Tag Archives: Christ

Building Face-to-Face Relationships

As we draw closer to the end of all things, it is essential to build strong face-to-face relationships. Strong relationships will give us an opportunity to minister to others by assessing their real needs by moving past the pleasantries and the initial greetings. Strong relationships will allow them to observe God’s love flowing unhindered through us. We are ambassadors for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20). Unfortunately, social media has greatly limited our ability to build real relationships in the flesh. They have raised up an entire generation that no longer understands the responsibility and dynamics of building strong relationships with people they come face to face with, in the real world. As God’s children, we have a responsibility to build strong relationships through agape love. First, however, let’s look at the dynamics of building a strong relationship, then we will return to agape love. The dynamics are multifaceted that can only be learned through practice and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in both our conversation and actions (Romans 8:14). We can practice all we want, but without the Holy Spirit to guide us we will be highly ineffective. You may learn the art of selling yourself, but you will never arrive at what God desires in God-centered relationships. So, let’s look closely at the dynamics.

Every relationship must begin with seeking God’s direction and His help. It always starts with a little silent prayer, “God help me to build a God-centered relationship” with such and such person. We must enter every prospective relationship with sincerity. Smiling, pleasantries, words spoken, and our actions must be sincere with no hidden motives. Believe me, hidden motives and insincerity will be spotted ending any potential relationship before we ever get started. Whatever you do, do it with a sincere heart (II Corinthians 8:8). It always begins with sincere caring for the other person motivated by true agape or self-giving love. The next two dynamics are learning how to listen and how to make good eye contact. Listening is much more than just hearing words. Making eye contact is much more than just looking into their eyes. How a person talks and where they look with their eyes will tell you volumes about the person you are attempting to build a relationship with. How much we really care about building a relationship with someone will greatly help us to better observe their speech and eye movements. We must learn to interpret their body language. I hope you are beginning to see how difficult this would be on social media.

Now, for a word of caution, never judge the other person as you begin to discover things through close examination of their body language discovered in their words used and their eye movements (John 7:24). If they look down or away it could be a number of different things such as trust issues, lack of confidence, or attempting to explain a perceived personal injury. These should not negate our ability to connect if we demonstrate a sincere loving and caring attitude by listening intently before responding. On the other hand, their continued unwillingness to make eye contact may demonstrate their unwillingness to build a relationship at the moment, but that too should not diminish our kindness and willingness to depart amicably. If they have good eye contact, then chances are you have their undivided attention. So, be prepared to present yourself with clear and precise communication, getting to the point as quickly as possible, and being careful to allow them to speak by interjecting their comments and questions along the way (I Peter 3:15). In your communication, it is essential to smile when applicable and show deep-seated concern when necessary. Remember, it is essential to be sincere letting your facial expressions match your caring heart. Remember, we are not robots or artificial intelligence with canned speeches, who can only respond to prompts. We are living, breathing, human beings who know how to listen to both voices and body language.

Listening is perhaps one of the most important skills in building a relationship (James 1:19, Proverbs 18:13, ESV). When others are speaking this is not a time to be thinking about our response or what we plan on doing later. Listening is a full-time job that takes a great deal of concentration. It may even be necessary to decode or interpret their words. You may need to repeat back what they have said, without their heightened emotions and vulgarity, to ensure that you have heard them correctly. Speaking without listening first causes misunderstandings and arguments (Proverbs 18:2, 13, ESV). We must have a desire to truly hear what they are saying, or our response will have little meaning. Listening to what they are actually saying, along with their voice inflections, and their moments of pause, are very important to understand both their real needs and their felt needs. It may also be necessary to pause before answering so that you can think about what they said and present it before the Lord in a short, silent prayer. Also, remember that we have already hidden God’s word in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, not ever to be used as a blunt instrument, but only to be used in love and encouragement (Psalm 119:11, Ephesians 4:29). Also, remember everything we say back must fit the occasion or it does not need to be said (Proverbs 25:11).

We must allow God to speak through us by way of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I cannot over-emphasize this, for this alone will help us build strong relationships. Remember, God loves the entire world and seeks to love others through us, both in our conversations and in our actions (I John 4:7,12). When God reveals a need, then we must trust Him to provide. This can only happen if we get out of the way and allow God to do His work through us. His love must flow unhindered through us. If it’s an emotional or psychological problem, then God has the answers (II Peter 1:3). If it’s a physical need, then God can provide, either direct healing or teach them how to trust in His loving providence. If it’s a financial need, again God has the ability and resources to answer every need according to His divine will. Why should we limit God? If someone is struggling with demons or a Satanic attack, then God will always lead us to intervene according to His will. Again, all this needs practice only as God leads. He will not heal every person. He will not meet every financial need. He will not cast out every demon. Dear children, everything must be done according to God’s will to realize His great power on high. There is great amazement to realize His great power working through us to the glory of God.

There is also great amazement to recognize God’s abounding love flowing through us to others. True agape love recognizes the real need, not the felt need. This is very important because many want us to fulfill their felt needs while they hide their real needs. People’s greatest real need is learning how to overcome their old sin nature (Ephesians 4:17-32). Most with any kind of ethical upbringing struggle against it daily, some even hourly. Others struggle against the powers of darkness even if they cannot tell what it is that’s tearing their lives apart. Others just struggle against what they call bad luck or bad decisions. Unfortunately, none of these people recognize that they could be reaping the consequences of their own sins (Galatians 6:7-9). They have not learned how to put off the old life and put on the new life in Christ. Let me be very clear, it’s nearly impossible to help these people on social media. It’s nearly impossible to understand their true struggles just by reading their post on social media. We must confront them face-to-face to read their body language with a sincere and forgiving heart. We must allow God’s love to flow through us leading us to minister to them in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

Finally, the proof of a strong relationship is your willingness to stop whatever you are doing for yourself and immediately tend to the needs of others no matter how less important you feel it is. Strong relationships are developed by making their needs more important than your own needs. In God-centered relationships, we always live to serve others (I Peter 4:10). Can you imagine a world where this was as natural as taking your next breath? There would be no crime, there would be no lawlessness, just pure self-giving love. Although this is exactly how the new heavens and new earth will be, God’s children should still strive for this now in our present relationships. As we come closer to the end, we must build strong face-to-face relationships with others so that we can help them to be ready when Christ comes in judgment to judge the world. The Bible says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (Galatians 5:13-14, ESV).” As we fast approach the end, let us imagine the whole world as our neighbors. Let us go forth building strong relationships to the glory of God. What’s coming on the horizon, we will all need strong God-centered relationships.

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This website and its content is copyright of He Reigns Christian Ministries – © Rev. Daniel W. Blair 2023. All rights reserved.

Stand Firm to the End

Just how bad things will get before the end is really hard to even imagine, but we can prepare now. Although preparation will be necessary on multiple fronts, we will not overlook God’s promises to His elect children that will carry us through to the end. We can all imagine that things are pretty bad if we have recently scanned just the news media headlines. Perhaps something we may not have imagined is the effect it will have on the population. The destruction caused by increased natural disasters, sickness caused by even more deadly viruses, and lawlessness to the point that the legal system just lets it happen will have an unimaginable effect on the world’s population. Furthermore, the fragile economy could deliver a devasting blow to the population and in particular to the poorest in the world. Unfortunately, this does not even consider the new wars that could use biological, chemical, and atomic weapons to render their destructive effects upon the world. Yet, through all this God’s children are told to stand firm to the end. We will examine together how this can be accomplished by the grace of God and trusting in His loving providence.

No one knows how long they will live, but it is important to know that we must stand firm to the end of our lives. No one knows when Christ will return or when the world will actually end, but we do know that we must stand firm to the end. This is all extremely important because when things get really difficult for most of the world’s population it will also have a profound effect on God’s children. We must not allow ourselves to be carried away with the escape mentality that teaches us not to be concerned because God will return for us before things get too bad. Remember, that God is with us now and occupies every true believer (John 14:23). The Bible teaches that we will not be given more than what we can handle or tempted beyond what we can handle (I Corinthians 10:13). God knows how much we can handle, and He will either miraculously deliver us from the trial or temptation, or He will give us the grace to endure it with peace in our hearts. As a believer in Christ, you have already experienced this in your life. As we approach closer to the end, then the temptation to follow the world and strike back with impunity will grow much stronger. To take matters into our own hands will nullify any trust that we have in God leaving us alone to feel the brunt of the world’s hostility. We must learn to stand firm trusting in God’s grace and wisdom in every situation. The world will flip out and we must be prepared to confront it with only God’s wisdom and not the ways of the world.

Not everyone will fight back with vulgarity and open hostility. Many will behave like they have been possessed by the enemy rambling on and complaining a mile a minute without even taking a break to breathe. They have been so overcome with the tragic circumstances in the world from the hate and manipulation of others to experiencing one lawless disaster after another causing them to flip out. Don’t let them pull you into the world to be captured by the enemy of your soul. We must learn to listen first, waiting to speak, then only speaking if we are led by God. God may give us Godly counsel to offer in love or He may only give us empathetic hearts for their trials, but He will never lead us to agree with their worldly ways. The moment we indicate agreement, then the enemy will quickly pull us into the quagmire of satanic defeat. Others may simply cry and complain about what they are going through but again we must be cautious, learning to let God lead in our conversation. People often in this situation are looking for others to blame. Again, we must not be pulled into their blame game. To do so will not help them, and it will pull us into their pity party, often attended by Satan himself. On the other hand, we must always look for every opportunity to share the Gospel with those who are willing to listen. Keep in mind giving them Spiritual help apart from accepting Christ will only create carnal Christians who in time will also blame Christ when things don’t work out.

We must keep reminding ourselves that we are in the world but not of the world. When things get really bad groups of people will be formed to fight against one another. Some will fight against the established order. Others will be formed to fight against certain segments of society. Others will be formed to fight against those of another belief, creed, or color. Others will be formed to steal from those who have more. As chaos reigns we as God’s children must stand firm by not joining any group of people plotting hostilities against another. In the beginning, it will always begin with just hateful words against others. It will begin by establishing a creed or doctrine of beliefs. It will begin with just plotting and planning how they can achieve their goals. Wake up dear children, look around, this kind of thing is already happening. It will grow. These groups fighting one another will bring forth total chaos. To stand firm, dear children, we must not be tempted to join any group that’s plotting hostilities against another no matter how righteous they claim their cause to be. Christ and His teachings turned the world upside down, not by hostility but by true agape love.

I hope you are beginning to see that what’s coming will have a profound effect on the world’s population. We cannot physically leave the world, and even if we could, that would be a mistake, because we are the leaven (Matthew 13:33). We literally hold the world together as the Kingdom spreads to the end of all things. We have already talked briefly about confronting certain people that are emotionally and psychologically affected by the chaotic world, but we must also minister to God’s children helping them to stand firm. This goes well beyond posting an arbitrary post on social media. It must speak directly to the other person in a face-to-face encounter. Only this kind of encounter can read their body language and give them an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings. Only this kind of encounter can truly address their personal and often hidden issues of the heart. I am afraid that the social media encounter has severely limited our face-to-face encounters, which has created an unseen problem. The limited physical contact with others has greatly limited our ability to communicate effectively beyond the initial greetings and pleasantries. As many enter the public arena, they hide behind their cellphone usage and withdraw into their social media domain where they feel a sense of comfort or protection. On the social media platforms, they have become experts in hiding who they really are and the great internal struggles they are dealing with. No one is truly being helped or helped to stand firm beyond a very few select posts that are often hidden.

One of my first lessons in becoming an effective pastor of the local church was to listen carefully to my congregation during the week, then bring their problems and concerns directly to God before writing my weekly sermons. I am afraid this has become a lost art not only from the pulpit but in our general conversations with others to detect their real needs. Any casual reading of the New Testament letters will detect that they were written to meet the needs of the churches to which they were written. Their greatest needs were Spiritual growth and standing firm in a hostile world, which would be accomplished if the recipients learned that they had a responsibility to one another enabling them to accomplish these goals. They were not called to be Christians in isolation. A beautiful truth that many have forgotten in our day is that “we help ourselves by helping others.” Who are you helping to stand firm in your face-to-face encounters? Finally, learning to stand firm is also learning to walk hand in hand with the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Everywhere we go and everything we do, we allow Christ to direct our footsteps and our conversation with others, in so doing His Church, all of His precious children, will be built up to stand firm to the glory of God.

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This website and its content is copyright of He Reigns Christian Ministries – © Rev. Daniel W. Blair 2023. All rights reserved.

Having a Consensus Brings Us Out of Chaos

In the beginning, there was no chaos because there was unity in belief. There were no varied opinions until Satan interjected his lies into the matrix, the order of things established by God. This chaos grew as beliefs and opinions grew more divergent. In time accepted beliefs and opinions became increasingly dominant among certain people groups scattered throughout the world. Primarily conflicts and wars arose not because of beliefs but rather for the conquering of land and the pillaging of food stores. However, in time beliefs became the motive to not only conquer but to change the beliefs of the conquered inhabitants. Throughout the centuries chaos among different people groups remained rather calm with the majority accepting the same belief system in their locale. Chaos would only ensue when strong-minded people stepped outside the system of shared beliefs and opinions. Whole towns and communities could be led to accept certain beliefs or opinions that were different from the established beliefs at the time. But it rarely affected an entire country except during the Muslim invasions and the protestant reformation. Later on in France and the Americas, although they separated from the traditional rule, there was still a general consensus on shared beliefs. Even in the early democracies, disagreement between political parties never reached such a level of universal chaos among the general population as seen today. Continue reading Having a Consensus Brings Us Out of Chaos

In The Blink of an Eye (Video)

If you lived for 125 years, compared to eternity that would only be in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, most live far less than that because of the increase in new diseases, viruses, and other health-related issues. Some have their life ended early because of lawlessness, immorality, and abortion. Others enter death early because of wars, famines, and increasing natural disasters or global warming. Furthermore, over 1 million people die of car accidents every year globally; their lives too have changed in the blink of an eye. We are all dying. Our life span on planet earth is truly in the blink of an eye compared to eternity. After watching this video on my secure website, please share it with everyone you care about. Their eternal life depends on it.

This website and its content is copyright of He Reigns Christian Ministries – © Rev. Daniel W. Blair 2023. All rights reserved.

In The Blink of an Eye

If you lived for 125 years, compared to eternity that would only be in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, most live far less than that because of the increase in new diseases, viruses, and other health-related issues. Some have their life ended early because of lawlessness, immorality, and abortion. Others enter death early because of wars, famines, and increasing natural disasters or global warming. Furthermore, over 1 million people die of car accidents every year globally; their lives too have changed in the blink of an eye. We are all dying. Our life span on planet earth is truly in the blink of an eye compared to eternity. Because of the original sin in the Garden of Eden, then we will all die (Genesis 3). While death is inevitable, most try to live their lives to the fullest with no thought of their eventual demise. On the other hand, we can plan for everlasting life now and experience a foretaste of heaven with a joy that’s beyond description. We have all been given a choice to pass on to eternal bliss in the presence of a loving God or to spend eternity separated from God in the fires of hell, which is conditioned on how we respond to the call from heaven. This is one call you don’t want to miss. Continue reading In The Blink of an Eye