Idols of Wealth

"How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" Mark 10:24

Jesus has harsh things to say about wealth. "Woe to you who are rich," He says in Luke 6:24. "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions," He says in Luke 12:15. He tells parables that cast a bad light on the wealthy (the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, for example). And here in Mark 10, He tells His disciples that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (vs. 25).

Many of us who read these verses are incredibly wealthy, by worldwide standards, and so we spiritualize them. Jesus is really talking about those who place their hope in riches, we determine. And because we know that salvation is a matter of the heart and not of the bank account, we are right to do so. But we miss an important lesson if we dismiss these warnings too quickly.

The lesson is this: There is false worship in every human heart, and Jesus knows that all of it has some component of wealth. We either seek wealth and materialism as an idol in itself, or we have other idols that we cannot support without more money (approval of others, achievement, education, lifestyles, hobbies, food, fashion etc.). Almost any idol we can conceive of revolves around money as its object or for its sustenance. And when we harbor such idols, the kingdom of God is like the eye of a needle to us. We just can't fit.

What idols grip your heart? Whatever they are, cut off their supply. They are fed by wealth, and they consume the kingdom's resources, giving nothing of substance in return. If we are to live as kingdom citizens, we must turn our hearts toward kingdom purposes. Our wealth, our time, our abilities-all resources God has given us-must be invested in lasting goals. Our treasure will be where our heart is. And our hearts are in the Kingdom.
by Chris Tiegreen.

I couldn't help but post this devotional today. I don't think that we can hear this message too much in our culture. It is very evident that the church is living for the same things the world lives for. If we are going to enter the Kingdom of God and advance it....we are going to have to let the things of the world go. We are to treasure Christ above all the accumulation of stuff and lay up treasure in heaven not on earth.

As John Piper says....The world will not glorify Christ because they see that Christians are wealthy, healthy and prosperous because that is what they live for. They are not impressed with us- prosperous, safe, middle class, do what every body else does kind of church. Our great reward is in heaven with Christ! We are to be so profoundly heavenly minded that we are free from this world. Free from stuff. Stuff....Stuff! Stuff is killing us. Houses, cars, books, computers, electronic gadgets are killing us.

What is it going to take to see that Christ is our treasure and not our stuff? Until we get this and let it go....we will have little or no impact in the Kingdom. That should break our hearts!

REVIVE Spring Events

Ladies, we had an excellent time worshiping with you this Spring.  We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for the Fall.  Join us again in August (21st) as we kick off REVIVE again!

Until then, enjoy these pictures from our Spring events.....

Revival

True Revivals have happened only when people have gained a right idea of God and his majesty and his holiness. Revivals have happened when people grew in there understanding of Christ work on the Cross. In their understanding of the call to trust Christ alone. These are the times when God visits his church with revival by pouring out his spirit on the land.

Question for thought:
If revivals depend on a renewed understanding of God’s majesty and a deepened conviction of own sin, what is the best way to promote revival in the land?

Quote by Mark Dever from his book "The Message of the Old Testament"

When We Know God....

When We Know God.....

• Routine religion is no longer tolerable.
  

How can we have routine religion when we have a God that calls the stars by name?
Isaiah 40:26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

• Casual worship is no longer possible.

When we truly know God, there is no way we can remain unmoved when we worship Him. Sitting rigid in pews with casual reverence is (in my opinion) offensive to God

• Total Surrender is no longer optional.
  

When we read passages like.......
Luke 9:60-62 And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Or

Matthew 10:36-38 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

.........there is no way we can sit on the fence. Total surrender is the only option for one who claims to follow Christ.

• Global missions is no longer negotiable.

This is something that God began to open my eyes to a few years ago through scripture. When we begin to "know" God through His word He begins to share his heart with you. AND His heart is for the lost. We should squirm knowing that millions are perishing while we enjoy comfortable America. When we hear God's heart, western Contemporary Christianity must go because global missions is no longer negotiable. God says....go and make disciples of ALL nations!

Top of My Lungs

I spend most of my days studying the WORD preparing for Sunday School and REVIVE. And it is the hardest thing not to break out into worship all throughout the day as I learn more about the GREATNESS of God. Seriously, I find myself on the floor in humbled reverence or jumping around singing to the ONE who is so worthy of all my praise! Good heavens, I can't get enough of HIM!

Anyway, here are some words that I have been worshiping with today as I study.

Words of worship rise like a river within me. Thoughts to express are so many. I want to bless you God. Can’t be silent. I think of the mercies you show me. My lips begin overflowing. Great is your love. Such gratitude for all that you do Jesus to you.

At the top of my lungs I will sing hallelujah, you’re the one who saved me, the one who gave me this life I live forevermore, forevermore. At the top of my lungs I will sing hallelujah. I’m not ashamed; I’ll praise your name. Let the whole world know that I love you LORD.

You are worthy, I join the song of creation, it rings out across every nation. Let my heart be heard. I need you so, I don’t care who knows from the depth of my soul.

At the top of my lungs I will sing hallelujah, you’re the one who saved me, the one who gave me this life I live forevermore, forevermore. At the top of my lungs I will sing hallelujah I’m not ashamed; I’ll praise your name. Let the whole world know that I love you LORD.

Let my love be like a sweet joyful noise. Only for you…I lift up my voice.

At the top of my lungs I will sing hallelujah, you’re the one who saved me, the one who gave me this life I live forevermore, forevermore. At the top of my lungs I will sing hallelujah I’m not ashamed; I’ll praise your name. Let the whole world know that I love you LORD.

Words by Phillips, Craig and Dean

How We Know God

I Corinthians 2:10-16

But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:
16"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?"But we have the mind of Christ.

Isaiah 64:4
Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

• Only the Spirit of God knows the fullness of the glory of God.
  
• If we want to know God, then we need the Spirit to reveal Him to us.
  
• Therefore, a people who are desperate to know God will be desperate for His Spirit.

~If we are not desperate for His Spirit, it is a sure indicator that we have grown content with knowing little about God.

• Do we want to know the glory of God?
  

~Then let us be a people desperate for the Spirit of God
~And when we're desperate for the Spirit, our hearts will begin to understand God with the very perspective of Christ.

"We have but to want Him badly enough, and he will come and manifest Himself to us."
~A.W. Tozer

I don't know about you, but I want Him so badly that I can't stand it. I am desperate for the Spirit of God. Let's not be content with knowing little about God. Let's be a people desperate to know God.

Why Are We Here?

Saturday night, I attended an incredible teaching by Dr. David Platt called "Who is God?" This was 6 intense hours of studying God's word together from 6pm-midnight. It was WOW! The first thing they said to us when we got there was this:"Do not come to Secret Church if all you want to do is learn for yourself--the objective is for you to pass along what you learn to others, so that you can be a disciple-maker for Christ, both locally and globally."

So, with that said, I will most likely be blogging on much of what was taught that night so I can share all that I have learned about God.

Here is what I thought that I would share first.


"This is what the Lord says:"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this:that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, "declares the Lord. " Jeremiah 9:23-24


"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."


"Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, 'What comes into your mind when you think about God?' we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man. Were we able to know exactly what our most influential religious leaders think of God today, we might be able with some precision to foretell where the Church will stand tomorrow."


It is not a cheerful though that millions of us who live in a land of Bibles, who belong to churches and labor to promote the Christian religion, may yet pass our whole life on this earth without once having thought or tried to think seriously about the being God. Few of us have let our hearts gaze in wonder at the I AM, the self-existent self back of which no creature can think. Such thoughts are too painful for us. We prefer to think where it will do more good-about how to build a better mousetrap, for instance, or how to make two blades of grass grow where one grew before. For this we are now paying a too heavy price in the secularization of our religion and the decay of our inner lives."


"The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until is it once more worthy of Him-and of her."

-A.W. Tozer

The first teaching that we had was Why are we here?

• To know God's Glory

• To learn God's Word

• To advance God's Kingdom

• The Reality.....

~God is incomprehensible
~We can never fully understand any single thing about God.
~We can know something about God's love, power, wisdom and other attributes.
~But we can never know His live, power wisdom or other attributes exhaustively.

• The Reason....

~We can't know God fully because of both our sinfulness and His greatness.
~Because of our sin, we are hindered from glimpsing the fullness of God.
~ But even when all sin will be removed from us, we will still be finite and God will still be infinite
~For all of eternity we will increase in our knowledge of Him.
*If in pride we want to be equal to God in knowledge, this will depress us.
*If in humility we want to live to adore and worship God, this will delight us.

• The Resolution....

~Though we cannot understand God fully, we can understand God truly.
~So based on scripture, even though we don't have exhaustive knowledge of God, we have true knowledge of God.
~Though God is incomprehensible, he is knowable.


These thoughts in themselves are mind blowing. God is more than our finite minds can comprehend, but He is knowable. Knowable! Does this not make your head spin? This is the most thrilling thing EVER! How awesome that we can spend all eternity getting to know more of this God.

REVIVE April 24, 2008

Here are some snippets of our last REVIVE on April 24th.
A big Thank you to Lynsey (aka, "my handler") for putting all these recaps together!!

The Setting of the Sun

As always, I anxiously left the office headed for home to see my boys. As I shifted from work mode back to mother/wife mode, my mind was on a hundred things, which I knew needed to be done. At the beginning and end of each day on my way to and from work I turn up my worship music and spend time singing to the Lord, offering my praise to Him through song. Well, little did I know, on this particular evening that I would be praising Him in a different way. I got into my car turned on my music and pulled out of the parking lot. As I turned onto the exiting road, which leads out of the campus where I work, I noticed a beautiful sunset out of the corner of my eye. The entire sky was a full array of color! It was quite exquisite. I took a moment and thanked the Lord for sharing His beauty. I then shifted my focus back to the music, which was playing.

As I exited the campus, heading towards the freeway, I took a different route than usual. You see, on this particular day I did not have to pick my youngest son up from school, which enabled me to head straight home. Therefore, when I made a right turn onto the road which would lead me home, I was facing the westward direction, into the sunset. Had I gone the route of my son’s school, I would have completely missed God’s wonderful display.

While traveling westward, down the road towards home, I continued to admire the beauty of the sky.As I traveled, I felt as if I were getting closer and closer to the sunset. Rarely, had I seen the sky look so marvelous. I marveled at God’s work as I felt that this splendor was designed personal, just for me.

Suddenly, I began traveling up an over-pass, which sent me up into the sky. As I reached the top of the over-pass I was completely overwhelmed. I had driven directly into the sunset! I was surrounded by the most beautiful orange and red colors that I had ever seen in my entire life. The colors had surrounded my total realm of vision; they were all I could see. My breath was taken away and I felt as though I had been suspended in time and wrapped up in the most amazing beauty. As I was enthralled with all this amazement, I heard a whisper in my spirit. “Who else can do this for you?” My eyes must have been as big as saucers. I believe that my heart may have even stopped for a tiny moment. I whispered back, “No one Lord”.

At this point my heart burst in awe and a joy swept over me! “No one Lord”, I said again, this time in an audible voice! You are mine and I am yours and no one can love me and satisfy me like you do. NO one! On this particular day, I came to know the Lord in a different way. He was like a tender husband who was trying to impress the love of his life to gain her affection. No doubt, I felt the love that He was showing me. He definitely made His point and my day, convincing me of His perfect love for me.

I then thought about all the earthly blessings that God has given me in my life. He has always revealed His love for me through His never ending gifts. But this time, it was different. He showed me that out of all the wonderful things that He has given me in life, nothing could satisfy me and thrill me like only He could. He is my heart’s affection, the love of my life. Oh how I loved and adored Him for what He showed me that day. Earlier, I mentioned that it was not a song from my lips that praised His name this day on my way home, as He requested a different type of praise; praise from my heart. It was my heart that offered Him praise as He had captured it so lovingly on this glorious evening. This heart of mine will never be the same.

From the rising to the setting of the Sun, the name of the Lord is to be praised. Psalm113:3

Brittnie April 2, 2005

Hunger for God

The last week or so I have had this intense desire for the LORD. I mean the kind of feeling where I am doubled over and can't breathe kind of desire. From the moment I wake up till I lay back down at night from the pit of my soul I hunger and thirst for more of God. Really, I live like this most of the time. It's not because I have never had a taste of God. It's because I HAVE had a taste and it is so good....that I want MORE and MORE! I can't get enough. I don't know about you, but I'll do anything to cry out to God and ask Him to give me more.

I recently picked up John Piper's book called "A Hunger for God- Desiring God through Prayer and Fasting." and started to read it.


Here is a description of the book:
A Hunger For God was written to help Christians understand the Biblical nature and purpose of fasting and prayer. In this book, John Piper looks at the phenomena of religious, political, and health-based fasting, which occur around the world, and explains what makes Christian fasting unique. He then discusses the reasons and ways the Bible commends fasting to us. Ultimately, Piper asserts, fasting is a way of expressing to God that he is the supreme hunger of our hearts—that we are starving for him.

You can Read this book online for free if you would like.

If your heart feels like mine, join me in seeking God with all your heart. The more we are satisfied in Him, the more we'll let the things of the world go and we'll find that there is NOTHING more filling than the deep pleasures and love of God.

REVIVE 3.27.08

Here are some pictures of our last REVIVE. Next gathering will be 4.24.08

Holy Ground

One rainy day as I traveled to work, I was praising God through song in my car. As I approached the parking lot for work I realized that the rain had really picked up and was coming down extremely hard. Upon this realization, I was frazzled knowing that I was wearing a skirt that morning, accompanied by slip-on high heel sandals. There was no way around it; I was going to get VERY wet! I also realized that reaching the main entrance to my office building was going to be tough, if not impossible as there was a great possibility that I might slip and fall in my soon to be wet sandals and skirt. SO, in fear of falling in the gushing water, which flowed alongside the side walks, I took my sandals off. I then pulled my skirt up just enough to keep from dragging it through the water. Anxiously, I gritted my teeth as I knew I had no alternative to getting wet.

Now, those who know me also know that I am not particularly fond of walking in the rain and/or getting wet, especially, when it comes to jeopardizing my appearance prior to work. It takes almost an hour to achieve that appearance for crying out loud! However, for some reason at this particular moment, I stepped my feet into the cold rain water without reservation. It was as if I did not care, and to my surprise it was almost refreshing. It felt good to get my feet and legs wet as I made my way down the side walk in the rain. I did not even care that my clothes were getting soaked and that my hair would be a stringy mess when I reached the entrance to the building.

Well, about half way there, out of nowhere came the loudest boom I’d ever heard. The noise took me by surprise and scared me nearly half to death. It was THUNDER and it felt like it crashed right beside me. As to my knowledge there had been no prior thunder that morning. Usually thunder gradually works its way in from the distance, increasing in volume as it approaches. As the boom rattled my bones, I did not act terrified and run for my life, which is a common response I have when I hear thunder that close. Rather, I squealed as loud as I could in sheer delight. I knew immediately that this was not your normal thunder. This was God; He had shown up and the thunder was just for me. I actually sensed His presence through the thunder. It was almost as if He were applauding my time spent praising Him in the car, as I had come to meet with Him in worship and song. He too, came to meet me and I felt the personal touch of a tender yet mighty and awesome God through this experience. I began to smile and praise Him aloud the rest of the way down the side walk. I even skipped as I made my way into the office building.

Sheer delight is all I can think of when I remember how God made a special appearance just for me that day. As I recalled this incident, while writing this letter, it startled me, as I thought of my bare feet. I had originally thought that I had chosen to take off my sandals for convenience to keep from slipping. I now see how the extra gushing rain, which God caused to flood the parking lot, forced me to take my sandals off, for God had planned our special visit. No doubt He was present with me that day and little did I know that I was squealing and skipping on Holy Ground.

Exodus 3:5 Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

By Brittnie February 6th 2005

Cheap Grace

We are studying Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper in Sunday school. I wanted to post a section out of the book for you to read. (See below). Piper quotes a line out of Bonhoeffer's book called "The Cost of Discipleship" that I think is so critical for our generation. I am asking that you would comment on this line delivered by Bonhoeffer. Oh how I pray we will be done with cheap grace and be moved to do what ever it takes to follow Christ whole heartedly.
Brittnie

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a gift to my generation of students. I pray that his costly message will be rediscovered in each generation. Even though he died at the age of thirty-nine, his life was not wasted. His life and death continue to speak with power. He was hanged in the concentration camp at Flossenbürg, Germany, on April 9, 1945. He had been a pastor and teacher and leader of a small training school for the confessing church and had participated in the Protestant resistance movement against the Nazis. The book that set fire to the faith of thousands in my generation was called The Cost of Discipleship. Probably the most famous and life-shaping sentence in the book was, “The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Fleeing from death is the shortest path to a wasted life. Bonhoeffer’s book was a massive indictment of the “cheap grace” that he saw in the Christian Church on both sides of the Atlantic. He believed in justification by grace through faith. But he did not believe that the faith that justifies could ever leave people unchanged by the radical Christ they claim to believe. That was a cheap response to the Gospel. “The only man,” he said, “who has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ.”

"Rise Up, O Men of God"

"I am," said Jesus, "and all of you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven." MARK 14:62

Although the fullness of God's Kingdom is yet to come, there is a sense in which the King is reigning now, and we can say with the utmost certainty, "Our God reigns!"

A lady once wrote to me indicating her intention to withdraw from life and await the day when God would finally establish His kingdom in power and glory on the earth. I replied with a parody of a hymn that apparently got her thinking. She wrote back in a few weeks and said, "You were right. I was waiting for God, but now I realize He is waiting for me." She ended her letter with the words of the hymn:

Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things;
Give heart and soul and mind and strength
To serve the King of kings.

This must indicate our line of action. Yes, of course, the final ushering of God's kingdom is yet to take place, but that does not mean that He is taking a backseat in the world's affairs. God wants to reign through us!

We need not wait for the day when spectacularly the great God of the universe demonstrates His imperial power. As He sounds forth a rallying cry, even through these pages, respond to Him, I urge you, with a fresh consecration of purpose, and dedicate yourself to letting Him reign through you.

Prayer:
God, I give myself wholly to You, not only just to live in me, but to reign through me. I gladly submit my whole being to You today. Live and reign in me. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

By Selwyn Hughes

Pray to the LORD of the Harvest

Matthew 9:37-38 Then he (Jesus) said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Hey everyone. As most of you know we will have our 2nd REVIVE gathering this Thursday night. I am so excited to see what God does. As I am in the middle of study and preparation for this Thursday I felt moved to share something with you.

God has showed me over and over the last several months that the fields are white unto harvest but believers are too occupied with things of the world to be a laborer in the field and to go out and do what it takes to gather in the harvest.

The Revive team is asking God to equip us and equip the ladies that we serve through Revive and that we will be so in love with Jesus and so moved by His word that we will go out and gather in the harvest no matter the cost. We NEED laborers in the field!

Our teams heart cry to the LORD of the Harvest is to send out laborers into His harvest.Will you earnestly pray with us over this matter?

Brittnie

Christ's Love for Us

The Intensity of Christ’s Love and the Intentionality of His Death
March 19, 2008
By John Piper

The love of Christ for us in his dying was as conscious as his suffering was intentional. “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). If he was intentional in laying down his life, it was for us. It was love. “When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1). Every step on the Calvary road meant, “I love you.”

Therefore, to feel the love of Christ in the laying down of his life, it helps to see how utterly intentional it was. Consider these five ways of seeing Christ’s intentionality in dying for us.

First, look at what Jesus said just after that violent moment when Peter tried to cleave the skull of the servant, but only cut off his ear.

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matthew 26:52-54)

It is one thing to say that the details of Jesus’ death were predicted in the Old Testament. But it is much more to say that Jesus himself was making his choices precisely to see to it that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.

That is what Jesus said he was doing in Matthew 26:54. “I could escape this misery, but how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” I am not choosing to take the way out that I could take because I know the Scriptures. I know what must take place. It is my choice to fulfill all that is predicted of me in the Word of God.

A second way this intentionality is seen is in the repeated expressions to go to Jerusalem—into the very jaws of the lion.

Taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.” (Mark 10:32-34)

Jesus had one all-controlling goal: to die according the Scriptures. He knew when the time was near and set his face like flint: “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51).

A third way that we see the intentionality of Jesus to suffer for us is in the words he spoke in the mouth of Isaiah the prophet:

I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)

I have to work hard in my imagination to keep before me what iron will this required. Humans recoil from suffering. We recoil a hundred times more from suffering that is caused by unjust, ugly, sniveling, low-down, arrogant people. At every moment of pain and indignity, Jesus chose not to do what would have been immediately just. He gave his back to the smiter. He gave his cheek to slapping. He gave his beard to plucking. He offered his face to spitting. And he was doing it for the very ones causing the pain.

A fourth way we see the intentionality of Jesus’ suffering is in the way Peter explains how this was possible. He said, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

The way Jesus handled the injustice of it all was not by saying, “Injustice doesn’t matter,” but by entrusting his cause to “him who judges justly.” God would see that justice is done. That was not Jesus’ calling at Calvary. (Nor is it our highest calling now. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord, Romans 12:19.)

The fifth and perhaps the clearest statement that Jesus makes about his own intentionality to die is in John 10:17-18:

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.

Jesus’ point in these words is that he is acting completely voluntarily. He is under no constraint from any mere human. Circumstances have not overtaken him. He is not being swept along in the injustice of the moment. He is in control.

Therefore, when John says, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16), we should feel the intensity of his love for us to the degree that we see his intentionality to suffer and die. I pray that you will feel it profoundly. And may that profound experience of being loved by Christ have this effect on you:

The love of Christ controls us . . . . He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

Sunday's Coming!!

Let These Results of the Resurrection of Jesus Revive Your Passion for His Supremacy Over All Things

March 12, 2008
By John Piper

As Easter approaches, let’s stir up our thankfulness and joy and admiration and amazement at what the resurrection of Jesus means for us. The curse of our fallen nature is that what once thrilled us becomes ordinary. The reality hasn’t changed. We have changed.

This is why the Bible exists. Peter says of his two letters that they are written to “stir up” or “arouse” by means of “reminder.”

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder. (2 Peter 3:1)

So let’s stir up our sincere minds by way of reminder.

What has God done in raising Jesus from the dead? Here are a few biblical answers.

Because of the resurrection of Jesus, death will never have any dominion over him again.

Romans 6:9: “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.”

Acts 13:34: “He raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption.”

Because of the resurrection, Jesus intercedes for us in heaven before God.

Romans 8:34: “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

Jesus’ resurrection was the beginning and guarantee of our resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:20: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

2 Corinthians 4:14: “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.”

2 Corinthians 4:14: “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.”

We were raised with Jesus so that our true life is hidden now in him.

Ephesians 2:6: “[God] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 3:1-4: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. . . . Your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we are born again to a living hope.

1 Peter 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we now enjoy his personal fellowship with us always.

Matthew 28:20: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Because of the resurrection of Jesus, he has a name above every name and every knee will bow to him.

Philippians 2:9-10: “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”

The resurrection of Jesus means that Jesus kept his word.

Matthew 17:22: “Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.’”

The resurrection of Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures and the promises of God.

1 Corinthians 15:4: “He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

Acts 13:32-33: “We bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus.”

Because Jesus was raised, he has received the promise of the Spirit and poured out the Spirit on us.

Acts 2:33: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”

Because Jesus is raised, he can still heal the way he did on earth.

Acts 4:10: “Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.”

Because of the resurrection, he gives repentance and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 5:31: “God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

Because Jesus was raised, he is now appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.

Acts 10:42: “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.”

Acts 17:31: “He has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

God secured our justification by raising Jesus from the dead.

Romans 4:25: “He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

The risen Christ takes the place for us that the law once had so that we can bear fruit for God.

Romans 7:4: “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.”

Because of Jesus’ resurrection, he now has the glory for which we were made. Our ultimate destiny is to see him as he is.

1 Peter 1:21: “God . . . raised him from the dead and gave him glory.”

John 17:5, 24: “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. . . . Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

May the risen Lord Jesus himself arouse your sincere mind to new depths of worship and allegiance and joy.

Pastor John

The CALL ALABAMA

I can't help but post this...since my heart is set on Revival. I know that is why the LORD has called me to Alabama. So, this article from Lou Engle really struck me.


A Message From Lou Engle

For three years, the Lord has led me to pray for Alabama.

The burden was born out of a dream in which I was digging for the wells of revival, and I hit an obstruction. When I dug around the obstruction, I found bones. Inscribed on the bones was "Alabama." I knew from the dream that Alabama was key to revival in America, however there were things hidden that needed to be prayed through for the breakthrough to come.

The bones of Alabama, I believe, speak of the historic calling on the state as a forerunner for justice in America. They also speak of hidden issues that must be repented of that affect the whole nation. It is my conviction that TheCall in Montgomery is pivotal for a great turning in America.

In solemn assembly before the Lord, we are calling for repentance for the shedding of the innocent blood of African American slaves, racism (Montgomery – the first capital of the confederate states), lynching, and the killing of innocent children and many others who laid down their lives for Civil Rights. But we also believe that those who suffer the most and can still forgive receive redemptive authority to lead the nation.

We believe a new company of African American voices, birthed out of fasting and prayer, will lead the parade of history in bringing freedom from poverty in the inner cities and lead the way to the ending of abortion and movements of adoption in this nation.

On the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., we want to cry out to God for a new prophetic mantle to fall on Alabama and its people to bring forth spiritual awakening and justice and, in particular, proclaim with the clearest voice, “Let my people go!"

I believe that out of this gathering, a human life amendment could be brought forth, much like the voting amendment that was born out of the civil rights movement in 1964. From this gathering, we will call on God for fasting and prayer movements to explode through the inner cities of Alabama and our nation that can alone shift atmospheres and restore city streets with dwellings.

So, it is to Montgomery we go on April 5th declaring, “We have a dream!” We have a dream that abortion can end. We have a dream for reformation in our cities, and we have a dream that National Revival can be ignited that will transform a nation.

For TheCall,

Lou Engle

A Tragedy in the Making

DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE!!