|
Christian
musicians to
join our worship team!
We are now looking for
additional musicians/singers! We play contemporary
music
and frequently move into Spirit-led “improv” music. Our praise and
worship time
is regularly one hour long.
This is a volunteer
opportunity to
be involved on a regular basis with a worship team. You do not need to
be a
highly skilled musician but you must have good basic skills.
Please contact Pastor Tom
by leaving a
message at 763-862-9299
Thoughts
for meditation -
A lie, once
believed, has a way of increasing, through the
agency of vain imagination, the desirability of that which is evil.
Just as with Adam and Eve, it is lies that we believe that cause the
temptation to sin to have such power in our lives. Our susceptibility
to temptation will always be proportionate to the depth and strength of
the lies we believe in our inner being. Root out the lies by
repenting of them and surrendering them to be destroyed by the power of
the Holy Spirit and the strength of the temptations associated with the
lies will greatly diminish!
Most
lies are ultimately rooted in an active disbelief in the goodness
and provision of God. When this active disbelief in the goodness and
provision of God was first exercised by Adam and Eve, the nature of man
and all of creation underwent a ruinous transformation. These are some
of the changes that have occurred in the nature of man:
“The
understanding is darkened (Eph. 4:18; 1 Cor. 2:14); the heart is
deceitful and wicked (Jer. 17:9-10); the mind and conscience are
defiled (Gen. 6:5; Titus 1:15); the flesh and spirit are defiled (2
Cor. 7:5); the will is enfeebled (Rom. 7:18); and we are utterly
destitute of any God-like qualities which meet the requirements of
God’s holiness” (Rom. 7:18).
AN
INTRODUCTION TO
JERICHO MINISTRY
What
are some of the common issues that struggling Christians are
experiencing today?
Because of a striving to seek security and identity
from this
world, many Christians are mistakenly basing too much of their personal
identity in their
material possessions, individual accomplishments, and the opinions of
others rather than who they are in Christ Jesus. The problem is,
Christians who strive for security and identity through those means
often struggle unsuccessfully to overcome fleshly strongholds such as:
depression, anger, anxiety, perfectionism, pride, shame, lust, fear and
many others. These strongholds take root when we have not truly
understood the extent, the complexity, and the utter futility of our
performance-oriented, self-reliant mentality.
What
do you mean by "self reliant mentality?"
We, as created beings, quite naturally have needs and wants. But, it is
crucial to understand that in almost everything we do, we have an inner
motivation which fuels our actions and that this motivation frequently
does not reflect God’s purposes. Our motivation is usually to fulfill
our own self-directed desires. From moment to moment, we do what we do
primarily because we believe, on some level, that our behavior will
result in personal benefit. We follow our individual motives for
behavior very early in life, almost from the moment of birth, because
we are born as dependent creatures with sin-damaged souls.
God’s
original plan, as initiated with Adam and Eve, is that we
discover the fulfillment of every need and want through Him. God’s plan
hasn’t changed! But man has changed in his relationship to God and his
attitude toward God’s plan for his life. Sin has induced a misguided,
self-centered striving to fulfill our own immediate wants and desires.
What
was the original design?
Man and woman were originally designed to discover personal value and
purpose through the unhindered realization of God's unconditional love
for them. They would not feel that they needed to perform in order to
feel acceptable. There would be no competition with one another, no
problems with feelings of low self-esteem, low self-worth, jealousy,
insecurity etc. But, tragically, the effect of sin on our thoughts, our
feelings and our choices has hindered us from experiencing a close
personal realization of God’s unconditional love for us.
What dynamics
have arisen as a result of our separation from the "close personal
realization
of God's unconditional love for us?"
This separation from the security of experiencing God's unconditional
love has encouraged a shifting away from reliance upon God and a
deterioration of trust in His purpose for our lives.
Instead
of trusting God, we find ourselves repeatedly enticed by sin to
depend upon self-centered behavior as we attempt to reduce our personal
insecurity and compensate for the loss of the realization of God’s
unconditional love. We find ourselves feeling compelled again and again
to rely on ourselves in an attempt to find compensatory fulfillment
through the gratification of self. This has become our life-habit. We
are, habitually, to borrow a phrase, "trying to find love in all the
wrong places." We have become essentially self-determining,
self-reliant creatures. We are unable to find spiritual rest, because
we are almost continually striving to bolster our self-esteem by
gaining affirmation from man by seeking his personal approval in the
form of love, recognition, admiration, respect, etc.
God's power has been made
available
to us to
sanctify our souls, to bring us into the dynamic of real spiritual rest
by transforming our character into the likeness of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. Yet, the unfortunate truth is, because of these deeply
rooted dynamics of self-sufficiency in our lives, we are virtually
unable to consistently believe and depend on God's plan to use His
power to
free us from the repetitive strongholds of sin.
How
do we find freedom from this behavior?
The solution to
this dilemma can be accessed through our commitment to a deliberate
process of Spirit-led discovery and prayer regarding the roots of our
self-reliance. That process is what this ministry is about.
When
we are truly willing to closely examine how and why we have come to
trust self-effort more than we trust God, we begin to be able to access
the necessary power of the Holy Spirit which can steadily bring us
freedom from the strongholds of sin in our lives. Until we are willing
to do this, we will continue to suffer from a lack of faith caused by
unbelief.
Unbelief
is trusting in ourselves and our own ways more than we trust God from
moment to moment in our lives. This lack of faith in God's power and
purpose for our daily lives keeps us from the peace, joy, and spiritual
rest, which are meant to accompany our sonship in God's holy family.
Where can I get
more specific information on this?
Our hope and our prayer is that these topics, derived from a
combination of pastoral discipleship experience and, more importantly,
illumination from the Holy Spirit, will help Christians to understand
how
hidden lies, beliefs from your past, and the deceptions of this world,
may be hindering you from experiencing the fullness of the blessings of
peace, joy, and spiritual rest in your daily Christian walk.Our
hope is that, in reading these articles you will discover the
power
of God's grace and the magnitude of His love for you!
Please
visit our "Contact Us" page. We would really like to hear how you
have been blessed by these writings!
These
biblically-based writings are freely available to you from Jericho
Ministry, a Spirit-led Pastoral counseling ministry, that served
Minnesota
Teen Challenge from 1995-2002 and is currently ministering to private
clients in the Minneapolis/St. Paul
metropolitan area.
If you
feel that God has blessed you through His
ministry to you on
these pages, please prayerfully consider becoming a Jericho Ministry
supporter. Your contributions will help support our home based pastoral
counseling
ministry
in Blaine, MN. ALL
CONTRIBUTIONS ARE 100% TAX
DEDUCTIBLE!
Your support is more than just appreciated by us. It will transform
lives. Learn more about us on the "About Jericho Ministry" page.
You
may send contributions to: Jericho Ministry / 11013 President Dr. /
Blaine, MN. 55434
Choose a title to your left on the navigation bar OR read the
descriptions below to help you make your choice of
subject
material!
Here are some brief
descriptions which illustrate
the themes of several of these writings:
DYNAMICS OF
FORGIVENESS: FORGIVENESS AND REPENTANCE THROUGH THE AGENCY OF
GRACE
|
We may sincerely try to forgive
the people
who have offended us, but our forgiveness will
always be incomplete without our personal repentance for the sinful
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that have developed in our lives in
reaction to the original offenses against us. This article is designed
to bring clarity to some of the common misunderstandings about the
workings of repentance and sanctification so that the benefits of true
forgiveness can begin to be realized in your life!
go to >Forgiveness
|
| THE CORRUPTION
AND RENEWAL OF DESIRE |
| Desire was once
a
perfectly innocent and natural inclination of the soul toward the
experiencing of pleasure. It was a gift from God that has now become a
burden as a result of sin. This article helps to bring a balance to our
understanding of desire and an awareness of the many deceptions arising
from the corruption of desire.
go
to >Renewal
of Desire
|
|
| ENTERING HIS REST |
Many Christians
have
developed an ongoing striving for acceptance originating from a sin
influenced, performance bound, works oriented mentality. Yet, as
Christians, we could be experiencing daily peace, joy, and spiritual
rest as a result of God's acceptance of us through our faith in Christ
Jesus. This article reveals common misconceptions that prevent us from
understanding and experiencing the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit
and the daily peace of a faith-rest relationship with Jesus Christ!
go to > Entering His Rest
|
| PRIDE AND SHAME:
STRONGHOLDS OF THE SELF-CENTERED SOUL |
| Foreword:
Strongholds of
pride and shame can keep us aimlessly wandering through a desert of
unrest leading to confusion, anxiety, depression and despair. This
article is a series of proverbial insights into these strongholds.
go
to >Pride
and Shame
|
| OVERCOMING
FOUNDATIONAL ROOT JUDGMENTS |
A MUST FOR ALL CHRISTIANS!
"Overcoming
Foundational Root Judgments" presents a practical working model to be
used to identify lies from your past that are keeping you in behavioral
bondage today. This article is a guide designed to lead you through a
process of discovery and freedom from bondage by the power of the Holy
Spirit!
go to > Root Judgments
|
| FEAR: THE FALSE
GUIDE |
| Ungodly fear can
lead to
confusion, error, misdirection, and defeat in our lives. This article
takes a look at episodes of fear in the lives of biblical characters
and identifies roots of fear common in the lives of many people
today.
go to > Fear:
The False Guide
|
| TRANSFERENCE: A
BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE |
| Transference is
one of the most commonly
experienced and yet, also, one of the most commonly overlooked
dysfunctional mechanisms of behavior today. This article combines
biblical examples and personal insights while revealing the
developmental roots and hidden workings of transference in our lives!
Excerpt
from "Transference: A Biblical Perspective"
"Transference is an unrealistic effort or attempt, usually initiated by
our subconscious, to bring temporary relief from the pain or anxiety of
unsatisfied needs, unresolved conflicts, or emotional traumas from the
past. Using the mechanism of transference as a tool, we seek
compensatory satisfaction through present day relationships.
go
to >Transference
|
| THE PURSUIT OF
KNOWLEDGE |
| The knowledge of
God vs. the knowledge of man!
This article details the propensity of humanity toward a daily
dependence upon natural revelation and reveals the utter foolishness
wrought from this misdirected faith.
go to > Pursuit of Knowledge
|
LITTLE GODS
We must put away
the gods within us if God
within us is to be revealed.
go
to > Little
gods
|
| MINISTERING TO
TEENS |
| This article
offers insights into the obstacles
teenagers face as they strive to develop their personal identity on the
journey to adulthood. It also identifies parental responsibilities and
takes a look at the error of "fairness theology!"
go
to > Ministering
to Teens
Abundant
Grace
Church address and directions:
1055
109th Ave. NE
Blaine MN.
55434
Map
to Abundant Grace Church
Directions:
From the South/East/West - Take Hwy 694 to Central
Ave (also called
Hwy 65). Go North on Central to 109th Ave.
Take a left (west) on
109th Ave
and go about 3 blocks. We are on the right (north) side of the road in
a retail shopping mall.
OR,
Take Hwy 35W north
from the twin
cities, past Hwy 694 to the new Hwy 10 West (Caution! Just past 694 you
will see the old Hwy 10 which is now called "CO.10".
Dont
take this!). Take Hwy 10 West to Central Ave. Go North on
Central
to 109th Ave.
Take a left (west)
on
109th Ave
and go about 3 blocks. We are on the right (north) side of the road in
a retail shopping mall.
From the North -
Take Hwy 10 Southward to Main Street/242 Exit in Coon
Rapids. Take a left (East) at top of exit. Continue on Main Street/242
to Central Ave/Hwy 65. Take a right on Central/Hwy 65(South) and go to
109th Ave. Take a right (west) and go about 3 blocks. We
are on the right (north) side of the road in
a retail shopping mall.
OR,
Go South on Central/Hwy 65 to 109th Ave.
Take
a right (west) on
109th Ave
and go about 3 blocks. We are on the right (north) side of the road in
a retail shopping mall.
Our sign is on the
building at 1055 109th Avenue. We meet at 10:00 AM
on Sunday mornings.
Map
to Abundant Grace Church
more
info about:
Abundant Grace
Church
>Copyright
©
2000 by R. Thomas Brass
All
rights reserved
|
|
in Christ!!