Power In Numbers

In order for us to continue to advance in God’s kingdom, we must be aware of our need for the body of Christ. I have seen many people go through Bible training or school, realize they have a call for ministry, then like some ‘lone ranger’ venture out on their own in the name of pursuing the call of God. 

Heb 10:27 And let us not neglect our meeting or assembling together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. 

God loves seeing a committed people gather together for the purpose of glorifying His name, growing in the faith, and drawing others into the kingdom of God.  Pastors, leaders, and others are a gift from God. They are there to protect, guide, nurture, and at times correct us when we need it. When we stray from the body of Christ, we are asking for trouble. One of Satan’s strategy can be summed up in one word – isolation! If he can isolate us from the rest of the body, he will decrease our effectiveness and purpose.

Prov. 18:1 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
 He rages against all wise judgment. 

God sees people who choose to isolate themselves as selfish and unwise. "Ouch....who wants to have that label on them?" We must always remember the purpose of the church – the church is meant to continue to spur us on towards the cause of Christ! Also, we are meant to take our position in the body and become encouragers, worshippers, prayer warriors, plus fulfill and utilize the specific gifts and talents God has given each one of us. If we aren't around to take our place....the church is weaker than it could be with us.

How do we become more committed to the body? One word...'discipline'! We must set 'patterns' in our lives that will show God, others, and the kingdom of darkness that we are seriously and aggressively going to seek God and His will for our lives. The spirit of the world would like us to be a passive people who occasionally show up in church, rarely pray or read our Bibles, and as a result never minister out of God's presence or power.

2 Tim.1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

God wants us to be a people who aggressively discipline our lives to live for Him. I am not talking about being legalistic or to do this out of some obligation to man. No~ it should be because we are a passionate people who really put God first in our lives above ALL else! So, be sure to stay connected in a strong church body...strong in prayer, the word, also His presence, power, and healing! We are better together than apart. So, stay connected, their is 'POWER IN NUMBERS'!

Ignite Launch Night

Last night we had our first "IGNITE" service for our church youth and young adults. The purpose of this service is to create an atmosphere for the young people of Life Outreach Church to learn to surrender themselves to God's presence, increase their passion for the things of God, and see them released into their God-given powerful purpose. We opened the service with a time of praise and worship geared towards them. The sound was super loud, the band gave it all they had (I think I may have seen smoke coming off the electric guitars and drums at one point), and the singers were pushing in hard for God's presence. The lighting was changed to reflect off the platform in vibrant, changing colours and oh, the smoke machine!!! (Occasional poofs shot out smoke that created a cloud that seemed to dance through the lights.)

In spite of all efforts to make it seem youthful - they still had to choose wether or not to worship God in this atmosphere. I discovered that sometimes these young people just need a nudge or two in the right direction. Once I gave a couple of bold nudges, they started to put their best effort into worshipping God the way He deserves. Soon after, a few of the girls were called forward to pray. The first girl stated how she felt sick before she came and once she started pressing in, God healed her. At that, some came up for healing in their lives. The young girls stepped out to pray for God's healing power to come. 

They started to rise up in the purpose God called them to. 

As the service went on, I delivered a message called "4 Principles to Advancing with God"! 

I will share more in detail each principle in future posts but here are the general points:

1. Lose as much as you can
2. Listen to the 'YES' in you
3. Stay part of a healthy church body
4. Break off limits and break through the crowd

As the message concluded a challenge went forth to all to either be a 'spectator' in God's kingdom or to break through their excuses and limits and cry out to Jesus for more!!! The altar quickly filled up - some had things broken off their lives, passion was stirred, and a couple were on their faces before the Lord.  Others went out and prayed for 'freedom' to increase in their friends lives. One man who stayed in his  seat had tears streaming down his face. It was obvious there was some deep healing taking place. I know some had more intense encounters than others....but, I can openly say for any who genuinely called upon Jesus Christ, He showed up in a powerful way!

The mission of the night was to see the ministry of the Holy Spirit happening in people's lives. Yay, "Mission Accomplished" ~ Thanks Jesus, you are awesome!!!! 

Set ablaze for Jesus Christ, 
Sheri Deobald