Simplicity

WOW!! The simplicity of the Gospel. The simplicity of knowing Jesus. Why is it that intellectualism floods the western mind? Why is that we have to have a theology known by heart, and a logical mind that makes sense of everything because the world says it has to? Why is it so hard for us to let go of time, agendas, plans, schedules, dreams, money, security? Church. What is that? As much as we say, yes Lord, be my God and I surrender, we still have our own plans of what church should look like. We have our own plans of how to be "seeker sensitive", of how to draw in the numbers, of "7 steps to intimacy with God" (this quote was from pastor Jose from Mozambique). Its soooo silly haha.
But if we read the Bible, and we look at the Early church-in Acts, we look at what Jesus taught and what He did, and we look at how the disciples ministered and fellowshipped and lived their lives, We see that it was soooooo SIMPLE! Acts 4:13 says that when people saw the boldness of peter and john and perceived they were untrained and uneducated men, they realized they had been with Jesus. hahaha, Been with JESUS!
ITS ALL ABOUT JESUS! It's just about being with Jesus. There's no other way. We think we have to make plans and think logically about what exactly we're doing, what it looks like, how can we be more efficient. We make it so complicated. Our Bible schools are teaching us...okay theres 3 steps to a sermon! What does that MEAN????? Steps to a sermon? Peter and John were uneducated and untrained men! They spoke with the boldness of the Spirit, not with the knowledge of man. In 1 Corinthians 2:4 Paul says, "my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that your faith may not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." Why do we complicate it? God tells you to preach, go preach! Holy Spirit gives you a word, you go give it! He says open your mouth and I will fill it. The Gospel is just about Jesus! We can't do ANYTHING without Him. John 15:5, I am the vine you and the branches. apart from me you can do nothing, but if He who abides in me and I in him will bear much fruit. There is no right and wrong way to share the Gospel. Allow Holy Spirit to do it, and He has His way everytime!
We don't need knowledge, we don't need plans, we don't need anything but Jesus...because He gives the plans. He gives us the ways of the Kingdom. He gives the knowledge and the wisdom and the words to speak. Holy Spirit sends us out. The apostles were first sent by Jesus, and then sent by the Spirit when He came.
Monday two weeks ago, two mozambiquan pastors came to speak at a local church and they showed up to preach and ended up laughing with the microphone for the majority of time. They had no agenda of what to speak, they simply came and laughed with the joy of the Lord, and the fire and Spirit of God. they told testimony and they brought the simplicity of knowing Jesus. God tells him to go preach, he goes. He has no food and no transportation in Mozambique, but he obeys the word of the Lord and remains full. Because of the Spirit. They have no education, they just see the fire of God show up, they preach the Gospel, they see people healed, and saved. Entire villages get saved because God does miracles and simply shows up in power. At this meeting when these pastors spoke, it brought me back to a taste of Africa and what i experienced last summer. I felt the simplicity of knowing Holy Spirit. That's all i need to know-Just Holy Spirit. He says go, He gives a word, He tells me to pray for someone, He has me fall on the floor and laugh, He calls my name in love, He wrecks me and undoes me everytime! Its all about Him! My way is not sufficient. Im completely inadequate. All I can do is surrender! He has to take over.
Tonight was just another reminder. God was talking to Diana about her plans, and it just wrecked her. and she came into my room laughing at the thought that we make plans in our own way and its soooo silly. She was so filled with the Spirit. So she was laughing so hard, the Lord started speaking to me. And He just said I want to wreck all your plans. I want to wreck all of you. Because my thoughts are higher. What are you doing? What do u think you are doing? HAHA And i just laughed and laughed and laughed because we make no sense! God is so much bigger. And its so simple...Just whatever He has. Whatever He wants..its all about Him. I need more of Him! But he gave me these scriptures tonight that just killed me...wrecked me and i think i laughed for at least 2 hours.
Jesus said, I am the Bread of Life. The BREAD! The manna. The israelites had to wait every single day for the manna in the wildnerness. They couldnt collect ahead or they would be punished byt he Lord. God wanted theyre trust every single day. So when Jesus says I am the Bread of Life, He's saying I'm the manna. EVeryday you have to trust me for your portion. You have to get with me! You have to eat my bread. You can't jump ahead a few days. you cant plan ahead, you can only do what i tell you and take what I give. You collect daily on my terms. Hahaha. ITs all about Him.
The second thing he gave me was Luke 5. Jesus told Simon to launch out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch. and simon says, Master we have toiled all night and caught nothingl nevertheless at your word I will let down the net. and when they had done this they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking. HAHAHAHA. Without Jesus, they couldnt do ANYTHING. But at His word, they caught so many they couldnt hold it all. So they forsook all and followed Him. The gave up everything, they left their nets, they left their fishing, and they followed Him. The simplicity of the Gospel is just Jesus! abandon yourself for Him.
And the third verse I got tonight was Acts 2:46-47. "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." They broke the bread daily-fellowshiping and communing...They communed with Jesus daily. they partook of the BREAD. And they had SIMPLICITY of heart. HAHAHA. and the Lord added daily to the church salvations. Its too much for the intellectual mind. Stop everything your doing and sit with Jesus.
2 weeks ago the Lord gave me this verse, 2 Corinithians 11:3 "But I fear lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by His craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."
Who are we before God? Who are we....seriously? What the heck are we doing? What are we doing for the Kingdom? What matters to us-the world or the Kingdom of Heaven? How is that answer being displayed? 7 steps to intimacy with God and 6 ways to evangelize? Pffffft! how about Holy Spirit coming to fill you, giving boldness to speak and bringing signs and wonders with Power (Acts 4:30-31)? How about Holy Spirit sending you out (Acts 13:4). All over Acts the apostles were sent out by visions, angels, and Holy Spirit. They didnt even have the Bible! The simplicity of knowing the Spirit has got to be revealed. Just ask for the Spirit to show up and He will. Its all about Love. His favorite thing is not ministry, but communion with us, his beloved. His favorite time is when we sit at his feet, not when we win a thousand souls. His favorite time is conversing and sitting with us. Its all love, its all initmacy. Its all about loving Him. He says to Peter, Do you love me? Do you love me? do you love me? feed my lambs. Just being with Jesus and loving Him. simple stuff eh?