These are the notes that I took from the 4 revival services we had on the evenings of October 27-30. They are not meant to be perfect study tools. Rather, these are like outlines along with my own comments and as much as I could include from what was spoken. Please read through the verses as you read through what I have written here.
Speaker Greg Locke
Thoughts on the Jonah lesson:
Jonah 1:1-15
Psalm 85:6
Nineveh - capital of Assyria - very large - commerce center - gospel ignorant
He ran from God.
In the boat he was the only one with the truth, but he wasn't praying. He should have been preaching, praying, and prophesying.
It was determined that Jonah was the culprit.
If we stay in rebellion long enough, it begins to stop bothering us. (he was asleep)
Does the thing that used to turn my stomach now pitter patter my heart?
We can always find someone who will make us feel better in our rebellion.
God will show you He cannot be thwarted.
Revival will not come (might even drown and take others with you) unless you throw Jonah out of the boat (our own Jonah out of our life).
Do we come to church full of the world and ask God to fill us?
Speaker Greg Locke
Thoughts on the Good Samaritan lesson:
Luke 10:25-
He was the magnetic Messiah drawing crowds.
The lawyer was argumentative - paid to argue.
What must I do? This was his question, but the meeting is orchestrated by the Lord.
Go to the Bible for the answer - Deuteronomy 27.
He looked ridiculous and so he tried to justify himself.
In the parable...
He fell into the situation and was wounded & stripped.
The story is about our spiritual condition & calamity.
How do we respond to someone in this condition?
1) religion - won't stop, but will leave you dead in a ditch
2) Christian - has the truth, but to inconvenienced to share it
3) the loving one - saw with his heart; compassionate
To reach people no one is reaching, we will have to do things no one is doing.
Message trumps methodology.
Separation from the world is not the same as isolation. Go where the people are.
How did he show compassion?
Wounds are messy - don't marginalize people.
He made a financial investment in someone he had never met.
He gave him the front seat. He had to scoop him up. He took him to a place where he could get medicinal rehabilitation.
If we are pregnant with truth, we should give birth to obedience.
He stayed all night with him.
Does the church errantly operate only on business hours?
He pays for it all.
Who is the real neighbor? - the merciful and loving one
Do thou likewise.
Speaker Greg Locke
Thoughts on the Moses lesson:
Acts 7:20-
It refers to a time in which generational bondage was in place.
Forced abortion was in place because of Pharaoh's fear.
Moses' mother raised him in Pharaoh's house on Pharaoh's bill.
God is sovereign. Moses is an image of Jesus being a deliverer.
Moses was educated by the best, well-nourished, and good looking. He was the Prince of Egypt.
He would never have been happy again without visiting his people after God put it in his heart.
What God puts in your heart may not be seen by others.
God works on everyone's hearts at different times, in different ways, and in different measures.
God providentially allowed someone (of 3,000,000 people) to see him twice in two days.
Moses fled based on the man's words.
He became a shepherd.
God did not need his greatness. He beat Egypt out of him for 40 years.
Why did God do this? Psalm 78:22
All He wants is a broken, willing vessel.
He approaches the bush and God spoke...reminding him who his people are.
The ground is a holy ground - ground of holiness - place of consecration & commitment - feet/shoes are related to authority - giving away shoes meant agreeing to fulfill your end of the bargain. The only thin He wanted was his surrender.
God sends him (not when he had everything) when He has everything.
He always reminded the people about the coming Prophet.
40yrs (gained status) + 40yrs (lost status) + 40yrs (servant)
Sometimes the one who brings you to where you are is not who will take you where you are going.
The Lord buried him.
He wants my "shoes."
Speaker Jon Leighton
Thoughts on the Abram lesson:
Genesis 11:27-13:15
A man has unpacked who should be living out of his luggage.
The Lord has already promised him he would be blessed.
God spoke to him in Ur and told him to go to Canaan (from country and kindred), but he stopped 700 miles short in Haran.
3 options were exercised:
1) Abram delays his obedience. - brings disaster (Terah died there away from his country.)
A place of delay is a place of temptation.
The longer we stay the easier it is to stay longer.
1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 6:17; 1 John 2:15
It becomes a place of conviction.
God speaks 78 words to him in 12:1-3.
James 1:17
It is more about who you are than what you do.
It becomes a place of affliction; it affected those around him. Terah was buried in a pagan land
lust yields sin which yields death
The longer you stay the more likely you will die there.
Robert Robinson account related to "Come Thou Fount"
2) Abram partially obeys.
8 word reminder from God
God has plans for us at all stages of life.
Do I have a Lot that I don't leave behind?
Partial obedience brings tension.
God is not speaking because we have not done what He said to do - we are still in disobedience.
Don't go to where He was, but instead to where He is.
Abram & Lot - financial struggles
Partial obedience brings tension into his finances, family, and focus.
We should not let the world decide.
Abram was supposed to go to Canaan.
3) Full obedience brings communication.
God speaks again after Lot had separated.
God speaks 93 words - more than He had spoken before.
God blesses Him with wealth, but, even better, with communication.
To get the blessing of the new (newer, nicer, better, more valuable, longer lasting) we have to be willing to give God the old.
To obey or not to obey.
Thanks for getting this caught up Eric!
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