Celebrate Jesus – Summary

so the Celebrate Jesus week is over.

*collects thoughts* (lol)

wow, what a week. it was long yet passed by quick. we saw many people saved and healed. we saw new pockets of favor in our city. we also saw a “sticking”. instead of just evangelizing and reaching out and caring for people for a week, we are seeing a heart in people to follow up. i had the opportunity to check back up with Ken, a young man who i believe God will save. i want to take him out to eat and get to know him. he will not be a notch in a belt, he will be a jewel in the crown of God…someone who i will build friendship with.

the block party turned out great. we had 2200 (roughly) show up. that’s the down payment i asked god for. saturday morning all the churches had a time of testimony…it was really long. that’s a really good thing! to god be the glory for what He accomplished this week!

but it’s not over. now “Mission:Possible” begins. we will see the promise fulfilled! all the city will be saved. god will come to our city. even so lord come!

Celebrate Jesus – Friday Update

so here we are! it’s the last outreach day of Celebrate Jesus and everyone is excited tonight because the city is having 11 block parties! it’s a unified effort to meet, help and reach people where they are at. we are expecting a lot of people tonight and i am looking forward to helping out tonight. as for now, they have asked me to help in the prayer tent (alright!) and we’ll see if i get to go anywhere else tonight. (hmm…rock wall looks like fun…lol)

 

i was reminded a important truth today from a friend. he told me that he keeps hearing “the Lord desires mercy, not sacrifice”. that’s a really important reminder for all of us here that have been working all week. many times i think that i’ve “paid my dues” just because i have served and gone “beyond normal service” and so i start letting myself “go”. i seep into bad attitudes, unprayerfulness, strife, laziness, apathy and rebellion. the biggest thing i do is that i don’t show anyone love, respect and care.

 

this is a BIGissue when it comes to something like what we’ve done in the city this week. we have labored and exhausted ourselves for the purpose of reaching this city and now, at the climax of the week, we are being tempted to nullify all ground we took this week. how? by not showing mercy to the lost and the bride. the Lord said in micah 6:8…

 

“what does the Lord require of you, son of man, but to do justly, to LOVE MERCY and to walk humbly before your God.”

 

all the Lord requires of us is those three things and when all those three are in play in our lives…it shows up in the form of love. when we meet the down-and-out or the homeless…we need to feed and clothe them (act justly), talk and love on them (loving mercy), and because we remember that only God is judge and we are NOT Him…we pray for the blessings and favor of God to rest upon their lives (walk humbly before your god…ie. remember who He is and who i am).

 

when those things are being done…God cannot help but smile. it is my prayer tonight at the block party to do whatever it takes to see God smile over our city! may we love the lost and each other just like Jesus did and does!

Celebrate Jesus – Midweek Update

wow! that is all i’ve been able to say about this week. for all who don’t know, the churches in this city have been part of a outreach called “Celebrate Jesus”. many people have come from all over the state (and some even farther) to help us reach our city in one week, visiting and ministering to every house in DeLand…all 22,000 of them! it has been powerful to see what God is doing in the midst of us. i have been assigned to the prayer team here at church (where i’m writing this right now…lol) and the stirring to pray and the ANSWERS to prayer we have seen are blowing our mind and stirring faith in us.

 

i just wanted to give an update and a thought that i just had this morning. it comes from Ephesians 4:1-3. paul encourages us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling we were called to…by walking in love towards one another….EAGERLY striving to MANTAIN the unity IN THE BOND OF PEACE.

 

what i realized is that it is the bond of peace…not war that we maintain unity. i know i myself can get so violent and militant in the spirit longing to see unity, but paul instructs us to maintain the bond of unity by living in a spirit of peace with one another. Jesus says in Matthew 5…”blessed are the PEACEMAKERS…for they are the CHILDREN OF GOD.” we are seen and called the children of God as we remain in unity by MAKING peace with each other.

 

many of the people with us this week are from different denominations from Catholic to Methodist to Baptists (etc) and while there is a desire that they all be “militant just like us” (hmm….kinda prideful if you ask me)…we are learning that the church walks in power when unified. paul goes on to talk about the things that matter….”one lord, one faith, one baptism…” we should gather and be in unity under those things.

 

i encourage everyone who is apart of the city who reads this to come and be a part of unity tonight at 7pm at First Baptist in DeLand where we will gather together and encourage each other. remember (wherever you are), paul says EAGERLY (SEARCH OUT WAYS TO) maintain unity in the bride through peace. together we have seen mighty things and numerous salvations! to god be the glory!

The Truly Matchless God

so i’m crying at work right now. i had to stop what i’m doing and write this real quick. i’m listening to this song we’re doing this sunday morning in church. the bridge to it is this:

 

“wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchless in every way…”

while it’s a great song, the song itself is not the reason i’m crying. it’s because i opened up my soul enough to think about it. you see, the first three words describe who God is. He’s wonderful, beautiful and glorious. but the last part (matchless in every way) describes what He is like. i started crying because i started thinking WHO and to WHATi could compare God to.

 

i started thinking “well, He’s a father…” and then i realized that although they (i’ve had two fathers) love me, i really couldn’t compare God to my father(s). “He’s a friend…” but then i realized, in reality and truth, what friend do i have that has done to and for me what He has done…what friend do i know has loved me and accepted me to the extent that He has. “He’s a king” but then i saw that kings through the ages have had anarcies, rebellions and hatred directed towards them (just look at president bush…a modern king of our time) but no anarcy can continue, all rebellions cease when He show his haters who He is. what king has been able to do that? stop disasters by just exuding who they are?

 

but the point that really broke me was when i thought i solved it. i said “well, i can compare God to….God”. but then i got a vision. i saw the throne room. i saw the 4 living creatures. i saw the 24 elders around the throne. i saw all the hosts of heaven the shouted out “HOLY!” (you see “holy” means completely seperated…matchless) then it was like they something new in God…something deeper…like He changed (He didn’t…their sight did)….like the God that they were JUST praising 5 seconds ago was totally different the God who now they saw…and what was their response? an even louder shout of “HOLY!!“…then……IT HAPPENS AGAIN….and AGAIN…for eternity! the voices begin to sound like white noise to the human ear because it is so loud, so passionate. it broke me cause i realized that God is so much different than who i think He is. the God i worship in my mind and heart and the God He reveals Himself to be are two totally different things…even when i think i know Him the best….and that’s how it will be for eternity!

 

how true is what the prophets in the Bible have said:
who is like You? who can compare to You?
God there is no one like You and there is no God but You!
the Lord is robed in glory, majestic in splendor…light exudes Him!

 

He is truly matchless. God cannot even be matched in our minds by Himself. He is matchless in EVERY WAY. so where does that leave me? so broken that compared to this matchless God that i see, i feel like Paul. “what can i do…just to know Him? just to know this matchless God? i count everything as loss…just to know (this matchless God…) Him.”

 

I am finding myself in a place where i LONG to know who He really is. that like ephesians 1:17-19 says…that God would grant me (that’s real grace) a spirit of wisdom and revelation into the knowledge of His Son…that the eyes of my heart would be enlightened… to know WHO GOD IS and WHAT HE IS LIKE.

 

matchless God, i pray release the spirit of wisdom and revelation upon Your church. let her see You as your are. seperate Yourself from all others in her mind and heart in the areas of wonder, glory and awesomeness. blow her away with the understanding of who You are. bring amazement back into her heart God…bring amazement back into her heart. in Jesus name…amen