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Life is not a destination; it’s more like a journey that is full of many exciting experiences and memories. When we travel, most of us take some form of baggage with us.  During this teaching, we will learn to take the right baggage for our journey and stop packing things that weigh us down and hold us back. 

All of us are carrying baggage. The question is: 

Are we carrying baggage that we need for our life’s journey or are we carrying baggage that is holding us back from our life’s journey?

As I stated before, life is a journey not a destination.  The challenge of thinking that life is a destination is that we are always trying to “arrive.” 

 Question:  Have you ever met someone that felt they had “arrived?” 

 If so, you probably also noticed that these are people that aren’t the most enjoyable people to be around. Personally, I try not to associate with too many “know it alls.  Think about it, if a person has arrived or knows all there is to know, where then can they go? What is left for them to learn?

Everyone in this room is a traveler on the journey of life. Jesus commanded us Christians in Matthew 28:19 to Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… 

Have you ever traveled somewhere before? What type of baggage did you take with you? (perhaps a suitcase, a duffle bag, garment bag, golf bag, etc.)

Ever notice we typically pack less on shorter trips and more on longer trips? This is because we usually pack attempting to take just what we need for the trip and thus we pack our bags accordingly.

 -If we go somewhere sunny we pack for sun (what if it rains)

-If we go somewhere for 2 weeks we take more baggage than we would for a weekend trip.

Let’s talk about the baggage we take for the journey of life.  I’m talking about the baggage we take with us everyday, wherever we go. I have discovered that there are two types of baggage we carry with us on our life’s journey:

 1.  Baggage we need for the journey

2.  Baggage we don’t need for the journey

I looked up the word “Baggage” in the dictionary and discovered two definitions:

 1.  Bags of a traveler

2.  Impedimenta of a traveler

The common word here in these two definitions is the word, traveler. Let’s not forget, every one of us is a traveler. The uncommon word here is impedimenta. 

The root word of impedimenta is the word, impede. Impede means to hinder, to obstruct. What baggage, hinderance, or obstruction is in the way of the journey called, “Your Life?” Maybe you are traveling with baggage like:

 -Hurtful Words 

-Depression

-Offense 

-Discouragement

-Broken Relationships 

-Bitterness

-Failure 

-Shame

These are all types of baggage that is not needed for your life’s journey. If you are carrying any of this baggage, you have two options:

1.  You can continue to carry the baggage

2.  You can ask God to carry it for you.

These things are all impedimenta of a traveler.  Baggage that impedes, encumbers, obstructs, or stands in the way of the type of life Jesus came to provide for us.  

John 10:10  “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Listen, God does not want our lives to be burdened with heavy baggage!

Matthew 11:28-33  “Come to Me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

1Peter 5:7 the bible instructs us to cast our cares upon the Lord for He cares for us.

In the Greek, this word care means distraction. The same word is found in Mark 4:19 

Mark 4:19  and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

God doesn’t want our lives to be distracted from the purpose He created us for! As Christians we exist to make disciples – devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Let’s look at what the first disciples took with them as Jesus sent them out to go make disciples.

 Matthew 10:1-10  1He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil^[a] spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,^[b]drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.

Note: I believe this is a precedent setting event. In other words: The way Jesus instructed the first disciples to start their journey is most likely the way Jesus wants us to start our journey.  …No bag for the journey!

Starting our journey – We take no baggage

We, just like the first disciples, start our journey following Christ with no bags, baggage, no more heavy burdens, etc.

Jesus never said, nor is He saying to us, never take any bags with you. He simply wants us to understand that this is how our journey is supposed to start.  (Totally reliant on God as our Source for everything.)

Along our journey –  we began adding and taking certain things with us that we need for our journey.

Later in our journey – We pick up baggage (or impedimenta) we don’t need for our journey.

If you are still reading this, I ask you to do 2 things…

1.  A baggage inventory

Take an internal inventory of what kind of baggage you are carrying around with you everywhere we go. 

Maybe you are carrying some of the things I mentioned before…

 -Hurtful Words 

-Depression

-Offense 

-Discouragement

-Broken Relationships

-Bitterness

-Failure 

-Shame

… or something else 

Now that you’ve taken inventory of your baggage, I am going to ask you to do a second thing… 

2.  A baggage check

I encourage you to check in the baggage you don’t need for your life’s journey. Check in that heavy baggage you no longer want to carry and give it to God.

God doesn’t want us to go through life carrying baggage that weighs us down and holds us back from reaching His designed destiny for our life. 

Luke 14:33 NLT  So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me

Luke 14:25-28 NLT  Great crowds were following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father, mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me. “But don’t begin until you count the cost…

News Flash!  Counting the cost is not simply saying a prayer while everyone in the room has their eyes closed and head bowed.

A Disciple: mathetes (math-ay-tes’); a learner, student, a follower. (of whom you are learning, a student of, or following)

According to this definition we could say that everyone is a disciple in one way, shape or form. A disciple is simply a learner, a student, or a follower.

We could be a disciple of our teacher at school, our boss or supervisor at work, our parents, our big brother or sister, our athletic coach or personal trainer, etc. If you read and write really well, you most likely were discipled by a good what? Teacher. If you are very good at your job, you most likely were discipled by a good what?… Boss or Supervisor. If you are a standout basketball player, most likely were discipled by a good what?… Coach.

Everyone is a disciple of someone. Everyone one of us is currently being influenced, taught, and following someone at some capacity. Some of us are a disciple for good, and others for evil.

Note: Many times the type of disciple we are is made very evident by the way we talk and act towards other people.

Acts 4:13  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

3 Characteristics of a Disciple of Jesus

1. Offends The Religious

Luke 13:10-14  Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

Matthew 23:15  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte (disciple), and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

I am convinced that religious people keep more people from God than the Devil himself!

2. Befriends Sinners

Matthew 9:9-11  Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

I am convinced that instead of spending all of our time inside the church walls being filled, we should empty ourselves into our communities.

3. Compassionate Towards Others

Luke 10:25-37  And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and ‘your neighbor as yourself. And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy (compassion) on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

I am convinced that we need to take the church to the people instead of waiting for people to come to church. True ministry isn’t about trying to build a big church, it’s about ministering to people!

Matthew 4:18-20  18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

Luke 9:57-62  57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” 62Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Question:  What does following Jesus look like?

Followers of Jesus pursue Jesus.  They continue in Jesus’ course.  They follow His direction and are guided by Him.  Followers of Jesus accept His guidance, commands, and leadership.  They adhere to what He does and practice what He practices.  They model Jesus and imitate Him.  A follower of jesus lives their life in agreement, compliance with, and in obedience to Him.  

Question:  Are you following Jesus?

If so, you are ready to move on the the fifth facet of of clarifying the call of God for your life.

5. A Call to Disciple (A call to lead others to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.)

Matthew 28:19-20  19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This word “go” in Matthew 28:19 means to travel, depart, take a journey.  It literally means: “as you go.”  Notice it doesn’t say, “Therefore go and get people to come to church.”  Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is far more than being a casual church attendee or church member!  The discipleship process may start with bringing someone to church but it is never intended to end there. 

Matthew 28:19 says that we are to make disciples of Jesus Christ not make members of a church.  

Question:  What does making disciples look like?

To disciple means to teach and/or train by example.  We lead or disciple others through our example.  One can’t lead others to follow Jesus if they themselves aren’t following Him.  We lead in the same manner that we follow.

Philippians 3:10-17  10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [^[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] 11That if possible I may attain to the [^[b]spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body]. 12Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own. 13I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. 15So let those [of us] who are spiritually mature and full-grown have this mind and hold these convictions; and if in any respect you have a different attitude of mind, God will make that clear to you also. 16Only let us hold true to what we have already attained and walk and order our lives by that. 17Brethren, together follow my example and observe those who live after the pattern we have set for you.

The apostle Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 11:1 which states:  1Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

 As Christians we are called by God to live a life that patterns the life of Christ so people who follow our example will become more Christlike.

I am redeemed, sanctified and made righteous in Christ (see 1 Cor. 1:30).

I’ve been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into to the kingdom of God’s Son, the kingdom of light (see Col. 1:13).

All of my sins have been forgiven in Christ (see Eph. 1:7).

I am a new creation in Christ–my old life has passed away (see 2 Cor. 5:17).

God has prepared good works beforehand for me to walk in (see Eph. 2:10).

I’ve become the righteousness of God in Christ (see 2 Cor. 5:21).

I overwhelmingly conquer in all things through Christ who loved me (see Rom. 8:37).

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (see Phil. 4:13).

My God supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ (see Phil. 4:19).

I am called to be a saint (see 1 Cor. 1:2).

I am a child of God (see John 1:12, 1 John 3:1-2).

My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Cor. 6:19).

It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (see Gal. 2:20).

I have been delivered from Satan’s authority (see Acts 26:18).

God’s love has been shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 5:5).

Greater is He who is in me than he (Satan) who is in the world (see 1 John 4:4).

I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (see Eph. 1:3).

I am seated with Christ in heavenly places, far above all of Satan’s spiritual forces (see Eph. 2:4-6).

Because I love God and am called according to His purpose, He is causing all things to work together for good (see Rom. 8:28).

If God is for me, who can be against me? (see Rom. 8:31).

Nothing can separate me from Christ’s love (see Rom. 8:35-39).

All things are possible for me because I’m a believer (see Mark 9:23).

I am a priest of God (see Rev. 1:6).

Because I am His child, God is leading me by His Spirit (see Rom. 8:14).

As I follow the Lord, the path of my life is getting brighter and brighter (see Prov. 4:18).

God has given me special gifts to use for His service (see 1 Pet. 4:10-11).

I can cast out demons and lay hands on the sick so that they will recover (see Mark 16:17-18).

God always leads me in triumph in Christ (see 2 Cor. 2:14).

I am an ambassador for Christ (see 2 Cor. 5:20).

I have eternal life (see John 3:16).

Everything I ask in prayer, believing, I receive (see Matt. 21:22).

By Jesus’ stripes, I am healed (see 1 Pet. 2:24).

I am the salt of the earth and the light of the world (see Matt. 5:13-14).

I am an heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ (see Rom. 8:17).

I am a member of the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:27).

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (see Ps. 23:1).

The Lord is the defense of my life–whom shall I fear? (see Ps. 27:1).

God will satisfy me with long life (see Ps. 91:16).

Christ bore my sicknesses and carried my pains (see Is. 53:4-5).

The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid (see Heb. 13:6).

I cast all my cares upon the Lord because He cares for me (see 1 Pet. 5:7).

I resist the devil, and he flees from me (see Jas. 4:7).

I am finding my life by losing if for Jesus’ sake (see Matt. 16:25).

For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (see Phil. 1:21).

My citizenship is in heaven (see Phil. 3:20).

God will complete the good work He has begun in me (see Phil. 1:6).

God is at work within me, to do His good pleasure (see Phil. 2:13).

I’ve been redeemed from the curse of the law (see Gal. 3:13).

A Calling:  A strong urge to follow a particular profession or occupation. An inner urge, strong impulse, or compassionate care by one who believes they are inspired by God.

All Christians Have a Call of God!

Ephesians 4:1-6  1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

1 Thessalonians 2:11-12  11 And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. 12 We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

When a person is called by God there are many facets of such a call.  Let’s look at several of these facets.

1. A Call to COMPASSION (A call of understanding and being aware of the suffering of others and doing something about it.)

Matthew 14:14  14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Matthew 20:30-34  30Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 33“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” 34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Notice that in Matthew 14:14 we see Jesus healed their sick and in Matthew 20:34 Jesus touched their eyes.  Compassion is always demonstrated by ACTION!

2. A Call to Care (A call to look after or provide for someone.  providing for them not because you have to, but because you want to.)

Luke 10:25-37 25  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”27He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]“ 28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins^[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”  Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Phillipians 2:20-21  20I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

3. A Call to Give (A call to be a resource.  To contribute, devote, entrust possessions, time, or even your life to a person or purpose.)

2 Corinthians 8:7  7But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us^[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Acts 4:32-35  32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

John 3:16  16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,^[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

“Run to the place where your God-given call is celebrated, and run from the place where your call is sufficated.” -DJ Rabe

“Empty yourself into your community instead of spending all your time in the church being filled.” -DJ Rabe

“A revolution is the bridge to revival.”  -DJ Rabe 

“A decision without determination will result in a disappointment.”  -DJ Rabe 

“God isn’t calling us to build the church, He is calling us to be the church.”  -DJ Rabe 

“Regular resistance should never come as a surprise to those who are following God’s will.”  -DJ Rabe

“Ingredients of Innovation: Inspiration, Idea, Influence, & Instruction.”  -DJ Rabe 

“I’d rather preach an old message to unbelievers than a new message to believers.”  -DJ Rabe 

Months ago I remember being asked to participate in a church leadership meeting. In this particular meeting the leaders were being asked to give a report of their progress of following up with recent church guests and regular attendees. The facilitator of the meeting went around the table asking each leader questions like, “Where has so and so been?”, “Did you call or contact them this week?”, “Were you able to find out why they have not attended service regularly?” Each leader shared the reasons the people told them for their lack of church attendance (work, school, family, sports, too busy, too tired, don’t know anyone etc.) Then I realized something, “These were not the real reasons why they chose not to attend church, these were just excuses people gave them to get them off their back. As our meeting came to a close I was becoming very eager to hear the facilitator’s solution to the challenge the leaders were having encouraging people to attend their church more consistently. Suddenly the solution stated, “As ministry leaders you need to get these people plugged into the church!” That was it! I could not believe what I was hearing however I did learn a powerful lesson from this meeting. “If we fail to discover the real reason(s) people don’t want to come our churches, we will be forever unsuccessful in growing our churches.”

What then, is the reason, or reasons people choose not to attend church?” The answer is easy, “They don’t want to.” Now that was deep but it’s the absolute truth. It’s about time we begin to face reality and ask ourselves the more important question, “Why is it that so many people don’t care or have any desire to step foot inside the local church? Not long ago, a friend and I were sharing the Lord with a man in the lobby of a hotel. This man told us that his faith in God was wavering. As he continued sharing with us, he mentioned that he had recently visited and/or attended five churches in the local area. After sharing his many frustrations with his church experiences his said something that shocked me. He said, “Church is stupid!” Being a Christian, my first thought was church is not stupid.” In contrast, the church is an important part of God’s plan of salvation and expressing His love toward us. My second thought was, “What could I do in this moment to help this man to see the church from a different perspective?” My third thought was one I couldn’t even believe I asked myself, “Is there such thing as a stupid church?” Now I know that third thought was a bit on the edge but remember I’m sitting right across from a man who is searching for genuine Christianity and had recently attended five churches near his home. So why then was this man sitting before me saying, “Church is stupid?”

Two full days after sharing Christ with a stranger in a hotel lobby, I found myself unable to shake this man’s comment to me that church is stupid. I think it was just hard for me to see the word stupid and church right next to each other. That word “stupid” just kept bugging me! Oddly enough, the word stupid had never really sounded that harsh to me until I heard it said in front of, and connected to the word church. In fact, I admit to being one who has done stupid things, said stupid things, and had numerous stupid thoughts. Even though I felt that I and everyone else knew what the word stupid meant, I decided to just look up the word stupid in the dictionary. The dictionary defines the word stupid as lacking intelligence, lacking common sense, dazed, unable to think clearly, a word used to express irritability or boredom. Have you ever irritated in church? Have you ever felt you lacked the intelligence to understand what was being taught? . Have you been bored in church? I don’t know about you but after reading the definition of the word stupid, I can better understand how an unbeliever would come to the conclusion that church is stupid, Honestly, even being a believer, I have experienced these feelings during church many times! Let’s be honest, without a real, relevant, and genuine personal relationship with Jesus Christ it’s not too far fetched to think that church is stupid.

In life, we all have to come to our own conclusions about what we believe or don’t believe. With that being said, my personal conclusion is two-fold, 1. Church is not stupid. 2. It is a reality that many people have the perception that “Church is stupid.” This perception is not only a common one, but is creating a real and active attitude that is rapidly becoming an epidemic! I believe God is calling us to reconcile people back to Him no matter what it costs us or how weird or fanatical we appear. Instead of turning a blind eye, we should rise up and take the perceptions of the people God has called us to reach seriously and accept the challenge of demonstrating true authentic Christianity.

-DJ Rabe

Section 2: The Three “E”s (Time: 1:38)

Section 3: Exponential Growth (Time: 3:07)

Section 4: Compounding is the Problem (Time: 3:06)

Section 5: Growth vs. Prosperity (Time: 3:40)

Section 6: What is Money? (Time: 5:55)

Section 7: Money Creation (Time: 4:19)

Section 8: The Fed – Money Creation (Time: 7:13)

Section 9: A Brief History of US Money (Time: 7:14)

Section 10: Inflation (Time: 11:48)

Section 11: How Much Is A Trillion? (Time: 3:28)

Section 12: Debt (Time: 12:32)

Section 13: A National Failure To Save (Time: 12:06)

Section 14: Assets & Demographics (Time: 13:41)

Section 15: Bubbles (Time: 14:10)

Section 16: Fuzzy Numbers (Time: 15:52)

Section 17: Peak Oil (Time: 17:52)

Section 17 PART B: Energy Budgeting (Time: 12:15)

Section 17 PART C: Energy And The Economy (Time: 7:05)

Chapter 18: Environmental Data (Time: 16:22)

Chapter 19: Future Shock (Time: 8:02)

-Chris Martenson

“Kenneth Hagin Sr. was not happy that some of his followers were manipulating the Bible to support what he viewed as greed and selfish indulgence.”
Many Word-Faith ministers ignored the book. But in light of the recent controversy over prosperity doctrines, it might be a good idea to dust it off and read it again.Here are a few of the points Hagin made in The Midas Touch:

1. Financial prosperity is not a sign of God’s blessing. Hagin wrote: “If wealth alone were a sign of spirituality, then drug traffickers and crime bosses would be spiritual giants. Material wealth can be connected to the blessings of God or it can be totally disconnected from the blessings of God.”

2. People should never give in order to get. Hagin was critical of those who “try to make the offering plate some kind of heavenly vending machine.” He denounced those who link giving to getting, especially those who give cars to get new cars or who give suits to get new suits. He wrote: “There is no spiritual formula to sow a Ford and reap a Mercedes.”

3. It is not biblical to “name your seed” in an offering. Hagin was horrified by this practice, which was popularized in faith conferences during the 1980s. Faith preachers sometimes tell donors that when they give in an offering they should claim a specific benefit to get a blessing in return. Hagin rejected this idea and said that focusing on what you are going to receive “corrupts the very attitude of our giving nature.”

4. The “hundredfold return” is not a biblical concept. Hagin did the math and figured out that if this bizarre notion were true, “we would have Christians walking around with not billions or trillions of dollars, but quadrillions of dollars!” He rejected the popular teaching that a believer should claim a specific monetary payback rate.

5. Preachers who claim to have a “debt-breaking” anointing should not be trusted. Hagin was perplexed by ministers who promise “supernatural debt cancellation” to those who give in certain offerings. He wrote in The Midas Touch: “There is not one bit of Scripture I know about that validates such a practice. I’m afraid it is simply a scheme to raise money for the preacher, and ultimately it can turn out to be dangerous and destructive for all involved.” (Many evangelists who appear on Christian television today use this bogus claim. Usually they insist that the miraculous debt cancellation will occur only if a person “gives right now,” as if the anointing for this miracle suddenly evaporates after the prime time viewing hour. This manipulative claim is more akin to witchcraft than Christian belief.) Hagin condemned other hairbrained gimmicks designed to trick audiences into emptying their wallets. He was especially incensed when a preacher told his radio listeners that he would take their prayer requests to Jesus’ empty tomb in Jerusalem and pray over them there—if donors included a special love gift. “What that radio preacher really wanted was more people to send in offerings,” Hagin wrote.Thanks to the recent resurgence in bizarre donation schemes promoted by American charismatics, the prosperity gospel is back under the nation’s microscope. It’s time to revisit Hagin’s concerns and find a biblical balance.

Hagin told his followers: “Overemphasizing or adding to what the Bible actually teaches invariably does more harm than good.” If the man who pioneered the modern concept of biblical prosperity blew the whistle on his own movement, wouldn’t it make sense for us to listen to his admonition?

-J. Lee Grady