What in the Name of Jesus

So, what in the Name of Jesus are we doing now?

Jesus said, "For where two or three come together IN MY NAME, there am I with them" (Matt 18:20).

Great, now what?

In Mark 16:17, He assured us that, "...these signs will accompany those who believe: IN MY NAME they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

How's that coming along?

Along that same line of thought, He said, (John 14:12-14) "...anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask IN MY NAME, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything IN MY NAME, and I will do it."

Can I get a witness...anybody?

In John 14:26, He assures us, "...the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send IN MY NAME, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." He's here, empowering us. Are we appropriating that power?

In John 15:16, He said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask IN MY NAME." Are we asking for Kingdom things, or are we asking amiss (James 4:3)?

And in John 16:24, "Until now you have not asked for anything IN MY NAME. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

Again, what's the motivation of our hearts when we ask?

YOU JUST SAID THE SECRET WOYD!

Some mistakenly believe that by saying "In Jesus' Name" at the end of a prayer results in God always granting what is asked for, as if He were a genie at our beck and call. This is nothing short of treating the words "in Jesus' Name" as if they were a magic formula. Why not exclaim "Abracadabra!" and wait for the results?

Bible scholars point out that the expression "in the name of" originally meant "in the spirit of" or "in the manner of." In other words, simply saying "in Jesus' Name," does not mean that a particular prayer really IS in Jesus' Name. Perhaps that alone explains some of our perceived prayer failures.

Praying in His Name means that we are saying the kinds of things that He would say or that which we know He taught. A working knowledge of Scripture will certainly prove beneficial in this regard.

Praying in Jesus' Name means praying with His authority and asking the Father to act upon our prayers because we come in the name of His Son, Jesus.

Praying in Jesus' Name means the same thing as praying according to the will of God, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15).

Praying in Jesus' Name is praying for things that will honor and glorify King Jesus and advance His Kingdom cause. Not OUR kingdom...HIS!

If what you asked for in prayer was not for God's glory and according to His will, saying "In Jesus' Name" is meaningless. Genuinely praying in Jesus' Name and for His glory is what is important, not attaching certain words to the end of a prayer. It is not the words we pray that matter, but the purpose behind our prayer. Praying for things that are in agreement with God's will is the essence of praying in Jesus' Name.

Amen?

Amen!

ROGER, OVER 'N OUT?

Speaking of 'amen', when we say THAT word at the VERY end of a prayer, it does NOT mean, "Roger, over 'n out!"

The Hebrew 'Amen' is derived from the root "aman," which means to be firm or solid in the sense of permanency. Thus by implication, it means to be sure, true or faithful. So whenever we see the word 'Amen' used in Scripture, it is affirming truth, or illustrating something is said that is of absolute certainty. One might proclaim, "Let it be done!"

We use it to affirm that we believe all the things we have read, or heard, are true, or that we are confident God hears our petitions. It is like an solemn appeal that we know something with absolute certainty, even that our prayers have truly been heard by God. 1st Peter 3:12, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers..."

Oddly enough, to get a scriptural answer to what 'Amen' means, we go to a place where it is used not as the last word but the first word. Jesus would often start a solemn statement by saying "Verily" or "Truly". In John 3:3, Jesus is recorded as using the word twice in succession, "Verily, verily, I say to you...". In the original language, this is actually the word "Amen" being used there twice.

When we compare an instance of this in Mark, with the same statement in Luke, we find the translators have left the word untranslated, but in Luke it was translated by using the word we translate as "Truly". (Mark 9:1, Luke 9:27). This shows us that the underlying meaning of the word "Amen" is truth and verily. It is a solemn affirmation.

So, when we say, "Amen" we are saying, "Yes, before God, I agree with that, I believe that to be true, I want that to be so, Let it be done".

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

So, what ARE we doing in the Name of Jesus? Are we exercising the Authority that His Name gives us? After all, His is the Name above all names (Phil 2:9). His Name is exalted over names like cancer, divorce, war, violence, dissension, strife, depression, addiction, et al.

Are we declaring peace in His Name? Are we commanding healing to spring forth in His Name? Are we speaking to the Spirit of Divorce that has raised its ugly head in our nation's marriages? Are we advancing the Kingdom in His Name, doing warfare as a mighty army, or merely warming pews?

The word "Christian" literally means "a little Christ." Acts 11:26 tells us that, "...a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." Whether the term was a derogatory one that was embraced by the followers of Christ's teachings - not unlike the British referring to the Colonial Revolutionary Army as "Yanks" - is up for debate. Point is, the name stuck and remains 2,000 years later.

As "Little Christs," do we dare to step out of our comfort zones and do the things that Jesus said we would do in His Name? God dares us to do so. The devil dares us, too.

Sadly, most Christians are only Christians because we weren't born in Iraq. If we had been, we'd be worshipers of Allah. Being a Christian requires devotion to the cause, not merely cheerleading for an ideology. Wearing a "Jesus Saves" t-shirt, placing a silver fish on our bumper and attending Christian conferences does NOT a Christian make.

As a young college girl asked me one time, "What do you and Jesus DO together?" Great question. After all, we are referred to God's fellow workers. Co-laborers, if you will. He chooses to work with us and THROUGH us.

I'm reminded of the words of Keith Green in his song, "Asleep in the Light." He was 29 when he died in 1982. He was not only a forerunner in the Christian music scene, he also had a clear sense of Jesus' radical call and didn't shy away from his hard truths. These lyrics are more relevant now than ever.

Read 'em and weep...then wipe your eyes, blow your nose and let's storm the gates of Hell.

Cause He brings people to your door,

And you turn them away, as you smile and say,

God bless you, be at peace, and all Heaven just weeps,

Cause Jesus came to your door, you've left Him out on the streets.

Open up, open up, and give yourself away,

You've seen the need, you hear the cry, so how can you delay,

God's calling and you're the one, but like Jonah you run,

He's told you to speak, but you keep holding it in,

Oh, can't you see it's such sin?

The world is sleeping in the dark,

That the church can't fight, cause it's asleep in the light,

How can you be so dead, when you've been so well fed,

Jesus rose from the grave, and you, you can't even get out of bed,

Oh, Jesus rose from the dead, come on, get out of your bed.

Every blessing,

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Tummillo
A servant of God
www.YourTown4Jesus.com

His mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Since '99, he has broadcast nearly 700 inspirational articles to his online subscribers and a dozen booklets on subjects sure to interest the thinking Christian and accelerate the process of spiritual development.

He is the founder of t.e.a.m. ministries. An Author, Pastoral Counselor and Teacher, his eMail broadcasts, known as "Your Town for Jesus" are read around the globe. Subscribe at team1min@our-town.com.com A licensed/ordained minister, a Certified Workplace Chaplain, and a Professional Member of NIBIC, he has ministered in Methodist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, College and Cowboy churches. He is the Workplace Chaplain for a Texas firm, overseeing the Spiritual Development of over 500 employees at ten facilities throughout the state. He is a strong advocate for the House Church Movement, readily available to assist Christians feeling that same inclination. A Speaker on the Christian Speaker Network, he may be available to speak to your church.

http://www.YourTown4Jesus.com

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Chronic Pain, Injuries, and Depression - How to Look For the Silver Lining

If you have had a back, neck, or any kind of bodily injury, then you are probably all too familiar with chronic pain and the problems it brings into your daily life. For 22 years, I worked with chronic and acute pain patients in a medical psychology setting.  Most of the patients I counseled were victims of car accidents or work-related injuries. I became very familiar with the problems that developed after an injury-inducing event.  Undersleeping, oversleeping, anxiety attacks, depression, pain, and sometimes loss of income.  During physical recovery time, despite various degrees of pain that the patients felt, they became depressed from boredom. Whether they were unable to work temporarily or permanently, boredom and frustration were a regular theme during our counseling sessions.  Often, I was successful with helping a patient improve their sleeping habits or anxiety attacks, but I was always looking for ways to help them feel more emotionally stimulated during a long recovery.

About seven years into my counseling with chronic and acute pain patients, I injured my back. Bending improperly to make my bed caused a sensation of a rubber band snapping and breaking in my lower back.  Although I had never experienced this, I knew from various descriptions that my patients had given over the years that I had injured a disk. Sure enough, the medical tests showed a severely herniated lumbar disk.  In addition, I had acquired considerable nerve damage from the injury in both legs.  

As I lay in bed that night, wracked with new pain, I wondered how all of this was going to affect my life.  An unsympathetic boss who's practice I faithfully worked in refused me any time off, despite my doctor's recommendation of four weeks rest time.  I had to keep my job, I needed the money. I couldn't take anything stronger than Tylenol because of my need to stay clear-headed for the patients that I so loved to counsel.  How ironic, I thought as I lay on my bed each morning, having my shoes put on by my husband of only five months, then going to work to help others with the same injury.  Somehow I kept my pain a secret from my caring patients, telling them that my odd walk was due to too much time at the gym.  It was humbling, being in tears during physical therapy surrounded by others who could have been my own patients.

One day, I was reviewing some papers I had written in college.  My eye was drawn to a paragraph about crisis management.  I had included the concept  of the Chinese symbol for "crisis", which also stands for the word, "opportunity" in the Chinese language.  This back injury was a crisis, for sure.  What type of opportunity could possibly arise from this in my life, or more importantly, my patients' lives?  I thought bitterly of how I had always been a physical person. According to my doctor, no more bowling, horseback riding, skating.  Ever.  Where was my opportunity in all this?  I was angry.  I saw this emotion in my patients, as well. I had successfully helped patients work through their feelings of anger and loss, but I was guided mostly by counseling theories I had learned and incorporated into my own intuitive style.

Things were different now, I knew.  My new health status changed everything. If I didn't work through my own anger at my limitations and find the "opportunity", I would be on equal footing with my patients.  This would make me an ineffective pain management therapist.  Determined to continue helping and healing my patients, I ignored my pain at work.  One day, a new patient that I had recently acquired, was near tears as he described the horrible pain he experienced in his legs as a result of a lumbar disk injury. Without thinking, I said, " I know what you mean". He stopped and looked at me and said, "no you don't.  you can't understand what this feels like". I briefly explained that I had suffered the same injury as he did.  To say that this small bit of self-disclosure had an incredibly positive impact on my counseling results was a major understatement.  Everything changed within me and how I related to injured people.  I felt more confident, and patients sensed this, responding more positively to the therapy.  Seeing that I was an injured person like them helped them see that there might be a light at the end of their dark, dark tunnel.

My mission was to pass the "crisis/opportunity" concept, as I now called it, onto every patient that I worked with. Now, instead of hiding the fact that I had a back injury,  I shared this with the patients who had similar or the same injury.  I explained the concept briefly to each patient during our first meeting, and then asked them to keep it in the back of their mind for future reference. I referred to the future because in the beginning of therapy, the patient's focus was always on the present and the pain they were experiencing, both emotionally and physically.  Many of them never believed that they would improve.

As therapy progressed, large and small opportunities would materialize.  For example:  A woman who now needed to be driven to her doctor appointments asked her daughters to help her with rides. They were happy to do it, and as a result,  she got to spend more time with her family than she had before her injury.  This made her happier, despite the seriousness of her pain.  A male patient, who wasn't able to work temporarily, began to teach himself to cook.  He knew nothing about cooking, and in fact, didn't much like it.  However, his wife, who worked full-time, loved it!  She came home to a hot meal several days a week, which deflected much of the tension as a result of the patient's inability to work. 

Finally, the most dramatic example, and my favorite:  I had a patient who had a severe neck injury.  After surgery, he was bedridden for many months with a neck brace.  He watched TV for several hours a day because he was barely able to move.  One day, there was a program on TV about learning  how to draw and paint.  My patient found it boring, and turned it off.  The next day, he changed his mind and watched the show with a pencil and paper in his weak hands.  He watched every day and practiced, discovering that he had amazing artistic skill.  When he wasn't confined to bed any longer, he began to  paint.  Eventually, he showed some of his pictures at amateur art shows and even sold some of them.  I'm proud to say that I am a buyer of one of those paintings!  This painting hangs in my living room, reminding me of the amazing strength, will, and beauty of the human spirit.  Talk about opportunity! 

Victoria Cimino has a Master's Degree in Education from Antioch University. She currently owns a motivational/life coaching company and works with clients by phone all over the US. Prior to coaching, Victoria worked as a psychotherapist specializing in pain management, anxiety,and general issues. She has also taught biofeedback and relaxation techniques to chronic and acute pain patients. To learn more about what coaching can do for you, go to Victoria's website at http://www.RisingStarMotivationalCoach.com or call toll free 9am-9pm EST 877-838-8366.

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Antioch CA Homes For Sale Market Comparison Report

Prospective Home Buyers should analyze various key indicators for a city they intend to purchase in. This article covers some current key indicators for Antioch Ca Home For Sale.

Summary of Key Points

Antioch Ca Homes for Sale market has taken a major hit from last year.

Median Sales Price (+4.91%), Median Days on Market (-39.95%), and Number of Units Sold (-51.63%)

Big Picture: Out of 20 cities analyzed in the East Bay, Antioch suffered the largest decline in the number of units sold.

Antioch Ca Homes for Sale

The city of Antioch experienced a 4.91% increase in median sales price from last year going up from $205,565 (Dec. 08) to $215,660 (Dec. 09). This modest increase in median sales price might at first glance seem like good news for Antioch however, when compared alongside median days on market and number of units sold, we realize that it is not so simple. Median days on market for a house in the city of Antioch for December 08 was 52 days compared to a meager 31 days in December 09 and number of units sold have taken a major beating going down by more than half from 306 units in Dec 08 to 148 units in Dec 09. The increase in median sales price coupled with a 39.95% decrease in median days on market should theoretically spell good news but a 51.63% drop in units sold says otherwise. The increase in sales price in this case dissuaded buyers from purchasing new homes.

There is good news for neighboring city Brentwood because Brentwood Ca Homes for Sale saw a modest increase in median sales price of 1.03% and a semi-dramatic increase in units sold of 24.49%. Neighbor Concord also witnessed a small increase of 1.15% in median sales price but Concord Ca Homes for Sale suffered pretty much the same fate as Antioch with a drop of 13.07% in the number of units sold.

It is important to compare these key indicators with nearby cities to help Home Buyers make an educated decision.

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Thinking in a Straight Line?

With the near ubiquity of the Internet these days, many rural communities find that the local LISTSERV is an invaluable tool for connecting citizens. In my own town, we use the local LISTSERV for everything from announcing important local events to asking for advice on local contractors. Recently there was a lively discussion about the new fee for what used to be a free recycling permit. Although the fee is a minimal $18, there were many people upset by the additional cost (I suspect mainly because they did not feel like their opinions were considered). Someone even carefully calculated the cost to throw vs. the cost to recycle, showing that, at least in measurable dollars, it actually cost almost twice as much to recycle.

The more I thought about this calculation, the more I realized that this was linear thinking in action. There are hidden costs and benefits that just can't be measured with a dollar sign. It is the type of thinking that often occurs with more serious public policy issues, and we are paying a big price for it. In this country we don't often look at what is referred to as the triple bottom line, the idea that organizations need to pay attention not only to financial but also social and environmental impact. "The Story of Stuff" is a great video clip that, despite its left leaning tendencies, illustrates how linear thinking has led to many of the problems we are grappling with now.

So what's the remedy? A start is to begin practicing systems thinking. How do you do that, you ask? There are a number of ways to practice, but here are some ideas to try out:

• Tell the story of your organization and explore the nature of events in detail before jumping into problem solving - be sure you are looking at the whole picture, both internally and externally, and not just from your own perspective.


• Look for patterns of behavior and trends over time: dig deep and go back in history; don't just consider the recent past.


• As you discover trends and patterns, look for the interrelationships in organizational systems - break down those silos; the organizational chart is a myth - organizations are essentially living organisms that exist within networks.


• Identify assumptions that need changing and track those changes; if you're not achieving your desired outcome, ask why rather than assign blame.


• Above all else, be patient! Systems thinking takes time to learn - it is a practice, not an event.

Is this easy? No. Is it worth it? Definitely. As Einstein is so often quoted, "The problems we have created in the world today will not be solved by the level of thinking that created them." For more information on the triple bottom line see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_bottom_line. To view "The Story of Stuff" click here (http://www.storyofstuff.com).

Marty Jacobs, president of Systems In Sync, has been teaching and consulting for almost twenty years, applying a systems thinking approach to organizations. She currently provides strategic planning and policy governance expertise for the Vermont School Boards Association and has worked with several school districts to engage them in community conversations. In the nonprofit sector, Marty provides strategic planning, board leadership training, Policy Governance implementation, community engagement facilitation, and staff development. Additionally, Marty has served on a variety of nonprofit, professional, and school boards over the past twenty years. Marty has also written articles for Vermont Business Magazine and the American School Board Journal on topics related to organizational learning, systems thinking, and community engagement. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Marty received her M.S. in Organization and Management from Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, NH.

http://www.systemsinsync.com

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