Gone Fishing

Today I'm going to share with you the rest of my notes from Rich Wilkerson Jr. The amazing young adult pastor from Miami, Florida.

Gone Fishing

 

Throughout the entire Bible Jesus says things aren't very easy to hear.

He says to not lie. To turn the other cheek when someone says something rude, or mean, or hurtful. He says to stay faithful to your spouse. To not steal.

On and on it goes.

But there is something that we must understand. When we read the Bible we must realize something. We don't read the Bible, the Bible reads us.

 

Mark 2:1-5

"A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people hear that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

11-12

"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took hos mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying "We have never seen anything like this!"

 

Try to grasp what's happening here. Jesus came a to a town where he was very popular. He was in a house that was very cramped. So cramped that there was nowhere to even stand in the house. People were leaning in the windows and standing outside the doors to hear just a glimpse of what this wise man was saying.

Now there was one man who needed to see Jesus. He was a paralytic. He couldn't walk at all.

Now his friends knew that this Jesus could heal him. He could make him whole again. But when they got there it was so full. They knew that there was no way to get their friend to Jesus.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. His friends climbed up onto the roof of this house. They carried their paralyzed friend up onto this roof. They then proceeded to cut a hole in the roof and slowly lower their friend down. They loved their friend so much that they were willing to do anything for him.

These people were willing. God is looking for willing people.

Because they had such love for this man, they believed.

Because of their love faith in Jesus, Jesus healed their friend.

 

If you love Jesus you will obey him. Jesus told the man to pick up his mat and walk. The man obeyed.

We don't know what happens to this man after he was healed. Perhaps he led a successful life afterwards, perhaps not. But God never called us to be successful, he called us to be faithful.  This man could have just layed on his mat and continued to pray for his healing. Maybe his healing would have come, but probably not. Answers come through obedience. Quit praying and start obeying! A lot of times God is giving us our answers but we won't obey.

 

Like this man's friends, we have to see the need. They saw his need, paralyzed. And they acted on it.

People  may not be physically paralyzed but they are spiritually paralyzed.

Jesus came to seek out our needs. We need to be like this man's friends. We need to be like Jesus.

Vision produces passion in people. It's time we found a new vision. One of healing and restoration.

Just seeing the problem isn't a solution for the problem. You can't just see the need, you have to do something about it.

The paralytics friend could have seen the problem. Their was not room for the friend. They could have just walked away and given up on their friend. But instead they saw his need, and they did something about it.

 

We need to be the generation that digs a hole in the roof! Just because someone says no doesn't give you the opportunity to quit. Quitting isn't a choice!

It's not about what happens in your life, it's how you respond to it.

Hold open that door. Whatever you do, do not shut that door!

Just like the man's friends they saw the need, they made the effort, and they knew who the source was.

It's time we step out of our comfort zone and do what God is calling us to do.

Do you know who the source is?

Your faith matters for other's destiny.

Jesus is the source.

He is everywhere, in everything.

Collision with Christ

This past weekend at my church we had our "Louder Than Words" young adult conference.
This is the third year that we have had this conference.
And this is the first time that I have attended it.
One word... amazing.
Rich Wilkerson Jr. is such a great preacher. He spoke two of the three nights of ministry. I don't think that I've ever learned to much in such a short time.
The first night he spoke about having a collision with Christ.
Tonight I would like to share my notes with you.
I pray that you will be as blessed as I was.

Collision With Christ

 

Everything that happens in life is by divine appointment.

Their is no such thing as coincident or fate. God has designed every moment on this earth for some specific purpose. He plans everything out in His perfect timing.

 

Luke 7:11-12

"Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out- the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her."

 

Jesus appeared at exactly the right time. He could have come fifteen minutes earlier and missed this crowd. Or fifteen minutes later and missed it as well. But He came right on time.

Just think for a minute. This woman was a widow. Her husband was dead. Imagine her inner turmoil. She now has to run her household. She has to work the farm. She was to pay the bills. Manage her servants. But she has one jewel. One spark in her dark life. Her son.

And now he too is dead.

The depression and oppression that would have been over her at this instant is incredible.
And here comes Jesus. Right on time to intercede.

Now another interesting fact is the name of the city.

Nain.

Nain means the "beautifully afflicted."

What an interesting name.

Here is this woman, all of her dreams had died. Her husband, her income, her stability. And now her one and only son.

Everything that she ever had and that she had ever known has disappeared. Her entire dreams are gone.

But we serve a God who is always on time.

He sees you. He sees me. He sees us in our times of need.

 

Luke 7:13-14

"When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still, He said. "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother."

 

What's just amazing about this is that the woman didn't even say anything! She never asked the Lord for a miracle. His heart went out to her and he acted on it.

She had her collision with Christ. A beautiful one.

 

A collision with Christ is about to take place in your life. Jesus says don't cry. When Jesus says don't cry it's because he's fixing to do something about it.

He cares about your feelings. God is close to the broken hearted. He has compassion on us.

God came to us because we couldn't go to Him.

If we don't have our collision with Christ we won't make it.

 

Jesus has compassion on us. Not sympathy.

There is one word that divides compassion and sympathy: action.

 

We serve a God whose love outweighs our faith in Him.

He has love that outweighs words.

 

How many of you have had dreams that have died?

What do you do when your dreams die?

I'll tell you what happens to me.

I become a mess.

But you wanna know something? Our mess is where the Messiah does His best work. He came for you and me. He cares.

 

Our dead dreams are in the past. We can't revive them. Only God can.

But there is something that we can do. We can look ahead to what tomorrow has in store for us.

What's tomorrow looking like?

Tomorrow's looking good.

 

Don't give up on today because tomorrow is on its way.

Tomorrow breakthrough's coming.

Tonight a collision is happening.