I have been on a renewed journey in recent weeks, all beginning when my wife showed me a video of a woman experiencing a miracle by God that saw her son come back from a coma. I do a lot of media advertising as part of my job as Worship and Creative Arts Pastor at Bethel Church in Medford, Or, and during my viewing, I found myself silently mocking the production of the reenactment, and linking the testimony along with it.
I was immediately convicted of my arrogance, and realized somehow I had allowed life's experiences to "jade" my outlook on God's miracles and those who would testify of them.
Since that moment, and my subsequent repentance to Christ, God has given me a renewed hunger to see and experience His Spirit at work in my life and others. I'm not trying to be weird or strange, I just love God with all my heart as He has done so much for me, and know the possibilities with Him are endless.
In John 11:39, 40 Jesus was about to raise Lazarus from the dead (One of His most incredible miracles!), and asked those at the tomb to "Remove the Stone". He then said to Martha, who had been giving Him the obvious information that Lazarus would be stinking after 4 days, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"
He then proceeds to raise Lazarus from the grave. Wow.
The key is..."If you believe", then you will see God's glory. Actual belief and faith in God is a step forward from where we are. It says, "I don't care what people think or say, I am believing what God says." That is where we begin to experience the reality of Christ and what He is willing to do in and through us.
The difference between casual agreement with the Bible and the things of God, and actively pursuing Him, is like a huge chasm, because God does something supernatural when we get serious with Him. He takes us from a natural place where we only see with earthly vision, to seeing everything clearly from His viewpoint. That's when life really begins. And something else automatically happens when we have an encounter with God....Sweet, uninhibited worship.
About Me
- Roger Hutley
- Roger has been the Worship and Creative Arts Pastor at Bethel Church at Vista Pointe since 2003. Through his 15 years of full time music ministry, Roger has written many songs for worship and various musicals. He has also written or co-written more than 20 dramatic musicals during his ministry. He has a passion to see artistic people thrive in their God given creativity, and that all people may know Jesus Christ, in a deep, personal way.
Rodger, I could not agree with you more. We don't realize that we diminish our relationship with God by our behavior. I'ld like to be one of those people that just normally yells "praise the Lord" "Glory be" and so on. It's just not in me. Some how God know me and he meets me anyway. Praise his name.
ReplyDeleteDennis