August 23, 2006

• Remember, I told you that I show my pastors what I write and if there are corrections and additions I will share them. This has been revised. Pastor Jerry shared the whole story of the man that he picked up, and added more from his notes that he did not have time to share when he was talking to us on Sunday. I am so blessed to have this new information. So I made the entry I posted today private for a time, so that you can be blessed with this new information. I tried to put the new information in bold for those of you who have read the post, unless it was just a mis-spelled word. By the way, Pastor Jerry is blessed by your comments!!!!!

  
  

  The Sunday Sermon 8/20/06 was taught by Pastor Don’s brother – Pastor Jerry Moore who is visiting from California..

  
  

  He asked us:

  
  

  What are you waiting for?
  What are you hoping for?
  What are you preparing for?

  
  

  There are different ways of waiting and hoping. Some wait in an anxious way, waiting for the bottom to fall out from under them. Some are hoping for a miracle. God does not want us to wait in idleness when we are waiting for His coming.

  
  

  Hope is based on faith – trusting that what we are waiting for will occur. And we want to prepare for the fulfillment of what we are waiting for, by doing what God wants us to do.

  
  

  Witnessing is important, all are called to witness about God to others. God wants us to share the hope that is in us with others, take the Good News out into the world and spread the light into a dark and dying world. We speak light into people’s darkness, hope into their hopelessness. We are not to be incognito Christians, but to be bold, not confrontational.

  
  

  Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

  
  

  Pastor Jerry pointed out that sometimes we take for granted wanting and hoping, when we really need to be praying and fasting. Our presence alone in an unsaved person’s life isn’t enough. We need to seek out opportunities to share with others. God said that it is what we are to do, spread the good news.

  
  

  Now look at the above passage and drop the Y’s on the word “your”: Let Our light so shine before men that they may see Our good works and glorify Our father in heaven.

  
  

  (Heather’s note, that really sunk in, and reminded me that we can personalize Bible verses to speak to our hearts).

  
  

  Luke 6:46 But why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?

  
  

  Obedience to Jesus requires sharing the Good News.

  
  

  James 1:22 But be doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving yourself.

  
  

  Sometimes we can think of all the things we will do for the kingdom, and yet not do anything. What makes the difference between heroes of faith and us? It is that they do the will of God. Satan tricks us – we have strong fantasies of what we will do, but take no action, but our minds think that we have done something through our fantasies. We become complacent, and have a sense of satisfaction, but no urgency to do what we are thinking of. That is a way of glorifying the self. We need to step out of fantasy and move into the reality of being a yielded vessel.

  
  

  What are you waiting for – the coming of the Lord, the rapture, the sign of His coming, His words ‘well done my good and faithful servant.’

  
  

  What are we hoping for – His coming.

  
  

  What are we preparing for – His coming and hoping.

  
  

  ARE YOUR SPIRITUAL BAGS PACKED? Do you know the Lord as your savior? Have you fought the battle and become free, from thinking or believing that your good works and good intentions are what justifies you -are you fully yielded to God, have you fought the battle of self-glorification and now give the victory to the Power and Glory of God.

  
  

  God gives us the strength to do this. Do we care more what God thinks and less about what people think? The battle we fight is not our own battle, but God’s battle.

  
  

  Pastor Jerry talked about how he met someone who was very into the occult, tattoos, etc. He ended up driving the person to a drug rehab run by Victory Outreach (a Christian Ministry) and Pastor Jerry knew that he had to talk with this person about God, but the person was very frightening in appearance and had a spirit of evil around him. So Pastor Jerry prayed first that God would protect Jerry, then he prayed for the person.

  
  

  (Heather’s note: that is an interesting thought that I never had before, praying for ones self first, then speaking and praying for the other. It sure makes sense).

  
  

  PASTOR JERRY GAVE ME A MORE COMPLETE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED WITH THIS MAN IN HIS OWN WORDS:

  
  

  anyway – what happened was – I was sent to pick up a fare at a bar – when I walked into the bar everyone in the bar including the bar tender was at the far end of the bar and my fare was sitting alone at the head of the bar talking to himself. I could see all these tattoos on him and his drink was sitting there unfinished, so I used that to tell him I would send someone to pick him up later, when he’d finished his drink – he said okay – I left – thinking I had gotten out of having to deal with him. The LORD wouldn’t let me go I ended up driving around the block and went back to get him. He got in the cab, heard my radio (I listened to Christian radio all the time – anyone who got into my taxi got to think about GOD even if they asked me to turn it off or down). We took off and I got him to start talking, and he shared some problems he was having – had just split with his girlfriend etc. I talked to him about the LORD and eventually asked him if I could pray for him – he hesitated at that, so I told him – let me tell you what I’ll pray and see if it’s okay – as I was telling him what I was going to ask GOD to do for him I began praying. I ended up dropping him at Victory Outreach in Venice, Ca.   That night I decided to pray for him before going to bed. As I started to pray a thought came into my mind telling me not to pray for him but I decided to pray for him anyway – and the thought came again saying GOD didn’t want me to pray for him, he was a reprobate – but I decided to try praying for him anyway maybe GOD would forgive him – Then I smelled a sulfurish smell and I got a word picture saying how “I’m going to kill you (by breaking my neck) while I prayed for him. It scared me – I got up walked into the kitchen and then I knew I had to pray for him – so I prayed for my protection while I prayed for him and went back and prayed for him. In the morning came the thoughts – oh that was really silly – all in “my” imagination – man you were tripping -a spirit of doubt -

  
  

  Some months maybe even a year passed – I get flagged down – pull over to pick up the fare and it was him. He was headed to a gang intervention that Victory Outreach was doing – we talked and he shared with me what he was doing with the ministry. I had a couple of those experiences where GOD let me see HIS work – as a baby Christian I believe HE did it to help strengthen my Faith and I’m a stronger toddler now. )

  
  

  (Heather’s note, Pastor Jerry is more than a toddler!!!!!)

  
  

  Some of us are self-conscious about sharing our faith. Pastor Jerry told us that if we put our focus on God, the self-consciousness will drop away.

  
  

  It is God we worship, not man.

  
  

  There are people who are will end up in hell around us, hopelessly lost ones, and without the Power of God, the Word of God, and Jesus’ gift of salvation, they will be lost. We must share with others this gift of God.

  
  

  Are we prepared for Heaven. The description of Heaven in the Bible has Heaven vibrant with colors, music we have never heard before, joy and peace like we can never know on earth. Healing, knowledge and understanding far beyond our human limitations.

  
  

  What God wants us to do while we are waiting:

  
  

  Study the Word of God, support ministries, and devote time to Him. Know why we believe. The time is short, and we cannot be laid back. We need to fully use the gifts and talents that God has given us. As we see in the parable of the talents, we will be held responsible for what we do or don’t do with the talents God has given us. Will we increase for His kingdom, or bury them and do nothing with them. We are to invest what we have for His kingdom. If God has given us a small gift or ability, we are to use it.

  
  

  The five virgins who did not bring enough oil lost it. Notice, they hung out with the others who did bring enough oil for their lamps. (They may have been thinking they were going on faith – but were taking GOD for granted – even thought they may have been in fellowship with the five wise virgins they weren’t following the example of the five wise virgins, as the young people say they were pimping GOD’S unmerited Favor and Grace – exploiting GOD’S Mercy.)The world will give us messages that color our genuine desires from God. We can lose our focus if we listen to the world, instead of keeping our focus on His kingdom.

  
  

  Peter was asked repeatedly by Jesus if Peter loved Jesus, and after Peter told Him that he did love Jesus, Jesus told Peter to feed his sheep. How are we to feed Jesus’s sheep? We do it through our giftings and talents, by sharing the Good news. We are to be using our talents, not waiting for God to act. We are to be doing His work while we wait. And we are to wait in faith, hope, and trust that He Will do what He has promised to do.

  
  

  What do we do while we wait:

  
  

  Colossians 1:10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

  
  

  While we wait we are to “walk worthy of the LORD” we are to be “fruitful” to “increase in knowledge of God.” While you wait, you are to:

  
  

  Colossians 3: 16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in  you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

  
  

  While you are waiting: 1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

  
  

  1 John 2:28-29 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

  
  

  Galatians 6:9-10 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

  
  

  1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified  your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.

  
  

  1 Peter 2:1-4 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.

  
  

  Heather this part I didn’t share as I was trying to keep from getting to long

  
  

  What are you Hoping?

  
  

  Acts 24:15 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.

  
  

  How is he preparing for the resurrection?

  
  

  Acts 24:16 This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

  
  

  Paul in Acts 26:6-7a  And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain…

  
  

  Hope to attain. …… Don’t we?

  
  

  Preparing:

  
  

  1 Peter 2:4-5 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

  
  

  There is no person on earth that God doesn’t have a purpose for. We are a holy priesthood. We are to abstain from fleshly lusts. Evil doers may speak against you, but we still do God’s work. Evil doers will be speaking for satan against you.

  
  

  Philippians 3:14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

  
  

  Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand; and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character, and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  We commit our works to the Lord, we are justified in His grace and therefore have peace with God through the Lord. While we wait on the Lord, we wait with hope, wait trusting in faith, doing what God has called us to do, what His Word says, we will be fruitful and grow. God is preparing us for His kingdom, to do works. And doing HIS works Prepares us.We are being prepared to stand before Him, for the day when we can cast our crowns at His feet, to give Him the glory. Practice makes perfect, give God credit now for what He has done and is doing, and that will help us to practice casting crowns. We are to be submissive to what He commands us to do, and we are held responsible to obey His commands. If you step out, He parts the waters. Philippians 1:3-6 I thank God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Hoping that this teaching blesses you as it did for me. Heather

  
  

  
  

   

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