More Than Willing!

What is it all about? What is this whole gospel-message-tell-the-world about?
 It is about one person who has met and been changed by the Power of this Jesus, telling another person about this incredible thing that has happened.
IT isn't about reading a book.....(although that does factor in).
IT isn't about singing a song.....(although you will want to after you meet Him).
IT is about an encounter.
IT is about the collision between us earth bound creations, running into the presence, the power and the person of God.
In other words, experiencing God.

In some circles, the thought of experiencing God conjures up all manner of images and thoughts.
People speaking in tongues.....
People falling out under what is referred to as the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
People weeping.
People laughing.
Such things seem to be out or order in a church service.
Some have even suggested that such behaviors are from the devil.
Now I'm not here to debate the finer points of such doctrine or theology.
I just know one thing.
When God shows up in a meeting....When our awareness of His presence suddenly heightens....then we, as part of His creation, respond in many different ways. I really believe that God has more power to bless me and come upon me, than the devil does to deceive me. I think I fall on the side of God and His ability.

I do not believe nor will I ever believe that we can sit in the presence of Almighty God and not come away changed. We are either changed for the better.......or we are changed for the worse. But know this...we will be changed.
I believe that each of us responds to the presence of God in various ways. To label one particular behavior as the measure of whether or not you have encountered God or not is not wise.
For me, when God shows up, I weep. It is a very sudden, rising up within me, well of tears that seem to just burst forth. I'm not talking about wailing and emotional out bursts...it is just a filling up of tears and the understanding that God has directed His presence to something I said during teaching...or on a particular verse of a song. I know that I  know, God has chosen to reveal Himself to me at the moment.

God has reminded me that this is the major reason He desires to have a recovery church at the Vineyard on Saturday night. To meet with us. To reveal himself to a group who is hungry to meet with Him. Simple as that. He wants to meet with us. He wants to come down and bring His kingdom rule into our midst. Now from what I read in Scripture, this Kingdom rule also involves demonstrations of His power. We saw the truth of this in our last meeting. At one point, a man stood and began to confess all these things he had stopped doing. He confessed that life had become so busy that he'd stopped reading his bible. He'd quit praying. He'd stop taking care of his family. He had pretty much checked out from his responsibility to God and his family. He spoke of how he'd made that connection with God during the meeting and felt the need to confess this and receive forgiveness. This man was broken by his past behaviors...even claiming that he knew better than to live like this. Now he was ready to let God heal him and set him back on the path to being the husband and father he should have been.

We also had a healing of a back problem that had been going on for sometime. The person who wanted prayers even confessed...."I know God can heal....I'm just not sure He will." That sounded a lot like the leper who came to Jesus. "Lord,  if you are willing, you can heal me."  Jesus responded..."IF I am willing? Dude, I am willing..be healed!" O.k., Jesus didn't say "dude" I put that in there, but you understand that Jesus was more than willing to heal this guy. We just need to wake up and realize that this "more than willing" attitude is at the heart of the Kingdom Rule of God that is being poured out in our time and space.  No matter what we think....no matter what our view of God is....we must come to the truth that He is a "MORE THAN WILLING" God.
So if this is His nature.....
So if He has created and put in place a Recovery Church that meets on Saturday nights at Gadsden Vineyard Church....
Then wouldn't it stand to reason that He was going to bring His "more than willing" self and meet with us?
And that what ever we needed in our lives...
He was "more than willing" to take care of it.
In return, He would ask for our devotion and commitment of will and life to be transferred over to His care.
Why?
Because no matter what I thought I could do in this whole "recovery" thing...
God is "more than willing"
Jesus is "more than willing"
The Holy Spirit is "more than willing."
That is one reason I chose the picture you see at the top. The outstretched hand of God....Simply waiting for us to come to Him and experience His goodness and grace. His mercy and love.
Hope to see you soon.

God on you....
mb