About a month ago, as I thought about this trip to Nicaragua, I feel like I heard the Lord to prepare a sermon...just in case... I remember Jackie Pullinger telling us that we should show up to church with something/being ready to use the gifts God has given us. Church should be a place of giving rather than taking, which I know I am prone to do. Perhaps it was nutty to write something down, print it out, and be ready, just in case. But, I did it anyway. And, maybe it was just for me -- to get my thoughts down. To remind myself that the Lord is working in me.
Good morning, friends. I am beyond blessed to be here. I had the privilege of coming to Nicaragua for the first time in March and I fell in love with your country, your people, you. It is an honor that the Lord has brought me back. I’m going to speak from my heart, about what the Lord has been teaching me over the past month or so. It is my prayer that this will resonate with at least one of you. That God will use these words to pierce someone’s hearts as they come from Him and not me.
Let us pray.
You don’t have to raise your hands, but answer for yourself: do you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus? What does it mean to KNOW Jesus? Sometimes it is easy to think knowing Jesus means being “good enough.”
Yet I don’t always feel good enough. Do you? Friends, sometimes I feel like I can’t move forward. Sometimes I feel like I keep getting stuck doing the same old things over and over again even though I know Jesus. Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever wonder if you’ve really been changed by the blood shed on the cross?
A lot of things that we do one day look different when we wake up the next morning. I shouldn’t have slept with my girlfriend. I shouldn’t have said that nasty thing to my friend. I shouldn’t have been mean to my mother. I shouldn’t have gotten drunk. I shouldn’t have stolen. I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. I shouldn’t have walked out. I shouldn’t have stayed. There are so many “I shouldn’t haves...” out there...
How many of you just want to “get it together?” How many of your fight the battle in your head that you can fix yourself? I know I have.
What I want you to hear today...what I need to hear today is that Jesus offers GRACE.
John 1:14-17
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ( John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Verse 16, “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has given us grace. BUT do you accept it?
John 20:30-31
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Jesus is the Son of God the Father. He gave His life for our lives -- that we might have eternal life in heaven and abundant life on earth. If we are living with Jesus, shouldn’t we be living abundantly?
Romans 6:12-15
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
It is one of me beautiful mysteries of being a Christian, of knowing and loving Jesus. That, yes, we are to fight our sin. But we don’t have to fight alone! We have been given a helper! We have been given the Holy Spirit!
Romans 5:5-6
and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
And, when we listen to the Spirit, when we walk with Him, we are able to be more obedient. Yet, we will fall down. And when we do, there is grace. Christianity does NOT tell us we have to be perfect. It does NOT tell us we have to get it together, that we cannot make mistakes. Quite opposite really. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit tell us to come as we are.
Romans 6:20-23
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Friends, as you know, life is not always easy. We face money problems. We face people problems. We get heart broken. We do things we wish we could take back. We are sick. We lose loved ones. We wonder how we will survive.
And, yet, we have been promised life. Those who know and love Jesus have been promised abundant life. Jesus does NOT promise that our lives will be easy. We will endure hardships and troubles and pain. But we will endure those things. Because He has promised NEVER to leave us and NEVER to forsake us. He has promised to provide for all of our needs out of His glorious riches. He loves us. He loves us more than we can understand.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
So, yes, there are times when we make bad choices. Times when we do things we know are wrong and are not glorifying to the Lord Jesus Christ. However, we are NO LONGER slaves to those things. No, we have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We are His. We are chosen! We are royalty! We are holy!
Is this how you perceive yourselves? If you’re a believer in Jesus, then you are royalty! It doesn’t mean that you will be perfect. It means something so much greater! It means that God sees you. He knows you. He thinks you are special. He loves you. It means that no matter what you do, He loves you. It means that there is nothing you can do to separate you from His love.
The Lord has spent the past year reminding me that I am royalty. He has patiently been telling me and showing me that I belong to Him. That I am his daughter, beautiful and beloved and anointed. He wants me to know those things; I want to live out of that truth -- to live a life that reflects the inheritance one can only receive through the cross. Living a life out of the love I have so greatly been given.
You don’t have to do enough. You don’t have to try to make yourself good enough. You don’t have to keep trying -- only to feel burdened from doing so. Someone told me a few weeks ago, “this is your identity; you can accept it or reject it.” So, I ask you: how do you see yourselves? Do you know who you are? Are you living like royalty? Are you accepting the identity that can ONLY be given to you by God?
Our earthly fathers are sinful just like each of us is. But our father in Heaven is perfect and he loves us perfectly. Because when we live as God’s children, we see God more clearly. We see Him providing for us and blessing us. We know that we can go to Him with anything. We know that He loves us. We know that He cares for us. We know that He delights in us. We know that we belong to Him.
And when we live out of that truth, when we know who we are and who we belong to, we are able to trust God. We are able to be thankful and grateful, even when life is not easy. We are able to live full and abundant lives. We come as we are, we come messy and dirty, and full of mistakes. We come and we let God love us and make us into the children He created us to be.
I am reminded of the hymn, “Come ye Sinners,” with the following words:
Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus, ready, stands to save you,
Full of pity, joined with power.
He is able, He is able;
He is willing; doubt no more.
Come ye needy, come, and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Without money, without money
Come to Jesus Christ and buy.
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry 'til you're better,
You will never come at all.
Not the righteous, not the righteous;
Sinners Jesus came to call.
Amen. Let’s pray.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
We have the power of the Lord
As I'm preparing to head back to Nicaragua in a few days, as I've been thinking about my last trip there. I wrote a sermon and preached in a church the first full day we were there. Crazy. I cruised back over it this morning, almost in preparation of returning to a place I love. Having BIG expectations for God working while I'm there. Actually, I want BIG expectations of God all the time.
Hola! Como estas! Thank you so much for having me; it is truly an honor. If you told me a few years ago that I’d be giving this talk to you, I would have said that you were crazy. BUT the Lord is full of surprises! He has been teaching me -- in His word, through His power, and through personal experience, about the power of the Holy Spirit. While I got to meet and begin a relationship with Jesus when I was 16, I just got to meet the Holy Spirit about a year or so ago, and have been getting to know Him more and more. I am so glad! And I am honored to be sharing things that I’ve been learning with you.
(Open in prayer...Ephesians 6:19-20, “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”)
Who is God? He is the creator of all things, he transcends time, He is over all things, He knows all things, He is everywhere, He is the Father...He is our heavenly Father...
Revelation 4:8,11
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” ...
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God, begotten of God. He walked the earth as a man: sharing truth with people, healing people, loving people. And then, he took on our sin, and died on the cross. BUT he conquered death and rose again from the dead. Those who know Him will spend eternity worshipping Him...
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Do you know Jesus? Not just about Him or what people say about Him? BUT do you really know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Are you in relationship with Him? The name Jesus means to save people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation. Do you know Him?
Who is the Holy Spirit? He is the very spirit of God. He has been from the beginning. He is the helper. He is the counselor. He leads and guides us. He lives in God’s people...
John 14:26, 20:22
[Jesus said] “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
And when he [Jesus] had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Do you know the Holy Spirit? Do you know His power? Do you want MORE? Do you want a revival? YES, LORD!
Matthew 3:16
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.
The Holy Spirit came down on Jesus -- no where in the Bible do we see the dove ascending/leaving the earth! The Holy Spirit is still working on earth today! He is in God’s people now! And He is working!
That isn’t the only time we see a dove in the Scripture...
How many of you know the story of Noah and the arc? People were not obedient to the Lord and He decided to wipe out the people and animals on the earth -- but out of mercy, He spared Noah, his family, and two animals of each species. It rained for months and months and months. Y’all can relate with your rainy seasons. And throughout all the months, Noah, his family, and the animals remained safe and dry in the arc. And then, the rains ceased.
Genesis 8:6-12
At the end of forty days [after the rain stopped] Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
The dove goes out and looks for a place to land. When he doesn’t find anywhere, he goes back; this pattern repeats until he finds a place outside of the ark to make a home. When the dove is sent out today, what will it find? The dove represents the Holy Spirit of God. When God sends Him out, will He find a place to land in your heart? A place to make a home -- to dwell in?
John 16:7
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you [the Holy Spirit]. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus Himself told us that it was to our advantage for Him to leave and for the Holy Spirit to come to us -- to live and make a home inside believers of Jesus Christ.
Our church has a Wednesday night service that is fairly small and intimate. I don’t get to attend the service very often. However, I was there one Wednesday this past October. During the worship, we were singing a song that says, "Jesus, my passion in life is to know you. May all other goals bow down to you..." I was praying and laying down my goals before the Lord AND all of a sudden, it was as if someone was blowing in my left ear. Wooshing past me. It was audible and my whole body shivered.
No one was sitting on either side of me. But you see, I am a skeptic, so just to be sure, I turned to look at the people behind me. The guy directly behind me was sitting down, bowed over in prayer. The guy behind me to the left was completely engrossed in worship.
I thought: wow, Holy Spirit, you are with me! Then I started laughing because of course He is. Was such a sweet and personal reminder of His presence.
THEN the pastor began talking and he read Acts 2:1-13. Verse 2 says, “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” Y’all, the Lord blew me away with His goodness! He blessed me with a tangible reminder that He is ALIVE! Very personal and very close to me! What a joy; what a gift! The ways of the Lord are not boring!
Acts 2:2-4
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Jesus heals many in the bible which is awesome. But it doesn't end there. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then you are filled with the power of God. Let’s look at a few examples in Acts.
Acts 1:8
Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
God blesses us with the Holy Spirit so that we can be a witness to the world around us. Are you witnessing to those around you? Do those around you know that you are clothed in the Holy Spirit? I know that I have a lot of room to grow in this area.
Acts 3:2-8
And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
In the name of Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter healed a man! The Lord restored full use of a man’s legs who had been lame since birth! How incredible is that!
Acts 9:33-34
There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose.
Again! Peter speaks with the authority given to him. Jesus uses us to heal people! For those of us in Christ Jesus, we have been given the same power and authority! Are you using it? Are you blessing those around you? Do you believe that Jesus will use YOU to heal people in need?
A few weeks ago, I was talking with a some friends about some cool things the Lord has done. One friend had her leg grown in a time of prayer! The next day I was running and thought it would be cool if there was someone I could pray for their leg to be healed. But as part of this training I'm doing, I needed to do my full 20 minutes of running (always the practical one I am). After the run, I was walking back to my car.
A guy in front of me with a dog was limping. I passed him only to realize I'd be passing down an opportunity to pray with someone that I'd asked the Lord for! His name was Jake and he said his dog ran to chase another dog, he twisted his ankle, and it hurt and now he was limping. I laid hands on him and asked the Holy Spirit to heal his ankle in the name of Jesus. Jake said it felt much better but he was still limping again. So, I prayed again, and he was totally healed! I was overjoyed with the goodness of the God I serve!
As I walked away I asked Jake if he was just saying that...in disbelief that his leg had been healed, he assured me he was not just saying that. If the Lord used me, I know He will use you, too!
Peter brings Tabitha back to life in Acts 9:36-40. I haven’t been able to be a part of that experience yet, but I want to. There are so many ways the Lord works! He manifests Himself in all kinds of ways! I have been privileged to receive or witness others receiving the gift of tongues, laughter, healing, words of knowledge, interpretation of tongues, and more. I do not want to put a limit on what our God can do!
What do you think people think of when they think of Christians? It may be different in your culture/community. But in mine, the ones that love Jesus are often thought of as being nice and good. Friends, I’m tired of that! We are more than that! It doesn’t take the power of God to be nice. It takes the power of God to SHOW the world who our Lord Jesus Christ is. We have the power of God living in us! Let us ask our God to do big things in us! Not because of us, but because of Him -- because of who He is -- that we want the world to know Him for all that He is...He isn’t just a nice God; rather, He is a great and powerful God!
I’m paraphrasing the following from Bill Johnson:
Do you want a revolution?! Ask for the Lord for it and see what He does. See what He does through you! With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Revelation 11:15
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.
(End in prayer.)
Hola! Como estas! Thank you so much for having me; it is truly an honor. If you told me a few years ago that I’d be giving this talk to you, I would have said that you were crazy. BUT the Lord is full of surprises! He has been teaching me -- in His word, through His power, and through personal experience, about the power of the Holy Spirit. While I got to meet and begin a relationship with Jesus when I was 16, I just got to meet the Holy Spirit about a year or so ago, and have been getting to know Him more and more. I am so glad! And I am honored to be sharing things that I’ve been learning with you.
(Open in prayer...Ephesians 6:19-20, “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”)
Who is God? He is the creator of all things, he transcends time, He is over all things, He knows all things, He is everywhere, He is the Father...He is our heavenly Father...
Revelation 4:8,11
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” ...
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God, begotten of God. He walked the earth as a man: sharing truth with people, healing people, loving people. And then, he took on our sin, and died on the cross. BUT he conquered death and rose again from the dead. Those who know Him will spend eternity worshipping Him...
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Do you know Jesus? Not just about Him or what people say about Him? BUT do you really know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Are you in relationship with Him? The name Jesus means to save people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation. Do you know Him?
Who is the Holy Spirit? He is the very spirit of God. He has been from the beginning. He is the helper. He is the counselor. He leads and guides us. He lives in God’s people...
John 14:26, 20:22
[Jesus said] “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
And when he [Jesus] had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Do you know the Holy Spirit? Do you know His power? Do you want MORE? Do you want a revival? YES, LORD!
Matthew 3:16
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.
The Holy Spirit came down on Jesus -- no where in the Bible do we see the dove ascending/leaving the earth! The Holy Spirit is still working on earth today! He is in God’s people now! And He is working!
That isn’t the only time we see a dove in the Scripture...
How many of you know the story of Noah and the arc? People were not obedient to the Lord and He decided to wipe out the people and animals on the earth -- but out of mercy, He spared Noah, his family, and two animals of each species. It rained for months and months and months. Y’all can relate with your rainy seasons. And throughout all the months, Noah, his family, and the animals remained safe and dry in the arc. And then, the rains ceased.
Genesis 8:6-12
At the end of forty days [after the rain stopped] Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
The dove goes out and looks for a place to land. When he doesn’t find anywhere, he goes back; this pattern repeats until he finds a place outside of the ark to make a home. When the dove is sent out today, what will it find? The dove represents the Holy Spirit of God. When God sends Him out, will He find a place to land in your heart? A place to make a home -- to dwell in?
John 16:7
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you [the Holy Spirit]. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus Himself told us that it was to our advantage for Him to leave and for the Holy Spirit to come to us -- to live and make a home inside believers of Jesus Christ.
Our church has a Wednesday night service that is fairly small and intimate. I don’t get to attend the service very often. However, I was there one Wednesday this past October. During the worship, we were singing a song that says, "Jesus, my passion in life is to know you. May all other goals bow down to you..." I was praying and laying down my goals before the Lord AND all of a sudden, it was as if someone was blowing in my left ear. Wooshing past me. It was audible and my whole body shivered.
No one was sitting on either side of me. But you see, I am a skeptic, so just to be sure, I turned to look at the people behind me. The guy directly behind me was sitting down, bowed over in prayer. The guy behind me to the left was completely engrossed in worship.
I thought: wow, Holy Spirit, you are with me! Then I started laughing because of course He is. Was such a sweet and personal reminder of His presence.
THEN the pastor began talking and he read Acts 2:1-13. Verse 2 says, “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” Y’all, the Lord blew me away with His goodness! He blessed me with a tangible reminder that He is ALIVE! Very personal and very close to me! What a joy; what a gift! The ways of the Lord are not boring!
Acts 2:2-4
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Jesus heals many in the bible which is awesome. But it doesn't end there. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then you are filled with the power of God. Let’s look at a few examples in Acts.
Acts 1:8
Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
God blesses us with the Holy Spirit so that we can be a witness to the world around us. Are you witnessing to those around you? Do those around you know that you are clothed in the Holy Spirit? I know that I have a lot of room to grow in this area.
Acts 3:2-8
And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
In the name of Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter healed a man! The Lord restored full use of a man’s legs who had been lame since birth! How incredible is that!
Acts 9:33-34
There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose.
Again! Peter speaks with the authority given to him. Jesus uses us to heal people! For those of us in Christ Jesus, we have been given the same power and authority! Are you using it? Are you blessing those around you? Do you believe that Jesus will use YOU to heal people in need?
A few weeks ago, I was talking with a some friends about some cool things the Lord has done. One friend had her leg grown in a time of prayer! The next day I was running and thought it would be cool if there was someone I could pray for their leg to be healed. But as part of this training I'm doing, I needed to do my full 20 minutes of running (always the practical one I am). After the run, I was walking back to my car.
A guy in front of me with a dog was limping. I passed him only to realize I'd be passing down an opportunity to pray with someone that I'd asked the Lord for! His name was Jake and he said his dog ran to chase another dog, he twisted his ankle, and it hurt and now he was limping. I laid hands on him and asked the Holy Spirit to heal his ankle in the name of Jesus. Jake said it felt much better but he was still limping again. So, I prayed again, and he was totally healed! I was overjoyed with the goodness of the God I serve!
As I walked away I asked Jake if he was just saying that...in disbelief that his leg had been healed, he assured me he was not just saying that. If the Lord used me, I know He will use you, too!
Peter brings Tabitha back to life in Acts 9:36-40. I haven’t been able to be a part of that experience yet, but I want to. There are so many ways the Lord works! He manifests Himself in all kinds of ways! I have been privileged to receive or witness others receiving the gift of tongues, laughter, healing, words of knowledge, interpretation of tongues, and more. I do not want to put a limit on what our God can do!
What do you think people think of when they think of Christians? It may be different in your culture/community. But in mine, the ones that love Jesus are often thought of as being nice and good. Friends, I’m tired of that! We are more than that! It doesn’t take the power of God to be nice. It takes the power of God to SHOW the world who our Lord Jesus Christ is. We have the power of God living in us! Let us ask our God to do big things in us! Not because of us, but because of Him -- because of who He is -- that we want the world to know Him for all that He is...He isn’t just a nice God; rather, He is a great and powerful God!
I’m paraphrasing the following from Bill Johnson:
The world has seen the church’s holier than thou attitude, and the world is not impressed. It is time the world sees a loyalty that is not based on genuine goodness or niceness. When the church, when Christians, when we, display the kingdom of God in purity and power -- it is revolutionary!#
God’s intent is grand. Instead of limiting ourselves by our imagination and experience, let us press on to a renewed hunger for things yet to be seen. As pursue the Lord God with reckless abandonment, we will discover that our greatest problem is the resistance that comes from between our own ears -- our own thoughts.#
Do you want a revolution?! Ask for the Lord for it and see what He does. See what He does through you! With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Revelation 11:15
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.
(End in prayer.)
Friday, May 11, 2012
A series on evil...numero dos
ME:
James 1:13
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
Just clarifying, does this go back to sovereignty v. control? I think the best picture of this would be with Job? In Job 1:8, God offers Job up; have you considered my servant Job? So, God’s not tempting Job directly, but he is directly allowing him to be tempted?
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God lets us be tempted, but he knows what we can handle.
Job 1:8
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
He knew Job was capable of being tempted and suriving the temptations. I’ve asked myself some “why me” questions in the past month or so, and at one point, I heard, “because you can handle it.” For a moment, I became a cocky: “yes, yes, I can handle this!” That thought quickly fled as I aptly remembered I can only handle it with and because of the Lord.
Which brings me back to the purpose of Satan and evil is to ultimately point us to Jesus and our need for Him. God could defeat Satan at any moment, and eventually He will. Yet, He has not done so already because God is using Satan’s evil for His (God’s) good?
TODD:
This taps a bit into your other questions, but bottom line is God cannot tempt because God has nothing in his “personhood” or “character” with which to tempt us. God cannot tempt us with His holiness, His goodness, etc. Anything that temps us is other than God. However, He can (and does) choose to allow the evils of Satan or the world to tempt us.
If I gave up eating donuts, it would be really easy to give them up if there suddenly were no more donuts in the world. The only way to know if I’ve truly given up donuts is to be around an occasional donut. God allowing us to be tempted is actually an important part of our sanctification.
ME:
Regarding the Lord tempting us...good insight. Seems like I should go back to God's character more of the time. It's almost as if I want to make it harder than it is -- thinking about God, rather than who He is. Which, I think ties in to so many of our stories throughout Year Team -- getting bogged down in what's going on to us/around us/etc., rather than who we are. Obviously, who we are comes from who God is. But going back to the source of God's character helps other things "shake out."
James 1:13
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
Just clarifying, does this go back to sovereignty v. control? I think the best picture of this would be with Job? In Job 1:8, God offers Job up; have you considered my servant Job? So, God’s not tempting Job directly, but he is directly allowing him to be tempted?
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God lets us be tempted, but he knows what we can handle.
Job 1:8
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
He knew Job was capable of being tempted and suriving the temptations. I’ve asked myself some “why me” questions in the past month or so, and at one point, I heard, “because you can handle it.” For a moment, I became a cocky: “yes, yes, I can handle this!” That thought quickly fled as I aptly remembered I can only handle it with and because of the Lord.
Which brings me back to the purpose of Satan and evil is to ultimately point us to Jesus and our need for Him. God could defeat Satan at any moment, and eventually He will. Yet, He has not done so already because God is using Satan’s evil for His (God’s) good?
TODD:
This taps a bit into your other questions, but bottom line is God cannot tempt because God has nothing in his “personhood” or “character” with which to tempt us. God cannot tempt us with His holiness, His goodness, etc. Anything that temps us is other than God. However, He can (and does) choose to allow the evils of Satan or the world to tempt us.
If I gave up eating donuts, it would be really easy to give them up if there suddenly were no more donuts in the world. The only way to know if I’ve truly given up donuts is to be around an occasional donut. God allowing us to be tempted is actually an important part of our sanctification.
ME:
Regarding the Lord tempting us...good insight. Seems like I should go back to God's character more of the time. It's almost as if I want to make it harder than it is -- thinking about God, rather than who He is. Which, I think ties in to so many of our stories throughout Year Team -- getting bogged down in what's going on to us/around us/etc., rather than who we are. Obviously, who we are comes from who God is. But going back to the source of God's character helps other things "shake out."
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A series on evil...numero uno
It's been a while, but Todd and I have recently engaged in some emails about God...and the opposite of God: evil. I've been pondering these things for months and finally got to email him last week, before Year Team ended. I'll be posting my questions and his responses here.
ME:
The thorn in Paul's side.
2 Corinthians 12:7
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
As I read this and prayed (2.8.12), I really met with the Lord and asked Him to show me what’s going on with the thorn in Paul’s side. My palms felt odd. Reminded of Jesus' palms being pierced while on the cross and saw a picture of a thorn -- the crown of thorns.
Obviously, I thought of Jesus on the cross. Thinking the reason Paul had a thorn in his side (and why we all do) is to keep us dependent on the Lord. Not in a puppet/puppeteer way, but in a way that reminds us we can’t be good enough on our own. This side of heaven, we will fail. And, when we do, we are all the more grateful and dependent upon our salvation/the Lord.
BUT the thorn is said to be a messenger of Satan. Does this just mean that God allows Satan to “provoke” us? Though, even in that, the Lord brings it back to Himself -- for our good and His glory. Reminded of Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
TODD:
Most commentaries agree that Paul’s “thorn” was a person. Whenever a “thorn” is referenced in the Old Testament, it references a person. Sort of like out “oaks” symbolize strong and righteous folks, “thorns” are people who are pains. The most logical explanation is that as Paul was on the move, this ‘thorn’ was someone who followed him and attempted to undo his ministry. We actually see a few places in Scripture (Acts) in which Paul would be someplace and then move to another...and his ‘refuters’ in the first place would show up in the next place he went.
I think too often we use “thorn” in a pastoral way...like when someone says “My thorn in my flesh in my struggle with anger or alcohol or lust (etc).” That’s not Paul’s perspective. Remember the whole Romans 6-8 discussion? Paul is describing life in sin and life in the flesh/world (Chapters 6-7). Romans 8 references life in the Spirit...which is why we can be called “more than conquerors.” If Paul’s thorn was a struggle of the flesh, then Romans 8 doesn’t make sense.
Bottom line, thorn = people.
ME:
ME:
The thorn in Paul's side.
2 Corinthians 12:7
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
As I read this and prayed (2.8.12), I really met with the Lord and asked Him to show me what’s going on with the thorn in Paul’s side. My palms felt odd. Reminded of Jesus' palms being pierced while on the cross and saw a picture of a thorn -- the crown of thorns.
Obviously, I thought of Jesus on the cross. Thinking the reason Paul had a thorn in his side (and why we all do) is to keep us dependent on the Lord. Not in a puppet/puppeteer way, but in a way that reminds us we can’t be good enough on our own. This side of heaven, we will fail. And, when we do, we are all the more grateful and dependent upon our salvation/the Lord.
BUT the thorn is said to be a messenger of Satan. Does this just mean that God allows Satan to “provoke” us? Though, even in that, the Lord brings it back to Himself -- for our good and His glory. Reminded of Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
TODD:
Most commentaries agree that Paul’s “thorn” was a person. Whenever a “thorn” is referenced in the Old Testament, it references a person. Sort of like out “oaks” symbolize strong and righteous folks, “thorns” are people who are pains. The most logical explanation is that as Paul was on the move, this ‘thorn’ was someone who followed him and attempted to undo his ministry. We actually see a few places in Scripture (Acts) in which Paul would be someplace and then move to another...and his ‘refuters’ in the first place would show up in the next place he went.
I think too often we use “thorn” in a pastoral way...like when someone says “My thorn in my flesh in my struggle with anger or alcohol or lust (etc).” That’s not Paul’s perspective. Remember the whole Romans 6-8 discussion? Paul is describing life in sin and life in the flesh/world (Chapters 6-7). Romans 8 references life in the Spirit...which is why we can be called “more than conquerors.” If Paul’s thorn was a struggle of the flesh, then Romans 8 doesn’t make sense.
Bottom line, thorn = people.
ME:
Definitely good to know the thorn represents a person. Seems like this isn't taught very often? Or I just wasn't paying attention. Either way, I'm glad to know.
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