Eye Witness part 1
I don't know why it is, but it seems like the whole church world has kind of gotten things backwards. Instead of resting in a finished work, we always seem to be trying to finish the work. I hear things like, "P.U.S.H. Pray until something happens." And I'm like, is that what prayer is really all about? Trying to make something happen? Or is prayer about talking to Daddy? Because, as far as I know, everything that needed to happen already happened. It's like we're still waiting for a move of God when God already moved. That's what the cross was. We don't need a move of God. We need a revelation of Jesus. We need to know what the move of God WAS. And what it means for us today. We're not supposed to take the Kingdom of violence by force. Daddy gave it to us. All we need to do is receive it and release it. Or even faith. We think, "If I believe it, I'll see it." But that's not faith. That might be hope. Look at Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Faith comes by hearing. Or, if I can mix my metaphor a little bit, by seeing. Because when you live from the inside out, it's all about the heart. You think with the heart, you hear with the heart, you see with the heart. And here's my point: We don't "believe" in the hopes that we'll see. We believe IN what we see! It's always interesting to me how many times in the Old Testament man asked God to prove Himself. To give us a sign. And God never rebuked anyone about it. He didn't mind showing people who He was. In fact, that's why He sent His only beloved Son--to show us the Father! And, as always, our "job" is to simply receive it and release it. To be a witness, right? But here's the thing about a witness, he's only reliable if he's sharing his experience. Acts 22:15 says, "For thou shat be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heart." Did you catch that? When you "share your faith" you're not supposed to go to great lengths to try to make God seem... well... like anything, really. All you're supposed to do is share what you've got. Tell people what you've seen and heard. And guess what: A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument. Knowing ABOUT someone isn't even close to the same things as KNOWING someone. And that's what God wants for us. He wants us to KNOW Him. The Bible is an awesome tool, but it doesn't compare to the Holy Spirit living inside us. I've always said, unless you know the author (God) the book can get you into a lot of trouble. Once again, we get things twisted. We put more emphasis on written words than on THE WORD of God--which is Jesus, which is love. So. As witnesses we aren't trying to conjur anything up, or talk anybody up. What's that line from that old cop show? "Just the facts, ma'am." Well, in our case it's, "Just the truth." The truth of what we've seen and heard. The truth of what we've experienced. And that's exactly what Jesus was talking about when He gave us the New Commandment. A New Commandment for a New Man, right? Love one another AS Jesus has loved you. Receive it and release it. Share what you've got. Don't try to be someone you're not, or give something you don't have. That's impossible. Just tell people about how good it is--from your own experience. What YOU'VE seen and heard. What YOU'VE felt. What YOU've experienced. What YOU'VE witnessed!