Supernatural opportunities and endurance I

This is the first part of my address at ladies’retreat in Dongshan on April 28

One evening as I was preparing for our study on the heart of Jesus, I read the passage in John 21: 1-17 and was feeling God spoke to me in a special way some things that are relevant for our whole team of committed Christians, those serving and leaders who we are mostly gathered here. Interestingly, the time setting in the passage is after resurrection, and we are also now in the aftermath of our Easter celebrations, so I feel this passage is very relevant. I saw four important reminders for us in part of scriptures. Firstly, Jesus can show the right strategy for better result. Secondly, with supernatural opportunities comes God-given endurance to keep it together. Thirdly, Jesus cares for us personally and in practical and tangible ways. Fourthly and finally, those who love Jesus more are given task to care for other believers. Let us read the first portion of this passage:

“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”“No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” (John 21, 1-6)

Firstly, I want to start off by saying that in scripture, fishing also refers to sharing good news with other people; Jesus said that He will make us fishers of men. Just as He cared for disciples in this passage, He cares how we are doing on ministry, whether it is going well or difficult, and He is standing ready to advise and help. He is wants to show us the right strategy – a little thing, done under Jesus’ leadership, can make much difference, such as throwing nets on the other side of the boat. We need to ask Jesus to show us the right way to reach people. We have discussed the challenge of approaching people at times and that for some, Christianity may have some stigma. I believe that Jesus can show us what can make difference in this. The same goes for various other challenges we face. I recently had a disappointment of not getting a scholarship I had high hopes for. At times despite effort, we struggle to get results we want.

Let us hear the words of blessing as written by Arthur Bruk and Sylvia Gunter. Beloved sisters, I call your spirits to the front to hear God’s blessings for you today: “Spirit, you were designed by your Father to face problems and solve them, not just escape them. I bless you with rejoicing in each one, instead of complaining and turning back. I bless you with perseverance to dig in His word to solve problems, as if you are looking for gold, silver, and jewels. I bless you with having the mind of Christ, so you can see things from His perspective and solutions others can’t see. May you have God’s wisdom to embrace His solutions, even if they seem painful, and nobody has ever walked that way before. I bless you in the name of the God of impossible. Spirit, I bless you with going to the Word of God and seeing specific promises He has made to you, standing on them, and savoring the joy, security, and excitement that comes when your Father answers your prayers based on His specific promises. I bless you with realizing that when God calls you to battle, He will be there with you and for you, and victory will lie in His hand, not your expertise or resources. I bless you with experiencing God’s pleasure in who you are and how he sees you now and tomorrow.” 

Intensity of Christ’s love

When I was a child, there were some times when my parents went to church and took me along. At a time, in the Lutheran church of my hometown, in addition to altar painting that featured the baptism of Jesus, there was a painting of crucifixion on the left side wall of the church. The painting was in dark colors and even there was just a little blood visible, I was scared of it and turned my head to the other side as we passed it by. When I grew up in, I often heard sayings such as “that is his cross to carry” talking of illness or a difficult family member. Also, people would say that one needs to avoid to give names which would contains some part of words ‘cross’ or ‘Christ,’ because then it was believed that one needs to carry the cross all of his life. I think these sayings at times show that people have not understood the deeper meaning of the cross of Christ and got stuck in the darkness of that moment of crucifixion. They look at the whole event like through a dark glass, similar as one used to look at sun during eclipse. It feels as if the suffering of Jesus has no purpose, no resolution. 

I am not sure if you can relate in any way to these childhood memories that I shared. Suffering is certainly part of life, at times we may fear it, and we cannot deny it. There was certainly darkness, fear and death when Jesus was crucified, and it was because he was cursed for us. “Like one from whom people hide their faces， he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53, 4-6) Without understanding the reason Jesus died and applying it personally, His death seems senseless martyrdom. Or, we may be so used to see crosses that it leaves us indifferent. Perhaps at times it is something too intense and overwhelming, hard to take in, and we rather look away? A Finnish Christian friend of mine told me that she is watching the movie “Passion of Christ” by Mel Gibson every Easter to remind herself of what Jesus has done for her. I feel for me, to see this movie few times was already enough, as it felt quite intense and I am perhaps also quite sensitive to unpleasant sights. I rather like to remember the sacrifice of Jesus by having the holy supper often, also at home. Jesus finished the holy supper by saying: “Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22,19) The ways in which we will practice remembering and valuing His sacrifice may differ, and I think that is fine. I have been wondering though at times why I rather would turn away from intense sights and feelings associated with crucifixion, and I am not alone in that. It is overwhelming for quite many, for instance, I have heard this question: “Why there has to be blood?” 

There is a theological answer to this question, namely, that there is life in the blood and there is no forgiveness without blood, but I will not go deeper into this here. Few different kind of answers recently came through our current study book at women’s group “Experiencing the heart of Jesus” by Max Lucado. There, author shares, for instance, this way: “I put my hand on the shoulder of my eight year old daughter and said: “Sara, you’re something special. Someday some hairy-legged boy is going to steal your heart and sweep you into the next century. But right now, you belong to me.” She smiled tolerantly and said: “Daddy, why are you acting so weird?” The love of a parent falls awkwardly on the ears of child. My burst of emotion was beyond her. But that did not keep me from speaking. There is no way our little minds can comprehend the love of God. But that didn’t keep Him from coming.” And further, Max Lucado also says: “It wasn’t right that spikes pierced the hands that formed the earth. God sat in silence while the sins of the world were placed upon His Son. And He did nothing while a cry echoed in the black sky:“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” Was it fair? - No. Was it love? - Yes. All heaven stood to fight. All nature rose to rescue. But the Creator gave no command. “It must be done,” He said and withdrew. The angel spoke: “It would be less painful…” The Creator interrupted softly: “But it wouldn’t be love.” 

Walking in the newness of life, part III

This is the final part of my speech at women's Easter celebration in Suzhou on March 25. 

I will now read meditation on the meaning and implications of Jesus' love for us and the words of God as spoken through David Sorensen (more materials like this can be found at website http://godisreal.com/). Let us receive these words as coming from Jesus to you personally: 

I love you. I love you. I love you so, so, so much. I love you with a love that is amazing, with the love that is incredible, with the love that you cannot comprehend with your human mind. You will need eternity to realize the depth, the height, the width of my love for you. My love is too much, is too great, is too powerful. I am so full of compassion to you. Look at Me, what did I do? I died for you, I gave my life for you. I died on the cross for you. I allowed the darkness to have a go at Me, because I love you. I did not do it for any other reason, there is no other reason I hang there. Nobody understood what was happening. I gave everything I am, everything I have, because I love you. I did not do it for any kind of religious reason, but because I want to save you, I want to heal you, because I want to transform you, I want to release you into the glory of my love for you. There is nothing in my heart that wants you to be burdened, there is nothing in my heart that wants you to live under heavy yokes of any sort of oppression. I did not come to this world to bring you burdens.

I came to set you free. I made you brand new when you believed in Me. So step out of this cage, step out of these chains. They are loosened, they are broken, they have no power over you. And be free. Live freely, live and love as the child of the Most High God of heaven and earth. Live and sing for Me. Because it is a new day, it is a new life for you. Come and have fun, in this life. Cast off that dark cloak that has covered your heart and mind and see my love for you. When you are abandoned, when you are lonely, when you feel misunderstood, when you are in ruins of your life, when you struggle to walk in the world that doesn’t give you the warmth you so desperately need, when you cry and nobody understands why, only love can do a miracle that no one else can do. I am that love, says Jesus. My love will never leave you, my love is always with you. My love goes out to you. In Me, you will find strength to overcome and break through.

Let us pray. Let us bow our heads and be silent and still for a bit as we contemplate this love letter and what it means for our lives.  Jesus, meet everyone here, move in our midst by your Holy Spirit and help us to really receive your love. 

Walking in the newness of life, part II

This is the second part of my speech at women's Easter celebration in Suzhou on March 25. 

Jesus died for our sins, and while it is crucial to accept it and we need to appreciate it, I think it is so important to also go ahead and use what He paid for and live in the fullness of life He provided. I feel we need to move beyond His crucifixion to His resurrection and to embrace all He wants to give to us. While we will often see the image of the cross with Christ on it, we live at a time when Jesus is not hanging at the cross anymore: “He was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, by God’s power we will live with him.” (2.Corinthians13, 3-4) In real time right now, He is risen and at the right hand of the Father. All power and glory is given to Him. And if we believe in Him, He lives in us through His Holy Spirit. How do you see Jesus? Is He weak in your eyes, the one still hanging on the cross? Or is He the One who has power - power to change your life?

After we have accepted Him, we have everything necessary to walk in the newness of life. “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6,4) His resurrection shows we do not need to be afraid of death any more, as He promises to resurrect us too and prepare a mansion in heaven for us. Knowing this can transform the way we live and help us overcome any obstacles we are facing. For fear of death is at the root of all fears we have in life: ^“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15) Isn’t it wonderful to be freed from the mother of all fears, fear of death? Through Jesus, we are liberated to walk in the newness of life, where the power of darkness, fear, and death has been overcome.  "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." (John 7, 38) “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10, 10) As in the song, we can then say - because He lives, we can face tomorrow and all our fear is gone. Is all darkness is your life overcome by the light of His resurrection moment? Or is something still hidden in the dark and holds you in fear?

I want to turn your attention now back to the beautiful backdrop that we have. Here the stone has been rolled away from the entrance and one is free to see the beautiful view and to go out of the dark cave. I want to ask you – is there a stone pressing heavily on your heart today? Maybe you have tried to remove it by yourself, but it has not been successful? Jesus was lying in the tomb for three days and then rose again. As we know from the events described in the Bible, God sent angels to earth to remove the stone from the entrance of the tomb. It took a supernatural power of God to remove the stone from the entrance of Jesus’ tomb. Do not struggle in your own strength with that which suppresses you. This one most likely is too big to handle by yourself. Surrender it to the Lord today and He will help you to get out from heaviness you are under.

Have you been in a place where you even got tired to pray about certain matter? Is there something that has been pressing you for years? I have had this experience. However, pretty recently as I came with that before the Lord, like – here we go again… - He took me by surprise. In my spirit, I suddenly saw myself riding on a horse in great freedom and laughing - laughing for joy. I realized I can have great joy and freedom in Him and that is what I have been created for, instead of being suppressed under unresolved issues.

Once after a difficult talk with a family member, it was late at night and I knew I will not be able to sleep right away. I needed some comfort, so I decided to watch some uplifting youtube videos. I came across one with a song –“There is life” from Disney’s Bambi 2. It showed how under the thick cover of snow, there is vegetation coming up even before you see it. I come from Latvia and have lived in Finland for a long time, and there is a lot of snow, so for me it was a powerful analogy. Let me share the lyrics, as I feel they also have great relevance for our topic today:

“Under the snow, beneath the frozen streams, there is life /You'll have to know when nature sleeps she dreams, there is life / And the colder the winter, the warmer the spring, the deeper the sorrow / the more our hearts sing / Even when you can't see it inside everything, there is life/ And all that we dream of awaits patently, there is life.”

God used this song to give me hope that there is life in that person’s spirit and our relationship even if from surface I could not see that in this conversation. Right now you may feel your dreams are dead, or a certain relationship is dead. But there is potential of life there. When Jesus raised up girl from the dead, He was saying: “Have faith. Believe. She is only sleeping.” He brought peace and joy to a home where fear, desperation, and grief reigned. Jesus is ready to provide for you, wherever in your life you need hope for the newness of life. He can resurrect your dead dream or dead relationship.

Is there a hope for newness of life through Jesus awakening in your heart right now? 

Walking in the newness of life, part I

This is the first part of my speech at women's Easter celebration in Suzhou on March 25. 

Our theme for event today is walking in the newness of life. I believe that is something we all want, and the spring revives this desire in our hearts, as we look at blossoms, put on new seasonal clothes and put away the thick winter wardrobe. Some of us have been struggling with colds and viruses in our families and we are looking forward to warmer, more cheerful season. And not only in outwardly things, we  want to be refreshed in our souls and spirits also. Do you associate Christian meaning of Easter with newness of life? We have a beautiful backdrop here where we see a view looking out of a dark cave towards the crosses and rising sun. Let’s talk about how the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ relates to our walking in the newness of life today.

The death of Jesus Christ is not merely a historical event to Christians - rather, it is an act of God, done for us, to bring us closer to Him. In a story retold by Max Lucado, a new Chinese believer was asked by pastor before baptism: “Did Jesus have sin?” - “Yes”, she answered, to the surprise of the pastor, and then added, “He had sin, He had mine.”Forgiveness and newness of life is available, but we need to apply it, as evangelist Reinhold Bonnke says, all over us like a soap, and then it will make us clean. The sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient for everyone and anything: “Jesus brought the sacrifice for the sins of the people once and for all when He sacrificed Himself.” (Hebrews 7, 27) “He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9,12) So it is sufficient for you, too, and whatever you need forgiveness for. Not many of us ladies use soap anymore; we have creamy shower  gels and scrubs nowadays. But no matter what you use, think about it next time you take a shower - Jesus can make you clean, He can give you a clean slate with God. There is nothing more powerful than praying in the name and with the authority of Jesus Christ, with an understanding that you have been forgiven, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and therefore your prayer is heard by God. There is nothing more powerful than calling on the name and blood of Jesus when you face fires of temptations, when terrors of the night come, or when you feel broken hearted and frozen by rejection. In Romans 3, 22-24, it is stated that God makes people right with himself through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is true for all who believe in Christ, because all people are the same: all have sinned, and all are not good enough for God’s glory, and all need to be made right with God by His grace, which is a free gift.

Have you accepted His sacrifice personally? I did it 20 years ago, when I was 16. I experienced that the grip of fears in my life was loosened. I gained strength to start to associate with believers and come in the open more with my faith. However, growing in more personal experience of the love of Jesus has happened over the years. Today, I have been a married woman for over 10 years and have three children. But in my early twenties I was still single and worked for local government of my hometown. Once we had a workplace party with dancing. I was invited and got to dance that evening, but interestingly, God touched my heart powerfully that night and reminded my early teens. At a time in my school there were disco evenings organized quite often in a special function hall. There were some fun times of dancing with classmates or in a circle, but later, more often than not, I went home disappointed. Boys changed and often hanged out in corridors, there were times when nobody came to invite for a dance, or not someone I hoped for. I remembered that longing in my young heart to feel and be special, and to be noticed. But while in my twenties, I had a throwback to feeling this way, I suddenly saw a following vision in my spirit. I am in a dance hall, dark room, with flickering colorful disco lights somewhere near the stage. I am there alone. I am sitting and waiting with longing to be invited for a dance, and there comes …Jesus. He seems familiar, He is safe, and He is like no one else. He notices me and invites me for … a dance of a lifetime. As we dance, he holds me in arms that are bleeding – bleeding… for me. I went home that night by foot through the whole town, overwhelmed, mesmerized, stunned by what God had shown me. Jesus had visited me in a personal way. And while I did not know it yet in my heart of hearts as deeply when I first accepted Christ, I have learned over the years that He is the One I have been waiting for, deeply in my heart. He was there always, and will be. He was there when nobody else was. He has proved His love, He has extended His invitation gently but strongly, and He has chosen – me! And He reveals Himself to me in personal ways like that. That is why I have a blog Experiencing Jesus personally. That is why I am leading a study for women called Experiencing the heart of Jesus.
Along the same lines, when I was an exchange student in Sweden, I had a friend at the university who was a Christian single woman in her early 30s. She once told me: "I think I have been waiting for a prince on a white horse, and thought it will be a man. Later on, I realized it’s Jesus." Have you heard a saying along the lines – don’t wait for a prince on a white horse, be strong yourself? In part it is true – you may get disappointed by a man. Or, you may have a good man, but still, he cannot save you, he cannot always be there for you the way you need. We still need to be saved, we need to be loved. There is One extending His invitation to you too today. Jesus is coming on a white horse... for you. This is literally true in the book of Revelation 19, 11: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.”

Speaking at Easter celebration for women

On March 25, I was the speaker at Easter celebration for women. It was a glorious day that turned out much better than I expected. God prepared me for this event several months in advance. 

End December me and husband went for our 10^th wedding anniversary trip. Our first flight took us to Singapore. Once the plane was in the air, I started to feel inspiration and saw myself as speaker at women’s Easter eveni that I knew we will be holding. Speaker was not chosen yet, but I felt already that God started to impress on my heart message for women at this occasion. Upon return, I shared with one of leaders at our women’s ministry that God has been giving me desire to speak at the event. She felt that the way I experienced this was from God and said: “You will be the speaker!”

Over the next couple of months, I was dropping down some ideas, Bible verses and examples little by little in a Word document. At first, I felt I won’t share personally much, but towards the end God reminded me of some powerful experiences with Him that I have had and I felt guided to include those in the speech as well. We also had agreed that a more experienced speaker from aside will have a look at my content and give some feedback. However, there was no answer, which was probably connected to her moving of apartments. Few days before event, I sent my speech to a lady from our group who has some speaking experience in similar contexts. She returned to me with some valuable suggestions, which were incorporated just the day before the event.

During preparation, God gave me a special and very concrete encouragement from the book “Experiencing the heart of Jesus” by Max Lucado that we are currently studying in our women’s group. It greatly ministered to another woman who was about to perform a dramatic monologue at the event and was fighting nervous sweating even thinking of it: “Peter faced the growing crowds, waiting for the milling mob to settle down enough so he would be heard. He should be fighting butterflies in his stomach and nervous doubts. There he was, ready to address this great assembly. He was no orator. He had no prior experience. Even so, Peter stood calmly. He was no slave to the doubts that tried to plague his mind. He was free in Christ, and nothing could turn him away from telling these people the truth – the wonderful good news. So Peter cleared his throat and lifted his voice. The crowds fell into rapt silence as the words poured out over them. Words of life. Words of hope. Words of salvation. An invitation to freedom.” (based on Acts 2,14)

I did not sleep too well the night before event due to some disturbances with kids, but nevertheless got ready and went timely to the hotel which hosted the event. I had good time with those I had invited and some friends from groups I attend. We had a beautiful backdrop of open cave facing towards hill of crosses and rising sun. Several ladies worked hard to make table arrangements with wonderful decorations and handout materials. It looked like entering a wedding place.

The event started and I felt I gained strength in praise songs. We had gathered over 100 persons, students and children included. When my turn came and I stepped on the stage, I felt amazing. Words came out smoothly and confidently, and it had almost supernatural flow. I am sure that this was effect of many prayers over event and the stage. As I shared, I felt the audience was also totally silent in concentration. Towards the end, I saw tears in many eyes. I was talking on the topic of how crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus relates to our walking in the newness of life, which we had chosen as the theme of the event (based on Romans 6,4). Dozens of women approached me afterwards to thank for sharing and some said they will take my personal experiences for their own relationship with Jesus. All in all, the speaking experience and feedback I got certainly overtook my expectations. “It was God!” - said our main organizer from the stage just after my speech. “We felt so loved by Jesus and you took us into Holy of Holies. The silence after prayer in the room was electric,” commented another woman in our team. A friend said to me she believes my speech impacted many lives that day.

Afterwards, I felt quite tired as if I had been doing heavy physical work. Some other ladies in our organizing team also shared that feeling, and one said that certainly more was happening in the spiritual realm then we could see with our eyes. I also later had a feeling like I had been pushing back spiritual darkness in superhuman strength. It was wonderful to proclaim freedom and be free in that myself. I believe, as it was also said by our leader, that this is just the beginning and there will be more opportunities for me to minister this way. The text of speech at women’s Easter celebration will be published in upcoming blog entries.