Why Holy Spirit is Not Optional - by Pastor Brent Lokker

Being a follower of Jesus was never meant as an extra bullet point on your life job description or as any kind of an “add-on” to your own life. When you said yes to Jesus as the One Savior who died for you on the cross to end the tyrannical reign of sin and supernaturally transport you into His Father’s Kingdom of grace and freedom, you died to your own life. Now the only life you have is one with Jesus and co-seated with Him in the heavenly places(Ephesians 2:6). Everything about our new grace-life with Jesus is supernatural, meaning we don’t work it up or make it happen through the self-efforts of our soul, but instead we are filled with God’s Spirit and we make a choice to yield to the One who journeys with  us into the truest version of ourselves that looks more and more like Jesus. Intimacy with and yielding to Holy Spirit can lead to many outcomes:   A greater depth of intimacy and passion for God Power to pray for the sick and see them healed A creative idea or brilliant solution at work A desire to forgive another and work out your differences Unusual inner peace even when circumstances are crazy around you Seeing or feeling angels in God’s heavenly Kingdom realm Feeling great compassion for another person Acts of generosity and kindness Having great wisdom in a particular situation Sharing a word of prophecy that relays the true heart of God with someone to encourage them The desire to share the Good News of Jesus with others These are all equally supernatural because the Kingdom of God can only be lived out in the supernatural realm. This is what we call the Spirit-filled life. This is why Jesus told his followers not to go share about him with others until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4-5) And then, Pentecost happened! When I say happened, I mean they had a dramatic, completely life-altering encounter with the Spirit of the Living God!  (Acts 2:1-4) And now, over 2000 years later, we are still having powerful encounters with Holy Spirit that are dramatic and life-altering. You can hear my message from last Saturday, The Promised Gift, here: The Promised Gift Asking if we need Holy Spirit in our lives is like asking if we need to breath air in order to live. Jesus said Holy Spirit was vital to our existence, our abundance, our freedom, our wholehearted living and our happiness. I encourage you to talk with Holy Spirit in your own way right now. Just express your love and how it’s your choice and desire to yield your life to Holy Spirit’s sweet and powerful influence.

Healing in His Presence by Pastor Susan Fochler

Bill Dew has come to Blazing Fire a number of times; and it has always been wonderful.  But there was something very special last weekend.  Worship went deep, hearts were opened up and tenderized.  God’s presence came with sweetness and heaviness…love, power and glory merging together.  Knees, backs, necks healed; laughter and tears pouring out in abundance.      Healing comes in Different Ways Many were completely healed, but some only in part.  We always want to know why.Why wasn’t I fully healed?  When I pray for someone, my heart yearns to see total breakthrough, and I have to remind myself to focus back on God’s goodness if that doesn’t happen.  There is no simple answer.  I’ve been healed three times in dramatic ways, but more often it has been a process.  We know God is faithful and we choose to continue to press into Him for more. We come back to Him, again I don’t know about you, but I really don’t like trials.  When things don’t turn out the way I think they should, I often need to check my attitude and run to Jesus in a new way with deeper humility.  I need Him so much more than I know..  As Jesus says in John 16:33:  “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  Our only answer is in looking to Him, again and again.  He is the One who has overcome all things, and pours out His victory into our lives with unbridled generosity.  My left brain cannot wrap itself around His goodness, but my right brain helps me to just enjoy receiving it. His Presence is What We Need A Bethel song called I Will Exalt has been playing in my head this week.  After Saturday night I was reminded, once again, of how vital God’s presence really is. Your presence is all I need  It's all I want and all I seek And without it….Without it there's no meaning Your presence is the air I breathe   The song I sing, the love I need And without it….Without it I'm not living I pray that for whatever is going on with your life, His presence would surround you, sustain you and meet you right where you need Him…He is everything we need! With love, Pastor Susan

Bill Dew's Talk

A Beautiful, Simple Way of Partnering with Jesus by Pastor Russ Fochler

A Beautiful, Simple Way of Partnering with Jesus  Pastor Russ Fochler Last Week Jesus Awakening provided 6 organized opportunities around the Bay Area to communicate the love and goodness of Jesus.  I'm so thankful to Chuck McCallum and the team of people who provided these opportunities.  I went out Thursday afternoon to U.C. Berkeley and Friday afternoon to Pleasanton.  For both venues I received the gift of being equipped by a remarkable man named Scott McNamara.  I needed to be taught a second time for it to really make sense and "sink in" for me.  Holy Spirit must have known that ; ) Scott McNamara Has a deep passion for others to receive the same life changing encounter and relationship with Jesus he has.  Like many of us, Scott started out with offering prayers for healing or giving prophetic words.  And he will still include these things as Holy Spirit leads him. Scott found these approaches were primarily "planting seeds".   However, Holy Spirit started to work in Scott's heart that the fields are ready for harvest now: "Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.  John 4:35-16 ESV And, as Scott continued to seek out people in his native Ireland, Holy Spirit began to give him phrases and questions that would often lead to people inviting Jesus into their life.  As a result, Scott saw the power of the Gospel bringing a harvest every time he went out. Scott demonstrates this interactive approach. (Just 5.5 minutes long)

Here are 3 keys that really helped me:   1)  While many are ready for reaping or harvest right now, not everyone is.  So, we approach someone and ask them if we can ask them a question (about the graphic of Jesus knocking on the door of a heart -- and whether they ever pray).  If the person is not interested, we can assume they are not ready.  Then, we just thank them and move on to find the "apples" who are ready to be "picked" today.    2) While we're engaging people by asking questions and explaining simple analogies of the Gospel, our trust is in God's power to save through this simple message.   We don't need to push to make it happen. 3) When people do experience God and ask Jesus to be the Lord of their life and fill them with His Holy Spirit (see the image below), it's very important to get their contact info and follow-up with them.  This is where they will need our prayers, our encouragement, and our help with discipling. This Saturday night, I'll have some of the cards (shown below) available for those interested in trying this out yourselves. May we all get this truth into our beings: Father God is at work drawing the hearts of people to Jesus.  Our part is to seek for them -- and ask them.  For the ones who aren't ready yet, we'll be planting seeds of His love along the way. For our King Jesus and the preparation of His Bride. Pastor Russ Fochler More About Jesus at the Door

From Disciple to Son by pastor Susan Fochler

“Do you love Me?” The question came a third time, and something made Peter hesitate before he responded.  Tears welled up as he got in touch with a deeper place in his heart than Peter normally cared to feel.  There was hurt, there was regret, there was tenderness but also, surprisingly,  authenticity.  The tears of pain gave way to tears of joy as Peter realized he could, with a whole heart, respond, “Yes, I love you, Lord!”  And looking into Jesus’s smile, he realized Jesus had known this truth all along, but it was vitally important that Peter knew it for himself.  Peter’s Transformation I don’t know whether the scene played out exactly that way, but I know it had a significant role in restoring Peter’s confidence to help lead the move of God that was about to visit the first century church.  The brash, self-centered young man who often tried to tell Jesus what to do now had to confront his mistakes and the bitter disappointment of Christ’s brutal death.  Peter’s well-laid plans had all failed.  There were no options left other than to remain in denial or to humble himself and accept that Jesus had died for all, and that was His plan, all along. Peter chose humility and acceptance.  He became a son, no longer just a disciple.  He was now well positioned to be able to flow with the Holy Spirit with love and with power, because it was no longer all about Peter but about God’s Kingdom and His will coming to earth. Accepting what He did for Us - Completely C.S. Lewis says something very profound when he states that “the ultimate law of the spiritual realm” is that “Jesus saved others, but couldn’t save Himself”.  We can work really hard at trying to “fix” ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in.  We justify, numb, pretend or play the victim.  I don’t like to admit I’m wrong, and I sure don’t like it when someone else wrongs me.  But if Jesus couldn’t save Himself, then I can’t save myself either.  Armoring up with faulty belief systems that keep me from allowing Him access to my heart only hurts me, and the people around me.  But in humbling myself and accepting His love even in areas I feel undeserving, I am made whole. I pray we all come to know the amazing power-and simplicity-of the love of God in new ways in this coming season!  We need it and He’s worth it! With Much Love, Susan

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