July 18th 2022
Scripture References:
Revelation 2:29 | Matthew 11:15 | John 10:5 | John 10:27 |
Romans 11:22 | Isaiah 60:1-2 | Zechariah 2:5 | Hebrews 12:1 |
Hebrews 11:37-40 | 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 | Matthew 24:8 | Matthew 25:1-28 |
Nehemiah 8:10-12 | | | |
THEMES:
Know the voice of God
Cultivate the oil of intimacy
Sow into people
Bless your enemies
Demonstrate the Kingdom of God
SUMMARY OF TEACHING:
In the times that we are living in, we need to be able to discern and know the voice of God. Sensitivity to the move and voice of the Holy Spirit is essential. Jesus kept repeating: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” and “he who has ears to hear, let him hear”. We all can know God intimately, be representatives of His presence and declare the gospel of His kingdom.
Don’t wait until times get more and more intense to learn the voice of God and to start walking in the Spirit. The increasing pressure will make it more difficult to do so. Now is the time to become students of the word of God and a people of revelation. The Lord is going to come to His people, before He comes for His people. There is going to be people in the church that are not going to prepare themselves. They are going to be like the foolish virgins, but a wise group of people will cultivate the oil of intimacy.
What we are running for is eternal. Not everyone receives the same rewards. We have individual rewards for how we run our race, but there are also rewards that we share. Those who evangelize and disciple others, for example, are going to share in the rewards of those people that they imparted their life, gifts and example to. So we need to be very intentional when we teach and when we preach. It’s equally important to consider how we speak to our kids, co-workers and friends. What we sow into people becomes tools and ammunition for them to run their race. Our influence touches their eternity. The Lord will say “well done, good and faithful servant” only to those of who were truly good and faithful servants.
The Lord is setting a table before us and giving us more than enough. Not only for ourselves, but to share with those who do not have. Are we willing to invite our “enemies” to the table and share with them? Jesus said: Bless your enemies. Be extravagantly nice and generous to them. We were enemies of Christ at one time and He poured His extravagant love on us. To win the harvest for Jesus, we need to enter territories and demonstrate the Kingdom of God. Prayer and demonstration go hand-in-hand.