Do You Have A World-Changing Faith?
Good Morning Friends,
Paul had recognition of Jesus Christ for who He was. He had a personal encounter with Him and allowed this revelation of Christ to change him…transform him. The revolutionary revelation is this…that by God’s grace we are called to have Jesus Christ revealed in our life, from faith to faith as a way of life in relationship with Jesus…that we might be in God’s will. This was a relationship Paul never let hold of… a relationship of love that made Paul and can make us into a people seeking salvation for others…a people that have the resurrection power of Christ in us. Do You Have A World-Changing Faith?
Scripture: When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some believers before the city authorities, shouting, “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also,
Acts 17:6 (NRSV)
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.
James 5:13-18 (NRSV)
Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.
Habakkuk 2:4 (NRSV)
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Romans 8:11 (NRSV)
Message: The life of Paul teaches us a wonderful reality. We can be unique in our response to God. He is not in a box and we need not be either. Paul is an example of the reality that life is unpredictable. It is filled with joy and tragedy, sorrow and triumph….a series of events that God can use of as part of His plan…events that can use a troublemaker like Paul to turn the world right side up even though he is accused of turning it upside down…. It is the blinding light of a purpose instilled in our hearts so we might share the power of Jesus in us as a message of revival… as a prayer of faith that changes things. Here we acknowledge that with God everything is possible. So friends, if you believe Jesus is God then you have been given certain authority to defeat the enemy of your soul. You have been given rock solid trust in the trinity. Here our purpose and His presence converge as we are deployed to work in the powerful unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit…His peace, His bliss, the high ground where our earthly rebellion is lifted. Only when we learn to operate in the God given authority we possess as Christians can we live victoriously… trusting in God, the Father Almighty, the sustaining Spirit and the redeeming and renewing power of following Jesus. Pass this on to others and the power of this relationship will change the world to make it more like heaven.
Pray that Jesus was thinking of us on the cross. Pray that Jesus knew and loved us before we were born and pray that in the fullness of time He will gather us together as one in His love. Pray that we seek the face God no matter what our circumstances. Pray that we pray when we are suffering…pray when we have success and sickness…pray when we are in sin. Pray that our prayers are righteous and powerful in glorifying God filled with faith in what Jesus prayed… filled with a faith that stops and starts the rain and wind and waves that reveals a new reality of God still at work. Pray the power of Christ transforms us to transform the world.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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