What is "hunger and thirst for more of Jesus"

 

Most of us have sung the song before and in one of the verses we cried out to God with great passion and emotion: "Lord we hunger and thirst for more of Jesus". "Be with us", "Fall upon us in this place".

 

Or maybe, the song leader or prayer leader would challenge the congregation to respond to the call: "you need to hunger and thirst for more of Jesus". Or maybe, it is an altar call from a stirring preacher, that all those who want to hunger and thirst for more of Jesus, come forward or raise your right hand or respond correspondingly.

 

We all have heard of this hundreds of times if you have been going to church this decade.

 

In the past, I have done that in my preaching as well. And I would say it is a pretty effective altar call, because deep inside most believers, they have been taught that we don't have enough of Jesus. We were told that we are leaking Jesus everyday, so we need to have more and more. Is this true and biblical? Do we leak Jesus? Is Jesus like a liquid that can be measured in terms of quantity? Or is Jesus a person and that either He is in us or He is not.?

 

So what do they mean by "hunger and thirst for more of Jesus" ?

 

There are two streams of thoughts or attitude that a person may want to hunger or thirst for more of Jesus.

 

1. If to be hungry and thirsty for Jesus means that Jesus is not with us all the time, and that He comes and goes at His will, then we are wrong.

Jesus does not come into or out of a believer in his life. Either you have Jesus or you do not have. Either Jesus has shown up in your life or He has not.

If you are a believer, then you have Jesus in all His fullness in your life. If you are not a believer, then you do not have Jesus. If you are in Christ, then Christ is in us. (The Old Testament has God on them not IN them - this is a Major difference).

He is a person, not some sort of liquid entity that can come into your life in half-measures or quarter-measures. Jesus is a person who is with us 24/7 and He never leaves us or forsake us until the end of the age. So you can't hunger or thirst for Jesus as if He is not always with you and for you.

 

2. On the other hand, if to be hungry and thirsty for Jesus means that you want to see His rule more and more in your life, to renew your mind about His everlasting Presence in your life, to respond to His fellowship and communion, to get to know Jesus better, to know His Love through the Cross, then we are right.

Jesus does not visit us, but He lives in us. His Presence has never left us. It is only that we are unaware of His Presence with us.

We live as if we did not believe that He exist or is living in us. So we need to do something on our part to know Him as He really is.

This is the desire of the Holy Spirit within you too - and that is to testify of Jesus and His greatest accomplishment at the Cross.

 

A personal thought: Would it be better to say "Let us draw near to God who lives within us" rather than "let us hunger and thirst for more of Jesus"? To an understanding Christian it may mean the same, but to others around, it may imply that Jesus is not with you, and you need to call Him down.

 

In the Old Testament (under the Law), God dwells in tents and buildings, and people have to find God there. In the New Testament (under Grace), God no longer dwells in places. He dwells in the hearts of men and women who have believed and received Him. Wherever Christians are, God is there. He becomes part of that place because we are there. He does not live in temples made by men.

 

Act 17:24  God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

 

God is with us. He has never left us. It doesn't matter whether you "feel" it or not.

You don't need to hunger and thirst for Jesus anymore. You have found Him. When you found Jesus, your hunger and thirst was satisfied.

 

Joh 6:35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall NEVER hunger; and he that believeth on me shall NEVER thirst.

Have you come to Jesus and believe on Him? If yes, then you are no longer hungry or thirsty for more of Jesus. He is everything you will ever need and He is in you.

 

Technorati Tags: hunger,thirst,Jesus

Tree in an Illinois Cemetery Seems to Have an Image of Jesus Growing On the Tree

- picture from Marilyn's site

 

The image was first spotted in 1998, but officials at the cemetery were concerned about any disruption that might occur and kept it quiet for several months.  Once the word got out, however, people started coming by the hundreds and some even vandalized the tree.  It is now protected by a fence and a cemetery spokesperson says there are still daily visitors who want to see the tree.

 

The life size figure of Jesus Christ protrudes mysteriously from a knotted growth on an aging pin birch tree that is approximately 150 years old. It is located at this tiny Roman Catholic Cemetery located in Quincy, Illinois USA (pop. 40,000) which is nestled in West Central Illinois along the Mississippi River.

A cemetery worker first discovered the phenomenon several years ago. He stood in awe upon making the discovery and kept the secret to himself for several days before sharing it with others. The miraculous image cannot be fully appreciated unless one stands at a certain distance and angle thereby explaining why the figure had not been discovered earlier.

The tree which has acquired the name of "The Jesus Tree" is also known by many in the area as "The Good Shepherd Tree."

Technorati Tags: Jesus,tree

Shine Jesus Shine

Face to face Encounters with Jesus

Here is a link about verious people who had Face to Face encounters with Jesus. This was recommended by Huan Ching (check out her blog:=> Huan Ching blog) .

She writes good stuff, has deep thots for her age and very mature in outlook. She's positive, plays the keyboard for the church, and we all love her very much.

This website also gives an online book about "a divine revelation of Hell" and "a divine revelation of Heaven".

It also has lots of resources too: => www.spiritlessons.com

Highly recommended for those who wants a glimpse of God's Heaven.

Pixel 4 Jesus

Remember the guy who made a million USD dollars in 4 months by selling advertisement space on his computer home page.

His name is called Alex Tew, a 21-year-old student from a small town in England. He was laying in bed trying to think of a way to earn money to pay for school. Suddenly he had an idea, one that in just four months has earned him nearly $1 million dollars. He simply decided to sell advertisements on his Website. His Website has 1 million pixels, or dots, and he decided to sell them for $1 a dot. He sold the first spaces to friends and local businesses, but once he had made $1000, he released a press release and the rest is history. You have to visit the site to see what we mean ( www.milliondollarhomepage.com) because it is a bit remarkable.

It just shows how a little imagination can still prove profitable, even for the little guy. Alex is working on a business degree, but he may not need it. He is receiving countless job offers from businesses that are impressed by his ability to think of a new way to market on the Internet.

Well, somebody has started one for Jesus also. A million pixels for Jesus!

Check this out: http://www.pixel4jesus.com/

The Face of Jesus

This is an amazing picture!

The "longer" you look at this picture, the "more" you see.

Look at the lines the artist used to draw this picture of Christ..

It is of scenes from Christ's life.

The Last Words of Christ

The Last Words of Christ

"Faher, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
Luke 23:34

To the thief on the cross,
"I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Luke 23:43

To his mother and to John, the disciple,
"Dear woman, here is your son."
..."Here is your mother."
John 19:26-27

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46

"I am thirsty."
John 19:28

"It is finished."
John 19:30

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."
Luke 23:46


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(taken from the Holy Bible)

The Greatest Reasons to Believe Jesus

JOHN 3:16

God

the greatest Lover

so loved

the greatest Degree

the world

the greatest Company

that He gave

the greatest Act

his only begotten Son

the greatest Gift

that whosoever

the greatest Opportunity

believes

the greatest Simplicity

in Him

the greatest Attraction

should not perish

the greatest Promise

but

the greatest Difference

have

the greatest Certainty

everlasting life

the greatest Possession

~~~~~~~~~ author unknown ~~~~~~~~~~

THE POWER OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

In the Old Testament, there are many stories of Blood Sacrifices. These Blood
Sacrifices were done to cover the sins of the people. There was once the blood
was applied at the doorpost so that the judgment of God would pass over them.

Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God,
which he hath purchased with his own blood.

There are Four Occasions where Jesus Shed His Blood

All these occasions have significant meanings and speak to us about the Power of
Jesus Blood.

Occasion no: 1 - Luke 22:42-44 – Praying with Sweat and Blood

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Luke 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening
him.

Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat
was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

As a 100% human being, Jesus is demonstrating to us that God’s Will is above His
human Will.

Rom 7:18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but I cannot carry it out.

Our Flesh is following our old Human Will, the Old Nature – the nature of the
unregenerate man, the old man and the nature before we knew God.

Heb 10:6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Heb 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.

God has no pleasure in us if we want to do our Will and not God’s Will.

Lesson 1: Jesus shed His Blood to deal with our Will which is against the Will of God.

Application
1: Surrender your Will – Take His Will for your Life.

If you want the Power of the Blood, you must Surrender your Will to God’s Will.

Occasion no: 2 - John 19:1 – Whipping until Blood flow

John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

There were 39 times – the body of Jesus was whipped.

Isa 53:4 "But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God.

Isa 53:5 But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.

Isa 53:6 All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the LORD made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved."

Lesson 2: Our Sin will lead to Suffering, Pain, Punishment, Lost in Direction, Confusion

Application 2: Confess your Sin and let God cleanse you Daily

1Jo 1:9 But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.

If you want the Power of the Blood, you need to Walk a Life of Confession before God.

Confess your sins and wrongdoings Daily. If we confess daily, we are cleaned daily.

But if we continue to walk in sin, we don’t have His Power – the Power of the
Blood.

Illustration:

Like an abandoned house. When nobody stays in a house, damage and rot begins to come in. When a house is cleaned daily, it does not have destruction and damage.

Occasion no: 3 - Mar 15:17 – Wearing the Thorns until Blood Flows

Mar 15:17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns,
and put it about his head.

Thorns represent Curse.

Gen 3:17 The LORD said to the man, "You listened to your wife and ate fruit from that tree. And so, the ground will be under a curse because of what you did. As long as you live, you will have to struggle to grow enough food.

Gen 3:18 Your food will be plants, but the ground will produce thorns and thistles.

What type of Curses are we talking about?

a. Generation Curse – Curses that are passed down from one generation to
another because of judgment

Exo 20:5 Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the LORD your God and I tolerate no rivals. I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generation.

b. Self Curse – Cursing yourself consciously or unconsciously

Gen 27:13 His mother answered, "Let any curse against you fall on me, my son; just do as I say, and go and get the goats for me."

c. Others Curse – Curses placed on you by other people

Num 22:6 I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed,
and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse."

d. Objects of Curse – objects which are an abomination in the sight of God

Deu 7:26 Do not bring any of these idols into your homes, or the same
curse will be on you that is on them. You must hate and despise these idols,
because they are under the LORD's curse.

Illustration:

When we meet with reckless drivers or impatient people, we can see them curse you from a distance and very often in their anger. God wants us to reject those curses and bless them.

Lesson 3: Jesus can take away all our Curses

Gal 3:13 But by becoming a curse for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the scripture says, "Anyone who is hanged on a
tree is under God's curse."

Application 3: Reject all Curses = Bless those who Curse you

Luke 6:28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.

This is the antidote for all types of curses that are upon you. Start to bless people and especially those who curse you.

Many people are not living the Victorious Life by the Power of the Blood of Jesus
Christ because the curses have not been removed from their life.

The seminar on Cleansing the Temple is about removing the Curses.

Occasion no: 4 - Mark 15:15 Crucified with the Shedding of Blood

Mar 15:15 Pilate wanted to please the crowd. So he set Barabbas free. Then he
ordered his soldiers to beat Jesus with a whip and nail him to a cross.

The Cross represents Discipleship.

Mat 10:38 And unless you are willing to take up your cross and come with me, you are not fit to be my disciples.

We must go beyond Being just a Believer and be a Disciple.

Jesus went to the cross, so that we can become disciples and He called us to make disciples.

Qn:
What is a Disciple?

Ans:
A Disciple is One who loves God above Everything Else – Your Job, Your Family,
Even Your Life.

Luk 14:26 You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life.

Lesson 4: Commit to be a Disciple

Make a commitment now to become a disciple for Jesus. All for Jesus.

Illustration:

Remember the 3 musketeers. All for one and one for all. That is how God is with us. When we give our all to Jesus, Jesus pours out His all for us.

Application 4: Grow in Relationship with God with Every Available Means

There are so many programs and proper discipling program in every church and ministry that we can grow to become a disciple. Follow those programs and grow as a disciple.