He said: absolutely. I did it, so that you could have Anochi; that the church will find it's greatness in making a life's response, that makes our whole life about responding to Gods offer - to increase our authority inside the hedge of praise and submission.
We don't get authority by aggressiveness; or through demands. We actually gain our authority through being generous, and serving, kind and compassionate, gracious, slow to anger.
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, to be your God. Have no other Gods before Me”. That is the message of the Ten Commandments.
Closing PrayerLord, we honour You, and we thank You for who You are. We proclaim that: you are King of the Universe; and you are God and we are not - so we give You our life again afresh and anew. We respond to Your offer of Anochi.
Just right now, under your breath, why don't you have a response to God. I want you to say something like: “Thank You for getting me out of slavery”.
Why don't you just become aware right now, of where would your life be, if God hadn't touched you. It's very important to remember where we came from.
Lord, thank You for Your offer of Anochi. Thank You for Your offer to increase us inside the hedge of praise and submission.
I want you to respond with two things:
1) I want you to ask Him: Lord, how can I make that happen for someone else? Lord, give me a name. Give me a name of someone I need to call, even tonight and encourage them, bless them, pray for them. Give me some people I need to feed. Give me some naked people I need to clothe. Maybe I need to write an extra cheque and help some people in Africa. Maybe that's what I need to do.
I need to make Anochi happen for somebody else. How can my life be a response to Anochi? How will you make it happen for others? How will you let the world know what God looks like? How will you respond? What are you going to do about it? Anochi Jehovah Elohim.
2) I want your second response to be personal to you and God - yet out loud.
You serve a God who believes in you, more than you believe in Him. You serve a God who reached down and got you out of slavery, before you did anything to deserve it. Remember that, and never forget it, and be merciful and kind to other people.
You're meant to show the world what God looks like, when a person develops their whole life as a response to Anochi. He's the best God. You don't need another God. Have no other Gods before Him, none!
I'd like you to just spend one or two minutes - maybe just one, just one minute out loud, beginning to thank God. You want to do it in the spirit, do it in the spirit. If you want to do it in English, do it in English; but whether you do it in English, or do it in the spirit, do it loud!