Passion for the cause
In the dictionary one of the definitions for the word passion is the suffering of
Jesus Christ.
The early Christians lost their lives for the sake of the cause.
Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna and one of the heroes of the early church.
He was the student of the Apostle John and was taught by the Apostles.
He was martyred for his faith in Christ. When he was led before the Roman proconsul who pleaded with him to renounce Christ Polycarp replied;
Eighty six years I have served him, he never did me any injury. How then could I blaspheme my King who has saved me?
This is the prayer of Polycarp as he was led to his death;
I give You thanks that You have counted me, worthy of this day and this hour, that I should have a part in the number of Your martyrs, in the cup of your Christ, to the resurrection of eternal life, both of soul and body, through the incorruption [imparted] by the Holy Ghost.
In recent times others have shown greater passion for their cause than Christians
Greenpeace is one group that has taken our place
Recently colliding with a huge whaling boat to try and stop the Japanese whalers.
They lost a 2 million dollar boat the Ady Gil but they said it was price they were willing to pay
Greenpeace said “The loss of the Ady Gil, that cost us about 2 million dollars, but that’s not worth as much to us as the whales are – we’re quite willing to take those risks – we’re not giving up!”
Muslims pray 5 times a day – they are willing and prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their cause – and they are demonstrating that on a regular basis
It’s time for us to get a fresh passion for our cause!
We need to hear the voice of Christ calling us to join his cause and make a stand in our lives.
We should remember the lives of those who went before us making a stand for the cause of Christ.
William Booth another hero of the faith said;
“Your days at the most cannot be very long, so use them to the best of your ability for the glory of God and the benefit of your generation.”
It’s time to get passionate for our cause!
A Story of forgiveness
An angry mob hauls a woman in before Jesus – they throw her on the dirt in front of him
They are self righteous, proud – this woman has sinned and they are going to make her pay
They demand that she be punished by the law of Moses
Stoning was the punishment of choice and they were gathered around the woman with stones in hand
Why is it that some of God’s people want to throw stones?
These were the teachers of the law & the Pharisees – they should have known God better than this – but they didn’t
John 8: 6 - 11 Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Just like the Pharisees we can be the ones carrying the stones
Maybe you are carrying a few stones – maybe people have done something wrong in your eyes – and you think they deserve to pay
Jesus said you without sin throw the first stone – who are we to be throwing stones at each other – we who have been forgiven such a great debt
The world loves to take people down – Tiger Woods has sinned and the media vultures are flocking
The world might be like this – but not us – we are meant to be the people who forgive
Jesus demonstrates his extravagant love and forgiveness by releasing this woman
He also demonstrates it by forgiving and releasing you and I
We need to drop the stones and forgive one another!
A new level of faith
I just got back from Korea where I was attending Ps Yonggi Cho’s Church Growth Conference. It was unreal. I was hanging out with Ps Phil Pringle and Ps Kong Hee and listening to Ps Cho. That’s about as good a week as you can have!
This guy has built the largest church in the history of Christianity by prayer, faith and the Holy Spirit.
He preached a message on faith that took me to another level.
Here are 3 keys of faith from Ps Cho
1. Faith swells in an environment of faith.
It is so important for us to live in the faith zone, to operate in faith and to remain firmly in faith.
I think in the world today – we can have the intention of living by faith but are tempted by and often give in to the doubts, fears and realities that surround us every day.
Our faith gives way to fear.
We need to constantly be putting ourselves in an environment of faith – being in church, getting around great leaders and inspiring people, reading the word of God, spending time in prayer and seeing visions.
2. Faith wants to have a clear goal.
We need to know what we are applying our faith to. Define your goal and bring it before God in persistent prayer.
Keep your goal in mind and see it coming to pass. Pray for it, aim towards it and never let it out of your sight.
3. Language is the clothing for faith.
How cool is that thought!
Faith needs an expression and this happens through your words.
What you speak is what is inside you. So faith expresses itself in your life by your words. So speak words of faith and life and keep speaking them.
Lets be people that build the future by faith!
How to get more of Holy Spirit in your life
1. Repent
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
You need to repent and be baptized
This is step one in living by the Holy Spirit
2. Wait on the Holy Spirit
Acts 1: 4 – Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised….
You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit
We need to learn how to wait – for the spirit of God
We have lost the art of waiting – So often we charge on ahead – making our own way
We don’t like to wait in this world –but if you want the Holy Spirit –you need to wait on God
This is what we do in church – we learn wait on God
Isaiah 40: 31 – they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, they will rise up on wings as eagles
3. Believe in the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 2:5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power
The Holy Spirit moves on your faith – without faith you won’t experience the Holy Spirit
Smith Wigglesworth said
Believe that when you come into the presence of God you can have all you came for. You can take it away, and you can use it, for all the power of God is at your disposal in response to your faith
Come on lets put our faith in God’s power
4. Live by faith
Galatians 3: 14 –so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit
Faith actions what we believe
Your faith attracts the power of God
It’s so easy to give up – to accept where you are and what is happening
Faith is a fight that won’t give up – fight the good fight of faith – you will be commended
Faith considers all the reason why a miracle can happen
A fully convinced mind – is what moves God
Live in the realm of the spirit – it’s a realm of power, victory and abundance
5. Don’t resist the Holy Spirit
Acts 7:51 You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit
Some people are so resistant – don’t have a position of doubt – have a position of faith
Don’t hang back but step in – the power of God is like a river – you have to step in
6. Be filled by the Spirit
Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Let yourself be filled with the Holy Spirit – be consumed by God
What else would you want to be filled by? some people get filled with rage, anger, bitterness, alcohol, lust, depression, disappointment – but we are called to filled by the Holy Spirit
7. Pray in the Spirit
Jude 1:20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
To connect with God – we need to be in prayer – to be anointed by God we need to pray
Prayer is our relationship with God – there is no other way – prayer keeps us in the spirit
Live a life worthy of the call
In Ephesians 4 Paul writes
I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received
This is a great challenge from Paul and I get 3 keys out of this
1st key – It’s not a mild request or a suggestion from Paul, but heartfelt Plea – that we would live this amazing life for Christ
Paul is pretty convinced of the benefits of living this life – and he really wants us to step into this life
2nd key – For each of us to realize we have a high calling from God
One of the great revelations of your life – is that God has called you
We find it so easy to offload it to someone else – someone more prepared
No – the high call of God is on you – it is a beautiful thing and you can do it
You have been given all you need to complete it
How amazing – that you have been called by God
God’s call will make you – I have been made by his call on my life
That revelation stunned me – “God you have called me?” – “why?”
The answer to that question will floor you!!
Because he loves you – because you are his son or daughter - and dad wants you to help with the family business
The call of God will make you!
3rd key – Paul urges us to live a life worthy of the high call of God
Many people in this world wouldn’t throw their lives away if they really knew the call that was on them
The point is to understand that you have this high call from God and to endeavor to live up to it
It will lift you – you will not be the same person
Start today – start living for the call on your life
If you don’t know what it is – make it your first priority to find out
So many in this generation have run for the call
Don’t run from the call – Live up to the call!
God’s creative power
God’s creative power
Today I was standing on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown NZ. This is surely one of the most beautiful places on earth!!
How can you not connect to your creator in a setting like this? – I made the connection – it was unreal!
It speaks of the awesome creative power of our God. You can’t deny the beauty and majesty of his construction. The whole scene is a work of art created with purpose.
Acts 1: 8 says “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”
God wants us to have this creative power! When the spirit comes into your world – you get access to this incredible creative power.
So what are we doing with it?
Sometimes believers are some of the most boring and powerless people on earth. We have lost sight of what we have been given.
You and I have the creative power of God
So let’s start creating something powerful that inspires awe and majesty!
Overcoming Disappointment
Overcoming disappointment
Robert Kiyosaki said “The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.”
To be successful in life you have to get over yourself and over disappointment
Disappointment is something you have to keep overcoming to show yourselves faithful
When ever you have high hopes – you will be disappointed at some stage
Here are some keys to overcoming disappointment
1. Don’t do anything stupid when you are disappointed
When you are disappointed don’t make any quick decisions
Allow yourself sometime to get over it and back into faith
2. Don’t play the blame game
It’s just disappointing!
It’s not God’s fault – he wants to bless you
It’s generally not anyone else’s fault
Don’t blame yourself – bottom line you gave something a go – that is to be applauded
See it for what it is – a disappointing outcome and it hurts – but it can be turned around!
3. Be comforted by God
2 Corinthians 1: 3 – 4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles
So many in disappointment run away from God – but he is described in the bible as the God of all comfort
Be comforted by God
Run to God
4. Don’t give up
2 Chronicles 15: 7 But as for you be strong and do not give up for your work will be rewarded
It’s only failure if you give up
Be strong and stay in the game – trust God and keep trying
The outcome won’t be as bad as you think
Your work will be rewarded
5. Persevere
James 1: 3 - 4 and the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish it’s work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything
God wants to produce perseverance in you so that you will be mature and complete
6. Receive what was promised
Hebrews 10: 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he has promised
On the other side of disappointment is promise and success
Psalm 22: 5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed
Trust in God – you will not be disappointed
Eternity
Eternity
Ecclesiastes 3: 11 says
Everything is beautiful in it’s time
Your time is coming – a time for your gift – a time when our life is needed for an eternal purpose
Most of us are living before our time
We are in preparation for our moment of great impact
Many people miss their time – People give up before their time
I want to encourage you – don’t miss your time
Don’t miss the beauty of your life
Offload discouragement and regret – If your in God your best days are ahead
Your time will be beautiful
Don’t sell out for second best
He has also set eternity in the hearts of men
We are created for Eternity – so why do we spend so much time focused on this world?
If you listen to your head – you will live for the here and now
If you listen to your heart you will hear the sound of eternity
Eternity is set in our hearts – it is inside of you
There is a sound of heaven in you
In your heart is an eternal purpose
If you could really see your life with the backdrop of eternity – you would live differently
Don’t be a success in this life and a failure in eternity!
1 Timothy 6:12 says Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Lets live our lives in the context of eternity
Loyalty
Loyalty
MARIO PUZO, the writer of the Godfather series said “The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other”
Today in the world loyalties shift around depending on how things look for us
Disloyal people are everywhere – people shift loyalties so easily
It might be the world’s way – but it’s not God’s way
The whole story of the gospel is about a God who didn’t give up on us when we were worth giving up on
Ruth is one of the great stories of loyalty in the bible
She commits her future to a widowed old lady
There is nothing for Ruth to gain – yet she is faithful to this old woman
And her faithfulness is greatly rewarded
A foreign Moabite girl – is included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ because of her loyalty and faithfulness
Loyalty is proved when the pressure comes on
The time will come when loyalty will be tested – stand up in the test – don’t cave in and bail
Loyalty is about sticking together
Be a loyal friend – speak highly of people
One of the qualities I admire the most is loyalty
I love to hear people defending people behind their backs – speaking highly of one another
There are a hundred reasons to bag each other – but it is beautiful when people defend each other
Proverbs 3: 3 – 4 says Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
Make a decision – I’m going to be a loyal person
