The world, and sometimes even the church, is saturated with compromise, sin and apathy. As morality is forgotten and the boundaries between right and wrong become obscured, believers are called to draw a clear line between evil and good.
How is it possible for revival to come in such a Christ rejected nation? We as Christians have to make a choice to live in this world as a testimony of the keeping power of God. The cry of the church should be, “Lord, stretch forth you hand and heal through me. Use my life to bring healing and freedom to those who are lost.” What will revival look like? All people with a no name ministry will suddenly show up with the glory of God on them. Grandmothers who laid hold of the Cross will begin to speak to a younger generation. Young people like David in the Bible who will not cower under the pressure of this society will rise up with a cry that says, "is there not a cause?" There is coming a season when God will turn the people’s hearts back to Him and He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh.
How does our faith mature? We would like to think that faith can grow without difficulty and trials but faith can never grow unless we are tested. Faith can never mature until we are placed in desperate situations. Grown up faith is driven to the back side of the dessert and is challenged with hopelessness. Mature faith waits on God and receives Jesus' “no” as heartily as His “yes”. Can you trust Jesus even when He says “no”? That is grown up faith.
You might say you started your walk with the Lord with such optimism and all of a sudden you are fighting wars within and wars without. You know the battle is fierce and in and of yourself you have no power to get through your situation. The enemy will roar in your ear with the lie that your circumstance is greater than your God. This message encourages us that if Christ is in us we will never be overpowered by the voice or strategy of the devil. God will take you through before He takes you out. He will give you supernatural strength and your testimony will be Jesus took me through. Never give up because God is on your side!
If the Lord asked you if you trust Him what would your answer be? Have you believed the lie that your situation is too overwhelming to trust God? When you come to a place of impossibility don’t draw back in fear and unbelief. God is looking for a heart to trust Him. This message reminds us to look back at God's faithfulness in our lives. Remember that the same God who gave His life for us is the same God who promises to keep us. It is in these times of adversity that God is training us to trust Him. We will live under a canopy of His mercy all the days of our life. You can trust Jesus to love you and take away all your pain.
Many in the last days will be offended. The word offended means to be moved to leaning on your reasoning rather than trusting the plan that God has for your life. When difficulties and trails come you will be tempted to take another course and follow another Jesus. The key to avoid this is to have a deep abiding trust in the faithfulness of God, knowing that His ways are not our ways and He has a divine plan. Take comfort in knowing we are in hands that are much bigger than ours and we will be triumphed over. Jesus Christ promises us we will make it to the other side.
Throughout scripture we see men and women with a seemingly "different spirit," like Joshua and Caleb. They have a hunger for God's vision, a willingness to follow God completely, and an inability to compromise. Christ wants to give us this spirit today, and in doing so give us a ravenous appetite for the Holy Spirit. Gary Wilkerson shares that people of "a different spirit" respond to God's call to be the tools for radical change in today's world. They are not only blessed, but are vehicles of God's blessings to others.
What makes a church great? Is it the worship? Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Prophecy? Faith to move mountains? These are all good things but God's call for greatness is higher. If we don’t have the love of God all these things count for nothing. We are called to put away childish things such as grievances, unforgiveness, envy, pride and anger and begin to love others like Jesus loves us. This is impossible to do without the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ in us gives us the power to go beyond human limitations into the supernatural love of God. The indisputable evidence of a great church is the love we have for one another. It is something of God working in us and through us.
A miracle is a work of God. We are to be this miracle in our city. It’s a call from God for us to pray miracles in one another. Miracles occur at the Word of God, but when God speaks it is our part to act upon His Word. Not only is it action, but a life of commitment that will bring this about. We are called to fulfill the ministry God has given and live this life of miracles.
In the seventh session of our EXPECT 2010 Church Leadership Conference, Pastor Jim Cymbala of Brooklyn Tabernacle speaks about "A House Divided."