Fasting Encouragement Day Three
Dear Gateway Family,
First of all, you are amazing! My heart truly overflows with admiration and love for you all. I have the privilege of reaching out to everyone who signed up to help get the Outreach Centre up and running. I can already see that as a church family, you have taken to heart this call to fast in such a way that you dedicate your time and energy to preparing a place to minister to our community. I pray that as you come to serve, your heart and soul would be ignited with the power of the Gospel of Truth that is unto salvation.
I believe this is a time when we, as a society at large, are realizing our need for salvation. We are becoming aware of the great need we have as humanity; we are all susceptible to the same things. Rich or poor, we need a Saviour for our souls. Not just for eternity, but for the present.
As Christians, it has challenged us to truly know the application of our faith and what salvation means to us day to day, in real life. How do we live our faith? Our faith is being tested. Do we believe what the Bible says? Do we know what the Bible says? For too long we have been able to “coast”. As Josh outlined yesterday, persecution and trial can be the great catalysts of the furtherance of the Gospel. May it be so for us as a Gateway Family!
Our scripture to meditate on today is Philippians 1:27-30
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,[a] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”
I find myself asking the question, "Am I living in a manner that shows the power of the Gospel?” I believe in healing, but I want to see it manifest in my life! I believe in deliverance from evil spirits and afflictions, but I want to be activated and pray for people to be set free! I believe in the infilling of the Holy Spirit and power, but I want to position myself to seek the Lord and be filled each day! The Bible says we will be clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49), and I say YES LORD! Let it be!
In the NLT translation, verse 28 says “don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies”. As we walk in this power, let us not be intimidated by the trials and challenges that come, but let us be press in to the Word and the Spirit and wait for the Lord to do this work of salvation in and through us.
One final word. Let’s make sure that our speech matches that of the Word and is “worthy of the Gospel of Christ”. There is so much information coming at us from every direction, and with that, so much stipulation, opinion, fear, and projecting what the future holds. As Christians our message MUST be different than that of the world. Our message MUST be faith, hope, and love through CHRIST JESUS. We must remain in a spirit of “love, power, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7), not to mention “unity in the Spirit”. Ouch. Unity is a big deal to Jesus. That’s where he chooses to pour out His Spirit. The only way we reach unity is by being in the Spirit of Christ.
Let us therefore enjoy His presence! Soak in His goodness! If you don’t know what to do and find yourself not “in the Spirit”, put on some worship music, turn your attention to the Lord and focus your mind on what the Word says. Dare I say, become intoxicated by His Spirit?! (Ephesians 5:18) Go ahead, get a little woozy right now.
See you on Sunday!
Love and peace to you,
Pastor Amy