Scripture is infallible. All scripture is inspired by God and is therefore
exactly what He wants us to read and needs us to know. I was asked to
preach on Sunday January 13th, 2013 to a congregation of 600-700 Ugandan
congregates who know a little English. To be clear, these people don’t
speak English, they merely know a little and there was no translator. I
thought maybe I would just pull out an old “sermon” from my back pocket or
maybe use one of my blogs and modify it to the present audience. While
seeking the LORD about what He wanted me to tell these people He said to
me, “None of your words mean anything without my Word. There is nothing you
can say which is more important or better than what I have already said.”
So from about 10 pm Saturday night until 5 am Sunday morning I destroyed my
brain and bible to compose the message which follows. To be perfectly
honest (which means boastful) I didn’t know I could conjure up this kind of
bible knowledge (which obviously means it was all Gods doing and I am
taking credit for something God did). Side note – environment has next to
nothing to do with your relationship with the LORD. If it isn’t something
you pursue, you’ll never have the relationship. Relevance to this
conversation – I didn’t care enough to seek the Father at home and always
explained it away with something other than lack of effort; therefore I
lacked the relationship and knowledge for me to even fathom something like
this. So please enjoy and feel free to check the references, I used an NLT
bible.
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the
source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the
same LORD. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the
work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help
each other.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7) “In His grace, God has given us
different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the
ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If
your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach
well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving,
give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the
responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to
others, do it gladly.” (Romans 12:6-8) “So let’s stop condemning each
other. Decide instead to live in such a way that will not cause another
believer to stumble and fall into sin.” (Romans 14:12-13) “For God called
you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for
you. He is your example and you must follow in His steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)
“Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”
(James 4:17) “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the
right time we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t give up.”
(Galatians 6:9) “If you are wise and understand Gods ways, prove it by
living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes
from wisdom.” (James 3:13) “Since you have heard about Jesus and learned
the truth that comes from Him, throw off you old sinful nature and your
former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead let
the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitude. Put on your new nature to be
like God – truly righteous and holy.” (Ephesians 4:21:24) “So brothers and
sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has
done for you. Let your bodies be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He
will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the
behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new
person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s
will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2) “God
has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use
them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then
speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift
of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy God supplies.
Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.” (1
Peter 4:10-11)
“By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s
command; that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”
(Hebrews 11:3) “The earth is the LORDs and everything in it. The world and
all its people belong to Him.” (Psalm 24:1) “For ever since the world was
created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made,
they can clearly see His invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine
nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:20)
“Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the
faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes
His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands.”
(Deuteronomy 7:9/Exodus 20:6) “But those who obey Gods word truly show how
completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him.” (1
John 2:5) “Love the LORD with all your heart, all your soul and all your
strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as
your LORD, you must continue to follow Him.” (Colossians 2:6) “Trust in the
LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His
will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs
3:5-6) “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will
continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus
returns.” (Phillipians 1:6) “Such things were written in the Scriptures
long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as
we wait patiently for God’s promised return to be fulfilled.” (Romans 15:4)
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true
and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we
are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16) “So let us
come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His
mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews
4:6) “Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come fearlessly
into God’s presence, assured of His glad welcome.” (Ephesians 3:12) “With
God’s help we will do mighty things…” (Psalm 60:12) “He gives power to
the weak and strength to the powerless.” (Isaiah 40:29) “But let the godly
rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.”
(Psalm 68:3) “And we know that God causes everything to work together for
the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for
them.” (Roman 8:28) “By His divine powers, God has given us everything we
need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to
know Him, the One whole called us to himself by means of His marvelous
glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given
us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to
share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human
desires.” (2 Peter 1:3-4) “So God has given both His promise and His oath.
These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie.
Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as
we hold to the hope that lies before us.” (Hebrews 6:18) “This means that
anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone;
a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17) “We have all sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) “Confess your sins to each
other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer
of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
(James 5:16) “God’s grace is rich in mercy and He loves us so much that
even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He
raised Christ from the dead.” “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created
us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us
long ago.” (Ephesians 2:4,10)
As He leads me,
Jason
Post Script – I am fully funded plus some!! Thank you to all who supported
me in our missions. Although I may not need your financial support anymore,
I am always in need of prayer. Please be praying for sanity, wisdom,
knowledge, endurance and patience as I finish these last few months of this
mission and prepare for the next. But if you still feel led to financially
support, my teammate Carmella Nicholson would appreciate anything and
everything.
