natalie and i had all these notes and structure planned out and we were ready to go. but on the day of, i really felt like the LORD just wanted to touch hearts in an intimate way.
so i gave Him space.
and i asked Him to come and do what He does best.
and He came.
and we were never the same.
it's interesting what happens when we invite Him to come. it's interesting what happens when we give Him space for Him to have His way with us. that's what the IHOP awakening is all about. hours upon hours of giving Him space to do what He does best. and we are in a posture of receiving, welcoming Holy Spirit to come.
chains were broken, lives were healed, eyes were opened to the beauty of God, simply because we heard Him tell us that He loves us. it made me realize how hungry we are to know that God loves us. how much we need to be reminded by what He thinks about us, to hear Him call us His son, His daughter, that He delights in us, that He enjoys us, just the way we are.
there aren't many things more beautiful than watching someone getting touched by the LORD. to watch the Father have a love encounter with His beloved, favorite ones. to watch Him romance His son/daughter with His jealous love. to watch a Father embrace His son, for He has been waiting for so long. for me, it's a glimpse of heaven. i could spend my life watching it happen.
Jesus, thanks for giving me the chance to be a part of your love encounters. can i have more please?
~~~
oh i attached the handout for my own good, in case i lose it in the future. read it if you're interested!
partnering with the holy spirit: intimacy and evangelism
intervarsity Christian fellowship frosh retreat 2010
The Vine and the Branches
(John 15:1-10 NIV)
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.
I. our #1 goal in life is to pursue intimacy with jesus.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt 22:37-38)
A. Success in our relationship with Jesus is found in one thing: to love Him and be loved by Him. It’s that simple. Success isn’t found in how much we evangelize, how many good works we do, how many things we do to try to please Him. We tend to be better at doing the works to go to church, to go to bible study, to offer sacrifices to please Him, but forget to worship and love Jesus in spirit and in truth.
“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4 ESV)
B. All that we do in life, especially when we go out and “evangelize” is rooted and grounded in intimacy with Jesus. As people who function on a very task-oriented basis, we often make the mistake of turning evangelism into a project, operating out of our own strength. When operating out of our own strength, we oftentimes see no results, we get discouraged and we give up.
“No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4)
C. Intimacy is seeking to REMAIN with the Lord. To remain with the Lord means to seek His face, to know His will, and to pursue Him in trust and faith and love. As we allow the Lord to refine us to become more like Jesus, we begin to understand who He is and what He desires. We must be obedient to His will (v. 10). He will grant us what we pray to Him if we seek Him with a pure and true heart that loves Him (v. 7).
II. how to pursue intimacy
A. Pray pray pray pray pray pray pray. No joke. Pray until you enjoy praying. If you don’t like to pray, ask Him to give you a passion for prayer. If you don’t know how to pray, learn how to pray by just doing it. Set out an hour each day out of your life to just pray and enjoy talking to God. Ask Him to teach you how to pray. The choice is up to you. How hungry are you for Jesus? How badly do you desire to have intimacy with Jesus?
B. Discipline yourself. Just like our muscles need daily exercise to be strong, same is with our spiritual “muscles”. If we don’t connect with Jesus for a long time, we get weak and it becomes harder to fellowship with Him. He starts to feel far and distant from us. Set out time daily where you are alone to connect with Jesus. Go to the secret place daily. Jesus did it. How much more do we need to do it? Spend time just resting with the Lord, speaking to Him, worshipping who He is, reading the Word, focusing on God and not on the other things that tend to occupy our time. Learn to enjoy spending time with Him.
6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt. 6:6 NIV)
C. Pray-read the scripture (Psalms): Read the scripture as a prayer. It doesn’t have to be Psalms, but Psalms are always a good option. Example:
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. (Psalm 91:1-3 NIV)
Lord, thank You that I can dwell in Your shadow, that You love for me to abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Lord, to You I will say that You are my refuge and my strength, my God, in whom I trust. Lord, You are the one who delivers me from the snare of the fowler and from deadly pestilence. Thank You, Lord, that You have made yourself available to me in this scripture. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
D. Just do it. Just have quiet time with Jesus. Say no to distractions and don’t push it off to the side and get lazy. Fight laziness! He is so much worth our time! Jesus should be our priority! WARNING: you WILL get distracted, discouraged, and it will seem like the hardest, most pointless thing you can do with your time. You will come to a point where you will want to give up. At that point, ask for grace to continue persevering, and you will be rewarded.
E. Explore the spiritual disciplines (or as Jesse Jacobs puts it, soul training). Spiritual disciplines train us to be strong and bold, to be rooted and grounded in Jesus so that we can live lifestyles that radiate Jesus, as salt and light of this world. Some examples include:
Bible—read, read, read, read, read, read, read the Word. Just do it. And try reading it with the Holy Spirit. The words will begin to jump out at you and pierce your heart. You will begin to hear His voice speaking to you as you read and you will begin to gain deeper revelations than what is on the page. Try it. You will be amazed.
Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart”
Journaling—keep a journal just for spiritual things. This isn’t a diary, but something where you can write out your prayers, questions, and truths about what you are learning about Jesus. Be honest in your journaling. Pour out your frustrations and struggles to Jesus and allow Him to speak back to you. He will speak. You will be quite shocked.
Retreat to a quiet place—make time in your daily lives to retreat to a place to be with Him. I have several “secret places” across campus where I meet and commune with Jesus.
Fasting—fasting is a command. It isn’t just for the radical or intense people, it was meant for everyone. We fast because we want to become more hungry for Jesus. Ask us if you have more questions.
Waiting upon the Lord—this is my favorite one. Simply put, it is enjoying His presence. It is meditation on a truth about Jesus, usually on His love, His emotions, feelings, affections for us. I can mediate on Zeph. 3:17 for hours:
17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."(Zeph. 3:17 NIV)
HOMEWORK: MEDITATE UPON ZEPH 3:17 OR ANY OTHER VERSE FOR 10 MINUTES EACH DAY.
III. The power of the holy spirit
A. Evangelism is not speech and debate. We do not try to “sell” Jesus with crafty or convincing words. Neither is it always about our nice actions or “good deeds” that win hearts for Jesus. Rather, when we evangelize, we want to be a vehicle for the power of the Holy Spirit to flow through us and capture the hearts of those who don’t know Him.
“and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might to rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinth 2:4-5)
Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. (Zech. 4:6)
“For the Kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (1 Corinth 4:20 ESV)
B. We must learn to walk and operate in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus ascended to heaven after His death, He left us with 11 broken people, and the Holy Spirit. Today there are over 2.1 billion Christians in the world. And that number is growing daily. Surely it wasn’t the fact that those 11 were amazing people. Surely it was more than just talk and good arguments and good preaching. It was the power of the Holy Spirit. And that power is inside you. Right now.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I sent to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me/ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26-27 ESV)
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 ESV)
C. Jesus commands us to evangelize in the power of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing wrong with relational evangelism. Power evangelism goes hand in hand with relational evangelism. You need both. The Holy Spirit gives us boldness and power. He gives us all the tools we need. We are more than qualified! We don’t need any evangelism classes, training to be good at sharing Jesus’ love for others. Just look at the disciples!
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19-20 ESV)
IV. story of the holy spirit
A. Before He left for heaven, Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit. So they waited.
"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:4-8 NIV)
B. While waiting, the disciples became hungry to be filled by the Holy Spirit. So they were filled.
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4 NIV)
C. Peter “tries out” the power of the Holy Spirit. He preaches a few words and 3,000 come to faith. Come on!
37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart…41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:37, 41 NIV)
V. operating in the holy spirit
A. The Holy Spirit enables us to walk in the supernatural. That means we have the ability to heal. Let’s make the supernatural natural!
6Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. (Acts 3:6-7 NIV)
B. It is Jesus’ will for us to be able to walk in power and the supernatural, to do things even greater than Himself! Not just 2,000 years ago, but right now. That’s why He gave us the Holy Spirit! Because He knew that we couldn’t do it on our own strength! Jesus’ will is for heaven on earth. Do you know what heaven is like? Let’s bring that to earth. Right now!
12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14 NKJV)
9"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matt. 6:9-10 NIV)
30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." (Acts 4:30 NIV)
33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33 NIV)
7As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[b]drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. (Matt 10:7-8 NIV)
3So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. (Acts 14:3 NIV)
C. Just do it. When you see anyone who needs healing, physical or emotional, pray for them right on the spot and believe that God can empower you through the Holy Spirit for instant healing. The best prayers are the ones that are the shortest and simple, full of power and authority. That’s how Jesus prayed. My sample prayers are modeled after Jesus’ prayers:
1) Invite the Holy Spirit, because it’s by His power, not ours.
“Holy Spirit come. We welcome you here right now, Holy Spirit. We need you right now, Holy Spirit. Thank You, Holy Spirit”
2) Declare complete healing in the name of Jesus. Because it is by the work of victory in the cross, where Jesus conquered death, that enables us to have power over every sickness, disease, pain, struggle, suffering, negative thought that comes to us in this broken world. Pray as if you are declaring and commanding the disease/pain to leave. Pray with authority because Jesus gave it to us.
“In the name of Jesus, depression be gone right now! I command the spirit of depression to leave in the name of Jesus. Let the fullness of joy come in right now.”
“In Jesus’ name, ankle pain be gone right now. I declare complete healing in the ankle right now. Pain go away right now in the name of Jesus!”
D. Prayer is not about getting answers. When we don’t see results, do not get mad, offended or upset at God. Understand that God is still sovereign and His ways are always greater than our ways. When I pray for healing, I see way more failed attempts than I do successes. Many people pray for hundreds of people with no success, before they see healing occur. I took me 6 months of praying for sick people before I was able to heal someone. We pray not to see results, but because we want to try our best to partner with God in His intentions for this world. We pray for others because our main goal is to love them, not to heal them. If you pray for someone and they are not healed, but they leave the experience feeling more loved by God and by you, YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL.
HOMEWORK: BEGIN TO PRAY FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS PRAYER, CHRISTIAN OR NON-CHRISTIAN. AND BELIEVE THAT THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN BRING INSTANT HEALING.
