Speaker: pastor Jean TEDAH
Definition
To encounter means to get to know, to appear in the presence of, to rise to, to see
To demonstrate: is to expose. To manifest Christ is to make him known through us. ex. His Love, His goodness, His faithfulness, His mercy through us.
However, there are prerequisites for doing this.
Prerequisites to encounter God
#1. Know God first to discover what motivates us to seek to encounter him. In Luke 2:19, the disciples discover another dimension of God which is to calm the storm. Since Genesis, therefore, the Bible demonstrates the manifestation of the power of God, His omnipotence and His greatness. From this knowledge, a person can decide to go and encounter God to enjoy His power or benefit from His promises.
#2. Desire to be transformed as Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:2. Only God can transform into His image because man is incapable of doing it by himself. Receiving the power of God is a promise made to all who desire it (Acts 1:8). In Luke 10:18-19 and in Matthew 5 the first work the Lord does when He calls the disciples is to fill them with His power by deconstructing false doctrines to teach them how to be like Him. Jesus Himself went into the wilderness to be clothed with the presence of God (Luke 4:2).
#3. Believe that God can give what is asked of Him (Hebrew. 11:6; Mark 11:22-23). This is faith in action. Drawing near to God is essential to have faith (John 14:13-14).
#4. Intentionally commit to entering into His presence to ask until you receive. In Genesis 32:24-32, Jacob fights with an angel for almost an entire night to receive an answer to his prayer, despite his injuries and fatigue. This THIRST TO SEE SOMETHING CHANGE IS A GUARANTEE OF VICTORY AND FULFILLMENT. In Luke 22:44 Jesus prayed until his sweat became like lumps of blood for an answer. MEET GOD THEREFORE MEANS NOT GOING AS AN ADVENTURE, but you need motivation to abandon yourself to God and express your thirst, your desire to be fulfilled without looking at the watch, or having other parallel agendas.
How to manifest Christ?
Manifesting is the moment when people who have encountered God will make the benefits of this encounter known to the world. To do this, you must be:
#1. Bold/courageous and determined because the world has an oppressive force, it sets up schemes that push back the solution to their problems. By being bold, we are armed with perseverance to solve the problem of people even though they reject, deny or push away the Lord. Having the courage to face situations allows Jesus to come and manifest His power.
#2. Avoid fear, unbelief and harboring thoughts that kill faith. In Acts 20:22-24, Paul was preparing to go to Jerusalem and the Spirit of God bore witness that he was to be bound. But he does not care about his life, he refuses to give in to fear and decides to leave for Jerusalem. In Acts 21, the prophet Agabus confirms the prophecy, but again Paul ignores him. Judges 6 shows a bold man, Gideon, who spent seven years under the oppression of the Midianites to the point of fleeing his home to live in the caves. In verses 12-14 when the angel appears to him and calls him a valiant hero, he denies this title. The angel strengthens him and he regains his strength and defeats the Midianites, allowing Israel to live 40 years in peace. Paul sums it up so well in these terms: “So the creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19).
TEXTES/ TEXTS
Luc 2:19 (LSG) Marie gardait toutes ces choses, et les repassait dans son coeur. / Luke 2:19 (NLT) but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
Luc 4:2 (LSG) où il fut tenté par le diable pendant quarante jours. Il ne mangea rien durant ces jours-là, et, après qu'ils furent écoulés, il eut faim. / Luke 4:2 (KJV) where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
Luc 10:18-19 (LSG) Jésus leur dit: Je voyais Satan tomber du ciel comme un éclair. Voici, je vous ai donné le pouvoir de marcher sur les serpents et les scorpions, et sur toute la puissance de l'ennemi; et rien ne pourra vous nuire. / Luke 10:118-19 (NLT) “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.
Jean 14:13-14 (LSG) et tout ce que vous demanderez en mon nom, je le ferai, afin que le Père soit glorifié dans le Fils. Si vous demandez quelque chose en mon nom, je le ferai. / John 14:13-14 (KJV) You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
Romains 12:2 (LSG) Ne vous conformez pas au siècle présent, mais soyez transformés par le renouvellement de l'intelligence, afin que vous discerniez quelle est la volonté de Dieu, ce qui est bon, agréable et parfait. / Romans 12:2 (NLT) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Actes 1:8 (LSG) Mais vous recevrez une puissance, le Saint Esprit survenant sur vous, et vous serez mes témoins à Jérusalem, dans toute la Judée, dans la Samarie, et jusqu'aux extrémités de la terre./ Acts 1:8 (NLT) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Actes 20:22-24 (LSG) Et maintenant voici, lié par l'Esprit, je vais à Jérusalem, ne sachant pas ce qui m'y arrivera; seulement, de ville en ville, l'Esprit Saint m'avertit que des liens et des tribulations m'attendent. Mais je ne fais pour moi-même aucun cas de ma vie, comme si elle m'était précieuse, pourvu que j'accomplisse ma course avec joie, et le ministère que j'ai reçu du Seigneur Jésus, d'annoncer la bonne nouvelle de la grâce de Dieu. / Actes 20:22-24 (KJV) “And now I am bound by the Spirit[a] to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Footnotes: a. 20:22 Or by my spirit, or by an inner compulsion; Greek reads by the spirit.
Hébreux. 11:6 (LSG) Or sans la foi il est impossible de lui être agréable; car il faut que celui qui s'approche de Dieu croie que Dieu existe, et qu'il est le rémunérateur de ceux qui le cherchent./ Hebrew. 11:6 (NLT) And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
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