Bread-Breakers is taking off!

Yesterday - about 24 hours ago - I published a message explaining how my wife and I have decided to invite people over for a meal which could lead to ministry. I cited many Scriptural examples of how Jesus ministered around food (I LOVE that about Jesus) and felt we should do likewise. He IS our example, after all.

Soon after sending that message, a business woman wrote me saying she was inspired by what I'd written and had decided to allow a woman, recently-released from prison, to stay in an extra home she owned while she sought work (we discussed the details of living with re-habbing homeless people; I'm rather an expert at that). 

Then, I received an eMail from a man offering an extra ham he'd bought for Christmas. I picked that up yesterday. We now have TWO "Ministry Meals" set for January, one with a lady who will come with her daughter, directly from visiting her husband in jail. Both women will stay the night rather than drive home late at night. 

Several others wrote, too, expressing how encouraged they were by that same message and sharing stories of their own Bread-Breaking experiences where Jesus showed up. 

AWESOME!

Can YOU do anything like this for YOUR friends and neighbors? Everybody wants and needs to feel accepted and they certainly need to feel the love of Jesus shed abroad by the Holy Spirit through YOU. In case you missed those Biblical examples, here they are again...

LUKE 19:1-1 (Jesus went to the house of Zacchaeus and ate with him and his "sinner" friends.)

 

MATTHEW 26:6-13 (While eating with Pharisees, a woman who had lived "a sinful life" anointed Him with expensive perfume.)

 

JOHN 2:1-11 (Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding feast.)

 

JOHN 13:1-17 (He had a Last Supper with His followers.)

 

JOHN 21:1-19 (After Peter had denied Jesus three times, Jesus reinstates him over a meal of fresh fish.)

 

MARK 6:30-44 (On several occasions, as part of His ministry to thousands, Jesus fed the people. Personally, I believe every gathering should commence with a meal. Try it and see what happens!)

 

JOHN 4:4-26 (He stopped to get a drink - just as you might stop at Starbuck's - and had a life-changing conversation with a woman there.)

 

MATTHEW 9:9-10 (Jesus met Matthew the tax collector and went to eat at his home along with His disciples and Matthew's "sinner" friends.)

Questions? Suggestions? Write me at miketummillo@me.com

Every one of us can do this at home and at work!

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work

 

Do you eat? Turn it into a ministry!

My wife likes to cook. It's a gift and I like to eat her gifts!

She's a tremendous hostess, too. Recently, we were discussing how, this year, we would like to ask people over for what I refer to as a "Meal Ministry."

Bearing in mind we are never NOT The Church...

Bearing in mind the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead DWELLS IN US...

Bearing in mind our Father can use every LITTLE thing and turn it into MUCH...

We have already asked two women to join us. One is a single woman with grown children, the other has a baby and a spouse serving time in jail.

The question we must always ask ourselves is, "Is it Biblical?"

LUKE 19:1-1 (Jesus went to the house of Zacchaeus and ate with him and his "sinner" friends.)

MATTHEW 26:6-13 (While eating with Pharisees, a woman who had lived "a sinful life" anointed Him with expensive perfume.)

JOHN 2:1-11 (Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding feast.)

JOHN 13:1-17 (He had a Last Supper with His followers.0

JOHN 21:1-19 (After Peter had denied Jesus three times, Jesus reinstates him over a meal of fresh fish.)

MARK 6:30-44 (On several occasions, as part of His ministry to thousands, Jesus fed the people. Personally, I believe every gathering should commence with a meal. Try it and see what happens!)

JOHN 4:4-26 (He stopped to get a drink - just as you might stop at Starbuck's - and had a life-changing conversation with a woman there.)

MATTHEW 9:9-10 (Jesus met Matthew the tax collector and went to eat at his home along with His disciples and Matthew's "sinner" friends.)

One fourth of July, I suggested our church have a Bar-B-Q, Bible and Beer party. Interesting concept especially since I don't even drink. No one objected. Several attended who had never joined us before. When we prayed, there were many tears. One old Cowboy who was there has become a close friend who, soon afterward, asked if he could come by and talk. We sat on our porch and he expressed curiosity about the way we prayed that day. Literally, he said, "I have never heard anyone talk to the deity the way y'all did."

Years ago, whenever our college church would meet, we agreed that, if the attendees numbered 6 or less, we would have "Chili's Church." We would leave the church building, get a booth at Chili's Restaurant and talk, laugh, pray and minister. It was powerful! Though that was so long ago, I guarantee those who took part count it among the most memorable things that ever took place while they were there. Along those lines, every Wednesday night, we would meet at a nearby coffee bar. My only "rule" was everybody had to eat and drink something. The owner loved me for that!

I know a young man, a Catholic, who shared a story about a street person he ate a Twinkie with outside the cathedral, causing him to miss Communion while he ate and talked with this down and out individual. He felt God's presence as he invested his time with this individual.

Our church has been meeting in a home for 9 years. At every gathering, food is involved, whether it's a turkey dinner, breakfast, desserts of cheese, crackers and fruit, we are always eating something. Jesus was our example.

Give it a try. Start a Meal Ministry soon! Whether you're cooking a meal, ordering a pizza, gathering at a restaurant, or on your Lunch Break, remember, you are always The Church, whether seated in a pew or seated in a Denny's. Expect something great to happen just because you eat together. When Jesus grabs a seat at the table, things should never be the same.

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work

Assimilate the Newbies!

(First published in 2007)

If it were up to me, the first three years of a new Believer's Christian life would be spent completely excluded from corporate Church life, assigning them, instead, to some sort of school for solid training in the Doctrine of Christ away from any manmade, traditional or demonically- inspired religious influences. I sometimes wonder if THAT is the REAL reason why God is leading so many Christians AWAY from traditional forms of Christianity in the West; a sort of purification process. Perhaps He can work better with wet clay. Too many Christians are simply drying up, dying on the vine as it were. 

Just a thought.

In my make-believe Discipleship model, there would be complete Scripture saturation and thorough study of early Church practices of the first 300 years as well as a study of the flourishing third world Church, the persecuted Church of today. Also, there would be a study of the martyrs, a study of the magazine "Voice of the Martyrs," and a study of Simson's "Houses that Change the World."

Today, with so many Christians expressing and acting upon their desire to return to early New Testament Church practices, there's one early Church rite that many would do well to embrace: Exorcism.

I know...sounds a little weird to most of us.

According to the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, March 2004 by Clinton E. Arnold, "Chrysostom, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Ambrose, Cyprian, Augustine, and other early Church fathers all attest to this practice. It certainly cannot be described as a practice isolated to the Roman church...A corollary to this practice was a time of renunciation of Satan and deliverance during the actual baptismal ceremony. As the new Christians were baptized, they were also instructed to make a verbal renunciation of Satan: "And a deacon shall take the oil of exorcism and stand at the left hand of the presbyter . . . And when the presbyter grasps each one of those who will receive baptism, let him command him to renounce, saying, "I renounce you, Satan, with all your service and all your works." And when he has renounced all these, let him anoint him with the oil of exorcism, saying, "Let every spirit be cast far from you" (Apostolic Tradition 21.8-1O)."

"Immediately following this exorcism and renunciation of Satan, the person being baptized would confess their allegiance to Christ... The early church sets for us a challenging example on how to train new believers and help them grow in Christ during the first three years of their walk with the Lord. It is my hope that evangelical churches would invest more time, thought, prayer, planning, and resources into a healthy assimilation of new believers."

From Encyclopædia Britannica: "In the first two centuries of the Christian era, the power of exorcism was considered a special gift that might be bestowed on anyone, lay or cleric. About AD 250, however, there appeared a special class of the lower clergy, called exorcists, to whom was entrusted this special function. About the same time, exorcism became one of the ceremonies preparatory to baptism, and it has remained a part of the Roman Catholic baptismal service..."

To clarify, every new Believer was afforded the opportunity to receive healing from traumas, sexual sins, generational curses, and close off any doors that Satan could use to continue to torment their lives AFTER their conversion experience. This would allow them to walk freely, victoriously, above their past circumstances, despite their tainted pasts. No wonder they changed the ancient world. The healing that was provided at Calvary was to include the healing of their mind, will and emotions; the soul as well as the body. As Argentinean evangelist, Carlos Annocandia, says, "In the United States, you get people forgiven but you don't get them free."

THE TRUTH AND OTHER STUFF WE SHOULD KNOW

When Isaiah 53:5 tells us that He was bruised for our iniquities and wounded for our transgressions, perhaps that means that His bruises - a wound under the surface of the flesh - were meant to heal that which was never directed against us personally. For example , a Christian may be struggling with anger or alcoholism; perhaps infidelity or some other sexual sin runs through a family's genealogy. As I minister and counsel people, so often I have found that there was somebody up-line who carried the same burden as their ancestor to whom I am now ministering. Recently, as our team ministered to a man, the Lord gave me a vision of an American Indian witch doctor who seemed to get angrier the more we prayed and ministered. Strange, yes, but I've had stranger visions. When I offered up the vision for the team's consideration, the man who came for ministry stated that he was of American Indian descent! Was a demon spirit, willfully invited into the family's lineage ages ago, now feeling threatened? He'd better be.

When we read that Jesus was "wounded for our transgressions," would that imply that Jesus took that awful scourging upon His flesh in exchange for the sins committed against us personally? In other words, was He wounded to provide for the healing of the transgressions by others against US - not those things done BY us, as one might think, even though a person might "manifest" in a sinful manner as a result of the "sins of the fathers"? His sacrificial death upon the cross in exchange for our own is what paid the price for our personal sins. By His stripes we were healed. By His death we were saved. The Law of sin and death was made null and void by His own death.

The remainder of that verse, of course, reads, "... the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being FOR US was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole." (Emphasis mine.)

Made whole? How can any Christian be considered "whole" if his life is a mess? Sure, he may be saved but, far too often, he remains in bondage. When we KNOW the truth, that truth will set us free (Jn 8:32). Multitudes of Christians do not KNOW the truth - the fact that they can be set free from the chains that have them bound and truly live a new life in Christ. Sadly, most merely settle for church attendance at best. Not finding help there, they're leaving at the rate of 53,000 weekly in the West.

Argentina is currently undergoing the longest revival in world history, over 17 years. Carlos Annacondia, is an integral part of this revival and is one who DOES actively pursue deliverance from demons for new converts. Bad habits, addictions, poor choices, traumas, sexual sin...all these things are dealt with in order for new Believers to walk freely and victoriously. According to Annacondia, "In the United States, only 6% of people who come forward for salvation remain in the Church, much less are leading a committed Christian life. In Argentina, the per centage is 85-90%, even after 5 years have passed." The fact that most Christians in America have no staying power whatsoever is obvious by so many other dismal statistics pertaining to the American Church. These same statistics are admitted to by the ministries of Billy Graham and Luis Palau. Even Charles Finney (1792-1875), was disheartened when he realized that so many of the tens of thousands who converted through his ministry bore no long-lasting spiritual fruit.

Feel free to READ THAT PARAGRAPH AGAIN and process it.

PRAYERS THAT AVAILETH MUCH

There is a wonderful list of "Warfare Prayers" that I have used in the past (I was thrilled to find them, once again, online). You can read them, pray them and utilize them in ministry at http://home.mchsi.com/~ftio/warfare-prayers.htm

Remember, say these aloud and say them often. Why? Because when we resist the devil, he will flee (James 4:7). The word "resist" is actually a wrestling term. Can you recall ever having seen two men wrestling when one man threw the other to the ground and the fallen man simply stayed on the floor? NO! He got up and went after his adversary again. Likewise, the devil will attack again and again UNTIL he sees that we are SERIOUS about winning this battle. If he is allowed back in, Jesus said he will return seven times stronger than he was previously. Here's what Jesus said in Matthew 12:43-45: "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it." Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first..."

Once the house is "swept clean," I've found that an individual MUST be filled with the Holy Spirit or an evil spirit will find him easy prey. Don't be afraid; this is not a Pentecostal or Charismatic thing - it's a BIBLE thing, important enough for God that He kicked-off His Church with it in the Upper Room. 

Though we are all endued with the Spirit of God, the Giver of Life itself, even Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is UPON Me." We, too, will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes UPON us. It's the difference between drinking a glass of water and falling in the ocean. Do you want that power? Our own will power is no match for a demon bent on a mission of destruction. WARNING: If you ask for it, your Christian life will change in the MOST dramatic fashion. Consider the cost.

Remember, the battle is for your mind. This is why we are admonished to "cast down all vain imaginations" and "take every thought captive." This is why we are taught to "think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable." Once an evil thought is entertained long enough, it becomes a stronghold and that Strong Man must be dealt with. At times, people need help with this. I'm often asked if it's really possible that Christians can be attacked in this way. Friends, every person I've ever ministered to who exhibited a demonic manifestation...strange voices, fowl odors, flailing about, inability to speak...was a professing Christian.

You figure it out.

FINALLY, MY BRETHREN...

Years ago, a friend of mine, a Baptist preacher, had a radio show. One day, he decided he was tired of reading about the things that the Bible says we Christians are "supposed" to be doing...healing the sick, for example. So, he announced on his show that he would be praying for anyone who wanted God to heal them. Interestingly, he said, every call he received was from people who feared they had a demon. His wife wisely reminded him that "if it's Jesus who heals the sick, it's Jesus who casts out the demons." Though they were nearly killed on their first attempt, with some training and a willing heart, they went on to produce many trained ministers of deliverance, myself included. This Baptist preacher went on to raise up and train several teams of deliverance ministers in our Charismatic (Bapti-costal) Church in the 90's. People - not all from our congregation - were placing their names on a clipboard in the church office as if we were running a kind of clinic. The results were glorious! The first to go through deliverance? The Team Members!

For many who are reading this now, the words resonate within you as being true. I used to be the poster child for soul-winning in the traditional evangelical sense. I could get "decisions for Christ" in any neighborhood at any time. The Lord used many instances in my own life to show me the fruitlessness of my finest efforts. He showed me the glaring absence of "sinner's prayers" and "decisions for Christ" throughout Scripture. He showed me the example of Jesus and Paul and others and how there are no recorded examples of "winning souls" the way we see it modeled today.

So, I quit. I prefer being a Living Epistle whose life causes others to pursue God and, under His conviction, become sorry enough to repent. I see that often. It's real and the fruit is long-lasting.
Let's assimilate the newbies. For starters, let's assimilate the Oldies, for many "mature" saints are still struggling with their secret bondages as well. In the Simple Church/House Church movement, we often talk about how people who join these swelling ranks straight from an Institutional Church often require detoxing. Something tells me that what they have is nothing that a little exorcism wouldn't take care of.

Resist the devil.

He will flee.

Every blessing,
Michael Tummillo
Founder, The Church @ Work

Obama, Guardian of Children. Yeah, right.

It isn't often that I wax political, but here goes. I wonder how many others might share my opinion?

In response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn., last Friday, President Obama addressed the nation yesterday announcing the appointment of Vice President Joe Biden to head a commission looking into ways to reduce gun violence. Had you heard? The President declared he will use all the powers of his office to prevent what happened at Newtown from happening again.

This is where many have been left scrtaching their heads.

Following controversy over its purchase of around 1.2 billion bullets since April 2012 alone, Obama's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) put out a new solicitation for over 200 million more rounds of ammunition in September. Well, the DHS has just requested another 200,000 rounds of .40 caliber Federal Ammunition hollow point rounds. They can't be taking this Zombie Apocalypse thing seriously, can they?

I'm not kidding. In his latest report on government waste, “Safety at Any Price,” Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., argued that Homeland Security funds allocated after 9/11 to shore up the U.S. anti-terrorism defense are being misused. He pointed to a five-day counter-terrorism summit that included a "Zombie Apocalypse"demonstration. The program was designed to train Marines, Navy, police, firefighters and other special forces to prepare for, you guessed it... zombies!

Seriously! I guess the theory is apparently that, if you can prepare yourself for flesh-eating zombies, you'll be ready for anything. 

Incidentally, you paid for that.

In August 2012, the Social Security Administration solicitation called for 174,000 rounds of ".357 Sig 125 grain bonded jacketed hollow point pistol ammunition." What are they expecting, an elderly assault? 

Remember, they used YOUR hard-earned money for those purchases.

You want weird? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, found itself scrambling to respond to questions about an order for 46,000 rounds of ammo that same month. Though the agency initially indicated it was for the National Weather Service -- leading to questions about why the National Weather Service could possibly need so many bullets -- a spokesman clarified the bullets are actually meant for the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement. A "clerical error" resulted in the order saying the ammo was for the weather service.

Again, even if the ammo WAS intended for the NOAA Fisheries Office, who will they be defending themselves against, rabid guppies? A bass fishermen uprising?

Bear in mind, folks, YOU paid for this ammo with YOUR tax dollars. 

Now, with guns in nearly half the homes in America, Obama announced the establishment of his Biden-led team whose purpose is to find a way to, as the Prez said today, "make sure we do everything we can to keep our children safe.”

PLAYING THE KID CARD

Have you noticed how often he plays the "Kid Card", as if he's on a crusade to protect children? This comes from a President whose flying robots are terrorizing Pakistan with "Death from above" and killing defenseless children in the process. A study by Stanford Law School and New York University's School of Law is calling for a re-evaluation of the drone practice, saying the number of "high-level" targets killed as a percentage of total casualties is extremely low -- about 2%. Their report accuses Washington of misrepresenting drone strikes as "a surgically precise and effective tool that makes the U.S. safer," saying that in reality, "there is significant evidence that U.S. drone strikes have injured and killed civilians."

Oh, I guess an invading army of little kids COULD be perceived as a threat. If so, well done, Obama! If not, shame on you!!

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), an independent organization based at City University in London reports that "from June 2004 through mid-September 2012, available data indicate that drone strikes killed 2,562 - 3,325 people in Pakistan, of whom 474 - 881 were civilians."

That includes176 children, by the way. TBIJ reports "these strikes also injured an additional 1,228 - 1,362 individuals," according to the Stanford/NYU study. Fact is, under Obama's leadership, thousands of children have been killed by Obama's drone attacks in 8 nations.

GUARDIAN OF CHILDREN?

Let's talk about Obama's abortion record, bearing in mind that, from the perspective of MILLIONS of Americans, abortion is nothing less than the murder of unborn and innocent children in their mothers' wombs.

For starters, he voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act four times, voting AGAINST protecting babies who survived abortion and voting IN FAVOR of leaving them to die. A vote against this legislation was a vote for infanticide. [Source]

Next, on his third day in office, Obama repealed the pro-life “Mexico City Policy.” In doing so, he made groups that perform and promote abortion eligible for U.S. foreign aid. Again, YOUR tax dollars at work! [Source]

Obama, Planned Parenthood’s funding jumped from 33% to nearly 50%. Over $487 MILLION in taxpayer money now goes to that abortion giant. This is almost half a billion dollars American families are forced to pay in tax dollars to the nation’s largest abortion provider. [Source]

The President refused to sign an emergency budget, putting funding the military at risk, UNTIL

Planned Parenthood funding was included in the budget. This was following Live Action’s Sex

Trafficking investigation, showing Planned Parenthood aiding and abetting the sex-traffickers of

underage girls. [Source]

5) Also,           Obama has pushed for his “pet legislation,” The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), which would help fund “community health centers” (Planned Parenthood being their prime target). Additionally, the Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate would force ALL Americans to fund abortion and contraception, with no exceptions for religious institutions or religious individuals who are vehemently against abortion and contraception. [Source]

MASS MURDERS, GUN CONTROL & LIBERTY

So, while the President speaks eloquently regarding the need for gun control for the sake of the nation's children, this guy seems bent on killing them, despite mustering tears over the Sandy Hook incident, then using that tragedy to push his anti-gun agenda.

Personally, I feel that, if protecting kids in schools is a legitimate concern for him, and his main issue were NOT disarming the citizens, he should advocate the arming of teachers and the posting of armed officers in schools, rather than leaving them as the sitting duck, gun-free targets for armed assassins they are at this time.

But that's just me talkin'.

Where gun control is concerned, as for me and my house, I'd rather have neighbors with automatic weapons and millions of rounds of ammo than a government with all the weaponry and a populace with nothing. Think about it... anyone who touches our Second Amendment right is, literally, threatening our right to survive and live in peace. Our forefathers knew that. For perspective, in March 1982, the town of Kennesaw, GA – responding to a handgun ban in Morton Grove, IL. – unanimously passed an ordinance requiring each head of household to own and maintain a gun. Since then, not a single resident has been involved in a fatal shooting – as a victim, attacker or defender. The crime rate as a whole has plummeted since passage of the ordinance.

But what of Morton Grove? That city's crime rate increased by 15.7 percent immediately after the gun ban. In 2008, as the Chicago Tribune reported, the Morton Grove handgun ban was repealed by a 5-1 vote of the village board. The move to repeal the ban attracted little controversy with only a few Morton Grove residents attending a meeting when the repeal was first on the agenda. Fighting in court to try to keep the law would cost money the village did not have, especially considering the fact that making such a law is unconstitutional and, therefore, indefensible.

Morton Grove is one of many Illinois cities to repeal their handgun ban. Given the utter ineffectiveness of such bans, and the injustice such laws inflict upon law-abiding citizens who only wish to defend themselves and their homes from criminals, that's a good thing.

Mr. President, your job description includes defending and upholding the Constitution of the United States. You are NOT our king! We already have one; we call Him 'Jesus'. Do your job, please! We'll defend our own children under the Constitution you were sworn to uphold, and we'll stand upon the Second Amendment, as necessary, in order to legally do so... but we're defenseless when so many laws are tying our hands. Liberty is freedom and many are feeling the squeeze of bondage right now. Banning guns does little but empower the bad guys; “Prohibition” proved that.

In closing, let's heed the words of a REAL American President: "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and LOSE OUR FREEDOMS, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - Abraham Lincoln

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work

NO GUARANTEE I CAN GET THIS TO YOU BY CHRISTMAS, BUT I'LL DO MY BEST!

The Slaughter of the Innocents: A Christmas Story

Christmas is coming, a day when millions worldwide will celebrate the birth of Jesus. Though not typically a part of the traditional Christmas story, you may recall the Biblical account story the wise men providing King Herod with some false information about the birth of the Messiah to force him off the trail, as it were. In Matthew 2: 16-18, we read about a horrible incident referred to as "the Slaughter of the Innocents." It says: "Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are no more."

How horribly unthinkable was the slaughter of all those little kids at that Newtown, Connecticut grade school. Families were surely left inconsolable. At times like this, while some are politicizing and crying out for stricter gun laws, others are angered at God, doubting Him, asking, "How could a loving God allow this to happen?" Maybe even you, or someone you know, has been left dazed and confused, saddened and asking "Why?"

We Americans aren't as accustomed to this kind of incident as people are in other parts of the world. That doesn't soften the blow any, but it's true. As a minister, dealing with death has become an occupational necessity. I'd like to try and address some of the questions anybody might be needing answers to.

God created mankind as the most free creature on earth. Although such unbridled liberty should be used to advance God's Kingdom, thereby setting others free, unfortunately, too often, that freedom is abused and we do bad things. Yes, such abuse of our freedom might even include the taking the lives of innocent little children. 

Scripture teaches it's Satan who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). The verse goes on to say Jesus came to give us "life and life more abundantly." That alone tells me loud and clear, God did not do this. Truth is, we are also told, "...all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose," Romans 8:28. 

Did you catch that? ALL THINGS work together FOR GOOD. Our sovereign God is a good God. Of course He had the power to stop this senseless slaying of all those kids, just as He had the power to stop King Herod from Slaughtering the Innocents. Obviously, He has a plan and will even turn the worst humanity and Satan have to offer. The fact that baby Jesus was unharmed, hidden from Harod's soldiers sent to slay Him, tells me, even in this Connecticut situation, Jesus - just as He did over 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem - will come onto the scene for the benefit of mankind, regardless of Satan's murderous scheme in Newtown.

THE DEVIL ALWAYS SHOOTS HIMSELF IN THE FOOT!

As Christians, we must passionately detest this kind of thing. Pray for the shooter's family. Imagine what THEIR Christmas will be like! Pray for all those whose lives have been so terribly disrupted by the death or injuring of a loved one. Pray against that Spirit of Violence that has so permeated this nation. Pray over the schools in your town and for our Educators.

God is a Redeemer. He brings dead things back to life. Those children and teachers are with Him and for that we can be thrilled for them. They will live forever. But it's it's not only dead people Jesus has been known to ressurect, it's dead situations. Dead towns. Dead schools. Dead relationships. 

Though I appreciate all the psychologists being interviewed on network news regarding this shooting, in my humble opinion, there are no natural answers to spiritual problems. There really is a devil and he does evil things. We have been given authority over him by Jesus Himself and we'd better start using it. 

Now is a really good time to do what Scripture admonishes us to do and Love One Another. Turn to God, not from Him. Stay close to one another. Talk about the good things we know about God, especially this Christmas season. Encourage one another with the fact that life on planet earth is not "it" for any of us. There's more and it's beyond description!

May the peace of Christ be with you this Christmas Season!

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work

AGGGGGH! We're all gonna die! (About that Mayan Prophecy...)

Duh.

Of course we're all gonna die. Everything and everyone who ever lived, died eventually. 

Even Jesus. 

Sure, He was resurrected, but still, He died. Even those He raised from the dead, did die eventually.

It's amazing how many people are talking about this Mayan calendar, December 21st, Doomsday thing these days. People all over the world - entire cities - are doing everything from buying camping supplies, storing food and water and guns, to buying underground shelters. If they had a theme song, it would be that popular BeeGees song, "Stayin' Alive!" Throughout human history, people have sought immortality. They longed for that illusive "Fountain of Youth" to keep them away from death. Massive sales of make-up, vitamins, dieting and gym memberships are all part of humanity's anti-death regimen.

As a Workplace Chaplain, one of the places I minister is to Employees working in nursing homes. On occasion, a staff member will call my attention to an elderly Resident, laying in their death bed. One day, I was directed to a woman who, I was informed, was terrified of dying. When I entered her room, she was bundled in her blankets like an infant baby, her bedding pulled tightly around her face which barely showed. I kneeled next to her, asked her what's wrong, and she replied, "I'm scared. I'm gonna die. I'm so ashamed... I'm Pentecostal and I shouldn't be scared..."

She lived another 8 months after that.

Fear of death has been common among earthlings since the beginning of time. First time Adam accidentally stepped on a bug, I'm sure he wondered about the sudden ending of the thing stuck to the bottom of his bare foot. One minute that bug was crawling and happily minding his business. The next minute... SQUISH! Life was over for the bug but the world kept on spinning and didn't even notice its absence. 

I've been privileged to have been the very last human voice heard by many on their death beds. Ever since I learned the sense of hearing was the last sense to go, I started speaking to dying people as if they were completely conscious. I will say things like, "No one is going to forget you, Willy," and "Everybody here loves you, they'll think about you often and we'll all be together with you very soon."

In general, all have expired within 12 hours or so later.

Hebrews 2:14-16 is one of my favorite verses. Note my italicized emphasis in this, the "God's Word" translation: "Since all of these sons and daughters have flesh and blood, Jesus took on flesh and blood to be like them. He did this so that by dying he would destroy the one who had power over death (that is, the devil). In this way he would free those who were slaves all their lives because they were afraid of dying. So Jesus helps Abraham’s descendants rather than helping angels."

Did you catch that? Some folks are slaves - they are in bondage - all their lives because of their fear of dying. You see it manifesting these days everywhere you look in the midst of all the Mayan Calendar stuff.

Are you afraid of death? It's ok. There's a healthy fear of death and there's the kind that can hold you in bondage. A healthy fear of death causes you to go indoors during a lightning storm or grab a thick coat when it's freezing. It encourages you to eat when you're hungry, lest you starve, and take that nasty medicine when you're ill. This kind of fear is NOT a bad thing.

Jesus didn't want to die, even though He willingly "gave up the ghost" and "for the joy set before Him" endured the cross. In other words, He knew what came next. 1 Corinthians `15:55 reads, "O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?" The apostle Paul wrote, "To live is Christ, to die is gain," (Phil 1:21). In other words, if Paul lived, he got to serve Jesus and, if he died, he got to be WITH Him. 

I have prayed for people who were on their death beds. The fact they continued to live and even left the hospital showed me God's mercy upon their families, affording them additional time to get used to the idea of life without their loved one. In some cases, death postponed allowed additional family members to see them alive one more time. 

Maybe they weren't ready to see them go. 

Maybe they needed to make amends. 

Maybe... lots of reasons. 

In one instance, a young man was on his death bed after a terrible car crash. His family "pulled the plug" but he continued living. After our intercessory team prayed over him, he not only left the hospital but is now married with children.

Go figure. 

It's been said "Life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer you get to the end of the roll, the faster it disappears." Are you ready to die? Many have done it, including Jesus. It's part of life - the longest part of living, actually. As a result of the Mayan Prophecy 

scare, "scheduled" by many to take place in just ten days (Dec 

21st), Ron Hubbard, a manufacturer of hi-tech underground 

survival shelters, has seen his business explode.

"We've gone from one a month to one a day," he said. "I don't have 

an opinion on the Mayan calendar but, when astrophysicists come 

to me, buy my shelters and tell me to be prepared for solar

flares, radiation, EMPs... I'm going underground on the 19th and 

coming out on the 23rd... just in case anybody's right." 

Well, the world will probably NOT end on December 21st. Even if it does, life on this planet is NOT "it" for us, so we shouldn't try and get too comfortable during our stay here. It gets better afterward! 

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work

God is concerned about EVERYTHING concerning you... including your work!

Jesus did most of His ministry in the Marketplace. Since He said He came as an example, that would mean it's our turn to go and do likewise. 

Right?

We get so easily distracted. Even when the Spirit gives us the unction to do something spiritual while we're in the workplace - give a word of encouragement, say a prayer, send a card, be a blessing - far too often we're distracted from our Workplace Ministry by deadlines, meetings, office politics, relational issues and gossip. Days turn into weeks and then years and, when we look back, we may have missed dozens of opportunities all year long to advance God's Kingdom and impact lives for the cause of Christ.

I spoke with a woman at a Chamber of Commerce just yesterday. A Christian, after I informed her about my ministry, her response was to thank me for reminding her about her ministry at work.

That's what this message is about today: a Reminder.

If you have a job, you have a ministry. You don't have to preach. Baptizing at the water cooler is not necessary. You are an agent of change; a thermostat, NOT a thermometer. Just as the Ark of the Covenant, carrying the very presence of God, made a world of difference when it was placed on Obed Edom's property (1 Sam 6:1-12), likewise, the presence of God within YOU can make a difference where you work, too. 

You are surrounded on a daily basis by people who have been wounded, rejected, disenfranchised, marginalized, abandoned. They're scared, confused, lonely, wondering if this is all there is to living. Far too many are turning to drugs, alcohol, porn, astrology, one negative relationship or habit after another. 

Folks all around you are seeking Jesus and they don't even know it.

Ok, you've been officially reminded. Now, forward this message to any Christian you know who has a job. Just like the early Church, we, too, can turn our communities upside down. All we have to do is appropriate the power we've already been given (Romans 8:11).

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work