The Church

The Church
Elevation Worship

We are the change
the world is waiting for
We've got a love
the world is desperate for
We will lead
and take to your streets
Now's the time for us to rise
and carry hope and let love shine
and show this world that mercy is alive
Now's the time for us to rise
and carry hope to hopeless eyes
and show this world that mercy is alive

We're not afraidwe will abandon all
to hear your name
on lips across the world
we will run
in the wake of your love

Fill our hearts with your compassion
let our love be active here

     This past weekend, I was able to go to Charleston with the women in my family. The women in my family are very diverse in their opinions about pretty much everything in life:) While listening and disscussing many different issues with my family, the Lord continued to open my eyes about many things. There are people hurting around us. I mean REALLY hurting. It could be depression, relationship issues, a health problem, and many things I cant even think of. If you are hanging out around the church, you know there are hurting people inside. But what about those who don't know Jesus? They are hurting and hopeless. If you are a believer, you may be in a difficult situation, but you have the almighty God carrying you through. What if you were walking alone in this world?
     Before I went to work as a teacher, I knew little of the hurt and hopelessness in this world. I was surrounded by believers in college. We worshipped and prayed together. On occasion, we would go out on campus and find people to share the gospel with. Afterwards, you felt like you could check something off of the list.
     Now, I am around quite a few non-believers. People who are clueless to the love of Christ. They want to be rescued but don't even know what they need to be rescued from. Instead of filling our hearts with concern for these people, we spend our time concerned with whether or not someone else in the church is being "godly" enough. We criticize other believers for what they are wearing to church or what type of music they are listening to. I am so guilty of this! I love how this song describes how the church should be. I have been challenged this fall to analyze what in my life is holding me back from reaching the lost. Should I have 3 or 4 kids if I want to be intentional in reaching into other's lives? Should I aspire to be a stay at home mom one day or stay at work? I so do not have the answers to these questions but I have been challenged to think about them. How can we be the church the world is waiting for?

Why didn't you come sooner?

"Beneath the Waters"
Hillsong Cornerstone

This is my revelation
Christ Jesus crucified
Salvation through repentance
At the cross on which He died

I will rise, I will rise
As Christ was raised to life
Now in Him, now in Him
I live

Now hear my absolution
Forgiveness for my sin
And I sink beneath the waters
That Christ was buried in

I will rise, I will rise
As Christ was raised to life
Now in Him, now in Him
I live

I stand a new creation
Baptized in blood and fire
No fear of condemnation
By faith I'm justified
I rise as You are risen
Declare Your rule and reign
My life confess Your Lordship
And glorify Your Name
Your Word it stands eternal
Your Kingdom knows no end
Your praise goes on forever
An on and on again

No power can stand against You
No curse assault Your throne
No one can steal Your glory
For it is Yours alone
I stand to sing Your praises
I stand to testify
For I was dead in my sin

I will rise, I will rise
As Christ was raised to life
Now in Him, now in Him
I live
     I've already mentioned the book Undaunted in another post but WHOA is the Lord speaking to me through this book! I just wanted to share a story from the chapter that I read last night. Christine describes a night that her and her friends were lost in one of Australia's rainforests. Her description seemed miserable. She was cold, hungry, and the worst part about it was that no one knew that they were lost. I figured she was using the story as an illustration but when I got to that illustration, I was blown away. One of her friends decided to leave the rest of the group to look for help. It was a huge risk for him to go by himself. The boy came back the next morning with help. The feeling of being saved was incredible. A feeling that she would never forget. But she took it a step further. The Lord wants to save EVERY soul. We need to remember what its like to be unable to get out of the dark on our own. We as believers need to hold in our hearts the feeling of being saved and remember what it was like to be lost.
     Christine and her husband rescue girls who are sex slaves in Europe. One girl asked her why she had not come sooner. Wow! This causes tears for me and I do NOT cry easily. Do I look at every lost person like that. Why am I not coming sooner? Do I not remember what it was like to be lost? The Lord has used Caine to remind me that no rescue can come soon enough!

Here I am, Lord. Send me! Isaiah 6:8

Encouraged

This fall I have been able to read a couple of books that have really encouraged me in my relationship with the Lord. My amazing pastor, Steven Furtick, wrote a book called Greater based on the life of Elisha. He challenges us to pray for the Lord to reveal what is holding us back from complete surrender to Him and to start acting instead of sitting on our behinds. Bradley and I read this together and with our egroup.

 

The other book I read this fall was by another amazing preacher, Christine Caine. She and her husband started a ministry in Europe to rescue girls who are sex slaves and build them up in a life in Christ. They also have another ministry called Project Europe which focuses on training believers in Europe to become leaders. The Lord has given me a love for Europe so when I heard this it quickly caught my attention. The book undaunted teaches about how to face fear. If you are looking for a good read, check these out!!