Being Patient With The Patience Of God

Psalm 58:11 states, "There is a God who judges on the earth." I ask, "Have you ever found yourself feeling frustrated because of the way in which wickedness seems to win over justice?" If so then you get a sense of what the Psalmist is saying in this psalm.

The Psalmist struggled with the fact that in the very place one might expect to find justice, yo find wickedness, and corruption prevailing. Surely you can share some of the Psalmist cynicism.

You may have even found yourself being a victim of some unwarranted "wrong." Take courage, the Psalmist said, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked." Remember that wrong will not continue forever. The day is coming when all corruption and injustice will be called to judgment before the throne of God's truth. What we have to do in the interim, is pray for grace to be patient with the patience of God. Because every day the Lord tarries His justice, hundreds of souls are being won the Christ.

God of Wonders

My God is still such an amazing God. Last night in our worship service, a woman came forward for special prayer. Her arm was in a sling and she told my wife she had experienced a torn rotatory cuff in her left shoulder and was in need of surgery. She said she was experiencing "excruciating pain." Deana prayed the prayer of faith and then asked "Is the pain still there." The woman had a surprised look on her face and said, "No, the pain is gone." She then preceded to take off the sling and raise her arms to heaven and praise God. Completely healed, free mobility, free from pain!
One interesting side note is this same woman surrendered her heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ just one week ago.
In the same service a man came forward and surrendered he heart and life to Jesus Christ and we prayed that the addictions he had been battling would be gone.
Our youth pastor sent me a text stating they had two salvation's in their youth service. Three salvation's and one totally healed rotatory cuff! Yep! I'll say He is still a God of wonders!

Super Sunday

With the "Big Game" now fading into distant memory, fans across the United States will go back home and settle into their daily routines.
As I shared this past Sunday, you have to appreciate those "fans."

• They will spend anywhere from $1200.00 up to $6000.00 and more to go watch a football game.
• Their car will have to pay $105.00 to set in the parking lot...! They don't care, they're fans!
  
• They will stand up the whole game!
  
• And they will shout and scream the whole game. They refuse to shut up. They refuse to just set down and just be a spectator.
  
• It doesn't matter about the weather, rain, sleet or, shine, they are there....!
  

Well I think you get the point, as a "Fan" of my Lord Jesus Christ, I say, "Lord give us more fans!" Jesus won a great victory for humanity on the cross that is still being talked about today. He arose from the grave on the original "Super Sunday!" If you want to hear more about this, listen in to this past Sunday's podcast, "The Big Event" at www.unioncityfirstag.com

Faith in Action

God has really stirred my heart about this faith journey we are on. I shared with our church last night that Abraham is a great example of how we are to respond to God's direction in our lives. Abraham had faith and it was "counted to him as righteousness."
A couple of key thoughts about faith in action as it relates to Abraham's story is that faith in action takes courage and faith in action requires obedience to God's instruction.
Abraham was being directed to leave his country (his security), his father's household (his support system), and go to a country that God would show him ( surprise! A whole lot of what if's) That took courage and Abraham set out on that journey.
God was putting things in order that Abraham knew nothing of. God was creating a covenant of separation with Abraham and He was establishing a new nation we know today as the Hebrew nation from which the Messiah of the world would come through. God is always working things that we cannot see at the time, but God has a plan for everyone of us.
Abraham's action (stepping out in faith) activated the plan of God. God had a plan, but it would have never been activated had Abraham never taken action.
Faith in action activates the plan of God in our lives.

"Cash or Cred........no I'll use Faith!

Reinhart Bonnke said, "Faith is the currency of heaven!" How true that is. The Hebrew writer said, "Faith is the subtance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen." When we operate in that realm, faith really is the currency we must use. When the poor lady with the issue of blood approached Jesus for healing, all she has was faith, but it was enough to purchase her healing.
Paul said our God calls those things that are not as though they are! I'll use faith please!

30 A.D. Ministry in the 21st Century

I am absolutely convinced that the same methodology the early church used must be employed by the 21st Century church. The Acts 2 model shows they had worship, fellowship, discipleship, serving in ministry, and sending people out. Of course they employed those things through the Holy Spirit and we must do the same.
Yes we should use appropriate technology and current trends should be acknowledged, but Jesus said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!"

The Power We Need

I thank God for the power of the Holy Spirit that believers can have in their lives and wow, what a power we have to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.
Having said that, I like what I read in a recent publication from Tim Enloe called "Divine Order." In the book the idea is introduced that we need the power of the Holy Spirit more today than ever. I don't think anyone would disagree. But the power we need is more than power or ability to speak in tongues....we need the power of the Holy Spirit so we can speak in English.
Is that not profound? We in Pentecostal circles have focused so much on tongues that we missed the important point and that is we can have access to the full power of the Spirit and we need the full power of the Spirit to be effective witnesses for Jesus.
Yes I believe speaking in unlearned languages is still the inital evidence that people have received the Holy Spirit baptism, but that is just the beginning. There is so much more that the Spirit wants to do through a believer and Paul identified gifts of utterances, gifts of power and gifts of revelation that a Holy Spirit baptized believer can uses as the situation demands to the glory of God.
Bottom line .......We need the Holy Spirit baptism so we can know what to say to people in a language they can understand! And the prayer languages of men and of angels is just an added blessing that can help me pray the perfect will of God when I don't know how to pray, or when my English language just isn't enough.
Thank you Jesus for the power we need!