Awakening

Behind Prison Walls I was towards the end of serving a 4 ½ year prison sentence, and by the Grace of God was granted weekend release. After attending a C3 Church I grabbed an Awakening booklet but I wouldn’t read it until I was back in the confines of my prison cell. It was in that place where I was first Awakened to the awesome things God was doing amongst Young Adults. Unity, Justice, Faith, Hope and above all Love rung true in my ears as I read what had been written, “Our Heart, His Glory”…I wanted to attend so bad! But circumstances wouldn’t allow me to be there. That did not stop me being apart of it. God placed a dream in my heart soon after, that would ultimately shake down the walls of the prison inside the hearts of Men, and on February 1 2008 we held Day 1 of Awakening Conference at Oberon Correctional Centre...
Pastor Andrew Godden of Oberon CLC was our guest speaker, we had testimonies from men who had found God whilst serving time and messages that proclaimed “Its not about what Church you go to, or what denomination you are, it’s all about God, He wants to be apart of your life, all you have to do is accept His invitation to AWAKEN YOUR HEART…” Running time was 3 days with an attendance rate of 30+ men each day (1/4 of the jail population), lives impacted, hearts changed, Christ revealed and God Glorified. Thanks be to Him. 6 months after my release from prison I was able to attend Awakening 09 “Awaken This Love”. What an amazing event. I left changed, inspired and hungry for more of God’s Love. I believe that God is calling us and stirring our hearts now, not just to gear up for an amazing time in February 2010, but also to adopt Awakening as our lifestyle and our culture so that when we do come together God can impact our lives and city in ways in which we have never seen before. Live the Love…This is how we know. Ben Nicholson

my story is like this :: son of a preacher man fled fast from Jesus re-introduced to Jesus shook hands with Him again broadcasting to the world my reintroduction
Anthony Thompson

YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE.  Words I heard God speak into my heart about a decision I made a few weeks ago in Portland, Oregon.  The worst part of hearing those words from God is when you happen to be a pastor who has committed his life to loving and serving the people God created.  

It was Saturday and my wife, daughter and I were having lunch.  I had prepared a message and was pushing the clock a little and needed to get back to the church for our 5:00 service, so that I could tell people about God’s love.    
After lunch, my wife wanted to quickly go into a nearby mall, and even though I was worried a bit about the time, I figured we could make it.   
As I walked into this mall, I walked past a young, apparently homeless teenage girl (We have one of the highest populations of teen homelessness in the United States).   I can still remember to this day what she looked like.   I can also remember the question she asked me and the words I said back to her.

As I walked by her, she simply asked me the same question she was asking all who were passing by “excuse me, do you have any extra money for bus fare?”
I never even thought about it, just simply responded with “no.”   As I look back on those few seconds, her question was met with an answer that was almost arrogant and even rude. I continued to walk toward the glass entry doors, but did not get 3 steps into the mall when I heard in my heart those words that were piercingly convicting….YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE.  

Check out the definition:  
Hyp-o-crite “A person who pretends to be what he or she is not; or one who pretends to be better than he or she really is”
Who would ever hope to be called a hypocrite?   We get our English word hypocrite from a Greek word Hupokrites that means “actor, stage player, pretender, or one that wears a mask.”    

Dallas Willard in his writings “The Divine Conspiracy” had this to say about the term hypocrite….
“Hypocrite is a term used by Jesus alone in the New Testament, and he uses it seventeen times.
The term hypocrite in classical Greek primarily refers to an actor, such as one sees on the stage, but it came to refer also to anyone who practices deceit. It is clear from the literary records that it was Jesus alone who brought this term and the corresponding character into the moral vocabulary of the western world.
When Jesus spoke of “the hypocrites,” he was utilizing a very vivid image that effectively seized the minds of his hearers because of their familiarity with stage characters. They were thus able to see much of the most obvious religious behavior of their day as the sham it in fact was.”

No one ever wants to be a pretender, but I think because we get so busy we can become what we would never want to be.  
Activity can often times be mistaken for ministry.    We can look busy and not see what matters.  And, I think we can say something, but really it is in our actions that our heart is authentically displayed for the world to see.  That was totally my story that Saturday in Portland.
The old adage is so true.  People do not care what you know until they know that you care.
The Bible says that GOD IS LOVE, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8   
But what is love?

The Bible says “This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:16-18
Talk about convicting words.  Think about this.  I cannot prove you love God, or stated differently you cannot prove you love God.   But how you love people absolutely proves the reality of whether or not God’s love is in your life.
In other words, it’s not what I say that is love, but rather what I do about what I say that is love.    
God doesn’t just say He loves us, but his love resulted in doing what was best for us.  LOVE IS COSTLY.  To not love simply costs you more, because you will miss a blessing from God. 

I think the truth is most of us are just too busy and can’t see what matters.  To be interrupted and be available isn’t in the “schedule.”  I can be so busy trying to get somewhere, or get my agenda done that I miss where I am at right now.  I miss the opportunity in front of me.  As a student, I miss the person who just needs to know they matter.  I can plan so much that I have a tendency to plan God right out of my life.  For me I see so much and yet sometimes fail to see anything.

And, the irony is we never try to think this way, it is just the result of thinking the wrong way.    
If you like to take notes, write this down.  CLARITY ALWAYS PRODUCES URGENCY.    Also, when clarity is diminished, so is urgency.  Why we don’t act is so often because we talk ourselves out of being kind.  We in essence begin to judge and think we are better.
When will we truly get over ourselves?   When will we authentically stop the madness and slow down enough to SEE people and to serve people. 

My family and I love Australia and love Australians.  We think Aussies get this far better than Americans (don’t tell them I said that).   
At the same time I think we all need to be reminded to slow down and see.   When we lose urgency for what matters, we become less action orientated and more apathy orientated.

All of us have a little bit of “acting” in us, but my prayer for Australia is that acting turns to action.  I dare you to love your city, to serve your families and to simply see today what maybe you have bee missing.    
You can’t change the past.   I couldn’t take the words back that I so flippantly said to that girl.  But what we can do and what I did do, was change.

As I heard those words, I simply backed up, went and found this young girl, who parenthetically is younger than my daughter, looked into her eyes and simply said, “Here is $5.00, and I am sorry that I lied to you.”
She said “thanks” and I am so glad I listened to her words this time.
I love that God is all about the second chance.  He wants to use you to do something.   
It seems like these days God is showing that my mission is right in front of me.  It’s that one moment I have to slow down, to really see and then respond to the divine thing God is doing now.

LOVE IS ALL ABOUT ACTION AND NOT ABOUT ACTING.  

If we aren’t loving in action, I would say we aren’t loving at all.

Be the unlikely hero.  Do the one thing that is right today.  Don’t worry about who gets the credit.  
For me, as a Christ Follower, the reality is if I carry His name I better imitate His character.
Jesus clearly said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” Mark 10:45
At times I get blown away at what happens at our church.  Occasionally we will get a call from someone to tell us that someone needs help.  Sometimes the first someone knows the second someone.  They call our church, almost as if there is a “someone” room, where people are just sitting and waiting to jump up and run out to serve.  I get frustrated because we just don’t get it.   
FRIENDS.  YOU ARE THE SOMEONE that God wants to use to change someone in your world.   
Be that someone today!   As you slow down, you will begin to see what matters. In other words you will have clarity.  As clarity increases, so will urgency.  It is just the way it works.

Instead of being a hypocrite, let’s be a hero in the life of someone today.

Ball is in your court.

John Bishop
Guest speaker at AWAKENING 2010 Big Top, Luna Park 5th-6th Feb.
www.johnbishop.tv

'..all too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition' -Jesus Mk7v9.

I think history has shown us that there is nothing quite like a generation of young adults coming together for a cause. Sounds somewhat corny..but true nonetheless. It seems that when people's backs are up against a wall, there's only two options: to quit, or to wake up! Man how we as young adults need to wake up!

I think that those who have gone before us and had the opportunity to throw in the towel when they looked at the state of their generation, would tell us to awaken...and not quit. There is great power when we as young adults come together to awaken to the truth that we can build a new tradition... one that isnt built by pop culture, or 'scene'... but by running with, as Jesus said, the commandment of God... LOVE IS.

Jono
Blog from Jono Gullo leader of the Young Adults of COC

2 Tim 1:7: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

It is important what God hasn’t given us

It is easy to focus on what He has given us and forget that he also hasn’t given us certain things

Confusion and doubt live in the abundance of fear

He is the Way out of fear

This Way is only journeyed as we realize what he hasn’t given us and what he has given us

Are you filled with doubt and fear?

God did not give you that

Are filled with faith?

God gave you that

This following Christ is done by what His spirit gives us, power, love and self-discipline

+jk