Enter God's Rest: Time for R & R (part 3 of 5) from Jewel Wlliams on Vimeo.
Join us for today's Sunday Word from College Online Ministry and Encouragement.
Join us for today's Sunday Word from College Online Ministry and Encouragement.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
C.O.M.E. 2013-2014 Season!
It is time for the new season of C.O.M.E.
Theme: Enter God’s Rest: Time for “R & R”
Release and Renewal/Restoration
4 But when the kindness and love
of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not
because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He
saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy
Spirit,6 whom he poured out on us generously through
Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:4-6 NIV)
Psalm 25:15 NIV ~
My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my
feet from the snare.
Friday, March 29, 2013
I am thirsty - one of the seven last words of Jesus
I am Thirsty
28 Jesus knew that his mission
was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of
sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop
branch, and held it up to his lips. ~ John 19:28-29
Christ even in the
midst of agony and suffering, was aware of fulfilling and finishing the work
God sent Him to do. Never, did we hear
Christ give an utterance of complaint, yet one could think here He complains by
stating “I am thirsty”, not so. Here
Christ deliberately seeks to be obedient.
His declaration of “I am thirsty”
speaks to a greater truth. The truth is
Christ’s thirsting was a thirsting after the glorifying of God and the
accomplishment of the work of our redemption.
Christ statement of
“I am thirsty” reminds us of the man
who was in hell and looked up and asked could Lazarus dip the tip of his finger
in water to cool his tongue; for he was being tormented in the flame (Luke
16:23-25). This man’s torment was all
humanities fate, an eternal thirsty that could never be quenched from the
bitterness of sin’s drink. Yet, had
Christ not called out, “I am thirsty” and taken the bitterness upon his tongue,
we could not taste of the eternal water that quenches our thirst.
Finally, when
Christ took the bitter drink from the hyssop, it was a foreshadowing of the
cleansing of our lives. David in Psalm
51:7 asked God to cleanse him with hyssop and he would be whiter than
snow. Christ takes the sour wine offered
on the hyssop branch so that you and I no longer have to have the bitterness of
sin upon our lives, upon our tongues. We
can speak and know we are cleansed and that words that were once bitter now can
be life giving words. Isaiah said, I am
a man of unclean lips, then God cleanses His mouth and make him able to go
forth and speak the truth (Isaiah 6:5-6).
Today, know that Christ’s sacrifice gave you the ability to not only
live for Him, but also to speak live giving Words, so that your thirsting will
be filled from the fountain of the living water.
John 4:14 ~ But
those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes
a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
Friday, March 1, 2013
Godly Power: Are you ignited?
Godly Power: Are you ignited?
Many things need power to
work. The power comes in many ways;
through electric, or fire for example.
If you are in a dark room you would turn on a lamp or light a candle to
illuminate the darkness. If you want to
feel heat in your home, you fire up your furnace or light the fire place. However, these things will not bring forth
the desired results if you do not ignite the flame or turn on the power source. If you do not ignite the flame within your
furnace for example, you will be cold until the fire is ignited. The power source has to be turned on or
ignited if you want your stove to produce heat to cook your meals. Today, I want us to look at another source of
power, godly power and what happens when it is ignited.
ACTS 1:1-8
**6
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going
to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them:
“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own
authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes
on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
~ I wrote about Jesus
(acts 1:1) Former book:
The
book of Acts starts with us reflecting back on the foundation that was set
before us in the “former book.” The book of Luke was written to give a reliable
and precise record of the history of Jesus Christ's
life. Luke paid great attention to
detail, including dates and events that happened throughout the life of Christ. His account shares with us the suffering of
Christ and all He did for us. A theme
that is emphasized in the Gospel of Luke is the humanity of Jesus Christ and
his perfection as a human. Jesus was the perfect man who gave the
perfect sacrifice for sin, therefore, providing the perfect Savior for
humankind. The message of this Gospel was intended for instruction (1:4) for
those among whom the book would be circulated. He wanted to commend the preaching of the
gospel to the whole world.
Act’s
starts, then with a point of reminding the disciples of the foundation that had
already been laid (on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus) and this
foundation is what was now leading them into this new chapter, the building of
the kingdom. For sure, the disciples are
ready and understand fully what is to come, right? Sorry, no, we have a problem…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Then they gathered around him and
asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’”
(Acts 1:6)
~The disciples did not understand the kingdom. They were expecting Jesus
to set up an earthly, Davidic like kingdom where he would appoint them
positions of great honor and esteem.
They did not yet understand that the kingdom was HERE, the godly kingdom
that would never end.
~Today we do not understand the kingdom. We are no different today than the disciples
of Jesus’ time. We still do not fully
understand the kingdom. Many are
expecting Jesus to set up an “earthly domain” for them to rule or a place that
allows them comfort and ease. They are
excepting positions and places where they will be esteemed. Yet, to live for Christ does not always bring
honor and esteem, but ridicule, rejection, persecution and suffering for the
cause of Christ (Acts 15:26).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all
Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Yet, we do
not have to be discouraged! Jesus promises all
that will believe and follow Him the power to carry out the work of the
kingdom. In the scripture above, Jesus
tells the disciples where they will be able to go and do because of the power
being ignited within each of them. (Note:
this same power is available to us today to accomplish the same tasks).
The power of God would make them
able to go to:
Jerusalem
~ they would be able to go to their home town and to the same temples that
crucified Christ. The power would help
them to deal with the different groups and belief systems.
·
The Zealot movement took the
revolutionary option. It advocated outward violence, even armed rebellion, to
rid Israel of Roman oppression. {God’s power would help them tell the people to
stop trusting in their war-plans, and trust in Jesus}
·
The Sadducees were the great
pragmatists (practical thinkers) of the day. As wealthy lay-nobles, priests and
aristocrats, they sought to conserve their wealth and power through compromise
with Rome. Most of the members of the Sanhedrin
were from the Sadducee group. {God’s power would equip them to tell the people to
stop trusting in their money and status, and stop going along to get along. They had to tell them a relationship with
Christ was the only thing of great value.}
·
The Pharisees were in many ways the
idealists of Jewish society. Most of the
Scribes (the 'theologians' of the day) were Pharisees. In general, the Pharisees sought to live a
life of spiritual purity by a meticulous following of the torah (Jewish
law). They did not believe in compromise
with the Romans (as did the Sadducees) or in revolutionary activity (as did the
Zealots). Jesus rebuke of the Pharisees
was because of the emphasis on the law that resulted in legalism which in turn,
became a pretext for hypocrisy. They
believed in the resurrection of the dead. From their perspective, Jesus seemed to
relativize the law which explains their anger towards him. {God’s power would help them tell the people to stop trusting in their
observation of the Law or in their traditions. They had to tell them traditions
don’t save, heal, set free or deliver only a relationship with Christ does.}
·
Finally, there were
the Essenes who solved the
problem of Jewish identity in a Roman-occupied Israel by withdrawing to a
monastic-like setting. They completely
opted out of mainstream Jewish society. The most notable group in Jesus' time was the
Qumran community who lived an ascetic life and was waiting for God's
apocalyptic intervention in human history. {God’s
power in them would help them tell the people to stop withdrawing from the world, from suffering and being
involved, and to get engage in kingdom building.}
Judea – They would be able
to go to the homeland, which was accustomed to Jewish religion, not
Christianity, and share the message that would convert from traditions and
relying on the Laws of Moses, to a faith in Jesus Christ.
For
the ordinary people of the Jewish homeland, Rome was a kind of dominant
political factor. Although they might
not have seen Romans on a day-to-day basis, the imposition of Roman power was
certainly there. Everyone knew that Rome
was the source of both the wealth and also the source of some of the problems
that occurred in the Jewish state. So
the political reality of the day was of a dominant power overseeing the life on
a day-to-day basis. The disciples were empowered to encourage others to trust
God and stop looking at the government as the problem or the savior of their
situations, but look to God.
The Jewish inhabitants of
Samaria identified Mount Gerizim as the chosen place of God and the only center
of worship, calling it the “navel of the earth” because of a tradition that
Adam sacrificed there. Their scriptures were limited to the Pentateuch, the
first five books of the Bible. Moses was
regarded as the only prophet and intercessor in the final judgment. They also believed 6,000 years after creation,
a Restorer would arise and would live on earth for 110 years. On the Judgment Day, the righteous would be
resurrected in paradise and the wicked roasted in eternal fire.
In
the days of Christ, the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans was
greatly strained (Luke 9:52-54;
Luke 10:25-37;
Luke 17:11-19;
John 8:48). The
animosity was so great that the Jews bypassed Samaria as they traveled between
Galilee and Judea. They went an extra distance through the barren land of Perea
on the eastern side of the Jordan to avoid going through Samaria. Yet Jesus
rebuked His disciples for their hostility to the Samaritans (Luke 9:55-56),
healed a Samaritan leper (Luke 17:16),
honored a Samaritan for his neighborliness (Luke 10:30-37),
praised a Samaritan for his gratitude (Luke 17:11-18),
asked a drink of a Samaritan woman (John 4:7), and
preached to the Samaritans (John 4:40-42).
Then in Acts 1:8, Jesus
challenged His disciples to witness in Samaria. Philip, a deacon, opened a
mission in Samaria (Acts 8:5).
The empowerment would help the disciples to
come to the fullness of Christ and heal the differences between them and
the Samaritans.
You may be saying to yourself, “I’m
saved and am filled with God’s spirit, so what does this have to do with me?” Good questions. My question then to you is why aren’t you
igniting or fanning the flame?
2 Timothy
1:6-11
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying
on of my hands. 7 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 {misery to my fleshly man} for the gospel, by the power of God. 9
He has saved us and called us to a holy
life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and
grace.
Fan the fire:
what does that mean? To fan a fire, you must continually give it “air”, oxygen so
that it will continue to grow. If air is cut off from a fire, it will
eventually go out. This means, we must actively allow the “air” the breath of
God, to fuel His Spirit within us. This means, we cannot become comfortable
where we are presently. If we do not
continue to “fan into flame” the gifts in us they can become cold and we can lose
our zeal for telling the gospel message and for kingdom building.
If we examine ourselves and
we are not sharing the gospel with our “neighborhoods”, or “homeland” to our “enemies”
and to the “entire world” we must ask ourselves are we truly fanning the
flame? Are we doing kingdom work or have
we become comfortable within our own “kingdom domains”? Have we become like one of the groups God
sent the disciples back to reach? Have
we withdraw from the world and become a modern day Essenes? Have we become
comfortable reading our Bible and praying, without every looking outside our
church doors to those around us? Have we
become like the Sadducees, wheeling
and dealing to accomplish our own agendas and programs? Have we become like the Pharisees, happy to
promote our traditions and heaven forbid anyone try to do anything
differently. We were not mean to become
like those that the disciples were sent to minister, we were to become the “disciples”
that were sent to make a difference!
Today we need to ask God to
re-ignite our flame for sharing the gospel with a lost and dying world. We need
to ask Him to help us if we have found ourselves conforming to the patterns of
those that Jesus came to change.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us for losing
sight of what kingdom work looks like.
We ask you to reignite us with your power and help us to go into all the
world and share the good news of Christ.
Help us to activate the gifts that are with us. Help us to become true worshippers,
worshiping you in spirit and in truth.
Today we seek to walk in your godly power---ignite us again! Amen.
Resources:
Biblegateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/
Carson, D. & Douglas, J. (2005). An Introduction to the New Testament.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Elwell, W. & Yarbrough, R. (2005). Encountering the New Testament. Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary
of the Whole Bible. (1991). United States: Henrickson Publishers.
Youngblood, R. (Ed.). (1995). Nelsons New
Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
What is birth in you?
What
is birth in you?
Written by: Rev. Jewel D. Williams
Recently I was a part of an event
where I experienced something amazing. I
cannot fully explain it, but I was told it looked as if I was giving
birth. What God later spoke to me was
this, “how are you going to treat this birth? Will you treat it like a live
birth or a stillborn?” I took this to
mean something special that I wish to share with you.
There are times when we are asking
God to do something for us and we have the great honor of receiving that in an unusual
way from God. We are excited about the
initial “birth” and how we felt at that moment.
However, God desires us to do more than get excited about the encounters
we have with Him. We respond in two
ways; we either treat what has been birthed in us as a stillborn or as a live
birth.
If we treat what God has done in us
as a stillborn we quickly lose the excitement of the birth and we see what was
born in us as dead, which we soon discard.
However, if we treat what God births in us as a live birth, we treat it
the way we would a new born baby. You
feed your new born baby. You love and
show affection to this new child. You
want others to share in your joy about your baby. You do everything you can to supply your baby
with what it needs to grow. There isn’t anything anyone could say to make
you lose the joy about your baby. Even
having to change not so pleasant diapers make you think negative about your
baby.
This is how God wants us to look at
what He births in each of us. He wants
us to be excited about the things He is bringing from our lives. He wants us to utilize what is in us to share
the joy of this “birth” with those around us, so that they too will see the
beauty of this new birth. He wants us to
supply this “birth” with what it needs to grow.
We need to spend time in prayer, reading our word and fellowshipping with
God so that what is in us can grow. And
then, just as a child grows and needs meatier substance, so does what is in us
need meatier substances.
I was also reminded when I read a
piece of scripture (Psalm 7:14
~ whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment), that we
have a choice on what is birth from our lives.
We can be used by God to bring birth to healing, deliverance, joy, peace
and restoration to lives that are standing in need. Or we can be used by the devil to birth
disillusion and confusion and so much more if we are not willing to be the
right kind of vessel.
I
want to encourage each of you today by asking, what is being birth through
you? Have you allowed God complete
access to your life so the right seed can be planted in your life? If so, in due season you will see the birth
of that which is planted in your life.
Give that birth your complete attention.
Show it love, nurture it, get excited about it, and don’t let anyone convince
you anything is wrong with what was birth in you.
Prayer:
Lord you have birth something in your people.
Help us to nurture that which you have brought from our lives. Help us to feed that which has been born from
us so that it can become all you have ordained it to be. Help us not to treat that which you have born
from our lives as a stillborn. Help us
not to discard those gifts and talents in us.
Help us not to allow anything to discourage us from becoming all you
have ordained. Let it be so. Amen.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Distraction
Distraction
Isaiah 43:1-5a
But now, this is what
the Lord says—he who created you,
Jacob, he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are
mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you
pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be
burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush[a] and Seba in your stead. 4 Since
you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give
people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life. 5 Do not be afraid, for I am with
you;
I recently read this scripture and was encouraged by the
promises contained in the verses. While
I understand God was speaking through the prophet Isaiah to the children of
Israel, the truth is still vital for believers today. There are several points I want to mention.
Point 1 ~ God
promises His presence for His children.
In these verses God promises to be with those He loves. He calls us to step away from the fear of our
situations and the things we see around us.
He calls us back to a right relationship with Him. In fact, the verse
says God loves His people so much that he will give people in exchange for
them. In other words, God will not allow
others to destroy His people. He will
step in and defend them against whatever comes.
Point 2 ~ God
promises to see you through your situations. When we seek God to come to our rescue many,
if not all of us, are looking for God to take the problems away. Yet, these verses state that when we come to
the water it will not sweep over us or the fire, it will not burn us. These scripture reminds us that we will go
through some difficulties, but we have the assurance from God that He will keep
us from being consumed by our situations and our problems.
Point 3 ~ God desires
us to trust Him. This point may not
be so obvious but I see it in the telling of these verses. God gives His assurance of His love. He tells His children not to be afraid. Fear generally keeps us immobile. God desires us to be free from fear so that
we can have our spiritual mobility. What is that spiritual mobility? That is the ability to move in the things of
the Spirit. It calls for us to trust
God. The enemy of our soul desires us to
be held by fear (False Evidence
Appearing Real). This fear brings distractions
that cause us to focus on the wrong things, instead of this truth that God will
keep us no matter where we find ourselves.
As you go through your day, keep in mind that God does not
want fear or distractions to keep you from having the spiritual mobility He
created for each of us to operate in.
Look at the list below of how the enemy uses distractions and how we can
overcome them.
Discouragement – Deuteronomy 3:18
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Irritation - Colossians 1:10-12
10 so that you
may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit
in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his
glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has
qualified you[a] to share in the inheritance of his holy
people in the kingdom of light.
Sin - Psalm 41:3-5
3 The
Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their
bed of illness. 4 I said, “Have mercy on me, Lord; heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Rage – Proverbs
29:11
Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.
Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.
Accusations - Psalm 38:19-21
19 Many have become
my enemies without cause[a]; those who hate me without reason
are numerous. 20 Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations
against me, though I seek only to do what is good. 21 Lord, do not forsake me; do
not be far from me, my God.
Calamity – 2
Chronicles 20:9
‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’
‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’
Trials – James
1:2-4
[ Trials and Temptations ] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
[ Trials and Temptations ] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Irate people – Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Overwhelming things - Psalm 65:2-4
2 You
who answer prayer, to you all people will come. 3 When we
were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave[a] our transgressions. 4 Blessed
are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are
filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.
Negative people (accusers) - Psalm 109:19-21
19 May
it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around
him. 20 May this be the Lord’s payment
to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. 21 But you,
Sovereign Lord,
help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
Prayer: Lord help
us when faced with the many distractions that come our way to trust you for our
way of escape. Help us to live your Word
in every situations and circumstances.
By your Spirit lead us and guide us. Amen.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Thankful Thursday
Join us starting this Thursday, at 7 p.m. CT for Thankful Thursday. Minister Jewel D. Williams will present encouragement from the Word of God and we will pray for your concerns. E-mail your concerns to:
or you can share them when we are live.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/williams-innovative-network---w-i-n - click on the link to join our channel.
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