This teaching was presented to God’s Girls Ministry Women’s Bible 
study on Monday, March 15, 2011. Personal testimonies are not 
included in these notes. This editor believes personal testimonies 
belong to the person telling it and should not be posted on a public 
forum such as the Internet by anyone except the testifier. Bracketed 
and italicized scripture references supplied in these notes were not 
in the teaching but are here as a study reference for your learning. 
King James Version Bible quoted unless noted otherwise.

We continue with our Part of the Fellowship Handout

"I cannot be turned back or diluted, I will not be delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, or hesitate in the face of the adversary, or negotiate at the table of my enemies. I will not ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze called mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up, or burn up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of the Jesus Christ. I'm a part of the fellowship committed to doing whatever it takes.

 I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He comes. I must give until I drop. I must preach until all know. I must work until God stops and when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me, because I've dedicated my life to being a part of the fellowship committed to doing whatever it takes."

DISCUSSION FROM PARTICIPANTS:

• I cannot be delayed? I ask God for confirmation when I don't want to obey his voice, and then when I get confirmation, I ask for another confirmation. "Can I have another sign, God?"
   

• I cannot be delayed?  I think I have spiritual ADD. I am going in so many directions at once that I am distracted and delayed.
   

• I will not flinch at sacrifice? When God asks me to give a large percentage of my income, that makes me flinch. When God asks me to give away something I still need, that makes me flinch too. I eventually do it but delay at obedience sometimes, dragging my feet. But I remember the story of the boy with the loaves and the fishes and he was asked by Jesus to give away his lunch to feed the multitude, what if he said no? What if he thought what he had was not big enough, not good enough,  or would not matter that much if it was withheld? Then the boy would have missed experiencing the multiplication of his sacrifice and the blessing of the 12 baskets he received in return.
   

• I will not negotiate at the table of my enemies? I compromise to keep the peace in my house with my unbelieving husband. The TV he watches is not good but I will watch with him so I can spend some time with him.
   

• The world wants us to lighten up, which means to cop out on Jesus. But we need to fight for the truth of God's Word. If something contradicts God's Word, then we need to stand up.
   

• I read this handout and think, "NO way. I cannot live like this," so I put it down. But when I pick it back up again and read it in light of who God is, (He is patient, He is kind, he is merciful, He is Love.) I can do it in light of that. If I fail, I get back up. Because God is Love, he is grace, He is peace, he is merciful, He is Love. Perfectionism is not possible.

• The key to living this way is to be loving first. To know God's love so thoroughly intimately that the past way of life just falls off and the walk of love permeates your life in  Christ.

• The closer I get to God, the less I want to watch horror movies, something I used to watch all the time. My husband still enjoys them. But I cannot judge others who have not yet made that same decision. We are all at different places and stages of growth with God in different areas. For instance, I went to play at a Casino and had a great time. But that same casino, my husband said he felt so far from God in there and had to leave! Pray and love your spouses where they are but do not judge them.

• I will not ponder at the pool of popularity? Some want me to back off a little and not be such a Jesus freak. Jesus said persecution would happen if you follow him. Following Jesus is not popular.

• I will not meander at the maze of mediocrity? Being popular and mediocre are shared sides of the same fence.These two ideas go together. If we negotiate at the table of our enemies or live for popularity, we are living in the land of mediocrity with everyone else stradddling both worlds.

• There is a chapter on the Crazy Love book called "Lukewarm." There is a chapter in Your God is too Safe called "Living in Borderland."

• I won't give up.

After pondering this handout for the past several weeks, I have come to the conclusion that is is NOT possible to live like this way all the time, consistently in my own nature on my own ability. But it IS possible. I asked Gd to show me something I could give to you all at Bible study tonight.

There ARE people in the world who live like this but I feel second class for not living up to it somehow. Somewhere in my heart is a lie because God does not make us second class or make me feel like that. I do not have to work for God's love or for salvation so why do I feel second rate? If I read this and feel its impossibel and should just forget about trying it and give up without starting, that is a heart issue. Seek the Lord about it. It is an injury in the heart that needs healed.

Get a revelation for God's love for you.

John 3:16 For  God so loved the world that he gave His one and only son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.

This way of life is not possible without a revelation of God's love and grace. First fall in love with Jesus passionately. And with that, nothing will stop you. Without a revelation of God's love for you, it will be a grievous thing. Our conscience will become seared if we disobey and reject God long enough.

Two things have to take place: GRACE & LOVE. If you do not understand grace, then fall down, lay down and wallow in it, God still loves you. His love NEVER changes, not even a little bit. Is that mean we use grace as an excuse to sin? No. When you fall completely in love with Jesus, you will not intentionally hurt him.

My newest love of my life is my 2 week old grandbaby.

I love him and will never hurt him. I would stand in between anyone else who would try to hurt him.

If I sin on a regular basis against someone in my life, I do not particularly love that person very well or very much for the most part.

Love is unconditional.

If we really loved each other well, we would encourage each other to stand up, get up all the time. Bethel Church in Redding, CA teaches we are too awesome to wallow in self pity and depression. What are you doing all depressed? You are way too awesome to be gloomy. Here get up.

God's word is good for doctrine, reproof and correction. If your feelings get hurt too easily when someone says something to you that is designed to help you stand, that is a heart issue too.

The song lyrics," I give up control, I give up my rights because your ways are higher than mine." God chose to send his son to pay for our sins. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  God does not see our sin. he sees we are His daughters.  He is whooing us. Think back to your first love. WOuld you have done anything to intensionally hurt him during the first part of the courtship? Maybe later you may have wanted to get back at him but that is not loving well.

Romans 1: 1 ¶ Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 ¶ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16 ¶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 ¶ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
 

Paul received grace and apostleship and so we also are among those who belong to Jesus Christ. Who is this Jesus? Scriptures spoke of him and was confirmed by the resurrection from the dead. Whats it mean to belong to Jesus? It means to have grace. It means to have peace.

If you do not understand grace, you will not understand God's love.There is no peace for those who try to work for salvation.Or adequacy. or for God's love. There is nothing you can do to become adequate for God. It is all about what He did FOR you.

God never gives up on us. Never. God is able to get you through even the stony places of your heart.

In verse 8-10 Paul serves God with his whole heart.

Clue 1: This is not mediocrity or straddling the fence. Paul made mistakes but he served God will all he had, his whole heart. He came to a place to serve God with his whole heart.

Clue 2 Get a revelation of God's love and grace. Not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. We do not work for salvation nor do penitence. Luther and Wesley got a revelation about Grace and it changed the world.

vs 18-20

I make excuses for myself and others all the time but it is not because God has not revealed himself.

If you fall over and over again, ask God what the heart issue is.

Without grace we cannot have the love of God. They are intertwined.

G R A C E

Getting Right And Covering Everything

---Lesa

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