Knowing You Belong by Karena Lout

 “The conclusion is clear, you are no longer standing as a stranger

or a second grade citizen, you are where you belong; you are a joint indigenous 

inhabitant of your own country and part of an intimate

family where no one is suspicious, inferior or condemned.”

                                     Eph. 2:19 (Mirror Translation)

Over the years I’ve noticed the difference in how comfortable my kids’ friends are when they come over. Some will wait until asked if they’d like something to eat and others will walk in, open the fridge, help themselves to whatever they can find and plop on the couch. It’s pretty obvious which ones know they belong and don’t hesitate in responding otherwise. Todd and I have actually felt at ease when we’ve hadcompany stay with us, and they feel comfortable enough to make themselves at home.

  

I recently read the story of Mary of Bethany with new lenses, discovering she knew a real sense of belonging. (John 12:1-8). I’ve always been moved by her radical devotion as she poured out expensive perfume, a year’s wages, at the feet of Jesus. What beautiful extravagance! The disciples were upset by her outpouring of love, disputing that the perfume could have been spent on the poor. But Mary was preparing Jesus for His burial. I wonder if she understood the eternal significance of her act of love, that she would be united with her Beloved One through His death on the cross. I began thinking about how Mary approached Jesus without shame. She was surrounded by men, yet she didn’t hesitate to wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair. Women never unveiled their hair in public.

Mary knew intimacy without walls. She knew she belonged. This is a God given desire in all of us, yet so many people still feel like an orphan, like an outsider looking in. Maybe growing up, your parents weren’t available for you when you needed them. Maybe you were always the last person picked for the kickball team. Maybe you never felt like you “fit in” growing up. Maybe you feel like you’re the only Christian who struggles with depression. Maybe you feel like if people really find out what you’re “really like,” they won’t accept you. There are a lot of reasons we put up walls to protect our heart. We have knowingly and even unknowingly made decisions why we need to keep people and the Father at a safe distance.

  

I want to encourage you to begin asking Jesus some questions today on your journey to settling into a place of real belonging in Him. What would it look like to trust you with the job of protecting my heart? Is there any part of me that still feels like an outsider? Jesus, what truth do you want me to know about that? What does it look like to belong to You?

I pray that if you’ve never known inclusion before, you would see your chair at the family table waiting for you with your name on it. I pray that you would know and experience real belonging in the Father’s arms today. Jesus paid the ultimate price to have you as His very own for all eternity so you could approach Him with full confidence.

                                                                                           Love, Karena

In Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power by Pastor Russ Fochler

The Apostle Paul wrote this to the Corinthian Church: "And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God."   1 Cor 2:1-5  NASB

Note that Paul also said: "I was with you in weakness, and in fear...".  It's sometimes tempting to think that if we fully walked in the power of the Holy Spirit, that we would be invulnerable. But this isn't Paul's story, even though he saw God do powerful things through him. Instead, he declared: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;"  2 Cor 4:7 NASB The treasure is the Person of the Holy Spirit living in us - even in our vulnerable human condition! Here is a story of what the Holy Spirit and our human spirits can do together.  It's a story told by John. G Lake.   I'll add a few comments in italics.

"In 1912, I was pastor of the Apostolic Tabernacle in Johannesburg, South Africa.   One of the cardinal teachings of our organization was the ministry of healing through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The sick were brought from all parts of the land; and thousands were healed through the prayer of faith and the laying on of hands of those who believed.   Our church was then enjoying a great period of spiritual blessing and power. Various remarkable manifestations of the Spirit commonly occurred.   At a Sunday morning service before public prayer was offered, a member of the congregation arose and requested that those present join in prayer on behalf of his cousin in Wales (7,000 miles across the sea from Johannesburg), that she might be healed. He stated that the woman was violently insane and an inmate of an asylum in Wales.   I knelt on the platform to pray and an unusual degree of the spirit of prayer came upon my soul, causing me to pray with fervor and power. The spirit of prayer fell upon the audience at the same time.   (Note that this involved the entire congregation "entering in" with the Holy Spirit)   The people ordinarily sat in their seats and bowed their heads while prayer was being offered, but on this occasion 100 or more in different parts of the house knelt to pray with me. I was uttering the audible prayer; they were praying in silence.   A great consciousness of the presence of God took possession of me. My spirit rose in a great consciousness of spiritual dominion, and I felt for the moment as if I were anointed by the Spirit of God to cast out demons.   My inner, or spiritual, eyes opened. I could see in the spirit and observed that there was a shaft of seeming light, accompanied by moving power, coming from many of those who were praying in the audience.   As the prayer continued, these shafts of light from those who were praying increased in number. Each of them reached my own soul, bringing an increasing impulse of spiritual power - until I seemed well nigh overcome by it.   While this was going on, I was uttering the words of prayer with great force and conscious spiritual power.   Suddenly, I seemed out of the body and, to my surprise, observed that I was rapidly passing over the city of Kimberely, 300 miles from Johannesburg. I was next conscious of the city of Cape Town on the seacoast, a thousand miles away. My next consciousness was of the Island of St. Helena, where Napoleon had been banished; then the Cape Verde lighthouse on the coast of Spain.     (Note: Our spirits can travel outside our physical bodies. There are stories and references to this in the Bible.  But, unlike those who "astral project", neither John G. Lake nor we should ever seek to make this happen.  We can however, choose to welcome or allow it when we know that it is the Holy Spirit Himself empowering us.)   By this time it seemed as if I were passing through the atmosphere observing everything, but moving with great lightning-like rapidity. I remember the passage along the coast of France, across the Bay of Biscay, into the hills of Wales. I had never been in Wales. It was a new country to me; and as I passed swiftly over its hills, I said to myself, These are like the hills of Wyoming along the North Dakota border.   Suddenly, a village appeared. It was nestled in a deep valley among the hills. Next I saw a public building that I recognized instinctively as the asylum.    On the door I observed an old-fashioned 16th Century knocker. Its workmanship attracted my attention and this thought flashed through my spirit: That undoubtedly was made by one of the old smiths who manufactured armor.   I was inside the institution without waiting for the doors to open and present at the side of a cot on which lay a woman. Her wrists and ankles were strapped to the sides of the cot. Another strap had been passed over her legs above the knees, and a second across her breasts. These were to hold her down.   She was wagging her head and muttering incoherently.   I laid my hands upon her head and, with great intensity, commanded in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that the demon spirit possessing her be cast out and that she be healed by the power of God.   In a moment or two, I observed a change coming over her countenance. It softened and a look of intelligence appeared.   Then her eyes opened, and she smiled up in my face. I knew she was healed.   I had no consciousness whatever of my return to South Africa. Instantly, I was aware that I was still kneeling in prayer, and I was conscious of all the surrounding environment of my church and the service.   Three weeks passed. Then my friend who had presented the prayer request for his cousin came to me with a letter from one of his relatives, stating that an unusual thing had occurred. Their cousin, who had been confined for seven years in the asylum in Wales, had suddenly become well. They had no explanation to offer. The doctors said it was one of those unaccountable things that sometimes occur.   She was perfectly well and had returned home to her friends."   Source: John G. Lake: His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith pages 246-248

I love that story!  As we're focussing on the Holy Spirit this week - and also next week in the Home Groups for Winds of Change, I wanted to encourage you about what is possible.   You may get to consciously participate in the way that God answers a prayer!  And, may we all be aware of the grace that is available when in a meeting, our spirits come into agreement with God's Spirit for extraordinary things to be done on earth as they are already decreed and desired in Heaven.

Pastor Russ Fochler

Friendship With God by Dutch Sheets

I called myself a Christian for seventeen years before I discovered I could have a truly personal relationship with God. Prior to this, I certainly knew Him as God and I definitely knew Him as my Savior. I did not, however, know Him as my Father, and walking with Him as a friend wasn't even in the field of view.

I was not a hypocrite; I simply did not know how to connect with God personally and at any real depth. Satan and his team, with lots of help from religion, had painted God as a very distant, non-relational being.

Then came 2 years of rebellion. In 1973, when God lovingly pursued me into a bar, however, and loved on me through my anger, rebellion and drugs, how could I turn down His invitation to try a new relationship with Him? That night, I opened my heart to several months of talks with God, through which my heart was healed enough to respond to His seeking. Like the prodigal returning to his father's embrace, I walked back into the loving arms of my Papa God. When I did, I found more than pleasure; I discovered purpose.

Today, the thought of friendship with God is more than simply intriguing to me. It messes with me! It tugs at my heart and calls out to me. Like the natal homecoming of a sea turtle experiencing the invisible but irresistible pull to the place of its birth, it woos me. Somehow I know in the deepest part of my nature that it is my destination, my home. His desire for friendship was the place in His heart where we were conceived. Our quest and destiny should be to find it again.

A friendship implies closeness and takes time to develop. It is comprised of trust, compatibility, affection, and, of course, a high level of interpersonal knowledge. I have many acquaintances but very few people I call my friends. The few I classify as such are those I enjoy spending quality time with, sharing life's experiences together. We're vulnerable with one another, freely communicating our hopes and dreams.

I celebrate my victories with them and am comforted by them when I'm hurting. We keep it real. My walls are down when we're together; I'm unguarded and transparent, unafraid to let them see the real me—the unpolished version. I know they will always "be there" for me and I for them. Many more defining characteristics of friendship could be stated, but this much is clear: Friendship defines the highest level of relationship.

Our Destiny, God's Dream

Most Christians, unfortunately, have no true intimacy with God, spend very little time with Him, and have a very limited knowledge of His heart and ways. "A casual acquaintance" would best define their relationship with Him. We mustn't cheapen friendship by lowering the standard.

I want to quickly point out, however, that friendship with God is possible for every Believer and is His desire for us. After Adam's fall, Abrahams walk with God was the first and probably the most in-depth revelation of this type of relationship. Three times in Scripture God called him His friend—and it's what He desires with each one of us. This is not only a part of our destiny, it's part of God's dream.

In exposing our shallow understanding of friendship with God and the fact that so few experience it, I don't mean to impugn our intentions and motives. The fact is, we're much like Abraham was at the beginning of his journey with the Lord. Most of us begin our walk with God just as he did—wanting the benefits He offers. We aren't terribly interested in His dreams; we probably aren't even consciously aware that He has any. But we are aware that He can help us with our dreams, the basis of our needs, and remind Him that He is our Father—our source.

We are all so incredibly human. We see God as Provider. Do we really know Him as friend? No, not at the beginning of our journey. God understands this, however, and in His love and humility is willing to meet us where we are. "He first loved us," the Scriptures tell us (1 John 4:19), not the other way around. His love embraces us and makes us His child. And just as a natural child doesn't begin its relationship on a friendship level with Mom and Dad, our heavenly Father knows we won't with Him, either.

A Friend to My Father

Most of us, when younger and in our parents' home, trusted them to provide for us. Appropriately so. But for most of us the day arrived when we wanted to be more than just a well-cared-for child. I know I did—I wanted to be my parents' friend. At that point I cared more about their happiness, well-being, and dreams than I did their money. I wanted to give to them more than I wanted to take from them. We no longer talked only about my happiness; we discussed things that interested them, as well. Over the years their faith had been transferred to me, and we dreamed together about making a difference for God. Our relationship had matured into a friendship.

The same was true of Abraham. He started his journey with God looking for lands, blessings, and greatness. He embraced the promise of a biological son through whom he would produce a great nation. When God didn't provide the son He promised Abraham and Sarah in the way they expected, they demonstrated their lack of trust by choosing to have a son through Hagar, Sarah's maid. There were some rough spots along the way, but thankfully, the relationship grew.

Still, though Abraham demonstrated humanness, in the end he proved his trust in God had grown to a level few people ever attain. He was even willing to sacrifice Isaac, his long-awaited son, believing if he did so, God would raise Isaac from the dead. What trust!

The Lord so cherished His friendship with Abraham that, when Abraham died, He saw to it Abraham was buried at Hebron, which actually means "friendship." I can't help but believe that, like the hunting friend's mountaintop plaque, this was God's tribute to their friendship. Upon Abraham's arrival in Heaven, I like to think perhaps Jehovah stood, got everyone's attention, and honored the old patriarch: "This is Abraham, my friend. We dreamed together, and enjoyed the pleasure of one another's company."

When God is looking for someone in His family He can be vulnerable with, a friend with whom He can share His hopes, dreams, and, yes, even His disappointments, I hope He feels He can look to me. And when my life is over and my body laid to rest, if it can be said that He and I were friends, I will have been a success.

Won't you make this your life goal as well? Father God truly longs for your friendship. He wants to make some memories with you. Respond today and begin enjoying the pleasure of one another's company. Your Father will become your very best friend.