"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." ~ Deuteronomy14:2
Sunday, April 5, 2009
An Intercessors Application of Romans 6:4
"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."*~ Romans 6:4
*A note about “newness”: Some translations translate Romans 6:4 to say “that we might live a new life.” But the original language actually uses a word that can only be translated “newness.” There is a difference between things that are “new” and the ongoing quality of “newness.” Things that are merely new can soon become old. But this verse declares that God’s purpose is for people to live in an ongoing and increasing reality of life that is ever renewed by the force of Christ’s own resurrection life.
God wants to give people new life. Talk about new life is common. To some people this means nothing more than making a fresh start, using their own resolve and resources to make another effort to live differently. This session of prayer will be dedicated to people who have struggled to see genuine change in their lives. They may have given God a trial run. Or they may have struggled inwardly for years. For whatever reason, they have just about given up on developing and sustaining a Christ like life. The very language about new life sounds to them like a way to strive instead of a different way of being alive. Come alongside such people with your prayers, pleading that the incredible transforming power of Christ’s life will be theirs.
Pray for sustained newness of life.
Is there any part of life that God can’t bring newness of Christ’s resurrected life? Mention in prayer any or all of the areas below with respect to a friend who has yet to follow Christ:
Psychological. Pray for the Father to bring Christ’s newness to every kind of depression, anxiety, obsession, or dysfunction.
Financial. Pray for the Father to bring prosperity and a renewed godly order to their financial affairs.
Relational. Pray for the Father to work powerfully in their ability to love selflessly, to bond faithfully, and to communicate freely.
Physical. The Father raised Jesus from physical death. Ask Him to exert that same power to bring renewed health to any malady or affliction.
Spiritual. Pray for the Father to overwhelm the stubborn power of spiritual darkness by His glory in the risen Christ. Ask God to free them from evil powers, to release them into a sustained appetite for right living, to be renewed in hope that Christ’s character will be theirs.
A Prayer for Us Today:
O Risen Lord, the way, the truth and the life, make us faithful followers of the spirit of your resurrection. Grant that we may be inwardly renewed; dying to ourselves in order that you may live in us. Teach us to number our days rightly, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by or like a watch in the night…May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands, O Lord, establish the work of our hands. (Ps. 90:12-17) We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You. (Ps. 33:20-22) May our lives serve as signs of the transforming power of your love. Use us as your instruments for the renewal of society, bring your life and love to all and leading them to your Church and this ministry. This we ask of you, Lord Jesus, living and reigning with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever. Amen.
The Word Is Alive... Breathing Life Into All Who Believe
Defying Gravity, John Elefante
2012 - Precious, Pleasant Stones, We Being Refined to be His Jewels
“And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.” ~ Isaiah 54:12
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." ~ Isaiah 61:10
In youth, we were all used to handling stones or kicking at them with our feet. Who hasn't picked up a stone and flung it through the air once or twice. At the time, it probably never occurred to us that something so common as a rock or a stone might have any value to it. Maybe today you feel common and ordinary, but as a child of God you are unique and precious in His sight! Our heavenly Father keeps a rock collection made up of people just like you and me. God sees value even in a lost soul, and through the blood of Christ, He brings the truth to the world - the realization that rocks can change!! Have you ever tried to change the shape of a rock with your own hands? It's impossible! Only the hand of the Lord can change us, but change IS possible!!
"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." ~ Mark 10:27
As in the case of the rock tumbler, a coarse grit is used on the first cycle, then a progressively finer grit. It may seem at present that the Lord's tumblings in your life are too abrasive, but it won't always be so. The smoother you become, the less abrasive He'll have to be. Yield to the process of perfection, for the end results are worth it! According to the directions for a rock tumbler, once the tumbling begins, it must continue till the cycle is finished. If the contents of the barrel are left standing for an extended period of time, the mixture will harden and become one solid cement-like cake. It's that way in our lives too. We need continual tumbling to keep our hearts from hardening again and the Lord knows it better than we do! Don't lose hope, don't give up - just patiently wait on God to bring about your beauty.
"As for God, his way is perfect" ~ Psalm 18:30
"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time" ~ Eccles. 3:11
Yes, through the various elements of nature such as wind, water, heat and pressure, over time this change is brought about in rocks. You know what's interesting about rocks? Each one is different. Some are larger or smaller. Some types are softer or harder. All this affects the tumbling process. The rocks that remain roughest after the first cycle must be taken out of the barrel, removed from the smoother ones so that they can continue to become smoother yet in the second cycle... Would you be one of those rocks that hindered the refining of another?? For good tumbling, it is instructed not to mix different types of material together in the barrel. For example, agates and amethysts when tumbled and polished together will not give the best results because the agates will chip the amethysts and neither will take a good polish. The bags of stones provided are wisely selected so that each individual bag can be tumbled and polished in one batch. God knows what He is doing in all our lives. Trust His tumblings! He knows precisely what people to put together in particular circumstances or trials of life because it is best for those selected, in order that each might take a good polish.
Yes, different rocks go through different changes, but if they change enough, they finally end up looking very much alike!! That should be our goal, ladies! Each one of us will experience some tumblings in life as we go through various forms of pressure at different times and for various lengths of time. However, the end result should be the same - we should all come out to be more like the image and likeness of Jesus Christ! Our lives as Christians should be bordered or outlined with pleasant stones. This is the reason for the pressure God's designing hand places upon us individually as He carves and polishes out the image of His precious Son in us. He brings out that which would otherwise never be seen by the world!
”He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light” ~ Job 28:9-11
"And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head." ~ Ezekiel 16:12
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in...
About Raising the Standard Series and the Renaissance Concept of the Two Books
UPDATE: 12/2011 - Completed Raising the Standard study. Character Sketches Volumes 1-3 are in the blog archives. New direction for 2012.
The seed of this topic and of the following topics in the "Raising the Standard" series was found in two wonderful volumes I received several years ago as a gift from a friend, Character Sketches, From the Pages of Scripture, Illustrated in the World of Nature, Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts Inc. 1983. For anyone who is not familiar with this publication, it is a wonderful "two books" approach to youth ministry... not only giving Scriptural lessons, but also giving examples in nature and educating youth both with the observable facts and stories of animal behaviors, and profiling Biblical characters who best exemplify each godly character topic key point. Highly recommended for all, but most particularly a very cohesive bible study for young people. It is a beautifully illustrated and informative set.
What's the two books approach?
Today’s theologians should seek a coherent way to integrate what we are learning about the natural world through the best science with what the Holy Scriptures tell us about the God of creation and redemption. Perhaps we could revive the Renaissance concept of the Two Books. According to the concept of the Two Books, nature is a book of revelation. Nature reveals to us something about the mind of God the creator. St. Paul alludes to the book of nature.
“Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.” ~ Romans 1:20
The second book, of course, is the Bible. In this book we learn of God the redeemer. Nature gives us general revelation, whereas the Bible gives us special revelation. The two books together provide the resources for understanding reality in relationship to God, the creator and redeemer.
"But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee: and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell the: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee." ~ Job 12:7-8
God wants to give people new life. Talk about new life is common. To some people this means nothing more than making a fresh start, using their own resolve and resources to make another effort to live differently. This session of prayer will be dedicated to people who have struggled to see genuine change in their lives. They may have given God a trial run. Or they may have struggled inwardly for years. For whatever reason, they have just about given up on developing and sustaining a Christ like life. The very language about new life sounds to them like a way to strive instead of a different way of being alive. Come alongside such people with your prayers, pleading that the incredible transforming power of Christ’s life will be theirs.
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