Youth

Our devotion this week, Awake, comes from the YouVersion Bible App. It was provided by Hillsong Worship.

 So help me God, breathe on my weakness 
For all I want, is to be like Jesus
I don’t have much 
But what I have is Yours to use 
So make my whole life Your Upper Room

Upper Room, Hillsong Worship
Words and Music by Benjamin Hastings & Joel Houston
© 2019 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia

It is one of our greatest desires that the music from our own local church, Hillsong, would serve the local church the world over. That the songs that have been birthed within our own ministry, would also minister to you. Yet it is not just Sunday services we hope to serve. The lyrics and melodies of these songs have been prayed for and laboured over in hopes that the Holy Spirit would invade your car, your home, your workplace – and meet intentionally and specifically with you, bringing the light, life, hope, revival and awakening you need, personally. That these songs would serve you, serve your family and help you serve God and others in the season that you find yourself in. 

It is in Matthew’s account of the last supper when we discover Jesus doing exactly that – serving those He loved. At that supper, in the upper room, Jesus was not the guest, but He was the host – He was not the served but the servant. “He took…He blessed…He broke…He gave….”

Our beloved Saviour knelt and washed the feet of His friends – He broke bread and fed their bodies and most importantly – He offered them forgiveness. 

Jesus met them at the table that night and we believe His invitation to you today, in this very moment, is to do the same. He invites you to sit and fellowship with Him. He invites you to both serve and be served. He invites you to enter into relationship, friendship and discipleship with Him – to intimate encounters with Him as a Friend, Confidante, Healer, Heart Mender, Provider, Saviour and King. He invites you to partake in the bread and the wine – His body broken for you and His blood poured out for your healing and wholeness. 

It was in the upper room that Jesus revealed Himself to Thomas in his doubts; where Jesus revealed His resurrected body, the fulfilment of age-old prophecies. It is where He communed with His friends. It is where He gave them His Holy Spirit as an Advocate for their lives. A physical place that represents the revelation of the old covenant meeting the new… a covenant He keeps with His disciples, you and me, today. What is it that you need from Jesus, today? 

As you listen to these songs and allow the lyrics to wash over you – may you be reminded of the God who comes close. Of the lengths He goes to for His friends – His sons and daughters, His disciples. May we be a people awake and aware of all He has done for us, and all He desires to do through us. May your life be a place of prayer, a place of worship, a place where others encounter God. May your whole life indeed become His upper room. 

Let’s pray.

Holy Spirit, Heavenly Father – make my whole life an offering. Remind me again of who You are and who You say I am. Meet me in my doubts and my fears, I know You are faithful to Your Word. May the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, for all of my days.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.

Read Matthew 26:26-29.

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
²⁷ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Read John 20:19-23.

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Read 1 Kings 19:11-12.

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Read Acts 2:17-21.

¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they will prophesy.
¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰ The sun will be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹ And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Our devotion this week, Awake, comes from the YouVersion Bible App. It was provided by Hillsong Worship.

Who has made the righteous bright
Who has paved my way with grace
Loved me through my darkest hours
A thousand different ways

No One But You, Hillsong Worship
Words and Music by Scott Ligertwood, Aodhan King & Brooke Ligertwood
© 2019 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia.

Life with Jesus is both full and abundant, filled with gracious adventure and wide-open spaces. But an awakened life is not necessarily easy or without its valleys. In fact, in living in relationship with the Creator of the universe, it is easy to feel grief for the state of the world and the times we are living in: complicated political days; the tone of the world economy; the darkness of war and famine; people living in abject poverty and desperation – not to mention everyday personal struggles that we can each encounter, such as financial hardship, mental illness, health challenges and relational breakdown. 

One of the most beautiful aspects of this album for us as a team was watching the unified creative community of Hillsong Worship contributing their gifts, talents and time to this project. Throughout listening to this album, you will hear the collective voices of dozens of faithful people from our church congregation – people just like you and I – who have walked through their own dark days, some still in the middle of the challenge. The beauty of this for us, and we hope for you also – is that they have walked through seasons, both hills and valleys, and they have remained. They have remained in Jesus; they have remained planted in community and they have remained steadfast in worship and prayer. 

Many of the well documented revivals and moves of God in history have started with prayer. This project was soaked in it. Tim Keller, author and theologian says, “Prayer is the thing that sanctifies your imagination. It plunges it into God. Then the things you think up are gospel movement things.” (timkellernyc on Twitter)

Each day before we started recording these songs, we would plunge our imagination into prayer, asking God to help us hear things we couldn’t hear and see things we couldn’t see. Why don’t you do the same today? Invite the Holy Spirit to awaken your imagination through prayer – to open your eyes to see what you cannot see and hear what you cannot hear. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you again in a new way, in your current season. And say a prayer for the world around you – for the suffering in your own family, your community and our world. Pray for persecuted christians, for God’s love to reveal itself to them in a thousand different ways so that they too, can remain.

Let’s pray.

Thank You God that You are the God who comes close. Thank You that You walk with me through all of the ups and downs of life. I pray, Lord God, for those in the world who are suffering. I pray for brothers and sisters who need to feel Your love and grace and peace today. Help me to be the tangible outworking of Your love to somebody today.

Amen.

Read Psalm 23.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Read 1 John 5:14.

¹⁴ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

Read 2 Chronicles 7:14.

¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Read Ephesians 6:13-18.

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Our devotion this week, Awake, comes from the YouVersion Bible App. It was provided by Hillsong Worship.

There is a sound that changes things
The sound of His people on their knees
Oh, wake up, you slumbering
It’s time to worship Him 

Awake My Soul, Hillsong Worship
Words and Music by Brooke Ligertwood
© 2019 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia

At the beginning of this year, our Senior Pastor Brian Houston declared that ‘REVIVAL IS IN THE AIR’. This was a statement of faith and expectation, both for the local and global church. It is upon the foundation of Jesus’ death and resurrection that everything has new life. 

This album project for us was a beautiful reminder that the Holy Spirit is always at work in the story of our lives. He was weaving this narrative long before we ever caught on, the idea that REVIVAL – a bringing back to life the people of God from a state of slumber and apathy – is in the air! REVIVAL is unique to the church, to the gathering of God’s people. REVIVAL starts with us, but it does not end there.

With REVIVAL comes an AWAKENING. The uprising of godly men and women who are committed to prayer, and praise – to not only reading, but obeying the Word of God and to healthy fellowship and community, who’s influence and impartation, then impacts the nations.

Our AWAKENING goes far beyond the four walls of the church and has a ripple effect to the broader community – it is a picture of God pursuing hearts, beckoning those still asleep, still blinded by sin, back into right relationship with Him. It is our belief that REVIVAL has a sound; that AWAKENING has a sound. It is the sound of God responding to His people praying and seeking Him. Together, a people on their knees, desperate for God to move, will undoubtedly unleash that sound to the nations…

One man awake,

Awakens another.

The second awakens

His next door brother.

The three awake can rouse

A town

By turning the whole place

Upside down.

The many awake

Can cause such a fuss

It finally awakens the

Rest of us.

One man up,

With dawn in his eyes

Surely then

Multiplies.

Awaken by Lawrence Tribble

Let’s pray.

Dear Jesus, 
Thank You that though I was once dead in my sins, You rescued and redeemed me and that I can live fully awake in You. Lord, let revival start with me. Let the church of Jesus Christ around the world AWAKE, Your glorious bride rising to her full potential. I pray today for an opportunity to share Your resurrection power with those around me. 
In Jesus mighty Name, 
Amen.

Read Psalm 57:8.

⁸ Awake, my soul!
    Awake, harp and lyre!
    I will awaken the dawn.

Read Romans 13:11-14.

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Read Psalm 78:2-7.

² I will open my mouth with a parable;
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
³ things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.
⁴ We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.
⁵ He decreed statutes for Jacob
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
⁶ so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,
    and they in turn would tell their children.
⁷ Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget his deeds
    but would keep his commands.

Our devotion this week, Awake, comes from the YouVersion Bible App. It was provided by Hillsong Worship.

No longer I who live
Now Jesus lives in me
For I was dead in sin
But I woke up to see the light

See The Light, Hillsong Worship
Words and Music by Ben Fielding & Reuben Morgan
© 2019 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia

Our eternal life began with Christ’s death. It was His death that dealt a fatal blow to death itself and gave us eternal life that cannot be taken away. We are a resurrection people, having buried our own sin with Christ, we are now risen with Him into the glorious light of His forgiveness. Yet, God’s gift of light is not simply for our own restoration, it is a beacon – to follow in His footsteps.

Acceptance of Jesus’ death and resurrection life is not just so that we can have life after death, in heaven. It is also a guarantee of true life before death; a commitment to His sons and daughters that life can be lived now, here on earth, abundant and full. 

Living fully awake to life with Christ is a great blessing and the word of God tells us that God takes great delight in seeing His children blessed. When was the last time you prayed a radical prayer of faith? When was the last time you looked around and saw God exceeding those expectations? Because he does that! Think about this – He rescued you out of sin and death. And He didn’t rescue you in order for you to live a lukewarm and sleepy life. Are you living fully awake? Fully aware of God working in your life and bestowing His abundant life in and through you.

There are many examples in the Bible where God not only delighted in giving His children what they asked for – but exceeded their expectations: 

Blind Bartimaeus wanted his sight – Jesus not only gave him that, but also restored him to his community.

Peter wanted an opportunity to see Jesus again after his denial – Jesus forgave him, commissioned him and made Peter a leader in the church. 

The challenge for us today is to recognise the power we have access to, with Jesus alive in us. After all, the same power that raised Christ from the dead – is now alive in us.

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, help me to recognise You in my every day. Help me to live life fully awake, aware of Your blessings and trusting You for with what is ahead. Thank You for Your resurrection power, may I walk in it today.

Amen.

Read Galatians 2:20.

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Read Ephesians 5:13-14.

¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. ¹⁴ This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
    rise from the dead,
    and Christ will shine on you.”

Read Ephesians 3:20-21.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Read Romans 6:10-11.

¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.