How many of you would like to have God speak revelation into your life? I believe tonight for some of you, this is going to happen right here before you leave this building. I am excited as we dig deeper into God’s truth for what He is releasing in your lives. I look forward to Sunday nights in sharing His Word.
Several of you have asked, Pastor, why don’t you preach on Sunday mornings what you share with us Sunday nights. Throughout Jesus ministry He continued to bring His disciples up to a level of understanding where many times they were ignorant. He talked about how at times people were blinded to the truth, lacking an understanding of the secret things of God. When He spoke of his death, resurrection and ascension, the disciples did not understand the truth until Jesus had died. There are many in our morning services who can digest what we hear on Sunday nights, but for others, they are not ready yet to receive the full impact of what God is doing and would turn away because they still need milk not meat, and it is Jesus desire that none should perish, so we want to do all we can to reach out and meet them at a point of contact, not only with the Spirit and Truth of the Word, but with you and I developing relationship and then encouraging them to come out on Sunday nights where we are serving New York Steak. You pray about it and ask God.
Lets press on to get some revelation in our lives.
EPHESIANS 1:15-23 (READ)
In reading this prayer of Paul’s, I am captured in several things he is requesting God to do on behalf of the saints. Let me ask, have you put your faith in Jesus Christ? (YES). Do you have a love for the saints, the other believers in Christ? (YES). Then Paul is asking this for you. And what is it he is asking? He is asking God the Father to give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, he is asking God the Father to open the eyes of your heart, he is asking God the Father to enlighten you. How many of you want that to be happening in your life right now? Then lets pray together this will happen: (PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I want to stand on Paul’s Prayer for my life, place on me the spirit of wisdom and revelation, open the eyes of my heart, and enlighten me to your truths. I want more of you in my life, so pour your spirit out on me right now, in Jesus name, Amen.
How many of you know God is at work right now making this happen in your life? He is doing it because you took a step of faith, and faith is the substance of things hoped for, and we receive from God in the realm of faith before it becomes seen in our lives.
So we have asked God to give us wisdom, revelation, knowledge and understanding and so He has, receive.
Let me show you how this works, it superceded our own understanding. In Luke 5 we reading of Jesus calling the first disciples. Two boats at pulled up to shore and the fishermen were washing out their nets and Jesus got in one of the boats and sat there teaching the people. When He was finished teaching, He told Simon Peter, Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch. Simon told Jesus they had been out all night, they came back in with empty nets, but because Jesus told them to go back out, they would. Have you ever thought, that must have been some powerful teaching in the boat for fishermen to listen to this guy who just walked up and started teaching the people. I mean, if I went down to the locks and told a fishing boat to just push out in the deep water of Puget Sound and let down your nets, I don’t think I would have the same results of obedience. They went out, the nets became so full they almost broke and both boats were so full of fish they just about sank.
Our human understanding would have blown Jesus off. These were seasoned fishermen who knew the best catch was done at night, and last night was not so great a night. Jesus was not a fisherman, but a carpenter, so why listen to him? They knew from their personal experience this was fruitless, but Simon took a step of faith that would change the course of his life. Simon received a revelation word of knowledge, and acted on it instead of allowing the world to dictate its logic and reason which does not work in the spiritual realm of God. When did Simon Peter get the revelation…He got it when he obeyed Jesus, obedience releases revelation.
Today we see people praying for more of His glory, more of His power, More of His Spirit in me, and wondering why nothing is happening outside of singing a nice song. Jesus will not give you more of His glory if you are not doing anything with the glory He has already given you. He is not going to give you more of His power if you are sitting on the power He has already given, and why would He grant people more of His Spirit when they have neglected the portion of the Spirit which already is trying to do something in their life right now? You have to be obedient with what God has already given to allow a greater flow of revelation to come into your life.
Let me tell you what has been happening at Ballard Assembly. There are people rising up with what God has given them, and they are getting a revelation of more. God is moving people into our body who are desiring the greater things, the deeper things, the hidden things, the secret things of God and because they are obedient with what they already have, God is opening the door.
God gave me a revelation, a vision for this church when I came a year and a half ago. I have yet to share all that God has put in my heart, but with each step forward we make, I share a little more. If I had shared God’s heart for this church in reaching Seattle when I came, I probably would not have been voted in as pastor. You would have voted me most likely to find a place at Western State Mental Hospital. I had people tell me they liked the church small. Can I ask you something, how many of you have unsaved loved ones or friends, people who need to know Jesus? Now, if your relative or friend wanted to become a Christian, and they came to our church, how many of you would want me to tell them, sorry, our church is just the size we want so you can’t come here? When I read that 70% of our Assembly of God churches have plateaued or are in decline, that gripped my heart because the only reason a church will not grow is because the people in the church have somewhere along the line stopped believing in the promises of God. God said it was His desire that none should perish but that all would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
God wants to give you a revelation of growth…stretch your vision…see beyond where we are to where God wants us to be…it will boggle your mind. Someone told me they liked a small church because large churches are impersonal. That may be true, but if a church is impersonal, it is not an issue of size, but of the people who attend there.
Last week I asked when the last time you walked on water was, and I encouraged you to step out of the boat. Faith…stepping out…
Tonight I want you to get out in the deep water before you get out. To cast your net and believe God for a greater revelation in your life. God is calling us to move from the realm of the natural into the realm of the supernatural. God is calling us to step into areas where we have never walked before.
It starts by taking baby steps. I am enjoying watch Pam grow in Christ. We had an early on conversation Laura and I remember when we were all fairly new at the church. It has been something from that day to today. Church, you need to step out, take some bold steps, move into the realm of God where you haven’t been before. Ask God to give you wisdom and revelation so you can spiritually discern what He is doing in your and in others in these days.
LUKE 24 – ROAD TO EMMAUS eyes opened
God give us the spirit of revelation—open our eyes, so we can see the vision.
Alter---
