So for those of us who are walking with God, we would say: Jesus Christ is our saviour. I want to give you a moment with God, that you I and need, to repent. It's to repent for all the places in our life where we don't put other people first. It's to repent for the times in our life where we're the rich man who could meet the need of somebody else, but yet we choose not to. It's not that we don't have it; it's just we just choose not to.
It's a time for repentance, for all of us who, instead of living on a circle in a square, we live on our whole square - and wonder why God isn't blessing us. It's a repenting for a greedy heart, for a heart that doesn't put other people first.
While you're doing that, I'd like to talk to those of you who might say: I don't know that I'm right with God. I don't know that I've ever made a decision to even make Jesus the Lord of my life. I don't know that I've ever made that decision to make Him in charge of what I'm doing - and I need to make that decision. I need to cross the line, and make Jesus Christ the Lord of my life.
It goes like this: My Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for coming. Thank You for dying for me. I confess that I'm a sinner. I have no hope of saving myself, but You Lord, I ask You to forgive me, cleanse me, heal my heart, be the Lord of my life in Jesus' name. Amen, welcome to the kingdom of God!
Now Lord, we just step into that place that is You - the compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love God; and we feel Your grace Lord. We feel Your grace to present a message like this to us, to let us know what is really important to You.
Now Lord, we repent. Yes, we repent Lord. Forgive me for my evil heart. Forgive me for that tendency inside of myself to put myself first. Forgive me for the evil inside of me God, the greed, the selfishness that tends to want things my own way.
Lord, help me see the opportunities that You've put in front of me to bring heaven to earth for people. May I be a person who puts other people first. May I be a minister of the kingdom of heaven.
I repent for my wicked ways Lord. I repent for that side of me that always wants to serve myself, and Lord I commit to being You to a world that needs You, to be a generous, kind, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love person who meets the needs of others first.
May I not be the rich man, but yet be a wealthy steward.
In Jesus' name I call on that word you gave me, that healing would come to repentance and Lord, across this room tonight as true repentance has taken place, wherever there was true repentance, I pray that healing would come, peace would come, wholeness would come, healing would come to bodies. Healing would come to minds. Peace would come into homes.
Lord, for every place that repentance comes, I pray that right now for every husband that made the decision to put their wife first, for every wife that made the decision to put their husband first, for every couple who made the decision to take care of the poor and lonely and widows and aliens, for every person where true repentance comes - I pray that in those homes, peace would come.
I speak and proclaim over those homes ‘peace’, that when these married couples go home tonight and put each other first, that it would be reinforced with peace and sanity and peace where there was chaos before. I pray that the serenity and prosperity would come over this whole place, not to make rich men but to be wealthy stewards, to put other people first.
“Blessed to be a blessing” - in Jesus' name.
Lord, we are Your people, kingdom people - and we truly repent for the greed in our heart. Seal this decision in us. Seal it in us Lord. May we be generous for the rest of our lives, and when we stammer back, may we pick up the cross again, and go forward to bring heaven to earth for other people. Lord, You're the best. You're the best in Jesus' name. Amen.