Companionship

We tried to get rid of our leftovers today. It didn’t work and we ended up with more extra food.
We had our Velocity House Party here at our new house. There were about 12 pre-teens and teens milling around the house, some were outside playing ball while others were in the basement playing ping-pong or in the music room banging on the drums. It was great.

I think true Christianity is about companionship. Here’s a breakdown of this word:
Com is a prefix from the Latin, it means “together.”
Pan is also from Latin it means “bread.”
Ion is a suffix denoting action or condition.
Ship is a collective body.

So, companionship is the act of coming together in a collective body for bread. Think about the ministry of Jesus. His most talked about miracles were those in which thousands had come together in a collective body and were fed by the miraculous power of Christ. The book of Acts church went from house to house breaking bread and continuing in the Apostle’s doctrine.

I have some preacher friends that try to over-spiritualize that statement by implying that what the scripture really means is that they were sharing the bread of the Word by teaching or preaching. No, what they really meant is exactly what they said, they got together and ate. They were companions in the Gospel, coming together to partake of the bread of earth and share in the bread of heaven. I wonder if the Apostles doctrine was more than just a set of religious codes, but a fulfillment of the mandate from Christ Himself.

“If you love me, feed my sheep.”

Remember, though, if you’re trying to get rid of your leftovers, don’t ask other people to bring theirs over.

-Armando

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Little Flickers

You know who I like to be around? People that like to laugh. My wife and I have a wonderful marriage, don’t get me wrong, we’ve had our share of dark and scary moments, but I think the light shines so beautifully when we’re both laughing. There’s something so wonderful about her, and it’s not hard to feel strongly about my love for her when her eyes are shining as we share a spark of life.

Mark Lowery said “I’ve got to remember in the dark what I see in the light.”

Dark times come and go, that’s a given. Life seems to drive into the negative, like a cold wind. We have to lean into beauty. Have you ever walked in a driving wind? When I was a kid I had a green windbreaker. I would grab the corners of my jacket and stretch it out backwards and lean all the way into the wind. I had to squint and I usually ended up with gritty sand in my mouth, but it was incredible! I was so small and light. It was great. I would laugh out loud.

I remember running barefoot through the water running along the sidewalk after a rain and laughing. My whole world was falling apart, my dad was going to prison and my brothers and sister and I were being separated, but there was a little spot of light. I lay in a dark room and a strange bed and remembered the light.

Thanks, God, for creating flickers, little flashes of promise or hope to carry us. Thank You, for laughter and love and friends. I hope that you laugh with someone today and that He creates all those little flickers that lead you to Him.

-Armando

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All Things Common

The early Church found an understanding of Christ and His commandment and commission that made Truth applicable and they started a revolution.

“Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart...soul...and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” Matt. 22:36-40

“Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matt. 28:19-20


I’ve watched people for years, some here, and some in other churches that live frustrated dispassionate lives. Why? They have access to the same Holy Ghost, the same Bible, the same everything as anybody else.

The theory of Christianity is not enough. Knowing about Christ and having a knowledge about the principles is not enough to satisfy the desire to know God and see a life of purpose.

The other reason that many people are cold or even deny Christ is that they have brought everything that they are and offered themselves but have been neglected or rejected because we haven’t really understood how to be the Church.

Remember Peter? Read the previous blog here.

It was the same Peter on Pentecost, he wasn’t a cowardly braggart, he was a man that had offered his all at a time and place where there was no applicable avenue. He denied Christ to the point of swearing because at that moment it didn’t matter to know Christ. He was lost not because of his motive or intent, but because he was caught in between two testaments. I would have probably done the same thing. Maybe you would have, too.

You might not know it, but Peter died years later, crucified upside down, refusing to deny the Christ who had saved him.

Well, if Christianity is all about a building and us getting together two or three times a week, we’ll have a whole lot of fireside denials because the application is too narrow. That, however, is not what Christianity is about.

The book of Acts group didn’t see the Church as a weekly religious obligation. They didn’t have stained glass facilities and all of the great things we have now, but they had the heart of Christ. Here’s how the early church that turned the world upside down applied the words of Jesus:

And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
Acts 2:44 (KJV)

(Did you know that Acts 2 had 44 verses?)

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
Acts 4:32 (KJV)

We spend a lot of time and effort looking for the next greatest tool to make the church better, to come up with better concepts and all of these things are important, but all along the answer is right here, amongst us. In fact it is us. It’s not high and lofty, it’s gritty and dirty. It may very well put grease up to your elbows and saw dust in your pockets.

If we’ll look at these two scriptures in the light of really making an application of them, we’ll begin to see the Church become the beautiful creation God intends (not intended) it to be.

“You should be like one big happy family, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.”
1 Peter 3:8 (Living Bible)

“Don’t reprimand a senior member of the church, appeal to him as a father. Treat the young men as brothers, and the older women as mothers. Treat the younger women as sisters...”
1 Tim. 5:1-2 (Phillips)

When we see Christianity as the family of God instead of a religious function or entity we’ll see the heart of Christ like the first century church. There are so many frustrated Christians because we have created such a narrow avenue in what we consider to be “ministry.”

We’re not among strangers or even friends. These people all around you are the Body of Christ, the family of God and if we really believed that the Bible is true, there wouldn’t be anyone in this building with a need that can be met by another member of the family of God.

Well, what if someone abuses my generosity or tries to take advantage of me? That may happen, so you’ll have to know when to say no. If we are going to be fulfilled in Christ, though, we have to take the risk.

So, here’s the altar call:

Is there anybody here that has a leaky faucet and can’t afford to fix it?
Is there a plumber in the house?

Is there anyone that has a car that needs to be repaired and don’t have the means to fix it?
Is there a mechanic in the house?

Is there anybody here that doesn't have enough food?
Is there a family with an empty space at the table?

Is there anyone that doesn’t have warm clothes for the winter?
Does anybody have an extra coat?


Does anybody desperately need their home repaired?
Is there a carpenter in the house?

If we’ll do this, we won’t just have church, we’ll be the church.

-Armando

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

What In The World Are We Doing?

Every day we spend cannot be refunded. Life has a way of slipping by. Days become weeks. Weeks turn into months and months into years.

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “What in the world am I doing here?” It’s a good question, you know, if you ask it right, it may just change your life altogether. If you don’t mind, let’s kind of dig into this one.

I’ll ask you the questions, and then I’ll just guess at the answers. I’ll be “Me”, you be “You.”

Me: What are you doing with your life? You were created for a purpose, are you fulfilling it?
You: Fulfilling it, I don’t even know what “it” is.
Me: Oh, really, have you brought it up?
You: Brought it up? To who?
Me: Whom.
You: What?
Me: It’s to whom, not who.
You: Oh, (rolling your eyes) right. To whom?

Ah Hah!! You see, that, right there, is the problem. Oh, I’m sorry, did I offend you? You have that “you trapped me” look in your eyes. You do pray and ask God to reveal your purpose, He’s just ignoring you, you say. Oh.

You know, it could be that He’s trying to talk to you about the whole thing right now. The problem is that we’ve made a bad trade, you and I. We’ve traded away time for stuff, for “significance”. Our purpose in life has been eaten up by our desire to be considered “worthy” by our peers.

It's a whole lot safer to use we and us and generalize, but it sure isn't as challenging. When we can generalize we can pass the buck, so to speak, to some one else. Some one is doing something to change the world, right?

But what in the world are you doing? What are you doing that effects the world around you? Who are you reaching for? How are you denying yourself for the sake of humanity?

-Armando

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Life Outside of the Box...

I just updated my website, ArmandoHeredia.com. Here's a link. Tell your friends about it, who knows, you might become the greatest fighter who ever lived! (For the Nacho fans.)

Oh, you want to talk about creative evangelism.
Check this out: Nachoooooooo!
(Don't go there if you'll be offended by wrasslers not wearing their shirts.)

-Armando

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Dingle Arm?

I know he's speaking English, but he's not talking to me. He used these phrases, crudely concieved idea, basically, only new principal, simply and normal. In other words, if you don't understand what I'm saying than either you're a moron or this information is not for you.

We do the same thing at church, "Let's all sing that familiar hymn such and such." Familiar to whom? The world doesn't know the old hymns or the new hymns. I'm sorry, but most people don't know what a "sheave" even is, so why do we want to bring them in?

"Everyone knows about ole' Mephibosheth, well, we're just like him." Of course, if there aren't any guests at the church, than I guess we're o.k. with that, but what's the point in having church? I don't think it has as much to do with us as it does with reaching those outside of the four walls.

Remember, how you say what you say can make a difference in whether you should have said anything at all.

-Armando

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!