The Dish

We are praying for revival at St. Paul’s.

The leaders of St. Paul’s are now fasting and praying for 40 days, seeking God and asking Him to send revival upon us. The congregation will be asked to fast and pray for 21 days, beginning March 14, to seek God and ask for revival. But fasting and prayer will accomplish little unless we come to the place of brokenness in our lives, when we say, “Lord, I have not measured up to Your standard of love; I have not lived a holy life; but I am willing to change. Please, Lord, change me.”

Revival means “to live again.” Maybe you feel something is missing in your life, that your life is off-balance. Maybe you long for a closer walk with the Lord. If so, God has placed within you a hunger and thirst for Himself. You are poised for revival!

Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
The word life (zoe) in the Greek means “the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God … life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed…” (Strong’s)

Jesus came to earth for this very purpose: to give us the absolute fullness of life, God’s life, a life devoted to Him, and Jesus came to give us this life in abundance, with wonderful intensity, not our common day-to-day existence, but a life superior to anything else we have ever experienced.

Do you want this God-life?

God loves with a great love the man whose heart is bursting with a passion for the IMPOSSIBLE.  - William Booth

What is the seeming “impossible” for us?

- That God would visit St. Paul’s mightily, powerfully, wonderfully.
- That the Holy Spirit would awaken our hearts, purify our lives, produce miracles and manifestations of His Presence.

God loves it when we believe Him to perform what is humanly impossible. God is honored and He honors that kind of faith.

I pray for that you would hunger for more of Him. I pray that you would receive an outpouring of His Spirit. I pray that you would know, experience, feel the God-life that He wants you to have. I pray for revival!

Here are just a few links to blogs giving a personal view of ministry to the people of Haiti following Tuesday’s earthquake.

New Vision Ministries
Samaritan’s Purse
World Vision
Compassion International
Rollings in Haiti
Hearts with Haiti

January 19, 2010 update: According to news reports, such as this Washington Post article, death toll estimates following the Haiti earthquake are now at 200,000. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, those who have lost loved ones, those who may remain trapped alive, and the many search and rescue teams working hard to find the lost.

Yesterday’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti was certainly a tragedy of historic proportions. The headline in today’s (Wednesday, January 13, 2009) Drudge Report reads: “Hell Came Up: 500,000 May Be Dead.” This headline references a detailed account here.

Although it appears “Hell Came Up,” I pray that “Heaven Will Come Down” and the power and love of Jesus Christ will now be demonstrated through His people.

- Please pray for the people of Haiti who are facing unimaginable suffering.
- Pray for the many Christian Missionaries who are trying to minister to thousands. Our church is praying for Kerry and Joy Reeves and their family with New Vision Ministries.
- And please send donations to support relief efforts such as Samaritan’s Purse.

You may also see this on YouTube.

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you’ve forgotten that I wasn’t actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. . . although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15:1-8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

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Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Hebrews 12.1-3

Never played sports? That doesn’t matter. You are, at this moment, dressed out (in uniform), on the field, living out the game of life before untold millions who have gone on before. These witnesses - including Abraham, Moses, Paul, Peter and many, many more - have worked and played, planted and harvested, suffered and struggled and given their lives to serve the King of Kings in this very world, on this very field that you find yourself.

Try as you may to remove your uniform and to quietly crawl into the stands to be a spectator, you will not be successful. Players who try to become spectators short-change themselves and the team by holding back their God-given gifts, abilities and time. The team suffers and the advancement of the Kingdom of God is delayed.

We have an obligation to continue the walk of faith (read Hebrews 11) of the witnesses for Christ who have gone before us. The great cloud of witnesses are not in the stands to cheer their favorite and boo another. They are there as living testimonials to the faithfulness of God in their lives.

We have an obligation to each other, to be “like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2.2). When players on the same team judge, condemn, criticize each other, the result is discord and division. This is not love, it is not of God and it is sin. Don’t be the weight, the hindrance, the impediment for your brother or sister in Christ.

Above all, we have an obligation to our God. Hebrews 12 is clear. We are to lay aside the weight and sin that most prevents our progress, play out the game on the field we have been given and keep our eyes on Jesus. In fact, we will forever keep our eyes on Him. That great cloud of witnesses in heaven are still fixing their eyes on Jesus at this very moment.

When you have followed the instructions of Hebrews 12 you will be able one day to confidently say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4.7).

According this video posted on Brietbart.tv, a Planned Parenthood Leader resigned after viewing an ultrasound of an abortion procedure.