Vanguards.us

08/23/2023

Vanguards are the leading part of an advancing military formation. They are the advance guard. They have several functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.

08/20/2017

If the goal of church is to cram record numbers of people into a building, what is the goal once they get there?

08/15/2017

What or who is a Game Changer?

Over the course of time as I have worked on this ministry my focus has been redirected. It started out focusing on the need for men to stand as men of God. That is now just one component of this ministry. We need women and all Christians to live their faith boldly.

At such a time as this we need all hands on deck. Christians need to get up out of their pews and get out to reach the unreached. We need action not just talk. We need servants not just leaders.

So with that in mind, what or who is a Game Changer? A Game Changer is someone who lives their faith openly and boldly. They influence those around them by being the light, hands, and feet of Christ in their everyday life. People they work with know from their actions and deeds that they are different than others. It isn't that they are always talking about Christ. It is that they are always modeling Christ in their life.

By living their faith and acting upon it they influence those around them in a positive way that draws others to desire to know Jesus. In so doing they have a positive and kingdom expanding impact on the people they come in contact with and their church, workplace, home, and the culture.

My fellow believers isn't it time we started living a life of bold faith and impact those around us? I leave you with an example of this kind of game changing faith.

Acts 16:25-34 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

A Midnight Deliverance
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.

28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. 34 He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his entire household

08/11/2017

We were saved to serve. Let's let that set in for a moment...
That doesn't mean we were saved to have an eternal life insurance policy to put away in a safe place until we need it.
It means we were saved to be the hands, feet, and voice for Christ.

He died on the cross as a servant to all mankind so that we could have eternal life if we accept Him. He died that we also might serve.

Surely, if He cared enough to give His life on the cross the least and I mean the least we can do is serve others and show the love of God to the unreached and the afflicted.

Let's act with boldness, seeking the Holy Spirit's leading in seeking God's perfect will and purpose for reaching and serving those around us.

Acts 4: 29-31

"Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants may speak Your word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly."

Oh that we would pray with such fervor that our church would shake. Its time to pray boldly be filled with the Spirit and ACT!

08/10/2017

Are we doing evangelistic outreach wrong? The very term outreach would suggest going out to where the unreached are. Yet often, we as Christians focus on bringing the unreached to our church and call that outreach. Then we wonder why they are not coming. We are trying after all, right.

When you read the gospel you find that Jesus went to were the marginalized and unreached were. Yes He went to the temple but most of the time He was out where the people lived, worked, or spent their time.

The book of Acts tells us how Christ's followers went out to where the people they wanted to reach were. They knew these people already felt unwanted and unimportant. The Holy Spirit led them to go out and show these people that God's plan extended to them and that they were important to and wanted by Him.

To do real effective outreach we are going to have to get out of our comfortable pews at church and go to where the unreached are if we want to truly have a kingdom expanding ministry. Yes we hope they will join our congregation for fellowship as their relationship with the Lord grows. However, that shouldn't be our primary purpose in doing outreach. The primary purpose is spreading the good news of the gospel.

08/03/2017

lots of Churches today.

08/03/2017

http://briegowen.com/2017/07/30/is-satan-stealing-our-families/

This past year I read a book with my daughter called Little House in the Big Woods. You may be familiar with it. It’s the first book written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and it began the popular Little House on the Prairie series. I don’t recall reading it before, and as I read it to …

07/06/2017

In Ephesians 6:17 it refers to God's Word as the "sword of the Spirit."
It is active and piercing like a surgeon's scalpel. The words don't simply sit on the page rather they pe*****te our heart and judge our thoughts and motives. This convicting quality is why some Christians avoid reading the Bible.
We need to learn to embrace the piercing sword of scripture whether it makes us uncomfortable or not.
Just Like a Surgeon uses a surgical knife to make us healthier God's Word makes us stronger and able to see ourselves from God's perspective.

06/28/2017

From my daily devotional this morning by In Touch.
What is the status of your relationship with God?