Exceedingly, abundantly

"exceedingly, abundantly, above what you can ever ask or even think…"

Ephesians 3:20

 

I can't begin to count the amount of times that I have shared our experiences at the Hope Center with fellow ministers and have heard many of them attribute our radical evangelistic triumphs to "cultural" or socio-economic differences that they feel cannot be duplicated in America as a whole. The underlying premise being that somehow the message of the Gospel is only this effective when it is delivered to Cubans, Argentineans, Columbians, Puerto Ricans, Blacks or maybe even Australians. But for some reason, the Gospel cannot work this well in "mainstream" America.

My friends, that's exactly what the devil wants us to believe! I'm reminded of the report from the spies Moses had sent to Canaan. They confessed the land was indeed "flowing with milk and honey" as Moses had stated. They spoke of two men having to carry one cluster of grapes. Can you imagine that? Those were some BIG mama grapes! That's miraculous provision my friend; the kind that God wants to give to us.

There was just one problem, one small thing standing between them and their miracle of deliverance. The Bible puts it this way,

Numbers 13:33

"And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."

They saw themselves as losers, so everyone else saw them the same way. The irony of it all is that we never hear of these giants again. Where the heck did they go? Joshua doesn't talk about them. I believe they were figments of their own faithless imaginations used by the Devil for the sole purpose of robbing them of their blessing. What is the Devil using to rob you of your blessing? How do you see yourself? Are you wildly victorious in Christ, or is this Christian life too difficult for you? What do you do to help you sleep with yourself at night? Do you see other normal Christians as "giants" simply because your Christ-less actions make you feel like an insect? Has the Devil convinced you that you can't have those grapes; you can only look at them from afar while you salivate over what you should be chewing on?

A while ago my wife and I few out to Denver, CO where Hope Center Tabernacle was honored for it's "transformational" impact on America. This didn't happen because our tribe wasted their time staring at grapes from a distance. It happened because many of you took the challenge and decided to impact your friends and family with the message of the Gospel; to take back what belonged to you. We encourage you to believe God for a GIANT miracle in your family, personal life, and finances. Our God is as merciful as he is generous. All you have to do is believe.

Thank you for being obedient to the Lord and allowing us to receive these and many other accolades on your behalf. I am honored to be your under-shepherd and make my boast only in the Lord when it comes to each of you.

Love ya,

Pastors Mario