Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples
Seek God…to gather all peoples in worship
One day all believers in Christ will worship Jesus together. John described this glorious scene, “After these things I looked, and here was an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. They were shouting out in a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God, to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9–10 NET).
I was able to experience a glimpse of such worship when I was in India earlier this month. I was with fellow Christ-followers who literally had nothing. They were the poorest of the poor. They have nothing in this world but Jesus, and Jesus is enough! I experienced worship with such joy and happiness because of God’s love and grace.
I am so glad that we are beginning to experience such worship in our community. This is happening as Serve The City churches unite together to reach our community for Christ and proclaim the praise of the One who saved us. We are linking arms for the cause of Christ regardless of denominations, traditions or differing cultures.
May we continue to move out of our comfort zones and reach out to every person both locally and globally. May you and I pray for God to break down barriers in our hearts that keep us from unconditionally loving those who are “different” from us. Pray for unity among God’s people that is so obvious that people in our communities take notice. Pray for God to be glorified as we gather together to serve Christ by serving the city.
Bob Westfall
New Covenant Bible Church
Showing posts with label unconditional. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unconditional. Show all posts
Friday, March 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, February 22 – Day 6
Seeking His Life to Revive the Church
Seek God….to impart His life-giving Spirit
Am I alive, or am I dead? Wow, what a crazy question, I can see myself moving so obviously I am alive. So physically as I look at myself this morning I am alive and actually doing pretty well. As I approach retirement age, I have few if any aches and pains. I can do everything I need so far for myself, physically.
Recently as I have been walking down the hallways at work I have been reminded and thankful that I really feel pretty good. I think the reason those thoughts have come to me is because we just put my mom in a nursing home because she can no longer take care of herself. Her body is wearing out, but the more serious problem is that her mind is wearing out to. She has dementia and we don’t know who we will see the next time we go visit, will it be our mom or someone who is no longer connected to the reality of life.
I once had a co-worker who would frequently say, “Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most”. I used to laugh about that when he would say that, but now it has taken on a different meaning to me with my mom’s condition. Without a clear and positive mind, life becomes extremely difficult.
But what about my spiritual life – am I alive or am I dead? That has become a more serious question to me of late. It is easy for me to fool those around me, I can put on an act if I desire. For years I lived as a “Christian” thinking I was doing just fine. I grew up in a “Christian” home but the Christian emphasis was wrapped around that hour service every Sunday.
Then I joined a different church after I was married and we became strong advocates of the law, we kept the Sabbath, at least we thought we did. All the Old Testament Holy days, and thought we were the only church God was working with. We would not associate at all with any other church, as we judged them all to be wrong. For 25 years I tried to obey the law, it was so much like the people of Israel, trying to obey the law.
In the mid 90’s “His life-giving Spirit”, knocked on the door of the leadership of our denomination. God created a new heart in some of those in the leadership roles of our denomination, and the Holy Spirit made Ezekiel 37 ring true in the hearts of some of us in our denomination. “Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.” The sad part of it all is only about 30% of the denomination heard the voice of the Holy Spirit when He said, “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life.” O Holy Spirit, thank you for getting through to some of us and changing our lives forever. I pray that you would reach all of us!
This morning, I praise my Father in heaven for committing to the promise of Jesus when He said, “I will send to you a comforter” Oh, God, I pray that you will impart His Life-giving Spirit to Christians and non Christians alike. I have come to realize in these first few days of the 40 days of prayer, that God is seeking out a revival not only for those who don’t know Him, but I feel a real call from the Holy Spirit, crying out to we Christians, who think we are doing OK.
My old tradition was to obey the law and if I was good enough, I would be saved. I learned in the mid 90’s, there is NO WAY that I can obey the law. Salvation is a gift from God and nothing I can do can make me good enough to earn salvation. Jesus founded the one true church, the church of Jesus Christ. It must become a way of life. We must knock down the barriers that divide Christians from worshiping together.
To give up the law, and realize that all I need to do is repent and believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, was so foreign at first. But I have been given such Peace in my heart, to know that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and my personal relationship with Him is a gift, something that was given to me, I surely wasn’t seeking it, God found me, Oh how I praise Him for the Peace He brings to me.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. John 5:25. God, bring to this city your Holy Spirit in a powerful way. Wake us up from our sleep; don’t allow our spiritual lives to be wasted. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak for us, to act for us, so that the life of Jesus will be reflected through each of us. Help us to get out of your way, and submit to you totally. In Jesus name I pray.
P.S. I count it such a blessing, to have come from a church that wouldn’t reach out to fellow Christians, to be accepted with open arms by all of you who embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior, and that we can worship and Praise Him together, regardless of our denomination. I am so humbly grateful for His Unconditional Love. Unity in Him, forever and ever, Amen
George Bushlack
Family of Faith Community Church
“To Know, Believe, and Serve Him”
Seek God….to impart His life-giving Spirit
Am I alive, or am I dead? Wow, what a crazy question, I can see myself moving so obviously I am alive. So physically as I look at myself this morning I am alive and actually doing pretty well. As I approach retirement age, I have few if any aches and pains. I can do everything I need so far for myself, physically.
Recently as I have been walking down the hallways at work I have been reminded and thankful that I really feel pretty good. I think the reason those thoughts have come to me is because we just put my mom in a nursing home because she can no longer take care of herself. Her body is wearing out, but the more serious problem is that her mind is wearing out to. She has dementia and we don’t know who we will see the next time we go visit, will it be our mom or someone who is no longer connected to the reality of life.
I once had a co-worker who would frequently say, “Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most”. I used to laugh about that when he would say that, but now it has taken on a different meaning to me with my mom’s condition. Without a clear and positive mind, life becomes extremely difficult.
But what about my spiritual life – am I alive or am I dead? That has become a more serious question to me of late. It is easy for me to fool those around me, I can put on an act if I desire. For years I lived as a “Christian” thinking I was doing just fine. I grew up in a “Christian” home but the Christian emphasis was wrapped around that hour service every Sunday.
Then I joined a different church after I was married and we became strong advocates of the law, we kept the Sabbath, at least we thought we did. All the Old Testament Holy days, and thought we were the only church God was working with. We would not associate at all with any other church, as we judged them all to be wrong. For 25 years I tried to obey the law, it was so much like the people of Israel, trying to obey the law.
In the mid 90’s “His life-giving Spirit”, knocked on the door of the leadership of our denomination. God created a new heart in some of those in the leadership roles of our denomination, and the Holy Spirit made Ezekiel 37 ring true in the hearts of some of us in our denomination. “Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.” The sad part of it all is only about 30% of the denomination heard the voice of the Holy Spirit when He said, “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life.” O Holy Spirit, thank you for getting through to some of us and changing our lives forever. I pray that you would reach all of us!
This morning, I praise my Father in heaven for committing to the promise of Jesus when He said, “I will send to you a comforter” Oh, God, I pray that you will impart His Life-giving Spirit to Christians and non Christians alike. I have come to realize in these first few days of the 40 days of prayer, that God is seeking out a revival not only for those who don’t know Him, but I feel a real call from the Holy Spirit, crying out to we Christians, who think we are doing OK.
My old tradition was to obey the law and if I was good enough, I would be saved. I learned in the mid 90’s, there is NO WAY that I can obey the law. Salvation is a gift from God and nothing I can do can make me good enough to earn salvation. Jesus founded the one true church, the church of Jesus Christ. It must become a way of life. We must knock down the barriers that divide Christians from worshiping together.
To give up the law, and realize that all I need to do is repent and believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, was so foreign at first. But I have been given such Peace in my heart, to know that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and my personal relationship with Him is a gift, something that was given to me, I surely wasn’t seeking it, God found me, Oh how I praise Him for the Peace He brings to me.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. John 5:25. God, bring to this city your Holy Spirit in a powerful way. Wake us up from our sleep; don’t allow our spiritual lives to be wasted. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak for us, to act for us, so that the life of Jesus will be reflected through each of us. Help us to get out of your way, and submit to you totally. In Jesus name I pray.
P.S. I count it such a blessing, to have come from a church that wouldn’t reach out to fellow Christians, to be accepted with open arms by all of you who embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior, and that we can worship and Praise Him together, regardless of our denomination. I am so humbly grateful for His Unconditional Love. Unity in Him, forever and ever, Amen
George Bushlack
Family of Faith Community Church
“To Know, Believe, and Serve Him”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)