craigmanderson

LOVE SEEKS #1AM

INTRODUCING THE THEME FOR THE YEAR

This year we have a theme running through the entire year. The theme is Love.

I believe God has spoken to me over the last six months and given me the inspiration to lead our church on a love revolution. I am inviting you to join me in being changed by a deeper revelation of the love of God.

Here is our Key Verse for the year.

1 John 3:1

Amplified Bible (AMP)

 See what [^[a]an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! The reason that the world does not know (recognize, acknowledge) us is that it does not know (recognize, acknowledge) Him.

God is love and to say that love is the answer seems trite and over simplified, yet I believe that for us as Christians the extent to which we understand that we are loved by God is the measure to which we have real life and can become whole and further, we can be an answer for other people.

Listen to this very important quote from a preacher called Graham Cooke –

“Our goal in this life is primarily to be radically loved by God and everything comes out of that place of love. So your goal is to let yourself be loved radically. Just as the Father has loved the Son, so He has every intention of loving you exactly like He loves Jesus. No more, no less. Jesus said, “Just as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you, abide in my love. Stay, dwell, remain. Don’t leave that place of being radically loved.” So whatever the Father is to Jesus, He is to you also. That’s favour.”

This will be a signature message to introduce the theme of Love for this year. I intend to give an overview and a panorama of the subject of Love so that it can be the basis of all our messages and our direction for this year.

When we say the word love, we are using a word with so many different meanings. We can use it in contexts like:

• I love icecream.
• A teenage girl says I love Harry from One Direction!
• A Hollywood movie called “Love Actually” deals with all kinds of human love relationships.
• The Beatles sang: Love, Love, Love, All ya need is love.
• The bible says: Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church.
• A mother loves her baby or her children.
• The love of a dad for his kids is very important.
• At the end of a phone call to my family I will say, “Love ya.”
• For Christians we are called to love one another.
• A slogan on a bill board when I was a teenager said “Make love not war”
• A couple engaging in sex are said to be making love.
• The love of the Father God is the subject of the whole bible.

All these different uses of the word love are legitimate, so what are we talking about this year? The love we are going to focus on this year is God’s love toward us and our love for one another and for the lost. Primarily the revelation of God’s love toward us is the revelation that can most radically change us and set us free to walk into the complete victory and place of sonship that God has ordained for us to walk in.

THE NEED

In my 36 years as a born again Christian and now 33 years full time ministry, I have seen the big picture of humanity and how messed up we are as human beings. Over the years we have counselled, loved and ministered to thousands of people who have needed real help to cope with life. You will not find a person who is completely 100% whole in their life, their soul, their inner world. You will not find a person who never fears, who never feels the tinge of failure, or is completely free from selfishness. Even those fortunate enough to be raised by Godly parents can have struggles with depression, or low self-esteem. So many struggle with illness, allergies, learning difficulties.

To say that life is all doom and gloom is far from the truth and most of us live out of a great sense of optimism and hope for the future and recognise that the world is not perfect and we make the best of every day. However, my point is that we are a people who have needs. We have a need to be saved, healed, set free and made whole. None of us can honestly say we have no needs, or that we don’t need God, that we are living in a victorious life always.

Now, our ability to receive the answers we need from God is so often blocked by our wrong believing about God’s love for us. Too often we see troubles as being punishment from God. At other times we think God doesn’t care about us and maybe He’s too busy to worry about little ol’ me.

If you could see the love God has for you and have a complete revelation of that love; you would receive answers from God, hear His voice, walk in trust and faith and rise to a wholeness that defines what a true believer is.

Let’s look at this key verse together:

1 John 3:1 – See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.(NIV)

1 John 1:3 – What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.(MESS)

Imagine being in an orphanage and waiting to be chosen by new prospective parents!

WIIFM – If you open your heart to receive revelation from God and seek Him for an understanding of His real love for you, then you will be radically transformed. You will enter into wholeness and sonship as a Christian believer.

THIS MONTH WE ARE SHARING THE SUB-THEME, LOVE SEEKS

God is seeking out lost people who He can save, heal and set free. He loves you unconditionally and He is seeking you out to find you. Look at this very important verse with me…

Luke 19:10 Amplified Bible (AMP)

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.

STORY

In 1989, an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened Armenia, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. Surprisingly, such tragedies often bring out the best in people. Let me show you the loving heart of a father.

In the midst of chaos and destruction, he rushed to his son’s school. But instead of a school, he found a shapeless heap of rubble. Imagine what went through his mind. In the case of this father, the sight of rubble and ruin made him spring into action. He ran to the back corner of the building where his son’s class used to be and began to dig. Why? What real hope did he have? What were the chances that his son could have survived such destruction? All he knew was that he had made a promise to always be there for his boy. It was this promise that animated his hands and motivated his heart.

As he began to dig, well-meaning parents tried to pull him out of the rubble saying: “It’s too late!” “They’re dead!” “You can’t help!” “Go home!” “There’s nothing you can do!” Then the fire chief tried to pull him off the rubble by saying, “Fires and explosions are happening everywhere. You’re in danger. Go home!” Finally, the police came and said, “It’s over. You’re endangering others. Go home. We’ll handle it!”

But this father continued to dig for eight … 12 … 24 … 36 hours. Then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son’s voice. Immediately, he screamed, “ARMAND!” Back came the words, “Dad!? I told them! I told the other kids that if you were still alive, you’d save me! You promised me, you’d always be here for me! You did it, Dad!” (Taken from Max Lucado’s book, “He Still Moves Stones”)

Obviously God sees all and knows all right? So for Jesus to be seeking the lost is not that He doesn’t know where they are. The truth is He knows where you’re at and He just wants to attract your attention. To seek to break into your hard shell of unbelief, or hurt or disappointment and make Himself known to you. To seek out the person’s attention and willingness to let God in. Love Seeks. Love is going out of its way to find the one who is truly valuable. Love will never give up, love will never quit. Love will continue until the end to seek and save the one that is of great value. God so loved and dearly prized the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

Love seeks.

In this month of January, we will be holding a prayer and fasting time. It’s a time to seek God for His blessing and favour to be upon our lives and our church this year.

If we give him the best part of our year, the first fruits, then we are honouring Him, putting Him first. This prayer and fasting time is a season to seek God for His blessing and favour upon your life and your family and your church. It is also a time to pray for the lost broken hurting and lonely people in our community who need to meet Jesus. I am seeking God for a revelation about His love and also for the blessing and favour of God to be upon my life and upon this church.

Next week I will give you resources to assist you in seeking God. Also there will be special times of prayer and seeking God at the church building. Make sure you set some time aside to seek God in prayer and try some fasting.

The result of God’s people seeking Him in prayer and fasting will be the revelation we receive. Our lives will be changed and the changed lives of others who hear the good news from us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

WHAT NOW

Decide to engage in the process. Decide to come next week and receive resources for the fasting time. Stay linked into the facebook page and emails from the church to receive special resources. Please respond and share what God is showing you as you seek Him through that three week period. Prepare your heart to seek God and determine that this year you will find the love of God in a powerful way.