Sunday
Recap @ da Chapel
Pastor Joshua Goodin
2 Chronicles 7:1 (NRSV)
“Getting the House in Order: When the Church is Lit” Pt. 3
The fire of God falls in the house and moves in such a way that the hearts of the people are pierced and shifted into worship, into thanksgiving, and into praise. At some point you have to get over some things. The fire can’t fill the house, because there is so much dysfunction taking up space in the house. You want the presence of God and the fire of God to consume you and land on you, but you are so dysfunctional. Fire can protect and fire can destroy. Fire can also bind things together. Things are the strongest in places where they have been joined by fire. What is God trying to burn off of you, that you keep trying to recover? God wants to burn some things from your life because it's hindering you from where he wants to take you. When God wants to set you apart for work, he has to burn some things off of you.
*It begins with prayer. God can answer your prayers that fast and with a sign. God’s fire is never out of control. There's some stuff that you tried to label as the movement of God in church and there's nothing but confusion and acts of foolishness. There are things that you say and do in the name of the Lord that have nothing to do with God, he doesn't get the glory. The only person that gets the glory is you. The reason the fire came is because God was pleased with what was going on in the house. The presence of God confirms that you are in alignment with what God has spoken for the house.
*Understand the power of prayer. Do you pray that God will move in such a way that the spirit of God can move, or do you just show up? Sometimes you find yourself chasing fires running from this service to that service to this service. Have you grown up, have you matured, have you become a better Christian? You go to several church services on a Sunday and you're still mean, you still don't pray, and you still don't get in your word. You need to ask God to deliver you from being a devil in a pew. The worst thing you can do is to go to church every Sunday and die and go to hell.
*Can the house go up when the priest is not there? Sometimes you sit, wait, and linger. Ask God to help you to stand in the gap so whatever needs to be done, gets done. Thank God there are some people who stand in the gap and pray for you. Somebody else prayed for you and it's your responsibility to pray for someone else.
*When the church is lit the people are united. If you're going to experience God today everybody has to play their part. It is when you don't feel like it when you have to praise God the most. When you don't feel like it, that's when you ought to tell God thank you. God has done too much for you to have someone else cry out for you. If God never blesses you again, how many jams has he gotten you out of? Thank God even when you go places you shouldn’t go, and do things you shouldn’t do, because his presence is always there. God will be with you even when you don’t want him to be. Your outcome should have been a lot more different than what it is.
*Don’t ever be embarrassed about what you have, just give it to God. If all you have is a $1, give it to God. God honors the one who only has $1 to give, over someone that has $1000 and only gives $1. God is looking at the heart of the giver not the amount that you give you have access to the one who can give you everything that you need. Even if you don't have a lot of money in your bank account you should still walk around like you’re rich. You are connected to the giver of all things and when you are in obedience to the will and the commands of God, God will release blessings on your life. Get rid of some stuff not just because you can't fit it, but so that you can be a blessing to somebody else. The reason why you can't get something new is because you ain't got room for it. Sometimes you have to be willing to release some things. God wants you to get rid of some things because he wants to change how people see you. God is changing and shifting you, so that when you take off the old stuff you are walking into a brand new you. Everyone that doubted you and put you in a box saying that you will only get to this level and only be able to do that, tell God thank you for those people. Now you are stepping in a new direction and changing your mindset. Thank God for every naysayer that said you couldn’t go any further, and you are exceeding that expectation.