God Does God-sized Work

The blog entry title is the third point of my sermon a couple of days ago but I really want you to explore the ramifications of that statement. To help you get the ball rolling, watch this video about the universe:



Can you imagine how much power it would take to create the universe? That same God lives in you! Don't you think it's a little abnormal that the lives of the vast majority of Christians are so powerless?

If it is true that the God who created the universe lives in you, then why do Christians have lives that resemble people who don't have the Lord Almighty in them? We have been underachieving for so long that what is abnormal seems normal.

Actually, Jesus said that we would accomplish even greater things than he did on earth in John 14:12 - I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

The possibilities are: Jesus was wrong, lying, deluded, or correct. Here lies the tension. Of course Jesus was correct, but for some reason most Christians don't show it. It is something we only know cerebrally and have yet to experience it.

So what do we do? Cling to God with a tenacious death-grip and seek to obey with all you have. I am confident that if we give all we can to God, his statement will hold true for us. Let's stop the mediocrity in Christianity right now.

Mighty to Save

Sometimes it's easy to feel down because people you love don't know Jesus. But this song is a great reminder that salvation belongs to God and no one else. Even if it seems that your loved one is so far away from Jesus, God is greater!

Though salvation is God's, we must still be faithful and share the Gospel. But have you ever had problems with sharing your faith, especially with close friends and/or relatives?

There is a great opportunity for those of us in the Bay Area to attend a great training session to share Christ with loved ones on October 18th. If you register before this Friday, it will be $29 (vs. $39 after that). You can get more info and register online at the Heaven Together website.

Rockin' for Jesus! This is another one of my favorite praise songs. I like it because the music and lyrics really go together well. For those of you (all 3 of you!) who attend prayer meeting, this is how it's SUPPOSED to sound!

Acts 4:12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Are You Operating on All Cylinders?

5.7 liter Dodge Hemi Engine

This engine is very potent. But it's not only powerful, it's efficient as well. For highway cruising or light acceleration, four of its eight cylinders shut down. So technically speaking, it would be possible to drive on four cylinders all the time for the life of the engine. But that would be a huge waste. If you were going to do that, you might as well drive a dinky 2002 Honda Civic with a 115 HP engine. No, given its 340 HP and 390 lb-ft. of torque, the Hemi was made for power. And truly, so are we. Last Sunday, we had the pleasure of having Rev. Don Hargis come to guest speak in worship service. He reminded us of Acts 1:8, which is when Jesus said that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. As believers, we all have the Holy Spirit living within us, and are made to go hard in our faith and with reckless abandon. We don't have constraints like fuel economy. The only limiting factor in our spiritual lives is how much we are willing to seek and obey God. In fact, in John 14:12, Jesus even said that we would do greater things than he has done. Amazing stuff. Unfortunately too many Christians are content to only lightly accelerate and cruise along through life, never fully experiencing the deep rumble of the Holy Spirit's power clicking on all cylinders. Don't be one of them, content to be underachievers. This week, resolve to seek and obey God with reckless abandon and experience his mighty power in your life. And as you fulfill your potential and experience the life that you were meant to live, you'll be amazed at what he will do in you and through you. But don't take my word for it, take God's.

Living in Graceland

Jim and Terui Grace's beautiful worship space in Sendai, Japan

"Living in Graceland" is a term that talk show host Eric Hogue uses to describe Christian living. We live in a place of immeasurable grace that we have received from God. When Paul prayed about his thorn, God's answer was, "My grace is sufficient". For the afflicted, that can be a very confusing if not unsatisfying answer. And I'm not talking about your everyday "I can't believe that Starbuck's ran out of toffee bars" variety of suffering. These are trials that can shake the foundations of a person's faith. God did not save us from sin and death just to be broken by trials. He has, whether it feels like it or not, given us through his grace everything we need to get through our trials. Even though you don't know if you can go on, with God's help you will. How many times in your life did you ever think, "I can't make it..." but did? The reason is the second part of the aforementioned verse, "for my power is made perfect in weakness." God got you through it. Our strength is too weak to get us through our difficulties, but that's exactly where God's strength lies. And that's life in the land of grace.