A Jesus Home

We are called to be part of a glorious body of Christ, and God's intent is expressed through His
people. In Hebrews 10, we can read:
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

We are all running the race of life together, aren't we?  And, we can encourage one another in the Lord to love and serve Him well.  God provides us circumstances in which we can honor Him - that may flow out of our one-on-one time with Him, or it can be with a small group, such as a family, or a large group, such as an entire church body and group of churches.  We can be sensitive to how God places us so that we can grow in Him and do His will.

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God has a purpose for our lives, and He calls us to serve Him and to honor Him individually, as well
as with others - and that can include our families. Psalm 68 says:
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.
6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

If you've seen the movie, War Room, then you're familiar with the scene in which Elizabeth, the character played by Priscilla Shirer, in a time in which her home was being besieged by the power of the enemy, called out to God - and the devil - in a powerful declaratory prayer.

I thought about that moment when I read these words from an actress who has an Alabama connection.  She told CBN:

"When I'm in my house and I'm afraid if I'm by myself or my husband's asleep before me, and I get afraid and I'm walking the halls and you just get that creepy feeling like goosebumps up your back like something's not right, I just say out loud, you know, 'This is a Jesus home, Satan's not welcome here, get out, this is a home for Jesus," she said.

"Immediately... you feel that darkness go away," she explained.

Once she played a "teenage witch" on television, then a teacher who faced legal action because of her faith in the movie, God's Not Dead 2.  Recently, Melissa Joan Hart, according to ChristianHeadlines.com, traveled to Zambia, "along with her husband, Mark Wilkerson, and their oldest son, Mason. The family brought supplies to one of the villages in Zambia – a special village for the family as it is home to three sisters who are sponsored by the Hart family."

The Wilkersons sponsor through World Vision. According to the story, she told Entertainment Tonight: “We brought them toys and necessities, socks and food,” adding, "...they also provided goats for the villagers, which made a 'big change,' adding 'they can then learn to farm and teach others and share the goats.'”

On Instagram, she wrote: "My absolute favorite moment in Zambia this month was our first prayer with the families in Moyo AP. Sitting on a hillside with our new friends, feeling the hot breeze across my cheek with my eyes closed listening to the Tonga translation of the words the family prayed over everyone there...," adding, “We would usually end the visit with a prayer Mark or I would say blessing the people with health, crops of plenty and strong livestock...It was a magical time all around. And the dancing to the drums was incredible everywhere we went.”

My quote from Hart earlier was from the Paula Faris ABC podcast.  The CBN story relates that:

Hart tells Faris she was raised Catholic on Long Island while her husband was raised Baptist in Alabama. Over time, as a married couple they searched for unity in their pursuit of faith in Christ, and they eventually settled on becoming Presbyterian.

She's put her kids in Christian preschool and has been studying God's word through a Community Bible Study where she lives in Connecticut. She loves being surrounded by Christians she can pray with and says her goal is continual growth by getting to know God through getting to know the scripture.

Hart told the interviewer, "I'm a Christian, I believe that Jesus is my savior. I believe in God and I believe in Jesus as His son..."

According to Wikipedia, her husband, Mark, is from Enterprise and is responsible for co-writing Chris Daughtry's first big hit song.  Mark also performed a concert in his hometown after the tornado that levelled the high school in 2007.  Mark and Melissa have been married since 2003.

So, good for the actor, who has proclaimed her dedication to Jesus and who has declared her home to be a "Jesus home."  That is a phrase that can really resonate and help us to consider what that really means.  Certainly, we can make a profession of faith and try to live the Christian life, but we can ask ourselves if we are really living that out - at home, in front of our families.

We can consider if we are allowing the presence of God to be evident in our lives each day.  And, if we are claiming our homes and families for Christ and praying protection against the hand of the enemy.  When we are beset by fear and turmoil, we can take steps to release peace and comfort in the Lord through prayer.

And, the Wilkersons' definition of a "Jesus home," it appears, involves service.  What goes on inside the home is certainly important, but we can also make sure that we are making an impact on the world around us.  That may involve going halfway around the world, or perhaps, as Bob Goff alluded to in yesterday's conversation, across the street.  Recent guest Karen Whiting inspired us regarding families serving together, which can help to strengthen family cohesiveness.  Our aim is to glorify God with those whom God has called us to serve.