The Lord is Seeking

Here is something I wrote last year to put into words what we are praying and hoping for to be manifested in the Church. Some of the pieces toward the end were quoted from a statement from "The Mission", a church in Vacaville, CA. Many of the things in there resonated with me. Here is the link.
http://www.tmvv.org/images/Values_Beliefs_&_Decisions.pdf

The Lord is Seeking …
1. A people who will put the first command first! A people who live out of a First Love relationship with Jesus! Luke 10:39-42; Revelation 2:4

2. A people who will truly love one another.
· Wives loving their husbands
· Husbands loving their wives as Christ loves the church.
· Hearts of children turning to the Fathers, and Fathers to the children.
· Living out the new testament “one anothers” – examples:
a. Bear one another’s burdens
b. Be kind to one another
c. Forgiving one another
d. Submitting to one another
e. exhort one another daily

3. A people who will worship God in spirit and truth – John 4:23,24
· I don’t want to simply sing songs to God, but I want to gather with others who give everything they are to God in worship. Like David, the man after God’s own heart! I want to give God everything I am when I worship – Heart, soul, strength, mind, will, and emotions!

4. A people who will not just read the scriptures, but who will let the living Word abide in them. These people will truly hear God’s voice. It’s not good enough to simply hear and read the scriptures, we must encounter the living Word – Jesus himself! The only one who can reveal to us the living Word is the Teacher, the Holy Spirit! This is the only way to become doers of the word and not hearers only! We must hear the voice of Jesus speaking through the scriptures, and then we can follow him.
1 Cor. 2:10-16; John 10:4; John 5:37-40

5. A people who will have the kind of Faith required to do the things Jesus did! A people who will truly represent Jesus to a hurting, dying world. This means not only loving like Jesus did, but doing the kinds of miracles and healings that Jesus did.
God is seeking a people who, like Peter, are willing to get out of the boat. The boat represents safety, predictability, and comfort. We will only find the abundant life when we get out of the boat and believe God for the impossible.
John 14:12; Mark 16:17,18

6. A people who are full of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables us to do the impossible. Reading about the book of Acts without living the book of Acts must become unthinkable to us! Acts 4:31; Acts 6:3, 8; John 7:37-39

7. A people who desire, walk in, and practice Spiritual Gifts. 1 Cor. 14:1.

8. A people who really want to know God and are seeking him. These people will have a genuine, 2-way relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
· Truly knowing God in our heart, not just our head, brings real faith.
· True knowledge of who God is comes by Revelation, not just obtaining information. Matthew 16:17
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
· When we truly know him, we will no longer strive in our own strength, but his power and nature will flow through us and his grace will enable us.
· The level at which we Know God in our heart determines the level at which he can flow through us, use us, and speak to us.

Conclusion:
Good preaching, good doctrine, and being good people is good, but not good enough.
Having a good church club is not enough, good fellowship is not enough, and just
being a member of that club is not enough.
Having good Bible studies is good, but not good enough. Knowing about God without truly knowing and experiencing God is meaningless.
Singing songs without worshiping is shallow and having meetings without God showing up is pointless.

I am tired of the traditions of men and forms of godliness without the real power. I’m tired of playing Church. I want to move on to the real thing. I want the living Word and the free flow of the River of life in our midst. I desire that we all become more vulnerable and honest with one another so we can help and love one another. I long for God’s glory or manifest presence to be among us as we worship him wholeheartedly in spirit and truth. I desire that as we gather corporately, we would come to know Jesus better and have the mind of Christ. I want to encounter the living God, not just fill my mind with information about him. I want to be so filled with his love and Spirit that it flows out of my innermost being in a rushing river of living water. I want to cultivate an atmosphere where we can encourage one another and use our spiritual gifts to build up one another in our faith. If this speaks to you and is what you are contending for, let’s contend for it together!

Philippians 4:12
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.