Day 3

The Power of Love

“God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)  
Come and Rest in My Presence   Is the Presence of God real to you? As a professional golfer, Wally Armstrong knows about practise. He says, 
“There’s a big difference between believing something is true and experiencing something as real… Practicing the Presence of Jesus is something that takes discipline and work just like building a friendship with anyone else. It requires spending time with them and being totally transparent with them. It requires learning about them by asking sincere questions, sincerely listening and hearing with your heart.” (Armstrong, p1-2)
“We have to know someone before we can truly love him. In order to know God, we must think about Him often. Let us occupy ourselves entirely in knowing God. The more we know Him, the more we will desire to know Him. The more we know God, the more we will truly love Him.” (Brother Lawrence, c.1614–1691)
Pray: Ephesians 3:17-18 “…Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”
Receive My Power  Reading: See the power of love in action in the church. Acts 2:38-47 ESV Audio Bible
Extract Acts 2:38-47 TPT
“Peter replied, ‘Repent and return to God, and each one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus, the Anointed One, to have your sins removed. Then you may take hold of the gift of the Holy Spirit. For God’s promise of the Holy Spirit is for you and your families, for those yet to be born and for everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’
“Peter preached to them and warned them with these words: ‘Be rescued from the wayward and perverse culture of this world!’ Those who believed the word that day numbered three thousand. They were all baptized and added to the church. Every believer was faithfully devoted to following the teachings of the apostles. Their hearts were mutually linked to one another, sharing communion and coming together regularly for prayer. A deep sense of holy awe swept over everyone and the apostles performed many miracles, signs and wonders. All the believers were in fellowship as one body and they shared with one another whatever they had… with joyful hearts and tender humility. Daily they met together in the temple courts and in one another’s homes to celebrate communion. They were continually filled with praises to God, enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Listen to what the Word Says, Obey and Share.
S: Which phrases in this passage move your heart?
O: Have you, your family and church family received the Holy Spirit?
S: Turner identifies a paradox created by strong community. “The greatest hindrance that a church faces in sending [their people out as missionaries] is the strong love for one another that has been fostered over years, and even decades.” (p88) Will you pay this price to share God’s love?
Be My Spirit-led Witnesses  ‘Keys to Spirit Led Outreach’ by Stuart Gramenz (p11-35) www.spiritled.com.au
The depth to which we’ve encountered the love of Christ determines how well we can love others. John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
God’s strategy for loving well is contained in 1 John 4. When we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us, and we abide in God, and God abides in us, his love is perfected in us and flows from within us in acts of spontaneous love. Love is known by the action it prompts. Developing compassion is a process in which God’s perfect love casts out our fear of each other so we can love from a pure heart. Our defences lead to judgement and hard heartedness Walking in the Spirit simply means walking in love – seeking the welfare of all, becoming contagious with God’s goodness.
Seek the Comforter and His view of those you pray for so you see them with love. Let the Spirit’s power move in you to expand your love boundaries. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognise people who are open to receive Jesus. Flood them with God’s love, power and Word.
Share the Good News. Today’s YesHEis Video Clip: A Letter from Dad
Be My House of Prayer  Jesus, please fill me with Your Holy Spirit – Your love, the glory of Your goodness so I see others with love – and overflow with Your love to them. We repent Lord of violence in our homes and streets and on our borders and pray that the blood of Christ will cleanse our land from our sins related to the shedding of innocent blood, sexual sin and broken covenants. Lord, enable us to become loving communities - like the Acts 2 church.
Pray for your prayer list and family and friends to receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Pray for Australia to receive Jesus as Lord and for His Church to be His House of Prayer.
Pray for a new generation of young prayer warriors and evangelists to arise in Jesus’ revival and transformation of our nation.