John O

2014 NYC Rally 3 - John O

John O Evening rally on December 29th, 2014 at the Campus Outreach Milwaukee New Years Conference

Rally Recap

““And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:7–13 ESV)

Who you really are is who you are when nobody is watching.

Isn't it ironic how the very structure that Jesus gave us to pray to him has turned into a meaningless chant that so many can recite without knowing what it really means! The best way to hide something of spiritual value is to hide it in a spiritual cloak

"Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’” (Matthew 6:9 ESV)

Don’t embrace a routine in a prayer but rather embrace a relationship. Prayer begins with embracing a relationship. (Matt. 6:9).

Christianity is a corporate religion. Individual Christianity does not exist.

Regardless of what your background was, God wants to use it to glorify Him by reminding you that everything we have pales in comparison to who He is.

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” (Psalms 115:3 ESV)

Here is the mark of the Christian, as Christians we pray for God's presence before we pray for his provision

In heaven, God’s will is done instantaneously and joyfully.

God wants to use you regardless of where you are to be a gospel light in the midst of darkness.

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:1–10 ESV)

 

Personal Reflection Questions:

  1. How is your prayer life?

  2. What does it mean to pray for God's presence vs God’s provision?

  3. If God were a Genie and his aim was to give you anything you wanted, would your prayer life be better or worse than it is right now?

2014 NYC Rally 2 - John O

John O Morning rally on December 29th, 2014 at the Campus Outreach Milwaukee New Years Conference

Rally Recap

““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21–23 ESV)

There are those who will spend an eternity in heaven or those who will spend an eternity in hell.

There are 4 types of people at this conference:

  1. Those that are saved (and they know it)

  2. Those that are not saved (and they know it)

  3. Those that are not saved (but they don't know it)

  4. Those that are saved (and we don't know it / we struggle with doubt)

Everyone who is a Christian still sins.”

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 ESV)

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 1:5–2:2 ESV)

Christianity isn't primarily about the presence of sin in our lives, but our posture towards the sin in our lives.

Perfection in this life is a horrible goal because you will never be perfect in this life. Christianity is not about perfection, but direction.

“Its better that your sin should shame you now then to damn you for eternity.” -Charles Spurgeon

Practical application:

  1. Confess

  2. Pray through the Psalms

  3. Challenge others in their pursuit of holiness.

Personal Reflection Questions:

  1. Where will you spend eternity?

  2. Are you pursuing sin and getting tripped up by Jesus or are you pursuing Jesus and getting tripped up by sin?

  3. How do you respond to the sin in your life?

2014 NYC Rally 1 - John O

John O Evening rally on December 28th, 2014 at the Campus Outreach Milwaukee New Years Conference

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Rally Recap

“Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.” (Daniel 3:7 ESV)

The bible is a real book about real people and real problems that need a real solution from a real God.

The reality of your faith is not measured in times of peace but rather your faith is tested when times get hard.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”” (Daniel 3:16–18 ESV)

Faith is confidence in God's ability to deliver.

We serve a God that has actually done the impossible so that when we are faced with the impossible we don’t doubt the power of God to accomplish the impossible.

We serve a God that aims to deliver us out of bondage for those who are faithful to him.

Doubt only grows in isolation but transparency grows in the context of community.

If God is God, and I am not, then that means that He can do whatever He wants and I need to be cool with it because God is not a genie and will not do whatever I want Him to do.

Hard times will come and they will usually come when you least expect them.

“And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”” (Mark 14:36 ESV)

 

Personal Reflection Questions:

  1. Where in your life are you doubting God to deliver you from the impossible

  2. There are many things in this world that we think are owed to us. What good things do you make an idol of and expect God to grant you? What if God chooses to not give these things to you?

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