Good morning Lord Jesus, “Come thy fount of every blessing tune my heart to sing thy praise!”
“They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He (Jesus) saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” They began laughing at Him.” Mark 5:38-40
Last night at our ODC House Church gathering we went around the room and shared and prayed over what we are asking and want to receive from God in our lives in 2023. As I sat and listened during this holy time, many of the of the hopes shared flowed out of the understanding of the Lordship of Jesus in and over our lives. I have preached and taught an the statement, “Jesus Is Lord” many times. Neal Cole said, “ Preach a message, and keep preaching the same message until your congregation obeys it before preaching another message.” Andy Stanley said, “Tell them your vision, then tell it to them again.” As we begin 2023, my blog this morning is reflecting on the same message and speaking into the same vision I have spoke into many times throughout the years.
If I were to ask you, ask those in the church the question, "How many believe that God can raise the dead?” I think most if not all hands would go up. If I asked the question, “How many expect to see God raise the dead before the end of today?” I believe many fewer, if not all hands would remain at people’s sides. Having a belief, the “head knowledge” that God can raise the dead is a very different thing than the expecting faith that God will and is raising the dead.
Our belief for many in the church that God can raise the dead comes out of our cognitive brain. It is a fact or data we hold to be true. It is a fact we believe like other info we get on the internet. It is like our belief in the fact that Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the USA. Is our belief in this fact accurate? Yes. Yet what possible impact does your belief in the fact that Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president have on your live today? None. Is your cognitive belief that Jesus can raise the dead correct? Yes. What impact does your simple, cognitive belief that God can raise the dead have on your life today? None. The churches simple, factual-based belief in the fact or truth that God can raise the dead has not and cannot have an impact on our daily life today without an expectancy and faith that God will and is raising the dead today.
In Matthew 9:18-26 is the story of Jesus raising a young girl back to life. When Jesus tells the crowd of the girls family members, friend, church members, and bystanders that he was going to raise the girl back to life, the crowd around Him, all faithful Jews who rightfully believed in the one true God, the great “I Am,” did not believe or support Him but they laughed at him. If you were in a hospital waiting room and a doctor came out and walked up to the stranger sitting next to you and told them unfortunately their daughter had died. The stranger then stands up and says that they were going to go to her body, lay hands on it, and pray and see if God would raise her from the dead. The stranger then asks you to come pray as well, would you join them in prayer over their dead daughter with expectant faith it will happen? Or would your thoughts be similar to those of the crowds around Jesus? And if your thoughts would be similar to those of the crowd, how can you believe that Jesus can raise the dead?
In the same way the Church is THE PLACE that professes Jesus is Lord, but it does not do “Jesus is Lord” well. Can I say that? It is because we say Jesus is Lord the same way we say Lincoln was the 16th president. We say it absent for the most part of any expectancy of power and presence of the Lordship of Jesus in our lives. So our profession that Jesus is Lord does not impact our day-to-day life when we walk out of church anymore than our profession that Abraham was the 16th President. If in a conversation with a non-believer, they asked you, How do you know that Jesus can raise the dead?” or even more simply, “What difference does it make in your day-to-day life that Jesus is Lord? What would you answer them?
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said before he died looking into the future of the church, “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.”
Please take time to read Matthew chapters 8 and 9 and see the expectancy and power of Jesus. I want to encourage and awaken a movement of God in your life to move from a community with the knowledge that Jesus is Lord to a community full of the power and expectancy that is experiencing Jesus is Lord!
My family, I pray today you will reflect on this question, “What difference does my belief that Jesus is Lord make in my day-to-day life?” and more specifically, “What impact or difference do I expect my belief that Jesus is Lord will have on my life today?” In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!!
Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below.
Resolve to Help in 2023
I want to ask you to resolve this year in partnering with my wife, myself, and One Direction Community by supporting our ministries! We begin a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this. If you click on the link below you can easily set up a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly auto donations in the amount you desire. . We would be so grateful for your help. You can also give a one-time donation on the same link. Thank you!
You can mail your donation to One Direction Community P.O. Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758
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Email your name and email address to garyl@onedirection.community and I will add you to my ODC Daily Message distribution list to receive an email of these reflection every weekday morning.