We continue with the idea that it takes teamwork to make the dream work. When the challenges and struggles come, what is it going to take to build towards that God-dream becoming reality. How can we keep that dream alive? Do we have a role to play in the process? What characteristics do we need to possess?
At the heart of this journey to realizing your dreams, you have to know God is not focused on the dream but YOU. He is desiring to mold, refine, transform you through this journey. He can use people, situations, circumstances, or whatever He wants but do we realize it?
In Genesis 41, we see it has been 2 years since Joseph helped the cup bearer get out of jail by interpreting his dreams. The only thing Joseph asked the cup bearer to do was remember him and mention to Pharaoh who helped him. But the cup bearer forgot about Joseph. Now 2 years have passed and Joseph is still in charge of the prison. What the Lord showed me from this is that situations, people, life will teach us about PATIENCE. You help people understand their situations, encourage them to fulfill their dreams, and you think they might remember you by extending some kindness with their influence. But what do you do when they forget about you? What do you feel when time just keeps going by with no progress in sight? Joseph is learning to be PATIENT in this season of his life. Why? Because where he is destined to be, he will need to exercise it. Could it be that was an area that needed strengthening in his life? How is the Lord teaching you patience? Who is he using? What circumstances in your life are demanding patience from you?
We get to chapter 42, and we read that Joseph now has encountered his long lost brothers for the first time. He knows who they are but they don't realize they are talking to their brother, the "dreamer", the one they got rid off. In verse 25, the Lord showed me the GOODNESS of Joseph on display. He had the authority now as the "prime minister" of Egypt to do whatever he wanted to them. You got the people who ridiculed you, hated you, hurt you, almost killed you, sold you off to strangers to another land standing in front of you. You have the power and resources to do whatever you want to them as revenge for all the pain they caused. What would you do? Joseph showed his goodness by not even taking their money for the food they came to buy. They didn't even realize it until they were on their way back home. Could we do that if put in a similar situation? When everything in our current reality screams for us to take revenge, hurt those who hurt you, we are called to show GOODNESS towards them. Where the dream will take you will require you to show the same goodness towards people you know or don't know, you like or don't like.
As we travel to chapter 43, the Lord showed me Joseph exercising LOVE. He saw his youngest and only full-brother, Benjamin after all these years and he is deeply moved to the point of having to walk away and just weeping. That bond and love for Benjamin showed me that Joseph wanted to love but didn't have anyone to love all these years. All the childhood memories of them playing in the fields with the sheep and all farm animals rushed back to his mind. We have to remember that Benjamin and everyone else still doesn't realize they are not just in the palace of Egypt's prime minister but of their own brother. Even when they don't realize it, deserve it, ask for it, can we still LOVE the people in our life. We are commanded by Jesus not to love only those who love us or who we think deserve it but love our enemies.
That's installment 2 of The Message That Wasn't Shared at church! Stay tuned for part 3.
Remember, it's God's dream for your life but you have a role to play in that dreaming becoming reality.
Enjoy The Ride,
Pastor Cee
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
The Message That Wasn't Shared At Church - Part 1
After weeks of thinking, praying, preparing, studying, receiving on this message, I didn't get a chance to share it at church. It was part 3 to the series: Dream Again (based on the life of Joseph). Part 3 focused on the familiar phrase, Teamwork Makes The Dream Work. I prepared my notes and sent the slides to the team to "beautify" it, they are coordinating all the details for presentation, and ready to go for Sunday morning. But when all you had planned was ready to move ahead and set to go in motion, you learn that if you allow Him to, He will always get the last Word.
The Holy Spirit started dealing with me the night before I had to preach this at church. I was reading through the necessary scriptures, notes, listening to some worship music and just asking God to be in control. At that moment, I sensed the Holy Spirit asking me if my plans are put on hold, would I be OK with it? You'd think I would immediately respond by saying, "Yes sure, go ahead." Of course I did...n't do that. I struggled with that question for a little bit from a human perspective and asked the Lord, why did I prepare all this time and work on this message? Deep down I know what I'm supposed to say and do but in that same deep place I know I want to share this planned message. At that point I reached out to our worship leader, Ancy, and sent her this message:
(We use that phrase - "jump off the cliff" - to challenge each other to trust the Lord will catch us when we step out in faith.)
I went to bed decided that I would trust Him as He leads on Sunday morning. I get to church and still the internal struggle is going on - should I preach the prepared message or should I guide the service as the Holy Spirit leads us that day? I knew He was preparing to do something unique this day. 15 minutes before service starts, I gave up. I went up to Ancy and the worship team and just told them, we are shifting away from the planned order of service and I'm not speaking the planned message and just going to share what He leads me to share. We are going to be up here throughout the service leading in worship and allowing for God to do His unique thing this day. I shared this "change in plans" with everyone in the prayer huddle before service. We all just went into prayer and trusted God while declaring, "Spirit lead us!"
Well, for the rest of the service, let's just say things went according to plan, not mine or ours, but His plan. (You had to be there, I can't describe it.) Let's just say, the Holy Spirit had a timely and prophetic WORD to the church, not a message on Teamwork Makes The Dream Work. Lives being touched by the power of God. There must be a weeping moment which turn into a worship. Weeping may last for a moment, but worship will last forever!
After church, I was led to not just ignore the "planned" message that never was shared at church but to share it through this blog this week. So I'm going to highlight the main points over the next couple of days. So I ask you to come back and visit the updates over the next couple of days.
The goal was and still is to show the reality that God needs a good teammate in Joseph to make the God-dream for Joseph's life become reality. That is the truth for us as well. God can place a dream inside us for His glory, but we have a huge role to play in how it all works out in the end. The Lord never will force His way into our lives and make us do anything. Jesus doesn't invade and demand our hearts to action. Jesus "knocks on the door" to our hearts and lives, waiting for us to choose to let Him in.
In Galatians 5:16, 17, and 25, we see the realities of our sinful nature being in constant struggle with what the Holy Spirit desires of us. It also shows that we live by the Spirit and if we do, we must be a good teammate with the Spirit. A good teammate sticks by you, stays close enough to do their part to help achieve the common goal. We need to team up with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in this journey of life to receive that dream and see it to reality.
Over the next couple of days, we'll journey through several chapters of Joseph's life and highlight some characteristics of a good teammate of God.
Enjoy The Ride,
Pastor Cee
The Holy Spirit started dealing with me the night before I had to preach this at church. I was reading through the necessary scriptures, notes, listening to some worship music and just asking God to be in control. At that moment, I sensed the Holy Spirit asking me if my plans are put on hold, would I be OK with it? You'd think I would immediately respond by saying, "Yes sure, go ahead." Of course I did...n't do that. I struggled with that question for a little bit from a human perspective and asked the Lord, why did I prepare all this time and work on this message? Deep down I know what I'm supposed to say and do but in that same deep place I know I want to share this planned message. At that point I reached out to our worship leader, Ancy, and sent her this message:
I went to bed decided that I would trust Him as He leads on Sunday morning. I get to church and still the internal struggle is going on - should I preach the prepared message or should I guide the service as the Holy Spirit leads us that day? I knew He was preparing to do something unique this day. 15 minutes before service starts, I gave up. I went up to Ancy and the worship team and just told them, we are shifting away from the planned order of service and I'm not speaking the planned message and just going to share what He leads me to share. We are going to be up here throughout the service leading in worship and allowing for God to do His unique thing this day. I shared this "change in plans" with everyone in the prayer huddle before service. We all just went into prayer and trusted God while declaring, "Spirit lead us!"
Well, for the rest of the service, let's just say things went according to plan, not mine or ours, but His plan. (You had to be there, I can't describe it.) Let's just say, the Holy Spirit had a timely and prophetic WORD to the church, not a message on Teamwork Makes The Dream Work. Lives being touched by the power of God. There must be a weeping moment which turn into a worship. Weeping may last for a moment, but worship will last forever!
After church, I was led to not just ignore the "planned" message that never was shared at church but to share it through this blog this week. So I'm going to highlight the main points over the next couple of days. So I ask you to come back and visit the updates over the next couple of days.
The goal was and still is to show the reality that God needs a good teammate in Joseph to make the God-dream for Joseph's life become reality. That is the truth for us as well. God can place a dream inside us for His glory, but we have a huge role to play in how it all works out in the end. The Lord never will force His way into our lives and make us do anything. Jesus doesn't invade and demand our hearts to action. Jesus "knocks on the door" to our hearts and lives, waiting for us to choose to let Him in.
In Galatians 5:16, 17, and 25, we see the realities of our sinful nature being in constant struggle with what the Holy Spirit desires of us. It also shows that we live by the Spirit and if we do, we must be a good teammate with the Spirit. A good teammate sticks by you, stays close enough to do their part to help achieve the common goal. We need to team up with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in this journey of life to receive that dream and see it to reality.
Over the next couple of days, we'll journey through several chapters of Joseph's life and highlight some characteristics of a good teammate of God.
Enjoy The Ride,
Pastor Cee
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)