Christ Our Rebar

Connected with the last two sermons, Pastor Rick shares how Christ is our strength, inviting us to stop struggling; stop escaping.  Instead, surrender, relax, let go and let Him display His strength in the midst of your weakness.  Let Him have control of you and your life and your circumstances and discover what Paul discovered when Christ’s rebar strengthens your concrete. 

Pastor Rick also "translated" 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 into his own words to help us understand it.  Here is his elaboration: 

Christ said, “My graciousness of manner and actions, my benefit, favor, joy, liberality, and pleasure is enough for you.  You don’t need anything else.  I will suffice. Because, my miraculous wonderful mighty violent power is made complete and is accomplished in your feebleness of mind and body amid any of your maladies, frailties, diseases or infirmities, or sicknesses.”  Because Christ said this, with great pleasure I would rather boast about and rejoice in my weakness, frailty, feeble mind and body, that the miraculous mighty power and ability of Christ will tent upon me and abide upon me and rest upon me like the ancient Shekinah glory of God rested upon the tabernacle.  Instead of relying upon my own strength, I will rest in His.”
 

Are we relying on our own strength or resting in His?  Is Christ your rebar?

LET US PRAY!

Listen as Pastor Rick takes us a little further down the path of becoming a Praying Church.  Will you join us?

LET THE FIRE FALL

Listen as Pastor Rick links three Biblical moments of God's presence and teaches us to pray for God's blessing in like manner. 

Close

What does it mean to live close to God?  Often we think of this idea as applying to someone else.  We think of it in terms of great saints and Bible characters.  We tend not to think of it as applying to ourselves. 

Yet, this is exactly what God desires and what His Word commands.  We are commanded to “Be holy,” “Live righteously,” “Walk in the Light,” and “Walk by faith.”  All of these things demand that we live close to the Lord.

When we understand this, our natural reaction is to try harder to read our Bibles and pray more, but we soon tire of this just as we do of diets and New Year resolutions.  Why?  Because we are trying to create spirituality in our own strength. 

While Bible reading and prayer are certainly elements of drawing closer to God, these exercises are only part of it.  The most important part is time: time spent in His presence; time just talking to Him; time spent thinking and meditating and learning to know His voice; because He promised if we would draw near to Him, He would draw near to us.

So the real key is not the drawing near that we do, but the drawing near He does: for it is in the secret of His presence where we may abide and in the shadow of the Almighty where we may find rest (Psalm 31:20, & 91:1).

        This week I challenge you to seek out the presence of the Lord.  It may not happen right away, but read that Bible and spend time to draw near to the Lord.  He will honor it!