Summary:- Church needs to prepare for a post covid landscape. One of the ways-withdrawing into the wilderness as Jesus did.How?

By Drawing aside-so God can be revealed like never before.

So we need to return with power to seed or restore the post covid landscape, we return with a fresh revelation of God.

So when then ext covid comes along, how can we bean“Essential” service?Fact is that,church is labeled a non-essential(NE) service in a global crisis.

One reason church is a NE service,both there a son and solution ?-Matthew 5:15-16 MSG- part of there a son could be that we are alight on a hill top but covered by a bucket.

We can make sure that we no longer are hidden and we have open houses, open lives, generous living, shining light, light bearers – we are looking at a group of people who collectively behave this way, not an institution-I then become essential in my work place, neighborhood, my relatives, my society, my spheres of influence. That is how the church continues to become essential.

Now what is happening is“A” church through it’s pastors/leaders decide to take care of the sick, give money.

Church will remain non essential as long as the saints isn’t doing the work.

We begin to live in away that we become absolutely essential to our neighbors! This is how the CHURCH moves from non essential to essential.

Saints now just fund the church or be there physically everyone day a week and that alone will not cut it at this day and age.

Seven different things we can do to make us an absolutely essential service?

It is Ok for people to be highly dependent on you before pointing them to Christ.

Then they can begin to shift their weight from you to Jesus. Malachi – knowledge should be found on the lips of the priests. Make people dependent on you. Keep introducing Jesus to them. Let them come to you for healing, Come to you for counsel.

1. Decide that we will reveal the Father’s Goodness and His zest for life in ALL circumstances (can be difficult circumstances)-happens out side the church,not within the church-will be displayed through us. Deliberately covenant with this.

He is unadulteratedly, intentionally, extravagantly good and seeks opportunities EVERYDAY to be that to me. This is difficult, we don’t operate like this. The world does not need a GOD who is neutral or who may/may not be there!

Matthew 7:9-11,why would a Father not give good gifts?Not just because he’s a Father. He was good BEFORE he was Father.

Begin to wrap your heart around this. The most successful ploy of the enemy – question God’s goodness. Suspicion cast on His face -been there a very long time now.

There will be no dearth – Acts 2:42, 4 – there was no poor amongst them! So that 2 Cor 8 come to pass. This is an economy crafted in the New Testament that can solve at least the problems of poverty within the church.

This can work in the church. God has a zest for life. Participate in the glorious aliveness of the Father.

This is the only way a post covid world will see that God is different from when it hit.

John 1:4.

Because I have life I can discover the Father. Life in itself is such a great gift , Ezekiel 16:6. The earth must begin to see this zest in our life. The creature, the mountains, the hills, respond to us.

Matthew   11:27 MSG-“not keeping it to myself”.. Begin to walk in this before displaying    God. Decay and death brought out – thru rebellion and(Gen 1) Always had the ability to mutate the essence of who God Made you Distorted sexuality (Gen 6, doesn’t matter your sexual orientation, this somehow damaged the essence of man- abject sadness that descends upon a human because of this is unfathomable).

Show this zest outside of the church.

Homework this week – can you this week Hear him sing over you?Can you turn over to Zephaniah 3:17 and allow God to do this over you?

So many places in the Bible that God says that we are his portion!We are his inheritance!

Get up and hear what He is singing over you. You will find that it stirs up in you the aroma of life. 2 Cor 2:15 MSG-aroma redolent with life!

2. We will reveal the Son – Displaying his works by the Spirit. Post covid landscape- must reveal the Works of the Son, not just

words. Words of Jesus was backed up by works. Luke 7:19-22-what John is hearing Isn’t fitting with John’s Jewish mindset – Jesus “blind see, lame walk, lepers are cleansed, deaf hear, dead are raised, the poor have got salvation hospitality extended to them..”

Only way to see this happening in the post covid world is risk it and be foolish. If you’re not foolish,it does not happen.

Healing-Pray over any thing that moves that has a disease! Keep at it. How the Son is revealed-Matthew 10:7-8- Mark 16:17-18(everything          is  a WILL verb here, not perhaps) – this is how a post covid church becomes an essential.

Acts 10:38-this is how God anointed Ann-ready for action. Went through the country helping people and healing everyone beaten down by the Devil. She was able to do this because God was with her.

Acts 26:17-18 – I will rescue you from your own people..

Luke 4:17-19 (follows right after Jesus in the wilderness) – these are the works of God that reveal the son.

In the process of revealing the Son,you

WILL reveal the Father.

Like being as ales man being so convinced of what he’s selling , not because his dad invented the product or he’s getting a commission.

ANYTHING that is damaged, diseased, demonized or decaying REQUIRE my touch.Why Because you NOW participate in the glorious aliveness of the Father,and you have become a life giver because you draw your life with Him – YOU become a reservoir thru which He flows.

3. Learn to think,inhabit,and display the keeping power of God We have Always been a people who are supposed to “keep”others.

(Goshen in Exodus 8:22-“I will make a difference and I will show you I’min the land”)

How? – in me is refuge because I find in HIM refuge , in me is the hiding place because I’ve made HIM my Hiding place,

People will come to me for safety. But the church has been rendered fearful as any other institution. Yes,learn to live by the law of the land but RESIST fear.

Daniel 6:20,26 Paul in Acts 28:2-9 -Essential services right here.

Psalm 91:4-10 -we see that we area people who are kept and who must keep.

What if you don’t see God like this yet ? – PROVE HIM. If you fail?Getup AGAIN and do it AGAIN. Because He is Faithful. My circumstances will not determine who God Is.

Circumstances will never color the face of God. They matter but they don’t count toward who God is.

4. We will be a people of the  spirit that gather to scatter A Church that doesn’t scatter dies strong. A church that scatters empties itself out and reproduces.

Don’t be a church that dies strong. If people come to throw you into a grave,we should beat a place where there’s nothing left to throw out.

All multiplication is the result of scattering of seed.

If the ground that has been dug well,the seed WILL grow. The Christ that is in us can GROW.

Genesis 1:28 will only come to pass if people scatter. Churches that do not scatter cannot fulfill the mandate in Genesis 1:28.

Make us a people of the Spirit that ONLY gather to be scattered. No other reason is a church actually there.

5. Be like the sons of Issachar(1 Chronicles 12:27)

Had the ability to reveal the times and seasons and do what was required.God never spoke in vague riddles. Amos 3:7. God likes to tell what He’s planning to do. May we have that ability to be like the sons of Issachar,our ears are tuned not just for how well God will do for us but also how God will do well on earth.

Psalms 105:17-22

Acts 11 – Agabus a prophet who knew a famine was coming. Had the church prepared. Churches now just cannot deviate From being the pillar and foundation of truth.2 Timothy 3.15. Church faces today is power,wealth,heresy,money. Heresy that tickles the ears of people. You can’t stand facing these or drawn by these things and then prophesy accurately. You cannot.

6. Be a people who provoke a response Stand as a people who provoke a response.Why? Because God is with us! 1 Kings 18:21 – somehow we have neutered ourselves so badly that the church just doesn’t respond.

Then 1 King 1 8:39 Elijah asked the same question-and they chose to serve Yahweh.

Church in the NT (FFH) – Feared (Acts 19:17), Favored (Acts 2:47), or Hated (Acts 7:54, Acts 8:1).

But no one was neutral. We currently don’t have such problems. FFH always added between. Always added to the church. If not, numbers stay where they are.Plead with God that HOF is FFH but that it is not accepted neutrally.

As individuals – Banish complacency, banish self preservation. Self preservation never ends up emptying or pouring out.

These two things have the ability to neuter us as non essential. We become fat cats in fat pews.

Zephaniah 1:12(judgement day scripture)

Every saint in the church must have

Zechariah 8:23.

Goodness of the Father Works of the Son Kept by God Scattered by the Spirit Issachar Generation Provoke a response -return with Ruth.