GREENE STREET LETTERS: Last Night

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Last Night

Psalm 42:8
.........And in the night His song shall be with me----a prayer to the God of my life.

I'm always a bit hesitant after we have a really intense service where God is ministering to those who have come to be a part (such as last Saturday's service). There is a stirring of our emotions simply because we are creatures of emotion. The danger for me comes when I set out (whether intentionally or not) to recreate something that happened in order for God to come again. Last night was the case. I kept pushing that thought back...."Go ahead....you can recreate it...sing songs that were similar......play the same guitar......do the service in the same order." I'm not attributing this to the devil as it was probably more my flesh than anything.

So, that being said, we set about to gather and worship.

Songs that were chosen for worship seem to focus on our gratitude for what Jesus has done for us. From the cross to the throne, He walked out the call of His Father to be the "Lamb who takes away the sins of the world". Everything seem to blow the roof off when we sang "You Have Redeemed My Soul." There was a sense of freedom that came to the room as worship took place.

Seth Barber spoke on the narrow way to life and the broad way to death.
Very somber word, but powerful.
Seth has a way of speaking plain and simple. A no frills message that was completely the heart of the Gospel. Seth has lived the words that he teaches. He has been redeemed from the pit of death. He has been given new life and carries around a gratitude for God's gift.

Ministry was powerful.
Nine men came forward to be saved.
We don't lead a sinner's prayer. We encourage each man to confess to God in their words. God looks at the heart and intent. Sometimes I think the church falls to heavy on "say these words". Almost as if it were a magic formula or a mystical spell, spoken with no thought as to the state of the heart.
As we prayed over the men, there were tears......many tears. One man stood with face downward, tears streaming from his eyes, praying..."Oh Jesus forgive me, Oh Jesus forgive me, Oh Jesus forgive me."

Saturday night is a different breed of church. That doesn't mean it's better.....just different. I think it has something to do with the fact that Saturday use to be the "devil's" night in the lives of these men. This was the night for getting high and all manner of evil. Now it is becoming a night for God.

Until next time....
Keep praying for all of us here at Rapha.

mb

2 comments:

Bobby said...: I heard the message preached this Sunday morning...it's not Biblical to accept Jesus...you can't make Jesus Lord...he is Lord! I believe that. A sinners prayer has to come from the heart! Many have been deceived by trusting in a formula instead of Jesus!; July 20, 2008 at 9:13 PM
Greene Street Letters said...: Yet I find myself like a salmon going up stream against the opinion of the "church".
mb; July 21, 2008 at 8:08 AM

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.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Last Night

2 comments:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD