Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 8 – Doers of the Word

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 3 Comments

A kingdom person, in my opinion, see things different than your normal Bible-Belt church person. And, as a result of how they see things it totally changes their activity and behavior. They’re concerned…..and very aware of the Father’s plan for the world….but more specifically….His plan for them and how they fit into His big picture!

Kingdom people are ‘doers of the Word’! The regular church guy is more concerned with ‘getting fed’ than he is in doing anything with the Truth that he’s been fed! My experience in 30 + years of ministry is that the people who are whining about not being fed….rarely ever do anything with what they are fed! Babies have to be fed……adults feed themselves!

What does it mean to be a doer of the Word?? Well, for starters, kingdom people take it personal when the Bible says, “Signs and wonders will follow them that believe”, and “We were created in Christ Jesus for good works”, “Whoever believes in Me and the works that I do, he will do also” The regular church guy believes that stuff happened in Bible days but doesn’t really happen anymore. Makes me wonder, when did God stop doing those things?? Then there are others who believe the miraculous still takes place but believe that it is through someone else, somewhere else or at another time. But the ‘kingdom’ person takes it personally and believes it for himself/herself now. They also understand that you can’t just ‘go rogue’ with this stuff. Nope, they have a keen understanding that they must follow the lead of the Holy Spirit if anything significant is going to happen. But they also know that when they are led by the Holy Spirit and follow His lead in obedience that the ‘sky is not the limit’!! The stage is set for the miraculous! Kingdom people are ‘doers of the Word’!!

It’s Not Too Late to Make a ‘Mark’ With Your Life!

July 7, 2015April 13, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

We’re all born with an inherent need to make a difference with our life. There really is something resident deep down inside us that makes us want our lives to ‘count’. I believe it’s the work of the Lord, without a doubt. Not many people would argue that the Father has an intricate, detailed plan for their life. But when it comes right down to it many of those same people would be hard-pressed to confess that His plan was being adequately worked out in their life at the moment.

Well I, for one, think we need to think about doing something about that. Fulfilling our destiny is a serious thing to consider. The worst thing that could happen to us in our lifetime is to ignore or reject the Holy spirit’s attempts to draw us to the Lord. For us to miss salvation would be a tragedy almost beyond comprehension. But to miss our destiny (the God-ordained plan He has for our life) would be the ‘second’ worst thing that could happen to us. To be on the planet for our allotted time and miss the reason why….would be a ‘miss’ of epic proportions! There’s really no sense in letting that happen.

If you’re going to fulfill your destiny and make a mark with your life I wouldn’t piddle around too long, ……’cause the clock’s ticking, so to speak. Here’s what to do:

1) Renew your relationship with the Father.

2) Communicate with Him; Talk to him, listen, be aware of how He wants to move in your life.

3) Be obedient; It’s going to take faith for you to proceed. The good news is, you already have adequate faith!

4) Commit to the long-haul. * It’s a lifelong endeavor!

5) Expect some obstacles; There’ll be plenty….but you’re an overcomer.

6) Pay close attention to the people in your path; They’re a ‘key’ to your destiny!

7) Enjoy the trip!

It’s not too late to make a mark with your life!

I’m All For Celebrating ‘Independence Day’, But I Think We Need A ‘Dependence Day’ Too!

July 6, 2015July 4, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 4 Comments

We just celebrated Independence Day here in the good ‘ol USA….for the 239th time, no less! It was in 1776 when we won our independence out from under British rule. I, for one, am glad that happened; I really can’t see myself speaking that fancy, refined, limey English brogue. That’d be one heckuva stretch for a ‘whangy’ talkin’ Texas Panhandle boy, if you know what I mean. So I’m glad we’re a sovereign, autonomous….and independent nation!

Independence is a good thing from that perspective. And even, to be independent, as a person can be a very good thing. Independent people are naturally confident and assertive…and they’re not prone to let others’ negativity affect them too much on the road to their goals. But in the kingdom of God…independent attitudes can work against us, not for us. Let me explain; God has created each of us with specific strengths…but on the other side of that, we all have weaknesses as well. He has designed the church in such a way that we’re all needed. Nobody has it all. He wants us to learn to depend on others’ strengths where we’re weak…..and vice-versa.

The church is a ‘body’ with many body parts and it only works really, really well when all the parts are working in conjunction with one another. So, in that respect, we need to get over our independence and be team-players. But there’s an even greater issue with independence that must not be overlooked. It’s my opinion that we need to occasionally re-declare our dependency squarely upon the Lord. We cannot live a successful life nor can we fulfill our destiny without a deep dependency on Him. It’s easy to just put our lives on auto-pilot and not be dependent on Him. I’ve done it too often.

So, I hope you had a great 4th of July; a great Independence Day! It’s a pretty important holiday. And, as much as it’s needed, I doubt we’re going to get the Feds to initiate a National ‘Dependence Day’ so I guess you and I will just have to declare one for ourselves! Do it, and without a doubt, and you’ll notice….and enjoy the benefits!

You’re Not Welcome Here!

July 3, 2015July 3, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

In 1988, our last year on the ranch out in the Texas Panhandle, I was taking care of 2500 head of cattle for a guy from Throckmorton, Texas. He’d leased about 30 sections of the Urschel Ranch north of Canadian. I’d make the 35 mile trip from where I lived three times a week and check the cattle there. There was one pasture that had a perfect view overlooking the city of Canadian, Texas. The Lord started dealing with me about praying for Canadian, which I did nearly 3 times a week that entire summer. I had no idea that He had plans for us to plant a church there.

After we left the ranch and moved to Oklahoma I continued to pray for Canadian. 13 years later He started speaking very clearly to us about planting a church there. We felt like the ‘right’ thing to do was first go the the local Ministerial Alliance (made up of all the pastors of the churches there) and tell them of our plans. Well, the response we got was NOT what we hoped for…..by a long shot! Now, get the picture…I was born in Canadian, Texas, and lived in Hemphill County most of my life. Donald Hill (who was going to Pastor the work) was born there and lived there his entire life. Of the other pastors there, the longest tenure of any of them was about 4 years. They were very rude to us, to put it mildly. At one point one of the pastors asked why we thought we needed to plant a church there because, as he said, “We’ve got plenty of churches here”. When I said, “Well, we believe the Lord has told us to”. Then he replied, “Well, that doesn’t impress me at all.” He went on to say, “Yeah, you hear about the kid on TV who says the Lord told him to kill his parents”. I’m thinking….“well, that’s a perfect analogy of what we’re trying to do here!” lol Very rude!

There was one particular pastor who kept fairly quiet. He wasn’t necessarily friendly but he wasn’t rude, either. We found out later that he called the pastor of the same denomination in Sayre. He told him, “These guys came to Canadian saying they are going to plant a church here. There’s been half a dozen groups in the last 10 years try to do that….and they’ve all been gone overnight.” The pastor in Sayre told him, “Well, these guys won’t be gone overnight!” The Canadian pastor asked, “So, what do you think we need to do about it?” The Sayre pastor replied, “You need to welcome them into your town.” “What do you mean, we need to welcome into our town”, he asked. “Because if you’ll welcome them into Canadian…..every other church in town will be better because of them!”

I can’t tell you how good that made me feel. I think it’s primarily due to the fact that we’ve prayed for the other churches in our town for, now, 26 years….and the Lord honors that!

Oh, and that church, The River, is now 14 years old and, true to form, all the other churches in town are better because of The River. And Donald Hill, one of my old beer drinkin’ buddies, is the longest tenured pastor in the city!

Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 7 – Committed to Relationships

July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

‘Kingdom’ people are different, as I see it. They live and move and think on a higher plane than the ‘going through the motions’, bored, ‘waiting on Jesus to return’, kind of person. I sincerely hope that doesn’t hurt your feelings but if it does….maybe it would serve you well to read all the posts in this series and see if you need to make some adjustments.

Kingdom people are committed to relationships. In real estate it’s ‘location, location, location’. But in the kingdom of God it’s relationship, relationship, relationship’! Of course, our first…and most important relationship is the one we have with the Father. That’s the relationship that sets the tone for all our other relationships….and the one that gives us the validation that we all have need of. But after that all our relationships are important….probably more important than we understand. We might achieve fame and fortune; we might make a lot of money but at the end of our life we’re going to realize that what’s made our lives rich….are the relationships we’ve experienced. So, I’m sayin’ we need to adjust right now and give the value to our relationships that they deserve. Kingdom people do that!

Committing to relationships is a great idea but there’s no way around it….relationships are hard…they’re work. The greatest joy in life comes through our relationships, but some of the greatest frustrations are assured, as well. So, what do we do?? Since we’re committing to our relationships we must also resolve to work through the difficulties when they arise. We’ve gotta make the relationship more important than the problem. When we do that….the relationship will survive. And the real payoff is that the Lord will restore the relationship and make it stronger than it was before the offense.

If you’re a ‘kingdom’ person, you’re committed to relationships!

“Keith” – It Was a Short Friendship….But a Good One!

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 14 Comments

Sitting in a local truck-stop about midnight with some friends when a guy from another table came over to ours’. Keith was a truck driver from a town about an hour away. He said, “I could tell from overhearing you guys that you believe in God.” He went on to say, “I’m in a bad way, I need help.” He then began to pour his heart out to us. Turned out that his wife had left him for his best friend and he was about a low as a man could be. We talked with him for an hour or so, then prayed with him to receive Jesus.

I made it a point to call Keith at least once a week, which I did for a couple of months. He’d have a lot of bad days and a good one here and there. Then one week he called me. I vividly remember the call. He said, “You know you’re always calling me to check in and cheer me up, but today I’m having a really good day….and I just wanted to call and say thank you. I think I’m going to be OK.”

Tried to call him a couple weeks later, but no answer. I tried to call him at least a dozen times over the next month. I bumped into a longtime friend from Keith’s hometown and asked him if he knew Keith. He said that he did and then told me that Keith had been found dead in his truck about a month before of an apparent heart attack. My friend told me about his funeral and said that Keith’s folks had no idea of his decision to receive Jesus.

It was really rewarding to be able to call Keith’s mom and tell her about our midnight truck-stop meeting. You can imagine the peace that it gave her. I also got the opportunity to meet his son a few months later and tell him that his Dad belonged to the Lord….and would be waiting for him in heaven. I think of Keith often and how blessed I was to know him….even if it was just for a short time.

That Whole, “Greet the Brethren With a Holy Kiss” Thing, is Waaaay Overrated!

June 26, 2015June 28, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

It was otherwise a normal, great, Sunday church service. The house was full and the worship was right on. Well, nearing the end of worship time a guy in our church, we’ll just call John Doe, came up where I was on the front row. Now this J Doe is a peculiar dude….I mean really peculiar. He started to give me what I’d loosely call a prophetic word, although it wasn’t very prophetic at all. He meant well. Toward the end of his three minute prophetic utterance…..he kissed me on the cheek! Aaawwwkward! Besides that it was kinda juicy too! I did NOT see that coming!

Well, worship ended, I finished the service and as soon as church was over the Perry’s, Daryle, Carrie, Micah and Nate…and the whole Taylor tribe, 7 of us, loaded up and headed for Red River for a week of skiing and relaxation, like we did about every year for six or seven years. Daryle and I are in his pickup and the rest of the crew were all in our big ‘ol conversion van that was loaded down with food, clothes and kids. We were out around Borger, Texas and Daryle was noticing that I was uncharacteristically quiet. He says, “Hey Bud, what’s up?” “Nothing”. Well, he obviously knows me better than that. “C’mon now, I know something’s eating on ‘ya.” To which I replied, “John Doe kissed me!” He started laughing as hard as I’ve ever seen anyone laugh in my entire life! He did this for 50 miles; he’d start to try to talk and he’d bust up laughing again. He’s not laughing ‘with’ me…….he’s laughing ‘at’ me!!

Well, about two or three weeks later in a similar church service, all going good…and here comes John Doe again! But this time he heads straight for Daryle, who is also on the front row with about 300 people looking down on him. Well, ‘ol JD passed right by me this time! Yep, you guessed it…..he’s going to give DP one of those hokey prophetic words today. And, just like clockwork, about the time he finished up he gives ‘ol DP one of them real juicy kisses too! I mean, it was a good ‘un! I cannot describe to you the look on his face but he kinda looked like he was nauseated or sick at his stomach…..which in all actuality….I think he was! Can you imagine how much I’m enjoying this??!! I doubt it!

Well, after ‘ol J Doe headed back to his seat I made eye contact with Daryle and I said in a loud whisper, “You get you some sugar?!!” He never said a word! He did, however, still have that, ‘I’m about to throw up’, look on his face!

Do what you wanna do…..but for me….that, “Greet the Brethren With a Holy Kiss” Thing, is Waaaay Overrated! I’m guessing DP will totally agree!

Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 6 – Go to God First

June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Kingdom people understand that they’re sons and daughters to the Father and their lives are being profoundly transformed as a result of that revelation. They’re people who are ‘growing up’ into their true identity. It’s a lifelong process of evolving into our ‘sonship’…..and we’re becoming more like Him all the time!

Another distinguishing characteristic of a ‘kingdom’ person is the resolve to ‘go to God first’ with the issues of our life. I learned this one the hard way. It’s so easy to decide to do something and then ask God to bless it. And, if you’ve never consulted with Him before about the details of your life….it’s sure better than nothing. But there’s definitely a better way. If it’s true that the Father has an intricate, detailed plan for our life it just makes sense to go to Him first and see what’s in His heart for us. We shouldn’t get in too big a hurry and jump the gun, so to speak. Remember, we’re learning to be led by His Spirit.…and there’s something to be said for ‘waiting on the Lord’.

I totally agree that there’s a delicate balance between waiting on the Lord….and moving out by faith. I sincerely believe that whatever you do with the right heart….God will bless. You’re His kid and He wants to see you do good. But if you want the ‘full blessing’ of the Father on the things you do, we should go to Him first.

Kingdom people do that!

Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 5 – Evolving into Sonship

June 24, 2015June 24, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Kingdom people are evolving into their ‘sonship’/’daughtership’! It comes by the revelation to our hearts that God is a Father and He’s chosen us to be His children. It’s an amazing reality and it’ll totally transform our lives for the better when we ‘catch’ it!

When we’re born again we come into God’s kingdom as a little child, so to speak. Our immaturity in regards to spiritual things is pretty obvious at first but hopefully we’ll grow through the childhood stage into spiritually mature adults. I say that with all sincerity, but I’ve observed through the years that many people in the church today have never matured and remain childish and immature. There’s really no excuse for that.

God is our Father and He wants to interact with us on a regular basis. There’s a lot of reasons why we need to hear the Lord but one of the ‘key’ reasons is that the things that God says to us forms us and shapes us into our true identity. He desires to raise us up as His own sons and daughters.

Evolving into our sonship is a lifelong process but we can, and should, start now. We start out with a lot of ‘orphan’ characteristics. We want to be the center of attention, we self-promote so people will accept us, we embellish the details of our lives so we’ll look important. That’s just a few of the characteristics that we might have as immature believers but as we begin the growth process into sons and daughters we start to leave those things behind us. In the light of God’s love, and through our ongoing relationship with Him, we begin to ‘grow up’. *All creation is anticipating the revealing of the ‘sons’ of God!

Kingdom people are evolving into their Sonship!

Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 4 – Sons, Not Servants!

June 23, 2015June 23, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Well, have you decided whether you’re a ‘kingdom’ person or not. Like I said earlier, “No pressure from me to be one….but if you do decide to be one, your Spiritual life will be very productive and fruitful.” I desperately hope you’ll make the right choice.

Since kingdom people have an understanding that God is Father they also have a keen understanding that they are ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ to Him. The Book tells us, “We didn’t choose Him…..He chose us.” Incredible, huh?! But many people today consider themselves ‘servants’ and that’s not entirely wrong. But if we’re talking identity, which is extremely important, then we must understand that we’re not hired hands at all….we’re sons and daughters! There’s a vast difference; Hired hands work ‘for’ a blessing; Sons and daughters work ‘from’ a blessing; from the blessing that He’s handpicked us as His own children!

Detractors would love to argue that, in essence, our identity is that of a servant. But it’s not true. It’s a rather large issue and if you miss the truth of it, you’ll miss much of what your life was intended by the Father to be! To clarify the issue, as sons and daughters we do a lot of serving in our Christian life, even more than those with a hired-hand mentality. The difference is, we’re part owners; the Book says that we’re ‘joint-heirs’ with Jesus! If you think about that…it means that we own what He owns! That’s a pretty big deal if you ask me.

Kingdom people understand that they’re sons and daughters….and the revelation of that to our hearts changes everything!