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EVERY WORD IS A SEED

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Soul Winning, tagged Answers, Belief, christian, church, Craig Anderson, EVANGELISM, Fire, fire of god, inc, international network of churches, love, LOVE REACHES OUT, love the lost, passion, passion for the lost, plenty valley church, SEED, SEEDS on July 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE REACHES OUT #2PM

EVERY WORD A SEED

In 1996 Two members of this church and I travelled to China to preach the gospel. It was my second trip to China. That was a tough job as we didn’t speak Chinese. But we had thousands and thousands of gospel tracts. So as we went from city to city doing what was illegal in that country, we placed tracts in letterboxes, on car windshields, on top of walls, in bicycle carry baskets etc. until we got rid of about 5000 every night. Then one night we got caught, the police interrogated us and detained us under house arrest in our shabby motel for two days. Finally they deported us with stern warnings.

Still in spite of being caught we distributed multi thousands of gospel messages in the language of the readers. I wonder how many people read a tract and heard the gospel and found Jesus Christ? In China today, this is what is happening: The Nation has 1.3 billion people living there, The Christian population of this strongly communist nation is approximately 12% or 163 million. There are now more Christians in China than in the United States, and the growth rate is 5% per annum.

EVERY WORD IS A SEED

VIDEO TESTIMONY – JULIE MELLOR

When you leave a bible, a tract, a testimony, a conversation with someone who is not saved; it is a seed and that seed has power to grow.

EVERY WORD, EVERY ACT OF KINDNESS IS A SEED.

Mark 4:26-29

²⁶Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. ²⁸The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. ²⁹And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”

One night in Brisbane we were witnessing on the street and we approached an aboriginal man who unleashed a tirade of swear words at us. Just then two plain clothes police came along and arrested him for indecent language and took him away. We could have thought that that was strange and the event was over, nothing was accomplished. However one of our team, Brian, was of aboriginal decent and he happened to come across this man some weeks later and asked, “What was all that about?” The first man explained that his four year old son had just died and he felt anger and pain and blamed God. Brian explained what we were trying to say that Jesus is the answer to this kind of pain and this man received Christ as his Lord and saviour. Sometimes your attempts to share your faith may seem fruitless, but every word is a seed and it may bear fruit later.

Drop seeds into conversations, if people react negatively don’t feel you have to argue the point. Spend time with hungry open people. If people are belligerent and offensive just keep the conversations brief and do acts of kindness.

My neighbour across the street was resistant to the gospel, I began sharing with him 12 years ago. He followed a religion practiced by Native American Indians. I would take him meals my wife had cooked. Sometimes I went over and mowed his lawn. He would get mad and say stop mowing my lawn and try and pay me back with a box of chocolates. So when I knew he was away I would mow his lawn anyway. If he never came to Christ I would still love and serve him – it would not matter if he thought I was just a sucker doing his work for him; to me it was a seed of love. However recently when he became very sick we visited him in hospital and shared the gospel with him. We prayed for his healing and he also prayed to receive Jesus as his saviour. His response was amazing!

EVERY WORD, EVERY ACT OF KINDNESS IS A SEED.

In my very first outreach I organised as a new Christian, I ran a coffee night at uni where I was studying. It was a Friday night and I had about half a dozen Christian friends from church come along and we served free coffee to students and shared our faith with them. At the end of the night I was a bit disappointed as no one seemed to get saved. Being a new Christian I was really into instant results!! Later as I was chatting to one of the friends from Church, Vincent Bonici, He said he had prayed with a guy called Rob and led him to Christ. Get an address? No! How can I find him to help him grow in God? I don’t know God will look after him I guess. I was a bit annoyed. All I knew was Rob was a mechanical Engineering student and he was Malaysian born. I waited outside the Mechanical Engineering building every lunchtime for weeks to try and catch someone who looked like Rob. Guess what? I found him! Later he came to church. Now he’s an INC pastor in Adelaide Hills. But the story doesn’t end there!

Rob led a friend to Christ who is Mark Hands, later Mark became part of our youth ministry in Brisbane (as did Rob) and later again Mark became the principal of one of the INC Christian schools and now has a Christian business and coaching ministry at the Gold Coast. Mark led Andrew to Christ who became a big part of our youth ministry in Brisbane also. These are just the ones we know about….. I wonder who has been saved and touched by God’s love through all these people who have experienced major life change because of the coffee night that I thought wasn’t very successful.

EVERY WORD, EVERY ACT OF KINDNESS IS A SEED.

What are you going to do this week to reach out to people who need Jesus?

Sometimes we have all given up trying to share about Jesus because we got a negative response or we just thought it’s all too hard. One time I when I was new Christian I drove past a man who I knew was a father of my school mate loading up a trailer with furniture at his office. I heard he was going bankrupt. It was midnight and I was tired and I sped off home. God prompted me to go back and tell him Jesus loved him, but I was too tired and it was late. The next day he committed suicide! It took me a long time and many tears to get over that one.

Listen to the Holy Spirit and try real hard to obey Him.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Have you ever felt like giving up when it comes to sharing your faith?
Have you ever thought your sharing about Jesus was a complete waste of time?
After hearing some of these stories and learning about seeds from God’s word do you think any differently now?
Will this change the way you approach sharing your faith?
Did you ever think how many lost opportunities you have missed?

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ARE YOU GOIN’ WHERE I’M GOIN’?

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Soul Winning, tagged Answers, Belief, church, Craig Anderson, heaven, hell, inc, international network of churches, jesus, jesus is the only way, lost, lost people, love, passion for the lost, perishing, plenty valley church, preach the gospel, reality of hell, share your faith, tell others, witnessing on July 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE REACHES OUT #1AM

In this life, how do you see yourself? As a pilgrim? As a foreigner journeying through to a better and eternal future? ^a Or does this world so fill your vista that you hardly think of eternity? Listen to this amazing verse: Eccles 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Ultimately what matters is people. Everything else is temporary. 2 Cor 4:18 Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. All your stuff that you worked so hard for, all the possessions, the house, the cars, the clothes etc. will all vanish in a puff of smoke one day; and all you have left is you and your loved ones.

What will you be doing in a million years from now? Seriously! If you say, “I’ll be in heaven.”, then how glad are you about that? You could be in the other place. Eternity is such a long time!! It’s all a bit hard for the human mind to comprehend; right?

What we have been learning in the messages preached all year is that God loves you so much and His magnificent loving kindness has come and rescued you, redeemed you and set you free. It’s a natural step to see that God loves each and every person on the planet and some know that and some don’t know that yet. John 3:16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.(AMP)

All around us are precious people who are perishing. In Australia, we are an especially heathen bunch. Although 61% write on the census that their religion is Christian, only 13% attend any kind of church monthly or more often and of those we can only guess the percentage that is born again. Some estimates of the Born Again population are as low as 5%. Perhaps attending church is a poor measure of whether a person is born again. We should rather choose the measure that one of the greatest preachers in history used: “Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you’re not saved yourself, be sure of that!” ― Charles H. Spurgeon. What’s our percentage now?

As you look around at your loved ones, work mates, neighbours, do you consider their eternal destiny? Does it drive you to prayer and cause you to consider how to share the answer to life with them? If not, then let’s look at the scriptures and see the convincing reality of what lies before us in heaven and hell.

Hell is real

Luke 6:19-31

19 There was a certain rich man who [habitually] clothed himself in purple and fine linen and [m]revelled and feasted and made merry in splendour every day.

20 And at his gate there [n]was [carelessly] dropped down and left a certain [o]utterly destitute man named Lazarus, [reduced to begging alms and] covered with [[p]ulcerated] sores.

21 He [eagerly] desired to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs even came and licked his sores.

22 And it occurred that the man [reduced to] begging died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

23 And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime fully received [what is due you in] comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses; but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.

26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who want to pass from this [place] to you may not be able, and no one may pass from there to us.

27 And [the man] said, Then, father, I beseech you to send him to my father’s house—

28 For I have five brothers—so that he may give [solemn] testimony and warn them, lest they too come into this place of torment.

29 But Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear and listen to them.

30 But he answered, No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent ([q]change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins).

31 He said to him, If they do not hear and listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded and convinced and believe [even] if someone should rise from the dead.

Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.(NIV)

Matt 13:49-50 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (NIV)

Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no respite (no pause, no intermission, no rest, no peace) day or night—these who pay homage to the beast and to his image and whoever receives the stamp of his name upon him.

All these verses clearly show that eternity without salvation is horrifying and inconceivably worse due to the fact that it goes on for ever and ever without respite.

General William Booth founder of the Salvation Army church movement was quoted as saying as he trained his preachers and Christian workers. “If I could, I would dangle you over hell for 5 minutes to see the cries of the damned.” People without a Knowledge of God and even some Christians find this truth so shocking that they fall into wrong believing saying that God could not be as cruel as to send people there forever, or that God will give people a second chance. Some have believed in a purgatory, where people work off their sins and eventually make it to heaven; but all these ideas are false.

Listen again to William Booth – “Not called!” did you say? “Not heard the call,” I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not come there. Then look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.”

When you hear these pleading words, do you think that’s how they spoke in an era long ago, or do you think that’s outdated language and form that doesn’t work today; or is it just that we have fallen so far from biblical truth in our generation that we fall for soft wishy washy beliefs about God that are not supported by scripture?

Heaven

Heaven on the other hand is awesomely wonderful. Imagine infinite joy! Life with a capital L.

Rev 21:4-5 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

Rev 22:3-4 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

John 14: 2-3 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Matt 25:20-21 And he who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, Master, you entrusted to me five talents; see, here I have gained five talents more.

21 His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the [c]blessedness) which your master enjoys.

Convinced that people without Christ are going there?

One error I find many Christians fall into is that somehow good people will get into heaven. They believe that most people around them are going to make it somehow because God is loving and merciful. This view is dangerous especially to those around them who are not born again yet. Let me ask you a very simple question. If there was any way at all that a person could make it to heaven on their own, did Jesus need to come and die on the cross?

Jesus Himself stated very clearly: John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.(AMP)

Jesus was moved by the plight of broken people. His heart for lost people will become our heart too if we walk with Him. Look at His reaction in the gospels Matt 9:35-38 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and every weakness and infirmity. 36 When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.

What should be our reaction? Perhaps some may be so deeply concerned that they become a certified bible carrying, tract giving, bible bashing preacher to everyone around them, and it isn’t very fruitful. That’s overboard and that’s not love in action. The sad thing is that many Christians are the opposite, there’s almost no evidence of witness in their lives, it’s like they want to enjoy the benefits of salvation and not care that all manner of people around them are perishing.

So how are we to live?

Recognise the truth that faith in Christ alone saves a person from eternity in hell.
Decide to pray for those people in your world who do not know Jesus yet, that God will have mercy on them and show them the truth.
Love people, serve them and share your heart with them at every opportunity.
Trust that the Holy Spirit will lead you to people and will give you the words to say.
Share your testimony and the God stories that give evidence of God at work among us.
Invite as many people as you can to join you church or UC group or a family picnic or a night at the movies or the church trivia night etc. etc.

This month we are focusing on the “How To” of sharing your faith. We will be equipping you with practical help to know how to share your faith, what to say to people who are far from God and how to begin a great conversation about your testimony and how God loves the person you’re speaking to. In all our Urban Connect groups we will be helping you to learn skills about sharing your testimony, and what the gospel message is that we need to share with people.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Do you think Spurgeon’s measure of whether a person is born again or not is a fair one? (Whether you care that others are lost)

2. How do you see non Christians?

3. What about people of other faiths, are they lost too? (Acts 4:12)

4. If Jesus really is the only way to heaven, why do so many other faiths exist?

5. If Jesus really is the only way to heaven how should we live?

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IT’S MY CHURCH

Posted in Church, Giving, Preaching messages, tagged Craig Anderson, inc, international network of churches, passion for the lost, plenty valley church on May 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE HONOURS #4AM

IT’S MY CHURCH

JOSH 6:1-7

Now Jericho [a fenced town with high walls] was tightly closed because of the Israelites; no one went out or came in.

²And the Lord said to Joshua, See, I have given Jericho, its king and mighty men of valor, into your hands.

³You shall march around the enclosure, all the men of war going around the city once. This you shall do for six days.

⁴And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns; and on the seventh day you shall march around the enclosure seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

⁵When they make a long blast with the ram’s horn and you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the enclosure shall fall down in its place and the people shall go up [over it], every man straight before him.

⁶So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.

⁷He said to the people, Go on! March around the enclosure, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.

The people of Israel have been walking around in the wilderness for 40 years! That’s a long time! Now at long last they get to make the second attempt to enter the Promised Land. Imagine their feelings right now. After such a long time waiting and such an uncomfortable passage through the wilderness they didn’t want to fail this time. The Promised Land was still a land flowing with milk and honey – a good land, but there are giants!

So I guess the feeling was determination but not a little trepidation. The worry about whether we can overcome was real; it was palpable. They were excited but they were fearful also. We have a Promised Land to enter into as well! Our promised land is souls saved, lives changed, miracles and community impact – a church that continues to grow and multiply planting other churches. That’s exciting for us as Christians. However there are giants in our promised land also.

Everybody marched and everybody shouted. As this bible reading showed, the people were to take the fortified city of Jericho first. To look at Jericho from the outside was frightening. Very high walls and very thick walls. It looked impossible. But God had a plan. God always has a plan. March around the walls six days then seventh day seven times and on the last time Shout! This story was so important to set up Israel for future victory. God said everybody marches and everybody shouts! This way, in the future every single Israelite has personally witnessed God’s miraculous power to overcome impossibilities.

In this church we have a promised land and we also face a giant. Our giant is financial. Let me share with you our journey so far.

Our church began in 1994, we moved from two rented buildings to our Mill Park Location at the corner of Plenty Rd and Centenary Drive in 1998. We bought the building for a very low price in 2000 and stayed there till we sold in 2010. Moving into this building was a step of faith as our building costs went from $40K to $140K overnight.

Over the four years in which we have been in this building, we have grown. However this has mostly been growth among youth and young adults, which is great but it adds very little to our revenue base. We have secured tenancies to assist us by paying rent.

Thank you for being a giving church. This step we are taking is essential for the continuation of the church into the future but it is not the complete solution! We must, as a church, take the challenge and meet it head on. The answer lies in growing the church, and being faithful in our giving. What motivates us as a finance committee overseeing these decisions is not paying for a building, but reaching lost people. To do that effectively, we must have a home, a place to bring people. A place to service the community.

JERICHO

We are just like the children of Israel facing Jericho as in the story we read today. I believe that God gave me this picture for our church for today.

There is a Promised Land in front of us in terms of souls saved, lives changed, miracles and community impact – a church that continues to grow and multiply planting other churches. But there is a giant. For us the giant is finances. God asked all the men of war to march around the walls of Jericho, God asked all the children of Israel to shout when the time was right. God made the walls fall down flat and gave the people the victory.

The vision in front of us is exciting, what we have seen and achieved in the last four years is remarkable, but our future victory depends on all of us rising up to embrace the challenge. The answer lies in growing the church and in faithful giving. If we choose to walk in faith – it is bread for us, we can overcome, the giants are like grasshoppers in our sight; but if we walk in unbelief we will fail to enter in like the first generation of the children of Israel who walked in the wilderness for 40 years until all those who chose unbelief died out and new generation arose.

I am asking you all to join Me and Chris, John and Marita and the leaders of this church in stepping up. Will you be part of the answer? You may well ask What can I do to help in this situation?

This is what I am asking of each and every one of you.

Decide – This is my Church – I want it to grow and prosper and I am going to do all I can to make that happen.
Pray – Believe with us for God’s provision firstly for souls saved and people added to the church and also for His provision for us all.
Bring others to church. Invite, Invite, Invite. Help grow the church by inviting others. In July we will be training and equipping the congregation on how to share their God story and how to initiate conversations that lead to witnessing opportunities.
Be faithful in your giving. When we play it safe, we limit what God can do. He asks us to see our giving as a seed. It is sown into the good soil of the kingdom and it multiplies for provision and blessings.

Today you have an annual report summary in your hands outlining the main points of the church financial position.

Next week we will have our annual AGM on Sunday right after the morning meeting in the kid town room

If you have any questions about today’s announcement or to do with any financial matters please ask Me or John or any one on our Finance Committee.

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THOU SHALT NOT COMPARE

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Leaders Training, tagged compare, comparing, comparing one another, Craig Anderson, inc, international network of churches, love, love another, love one another, passion for the lost, plenty valley church, Urban Connect Group on March 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE ANOTHER # 3AM

THOU SHALT NOT COMPARE

What a great year it is this year as we journey through the theme of LOVE. A whole year of unpacking the subject of love in 12 different sub-themes.

This month’s theme of “Love Another” is one of the key love themes for the year. When we love one another as Christ loved us, we demonstrate that we are His disciples. This is much more powerful than we realise! If unbelievers have any criticism of church folk at all, what is it that they most commonly say?

They are all hypocrites
All they do is fight among themselves.

Jesus shows us the example of loving another, whether that person is a Christian or not. We are called to love the brethren, love those who are lost and far from God, and even to love our enemies! Is there anyone left? However, the real power to change the world is how we treat each other within the church because this has the greatest power to demonstrate the reality of Jesus and His truth about eternal life.

Wouldn’t you love to be part of a church that reaches many lost people? I know you have a heart for the lost. I want to show you how that can happen today.

This is one of the key factors that led to my own conversion at the age of 20. To see the Christians really loving each other unconditionally in the church really stood out to me as being so very different from the world; and I gave my life to Christ.

Let’s look carefully at this verse together:

John 13:33-35

³³[Dear] little children, I am to be with you only a little longer. You will look for Me and, as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: you are not able to come where I am going.

³⁴I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another.

³⁵By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

The context here is that Jesus is about to depart (He went to the cross the next day) so His words take on amplified importance as summing up those very important messages to remember before He goes. Jesus says it’s a new Commandment – but how is it new? When Leviticus 19:18 says You shall not take revenge or bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord. Matthew Henry explains it like this: “it was the second great commandment of the law of Moses; yet, because it is also one of the great commandments of the New Testament, of Christ the new Lawgiver, it is called a new commandment; it is like an old book in a new edition corrected and enlarged. This commandment has been so corrupted by the traditions of the Jewish religion that when Christ revived it, and set it in a true light, it might well be called a new commandment.”

This new commandment is a refreshed and renewed and reinstated commandment, that was to be applied with renewed purpose to your brethren as being apart from, and distinct from, your neighbour (as in the story of the good Samaritan where Jesus clearly said the neighbour was anyone who was close by to you whether of your own kind of people or not). The point Jesus clearly wanted to make in John 13:35 was our love for one another is a key factor in the spreading of the Gospel. So here’s our incentive to win the lost, perfect the practice of loving one another in church.

When the love of God has come into your life and radically changed you; you are full of that love. There is plenty to go around and you can love your brothers and sisters no matter what obstacles might be in the way. The evidence of changed lives is that we love one another. Of the myriad of fallen human attitudes that might be evident in people, the Love of God overwhelms these in the truly converted believer. The light goes on and the revelation of who we are as fallen creatures, and in need of forgiveness, overwhelms our prideful disposition and we see all God’s people as trophies of His grace and marvel at the wonder of God, instead of the prideful view of seeing ourselves better than someone else.

To be clear – it’s an evidence that you are saved when you love the brethren. Loving people is easy when you’ve been filled with His love. Salvation opens our eyes with humility to see each other as precious to God.

One of the great obstacles to loving each other is comparing. When we compare ourselves with others we make a grave error that holds back our Christian growth.

Look at his verse with me: 2 Cor 10:12 Not that we [have the audacity to] venture to class or [even to] compare ourselves with some who exalt and furnish testimonials for themselves! However, when they measure themselves with themselves and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding and behave unwisely. (AMP)

When we look at another Christian there is often an overwhelming temptation to judge and assess them in comparison to ourselves. We surreptitiously look them up and down and draw conclusions based on flimsy evidence that they are better or worse than us. Jesus covers this idea when He says: Luke 6:41-42 41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye but do not notice or consider the beam [of timber] that is in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, Brother, allow me to take out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself do not see the beam that is in your own eye? You actor (pretender, hypocrite)! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

The fault of the man with the beam in his eye is that he has not examined himself before examines another. This is obvious only to the other and not to himself. Jesus calls this person a hypocrite – one who pretends to be something they are not. Love accepts people as they are and when that becomes difficult, we are very careful to check ourselves out first before we go and help someone else see where they need to change. Remember advice unsolicited is seldom taken.

Comparing is unhelpful in two ways, looking down on someone or looking up.

Comparing ourselves to another by looking down on them is not love. We are caught in the web of pride, and we can’t see the reality of who we are, next to God, a person who has many faults. Look with me at Galatians 6:2-5 2 Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it].

3 For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another’s load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives and deludes and cheats himself.

4 But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor.

5 For every person will have to bear (be equal to understanding and calmly receive) his own [little] load [of oppressive faults].(AMP)

How then should we treat a person who is vastly annoying or has sinned and created a problem for us? Galatians 6:1 answers us this way: Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also.(AMP)

The idea comes through again here that we keep an eye on ourselves right through the whole process – that’s humility. The practice of judging another is condemned by Jesus in Matt 7:1 Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves.

2 For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.(AMP)

As one becomes more and more mature, the gift of discernment carries no condemnation with it, but an ability to see beyond the surface and understand the spiritual realities behind the façade in a persons’ life. The outcome of that discernment is always for the betterment of the person being ministered to. Check out this verse; 1 Cor 2:15 But the spiritual man tries all things [he ^[a]examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him].(AMP)

Comparing up can be just as dangerous for a Christian. When we observe another who is blessed – do we envy? When observe someone who is successful in their walk of faith do we compare our own results and put ourselves down? This is a common trap for pastors who sometimes get their self-worth from the size of their church. Am I a failure if I don’t have a church the size of so and so’s church? As a believer, if everyone in church seems to be doing so much better than you, do you put yourself down, curse yourself and want to give up? Or do you recognise each one has their own call and journey with God and that we will all be judged on what Jesus called us to do as individuals not what He called someone else to do. Remember some people have to climb a ladder to reach the bottom!

When interacting with your brother or sister, get to know their story. You will most likely take on a real appreciation for them and see them in a different light. This is so much the case in Urban Connect groups. Let me tell you about Anna, who attended our church many years ago. An older lady who was born in Hungary. She had some broken relationships and tough times but she deeply loved God. When she told us her story of being a young girl in her home at the end of WWII and German soldiers coming in and raping her sister. She took the gun of one soldier and shot and killed him. Some people live through very dark times, and we take on a new appreciation for them as having survived and found Christ and now living what we think is a fairly normal life.

Let me tell you about Jimmy. He came to a John Mellor meeting in our church and was quite strange in how he spoke and interacted with people. It seemed a bit off-putting. Then John Mellor told his story. He has been suffering with Schizophrenia for so many years and doctors believed he would never come out of hospital. After prayer he has made significant improvement. While he may not appear to our version of “Normal” he has made so much progress and now has much to look forward to. When you know the journey some people have been through you realise what a long way they have come. I love the bumper sticker: Please be patient with me, God hasn’t finished yet!”

One of the great comparison traps we fall into at church is not listening to the message. We are apt to say, “I hope so and so is listening to this message – they sure need it!” This act of comparison says I’ve got it all together, but all these losers around me better take on board what the pastor is saying! Familiarity can breed contempt when we say “I’ve heard that message before” OR, “I know that passage back to front and I know what it says.” Really, that’s religion talking and we miss what the Holy Spirit wants to say to us at that point. I love the disciples’ attitude at the last supper when Jesus tells them, “One of you will betray me.” And one by one they say to Jesus, “Is it I Lord?” Wouldn’t you know if you had it in your heart to betray Jesus? Yet none of them dared trust themselves, but stayed open to God that maybe that word from Jesus was for them. This is how we must come to church and to the preaching time every week, Holy Spirit talk to me, show me what you want me to do and to change.

What now? What impact has this message made on you? Let’s examine our own heart and see; how do we treat others in this church? Do we have a love for each and every person in this local church? Do we ever compare ourselves with someone and feel superior? Turn the mirror of the word around to see yourself like the disciples did. What do you see?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why do we find it so easy to judge others?

2. Have you ever been mistaken about someone and thought differently about them after you heard the facts about their life?

3. Have you ever been misjudged? What did that feel like?

4. What do think the verse is talking about above (Galatians 2:5) when it say OUR own little load of oppressive faults?

5. What plans can you make to love each other in the Urban Connect group you are in?

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HAVE YOU GOT AN ITCH?

Posted in State Conference, tagged christian, church, church planting, Craig Anderson, got an itch?, inc, international network of churches, itch, Leaders, passion for the lost, plenty valley church, raise leaders, the call of God, willingness on February 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Craig’s Message at the Victorian State Conference Friday 7th February 2014.

I had treatment once for hair growth – UV light – the side effect intense itchiness all over my body.

One thing about itchiness it’s got your attention all the time!

Well I love this inc movement and our new name and our updated operating system. To take that empowerment of pastors and leaders to a new level!

We are the hope of Australia

What’s our vision? – Health – for the Pastor and wife, for the leaders and for the church which leads to growth which leads to multiplication.

We are born for more. – Not just as a slogan but as a revelation.

Jeremiah 1:4-10

⁴Then the word of the Lord came to me [Jeremiah], saying,

⁵Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. BORN FOR MORE!

¹⁰See, I have this day appointed you to the oversight of the nations and of the kingdoms to root out and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.

There’s some alarming trends in Australia.

Church attendance slipped from 17% in 1999 to 10% in 2011

The % of Australians identifying as Christian reduced to 60% form a high of 90% in 1900.

Another trend we are seeing here in Melbourne is the church is receiving a big influx of Christians from other nations. 10% of all immigrants are born again Christians and when these come into our churches there’s a new culture. It’s not always a bad culture either. Although some are a bit religious many have deep respect and honour for the God appointed leader unlike some Aussies.

Atheism has grown from 10% to 27% in the last census.

Increasingly the church is portrayed in the media as strange, irrelevant and sometimes criminal.

Exciting isn’t it?

The fact is the church is the answer – we all know and shout Jesus is the answer but He isn’t about to do anything without the church leading the charge because He said I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

God’s got a plan

He happy to save by many or by few.

STORY – 1 Samuel 14:1-15

Jonathan and his armour bearer

One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor-bearer, Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side. But he did not tell his father.

²Saul was remaining in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron; and with him were about 600 men,

³And Ahijah son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh, was wearing the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone.

⁴Between the passes by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side; one was named Bozez, and the other Seneh.

⁵The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

⁶And Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For there is nothing to prevent the Lord from saving by many or by few.

⁷And his armor-bearer said to him, Do all that is in your mind; I am with you in whatever you think [best].

⁸Jonathan said, We will pass over to these men and we will let them see us.

⁹If they say to us, Wait until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place and will not go up to them.

¹⁰But if they say, Come up to us, we will go up, for the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be our sign.

¹¹So both of them let the Philistine garrison see them. And the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.

¹²The garrison men said to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, Come up to us and we will show you a thing. Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into Israel’s hand.

¹³Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, his armor-bearer after him; and the enemy fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him.

¹⁴And that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made was about twenty men within about a half acre of land [which a yoke of oxen might plow].

¹⁵And there was trembling and panic in the [Philistine] camp, in the field, and among all the men; the garrison, and even the raiders trembled; the earth quaked, and it became a terror from God.

Saul sat down, but Jonathan had an itch.

Vs. 2 Meanwhile, Saul was taking it easy under the pomegranate tree at the threshing floor on the edge of town at Geba (Gibeah). (MESS)

Saul sat down, his posture revealed his attitude, he was unmotivated and did not see the objective.

The objective was clear wipe – out the Philistines!

But Jonathan had an itch – he had a keen desire to move things along, he was itchin’ for a fight. He had a desire to see the enemies of God defeated and the nation of Israel overcoming. His itch was going away anytime soon, he evaded a whole lot of good reasons not to pursue the enemy to satisfy his itch.

I’ve got an itch to plant churches, I’ve got an itch to multiply leaders, I’ve got an itch to see souls saved, and it’s not about to go away anytime soon.

THE STORY

Before this story begins Saul has faced failure. He is left with only 600 men who are still with him. They all have no weapons, and not one tradesman in Israel could sharpen any implement. The Israelites used to go down to the enemy, the philistines and ask them to sharpen their ploughshares, mattocks, axes and sickles. How pathetic!. The only people who owned swords were Saul and Jonathan.

One sword is enough!

Saul is under the pomegranate tree (the symbol of healing and resurrection) but he has given up. He has no itch, it left long ago, can he be healed?

But Jonathan had an itch. He was sitting down too, but he couldn’t stay there. He had to get up.

No lack of resources on his side made the itch go away.

No fear of the enemy made that itch go away.

No lack of swords or ideas or plans made that itch go away.

Jonathan said let’s go. – What do you say?

Jonathan was young, the armour-bearer was young, Jonathan’s main thought was – “it may be that he Lord will work for us”

It says in the middle of the story that the High Priest was some guy related to Eli the nephew of Ichabod – the glory departed. Why did God put that in? Just to let you know, there’s no leadership from the king and there’s no leadership from the priesthood. In practical terms there’s no reason for an expectation of victory today!

The armour bearer says – Whatever you reckon – I’m in! – Willingness.

Here’s the plan:

Let the enemy see us
Let the enemy dictate the terms
We do what they say and God will give us the victory!

Up they go and Jonathan kills 20 – not a big massacre, but look what God does… ¹⁵And there was trembling and panic in the [Philistine] camp, in the field, and among all the men; the garrison, and even the raiders trembled; the earth quaked, and it became a terror from God.

God intervened. And God will intervene here in Australia if He finds somebody with an itch! Do you have an itch?

God can save by many or by few- but he likes to save by few.

In fact God likes when there are ridiculous odds.

– Gideon 300 Vs 30,000 Midianites

– Jehoshaphat – 3 armies; ten’s thousands

– David’s mighty man Adina – one Vs 800

Do you disqualify yourself? Do you tell yourself, there’s no resources? There’s no leaders, there’s no one here who wants to know Jesus. Do you tell yourself that you are not able? That you’re…

Too old – listen to Abraham.

Can’t talk – listen to Moses.

Haven’t seen any miracles – listen to Gideon.

I have no resources – listen to Nehemiah.

If you’re worried about resources remember Isaac sowed in famine – 100 fold increase

Have you got an itch? An itch to plant? An itch to raise leaders? An itch to see souls saved? God will flow onto what you offer Him in that plan, Let’s go!

We plant churches in a time of drought. To Isaac it seemed like there’s drought but Isaac had a covenant promise.

The enemy contended for wells, the source if life and refreshing.

But there is always one more well.

We release the call of God over our churches.

Testimony of my call. What good is an arrow that never flies?

Power of seeds. There’s a call going out to men and women to serve God, for some it’s to plant churches.

Like Joseph it’s out of nothing that great things come. Expect great things.

If you are not overwhelmed by your assignment you’re not seeing it clearly enough.

Glory of the young men is their strength, the glory of the old men is their wisdom. When you’re an old man you have perspective. You see change over time. But it’s not enough to declare how things have changed and how much need there is. It’s not enough to say we must do something about this, there must be leadership, the voice must be heard … This is the way; walk in it. This is God’s message for the hour, this is the plan.

And the plan is the gospel, it is the power of God unto salvation We will raise leaders, we will be filled with the Holy Spirit and preach life, there is a seed of life in us for salvations to flow, for people to get saved, through our message, our church and our people.

Give yourself to these goals

Identify people with a call

Preach the call and raise up and call up the people who are called.

Connect with your state exec and partner with them to plant.

You can plant

– We planted three in 2012

– Traralgon one in 2013 with more in the pipeline.

Partner to plant churches.

Connect key leaders to development opportunities

Pray and lead your church to pray for planters (Labourers for the harvest)

Raise funds for planting.

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PICK A FIGHT WITH A PROBLEM

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged Answers, bold move, christian, church, COC, Craig Anderson, jonathan, passion for the lost, plenty valley church, spring breakthrough on September 21, 2013| 1 Comment »

SPRING BREAKTHROUGH #4AM – PICK A FIGHT WITH A PROBLEM!

Your world is about to change – but only if you let God get involved.

I want to put you into a certain frame of mind to get you ready for the message this morning. I want you to picture church people a little differently today. I want you to see a picture as I paint it for you, that church people here today are something like this:

It’s late at night; and there’s nothing on TV, you are as bored as anything and now like a pack of restless teenagers you are wandering around town looking for trouble. There’s a kind of crowd confidence that overcomes normal inhibitions, anything can happen. You will follow a leader if that person shows any sort of confidence. You might end up wet or covered in dirt or miles from home, but one thing’s for sure you will have a story to tell for the next few years. And what’s more it’s been a heck of a lot more interesting than staying home and doing nothing.

Think like a bored teenager for the next hour. Think about how much you want to experience life and energy and change. Think about how much you have let caution, shyness, fear and playing it safe, keep you limited for the last few years. When was the last time you were outrageous? When was the last time you sang Karaoke? When was the last time you did something for the first time? – Hold that thought. Hold that mindset.

IT’S TIME TO GO LOOKING FOR A BREAKTHROUGH!

SO PICK A FIGHT WITH A PROBLEM

Read 1 Sam 14:1-16, (MESS)

1Sa 14:1 Later that day, Jonathan, Saul’s son, said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to the Philistine garrison patrol on the other side of the pass.” But he didn’t tell his father.

1Sa 14:2 Meanwhile, Saul was taking it easy under the pomegranate tree at the threshing floor on the edge of town at Geba (Gibeah). There were about six hundred men with him.

1Sa 14:3 Ahijah, wearing the priestly Ephod, was also there. (Ahijah was the son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas, who was the son of Eli the priest of GOD at Shiloh.) No one there knew that Jonathan had gone off.

1Sa 14:4 The pass that Jonathan was planning to cross over to the Philistine garrison was flanked on either side by sharp rock outcroppings, cliffs named Bozez and Seneh.

1Sa 14:5 The cliff to the north faced Micmash; the cliff to the south faced Geba (Gibeah).

1Sa 14:6 Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on now, let’s go across to these uncircumcised pagans. Maybe GOD will work for us. There’s no rule that says God can only deliver by using a big army. No one can stop GOD from saving when he sets his mind to it.”

1Sa 14:7 His armor bearer said, “Go ahead. Do what you think best. I’m with you all the way.”

1Sa 14:8 Jonathan said, “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll cross over the pass and let the men see we’re there.

1Sa 14:9 If they say, ‘Halt! Don’t move until we check you out,’ we’ll stay put and not go up.

1Sa 14:10 But if they say, ‘Come on up,’ we’ll go right up–and we’ll know GOD has given them to us. That will be our sign.”

1Sa 14:11 So they did it, the two of them. They stepped into the open where they could be seen by the Philistine garrison. The Philistines shouted out, “Look at that! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!”

1Sa 14:12 Then they yelled down to Jonathan and his armor bearer, “Come on up here! We’ve got a thing or two to show you!”

1Sa 14:13 Jonathan shouted to his armor bearer, “Up! Follow me! GOD has turned them over to Israel!” Jonathan scrambled up on all fours, his armor bearer right on his heels. When the Philistines came running up to them, he knocked them flat, his armor bearer right behind finishing them off, bashing their heads in with stones.

1Sa 14:14 In this first bloody encounter, Jonathan and his armor bearer killed about twenty men.

1Sa 14:15 That set off a terrific upheaval in both camp and field, the soldiers in the garrison and the raiding squad badly shaken up, the ground itself shuddering–panic like you’ve never seen before!

1Sa 14:16 Saul’s sentries posted back at Geba (Gibeah) in Benjamin saw the confusion and turmoil raging in the camp.

1Sa 14:20 Saul immediately called his army together and they went straight to the battle. When they got there they found total confusion–Philistines swinging their swords wildly, killing each other.

1Sa 14:21 Hebrews who had earlier defected to the Philistine camp came back. They now wanted to be with Israel under Saul and Jonathan.

1Sa 14:22 Not only that, but when all the Israelites who had been hiding out in the backwoods of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were running for their lives, they came out and joined the chase.

1Sa 14:23 GOD saved Israel! What a day! The fighting moved on to Beth Aven. The whole army was behind Saul now–ten thousand strong!–with the fighting scattering into all the towns throughout the hills of Ephraim.

BACKGROUND

Here’s the background to the story.

King Saul had been king for a while and not doing a very good job at all. He disobeys God and offers animals as sacrifice when he should waited for the prophet Samuel. Jonathan his son is a bit of a hothead, but he wants to make some progress. Saul started off with three companies of soldiers but most of them left him in fear and he has now only 600 left and they don’t have spears or swords. Sounds like a crack fighting force right?

THE STORY

Now Jonathan thinks, “I’ve gotta do something!” He decides to pick a fight with the Philistines. Something has got to change! Somebody has got to move out and do something, and that person may as well be me!

He takes his armour bearer with him – just two of them. They go right up to a garrison of the enemy and this is their unique strategy: Let the enemy dictate the terms of the battle – that way we know God is in it!!

Think like a teenager now: He’s off on his own, he hasn’t consulted the king, his father, but look at this boldness, this seemingly misplaced confidence! There’s initiative, there’s a bit of craziness, there’s thinking outside the box; but above all there’s an expectation on God!! Jonathan says God can save by many or by few (Vs 6) This is the key to his outrageous adventure.

He decided – GO PICK A FIGHT WITH A PROBLEM – but believes God is with him no matter what!

What have you done different this month? What have you changed or applied or given up to create momentum in your situation? Have you given God something to work with to give you your Spring Breakthrough? If nothing changes then nothing will change.

Are you doers of the word or are you just hearers only? Will we be a powerhouse church that is so passionate about God’s word that we listen to the word preached and we apply it straight away? Are we built on Rock or sand?

Here’s your check point….

In August our theme was Living Word. – How much change took place in your life so far to build the word of God in because of those messages?

Don’t fool yourself that you can just come along to church every week and listen to messages as though they were just interesting information and not change and expect to be an effective Christian. God is looking for His people to be salt and light, that’s influence. Standing out not blending in.

We need a Spring breakthrough, the church needs a Spring Breakthrough and Melbourne needs a Spring Breakthrough! We probably judge ourselves too kindly. It’s just too easy for all of us to say, “I’m a good Christian!” But we measure things like being honest, loving others and being good. When God is doing the measuring He looks from heaven and says,

Eze 9:4 “Walk through the city of Jerusalem and mark the forehead of anyone who is truly upset and sad about the disgusting things that are being done here.” (CEV)

And this: Mat 28:19 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

If we want to reach our city of Whittlesea for God and we keep going at the rate we are going it will never happen! The church here and elsewhere looks a lot like Saul and his army, not making any headway and not having any weapons of substance. But it can all change with one bold move from a person of faith.

THIS IS WHAT ISRAEL WAS LIKE BEFORE JONATHAN’S MISSION

1Sa 13:15 At that, Samuel got up and left Gilgal. What army there was left followed Saul into battle. They went into the hills from Gilgal toward Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul looked over and assessed the soldiers still with him–a mere six hundred!

1Sa 13:22 So when the battle of Micmash was joined, there wasn’t a sword or spear to be found anywhere in Israel–except for Saul and his son Jonathan; they were both well-armed.

WE SAW WHAT JONATHAN ACHIEVED WITH HIS CRAZY MISSION INTO ENEMYTERRITORY.

THIS WAS THE OUTCOME –

ITS TIME FOR YOUR SPRING BREAKTHROUGH – IT’S TIME FOR YOUR BOLD MOVE.

Come on you reckless teenagers, bored with hum drum life. What will your move be?

For Carole – it was to obey the voice in her heart that said share your faith with your father again even though he’s been antagonistic for years.

For Andrew – the bold move was to continue to believe God for a job long past the due season for answers.

What about you?

What’s your bold move to create an opportunity for God? What does it look like? Ask the Holy Spirit. Step out and obey God. Pray and seek Him.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What inspires you about Jonathan in this story?

2. Describe how he talks about faith in this story.

3. How are you going with being a doer of the word and not just a hearer only?

4. If our church has a vision to impact the local area, then what kind of activity is required from the members?

5. What will your bold move be?

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WHY WOULD MEN PRAY?

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged arise, Belief, christian, church, COC, Craig Anderson, men pray, passion for the lost, plenty valley church, PRAYER, praying men, Urban Connect Group, WAKE UP on July 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

TUNED IN # 4 AM – 28 JULY 2013 Why would men pray?

PRAY FOR THE CHURCH KNEELING DOWN – ASK FOR THEIR EYES TO BE OPENED

I want you to imagine a scenario…

Our land is invaded. From the north, hundreds of thousands of troops are flooding in.

They take over all infrastructure, electricity, water, gas, hospitals an schools.

Our army is overthrown quickly by sheer numbers. Our police are vastly outnumbered. There is a new rulership – a new law has come in.

You can’t move around anywhere you want. Roads are blocked. There’s no flights. Communications are cut there’s no internet. All phones are down. Television is commandeered, only propaganda is televised. No newspapers are printed. Coastlines are patrolled no boats are getting out. The nation is locked down.

Some people still try and go to work just like they used to, desperately clinging to some form of normal existence. Others resist! What would you do?

Who will take up arms? Who will fight? Who loves their nation enough to fight for it?

I’ve got news for you…

It’s already happened!

Our nation is taken over spiritually by an enemy.

2Co 10:3 For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.

2Co 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,

While church attendance is dropping all over Australia we see society disintegrating and suffering with people struggling to find answers.

Our political leaders are known for deceit and lying.

Domestic Violence is tearing families apart with the result that violence is the leading cause of death, disability and illness in women and has an economic impact in 2009 of $13 Billion to the Australian economy.(1)

With binge drinking in our high school age youth reaching alarming levels A study by La Trobe University found that for year 12 females having five or six drinks in a day. The percentage increased from 16.9% of year 12 female students in 2002, to 32.1% by 2008.(2)

Police, doctors and nurses in Hospital casualty wards and ambulance drivers are routinely attacked by drunken youths who create mayhem every weekend in our city.

Teachers are leaving the profession in droves because they cannot cope with the violence and disrespect in the classroom. Nearly two-thirds of Australian teachers are considering quitting their jobs for a new career. Principals experience violence in the workplace at a rate six time higher than in the general workforce. (3)

In Australia, the number of children who do not reach the age of 15 in an intact family with both of their biological parents has almost doubled within a generation. While the chances of a marriage ending in divorce have been increasing in the last 25 years, the increase in children experiencing parental separation is largely a consequence of the rapid rise in the numbers of children born into de facto relationships, which subsequently break down. There has also been an increase in the number of women giving birth to a child without having a cohabiting partner. In 2009, 35% of all births were outside marriage. (2)

Overall, 40 per cent of young people 16-24 years have experienced a mental disorder at some point in their lives. (2)

Mental illness is in epidemic proportions in our nation Beyond Blue reports that one in five Australians will suffer from Depression at some point in their life. (4)

It took me 30 minutes to compile these figures with complete references. I could go on to say so much more. But what does all this mean to you, to me?

Are we more than alarmed by these results?

While the church struggles to address some of the symptoms of these broken and hurting people, who is attacking the cause?

Our enemy is spiritual. The enemy is the forces of darkness, demonic influences in the world. Where godlessness and spiritual apathy prevails the devil has a heyday.

Eph 6:12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

The church is asleep. While our nation falls apart morally and socially, we the church put up with the decline as inevitable. Has unbelief so robbed us of a clear perspective that we consider that this great decline in health of our people is expected, unchangeable, or worse; not our problem?

What does Jesus say?

Mat 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

God’s view of the church is an overcoming power. This is spiritual power and its released in prayer! This kind of prayer does not list out to God our personal needs only but declares and demands the Kingdom Come the Lord’s will be done as He has taught us to pray.

It’s time to wake up the mighty men!

It’s time to pray! How much this real scenario affects us is directly proportional to the light we have spiritually, the revelation of truth concerning the gospel and how lost people without Jesus truly are.

Rom 13:11 Besides this you know what [a critical] hour this is, how it is high time now for you to wake up out of your sleep (rouse to reality). For salvation (final deliverance) is nearer to us now than when we first believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ, the Messiah).

What moves you? If our nation was invaded by a military force as I described earlier how would you react? Will you now be like the frog in the kettle that slowly adjusts to the changing climate of our age and accepts the vast decline in godliness and health as normal. That’s just life?

Or will we pray? Will we call upon God?

2Ch 7:14 If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Don’t think this is a quick fix. This will take years. But shall we do nothing? Shall we continue to act as if we are powerless and have no obligation?

Let me read to you what happened in Scotland when a few in number prayed and reacted against the ungodliness of their society.

This story is about the revival in the Hebrides in 1948-52.

When William Booth started the Salvation Army in 1865 he was not asleep but he saw that warfare was called for due to the plight of the society he lived in. this is what he said:

“While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight. While little children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight. While there is a drunkard left, While there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, While there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight-I’ll fight to the very end!”

His weapon was he Gospel and so well did he preach it that most converts to the Salvation Army who were often come out of prison, drunkards, prostitutes and criminals were totally transformed and went on the serve God for their whole lives. (5)

Is the world of Melbourne any different to the town of Stornaway in Scotland? Do we carry the same burden for the ungodliness of our generation? Can we affect a change as great as they did simply by praying?

The answer to this lies only in your own heart.

For me, I will pray. I will seek God every morning here at 6am, at pre-service prayer meetings, at HUB prayer meeting once a month and within our Urban Connect groups.

If anyone is willing to pray consistently at any other time- I will join you. Every church has an opportunity to change its community. Every church can be a catalyst for change if they put their trust in God an call upon His name humbling their hearts before Him.

What shall we do? How shall we respond? Instead of a huge blast of commitment for a few days and then back to normal life as if nothing happened; can we gradually build up prayer in our personal prayer lives and in our corporate prayer lives so that over the next few years we see a great weight of prayer poured out for our city?

Make no mistake this can never be carried by a prayerless church and this can never be carried by personal prayer alone; it must include corporate prayer.

References

Preventing Violence Against Women – Short course – Vic Health
For Kids Sake – Research Report – Prof. Patrick Parkinson AM, Uni. Of Sydney
http://www.badapplebullies.com/research.htm
http://www.beyondblue.org.au/
The General Next to God – Collier – Penguin press.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Does the scenario of an invasion of Australia by a military force have any similarities with the spiritual decline and ill health of our nation? Discuss.

2. What things do you see in Australia that cause you deep concern for our nation?

3. How effective is the faith filled prayers of God’s people?

4. How shall we pray to make a difference?

5. When and where can we pray as individuals and as a corporate group?

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WOULD YOU PRAY IF EVERY PRAYER WAS ANSWERED?

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged Answers, Belief, christian, church, COC, Craig Anderson, find god, learn to pray, passion for the lost, plenty valley church, pray, PRAYER, seek god, Urban Connect Group on July 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

TUNED IN # 3 AM. Preaching 21 July 2013 am.

Prayer grows out of relationship. If there is relationship there is communication.

STORY – During the time I was away in the Solomon Islands last week I communicated with my wife, Chris via Facebook messaging. It was great to be able to chat all day long between tasks, and I felt like I was connected to her. About 20 years ago I was away in Russia in 91-93 for 3 weeks and had virtually no communication with Chris. That was difficult, you just don’t know what’s going on and you don’t feel the reassurance that this person is doing fine. Prayer is just like that.

Deep inside you there is a deep passion to commune with God, to hear His voice, to share in His presence. My goal this morning is to unlock that desire. To help you overcome some obstacles to fellowship with God.

MY STORY

After getting saved, I was in the habit of praying at night, spending time in conversation with God. Later when I got married I changed to being a morning pray-er and used to get up early and spend time with God in prayer and bible reading.

How much would you pray if every prayer you prayed was answered?

Here’s what God says about your expectations of prayer.

Mat 7:7 Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.

Mat 7:8 For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened.

Yet prayer is more than just seeking an answer, it’s conversation. Chris and I talked over Facebook while I was away. It wasn’t all about either of us asking for things. It was doing life together.

Could it be that you stopped praying just before the answer came?

Luk 18:1 ALSO [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).

Daniel Prayed.

Dan 10:11 And [the angel] said to me, O Daniel, you greatly beloved man, understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright, for to you I am now sent. And while he was saying this word to me, I stood up trembling.

Dan 10:12 Then he said to me, Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind and heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come as a consequence of [and in response to] your words.

Dan 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief [of the celestial] princes, came to help me, for I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Dan 10:14 Now I have come to make you understand what is to befall your people in the latter days, for the vision is for [many] days yet to come.

Every time you pray God hears you.

Psa 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.

We measure our results by the leading of the Holy Spirit not by what we see.

2Co 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight;

Example: My back healing 18 months.

We are linked into God to change the world. God is totally confident that He can change the world through you.

Mat 28:18 Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

Mat 28:19 Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

1Co 3:9 For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, labourers together) with and for God; you are God’s garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God’s building. [Isa. 61:3.]

Daniel prayed and God showed him and all of us the future of the world till the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Joseph prayed and a prisoner went from gaol; to Prime minister and feed the entire known world for 7 years during the worst famine on record.

PRACTICAL RESPONSE

Learn to pray. – join us week day mornings 6-7am
Pre-service prayer rallies 9.30-9.55am
HUB once a month, second Wednesday
Pray in your Urban Connect group.
Join prayer email link & Facebook.

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DO YOU SPEAK IN TONGUES?

Posted in Church, Culture Watch, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged Anointing, baptism of the holy spirit, christian, church, COC, Craig Anderson, filled with the holy spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Power, passion for the lost, plenty valley church, PRAYER, speaking in other tongues, speaking in tongues, tongues on April 27, 2013| 2 Comments »

PREACHING – YOU’RE FULL OF IT # 4 – 28^TH APRIL 2013 AM

As a local church here at Infinity Church (www.infinitychurch.org) we are part of an international church planting movement that began in Brisbane Australia, called International Network of Churches (inc.org.au)

At the beginning of our church movement in 1974, we were birthed in a world wide phenomenon that was called Charismatic Renewal. All around the world in the 1970’s there was a massive growth and revival of churches that emphasised the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts of the Holy Spirit included: (from 1 Cor 12:8-10) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charismatic_Movement

Word of wisdom
Word of knowledge
Gift of faith
Gifts of healing
Gift of miracles
Gift of prophecy
Gift of discerning of spirits
Gift of tongues
Gift of the interpretation of tongues

All of these gifts were readily practiced, however the gift that had always been the most well known and identifiable gift from an observers point of view was the gift of speaking in other tongues. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaking_in_tongues This gift attracts the curiosity of the world because it seems so strange and different. It doesn’t seem to have a purpose and it has this supernatural aspect that not everybody can do it. Only some people can do it, and it’s not like wiggling your ears where some people can do it, some can’t, and that will never change. With tongues, you can start off not being able to do it and then God does something to you and then you can do it – that’s supernatural. It’s not learned, you can’t study to be able to speak in tongues. I know people who have tried really hard to speak in tongues for decades and simply cannot.

Of course speaking in tongues was restored to the church world wide in a supernatural revival of Pentecostalism in two places; 1901 in TopekaKansas and 1906 in Azusa Street in Los Angeles. Since that time the Pentecostal church has spread out around the world and now numbers around 12% of world population and 36% of the world’s Christians and rapidly growing. See…

http://www.bible.ca/global-religion-statistics-world-christian-encyclopedia.htm

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/april/7.30.html

Today I want to address two important questions for our church and for maybe a lot of churches in Australia and in western cultures.

Isn’t it true that only some people can speak in tongues? – It’s a gift.
Why do I even need to speak in tongues?

I intend to show from the scriptures that anyone who is a Christian believer and who wants this gift can receive it and secondly that one must deeply hunger and thirst for it with passion in order to receive it.

THE PROBLEM OF LUKEWARMNESS

My fear is that the practice of speaking in tongues is falling away in the Pentecostal/charismatic scene in Australia. People don’t see a value in it and the media bias is that it’s weird and only crazy people do it. It’s associated with Fundamentalist Christianity (a dirty word in the west); and further that it’s antithetical to the educated mind.

Just as the preaching of the cross was foolishness to the Greeks in Pauls day, I believe that tongues is foolishness to the educated minds of our day (1Co 1:23)

As if Christianity hasn’t got enough to contend with in our pluralistic and secular society, modern Christians today probably feel like, “I don’t want to have to defend tongues when it just seems so weird and unhelpful. You can get to heaven without it so why bother?” We confidently teach that a person will go to heaven if they have repented of their sins and received by faith the Lord Jesus Christ. After that, being baptised in water has powerful advantages and also baptism of the Holy Spirit is also a powerful advantage but neither is necessary for salvation. (Interestingly the Old Testament picture here is 1Co 10:1 FOR I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that our forefathers were all under and protected by the cloud [in which God’s Presence went before them], and every one of them passed safely through the [Red] Sea, [Exod. 13:21; 14:22, 29.] 1Co 10:2 And each one of them [allowed himself also] to be baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea [they were thus brought under obligation to the Law, to Moses, and to the covenant, consecrated and set apart to the service of God]; In other words, this is a picture of two baptisms – one in the Red sea and One into the cloud – Water and Spirit)

The problem from my point of view is that tongues is very valuable and is a sign that one is baptised in the Holy Spirit to receive power. This power is essential for us as Christians to be successful in winning lost people to Christ. As Christians become lukewarm, they back away from some of the basics that empower their faith like:

Regular personal times of prayer
Regular reading of God’s Word
Regular attendance at church.
Sharing their faith with non-churched people.

On fire Christians, who are spreading their faith all over the world, are passionate people, not lukewarm people. They are people who are motivated by love and empowered by the Holy Spirit for witness. In the last three weeks we have taught that:

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is necessary for the purpose of being a witness of our faith (Week 1 – April 7)
Being baptised with the Holy Spirit is a subsequent experience to being born of the spirit. (Week 2 – April 14) (Also what regeneration means)
Being filled with the Holy Spirit has enormous advantages to the believer for their walk in life. (Week 3 – April 21)

As I said, my fear is that less and less people are speaking in tongues for all the reasons I have spoken about here; and that is a diminution of the power and effectiveness of our local church. So my goal is to assure you that you can speak in tongues should you so wish; and that you should so wish, because we all need this power. If you haven’t received in the past then don’t give up – press in and passionately seek God so that you can have all the gifts and power that He has for you.

TWO KINDS OF TONGUES

In my view there are two kinds of tongues that the bible speaks of.

A prayer language available to all.
A gift that is to be used in the church service and coupled with the gift of Interpretation is equal to prophecy.

Let’s look at two groups of scriptures – the first speaks of tongues as it refers to your own personal prayer language; the second as it refers to the gift of speaking in other tongues to be used in conjunction with interpretation in the church service.

TONGUES – A PERSONAL PRAYER LANGUAGE

Mar 16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Rom 8:27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (ESV)

1Co 14:2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.

1Co 14:4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. (ESV)

TONGUES AS A GIFT TO BE INTERPRETED

1Co 12:28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 1Co 12:30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues*? Do all interpret?

(*The answer to this rhetorical question is expected to be “No.”)

1Co 12:8 For to one is given….1Co 12:10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

1Co 14:5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

1Co 14:13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.

1Co 14:23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? (ESV)

It is my firm belief that God grants the ability to speak in tongues as a personal prayer language to help us be built up as spirit filled believers. This ability is available to anyone who is filled with the Holy Spirit. We confidently teach that one may be filled with the Holy Spirit and not yet be able to speak in other tongues. God also gives gifts to the body to help with the work of evangelisation and the building up of the church. Gifts such as Faith, Healing and Prophecy. Speaking in tongues is the only incontrovertible evidence that a person is Baptised in the Spirit. If there was another evidence, it could only be that you are a witness for Him (Acts 1:8)

All other evidences such as love for God, patience, healing, prophecy, etc have been practiced by those in the Old Testament who were not filled with or baptised in the Holy Spirit. In the Book of Acts there are 5 occurrences** of people being baptised in the Holy Spirit. In four of these it states that the people spoke in tongues and in the remaining one, Simon the sorcerer wants to pay money for the gift. It was so different that he saw great value in it, however he had previously seen miracles sand healings so it wasn’t that. It may have been tongues.

**Acts 2:4; (Acts 9:17 + 1Cor 14:18); Acts 8:15-19; Acts 10:46; Acts 19:6.

MODERN SCIENCE AND SPEAKING IN TONGUES

1. One study on the subject of speaking in tongues made the amazing discovery that the human brain’s language centre is inactive when subjects were speaking in tongues. This is in agreement with the bible’s teaching that when speaking in tongues the mind is unfruitful because it’s from the spirit of man that the language arises. (1 Cor 14:14)

Youtube video about the study – http://youtu.be/NZbQBajYnEc

2. Indeed, an earlier study in Britain of glossolalia (TONGUES) among the clergy found that those who sometimes spoke in tongues showed more emotional stability and less depression than a control group.

http://brainblogger.com/2010/02/07/speaking-in-tongues-a-neural-snapshot/

3. DR. Carl R. Peterson, M.D

Through research and testing Carl found out that as we pray in the Spirit, or worship in the Spirit, (our heavenly language) there is activity that begins to take place in our brain. As we engage in our heavenly language the brain releases 2 chemical secretions that are directed into our immune systems giving a 35 to 40 percent boost to the immune system. –

http://beingunderthenewcovenant.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/medical-facts-about-speaking-in-tongues-%E2%80%93-carl-r-peterson-m-d/

4. Dr. Caroline Leaf a spirit filled Christian neuro-scientist who has studied the inner workings of the brain is teaching that when you pray in the Spirit (tongues) your brain goes into the highest intellectual state possible.

I know for myself that when I pray in tongues lots of ideas and creative thoughts come to my mind. I am in a place of receptivity that makes it easy to remember all kinds of things that are important to my vision, goals and strategies. So as I pray in tongues I am writing down lots of really great ideas and thoughts that help me plan out my future goals. Pastor Peter Pilt of Nowra COC is probably known best for his amazing creativity in preaching and presenting at church. He reports that easily half of all his creative ideas come from a time of speaking in tongues. (http://peterpilt.org/2012/08/04/56-ways-to-inspire-creativity-in-any-area-of-your-life/)

Many people I meet have been prayed for to receive tongues and have not received it.

I feel for these people because often they feel like a failure. They feel like God has favourites and He gives that gift to some but not to all, and that maybe they are inferior in some way. Of those who have shared with me their story of how they got filled with the Holy Spirit, almost every time there was nothing happening at first, but they pressed in and got HUNGRY and kept on seeking God for that infilling and the overflow that comes with it. You see tongues is the overflow – it comes out of the innermost being and flows out of the mouth…(John 7:37-39) And one must be thirsty at first in order to receive. You may be only half filled? Or maybe three quarters, keep on seeking God and be filled to overflowing; then the overflow will come and you will speak in tongues.

In our modern world – let’s be honest – aren’t we used to “instant everything”? But when it comes to receiving form God; it’s not a push button A, receive the Holy Spirit next. Instead, God works in us to see how hungry and thirsty are we really? Do we really want it more than our next breath? If you haven’t received yet, even though you have been prayed for, read this verse…

Luk 11:13 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him! (AMP)

God wants to give you the gift. But you need to be thirsty and hungry first then press in and seek Him for it. Some might say, “Done all that – still no tongues!” But I challenge you to get serious with God and call on Him according to that verse just mentioned. Come on – have you fasted and prayed? Have you sought God till it hurts?

WHY DO I EVEN NEED TONGUES?

This wonderful gift is such a blessing and Oh So Needed!! Paul thought it was so important he says, 1Co 14:18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. When we pray in tongues our spirit prays and our mind is unfruitful (1 Cor 14:14)

That’s important because Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Rom 8:27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (ESV) You see praying in tongues means we are praying the perfect prayer and God hears and understands. The Holy Spirit is helping us and praying through us. That’s powerful. This is true intercession, God praying through me. When you pray in tongues, 1Co 14:4 He who speaks in a [strange] tongue edifies and improves himself, It edifies you and builds you up when you pray like that. Don’t we all need that? Look at this verse in the amplified… Eph 3:16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. (AMP)

Living this spirit life is about us being in the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, therefore we need to be filled over and over by the Spirit. This happens when we speak in tongues.

In the first sermon after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost Peter the apostle says, “This – what you see and hear, is the promise of the Father.” (Acts 2:33+39) What did they see and hear? They saw people reacting as if drunk and they heard speaking in other tongues. This promise Peter says is Act 2:39 For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself. [Isa. 57:19; Joel 2:32.] That’s go to be you!! This promise is for you!!

So again let me answer these two questions

Isn’t it true that only some people can speak in tongues? – It’s a gift.
Why do I even need to speak in tongues?

I believe we can show here that speaking in tongues as a prayer language is for all who are afar off even as many as the God shall call. In my name they shall speak with new tongues. Also we need to speak in tongues because God designed it as a prayer language, so that we can pray powerfully and effectively with the Holy Spirit praying through us.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Please share your story about being filled with the Holy Spirit, did you speak in tongues yet? (Only share if you’re comfortable with that)

2. How should we answer the objection that tongues sounds like gibberish?

3. Do you get put off speaking in tongues because you don’t see value in it? Why?

4. What are the benefits of praying in tongues?

5. Why do you think God made it so that we needed to press in to get it – to be hungry and wait on Him seriously before we could obtain the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues?

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YOU’RE FULL OF IT # 1 SUNDAY 7TH APRIL 2013 AM

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged Anointing, Answers, christian, church, COC, Craig Anderson, help, Holy Spirit, move of the spirit, passion for the lost, pentecostal, plenty valley church, speaking in tongues, tongues, you're full of it. on April 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

INTRODUCING THE HOLY SPIRIT

STORY ABOUT A HOLY SPIRIT ENCOUNTER

In the second year of being a Christian I was asked to take a leadership role in my church over the teenagers group. The change of leadership from the former leader to the new one (me) took place at a youth camp. The former leaders were called up and prayed for, hands were laid on and they commenced a new ministry role somewhere else. Other leaders were prayed for also and set apart for their new roles. Somehow I was overlooked and not prayed for. I could have chosen to be offended about that, but instead I went back to the meeting place (auditorium) after lights out, when everyone else was in bed and asleep and I spent some time waiting on God. As I stood in that place at the altar with hands raised up and saying, “God please equip me for this new ministry role.” I felt the power and life of the Holy Spirit flow down over me and experienced such a tangible touch of the supernatural power of God. I was unable to stand and lay in the presence of God for a couple of hours.

The result was renewed power and boldness to serve God. This boldness took place not only in the ministry to teenagers but also at the university where I was studying; I was emboldened to witness and lead a Christian group there and reach out to lost people at the uni.

Look at this verse with me… Act 1:8 But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

Following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, He asked His disciples to wait for the Promise of the Father before they went out to preach the gospel all over the world. His intention was that when He left to go back to heaven after the resurrection that He would leave behind countless thousands of followers all equipped to the same level as He was to go out and preach the gospel all over the world. They would need supernatural power to preach, heal the sick and cast out devils, as well as many other things. Today His church world wide is Holy Spirit filled and empowered. Its effectiveness is in proportion to how full the individual is with the Holy Spirit.

STORY 2 ABOUT WHERE YOU GET YOUR TRUTH FROM

Recently I was prescribed some medication to lower my cholesterol. As you get older the cholesterol levels creep up and if it’s high enough then it could be a present danger by clogging up your arteries. After the prescription was filled, I was talking to a good friend of mine who warned me of the dangers of this particular medicine including side effects. So what did I do? I googled the drug name, and sure enough I came up with countless articles about how dangerous the drug is. So what did I do? I declined to take the medication.

How many know this decision was self medicating, and pure post–modern thinking? I decided that truth for me was what I could learn for myself from the internet. I decided that I know better than the professional with seven years university training and 15 years clinical experience. What I should be doing is sit down with the professional and ask for some perspective and take his advice, which is what I am doing.

In the same way, in the church, many people decide what they believe according to what they read on line, what their experience has been, and what has happened to other people. In this post modern world very few people take the word of the Man of God, compare it with the bible and act accordingly.

The result is the rise of the individual, countless thousands of Christians all with different opinions, instead of a united army marching to the sound of the one leader. That one leader is the Holy Spirit and He works through Godly appointed leadership people to lead His church.

This month, as we talk about the Holy Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, I wonder if you will be open to listen and be teachable and perhaps change what you believe; or will you be the post modern thinker and decide that truth for you is what you can find for yourself and what you have experienced.

Your pastors and leaders that minister the word of God to you here are trained and competent, and by their fruits you shall know them. They are ministers who know the word, have produced the fruit of souls saved, lives changed; and have the character that exemplifies Christlike values.

SO LET’S BEGIN OUR JOURNEY.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is a person, He is God and He is part of the trinity, an understanding that God is one God and has revealed Himself in three distinct personalities; the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Extra material for the blog:

The Holy Spirit is not a force or an impersonal energy but He has “personal” attributes:

a mind – Romans 8:27
a will – 1 Corinthians 12:11
feeling – Ephesians 4:30; Romans 15:30 (love)
knowledge (including self-knowledge) – 1 Corinthians 2:11

He is able to do things that only a “person” can do:

reveal things– 2 Peter 1:21
teach – John 14:26; 16:14; Luke 12:12; 1 Corinthians 2:13
bear witness – John 15:26
speaks, cries out – Galatians 4:6; Hebrews 10:15
intercede – Romans 8:26
search – 1 Corinthians 2:10
speak – Acts 8:29; 10:19; 13:3; Revelation 2:7,11 (not about Himself – John 16:13)
choose – Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 11
inspire – 2 Timothy 3:16
lead – Acts 8:29; Romans 8:14
command – Acts 13:2, 4
give permission – Acts11:12
forbid – Acts16:6-7
be jealous – James 4:5
be grieved – Ephesians 4:30; Isaiah 63:10 (or “vexed”)
be insulted – Hebrews 10:29
be lied to – Acts 5:3, 4
be blasphemed – Matthew 12:31, 32
give invitations – Revelation 22:17
strive with people- Genesis 6:3
be resisted – Acts 7:51
be tested, tempted – Acts 5:9
be described as “He/Him” – John 14:16, 17; 16:7-8, 13-14 (recorded 12 times in John 16 alone).

He is distinct from God the Father & Jesus Christ the Son – Matthew 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; Acts 10:38; 15:28.

THE TRINITY EXPLAINED:

Nicene Creed – This creed formed in 381AD by the church fathers explains the relationship of the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. (Catholic here means universal)
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Global Expansion – http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/april/7.30.html

With more than 580 million adherents (growing by 19 million per year and 54,000 per day), the Pentecostal/charismatic movement has become, in just 100 years, the fastest growing and most globally diverse expression of worldwide Christianity. At the current rate of growth, some researchers predict there will be 1 billion Pentecostals by 2025, most located in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The Role of the Holy Spirit.

The role of the Holy Spirit is simple: He is to empower the church for the task of reaching the whole world with the gospel.

Here is the main verse: Act 1:8 But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth. (AMP)

Before the disciples went out to preach the gospel all over the known world they waited in the upper room as Jesus commanded them.

Luk 24:49 And behold, I will send forth upon you what My Father has promised; but remain in the city [Jerusalem] until you are clothed with power from on high. (AMP)

Have you been clothed with power from on high? This is what we need in order to become His witnesses. We need the power of the Holy Spirit living within us to help us preach with power, heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead. It’s a big challenge in this rational post modern world to be called to this, but the power of the Holy Spirit is far greater then the power of unbelief.

Didn’t I receive the Holy Spirit when I got saved?

Yes, that was being born of the Spirit, regeneration, but we are talking about the being clothed with power from on high.

The disciples received the Holy Spirit while Jesus was still with them:

Joh 20:19 Then on that same first day of the week, when it was evening, though the disciples were behind closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace to you!

Joh 20:20 So saying, He showed them His hands and His side. And when the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy (delight, exultation, ecstasy, rapture).

Joh 20:21 Then Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you.

Joh 20:22 And having said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit! (AMP)

For the disciples this was their born again experience. Up until now they had been believers and followers of Jesus, but now that Jesus has died on the cross and atoned for their sin by the offering of His blood, now they can be born of the Spirit.

Yet He says wait here in Jerusalem for power. Luk 24:49 And behold, I will send forth upon you what My Father has promised; but remain in the city [Jerusalem] until you are clothed with power from on high. (AMP) Right after this He ascends up into heaven, so it was the last thing Jesus said on earth.

It was after he ascended into heaven then 10 days later they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

Act 2:1 AND WHEN the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all assembled together in one place,

Act 2:2 When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting.

Act 2:3 And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them.

Act 2:4 And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words]. (AMP)

This experience is so vital and so important for every believer. It is what empowers each one to be a witness for Jesus. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is far more than just the gift of speaking in tongues. It is the power of God. It is to be clothed with power from on high. To be completely filled and flooded with the Power of the Holy Spirit for this great purpose – TO BE A WITNESS!

Testimony from Reinhard Bonnke

In one of his earliest evangelistic campaigns he went to a church of 40 members and hired a ten thousand seat stadium. It was God’s doing!

Next week we will speak about what actually happens to a person when he is born again. This experience of regeneration is monumental, life changing and if understood will revolutionise your life. We will speak later about tongues and what it’s for and who can receive it as well as the other gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The only question you must ask yourself every day of your life is “How thirsty am I?”

Joh 7:37 Now on the final and most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood, and He cried in a loud voice, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink!

Joh 7:38 He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water.

Joh 7:39 But He was speaking here of the Spirit, Whom those who believed (trusted, had faith) in Him were afterward to receive. For the [Holy] Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (raised to honor).

Are you thirsty for God to fill you with His supernatural power?

Are you so glad of your salvation that you want to be of service to Him every day of your life? Are you bored with the passing fantasies of this shallow worldly life and seeking a more eternal and significant encounter with heaven.

Would you stay on for a few minutes and worship God with us this morning and simply ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and equip you.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Can anyone share about a time when they felt the power of the Holy Spirit upon their life?

2. What was Pastor Craig’s point about whether we should decide truth for ourselves by reading the internet, going by experience, or some other way?

3. Where do we get truth from?

4. What is the main reason God fills us with the Holy Spirit? (Acts 1:8)

5. If you are thirsty for the Holy Spirit – what might that look like?

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craigmanderson

Christian World View

Posts Tagged ‘passion for the lost’

EVERY WORD IS A SEED

IT’S MY CHURCH

THOU SHALT NOT COMPARE

HAVE YOU GOT AN ITCH?

PICK A FIGHT WITH A PROBLEM

WHY WOULD MEN PRAY?

WOULD YOU PRAY IF EVERY PRAYER WAS ANSWERED?

DO YOU SPEAK IN TONGUES?

YOU’RE FULL OF IT # 1 SUNDAY 7TH APRIL 2013 AM

Global Expansion – http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/april/7.30.html

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