get out of the way
A few weeks ago I taught a lesson for our inpatient Celebrate Recovery meeting at Bridgeway. Generally we march right through an "official" Celebrate Recovery lesson and attempt to urge the men into conversation. With a constant client turn-over, some weeks bring forth more conversation than others... it all depends on the personalities.
That night God moved.
In previous sessions of Celebrate Recovery I worked so hard to try to relate to the men through recovery principles. I tried to find some way to identify with the guys and their experiences. I tried to use their slang and to talk to them in a style like their counselors do. I tried to be a part of their world as they see it at Bridgeway. You may notice that there is a lot of "I" in the previous text. I tried. I did.
That day as I prepared a lesson for the meeting I prayed for God's direction. Immediately he directed me to Jonah. I said to God, "God... Jonah doesn't have anything to do with recovery." After all, I know far more about God's word that than He does. But I said to God that he must have been mistaken. He clearly wanted to use the text that I had prepared for teaching.
Again, God directed me to Jonah. So I read it. It jumped at me. The word came to life and the life infected my mind. I read of the word and new meaning was illumined by the Spirit. Suddenly there was more than what I had seen before.
God knew what he was talking about. Come to think of it, God kind of always knows what he's talking about. It is as if... well, it is as if... he's God. Huh.
That evening as I shared the message that God had prepared for me I could see the look of recognition as the attendees leaned forward in their seats and scribbled notes along with our exploration of the Scriptures. At the end of our time, when the men are usually unruly and ready to hit the door for the hourly smoke break, many of the men lingered to talk more about the grace and love of God. There were a few small pairings that felt the urge to stop and pray before continuing on with the night. God moved.
I know that this all doesn't sound that spectacular. Perhaps there wasn't any message spoken in tongues, no prophecy, no people slayed in the Spirit- whatever that is, but there was healing that took place. There was healing not of body, but of spirit. There was encouragement. There was growth of fledgling faith. I am fully convinced that none of this would have occurred had I continued on and used the lesson I had originally prepared. I thank the Lord God Almighty for the ways He reaches into the mind and heart of the follower- even when the follower isn't very receptive. God cut through my static and said, "Just teach the Word."
Just teach the Word. The Word of God truly is sharper than any two-edged sword. It is sharp enough even to cut through the white noise of daily life. It is truly amazing what God will do when we move out of His way and let Him fulfill the plans He has.
That night God moved.
In previous sessions of Celebrate Recovery I worked so hard to try to relate to the men through recovery principles. I tried to find some way to identify with the guys and their experiences. I tried to use their slang and to talk to them in a style like their counselors do. I tried to be a part of their world as they see it at Bridgeway. You may notice that there is a lot of "I" in the previous text. I tried. I did.
That day as I prepared a lesson for the meeting I prayed for God's direction. Immediately he directed me to Jonah. I said to God, "God... Jonah doesn't have anything to do with recovery." After all, I know far more about God's word that than He does. But I said to God that he must have been mistaken. He clearly wanted to use the text that I had prepared for teaching.
Again, God directed me to Jonah. So I read it. It jumped at me. The word came to life and the life infected my mind. I read of the word and new meaning was illumined by the Spirit. Suddenly there was more than what I had seen before.
God knew what he was talking about. Come to think of it, God kind of always knows what he's talking about. It is as if... well, it is as if... he's God. Huh.
That evening as I shared the message that God had prepared for me I could see the look of recognition as the attendees leaned forward in their seats and scribbled notes along with our exploration of the Scriptures. At the end of our time, when the men are usually unruly and ready to hit the door for the hourly smoke break, many of the men lingered to talk more about the grace and love of God. There were a few small pairings that felt the urge to stop and pray before continuing on with the night. God moved.
I know that this all doesn't sound that spectacular. Perhaps there wasn't any message spoken in tongues, no prophecy, no people slayed in the Spirit- whatever that is, but there was healing that took place. There was healing not of body, but of spirit. There was encouragement. There was growth of fledgling faith. I am fully convinced that none of this would have occurred had I continued on and used the lesson I had originally prepared. I thank the Lord God Almighty for the ways He reaches into the mind and heart of the follower- even when the follower isn't very receptive. God cut through my static and said, "Just teach the Word."
Just teach the Word. The Word of God truly is sharper than any two-edged sword. It is sharp enough even to cut through the white noise of daily life. It is truly amazing what God will do when we move out of His way and let Him fulfill the plans He has.
posted by Gregg @ 8:16 PM
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