Live Again

What a day we are living in. Viruses, racism, hot political climates, a depressed economy, and even dust storms… Its safe to say that we are definitely living in very unique times. As a pastor I have had to ask my self questions over the last few months. To be honest the have been some very serious, and hard questions.

Questions like:

Why does it seem that church truly doesn't have a response for these issues?

Or has the church as we know ever really had a response?

It what we have been building truly the image of the church that Christ had in mind?

Please don’t get me wrong, I believe there is still more right with the church than wrong. It is truly because I have love for the church that I ask these questions. I love the church and believe in it more than ever before.

You see I ask these questions because I truly believe the greatest force on this planet is the local church. I believe in it that much. I believe in Abundant Life so much that I truly believe that we can be that significant pentecostal church that literally changes the region.

This leads us to thought to begin to ask ourselves questions as a church.

Do we truly want to become that church?

Are we collectively doing everything we can to be the church that we feel that God is calling us to be?

I believe He is calling us to be a SIGNIFICANT pentecostal church. A church full of the presence and power of God.

A church of signs, miracles and wonders.

A church that says come as you are but leave transformed the power of God.

A church that refuses to be a museum for the religious, but a hospital for the broken, desolate, and discounted.

A church that believes in making kingdom impact over individual impact and personal notoriety.

You see I along, with many others have had to come to the realization that until the church finds its way back to it origins then we will just be that religious gather that takes place weekly, and continues to change nothing.

Im afraid that because of certain freedoms and comfort, we have grown to comfortable.

Comfortable Christianity is not only destroying our nation, its destroying the church.

(make sure to elaborate)

This moves us to our text. Here we have a man, a prophet, named Ezekiel. He is having an encounter with God, a vision,, and I believe this is something we need to visit today

Word

The Hand of God was upon Him, the Spirit of God moved Him, the voice of God provoked Him.

More than ever before we need preachers and delivers alike with His hand upon us, His spirit movings us and voice shaking us.

As your pastor my recent prayers have been just that.

I don’t want to pastor with His touch

I don’t want to lead without His spirit

I don’t want to speak until he speaks to me, and to add to it I don’t want to speak without Him speak through me!

My goodness how we need today men of God to begin to speak on behalf of God.

We need the Word! The UnCompromised word.

Hebrews 4:12: The word of God is quick, powerful and sharp. Alive and Active (NIV)

Whether you like it or not its time for men and women to begin to speak, “thus saith the Lord!”

The word will change and transform you!

Prophesy to these bones! The spoken word, the active word will always lead us into realm of the spirit of God.

The word of God brings a Shift

The Sound and The Shift

(V7) There was a Sound.

Acts 2, they where gathered together (based on a word) and suddenly there came a sound.

A church alive embraces the shift and lifts up a sound

(V8) Things life began to form and breath again.

Things begin to fall into place!

We need Him to move! I some come Holy Spirit

Mark 11:15-18, Jesus in the temple, walked in in authority, declared what His was to be, he flipped the tables, shifting everything around,

Let’s be honest, How many of us want to Him to truly move?

Jesus coming into our house means He may shift some things around. He will flip our tables , He may run some of us out, but when He comes in every thing begins to fall back into place and come back to life!

Everything formed together it looked right, but it was still breathless.

The dove must begin to fly again.

Resurrected, Restored, and ReEstablished

Ezekiel 37:10–14 NKJV

So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”

I truly believe this is the word for us today!

Elaborate and Close