Expecting.... What !!! ( A snippet of what God is saying to me (already) about next weekend)

What are you expecting to happen these days in your life ? 

anything ? 

something ? 

nothing ?

I love coming to church with a bunch of people who are expecting something from God.
There is simply nothing like it on the earth, than the spirit of expectancy, when like minded people gather in Gods House expecting God to turn up and do something amongst them.


before I say too much more... I want to challenge your thinking on this subject. 

when you get ready for church next Sunday morning, crank up your expectancy  for the things of God.

some who read this stuff in my blog, might try to discount the words I say as whatever...hype or  lacking depth of theology or something.... ( if thats you, you just knock yourself out)...but I want to say that  the theology means nothing without action and reality... 

and the reality is... 

 we need to come before God expecting Him to move in our lives.

expecting Him to bless
expecting Him to heal
expecting Him to restore..
expecting Him to release
expecting Him to forgive...
exopecting Him to grow you
expecting Him to give His Spirit and His power to you.

and of course...

you expecting to worship HIM.

so if you plan on being in Ringwood next Sunday morning... come expectant... !!!!

coz if you dont...then it means that you are not expecting God to do anything... and that in itself is a very big statement of faithlessness. ( if there is such a word)


I will  be preaching something along these lines next Sunday morning...and as God leads me I will believe for great things from Him.

Last Sunday we had over 250 in sunday morning church, maybe the most we have had for a while...

can you dare to dream/imagine a kind of dream that would be about How Big God is and what God could do with a bunch of people who were extreme in their faith ?

who  came before Him in worship, just expecting His Spirit to move so mightily that everything was changed into  the perfect position for His purpose and plan to be released. ?

where crtics were silenced, coz they were looking at God and not man ?

where the Holy Spirit supernatural was stronger than the flesh ?

can you imagine what God could do in you and me, if we were just prepared to say to Him with absolute sincerity of heart and mind...

"God touch me with your power, 
fill me with your power, 
do something in me that you have never done before".

well....

no matter what church you go to...

what is stopping you from making that kind of prayer !!??

I dare you... put aside the human blockages...
get rid of the if's and the buts..

put aside the indifference and  doubt and take a risk...

God just wants the best for you....

and the best is still yet to come. !!!!

Knowing God ! Or Knowing about Him!

I worry a lot about those who keep their Christianity bottled up in their head alone. I see so many people around me who seem to have no power in their faith, no sense of relational connectedness to our Father God. I heard last night that the Hebrew word for this connectedness is the same or has the same meaning as head and heart together. Whilst that may be very true in Hebrew, for many on this planet, who do not know Hebrew, there is still a very strong reality that knowing about God, is very different to actually "Knowing" Him.

Christianity is meant to be a relationship with Jesus.

Even satan knows who Jesus is.

Christianity for me needs the Power of heaven falling and flowing in and through and around us. The power that causes blind people to be able to see, power that helps cripples walk, power that saves a sinner from his sin, power to believe in things thought impossible to the human mind. It's this kind of power that enabled Peter to Walk on water,..... Yet if we relegate our theology to our limited human understanding, we miss something. We need the supernatural power of God in our churches...and Corps. Anything else is just us, playing church.

This is not a criticism, but rather a hearts hunger cry for the things of God.

I have been in meetings when I have seen the power of God in such ways that people were literally healed in front of my very eyes.

Where people who have lived lies all their life, have been released, miraculously.

People put on the floor. Gently and powerfully. Even me.

I have sensed the presence of God so very strong, and bought to my knees and tears as I felt His Holy Spirit warm my heart and tingle my skin.

This is church, this is my experience, this is what I desire my ministry and life to be all about.

I remember the day very well, when my own daughter was supernaturally healed right before my eyes. The doctors were mystified, but the evidence proved the fact.

I remember the day when Angels manifested and were visible to me on the bonnet of my car as I drove to a dangerous and Yet God Honouring appointment.

I remember much about the Holy Spirits power in my life, and its time for more.

Many criticize and dismiss this ....trying to justify it and balance it off in the ledger of their mindset. You can't do that.

It's not something you can work out in your brain.... It's a spirit thing and its very very real.

And I want some more of that stuff in my life and ministry.

The kind of Supernatural activity that changes stubborn hearts and heads and replaces it with Joy and unspeakable peace.

 

Bring it on !!!!!!

 

Hope your ready Ringwood, coz, I am praying for a supernatural flood and downpour of God amongst us.

After that..... No one will be the same again.

 

And once you have experienced this supernatural power of God ....you will never be satisfied with anything less.

 

( and for those skeptics, and cynics.... Jesus said.... You have not, because you ask not )

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pay attention to your intentions.

It's a good thought... we all have intentions, most of them are really good, but they are completely useless unless we have followed up on them and actioned them.

Having a good intention and doing nothing with it, is kind of like having oxygen and not breathing it.

So many Christians:

intend to pray.... and then forget.

intend to tithe.... and find something else to do with the money.

intend to come to church... but something always seems to pop up.

intend to read their bibles, but get caught watching too much TV and the time is gone.

intend to exercise...

intend to eat well..

intend to speak to a friend about....

 

we must pay attention to our intentions.

Recently I was reminded of this thought by a coach of mine...he reminded me of a few other things as well.

one such thought....

 

Everyone has 168 hours in every single week. no one has any less, or any more.

how you use those hours is up to you.

 

so.... it is my intention to grow a church, beyond where its ever been before, what will happen if I don't use my hours to do that ? Nothing....

nothing will happen if I don't do something.

but If I do something, then it is absolutely expected that something will indeed happen.

I am on this planet for a purpose, its entirely up to me, to live that out with intention and action.

Have I blogged this before, maybe .... maybe I need to say it to myself again.

 

I loved the quote I read this week...

" The only way to avoid criticism, is to say nothing, do nothing and be nothing " (Aristotle)

 

that is not me.... I hate being criticized, who amongst us likes it ?

but if I want to see action, and I do..... then the critics will rise, and they do. (have)

 

so... here's a Gary Grant formula for life...ministry and Church.

 

1. Work out what you intend to do. What God has asked you to do.

2. Start doing it, even if criticized along the way.

3. Re-visit the intention, so it doesn't get lost in the "conflict".

4. Pay attention to your intentions and be ready for opposition.

5. Pray.

 

I love church, but it can be so fickle. full of prickles.

 

That's why it is so vital that we know why we do what we do, ......the how of what and why will come as we stay tuned and connected to the Who !!! (just a thought)

 

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The "Wins" are hard to come by some times. ( true ? )

Sometimes life and ministry is very confusing.

just when you think you are about to move forwards, bang..... you are dragged backwards.

life is fickle... some people have some strange ways.

a very prolific pastor who leads an amazing ministry with one of the largest Christian chuches in the world today, is criticized and slammed by those who should know better, kicking him while he is down.

it bugs me no end that we Christians are our own worst enemy to ourselves at times.

Gosh, Satan doesnt have to do anything, we can implode  and destroy ourselves.

The church  has the ability to change the world, but at times we cant seem to get past our self.

We play stupid games, we get political, and argue and criticize one another, we pick fault one with another, play the blame game, and then get oursleves involved in settling for something less than God's best.

I know that we will never be perfect this side of heaven, however ...surely, we must endeavour to live in peace,celebrate (and not criticize) each others differences across the denominations, and look for the wins for the Kingdom. Coz, for goodness sake the wins are hard to come by some times.

When another church wins, and people are saved, surely that is a darn sight better than when we see people lost going to Hell ? Lost in alcoholism, drug dependency, abuse and hurt, loneliness and despair ? and then a church rises up and challenges it and see's people changed and connected to Jesus, and what ? we find fault with that ?

seriously..... how stupid is that  ???????????

and here's what I think is even worse... when we are not doing anywhere as near as good as that church and that  pastor, and we think we have some kind of right to criticise and condemn them ?

we will never change, and we will never impact anything, if we first wont allow God the Holy Spirit to soften our heart, and move us to compassion one for another.

we are going to spend eternity with these people, and they are giants in the eyes of heaven.

so if that is you.... you have been criticizing other churches ? 

STOP IT..
they are not the enemy.

**********************************************************************************
(sorry, just a bit angry about what I read on facebook tonight)

and just so you know, we have some serious work to do in This Salvation Army. in Australia.

90,000 people went to  the footy today in Melbourne to see Collingwood  and Carlton have a crack at each other.

They screamed, and cheered, and yelled and wore their uniforms (footy colours), they sang their song, well half of them did anyway... and they paid top dollars to do so.

And yet we struggle to get people to church, to worship..... ( not every church has this issue, but we in TSA  do) ............ some may even complain and criticize this blog for me even saying so...... but you cant deny the facts, the stat's dont tell lies. 

we are not winning and we should be.  We can.We once did, and we can again.


Our job, our mission, our purpose is to get people yelling and screaming, and cheering for Jesus in His church, and specifically in our Salvo churches.  and I still choose to believe that it is possible for us to grow once again into  a mighty strong fighting force for Jesus' cause on the earth.

here's some ways that I think we could start to win again...

1. stop critizing everything we dont understand or that is different to what we think should be.
2. start coming to church, every week and bring someone with you.
3. pray.
4. fight the enemy and help the team ( other churches btw, are on the same team)
5. pray
6. when things dont go "our " way.....exactly like I think it should be, then  pray....
7. Put Jesus first, open your mind to the things God wants to do, and pray for TSA.

and then be involved.  Be active. Turn up, Worship and pray and stop critizing anything that is different to your own personal theological view.

God has designed us all for a purpose and when one area (church) seems to drop off, others rise up, and we must look for the ways in which we can rise up.

God hasnt finished with us yet.

the secret recipe for success in TSA is simple....

*  Listen and look for Jesus' instructions ----

*  Obey His commands and instructions -----

*  See Jesus results.

and friends, instead of persecuting the persecuted...pray for them instead, and see what God does in us.


Oh Lord please revive us in TSA today.