Jesus Is Lord of All

In one paragraph

Norris, a longtime missionary supported by First B, brought a report from forty years of ministry across the Middle East, Nigeria, Uganda, and India. He spoke about how ordinary, broken men and women are being equipped to hear from God for themselves and to spread the kingdom through simple obedience. The thread running through everything he shared was the power of forgiveness as a spiritual...

Read together

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Carl read it in the first service: be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will concerning you in Christ Jesus
2. Matthew 5:18 not one jot or tittle from the law will ever be moved, said while reflecting on Jesus being Lord of all languages
3. James 3:10 out of our mouth can come both blessing and cursing, and it ought not to be this way, used in the context of Norris cursing his son-in-law
4. Luke 22:61-62 after Peter's third denial, Jesus looked directly at Peter, used to show Jesus sees us even in our greatest failures
5. Matthew 28:18-20 all authority has been given to me, and as the father sent me I am sending you, teaching them to obey all I have commanded, cited as the great commission
6. Matthew 6:10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, used to illustrate praying the kingdom into ordinary spaces like a kitchen

Talk about it

1. Norris described being surrounded by languages he couldn't understand and being struck by the thought that Jesus is Lord of all of it. When have you found yourself in a situation that reminded you how far God's reach actually goes?
2. The missionary described training leaders by asking them to listen to God and share what they heard, rather than bringing PowerPoint slides or workbooks, because he didn't want people to think they needed outside resources to obey. What things in your own life make you feel like you are not equipped enough to do what God is asking of you?
3. He talked about how every training exercise has to be simple enough that the person in the room can immediately go and do it themselves. Thinking about your own faith, what is something Jesus has told you to do that you have been treating as more complicated than it actually is?
4. The missionary shared that he was speaking words of curse over his son-in-law, even when those words were true, and that the Holy Spirit told him he was aiding the enemy. Is there a relationship in your life where what you are saying about that person, even privately, is working against what you actually want to see God do in them?
5. He said whoever forgives the most has the most power in any room. Does that match how you think about power and forgiveness in your relationships, and what would it look like to act on it this week?