Repentance
Into the Wilderness
Matthew 4:1 New Living Translation (NLT)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
In the spring of 2018, the Lord showed me the wilderness I was beginning to endure, alone. I would be led by the Spirit to an empty, man-made, concrete river bed. I would be tempted. I would suffer. I would scream. I would cry. And Jesus would be with me.
In the following weeks and months that led into a new year, I engaged in conversations with the Lord in that dry place. He stood with me as I grieved. He comforted me as I sobbed. He listened as I screamed. He heard me as I processed my anger. He cared for me. He fed me. He gave me living water to drink from His hands. He showed me the free-flowing river I was destined to enter. He showed me the way out of the dry river bed. He showed me the angels that would protect me from my enemies as they hurled accusations against me. He showed me the fear of man that so easily entangles me. He showed me the lies I’ve believed. He showed me how to repent and be forgiven, and forgive. He showed me how to trust in Him alone.
I must admit; there has been much protest from me in the wilderness.
But I’ve stayed in this place with Him. And I will remain here until He leads me out.
For I have come to know the One who will never leave me or forsake me. The One who calls me His own. The One who created me in my mothers womb. The One who called me by name before the foundations of the earth. The One who loved me unto death. The One who conquered the grave. The One who sits at the right hand of our Father. The One who intercedes for me. The One who knows the plans for me. The One who uses all things for my good. The One who receives all the glory for my life.
And because I know Him, I know that He is doing something new in me. Actually, its already begun. Do you see it? He has made a pathway through the wilderness. He has made a river in the dry wasteland. I WILL be refreshed! And He will be honored.
Isaiah 43:14-21 New Living Translation (NLT)
14 This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sakes I will send an army against Babylon,
forcing the Babylonians[a] to flee in those ships they are so proud of.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator and King.
16 I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters,
making a dry path through the sea.
17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt
with all its chariots and horses.
I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,
their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.
18 “But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
19 For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
20 The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
the jackals and owls, too,
for giving them water in the desert.
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
so my chosen people can be refreshed.
21 I have made Israel for myself,
and they will someday honor me before the whole world.
Making
The Bride
Gospel
Community
Fish and Sheep
John 21:1-17
21 Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee.[a] This is how it happened. 2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[b] Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”
“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows,[c] have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. 8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. 9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?[e]”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
Peter was a fisherman.
Jesus called Peter to follow Him.
Jesus said He’d teach Peter to become a fisher of men.
Peter followed and got to know & love Jesus.
But when trouble arose, Peters heart monitor revealed a problem; he didn’t love Jesus more than people.
Fortunately, for Peter, his story didn’t end with denying his Lord and Savior three times. After Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, He ate breakfast with Peter by the seashore and monitored Peter’s repentant heart with three questions.
Peter DID love Jesus more than he loved people.
Peter loved Jesus.
Peter loved JESUS with all his heart!
Because of his love for Jesus, and the power of the Spirit he received at Pentecost, Peter became a fisher of men who was able to care for and feed the Lord’s sheep, as commanded.
I wonder:
Do you love Jesus more than people?
Do you love Jesus?
Do you love JESUS with all our heart?
If you’ve read any of my posts you know that I repeatedly sound the alarm on the heart monitor of the American Church. I’ve confronted sin & beckoned believers to repent, not as a high priest who stands in judgement, but as a fellow disciple who’s been convicted, deeply grieved over and repentant for loving people (& myself) more than I love Jesus.
One could assume through my writing that I might be a “negative Nellie”- always pissed off with the Church, constantly tearing down the body of Christ while never building her up. That’s untrue. I love the Church. I love God’s people. I intercede for believers everywhere. I pray for the Bride. And I weep when I see that she is not prepared to meet her Groom. I LOVE the Church. But I want to love Jesus more.
In my last post, Divorcing the Church System, I shared that our family no longer joins a crowd in a building on Sundays for worship & the word. Instead, we gather with a small group of believers each week at home to worship, pray, devote ourselves to biblical teaching, take communion and share a meal.
We began hosting Sunday Meetings last year because God said to. Not because we were angry with our local church family or that we thought we could do things better than our previous leaders. We left the system as a result of continual revelation of Jesus through Scripture and by the Spirit in prayer. We obeyed the Lord when He whispered “host meetings” and “feed the sheep.” What we’re doing is simple; Sunday Meetings are based on Scripture (Acts 2) and are Spirit led.
Catching a load of fish in a day requires lowering a net into the water off the “right side” of the boat. Feeding lambs, taking care of, and feeding sheep every day requires constant, ongoing devotion for years.
Preaching the gospel catches fish. Living the gospel cares for and feeds the sheep. Both are necessary in the Kingdom. 
The Church needs fishermen and shepherds!!! Let us not forget that the same Spirit is still empowering the body of Christ to do both.
The old system is broken.
God is doing something new.
Do you not see it? (Isaiah 43:19)
It’s time for more.
It’s time to seek the Father more.
It’s time to love Jesus more.
It’s time to be filled with the Spirit more.
Preach the gospel.
Live the gospel.
God is faithful, He will add to the numbers. (Acts 2:47)
For those who’ve asked: We follow Acts 2:42-47 for our *Sunday Meetings. We also recommend Jeremiah Johnson’s book, “I See a New Apostolic Generation” & Francis Chan’s book “Letters to the Church.” (*a part of At Home Ministries)
Deep Into the Water 