CLICK HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES »

Thursday, April 24, 2008

The "ONE PRAYER"

"I don't understand your ways, but I trust in Your heart and it's okay...it's okay. Jesus, you're all I want, you're all I need, you're everything!!!"-Celebration Worship Team

Last night at service, Pastor planned on taping a sermon called "One Prayer". His ARC buddies were given the opportunity to put a sermon series together to put on global TV for the world to watch this summer. Our church was responsible for the prayer, "LORD, make US disciples". Pastor loves being real and his gifting on the pulpit comes alive when he's allowed to flow. So, he was thrown off knowing he was giving a planned message that was being taped. He gets taped every message, but I believe that the Holy Spirit wanted him to flow and give this message about discipleship from his heart-not his notes. So 5 minutes into it, he just took off. It was incredible to watch him become transformed. I don't even think he knew how impactful he was. That message was straight from God.
I know I'm wrong a lot, and I'm no one to try to make reason with God-but for me, I see our church transforming like Stovall did on stage. We as a body plan our lives, know what's to come, we play it safe. The three things that MAKE a disciple die in our everyday routines. The Holy Spirit knew that a word about discipleship couldn't be tamed. It would have been a dead word-but it came alive using our pastor. So like Stovall transformed, I know our church is as well. We are going to throw off the dead stinking natural flesh (the things that God doesn't care about) and start functioning in the desires of our Lord.
How ironic that the heading of the night's scripture in my Bible is titled, "The Transfiguration" and "Peter's CONFESSION to Christ" some Bibles say, "Take up your cross".
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save is life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it...." Luke 9:23-29
Right after the confession, comes the transfiguration. I love it.
Desire, Deny, and Drive.
Christianity is like a video game. YES THERE ARE LEVELS! I know that's a surprise. We have to accept that. God never wants us to stay on level one. He wants us to master the game! It's all about outlasting the enemy. Some levels are easier than others, some are more of a challenge and you need to find the passwords or keys to unlocking the next level, or secret door that leads to peace and rest. But it's not waiting on God all the time, or relying on Him to change you! We need to take upon ourselves to fight! There is too much at stake...our children, our spouses, our friends, our families.....we must have an eternal perspective that like James says, "our life is but a vapor".
When times get tough, we cannot let our circumstances guide us, our pain define us, anxiety choke us. When Paul says to endure, he isn't saying we endure what we like! It's what we can't stand!
When I'm in a trial, i have asked God, "BUT HOW!!!? You have to do it God. YOU" and he says, "I'm here, that's all you need, if you trust me that I've already won, then you have everything you need to fight...but you need to fight."
Don't just go to church for FEEDING, don't depend on your pastor or friends, don't suck life from them and take it away from people who are just starting to walk with God. BE A SELF-FEEDER.
DENY-not just sin, but YOURSELF through stewardship of your time, treasures, and talent (SERVE)!!! and through relationships, putting God and others before yourself..
DESIRE-must be more than willing, it's a GOD BIRTHED passion to pursue! Affection based, not duty based! Go from being just willing to pursuit!
DRIVE-"I'm not going to quit! I'm not going to give up." what drives you to deny and turns into what HE DESIRES!!!

There's a lot at stake if we DON'T desire, deny, and drive...

So, Pastor might have thought that his message was messed up because of the "shift" in style from planned to INSANELY God driven-but it really spoke to me...I'm ready to do what it takes to get to that next level with God....to transform

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

All that I can say is AMEN!!