My wife, Kat, and I have been attending a small church in Greenview, MO called Lake Hill Community Church and we have been blessed by the sermons each Sunday we have been able to attend. This post is a result of something God said to me during the sermon.
Kat and I started Restoration Farm to achieve our own personal dreams but also to do what we believe God has been preparing us for the past 60 or so years. I believe that our calling in life often has to do with the experiences, the training and the gifts that we have.
For me that calling is to be a servant and a comforter to the broken, the hurting and the rejected. Our pastor, Mike Knapp, said something that struck me and I will add a little to it. "Grace is God's personal influence on our lives. God's peace has come, is coming and will come through Jesus Christ."
Within those two little sentences, which, may not be exactly what Mike said but it is what God said to me as he spoke are some very powerful truths. As followers of Jesus we need to constantly keep in mind that the peace Jesus brought to us is not something we have to work up, it is ours each and every moment of the day. All we have to do is tap into the influence of the Holy Spirit and it is there. We often do not experience it because we let the cares of this world drown it.
Here is where I add my part to what Mike said. Please remember it is me speaking not Mike. I believe that God can instantly heal the sick, that He could instantly mend the wounded and that He could forgive the sinner without they ever attending a church or have contact with another follower of Jesus. BUT He rarely does it that way. He most often uses people who have experienced healing, people who have experienced being mended and people who have overcome to get involve with those who need His touch.
Often people who are experiencing turmoil find peace within a relationship with a follower of Jesus. It isn't because the follower is such a peaceful person but it is because of the influence of the Holy Spirit that was poured out in the life of the believer at baptism. Through a person who has been healed, mended or gifted God touches other human beings.
My last note I took was, "The unity of the body of Christ is more important than what we know or what we believe." Within the body of Christ are many denominations. Each has it's strengths and it's weaknesses. Not one has all of the truth or all of the gifts. The Kingdom of God works best when the body is unified and each person is doing their part to being focus on Jesus and this is often done by sharing how Jesus has influenced our lives.
Mike I apologize if I got off track but as I listened this is what I got from your message. I actually got a lot more than this but this is what I decided to share at this time.
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