Wednesday, April 05, 2006
G12 Conference Session 12: The 21st Century Gideon, Pastor Art Suplveda
G12 Conference Session 12: The 21st Century Gideon, Pastor Art Suplveda
Reporter: Teo Yating
Judges 6
We are the people of destiny, purpose and assignment. This assignment demands the anointing of God. Only God knows our destiny and purpose.
Pastor Art spoke to us through the story of Gideon.
Like Gideon, we might feel a strong sense of inadequacy to fulfill any huge plans for the Lord. However, there are people out there who are ready and waiting for us to bring the Lord to them. These people just do not know that it is Jesus that they need. God is going to change their lives and set them in a powerful direction because God is the giver of dreams. This point was further illustrated through the video entitled “Bring Jesus to me” This video illustrated the sufferings and pains of people. Suffering people who are waiting for us to bring Jesus into their lives.
The people of the world are crying out for help, like the Israelites: “when the Israelites cried to the LORD because of Midian” (v.7). In the next verse we see that God “sent them a prophet”, and our role as 21st century Gideons is to be prophets to a world needing help, to bring Jesus to them.
Pastor Art challenged the congregation to believe in God who believes in us.
We should not question but believe in God regardless of whether others believe in us. To illustrate, Gideon was a man with no natural ability and gifting, He had been rejected by his own family - "’But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’” (v.15).
Despite Gideon’s failings, God believed in him: “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior” (v.12). Note that Gideon was called a mighty warrior even though he had not accomplished his task – God sees potential in us beyond the deeds we have done.
Similarly, many of us battle with insecurities in our lives. When people do not believe in us, we feel rejected and worthless. However, when the Lord Jesus comes into our life, he makes us significant because he has a purpose for us as men and women of God. This is the destiny that God has created for us.
Though we are but ordinary people, God believes in using ordinary people to do his works. Pastor Art shared his testimony about how he would have been the most unlikely person to succeed. He had flunked his second grade and grew up without his father in his life.
Why would God do such an imperative work in our life?
God is doing this because there is someone waiting for us to bring Christ to them. These are the people who are lost and empty inside. They need Jesus in their lives. God has appointed us to reach the powerless and with that appointment comes his anointing. We are invested with supernatural abilities through God’s power and grace and He gives us the courage to empower the powerless. This is because God is with us, and His promise to Gideon extends to us too: “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together” (v.16).
This is a time to be courageous and to rest assured in the knowledge that God’s love will transform us.
The video “what are you willing to do when it comes to love” set many of us thinking. Jesus never turned away from people. We should give life to people who need Jesus in their lives.
Are we so busy with our lives that we have forgotten the multitudes and we cannot hear God? In the midst of our business, have we forgotten that we were once like Gideon who was crying out to God? Have we walked past someone crying for help without stopping to help them?
The key to reaching the multitudes is to have compassion. The Lord will give us the compassionate heart if we have the faith and boldness to ask of him.
At the end of the session, Pastor Art gave an invitation to those who wanted to be restored and transformed. Many people stepped forward to ask the Lord to empower them to feel compassion for the lost. Pastor Art prayed for these people and proclaimed this year to be a year of the supernatural. He ended victoriously with a verse of promise from Psalm 65:11 – You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.
Reporter: Teo Yating
Judges 6
We are the people of destiny, purpose and assignment. This assignment demands the anointing of God. Only God knows our destiny and purpose.
Pastor Art spoke to us through the story of Gideon.
Like Gideon, we might feel a strong sense of inadequacy to fulfill any huge plans for the Lord. However, there are people out there who are ready and waiting for us to bring the Lord to them. These people just do not know that it is Jesus that they need. God is going to change their lives and set them in a powerful direction because God is the giver of dreams. This point was further illustrated through the video entitled “Bring Jesus to me” This video illustrated the sufferings and pains of people. Suffering people who are waiting for us to bring Jesus into their lives.
The people of the world are crying out for help, like the Israelites: “when the Israelites cried to the LORD because of Midian” (v.7). In the next verse we see that God “sent them a prophet”, and our role as 21st century Gideons is to be prophets to a world needing help, to bring Jesus to them.
Pastor Art challenged the congregation to believe in God who believes in us.
We should not question but believe in God regardless of whether others believe in us. To illustrate, Gideon was a man with no natural ability and gifting, He had been rejected by his own family - "’But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’” (v.15).
Despite Gideon’s failings, God believed in him: “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior” (v.12). Note that Gideon was called a mighty warrior even though he had not accomplished his task – God sees potential in us beyond the deeds we have done.
Similarly, many of us battle with insecurities in our lives. When people do not believe in us, we feel rejected and worthless. However, when the Lord Jesus comes into our life, he makes us significant because he has a purpose for us as men and women of God. This is the destiny that God has created for us.
Though we are but ordinary people, God believes in using ordinary people to do his works. Pastor Art shared his testimony about how he would have been the most unlikely person to succeed. He had flunked his second grade and grew up without his father in his life.
Why would God do such an imperative work in our life?
God is doing this because there is someone waiting for us to bring Christ to them. These are the people who are lost and empty inside. They need Jesus in their lives. God has appointed us to reach the powerless and with that appointment comes his anointing. We are invested with supernatural abilities through God’s power and grace and He gives us the courage to empower the powerless. This is because God is with us, and His promise to Gideon extends to us too: “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together” (v.16).
This is a time to be courageous and to rest assured in the knowledge that God’s love will transform us.
The video “what are you willing to do when it comes to love” set many of us thinking. Jesus never turned away from people. We should give life to people who need Jesus in their lives.
Are we so busy with our lives that we have forgotten the multitudes and we cannot hear God? In the midst of our business, have we forgotten that we were once like Gideon who was crying out to God? Have we walked past someone crying for help without stopping to help them?
The key to reaching the multitudes is to have compassion. The Lord will give us the compassionate heart if we have the faith and boldness to ask of him.
At the end of the session, Pastor Art gave an invitation to those who wanted to be restored and transformed. Many people stepped forward to ask the Lord to empower them to feel compassion for the lost. Pastor Art prayed for these people and proclaimed this year to be a year of the supernatural. He ended victoriously with a verse of promise from Psalm 65:11 – You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.
// posted by The Correspondent @ 11:33 PM 
