The Roar of God Encounter
Pastor Phil Derstine 4-21-24
God Encounter: What is it?
- Encounter (Def.) 1. To experience unexpectedly. 2. To meet face-to-face. 3. To contend with opposition.
- A personal experience with the Spirit of God in His demonstrated power.
- I Corinthians 2:4 “My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: (5) That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
- We encounter God through Salvation, a healing or deliverance, a Word from God, a dream or vision, a Miracle.
God Encounter: How to get it?
- Pursue God – When we seek after more of God, we are pursuing fellowship with Him.
- Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
- James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
- Deeper repentance and hunger for holiness draws us closer to God (Matthew 6:33)
- Revival can come through Prayer and Fasting – the former and the latter rain (Joel 2:23)
- Matthew 14:22 – Peter pursued Jesus and walked on water (until he took his eyes off Jesus)
- Daniel 3:1-30 – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego encountered Jesus in the middle of the fire.
- Expect a Miracle! – Faith requires believing and expecting.
- Mir-a-cle (Def.) 1: An extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.
- Mark 9:23 “If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.”
- Faith is speaking and acting like something has changed before it changes.
- Mark 5:25 – Woman with an issue of blood came to Jesus, believing and expecting: “If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole.”
- TFC Logo: The cross in a single drop of water – “Growing LIFE Together”
- D.R.I.P. Acronym: 4 Words illustrate the systematic growth process of our Faith.
- DISCOVER (Salvation), RELATE (Connection), INSPIRE (Holy Spirit), PROVE (Leadership)
- Our Faith grows little by little, drip by drip, through our Biblical response to life’s experiences.
- Accept the Call – God has a plan for your life and an assignment for you to fulfill.
- John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
- Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”
- Isaiah 6:1-8 Isaiah saw the Lord, his sins were purged, then God asked, “Whom shall I send, who will go?”
- John 21:15 – Jesus reinstated Peter by saying, “Do you really love me more than these? Feed my lambs.”
- Matthew 16:24 “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
