THE GLORIOUS CHURCH 2017 - What do you have in your hand? | Collin Thornton

The is the fourth in a 9 part series that was preached at the 

Glorious Church, RegionsBeyond Conference 2017 held in Mumbai.

To listen to the audio ( which is in English and Hindi) Please click here

We are incredibly good at making a mess of our lives but God builds amazing things.

David Yongo Cho said that without the baptism of the Holy Spirit the Church could never display the power that the early church did. For a combative, challenging and victorious power to evangelise a generation, we need God’s power. We need God’s power. The world needs to see a church rise up and move. The world is hurting and dying.

Anyone can say what God says but it takes something else to feel what the world feels.

How many of us are willing to make ourselves low and get our hands dirty? That is what we see in Jesus. Power and vulnerability. Compassion and Kingship. They came together on the cross where we beheld the Lord’s glory.

That is what the church needs to live out.

Romans 9 I will boast even more gladly in my weaknesses that Christ’s power will rest on me.…

God is looking for a church that is willing to serve the world in its brokenness. People want to know the power of the resurrection. However, in Philippians 3 that verse does not stop there. We are invited to suffer in God’s suffering and death. There is a cost to see a mighty move of God in our cities, country and in the  world and that is  the Kingdom culture that sis needed to serve  in God’s power.

John6:5-13 then Jesus looked

It is the sign of Jesus the Messiah. He feeds the crowds in the wilderness. It reminds us of Moses in the desert and God fed his people.

What do you have in your hand? It is a question about Identity – how you see yourself. Because often we describe ourselves with what we have, what we do and who we are in the eyes of others.

The young boy had just a tiny lunch box. He was probably dragged to a meeting , bored. But at that moment, everything changed. He encountered the God who takes the little we have to the…

Disciple’s reaction was how far will they go for so many? This exposes our hearts. The human heart is to pull others down to go up ourselves. Have you ever met someone who wants to sit at the bottom of the ladder?

But the heart of the kingdom is the way to greatness is to go down and not up.

The rich guy who met Jesus thought he had everything together. He said to Jesus . what must I do to inherit eternal life. Jesus says give, sell, get and go. He said you’ll get treasures from heaven and follow me.  This guy had the same request from Jesus that the little boy with the loaves and fish had. The young boy willingly handed over his lunch to Andrew. But it made  the rich young ruler  sad and he went away ad turned his back on Jesus.

What have you got in your hand? Sometimes we think we need something of value in our heart. Wealth, influence. Marriage, position etc. We think we need to be at the top of the ladder for Jesus to use me. Is that true?

1Cot 1:26-29 … to shame the wise.

A small child does not contribute that much to a family. They give you sleepless nights, stress etc. God has invited them, the lowly and says you are useful in my hand.

The one who boasts boast in the Lord. Jesus said whoever want to be my disciple let him take up his cross and follow me.

Jesus’ kingdom is an upside down kingdom. We struggle with this even at church. God loves to use people with empty hands.

 Abraham  - I have a great promise to give you but you have to give up everything.

Joshua – did not have weapons of war. The wall came down miraculously

Gideon – the army is too big for me to use. God cut it down.

David – with a single slingshot and clothed like a shepherd. He had empty hands in the eyes of the Philistines.

Lazarus was dead. Empty hands from everyone’s perspective except God’s.

The challenge for us is this – we can be consumed with the things of this world. We think if we had more, then God can use me or that we do not have enough.

Moses encountered God at the burning bush- he had a staff. The staff represented everything he was – his identity, significance, job, authority.

When he encountered God, God said what is in your hand. God invited Moses to lay down that staff.

Before he met God it was just a wooden stick, but he laid it down it became alive.

When you hold into who you think you are, it is dead. When you lay it down God can breathe life into you, your identity, calling into your work. It does not matter where it is in the eyes of the world.

It’s interesting that the staff became a snake. It represented Pharaoh and his world. Moses grabbed the snake by the tail. He had the confidence in the power of God over his life to even go before Pharaoh, call out death and darkness, and lead them into salvation.