A Time of Reflection and Processing (Part 1)
Recently I read Psalms 34:1-4 and started to reflect on the things that God had done.
One of the original words God gave us that he would not bring the healthy but the bruised and the wounded . what the Scriptures call “bruised reeds and smoldering wicks”
In 1999 the Lord gave us a Word how things were going to change.
Read prophecy. (not included in notes.)
Reflect on other prophecies —right people would come to fulfill the mission of KCF—-
There would be an open heaven above us — we would touch nations.
Missions:
a.. We have had people from this house go to Latin America Theresa Oliver with YWAM on Mercy ships — b.. We have had people in Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Haiti, and Ivory Coast c.. We have a Pastor on the streets in the city. d.. People working at the Store House of Hope e.. Our mortgage was paid off. f.. There has been an increase in people —- we have had to go to 2 services. We are looking at purchasing 3 acres from Randy Gibson to expand.
And so there is a place to magnify the Lord Together and to rejoice together in God’s faithfulness and goodness to us!
Beloved we can’t stay here -we can’t camp here —- we have to move on. I believe we can become complacent real quick.
As we look at the Book of Acts we see increase in Acts 2 after Pentecost. Peter preached and 3000 came to the Lord.
Acts 2:41-47
AC 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
AC 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
AC 2:43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
AC 2:44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
AC 2:45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
AC 2:46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
AC 2:47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved
Church Growth is not about the numbers game … It’s about the Great Commission. There is more people out there that do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, and if we are responding to the great Commission there will automatically be increase.
I did a message a while ago from Mark4: 35 about “telling your story” or it was also entitled “Going to the other side”.
Do you ever wonder if he Lord is evaluating us not who goes to church but who in the church is going to the world.
Jesus’ prayer recorded in John 17 was that the disciples, who were not of the world., would not be taken out of the world, but would be sent into the world-as He was sent into the world;”
The world was a hostile place for Jesus to go, but His going brought salvation to it.
He was not content to live in safe isolation. The will of the Father was that He Go and give’ His life. In the same manner, it is the Father’s will that we go beyond the safe community of believers, into the world with the Gospel.
The Great Commission of Jesus recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, is equally clear as is John 20:21.
Paul, the apostle, calls us ambassadors; ambassadors are sent to represent their government to other nations (see 2 Corinthians 5:20).
It is clear that we have a mission to represent the kingdom of God to the world.
“The world” is not only some foreign culture, it is any place beyond the believing community.
The world can be intimidating and is apparently so too many Christians, since they do not go there with gospel. But, the church can never be the overcoming force that it is called to be until it overcomes its fear of the world. There is this possibility that the focus is too much on going to church rather than going to the world, and that leaves us marginalized and unprepared for the Lord’s return.
Math 24:4-14
14″And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
24:4 In this chapter Jesus is warning the disciples against false signs, Jesus sketches the prevailing conditions of their present age down to the very end and states their continuing task.
There will be religious deception, social and political upheavals, natural calamities, disloyalty, and persecution-all of which are precursors of the end times.
In the midst of the difficulties, the Lord’s followers are to persevere in spreading the gospel.
One of the Questions we have to ask ourselves: Am I a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Consider Mathew 16:24 and Luke 9:23-24
24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25″For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26″For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
If I answer yes then Mathew 28:19 applies to me “Go therefore and make disciples”.
Mathew 25:35-40
Simplest form of evangelism
MT 25:35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
MT 25:36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
MT 25:37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
MT 25:38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
MT 25:39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
MT 25:40 ” The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Hungry
Thirsty
Stranger
Sick
What is Jesus saying here it verses 35 to 40?
Consider the following thoughts
1. Jesus is interested in people from all walks of life.
2. We may not think it counts when we help people but it does to Jesus.
3. Unremarkable and ordinary attempts to love others really do get His attention.
4. I’m not suggesting that we earn our way into heaven by doing good things. But to say our deeds don’t get God’s attention would be to deny the common sense reading of Jesus statements here.
5. Those Jesus rewarded were not keeping track of their acts but apparently Jesus was. They were not looking to score points but he rewarded them
Let Us Pray!
One of the original words God gave us that he would not bring the healthy but the bruised and the wounded . what the Scriptures call “bruised reeds and smoldering wicks”
In 1999 the Lord gave us a Word how things were going to change.
Read prophecy. (not included in notes.)
Reflect on other prophecies —right people would come to fulfill the mission of KCF—-
There would be an open heaven above us — we would touch nations.
Missions:
a.. We have had people from this house go to Latin America Theresa Oliver with YWAM on Mercy ships — b.. We have had people in Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Haiti, and Ivory Coast c.. We have a Pastor on the streets in the city. d.. People working at the Store House of Hope e.. Our mortgage was paid off. f.. There has been an increase in people —- we have had to go to 2 services. We are looking at purchasing 3 acres from Randy Gibson to expand.
And so there is a place to magnify the Lord Together and to rejoice together in God’s faithfulness and goodness to us!
Beloved we can’t stay here -we can’t camp here —- we have to move on. I believe we can become complacent real quick.
As we look at the Book of Acts we see increase in Acts 2 after Pentecost. Peter preached and 3000 came to the Lord.
Acts 2:41-47
AC 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
AC 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
AC 2:43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
AC 2:44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
AC 2:45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
AC 2:46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
AC 2:47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved
Church Growth is not about the numbers game … It’s about the Great Commission. There is more people out there that do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, and if we are responding to the great Commission there will automatically be increase.
I did a message a while ago from Mark4: 35 about “telling your story” or it was also entitled “Going to the other side”.
Do you ever wonder if he Lord is evaluating us not who goes to church but who in the church is going to the world.
Jesus’ prayer recorded in John 17 was that the disciples, who were not of the world., would not be taken out of the world, but would be sent into the world-as He was sent into the world;”
The world was a hostile place for Jesus to go, but His going brought salvation to it.
He was not content to live in safe isolation. The will of the Father was that He Go and give’ His life. In the same manner, it is the Father’s will that we go beyond the safe community of believers, into the world with the Gospel.
The Great Commission of Jesus recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, is equally clear as is John 20:21.
Paul, the apostle, calls us ambassadors; ambassadors are sent to represent their government to other nations (see 2 Corinthians 5:20).
It is clear that we have a mission to represent the kingdom of God to the world.
“The world” is not only some foreign culture, it is any place beyond the believing community.
The world can be intimidating and is apparently so too many Christians, since they do not go there with gospel. But, the church can never be the overcoming force that it is called to be until it overcomes its fear of the world. There is this possibility that the focus is too much on going to church rather than going to the world, and that leaves us marginalized and unprepared for the Lord’s return.
Math 24:4-14
14″And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
24:4 In this chapter Jesus is warning the disciples against false signs, Jesus sketches the prevailing conditions of their present age down to the very end and states their continuing task.
There will be religious deception, social and political upheavals, natural calamities, disloyalty, and persecution-all of which are precursors of the end times.
In the midst of the difficulties, the Lord’s followers are to persevere in spreading the gospel.
One of the Questions we have to ask ourselves: Am I a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Consider Mathew 16:24 and Luke 9:23-24
24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25″For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26″For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
If I answer yes then Mathew 28:19 applies to me “Go therefore and make disciples”.
Mathew 25:35-40
Simplest form of evangelism
MT 25:35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
MT 25:36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
MT 25:37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
MT 25:38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
MT 25:39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
MT 25:40 ” The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Hungry
Thirsty
Stranger
Sick
What is Jesus saying here it verses 35 to 40?
Consider the following thoughts
1. Jesus is interested in people from all walks of life.
2. We may not think it counts when we help people but it does to Jesus.
3. Unremarkable and ordinary attempts to love others really do get His attention.
4. I’m not suggesting that we earn our way into heaven by doing good things. But to say our deeds don’t get God’s attention would be to deny the common sense reading of Jesus statements here.
5. Those Jesus rewarded were not keeping track of their acts but apparently Jesus was. They were not looking to score points but he rewarded them
Let Us Pray!