WEDNESDAY'S WORD - COMPEL - Sadell Bradley - 6/1/2022

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD COMPEL 6/1/2022 "Earthly wisdom is doing what comes naturally. Godly wisdom is doing what the Holy Spirit compels us to do." - Charles Stanley

JOIN US TONIGHT AT 7PM!! WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY IN YOUR FEELINGS: REGRET @warehouseOTR YouTube

Do you feel compelled to share your faith? Nowadays we don't like to use strong words like command, constrain, or compel. Webster defines COMPEL—to drive or urge forcefully or irresistibly; to cause to do or occur by overwhelming pressure. Scripture uses this word to describe apostolic ministry movement and the preaching of the Gospel to those who have not yet heard it. Is sharing your faith with those who don't know Jesus an urgent matter for you? Paul wrote to Ephesian elders in Acts 20, "You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." (Acts 20:20-24) There was nothing that could keep Paul from preaching Jesus. Christ followers fulfill the Great Commission—to go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature, and make disciples of every nation—because we are compelled to do so by the Holy Spirit, by the Word of God, and by Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus, in the Parable of the Great Banquet, describes God as a Master who commands his servant to invite many guests to His banquet. The invitees offered excuses why they could or would not attend the Master's feast. One had an important business deal, another had recently been married. The Bible says, “The servant came back and reported this to his Master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the Master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ ” (Luke 14:21-24) Many in the Church are lamenting the declining numbers of Christians participating in worship services before and after the pandemic. God is not concerned about insiders who reject Him or seem too busy...He tells us to GO out into the streets and invite and compel others to join in the Feast of the Lord. That's what The Warehouse Church, OTR will do this coming Sunday. June 5, 2022 from 12-3pm Worship in Washington Park. We'll have lots of fun things for kids, music and worship, We'll preach the Gospel, pray, have a community love feast and communion. The address is 1230 Elm Street Cincinnati OH 45202. We hope to see you there!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - MOURNING - Sadell Bradley - 05/25/2022

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD MOURNING 5/25/2022 "I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness, and the willingness to remain vulnerable." -Anne Morrow Lindbergh JOIN US TONIGHT AT 7PM!! WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY IN YOUR FEELINGS: JEALOUSY @warehouseOTR YouTube ENOUGH! That's what NBA Coach Steve Kerr, who lost his father to a gun violence incident in Beirut in 1984, said about today's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. You can click above to hear his pointed and impassioned plea to the US Senate to take action. The nation is in shock at the second tragic shooting in a week— the 30th this year at a school. Many of us are asking, "How long?" and "When will we learn?" I'm not sure what is worse, the feeling of anger, or of helplessness to see change. Kerr stated that 90% of Americans on all sides of the political spectrum desire mandatory background checks before someone can access a gun. Seems reasonable doesn't it? But power, greed, and politics have taken over reason. Now the blood of 18 more children and 4 adults, along with the 10 African Americans shot dead at Tops grocery store last week, and Asian Americans shot in worship a Presbyterian Church cries out to all of us for justice. One of our issues is that we really don't know how to (or we choose not to) MOURN– to feel or show deep sorrow, sadness, or regret for (someone or their death). It's hard to invest the time necessary to really mourn when another thing is happening on the heels of the last tragedy. It's also difficult in a culture that attempts to get us to suppress our true feelings and "get over it." Even sometimes in ministry, our discomfort with negative feelings causes us to offer platitudes and cliches that don't express the depth of feeling and empathy that situations such as these require. I encourage you to read Jeremiah 9 in its entirety. The prophet opens by crying out, "If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for all my people who have been slaughtered." (vs. 1-2) The weeping prophet describes a climate similar to what we are facing, "They speak friendly words to their neighbors while scheming in their heart to kill them." (vs. 8) "Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider and call for the mourning women, That they may come; And send for skillful wailing women, That they may come." (v.17) The need to mourn was so important God called for the professionals. We can't receive the comfort Jesus promised in the beatitudes if we never take the time to mourn. We need to offer lament. We need to repent—to act justly. And yes, we still should offer prayers for the families of those whose lives have been snuffed out. Their sorrow and devastation is just beginning.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - TRAUMA - Sadell Bradley - 05/18/2022

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD TRAUMA 5/18/2022 "Trauma creates one of four types of people: victims, rescuers, or perps—and if you're really lucky and really strong, and very willing and brave, survivors." -Allison Anders- American Director

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The big Aha! moment is that the trauma never goes away - Viola Davis This quote expresses the feeling of many African-Americans after the gunning down of the ten people in this photo in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York by an 18-year-old white supremacist. News outlets report that the racially motivated hate crime had been planned for 5 months and that others in a private internet chatroom were invited to give the killer advice on the details. After the news hit, I noticed that my social media feed was eerily quiet. There was not outrage like the George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Aubery incidents of 2020. No cries for justice from either African-Americans or Caucasian allies. No rallying cries like for the Ukraine. Just complete silence. I think Black folks were in shock—I know I was. Somehow, another white male youth after having shot and killed masses of people, ended up calmly arrested, handcuffed, detained and very much alive—while the families of ten victims who had just gone to pick up a few things at the store were left to mourn forever. Millions of African-Americans across the nation who have watched these bleak scenarios time and time again are left to wonder if we are safe anywhere in this Country. It is traumatic, ongoing, domestic terrorism. TRAUMA is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience; emotional shock following a stressful event or a physical injury which may lead to shock and sometimes leads to long-term neurosis (symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety, etc). There is a very real anxiety/fear for our lives and those of our loved ones, but there is also the continued trauma of the micro and macro-aggression, labels, and history of systemic oppression and injustice we face daily. The Psalmist Asaph asked a poignant question to the rulers of Israel in Psalm 82:2-4 "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah He tells them to 3Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed. 4Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked. I hesitate to refer to African-Americans as 'the weak' because of the strength and grace it's taken to persevere through so much historical trauma in the US. We definitely have been disenfranchised of many rights and opportunities—but the right to live and freely move about? We should not be in fear of that. The question, 'How long?" is one we pose all the time, not only to our governmental rulers, but to our God.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - HEARD- Sadell Bradley - 05/11/2022

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD HEARD 5/11/2022 "Freedom of expression and freedom of speech aren't really important unless they're heard. The freedom of hearing is as important as the freedom of speaking.." -Tom Smothers JOIN US TONIGHT AT 7PM!! WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY IN YOUR FEELINGS: IMPOSTER SYNDROME @warehouseOTR FaceBook & YouTube There's a lot of noise out here these days. Everyone is talking on every possible platform, and someone is listening to every word being spoken. Certain folks seem to want to gain control over what is being said (e.g. Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter). We're all talking... but is anyone being heard? Folks are listening—they're present. They notice the sounds. They might even respond...but do they hear? Maybe you experience this phenomenon with your spouse, kids, or co-workers. The difference between listening and hearing is perception; not only taking notice, but coming to an understanding. When we hear, we are able to seize and interpret what is being said and meant in its entirety. We all desire to be both seen and heard. Yes, even children have this desire. I'm reminded of the cartoon character Charlie Brown's school teacher. This poor woman was always talking...but to her students, it sounded like an echo of wah, wah, wah, wah. Ever felt like that's what's happening to you? In Jeremiah 7: 24-27, the LORD prepared His prophet for a lifetime of weeping over never being heard. Israel wouldn't listen to God...why would they listen to Jeremiah? "24“But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward. 25From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out. 26But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors. 27“Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond. Imagine an entire life of ministry where you are never heard! That's what happened to Noah. He preached for over 100 years without a single convert before the great flood destroyed the earth. . "Judas heard all Christ's sermons." Thomas Goodwin said that in the 1600's Envision Judas walking with Jesus every day for three years—seeing all He did, hearing all He said, experiencing His love and compassion, and still having a deaf ear to His message and identity to the point of betrayal. If it happened to Jesus; who are you and I? That's why when John wrote his warnings to the Churches in Revelation, he said, over and over, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…" (Rev. 2:11, 17, 29; 3:6.13, 22) Because Scriptural hearing is done with more than the natural ear...it's done with the heart.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - CHOOSE - Sadell Bradley - 5/4/2022

WEDNESDAY'S WORD CHOOSE 5/4/2022 "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose, You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go." - Dr. Seuss JOIN US TONIGHT AT 7PM!! WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY IN YOUR FEELINGS: DESOLATE @warehouseOTR FaceBook & YouTube There's a lot of talk about choice going on. Yesterday, US citizens chose which candidates will run in the next general election. The US Supreme Court is choosing to overturn the landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade, about a woman's right to choose on reproduction.The Federal government has chosen to hike up interest rates by .5% to curb inflation...and a record 4.5 million Americans chose to quit their jobs in March. Everyone is CHOOSING - which means to select or decide to act upon the best or most appropriate of two or more alternatives. How to make wise choices is something (like financial literacy) we should have been taught school. Because our lives are made up of the sum total of our choices. Our walk with God is all about choosing. Jesus' twelve disciples answered His call to "Follow Me," in Mark 1:17 affirmatively, but the rich young ruler in Mark 10:22 went away sorrowfully when given the same choice to be a disciple...because he didn't want to part with his possessions. One of the beautiful things about Christianity is that God even gives us the free will to choose Him...or not. Yes, He wants us, and He beckons us; but He does not choose for us. Throughout Scripture, we see people deciding if, or just how far they will go in hearing and obeying the LORD's commands. We are daily choosing to adhere to or reject the various instructions given to us by God's Word. Sometimes our bad choices have had a negative impact on others. God allows us to choose, and He is not at all intimidated, or lessened by our choices. Choosing is a part of worship—which is voluntarily expressing the love, worth, respect, and reverential fear you hold for God by your obedience to His commands, (John 14:15). Nobody wants a forced return of love...not even God. That's why He frees us to choose. Still, Moses warned the Israelites when they entered into the prosperous promised land— not to forget the God who brought them there. Abandoning God in times of plenty and peace, when things are going well, is easy to do. Moses cautioned Israel that favor would accompany their obedience and that there would be consequences for their disobedience. God wasn't going to choose for them. He said, "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." (Deut. 30:19) Moses warned them— the choices you make now will not only impact you, but generations to follow, so choose wisely.