Encouraging, Empowering & Equipping Ordinary Christians To Live Powerful Missional Lives!
There’s a short but powerful story tucked away in Luke 10:38–42—a story many Christians know, but few fully absorb. It’s the moment when Jesus gently corrects a woman who was doing all the right things, yet missing the most important thing. This passage offers a lesson we desperately need in our busy, distracted world.
Read MoreHey friends,
Jay Moore here — founder of The Ordinary Christian. Today I want to share a passage of Scripture that has shaped my spiritual growth for decades. It’s a verse I first memorized in college while being discipled, and it has remained a steady source of encouragement and confidence ever since.
The verse is Joshua 1:8–9, a moment when God is preparing Joshua to step into leadership after the death of Moses. The responsibility was enormous, and Joshua needed reassurance, strength, and direction. God gave him exactly that:
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success… Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
There are three powerful truths here:
This isn’t the empty-mind meditation you hear about in Eastern practices. Biblical meditation is the filling of our minds — chewing on Scripture like a cow chews its cud, bringing it up again and again until it transforms how we think and how we live.
Spiritual maturity isn’t measured by how much Scripture we know, but how much Scripture we obey. God blesses obedience — He always has.
Courage isn’t optional for the Christian life. God commands it — and gives us the reason we can obey it:
He is with us wherever we go.
This verse has carried me through fear, uncertainty, and seasons of transition. And I believe it can do the same for you.
I recorded a full video teaching on this passage, and I’d love for you to watch it:
👉 Watch on YouTube: The Bible Verse That Changed My Life
If the message encourages you, don’t forget to like the video, subscribe, and hit the notification bell — and if you want ongoing weekly encouragement, join The Ordinary Christian newsletter community.
Let’s keep shining the Light of Christ boldly.
God bless,
Jay
We lose our peace the moment we start comparing assignments. God is not asking for your input on where you want to serve. He’s already chosen the place where your light is needed most.
Read MoreIf you’ve ever tried to serve God on your own terms, you’re not alone. Many believers think peace comes when they can control how and where they serve—but the opposite is true. When we surrender our will to God’s will, we experience the freedom and peace that come from trust. Discover how to stop negotiating with God and start embracing His plan with joy and confidence.
Read MoreAre you willing to go into some really dark places in order to shine the Light of Christ brightly?
Read More
Can I tell you about the words that still haunt me to this day?
Those were my exact words to a co-worker named Lauren back in 1977 when she asked me not to bring up Jesus if we went out on a date. At the time, I laughed it off. I wanted her approval more than I wanted to risk her rejection.
Nine months later, I sat in a friend’s apartment watching TV when a breaking news story came on:
My heart sank. My mind went numb. Her face filled the screen, and my words came roaring back like thunder: “I never intended to talk to you about Him.”
That night God broke me. Standing outside the apartment with tears streaming down my face, I felt Him saying:
“Jay, how dare you care more about your image than someone else’s eternity? How dare you bury the greatest gift ever given when souls are at stake?”
It was the night I realized worry is deadly—not just to us, but to the people we refuse to reach. From then on, I made a commitment: if someone gets to know me, they’re also going to know about Jesus. Period.
Because here’s the truth: I’m just God’s delivery boy. I don’t save anyone, but I carry the Good News—and it’s too urgent, too costly, to stay silent.
👉 What keeps YOU from sharing Jesus with others?
👉 What fear, what worry, what excuse has silenced your voice?
I want you to be honest with me. Hit the comment and tell me. Don’t hold back.
Your story matters—not just to me, but to this whole Ordinary Christian community. Who knows? Your testimony might be the spark that helps someone else break free from the same chains of fear.
So, what’s holding you back?
Living a worry free life is God’s will for a Christians life.
Read More
Does worry keep you from sharing jesus with others? You’re not alone
Discover 3 Biblical benefits of living worry-free. Learn how to overcome anxiety as a Christian and step boldly into Christ’s mission today.
“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me.”
— Hudson Taylor
Worry is one of the most paralyzing obstacles a Christian will ever face. And if we’re honest, many of us live under its weight. We worry about the unknowns, about how people will respond to us, about where God might send us, or whether our needs will be met.
But here’s the hard truth: if worry is not dealt with, it will keep us from living the very mission Christ has called us to.
The time to join Christ on His mission is not someday when fear is gone. The time is now.
I know what it’s like to let worry win.
During high school, I often worried more about my image than my faith. I didn’t want to be labeled as a “Jesus freak,” so I stayed quiet when I should have spoken up.
But God brought me to a moment of decision my freshman year of college.
I still remember sitting in front of the television when a news report came on: the 10th victim of the Hillside Strangler had been found. Her name was Lauren Wagner. And as her picture flashed across the screen, my stomach dropped—because I knew her. We had worked together at Taco Bell the year before.
One night while we were working, I had asked her out. She smiled and replied, “On one condition—you never talk to me about that Jesus crap.” And with a nervous laugh I told her, “Don’t worry, I never intended to.”
Those words came back to haunt me that night. As I watched the report, the Holy Spirit pierced me with conviction: I had allowed worry about what people thought to keep me from sharing the greatest hope in the world.
Standing outside that apartment in tears, I made a promise to God: I would never again let worry about my image matter more than someone’s eternity.
Since then, I’ve learned something: living on mission doesn’t mean waiting until your fear disappears. It means stepping forward anyway, trusting Christ to replace your worry with His peace. And when you do, three things happen:
Jesus promised us a peace that the world cannot give (John 14:27). But you can’t experience His peace and cling to your worry at the same time. The choice is simple: surrender worry and gain His peace.
When unbelievers see Christians face trials without fear, they notice. Our peace becomes living proof that God’s Word is true (Romans 8:28).
Worry distracts us with “what ifs.” When it’s gone, we can see clearly where Christ is working and join Him without hesitation.
Friend, don’t wait for the perfect moment. Don’t wait until the fear is gone. Don’t wait until you feel ready.
Jesus said, “Follow me.” And the time to obey Him is always now.
Worry is loud, but it does not have to be your master. Christ has already promised His peace, His presence, and His power.
Let the journey into a worry-free, missional life begin.
✍️ This post is drawn from the introduction of my new book, Living on Mission in Spite of My Worry. If you’re ready to discover six Biblical principles that will help you break free from anxiety and step fully into the life Christ has called you to, you can get your copy here
The Bible speaks a lot about the kind of relationships we as Christians are to have with others around us. It talks about how husbands are to relate their wives and wives to their husbands; it talks about how parents should relate to their kids and how their kids are to relate to them. So, it should not surprise us that the Bible also talks about how Christians are to relate to the people of the world around them. It should actually expect that the Bible would tell us how God wants us to relate to the pagan culture around us. And IT DOES!
In this video we are going to ask and answer 3 questions that will give us insight into how God wants us to relate to the people who live in this world and don’t have faith in Jesus Christ. These 3 questions deal with the different roles that each of us play and what should be expected.
What are these 3 questions:
Who are the people of the world to us who are Christians?
Who are we, as Christians, to the people of this world?
How does God expect us to behave as we live out these roles and engage in these pagan relationship?
So with that in mind watch this video and make sure to LIKE IT, SHARE IT. Also I invite you to signup for The Ordinary Christians newsletter. It will keep you updated on what’s happening with The Ordinary Christian and all new free content/training that is coming out. Here’s the video:
Today I wanted to send out this email specifically and intentionally to encourage you by letting you know that you can offer up your prayers with confidence. But it is sad to say but it is true that so many of our brothers and sisters don't have confidence when they pray. That lack of confidence is a killer to developing a strong and powerful prayer life.
Please watch this video, be encouraged by it, if you find it helpful then share it with your church family. Take courage my friend and may God richly bless you with every spiritual blessing!
Learning to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength is the greatest commandment in the Bible and Jesus said you are not worthy to be his disciples if you love anyone else or anything else. This post is to help you obey the command of loving God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read MoreYou may be shocked to hear that there is a wrong to read the Bible! Can that really be true? If you’re reading the Bible isn’t that a good thing that will help us grow in our spiritual life?
Not always and I might even add, NOT USUALLY!. Everyday there are well meaning Christians who are engaged in reading the Bible and expecting to get the wonderful benefits that pastors and churches have promised them but with very little results. Why? Because they are reading the Bible the wrong way.
If there’s a wrong way to read the Bible then logically there must be a right way to reading the Bible. And that would be absolutely correct.
For me once I started reading the Bible differently, the right way, my whole spiritual life and transformation changed. I knew I was spiritually stronger, I understood spiritual matter clearer, and I was able to fight of temptation with great effectiveness.
Learn how to stop reading the Bible the wrong way.
Loving like Jesus is a command from Jesus that every ordinary christian must learn to obey if they are going to shine the Light of Christ brightly in their part of this dark world.
Read MoreAs Christians were are shine the light of Jesus brightly in our part of this dark world but the question I think we need to ask ourselves is how we can magnify Christ even larger in a world filled with darkness. Or, are there any obstacles that keep us from magnifying Christ in and through our lives.
As Followers of Christ we have experienced spiritual freedom. That idea of freedom leaves us with the impression that before we knew Christ we were slaves and indeed we were truly slaves.
This post is given to help us understand our spiritual freedom and how we are to use it. Watch it! Be challenged by it! And go out and live that freedom.
Just because I’m ordinary doesn’t mean I’m secondary. Ordinary Christians are God’s primary choice for accomplishing His extraordinary mission.
Read MoreWhen we as God’s Children hear that it is our responsibility to make sure that our community hears about the Good News of Jesus Christ we get a bit overwhelmed and begin to doubt whether or not that is even possible. This is especially true if we live in an urban area like Los Angeles or New York City.
Well I want to encourage you today and maybe even empower you using God’s Word. Take a few moments and watch this video about a time when Christ’s Good News totally saturated and urban center of that time. And then never forget. ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD!
There is so much grave concern about what is going on with Russia in regards to Urkraine. And understandably so! But I also want to remind my brothers and sisters in Christ about the lesson God taught King Nebuchadnezzar. It is a lesson that we as God's people need to remember and find comfort in. Here is what God said to the Great King Nebuchadnezzar,
"... and this is the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the beasts of the field, and you be given greass to east like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes." Daniel 4:25
While this is disturbing! While this invasion should cause all of us to stand up, take notice and choose to do something about it. We also need to remember that God is not only on His thrown but God is also in charge of what nations are raised up, what nations are torn down and that it is all about God bringing about the end of this present age and bringing in the age to come also known as the Millennial Kingdom where Christ reigns for a 1000 years.
From an earthly perspective we see nations positioning themselves to further their ambitions but from a Heavenly perspective God is moving His chess pieces to usher in his Kingdom.
So, with all that is going on let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in Ukraine but let us also keep our faith in the Lord Jesus strong and remember that even the nations of this world are under His sovereign authority. And let us pray for God's Kingdom to come and God's will to be done on earth just as it is in Heaven.
Remember the words of Jesus when He told his disciples,
" ... you will be hearing of wars and rumors of war. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom and against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all of these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs." Matthew 24:6-8
Remember God is still in control!
The Bible admonishes us in Romans 8:13 to put to death the deeds of the sinful flesh by the Holy Spirit so that we might truly live. In other words, true life in the Spirit can only happen when true death happens to the lifestyle of the sinful flesh. Before one can live the other must die.
Jesus put it this way in Luke 9:23,24:
“And he was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” NASB
Again we see this dying in order to live. Life in Christ and life in the Spirit cannot fully happen until their is a death to self and to the sinful deeds of the flesh. And according to Jesus this dying must be a daily activity. It is not something a Christian does once and he’s all good to go. No! On the contrary. Death to the sinful deeds of the flesh is something that needs to happen on a day by day basis and sometimes on a moment by moment basis.
Today we are going to look at a story of Peter and Jesus that will give us 5 reasons why this daily dying is so very important. This story is found in Matthew 16:13-23. It says,
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. ‘But what about you?” he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!’. Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (NIV)
From this story we can learn 5 important things about why a Christian should daily put to death the deeds of the sinful flesh and begin to walk in the Spirit of God. Because:
Did you notice how this story started off? It started off with Jesus asking a couple of questions about who do people says that Jesus is. Then Jesus got very specific and personal with a second question. He ask: “Who do you say I am?”
In that moment Peter filled with the Holy Spirit answered the question, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.” And it was the corrected answer! And Jesus explained how it was that Peter was able to come up with the right answer. Jesus said it was because God had revealed the answer to Him and that Peter hadn’t learned it from any man.
You see God the Father through the working of the Holy Spirit made known to Peter who Jesus really was. At that very moment Peter was in the Spirit, filled with the Spirit or understanding the identity of Jesus because of the Spirit.
But then Jesus begins to explain all that was going to happen once they get into Jerusalem. He shared that he was necessary for Him (Jesus) to suffer many things, be killed and then be raise back to life again on the third day.
Why was Jesus telling his disciple these things? Maybe it was to prepare them for what was about to happen; maybe Jesus felt that since Peter had to nicely answered the question about His identity that the disciples were ready to hear more or maybe it was a combination of both of these things and others all combined. But is note worthy is how Peter responded to this disturbing news.
Peter takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke Jesus! Really? Did Peter really feel that he had the right or maybe status to rebuke Jesus? Who knows but that’s what Peter did and Jesus quickly and powerfully corrects Peter for doing it.
Here’s the point I’m trying to make. One moment Peter is walking in the Spirit and then minutes later Peter is now walking in the deeds of the sinful flesh. It happened that quick! In just minutes.
The need for being vigilant in daily crucifying the deeds of the flesh because we can move very quickly from walking in the Spirit to walking in the flesh and not even know we made the transition.
Did you noticed that once Peter moved from walking in the Spirit to walking in the deeds of the flesh the first thing he did was to pull Jesus off to the side and “rebuke” Jesus. That’s right the Bible said Peter rebuked Jesus!
Now before you get to far onto you holy horse and proudly declare that you would never do anything like that let me ask you some self examining questions:
A: Have you ever complained to God about the some disappointing experience in your life?
B: Have you ever argued with God about some ministry assignment that He was giving you?
C: Have you ever avoided reading the Bible because you really didn’t want to hear what God had to say?
If you answered “Yes” to any of those questions then you have been guilty of rebuking God. Why? Because, just like Peter, you are telling God that you know better than Him and that God should listen to you.
Instead of rebuking Christ Peter should have taken this disturbing news to Christ and ask him to explain further and to give him more understanding about what He is hearing. Likewise, we too, should go to God is prayer when we hear or sense God telling us something that we really don’t want to hear. Not to argue or rebuke God but to ask for wisdom and understanding.
When Jesus hears Peter’s rebuke Jesus quickly identify’s what is going on and who is behind all this stuff coming out of Peter’s mouth. Jesus cry’s out, “Get behind me Satan …”
Jesus was making it perfectly clear that he knew exactly who was behind all this and that in a quick moment Peter had, at best, become a tool for Satan. Satan was using Peter to get Jesus off his path of obedience to the Father.
Here we can clearly see why is it of the utmost importance that we daily killed the deeds of the sinful flesh and walk in the Spirit. Because if we fail to do so we can quickly become a tool of Satan to try to obstruct God’s plan and mission.
Now I don’t think that it was Peter’s intention or desire to be a tool of Satan and I don’t think he even knew he was until Jesus identified it. And likewise, I don’t think any of God’s people desire to be used by Satan but that’s exactly what can and will happen if we are not vigilant in putting to death the deeds of the sinful flesh.
If calling Peter a tool of Satan wasn’t enough Jesus then tells Peter that he had now become a hinderance to Him. He was holding Jesus back, Peter had become a roadblock to Jesus from doing what He was sent to do.
What exactly was Peter hindering Jesus from doing? Well, Jesus had just been explaining that it was “Necessary” for him to go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, die and then be resurrected, so it is only reasonable that Jesus was telling Peter that you are trying to keep me from becoming the sacrificial lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Unknowingly, Peter was being an obstacle that if successful would prevent Jesus from taking the punishment of God for our sins. This was the reason for Jesus’ birth - it was to die on the cross and Peter was being a hinderance to Jesus fulfilling that purpose.
Did you know that your failure to put to death the deeds of the sinful flesh can actually be used as a hinderance to God in fulfilling His redemptive purposes? Now can you see why it is so imperative for us to daily kill that sinful flesh.
Read what that last line of verse 23 says,
“because you’re not thinking of God’s concerns but on human concerns.”
I guess that’s what’s been true about all of human history. For the most part mankind, including us, have been fixated upon what is important to us and not really caring about what is important to God.
That was true for the Prophet Jonah. He didn’t want the people of Nineveh to experience God’s forgiveness - Jonah wanted them to experience God’s wrath and judgment. That’s why he didn’t go the first time God called him and even after he went Jonah whined and complained that God did forgive them. You see Jonah knew that it was in God’s nature to forgive those who sincerely repents but Jonah didn’t want them to repent. As a result, Jonah found to joy or happiness in seeing an entire city repent from their sins and experience God’s forgiveness.
Why did Jonah have this negative attitude? Because he was walking in the deeds of the sinful flesh.
To walking in the deeds of the sinful flesh is to be hard hearted to what is important to God and it is to be self-centered instead of God-centered. As Christians we find our true and lasting joy by joining God to accomplish what God’s heart desires. To walk in the deeds of the sinful flesh is to lose all that joy that could and should be our.
There is only one solution and that is to mortify, kill, destroy the works of the sinful flesh from our lives on a day by day basis and sometimes that is on a moment by moment basis during a particular day.
Now that you know 5 reasons why it is so important to do, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to allow the deeds of the sinful flesh live on in your life or are you going to kill them? Do you even know how to kill them?
Let me close with his quick little Bible verse to help you understand how to accomplish that killing? In Galatians 5:16 it says,
“I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desires of the flesh.”
This is a promise! If you learn to live by the Holy Spirit and His control over your life you will naturally not carry out the desire of the sinful flesh. You can’t kill the flesh with flesh. You kill the flesh by the Holy Spirit living in and through you.
Photo by Mercedes Bosquet on Unsplash
Watch this video and receive empowerment from God’s Word to go live a life that reflects the glory of Christ back into the lives of those still trapped in darkness.
We believe that ordinary christians are God primary choice for doing His extraordinary work. Throughout scripture we see God choosing to use everyday people to join Him on His mission of raising up, training up and unleashing them to become rapidly reproducing disciple makers. The Ordinary Christians intends to join God in that pursuit.
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