Victory in Christ

1 Corinthians 2:9New International Version (NIV)

9 However, as it is written:  “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”  the things God has prepared for those who love him. 

Intro:  Good morning I want to present you with a thought.  Can you make a big impact in a minimum of time?  The answer is yes, when you know that God has called you not to be common or ordinary but extraordinary.  Listen to what Paul says, “no eye has seen, no ear has heard and what no human mind can conceived.  The things God has in store you for.”  Do you believe God has something better in store for you?  If you do then let 2017 but your year.  I am believing God for big things this year. 

1.       John Bevere wrote:  God has called us to live our potential and to do extra-ordinary things.  Did you know the 35 of the top 50 movies of all time were about people doing things that were not common?  Remember Spiderman.  “With great power comes great responsibility. “  Common and ordinary is not what we are called to be or do.  John 10:10, Jesus said, “I have come to give your life and more abundantly.”  Eph 3:20 says, “that God can do exceedingly, abundantly beyond what we are able to asked or imagine.”

2.       So what happened?  This reality and truth has been suppressed by five things.  Sin, Society,  Satan, self and false humility.

a.       The reality of Gen 1:26-17 is that we were created in the image of God.  The social, spiritual and moral image of God.  Our original destiny was to be fruitful, multiply, subdue and rule.  What Adam and eve did was give this dominion and authority to satan but we can get it back.  1 John 3:8 reminds us that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.  I don’t know about you but I am tired of getting my butt kick around by satan.    

b.      God has an extraordinary blessing for you based on your heart.  Do you know that satan`s grand scheme is to thwart God`s Dream for you and the church.  To keep you ordinary and common.  To keep the church from its destiny. 

c.       Did you know the early church had trouble convincing people they were not super human or gods.  When Cornelius met Peter in Acts 10, Peter told him that he was just an ordinary man.  In Acts 14:8-13 when Paul and Barnabus healed people in Lystra the people wanted to offer sacrifices to them.  They had to strip from their clothes to prove to them they were ordinary men.  Peter`s shadow healed.  Paul healed through cloths and aprons. 

d.       Listen to Mark 16: 15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  This was normal so what happened.  Preachers, seminaries, have believed a lie.  Then we have self- appointed people who make it their mission to bring down the extraordinary. 

3.        It is not God`s will for you live a common life but actually an abundant life.  In fact it pleases Him when you do.  Listen to 2 Cor 5:9-10, 2 Corinthians 5:9-10New Living Translation (NLT)  9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

a.       Paul says it our goal to please the Lord because one day you will stand before Him an account.   There will be reward and loss here.  The greatest ever phrase is.  `Well done good and faithful servant enter into my rest.` Love that 

b.      In 2 John 8 it states it is God`s passion to reward you.  David wrote in Psalm 139:16, that God has a book that has my life recorded from the foundations of life.  It is our responsibility to find out what God`s will is and do it.  Do not listen to the voices that will try to destroy you from doing it.

I.                    Satan is the accuser of the brethren.

II.                  The world with his messages of passion, pride and possessions.

III.                Hollywood, society, culture shifts and no moral absolutes.

IV.                People around us trying to bring us down because they fail to see their own destinies.

V.                  The voice in our head that says you cannot do it. 

VI.                Grasshopper mentality seeing only giants, mountains and obstacles instead of what God sees. 

VII.              Laziness and lack of ambition.

VIII.            Peer pressure and the design to fit in.  I love the line from a movie I saw once.  `Why would you want to be like everyone else when you called to stand out.” 

I warn you that when you decided to lead or stand out you will become a target.  Better to burn brightly then rust out into oblivion. 

4.       Eph 2:10 says that we are God`s handiwork.  We are called to go into our world`s and be extraordinary.  That is a choice. 

a.        Every one of our stories are being written each day we are living.  I am now at an age where I can live or die and it doesn`t matter.  Satan tried to kill me 5 times last summer.  Cal Bombay says we are bulletproof until God says otherwise.  Write your own story today. 

Gary Skinner is the visionary and passionate Team Leader of Watoto Ministries including the dynamic

Watoto Church which he founded together with his wife Marilyn in 1983 in the heart of Uganda’s war torn capital, Kampala. Watoto Church is a cell based, community church with over 20,000 people gathering each Sunday morning to celebrate Christ. Gary passionately believes it is the responsibility of the local church to solve community problems. Watoto Church cares for community holistically through 2100 cell groups that meet in homes each week.  In 1994 Gary and Marilyn founded Watoto Child Care Ministries, an International Organization as a compassionate response to the cry of Africa’s millions of children orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. Currently they are caring for over 2,500 Ugandan children in children’s villages where every child is raised in a family setting rather than an institution. Their vision is that these children will be raised to become future leaders of Uganda and Africa.  He is a friend and fellow PAOC minister.  That is being extraordinary.