May 27th, 2008
Aloha!!! God is doing things beyond all that we could ask or imagine! He is challenging and changing His people! He is seeking and saving the lost! He is alive!!!
Isn't that encouraging?!? He isn't a cardboard statue or even a brilliant masterpiece in a town square. He is the living God over all creation who stands in the midst of all of our lives and says, come to me, I will make you new, I will never leave you or forsake you, I am the Alpha and Omega, I am the Redeemer, Restorer and the Righteous King who lived, died and was raised for you, I LOVE YOU!!!
So, does God want to move in and through you today as you seek to glorify Him? It seems like a question that we should be able to answer quickly, yet in the midst of the church it seems as if there is a serious lack of eager expectation of our Messiah. (By the way, as we are typing this we just received a call to pray for a brother who is in serious pain with gallstones. What an opportunity to practice praying with expectancy!!!)
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
(Ephesians 3:14-21)
Today we pray that we would all come to the Lord with expectancy. Wherever you are. Wherever you've been. God is calling you eagerly wait and expect Him to move a world to receive His promises and react to His love.
Here are a few practical stories to testify that our Lord is alive and active today:
For the past month we have been praying that God would provide a van or two for our time in Hawaii, yet as we pulled up to the terminal at LAX there had been no clear distinction where or how the Lord was providing. Upon arriving in Honolulu the Lord provided us with a cheap rental van and even more incredible - a free 15 passenger van for the whole month! The Lord testified that His fingerprints were all over this provision when we found out that the pastor who drove that van daily left the island one day before we arrived and will return one day after we leave. The Holy Spirit had both our schedules worked out without us ever discussing it!
Thank you for praying for the Jesus Loves You North Shore Outreach. Over 80 kids received the Lord and many more were moved to make decisions to for the Lord. We had the opportunity to see a community come together to love the lost. Please continue to pray that God would provide fruit that lasts on the North Shore and that the church would continue to be unified and connected as they follow Jesus.
We have also seen the Lord provide us with housing and food for our time in Hawaii. God has continually shown us His church being the church in the midst of our needs. Time and time again the Lord has blessed us with hospitable homes that have shared the grace and peace of the Lord with our team.
“Lord, through all the generations You have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.”
(Psalm 90:1,2)
Dinners and prayer meetings have become commonplace in the midst of fellowship. Almost every time we end with on our knees bent before our Father as a large family thanking Him and pleading with Him for His Spirit to fall on the Island.
So, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."
(Matthew 7:7)
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
(Isaiah 55:8,9)
The Lord also allowed us to spend time leading the North Shore youth group. In fact the Pastor had asked us to pray and seek the Lord for an encounter of the Holy Spirit through worship. That night was special because a whole room of students took a stand for Jesus. Time was spent worshipping and praying over each other as the Lord ministered His love throughout the room.
We also have had the opportunity to lead life groups at some of the local Calvary Chapels. God has given us some intense times of worship, fellowship and studying His Word. In fact, spending time in the life groups has reminded us of what the Lord says in Hebrews 10:24,25, "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."
However the greatest moment thus far had to be last night.
After some amazing time with some students at a youth group "all-nighter", Landon had gotten REALLY sick. In fact he was so sick and in so much pain that he couldn't move. We all laid hands on him in prayer and had some of the guys stayed in the van with him while we continued to minister and lead worship.
A little while later Eric was told that it was time to take Landon to the emergency room. Eric stopped what he was doing and asked the Lord for His leading. Soon after Eric began to share with the kids that now was the time to come to the Lord and to seek His healing for Landon. We figured that the Lord could take us to the ER to minister to someone, but it seemed as if the Lord wanted to use Landon as a testimony to show these kids that God is the healer and giver of life.
So we split the kids off in groups to pray and then a few of the leaders went out to the van to pray for Landon. As we prayed, it became evident that the Lord wanted Landon to stand. After some prayer and a time of waiting we asked Landon to get up.
"Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well."
(James 5:14,15)
Landon arose fully restored!! Some pastors testified later that they were given worship songs while we were praying. Others testified that the Lord had given them prayers of thanksgiving before Landon was even healed. A few even agreed that the Lord had told them to tell Landon to arise.
So at 2 a.m. we walked into a room of about 50 students who had been praying for Landon and began to testify and worship the Lord together. What a testimony to all who were still awake.
“O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.”
(Psalm 30:2)
We are so stoked and excited for what the Lord is doing here in Hawaii, but we are also preparing and looking forward to what God is going to do in the Philippians when we get to serve in Dumaguete City June 13th to June 25th.
"But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."
(Philippians 3:12-14)
Joyfully serving Jesus,
TAKE NO GLORY TEAM
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