Respect God and His Ways

by Jason DeZurik

If you call yourself a Christian, do you actually do what the Word of God says?  Sure you read it, pray, and go to Sunday morning services, but do you actually live out the Word of God?  Do you only try to be a good person and just get by doing only the easy things it teaches?  Are you seeing or living out Acts 3:38-47?
 
Are you living out God’s dream or the American dream?  Maybe living out your dream has nothing to with God’s dream for you.  I ask this question because once my family and I started seeking out God’s will with all of out heart, mind, soul, and strength and quit worrying about what people thought of us, the real adventure began.
 
I think there are people out there that know what God wants them to do, but they are afraid to follow Him because of what their friends and family might say or think.  Also, some people are not willing to give up their comfortable lifestyle.
 
My family and I don’t really buy a lot of new things anymore, but we do share with a lot of people and they share with us.  A great example of this was the other morning we ran out of milk.  I was just about to go buy some when a friend showed up at the door with 3 gallons.  It was like 8:00 in the morning! We’ve also been given clothes that others have outgrown or no longer need.  Some of these clothes are nicer than what we would have bought new for ourselves.  We give clothes to others as well.  It is really incredible to see God bless His children through His people.
 
Another way God blesses us is through our health care plan.  We belong to a co-op called Samaritan Ministries.  It is a group of Christians that help pay for each other’s health care costs.  We pray for each other and share the load financially.  We send our monthly check to someone in need in the co-op.  For example, my oldest son needed to go to the emergency room for care at our local hospital.  We let the need be made known to the co-op and we received checks from our Christian brothers and sisters to help pay for the emergency visit.
 
I want to encourage my Christian brothers and sisters to rethink how we do life here on earth.  If we really believe this earth is not our home, we need to have a kingdom perspective and build up treasures in heaven rather than treasures here on earth.  I encourage you again to read the book of Acts 1-4 and start living what you are reading.  If we put our faith in God and not man, our example will be seen by all.
 
Fear God and not men.  This essentially means respect our Father God.  He deserves it. 
 
For further reading check out Joshua 24:15 and Romans 3:21-31.

Following the Tough Narrow Path

by Jason DeZurik
(Note: Before reading the following blog please know this story is about trusting and obeying God. It is not about health insurance being bad. But we do hope it gets you to rethink some things through in your life.)

Over two years ago when my family and I begin our journey in starting Worldview Warriors, we needed to head down a very difficult yet rewarding path on which we had many difficult decisions to make. These decisions would affect our whole family. One of the most difficult decisions at the time was what to do about health care.

You see, we had been trained, probably a lot like you are, that we needed and deserved health insurance and needed to have it since we have a family of 8 people. At the time we definitely didn’t have the money to pay for something called COBRA, which we could have gotten for a time to have some, “peace of mind” but it was far too expensive for our income. So, we went without health insurance for about a month.

One thing you don’t know yet by reading this blog is that my wife was pregnant with our 6th child at the time and she was due in October of that year. We definitely needed health insurance (or so we thought.) We even went through the hoops and paperwork to get the government health insurance that is available, but we knew deep down this was a mistake. We knew God was not calling us to use this government service. It was a difficult time for us because we had unknowingly been trained to think inside of this man-made system and to not have health insurance at the time seemed like utter foolishness. If you will, we had been trained to trust in human ideas and not in God and His ways of wisdom. God was calling us to obey Him and trust Him. So, we cancelled the government insurance and relied in God. This was about 6 – 8 weeks before our daughter was born.

About one month before she was about to grace us with her presence, someone contacted us and told us these words, “My husband and I have been praying and if we don’t pay for this pregnancy, God told us we would be sinning.” My wife and I were shocked, dumb-founded, and amazed! We hadn’t told anyone of our need and yet this woman of God was telling us that God had told her that they needed to pay completely for this pregnancy. This included all doctor visits before the birth, the birth itself, and any check ups with the mid-wife right after the birth.

God spoke to this couple about our situation. They heard Him and obeyed. Even though it was hard not to have health insurance, God blessed us immensely for our trust in Him. He is our provider.

Are you willing to completely trust in God? Are you willing to trust the God who gives you life? Take time this week to read about Abraham’s faith in Romans 4 and challenge yourself to live as he did. I encourage you to start following his example and see what adventure God has in store for you.

Next week I will continue this story and our journey of trusting God and His people completely. My family and I are continuing to learn not to trust in human ways of thought, but in God’s and God’s alone. Remember, human ways are not God’s ways. Man’s wisdom is utter foolishness to God.

Further Reading

1 Corinthians 2:14 - The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 1:17-19 - For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Matthew 7:13 - 23

Acts 2:14 – 4:37 (Read just one chapter a day over and over. I encourage you to live life as the early church did.)

History

I am excited to inform you that I have asked Scott Will to start writing for Worldview Warriors. He has graciously accepted my invitation to share with us his thoughts and wisdom. As we begin this new chapter in Worldview Warriors history I look forward letting you know more about him and the ministry God has called this wonderful man to.
- Jason DeZurik

"History"
by Scott Will

As a history teacher, I was asked to start posting some notes dealing with the foundations of our nation as they are relative to Christianity. Although history is my expertise, I have actually been wrestling with this topic for a couple of weeks.

First and foremost, we need to realize that today's Christianity as a whole has gotten off track. Many have molded Christianity to fit the secular world of today. We want Christianity to fit into the business of our schedule; we want to be able to hit the high road Sunday mornings, have our cup of coffee and hellos, and then hit the nitty gritty, upgrade, and do as much as possible to live the "American Dream" throughout the rest of the week. I have been guilty of this behavior in the past, which is why I am so passionate about it now.

Our lifestyle today would never have existed had it not been for groups of people who decided to make the voyage from Europe to the New World to exercise their religion free from the persecution of the Catholic Church. Today would never have existed had our Founding Fathers not recognized that the only way America would grow would be through disconnecting from the English monarchy and establishing freedom of choice — free will. This day would never have existed had it not been for the recognition of God by Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence.

In that document, Jefferson noted that the political constraints that held America hostage were to be broken for the reason of "the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them." With this statement as my framework, every couple of weeks I would like to elaborate on the fact that America was founded upon Christian principles.

We speak of religious freedom every day, but that religious freedom has come at the price of Christianity’s being removed from the very society that it was part of creating. I hope that you will comment and we will have some fruitful discussion, as we dig deep into what it was that made America what it is today.

God is Faithful

by Jason DeZurik

Years ago, I sensed that the Lord was leading me to read biographies of great people in history. For instance, two people who came to mind were Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

I bought a few biographies that piqued my interest but never read them, for, as life goes, I became busy with other things that crowded out my reading. However, within the last six months, much has changed — thanks to God using an incredible man from Lima, Ohio, who is discipling me. He challenged me about four months ago to form a board of directors. I told him, “Worldview Warriors already has a board of directors in place.” He responded, “I mean a board of directors for life.”

He explained that when I am faced with decisions throughout life, I will often need to sit down and have a “meeting” with my board of directors. He said, “You may even want to sit down, place all the books you’ve read from these people in front of you, and consider what each person would do in this situation. Learn from their wisdom and mistakes.”

He insisted that one of the books must, of course, be the Bible. He also encouraged me to read the biographies of Billy Graham, Mother Theresa, and Ghandi. He said that the biography of General Patton should also be on the list. “He will teach you how to not give up your position,” he said.

Thus, I obtained a biography of General Patton and General Rommel (who was in the German army during World War II). I have learned so much from both of these men already, and I am only one fifth of the way through the book!

I am telling you this for two reasons. First, leaders are learners, and we all need to grow, no matter where we are in life. Even my discipler, who is in his 60s, told me, “I’ve never thought of reading about General Rommel. You’ve taught me something today.”

Secondly, although I didn’t read these biographies years ago, as God was urging me, God didn’t forget what He wanted me to do. I had forgotten, but He didn’t allow my distraction to divert His purpose. God is faithful!

Here’s my challenge to you: find a biography on a great person in history. Do you have a hero or someone you’d like to learn more about? Buy a biography on that person and read a little each night. I think you will be surprised at how much you will learn from the past. If you can’t make up your mind or don’t know where to start, I suggest that you try a biography of Theodore Roosevelt, General Thomas Patton, or Mother Theresa. Then pray every day that God would help you to daily implement what you are learning.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” You can learn throughout your life. Let God train you.

Falling Off a Cliff

by Jason DeZurik

Looking back on my life I can now see that in 2006 of November God had me standing on the edge of a cliff in the spiritual realm telling me to jump.  Over two years before this, God was preparing my family and I to start a new ministry geared toward helping students, adults, and families become true followers of Jesus Christ.  God had been training my family and I to help people not only get into the Kingdom of God through the narrow gate in Matthew 7, but to also live a holy life pleasing to God in all they do.  We realized that the way to life eternal was to not only go through the narrow gate but to live the narrow path that Jesus teaches about.  If you haven’t noticed by now this scripture text in Matthew 7 has really impacted my life. 

So, two years ago on June 4th, my family and I jumped off the cliff and began an adventure with God.  We had no idea where this path would lead us but I knew we had heard God’s voice and needed to obey.
It was one of the toughest decisions I have ever made in my life. We would be leaving the comfort of a weekly support team, health insurance and a steady paycheck. We would be trading that for a life of uncertainty, much lower pay and we would have to rethink how to live in a society where we wouldn’t be the norm.

To put it bluntly God basically said, “Do you trust me?” To which we said, “Yes.” And He responded with, “Then leave what you are comfortable with and follow me down the narrow path. Are you willing to take up your cross?” We have had to rethink our whole approach to many things in this life.

The ministry of Worldview Warriors is even more than we thought it would be. God is using this ministry more throughout the world than I personally imagined up to this point.  Worldview Warriors is now helping families in the Philippines get out of forced prostitution and slavery in our ministry partnerships with Threads of Hope and His Work Undercover (Read more in this newsletter). Our internet presence is being felt not only in North America, but also in Europe, Australia, Asia, and even Africa.  God is moving through this ministry!

Faces in the ministry have come and gone, but God continues to bring qualified passionate people to the ministry for us to continue to raise the bar for Christ’s Kingdom.  Our Fastcasts (the 30 second audio devotionals) continue to be played on WXML radio in Ohio and we are currently recording more Fastcasts as you are receiving this newsletter.

On a more personal note, my family and I have been majorly stretched, refined, and pruned by God. He continues this process even today.  This road has been difficult and at times, seemingly unbearable. My family and the team we have put together at Worldview Warriors continues to focus in on the Holy Spirit. We are learning more and more how to listen to Him and be guided by Him.

If you support this ministry in any way it is such a huge blessing. Whether you pray, use our materials, give financially, or trust us enough to bring us in for an event, know we could not do this ministry without people like you. We praise God for you everyday. We need to become the church that is talked about in scripture with Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.

So, how are you and your family doing following the narrow path? Please do not only go through the narrow gate but start living the narrow path as well.    Matthew 7:13 - 23.

The Path is Narrow Too

by Jason DeZurik

Through my travels around the country, I am blessed to meet so many wonderful, caring people who are not afraid to serve God. I also meet many people who call themselves Christians, yet I can’t help but wonder, “Are they really?”

I write this not to judge but to get us to think about and examine ourselves. Let me explain. I believe Jesus when He said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

In my travels, I have been exposed to a variety of churches with an even greater variety of styles. This is amazing to see how different we are yet worship the same Lord and Savior. I visited one church that host an annual gambling tournament! Yes, they are actually gambling in this church-sponsored event. I’ve spoken with a youth pastors who’ve struggled with their church holding events they don’t agree with but don’t know what they should do about the situation. Things like “outreach events”, which are actually alcoholic parties where people get drunk. These “outreaches” are even sponsored by the senior pastors.

Yet beyond these outrageous realities, here’s the kicker for me: Many pastors divorce or do not have their lives in order in other ways, yet the church does nothing about it. The congregants leave the pastor in his role of leadership (and call it grace), even though I Timothy 3 clearly states the life for which overseers and deacons should be striving. I will paraphrase it for you: Be the husband of but one wife, who manages his own family well and whose children obey Him with proper respect. This man must be self-controlled, not a drunk or lover of money. (See it all in 1 Timothy 3:1-13.) My point here is that Jesus said in Matthew 7 that the gate that leads to life is narrow. He also said that the path is narrow. Readers, this is a call to holiness.

How are you doing? Heck, how am I doing? Are you falling into the ways of the world, or are you taking the narrow path that leads to life? This is difficult to do, I understand. I often strive and fail in this area.
However, the key is this: are you tapping into the Holy Spirit or yourself for strength? Are you tapping into knowledge or into your relationship with the King of the universe? The solution is not in us. It is in Christ. Pray and ask God today to lead and direct your path. Then listen for His voice and obey His direction. See what happens when you follow Christ with a reckless abandon. The adventure awaits!

Silverline Signs with VSR/EMI

by Jason DeZurik

Here is some exciting news for a band I work with all the time. Worldview Warriors partners with them too. They are great godly men trying to serve Christ in all they do. So with no further adieu here is the note on Silverline.

In the fall of ’08 we recorded a 4 song EP with Steve Wilson in Nashille. During that recording session we started to really fall into a sound we liked and for the first time really felt that we found our niche. The songs we had been working on over the last year were starting to take form into something we were very pleased with. And sonically it was becoming the best stuff we’ve put out.

After the success of our first independent release “Start to Believe” word started to spread through the music industry in the area and also nationally. Several regional Rock Radio stations picked up the single and it soon rose up the charts. Not often does an independent band have any success on national radio. We were very honored that so many people called in and requested a band they had never even heard of. Phone calls started coming in from A&R reps, Managers, and Booking Agents. Over the winter SL started sifting through different options. Several Major Record labels started the process of building a relationship with us to see if their label would be a good fit.

Honestly, a lot of the larger labels really had a warped view of how to treat a band. The last thing we wanted to do was sign over the rights to our stuff to a massive corporation that doesn’t care about our goals as a band. It seemed like they have this “Formula for Success” that they run on all their artists. We have always had very high goals for SL. Musically, but mostly the ministry we want to maintain as the heart of everything we do. After talking with many different people, we came across VSR.

VSR was different. They seemed more interested in what we wanted to accomplish, instead of what they could get from us. We had never heard of them before so we started talking with Ken Mary, President of the Label. A connection was made right away, and after a flight down to discuss goals, we began to record what would become our first National Release. VSR is fairly new, just a couple of years so far, but they have very experienced staff. They are under the umbrella of EMI, one of the largest distribution companies in the world. They were excited to sign us not only because they liked our music, but really believe in our vision. We are thrilled with the deal, because it was the only offer we received that didn’t try to take us for fools. We respectfully agreed on a deal that will no doubt benefit both parties. It is good to know in a business full of greed there are still some honest people out there who know what it means to conduct business with integrity.

As of now all the tracks have been recorded, and our album is in Post Production. We are currently designing album art, and will be taking some new photos soon. We are discussing touring options, and starting to outline our future. Our album will be available this summer! Keep checking our “Myspace” and “Facebook” for updates on the exact date.

Please pray for us as we begin this new stage in our lives. Even though we have already had a long journey to get here, somehow it feels like we are just beginning. It is our prayer that God will be able to use us greatly over the next season of our music careers. Thank you so much to all of you who have stuck with us through the many years of becoming who we are today. We humbly thank you for supporting us and believing in us. Silverline exists to bring people into the “All Consuming Love” of the Father, and challenge them to reach there full potential and calling in life! We love you all! God Bless.

You can check out more on these guys at www.myspace.com/silverlinemusic