Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Impact of Godly Leadership

Bishop Sam and Rheba Drye
This post is a tribute to some folks who have impacted the lives of the Hutto's because of their Godly leadership. My, what a terrible life this one would have been had it not been for Godly people who influenced my life!

First I want to mention Jack and Dorothy Pittman. We met the Pittman's in Germany while I was stationed in the Air Force. The Pittman's came to oversee the Christian Serviceman's Center in Augsburg, Germany. Brother and Sister Pittman (as

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Get That Monkey Off Your Back!

I was thinking about the average Christ-follower the other day and how many slip into the state of mediocrity. (Yes, I talk about this a lot.) The truth is, it is easy to allow.

Think about it. How many Christians really expect our incredible God to do something out of the ordinary through them? The mind-set of most folks is "God will use just about anyone in great exploits...but not me." If most everyone thinks like that...who's expecting to do great exploits?

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Unity = Diversity Focused on Jesus

Recently I was pondering the subject of unity. Once we understand the purpose and power of unity, and how God responds to it, we better understand the operation of His entire Kingdom!

Unity is an incredibly powerful force. God uses unity among followers of Christ to perform His will in the earth. Unity does not take place when everyone agrees on everything. Unity is produced when folks focus on ONE thing. A good example of unity from the Old Testament is the incident of the tower of Babel. This was a unique occurrence. At this point in history all the people on the earth spoke the same language. This helped! The people of Babel decided they wanted to build a tower that reached into the heavens in order to make a name for themselves. There were many people who more than likely disagreed on many things. But they ALL agreed on ONE thing...to make a name for themselves by building a tower out of bricks that reached into the heavens. Listen to what God says about the situation in Gen 11:6, "The Lord said, 'Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them." Even though it was not God's will for these people to accomplish this project He recognized the power of unity among them. Again they ALL were focused on ONE thing. God had to confuse their language (Babel) in order to stop the project. The reason God disapproved of the project was because pride was preventing the people from spreading out and populating the earth, which was His plan. The tower of Babel incident, as negative as it was, turned out to be a positive thing because it produced the many different nations of the world. But this incident is a very good example of how powerful unity is among a group of people; and how powerful disunity can be.

Unity among Christ-followers is not when everyone agrees on everything. That is uniformity. In other words when everyone has to think alike, dress alike, act alike, speak alike, look alike this is uniformity, NOT unity. In an effort to come into unity, many churches have produced uniformity. Unity is reached when EVERYONE focuses on ONE THING. In this case of Christ-followers it is CHRIST! Unity is much more powerful than uniformity.

Unity is produced among believers when we focus first on Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the only way, life, and truth. The Bible says we are all baptized into one body (church universal) by One Spirit. What is the opposite of unity? Disunity. Disunity occurs when believers focus on personal preferences, personal interpretations of doctrine, and personal agendas over Christ. Disunity occurs when self is promoted over Jesus. The truth is we're all different. We all have different preferences and agendas. But they all must take a much lower priority than that of Jesus in our lives and in our churches. There are many things we disagree on. But if we make Jesus the extreme priority over EVERYTHING in our lives, we all are focusing on the ONE thing that really matters! That's when and where the power of unity kicks in. That is also when and where the power of the Holy Spirit shows up!

In the New Testament a group of Christ-followers were meeting for several days for the purpose of prayer. In prayer it is impossible not to focus on the One who really matters and makes the difference. The Bible says they were all in "one mind" meaning their focus was on Christ...not even their own needs. The result was that the Holy Spirit was poured out and the church was instituted. That's the same church you and I are a part of. Again, that's the power of unity. Let me encourage you to focus on the ONE thing that really matters...your relationship with Jesus. Seek Him first for His heart. He will begin to reveal the personal things you've prioritized over Christ. When you find His heart, you are connected in a more relevant way to anyone else on the planet that also has found His heart! 

Jesus said, "If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." Unity can be very powerful among as few as only two people. But I really think Jesus was using only two as a powerful example to illustrate the multiplied power of the church in unity. What do you think? 

Monday, June 4, 2012

Are You Living For Jesus?


It's amazing to me how different cultures produce different perspectives on what it is to serve Jesus. My first trip to India changed my life. That's because it changed my perspective on what it means to serve Jesus.


In our country, to most folks living for Jesus is attending 1 or 2 meetings per week. You have a life-style that may or may not include living for Jesus - between the meetings. Everything you supposedly do for Jesus is contingent on what happens in the meeting you attend. If nothing happens to you, you leave just the way you arrived. You head back out into a world in which you do the very same things over once again for another week. How long could this go on? Sadly for the majority of American Christians...for the rest of their lives! On the other hand, If God shows up at the meeting, and you're thirsty for a drink from His River of Life (Holy Spirit), it may change your life! But even then, when you leave the meeting, you enter an American culture that is not conducive to living for Jesus full-time. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not speaking of the spirit of the world, I'm talking about a culture through which we must spread the gospel, the Word, and the love of Jesus Christ. Jesus found ways to permeate and penetrate the culture by living for the Father...every single place He went. The customs of His day vehemently opposed living for God. But His priority was His Father's will, and as a result God's power was extremely upon Him.


Consider this. What would you do if God clearly spoke to you to sell everything you have and serve Him in a deeper, fuller capacity? I can't speak for you. However I know from living in this culture the following responses would not be uncommon: "I wouldn't have the faith." "I'm too busy now." "I don't have the money." (You would if you sold everything.) "I have a family to support." "I am too old for this." "I'm too young for this." "It would be irresponsible." "It would be too difficult to trust Him." "I don't have the education." "Maybe later." Now consider this. If God spoke to you to undertake a mighty exploit for Him (that would fail if God were not in it), and you automatically defaulted to one of the above answers, who would you be putting first in your life? It certainly wouldn't be God. It might just be the culture you are serving! The disciples/apostles changed their culture and the world, how? By forsaking ALL for the cause of Jesus. In my humble opinion Jesus is worth it!


Let me speak a bit of my friends in India. They pray fervently daily. They rise before the chickens to begin this process. They gather numerous times during the week to pray, seek God, and encourage one another. They mobilize to share and spread the good news of Jesus regularly. Their mission in life (whether pastors or laymen) is to serve Him at all times, and at all costs to advance the gospel. The first time I hung out with them for a couple of weeks...I felt like a back-slider. But it stirred me to do something about it. And as I said...it changed my life.


India is the land of 330 million Gods. Darkness exists in ways one cannot imagine without experiencing it first-hand. Many of the Pastors I know left their jobs for the cause of serving Jesus. Is that irresponsible? I think not. It is simple obedience and trust in the One who calls. Quite honestly, when the culture prevents us from living for God, it is disobedience. My friends in India remind me much of those early Christians in the New Testament. Listen to the words of Paul the Apostle, "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ." (Philippians 3:7)


And finally, we wonder why the power of God is stronger in other lands than in our own. It is because where folks have less, the need for God is greater.  It's that simple. In other cultures the people need God more than we do here in America. How do we overcome this in America? We must return to one simple truth...serving Jesus is above all. The cause of Christ is above all. Paul went on to say these words, "...More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ," How do you feel about this? Are you ready to forsake ALL for Him, and for whatever He commissions you to do? Just wondering.
                                                                                                                     
Steve is  available to teach/preach God's Word in churches, conferences, workshops, special meetings and groups. Some of the subjects include prayer, praise and worship, marriage, missions, etc., among others. If I can serve you please contact me at harvcel@gmail.com.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

My Time For His Presence

The above title/phrase came to my mind some time ago as I was basking in His presence. "Exchanging my time for His presence". Quite often I get alone with God with my head between the ear buds of my I-pod. It seems that during those encounters (when I just sit and enjoy His presence in the midst of some anointed worship), time almost stops. It's weird though, because at the same time I am amazed at how quickly time passes! It's as if I become a part of my realm and His realm...at the same time. Bottom line...wonderful!

Through the years I've heard pastors and teachers teach on the subject of the Law of Exchange. It is when you give something and in return get something. For instance, when you give $1.77 @ Starbuck's, you in return get a delicious, tall cup of Cafe Verona or Three Regions, brewed to perfection. In a sense, you turn your buck 77 into a delicious cup of coffee! God presented me with that analogy one time. (I wonder why!) 

When I give my valuable time to God, to just be with Him - in return I experience a dimension of His presence that only comes by exchanging my time. How valuable is my time? I will answer that with another question. How valuable is His presence? In His presence I experience so many things that literally change the course of my day. Let me share just a few: His love, His energy, His heart, His joy, His gladness, His strength, His voice, His input, His direction, His Word, His Son, His Spirit, and more. 

Are you ready to exchange your time for His presence? I can promise you this - it will change your life - and it's much better than even a cup of French Roast (brewed to perfection) from Starbuck's! 
                                                                                                                 
Steve is  available to teach/preach God's Word in churches, conferences, workshops, special meetings and groups. Some of the subjects include prayer, praise and worship, marriage, missions, etc., among others. If I can serve you please contact me at harvcel@gmail.com.