Speaker 1: 0:02

Thank you and Lord, I thank you that for a clear voice tonight and just for you to share through me what you want everyone to hear, because I prepare. I just think it's so cool how we're learning from each other just from what happened, and I really did really enjoy our little group too, and I just want to. You know, I think we're all in different places in receiving father's love, but I just encourage each one of you that there's more like, there's more for me. And one of the verses that I kind of meditate on late I I've adapted Philippians 3, 10. You know I want.10. You know I want to know Christ. I'll say I want to know Christ and you Father is my true father, the power of your resurrection, the fellowship of sharing in your suffering, because it's ongoing, like I want to know you more, papa. And so tonight what I felt to share on and it hasn't changed is embracing the love of the Father so that we can embrace loving each other. And you know I question that because I feel like I'm with this. I like to walk around a little I guess I can't walk too much this group of really spiritually mature giants here who have walked with the Lord for years and you guys have character, you have ministries. I'm like you know, I don't know if they need to hear that message. They're probably loving well, but you know, it's been so amazing just hearing from everyone, the lingering. You know our true identity, you know embracing, rest and contemplation. And then when Eric shared about stress, I thought, ding, like you know, there is relational stress and we do need the love of the Father so that we love well and we don't stay stressed. We don't need that, we need his love. And I'm just going to throw this out for extra. It's a new verse that I've just received in a week, in Psalm 107.20,. It says he sends his word and heals them. So I just believe, you know, in physical, emotional, spiritual healing, and it's not just in worship, but I like to say that before we go into worship or it's not just one on one when some, and it's in teaching as well, so just ask the Lord, even as I'm sharing tonight, for any healing you need, and it's going to be, it's coming already, it has been happening this weekend and it can continue to happen. So okay, it's 7.30.

Speaker 1: 2:59

I'm going to start with a verse in John 17, 26. Jesus says I have made you known to them and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them. So here's Jesus describing the love of the father and he's saying I have made you known and will continue to make you known. How many of you have experienced the love of the father? You see, father's love? How many of us get this verse?

Speaker 1: 3:47

I don't think any of us, right. I don't think I do completely, because if we did, we wouldn't have a care in the world, we wouldn't have any anxiety, we wouldn't have any stress, because he's saying that the love you have for me, the way Father's loving Jesus, would be in them and that Jesus is in us. And so just ask Father to give you more revelation. That's one of the things I pray daily. Jesus, make the Father more known to me. We can have the same relationship with Papa God that Jesus did. Do you find that preposterous? Do you find that a little sacrilegious? Like, if I'm being completely honest, father's taking me deeper, that there might have been a little twinge of that in me and just be able to be honest and frank. He loves us as much as he loves Jesus. And if you struggle with that, just take it to him. It's good to struggle for a while. It's good to just tell him and be honest and say I have problems. Is this true? Can I? Do you really love me the same way you love Jesus? Just struggle with it a bit until he gives you the revelation. You know, just don't kind of put it over there like maybe some people get this but I don't, and everybody's timeline is different. I was saying to someone sometimes I say to the Father I'm a slow learner. I think I am. Sometimes it takes a while to really get some of this stuff, you know, and yet he's so good when we're hungry he's going to give it to us.

Speaker 1: 5:35

There's another verse I'm going to read. John 17, 13, in the Passion says I love this verse. I pray that they will experience and enter into my joyous delight in you, so that it is fulfilled in them and overflows. So just think about that experience. I like to picture it this way Father's loving Jesus, jesus is loving the Father, and then you know, it's like going back and forth and then there's Holy Spirit, beautiful floaty. You know, if you don't like my word picture, it's okay, you can make your own, but that's how I kind of imagine it.

Speaker 1: 6:17

And he's saying you can enter into that, that love. That's happening three ways. And you know, one of the analogies I heard at an intercession time and I think I meditate on this daily is that you remember, you all remember, the movie Mary Poppins right, the old movie, and where Mary and Bert well, we've been talking about Dick Van Dyke, it was Bert right when they were doing the chalk drawings, and then they entered into that, they went right into the chalk drawings, they entered into that reality. And I kind of like to think, like there is this reality. We are actually already in it. Right, he's in us. But really it kind of helped me to think we can enter into that, we really can experience that.

Speaker 1: 7:07

And it's until it fills up, fills up, his love fills up, fills up, almost like there's a tipping point, and it flows out of us to others, fulfilled in them, and overflows. And you know, I like to think, you know, in time, all that's going to be coming out of me is love. And when Leonard Hayes visited last May, he said something that I've kind of taken. He said when I get to be a little old man. If someone pokes me, all that I want to come out of me is love. And I've been kind of saying to him you know, papa, when I get to be a little old lady, if someone pokes me, all that I want to come out of me is love. It overflows. So the love of the Father, it's so amazing.

Speaker 1: 7:55

Another one is you can just ask him for more revelation Ephesians 3.18,. You all know this one that, being rooted and established in love, you may have the power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how long and high is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you might be filled to the measure of the fullness. This isn't just the love of Christ, this is the love of the Trinity, this is the love of the Father. So you can only get it by revelation. So you can ask him for more His power, his love. Well, so if we've experienced God loving us, he's asking us to love one another well, and you know you may think that's easy, but we all know no matter whether we're in the marketplace or in ministry, right there is challenges because the enemy doesn't want this.

Speaker 1: 8:54

So I'm going to read you a couple scriptures. First, john 4 7. In the passion, those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another, because God is love. Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences the intimate knowledge of him. That's the passion. And then, in 1 John 3.16, you know this one. This is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. That's big. So how do we love? How do we love like he loves? It has to be him and his love in us. And I'm just going to give you an illustration.

Speaker 1: 9:42

I heard recently, and I'm just going to give you an illustration. I heard recently, so it was a man or a carpenter, and you might have heard this already, and he was asked to cut 100 boards, I think 2x4s to 8 feet. So the first board he took his tape measure, laid it down, marked the 8 feet and sawed it. And then the second board instead of using his tape measure, laid it down, marked the eight feet and sawed it. And then the second board, instead of using his tape measure, he took the first board, laid it on the second board, drew the pencil line and sawed it. And then he took the third board or the second board, laid it on the third board, drew the pencil line and sawed it, and so you can see what's happening. When he finished cutting that way, doing that method, the hundred line and saw it, and so you can see what's happening. When he finished cutting that way, doing that method, the 100 boards, he had some that were 8 feet and some that were 9 feet, and I think this is a good analogy or illustration of how we are to walk this walk with Trinity, with Father God, with Papa Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We're not to compare ourselves to the early church or the previous generation in the church before us or what we've seen modeled. We're to go back to the original, what was written in the scriptures by the prophets and the apostles. You know what was laid down, and so I think it's a really good analogy for us. I'm going to read you some scriptures. This is a lot of scripture, okay, so you can even close your eyes. I am a teacher, so you're going to get scripture. I'm also prophetic, but as I read these scriptures then you know them and I'm going to give them a lot of.

Speaker 1: 11:21

It is the message I'll give you, the NIV as well. Just put it through the grid of not comparing to what you've seen done or you've seen done in church, but to what he's saying to us Receiving Father's love and letting the love of the Father flow through us. So Ephesiansians 4, 4 to 6 in this, in the message, we received this in a as a prophetic word in september in one of our intercession times for our community, and it's just something that I have been meditating on daily. It's been like a grid or a measure for me. If I have felt myself a little irritated, you know I mean a grid or a measure for me. If I have found myself a little irritated, you know I mean yes, yes, it does happen to me. Or, you know, feeling a little critical, you know it's just like. This verse is like rhema.

Speaker 1: 12:21

So in the message it says Ephesians 4, 4 to 6, you were called to travel on the same road, in the same direction, to stay together both outwardly and inwardly. You have one master, one faith. Does that make you feel unified. Already, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is present in all. Everything you are and do and think is permeated with oneness. I know it by heart because it's become very life-giving and I hope you can see it's like a measure Like whoa, wait a minute, I'm not feeling like that, father, I need your love.

Speaker 1: 13:09

And then in 1 Thessalonians 3.12, I think you know this one in the NIV it says May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and everyone else, just as ours does for you. So it's the Lord, he's doing it. But in the message I love this one it says and may the Master pour on the love, and may the master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you. Don't you love that picture?

Speaker 1: 13:44

I have a picture of Papa, papa God, with a big pitcher it's love or a big watering can, and he's just pouring it on each of our lives, like Peggy's life or Eric's life. And he's just pouring it on each of our lives, like Peggy's life or Eric's life. And it's just. He's just pouring it on the love and it keeps filling our bodies and keep filling our lives until it's so. We're so full of this love that it's flowing out and splashing on to people around us and they get to experience, father, they get to experience this love. Another one I was thinking of, almost like you know, tinkerbell pixie dust. It's like flicking a little pixie dust on everybody, but it's the love and others around us.

Speaker 1: 14:38

Another one that we've been meditating on in our community, or was given to us this fall and into our consecration week in January, was Romans 12 10. You know that one Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Okay, here it is in the message. Are you ready? Love from the center of who you are, don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil. Hold on for dear life to good. Practice playing second fiddle.

Speaker 1: 15:17

One really, really gets me, because that one you know, like if you have any natural leadership in you or you're an organized person, like that doesn't always come naturally. Like, and so practice playing second fiddle. It's so easy for us to get our lives centered around ourselves, our schedule, what we need to get done, and I have found, you know, recently maybe trying to do something for somebody else, and then it becomes all about them and what works for them and what works for their schedule. And I've just a couple instances and I hope there will be more. I've gone. You know what, it doesn't matter. Practice playing second fiddle. It's a good word, right? Because what Jesus is the Father? Jesus said what the Father said, he practiced playing second fiddle. And then, okay, I'm giving you lots of scripture. Is that okay? Philippians 2, 2-4,.

Speaker 1: 16:14

You know this one In the NIV if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, any comfort from his love, any fellowship in the spirit, that make my joy complete by being like-minded. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, consider others above yourselves so his joy is brought to completeness or fullness when we're loving each other. And I don't know about you, but I'm sure this is true of a lot of you. I'm starting to want to know him more and to understand his moods. What gives him pleasure? Jane's relating and like. It's. Not that he's moody, don't get me wrong, god is not moody but what gives him joy, what gives him delight? And so it gives him great delight when we're loving each other well and operating in unity. Okay, this one's really good In the message. Of course it is a paraphrase, but it gives us understanding right. If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, I'm sure it means a lot to a lot of us. If you have a heart, if you care, then do me a favor, agree with each other, love each other.

Speaker 1: 17:48

I like this one be deep-spirited friends. Deep-spirited friends Don't push your way to the front. Don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside enough to help others along. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Oh, here it is. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. That is Philippians 4, 2 to 4 in the message message, and I love that. Deep-spirited friends. That's really speaks, doesn't it? And then I hear here's a quote from Bill Johnson about, like don't push your way to the top. I remember he said once if you get into a position in kingdom by self-promotion, you're going to have to work really hard to keep yourself there by self-promotion, and none of us really want that right. Why would we want to strive like that? We want it to be him and him flowing through us. So I love that one. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. How many of you have been helped by somebody? Practical, loving ways, like I mean, what a blessing I know I have In 2019,.

Speaker 1: 19:07

When I had this foot surgery, I was housebound for three months. I couldn't wait there. I was on a scooter. I was on a scooter. I thought I'd get so much done? I really didn't. I did a lot of soaking. It took me a lot of work just to get around my island and push myself up my second floor to get to bed. But you know there was people who blessed me, like one of the ladies in our community organized a food train for the first month. My sister, who's a nurse a province away, took a week off work. She has so much mercy. Came down, made me new meals out of a recipe book, which I never do. Took me on outings because I couldn't get out in the car.

Speaker 1: 19:50

Like it was, you know. And then some young man in our community took an offering and bought me a chaise lounge couch so I could sit and read in my bedroom. What a blessing I have received in that way. Practical, like forget yourself enough to lend a helping hand, and I'm sure, just knowing you guys, you have all done that. But that's what he's asking of us. It's not just the spiritual I mean, we do need to help with praying for each other and those things too and giving a word but it's like the practical as well. So I love this one too.

Speaker 1: 20:26

First, Peter 4, 8 above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins, and in the message, most of all love as if your life depended on it. Because it does, and you know, you think about it. Why did he say it that way? Because it is so important, right? And I was thinking about that, like, well, if you didn't love and you let yourself get bitter, your life is going to be miserable and really your life depends on continuing in love, depends on continuing in love. So, yeah, so those are the scriptures on love. Why does he ask us to love like this? You know, John 13, 13, 35 says by this will everyone know you are my disciples if you love one another. So you know. Obviously he wants us to be so loving that those outside of the family of god or of faith find it attractive and and want to come to know him.

Speaker 1: 21:43

And this, I'm sort of starting to land this verse. I just read it really in my daily readings and included it about a week ago and it really has been impacting me and I don't know if I have the complete revelation, but I'm going to take a stab at it. Know if I have the complete revelation, but I'm going to take a stab at it. In 1 John 4, 12, it says this is the one that has. Oh sorry, I'm reading my notes. No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. So I've been asking like, well, what does that mean? His love is made complete in us, and I'm not sure I have all the theological understanding, but I'm just going to take a stab at it. Logical understanding, but I'm just going to take a stab at it Because it kind of emphasizes the importance of why he's asking us to love.

Speaker 1: 22:54

You know, god doesn't really need our help, right? But okay, he doesn't. But he chooses to walk with us as sons and daughters and to work, like to work, co-labor with us. He chooses to include us. It's like a dad, like Eric, was talking about building the wall with his sons and, like you know, maybe Eric could have done it all himself or maybe he couldn't have. Maybe this is a bad analogy, but maybe just take a dad who wanted to build a stool and you know he could have just got it done a lot faster with his saw and hammer and all those things and nails by himself, but he wanted to include his son because he wanted a relationship with his little boy and to start maybe mentoring him in a skill that maybe he'd have for a lifetime, but just the time together. And I think that's like Papa God with us, like there's so many things he could do on his own, but he wants to walk with us as sons and daughters and include us. Like you know, he doesn't really need us to evangelize and share our faith. He could just zap everybody and they get saved, right. But he chooses to use us to pray for people and to look for open doors and to love people and share. When he shows us to. He doesn't really need us to heal anybody, he could just heal everybody. He's been loving everybody on this entire planet and he is loving them and he's loved everybody so well who's ever lived on this planet. Like he doesn't really need us but he chooses to want to walk with us as sons and daughters and I'm kind of wondering if that's the way with love. His love is made complete in us. It's like he's already loving everybody. Everybody is totally loved by him. We are totally loved by him. We can't be loved more. He gives it all to each one of us, but I'm wondering if it's brought to complete expression or fullness, as his love is poured from us to others. It's the fullness of the expression of his love here on earth which couldn't be manifested in ways if he couldn't do it without us. Like the example of a snowflake. A snowflake has, like every snowflake is unique right.

Speaker 1: 25:31

And then Peggy gave the example of the cheetah. Thank you, I know I was going to say leopard, but I knew it was cheetah. I went back and the cheetah has. Oh, that was so fascinating. Every cheetah has a unique right display of I was going to say dots but spots. It's just only God could do that, right.

Speaker 1: 25:56

And each one of us is a unique expression of him. There's not one of us, his kids, that are the same, and each one of us, I believe, manifests a part of the Father that only we can manifest. And I think it's the way with the love, as his love is poured through us. Each of us brings an aspect or a facet of his love that only we can bring, and so I guess I would like to think that this is how his love is brought to completeness, a complete expression, a fullness of completion as each one of us lets the love of the Father flow through us. I believe it gives him great joy, right, because it's a part of him, the way we express love, that only we can bring it kind of hits you doesn't it.

Speaker 1: 27:05

I know it hits me. It's like, wow, he could do it without us. But he chooses to co-partner, he chooses to include us and we're his kids, and it gives papa great pleasure when we let this love flow through us. So how can we love others? Well, so it's his love being poured through us. And then there's just one little thing, and I'm not going to like harbor on this or belabor this, but sometimes, to enable his love to flow through us, we have to do the heart forgiveness. If there's someone or some area we haven't completely forgiven, that's going to be a block to his love flowing through us. So we need to do that. Do the heart take the time? Do the heart take the time? So in 1 Corinthians 13, 7, it says Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. And then in 1 Corinthians 14, when it says go after a life of love, as if your heart depended on it, or your life depended on it. Because it does, and that's in the message.

Speaker 1: 28:30

So I'm going to end us with a, a song, if that's all right, and it's Jen Johnson for the one. And I'm just gonna ask you, as you just sit and meditate and reflect and listen, which is that father love you and and ask them for more of his love to be poured in your heart so that you can love others, but also take time. You know, we just want to keep short accounts. If there's anybody that you know you need to. You've been feeling this little bit of irritation. Does that mean, you know, just take that time and do the forgiveness, the heart forgiveness, and maybe you're going to need more time for that, but let him show you that.

Speaker 2: 29:17

The one for whom you love and gave yourself for humanity. Increase my love. Help me to love with open arms, like you do, a love that erases all the lies and sees the truth. Oh that, when they look in my eyes, they would see you, even in just a smile, they would feel the Father's love. Oh, how you love us. Smile, they would feel the father's love. Oh, how you love us, from the homeless to the famous, and in between, you formed us, you made us carefully, cause in the end, we're all your children.

Speaker 2: 30:42

So help me to love with open arms, like you do, a love that erases all the lies and sees the truth. Oh, then, when they look in my eyes, they would see you, even in just a smile, they would feel the Father's love, would feel the Father's love. Let all my life tell of who you are and the wonder of your never-ending love. Let all my life tell of who you are. You're wonderful and such a good father. Let all my life tell of who you are and the wonder of your never-ending love. Let all my life tell us who you are. You're wonderful and such a good Father. You are wonderful and such a good Father. So help me to love with open arms, like you do, a love that erases all the lies and sees the truth. Oh, they would never look in my eyes. They would see you Even in just a smile. They would feel the Father's love.