2 Chronicles 5:13-14 KJV 13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; 14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
I enjoy watching the weather, as I listen to the meteorologist every morning I’ve noticed that there is always one thing that affects our climate and our weather.
It’s the atmosphere.
Atmosphere speaks of a pervading or surrounding influence or spirit.
Atmosphere for us can be our general environment or mood or even a spirit, maybe even our own spirit.
Not only do we deal with atmospheric changes directly affecting the weather and our individual lives, but the atmosphere WE create also has a direct affect on the church.
Today I want to talk about 12 goals that we should reach for or pursue as a church and as individuals.
THE FOLLOWING ARE TWELVE GOALS THAT WE SHOULD PURSUE.
1. No spiritual hindrances. An atmosphere of the Heavens being open.
We all have seasons when we are pressed on every side, when darkness seems to abound, and the heavens seem as brass.
Sometimes we let our circumstances dictate our mood.
When we come to church we are coming to worship, but if we let our problems and the situations that we are dealing with, hinder our spirit, ------then there is no true worship.
It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers WERE AS ONE, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; AND WHEN THEY LIFTED UP THEIR VOICE with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that THEN THE HOUSE WAS FILLED WITH A CLOUD, even the house of the LORD;
We need to learn to come to church with one thing on our minds, WORSHIP.
Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
We need to learn to give our cares to the Lord and let Him fight our battles for us.
1 Peter 5:6-7 KJV 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 CASTING ALL YOUR CARE UPON HIM; for he careth for you.
We shouldn’t allow anything to hinder us in our worship and thanksgiving.
Before we come to this house on any given day, we should cast off every care, every worry, and anything that might come between us and our worship.
We need to come with out anger, or resentment.
We need to come with out any fear or entanglement.
We need to come without any concern, except for the things that concern our great and mighty God.
2. No “business as usual services” An atmosphere of unified Expectancy.
We should be coming together with excitement, and believing for great things to happen.
If you announced that Jesus was going to appear in bodily form at your next service, no doubt the atmosphere around the church would be a lot different.
People would arrive early ------ and there is no doubt these alters would be filled with people praying,
Lost love ones would be physically dragged through the doors.
We need to come to church every time the doors are open expecting Jesus to show up in our midst.
After all the Bible says; Mt 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
This is a promise from our Lord and Savior and we know that He can’t lie.
We should receive Him in our presence by faith, ------- knowing that He is in our midst when we come to this place to worship Him..
And we should expect something to happen!
Forget about a meeting Itinerary, or a program,-------- we should be looking forward to the Holy Ghost taking charge of each and every service, and having His way.
We should be expecting the Lord of Glory to fill this place with His presence each and every time we gather together to lift Him up and glorify His mighty name.
3. An atmosphere of the supernatural
“Our God is no common, ordinary God.”
Come expecting, and come with the right attitude.
The Lord responds to our faith,
our prayers don’t move God,
Our music doesn’t move God.
OUR FAITH MOVES GOD
AND IT WORKS EVERY TIME.
There is a supernatural element that is set into motion, when WE IN FAITH expect something fantastic to happen.
God will respond to a people who believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
When we direct our faith toward God he will surprise you.
4. No limitations allowed to be placed on anyone. An atmosphere of anyone can receive.
Ex. - Rahab was a prostitute yet she is listed in Hebrews chap. 11
Paul was vicious in his persecution of the church.
David committed murder and adultery.
Mary Magdalene was filled with demons.
Gideon was a coward.
We must remember there is no limit to what God can do with a life committed to Him.
He is not a “respecter of persons” what He’ll do for you or me,-------- He’ll do for anyone, --------
We need to know that,--------
We need to believe that--------
We need to embrace that---------
We need to teach that to everyone that walks through those doors………..
5. An atmosphere of “People are important”
Jesus shed blood for all people.
The Gospel is to all people not just the ones we like or choose.
The church is an open door to all, not a private club.
How friendly is your church?
How friendly are you?
We need to treat everyone who walks through the doors of this church like they are the most important person in the world.
To God we are all important, John said in;
John 3:16
For God so loved the world
That included everybody
The Rich
The Poor
The pretty
The Ugly
People that are easy to get along with
People who are hard to get along with
EVERYBODY
People are important to God, they should be important to us too.
And let me say this right here; don’t just act like they are important.
We need to start seeing people the way that God see people; we need to get it in our heart that all people really are important.
If you want to see a change in this church,
If you want to see God move in our midst, we need to set these principles in our heart, and start making these things a way of life.
6. No defeatist spirit.
God is able to deliver anyone at anytime.
Ps 72:12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper
Ps 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
Ps 91: 14-16 14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
2Ti 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
We need an atmosphere that projects that victorious living is possible for everyone.
7. No hold the fort philosophy here.
We need to reach our City.
Mr 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Ac 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Eufaula is our Jerusalem this is where we have to start.
It is our duty to evangelize this city and cause the message of Jesus Christ to be spread across the continents.
And we were charged with this duty by the Lord of all creation.
We can’t keep such a great salvation all to ourselves it’s not just ours to keep;-------
the Lord gave it to us to SHARE.
There are times of visitation for every city.
We are currently experiencing a visitation of the spirit throughout our entire world.
The Lord is moving in mighty ways all around the globe, showing His power and love in magnificent displays of affection
Yet some will not recognize what God is doing and thus miss their time.
This caused Jesus to weep over Jerusalem when they missed one of their times of visitation.
Luke 19:41-44 Tells us of this account 41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
The people were brought down by their enemies, not because it was just God’s will but because they didn’t recognize the time of their visitation.
Let us not be the ones that are cast down because of our stubborn mule-headedness.
8. An atmosphere of financial blessing.
We must stop making excuses for our disobedience in these areas.
Stop functioning in our dysfunction.
Less than 25% of people in many churches faithfully support that church with tithes and offerings on a consistent basis.
Fewer than 25% serves the church with their time and talents!
The church serves a multi-fold purpose, not only are we to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but the church is here to help people.
In order for the church to help people, the church has to have the recourses to do so.
Money is just one thing,
Your time and talents go a long way in ministering to those who may be sick and need someone to come in a cook for them, or help clean up a little bit.
We as a church need to learn to voluntarily give the recourses that the Lord gives us.
Our Money
Our Time
Our Talents
Our Abilities
And our Love for our fellow man.
The church was established to be a blessing to those who have need of what we have to offer.
9. An atmosphere of communion where the voice of God can be heard clearly.
It is sad but true we have a lot of church without ever hearing from God at all.
Yet there is a fresh out pouring of his spirit today.
He is speaking to those who have an ear to hear what He is saying.
Have we grown so confident that we don’t need to hear from the Lord in our time?
Have we gotten to be so good that we have no need for His Wisdom and Grace?
Have we become so righteous that we have no need to hear from the creator of the universe?
Have we reached a place in our culture that God only needs to speak to THOSE PEOPLE?
Heaven Forbid!
We need to hear the voice of the Lord!
We need to cry out for a word from our Almighty God!
We need to develop a hunger and a desire; we need to yearn for a visitation.
We should be seeking Him in every crack and crevice; every corner, nook and cranny of our lives!
We should seek communion with Him every day in every way, and should mourn when we are not in that place.
10. No pessimism about the future;
There are many in the church today are pessimistic about our future, let me share something with you today.
Ps 93:1 The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
Ps 22:28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.
Re 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
God is in control.
So we should have an atmosphere of faith.
Ps 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
We must know that God WILL fulfill His word.
Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Our job is too corporate with Him.
11. An atmosphere of Vision:
An atmosphere where people can see the invisible and do the impossible.
Joh 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
Jesus, in His earthly ministry did many mighty and wonderful things.
He healed the sick
He made the blind to see
He caused the deaf to hear
He made the lame to walk
He turned water into wine
He fed 5000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes.
He walked on water
He spoke to the winds and they cease
He even raised the dead
Joh 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
What do you see when you look at the church?
Do you just see all the imperfections or do you see what God sees?
God see’s a people that He has empowered through the gift of the Holy Ghost.
God see’s a people that he is expecting to do many great and mighty things in the name of the Lord.
God see’s a people that he is expecting will carry out the Great Commission, and operate in the Gifts of the Spirit in an effort to win the lost and make believers out of them who do not believe.
We need to see what God see’s.
We need to have the same vision for the church that God has.
George Barna says “Vision is the single most important dimension of a successful ministry.”
12. An atmosphere of Worship:
An atmosphere where the spirit of God is released in its fullness.
My friends we have to get to a place in our worship where there is a heartfelt adoration towards God.
When we come into His house we should feel
A sense of Reverence
A sense of Awe
A sense of Power
A sense of love
We should have a strong sense of urgency to praise Him
To Lift Him Up
To Exalt Him
To Shout out our Praise for who He is
To Shout out expressions of Thanksgiving for what He has done
To give Him Glory
To Give Him Honor
To Magnify His Name above all created things.
We should leave everything else outside the doors of this church and reach out to Him,------
Draw near to Him, -----
We should consider our own lives worth nothing except for the privilege and honor we have to serve Him.
When true worship explodes in our heart, great things will always happen.
If you really want to see the Glory of God come down in this place, we have to create an atmosphere of TRUE WORSHIP.
Conclusion;
Church when we begin to do these things I have mentioned here today I can give you assurance of one thing.
There is one thing I’m most certain of.
If we will do this -------- I can promise that God will rise and His enemies will be scattered!
My friends God has a purpose for this church
He is trying to raise up a people who will conduct themselves in a manor worthy of the Kingdom Of God.
I have seen this church scattered more than once because the people would not do what the Lord was calling them to do.
He is trying to rise up an army to do the work that the church was put here to do.
Zec 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
If you refuse,----- then that’s your choice,------ but if He scattered His own chosen people, the people of Isreal.
Don’t think He won’t scatter you.
Jesus said;
Mt 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
If we are not with Him and gathering with Him, Jesus said those people are against Him, those people are His enemy, and he said they would be scattered abroad.
He is able,------- to raise up a people that will be obedient, but obedience is a choice.
It’s a choice that you have to make.
But if you will choose to do things God’s way, we have assurance that He will do the things He has promised to do in His Word.
When these atmosphere changes are in place, our cities and our churches will be loosed.
The power of the Almighty God will be unleashed and we will see revival like we’ve not ever seen in our lifetimes.
Jesus said in Mt 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Church hear what the Lord is saying,------- we must begin to loose the things that have been bound up.
We have tied the hands of the Lord to a point that He cannot operate within the church the way that He desires.
But we can change that today.
Will you join me in the alter today and loose the ties that bind, and commit yourself to be the man or woman of God that He wants’ you to be.
Will you repent of your wrongdoings and commit yourself to changing the atmosphere of this assembly.
Change can take place right here and right now if you so choose.
