Mysteries of the Faith

My disclaimer: Test these thoughts against what you know in the Word.

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I have a need.  That is not so unusual, because it is likely everyone has a need. Needs come with life. I was praying about my need to the Father and wrestling with Him over the issue of serving a God of just enough or serving a God of abundance. For many years there has been a conflict with what I believed balanced against what I experienced. I

believed in abundance. I received just enough.

I have many times in the past stated that I serve a God of abundance. I refuse to serve a God of just enough. I believe that the evil ones have figured me out and step in between my receiving from a God of plenty by providing just enough. I still believe that is the case for me, many times.. I am impatient and when I see just enough offered, I accept and thank God for just enough when it was not from God at all. Does that make sense?

Tonight in prayer I once again shared with God that I refused to serve a God of just enough. I reminded Him of His ownership in everything as He is the creator. I said it as a blessing and not meant to get in God’s face or challenge Him in any way. I believe God gave me a thought, I will share with you. Then, you will need to bounce it against the Word and see if there is any truth to it.

I had the thought of a great banquet table. There was a place set for me. The plate was over flowing with all types of savory food. A big red juicy steak had caught my attention and I had cut off a chuck. It was skewered on my fork and I was waving it in the air as I talked with God,even as I had a mouth full already. I had every intention of eating everything on the plate as it was mine and I was hungry. I had no appreciation for the source of the food. I had no appreciation for the fact that God had set the table. God had invited me to it. God had encouraged me to take a seat. God allowed me to eat.

Then, truth was revealed and the mystery of serving a God of just enough and a God of abundance was reconciled. We have received God’s Kingdom. We live in His Kingdom. We have been given keys to His Kingdom. It is the keys that open the door to an incredible banquet. But I believe with the keys come a responsibility.

With the keys, we have the opportunity to gorge ourselves because God is the creator and a God of abundance. But with the keys to God’s Kingdom comes a responsibility to receive only what we need while appreciating the fact that our plate is full to overflowing. It is the receiving according to our needs, that God is Glorified and honored in our attitude toward Him.

It is such a simple concept, yet took a life time to be revealed.  Maybe you will be smarter than I…

As a bonus, I think it important to note it is unlikely to be wise waving a juicy chunk of prime steak on the end of your fork while flippantly chatting with Jesus. …. in total deference to the provider of the steak.

For more GodSpots – 37stories Enjoy!

I am passionate about this…. I have paid the price to speak.

I walk up to Job in the midst and say, “I am sorry for the suffering
you are going through. Oh so sorry.” Job says, “Yeah. Me too. It will
get better, I believe.” WRONG!

I walk up to Job and say, “How’s it going?” Job says, “God is AWESOME!
You won’t believe the blessing I am in the middle of! Won’t you come
join me? Did I tell you? God is AWESOME! His love surpasses
Knowledge!”

I agree. God is AWESOME and I am happy for you! Be blessed. Be
faithful. Be ALL IN! I am there with you! Hand me some pottery. I’ll
help you scrap.

Father. Forgive us for lack of knowledge… and poor revelation.

For more GodSpots – 37stories Enjoy!

Will you have another birthday?

I have a blog friend who recently had a kidney transplant. His wife was the donor. He had a birthday today. I wonder what it is like to not know if you are going to have the next birthday?

God Spots are Encouraging!

Kathleen Heck Freeman of Facebook: Here’s my small miracle.

1)Boyfriend almost gets taken out by a car on his motorcycle

2) The chiropractor he is sent to is given the choice of paying more to lease with the doctor he’d been with for 14 yrs or having to move in 3 days or less

3) Chiropractor moves to space within walking distance of our home, helps boyfriend to heal and hires this little unemployed girl to help him out and may even keep her.

The LORD works in myseterious ways.

For more GodSpots – 37stories Enjoy!

Torture is a Familiar Bedfellow for Some…

Bro. Yun: ‘What is Jesus Saying to You?’
A CHINESE MINISTER WHO SUFFERED YEARS OF TORTURE QUESTIONS POPULAR AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY
By Paul Steven Ghiringhelli
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Brother Yun:The Heavenly Man Talks With Charisma Magazine
July 8, 2008 by julia
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Bro. Yun: ‘What is Jesus Saying to You?’

“We live in a totally insecure world. There really is no such thing as a secure building. There is no insurance policy that can keep death away. Everyone heads in that direction [the grave] no matter what insurance you have. We have put our trust in things instead of focusing on what’s true and real.”

So says Brother Yun, a Chinese evangelist who says Jesus has been his only form of security since he accepted Christ some 30 years ago. “For me, death is irrelevant,” he says. “Everyone has to die one day.”

Yun has been imprisoned, beaten and forced to flee his country because of his evangelistic efforts. Yet he rejects bitterness and hostility toward his detractors. “I’m just looking for Jesus,” Yun says. “Where is Jesus? I fix my eyes on Jesus. And if the people don’t like me, I don’t mind that. Just let them be pleasing Jesus. Let them be happy in Jesus. I point out—don’t look at man, look at Jesus.”

Yun said if God ever gave him three minutes on American television, he would spend the first two minutes talking only about Christ.

“I have not come to share anything new, actually,” he said during a trip to the U.S. last fall. “I understand that Christian and church media have their own plans … to reach this generation, and we may have different visions of how to do it.

“But not necessarily everything is from the Lord. The reason for the success of Jesus was that He came to simply fulfill God’s purpose for His life.

“My emphasis is stop listening to your own heart. Stop listening to your own mind. Stop listening to the news and to the people who just share their own ideas. What is Jesus saying to you?”

Yun says Christians in America seem impossibly distracted. Instead of listening to the “one voice” that brings peace and joy, he says thousands of anxious Christians aimlessly follow the voices of mainstream pop religion.

He believes it is a form of persecution for Western Christians. “All of these different religions [denominations] have actually become mega-prisons,” he says. “They are just capturing and keeping people in prisons. The [Christians] are not free.”

Yun believes a self-serving gospel message lures people into a false security that eventually leads Christians to ignore sin in their lives, stop admitting their weakness and ultimately lose sight of their need of Jesus. He believes real freedom comes only from being bound to the cross of Christ.

“For a long time we have proclaimed a very strange gospel in this nation,” Yun says. “The gospel is a very comfortable and pleasant thing for everyone. But the gospel is really to die for Jesus.

“The core of my message is taking up your cross and following Jesus every day—walking out from the security of the church structures and buildings. Jesus never said it would be a wonderful and peaceful joy ride to follow Him in this world. He said, ‘In this world you will have suffering, but do not lose heart, for I have overcome the world.’

“The requirement for a disciple, according to the Bible, is very high. First of all, you have to die. Taking up your cross means you have to die to your own desires—to self—and walk behind Jesus. That’s a disciple.”

Yun says the way of the cross is to humble yourself before the wisdom of God. “One time in prison I was made the shepherd of the sheep,” he says. “I was the shepherd, and there was only one way that I could get this old stupid sheep, the oldest one, to follow me. When I picked up the youngest lamb and carried and cared for it, then all the sheep followed. I didn’t need to do anything else. I was just carrying the weakest and the youngest of the sheep, and everyone followed.

“Sometimes the Lord allows us to become like that weakest one. Then if we let Him carry us, it can become the direction for a whole nation.

“One day America will face an impossible situation, with no diplomatic or military solution. On that day, will this nation awake?”

Yun called the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, an alarm clock for Christians. “We must shake from our sleep and wake up,” he says. “We have the power of the gospel. Have we done everything we can to bring the gospel to the nations that are now attacking us?”

He said missionary groups have told him it’s “too dangerous” to send Christians into many areas of the world. But he says Jesus Himself sent out His disciples on suicide missions. Many American Christians forget that, he says.

“I don’t understand all of these political babblings going on here with everyone mocking the U.S. government or mocking the president,” Yun said just before last November’s midterm elections. “What if all these believers of Jesus Christ would stop and look inside their own jackets and ask: ‘Is my relationship with Jesus Christ right? Am I personally fulfilling His purpose for my life?’ This nation would be changed in a day.”

“Is there a cross handy?”~priest

It is easy to judge the religious types of Jesus time as bad, because they killed Him. We have the luxury of looking back and judgment becomes easy. Jesus is the Son of God and the religious types killedhim, so they must have been bad.But if you were living in midst of the events of the time, it might not have been quite so easy to judge the religious as bad. After all, it was the religious type that were attempting to keep all the law. That made them good. Right?

I think religion has not changed much at all. I think there are a few bold pastors who communicate truth regardless of the cost. In their zeal to communicate truth, other men of the cloth will quickly judge them as being a loose cannon or a threat to organized religion. If there was a cross convenient, they might ever be crucified.

For more GodSpots – 37stories Enjoy!

“What?! God still works miracles?”~gofigure

Jim Taylor
This lady came for prayer because she had pain over her entire body. She was also very weak and could not do anything. We prayed for her and she was totally healed!

The next day she came back and said she had a dream.In the dream one of our Team members had given her two white peices of paper and she wanted to know what it meant.

We prayed and told her that the first peice of white paper was God’s forgiveness and that Jesus had forgiven all her sins. The second peice of white paper was each new day she could begin fresh and write what God wanted her to do on it.She said she would like to receive this Jesus as her Savior and prayed with us for Him to come into her heart.

Everyone we prayed for was left in the care of a local shepherd who will watch over them and help them continue on.

“Last night was a crazy good night at SCC. It usually is. “~Darrel

Sunday night at Southside City Church

by Darrel Auvenshine on Monday, August 16, 2010 at 7:43am

Last night was a crazy good night at SCC.  It usually is.  We never know quite what is going to happen.  We’re only 2 years old and honestly we are not the most organized group of folks.  If you’ve ever been to SCC you know that already.  We usually start late etc., but it is the most “real” experience I’ve ever known.  So here is a short insight to the awesome craziness of 8/15 at SCC.

Several of the folks who normally help give rides to people were out of town or not coming to church last night, so this meant that only a couple of us would be available to pick up.  Sometimes when we get to the mission (UGM or Salvation Army or Samaritan House) there are only a couple of people to pick up.  Not so last night.  The first trip over, Linda and I picked up two full car loads.  (this was after the first trip to pick up a family of four) oh and Jennifer and Laura went to East Ft. Worth to pick up Jeannie and her 5 great grand children….

So at UGM we pick up two car loads of guys who normally come to SCC.  Second trip I went alone and picked up one guy at UGM, then on to Salvation Army to pick up our friend Wallis.  Wallis invited a family to come.  This family is not living in the Shelter, they are “camping out”….a 2 year old/mom and dad.  So while we were loading them up, putting the stroller in the truck, another gentlman walked up to the truck and asked, “where are yall going”.  I said to church.  “Is there room for me”.  ANSWER:  We will make room.

So Aaron moved to the center of the front seat and Jackie Brown hopped in.

I dropped them off at the church and headed back toward UGM for Vince and Rick.  Except they weren’t there.  They had missed a bus and were about 8 miles north of UGM at a convenience store, waiting for me, with a bicycle.  Good news is I had borrowed Bubba’s truck to pick up the guys because I was low on gas.

We headed back and arrived at the church 40 minutes late for service.  I walked in on the last song of worship to applause and headed up to change clothes for baptism.  We baptized Christie (recently gave her life to Christ after being miraculously healed from near death sickness).  She is so in love with Jesus!  She wore all black for the baptism, and came out afterward wearing all white clothes.  (She had no idea I was preaching on I Peter 2.  ‘”We are called out of darkness and into His marvelous light”.

Confession:  I was a little frustrated that  I was having to do all this driving and picking up.  I allowed a foolish attitude and even told the Lord, “Jesus, I’m the pastor.  I should be to church on time.  I really need to preparing my heart to preach the message….not driving around town picking up people.”.  WRONG!  the Holy Spirit quickly corrected me.  “Darrel, Shut up!  Just drive.  You don’t HAVE to be to church on time…and Iti’s my job to deliver the message to the hearts of the people, not yours!”  I stand CORRECTED.  AND HUMBLED.

So the night gets even better.  After the message, several people prayed to yield their lives to CHRIST!.  Hallelujah!  I offered baptism and guess who took me up on it.  JACKIE Brown!  Now here is the funny part.  Jackie wasn’t prepared with a set of dry clothes…the baptistry wasn’t warm, so he was getting into cold water.  Natalie went up to the clothing closet to find dry clothes his size, but he decided to just wear one of the baptismal robes….so he steps into the water….”ohh pastor, this water cold”.  one more step, ohh..it’s really cold…..don’t rush me now….oh pastor, i’m afraid my “STUFF” gonna shrink up”…(YES HE REALLY SAID THAT).  I’m thinking, let’s get under the water quick and get out….He confessed Christ Jesus as His Lord and I baptized my brother with joy and praise!

QUote on the way out of the water:  “If the water in Hell is this cold, the Devil ain’t got nothing to worry about”.  LoL.

So we all enjoyed our weekly meal…great stories, lot’s of laughter and then it’s time to start taking people back home to the missions etc.  Thank you Linda and Steven, Jennifer and Laura for your help.  Ride back to the Mission.  Jackie Brown:  “Pastor, I apologiize.  I shouldn’t have said that about my “stuff” in the baptistry.”  All the guys and me, LOL!  I said, “BUT You did, Jackie, but you did”  and it’s just fine.

I pulled up and Wallis got on out of the truck.  Jackie said, “pray for me pastor”.  So I did.  He told me he don’t live in the shelter.  He lives under the bridge.  Will I see him again next Sunday?  I hope so.  I pray so.  I believe God has a wonderful plan for Jackie.  Just as He does for all of us….

“There is a dark chasm between belief and unbelief. It is known as IF.”~priest

“IF” may be the single most powerful word in your vocabulary.

I have believed in Jesus many years. It is likely you believe in Jesus. There are few who do not recognize Jesus. Most of those described will call themselves Christian. It seems believing is but a 1st step to enjoying a Christ centered life.

Many years ago, there was a man with a son who had incredibly bad seizures from an early age. They crippled him and there were times when the seizures drove him to wanting to kill himself. This may even describe you today. You might just rather be dead than go through what you are experiencing in life. You believe, but there is no relief…

This man had unsuccessfully sought relief for his son, likely many times in his life. Nothing seemed to help, but he continued to hope and thought, “If only…”

Today would be different.  Today, he would see Jesus.  He pushed his way through the crowds surrounding Jesus and cried out, “If you can, then heal my son!” Jesus said, “IF?…” The man took an incredible leap of faith over the chasm of doubt, known as “IF” and shouted,”I believe!”.

This was a miraculous event in the man’s life. The healing was good, but the miracle was in the leap the man took across the chasm of “IF”. No man comes to the Father but by Jesus. It is Jesus that enables you to take the leap across the chasm and into the arms of the Father. there is great healing in His arms. Miraculous healing found only through Jesus.

Pray today for God through Jesus, to encourage you to take that miraculous leap of faith over the dark chasm known as, “IF”. Pray, “Help me to believe.” End your prayer with, “I believe”.

As for the rest of the story… Begin a new life, receiving the Kingdom of God as a child, allowing it to live in you and you in it.

For more GodSpots – 37stories Enjoy!