2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (The Message)... Wednesday night's sermon

Staying at Our Post

Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don't squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us,

I heard your call in the nick of time;
The day you needed me, I was there to help.

Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don't put it off; don't frustrate God's work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we're doing. Our work as God's servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we're telling the truth, and when God's showing his power; when we're doing our best setting things right; when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.

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Pastor preached last night about the demans of the Christian walk, about walking in the cool of the day with the Lord, about walking in the Spirit daily. Here is what he wrote (the abbreviated version):

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2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face behilding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord"

Glory to glory - not from mess to mess - but from a current glorious place in the Lord to another HIGHER glorious place in the Lord.
Note: we cannot be rpomoted to the next realm of glory until the place we are presently living becomes glorious.

Because of the grace of Jesus, because of salvation, we can walk daily with the Lord as once man did in the Garden. -- We can walk daily with the Lord!

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 -- The demands of the walk:

• constancy -- that we not lose heart, never give up
• honesty and integrity in life and service -- renounce dishonesty, not to walk deceptively, not to tamper with God's word, to proclaim the truth openly and in purity
• openness -- never hiding the Gospel
• servitude -- preach Jesus Christ and serve man, not self
• personal conversion -- the very presence of God shining in a person's heart and manifesting in their life -- Gifting, Fruit, God Presence, God Power

Walking in His Spirit daily sustains us and births within us an enduring spirit.

Walking in the Holy Ghost gives us courage to face the present.
Walking in the Holy Ghost stirs our faith -- because our spiritual eyes are opened past the natural and propelled into God's Activity.
Walking in the Holy Ghost -- a faith that gives us an ever yearning to be present with the Lord.

Enduring in moments of instability, disorder, confusion, disturbance, overwork, and sleeplessness.

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If you have time, (and it better be about 2 hours) check out last night's service (6/6/07 -- available are the notes and video), or watch the Tuesday morning Bible study, covering the same topic -- Cross with Clarity, 6-5-07.