Encourage One Another...

angelwind · #41 15th March 2007, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by peacechild4

Kathi Pelton: "BECOMING A BRIDGE TO THOSE IN NEED--SHARE ALL YOU HAVE WITH ONE ANOTHER"
By Kathi Pelton : Mar 14, 2007

"We must first learn to love one another face-to-face before we have the authority to stand as communities and nations face-to-face with other cultures and people groups to repair the breach."
Revisiting Acts...
During this last month, I woke up a number of nights at exactly 2:44 a.m. As this began to happen night-after-night, I realized that the Lord was saying something to me. I began to seek Him regarding this and the Spirit of the Lord led me to the verse in Acts 2:44:
"And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other"
As I read these words, they stirred a great desire in me to be with believers in a more personal way. Recently, I have been experiencing an overwhelming longing to truly share and be in the lives of believers who the Lord has placed in my life, and in the city where I live. A compassion for His people and for the loneliness that many feel today, even within the Churches, has compelled me to spend more time with those around me.
To Know and Be Known...
The words from Acts 2:44 which states that they shared everything with each other, caused me to think beyond the material aspects of selling possessions and sharing wealth (although this is very important). I began to think about how Jesus shared His life and journey with His disciples. God began to talk to me about sharing my life with those around me. Romans 12:15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."
To journey together and share everything is to enter into both the times of rejoicing and the times of mourning with those around us. There is a deep longing in the Body of Christ to be known. I have taken these past few months to really sit and talk to a lot of people around me, and one of the first things that they will express is a deep desire to know the people around them, and to be known. To be known is to be cared for.
Jesus knew His disciples! He ate with them, slept alongside them, journeyed with them, loved them in their times of triumph, and in their times of defeat. He was very personal with them...as He is with us too! Therefore we, too, must be personally interacting with those who are around us.
Acts 2:46-47 states, "They worshiped together regularly at the Temple each day, met in small groups in homes for Communion, and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness, praising God. The whole city was favorable to them, and each day God added to them all who were being saved."
Why were so many in the city being saved? Because God's people were acting like Jesus. They were being His hands and feet. They were being personal and sharing life together. They had great joy because they were known in a personal way, not only by God, but by one another. They were being a "city set on a hill," they were "light in the darkness," and they were LOVE to a world that hungered and thirsted to be known and loved.
Fences That Divide...
If we desire to be known in a personal way, then why do we have so much division in the Body of Christ? One reason is offenses. The enemy is very quick to use offense to divide the Body. When someone goes through a difficult time and no one is there to walk with them and mourn with them and sharing love in the midst of their pain, then it is easy for that person to become offended at the entire Body.
Recently, I had a short vision. In this vision I saw wooden fences that were surrounding believers. As I saw this, I heard the words, "O fences be removed!" I realized that the Lord was speaking of "offenses" through this picture. Then in the vision, I saw the fences that surrounded many believers be dismantled. Each piece of wood that had comprised these fences of offense, were laid in front of that person to became a bridge being built over the breaches and division in the Church. As I came out of this short vision, I began to declare over my own life, "O fences be removed!" I asked the Lord to take every plank of offense in my life and to use it as a bridge of restoration and repairing breaches.
"And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell." Isaiah 58:12
I encourage you to read through Isaiah 58. I feel as though this is a key chapter for seeing unity restored to the Body and for bringing in the harvest of those who are ready to come into salvation.
The New Sound...
"It was the sound of true love."
"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." 1 Corinthians 13:1
Two years ago, I was a part of a gathering of believers in Edmonton, Alberta, called "Rise Up." During one night of this gathering, hundreds of believers entered into the purest and most beautiful time of worship I have ever experienced. As I was in the midst of this worship service, I was absolutely in awe at the sounds I was hearing. It was the sound of desire from God's people to God, and from God, to His people. It was the sound of true love.
During this time of worship (where no previously known songs were being sung, but only spontaneous songs of desire were being released), one of our team members, Stacey Campbell, quietly moved up onto the stage and released a very tender prophecy about the sounds we were hearing. She began to describe the sounds of the nails being hammered into our Lord's hands and feet and she called it, "The sound of desire."
It is the sound of love that stirs a desire so deep that One would lay down His life for the ones that He loves. John 15:12-13 says, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
How is it that hundreds of people that night in worship could release sounds that still impact me two years later? It was because they had come to "know" Jesus in such a personal way that their desire could not be held back. The more they spent time with Him, the more they loved Him, and that night was like a symphony of love. There were no noisy gongs or clanging cymbals, only pure love.
God is calling us to that kind of love for one another. And we grow in love as we spend time together and get to know one another personally. We can't do that with every person in the Body of Christ, but as we do it with a small group (Jesus chose twelve), then we will find that our ability to love will grow into a desire that will overflow everywhere we go with everyone we meet. It will enlarge our hearts and our capacity for love. We will understand how love can lay down its life for a friend.
A Bridge Over Troubled Waters...
God is asking us to tear down the fences of offense and division between believers. Let us use these planks that the enemy has meant for evil and use them to build a bridge over the troubled waters in the Church. Then the Church will be known by her love! Just as the believers in the Book of Acts had favor in their city because of their love for one another, so will the believers in your city.
It is time for us to share everything with one another. It is time for us to share our lives, our time, our compassion, and our love with those around us. It is time to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and mourn with those who are mourning.
If we can do this as individuals, then God will entrust us to do this with cities and nations. We must first learn to love one another face-to-face before we have the authority to stand as communities and nations face-to-face with other cultures and people groups to repair the breach. Maybe if we can do it with one another, our children will begin to do it with nations. Remember, do not despise the day of small beginnings! It is in the small things that we learn to be faithful with the big things.
Today, you can begin to build that bridge over the troubled waters in your Church, in your city, and in your nation. Just begin with the one nearest you!
In Christ's Love,

Kathi Pelton
Operation Prayer Watch

This is very good...

angelwind · #42 15th March 2007, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by peacechild4

A Christian brother starting sending these links recently to me.. oh but the stories are absolutely amazing!!

This one is about an Indonesian Muslim teenager let down by family, friends and society, became a Christian the night Jesus appeared to her in a vision. That special night was Lailatul Qadar when Muslims individualize their prayers to Allah. From the moment she saw Jesus, His peace filled her heart and stayed with her even as persecution began.

She was later able to go on and forgive her family members... This is a healing you don't want to miss!!

A really beautiful and encouraging video.. goes for 42 minutes.. on You Tube!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g9WuKmL1Hk

Thanks peacechild...I have just discovered the wonders of YouTube.

2scoops · #43 17th March 2007, 01:20 AM

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
>
>Then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened - everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how
>could you do this to me?" he cried.
>
>Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke
>signal," they replied.
>
>It's easy to get discouraged sometimes when things appear to be going badly. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your
>little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.
>
>For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer for it.
>
>You say, "It's impossible."
>God says: "All thing are possible". (Luke 18:27)
>
>You say, "I'm too tired."
>God says: "I will give you rest". (Matt 11:28-20)
>
>You say, "Nobody really loves me."
>God says: "I love you". (John 3:16 - John 13:34)
>
>You say, "I can't go on."
>God says: "My grace is sufficient." (II Cor. 12:9 - Psalm 91 :15)
>
>You say, "I can't figure things out."
>God says: "I will direct your steps." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
>
>You say, "I can't do it."
>God says: "You can do all things in Me." (Phil 4:13)
>
>You say, "It's not worth it."
>God says: "It will be worth it." (Romans 8:28)
>
>You say, "I can't forgive myself."
>God says: "I forgive you." (I John 1:9 - Romans 8:1)
>
>You say, "I can't manage."
>God says: "I will supply all your needs." (Phil 4:19)
>
>You say, "I'm afraid."
>God says: "I have not given you a spirit of fear." (II Tim. 1:7)
>
>You say, "I'm always worried and frustrated."
>God says: "Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)
>
>You say, "I don't have enough faith."
>God says: "I've given everyone a measure of faith." (Romans 12:3)
>
>You say, "I'm not smart enough."
>God says: "I give you wisdom." (I Cor. 1:30)
>
>You say, "I feel all alone."
>God says: "I will never leave you or forsake you." (Heb. 13:5)
>
>Pass this on, you never know whose life may be in need of this today. There are some weeks (and days) that we ALL feel our huts are burning !

LilBoo · #44 17th March 2007, 10:35 AM

Dear Father God i ask you in Jesus name to give courage and strengh to my brothers and sisters here, nothing is impossible if we believe. I ask for peace, health and protection for them. Bless them with your peace and love father God, in Jesus name amen...

ChowdersMom · #45 17th March 2007, 11:03 AM

and

to 2scoops and LilBoo.

2scoops · #46 17th March 2007, 12:04 PM

THE TOUCH OF GOD ---<
by Max Lucado

In Scripture the leper is symbolic of the ultimate outcast: infected by
a condition he did not seek, rejected by those he knew, avoided by
people he did not know, condemned to a future he could not bear. And in
the memory of each outcast must have been the day he was forced to face
the truth: life would never be the same.

The banishing of a leper seems harsh, unnecessary. The Ancient East
hasn’t been the only culture to isolate their wounded, however. We may
not build colonies or cover our mouths in their presence, but we
certainly build walls and duck our eyes. And a person needn’t have
leprosy to feel quarantined.

One of my sadder memories involves my fourth-grade friend Jerry._* _ He
and a half-dozen of us were an ever-present, inseparable fixture on the
playground. One day I called his house to see if we could play. The
phone was answered by a cursing, drunken voice telling me Jerry could
not come over that day or any day. I told my friends what had happened.
One of them explained that Jerry’s father was an alcoholic. I don’t
know if I knew what the word meant, but I learned quickly. Jerry, the
second baseman; Jerry, the kid with the red bike; Jerry, my friend on
the corner was now “Jerry, the son of a drunk.” Kids can be hard, and
for some reason we were hard on Jerry. He was infected. Like the leper,
he suffered from a condition he didn’t create. Like the leper, he was
put outside the village.

The divorced know this feeling. So do the handicapped. The unemployed
have felt it, as have the less educated. Some shun unmarried moms. We
keep our distance from the depressed and avoid the terminally ill. We
have neighborhoods for immigrants, convalescent homes for the elderly,
schools for the simple, centers for the addicted, and prisons for the
criminals.

The rest simply try to get away from it all. Only God knows how many
Jerrys are in voluntary exile—individuals living quiet, lonely lives
infected by their fear of rejection and their memories of the last time
they tried. They choose not to be touched at all rather than risk being
hurt again.

Some of you have the master touch of the Physician himself. You use
your hands to pray over the sick and minister to the weak. If you
aren’t touching them personally, your hands are writing letters,
dialing phones, baking pies. You have learned the power of a touch.

But others of us tend to forget. Our hearts are good; it’s just that
our memories are bad. We forget how significant one touch can be. We
fear saying the wrong thing or using the wrong tone or acting the wrong
way. So rather than do it incorrectly, we do nothing at all.

Aren’t we glad Jesus didn’t make the same mistake? If your fear of
doing the wrong thing prevents you from doing anything, keep in mind
the perspective of the lepers of the world. They aren’t picky. They
aren’t finicky. They’re just lonely. They are yearning for a godly
touch.

Jesus touched the untouchables of the world. Will you do the same?

2scoops · #47 17th March 2007, 01:04 PM

~When we worry~

You've been on my mind and heart. I see you struggling and planning, worrying and sweating, crying and running, at a furious pace. You're trying to move that mountain by yourself again, huh?

God asks that we cast all our cares on Him because He cares. Think about what your worrying says to God when you refuse to give things over to Him.

When you worry about money, you're telling Him He is unable to provide for His children. Although He has riches beyond belief in Heaven, He is too stingy to share them with you.

When you worry no one understands you, you're telling Him although He has been with you since before you were formed in the womb, and has carved you into the palm of His hand, He doesn't know you. When you worry whether you will have enough food, you're telling Him that although He rained down bread from Heaven in the desert to feed His children, you are the one He's forgotten.

When you worry your enemies will have victory over you, you're telling God although He has give you spiritual battle gear to defend yourself, despite His track record of being a giant slayer, Red Sea divider, lion's mouth closer and a furnace cooler, He can't handle your co-worker, your neighbor or a former friend.

When you worry your chilren have decided to follow the world instead of your example, you're telling God He doesn't keep His promises. Despite the fact you have raised them in the way they should go, they'll stray because basically, He lied.

When you worry because the doctors have told you children are impossible, a cure is impossible, healing is impossible, you're telling Him this world controls your fate. You're saying prayer time with Him is merely something to pass the time. You're saying although He raised the dead, made a virgin conceive, opened the womb of a woman well past eighty, healed a 12 year issue of blood, made the blind see and the lame walk, He can't help you.

When you worry you won't be able to do enough to earn forgiveness, you're telling Him "that's ok Lord, no need for Your Son to die, I can earn my own forgiveness." Let's just act like Jesus never died, and tell Him never mind, He doesn't need to go to the cross.

When you worry no one will love you, that you'll be lonely for the rest of your life, you're telling him that His love is insufficient. He couldn't possibly love you enough to ward away loneliness. You're saying although He has promised life more abundantly, He was lying. Despite the fact He started off saying that is not good that we be alone, He's changed His mind.

When you worry and refuse to give the problem over to Him, you're telling Him although He could create the world He can't handle what's going in your world, so you will. You are saying He won't work things out, obstacles cannot be overcome, mountains cannot be climbed, healing cannot occur, what is lost will not be found, joy does not come in the morning, He is not the God of a second chance, the promised land has been swallowed up by the desert, you have discovered the height, depth and width of His love and found it to fall short of your needs.

Think about all you're saying to the One who loves you the most and who has all the power. Really think about it. Then open your hands and release what you've been holding. Bow down on your knees and ask forgiveness for doubting Him. Walk away with a peaceful heart noting the footsteps going before you making the crooked places straight. He will provide food in the wilderness and cause water to spring forth in the desert.

Stand in a stream with waters around your ankles. The waters that pass by you at that moment will never be there again. So it is with the past. Let it go!

~Why worry when you can pray!

peacechild4 · #48 17th March 2007, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by 2scoops

THE TOUCH OF GOD ---<
by Max Lucado

In Scripture the leper is symbolic of the ultimate outcast: infected by
a condition he did not seek, rejected by those he knew, avoided by
people he did not know, condemned to a future he could not bear. And in
the memory of each outcast must have been the day he was forced to face
the truth: life would never be the same.

The banishing of a leper seems harsh, unnecessary. The Ancient East
hasn’t been the only culture to isolate their wounded, however. We may
not build colonies or cover our mouths in their presence, but we
certainly build walls and duck our eyes. And a person needn’t have
leprosy to feel quarantined.

One of my sadder memories involves my fourth-grade friend Jerry._* _ He
and a half-dozen of us were an ever-present, inseparable fixture on the
playground. One day I called his house to see if we could play. The
phone was answered by a cursing, drunken voice telling me Jerry could
not come over that day or any day. I told my friends what had happened.
One of them explained that Jerry’s father was an alcoholic. I don’t
know if I knew what the word meant, but I learned quickly. Jerry, the
second baseman; Jerry, the kid with the red bike; Jerry, my friend on
the corner was now “Jerry, the son of a drunk.” Kids can be hard, and
for some reason we were hard on Jerry. He was infected. Like the leper,
he suffered from a condition he didn’t create. Like the leper, he was
put outside the village.

The divorced know this feeling. So do the handicapped. The unemployed
have felt it, as have the less educated. Some shun unmarried moms. We
keep our distance from the depressed and avoid the terminally ill. We
have neighborhoods for immigrants, convalescent homes for the elderly,
schools for the simple, centers for the addicted, and prisons for the
criminals.

The rest simply try to get away from it all. Only God knows how many
Jerrys are in voluntary exile—individuals living quiet, lonely lives
infected by their fear of rejection and their memories of the last time
they tried. They choose not to be touched at all rather than risk being
hurt again.

Some of you have the master touch of the Physician himself. You use
your hands to pray over the sick and minister to the weak. If you
aren’t touching them personally, your hands are writing letters,
dialing phones, baking pies. You have learned the power of a touch.

But others of us tend to forget. Our hearts are good; it’s just that
our memories are bad. We forget how significant one touch can be. We
fear saying the wrong thing or using the wrong tone or acting the wrong
way. So rather than do it incorrectly, we do nothing at all.

Aren’t we glad Jesus didn’t make the same mistake? If your fear of
doing the wrong thing prevents you from doing anything, keep in mind
the perspective of the lepers of the world. They aren’t picky. They
aren’t finicky. They’re just lonely. They are yearning for a godly
touch.

Jesus touched the untouchables of the world. Will you do the same?

Thank you this is beautiful... God bless you brother!!

This is the day that the Lord has made.. I will rejoice and be glad in it!! \0/

peacechild4 · #49 17th March 2007, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by LilBoo

Dear Father God i ask you in Jesus name to give courage and strengh to my brothers and sisters here, nothing is impossible if we believe. I ask for peace, health and protection for them. Bless them with your peace and love father God, in Jesus name amen...

Amen

Thank you sister!!

ChowdersMom · #50 19th March 2007, 02:05 PM

[Deleted]