<< Week 27 >>
Go through the Study Guide by Dr. Kevin Zadai
Consider The Project given in this Lesson
Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study
Dr. Kevin L. Zadai
Created For Fellowship with God
"God created us so that we would have fellowship with Him, and that fellowship is through the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
~ Dr. Kevin L. Zadai
After you watch the video and read the study notes on this page, answer these questions here on the Blog mentioned above:
I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.
—Leviticus 26:12
DISCUSSION:
Many people think that God created us so that we would obey what He says like He’s some sort of authoritarian and He expects us to listen, but the Lord created us because He wanted fellowship with us. What He is looking for is for us to respond out of our hearts and do things because we love Him. He has done so much for us in the New Covenant, and we need to explore that and find out what it all means. We have a family in Heaven that has done everything that they were supposed to do. Now they're in Heaven. They've handed off the baton to us, like in a race, and they're waiting for us to finish everything. Right now, in the Spirit, they’re cheering us on for the part we have in it.
God created us so that we would have fellowship with Him, and that fellowship is through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God set it up that way so we would have this. If we don't partake in it, then I don't know how we can be effective on the earth. He created us so that we would come to Him, and it's not just to ask Him for things.
RELATIONSHIP IS KEY
I realized I had been coming to God asking Him for things, and one day I said, “Lord, what are you doing today? What is it that's on your heart?” I remember this happened about 15-20 years ago. He said, “My heart is for China.” He showed me babies being thrown away in the trash alive. He said, “Those are my people.” I could hear Him weeping. I had no idea then that this was happening in China. He was weeping and He said, “Pray, for these atrocities that are happening.” Then, He began to show me the exploitation of children. He was weeping for them. I remember thinking that I'm going to begin asking the Lord what Is on His heart. He showed me that I wasn’t participating in what He had for me.
He asked me, “Why are you sad right now?” I didn't even know that I was sad. I felt as though this was just the way it was down here, but He said, “You’re sad because you don't understand your mission. You don't understand your destiny.” He said, “When I hung on the cross, it was for the joy set before me that I suffered.” I thought, “Well, how could that be joyful?” He said, “It was because I saw you. I was hanging on the cross, and I saw you.” “For that joy of doing this for you, I endured the cross.” That gave me a new perspective on that scripture, and I realized, “Well, what else do you think towards me?” He said, “My thoughts toward you are greater than you've ever conceived. I have greater thoughts, and I have plans for you that are exceedingly above what you have ever asked or thought (Ephesians 3:20). It has never entered into your heart what I have for you.” I'm thinking, Well, you've done so much, and then I realized, I just need to sit and let Him talk to me, but how do I just sit there with all that I'm overloaded with in life? I was working extra hard at the time, and Kathi was working extra, and we were just so busy.
He said, “I created you to be on the Earth at this time to make history.” I realized that I don't know a thing about what He has planned for me. I said, “Lord, I'm so sorry.” From that day on, I’ve rarely asked for any specific things anymore. It's been a long time since I've prayed for myself. The only thing I ask for is that the eyes of my heart would be enlightened or flooded with light (Ephesians 1:17 -23). I asked the Spirit to enlighten me with power from on high through that light. That light is indescribable in Heaven. What it provides for you are understanding and wisdom, and you become attractive to the Lord, where He becomes drawn toward you. Then He asks, “What can I do for you?” I know this might be too much for people, but I rarely pray for myself. I rarely ask for anything. I don't need anything, but it comes to me because I turn toward the Lord, and I put my desires and my heart in Him.
He begins to flood me with His goodness, His love, and His light. I realized I heard Him say, “I love you.” He told me, “If you will believe, then Me and you will make history together, and you will rule and reign with Me in eternity, shoulder to shoulder.” That means He's going to stand beside me and we're going to rule and reign together. He told me that in person. I could touch Him. I hugged Him. I could smell Him. He was right there.
Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study
Dr. Kevin L. Zadai
I encountered Him that way, and I realized that I needed to ask Him what He wants and what He needs. He said, “You can intercede for these babies. You can intercede for China.” He said, “Then you need to realize your value and allow me to change the environment around you and change history through you. You do it by every act of obedience.” Every day you have an act of obedience, and it implements something so precious, it's so strong, it's forever. It's permanent.
GOD IS A PERSON
I had felt like I was coming to God and always wanting something. I was very needy, and we all are very needy because we need Him, but I realized that God was a person. You know how it is when somebody comes to you and you think, “What do they want now?” It's never just them saying, “How are you doing?” When I visited other countries, they said, “Don't ask the people right away what you want. Just visit with them and talk to them for a while.” They can sense that you want something from them. It was in their culture to know that. I realized that God is like that, too.
When you come and ask God for something, or the next time you need something, think about it first, because a relationship with Him has to be more than that. A mature relationship is discerning the other person's needs and being considerate that they have feelings, and God has feelings, too.
If you look in the Bible, God got upset and felt rejected when He had promised 430 years prior when He sent Joseph to Egypt, and Joseph told the people, “When the Lord takes us out, take my bones with you.”
Joseph was convinced by this and he said to the people, “What you meant for evil, God meant for good. God sent me ahead to Egypt, even though it looks like you sold me out” (Genesis 50:19-25). God fulfilled what He promised 400 years later, and then they didn't want to come up to the mountain. He was hurt by that.
I want to acknowledge that I know it can be difficult because many of us don't have a father figure. We don't have the understanding of a father. The devil knew what he was doing when he came against and separated the family. He caused families to be separated where they didn't have father figures. It is part of his plan to dismember the Church, but try to grasp the fact that Jesus said, “My father loves you. He desires to give you the Kingdom. If you ask for bread, He's not going to give you a stone or a snake. He's going to give you good things, and the plans that He has for you are good plans and plans for you to prosper and to have an expected end.”
He has plans and strategies. There's a Father that loves you and wants you to have everything that you need. He wants to give you whatever it is that will help you to help others. You can be a friend of God. He wants you to be at ease and peace with Him. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.
PRAYER:
Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You for the power of the Holy Spirit. Father, we just thank You that You're a good Father and that we know you as a good Father. We thank You. You Go before us that all the promises are yes and Amen in Christ.
Father, I thank You. You have adopted us. Lord, give us the wisdom to know, as Kevin said, just to come and say, Lord, what's on Your heart and to listen and know that all we need flows out of our connection, our relationship with You. You know everything we need and You supply all. You're our source for everything. Lord, we bless You. We thank You for Your kindness and goodness You've shown to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Discuss:
1. Talk about how the Heavenly Father wants a connection with you, and it’s more than asking for things. He wants you to have fellowship with Him.
2. How can you bring intimacy into your relationship with God?
3. How will you communicate with God instead of only asking Him for things but asking Him what He desires and what’s on His heart?
4. Talk about what is hindering you or holding you back from encountering the Father’s love.
5. Pray for each other and love on each other in your fellowship.
