I started 2 weeks ago a series of messages called : The Secret place !
If you didn’t listen it , please go to our website www.shalomfortheworld.com and you can listen the audio or you can read it or you can find it on our YouTube Channel : “Shalom Ireland”
Let’s remind some points :
The first message : Treasures from the secret place
How are you building your spiritual life?
Without intimacy with Jesus everything is wood, hay and straw and one day it will become ashes!
Building with gold, silver and precious stone means building your secret place!
For our work to have significance in eternity it must come out of our secret place!
God has one assignment for you to fulfil.
Are you fulfilling God’s assignment? Or are you running for your own business?
The second message: Building your life in intimacy with The Holy Spirit (03/05/20)
You are saved to write your own history together with the Holy Spirit
Salvation is not only getting a ticket to haven when you die , Salvation is when the Holy Spirit gives me a new birth to qualify me for a supernatural life
You were saved to live like Jesus lived , you and I were saved to be a copy of Jesus on earth!
Jesus Christ came to this earth as a man, not as God, and He was anointed by the Holy Spirit and the same Spirit is over your life with the same power.
We are saved and we received the Holy Spirit not only to be a church members and go to heaven
He empowers you to heal and deliver all who are under the power of the devil!
Your calling is to manifest the life of Christ wherever you go and to be a light in the darkness!
Your ministry and your calling is not only in church but in your job , your company where you work , your school, college, on the streets.
Our calling is to love God , love people and make disciples.
Today’s message : The purpose of intimacy
This message could be one of the most important messages that you received in your life !
Because if you do not develop what I’m talking about you are going through life and you are going to miss the most important reason for which God created you !
Do you realise that God’s purpose is to reflect His life into your life
Because He wants to make a history with you!
And you can only make your history with Him in the secret place.
Your history with him is only shaped in your quiet time with Him. We can build our history with him through intimacy.
Intimate relationship with Him is the highest priority and it demands something from us.
The Bible shows us that it is very dangerous for a Christian to be in Church but not be in intimacy with God.
Mt 25:1-12 The 10 virgins went out to meet the Bridegroom
talks about the 10 Virgins that went out to meet the Bridegroom !
In this text we are the virgins , the 10 virgins represent the entire church.
Who is the Bridegroom ? Jesus Christ.
Could you tell me : What can a bridegroom expect from a bride?
He wants to have intimacy with her !
But verse 10 – 12 said :
But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with Him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.
Matthew 25:10-12
It is very dangerous to be in Church but not be in intimacy with God !
Here the door was shut for the same virgins that were waiting for the Bridegroom and they did not enter into the Kingdom of God !
If you go now to the secret place and shut the door in God’s presence the door will be open to you to enter in the kingdom of God.
If you do not have a secret place now you can be in danger of not entering into the Kingdom of God.
It is not pastor Marcio who is saying this , it was Jesus who said it !
What does it means to have a Intimate relationship with Holy Spirit ?
Many would ask : How can I , a sinner , have a intimate relationship with a Holy God ?
Is it possible? Yes ! It is.
Because Jesus opened this door dying on the cross , and now through the Holy Spirit who lives in me I can have intimacy with God.
Just being salved is not enough , just going to Church is not enough, Christianity is not religion It is a relationship !
Everybody has some relationship with God because of who He is!
He is the Creator of the world. He is the sovereign ruler of this entire universe. He is the sustainer of everything . He is the judge of all mankind.
Sorry to say it : If you believe in God or not , it makes no difference ! Because he is God !
But your relationship with him makes all the difference for your life !
Many people , even in the church , have a distant relationship with God !
Many people know the bible , know the principles of God , but they don’t have a personal relationship with The Holy Spirit !
They don’t have a life of prayer and don’t pursue and don’t seek a intimate relationship with Him.
If you ask about Intimacy – the majority think about physical intimacy, they think about sex.
Intimacy is much more ! This is the reason many couples don’t have a good relationship and a good life together !
Because they only want to satisfy themselves with the flesh : what they can see , can touch , can feel.
What is intimacy?
Intimacy talks about closeness, unity ,being open ,honesty ,being who we are
Let’s see how this spiritual relationship has to be !
Psalm 63:1-8
“God, you are my God. I am searching so hard to find you. Body and soul, I thirst for you in this dry and weary land without water. 2 Yes, I have seen you in your Temple. I have seen your strength and glory. 3 Your faithful love is better than life, so my lips praise you. 4 By my life, I will praise you. In your name, I lift my hands in prayer. 5 When I sit down to satisfy my hunger, my joyful lips hunger to praise you! 6 I remember you while lying on my bed. I think about you in the middle of the night. 7 That is because you are the one who helps me. It makes me happy to be under your protection! 8 I stay close to you, and you hold me with your powerful arm.”
Psalms 63:1-8
Here is a man in love with God ! Saying : You are my God , earnestly I seek you ! I thirst for you . I’m hunger for you
I’m yearning for the Almighty God.
This is a spiritual intimate relationship – because we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us !
We have the privilege and power to relate to the Spirit of God
When we submit in love we can relate with him
Intimacy means – here is my heart, here is my soul, my spirit, my desires, my dreams, everything that I am.
I surrender and there is nothing I’m holding back from you .
Example: about a relationship between husband and wife – If you don’t trust you cannot have an intimate / close relationship.
You can have a physical relationship but not a intimate relationship – it’s only a superficial relationship ! Intimacy is total openness , total surrender , total willingness.
If I trust Him – I will obey Him !
If I obey Him it’s because I love Him !
If I ask you a question :
Do you really have an intimate relationship with Him ?
Do you really trust him ?
Let’s read another psalm 42:1-2
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2
Here is indication of a loving relationship with God
Could you say your soul thirsts for Him ?
Could you say you hunger for Him ?
Could you say you truly love Him ?
The Bible says : If you love me you will obey me !
“Jesus answered, “All who love me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them. My Father and I will come to them and live with them.”
John 14:23 ERV
Can you see here the loving relationship between you , Jesus and God the father ?
You cannot be satisfied just with being in Church , listening about God , listening to others telling you about God ! That is not intimacy
Intimacy means that you are thirsty, you are hungry for more of Him.
I want to know him more , to know him better , I want to know him in a deeper , much deeper level !
If you really love somebody , you want to know them , you want to please them.
Many people have a relationship with God because they need God !
They seek God because they need healing , because they want a better life , they seek God for their needs !
Why are you seeking God ?
Why do you want the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life ?
When intimacy with the Lord is just for things , just because you want to be blessed , because you are seeking things, then you have a profissional intimacy – for interest and we have a name for people who develop intimacy as an occupation !
You need to develop intimacy with God not just for the ministry , to be used by God – many people seek God just for needs or miracles
It’s like if you have a friend , that is rich , famous and you start using him to gain favour with others – you are prostituting the relationship !
We need to engage with the person of the Holy Spirit , because we want a deep relationship.
If we engage with the Holy Spirit because we want to be effective in the ministry, or for interest then we are developing a profissional intimacy.
What do we call people who are intimate as a profession ?
The point is : The relationship with the Holy Spirit cannot be developed just for the purpose of blessings , for miracles or for the work of the ministry.
If you are in love with someone – you want to express what is inside – intimacy is not just physical !
Because in marriage , after years of marriage our bodies grow old , we get older , the perfect body changes completely !
If the relationship is based on physical things only this couple will not live together !
My last message I said : If the only time we pray is when we have issues – we don’t have intimacy with God.
Intimacy with God is when you go to God even if you don’t have issues. That’s what intimacy is!
If I ask you : Do you pray ? Yes or no
What do you pray for ? My needs , friends , sickness , family.
When you pray , how long do you pray ?
How long after you finish talking do you listen ?
You see ,You can not have intimacy if you do all the talking !
If you are married or if you have a dear friend and she does all the talking ….. On on on
And the other person never has the chance to say anything !
What happens in the end ?
You are showing that you are not interested what He has to say !
Do you need to expect that God speaks to you after praying? Yes !
Sometimes I go to God’s presence , in the beginning I start speaking, sometimes crying, but always the best is at the end , when I finish talking and be silent !
This is the best time , when I get silent , them I receive answers , my heart is relieved (T) , I get peace , I have visions , I receive the Word to preach and teach you , or I receive no answer from my questions but my heart calm down and my faith grows !
You cannot have an intimate relationship with someone if you do not listen to them !
How do you know their heart , their pain , their needs , desires , if you never listen ?
Everybody wants to be listened to. You need to give him time to speak , because He speaks !
Remember :
God created us to have an intimate relationship with Him.
We are the only part of all creation He can have a relationship with !
I can guarantee you , He speaks ! He speaks in different ways !
Many people say : I want to hear God , I want to read the bible , but I don’t have time !
Or I know I should spend more time in prayer – but I don’t have time. I don’t have time !
Think what did you say !
You are saying to the God of this Universe , the Creator, the Sustainer of your life – you don’t have time for Him !
To have relationship with Him , takes time !
It doesn’t happen over night ! But it grows everyday !
Only God can satisfy human life – but many people are trying to fulfil this place of intimacy with something else . It doesn’t work.
What is more important than your personal relationship with Him? God is waiting for you in the secret place! He loves you and misses you!
If you abandoned your life of prayer, please come back, God is waiting for you! If you abandon church prayer meetings, come back, Gods is waiting for you!
It’s so sad because we have prayer meetings online , people are at home and they don’t take part , we have bible study and prayer on Saturday , but it’s so sad many Christians don’t join and they are at home !
We need to repent and we need to restore our relationship with God !
We have to go back to our prayer life , we need to go back to fasting, we have to go back to serving !
God is calling you to the secret place!