GREENE STREET LETTERS: Step By Step

Monday, June 9, 2008

Step By Step

Ecclesiastes 3:1
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Writing in my journal on Sunday, God showed me something that was encouraging.
I was jotting down the events of Saturday night; who received prayer, what ministry took place and other such things. All of a sudden the Saturday's date came to my mind---June 7, 2008.
Then I saw it written in my mind, a kind of picture......I saw ......6----7-----8. Numerical sequence of numbers. It wasn't the sequence that got me excited as much as the consecutive numbers which reveals steps.

God (I believe) was trying to show me that he was indeed working a process in all of our lives that were coming to the meeting. We all were being moved forward one step at a time. Spiritual progress not perfection, that is cry of recovery. One day at a time.

I saw the number 6.
The number for man 0r mankind. The creation part that is being restored in all of this work that God is doing. It is about the total restoration of all of creation but indeed, mankind is at the center of the work because God has chosen to redeem, reconcile and recover, that which was lost.

I saw the number 7.
The number for perfection or completeness. God had taken man (6) and through the work of Christ on the cross and his resurrection, and our salvation,we are being made into the restored image of our elder brother Jesus.

I saw the number 8.
The number for new beginnings. That is where a lot of men are coming into after their salvation experience.....a new beginning. New creation with new behaviors and new attitudes. God is indeed at work.

So in week #2 of our meeting, we are set on a spiritual journey. One that will bring completeness to our empty lives. One that will give meaning to the insane lives we have lived in the past.

What an adventure.
What are you waiting for?

God on you.....

mb

3 comments:

A.J. said...: Hey Mike, just a heads up...I have been talking with the people from TBN again. They are contacting me about doing the story on my testimony. They have asked me a lot of questions about Rapha, and are probably going to be starting the work on my story soon. I just wanted you to know so that you might help keep me covered.

Thank you!; June 10, 2008 at 1:10 PM
A.J. said...: Hey Mike, just a heads up...I have been talking with the people from TBN again. They are contacting me about doing the story on my testimony. They have asked me a lot of questions about Rapha, and are probably going to be starting the work on my story soon. I just wanted you to know so that you might help keep me covered.

Thank you!; June 10, 2008 at 1:10 PM
Greene Street Letters said...: Thanks for the info....way cool that you are getting to tell your story IN A BIG WAY!!!!!
Vicki and I are praying for you...
Mb; June 10, 2008 at 5:50 PM

Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Step By Step

3 comments:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD