They get their solutions, but they keep searching. And then they feel that they have come up empty and dry because they have not found the solution they were searching for. In reality, they were not looking for a solution or an answer. They were looking for something bigger, deeper, fulfilling, and mysterious; something were all the nuts and bolts could not be seen right away.

A recent survey said the most people in today's generation prefer older church styles, buildings, and services. A rise in the interest for national monuments, historical museums and tours have also been uncovered in the modern generation. There are people out there searching for a mystery and for an history that cannot be fully explained. And folks, we have that mystery. As soon as we, as Christians, tap into the Lord and the Spirit, we become mysterious to the world. Our actions cannot be predicted by the world's standards. Our devotion to something not of this world cannot be explained fully. Our passion for people and for the Spiritual continues to grow. Yet, with all of this mystery, we advocate and cling to one truth. If there are people out there searching for something set apart from the world and something so mysterious that it just cannot be fully explained, then why are we, as Christians, trying to become of the world? Why are we seeking to make ourselves no different from the rest of those around us? Why do we put so much effort into trying to explain to those that complain about us that we are just like them?

Folks, we are not like them. We are different. We do not have to do as the world does and hang out with the people of the world in their ways. See, Jesus had a unique way of touching people. He was set apart from the world in every way. He conducted Himself completely different, yet did not shy away from talking and working with those around Him. The mystery of Who He was drew people to Him. The differences, the unexplainable differences, in His manners were like a magnet. Though mystery was only one aspect of Christ that acted like a magnet, it was a powerful aspect indeed, one that we should naturally hone the closer we become to Christ.

So, the next time our hearts long to go out and watch some movie we do not agree with in order to prove we are just like our friends, let us instead stand firm on our difference from the world. Next time a friend comes up and tells us that we are too withdrawn from the world because of our music choice or our decision to not laugh at crude jokes, rejoice in our difference from the world. Always remember and live upon the distinction between being in the world and being of the world; always be on the lookout for the subtleties in our thoughts that lead us to become more of the world rather than simply in it. Dare to live radically and boldly and let the mysterious surround your entire life.

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

We at Rebelutionary Musings regularly read and follow Charlie's 'Renewing Thoughts' blog. Recently, he posted the lyrics of 'O Sacred Head, Now Wounded,' along with a video of Fernando Ortega singing the song and both were (and are as I am posting them this morning) a tremendous blessing to me. The song itself is so thoroughly saturated with the Gospel message that I could ponder the depths of its riches for days, weeks, and months and still find riches untapped. Fernando Ortega sings it beautifully.

I would encourage anybody who can to read through the lyrics of this beautiful old hymn and ponder them, to think of how the truths in this song apply to our lives. The Gospel cannot be pondered too much!

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.

My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

My Shepherd, now receive me; my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.

Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded from Art Dunham on Vimeo.

God bless!

Praying: Jesus Style

The purpose of prayer has become so distorted. Too many times have I heard people go to the Lord with a shopping list of "blessings," expecting God to give them all they desire. God is not a genie in a bottle, and to come at Him selfishly is an effective way to "grieve the Spirit" (Ephesians 4:30). But, what is the purpose of prayer? If we're not supposed to ask the Lord to bless us with boundless riches and a long life, then what's the point? To answer that question, we can turn to the most famous prayer of all: The Lord's Prayer.

Matthew 6:9-13: "Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done,
in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen."

It's by examining this prayer that we can determine the correct way of praying. The disciples came to Jesus and literally said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray..." (Luke 11). Jesus then responded with this prayer. Since Jesus Christ was God, one-third of the Holy Trinity, then there is nobody more qualified to teach a person how to pray.

First, Jesus started out by giving adoration to God:

"Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."

Whatever we do, we should do for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). That also applies to prayer. Beginning our prayers with a statement of adoration and awe serves as a way to remind us of just how amazing God is; it serves as a way to humble us. For "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). Giving proper acknowledgment to the Lord first, allows us to realize our place and will, thus, affect the rest of our prayer by preventing us from asking for selfish desires to fuel our own pride.

Second, Jesus expresses His desire for the will of God to be fulfilled, not His own:

"thy kingdom come; thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven."

One of the most important things that any Christian can learn is that God's will is "good, acceptable, and perfect" (Romans 12:2). Why then would we want to ask for our will, which is capable of being deluded and affected by sin, to supersede the will of God? Referring to the end times, Jesus says "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive" (Matthew 24:22). God exists outside of time, and as a result, He knows, what we call, the future. With that kind of knowledge, He alone is able to put into motion the exact circumstances that need to happen to ensure the progress of the advancement of the Kingdom.

Next, Jesus asks the Father for necessities:

"Give us this day our daily bread."

Jesus, as you can tell, then encouraged the disciples to ask the Lord for things that they needed. Jesus was very quaint in his request, only asking that God give Him His daily bread, not a fancy camel to ride around on or any of the latest, expensive robes to wear. He asked only that God provide Him with the basic necessities needed to continue His work. This plea was one that was shaped by Jesus' previous two notions. Personally, after giving God the adoration He deserves and then realizing and reiterating my understanding of His perfect will, I would feel ashamed to ask for anything more than the air that I breathe.

Then, Jesus instructs the disciples to seek forgiveness for their sins:

"And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us."

This portion is so very crucial to an effective prayer. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Because of this, any lingering sin that hasn't been confessed is still causing that separation. When we are separated from God, our prayers are disrupted (Isaiah 59:2; Micah 3:4; Isaiah 1:15; Psalm 66:1). Of course, Jesus was sinless and perfect, so He had no sins to confess, but the same cannot be said for us.

The conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer:

“And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil”

This is a plea for help in achieving victory over sin and a request for protection from the attacks of the devil. God's strength and power far surpasses that of our own (2 Samuel 22:33; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Job 36:22; Matthew 24:30; honestly, I could go on and on...). As soon as we start to try and fight sin on our own, we're saying that we are more powerful than God, that our own strength is sufficient. We become prideful, and what does God do to the proud?

Although the Lord's prayer is perfect and useful to memorize, it shouldn't be the only prayer we pray. It should, instead, act as an outline of the kinds of prayers we should pray. No matter what, we should pray with sincere and genuine faith (Mark 9:23) and we should not let our prayers "fuel our own desires for pleasure" (James 4:3).

For those of you who may have a hard time trying to discern the Lord's will or just don't know what to pray for, turn and place your faith in the Holy Spirit that resides in you:

"In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit's mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:27)

Father God, I come before you in complete awe and amazement of Your name, power, grace, and mercy. You, the same God who's power is great enough to allow You to speak creation itself into existence, are the same God who is hearing my prayer now. God, with that same power, I ask that You speak Your will over this world and also my life. I ask that You graciously equip me with everything needed so that I may walk the path You have set before me. Father, I fall on my knees and beg for forgiveness, for I know how broken I am, but I also rest assured in the fact that through Jesus Christ, I am a new creation and I am a saint. In the same way that You are able to forgive me, I ask that you impart such ability to me, so that I may make my attitude that of Christ and forgive those who have sinned against me. As I continue throughout the day, Lord, protect me with Your divine discernment and mold my heart to that of Your liking, so that I may not be tempted to sin against You. But above everything that I have prayed, God, I ask that You glorify Yourself through my life by whatever means are necessary, for this is Your Kingdom that I have the undeserved privilege of being a part of. All of this I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Article Written by: Rebelutionary Kris Sinclair

It's in a Fallen World: an Email from Sono Harris - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries

Hello all!

I think it goes without saying that all Rebelutionaries have been blessed beyond measure by the life and ministry of Sono Harris, indirectly if not directly. Her recent passing, while tremendously sad and heart breaking, has brought into very direct focus the richness of her life and faith. Randy Alcorn, founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), is a longtime close friend of the Harris family and recently published a beautiful tribute to Sono Harris; it contains rich insight into her character and, more importantly, the nature and character of the God she so faithfully served. Follow the link below if you would like to read Randy's post. You won't be sorry.

Gifts in a Fallen World: an Email from Sono Harris - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries

God bless!

He Saved Me!

The core message of the Rebelution is very simple. Rebel against the low and unbiblical expectations of the world and do hard things for God's glory and in obedience to Him. Simple though this message may be, there are innumerable applications to our daily lives. But, there are traps Rebelutionaries need to guard against. One such trap is doing things simpy to do them. Nicole, a Rebelutionary young lady, has this to say on that issue.

"Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."
-Tim Kizziar

I read my obituary today. "That poor old slave!" the people gathered around and said, and wept. "But I was a rich young ruler!" I exclaimed. For I had been one day.

But then a poor carpenter called me by name. "Come and sell all you have, take up your cross, follow Me!" He said. I had wanted to inherit eternal life. But at this price! No. No, I turned and walked away.

And then I lost what I had. And I was taken, and put upon a cross, where I died. And then, "Come, follow Me!" He said again. And I did not walk away sorrowful that time. "What have I?" I cried. "Unworthy sinner that I am." Why would He save me, I wondered. But He saved me. He saved me.

All my accomplishments and riches and fame -- they all lie in the dust. All that I was or could ever be -- dead, dead. All things I counted as lost, I counted the cost -- "Rubish!" I called them. All, all, I must love Him above all,I bled! They laid me in the grave. And then the Resurrection came.

"That poor old slave!" the worldly people exclaimed -- to be pitied more than all men, I surely was! "But I was a rich young ruler," I whispered, "and He saved me, He saved me!" Remember me not, dear young soul, for my riches or accomplishments or fame. Like the rich young ruler of old, remember not my name. But remember Jesus. Remember Jesus. Remember that I was a rich young ruler, and He saved me.

A Different Perspective on International Aid

Hello all,

A fellow rebelutionary shared the following with us on the subject of international aid.

I haven't researched enough yet to have a solid opinion or perspective on best practices for helping the needy. I am a proponent of microfinance, I work as a social media volunteer with a hunger relief organization, and I definitely want to help others in ways that are effective and lasting. At the same time, the vast needs and various solution proposals are almost overwhelming.

This morning in my international business class we watched the following video about some of the negative effects of the current foreign aid arrangement and some of the alternative approaches. I appreciated hearing the insights of a native African, Andrew Mwenda, a journalist from Uganda. I'm not saying I agree with everything he says here, but I did appreciate his humor and articulation skills. I particularly found salient his comments about the importance of shifting the focus from that of "reducing poverty" to "creating wealth." I think his views, shared in this "TED talk," are worth considering.

As stewards of resources that are not our own but God's, it's critically important we are wise in deciding how, where, and with whom we are allocating and sharing resources. Regardless of what your eventual stance is on the issue of international aid, I think we can all agree that we need to carefully consider our actions and look to God for His leadership on this important area of ministry.

God bless!

Who and What is Rebelutionary Musings?

Hello all!

We have recently realized that people coming across this blog on the internet might not understand who we are and what we our vision is; so, we would like to explain those things in this post.

Rebelutionary Musings is a blog that is independently run and operated by several members of the Rebelution Forum. We are in no way affiliated with the Rebelution beyond our personal involvement. We started this blog because, as leaders on the Rebelution Forum Team, we see a lot of material that doesn’t fit the criteria for posting on the forum (the Rebelution Forum is focused on implementing the 'Do Hard Things' message and facilitating collaboration). We hate to see all that excellent material not be used to bless and equip other Rebelutionaries; therefore, the aforementioned members of the Forum Team started this blog in the hopes that it could be used to share the excellent and uplifting material that would otherwise not be seen by anybody, other than the author of the material and several members of the Forum Team.

However, we don’t only post material from the Forum. We also re-post material from Rebelutionary blogs as well as articles and resources we want to share and/or are recommended to us. Since most people can’t update their blogs daily, by re-posting material on Rebelutionary Musings, we are able to post excellent material from others benefit on a daily basis. As we announced on the blog: “Our vision is for this blog is simply that it will be frequently updated with Rebelutionary material written by Rebelutionaries for Rebelutionaries ranging on a wide range of topics and issues from the theological and doctrinal to the practical and day-to-day. Naturally, we will adhere to high standards for the content and resources posted and for the blogs on the blogroll.”

Hopefully there will now be no confusion as to who and what we are.

You don’t have to be a member of the Rebelution Forum in order to contribute to the blog though. If you have articles or blog posts of your own or someone else’s to recommend, please feel free to read and follow the steps/options for contributing below:

1) You can email the blog administrators with any articles or resources that wouldn’t be posted on the Forum written by yourself (if we don’t ask you ourselves)
2) You can email us if you have a blog (or know of a Rebelutionary blog that has blessed you) and would like it to be added to the Rebelutionary Musings blogroll. We can’t guarantee that it will be added, but we can guarantee that it will be considered.
3) If you spot excellent Rebelutionary material you believe would benefit followers/readers of Rebelutionary Musings pop us an email and let us know! You can email the Rebelutionary Musings Administrators at rebelutionarymusings@gmail.com.”

Feel free to contact us at the above email address if you have any further questions!

In Christ,
Rebelutionary Musings

How to Make Yourself Indispensible: Advice for Young People

Author Gary Demar has written an excellent article for young people on the subject of how to make yourself indespable. Mr. Demar makes the following suggestions:

1. Read at least 10 pages every day of a non-fiction book in various fields: science, history, literature, music, art, science fiction, theology, economics, etc. Increase it by one page per day until you get it up to 20 pages per day. R. J. Rushdoony read at least one book a day—“underlined, with a personal index in the back cover—six days a week for 25 years. He then followed suit with another 25 years of the same schedule.” Go and do likewise. In ten days, you will have read a 200-page book. That’s more than 35 books per year. In ten years, 350 books. In 40 years, 1400 books. Increase the number of pages per day, and you will have read in a lifetime more books than most people have seen in their local public library.

2. Learn how to skim a book to determine if it’s worth reading all of it. Learn how to speed read to mine books for information.

3. Keep a notebook of insights, facts, well stated truths, and new vocabulary words. I use “Moleskine Notebooks.” I carry one with me everywhere I go. You can’t trust your memory.

4. Each year, read at least one book in a category that you find difficult and even boring so you are able to discuss five principles about that subject. Think of yourself stuck with some guy at a party who is fascinated with celestial mechanics. You will make a friend.

5. Take the initiative and ask questions of people who know more than you do. If you’re young, that means almost everybody you meet. Listen more than you speak. If an answer is not clear, ask for clarification. Learn at least ten new things every day.

6. Be able to do a job interview without using the word “like” more than three times unless the word is absolutely called for as in “I would like to work for you” and not “Like, I would like really like to like work for you.”

7. Be able to give a talk for 12 minutes without using notes. If ever called on to give an impromptu talk, be ready to give one that lasts for about 3 minutes. Less is often more. When someone asks you to speak and gives you a time limit, DO NOT go over. You want people to say, “I wish he had more time” rather than “When will he shut up?”

8. Start your own business so you will know how much work goes into running a company and how difficult it is to make a profit, hire and fire employees (most of whom aren’t qualified for the work), market, fill out forms, pay taxes, fill out forms, pay taxes, fill out forms, pay taxes.

9. Don’t be afraid to fail. Some of the best lessons you will ever learn come from failures, but only if you decide to learn from them.

10. “Power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Sometimes (most times?) God uses your weaknesses over your strengths to turn you into the person He wants you to be.

Mr. Demar indicated at the end of this article that he would be continuing to add to this list, something that is probably highly worth looking into. But even more so, do not just settle for what has been suggested in this list! For those of you who have read Do Hard Things, think back to what Alex and Brett stated regarding the chore list they happened to find online when using Google search. While that list was definitely much more meager than what Demar has suggested, the same principles still apply; we must not fall into the trap of believing that Demar's suggestions are the highest we can go. As Rebelutionaries, we are called to take this list and go above and beyond it all, to strive to excel and surpass these suggested expectations all for His glory.

All in all, we think Mr. Demar’s ideas are great for Rebelutionaries to consider and implement in their lives. Let’s never forget though that we are not called to do these sorts of things for our own benefit or improvement nor are we called to settle with only the suggestions made here. Everything we do, including rising to the next level, is for Christ’s glory!

May He be glorified in us!

The Unmerciful Servant

These thoughts, originally posted here by a fellow Rebelutionary, not only give insight into God's word, but also into a pattern that we ought to have in our daily lives. May we never hear the word of God and walk away unchanged! James 1:22-25

Hello all!

I “randomly” ran across the following passage of scripture (while looking for a different passage for school) and wanted to share it with y’all. This passage is Ecclesiastes 7:20-22. It says:


“Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you. For you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others.” (NASB)

I find this passage astonishing in an “aha!” sort of way; not necessarily because it is astonishingly profound, but because it has startling and essential implications for our daily life.

First, none of us are in any way superior to our fellow human beings. Though grace may have more evidently worked to build Godly character and Christ-likeness in certain persons, we have all started from the same basic state of depravity, all have fallen short of the goal, all are equally helpless to save themselves. All are equally in need of the abundant love and grace of our Lord and Savior and all are equally indebted to our Lord for taking our sins upon Him, becoming sin, and dying on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins.

Second, if God has shown us grace and we are to reflect and embody the character of God (I John 4:14-19,Philippians 2:5-11, I Peter 1:15-16, I John 2:6) how can we not likewise show grace to others? Grace is shown to us by God precisely because we have great need of it, not because we have no need (Mark 2:17). Why then, if we are to imitate Christ, should we not show grace at the times it is most needed?


Perhaps the best illustration of this point is found in Matthew 18: 21-35 (the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant):

21 Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

24 "When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

25 "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.

26 "So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'

27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.'

29 "So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'

30 "But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.

32 "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

33 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?'

34"And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

35" My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

We are forgiven of so much by our Father; how can we and why should we not forgive our brethren of very little sins towards us…sins that are almost immeasurable when viewed from an "outside ourselves" perspective? When compared to our own sins already atoned for by Christ on the cross, any sin committed against us will pale.

Lastly, as illustrated in the parable above, the refusal to forgive a fellow debtor could actually be worse than their debt to us. God is offended that we would take His Grace to us and use it for selfish purposes, for it is indeed selfish and foolish to want or think we can on the one hand benefit from God’s grace to us and on the other refuse to extend that same grace to our fellows.

May that never be a description of our lives!

God bless and Veritas Supra Omnis!

In response to Mark's post, Daniel Osborne made the following excellent comments:

"Excellent thoughts. Taking the parable one step further, we can't offer even a comparable amount of grace to others as He offers to each of us. I was talking with a friend about Ephesians 4 the other day... verses 1-7 and 30-31 really stood out to me.

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.... Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Forgiveness and grace are a reflection of His character... and just like the parable says... it makes no sense to respond in an unforgiving way when we have been forgiven so much!

Thanks for sharing!"

Shout out for great ministries and organizations

Fellow Rebelutionaries,

Getting up and getting out and doing things is an key element of the Rebelution message and a Rebelutionary lifestyle. We are called by God to be men and women of action that listen to His leading, heed His commands and obey with confidence and Gospel authority. The things we as individuals are called to do are as varied in number as the sands of the seas, but there are a few common areas of action we are all called to give attention to: ministering to widows and orphans (James 1:27) and "going to the world" with the Gospel message and making disciples (Matthew 28:16-20).

Just as the church is one body with many parts (I Corinthians 12:12-31), so we are each called to take a different role in fulfilling the commands of God. Some of us are called to be in the front lines of the battle while others are called to stay back "on the beach" and work from there. It doesn't matter where you are so long as you are in His will and working for His glory!

In the spirit of the third pillar of the Rebelution (collaboration), Rebelutionary Musings would like to know which ministries and organizations you would recommend to your fellow Rebelutionaries for support. If you would like to make recommendations please let us know either by commenting here in the comment section or emailing us at rebelutionarymusings@gmail.com. Once submissions have been made, we will go through and compile a list of the organizations we feel the most strongly about and share them with you in a post, even possibly adding a sidebar to the blog containing links to the ministries and organizations we passionately support.

For clarity, we are looking for ministries that work in areas such as evangelism, hunger relief, providing water and other supplies, meeting the needs or orphans through care and/or adoption, fighting slavery (including sex trafficing) and other similar areas of Gospel ministry. In other words, if it's for God's glory and done out of obedience to His Word, let us know! :-)

If possible, we would love for you to include a short (or lengthy!) explanation for why you personally believe the ministry you recommend is a good one. This isn't necessary though...just helpful. :-)

God bless!

Continue in the Gospel

Hello all!

Charlie Albright wrote an excellent post titled "Continue in the Gospel" that I was very blessed by and wanted to pass on to you. Charlie has a great blog that I read all the time (and have added to this blogroll) that is aptly titled "Renewing Thoughts". Be sure to check Renewing Thoughts out!

"Continue in the Gospel


"He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." (Colossians 1:22-23)

The gospel is such a treasure. We who were at one time far off have now been reconciled to God. Not because we tried really hard to get to God and finally did, but because God came to get us while we were still ungodly and wicked. And he came to get us by sacrificing himself upon the cross. Jesus, the Son of God, reconciled us by His death. And this death is “in order” to present us holy, blameless, and above reproach before him.

But this faith is not a stagnate claim of fire insurance. We must “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast” to retain the benefits of it. That is the call, to “continue.” To keep going on and on along the same path, not stopping to some other distraction. We are to continue “stable and steadfast.” Not tripping over thoughts of “maybe I should try another road of beliefs.” No, our eyes are fixated in completing what we have set out to do. But what is this journey we are to remain stable and steadfast on? The answer for Paul is simple, “the hope of the gospel.” The gospel message of Christ’s reconciling ministry is to be the road of their faith which they continue in, stable and steadfast, without shifting.

So to the gospel is the root of our assurance. The hope of what is ours in Christ is the rock of our salvation. When our sins and failures amass before our eyes and other gospels present themselves before us, we are to continue in the hope! I don’t know about you but when I start to think God is distant because of my sins other gospels come to me. “read the word more. pray more. make sure to reduce the amount of sin your life by 5% in the coming month. etc” But these are not the one gospel which I heard. The gospel of Christ’s work, reconciling me to God as a blameless, holy son, is the message that I am to remain steadfast.

So when doubts and questions about my salvation and standing with God come, I am to continue. Continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the gospel. Because the gospel is the source of my assurance."

I made the following comment on Charlies blog (in response to the above post): "Well put, Charlie. Philippians 2:12-13 came to mind as I was reading your post. “12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Some people interpret “working out your salvation” to mean we should not have assurance of our salvation, but I believe it goes with what you are saying…that the Gospel is alive and active within us (verse 13) and no matter what happens we must cling to it, grow in it and pursue the promises of the Gospel through it without shifting to strange and false religions and perversions of the true Gospel. All of Philippians 2 speaks to that issue richly…as does Hebrews 4 (particularly verse 12)."

God bless!

For this purpose the Gospel has been preached

The following was posted by Mark Hutchins (me...haha!) on his blog Veritas Supra Omnis. You can view the blog here. I hope the following is of some benefit and blessing to you!

Hello all!

I was on a mission’s team that went down to Mexico in early January to serve for a week alongside eight others. One of my team mates, Daniel, is sharing at his church about the trip and asked if I would write down some of my thoughts concerning the trip and in retrospect. After writing it, I thought that I would post it here for y’all so you could hear a portion of what the Lord has been teaching me lately. The below is by no means the full extent of what I learned and have been learning from the Mexico trip. It is only a small part, but it’s deeply impacted my life and I hope you will receive some blessing from it.

I could literally talk all day and into the night about the lessons I learned and things I experienced on what was my first short term missions trip. I’ll just stick to one theme though and hope that I can communicate clearly.

I think it’s really easy for people (Christians in particular) to separate their life and actions into different categories; the two most basic categories being the “holy,” where all the actions are “Christian” (going to church, visiting the nursing home, writing your Grandmother, etc), and the normal category (school, housework, etc). But, for Christians, all things we do are to be done for the glory of God. I have to confess that I’m guilty of separating my life into different categories.

The trip to Mexico was an amazing experience for me in too many ways to mention here or now. Suffice it to say that I felt God’s presence powerfully virtually every minute of the trip, even when encountering sobering situations I had never encountered before. I felt that everything I did was positively confirmed by the Holy Spirit and the richness of that confirmation was truly incredible to feel. I knew then that when I returned home it would be difficult to maintain the spiritual “mountain top” I felt on the trip, but, by God’s grace, I hoped to at least not crash and burn.

Thankfully, His grace has, as always, been sufficient to meet my needs, and I can truthfully say that He has continued to evidence Himself to me in powerful and confirming ways. But, it would not be truthful of me to say that I usually feel the same level of confirmation in the daily and mundane tasks of life. I’ve thought much about this in trying to understand the heart of the matter - both the problem and the solution - in a way that cuts past the clichés and gives true understanding of my human condition.

As I’ve wrestled with the issue, it has become abundantly clear that the answer is extremely simple. My actions and daily life are not confirmed because they are not dedicated. Because I am not doing things for the glory of God, He is not confirming them through the Spirit. Shocking, no? Not really. I Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Likewise Colossians 3:17…“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Clearly, as Christians each of us is called to do all things for the glory of God, which, on a side note, should eliminate doing anything that clearly is dishonoring to God. But there is more to it than the simple command to do all things to His glory. I Peter 4:6 says, “For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.”

Doing things to God’s glory isn’t just about doing good things. It isn’t about not doing bad things. The Gospel transforms and renews our minds and hearts so that we “may live in the spirit according to the will of God.” All of our actions have Gospel significance, even if we don’t always realize it, and nothing less than the very purpose and glory of the Gospel hangs in the balance.

So, I guess if I could sum up the trip and the following lessons I learned from it into one focused lesson, I would say that I have a more mature understanding of the Gospel significance of all my actions great and small. Simply put, during the trip to Mexico, because I was there “for missions,” my focus was on living out the Gospel and God blessed that focus. The challenge for me is to keep that Gospel focus at all times, throughout the day, every day.

By God’s grace I pray I will be able to build on the lessons I was shown during the trip to Mexico and live my life to God’s glory so that He will confirm my life and actions for His glory and honor.

God bless and veritas supra omnis!