MINISTRY NOTES

Week of April 4, 2010

Celebrate Jesus He is Risen Jesus is Alive

Hi Everyone,

In 2003 we had 2 mature Oklahoma Live Oaks planted in our yard at home. Then three live oak trees that came up from acorns in 2004 were relocated when they were 6 inches tall and survived the ice and snow this winter. One, that last year was bent to the ground from wet snow and did well after I pulled it out of the snow and shook it, this year it was bent to the ground again with ice caked on each leaf. After many trips with a picture of warm water to melt the ice, it finally was up straight again and seems to have survived. I am looking forward to it having a stronger trunk. The tallest tree that was 32 inches tall last year at this time is now 65 inches, after slight breakage of the top branches from the ice. I have heard disparaging remarks about growing a tree from an acorn but it is fun to watch them grow. Now, like all evergreens they have new leaves coming out for spring. They are all part of God's creation, who made everything (Isaiah 44:24). Let me know if you want one, although no new baby trees in sight yet. We have three at Jesus Center that just survived a whole year (a first - it is hard to grow with no sprinkler system and no protection - our grass is a neighborhood walk through area) and the tallest is now 17.5 inches.

Marriage Workshop Moment

To refresh what you have learned in our Workshop or entice you to experience our Workshop

"Remember, all marriages can be better, if you use what you learned."

There are many kinds of stress. Events you can see coming like a visit, events you cannot see coming like a sudden illness and ongoing stress like a job. Stress can affect your body like interfere with sleep, it can affect your mind like make you more irritability and it can affect your relationships like increase arguing. To be set free from stress, first focus on everything good that has happened to you from your earliest memory and as you write them down, praise God for each event all the way to present. Then make a second list and write down every unpleasant memory from the earliest to present, including what is causing the current stress. As you start over from the beginning of the list, imagine that you are handing each subject to God with Jesus' help. If you need to forgive, say "I forgive ____ in Jesus' name, amen." If it is an on going problem like your job or your marriage as you give it to God, thank Him by saying, "Thank You God for taking this _______ from me in Jesus name amen." As you give everything to God remember that Jesus said, "…Give … to God what is God's" Mk 12:17 (NI). Everything belongs to God, even the bad stuff and He is more than capable of disposing of trash or cleaning up problems. As you use Jesus' help by using His name remember that Jesus said, "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" Jn 8:36 (NI). If your spouse is a source of stress, forgive your spouse and give your spouse to God. God is more than capable of improving your marriage and helping your spouse be less stressful in your life. Once you do that and your spouse upsets you, complain to God (not your spouse) and seek God's guidance.

The Better Half "When your partner won't support your efforts to make your marriage better" Without your spouse's support to improve your marriage, you can still pray daily for God's will to be done in each of your lives and your marriage. Jesus said, "all things are possible with God", Mark 10:27 NIV). The above teaching on being free from stress and other memories does not require a spouse's support. If your spouse is a source of stress, forgive your spouse and give your spouse to God. God is more than capable of improving your marriage and helping your spouse be less stressful in your life. Once you do that and your spouse upsets you, complain to God (not your spouse) and seek God's guidance.

A Psalm for reflection "You hear our prayers. All people will come to You." Psalm 65:2 (ICB)

Understanding the Teaching: What I share in the teaching is what I believe God wants me to share. All the direct quotes from God are highlighted in royal purple. Of course the words of Jesus are in red. Rather than follow some made up doctrine, remember that Jesus said that every thing He said (Jn 12:49) and everything He did (Jn 14:31) comes from God. All teachings and all opinions should be supported by what we learn from God or Jesus (see the scripture referred to in the footnote).

A Jesus Teaching:

Being Prayed Up

Religion says it is good to be optimistic and have strong faith. At times it is beneficial to have faith and be optimistic. Jesus places what God wants ahead of faith and optimism. One time Jesus was sharing from His heart concerning a very stressful subject, how He was going to be mistreated and then killed and then rise from the dead. Peter, full of faith and optimism responded, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You." Jesus then reacted to Peter's outburst of optimism and faith and said, "You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's"1. What God wants is more important than man's optimism and faith. When God is giving you difficult guidance, statements to the contrary can be a stumbling block. Another time, after Jesus shared how His followers would "fall away" from Him during the tough times ahead involving His crucifixion, Peter again with strong faith stated, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you"2. Of course you remember the rest of the story that they all did fall away and Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times3 as Jesus said he would.

As a follower of Jesus, have you ever believed something so strongly and it didn't happen or that you believed you would do something and then failed to stand firm? Peter did and he had to be disappointed in himself. Peter lived through the events including the crucifixion and the resurrection. John recorded how when they got the news that the tomb was empty, they ran to the tomb and he out ran Peter but then Peter went in first4. Yes, Peter was around when Jesus appeared to His followers. Peter was so wiped out from all the emotion of the events; he decided to go fishing5.

How do you prepare for times that your faith does not happen or coincide with what God wants to happen? If you have never experienced disappointment in your faith, praise God. For most of us, if we exercise faith, it will not always turn out the way we believed. To be prepared for these times can be helpful. Jesus knew Peter was not prepared spiritually or "prayed up" and Jesus told Peter. "I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail…"6. This is wonderful that Jesus prayed for Peter. Jesus tells us that God loves us so much because we love Jesus that God will respond to us directly when we ask in Jesus' name and that Jesus will not need to ask in our "behalf"7. Although it may be comforting to know that Jesus could pray for us, we need to pray the way Jesus teaches us to pray, daily, which will anticipate areas of our needs. Notice as we pray that we are praying that God's "will" will be done and that we will not be led into "temptation" and that we will be delivered from the "evil one"8. This prayer is awesome in the scope it covers. Sometimes people realize a day later that they could have been tempted the day before (or missed an opportunity to sin). This can happen for people who daily pray the prayer Jesus taught, without consciously realizing it at the time of praying.

It can be good to pray that the prayer will apply to your whole day (still takes less than one minute). If you want to be a stronger follower of Jesus and give God two minutes of you time, you can mention each hour of the coming day (remember God's day starts around 6pm - see Genesis 1). In mentioning each hour, you may want to pause to pray for things that you know are happening or scheduled during some of the hours, which could even include the coming and going of family members to or from work or school, etc.. If God leads you, you may want to pray the prayer Jesus tells us to pray for each hour (an investment of under 30 minutes). My extensive scientific research has proven that you cannot over dose on prayer. If you have a prayer language or pray in the spirit or as Jesus calls "tongues"9, you may also prefer to pray that way for each hour, also. When I was getting my Masters degree in Seminary, I shared about this way of praying for each hour with a woman who went on to be a Pastor in a main line denomination. A few years later we had contact and she thanked me for teaching her about "being prayed up". Although she claimed that was my expression, that was the first time I had heard the expression "being prayed up", and I knew it was a description from God. I cannot take credit for praying this way as God taught me this in late 80's when I was in Korea where frequently God and I were the only ones who knew English. If you need encouragement to be prayed up, remember Jesus says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command"10. As a Jesus follower, do you love Jesus? It sure sounds like a command when Jesus says, "This, then, is how you should pray… daily…"8. Are you willing to obey Jesus and pray daily the prayer He taught us to pray?

Let's pray:

"God thank You for what we can learn from Jesus. Help us to obey Jesus and pray the prayer He taught every day. Help us to be prayed up. Thanks You in Jesus name, amen."

1. Matthew 16:21-23 (NAS)

2. Matthew 26:31-35 (NIV)

3. Matthew 26:58-75

4. John 20:3-10

5. John 21:3

6. Luke 22:32 (NKJV)

7. John 16:26-27 (NIV)

8. Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)

9. Mark 16:17

10. John 14:15 (NIV)