Epiphany: Rethink change and awaken love and joy

1. January 6 is observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles 

2. an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being

3. a usually sudden manifestation or perception or an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure

Whether we think about the Wise Men and the Epiphany they experienced through the star and their toilsome journey and their years of research and seeking…

Or we identify Zechariah who had nine months to rethink his Epiphany from the angel about having a son…

Or consider the Epiphanies experienced by Mary or Joseph or the shepherds, some of whom had multiple encounters with angels or dreams or Holy Spirit… 

We find that sudden revelation from God caused an awakening and brought a paradigm shift - a new worldview, a new hierarchy of values. Everything changed in their lives and in their responses to what was happening because now they were aware that God had caused the awakening in their minds and hearts, and He not only loved them but had special purpose for them.

Did you experience any Epiphanies in your thinking this Advent and Christmas?

Did you have the joy of helping someone else awaken more to God’s love and joy?

God awakened his love in the wise men through their study of nature. To others he used dreams, angels, and His Holy Spirit. 

Rethink how God stirs people in different ways to become open to the power of the gospel.

Take a 21 day challenge to pray and ask someone what they are thinking about the world or God or life etc… and see where God is at work everyday.’

See if serving or sharing with them, or having a cup of coffee or meal or activity together may lead to them seeking and having an awakening.

For six weeks pray about how God wants to change the rhythms in your daily and weekly grind to include someone as a possible disciple.

It takes 40 days/six weeks to change behavior because of "Limbic lag” but only 21 days to exchange a new habit for an old one.

-PD

Sharing our faith and spiritual gifts

Sharing our faith and spiritual gifts begins in our own relationship with Jesus Christ—not some time in the past but today—as in morning and evening prayer, and simple prayers through the day such as, “Lord, Jesus have mercy on me a sinner.”

     

One indicator of relationship is communication and communion (life share in common). The devil does not want us to actually think and feel and discern when we pray and listen to the Scripture. He wants us to ignore it, or hurry through it, or perhaps use it to justify ourselves and compare to others. But that is not a love relationship with Jesus Christ.

     

Have you ever started a prayer with actually praying any of the following things: "Awaken my heart. Stir my emotions and imagination. Help me to be thankful. Slow my mind down. Calm my restless flesh and appetites. Let me see how you look on me—surely you look with mercy, compassion and love on me a sinner and unworthy servant. I want to know you, love you and walk with you better. 

One phrase I pray pretty much daily goes something like this: “Lord, help us pray, pray in us, and have your good effect in us as you open your word to us.

     

This is not a formula, but God did specify a "due order” of "thanksgiving and praise, meditation and contemplation) in the Psalms (Psalm 95 and 100). They practiced this in Tabernacle and Temple worship and sacrifices and offerings (think of renewal under Ezra and Nehemiah).

     

Jesus' model prayer, "Our father in heaven," begins with us lifting our hearts (inner eyes of the spirit to Know Christ’s love - Eph 1:17-18, & 3:16-18). I have found it helpful to ask God's help (grace) to become aware of Him (who He is and who we are-being "re-made" in his image as we contemplate Him 2 Cor 3:17-18).

     

It has been said the regular prayer (as in morning and evening) enlarges our heart to be more filled with Christ, his word and spirit and love. The fruit of that is an overflow of prayer for others, sharing our faith and exercise of spiritual gifts in love.

     

I found this beautiful description of a way to do this. Contemplate his face as he looked at these persons in need. He looks at you in this way as well. Perhaps it will help you contemplate or imaginatively meditate on how he sees you. May you encounter Jesus and his word in a new or renewed way.

We could ask, "How does God look upon us?" Although in John 1:18, we read, "No one has ever seen God," we also know that Jesus is the very expression and image of God and made him visible to us in the flesh (Col 1:15; Hebrews 1:3). 

What did those who approached Jesus with humble and sincere hearts see in his eyes? For example: the Samaritan woman when she met him at the well in John 4; and what did Levi see in Jesus' eyes when Jesus looked at him in his tax collectors booth (Mk 2)?

What did the woman who washed Jesus's feet with her tears see in his eyes when he looked upon her (Luke 7)?

What did Mary Madeleine see in Jesus' eyes when he pronounced her name on Easter morning (John 20)?

What did Peter see in Jesus's eyes at the Lakeside when Jesus asked three times if he loved him (John 21)?

Sharing our faith and spiritual gifts flows from an encounter of Love.

-PD

Am I praying, preparing, passing on the Gospel?

Over last four weeks I've passed out handouts and bulletin inserts and we've had discussions on the question, "how to share the gospel with others."

Have we studied the Scriptures of the “Romans Road,” or the “ABC's of the kingdom”?

Have we thought about or had any discussion, or practiced our testimony or how we might start a conversation with someone, or even prayed with someone?

Do we know the Gospel? Do we believe it? Do we live by it?

Most conversations won't lead to someone committing their life to follow Christ in that moment, but we have talked about how each conversation, each act of kindness, and each prayer that we pray privately and specifically for others can help them be a step closer for them to eternity in union with God through Christ. Do we believe that?

If we do then we will pray, prepare, and pass on the gospel.

Questions, Questions, Questions?

Too busy?

Just not motivated?

Are we just plain lazy?

Do we realize we are engaged in a spiritual war and are we doing battle on our knees so to speak?

The motivation question: fear of God and love of God.

The “love quotient: Have we been forgiven much and do we love much? Have we freely received and therefore freely give?

The fear of God component:  Have we given serious thought about giving an account to God for our own obedience or disobedience to share the gospel and be and make disciples?

If our hesitancy to share is because we still feel unprepared then let's earnestly prepare and pray so that we can be as Paul wrote to Timothy, "a workman who needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of God."

Do we really care about people's souls? Do I love?

That's why I wrote that we need to be filled with God's word, and filled with the Holy Spirit, and most of all we need filled with God's love.

Am I “over the Holy Spirit” or seeking to be filled?

I can count on God to manifest spiritual graces and gifts through me if I ask (1 Cor 14:1 love motivates me to earnestly desire spiritual gifts). God will give me words of wisdom and prophetic words of encouragement and words of knowledge that can open people's hearts to repent and believe the gospel. But Paul also wrote in 1 Cor: 13 that even if I prophesy and have all wisdom and have all faith, if I have not love I'm just a clanging cymbal.

So maybe the real question is, do I love? Do I love God more than myself, do I love others more than myself, or at least do I love others as much as I love myself? If I have repented and placed my faith in God, it is because others prayed and shared the gospel with me, and I will desire to share the gospel and pray for others.

The less experience we have we will tend to be more self-conscious, nervous, focused on how I am doing, or my fears, or I may talk too much and not listen well.

But with prayerful experience I will be less focused on me and on the results, on trying to be “successful” or do it well.

Over time I will be more focused on Christ’s love, on Father’s ultimate purpose.

That brings us to the Gospel itself-the power of God for salvation.

Knowing the story is more than just topics or verses in a formula.  

It begins with God, with His desire in creation, his image in the man he formed and his purpose for the man and woman he said were “very good.”

So, witnessing is not just about dealing with the fall and sin issue and forgiveness or going to heaven.

It is about God and his story, his heart, his image.

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?  (Good News-evangel)

Is the whole or full gospel about my being forgiven and me going to heaven?

Is it about me being baptized and filled with Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts?

Is it about God’s kingdom and me getting my life in order to serve the King?

All of these are true but are they the whole truth????

What about God’s plan and purpose before Adam and Eve fell and what about his eternal and ultimate purpose in the new heaven and earth in Christ, and the church being in union with God?

Would you have said something like the following?

The gospel is that God himself has come to rescue

and renew creation

in and through the the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf.

We have a good future and a hope and we can commit to the welfare of our city by being filled with the love of God and building the altar, temple and walls as a holy habitation for God and light to the world for all people, hastening His return and the restoration of all things in the wonderful new heaven and earth.

Maybe, if we ask God to fill us with his love, His Word, His Spirit and His holy fear (the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom), we will repent of not being gospel focused, missional communities, and we be “joyful for a change.”

Those who go, bearing precious seed, weeping, will doubtless come again, rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them. Ps 126

I am asking all of us not just to be in a small group-but to be in a gospel focused, missional group, with others who see the need to become more obedient as disciples.

We can be a family of missionary servants, being and making disciples together, for the glory of God and furtherance of his kingdom in all the earth.

3 P’s: Prepare, Present and Pray the Gospel

1. Be filled with the love of Jesus Christ (God so loved the world that He gave… We love God because He first loved us…  He who has been forgiven much loves much… The love of God compels us… )

2. Be filled with Holy Spirit Acts 1:11 And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”

3. Pray for opportunities and specific people Col 4:2-4 2-4 Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.

4. Prepare and practice sharing your testimony 2 Timothy 1:7-87 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 

5. Be familiar with the gospel story and the call to follow Jesus in his kingdom  1Cor 15:1-6 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve.6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living…

ABC’s of the kingdom of God

A - Admit my need – Acts 2:37-41 Repent, believe, be baptized

B – Be Born again – Jn 3:3-7 from above to enter (begin) in the KOG

C – Continue together – Acts 2:41-42 belong in small group and gatherings

How will Jesus build His church? Mt 16:16-18

Other helpful passages include the “Roman Road” Romans 3:23 (everyone has sinned); Rom 6:23 (sin causes separation from God); Rom 5:8 (Christ died for us); Rom 10:9-10 (believe and confess Jesus as Lord of your life) Rom 5:1 (no more condemnation for those in Christ) 

Instead of the Old Four Spiritual Laws, or the old simple “Sinner’s Prayer, and instead of using Rev 3:20 and just “asking Jesus into your heart, give them the full gospel.

Ask if they know the real Jesus.

Ask if they know the whole story from creation to restoration. (That means you need to know the story.)

What is the whole Gospel story in your own words?

In a few words, what is your story in the Gospel story (testimony)?

A Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I am sorry for my sin. I confess my sin to you. God forgive my sin through Jesus Christ. I choose to take up my cross, deny myself and follow you with my whole life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me believe and obey your word. Place me within your body, the church, to grow and become more like you. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Worldview presuppositions (objections) and answers

1.      Truth is relative.  How do you know that is the truth? What if you are wrong? Jesus said, “I AM the Truth.” What if He is and you are calling him a liar?

2.      “I’m a good person compared to others.” (See Romans Road) and James 2:8-9  If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

3.      “Jesus was a good man but I believe there are many truths and ways to God.” Jesus said, “I AM the way.” C.S. Lewis said, “Either Jesus is a liar, a lunatic or He is who He said He was.”

4.      “I’m not ready. Someday I intend to be a Christian.” What is really hindering you: friends, addictions or pleasures you don’t want to give up, possessions, or are you genuinely seeking to know if Jesus if God but just not believing yet? The first step is not complete faith but repentance. “Repent and believe.” Begin by asking forgiveness and calling on Him for help. “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”