Pastor Lucy Paynter
Search for:
Outpouring

Waiting

Time has the most beautiful way of sieving out the fluff from the important things. That is why, even if a ten-year-old knows how to drive, they have to wait until they’re at least 16 to get a driving license. Because driving is more than getting behind the wheel and making that car move. It involves a lot more that can be learned between the time one gets the car moving successfully and the time one can be declared safe to drive, both for themselves and other road users.

Waiting is one of the most difficult aspects of our lives in general and not just the Christian life. Although, of course, people don’t like to wait. But we do, nevertheless, because it’s part of the process of getting what and where we want. 

The Risen Christ

 

The book of Acts is a continuation by Luke from where he left in the book of Luke. He begins by addressing Theophilus, a Roman official whom he held in high regard. Next, Luke introduces the risen Christ to Theophilus and the promises that Jesus had made to his disciples. Finally, he presents a continuation of Christ’s works after his resurrection.

 

In Acts 1:1-11, Luke says to Theophilus; In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command:

“Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

The Promise

In verses 2 and 3, Luke reminds Theophilus of the last works of Jesus before his ascension. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, gave his disciples commandments and infallible proof of life. He taught them things about the kingdom of God during the 40 days that he was with them after his resurrection.  It is important to note at this stage that this is the resurrected, glorified Christ. Still, even with the authority and sovereignty that was His, he chose to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to direct the instructions he was about to give the disciples.

Before He even got to the point where He would tell them to wait upon the infilling of the Holy Spirit, He himself exemplified the role of the Holy Spirit in the mission they were about to embark on. There could be no better example to show that we cannot do the work appointed us without the anointing of the Holy Spirit if our Lord Jesus was bound to the Holy Spirit for the power of His ministry.

In verses 4 and 5, we see Jesus giving His final command to the disciples. They were to do nothing else but wait for the Holy Spirit. This was the promise of the Father, and without which they would not have done anything meaningful for the kingdom of God. It was a gift promised by God Himself, which meant it was bound to be fulfilled that it was something worth waiting for. Something that they would have to have faith and patience to receive. 

This was a promise that was woven into the fabric of the Ministry long before it began. Jesus told them that they would be baptized WITH the Holy Spirit. And this brings out the concept of baptism as we know it, and as had happened with Jesus during His baptism. The concept of total immersion into and absolute covering by the holy spirit.

This was the condition that had to be fulfilled before anything else. This is what would give them the power to perform miracles. The Holy Spirit would enlighten them, sanctify their souls, and set them on the divine path. Even though Jesus did not give the disciples the exact date when the promise will be fulfilled, they knew that they had to wait until when it was God’s time. 

 

On hearing the words of Jesus, the disciples must have thought that He was speaking apocalyptically and thus their interest in knowing if the time had finally come for the kingdom of Israel to be restored. We see Jesus rebuking them, albeit gently, and focusing their attention back to the Holy Spirit and their mission to be His witnesses in the world.

The conclusion of the dialogue is a rather interesting one if you’re careful with details. It ends with a declarative statement, or rather a prophesy, that we see fulfilled in Acts 1-7 as the apostles preach through Jerusalem. Acts 8-12 is a record of the gospel in Judea and Samaria, and 13-28 is the gospel to the world. Just like Jesus has said,

you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 

The Testing

Unlike the way Jesus appeared and reappeared after the resurrection, we see Him in the last of the verses we have read today, being lifted to the heavens. This was so designed that the disciples would know He was good for good this time, and the next phase was about to begin because it was only after He was gone that the Holy Spirit, the Helper, would descend.

For the second time, the disciples appear distracted by yet another event, and it’s only after the angels have appeared and asked them why they stand there staring at the sky that they remember their commissioning and go back to Jerusalem to wait upon the Holy Spirit. 

We have just begun a new series on the OUTPOURING, and as we said at the beginning of today’s sermon, waiting is part of the process of getting what we want. The Biblical sense of waiting, especially on the promises of God, is not passive waiting. It is a process of becoming what God intends for us to become.

Even after the ground has been prepared and readied for the seed, a farmer knows to wait for the outpouring of the rain. It requires patience and the understanding that God is in control of His promise and its fulfillment. The period between when the promise is given and when it is fulfilled is the time for us to set our priorities right. It teaches us to persevere and train our focus on the promises of the Father, whose word is YES and AMEN.

Prayer Closet

At the beginning of the year, many believers spend more time in the Prayer Closet. Prayer and fasting for twenty-one days, thirty days, or forty days cycles. What a joy to spend time in the presence of the Lord. To dwell in the secret place of the almighty.

In my Prayer Closet this year, the holy spirit started teaching me about hindrances that cause unanswered prayers. Among the issues, the Lord taught me I felt compelled to share two of them with friends and parishioners.

1. Praying according to the will of God.

As we started the prayers and fasting, I shared this truth that the Holy Spirit was emphasizing in my heart. We need to pray according to the Agenda and will of God.

For a long time, we receive a new year, and we rush to proclaim ” this is my year”. However, there was something different with 2021, the Lord is saying “2021 is the year of the Lord “.

Therefore, when in the Prayer Closet it is up to us to yield and align ourselves to him so that we fulfill His agenda, His Purpose, His Plan for this year.

2. Deal With Unconfessed Sin

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:6 KJV

Understanding that transactions of the Prayer Closet are privy between you and God is the first step to liberation.

We are in an era where the pressure to keep appearances is on the higher end. Sometimes we forget that we can not keep appearances with God. There is nothing to hide from Him. If we keep appearances it for people not for God. Because He looks into the heart. He rebuked Samuel when he sent him to anoint a king. Like us, Samuel was looking at appearances.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

In the process of hiding our shortcomings, failures, and sins from others let us not carry it over to the Prayer Closet. Like David we can tell the Lord to search our hearts and if there be any wickedness to lead us in his way of everlasting.

Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts;
Psalms 139:23 AMP

And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in an everlasting way.
Psalms 139:24 AMP

To listen to a playlist dedicated to this topic. Check out this link below. You will discover

  • The Cause of Unconfessed Sin
  • The Condition of Unconfessed Sin
  • The Consequences of unconfessed sin
  • The Conclusion.

Listen to Prayer Closet, a playlist by Pastor Lucy Paynter 

 

 

Peoples’ Problems is my Business

pexels-photo-4342052
 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
(John 2:1-5 NKJV Bible)
Jesus’s time to serve has come but this understanding has been understood by the mother only. Therefore, Jesus goes to the wedding to enjoy and then go home just like everybody else. However, His mother who has all along known the ministry to which Jesus is called knows that it’s the time for Jesus to start His work. She therefore goes right ahead and calls on the disciples to follow Jesus’s instructions.
When Jesus realizes the weight of the matter described by the mother, He executes it out rightly, and thus accomplishes His first miracle of turning water into wine; choice wine that was better than the one they had drunk, therefore solving a problem in people’s lives of inadequate refreshments in a wedding; which if not solved, could have blurred the mood of the day as well as cause embarrassment on the part of the host. He not only brought a solution to a societal problem but also brought glory to Himself and His disciples put their faith in Him.
In the same way, in the last three days I have been going to the Ministry of Lands because an elderly friend of mine require my assistance in pursuing a leasehold for her land. This friend of mine has had spinal problems and therefore I assist her here and there to pursue errands. Therefore, initially I thought it would be a smooth ride; we finish with the requirements, get the leasehold and go home!
Fortunately or unfortunately as it turned out, we did not have an easy time. The land officer was attending a land board in a different place and nobody knew when he would come. We therefore waited the whole day to no avail. In the evening, we were so frustrated that the zeal I had to help was drained; therefore I wasn’t willing to take my friend the following day unless we were sure the land officer would come. My friend had left behind her contacts so that they would call her when the officer came.
That night I heard in my spirit someone telling another or others, “Kai tutangithii twendie mugunda ucio?” ‘Why can’t we go and sell that land?’ These words brought me to full alertness. The situation in the country is such that there is so much corruption surrounding land; some people even acquiring counterfeit title deeds or leasehold and then selling peoples’ land. I therefore knew there were some rotten things the devil was planning. I prayed fervently until God assured me of victory and His mercies through a song He put in my spirit, ” Mtetezi wangu, yuaishi leo, mtetezi, wangu yu hai” That is, ‘My redeemer lives’ I thus called my friend and we agreed to go the following day without waiting for the call from the officers.
The next day wasn’t easy either. We waited from 9a.m.to 1 p.m. yet the officer hadn’t come. I then remembered a dream where I had seen the actual building where we were. In the dream, the building had been depicted as being so dirty with muddy waters on the stairs and I was to wash it clean. This made me realize the reason why God wanted me there. My business was to wash away the spiritual dirt that overshadowed the Ministry of Lands. People use stairs to go to the offices for services. In a government office, except for the legally set charges, the services should be offered free of charge as the officers are paid by the government. The process (stairs), of acquiring these services has; however, been marred by grand corruption: bribery, favoritism, delayed services etc.
I thus repented for all the frustration, oppression and even bloodshed that have ever been meted out on the innocent people by corrupt greedy officers who ask for bribes before they serve you and also relatives who, led by their selfishness, plan and execute annexing of their land with that of their brothers and sisters. The innocent souls cry to God day and night and this grieves the Holy Spirit thus making that institution appear dirty in the eyes of God.
After thorough prayer of repentance and deliverance, the officer came at 1p.m.and we were served promptly. In the third day, we waited in another section of the ministry and we were served in the evening 6pm. just because we refused to offer bribes.
I realized that whenever God takes us, there is both our business and God’s business to be carried out. If you don’t recognize this, you go through uncalled for trouble that makes you wonder why you are in the kingdom of God yet still struggling. We work in partnership with God. We should command the kingdom of God with its power to every place we go and as a result it will be easy for us.
In a nutshell my dear brethren, we carry the river of life that should go cleansing the dirty evil society we live in. We must manifest the healing, delivering and saving power of the kingdom of God to His creation. Just like Jesus, our main task is to go into the world to deliver God’s creation, as exemplified by the scripture below:
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
(Romans 8:18-22 NKJV Bible)
This will in turn bring glory to God and cause spiritual breakthrough in our lives.
You clean better than anyone else!
 

I believe

In the depths of my heart I believe in the faithfulness of God. It is not easy to comprehend his ways and timing, but through it all I am convinced of His unconditional love for me.

The Prophet Isaiah wrote that our ways and His are far apart .

Isaiah 55:8-9New International Version

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We align ourselves to fit in His plans and His ways by living a life of total surrender. Yielded and fully trusting. I guess that is where I am right now. I am not afraid, I am calm within me even though every other thing without is screaming worry and fear.

I feel the touch of His hand holding me and a whisper of his voice in my inner ear, saying, “you are mine ,I love you. “

I cannot fully explain it but as I lay in this hospital bed, I am calm and at peace from that assurance that I am not alone.

Maybe you are reading this, and there is a turmoil within or without you. I urge you to believe with me that God will not fail you.

Blessings you are not alone.

X
What Our Clients Say
7 reviews