GREENE STREET LETTERS: The Last Monday Of The Week~~~~~~

Monday, July 18, 2011

The Last Monday Of The Week~~~~~~

Weekends just seem to fly by.
We are seeing an increase of God at work in our Saturday night meetings.
Barry Hooks and I are "tag-team" teaching and it has been a joy for us to get together and share what God is doing in our lives and in the life at Rapha.
We feel like God has called us to be an entry point for the men who come through the program. A door way, if you will, to help them in this new relationship that some find while they are there.

This coming Saturday night, we will have Shane Elmore (Some call him "Elmo") coming to share his story.
For those of you who don't know Elmo, go to our pod cast section of messages and scroll down till you find "Elmo's Story". It is a short testimony He gave one Saturday night. Talk about God doing a work, Elmo is living proof that everything we teach here at Rapha works.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Verse Of The Day:
Psalm 107:9
For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

Oh if we could only wrap our hearts and minds around this incredible truth. The incredible truth that our God is a satisfying God. I have said for sometime that Psalm 107 reads like someone who is trapped in addiction. Of course we understand and believe that all addiction is merely a symptom of something greater. That something would be "SIN". The old nature or way of live that is rooted deep down inside of us. The bent to do the wrong thing. The Apostle Paul wrote of this "nature" in Romans 7. "For that which I am doing, I do not understand. For I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. How many times have you ever used and after it was over promised that you would not do it again, only to go out to use once more. That is power of sin at work in you.

God breaks the power of Sin.
God removes the penalty of Sin.
God takes your Sin away.
Then God satisfies you. He replaces the craving for drugs and/or alcohol, and fills you up with His Holy Spirit. I know.....I know....if you're reading this and you have never experienced it before, it reads like a fairy tale or science fiction story. Believe me, it is neither. It is a reality that can be a part of your life today.
This "Filling to satisfaction" I have written about------it will never end. How cool is that?

On down in Romans 8:15 we read: For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba (or daddy/ poppa) Father! God not only does a work in us through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit inside of us, but He claims us for His own. He becomes our heavenly Father and we become His sons and daughters. We no longer are laid claim to by the devil and the Kingdom of darkness, but rather have been brought into the light and love of Jesus Christ. I'm telling you right now if that doesn't set you on fire, then you're woods wet!

Think on these things today.....
God on you......
mb
On

No comments:

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, July 18, 2011

The Last Monday Of The Week~~~~~~

No comments:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD