We are to lift God up and He will draw people to Him. Our journey from the moment we are saved until the Father calls us home is the convergence. As we grow in our trust that God is the answer and understand the power we were given with the Holy Spirit and Jesus, then the life live becomes aligned with God’s will and the level of effectiveness we have in ministry and life will increase tremendously.
[00:00:00] Let us pray, bread together on our knees
[00:00:07] Let us pray, bread together on our knees
[00:00:14] When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun
[00:00:21] Oh Lord, never see all the need
[00:00:27] Welcome to the Bible Speaks with Elgin Carelock
[00:00:30] The Bible Speaks is a weekly ministry of Harvest International
[00:00:33] Our prayer is that the Bible Speaks will encourage you in your study of God's word
[00:00:38] You will be able to contact Elgin at the address given at the end of this broadcast
[00:00:44] And now, here's Elgin
[00:00:46] Welcome, welcome, welcome to whoever you are, from wherever you are
[00:00:51] and whenever you're listening to another edition of Words of Inspiration
[00:00:56] As I look back over my life as a believer, there were points when the old me and the new creature met
[00:01:06] While that may sound strange, it represented the time when my logical mind and my spiritual mind met
[00:01:14] And I understood what my calling was, but that took years
[00:01:19] The purpose of our discussion today is for you to understand that our walk with God
[00:01:25] will be filled with convergences
[00:01:28] And convergences being defined as an individual aligning their wheel, closely with God's will
[00:01:36] So today we're going to speak on the subject of convergence
[00:01:41] Our spiritual inspiration comes from 2 Corinthians, verse 5
[00:01:48] 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 17
[00:01:53] And reading from the amplified version, it reads
[00:02:24] Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was
[00:02:30] Not as I will, but as you will
[00:02:34] In Matthew 26, verse 39
[00:02:38] And it exemplifies the idea of convergence
[00:02:42] True spiritual convergence occurs when personal desires and plans are surrendered to God's greater plan and purpose
[00:02:51] That means putting God's purpose and plan for your life above what you desire and aspire to
[00:02:57] Where the true benefit of convergence is manifested is when we understand that by allowing Christ to be our Lord
[00:03:06] And receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the life we have will be far and above all we could have ever aspired to on our own
[00:03:16] Which you can see evidence in Ephesians 3, verses 20-21
[00:03:23] When I think about my journey, I often identify with the Apostle Paul
[00:03:29] Because I too was living a life I thought was right and Jesus shined a light on my heart
[00:03:36] More than once actually to help me get on the right path
[00:03:40] When we look at Paul's journey and think about his epistles from 1 Thessalonians 2 Timothy
[00:03:49] We see the maturation of Paul's words as he becomes more confident
[00:03:56] In 1 Thessalonians, he wrote that for understanding the early development of the Christian communities
[00:04:02] And what it took to be in a pastoral position
[00:04:07] It showcases his concern for the spiritual welfare of the converts
[00:04:12] As well as the theological teachings about Jesus' return
[00:04:17] Which were central to the hope and the endurance of the early Christian church
[00:04:22] By the time we get to 2 Timothy, this epistle serves as a powerful reminder of the challenges
[00:04:29] And hardships that come with the life dedicated to preaching the gospel
[00:04:34] It encapsulates Paul's legacy as a mentor to Timothy and his final admonitions to remain faithful, courageous, and committed to the truth of the gospel
[00:04:45] This represents a period of nearly 20 years and the conversions of Paul from Saul to who we read in 2 Timothy
[00:04:56] Is evidence through the confidence with which Paul speaks in each of the epistles
[00:05:02] For us as followers of Christ, we must never feel that we are not ready or insufficient
[00:05:09] God wants that all might be saved and that none perish and we all have a part in that
[00:05:16] So at various levels of our spiritual walk there will be convergences between the person that we are and the person that God is requiring us to be next
[00:05:26] It doesn't mean that we have some sort of metamorphosis like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly
[00:05:33] But it does represent a level of spiritual growth that will allow us to be used in a greater capacity by God
[00:05:42] When we lift God up in our lives through our actions, through our teachings, through our ministries
[00:05:49] He will draw people to Him
[00:05:51] Our journey from the moment that we are saved until the Father calls us home is the conversions
[00:05:58] As we grow in our trust that God is the answer and understand the power we were given with the Holy Spirit in Jesus
[00:06:06] Then the life we live becomes aligned with God's will and the level of effectiveness we have in ministry and life will increase tremendously
[00:06:17] Brothers and sisters, I thank you once again for spending this time with me on today
[00:06:22] And I look forward to our discussion on tomorrow
[00:06:25] Until then, God bless
[00:06:47] I look forward to hearing from you and invite you to write us at Harvest International
[00:06:52] Post Office Box 6690 Ocala, Florida 34478
[00:06:58] Again, that's Harvest International Post Office Box 6690 Ocala, Florida 34478
[00:07:19] Thank you