Power for those who believe
Sunday 7th May 2006 – Led By Pete and Sue Elwin
Ephesians 1 v 15-23
Pete Elwin:
Scenes from miracle maker:
1) Jesus ministry starting, coming out of the water.
2) Peter struck by the power of God “what is the kingdom of heaven like? Like a mustard seed, a spec of dust which could blow away, and yet it becomes the greatest tree on earth. Don’t build up treasure on earth……”
3) Jesus “push the boat further out……” Plenty of fish caught.
Jesus understands us and has walked where we have walked
4) Jesus choosing his disciples. “I am going to build on this rock…”
Different people from all walks of life coming together because of the power of God
5) “how can you say to your brother ‘you have a spec of dust in your eye’ when you have a plank in your own”
6) Man lowered through the roof. Jesus declares that his sins are forgiven. “what is it easier to say? Your sins are forgiven; or get up and walk?”
“Praise God I’ve been healed”
God’s power is not tidy, Peter lost a roof!
Which would you prefer? A wrecked house with someone been healed or a house with a nice roof and no healing?
Rydal: John 6, 1-14 Jesus feeds the five thousand
Jesus crossed far shore of Galilee….. Jesus went up on to the hillside with disciples. Jesus saw a great crowd coming towards him and said to Philip “where shall we buy bread for all of these people to eat” Jesus was testing him….. “eight months wages would not be enough to feed all of these people……… 12 Baskets filled with barley loaves left over.
Crowd started saying to one another “surely this is a prophet coming into the world” Jesus withdrew.
Sue Elwin: Challenges young people to break some bread rolls into a thousand pieces.
“People were so full with the portion left that there were 12 baskets left over!”
It is hard to imagine this miracle.
Just as this little boy was willing to hand over what he had, are we willing to hand over what we have for God to use. If we are running around trying to make ourselves happy by the thing which we do, we will constantly be hungry because only Jesus can fulfil that hunger.
Ephesians “For this reason ever since I have heard about your faith in the lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you remembering you in my prayers.” Challeng to the other
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better” changing our focus
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe”
Judas is limited by his experience and cannot see that a healing is about to take place
“my daughter your faith has made you well, go in peace”
“little girl, rise. It is time to get up”
“That power is like a working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms”
Jesus resurrected you and me and he doesn’t just leave it there.
“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body , the fullness of him who fills everything in every way”
Saxophone illustration – you would know what a saxophone is by seeing a picture of it but wouldn’t know the fullness of it unless you hear it played. The saxophone is an empty vessel, like we are called to be. We can only be who we are created to be if we allow the breath of life to work in us.
Galatians 2, 20 “I have been crucified in Christ……”
Footprint making – as a response to us needing to step out in faith. Prophercy – not doing things in our own strength
Challenging thought: If we allow God to work through us we will see the miracles.
Church encouraged to come and write on sheet as an expression of commitment of giving back to God things which we have been holding back as our own. | 
