Bill and the Flying Turtles (Shot on Monday, June 18, 2007)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Did you know that the earth has been entrusted to you? (Psalm 115:16) Heaven is the Lords, but the earth He has entrusted to the children of men. The commission we have been given in this earth is to disciple nations. Does that seem impossible? In the story of the talents, the man who hid his talent in the earth says, "I knew you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you haven't scattered seed, and I was afraid..." What he was saying is what many say in their heart to Jesus every day. "Look at all the impossible things you did. I can't do that. You want me to do that? I'm just a lowly servant. You're a hard act to follow. I'm afraid."
The truth is that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength and we're called to invade the impossible because (1 John 4:17) as He is so are we in this world. The way we live that out is to do good and heal the oppressed. This is what Jesus commanded us to do. John 20:21 As the Father has sent me, so also I send you. In the commission is the anointing to achieve. That means that as you read that, and understand, and begin to do it, the anointing of the Holy Spirit will empower you to do what was previously thought impossible. John 14:17 The Spirit is both with you and in you.
I met a man who lives this out. His name is Earl and when we met, knowing he was a minister yet pastored no church, I said, "What's your ministry?" He looked at me funny and said, "The same as yours. Do good and heal the oppressed." Then I saw it. He took a group of young people to the mall. They bought some coffee and began to wander around. He spotted a young person who was working at a kiosk and began to talk to her. She shared that she was concerned because she didn't know what she was going to do with her life after graduation. He asked if they could pray for her career. She said yes and a couple of the young people stood with her and began to pray. The presence of God came upon her and she began to weep. A man walked by and noticed and recognized Earl and, knowing that Earl prays for the sick, said, "I have a heart condition. Would you pray for me?" Earl brought a young person to pray with the man. A young mother walked by clearly more than 8 months pregnant yet carrying a child in her arms as well. Earl was prompted to give her some money so he walked over and said, "Maam, the Lord has asked me to give you some money." She was moved and thanked him. She was clearly oppressed and tired. Earl and one of the young people prayed with her and the Spirit of God touched her and she ended up giving her life to Jesus Christ. (In an interesting twist, Earl asked her to wait because He hadn't given her enough money so he went to find a cash machine. She was amazed because she needed something for her child that she didn't have the money for and what he gave her met the need.)
We are all changing through the process of time and experience and what we become is directly related to what is deposited into our life. For example, Jesus, the Son of God, did no miracle until He received the anointing from God. We know little about His life up to that point except that He never sinned and therefore was the perfect sacrifice. The DNA of Jesus came about by what He received, (John 1:32 the Holy Spirit of God), what He submitted to, (John 5:19 the words and actions of the Father) and what He did (Acts 10:38 He went about doing good and healing the oppressed). As you walk through your day, pray that God will speak to you and commit to do and say what He asks or prompts in your heart to do. Give away some money. Offer to pray for the sick. Tell people that God loves them. Ask people if they know Jesus Christ. This is the most frightening and exciting lifestyle you can imagine. Some tasks will be easier than others. All will be challenging and all will be rewarding. In all that you do today, keep this objective before you. Today I am going to go about doing good and healing the oppressed.
The truth is that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength and we're called to invade the impossible because (1 John 4:17) as He is so are we in this world. The way we live that out is to do good and heal the oppressed. This is what Jesus commanded us to do. John 20:21 As the Father has sent me, so also I send you. In the commission is the anointing to achieve. That means that as you read that, and understand, and begin to do it, the anointing of the Holy Spirit will empower you to do what was previously thought impossible. John 14:17 The Spirit is both with you and in you.
I met a man who lives this out. His name is Earl and when we met, knowing he was a minister yet pastored no church, I said, "What's your ministry?" He looked at me funny and said, "The same as yours. Do good and heal the oppressed." Then I saw it. He took a group of young people to the mall. They bought some coffee and began to wander around. He spotted a young person who was working at a kiosk and began to talk to her. She shared that she was concerned because she didn't know what she was going to do with her life after graduation. He asked if they could pray for her career. She said yes and a couple of the young people stood with her and began to pray. The presence of God came upon her and she began to weep. A man walked by and noticed and recognized Earl and, knowing that Earl prays for the sick, said, "I have a heart condition. Would you pray for me?" Earl brought a young person to pray with the man. A young mother walked by clearly more than 8 months pregnant yet carrying a child in her arms as well. Earl was prompted to give her some money so he walked over and said, "Maam, the Lord has asked me to give you some money." She was moved and thanked him. She was clearly oppressed and tired. Earl and one of the young people prayed with her and the Spirit of God touched her and she ended up giving her life to Jesus Christ. (In an interesting twist, Earl asked her to wait because He hadn't given her enough money so he went to find a cash machine. She was amazed because she needed something for her child that she didn't have the money for and what he gave her met the need.)
We are all changing through the process of time and experience and what we become is directly related to what is deposited into our life. For example, Jesus, the Son of God, did no miracle until He received the anointing from God. We know little about His life up to that point except that He never sinned and therefore was the perfect sacrifice. The DNA of Jesus came about by what He received, (John 1:32 the Holy Spirit of God), what He submitted to, (John 5:19 the words and actions of the Father) and what He did (Acts 10:38 He went about doing good and healing the oppressed). As you walk through your day, pray that God will speak to you and commit to do and say what He asks or prompts in your heart to do. Give away some money. Offer to pray for the sick. Tell people that God loves them. Ask people if they know Jesus Christ. This is the most frightening and exciting lifestyle you can imagine. Some tasks will be easier than others. All will be challenging and all will be rewarding. In all that you do today, keep this objective before you. Today I am going to go about doing good and healing the oppressed.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Consider the following. When I'm scuba diving, ignoring my senses could cost me my life. For example, as I go deeper, I have to pay close attention to the feelings I have in my ears, my head, my joints, my body. It's not possible to simply dive in the water and swim down a couple hundred feet without doing some physical preparation first. Equalizing your ears, adjusting your air, fitting your gear and mask so you can see. If I don't do these things, a deep dive will be uncomfortable for me. It's far more comfortable to hang out on the surface and float around yet the colors and sounds below are virtually invisible to you until you swim down. In the same way, pursuing the deeper things of God requires some attention to the physical. Training your ears to hear His voice, being filled with His Spirit (breath), and opening your eyes to see His manifest presence.
King David had more than 30 years where he came before the actual manifest presence of God that was upon the Ark of the Covenant. In that context he wrote in Psalm 63, "My flesh longs for you." Have you ever been so affected by the presence of God that your body itself ached and cried out for more? What was true for David is true for us as well. Just as my flesh longs for Salt Lick BBQ, good salsa, and a tall sweating glass of sweet tea, my physical body can ache for God. And if we can hunger for God physically, then we can be satisfied by God physically for there is no such thing as hunger without the potential for fulfillment. You don't have an appetite for things that are non-existent. Rather, God has put within our makeup the capacity to recognize Him and His activities with our physical bodies.
Ready to go a step further? Hebrews 5:14 says that a mark of maturity is having the sense trained to discern good and evil. Touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste can be trained to recognize the presence of God. For so long I tried hard to avoid giving any attention to what happened to me physically in a worship service. Working hard to avoid deception can be a deception in itself. In doing so, we often avoid God by denying our very senses that were created to praise and honor Him. Back then I would focus on only the intellectual (90%) and the emotional (10%). Yet God communicates with us in so many ways, through impressions of the heart, mental pictures, and physical sensations. When we ignore our bodies under the guise of denying the flesh we may also be ignoring the voice of God. The denial of the flesh is, for many, an excuse to succumb to the fear of man. That is that people don't dance in church and while they say that they're denying their flesh, in reality they're afraid of what people will think.
Here's an interesting point. I had a sinus headache last week and upon entering the water, my head felt like it would explode. The deeper I went the more uncomfortable I was. Eventually I had to call it a day. When your mind isn't right, the presence of God can physically be uncomfortable and even aggravating. Its amazing how many trips to the bathroom or the water fountain people take during a worship service. It's far more comfortable to hang out on the surface and float around. Don't do it. God has placed in you an appetite that His presence alone can satisfy. Clear your ears, fill your lungs with His Spirit, and open your eyes. Go deep.
King David had more than 30 years where he came before the actual manifest presence of God that was upon the Ark of the Covenant. In that context he wrote in Psalm 63, "My flesh longs for you." Have you ever been so affected by the presence of God that your body itself ached and cried out for more? What was true for David is true for us as well. Just as my flesh longs for Salt Lick BBQ, good salsa, and a tall sweating glass of sweet tea, my physical body can ache for God. And if we can hunger for God physically, then we can be satisfied by God physically for there is no such thing as hunger without the potential for fulfillment. You don't have an appetite for things that are non-existent. Rather, God has put within our makeup the capacity to recognize Him and His activities with our physical bodies.
Ready to go a step further? Hebrews 5:14 says that a mark of maturity is having the sense trained to discern good and evil. Touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste can be trained to recognize the presence of God. For so long I tried hard to avoid giving any attention to what happened to me physically in a worship service. Working hard to avoid deception can be a deception in itself. In doing so, we often avoid God by denying our very senses that were created to praise and honor Him. Back then I would focus on only the intellectual (90%) and the emotional (10%). Yet God communicates with us in so many ways, through impressions of the heart, mental pictures, and physical sensations. When we ignore our bodies under the guise of denying the flesh we may also be ignoring the voice of God. The denial of the flesh is, for many, an excuse to succumb to the fear of man. That is that people don't dance in church and while they say that they're denying their flesh, in reality they're afraid of what people will think.
Here's an interesting point. I had a sinus headache last week and upon entering the water, my head felt like it would explode. The deeper I went the more uncomfortable I was. Eventually I had to call it a day. When your mind isn't right, the presence of God can physically be uncomfortable and even aggravating. Its amazing how many trips to the bathroom or the water fountain people take during a worship service. It's far more comfortable to hang out on the surface and float around. Don't do it. God has placed in you an appetite that His presence alone can satisfy. Clear your ears, fill your lungs with His Spirit, and open your eyes. Go deep.
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