April 24, 2012

 ^"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town."  Luke 10:1-12

During this season of the church schedule we are tackling the topic of "What can I expect from God?" One of the foundational truths of the study is, "Your expectations of God arise from your experience with God." The second truth that is a corollary of the first is, "Your experience with God comes out of your encounters with God."

Those truths are illustrated in this encounter that Jesus had with His disciples - all 70 of them! Wanting to expand their expectation of Him, Jesus sent them out to get some experience encountering people in His Name and His authority.

Over the next few days we will see how that worked out for them. And we will analyse why that is and what it means for you.

I think one of the indicators that your spiritual experience with God is weak is when your "expector expires". In otherwords, you stop expecting big things from God and start noticing big problems around you. You allow your problems to get between you and God. You allow your problems to outgrow your faith. A telltale sign is when you find fear rising up where faith used to be.

What do you do when your "expector expires"? What happens when your experience with Him grows old and cold?

You come to Christ, like these followers did, and seek a fresh encounter with Him. You get a fresh look at Him. You get a fresh listen to Him. You let Him restore His love in you. And you lay down your complaints and pick up His cross. You stop stewing and start serving. You forget your problems and go serve other's needs.

A fresh encounter with Christ gives you new experiences with Him and raises your expectations of Him!

Could you be ready for a fresh encounter?