So how's everyone going with the book so far? According to the 52 day timetable you should nearly be finished chapter 4. As the day by day posts have been focussing more on the chapters of Luke than the book, I thought I would create a new post that you can comment on at any time which relates specifically to the book. This is the area where you can share your favourite quotes, insights etc...the things you would normally underline or highlight. Are you finding the book helpful, challenging, irrelevant, inspiring??Nov 12, 2007
The Hungry Always Get Fed
So how's everyone going with the book so far? According to the 52 day timetable you should nearly be finished chapter 4. As the day by day posts have been focussing more on the chapters of Luke than the book, I thought I would create a new post that you can comment on at any time which relates specifically to the book. This is the area where you can share your favourite quotes, insights etc...the things you would normally underline or highlight. Are you finding the book helpful, challenging, irrelevant, inspiring??
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7 comments:
I have no doubt that these miracles and healings are happening and I understand that they are happening in areas where people are 'hungry'.
As 'hungry' as they are, it seems many are still coming to the faith BECAUSE of the signs and wonders they are personally witnessing.
More Westerners would become hungry and have faith if these miracle healings were experienced HERE.
There are endless opportunites for miracles to be performed in Perth ... with people who ARE hungry!
What are peoples thoughts?
Well - I dug around to look for those encouraging stories that would show how things started for the Bakers, and also took good note of the Life Principles page 58 - 59.. life for the believers is TOUGH. God is God, not a performing bear coming out to shower the kind of miracles we want to see on demand!
I am encouraged that Heidi Baker prayed for about 20 blind people over a longish period (more than 12 months) before anyone was healed. She just kept praying because she knew God loved them. Most of the 20 came to belief in Jesus, but they were not healed. She still persisted in prayer... [Luke 11:5- 13]. So - we need to be BOLD and not be discouraged but persist in pleading before our Father for the blind, hungry and outcast.
The Bakers persistence when their prayers are not answered as they would love them to be, is a real encouragement to all of us.
Regards healing I know I sometimes think "Mmm, well it looks like I don't have that gift..." The reality is that I actually on my own have NOTHING.
Gemma - spot on with the opportunities here, there are plenty that are hungry and outcast.
Gemma, I think there is a circular effect: hunger leads to faith leads to signs and wonders leads to more hunger, faith, signs.... but then this is only my theoretical view because I am only a babe in these matters.
I think this stuff begins by people (us?) taking risks (faith in action) without knowing what the outcome will be. I also keep coming back to the fact that we need to be empowered by the Spirit as we take risks in faith.
Rosaleen, you make some great points. God is not a performing bear and we do need to be persistent. It's interesting that you are encouraged by the fact that Heidi prayed for the blind without seeing any healing for a period of time. I seem to recall that John Wimber had a similar experience.
Hi Gemma - I was beginning to think they were coming to faith because of the signs and wonders (who wouldn't) but then I read Luke 13:10 onwards where Jesus healed the crippled woman. She may have come to faith but the synagogue ruler also witnessed the miracle and was indignant! Like Andrew, I am still wearing spiritual nappies in this area, but I reckon spiritual hunger and heart attitude have a big part to play in coming to faith.
Thanks for your thoughts Rosaleen. I guess its important for us to know that as God said to Heidi, "it's not about victory, it's about love".
Here are some statements from Chapter 5 of the book which stood out to me.
p63 Our only job is to love – and if love is real at all, it is practical.
p68 God is not about using the mighty, but the willing. He is not into using amazing people, just ones who are prepared to lay down their lives for him.
p70 That’s the Gospel – a passion that births compassion. All fruitfulness flows from intimacy – and it is intimacy unto a harvest.
p73 He wants to impart his heart to you in such a way that you become full of his passion. He wants you to be so full of his love that nobody can stop you from being compassionate to every person who crosses your path every day of your life.
The face of revival (P68 onwards)
The reflection on Luke 10 - the story of the Law Expert what should I do to inherit eternal life
The Lawyer knew the answers (so do we) and Jesus basically said -
"Yes, you know it - now do it"
From the book " The power of God, the presense of God, the multiplication of the Gospel, is as simple as this: a physical demonstration of the love of God".
I found page 69 so profound in its peeling away of the layers of religiosity: as Gemma has said - Love Love Love! that is all we need... to DO.
Thanks Rosaleen. I loved your quote: "The power of God, the presense of God, the multiplication of the Gospel, is as simple as this: a physical demonstration of the love of God".
One of the things I noticed is that it is not our love but God's love.
This links in with the quote from page 73: "He wants you to be so full of his love that nobody can stop you from being compassionate to every person who crosses your path every day of your life."
We need to be passionate with the love of God, otherwise we will struggle (and probably fail) to love in our own strength. Heidi says that this supernatural love comes from spending time in the presence of God as we are filled to overflowing with his Spirit. I want to experience more of this!
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