I have been thinking a lot about that word this week. You put together a inter-faith symposium on religion and global peace that places a rabbi, a religious cleric from Islam and an ordained minister together to talk about what we share together and that would be impossible in many parts of the world. Well, I was there and it happened on Wednesday night at Milton Sports Center. I t was put on by a branch of Sunni Muslims, Ahmadiyya, who proclaim love for all and hatred for none quite different than Shite muslims who are very violent. We talked about understanding each other as well and visiting each other’s places of worship.
There has been a real concerted effort to bring Muslims and Christians together to dialogue about what we agree about. This movement now has a website where you can sign on http://www.acommonword.com/. It is an open letter to Christians signed by 138 Muslim leaders calling for peaceful coexistence and 300 leading Evangelicals leaders have responded with an affirmation towards this end with the acknowledgement of loving God and loving neighbour. I have to agree with Glenn Penner that there is something even more important than peace and that is truth and we need to realize that anything that does not proclaim Jesus as Lord is a counterfeit. We need to focus on opportunities just not just to keep the peace, but share about Jesus! Check out his writings at persecutedchurch.blogspot.com
There has been a real concerted effort to bring Muslims and Christians together to dialogue about what we agree about. This movement now has a website where you can sign on http://www.acommonword.com/. It is an open letter to Christians signed by 138 Muslim leaders calling for peaceful coexistence and 300 leading Evangelicals leaders have responded with an affirmation towards this end with the acknowledgement of loving God and loving neighbour. I have to agree with Glenn Penner that there is something even more important than peace and that is truth and we need to realize that anything that does not proclaim Jesus as Lord is a counterfeit. We need to focus on opportunities just not just to keep the peace, but share about Jesus! Check out his writings at persecutedchurch.blogspot.com
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6
The ability to please God without faith
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
I love how the KJV captures the pursuit as it uses the word diligence. It is persistent application of doing things God’s way and He keeps asking me not to do what comes naturally, but supernaturally. You want to keep getting what you always got then do things the way you’ve always done them.
However, if you are ready to walk across the threshold to living your life by faith, be prepared to have your eyes opened wide.
Remember this that you won’t change until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing. As Sharon shared last week about being stuck… are you there? Are you ready to move forward? God wants you to change, He wants you to please Him, but you can’t do it in your own strength. You need supernatural empowerment from on high. Pray that the HS would reignite your faith, recapture your heart.
How far are you willing to go to earnestly seek him. There was one such man who wanted God’s blessing on His life so desperately he stayed up all night and wrestled with the Lord until the Lord touched him in such a way that he became completely dependent on him for His every move. In Genesis 22, his name, Jacob was changed to Israel, from a deceiver to one who met God face to face, one who wrestled with God and experienced the fullness of His presence. Make no mistake about it that it came at a price.
In Genesis 32:25, the man that He wrestled with was no ordinary man, but a heavenly wrestler of God and He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so what is the significance of that? No longer could Jacob wrestle, now He was forced to cling to God, to lean his entire weight on Him! Jacob was brought to the end of his own resources
He was physically left limping with the constant reminder to not do things in His own strength. How has God touched you to make you realize that you can’t do it, you can’t live the Christian life. It is only as we desperately come to God, cry out to Him and say walk me through this journey. I don’t have the strength, I don’t have the resilience. Walking in faith says God says I need you to live your life through me…that is faith, believing that in faith God is going to direct your steps, that He is going to reveal the answer as we pray, as we close ourselves into Him!
Without faith, without His blessing, you can’t please God, it is a futile attempt.
The Multiplication of God’s Kingdom Matthew 13:18,19
It cannot be tracked!
Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
Faith is something that grows, it does not remain stagnant. It starts as a mustard seed, but faith multiplied is like a mustard seed which grows into a tree. We are to be rooted in faith in such a way that others can rest on the faith, the evidence of and the strength that lies within its branches. It is a movement done in such a way that it grows beyond itself.
There has been a lot of caution out there going against a recent book being made into a movie called ‘The Golden Compass’ and rightly so, we need to be aware of this. Apparently the author aim is to destroy faith in our children being a self proclaimed atheist. It has certainly gotten a lot of airplay on talk radio and the warnings are out there. There are some catholic school boards that have removed the book from their school libraries. The Christian church is best when we are on the offence not the defence.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18
Maybe its hard to get the image of a mustard tree in your head so I’ll give you one we can all relate to. Let’s talk about dandelions, now that is a movement. Do you have any idea how much money is spent on trying to eradicate them?? OK, I don’t know, but rest assured it’s a ton! They are a seed producing, manufacturing system. They are so committed to reproduction that they only stay beautiful for a couple of weeks. We need to be a dandelion church and give ourselves away. Church growth told us to look good and be good, but God wants us to give our faith away, start new small groups (house churches), give our stuff to others, share our faith stories, get the message out there. There is more to pursue in life that just not being disturbed by our neighbors!
We need to be a movement of faith and telling our own ‘golden stories of faith’ that point to the True North Star and when He shows up and does the impossible.
The things you do in faith. Matthew 17:20
The ability to please God without faith
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
I love how the KJV captures the pursuit as it uses the word diligence. It is persistent application of doing things God’s way and He keeps asking me not to do what comes naturally, but supernaturally. You want to keep getting what you always got then do things the way you’ve always done them.
However, if you are ready to walk across the threshold to living your life by faith, be prepared to have your eyes opened wide.
Remember this that you won’t change until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing. As Sharon shared last week about being stuck… are you there? Are you ready to move forward? God wants you to change, He wants you to please Him, but you can’t do it in your own strength. You need supernatural empowerment from on high. Pray that the HS would reignite your faith, recapture your heart.
How far are you willing to go to earnestly seek him. There was one such man who wanted God’s blessing on His life so desperately he stayed up all night and wrestled with the Lord until the Lord touched him in such a way that he became completely dependent on him for His every move. In Genesis 22, his name, Jacob was changed to Israel, from a deceiver to one who met God face to face, one who wrestled with God and experienced the fullness of His presence. Make no mistake about it that it came at a price.
In Genesis 32:25, the man that He wrestled with was no ordinary man, but a heavenly wrestler of God and He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so what is the significance of that? No longer could Jacob wrestle, now He was forced to cling to God, to lean his entire weight on Him! Jacob was brought to the end of his own resources
He was physically left limping with the constant reminder to not do things in His own strength. How has God touched you to make you realize that you can’t do it, you can’t live the Christian life. It is only as we desperately come to God, cry out to Him and say walk me through this journey. I don’t have the strength, I don’t have the resilience. Walking in faith says God says I need you to live your life through me…that is faith, believing that in faith God is going to direct your steps, that He is going to reveal the answer as we pray, as we close ourselves into Him!
Without faith, without His blessing, you can’t please God, it is a futile attempt.
The Multiplication of God’s Kingdom Matthew 13:18,19
It cannot be tracked!
Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
Faith is something that grows, it does not remain stagnant. It starts as a mustard seed, but faith multiplied is like a mustard seed which grows into a tree. We are to be rooted in faith in such a way that others can rest on the faith, the evidence of and the strength that lies within its branches. It is a movement done in such a way that it grows beyond itself.
There has been a lot of caution out there going against a recent book being made into a movie called ‘The Golden Compass’ and rightly so, we need to be aware of this. Apparently the author aim is to destroy faith in our children being a self proclaimed atheist. It has certainly gotten a lot of airplay on talk radio and the warnings are out there. There are some catholic school boards that have removed the book from their school libraries. The Christian church is best when we are on the offence not the defence.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18
Maybe its hard to get the image of a mustard tree in your head so I’ll give you one we can all relate to. Let’s talk about dandelions, now that is a movement. Do you have any idea how much money is spent on trying to eradicate them?? OK, I don’t know, but rest assured it’s a ton! They are a seed producing, manufacturing system. They are so committed to reproduction that they only stay beautiful for a couple of weeks. We need to be a dandelion church and give ourselves away. Church growth told us to look good and be good, but God wants us to give our faith away, start new small groups (house churches), give our stuff to others, share our faith stories, get the message out there. There is more to pursue in life that just not being disturbed by our neighbors!
We need to be a movement of faith and telling our own ‘golden stories of faith’ that point to the True North Star and when He shows up and does the impossible.
The things you do in faith. Matthew 17:20
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20
One writer put it this way: “The prayer of faith is a definite request made in definite faith for a definite answer.” Faith is believing God will show up, God will make a way because you know you can’t!
One writer put it this way: “The prayer of faith is a definite request made in definite faith for a definite answer.” Faith is believing God will show up, God will make a way because you know you can’t!
Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen.
J Oswald Saunders
The Takeaway:
We serve the God of the impossible, but we can’t go there unless we step out in faith and believe.
Questions For Discussion and Small Groups:
1. How can your faith be increased to believe God for the impossible?
2. Glenn Penner from http://www.persecution.net/ shares, “the Quranic verse (Aal 'Imran 3:64) that served as the inspiration for the Muslim leaders in their open letter entitled "A Common Word Between Us and You" in http://www.acommonword.com/ is not a call to come together and live in peace despite our differences. The call of the passage in its context (Aal 'Imran 3:64-71) is a call for Christians and Jews to give up the lies of their faith and submit to Islam. It is not a call to find
J Oswald Saunders
The Takeaway:
We serve the God of the impossible, but we can’t go there unless we step out in faith and believe.
Questions For Discussion and Small Groups:
1. How can your faith be increased to believe God for the impossible?
2. Glenn Penner from http://www.persecution.net/ shares, “the Quranic verse (Aal 'Imran 3:64) that served as the inspiration for the Muslim leaders in their open letter entitled "A Common Word Between Us and You" in http://www.acommonword.com/ is not a call to come together and live in peace despite our differences. The call of the passage in its context (Aal 'Imran 3:64-71) is a call for Christians and Jews to give up the lies of their faith and submit to Islam. It is not a call to find
common ground; it is a call to surrender!
Do we truly have common ground with Judaism and Islam? Should we be cautious of this movement? Why?
3. “The prayer of faith is a definite request made in definite faith for a definite answer. What definite prayer requests are you making to God?
3. “The prayer of faith is a definite request made in definite faith for a definite answer. What definite prayer requests are you making to God?
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