“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
Joel Munoz cited this verse to remind us how important our hearts are.
Pastor Josiah introduced our guest speaker Ross Johnston. Ross admonished us to not take
our pastor or the staff for granted, for we have something special here at FC. “Not all pastors are created equal. Not all moments are equal. You have an incredible staff and pastor. “ God’s story and our stories are converging.
He had a word for FC from 1 Samuel 1:9-18. It is the familiar story about Hannah at the Temple. She was praying and crying. Eli thought she was drunk, but Hannah said,
”I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking
wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not
take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying out
of my great anguish and grief.” 1 Samuel 1:15-16 (NIV)
Eli answered and blessed her, ”May the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of
him.” 1 Samuel 1:17 (NIV) How do these verses apply to FC? The promise is yet to come.
There may be weeping in the church as we desire the presence of the LORD. Continue to be
hungry for God. The blessing will come. Just like in the hospital before a baby is born, there
may be crying and shouting. Then when the baby is birthed, the joy and peace flow.
Ross shared his background. He was an IVF baby who has two lesbian mothers. He was
ignorant of anything relating to the LORD or the church, but he did go to church as a fifteen year old. He heard about Jesus there, but he had never read the Bible. He prayed to the LORD, ”I have to know you.” He was not satisfied with having a good job, a good house, a good salary or living a good life. “That is not enough. “
Ross graduated from high school and then came to SD for college. He lived in La Mesa for four years and was not participating in a church, was not reading the Word. He did what the world told him to do. He tried to figure life out on his own. Then in 2020 the pandemic came, and Ross saw the destruction. He realized that “I was born to confront and destroy evil for such a time as this.“ He had a moment with God in his room. He was crying and repentant. The LORD led him to some people who had the same hunger for the LORD. They decided to go to Huntington Beach with no permits and a big sound system to talk about Jesus with people. They shared Jesus, and people got saved and were baptized.
People say there is no hope for California, but God…If you do not know your past, you will not usher in the promises of your future,” stated Ross. In the last one hundred years, California has had four incredible moves of God: The Azusa Street Revival-In the early 1900’s William Seymore was hungry for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but he was not allowed to sit in the classroom. So he sat outside. He did not let racism stop him. He was hungry for God and nothing else. He began preaching about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but the church did not like that. So he went to preach at a small house in LA, and the revival began.
Aimee Semple McPherson-in the early 1920’s she preached the Word of God and thousands of people came to the LORD and were healed. Her ministry “crossed ethnic, cultural and political boundaries.”( christianity.com ) She purchased a radio station, founded a Bible college (Life Pacific University in 1923) and opened the doors to Angelus Temple in 1923 debt free. Billy Graham-He launched his ministry in 1947 in LA. His simple and direct preaching about God’s love for a dying world changed millions of people’s lives all over the world. He preached to 2.2 billion people; 215 million saw him in live events; and 2.2 million people at the crusades “responded to the invitations to become a Christian.” ( research.lifeway.com ) The Jesus movement in the 70’s saw thousands of people accept Jesus as their Lord. They said they would never come to church, but they came to the LORD!
Ross declared,”Our generation needs to see God’s move with our own eyes.” We need to take ownership of our faith and never go back. “Our generation has been passed the baton. Will you sign up?” Do not wait to serve God! Serve now!
The next focus was on the ways, works, wonders and words of God. First is God’s ways. His
arms are not too short, but America has become apathetic. God’s greatest desire is for you and me. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve walked with God. But by Exodus the holiness of God was clear, and people were separated. In John 3:16 God gave…. Revelation 21:3
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ’Look!
God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he
will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God
himself will be with them and be their God.” (NIV)
God’s greatest desire is to be with His people.
Though God’s greatest desire is to fellowship with you and me, people do not live with Jesus as their Savior because they have never experienced God. They have not had a heart experience with Jesus. Every person has a God shaped hole in her/his heart. The biggest gap is the distance from the brain to the heart. Until the Father God fathers you, TikTok will father you. Or Netflix will father you. Or our culture will father you. You will be fathered by the world. Either choose Father God or the father the devil. Our God will respond to you!
The works of God is second. God spoke and the oceans were created; the world was created. He saw it was good. But an even more important point is in Ephesians 1:3-4
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual
blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation
of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” (NIV)
Our Abba Father chose us even before the world was created. What a concept. We are His
beloved, His daughters and sons. Relish that thought.
Then there are are wonders of God. We deserved separation from God for our sins; however,
He sent His only Son to live, die, and defeat death with His resurrection! Many people believe in the crucified Christ. We need to cling to the resurrected Christ. If you hunger for God, He will fill you. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 (NIV) Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, who will baptize you with the fire of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is part of your life, you will want to spend an hour in His Word rather than an hour on Instagram.
Finally are the words of God. When John the Baptist baptized Jesus,
“… a voice from heaven said, ’This is my Son, whom I love;
With him I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:17 (NIV)
Jesus needed God’s affirmation, and He got it! The ways, works, wonders and words of God
help us realize the magnificence of our Abba Father and His love.
May we surrender to the Lord our hearts, minds and spirits so that we can be light and salt in
this darkened world.
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