A Kingdom person is a troublemaker.
‘Prepare and prevent’ instead of ‘repair and repent’.
It’s about a life that is prepared to make a difference.
By Pastor George Lehman
What could be more wonderful than a loving, encouraging, disciplined, troublemaking disciple with an awesome attitude?
A Jesus-touched life – touches many lives.
What we need in the church are some more troublemakers! Yes, troublemakers!
This is what the religious, unsaved called the Christians in Thessalonica.
Acts 17:1-6 (Amp) – Now after [Paul and Silas] had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2And Paul entered, as he usually did, and for three Sabbaths he reasoned and argued with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining [them] and [quoting passages] setting forth and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, Whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ (the Messiah)”. 4And some of them [accordingly] were induced to believe and associated themselves with Paul and Silas, as did a great number of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5But the unbelieving Jews were aroused to jealousy, and, getting hold of some wicked men (ruffians and rascals) and loungers in the marketplace, they gathered together a mob, set the town in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring [Paul and Silas] out to the people. 6But when they failed to find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brethren before the city authorities, crying, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,
They said they were the ones “that have turned the world upside down” or “these men that have caused trouble all over the world”. World changers.
Dear Lord, give us troublemakers like the troublemakers of Thessalonica.
Plundering Hell and populating Heaven.
We need genuine disciples ready to shake up our world in the same way the Thessalonian disciples shook up theirs.
Where there was darkness, they brought light.
Where there was hatred, they brought love.
Where there was sadness and misery they brought joy.
Where there was bondage, they brought liberty (freedom).
Where there was death, they brought life.
They took a world that was tired, troubled, tangled, tricked and tripped up, AND they were the catalyst to put that world back on its feet.
How much more does this world right now need Disciples that will carry this great message of hope into a messed up world? Turn it downside “Up”
1 Thessalonians 1:8 (Amp) – For not only has the Word concerning and from the Lord resounded forth from you unmistakably in Macedonia and Achaia, but everywhere the report has gone forth of your faith in God [of your leaning of your whole personality on Him in complete trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. So we [find that we] never need to tell people anything [further about it].
Consistency of character produces effective ministry. Are you ready to be a troublemaking, world changing momentum making influencer?
Let’s look at what made these disciples change their world for Christ?
Some key ingredients:
Integrity
Acts 17:4 (Amp) – Some who listened were persuaded and became converts. Including a large number of Godly Greek men…
These were gentiles who were drawn to faith in Jesus Christ.
They were looking for something “REAL” – just as our family, friends, co-workers and neighbors are!
Consider this: This world in which Christianity was introduced was a world of immorality, homosexuality, prostitution, sexual permissiveness was the accepted rule of the day, slavery, paganism – idol worship, human life was cheap, pleasure was primary.
Along comes a new element – integrity lived out in front of their eyes. What they said and did was the same!
Give us a man, young or old, high or low on whom we know we can thoroughly depend; who will stand firm when others fail and fall, the friend, faithful and true, the advisor honest and fearless in such a one there is a fragment of the Rock of Ages.
Proverbs 10:9a (LB) – The man of integrity walks securely…
(You’re Bold, Courageous and Confident)
No wonder these disciples were causing trouble in their world. They were doing something that had been forgotten in their pagan culture. They were living lives of integrity.
Oh Lord, let men and women rise up and live lives of integrity for the world to see.
DL Moody said: The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out?
Like the guy who wrote a letter to the SARS:
“Dear Sirs, I can’t sleep. Last year when I filled in my tax form, I misrepresented my income. Enclosed is a cheque for R500,00. PS: If I still can’t sleep, I’ll send you the rest.”
Integrity means: Honesty, wholeness (heelheid), soundness (gegrondheid), consistency of actions, values, principles, trust, and uprightness.
One of the truest tests of integrity is – its blunt refusal to be compromised or take shortcuts.
Integrity is not a conditional word.
It doesn’t blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself and if you look in there and see a man who won’t compromise, take shortcuts and cheat, then you know you’re a man of integrity.
J.D. Mac Donald.
As disciples we must live lives of integrity so that the non-Christian and new Christians will sit up and take notice.
Intensity
Intensity means = Existing in high degree; full of and running over.
Do people encounter Jesus when they meet you?
Why else would they be accused of causing “trouble all over the world” if they were not intense in their commitment to Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:4 (Amp) – And this is a cause of our mentioning you with pride among the churches (assemblies) of God for your steadfastness (your unflinching endurance and patience) and your firm faith in the midst of all the persecutions and crushing distress and affliction under which you are holding up.
“The most distinguishing feature of a winning, successful disciple is their intensity of purpose.”
May our faith be so intense that our reputation will become known everywhere.
We must recover this spirit of intensity in our church and in our lives today.
This is no time for easy, comfortable Christianity. It’s time to get intensely involved – become world changers.
Matthew 11:12 (Amp) – And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the Kingdom of Heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize – a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and INTENSE exertion]
Involvement
Involvement means committed or engaged. In other words, be the change you would like to see in this world and in others.
Everyone knows what everybody else ought to be involved with and do but they are not doing much themselves.
How will you change your world when you can’t even be faithfully involved with the activities of the church?
No involvement, no commitment!
Story of the fisherman:
A fisherman comes back to shore with boatloads full of fish. A guy asked him if he could go with him to see how he did it. As he got onto the boat, he saw that the fisherman didn’t have a rod but only a fishing tackle box. Off they went to a really secluded place. The fisherman took out a stick of dynamite, lit it and threw it into the water. It blew up and plenty of fish came up.
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out his card and credentials of a game warden. Calmly the fisherman pulled out another stick of dynamite, lit the fuse and put it into the warden’s hand. Just before it was about to blow up, the fisherman asked, “Are you going to fish or are you going to sit there?”
This is the question you need to ask yourself. Are you just going to sit here?
What needs changing?
As disciples of Jesus we have the anointing, the power, the authority and are more than overcomers. To be troublemakers, world changing momentum makers.
God is calling you tonight to rise up disciple.
How’s your integrity?
How’s your intensity?
How’s your involvement?
Close:
“A man who needs to be convinced to act with Integrity, Intensity and Involvement, before he acts is not a man of action.”
There are different kinds of people in the world in which we live.
There are those who MAKE THINGS HAPPEN, those who WATCH THINGS HAPPEN, those who WONDER WHAT HAPPENED and those who DON’T KNOW ANYTHING HAPPENED.
It goes without saying that there are so few people who fall into the category of MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
To be a person who MAKES THINGS HAPPEN, requires… faith, energy, determination, commitment, integrity, vision, discipline and dedication.
There is no place for procrastination, laziness, negative talk, pessimism, fear and going with the flow.
MEN and WOMEN of ACTION bring about real change.
Are you one of them?
-o0o-
