Made for More Challenge # 2: Risen for Unity

Made for More Challenge #2: Doing Life with Godly Friends

In our first Made for More challenge, we talked about how YOU can live the risen life filled with the resurrection power of God, but you have to take action to get there. Every journey begins with a single step, so I challenged you to take one step to build a life of faith: find a Bible promise that corresponds to your need, write it down, carry it in your pocket, and talk to God about it until that need is met.

In this week’s challenge, we’re going to talk about how finding people to do life with can take your spiritual and practical experience to a whole new level of success. The risen life is a life lived in agreement. We need Godly agreement and unity in every aspect of our lives.

What do I mean when I talk about “agreement”?

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

A life lived in agreement is a life lived in companionship with other people. Having people to agree with means you have friends who will watch your back when you need it. It means you’ll have people who will pray with you when you’re down. It means you can talk to people who care when you’re hurting. Christian's need to stop attacking one another and learn to build each other up. We need authentic relationships if we are going to be all who God has called us to be.

A life lived in agreement means you and your friends challenge each other to grow. Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” A real friend will believe in you no matter what, but they’ll also challenge you to believe God, make things right with other people, and live in covenant with the Body.

How do you find those true friends?

As I wrote in my book The Power of Agreement, real friends like I described above are going to be teammates for you. So how do you find those friends? I believe the best way is to find godly friends in small groups in the Body of Christ.

In our church, hundreds of people gather in small groups every Sunday morning before our worship service. Our small groups take one hour to worship together, pray for one another, and study God’s Word together each week. In those close-knit communities, people get to know one another and share their struggles, sorrows, and victories.

I believe a small, God-centered, purpose-driven group like that is the best way you can find your teammates. It’s easy to identify brothers and sisters who share your calling in life when you get beyond the small talk and seek God together. And most importantly, when you’re together with your fellow believers and teammates in close fellowship, God can move in power.

The original Pentecost happened in a small group!

Did you know that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the earth for the first time during a small group meeting? It’s true. Acts 1:14 says, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” All the believers were together in one place, and as they prayed together, this happened:

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

When God’s people gathered together in agreement, He met them there. He’ll do the same thing for you, too, as you meet with other people, agree in prayer, and do life together with them. Matthew 18:19 says: “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”

So here is this week’s Made for More challenge:

• Find one faith-based small group under the covering of a biblical and mission-minded church that you can meet with for one hour every week.
• If you don’t know where to start, try one for a few weeks; and if it’s not a good fit, then try another group until you find one that feels like home.
• Ask God to lead you, and He will.
• When you find the group that feels like home, COMMIT to it! Decide you’re going to be faithful. Be there week in and week out.

One hour is not a lot of time, but the agreement and encouragement you’ll gain out of that one hour of fellowship with other believers will change your life. As you follow God and plug into Biblical community, He will reward you for your decision. You’ll begin to grow as other believers challenge you. You’ll have people who can encourage you when you’re down, and you can serve other believers when they need it as well.

Agreement makes life worth living. Sharing a common goal, common purpose, and a fellowship that connects you with God and others is essential if you’re going to live the risen life.

So find that small group today, and make a commitment to be there every week starting this week!

Also, don’t forget that my inaugural Ronnie Phillips Ministry International Passover conference is coming up soon! It’s going to be held April 24-27 at Faith Worship Center in Chatsworth, Georgia. Check out the conference speakers and schedule here and make plans now to join us. It’s going to be a powerful time of worship and the Word of the Lord. My dad and many of my brothers and sisters in the Lord are coming to help preach and minister in worship, and we’re expecting a mighty outpouring.

We’re believing God for 1,000 new partnerships to help us continue to reach people for Jesus in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and here at home. Here are the mission projects we’re currently working on:

·       We’re hosting an evangelistic crusade in Managua, Nicaragua in June.

·       We’ve almost finished the construction of Phase 1 of our new Abba's House Church and children’s center in Cien Fuegos Dominican Republic.

·       Plans are underway for Abba's House El Rubio in Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, and in cities across America.

All of these things are exciting, but there is so much more to do! We need faithful partners who will come up beside this ministry and covenant with us to carry the work of the Gospel forward into the next generation.

Will you be one of our covenant partners? Will you come into agreement with the mission and vision God has given and stand with us as we carry the message of Abba Father to the ends of the earth? If you feel the Holy Spirit calling you to be one of our new partners, please email me. I want to hear from you. Happy Birthday to my son Reid Montgomery Phillips! He turned 10 years old yesterday and has the call of God on his life. Pray for my father who is in Charlotte, NC with Sid Roth doing an interview about his new book, The Hiram Code. This book is a great read.

Thank you in advance for your friendship, "follow"ship, and partnership. We covet your prayers as wee look ahead. Please be sure to check back next week for the next “Made for More” challenge!

MADE FOR MORE

Made for More: YOU Can Live the Risen Life

Have you ever looked at your life and been less-than-satisfied, but you’re not sure what to do about it? Do you hunger for more, yet feel like you’re not making progress? Does it frustrate you to see the promises of God in the Bible and hear about them at church, but you’re not seeing them come to fruition in your life?

In the weeks leading up to Passover and my Passover conference on April 24-27, 2016, I want to challenge you to live the risen life. This is challenge 1.

Jesus didn’t die on the cross for no reason. He died because His blood was a holy currency that purchased complete redemption for you and for me. And when He did the impossible and rose from the grave on the third day, He proved to the whole world that everything He had preached about—and everything God’s Word promises—is true.

Better yet, not only is it true, but it’s ALL available to you and me right now by grace. Christ’s resurrection is our guarantee that we have access to MORE. He arose so that we could have more than we could ever imagine in this age and the age to come!

So how do you go about getting what God’s Word promises? How do you move from where you are right now to the MORE God has for you?

That’s where action is required.

In Matthew 11:12, Jesus said, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (NKJV). The Kingdom of heaven is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). It is also POWER (1 Corinthians 4:20).

Put these two verses together, and we see that the Kingdom is a beautiful thing that brings righteousness, peace, joy, and power into our lives, but we have to take action to experience it.

I love what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10-12:

“… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”

During this devotional series leading up to Passover, we’re going to talk about ONE key foundational piece of the victorious lifestyle each week. Each week, I’ll ask you to take one specific step in your own life that will help you receive everything Jesus died to give you.

And the first key we’re going to talk about is FAITH.

The risen life is a life lived by faith. Think about faith in the resurrection: you and I weren’t there, but we believe it! We believe it because:

·      Jesus prophesied that He would arise;

·      Hundreds of people saw Jesus in person after the resurrection, and they left their eyewitness accounts in mountains of historical documents which have been proven authentic;

·      and because the news of Christ’s resurrection changed the world.

There is literally more evidence that Jesus rose from the dead than there is that George Washington ever existed. So we believe Jesus is alive. But do we stop there?

·      What about believing that God is a good Father who wants to bless YOU?

·      What about believing that He really does love you?

·      What about believing that He will fill you with the fullness of the Holy Spirit right now if you ask?

·      What about believing that He will provide all your needs according to His RICHES in glory in Christ Jesus?

·      What about believing that He is the Giver of good and perfect gifts and He has already given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm?

Beloved, it is time to rise up out of the ashes of doubt and unbelief and believe God.

It is time for us to find out what He says about every situation, glue the promise to the problem, and lift that promise up to Him until we see Him do what He promised in our lives.

Luke chapter 18 tells the story of the widow who harassed the unjust judge until he gave her what she requested. When Jesus finished His parable, He said:

“Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:6-8, NKJV).

The unjust judge gave in to the widow’s request just because she was persistent. He felt no obligation to help her. He didn’t love her or have a relationship with her, and he certainly hadn’t sent His son to the cross to redeem her. But he still gave her what she asked for.

How much more will our Father give us what we ask, when we have His love, His Spirit, His Word, and the blood of Jesus on our side?

So here’s your assignment this week:

1.     Find ONE Scriptural promise in which God said He would meet whatever need you have. (If you need help finding a promise, just do an internet search for “Scriptures about ____”.)

2.     Read whatever God put in that passage as His conditions to seeing the promise fulfilled.

3.     Write it down and keep it in your pocket.

4.     Pray it back to the Lord every single day. Every time you think about that promise or touch your pocket, pray it back to the Lord.

As you pray, ask Him to show you how He’s working along the way. And I guarantee, because God is faithful and His Word is true, you will see Him move. Just don’t stop praying that promise until you get what you asked for!

Jesus died on the cross for you and then rose again to prove that everything He said was true. With His own life, death, and resurrection, He bought powerful, holy, Spirit-filled, victorious, abundant life for you.

What promise will you claim in prayer this week? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Also, mark your calendars!

My Ronnie Phillips Ministries International Passover conference is going to be held April 24-27 at Faith Worship Center in Chatsworth, Georgia. Check out the conference speakers and schedule here and make plans now to join us. It’s going to be a powerful time of worship and the Word of the Lord for this season. My father, Dr. Greg Collins, Dr. Bobby Atkins, Pastor Angie McGregor and many of my brothers and sisters in the Lord are coming to help preach and minister in worship, and we’re expecting a mighty outpouring.

We’re also believing God for 1,000 new partnerships to help us continue to reach people for Jesus in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and here at home. We’re hosting an evangelistic crusade in Managua, Nicaragua in June, There is a benefit concert at Abba's House this Sunday (4/10) at 6:00 pm in the Awaken Student Center led by our Awaken Student Choir. Please come and support this mission or designate a love gift to help us.  Also, we’ve almost finished the construction of Phase 1 of our new Abba's House Church and children’s center in Cien Fuegos Dominican Republic. Plans are underway for Abba's House Haiti and Cuba. But there is so much more to do! We need faithful partners who will come up beside this ministry and covenant with us to carry the work of the Gospel forward into the next generation. I would like to thank my board and faithful partners. You guys build my faith.

Will you be one of our covenant partners? Will you link arms with us and stand with us, shoulder-to-shoulder, as we carry the message of Abba Father to the ends of the earth?

If you feel the Holy Spirit calling you to be one of our new partners, please email me. I want to hear from you. And you can give online using the “Give and Partner” buttons above.

Thank you in advance for your partnership and prayers! Remember to comment below to tell me what promise you’re claiming from God’s Word this week, and check back next week for the next “Made for More” challenge.

It's Your Time to Shine!

Sun and evening rain

Photo courtesy Micolo J, flickr

The Kingdom mandate is strongly on my heart right now. The Kingdom of God is exploding, and we’re right in the thick of it.

For years, the Body of Christ has been in a John the Baptist-type movement, when our message has been “Prepare the way of the Lord!” Now, however, the Holy Spirit is sitting on us strongly with a new message: “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world!”

Lou Engle, founder of The Call—a global movement which is raising up the Body of Christ into fasting and prayer, with massive stadiums being filled with worshippers and intercessors—recently preached on the current transition between the John the Baptist movement and the supernatural manifestation of the Kingdom.

Engle related that he had been feeling discouraged, so he went to the Lord and asked: “Lord, the whole purpose of The Call was to turn the nation back to God. But the nation looks like it’s getting worse and worse. Did The Call fail?”

The Lord responded with a simple, but revolutionary message. He told Engle that, if a John the Baptist movement prepared the way, we should rest assured that the manifestation of Christ is next.

Wow! That answer should chase discouragement away from any believer. The manifestation of Christ is coming, and our cry is changing from “Prepare the way!” to “Behold Him!”

Our mandate is no longer merely to announce the coming of Christ, but to see and carry the manifestation of Jesus Himself, and of His Kingdom. This is the Kingdom mandate.

What does this Kingdom mandate look like?

The Kingdom mandate is a mandate to increase the government of Jesus on the earth. And since we are His hands and feet on this planet, this is a mandate for you and me to shine: to show ourselves as the lights of the world (little “l,”), filled with the Light of the World (big “L,” Christ Himself).

Isaiah 60:1 contains the Word of God for this hour: “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.”

God’s Word tells us that we are to shine. No matter what things look like from day to day, our light has come and God’s glory is risen upon us. That means we’re to shine in difficult circumstances and easy circumstances alike.

I believe we in the Body of Christ need to step up our “shine factor” in three specific ways right now:

1. We need to shine even in the midst of controversy.

The devil might be attacking you right now. Maybe he’s even using other people to do his dirty work. But you know what? We serve a God who isn’t intimidated, and He has promised to defend you against every onslaught of the enemy.

Psalm 3:1-6 says:

“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.”

We are not the accuser of the brethren. Accusing is the work of the devil, and Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). So when someone accuses you or the devil attacks you, you don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to lose sleep over it. You can rest assured that our Father will never allow His people to be defeated. The righteous shall not be put to shame!

Let’s ramp up our faith, Church. Our God didn’t send His Son to the cross to secure a weak victory for us. No; He’s in us; He’s sitting on us with His anointing; and He’s completely on our side. So if you’re going through a tough time right now, you can stand in faith in His promises and watch Him fight your battles for you.

All YOU have to do is look at Jesus, keep your armor on, and keep shining no matter what kind of controversy arises around you. And as you stay in obedience to Him, He’ll vanquish your enemies.

2. We need to shine in the midst of obscurity.

John 9:34-38 tells us the story of a man who was born blind but, as an adult, was healed by Jesus. After this miraculous healing, the Pharisees dragged the formerly-blind man before their council and mocked him. When he didn’t fall for their bait, they excommunicated him.

The story doesn’t stop there, though. When Jesus heard that this man had been excommunicated, He found the man and revealed Himself to be the Son of God. This formerly-blind beggar believed in Christ and was saved.

What a story of grace! The man was nothing in the eyes of the religious people. He couldn’t do anything, and he had nothing to show for his life. He had been a blind beggar since birth.

But you know what? God knew that man personally, and God called him “son.” Father had not forgotten this young man. And when that son’s time had come, he was given the gift of eternal life because of his faith.

The Pharisees missed what was right in front of their noses, but this man whom the world considered to be nothing received the best gift of all—salvation in Christ Jesus.

Do you feel like nobody knows who you are? That nobody notices; nobody cares?

If so, I want you to know today that the voice which is telling you nobody sees you and nobody knows you is a demon voice. It’s not God. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He wants to hijack your anointing and keep you from having God’s best in your life.

So how do you fight off the lies of the enemy so you can shine in the midst of obscurity?

You fight lies with truth. The TRUTH is that your Father in Heaven sees you and knows you. He sent His Son to die a terrible death on a Roman cross for you. He has assigned a number to every hair on your head, and He loves you more than you could ever imagine.

Father God notices you. He sees every tear you cry and hears your every whisper. He is the God who both sees and sees to it. And if you will cozy up to Him, He will comfort you, fill you up, and help you shine for Him even when you think you don’t matter.

The truth is that you DO matter.

Even if you’re a small light, your light matters. Our Father wants your light to shine before men so that men may see your good works and glorify Him. You count. You are important in the Kingdom. You have an assignment and a call on your life, and even in apparent obscurity, you can shine on.

3. We’ve got to shine with God’s glory.

When Moses came down from the mountain, straight from God’s presence, He was carrying so much glory that his face shone. He actually had to put a veil on his face in order to go about his daily routine in the camp because his face was shining so much!

Can you imagine what that must have been like? To be so close to God that His glory is shining through your eyes and face?

I don’t know about you, but I want that! I want it for myself; I want it for my family; and I want it for every member of Abba’s House. I’m done with religion. I want God’s glory!

The good news is that God is no respecter of persons. He may have His intimates, but those intimates, like Moses, have simply gone to the effort of seeking Him out. If you want to, you can seek Him out and become His intimate friend too.

I believe it’s time for us in the Body of Christ to shine with God’s glory.

We were born for God’s presence and His glory. We were not merely redeemed to forgiveness of sins or eternal life. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the GLORY of God. Carrying God’s glory was always our purpose. We lost God’s glory and anointing when we sinned, but thank God; the blood of Jesus Christ bought us back … back to glory.

Just as Moses shone with God’s presence, we are called to carry God’s glory always.

Let’s make our cry the same as Moses’ cry: “Show us Your glory!” If we will seek Him, honor Him, and give Him first place, He will fill us with His glory just like He filled Moses.

Brothers and sisters, it’s time to shine. The Kingdom age is here. The Kingdom is now, and the Kingdom is shining with power. We’re carrying not just the message of Christ’s coming, but the message of His arrival.

We’re called to manifest Jesus everywhere we go, so that lost and dying sons and daughters will come back to the Father’s table. We’re called to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and cleanse lepers. And it’s not for our own sake, or our own glory. It’s all about seeing the children Jesus died for come home to the feet of the Father.

Will you shine with me?

God has called me to shine not only in helping to pastor Abba’s House, but also to take the Gospel to the far reaches of the earth. We’re hosting an evangelistic crusade in Managua, Nicaragua this year. By the grace of God, we’ll be preaching salvation through Jesus to thousands of Nicaraguans.

We’re also called to minister to the hurting and broken in the Dominican Republic. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Lord supernaturally provided the money for the construction of our new children’s center in the Dominican. Construction has begun and is going well. But there is so much more to do!

And we need your help.

My wife, Kelly, and I have a huge but simple vision for reaching people for Jesus. We’re reaching the broken where they are with the good news that Abba Father loves them and gave His Son for them.

The Lord is blessing and multiplying our efforts, and He’s giving fruit. But it’s a team effort, and we can’t do it without you.

We need your prayers most of all, because we still believe that there’s mercy and grace to help in time of need when we go before the throne of grace.

But after that, we need your financial support. We are looking for 1,000 new partners who will come up beside this ministry and covenant with us to carry the work of the Gospel forward into the next generation.

Will you be one of our 1,000 covenant partners? Will you link arms with us and stand with us, shoulder-to-shoulder, as we carry the message of Abba Father to the ends of the earth?

If you feel the Holy Spirit calling you to be one of our 1,000 new partners, please email me. I want to hear from you. And you can give online using the “Give and Partner” buttons above.

Also, mark your calendar...

My inaugural Ronnie Phillips Ministry International conference is going to be held April 24-27 at Faith Worship Center in Chatsworth, Georgia.

Check out the conference speakers and schedule here and make plans now to join us. It’s going to be a powerful time of worship and the Word of the Lord for this season. My dad and many of my brothers and sisters in the Lord are coming to help preach and minister in worship, and we’re expecting a mighty outpouring. We’d love to have you come sit in the River of the Holy Spirit with us!