ABC Conference

I am posting today from Irving, Texas where I have been attending the Association of Bridge Churches Pastors and Leaders Conference. This has been an exciting week, although I was disappointed that Pastor Francisco (from Honduras) was unable to attend. He and his family drove from Honduras to the US border and were turned away by border agents, even though he had a valid US Visa. Please pray for this family.

As I have sat and listened to the various speakers, I have been challenged in my faith and in my understanding of what it means to be the Church. As a whole we (the Church) have been unwilling to take risks and to truly search out the power and presence of God. The glory that we have longed to experience has seemed to linger just outside of our reach. If the Word of God is true (and I believe that it is) that it is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of a king to search it out, then we must reverse this trend in our bodies and begin to search in the correct places for His presence. We seem to have been seeking for that power and presence by looking for what Jesus can do for us, when that is not where it is hidden. If we were playing a childhood game, the Holy Spirit would be shouting out "Cold, cold, colder" as we look in this direction. Instead, we must begin to recognize that to become "On fire" we need to draw near to the firey compassion of God and seek His power and presence in how we can help others reach their destiny. It is only through this change of direction that we are going to truly see His glory and have it manifest in our own lives.

Secondly, if we are going to experience his power and presence, then we must begin to "do something". Churches just aren't "doing the stuff" and this must change. The world is a difficult place to live in and the closer we draw to the end of times, the more difficult it is going to become. In order for us to merely survive, we must learn that the anointing of God doesn't just merely drop out of the sky at random intervals and hit us if we happen to be standing in the right place, but rather it is something that is hidden within us by God, waiting to be released when we take a step of faith and try. Serving God is not about sitting back and waiting on something to happen, it is about taking a risk and getting involved in what he is doing all around us.

I have been challenged greatly, and I hope that this post will get you thinking and challenge you as well. I am sure my thoughts and ideas are going to be turned in this direction for some time, so we will certainly consider this topic more in the days ahead. By the way, I hope you enjoy the messages from Birmingham Bridge. If you haven't noticed I've posted a player to the right and they are also available at:

Web page: http://sermonplayer.com/birminghambridge

Podcast Feed: http://sermonfeed.com/birminghambridge

.Mobi URL:http://sermonplayer.mobi/birminghambridge