Friday, April 19, 2013

FESTIVAL OF HOPE REVIVAL- THREE POWERFUL MESSAGES

DR. FRED LUTER, PRESIDENT OF
THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION (LEFT)
Only among real children of God could the first African-American President of the Southern Baptist Convention, preach at a revival at a National Baptist church with worship music led by an American baptist musician minister! The just concluded  Festival of Hope - a three day revival in Springfield Illinois, offered the Capitol city its first visit by the historic Dr. Fred Luter. He is the pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church which was hard hit by Hurricane Katrina and the first Black leader of the world's largest Christian denomination!

It was my privilege to meet this powerful man of God whose messages stirred the heart and showed one and all what revival really is all about - a ministering to those already saved to remind them of the Power of God and the Savior Jesus Christ. I wish to present here the text of all three messages ;the theme and a brief summary, so you may be able to look into them yourselves to see how God will speak. His application to each of His children is different. This is the amazing thing about the Living, breathing Scriptures! 

You and I can read the same passage and most likely agree fully on the context....BUT then GOD, BUT, GOD, will then take one word from that verse and speak Truth, Revelation, Comfort and Encouragement into a situation we are dealing with! Then 100% of the time,  the Holy Spirit will direct us to another part of God's Word, in order to give us the explanation! Why? Because Scripture explains Scripture. This is what we, we- the People of the Book, call- The Sufficiency of Scripture!

NIGHT 1, MESSAGE 1:
THE ULTIMATE BATTLE - You and I are in a battle against evil for control of our souls. We are saved because The Good Shepherd - Jesus came to lay down His Life for us. But the devil - he has come to steal, kill and destroy...even the sheep or the saints of God. Are we going to let him? Are we going to let him disqualify us for God's service and destroy our testimony? NO! Meditate on these Scriptures used by Dr.Luter for this message and decide through Prayer, fasting and supplication how we're going to prepare for this battle of the ages:
JOHN 10 (NKJV):
Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me[a] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

NIGHT 2, MESSAGE 2:
JESUS MUST BE THE FOUNDATION - If Jesus is NOT the Foundation of the church, it will not stand! What are you and I basing on our Faith and Walk on? More importantly, Pastor Fred said, in this Declaration of Faith by Peter where he was given the "keys" to heaven by the Lord Jesus, some of these keys were fleshed out! Mr. President pulled up the largest bunch of keys and went down each key one by one. Each key represented a trial or trouble or even a praise we're experiencing and the appropriate Scripture to respond to it! For spiritual warfare, the key is Isaiah 54:17 "no weapon formed against me will prosper". For those seeking healing we have the key of Psalm 34:19 "many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers out of them all"...and so on,,,about 20 times! For whatever ails or troubles you, my brothers and my sisters, find a bible dictionary and seek out the verse, then speak it into your own life and meditate on this following text:
MATTHEW 16 (NKJV):
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed[d] in heaven.

NIGHT 3, MESSAGE 3:
IF HE BRINGS YOU TO IT, HE WILL BRING YOU THROUGH IT- The powerful account of Jesus calming the storm in the boat, as His disciples freaked out is a great example for us. Even when we think we have all this Faith, we are actually more full of Fear than Faith! Jesus is hear to tell you that no matter what storm of life comes up against you, fear not - because He has beat that one too! Remember, my friends, while He was temporarily (for 33 years) the God Man, He is more importantly GOD - Divine and Powerful. Jesus has defeated death, sin and satan. So what have we to fear? Why are we so afraid and anxious? Whatever the storm is, He Who saves us, because He died for us, is there with us all along as He was with the men in this boat in the passage below...and He will take us right through it! Amen
MARK 4 (NKJV):
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”[d] 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

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