Contending for the Sending Part 2
Corey Russell (I now know his last name) spoke again tonight as a continuation of last weeks Matthew 9 discussion. Amazing. Tonight he focused more on 1 Thess. 2:4 about being approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel... he took an hour to unpack a whole bunch of stuff, so I won't attempt to put it all in here, but here are some highlights that I hope make sense without the whole context.
In Jeremiah 23, it talks about the false prophets that said and did what the people wanted to hear. They spoke safety and prosperity in a time when God was speaking judgement. The land at that time was actually seeing and experiencing some revival under the leadership of Josiah but God had not forgotten or forgiven the sins of Manassah. God said in relation to the prophets : I have not sent... yet they ran, I have not spoken... yet they prophesied, had they heard my voice they could have spoken my words and seen the nation turn.
It was under the compulsion of the "fear of man" that they spoke. They wanted to be liked, to speak words that were acceptable for all to hear. No one wants to be the bearer of bad news. Yet the question then remains are we led then by the soul or the Spirit?
It's not that every "good" word is a wrong prophesy, it's just the question that is good to ask... what is GOD actually saying. It again comes back to being in that place of prayer, asking God to kill anything that hinders his voice in us. To shut down our own desires to be gripped by something higher... His thoughts. To not move until he says go. We can accomplish more when we are truly sent in a much shorter amount of time then if we just think it's a good idea and go without his hand on our going. Intercessors is something we ARE, not something we DO. As we wrestle in prayer for others and ourselves, Jesus transforms. If you want to see and think about this more, go to Colossians 4:12 and Matthew 23. The contrast is stunning.
Anyway, it's been another really fascinating and good day. To top it off, I was sitting in the prayer room about an hour before the service tonight and I turned around only to see my friend John Booy (from Grand Rapids, MI)sitting in the row behind me!!! I thought he was coming next weekend, so I was very surprised and excited!!! More friends to come and visit!!! I love it! He and his friend are here til Sunday so I am looking forward to reconnecting with him! Yeah... God is too good!! (I'm not complaining!)
In Jeremiah 23, it talks about the false prophets that said and did what the people wanted to hear. They spoke safety and prosperity in a time when God was speaking judgement. The land at that time was actually seeing and experiencing some revival under the leadership of Josiah but God had not forgotten or forgiven the sins of Manassah. God said in relation to the prophets : I have not sent... yet they ran, I have not spoken... yet they prophesied, had they heard my voice they could have spoken my words and seen the nation turn.
It was under the compulsion of the "fear of man" that they spoke. They wanted to be liked, to speak words that were acceptable for all to hear. No one wants to be the bearer of bad news. Yet the question then remains are we led then by the soul or the Spirit?
It's not that every "good" word is a wrong prophesy, it's just the question that is good to ask... what is GOD actually saying. It again comes back to being in that place of prayer, asking God to kill anything that hinders his voice in us. To shut down our own desires to be gripped by something higher... His thoughts. To not move until he says go. We can accomplish more when we are truly sent in a much shorter amount of time then if we just think it's a good idea and go without his hand on our going. Intercessors is something we ARE, not something we DO. As we wrestle in prayer for others and ourselves, Jesus transforms. If you want to see and think about this more, go to Colossians 4:12 and Matthew 23. The contrast is stunning.
Anyway, it's been another really fascinating and good day. To top it off, I was sitting in the prayer room about an hour before the service tonight and I turned around only to see my friend John Booy (from Grand Rapids, MI)sitting in the row behind me!!! I thought he was coming next weekend, so I was very surprised and excited!!! More friends to come and visit!!! I love it! He and his friend are here til Sunday so I am looking forward to reconnecting with him! Yeah... God is too good!! (I'm not complaining!)
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