The Shout That Stopped God!
THIS PAST SUNDAY we co-preached on the faith and persistence of blind Bartimaeus, who refused to be shushed in his desire for Jesus to heal him.
Bartimaeus is a great example of someone who refuses to stay passive, but instead is proactive in going in all-in for following Jesus.
In particular, we focused on two ideas:
How we need to not allow the ‘fear of man’ (which of course means men or women) to hold us back from displaying a bold, hungry, persistent faith.
That when Jesus looks us in the eye and lovingly asks, ‘What would you like me to do for you?’, we must be willing to make a big, audacious request that can bring maximum return for God and the advance of His Kingdom!
We preached this sermon at Renew Communities in Cleveland, which is a wonderful church we’ve known through their lead pastor Andy Sikora since the early days of their being planted a decade ago.
You can watch it here (about 35 minutes long). My mic is a bit weird sounding at first, but it clears up!
** SERMON STARTS at 41:56 mark - although the worship is exceptional at Renew Communities! **
Live It Out
Is there anywhere in your life right now where the fear of man is holding you back?
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if that’s the case. If something/ someone comes to mind, simply confess and repent, and ask God to fill you afresh with His boldness and faith.What are you asking Jesus to do for you at this time?
It’s okay to ask for personally meaningful things - such as healing, provision, or relational help - but let’s also ask for some even more audacious things too.
DON’T FORGET: the ‘cake’ of God’s goodness is of an unlimited size, so we don’t need to hold back in our requests for fear that His resources will run out or we’re taking from someone else’s slice!
And if you want to grow even more…
Equipping for Mission Coaching Cohort
Imagine if in just 12 month’s time you and your team had gone far deeper into BOTH missional thinking AND everyday practice?
How many more lost people would be impacted and discipled to faith in Jesus?
A 12 month process where we will personally walk you through the core material on missional thinking and practice.
Practical homework throughout each month that will force you to learn and grow in different skills (for instance, actually naming your Person of Peace and working out your next steps with them). As a group we will reflect upon those experiences and subsequently make course corrections to increase our fruitfulness.
Increased confidence to train others in Biblically sound, pastorally wise and faith-filled ways. Our aim is that you can take what we share and, mixed in with your experiences, be able to equip your church.
CLICK HERE to find out more about this exceptional year-long dynamic training process.
* The next group will begin later this spring - we are a couple of sign-ups away from starting, so jump in quickly!
