This morning I had the awesome privilege of speaking at the AG Headquarters Chapel Service in Springfield, MO. I was a little nervous to say the least! So many amazing men and women of God have taught in that place and because of that the several hundred in attendance have heard the “best of the best.” And then there was me!!! Having the General Superintendent sitting in the front row can intimidate any speaker – or maybe just me!
But I brought my best this morning. It was early and I was exhausted. I hope each person felt inspired and challenged. I spoke about the “spiritual itch” – it is the re-occuring theme of my life and heart over the last few months!
Here’s an excerpt …
“Anybody feeling a little itchy right now? I saw some of you scratching. I mean we all have had itches in our life haven’t we? We’ve all had itches in unreachable places. You ever have that itch that’s right in the part of your back that you cannot get to? You try to stretch for it and you can’t get it. You try to go this way and you can’t get it. We have all had that itch.
We also have had that itch where you cannot scratch publically. Like standing in front of a few hundred people. You cannot scratch publically those kinds of itches.
But we have also had that itch that moves. You have that itch that you scratch and the next thing you know what happens- it’s everywhere it’s almost like the itch spreads. I mean we have all had that in our journey.
I have had a run in with poison oak. It won. I mean I got hit with this thing. I tried to medicate the poison oak, I tried to do everything right. I tried not to scratch it but I’m a very impatient person. Anyone impatient in the house? I am an impatient person. I mean, I just- Okay, so were talking to the right group today. You guys are going to be scratching all day long. I mean you start scratching and scratching because I can’t wait for the medication, for the calamine lotion to do its trick.
See I think that all of us have in our lives a deep desire to do something. I think that there in an itch that God places in each and everyone of our hearts and spirits to do something significant and important for God. You cant ignore it, you cant run away from it, you have to embrace it and scratch the itch- the call of god on your life. I guess the question has to be, what kind of itch are we born with? What eternal desire has god given to you and to me and to a movement like this? It is a desire that God places deep within our hearts and lives. It is something we cannot escape or run away from. God has placed in our spiritual DNA, the desire to do something within our lives. Something that matters beyond who we are to what we can do for the great, big, amazing God that we serve.
Don’t you just love God? I mean think about all that he has done for us. I am so glad that God had an itch. I am so glad God had an itch and it was to reach out to a lost humanity and reach them with the love of Jesus Christ. I am so glad that he scratched the itch and sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins and mine. I am so glad that Jesus said “yes” to the itch of the Father. He gave up his life for your sins and my sins and today now we all get to scratch that same itch. We get to share the life changing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone, everywhere.
Aren’t you glad God did that?
You are in a fellowship that has an itch. I mean think about it, a group of ministers had an itch in 1914, where they got this itch, this desire to launch a network of ministry to spread the Gospel throughout the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Boy, look at the living proof of what happens when someone or a group scratches an itch. We’re living proof of the “AG itch” and now together we are scratching the itch to make God known in the world.
Living proof – millions of people in thousands of churches across this planet. Wow. I am honored to be a small part of this itch God has given to us!”
