I'm really glad that you were able to
go to Against the Night.
I had the privilege of being involved in
Against the Night myself last year, and it
certainly was a challenging, stretching, and exciting time.
Of course, after we go to such a
great event, especially when we make some kind
of commitment in our heart and in our
mind, we often ask, well, what do I
do next?
And God's put a few thoughts on my
heart about some things that we can do
next, and I'd like to share those with
you.
First of all, I'd like to read from
the Living Bible in James chapter 1, starting
at verse 22.
It says, And remember, it is a message
to obey.
It is not just something to listen to.
So don't fool yourselves.
What kind of person just listens and doesn't
obey?
It's like a man looking at his face
in a mirror.
When he walks away, he quickly forgets what
he looks like.
But some people keep looking into God's law
that sets people free.
They don't walk away and forget about it.
Such people will not just remember it, they
will also do what it says.
Then God will greatly bless them in all
that they do.
I think we all want the blessing of
God, and I know in my own life
for many decades, I've had the privilege of
experiencing the blessing of God on a daily
basis.
However, many don't seem to be willing to
pay the biblical price of commitment and living
day by day in the power of Christ
in order to see that blessing become a
reality.
I think of C.S. Lewis, this great
famous British philosopher, teacher who was an atheist
and an agnostic.
Some of you know about his life story.
It's been very famous in film, drama.
But C.S. Lewis once said, We have
the tendency to think but not to act.
We have the tendency to feel and not
to act.
And if we go on thinking and feeling
without acting, someday we are unable to act.
That's been always one of my greatest burdens
for ministry, both the spoken ministry and the
ministry through music.
I just am so ministered to through powerful
Christian music and especially often the music of
Bill Drake.
And yet, as I walk away from the
meeting or after listening to the CD, I
have to ask myself, Lord, am I willing
to put that in practice in my life?
If you've listened to the lyrics of some
of Bill's songs, you know it's pretty strong
stuff.
And probably you have some of his CDs
or tapes, and you've listened to them since
Against the Night.
But the big question is, are we willing
to put this kind of challenge, this kind
of teaching into practice in our own lives?
I think it's a great mistake when people
think that their whole life is just going
to be radically changed through one night or
even through a great revival.
A lot of people today are talking about
revival.
And of course, I love to see revival.
But the fact is, even revival and having
a really deep experience, a special experience with
God, if it's not followed up on, actually
sometimes produces a more difficult situation than a
person who's never had or tasted that in
the first place.
The Bible says, to whom much is given,
much will be required.
If you receive something from Against the Night,
then you're going to be required to give
something.
Maybe sharing something of what you heard with
other people.
Maybe getting involved in something this summer where
you will be able to go out and
share your faith.
I think of some of the big events
that we're faced with this summer.
We're looking for people to get involved in
Love Europe.
And we'd be thrilled to send more information
about that.
It's going to be one of the most
unique Love Europe summers ever with such a
huge variety of opportunities.
The new leaflet produced by our UK office
about opportunities for this summer is one of
the more unusual leaflets in the history of
LM.
Some of you who are younger teenagers might
want to consider the whole challenge of Teen
Street over in Germany, a really cutting edge
kind of interactive communicating event for younger teens
that year after year it just keeps growing
with more and more people coming.
And I just know that's something that could
be fun and very, very challenging and stretching
for those of you who are younger teenagers.
I think of one of the big buzzwords
around OM right now is global action.
And in Singapore at the main leaders meetings
of OM this is a big hot subject.
And global action is going to be OM's
new year, six-month year and two-year
training stretch program which will take place on
the ships, on land and right across the
whole world.
It's a program for the 90s preparing for
the 21st century.
And if you're a young person who has
made a commitment to Jesus and you're serious
about following him, global action is something you
need to look into.
At the same time we are absolutely convinced
and I'm sure you are as well that
radical biblical obedience and discipleship has to start
right where you are and that is probably
the toughest place.
You can get laughed at, you can get
misunderstood, you can pray for someone and attempt
to witness to them and then find out
that things are actually getting worse and you
wonder well how is God answering my prayers
and that can be fairly discouraging.
But I would challenge you to continue to
attempt to share your faith right where you
are using often the more indirect approach, not
necessarily thumping your schoolmate immediately with John 3
16 or something along that line, but attempting
to serve, attempting to love, attempting to understand
people.
There are a lot of hurting people here
in Britain and in every other nation in
the world and we are those who minister
healing.
The Word of God actually describes us as
ambassadors, ambassadors of Jesus Christ and you've been
called right there in your school, right there
in your college, right in your workplace, you've
been called to be an ambassador.
That is exciting if you think of the
implications of that but in a sense you'll
be like an ambassador in a hostile country.
We hear of some places where embassies get
blown up and that becomes a major feature
on the news and as you're an ambassador
of Jesus Christ right there where you are
it will not be easy, there will be
disappointments, there will be misunderstandings, you're not necessarily
going to see immediately large numbers of people
turn to Jesus but as you persevere and
I think of those words in Corinthians, be
ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, knowing that your labor is
not in vain in the Lord.
As you're that kind of follower of Christ
I believe you will reap a harvest.
The Bible says you shall reap if you
faint not.
Sometimes young people find their greatest difficulties are
right in their own home and they get
intimidated by that.
That is so completely normal.
It is completely normal to have difficulties in
your home.
If you make a little greater effort to
understand even your own parents you may actually
see some bridges built in communication that will
be far more significant than anything you can
imagine but if you stand in sort of
a judgmental way and oh they never understand
me or oh why is my dad doing
this or why is my mom doing that
you actually knock down bridges and you lead
the way into creating pain.
Parents are human just as we young people
are human.
Some of you know probably that my favorite
book these days is a book called Grace
Awakening.
The latest competition to that for 96 is
Splashes of Joy in the Cesspool of Life
by Barbara Johnson.
A book that will just blow your circuits
as it's just mainly using humor to communicate
the message of Grace Awakening.
The message of how to survive through suffering.
The message of just being a little freer
in our own spirit.
I often have to tell some of my
OM people who have this great burden to
be radical disciples and obey everything immediately.
I say to them hey why don't you
just loosen up a little bit.
Just loosen up.
You know we're not going to get it
all done in one day and no matter
how spiritual we are we're still human so
let's maybe go out and buy a pizza
rather than think we're going to tear down
all the strongholds of our town uh down
tonight in the name of the Lord.
I guess that leads me to say just
just this in all that we do we
have to seek grace, love, biblical balance.
Commitment is important and I hope that many
of you have made a strong radical commitment
to Jesus, the kingdom and world vision through
your against the night experience.
But I now hope you'll follow that up
by pacing yourself, finding biblical balance, staying on
a strong learning curve, being willing to uh
to apologize or repent when you do sin
or fail, learn how to bounce back.
We sometimes use the word rebound when you
sin when you drop the ball and whatever
you do don't get discouraged and as you
get into those dark moments remember that old
saying never get out of a off a
train when it's in the tunnel you know
wait until the train comes out of the
tunnel there'll be a station there'll be a
few lights then you can uh get off
and do what you need to do.
We're living in exciting days.
We're seeing a great worldwide prayer movement.
We're seeing sort of mini revivals uh exploding
and popping out in different places.
We're seeing new open doors in new countries.
I think of the whole central asian uh
situation once all locked behind the iron curtain
now open places like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan.
I know some people think they're just new
pizzas but they're new nations that we need
to be praying for.
That's why wherever I go I try to
get people to read Operation World or You
Can Change the World because when we pick
up books like that they really can help
us understand what's going on in the world
and when we understand what God is doing
in the world it's very encouraging and when
we get to understand the nations of the
world we feel more global.
We feel uh more committed and that is
very a very motivating experience.
I meet people all the time they say
Christianity for them is boring.
This this is ridiculous.
Christianity is not boring.
Maybe their brand is boring.
Maybe they're playing church but I know in
my own life ever since my conversion I
don't think I've ever had a boring day.
I've had some boring moments.
I've probably had up to a few boring
hours.
I surely have met a lot of boring
people but a boring entire day.
It should not be.
We are kings.
We are priests.
We are God's children.
We're building the kingdom.
We've got spiritual weapons.
We've got the call of God upon our
lives.
We have the Holy Spirit living in our
hearts.
We have a phenomenal inheritance in Jesus Christ.
We don't have any excuse.
We really don't have any excuse for following
on now from this great event to be
the kind of daily disciples that the Lord
is talking about in his word when he
says if any man or woman come after
me let them deny self take up the
cross every day and follow me.
How about it?
I hope you'll keep in touch with us.
I hope you'll keep in touch with our
office.
I hope you won't hesitate to write if
you have a prayer burden or a prayer
request or you want more information about how
to be more involved.
I hope you'll find some kind of missionary,
visionary, Christ-centered prayer fellowship you can be
involved in.
Hopefully prayer meeting right there in your own
church and I believe as you follow just
some of these practical exhortations and principles that
I've shared, some of which I'm sure you've
heard before, then I believe you're going to
be a long-term marathon runner for Jesus
Christ.
The whole world this summer is going to
be focusing on the Olympics but I can
tell you the living God is going to
be to some degree focusing on you and
he's wanting you to be a spiritual Olympic
runner for his kingdom touching lives this summer
and building his kingdom which really makes what
they're doing in Atlanta this summer look fairly
small.
God bless you.
Let's just pray together.
Lord I thank you for this chance just
to open my heart how I would love
to meet all these people face to face
and pray with them but will you thank
you Lord that we are tied together in
a great fellowship even though we may not
meet one another and we're asking God that
what we received at that great event against
the night may continue the rest of our
lives and that you will add to it
and that we will grow in grace and
biblical maturity so that we can be your
marathon runner running right to the end of
the race.
We ask this in Jesus name.
Amen.
us if i run out from the battle
how could i ever face your son the
light for little children for the poor in
the east whose lives spill out like water
in a barren wilderness i've had peace in
my complacency but that season's out the war
that rips into my heart is the one
that will ravage them father god the creator
of the heavens and the earth here i
am use this vessel as a tool to
do to break my heart bring me tears
help this soldier to his knees to persevere
at this commission and secure the victory
i
must
crucify my apathy and face the enemy for
if i don't offer my life now i
surrender to defeat father god the creator of
the heavens and the earth here i am
use this vessel as a tool to do
your work break my heart bring me tears
help this soldier to his knees to persevere
at this commission and secure the victory pray
for the world