04.30.08

40 days of faith, week 5 day 3

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 6:00 am by Admin

The assigned reading in Naturally Supernatural for today is on the restoration of Jesus. What an encouragement the whole reading was to me. Jesus has countered every attack and scheme of the enemy, praise God! His, God’s kingdom has come. On page 170 the 3 bullets at the bottom of the page summarize some hugely important truths.

 -         Satan came with doubt and deception: Jesus invariably spoke the truth.

-         Satan’s goal was always separation from God through these lies; like a shepherd, Jesus’ goal was to find the lost sheep and bring them home.

-         Satan’s ultimate intention was disintegration and destruction; Jesus came to bring freedom.

All 3 of these points are very scriptural. In John 8:32 Jesus said “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” In Ephesians 2:14 we read, “He has broken down the wall of hostility that used to separate us.” In Acts 10:38 it says, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” Be blessed to go through your day today filled with hope and faith. May God use us to bring truth, reconciliation and freedom to others today.  Together on the journey,Craig

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04.29.08

40 days of faith, week 5 day 2

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 5:57 am by Admin

Wow, what a sobering reading today. Gary reminds us that we are at war. He describes the ancient conflict between the kingdoms of darkness and light. Gary points out that Satan’s strategy usually starts with deception, proceeds by appealing to independence from God, then finally to bondage. In the garden the serpent started with the question, “did God really say…?” to plant doubt in Adam’s and Eve’s mind. Today we still hear that. “Did God really say…?” still works. I want to encourage all of us to take seriously the plain things we know that God has said. A foundation of knowing the scriptures is critical in our ability to stand up to Satan’s deception. Knowing the Word must be accompanied by doing the Word. Jesus said that the man who built his house on the rock represented those who hear and obey his, Jesus’, teaching. I do find tremendous encouragement from something Gary mentions on page 163, “The scriptures clearly portray one central fact: God is King over all. His supremacy is never in doubt.” Remember today that our God reigns! 

Together on the journey,Craig

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04.28.08

40 days of faith, week 5 day 1

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 6:09 am by Admin

Welcome to week 5 of our 40 day journey. There are 2 quotes from the Naturally Supernatural that I’d like to pass on. First from page 159  Gary tells us, “The most important weapon we have in battling our spiritual enemy is not a proven collection of how-to’s, but a firm grasp of what we have been called and authorized to do.” Then from age 161, “The mission of Jesus, one that has been given to us, is to bring real people along a journey of freedom leading to restoration with the One who made them. Kingdom ministry is coworking with God to bring people together: within themselves, with one another and with God their Creator.” I pray that today and all through this week that together our grasp of what we’ve been called and authorized to do will grow.  Together on the journey,Craig

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04.25.08

40 days of faith, week 4 day 5

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 5:57 am by Admin

I really identify with D.L. Moody in the reading today. When asked why he so frequently preached on and sought after the filling of the Holy Spirit, the famous evangelist replied, “I suppose I leak”. I agree that fillings and re-fillings have been necessary and important in my life. Too often I let life drag me down, I leak. It is good to be reminded that God truly is with me/us.   Pray with me today the prayer Gary records on page 154, “Oh God, will you show us that you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Would you show us that your Spirit in us is just as powerful and mighty as in the days of when you walked on this earth? Would you encourage our faith, just like you did for the early church? Would you come and touch us? Would you blow out a few of walls, renovate a few of our rooms? Come, oh Lord, and cook us up a feast. We will eat it together and rejoice that you are here!” Together on the journey,

Craig

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04.23.08

40 Days of Faith, Week 4 day 4

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 4:44 am by Admin

What did you think of the reading for today? I was challenged. I admit that many times I’ve treated the Holy Spirit more like a power to be experienced than a person. I think seeing that the power of the Holy Spirit flows through those with whom he has relationship is a much healthier, more God honoring thought model. I was also challenged by the community vs. individual discussion. That whole topic resonated with my spirit. “What if I had not assumed that we were all separate individuals scrambling for a limited provision from God – a kind of spiritual survival of the fittest? Instead of walking out of the room devastated because God was not within my reach and therefore most likely I would be on my own trying to do kingdom works, I could have been greatly encouraged: God had visited that room! He was not far away. The same God who so generously touched a majority of the people in the room could be counted on to be powerfully with us all outside that room. That perspective would have allowed me to celebrate what was taking place and perhaps join with what he was doing by blessing his touch on others. If anyone in that room was strengthened, we were all made stronger.” Today I pray that we, the community of Oceanside Vineyard Church, would be filled with and empowered by God the Holy Spirit. I pray that in an ever increasing manor we will see God move in power and that no matter who is touched in the moment, we would all celebrate the closeness of our Lord and his kingdom power.  Together on the journey,Craig

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04.21.08

40 Days of Faith, Week 4 day 3

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 2:44 pm by Admin

Hello from Kansas,  Nice short but powerful reading for today. What did you think of Gary’s illustration of hiring a cook who later decided to renovate the house? Doesn’t that describe perfectly how God keeps interrupting our little pre-planned world? The paragraph on page 148 was especially insightful to me. In it Gary says, “This is part of our problem with the Holy Spirit. Many have only invited him as counselor and friend. He is that, of course, but he is more than that. He not only wants to nourish and guide us and unite us to the love of the Father, he also wants to overwhelm our boats, inflaming our hearts with vision, passion and courage. Both of these are different “baptisms” of the same Spirit.” Again I find myself praying, “Let your kingdom come, let your will be done in me, and in Oceanside Vineyard Church, even as it is in heaven.” 

Together on the journey, Craig

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40 Days of Faith, Week 4 day 2

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 2:21 pm by Admin

Boy, I found that I related to both views on the Holy Spirit’s baptism described by Gary in the reading for today. I have been a part of groups that felt very strongly about each. I love the paragraph on page 145 where Gary tied it all up. “What we desire is the best of both worlds. We want the expectation, faith and experience, which is the strength of the second group, along with the protection and wisdom of the first group’s good theology (not to mention, character in both!). We want to be freed from the kind of pressure I described earlier of having to have some kind of personal defining experience that will rewire our whole inner nature. Yet we want to rise above the kind of Christian discipleship that has little or no hint of the miraculous but seems to be largely self-effort (God playing a relatively invisible role, supplying grace from a distance).”

 I know that in the reading for the next few days Gary will delve deeper into the baptism of the Spirit. I want to encourage all of you to read Naturally Supernatural this week. If you’ve fallen behind I’d recommend at least jumping into the assigned readings for this week. I’d also like to recommend that anyone who missed the sermon on Sunday go the Oceanside Vineyard website, select Listen, then sermons and find Ron’s message titled 2008-04-20 The Empowered Life. Ron did a great job of explaining the empowering work of the Holy Spirit in the ‘normal Christian life’. Bye from Kansas City, Kansas.  Craig

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04.20.08

40 days of faith, week 4 day 1

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 9:38 pm by Admin

Didn’t you just love the scripture reading for today? In Col 1:13-14 says it “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” I thank God for the rescue from the kingdom of darkness. Gary describes the mission of the rescued ones like this, “To follow Jesus, then, means eventually to go back with him to the spiritual dungeon from which we were freed – this time to reclaim the lives of others who have responded to his call to freedom and restoration.”

To accomplish that mission requires empowerment from God himself. One thing that really helps me is to remember that the great commission is an empowered commission. As we step out in obedience and touch others for God power is released through us. The encouraging power of prophetic words, gifts of healing and deliverance, salvation, and other wonderful gifts of the Spirit are released as we simply risk stepping out and touch or speak in Jesus’ name. This week we will be learning more about walking in the empowerment of the Spirit. God’s power and authority are so necessary but the story of Peter the Apostle is an inspiration to me. The man who denied Christ becomes a bold fruitful witness for him once filled with the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit indwells me, indwells us. Let’s go through our day today expecting the power of God to move through us as we touch someone in need. Once again let’s love, listen and obey.  Together on the journey,Craig

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04.18.08

40 days of faith, week 3 day 5

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 6:01 am by Admin

I really want to encourage you to read today’s assigned reading from Naturally Supernatural. It is a very practical few pages. Gary does a great job of describing the listening and obeying processes. He then ends the chapter with 3 very encouraging stories on how to end a ministry prayer time. All 3 illustrate God’s power being released in unexpected yet miraculous ways. He reminds us to stop praying when the person is healed, when the symptoms get worse, or when those praying have nothing left to pray. His stories show that in all 3 cases God can be doing something amazing.  

The point this week seems to be that we are to love people, listen to them and God, and then obey what God says. Love, listen and obey. Let’s practice that today. Remember that this Sunday night we’ll be having a Holy Spirit night at the church. We will worship and we’ll practice this stuff. Come to be used by God. Come to be a blessing.   Together on the journey,Craig

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04.17.08

40 days of faith, week 3 day 4

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 5:57 am by Admin

God has given a message of hope. He sees people, us and those around us, with ‘eyes of invitation’. The God of love uses everyday people to supernaturally share his heart, his invitation, to those who are hurting. The sharing of what’s on God’s heart is what prophetic gifting is all about. Beginning on page 114 of Naturally Supernatural Gary Best shares his method of ministering to others. He says, “I then intentionally pray, God, how do you see this person? What is it that you want to call forward and encourage in them? I don’t try to be prophetic; I try to catch God’s heart for them. I try to see them with the compassion and enthusiasm with which God sees them. Once I can catch that, I speak from it. I don’t worry whether what I say is prophetic or not. Prophetic gifting isn’t supposed to be self-conscious but other-conscious. When it succeeds in this, it invariably produces the best kind of result.”