Three Ways to Walk – Pastor Chuck
Saturation – It is wonderful to be saturated by the blessings of the Lord!
Spend time with the Lord – enjoy the beauty of pressing into God. He wants to saturate our lives, with His presence!
We need to walk in 3 ways:
1 Walk with God – the most important
2 Walk with one another
3 Walk with Jesus as Jesus walked.
1) Walk with God – the most important
Understand the importance of the moment!
God changes everything – from Lord of the Rings, Samwise woke up and said “everything sad is becoming untrue”
God uses even tragedy to bring transformation
Video Clip: Jason Gray sings “Everything Sad is Coming Untrue” Part 1
Walking with God changes everything!
E.g.: Noah – it saved him & his family, and ultimately life on earth
Enoch! – He walked with God – and God took him!! – what does that mean?
Has anybody seen Enoch? I haven’t seen him around for a few days, that’s weird! I wonder where he could be?!
Micah 6:8 (NIV)
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God.
A favourite definition of prayer – “Keeping company with God!”
On Chuck’s prayer journey, he discovered that there’s a strong connection between prayer & joy! (Two folks that he met on the walk asked to take his picture because he was so joyful!)
From the Chosen series, a conversation between Jesus & Peter, from the calling of Matthew:
Jesus (to Matthew) – Matthew! follow me!
Matthew – Who me?
Jesus – Yes! You!
Peter – Lord, do You know him?? Do you know what he’s done?
Jesus – Yes, I know him
Peter – I don’t get it!
Jesus – You didn’t get it when I picked you either!!
Peter – But, this is different!
Jesus – Get used to different!
Even in the lowest times & places of our lives Jesus is there
Three Biblical things every Christian will experience:
1 You will suffer
2 You will be asked to do difficult things
3 You will never walk alone!
Jehoshaphat – walked with God kept his eyes on the Lord – In the face of insurmountable enemies!
James 1:5 – if anyone lack wisdom, let him ask of God Who will give it liberally!!
When Chuck was walking the Camino, he experienced many miracles! & knew Jesus was with him
From the Chosen series, the healing of a paralytic who was let down from a roof by 4 friends:
Peter asking Mary: can you believe we’re really here for this?
Mary – yes!!
2) Walk with one another
We were created to walk with God, and We were created to walk with each other!!
“Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:22 NLT
“Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:12-13 NLT
“Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever, they sound like the truth.”
Ephesians 4:14 NLT
God is continually building us into what He wants
Do not be anxious to get out of His (God’s) building project!
Walk along with Jesus, & be ready to step into emerging opportunities!! – Like St Ignatius
When we walk with others:
“The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.”
Proverbs 27:9 NLT
God has put wonderful people into our lives!! E.g., in Chuck’s life: Ken, Bob, Graham, Cory, & Val!!
When someone has hurt us, we need to forgive them, but understand this will be a regular occurrence!
Kneel down & pray for them & intercede for them… until love breaks through!!
Forgive from our hearts…
There is a huge difference between forgiving with our lips vs. forgiving from our hearts
God is committed to making us, His people, whole
Unforgiveness is like cargo baggage, that could be hauled out at anytime – it is best to get rid of it
Prov 27:17 – As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend
1 John: Love others as God loves them
This is a season of death, we need to die to ourselves, become seed so that we can experience His resurrection in new life!
There is a strong connection between our releasing & forgiving someone, even if our hurt is justified, and God doing the miraculous!!
Prov 27:6 – faithful are the wounds of a friend
God wants us to produce good fruit
Matt 18: God will bring fruitfulness into our lives as we release & forgive
3) Walk with Jesus as Jesus walked
1 John 2:5-6 – But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in Him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did!
As we walk with Jesus, we will be allowed to see what He is doing, by His grace
E.g.: Barnabas – witnessed & saw the grace of God wonderfully moving in Antioch! (Though he himself wasn’t used there by the Lord, he was allowed to witness what God was doing)
Like Jesus says, it’s the word that you act upon that will change your life!!
Summary:
1 Walk with God – is the most important!
2 Walk with others – in love & forgiveness
3 Walk with Jesus – as Jesus walked!