Today, we talked about preparation and impartation, as well as forgiveness as they relate to healing and deliverance. There were four main reasons Jesus healed people: to glorify God; out of compassion for people; to destroy the works of satan; and to provide a witness to God's future and present kingdom. We must make sure we are glorifying God and not ourselves when we pray for healing. Jesus imparted to the disciples the authority and the mission in which they were to walk and the healings, signs, and wonders flowed from that. The gifts we have are meant to be shared outside the church so that others may come to know Him. The gift of tongues is often ignored because people don't understand it. It attacks our pride and is a way for us to speak to God in humility because we must rely on Him to practice it. When we talk about forgiveness as it relates to healing, we must recognize that repentance is part of it. Jesus didn't tell people to confess: He told them to go and sin no more. When we stay in unforgiveness, we put ourselves in a prison and don't allow God to come through the door with healing. Unforgiveness leads eventually to bitterness. Ways to deal with bitterness are: express negative feelings - don't suppress them; accept responsibility for our negative feelings; confess reactionary sin (vengefulness); ask yourself if you really want to be healed of the emotional pain; in faith, choose to forgive!; choose to extend Christ's love to those who have hurt us; forgive ourselves and accept God's forgiveness; break the inroads of satan that came through the situation(s). Jesus does NOT will for us to live in bondage! It is a simple command to forgive, but is not easy to do and we must rely on faith and ask for help to walk in it.

Amen!

Reference verses: Matthew 11:2-5; John 5:44, 7:18; Matthew 14:14, 20:34; Matthew 12:22-29; Isaiah 35:4-6; Matthew 9:35-38, 10:1, 10:7-8; John 14:12-13; Matthew 6:10; Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 1:27-29; 1 Corinthians 14; Psalm 103:2-4; Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 6:14-15; Mark 11:24-25; Luke 5:17-26; 1 Corinthians 11:17-33; James 5:13-16

Whether we believe it or not, we are continually involved in a very real, spiritual war. Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy. We should expect evil to come and be prepared to fight against it. Every time Jesus healed someone he was destroying the works of Satan. Jesus knew who his enemy was and that He had power and authority over that enemy. Through His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, he gave us that same power and authority.

God created angels to guard and protect us, as well as to glorify God through worship. While many people either minimize or dismiss the presence of angels and demons, these are both mentioned frequently in the Bible. Most people and churches shy away from talking about demons, but they are very real. Demons have a will, emotions, intellect, self-awareness, and can speak. The good news is that a demon cannot coexist with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

All the gifts of the Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit were manifested in Jesus. The power that He gives us comes from the Holy Spirit. To have and utilize this power we must first walk in intimacy with Jesus. When Jesus calls us to follow Him, it is to do as He did while ministering, which was healing, delivering, and casting out demons. Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan and He commands us to do the same and even more.

Satan has no authority over Christ followers unless we give it to him by believing lies, doubting, taking offense, continuing in sin, and holding onto wrongs done to us by others.

Spiritual Gifts and the Fruit of the Spirit are for others. Fruit must be grown and cultivated over time, while gifts are given to us fully developed. Walking in step with the Spirit will help us to develop the nine fruits of the spirit.

Amen!

Reference verses: Daniel 10:12-14, Ephesians 2:1-10, Luke 10:17-20, Matthew 28:18-20, John 14:12, I John 3:8, Galatians 5:22-25, I Corinthians 12:8-10

Although we would all like to have things go smoothly, we all encounter distractions and interruptions in our lives. Being natural and real, like we strive for at Sandbox, is costly - in time and emotional engagement. If we were to do big, flashy performances to attract people, we would have to continue to up the ante and manufacture glory from God to keep people. It's why we must come for Jesus and nothing else. We've prayed over people to be healed and we don't always see it, but we keep doing it because that is what He said to do. Sandbox must be a place that calls out what is wrong in the Church so that we can make it right! Many tick off the list of things they want from their church, but how many look for what they can bring to the table? If you are lonely, go show love to someone else. Christ will take care of the global church, but we are to be fully engaged in the local church and be part of something bigger. The church is about sitting around a table sharing meals and Jesus with each other and all who God brings to us. Jesus broke all the laws down to two: Love God and each other. Signs and wonders will come from our community when we give, are willing to help others, and work hard so we can bless others.

Amen!

Reference verses: Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 68:6; John 13:34-35

It must have been so hard for Jesus to send the disciples out after spending three years with them everyday! It is the same for us at Sandbox. The joy and love we have here is hard to give away, but it is what God has called us to do. We can't put our light in a corner and keep it to ourselves, just like a dad can't hold his daughter tightly and not give her away in marriage. We must remember that although it hurts when we leave a place we love, that Jesus will be ours for life, no matter what church we attend. It's where our foundational verses in Ephesians and Acts come in. We have gifts meant to be used and church is meant to be lived out in homes, around tables, serving others. The purpose of Sandbox is to be a recruiting depot for Jesus where we share and give of our lives to each other. If you think you can't make a difference, pray for God to light a fire in you and just make yourself available to do what He asks you to do!

Amen!

Reference verses: Ephesians 4:11-16; Acts 2:42-47

Being a shepherd is a high calling that many don't answer, but we all walk in it in some way - whether as a parent, or a boss, or anytime someone looks to us for guidance. It's not something that happens instantly, but tends to develop over time as our relationships grow and can be a thankless, lonely, or treacherous job. Ask yourself - who is my flock? Who has God entrusted to me or put in my life to guide? He calls us to be shepherds and not hired hands who will run at the first sign of trouble. David was a literal shepherd and through that, God taught him how he needed to lead His people. There are four things we must do to be a shepherd. First is to lead. In order to do this, we must take a hard self-inventory and get rid of what doesn't fit to be a person who leads others to Jesus. Second, we must feed them by considering their needs, filling ourselves up on the Word, and sharing it with them. Third, we must protect. Shepherds don't have a choice - it's the job description to watch over those you are called to protect. This can be hard if you don't spend time with or love and care for a person - they won't listen to you. Your staff is the Word of God, to ward off the bad with the Truth. Lastly, there must be love - unshakeable, unconditional love where we give of ourselves. This includes holding people accountable and sometimes saying things we would rather not say. We also must have people who hold us accountable or else we can't be good shepherds for others.

Amen!

Reference verses: 1 Samuel 17:32-36; John 10:1-5, 10-15; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 5:2; John 21:17; Matthew 28:20; Acts 20:28-31; 2 Corinthians 2:4; Isaiah 56:9-12

Evangelism is pivotal to the five-fold gifting because without it, the others don't work. Old Testament prophets spoke of what was to come - to get people ready for Jesus. Jesus did the work and now modern-day prophecy is used to help people get closer to Jesus. The Gospel is key - without it, the apostles wouldn't have had Christ and we wouldn't be here. Just like a pastor can't be a pastor without sheep to follow him, we can't teach about something we don't know, so we must study the Gospel in order to do our jobs to spread it. The result is not our responsibility, only to go and spread the Good News that changes lives! The woman at the well in John 4 came as a worldly woman and left as an evangelist, sharing what she had seen with her neighbors and the whole town believed. It's important to remember that we are the advertising for Jesus: we are the example of Him people will see, so we must represent Him well. He's given us the tools - Scripture and our testimony - that we need to show Him to the world and share what He has done for us. We need to focus on the Word first and then look outward for new people to bring in - the harvest. It is okay to say you don't know all the answers! If we focus on one person at a time, plant, and water, God will bring the growth in the proper season.

Amen!

Reference verses: Ephesians 4:11; John 4:4-42

The purpose of the five fold gifts is to unite the Church in mind and spirit. Teachers help us attain knowledge and maturity in our walk. Many of us don't think of the fullness of Christ as being truly for us to reach. This is why it is so important to teach truth - to combat all the false teaching out there. It's important to remember that attaining knowledge is not in itself the goal, but rather is a part of leading us to the goal of knowing Christ. Steadfast love and knowledge of God go together - we must study His Word to know Him and learn of His love as we grow in our love for Him. Jesus was the perfect example for us to follow as a teacher! He rebuked the teachers of the day a lot because they focused so much on the law that they missed Him as the fulfillment standing right in front of them! We can have the same veil over our eyes that they did, but updated for our current times. The Holy Spirit was writing to an audience then and us now and the only filter we should look through is God's Word. We must be mindful of practicing what we preach and not seeking honor for ourselves because teaching is a big responsibility. Scripture tells us teachers will be judged with greater strictness because they can lead people astray - a rather sobering thought! To walk in balance between the loftiness of the role and faithfully moving in our gifting, we must pray, practice our gift, and always do so with humility, keeping our eyes on God and not ourselves.

Amen!

Reference verses: Ephesians 4:4-16; Hosea 6:6; John 5:39-40; Matthew 23:1-8; Hosea 4:6; Proverbs 13:14; James 3:1; James 4:10; James 1:5; 1 Timothy 1:5-7

We sometimes try to over-spiritualize things and they have become commercialized in the church, allowing Satan to come after those things to corrupt them. Prophecy is one of those things he attacks. Whether we realize or not, we have all been used for prophecy at some point. Being spiritual doesn't mean we aren't living in reality, but we need to be approachable and filled with the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, prophets were used by God to speak to the people. What they spoke became the authoritative Word of God and that is what stands now and against what we must test all prophecy. Scripture tells us we will know His voice, but many of us struggle to know if it is really Him speaking to us. The more saturated we are in His Word, the clearer His voice will be as other influences fall away. We shouldn't expect to be proficient right away - we will grow in the gifts, but we must practice them. Even our weaker ones - we will grow and mature in them the more we operate in them. They all originate from the same place and are just a different application of the Holy Spirit's power. In all we do, love must be our highest goal. It will come with risk, but God wants to use people who are willing to be used by Him. We mustn't allow fear to stop us from stepping out in something new and advancing in our faith.

Amen!

Reference verses: Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Corinthians 14:1-3, 24-26, 29-33; John 4:16-19; Acts 11:27-29; John 1:48; Acts 21:8-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; Romans 12:6

We should absolutely work hard in all we do to serve God, but we also need to relax and have peace. Most people are not at peace in their relationship with Him: feeling anxious or insecure. Like our earthly fathers discipline us to build us up into maturity, our Heavenly Father is doing the same when He convicts us and sharpens us to get us ready to do more in the Kingdom. So many have the idea that honoring God has to be somber, but it has to be joyful also! God rewards those who diligently seek Him, so we can relax in Him and the work of Jesus because His will for our lives is to live with peace in our hearts. Even when people disappoint or hurt us, we need to have peace. Some may call this being a pushover, and you could say it is in the natural, but not the supernatural because when we choose peace in the natural during a trial, we are allowing God in and the strength of the supernatural to take over. An amazing walk with God is easy with the Holy Spirit, but impossible without. We will find peace by praying about everything and remembering to be grateful for all the blessings God has already given us!

Amen!

Reference verses: Colossians 3:15; Colossians 1:9-10; Philippians 4:6-7; Isaiah 26:3; John 14:27

Many of us have already made and broken New Year resolutions, but what if our only goal this year was to surrender everything to Jesus and do whatever He tells us to do? A life surrendered to Jesus is the only thing that matters. We look at the story of the rich, young ruler who, by the world's standards, was a pretty good guy. He was wealthy, but he kept the commandments and treated people well. However, he was missing one thing. We can be in a place of systematic goodness, but it is meaningless without a relationship with Jesus. We may find ourselves burned out or judgmental toward others if we are striving in our own power and not in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus makes us a new person when we choose Him, so our identity can't be in other things. Following Jesus will cost us and we must count the cost - it will be persecution, tribulation, we could be killed, people with us will fall away and betray us - so we must take it seriously. However, we can't just look at the natural world when we count the cost, we must consider the eternal perspective and the cost of not following Jesus. Our sufferings won't compare with the glory we will enjoy with Him and without Him, we will die as slaves to our sin instead of living in the freedom only He can give. He will use us to impact those around us, so let's submit daily to Him, live with open hands, and give all we can to serve Him.

Amen!

Reference verses: Mark 10:17-27; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Luke 14:27-30; Matthew 24:9-13; Mark 10:29-30; Romans 8:16-18