Coming to the End
"Follow me," said The Lord. "Where are you going?" I asked. "To the grave."
Dying to self is really the only way be truly productive and fruitful in the Kingdom of God. We think that the only way to die to ourselves is by relocating to the slums of India or preaching to the jungles of Ecuador. The reality is that dying to self is done in the daily mundane decisions of life which might include:
-Giving up your busily planned Saturday to knock on doors in an outreach.
-Choosing to not purchase that shiny trinket so you can go on an impact team or give an offering.
-Deciding to join yourself to a body of believers (no matter how small), being accountable, rather than existing in sweet isolation and comfort.
The greatness of resurrection life and power cannot happen without a corpse. Death to self is the key that unlocks the power of God in your life.
What is still in your life that needs to die?
Prescott, AZ Sunrise
End of Day Two
Wow. Only four sermons have been preached so far, but it feels like we've received far more ministry than that.
I need to acknowledge how powerful it is to gather together with brethren that have a similar spirit and heartbeat for the Gospel. To be in that massive tent with thousands of other workers that are laboring along with us is to feel part of a great movement of God. I believe that this is a true preview of what Heaven will be like as the nations are gathered together under one banner for the eternal cause if Christ.
Today's ministry impacted me in a couple of ways. Pastor Nigel Brown exposed a powerful truth about the ability that wealth can have especially to those who have had long-term struggles with poverty in the past. It can trap you into being unwilling to risk for God. Pastor Glenn Cluck then challenged the conference body to contend for prophetic words spoken in faith. The final morning seminar today was preached by Pastor Paul Stephens from El Paso, TX. His message powerfully reminded me of the open doors that God has provided to this fellowship. One of the defining characteristics of our fellowship is that we have historically been positioned to step thought the doors that god has opened to us. Nogales, Perth, Amsterdam, Brasov.. All these are examples of incredible doors that were opened by God. The hard thing for us though is that God is still opening doors for us and it is possible for us to miss them! What doors of effectual ministry has God opened up to you that your are currently unaware of or insensitive to?
We were also blessed to able to eat lunch with Kevin Burris. He and his wife and new baby girl are planting a new church in VA Beach in the next coming weeks. It was a great opportunity to get to know our future co-laborer and to invite him to preach for us!
Pastor Campbell rounded out the evening with another great message challenging us to hear the voice of God. How often do we ignore or tune out what God wants to speak to us? Let us like Samuel be able to say, "speak, Lord, for your servant is listening".
Can't wait until tomorrow.
Prescott Conference - Day 2
As the sun rises over the beautiful Prescott valley this morning, I am grateful to be a part of such a thriving fellowship. A group of believers that has such a vision for the things of God.
I expect God to speak clearly today and with a lineup of Paul Stephens, Glenn Cluck and Nigel Brown I'd expect nothing less. Also, very much looking forward to tonight's service where my pastor, Joe Campbell will be preaching.
Pray for direction for each and every conference delegate to make righteous decisions. Thanks.
Conference Begins
Our first full Prescott conference... Wow. Excitement begins describe how we feel entering the classic Gospel tent on the corner of US89 & US89A in Prescott, AZ.
The theme is "Handfuls on Purpose" and the first night was just what we needed. Even the illness that weakened the voice of Pastor Mitchell could not weaken the vision that spouted out of his lips tonight. The question that still rings in my ears is.. Can God still move you to step for Him?
Pastor Wayman Mitchell is over 80 years old now, but is still a reliable mouthpiece for the Holy Spirit. There was certainly a tangible call being made to young and old to be able to step out of the comfort zone and risk it all to reach the world for Christ.
The inspiration for tonight's message came from a military mission from WWII called the Doolittle Raid in which 85 brave American serviceman volunteered to set out on a mission that carried no guarantee of return in response to the tragic Japanese sneak attack of Pearl Harbor. Supported by the account in Acts 13:1-14 of Paul and Barnabas stepping out for the first time from Antioch. They had no guarantee that it would work, what they did have was a heart set ablaze by the Holy Spirit and a church that was praying and fasting every step of the way.
Can we still set out on a mission in which the outcome is unclear? I hope so. That's the essence of this fellowship. Risking it all for the Heavenly mission to reach lost souls with the Gospel.
More to follow this week.