Amazing Grace

Who Am I?

I was born in 1725, and I died in 1807. The only godly influence in my life was my mother, whom I had for only seven years. When she died, my father remarried, sent me to a strict military school. I rebelled and ran away at the age of ten.

A year later, I renounced school forever and became a seaman apprentice. I hoped to step into my father's trade and learn to navigate a ship. Gradually, I gave myself over to the devil. And I determined that I would sin to my fill without restraint, now that the righteous lamp of my life had gone out. I did that until I entered the military service, where discipline kept me in check. Still, I rebelled. My spirit would not break, and I became increasingly more and a rebel.

I despised so many things in the military that I finally deserted, only to be captured and beaten publicly several times. After enduring the punishment, I again fled. I entertained thoughts of suicide on my way to Africa, the place I could get farthest from anyone that knew me. And again I made pact with the devil to live for him.

Somehow, through a process of events, I met a Portuguese slave trader and lived in his home. His wife hated me. She beat me, and made me eat like a dog on the floor of the home. If I refused, she would whip me with a lash. I fled penniless, with only the clothes on my back, to the shoreline of Africa where I built a fire and attracted a ship that was passing by. The skipper was surprised to learn that I was a skilled navigator. I lived on board for a long period of time. It was a slave ship it was not uncommon for as many as six hundred Africans to be in the hold of the ship, being taken to America.

I went through all sorts of narrow escapes with death only a hair breath away on a number of occasions. One time I opened some crates of rum and got everybody on the crew drunk. The skipper, incensed with my actions, beat me, threw me down below, and I lived on stale bread and sour vegetables for weeks. He brought me above to beat me again, and I fell overboard. I couldn't swim so he harpooned me to get me back on the ship. I lived with the scar in my side, big enough for me to put my fist into, until the day of my death.

On board, I was inflamed with fever. I was enraged with humiliation. A storm broke out, and I wound up again in the hold of the ship. To keep the ship afloat, I worked alone as a servant of the slaves. There, bruised and confused, bleeding, diseased, I was the epitome of the degenerate man.

Remembering the words of my mother. I cried out to God, calling upon His grace and mercy to deliver me. The only glimmer of light I found was in a crack in the ship in the floor above me, and I looked up to it and screamed for help. God heard me. Thirty-one years passed, I married my childhood sweetheart. I entered the ministry. In every place that I served, rooms had to be added to the building to handle the crowds that came to hear the Gospel that was presented and the story of God's grace in my life. My tombstone above my head reads:

Born 1725, died 1807. A clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he once long labored to destroy. I decided before my death to put my life's story in verse. And that has become this song.

My name . . . John Newton…The song? Amazing Grace.

Amazing Grace

Knowing this story, the words to the beloved hymn become much more meaningful:

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound) That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first believed!

Thro' many dangers, toils and snares I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine.

Titus 2:11-13 says, 11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time, that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award—yet receives such a gift anyway—that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God.

Amazing grace.

GRACE = God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense

The one commodity that allows God to be what his holiness would never let him be.  The spiritual Golden Gate between man’s sin and God’s goodness.  The horizon that melds the infinite sky to the finite earth.  The impossible juncture between the irresistible force and the immovable object.  The mystery of godliness; the magnificent obsession, the triumph of life over death.  Ps 85:10 “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

Amazing grace.

Grace = God’s unmerited favor.

Salvation = nothing less than the Lord Jesus Christ himself, because the very name of Jesus = “Jehovah has become our salvation.”

Isaiah 12:3 says, “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

It literally means, “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of Jesus.”

And, this grace “…hath appeared to all men.”

“The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” Another translation says, “The grace of God hath been made to shine from above.”

The meaning of this phrase, "hath appeared to all men," is the same as the saying in the song of Simeon, "Mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people" (Luke 2:30,31; Col 1:6).

The grace of God was embodied in Jesus, "the brightness of the Father's glory," the manifested "Sun of righteousness," "the Word made flesh." When you see Jesus Christ, you see the personification of grace.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in his wonderful face,

And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of his glory and grace.

Amazing grace.

Astonishing, astounding, remarkable, wonderful, magnificent, breathtaking, incredible, startling, surprising, shocking, beyond belief, marvelous, miraculous grace.

" Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin.”

Grace could have stood by itself. But, whatever God does, he multiplies its effect.

John 1:14-16

“14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.”

Grace: Amazing in its fullness. When Satan went before God in Job 2:4, we read, “And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.” Skin for skin is skin after skin, even all that a man has. Grace for grace is grace after grace, the abundance of grace, grace upon grace, one grace heaped upon another. It is a blessing poured out so that there shall not be room to receive it, extreme redemption: one grace a pledge of more grace.

Grace: Amazing in its promises. In the Old Testament we often find mercy and truth put together, that is, mercy according to promise; so here grace and truth speak of grace according to promise. 1 Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.”

Grace: Amazing in its person. Grace is the substance of all the Old-Testament types and shadows. There was something of grace in the ordinances given to Israel and the providences granted to Israel. But, the very best blessings that God heaped upon Israel were only shadows of good things to come to the church. They had the law, but we have grace revealed in Jesus Christ. He is the true paschal lamb, the true scape-goat, the true manna. They had grace in the picture; we have grace in the person.

Amazing grace.

I submit to you tonight that this grace is far more amazing than we have imagined.  It is so amazing that it strips the judge’s robe and gavel off of every one of us.  It turns our pride and arrogance inside out.  It makes all our righteousnesses as “filthy rags”.  We have no right to criticize any recipient of God’s grace.  We have no justification to deny God’s grace to anyone who seeks it.  We have no power to take away God’s grace from anyone who gets it.  Every minister is charged with preaching and teaching the Word, but also of the stewardship of the grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10 “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

Grace is our only claim to salvation.

Grace does not come by believing. Believing comes by grace.   Grace does not come by repentance. Repentance comes by grace.  Grace does not come by baptism. Baptism and remission of sins come by grace.  Grace does not come by the Spirit. The Spirit comes by grace.

Eph 2:1-9 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;  2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:  3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.  4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.

We think of heaven as a place of vast, untold wealth.  Streets of gold, walls of jasper, gates of pearl.  But if heaven had a vault where God kept his greatest riches, you wouldn’t find gold bars there. You wouldn’t find diamonds or rubies or platinum or silver.  You would find stacks and stacks of mercy and grace.

Micah 5:7 says that God delights in his mercy!

God is rich in mercy and exceeding rich in grace.  God is not counting his gold. He is counting his redeemed.

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Grace may be wonderful, but it does not leave us to wonder; it is real, measurable and evident.

Acts 11:18-23 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.  22 Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.  23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.

When you see someone repenting, you are seeing God’s grace in action.  When you see a soul baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, you are seeing God’s grace at work.  When you see God fill someone with the Holy Ghost, you are seeing the grace of God.

Grace is a place.

Rom 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:  2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Grace is not a license to sin. It is a refuge from sin.  We cannot drag grace to places which subvert its purpose.  If we want grace, we must come to grace. We need grace, but grace doesn’t need us.  Come to grace. Stay in grace. Live in grace.

Grace is not weak; it teaches aggressivly, effectively.

Titus 2:11-12  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Grace has standards, principles and boundaries.  Grace loves righteousness, godliness and temperance.  Grace knows how to say no to sin. Grace despises the sin even as it loves the sinner.  Grace ever leads us along a safe and protected pathway.  Grace is not a laizze-faire, whatever, “do it your own way” option.  Grace teaches, guides, coaches and influences us in every aspect of our lives.

Grace is the shadowing response of God to the sinfulness of the world.

Rom 5:20-21 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

What are we going to do about the sinfulness of the world?  What about the perversion, the violence, the infidelity?  What about the blasphemy, the idolatry, the lust and the pride?  We are going to respond with grace.  We will not despair at the sin, we will rejoice in the savior.  It’s always “greater grace, greater grace.”

Grace is the last resort for the hurting and helpless.

2 Cor 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

We talk about the heroes of faith, and well we should.  But let us not forget the recipients of grace who make God the hero.  Noah found grace in the eyes of Lord. Joseph found grace in the sight of the Lord.  Moses found grace in the sight of the Lord.   A remnant of Jews found grace in the sight of the Lord.  The lowly receive grace from the Lord. The humble receive grace from the Lord.  Paul received grace from the Lord.   All of the above were people we expected to be on the list. 

There is a name, however, whom no one would expect to make the list: Lot.  Yet, the Bible says, “Lot found grace in the sight of the Lord.”  Foolish, materialistic, proud, permissive, self-justifying---Lot reeked with sin.  But grace doesn’t find you on the mountaintop. Grace finds you in the valley. 

Don’t brag about your goodness. Brag about God’s grace.  Don’t tell us how deserving you are. Tell us how undeserving you are.  Don’t build yourself up. Build up the Giver of Grace.

They Call Him the Savior

Longing to leave her poor Brazilian neighborhood, Christina wanted to see the world. Discontent with a home having only a pallet on the floor, a washbasin, and a wood-burning stove, she dreamed of a better life in the city. One morning she slipped away, breaking her mother’s heart. Knowing what life on the streets would be like for her young, attractive daughter, Maria hurriedly packed to go find her. On her way to the bus stop she entered a drugstore to get one last thing. Pictures. She sat in the photograph booth, closed the curtain, and spent all she could on pictures of herself. With her purse full of small black-and-white photos, she boarded the next bus to Rio de Janiero.

Maria knew Christina had no way of earning money. She also knew that her daughter was too stubborn to give up. When pride meets hunger, a human will do things that were before unthinkable. Knowing this, Maria began her search. Bars, hotels, nightclubs, any place with the reputation for street walkers or prostitutes. She went to them all. And at each place she left her picture—taped on a bathroom mirror, tacked to a hotel bulletin board, fastened to a corner phone booth. And on the back of each photo she wrote a note.

It wasn’t too long before both the money and the pictures ran out, and Maria had to go home. The weary mother wept as the bus began its long journey back to her small village. It was a few weeks later that young Christina descended the hotel stairs. Her young face was tired. Her brown eyes no longer danced with youth but spoke of pain and fear. Her laughter was broken. Her dream had become a nightmare. A thousand times over she had longed to trade these countless beds for her secure pallet. Yet the little village was, in too many ways, too far away. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes noticed a familiar face. She looked again, and there on the lobby mirror was a small picture of her mother. Christina’s eyes burned and her throat tightened as she walked across the room and removed the small photo. Written on the back was this compelling invitation. “Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn’t matter. Please come home.” She did. Max Lucado, No Wonder They Call Him the Savior, Multnomah Press, 1986, pp. 158-9

Mayor LaGuardia

A story is told about Fiorello LaGuardia, who, when he was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII, was called by adoring New Yorkers ‘the Little Flower’ because he was only five foot four and always wore a carnation in his lapel. He was a colorful character who used to ride the New York City fire trucks, raid speakeasies with the police department, take entire orphanages to baseball games, and whenever the New York newspapers were on strike, he would go on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids.

One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter’s husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges.

“It’s a real bad neighborhood, your Honor.” the man told the mayor. “She’s got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson.” LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said “I’ve got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions—ten dollars or ten days in jail.” But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying: “Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Baliff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.”

So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.

Brennan Manning, The Ragmuffin Gospel, Multnomah, 1990, pp. 91-2

Kept From Christ

Mark 10:46-48 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.  47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.  48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

Have you ever wanted something but an obstacle always got in your way?

It seemed like you couldn’t get it even if your life depended on it.

Maybe you could identify with the stories commemorated by the Berghaus Matterhorn, a famous hotel situated at the 10,700 ft. level in the Swiss Alps, close to the peak called the Matterhorn.

First ascent of the Matterhorn: 1857
In 1857, two French men and an French woman attempted to climb the mountain. They soon had to abandon their ascent because the ridge was too steep.
1858
The same two French men undertook a further attempt – this time from the Italian side. However, at a height of 12,500 feet they once again encountered a very steep passage that proved insurmountable.
1860
This time a French climber along with a Swiss man and two English brothers succeeded in climbing up to the big tower. The brothers twice tried to climb the Matterhorn from the Zermatt side, but they too had to abandon their project at an altitude of 11,800 feet.
1861
The English alpinist Edward Whymper made an unsuccessful attempt to climb the Matterhorn.
1862
Following five further unsuccessful attempts and a fall of 200 feet, Whymper temporarily abandoned his project. Five men who had climbed before, reached the first part of the peak, nowadays called Pic Tyndall.
1863
Whymper, along with several others suffered the same setback as the previous year. The mountain remained unconquered.

1865
On the morning of 13 July 1865 Michel Croz, Taugwalder and his son, Reverend Charles Hudson, Lord Francis Douglas, Robert D. Hadow and Edward Whymper set out in the direction of the Matterhorn. The group camped for the night at a height of 11,000 feet. In the early afternoon of 14 July 1865 they reached the summit of the Matterhorn, until then unconquered. Far below them, they spotted some Italian climbers.
The descent proved long and perilous – particularly with the inexperienced Hadow. Croz tried to help Hadow by correctly positioning Hadow’s feet, one after the other. Croz was just turning to continue his descent when Hadow lost his grip and fell, pulling Croz with him. A moment later Hudson and Lord Douglas were also pulled away from the rock face. Edward Whymper and Taugwalder used all their force to belay the rope and stop their companions’ fall, but the rope broke between Taugwalder and Lord Douglas.
The remainder of the group returned safely to Zermatt.

In the news this week was the accusation that Floyd Landis, the 2006 winner of the Tour-de-France, tested positive for drug use. Last night, on CNN’s Larry King Live, Landis denied the charge. He will be tested again and his cycling team, Phonak, has announced that they will drop him from the team if the results are positive again.

Here is a classic case of a man reaching for something, in this case a winner’s trophy, and something or someone keeping him from it. I can’t imagine being so close and yet so far from such a coveted prize.

I’m going to make an assumption here, that everyone in this sanctuary today wants to come to Christ for some reason.

• You have a condition; an affliction; a disease; a problem; a crisis; a heavy burden…
• You have an emptiness; a loneliness; a depression; a deeply wounded spirit…
• You have a spiritual hunger; a longing; a curiosity; a passion; an overwhelming desire…
• You have a conviction; a revelation of truth; a conscience working overtime…
• You may be a Bartimaeus with blinded eyes; a Zacchaeus with a short stature;
• A Mary Magdalene with seven devils; a Centurion with a dying son;
• A little boy with a lunch to give; a person in a huge crowd wanting a lunch to eat;

And so, if I may be so bold…what’s the problem?

You’re here with your situation.

Jesus is here with the answer.

It seems like a relatively simple solution here: just come to Jesus!

All the elements of the exchange are here…all the ingredients for a miracle are here…

As Nike used to say, JUST DO IT!

Well, the fact is…it’s not that simple.

It ought to be, in reality it might actually be simple…but it’s not.

There are many charging you to keep your peace, to stay where you are… to give it up…

I would like to deal with seven forces that keep people from Christ.

Fear…(Joseph of Arimathaea)

John 19:38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

Failure…(Simon Peter)

Luke 22:54-62

4 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off.

55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.

57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.

58 And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.

59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.

60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Doubt…(Thomas)

John 20:24-28

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Cost of discipleship…(Rich young ruler)

Matt 19:20-22

20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Anger…(The Jews)

John 10:32-33

32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

Disillusionment…(Judas)

John 13:26-30

26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.

29 For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.

30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.

People keep you from Christ. (Bartimaeus)

Mark 10:48-49

48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.

KJV

The House of Prayer

James 5:16-18  Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.  17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

Matt 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

The Scriptures are filled with exhortations and commands to pray:

· Jeremiah 29:12-13 says, “you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”
· Psalm 10:17 says, “You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,”
· Isaiah 30:19 “The Lord will hear your crying, and he will comfort you. When he hears you, he will help you”
· Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
· Psalm 91:15 God Himself says, “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

The need of the hour is powerful, persistent, passionate, prevailing prayer.

• The need is far greater than most of God’s people realize.
• The moral fiber of our nation has crumbled.
• Real love and compassion have become almost non-existent.
• Confusion and upheaval have swept across this country like a tidal wave.
• Even the so-called religious community is showing some alarming signs of spiritual ambiguity.
• According to Barna Research, A minority of born again adults (44%) and an even smaller proportion of born again teenagers (9%) are certain of the existence of absolute moral truth.
• If ever Christians needed to learn to prevail in prayer, it is now.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

It has been said that, “Seven days without prayer, makes one week.”
Sometimes you hear someone say, “We’ve done all we can.
The only thing we can do now is pray.”
Prayer really should be our first resort rather than our last resort.

When prayer fails, Satan prevails. The demons of Hell rejoice when the child of God is prayerless. Satan knows well that prayerless Christians are powerless Christians.
Christians are embroiled in one of the most heated and holy battles of all time the battle against the rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph.6: 12b). If we are to prevail, we must fight the good fight of faith; we must pray. The souls of lost men and women literally hang in the balance. While lost souls teeter-totter on the brink of destruction, Christians are largely unconcerned and prayerless.

ILLUSTRATION: COOKIES

· We should be like the 3-year-old boy (that Paul Harvey told about) who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered the grocery store she said to him, “Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask.”
· She put him up in the cart & he sat in the little child’s seat while she wheeled down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. He saw the chocolate chip cookies & he stood up in the seat & said, Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies? She said, I told you not even to ask. You’re not going to get any at all. So he sat back down.
· They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items they ended up back in the cookie aisle. Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies? She said, I told you that you cant have any. Now sit down & be quiet.
· Finally, they were approaching the checkout lane. The little boy sensed that this may be his last chance. So just before they got to the line, he stood up on the seat of the cart & shouted in his loudest voice, In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?
· And everybody round about just laughed. Some even applauded. And, due to the generosity of the other shoppers, the little boy & his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies.

There is great power and great deliverance (possible) through prayer.

· Moses prayed and God spared Israel from judgment.
· Joshua prayed and God caused the sun to stand still.
· Samson prayed…and God gave him back his strength.
· Hannah prayed and God gave her a baby boy – the prophet Samuel
· Solomon prayed and God gave him wisdom.
· Elijah prayed and God sent fire down from Heaven.
· Elijah prayed…and it didn’t rain for 3 1/2 years… he prayed again…and it rained.
· Elisha prayed…and God gave life back to a dead child…
· Jonah prayed and God brought him out of the belly of the whale.
· The thief on the cross prayed, and God gave him eternal life.
· Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God…and the prison they were in was shaken and the jailer got saved!

There is a powerful example of prayer in Acts 12

1 Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.
2 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
3 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.
4 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.
5 On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.

The church was positioned amidst people who were hard-headed and hard-hearted…
They either killed or stoned the preachers… in fact, they killed Jesus!
And now.. the disciples were supposed to go there and start a church? It was a hard field to work!

For the early church, there were problems from within:

• The treasurer of the church (Judas) had been stealing money & had finally committed suicide.
• The most prominent leader of the church (Simon Peter) had denied the faith & that he had ever known the Lord.
• They were commanded by the officials that they were not to teach or even speak at all in the name of their founder (Jesus).
• Hypocrisy and lying had been discovered in the membership of the church which threatened the power of their witness.
• There was racial strife which caused a murmuring in the membership
• Their favorite and most faithful deacon (Stephen) had been murdered.
• There was a government hit-man (Saul of Tarsus) who was tracking down members of the body.
• There was conflict over who the gospel should be given to. Peter had broken with tradition and was preaching to untouchables.
• Now, Peter had been put in prison and Herod was planning on killing him to make a bunch of rich Jews happy.
• It was a messed-up situation!
  

But let me just tell you that: As long as the devil is permitted to live the church will have problems!

• That’s why, as God’s people, we must learn to pray in the midst of problems!
• As God’s people we must continue to minister in the midst of trials and tribulations!
• We have to follow Gods Word in order to overcome problems!
• The devil is going to attack the church, you can be sure of that, but praise God: “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world!”
  

Yes… in the midst of problems we can keep going.
In the midst of problems we can say: “But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

But the church prayed through its problems.
You ought to turn and tell somebody today, Whatever problems we have, we can pray through them!
Notice what they were doing here in Acts 12:

They were praying and they all had insurmountable problems.

A mad-man, named Herod, was terrorizing the Christian community. He had already done three (3) things:

He stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
Not all of the church, just some of the church: those who were trying to be about a good work.

He began by afflicting them, imprisoning them, fining them, spoiling their houses and goods, and other ways tormenting them. And it was all because they belonged to Christ!
I need to tell somebody, If folks are persecuting you, its probably because the devil is mad at you for trying to be about a good work and he wants to discourage you
But don’t you quit… just keep praying … and count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

He killed James the brother of John with the sword

James was one of first three of Christ’s disciples. He was one of those who witnessed Jesus transfiguration. He was one of those whom Christ called the Sons of thunder.

Let me encourage anybody who’s being vexed by the devil in the church. Your vexing may be evidence that you have a powerful anointing on your life and satan wants to take you out!

Thirdly, Herod locks up Peter (the one who become the head of the church.)
The one who would go on to preach one sermon that would result in 3-thousand souls being saved!
The enemy always likes to attack the head. The devil knows that if he can kill the head, the body will fall!

Peter was in Prison.

And while he was there, the Church Prayed.  When the Leaders got in trouble, the Church called a Prayer Meeting. Not a Business Meeting to dismiss the leadership, but a Prayer Meeting to Pray for the Leaders. Now, I would love to hear of a church in the absence of its Pastor, calling a Meeting Just To Pray! Not to Vote. Not to carry on Foolishness. But Just To Pray! That’s why I need every one of you to pray for me! Your pastor needs your prayers! Your church needs your prayers!

Despite the outward attacks and the internal tension,

This is no time to quit!
This is no time to run and hide!
This is no time to disband the church!
AND it sure is no time to fire the preacher and hire a diplomat! It’s Time To Pray!

The night before Peter was to be put on trial, he was asleep and bound by two chains.  A soldier was guarding him on each side, and two other soldiers were guarding the entrance to the jail.  But suddenly (everybody say suddenly) that’s the way God shows-up! Is there anybody here who’s ever been in trouble and it looked like you were going down, but suddenly God showed -up!

Suddenly, an angel from the Lord appeared, and light flashed around in the cell.  It was dark, but God shed light on Peter’s situation! The angel poked Peter in the side and woke him up. He woke Peter up, but he made the guards fall into a deeper sleep. Then he said, Peter… quick! Get up! The chains fell off his hands, and the angel said, Get dressed and put on your sandals and your coat. 
Get-up Peter! I hear God saying to someone tonight who feels trapped… Get-up! Get up and look up! … Look towards the hill from whence cometh your help… your help comes from the Lord! The irony of this story is that it turned out much differently than anyone could have imagined.

Luke begins telling this story by simply stating in one sentence that James had been put to death by the sword.  Then in the next sentence he said Peter was arrested.  Now as we read only those two sentences, we can imagine what is going to happen next.  But it turned out much differently than we or they realized.  Even Peter said that it tuned out differently than he imagined.  Peter said that it turned out differently than Herod had imagined.  Peter said it turned out differently than the Jews had imagined.  The people at Mary’s house were astonished at how it had turned out.
And all of these responses were before the whole story had been told.  Peter’s escape was not the end of the story.

First there was the escape, but then there were the guards. We’ve talked about the term REIMAGINE in recent months. Peter had to reimagine his circumstances. Who could have ever imagined that while Peter was being guarded by sixteen soldiers until his death that they would be the ones who would die and Peter would go free?  Who could have imagined that?  Then there was Herod.  Who could have imagined that after he had successfully put John to death, that he would fail with Peter?  Who could have imagined that after he had arrested Peter and was waiting for his death, that he himself would die just a few months later?  Who could have imagine that he who had put James to death by the sword would die by worms?  Who could have imagined that?  Who could have imagined the ironic twists this story would take?  Who could have imagined that any of this would turn out the way that it did after we read of the death of James and the arrest of Peter?

But that’s not all, look at verse 24 where we see

The result of the story…
Acts 12:24, But the word of God continued to increase and spread.  Who could have imagined that after the first three verses of this chapter?  Who in their wildest of imaginations could think the church would grow after reading the first three verses of this chapter?  We, like they, would have expected and predicted gloom and doom for the church but that’s not what happened! Praise God!  Once again, God turned what looked like the worst into good! It is just kind of stuck in there by Luke, but I believe this is what made the difference in the outcome of the story!

Acts 12:4-5, After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

There’s the difference: “but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

Mary was earnestly praying to God for Peter.   Rhoda was earnestly praying to God for Peter.   John Mark was earnestly praying to God for Peter.
Barnabas and Saul were earnestly praying to God for Peter.  Many other people were earnestly praying to God for Peter at Mary’s house.  The other apostle named James was earnestly praying to God for Peter.  Other brothers mentioned in verse 17 were earnestly praying to God for Peter.  What made the difference? The church was earnestly praying to God for Peter! 

Now listen to Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”

The church was earnestly praying for Peter, but they had no idea how this was going to turn out.  They were earnestly praying for Peter, but when he showed up at the door, they thought Rhoda was out of her mind they weren’t even hoping for his release.

• We don’t know what they were specifically praying for, we just know that they were praying earnestly for him.
  
• We know they weren’t praying for his release because of their reaction when he showed up they were astonished.
  
• They didn’t have any idea what God would do, but they were praying earnestly!
  
• And because they prayed earnestly for Peter, God did immeasurably more than all they asked or imagined!
  
• Because they prayed earnestly for Peter, God did immeasurably more than all they could ask or imagine!
  
• They prayed earnestly for Peter and God did more than they asked or imagined by sending an angel to miraculously get Peter out of the chains, out of the cell, and into the prayer meeting!
  
• They prayed earnestly for Peter and God did immeasurably more than all they asked or imagined by getting the guards put to death instead of Peter.
  
• They prayed earnestly for Peter and God did immeasurably more than all they asked or imagined by freeing Peter from the sword and feeding Herod to the worms!
  
• They prayed earnestly for Peter and God did immeasurably more than all they asked or imagined by causing the church to grow as a result of all this!
  
• And all Gods people said. (“WOW!”)

In order to have God’s Power in, We Must Have An Effectual Prayer Life.

I submit to you that basically Acts is an account of A PRAYING CHURCH.

Some Wonderful Things Happened When This Church Prayed.
Some Marvelous and Great Things Occured when All of the Members of this Church got on One Accord and Prayed.
For when this Church Prayed, an Earthquake Shook the Building.
When they Prayed, All Believers Were Filled With the Holy Ghost.
When they prayed, They Began to Witness Boldly.
When they Prayed, the Church Had Great Power, and Great Grace was upon Every Member of This Church –

When They Prayed, Some Wonderful Things Happened!
And I’m Led of the Lord to believe that God’s Power Is Released In and Thru A Praying Church.

The Power of God Operates Through A Praying Church. Signs and Wonders, Salvation and Healing, Praise and Adoration, all take place within the context of A Praying Church.
The pattern that we find in the Early Church is that They Prayed and Prayed Often! It’s time for the Church to enter into the Spirit of Prayer, to rediscover the prayer meeting. Just as individuals are to pray, we are to pray as a church body.
A Praying Church is a Worshipping Church. That congregation that does not worship, does not pray! But if we pray, prayer will spawn spontaneity in worship.
A Praying Church is a Soul Winning Church. The reason converts are not won to the Lord is the church is not praying for the harvest. A church that is praying is going to win souls to the Lord.
A Praying Church is also A Giving Church.
So, there is only one real problem in every church and that is: To Get All the Members of that Church On Their Knees Before the Lord.

A PRAYING CHURCH IS A POWERFUL CHURCH!
All of Us Ought To pray. There ought not be One Soul who does not pray, when the church comes together for prayer. We all ought to be saying:
· “Pass me not O gentle Savior,
· Hear my humble cry;
· While on others Thou art calling,
· Do not pass me by.”
Prayer is the secret of every Pentecostal Blessing. For every Pentecostal Experience, Prayer is the Secret. If you want Pentecostal Boldness, Pray! If you want a Pentecostal Experience, Pray!
The Holy Spirit Will Work in Miraculous Way in New Mercy, When We Pray! For when God is in a place, Something Miraculous Happens.
God’s only question is: “Is anything too hard for Him?”
When God Comes In, The Work Takes Off, and we will never be the same! For if we Pray, We Will Praise. If We Pray, We Will Witness. If We Pray, We Will Worship. If We pray, We Will Give. If We Pray, We Will Be Spiritual. If We Pray, We Will Evangelize.

You can pray…

• For the will of God
• Abounding love
• Increase of knowledge
• Against affliction
• Against sickness
• For salvation
• For a door of utterance

The Power of the Logos

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”  Jeremiah 1:9

Virtuoso…composer …prodigy…these words embellish the mention of the name of Wolfgang. A. Mozart. Maybe you’ve heard a song or opera on the radio composed by a person whom the disc jockey called Wolfgang. Maybe you’ve seen his name on orchestra or piano sheet music. But who was Mozart and why is he still famous today?

Johannes Chysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus was born on January 27, 1756 to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. The family lived in Salzburg, a city located in Austria, during young Mozart’s childhood. Leopold, an accomplished violinist, pianist, and composer, held the post of court composer and the esteemed position of Kapellmeister, in the employ of Salzburg’s archbishops. He also supplemented his income by giving private lessons to several students.

It soon became obvious that Wolfgang demonstrated extraordinary musical genius. When his sister began receiving clavichord lessons from her father at age seven, Wolfgang, only three at the time, would listen attentively and soon began picking up on what his father taught his sister. So Leopold began giving Wolfgang lessons, as well. By age four, Mozart was already learning minuets and other short keyboard pieces. At age five he began composing original works. And by age six he had taught himself how to play the violin without ever having received a lesson. Mozart also possessed an extraordinary, innate ability for improvisation, and he could sight-read difficult pieces of music astonishingly well.

Though he only lived to the age of thirty-five, Mozart’s life and compositions have left a permanent mark on this world. In those few years, Wolfgang composed more than 600 works, including forty-one symphonies, twenty-seven piano concertos, nineteen piano sonatas, sixteen operas, along with many other chamber music and orchestral pieces. Franz Joseph Haydn, himself an extremely famous composer, once said to Mozart’s father, “Before God and as an honest man, your son is the greatest composer I know, either personally or by name.” Indeed, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life impacted music’s history in a way that cannot ever possibly be forgotten.

Here is the question that I have for you: What if Mozart had been raised without access to a keyboard or any other musical instrument? Would he have become the famous composer that he was?

It seems as though there was a script written for Wolfgang Mozart that he simply followed to the “T.” While there is no such thing as individual predestination, God does create every one of us with a unique set of talents and gifts. It then becomes our responsibility to seize the opportunities that he places in our lives to take advantage of those gifts. But even after we develop those unique abilities, we are further responsible to turn them into something good and right.

In doing some research for a leadership seminar, I came across a concept called “the strategic visioning process.” It makes a clear distinction between planning and visioning. Basically, it says do not plan without a vision to guide your plan. Planning takes you into the future based on your past. Visioning takes you into the future based on both your past and your future.

When you draw your future out of your past, you contaminate your vision.
The past is powerless; only the future possesses life-changing power.
In other words, there is something out there that you can see.
There is a conceptual you, a future you that looms large in your mind.
Whatever that is, it has to reach back to you and dictate to your present.
You might call it history in reverse.
It’s not just something you are aiming for and hope you hit it.
It is something that’s really there drawing you to it.

KEY CONCEPT: Vision processes develop memorable imagery and stories about the nature and benefits of this future, and work backwards to understand the journey that can carry you to this vision. (From Grove Consultants, International).

The greatest visionary who possessed the greatest vision in history was our Lord Jesus Christ. If we accept him as our example, then we must look at the method he used to bring salvation to the world. This Key Concept was precisely the way he orchestrated the entire story of redemption. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.

Word=logos=plan -> vision

In human terms, the Almighty God developed a perfect plan situated in a perfect place at a perfect time in history. Calvary was no mistake. It was a carefully planned strategy and carried out according to a pre-conceived plan that existed in the mind of God.

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you”. 1 Peter 1:18-20. (See also Revelation 13:8 and Hebrews 4:3)

The following had to be true for the Messiah to be the Savior of the World:

• The typology had to be right.
• The lineage had to be right.
• The religious context had to be right.
• The political realities had to be right.
• The cultural milieu had to be right.
• The prophecies had to be right.
• The personnel who surrounded Jesus had to be right.

God, therefore, did not begin in Genesis and work toward Revelation, taking chances, shots in the dark, paranoid that something might go wrong. He began in Revelation and worked backwards to Genesis. He knew what the outcome had to be so he first established the end result in the logos, and worked his way back to the beginning. God’s light did not shine from eternity past to light up the way to the cross. His light shined back from eternity future, casting a distinct shadow all the way to the dawn of creation.

In this vein, Jesus did not have sinless blood because the sacrificial lamb was spotless. It was the other way around. The sacrificial lamb was spotless because Jesus had sinless blood! Jesus didn’t have to be perfect to fulfill typology; typology had to be perfect because it foreshadowed Jesus. History did not create Calvary; Calvary created history! This makes the logos everything. The vision was the foundation by which the entire route to Calvary was defined. Even as salvation’s strategy received its impulse from the finished product in the mind of Christ, you must also get your strategy from your finished product—-by faith!

The Church

As a pastor, I look at the huge mission of preaching and teaching, praying and, counseling, leading and administrating, motivating and disciplining the church.

• In the midst of a treacherous world that opposes everything righteous and good that we stand for.
• In the face of Satan who walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
• In the midst of fleshly battles that constantly disappoint us and resist every spiritual effort we make—-how do we know what to do?

Our vision of the church comes from the future: “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”. Ephesians 5:27

What was the Apostle Paul doing? He was seeing something way down in the end of time. There’s coming a time when Christ is going to present to himself a glorious church without spot or wrinkle—-holy and without blemish.

Some people look at these properties of the church and say “Impossible!”
Some people—-even Apostolic people—-look at that and say, “We can try.”
I believe, however, that we must look at that image of the church that captured the imagination of Paul and say, “This is the future that God wants for the church!”

This is the vision that must dictate to us our strategy.
But our vision of the church is not limited to a verse in Ephesians.
There was another Apostle who saw a vision of the church.
It was the same vision, but a different angle.
It has some detail that we don’t fully recognize in Ephesians.
This was seen by a man of God who was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.
This man, John, was close enough to hear the heartbeat of God.
I take you to the book of Revelation.

Our future instructs the church to worship.

“And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. 5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. 6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” Revelation 19:4-6

There will be praise and worship ascending up before the throne.
Praise from the small. Praise from the great. Praise from the multitude.
Praise so loud that it sounded like the voice of mighty thunderings.
That’s our vision.
That vision suggests our strategy.
That means we need to become praisers and worshippers down here before we ever get up there.
Let’s clap our hands; let’s shout for joy; let’s make it sound like mighty thunderings.

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. 4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalm 150.

Our future informs the church of our eternal relationship to Christ.

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints”. Revelation 19:7-8.

We are going to be married to the Lamb.
We are his wife.
The wife has made herself ready.
Yes, that’s a future vision.
But the future vision suggests present strategy to get there.
If we are going to be ready then, we must be getting ready now!
If you are caught up in materialism, you’re not getting ready.
If you are selling yourself to this carnal world, you are not getting ready.
Getting ready is setting things in order here and now for the there and then.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1.

Our future requires the church to practice holiness.

“And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” Revelation 19:8.

We do not maintain a holiness posture because of some outdated practices of the past. We have seen the future and it tells us that God designed the church to be this way in heaven. Purity, separation, sanctification and righteousness do not represent ancient baggage; these properties grace the church in the book of Revelation. We are not running away from holiness; we are running to holiness!

Our future establishes the church in truth.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.” Revelation 19:11-13.

Our future tells us to be faithful and true.
Our future tells us to honor the blood of Christ.
Our future tells us to revere the name of Jesus.
Why do we believe this oneness message and why do we recognize that the father, the son and the Holy Ghost reside in the Lord Jesus Christ?

“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” Revelation 22:16.

Who is the root of David? Jehovah.
Who is the offspring of David? Jesus.
Jesus is Jehovah.
Where do we find that? In Deuteronomy 6:4?
Yes. But that’s not the only place.
The vision of our future assures us that the church is oneness!

Our future casts our vision of missions and evangelism.

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17.

This tells me that that anyone can be saved, whoever or whatever they may be.
I have confidence that it means…Adulterers, Addicts, Alcoholics, Criminals, cheaters, murderers, liars, prostitutes, junkies, profane, idolaters, sinners of every hue and stripe, backsliders…Whosoever…that’s you…that’s me…Whosoever can be saved!

Our mission is still the Great Commission! Embrace your future!
Our mission does not rise up out of the past to push us apprehensively onward.
Our mission already exists out in our future, drawing us confidently to it.
Our future—-not our past—-supplies us with our greatest impetus.

So, if you can receive this, the future of the church is not an unrealized dream, but a prepared reality! Our future already exists! Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you.”

Whether or not we embrace it will be a function of our vision, not of God’s promise.

Practically speaking, through much prayer and seeking God, determine what God wants you to be and what his will for your life involves. Envision yourself as a fantastic Dad, an awesome Mom, a pillar in the church, a powerful soul-winner, a world-changer…and then work backwards from that vision to make it happen. And what if you encounter a problem along the way? To a visionary, an obstacle represents a minor delay. To one without a vision, an obstacle is the end of the road. And, when God creates the vision for your life, he will provide all the help you need to navigate the turnpike from here to there. Get back to the future, see what God wants and begin to see a divine synchronization between your reality and your vision.