A Quick Foreword to a Fresh Word
I am a part of the Pentecostal family of believers. I have no desire to be alienating or argumentative, but do believe in the fullness of God’s gifts as outlined in His inspired and infallible Word. Thus, I believe that the gifts of the Spirit, as expressed in 1 Corinthians 12, operate today just as they did in the first century church.
After all, why would there be less power available to the last days church, especially with the recorded escalation of demonic power prior to Christ’s return?
That being said, I came across a direct word by the Holy Spirit our local church recorded on February 26, 2012. The great majority of the time directly inspired words, whether spontaneously given from the Spirit or sermon-prepared by the pastor, are focused for the local church body (as witnessed in Revelation 2 and 3). However, there are times when such words extend beyond the local fellowship and into the church at large. This was one such message and one that needs to be shared again.
Rather than share the entire word now, I will be breaking it down by paragraph (and sometimes even by a couple of sentences).
This is so we can glean as much from His word as possible. Once we have worked through the segments, I will publish the complete word for easy reference.
Kindly be aware these posts may be somewhat longer than in the past, so you may wish to plan a little extra time this month when reading. Also know they may bring challenges and conviction to each of us, but its all for His glory and our good.
Let’s begin.
A Fresh Word: What God is Seeking
“I say unto you: I am God, high and lifted up! I am the Exalted One and I am a God, I am a God who is pure in His holiness. I seek a people, I seek a people that I might be glorified in them, in their lives. My eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, and I seek a people who will come to me and live for me” (Direct Word).
What Do I Think of First?
If I were asked about “seeking” in the Bible, my initial thoughts would focus on me as the seeker. “Seek first the kingdom of God…” (Matthew 6:33); “Ask, and you shall receive; seek, you shall find…” (7:8). Or, from a pastoral perspective, leaving the ninety-nine and seeking that one lost sheep (as seen in Matthew 18: 12).
Eventually I would get to the Lord’s words to the Samaritan woman, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23 ESV).
However, following this direct word from the Spirit, my “seeking response order” has changed. The thought of the Father seeking me would be first and my seeking Him second.
It was nice to personally believe I had put God first in my life. After all, I’ve been in full time ministry for nearly thirty-five years now. I “left” everything behind to do so.
Yet, here I hadn’t put Him first in this thought of “seeking.”
Will I ever be purged of self and stop putting me first and Him second? Can I truly get over my “needs” as primary and replace them with His desires?
A Key to Getting Over the “Me First” Reflex
It is possible to get over the “me first” worship practice.
It is done by expanding my understanding of the Father seeking worshippers as seen in John 4:23.
How I love to worship in a church service and how He loves to be worshipped in that way. But that is only an hour or so a week. And though I may worship him daily in my devotions, my worship can’t be limited to that venue alone. I must worship him as Paul instructed the Romans, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1 ESV).
Living a holy life is the true “song” He really wants me to sing. For when I live in purity before Him, I truly worship Him in spirit and in truth. And that is the life of a worshipper my Father seeks.
A Closing Prayer to Become What God is Seeking
Let me hear Your call to live holy before You. Forgive me of my sin and let me forgive those who sin against me. I stand on Your promise my Father, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NASB).
