Richard Ellis Talks

Did you know there's such a thing as a "spiritual heart attack"? And we're never more vulnerable to this attack by the Enemy than when we're disconnected from God. It's crucial that we stay connected on a daily basis by remaining in the Word, in fellowship with other believers, and in relationship with the Lord.

When Jesus comes into our hearts, the change in us should be so apparent that the rest of the world stops and takes notice! He made us to be the light in dark places, and to bring taste to a spiritually tasteless world. The way we live our lives is a reflection of His workmanship.

When God calls us to make Him the Lord of everything in our lives, He means exactly that: everything! The quickest way to find out what our hearts are truly focused on is to look at how we spend our finances. God promises to meet all our needs, but for Him to do that, we first have to trust Him and let Him be Lord of our whole lives -- including our money.

God used John the Baptist solely to prepare people for the coming of Christ. John's life teaches us that to fulfill our true purpose, we have to be satisfied with knowing we won't receive the glory for our actions, but instead, we'll be able to point others to Jesus through the things we say and do. And when we're obedient to God, we don't seek "15 minutes of fame" for ourselves -- we seek an eternity spent glorifying Him.

In the same way that God used Balaam and his donkey, He can use a seemingly obscure thing to try and get our attention. But often, we're so focused on getting that thing out of our lives that we're unable to see how it might be protecting us. When we ask God to show us what it is that we're ignoring, He often reveals how He's been trying to protect us from the mess in front of us all along.

The Bible teaches us that in order for the Church to be at its healthiest and to continue raising up believers, it's got to have a solid grasp of the basics. From worship and evangelism to discipleship and servant leadership, our purpose as a body of believers is to glorify God by spreading the gospel and growing His Church.

Clay is moldable. It allows itself to be crafted and shaped into whatever vessel the artist chooses and used in whatever way the artist pleases. We're all God's clay -- made and shaped for the purpose of bringing Him glory. Instead of being jealous of how God uses other people, let's thank Him for using us and offer ourselves up to be used by the Artist to carry out His work!

When it comes to how we live our lives, we're all "cracked pots" -- imperfect and flawed! But God, in His grace, wants to use those cracks to draw others to Him, bringing "water" to a spiritually thirsty world. At the same time, He offers to repair those cracks in us and mend our brokenness.

When we think of the God of the universe, do we think of Him as...backwards? The reality is, God does everything in ways that seem backwards and foolish, but will ultimately bring glory to Him. And there's no better example than when He used the "foolishness" of the cross to save those who believe -- all so that He'd be glorified in them.

One of the pitfalls of churches is that if we're not careful, we have a tendency to thicken our walls rather than open our doors to those who need our love the most. Instead of keeping people out, it's up to us to make the Church a place that welcomes everybody -- not deterred by their mess, but determined to walk with them through it and help them bring it to Jesus.

In the same way an infant is clumsy when they first learn to walk, an "infant" believer's life is messy when they first learn to walk with Jesus. But at some point, we've got to grow and develop maturity in our relationship with God. And part of that maturity involves learning how to love like Christ -- by loving each other and the world around us rather than being known for strife, envy, and division.

You only live once. It's a trendy catchphrase in our culture today...but what implications does it have for us spiritually? We've all been given one life on this earth, but what happens after we die is up to us. We can choose to spend our time in this world giving in to all the temporary pleasures it offers and find hell awaiting us at the end, or we can choose salvation through Christ's sacrifice and live in anticipation of the eternal future He's promised us in Heaven.

In the same way that parents discipline their children, our Heavenly Father disciplines us. Our actions all have consequences, but God gives us those consequences so we can learn from our mistakes and grow from them. The question is: in what area of life are we experiencing repeated consequences, and what do we need to do differently to learn from them and move forward?

It's easy to think of "ministry" as an occupation reserved for full-time church pastors. But ministry isn't a job title -- it's a lifetime commitment for all believers. Jesus modeled the perfect example of how to share God's love with the world and expand His Kingdom, and we're called to follow that example by reaching the lost and being agents of change and restoration.  

Religion demands that we acquire head knowledge and live according to a series of rules and rituals. But the relationship God pursues with each of us starts with the heart. There's a big difference between simply knowing God's Word and believing it in our hearts -- and true life transformation can only happen when we let ourselves be changed from the inside out.