What does God want?

As I was pondering the modern day church , which I have coined "modernachurchology", I was reminded of an exerpt from "The Normal Christian Life" by Watchman Nee written around 1938. I hope and pray that these words touch the hearts of the many people who read my blog.


Luk 11:28 But he (Jesus) said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it

The trouble about many Christians today is that they have an insufficient idea of what God
is asking of them. How glibly they say: `Lord, I am willing for anything.' Do you know that
God is asking of you your very life? There are cherished ideals, strong wills, precious
relationships, much- loved work, that will have to go; so do not give yourself to God unless
you mean it. God will take you seriously, even if you did not mean it seriously.

When the Galilian boy brought his bread to the Lord, what did the Lord do with it? He
broke it. God will always break what is offered to Him. He breaks what He takes, but after
breaking it He blesses and uses it to meet the needs of others. After you give yourself to the
Lord, He begins to break what was offered to Him. Everything seems to go wrong, and you
protest and find fault with the ways of God. But to stay there is to be no more than just a
broken vessel -- no good for the world because you have gone too far for the world to use
you, and no good for God either because you have not gone far enough for Him to use you.
You are out of gear with the world, and you have a controversy with God. This is the tragedy
of many a Christian.

My giving of myself to the Lord must be an initial fundamental act. Then day by day I
must go on giving to Him, not finding fault with His use of me but accepting with praise even
what the flesh revolts against.

I am the Lord's and now no longer reckon myself to be my own but acknowledge in
everything His ownership and authority. That it the attitude God requires, and to maintain it is
true consecration. I do not consecrate myself to be a missionary or a preacher; I consecrate
myself to God to do His will where I am, be it in school, office or kitchen, counting whatever
He ordains for me to be the very best, for nothing but good can come to those who are wholly
His.

May we always be possessed by the consciousness that we are not our own...Wathman Nee

Thoughts on the Wednesday class

It seems as if the Lord is bringing more into our Wednesday class and we had a wonderful class today on revival. I am posting a few new items on the blog including the revival hymn. Remember one of the best tools satan uses is to distract us from our high calling. One of the things that got all over me today is what Leonard Ravenhill said:

There is a move of God in America today but not amongst the unsaved...It's amongst the redeemed who are determined by the grace of God to be part of the Bride and to be part of the Bride you have to be divorced from everything in the world.

The other thing that wasn't part of our class but was impressed on my heart was the parable of the soils found in Mark 4, Matthew 13 and Luke 8. When the word is cast out there are four responses:

1. This one satan comes quickly to remove the good word as it falls unto a hardened heart
2. This one is received with joy but because the root of it isn't tapped into Christ it falls away
3. This one receives Word but because of the cares of THIS world it is choked out and bears NO fruit
4. This one is cast into good ground in which the hearer accepts it and it bears fruit some thirty, sixty or hundredfold

Luk 8:18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."

Which of these four represent YOU?

Are you praying?

What a simple but profound question...Oh how the devil hopes for us not to pray but pray we must. We may not all be as John Wesley spending 2 hours daily in prayer but the question still remains...are you praying? Are you prioritizing prayer? Is it your lifes desire to see God work and will in our lives and the people that way heavy on our hearts? If so are you praying?

I leave you with an offering of some of the greatest enemies of satan...these men tore down strong holds and swept many into the kingdom...do you want to do the same? Then are you praying? Don't forget about 6 pm prayer time at Suncoast Baptist, please come and unite together in calling out to our Father.

"God does nothing except in response to believing prayer." John Wesley

"The greatest thing anyone can do for God or man is pray." S.D. Gordon

"Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying. Paul E. Billheimer

"The little estimate we put on prayer is evidence from the little time we give to it." E.M. Bounds

“I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.” Charles Spurgeon

The process of prayer

Here is the outline for the up and coming Sunday class and the Wednesday class. Make sure you are there promptly at 9:30 and bring pen and paper as we will be using the white board to illustrate the process of prayer. Take a chance to study the outline and scriptures to familiarize yourself with the class as you will get much more out of it.

Dave

The Process of Prayer V Outline
Nov 16, 2008

1.) How does prayer work? What is the process for prayer? How does prayer fulfill the purposes that God has for His people and for the world?

2.) Prayer is a process whereby God, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, work in man and with man in fulfilling God’s will through his creations free will.
Joshua 24:14-15
Mat 23:37
Even if our Spirit is willing our flesh is still weak Mat 26:41

3.) The Process of prayer begins with the Father revealing His purposes
Works in us to do His will – Heb 13:20-21
God enables us to act - Phil 2:12-13
God reveals to us His will by the Spirit – 1Cor 2:10

4.) The Holy Spirit works in us to reveal God’s purposes
a. The Holy Spirit intercedes to our hearts – Rom 8:26-27
b. Praying in Spirit is essential in Spiritual matters – Eph 6:18
c. Continuous prayer comes from walking in the Spirit and not fulfilling the flesh
i. Gal 5:16-17
ii. 1The 5:16-17

5.) We express those purposes as the Holy Spirit reveals, by praying in the Holy Spirit to the Father through the name and authority of Jesus Christ
John 16:24 & John 15:7
1John 5:14-15

6.) Jesus intercedes to God the Father on our behalf
Rev 2:23 – Jesus searches the hearts and minds of His people
Heb 7:25 – Jesus is our High Priest making intercession to God on our behalf

7.) Lets sum it up
Prayer is more then something we do it is something God does through us
When we pray we cooperate in the purpose of our triune God
Our prayers do not change God’s will – they are His way of accomplishing His will

A Timeline of Paul's life

I think it is important to remember God in relation to time. Paul was saved by Jesus Himself and already an old testament scholar and pharisee but God did not use Paul as a missionary until between 10-14 years after his new birth. And Pauls first experience, as Acts records it, was as an assitant to Barnabas. That doesn't mean that Paul was just sitting there waiting but he was yielding himself to God and growing in faith. I will leave you with one verse...

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Year (AD)
Event
30
Jesus’ resurrection
33-35
Paul’s conversion / sojourn in Damascus (Acts 9)
35
Paul’s first post-conversion visit to Jerusalem
35-45
Paul’s years in Cilicia, Syria and Antioch (Gal 1.21-2.1, Acts 9.30 / 11.25)
45
Paul’s second post-conversion visit to Jerusalem (Acts 11.30)
46-48
The First Journey (Acts 13-14)
48
Letter to the Galatians
49
The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)
49-52
The Second Journey (Acts 16-18)
50
Letters to the Thessalonians
52
Return visit to Jerusalem and Antioch
52-57
The Third Journey (Acts 18-21)
54
First Letter to the Corinthians
56
Second Letter to the Corinthians
57
Letter to the Romans
57-59
Paul’s Judean arrest and trial (Acts 21-26)
59-60
Voyage to Rome and shipwreck (Acts 27-28)
60-62
House arrest in Rome and Early Prison Letters
62
Hearing before the Emperor and acquittal
62-64
Journey to Spain, Corinth, and Ephesus
65
Paul’s re-arrest, Later Prison Letters, and execution in Rome

Knowing God's Will - Insight from George Müller

When it came to knowing God's will, George Müller (1805-1898), an English evangelist and philanthropist, was remarkably and humbly gifted. A man of faith and prayer, Müller established orphanages in Bristol and founded the Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad. The following are wonderful excerpts from one of his essays.


Knowing God's Will - How to Ascertain the Will of GodKnowing

God's will is the key to prayer, spiritual growth and fruitfulness in our individual lives. Here's how George Müller set out to ascertain the will of God on a daily basis:

* I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are over come when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.

* Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

* I seek the Will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.

* Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God's Will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

* I ask God in prayer to reveal His Will to me aright.

* Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective.

Knowing God's Will - The Key to Everything!

Christ taught us that knowing God's will and living in obedience to that will is the key to it all! God is the potter; we are the clay. God keeps us spinning on His potter's wheel, shaping and reshaping us as He bathes our lives in tears to make us more Christ-like so He can use us for His will. Surrender daily. Keep your clay moist through daily prayer - prayer that's in accordance to His will.

Get ready for Christmas

This is not your normal posting for getting ready for Christmas. In these darkening days we need to be ready at all times to share the hope that is in us (1Pet 3:15) and "go" and make disciples of all nations (Mark 16:15). It is our responsibility to put feet to our faith that God has so graciously provided. Here are a few thoughts on putting the emphasis where it should be for Christmas which is Christ.

Here are free gospel quizzes to hand out during the season.

http://www.livingwaters.com/christmas/CHRISTMAS-QUIZ-front.pdf
http://www.livingwaters.com/christmas/CHRISTMAS-QUIZ-back.pdf

Here are some ideas on how you could use these:

1) Have your Sunday School class go to the mall and hand them out with mini-candy canes.
2) Give them out to the people you work with.
3) Enclose them in your Christmas cards to your unsaved friends and family members.
4) Go Christmas caroling and include them in bags of Christmas candy for each house you stop at.
5) Put together a Christmas gift basket (Include cocoa, mugs, candy canes, a Christmas music CD, and/or homemade cookies) and go introduce yourself you one of your neighbors.
6) Go to a place where teens gather, (outside of movie theaters, at local fast-food restaurants, in malls), start a conversation and offer a cash gift to the one who gets the most answers correct.
7) Get a booth at a flea-market or swap meet, and give away giant candy canes to every person who will take the "Christmas Quiz Challenge!"

The ideas are really endless, because Christmas sparks an atmosphere of open friendliness with strangers. At this time of year, when Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior, make it your personal priority to tell as many people as you can about Him. The most important thing you could do this Christmas (or any time) is to get the gospel into the hands and minds of the unsaved!