Leadership, Reflections & Introspection, That'll Preach Sayings
Faulty Gospel
Let’s stop this faulty Gospel of adding Jesus to our lives.. Scripture teaches that we must lose our life and then find it it in Jesus. He makes all things New. We can’t add new Wine (Jesus, Holy Spirit) to old Wineskins (Us, in our old state). We must prepare ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit to become New Wineskins ready to accept Jesus!
gospel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Focused, life, New Wineskin, Wine
Ministry Update
It has been a little over a month since I moved to Shelbyville, Tennessee to accept the call (with much prayer & a step of faith) to serve as Student Ministries Pastor at Gateway Church. Everything here has been so surreal as to be welcomed with open arms, and the genuine love and support from the parents, leaders, students and church. I am completely overwhelmed at what the Lord has done so far since being here a month. We have seen students saved, set free and filled with the Holy Spirit. My second week here, we prayed for our entire congregation and saw over 20 people received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We are in a shifting as a church to go to the Next Level in what God want to do in us and through us. And I couldn’t have come at a better time as we move forward together as a church. I am thankful for the Student Ministry team the Lord is building here and for the vision that we have. As I sit here typing this blog, I am excited and expectant to see this vision and dream become reality in these wonderful young peoples lives. I cannot shake the scripture in Luke 8:40 and Habakkuk 3:2 (our vision/heart); that in our expectancy for Jesus, He would renew/revive the great deeds & his fame in our day… in our generation remembering mercy.
Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. + Luke 8:40
Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.+ Habakkuk 3:2
Here’s how you can pray:
- That God will continue to build our SM team as we leaders surrender to the Holy Spirit and give our all to Jesus. Pray for our SM vision, identity and leaders/parents.
- That God would continue to provide the resources to be able to do ministry.
- That these young people would be completely marked by Jesus and in total abandonment live generously for Him. Pray that we would be unapologetic about growth… spiritual growth and numerical growth.
COREY GIBSON, Gateway Church, God, Habakkuk 3:2, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Luke 8:40, Pastor Corey Gibson, Prayer, Shelbyville, Shelbyville Tennessee, Student Ministries Pastor, student ministry, Student Pastor, Tennessee, vision
Drinking our Fill of His Wine
For months now, all I’ve been listening to on my ipod & computer is my friend, Christian Lewis’ song entitled “If It’s Alright”… there’s a line in the song/chorus that says “If It’s Alright, can I drink of your wine” – Ugh, this has been eating at me each time I hear this song. To simply drink of His [Christ] wine. To gain nourishment from His blood… to take in His Spirit. Oh to thirst for something more valuable and satisfying.
Wine = Holy Spirit, Blood [Nourishment of Life], Power/Presence, Healing Agent [Lk 10:30–37, 1Tim 5:23]
Today, God is pushing the envelope when it comes to our wineskins. We have desired a fresh move of God, but we never prepared ourselves to change our wineskin [body, mind and heart]. Jesus warns the crowd about this in a story concerning their own hearts…
Matthew 9:17 – Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Mark 2:22 – And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”
Luke 5:37-39 – And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’
I prayed several weeks ago for some friends of mine… that God would release Revival and Fresh Wine upon them & their youth ministry… I realized that I wasn’t just praying for God to do something new on top of their old heart/life, but that God would alter their hearts to receive His new wineskin in this season of life. God is not in the business of releasing himself onto people who are not seeking him. Luke added something that the other two writers didn’t…
39 ‘And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ This new wine is not for those who want to do a little wine-tasting, but for the ones willing to embrace this new acquired taste [change] – going through the process. The new wine may not be as smooth to the tongue, and as finely aged as old wine. But it is alive, and you can’t contain it in old wineskins.
For those of us who are looking for God to pour himself out in our life, ministry, family or work – we must FIRST seek to change our reservoir [body, mind and heart]. Often times, we burst open with of our own depravity leaving us wounded – trying to add God to our weak wineskin (lives). We can’t add a little Jesus to our issues/old lives and not expect total life change. Jesus wants to give himself to you… the new you. So that may take him working intricately inside your life – doing surgery to the areas that needs repairing. His surgical tools [Bible, Holy Spirit, Other Believers, etc] will prove to not only make your life new, but it will also make it strong to withstand His overflowing wine! Then we will be able to drink our fill of His wine enjoying every drop.
Are you in the Waiting Room waiting for Surgery? What process, if any, is the Lord taking you on so His wine can overflow?
Christian Lewis, Drinking our fill of His Wine, Holy Spirit, If It's Alright, Jesus, Luke 5:37-39, Mark 2:22, Matthew 9:17, New Wineskin, Old Wineskin, overflowing wine
Embrace The Worship
Some refreshing thoughts on authentic worship… hope you enjoy and embrace the worship
The Whole of Me – Responding
16“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: 17 ” ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.’ – Matthew 11:16-17 NIV I believe this is a call to this generation of believers young & old to wake up and respond to the call that is clearly going forward in our culture. For years now the authentic church have been crying out to the nations to turn, repent and seek the Lord as true worshipers. We are in a direct season to give a response to God in worship, our lifestyle. What will your response be… Will you answer His call or simply silence the sound?
The idea of worship only taken place at church for 25 minute before the message is one of the biggest lies from Satan. Worship is a lifestyle… In everything I do, I should be worshiping God. The way I act, talk and handle regular business should all bring Glory to the Father and recount Jesus. If my heart is connected to God or desires to be – The Whole of Me will worship him. Not just singing, or dancing, in church so the pastor can see my outward expression; but all of me, everywhere, all the time! If your time of worship doesn’t draw you closer to God and allows you to be transparent before him.. you are not worshiping – you just singing a song. So, If Jesus was to live your life outside of the church walls and services… would he be Glorified in your worship? The Christian life is not lived in church, but it is lived in the darkness, influencing [invading] Culture with Vision [light/truth]“ – John 3:18-21, Romans 12:1, John 4:23
Changing the Culture
“Worship is obedience, sacrifice and connecting to God in it’s core. The authentic songs, creative art, passionate dancing, etc. are just merely an outward act of what is going on inside one’s heart. The very heartbeat of worship must be about Jesus, for nothing else matters. He must be the focus and the reason. Its a lifestyle set apart or dedicated to God. Coupled with Prayer, it is the center of this awakening and revival for this generation and the church.”
Embrace the Worship, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, More of Jesus, Our response in Worship, The Whole of Me, worship, Worship Changing the Culture
