hey did anyone listen to pal washer sermon ?
he gave a few days agao
It was really good
God bess
charlene
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Thanks
it is amazing how time goes by.
The last 7 month have been a hard road
I have fallen on my face as one who pray's
God by grace has picked me up.
I have struggled with my health and desire to give up many times
I was sad there was no prayer meeting at my Church
But I pressed on. trusted God and kept in prayer.
God one by one has been meeting my needs
he will answer when we cry out to Him.
Just this last week, he brought to place of seeing I need to seek
Him again, to go back to the place of prayer, thanks for
reminder we need press on in prayers and trust in Christ
I do hope everyone is good, I too will be praying for you all
In Christ we can
Charlene
The last 7 month have been a hard road
I have fallen on my face as one who pray's
God by grace has picked me up.
I have struggled with my health and desire to give up many times
I was sad there was no prayer meeting at my Church
But I pressed on. trusted God and kept in prayer.
God one by one has been meeting my needs
he will answer when we cry out to Him.
Just this last week, he brought to place of seeing I need to seek
Him again, to go back to the place of prayer, thanks for
reminder we need press on in prayers and trust in Christ
I do hope everyone is good, I too will be praying for you all
In Christ we can
Charlene
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Preparing for the Coming Revival?
Greetings Brothers,
I listened to a David Wilkerson message several years ago and he made a shocking statement that has stayed with me. It has been on my mind ever since we started praying for revival. I am going to paraphrase his statement as I recall it.
"There can be no revival in America until there is a complete collapse of the economy and the Church of Christ is forced to abandon their idols (materialism), repent and truly seek God." (my recollection)
With the economy here in the U.S. unravelling at a horrific rate, our confidence and trust in our god (money) is being shaken to the core. The experts are wringing their hands and saying , "The sky is falling!" What is our response?
In the days leading up to the Revival Conference in Canton, our group was intensely focused and hungry....starving for a glimpse of the power of God to be revealed. Hungry for personal revival and a true revival within the Bride of Christ.
This year feels so very different. I seem powerless to break the numbing complacency that deadens my prayers and blurs my focus. Is anyone else feeling this way? By the lack of responses to my past posting I have to conclude that this is not just my own experience. I have been following the reports from the Tue. evening prayer meetings that are going on weekly in preparation for the conferences. The numbers are dismally small. We may have over 1100 registered for Atlanta but if we are all completely distracted and complacent, can we really expect a move of God in our midst?
I left Canton somewhat disappointed that the Creator of the Universe didn't respond on my schedule. I was looking for a dramatic display of God's power and instead I heard a message of repentance and preparation of the heart. That was God's message for 2007. What will we hear from Him in 2008?
Scripture confirms that God does not work according to man's timetable. Nineveh was ripe for judgement and had persecuted and abused the Jews mercilessly...and yet, when the people accepted the prophecy of Jonah, they repented and God stayed His hand of judgement for many years. Jonah was just like me. Disappointed that God didn't work like Jonah thought He should.
We must realize that the preparation, the prayers, the tears at Canton are incense before the throne of God. (Rev.5:8) God's agenda is not our agenda so we must be faithful and always looking forward, prayed up and expectantly looking for the next great message and next great move of God. The cracks in the foundation of our self-centered, materialistic world are widening. We may be on the brink of revival!
When prayer is hard, I don't want to pray. When I don't pray I am at the mercy of the enemy. Adam Clarke said,
"Apostasy begins in the closet. No man ever backslid from the life and power of Christianity who continued constant and fervent in private prayer. He who prays without ceasing is likely to rejoice evermore."
These are such interesting times. The possibility of another terrorist attack gets more and more likely, the closer we get to our election. The economy is unravelling. Our southern states have been decimated by tropical storms. We are so vulnerable...the richest country on the face of the earth. And yet...
"Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—" Rev. 3:17
Let us encourage one another as we get closer to Atlanta. Let us be aware of our great vulnerability, and our great need for revival.
Please let us lift one another up in prayer!
Your brother in the battle, Steve
I listened to a David Wilkerson message several years ago and he made a shocking statement that has stayed with me. It has been on my mind ever since we started praying for revival. I am going to paraphrase his statement as I recall it.
"There can be no revival in America until there is a complete collapse of the economy and the Church of Christ is forced to abandon their idols (materialism), repent and truly seek God." (my recollection)
With the economy here in the U.S. unravelling at a horrific rate, our confidence and trust in our god (money) is being shaken to the core. The experts are wringing their hands and saying , "The sky is falling!" What is our response?
In the days leading up to the Revival Conference in Canton, our group was intensely focused and hungry....starving for a glimpse of the power of God to be revealed. Hungry for personal revival and a true revival within the Bride of Christ.
This year feels so very different. I seem powerless to break the numbing complacency that deadens my prayers and blurs my focus. Is anyone else feeling this way? By the lack of responses to my past posting I have to conclude that this is not just my own experience. I have been following the reports from the Tue. evening prayer meetings that are going on weekly in preparation for the conferences. The numbers are dismally small. We may have over 1100 registered for Atlanta but if we are all completely distracted and complacent, can we really expect a move of God in our midst?
I left Canton somewhat disappointed that the Creator of the Universe didn't respond on my schedule. I was looking for a dramatic display of God's power and instead I heard a message of repentance and preparation of the heart. That was God's message for 2007. What will we hear from Him in 2008?
Scripture confirms that God does not work according to man's timetable. Nineveh was ripe for judgement and had persecuted and abused the Jews mercilessly...and yet, when the people accepted the prophecy of Jonah, they repented and God stayed His hand of judgement for many years. Jonah was just like me. Disappointed that God didn't work like Jonah thought He should.
We must realize that the preparation, the prayers, the tears at Canton are incense before the throne of God. (Rev.5:8) God's agenda is not our agenda so we must be faithful and always looking forward, prayed up and expectantly looking for the next great message and next great move of God. The cracks in the foundation of our self-centered, materialistic world are widening. We may be on the brink of revival!
When prayer is hard, I don't want to pray. When I don't pray I am at the mercy of the enemy. Adam Clarke said,
"Apostasy begins in the closet. No man ever backslid from the life and power of Christianity who continued constant and fervent in private prayer. He who prays without ceasing is likely to rejoice evermore."
These are such interesting times. The possibility of another terrorist attack gets more and more likely, the closer we get to our election. The economy is unravelling. Our southern states have been decimated by tropical storms. We are so vulnerable...the richest country on the face of the earth. And yet...
"Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—" Rev. 3:17
Let us encourage one another as we get closer to Atlanta. Let us be aware of our great vulnerability, and our great need for revival.
Please let us lift one another up in prayer!
Your brother in the battle, Steve
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Where did we go and what have we been doing?
Greetings Brothers,
I see that the last post on this blog was Jan/08. Wow...how time flies by! I was reminded by a recent email from Alec, that our primary focus on prayer has not been addressed by anyone in the group, despite the fact that the two revival conference planned for this year are just a few weeks away.
So I asked myself, "Well, what have you been doing since Jan. 08, and (more importantly) what are you currently doing to prepare your heart for Atlanta in Oct.? Sadly, I must confess that I have been distracted and disorganized in so many areas for the past months. My last post in Jan. hinted (or maybe screamed) a growing disatisfaction with the established institution that we call "church". That uneasiness continues to this day and I can't help but think that somehow this institutional structure has become more important than our true calling as the Bride of Christ.
I wish I had answers but as of this date I do not. I know the ONE that has the answers but for now we see through this glass darkly. What would authentic fellowship and relationship and community look like as Christ envisioned and intended? Surely it can't be anything remotely similar to the disjointed and fractured mess that we currently call "the church".
I hope some brothers (or sisters) from the CPU will sign in and get us moving in the right direction as we prepare for the coming events. Time is short and I feel that there is still so much that the Holy Spirit want to do in and through us...but we must be vessels that are usable for His service...and that requires holiness and a focused intensity on hearing that "still small voice."
I hope to hear from you soon.
Your brother, Steve
I see that the last post on this blog was Jan/08. Wow...how time flies by! I was reminded by a recent email from Alec, that our primary focus on prayer has not been addressed by anyone in the group, despite the fact that the two revival conference planned for this year are just a few weeks away.
So I asked myself, "Well, what have you been doing since Jan. 08, and (more importantly) what are you currently doing to prepare your heart for Atlanta in Oct.? Sadly, I must confess that I have been distracted and disorganized in so many areas for the past months. My last post in Jan. hinted (or maybe screamed) a growing disatisfaction with the established institution that we call "church". That uneasiness continues to this day and I can't help but think that somehow this institutional structure has become more important than our true calling as the Bride of Christ.
I wish I had answers but as of this date I do not. I know the ONE that has the answers but for now we see through this glass darkly. What would authentic fellowship and relationship and community look like as Christ envisioned and intended? Surely it can't be anything remotely similar to the disjointed and fractured mess that we currently call "the church".
I hope some brothers (or sisters) from the CPU will sign in and get us moving in the right direction as we prepare for the coming events. Time is short and I feel that there is still so much that the Holy Spirit want to do in and through us...but we must be vessels that are usable for His service...and that requires holiness and a focused intensity on hearing that "still small voice."
I hope to hear from you soon.
Your brother, Steve
Monday, January 21, 2008
25 and Counting...Is doing "Church" bringing revival?
I believe at times it is helpful to be completely honest and critically evaluate the things that I do simply out of habit and ask, "is this profitable?" This is done in the business world all the time. The Canton Prayer Union is committed to praying for revival so, in light of our stated goal I must ask, "is what I am doing now leading towards revival?" I want to first examine this thing we call "going to church".
Yesterday I fulfilled my Christian duty and went to church. My family has regularly attended church all of our lives but for some reason, we can now count 25 churches that we have attended for different periods of time. Some changes were necessitated by a physical change in residence but, the majority of these moves are the result of an unsettled searching for some small glimpse of the abundant life that Christ promised to His disciples.
Yesterday a traveling evangelist brought his introductory message for a week-long series of meetings on prayer. I have been looking forward to this series of messages since I long for a deeper and more powerful prayer life. His opening message came from Romans 1 and, in kindness, I won't go into any more detail. He preached the Word but did it in such a way that I was constantly looking at my watch and battling to pay attention. He spoke passionately about the importance of the upcoming election and the importance of coming back for all the meetings to show your love and commitment to God. I don't plan on going back. If I was going to preach a full week of messages I would definitely make sure that my first message was my 'A" game. If this was the "A" game I don't have much hope for the others.
Is the church preparing the soil for revival in America? I say "No". It is my experience that the vast (99+%) majority of Christians in North America have never experienced revival and probably never will in their lifetimes. The few that have experienced revival have probably left the established church and are living in revival somewhere in the world where the Holy Spirit is not being quenched by the twin evils of materialism and complacency. I read blogs from Christians in other parts of the world and it looks remarkably like the Book of Acts. I go from church to church and it looks remarkably like a book of bedtime stories lulling me back to sleep.
What is the church supposed to be doing? I feel like my Christian life is an endless elementary school where for over 40 years I have attended, sitting in class and hoping graduation day would arrive. But, it never arrives. I sit in the pew week after week and hear sermon after sermon and sing song after song but what is the purpose? Am I learning all of this for some purpose or is the reason I go to church the same as the reason I went to school...to learn and gain knowledge. What am I supposed to do with this knowledge? Is it not reasonable to expect that at some point I am to graduate and go "out into the world?" In North America it seems perfectly acceptable to spend ones entire life in school and never leave...just keep learning, keep praying, keep singing....just stay in kindergarten for your entire life. Naps every day and snacks! Is this what Christ envisioned for His bride?
I can hear some right now saying that I just need to get off my blessed assurance and get out and impact my world for Christ...my workplace is my mission field, my co-workers, my neighbors etc. I guess what hinders my zeal in getting "out there" is the nagging suspicion that I have never really seen or experienced the abundant life that Jesus promised. Jesus connected the abundant life directly to the overflow of the indwelling Holy Spirit. If I haven't experienced what Christ promised, what is wrong? There are only a couple of possibilities:
1. I am not truly saved, therefore I am not entitled to receive the abundant life. (I discount this based on the testimony of the Holy Spirit in my life)
2.Something I am doing or not doing is quenching the Holy Spirit. (This seems very likely to be the cause.)
Read John MacArthur's definition of the mission of the church:
There is only one reason the Lord allows His church to remain on earth: to seek and to save the lost, just as Christ’s only reason for coming to earth was to seek and to save the lost. “As the Father has sent Me,” He declared, “I also send you” (John 20:21). Therefore, believers who are not committed to winning the lost for Jesus Christ should reexamine their relationship to the Lord and certainly their divine reason for existence.
Fellowship, teaching, and praise are not the mission of the church but are rather the preparation of the church to fulfill its mission of winning the lost. And just as in athletics, training should never be confused with or substituted for actually competing in the game, which is the reason for all the training.
(see MacArthur's complete article here:http://www.sfpulpit.com/2008/01/16/inward-upward-or-outward/
Are we stuck in training? How do we get in the game? Should we continue to endlessly go to school (church)? What is quenching the Spirit who wishes to impart the abundant life? If the church no longer prepares one to get in the game should we continue to attend? When do we leave the church and enter the playing field? Is it enough to just cover all the basics and be a good Christian husband/wife, father/mother, and employee or, does God expect more?
Sorry I don't have many answers today...but, maybe if we start to honestly ask some questions we can avoid the greatest tragedy of all....a wasted life and regret when we meet our Savior.
If we are not moving in circles that are preparing us for revival, are we in the right circles?
Prayerfully moving forward, Steve
Yesterday I fulfilled my Christian duty and went to church. My family has regularly attended church all of our lives but for some reason, we can now count 25 churches that we have attended for different periods of time. Some changes were necessitated by a physical change in residence but, the majority of these moves are the result of an unsettled searching for some small glimpse of the abundant life that Christ promised to His disciples.
Yesterday a traveling evangelist brought his introductory message for a week-long series of meetings on prayer. I have been looking forward to this series of messages since I long for a deeper and more powerful prayer life. His opening message came from Romans 1 and, in kindness, I won't go into any more detail. He preached the Word but did it in such a way that I was constantly looking at my watch and battling to pay attention. He spoke passionately about the importance of the upcoming election and the importance of coming back for all the meetings to show your love and commitment to God. I don't plan on going back. If I was going to preach a full week of messages I would definitely make sure that my first message was my 'A" game. If this was the "A" game I don't have much hope for the others.
Is the church preparing the soil for revival in America? I say "No". It is my experience that the vast (99+%) majority of Christians in North America have never experienced revival and probably never will in their lifetimes. The few that have experienced revival have probably left the established church and are living in revival somewhere in the world where the Holy Spirit is not being quenched by the twin evils of materialism and complacency. I read blogs from Christians in other parts of the world and it looks remarkably like the Book of Acts. I go from church to church and it looks remarkably like a book of bedtime stories lulling me back to sleep.
What is the church supposed to be doing? I feel like my Christian life is an endless elementary school where for over 40 years I have attended, sitting in class and hoping graduation day would arrive. But, it never arrives. I sit in the pew week after week and hear sermon after sermon and sing song after song but what is the purpose? Am I learning all of this for some purpose or is the reason I go to church the same as the reason I went to school...to learn and gain knowledge. What am I supposed to do with this knowledge? Is it not reasonable to expect that at some point I am to graduate and go "out into the world?" In North America it seems perfectly acceptable to spend ones entire life in school and never leave...just keep learning, keep praying, keep singing....just stay in kindergarten for your entire life. Naps every day and snacks! Is this what Christ envisioned for His bride?
I can hear some right now saying that I just need to get off my blessed assurance and get out and impact my world for Christ...my workplace is my mission field, my co-workers, my neighbors etc. I guess what hinders my zeal in getting "out there" is the nagging suspicion that I have never really seen or experienced the abundant life that Jesus promised. Jesus connected the abundant life directly to the overflow of the indwelling Holy Spirit. If I haven't experienced what Christ promised, what is wrong? There are only a couple of possibilities:
1. I am not truly saved, therefore I am not entitled to receive the abundant life. (I discount this based on the testimony of the Holy Spirit in my life)
2.Something I am doing or not doing is quenching the Holy Spirit. (This seems very likely to be the cause.)
Read John MacArthur's definition of the mission of the church:
There is only one reason the Lord allows His church to remain on earth: to seek and to save the lost, just as Christ’s only reason for coming to earth was to seek and to save the lost. “As the Father has sent Me,” He declared, “I also send you” (John 20:21). Therefore, believers who are not committed to winning the lost for Jesus Christ should reexamine their relationship to the Lord and certainly their divine reason for existence.
Fellowship, teaching, and praise are not the mission of the church but are rather the preparation of the church to fulfill its mission of winning the lost. And just as in athletics, training should never be confused with or substituted for actually competing in the game, which is the reason for all the training.
(see MacArthur's complete article here:http://www.sfpulpit.com/2008/01/16/inward-upward-or-outward/
Are we stuck in training? How do we get in the game? Should we continue to endlessly go to school (church)? What is quenching the Spirit who wishes to impart the abundant life? If the church no longer prepares one to get in the game should we continue to attend? When do we leave the church and enter the playing field? Is it enough to just cover all the basics and be a good Christian husband/wife, father/mother, and employee or, does God expect more?
Sorry I don't have many answers today...but, maybe if we start to honestly ask some questions we can avoid the greatest tragedy of all....a wasted life and regret when we meet our Savior.
If we are not moving in circles that are preparing us for revival, are we in the right circles?
Prayerfully moving forward, Steve
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Recent Edits in an effort to focus this blog
Greetings friends,
I have made the difficult decision to delete several posts from this blog in an effort to get this blog back into focus. I notice that post-Canton, we started to drift and general discussions started to creep into our posts. I know there is benefit in having discussions about things that concern all of us but this is something that did not happen in the many days that we prepared for Canton. So I ask, why is this happening now?
I will confess that I was looking too much towards Canton as an "event" where something dramatic would happen to change the course of my life, or, at least, give me some specific direction. Therefore, my prayers and posts in the months leading up to the conference were clearly focused on preparing my heart to hear from God. God did not disappoint us. God spoke His word clearly. I found some notes from the conference and I was shocked at the clarity of the message that screamed from the pages.
Perhaps it would be helpful to go back and listen again to what God spoke to us in Ohio. It has now been over 80 days and the memory is already fading. Thanks to Sermonindex we can go back and listen again to what God said through His messengers. I for one am going back to listen again. I expect the Holy Spirit will reveal much to me that the enemy has already pushed to the background. Looking at my notes, I see that I probably need to start with Keith Daniel and learn again the dangers of living the compromised life.
God Bless You All....Let's move FORWARD!
Steve
I have made the difficult decision to delete several posts from this blog in an effort to get this blog back into focus. I notice that post-Canton, we started to drift and general discussions started to creep into our posts. I know there is benefit in having discussions about things that concern all of us but this is something that did not happen in the many days that we prepared for Canton. So I ask, why is this happening now?
I will confess that I was looking too much towards Canton as an "event" where something dramatic would happen to change the course of my life, or, at least, give me some specific direction. Therefore, my prayers and posts in the months leading up to the conference were clearly focused on preparing my heart to hear from God. God did not disappoint us. God spoke His word clearly. I found some notes from the conference and I was shocked at the clarity of the message that screamed from the pages.
Perhaps it would be helpful to go back and listen again to what God spoke to us in Ohio. It has now been over 80 days and the memory is already fading. Thanks to Sermonindex we can go back and listen again to what God said through His messengers. I for one am going back to listen again. I expect the Holy Spirit will reveal much to me that the enemy has already pushed to the background. Looking at my notes, I see that I probably need to start with Keith Daniel and learn again the dangers of living the compromised life.
God Bless You All....Let's move FORWARD!
Steve
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