Bill Randall Writes

This morning as I was reading through the gospel of Mark I was struck by one of the many healing stories of Jesus.

“And wherever Jesus went they place the sick in the marketplaces.  They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed” (Mark 6:56).

Only Jesus can heal, but as we see in this story, people who have a desire to see the sick healed can play a strategic role.  In fact, it is clear from the testimony of Scripture that God planned it this way!  Fulfilling our strategic role is not what heals or even guarantees a healing, but it does serve to prepare and position one for a divine encounter.

Notice how the people around Jesus did three things; 1) They placed the sick where Jesus was moving about.   2) They begged for a tangible connection with Jesus.   3) They persevered till they were touched!  What they did we can do.  And this is why I believe God has directed Risen King to host annual Kingdom Conferences designed to help position people for a greater encounter with God.  In fact, this year we are hosting a “Kingdom Healing” Conference which will launch this Monday (2/28).   Many are traveling here from across the country in the hope of being refreshed, inspired and equipped with regard to the ministry of divine healing.  You can check it out at: www.rkconference.org

Do you know someone who needs prayer for healing?  Prayerfully consider where you can bring them to a place where Jesus is moving powerfully.  Shamelessly beg God on behalf of the sick for a tangible, supernatural connection with Jesus.  And may the Lord grace us all to persevere till the sick are tangibly touched with the matchless love and power of Christ.  “May your Kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”

Let me know what you think.  Leave a comment!

Mike Gower, one of the best Christians I have ever known and one of my dearest friends, passed away just a few days after Christmas.   I first met Mike a couple years before Jill and I moved to Redding.   On a vacation to visit friends who helped start Risen King we stayed in one of the rooms of the men’s dorm at Simpson University where Mike served as the Resident Director.  As we walked by his office to head up the stairs to our room I will never forget his loud, cheerful, welcoming voice and presence. “Hi, I’m Mike Gower!  You must be the Randalls…”  He and I talked briefly several times on that vacation.  I remember him being passionate about fishing, discipleship, his church, and especially his wife Caroline.  Over the years I’ve grown to appreciate Mike as “the Patriarch” of Risen King Community Church as well as Simpson University.  For many young adults who had an unfortunate or non-existent relationship with their father, Mike became a real “father to the fatherless.”   God used Mike to help many young adults launch a healthier marriage, and he and Caroline helped many failing marriages find their way to reconciliation and fruitfulness.

Mike was always prepared to share something fresh he had discovered in the Word or from a book he had recently been reading.   And Mike always had a story.  “Well, there was this time back at Smokey Point…”   Mike was a great student of the Bible as well as of life. Mike loved the outdoors, especially all things fishing. So many fishing stories!

There were many occasions where Mike helped me deal with some of the toughest pastoral situations that have ever come my way. And Mike discipled and supported so many emerging leaders, including most of my staff through the years.  Mike took the lead with regard to the pastoral transition from the previous lead pastor to myself. He also led the first church facility/property search team that launched our long journey to our new location on Oasis Road.

One of the great times I shared with Mike.

More than anything else Mike was and will always be remembered as a man who walked in love.  Mike loved people and they knew it. He was an encourager and a wise confidant.  Many proudly refer to Mike as their mentor. There are so many stories of restoration, reconciliation and rededication associated with the life of Mike Gower. And while no one can take Mike’s place, I am left with many challenging questions, like:

• Who will step up and continue to say and do what Mike said and did as an ambassador for Christ?
• Who will warmly welcome people as Mike did?
• Who will fill our rooms with contagious laughter?
• Who will be the encourager of spiritual discipline and obedience as Mike was?
• Who will believe in those who others would not, and walk with them toward wholeness and maturity?
• Who will love people enough to speak the hard word that needs to be said, yet in such an authentic spirit of love that the message penetrates deeply unto transformation?
• Who will visibly live a life of consistent gratitude and positive hope for the future even in the midst of enormous trials?

Who will stand in the gap?

Mike’s life and now his legacy provoke an urgency within me to live a bigger and better life. Away with living for less than what matters most, than what Jesus promises and makes possible for all. Now may the same Holy Spirit that made Mike the vibrant testimony he is come upon me and any others who are willing to step up and say, “Yes!” “Yes” to the call of Jesus to live passionately for what will last and to finish well.

What will be your answer to the call?

Dear Friends,

It has been a long time since I last posted.  So many reasons…  I look forward to being more consistent in the future.

In recent months I have been thinking a lot about the DNA of the church that I lead called Risen King Community Church.  What are those things that we especially focus on and are passionate about because of who God is and what He has done for us?  This pondering turned into a sermon series that has gone over well with the community I serve.  If you would like you could check out the sermons and even download my outlines and small group discussion questions at: www.risenking.org/podcasts/index.htm

The titles are:

We abide in the Lord!
We announce the Good News!
We worship!  (Sermon by Aaron Wardle)
We welcome the broken!
We equip the saints!
We go where the Lord leads us!
We help others get to God!

This Sunday I will be continuing the RK DNA series with a focus on the fact that Risen King is a community of disciples who are both hungry for the Word AND thirsty for the Spirit.  This is a really important DNA element to me, especially as I’ve increasingly discovered how common it is for believers to have their spiritual worldview shaped in church cultures that may be out of balance.  No matter what the official statement of faith may be, in many settings it seems that in order to have a strong emphasis on biblical truth you have to choose to do without a balanced focus on the power of the Holy Spirit.  In other settings it seems that in order to have a ministry that is unapologetically open to the supernatural you have to choose to do without a solid commitment to biblical preaching and sound doctrine.  At Risen King you do not have to choose!

I’ve grown to appreciate this more and more over the years.  After I got saved as a sophomore in High School I was immediately encouraged to read and study the bible.  I loved it and for the next six years gave myself dutifully to it.  But increasingly I grew a deeper longing for more than just discipline and obedience in my spiritual life.  Without ever wanting to let go of the Word as a functional priority I honestly desired an encounter with God’s supernatural presence.  I wanted to personally experience the Holy Spirit’s joy, love and power I had read about for so long in the pages of the bible.  And so I was no longer simply hungry for the Word.  I was thirsty for the Spirit.  I didn’t know how to describe it then, but I wanted to be a truth AND power disciple of Jesus.  This was the quality of discipleship that Jesus described and invited his followers to embrace.  I’ve grown to appreciate that this was the quality of discipleship that every generation was commissioned to pass on to the next.

I’m so grateful that you can love the Word and also long for the Spirit.  I’m so grateful that you don’t have to choose.  An honest reading of the Word will cause you to thirst for the Spirit.  And when the Spirit does indeed fall upon you, it is so important to remain strongly rooted in the truth of God’s Word.  Truth AND Power…the genius of the “and”!  That’s what we’re committed to at Risen King, and if you happen to be in Redding this weekend, that’s what I will be talking about this Sunday.

All the best!
Bill

Let me know what you think!  Leave a comment.

PS – Check out our upcoming conference called Kingdom Healing.  It will be hosted at Risen King Community Church on February 28-March 2, 2011.  For more information and to register for this event go to: www.rkconference.org.

“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.  Awake, my soul! 
Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn” (Psalm 57:7,8).

In the midst of a serious and ongoing conflict, David declares that his heart is steadfast.  After declaring this David reveals one of the ways God had enabled his heart to be so; “I will sing and make music.”  To sing and make music unto God was David’s intention, but perhaps because of how he was feeling emotionally and spiritually he had to speak to his soul and his musical instruments and say;  “Awake my soul!  Awake harp and lyre!”  Next David goes on to describe when it was his desire to sing and play with an awakened heart before the Lord; “I will awaken the dawn.”

From David’s testimony we learn that his steadfast heart was in part made possible by beginning his day in worship…and when he didn’t feel like it he would tell his soul and instruments to “wake up!”

If I sincerely desire a steadfast heart in the midst of my trials, then I must decide to begin each of my days in worship…whether I feel like it or not!  David viewed it as his responsibility to remain “awake” to the loving presence of God.  I too cannot afford to let my heart linger in a state of spiritual lethargy.  I believe many are stuck right here because they have embraced the lie that they can do little to improve their spiritual temperature.  But this is not what Scripture teaches.  We can speak to our souls!  We can fan into flame the gifts of God within us as Paul exhorts Timothy to do.

In addition to not taking responsibility for the condition of our soul, there is an equally destructive habit that some have acquired, that is to blame others for the state of their spiritual vitality.  This victim mentality is unfortunately quite common in the body of Christ today.  While it is obviously true that other people can seriously let us down, they cannot in fact be blamed for the condition of our soul.  No one can “make us” not turn to God or trust in him in times of trouble.  It is not someone else’s fault if we choose to live in a relentless recital of what others have said and done that may have wounded us.  In fact, the condition of our soul is determined not by what painful things have happened to us, but rather by how we have responded to such things.

Maintaining a fresh and steadfast heart is possible only by God’s grace.  The Good News is that there is an endless supply of grace to be found in the loving heart of God.  That is why we must begin each day looking to the One most worthy of our worship and trust.  And then we must carry that song we have sung to awaken to dawn with us as we move through the rest of our day.

What song are you singing today?  What revelation of God is your soul currently reveling in?  Does it point your heart to heaven and renew your sense of God’s loving and powerful presence?

“I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble” (Psalm 59:16).

I always appreciate feedback to my blog posts.  Do you have a comment, question or a testimony related to the theme of this entry?

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9)

Dear Friends,

As many of you know Risen King is now in the second week of our 40 Days To Breakthrough emphasis.  The need for breakthroughs in our lives and church family are numerous, but we can all be encouraged that already many things have happened that have the obvious fingerprints of our supernatural God.  Wait till you hear one of the testimonies tomorrow!

The appropriate focus of our 40 Days To Breakthrough is prayer.  I have heard many share how they have been powerfully refreshed and blessed as a result of spending time in the 24/7 prayer room, or by walking the prayer path with the prayer guide, or by using the 40 Days Devotional.  If you have not had a chance to engage these opportunities yet, I would certainly encourage you to do so.

I am excited to be back from my sabbatical leave and to begin a new sermon series on the “The Lord’s Prayer,” which I am now calling “The Breakthrough Prayer.” I have had such a rich time soaking in and utilizing this sacred prayer over the summer.  In the morning I will be sharing how breakthrough prayer must begin in worship.  It must begin with a clear and living revelation of God.  It is so tempting when we finally do pray to begin with a focus on our many challenges, needs or opportunities.  What a difference it makes in facing anything that life should bring our way, whether good or bad, with the experiential knowledge that God is incomparably good and great, and loves us, and is always with us.  Such things are revealed in worship that is offered in spirit and in truth.  In this sermon I will show how Jesus tells us to pray for breakthrough, which begins in worship.

I hope you will come with an open and expectant heart.  God is so actively among us.  Let’s celebrate and experience that in worship.  Let’s take in his Word and let it renew our minds and grow our faith.  Let’s allow God to totally have his way in and through us as we humbly receive ministry as well as offer it to one another as the Spirit leads.

With you, on my way to more breakthrough!
Pastor Bill

Ministry Team Training opportunity! If you are interested in being trained to pray for the sick, I am offering the Ministry Team Training (part 1) course twice in the next two weeks.  The first option will be Friday, September 3 from 6:00-900pm with Saturday morning, September 4 from 9:00am to 12:00pm.  The second opportunity for this training will be the following week, Thursday night from 6:00-9:00pm with Friday night from 6:00-9:00pm.  A $10.00 donation will be appreciated to help cover the materials and refreshment expenses.  Please sign up on Sunday or email Jen McCloskey at jen@risenking.org right away to allow us to be prepared appropriately.  Thanks.

“If you obey my commands you will remain in my love,
just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands
and remain in his love”
(John 15:10).

It is obedience to God’s Word and whispers that aligns our lives to the ever-flowing stream of God’s love.  What a blessing that we have been provided the way to remain in rather than just visit the presence of God!

It is when we abide with God that we know what he is up to and can join him in what he is saying and doing.  From this position it makes perfect sense why Jesus would promise us;

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (v. 7).

And it is no wonder that such an abiding life is a truly fruitful life.  What an awesome reality that God delights in answering the prayers and revealing his secrets to those who abide.  Jesus calls such people his friends (v. 15).  Jesus goes on to say that as his friends he has appointed us “to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last” (v. 16).

Jesus here is describing for us the truly blessed life.  In summary, it is people who abide who bear much fruit.  They bear fruit because they remain connected to the true vine where the supernatural sap flows strong and penetrates deeply.  One remains connected to the vine as they obey the Word and whispers of God.  This obedience leads to alignment to the ever-flowing stream of God’s love.  Those who give themselves over to the abiding life are called the friends of God, and the friends of God have a guaranteed destiny to bear much fruit – fruit that will last. Now that’s a blessed life!

This is the life I want for myself and for the people I have the privilege to serve and lead.  God, please grace me to continually embrace this life.  Grant me greater wisdom to cast a compelling vision of what Jesus has made possible. and then empower me to equip the envisioned to go for it!

I always appreciate feedback to my blog posts.  Do you have a comment, question or a testimony related to the theme of this entry?

All the best!
Bill

I will not speak with you much longer,  for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me (John 14:30,31).

Jesus is here proclaiming the truth that the cross was something he willingly surrendered to.  And Jesus was not so much surrendering to the Jews or the Romans, but rather to his Father.  He certainly was not caving in to the enemy.  For Jesus, his actions were a matter of obedience.

Jesus says that the enemy had no hold on him.  Jesus never said or did anything that would give rise to a stronghold in his life.  Therefore the devil never had a foothold or opportunity or right to put a hold on Jesus.  Again, this absolute freedom was the result of Jesus always doing exactly what his Father told him to.  There simply was nothing for the enemy to land on.

We too can know such freedom.  Ours is won by putting our faith and hope in the redemptive work of Jesus which cancels our sin and washes us clean (1 John 1:9).  We keep this freedom as we resist giving the devil a foothold in our life by staying current with God and man.  We will give the devil the right to harass us if we choose to abide in unconfessed sin or continue to live in toxic reaction toward those who have hurt us (Eph. 4:26,27).  We also must take every thought captive unto obedience to Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5).  We cannot afford to entertain thoughts that are not true or rehearse over and over our relational wounds.  Processing is one thing.  Rehearsing is quite another.  And the devil certainly knows the difference!

And so, let us live in abiding relationship with Jesus where we humbly strive to follow him closely and do exactly what he tells us to do.  And when we might veer to the right or the left, let us confess and repent quickly and thereby dismiss every right that the enemy would have to put a hold on us.  By God’s grace let us be able to say with Jesus; “The prince of this world is coming, but he has no hold on me.”

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!”

Putting this word into practice: If you happen to feel spiritually bound up, perhaps there is something in this word for you to put into practice.  You also might know someone whom the devil seems to have a hold on.  The starting point to finding freedom is to establish an unhurried time to stop everything and humbly turn to Jesus.  Then let the Word and Spirit lead you to confess and repent of everything and anything that the devil might find attractive to land on.  It usually is best to do this with a trusted friend.

I always appreciate feedback to my blog posts.  Do you have a comment, question or a testimony related to the theme of this entry?

All the best!
Bill

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
– John 8:31,32

In this text Jesus reveals that holding to his teaching is a critical element of true discipleship and spiritual freedom.  And holding to Jesus’ teaching could certainly include reading and pondering his Word, but it is more.  You hold to Jesus’ teaching when you embrace it through reading or hearing it along with living in light of it as you continue through your day.  This speaks of spiritual discipline…the intention and effort one gives to remain under the influence of the truth and presence of Jesus rather than just randomly visiting it.

To hold to Jesus’ teaching a person also has to learn what it means to “take every thought captive” as Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I believe that most people hover in darkness, fear, negativity, anger, confusion and despair because they allow their thoughts to be controlled by lies.  If the truth sets you free then the lies we live under bring bondage.  For many, the prescription for freedom will essentially include first of all, discovering and rehearsing the truth as revealed by Scripture and the Holy Spirit.  But is also must entail recognizing and renouncing any lies influencing one’s thinking.  Such lies not only need to be renounced but also replaced with the truth each lie contradicts.  A new habit must form where the disciple rehearses the truth and stops rehearsing the familiar lies that sadly had come to feel like the truth.

Along with these thoughts I believe it is imperative for a believer to cultivate an attitude of gratitude.  Without intention it can be easy to focus on the proverbial glass that is half empty rather than half full.  When Jesus fed the 5,000 he focused with gratitude on the few loaves of bread and fish that was available rather than how sparse the provision was (as did the disciples).  Negative people are often the one’s most acutely aware of what’s wrong or lacking in any given situation and have the unusual ability to disregard anything positive.  When you combine an ungrateful heart with a negative perspective you have a person that’s not too fun to be around!  The words “toxic” and “grumpy” come to mind.

But there is good news for such people.  Change is possible through repentance and spiritual discipline.  By utilizing God’s supernatural weapons we can begin to demolish negative attitudes and thoughts that are not true…we can take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ!

Do you believe this?  If yes, are there any lies that you have lived under that need to be confessed, renounced and replaced with the truth?  Consider listing the lies and then find a corresponding Scriptural truth you can rehearse and use to gain and maintain the freedom that Jesus has put within your reach.

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
– John 7:37,38

This is such a profoundly simple yet powerful invitation and promise.  And certainly the “anyone who thirsts” becomes “everyone” at some point in his or her life.  People can be thirsty because they are seekers who have not yet encountered the love of God.  Or people can be thirsty because they are lonely or perhaps caught in the insanity cycle of addiction.  Jesus tells us to let such people come to him and drink.

To drink would be to partake of what Jesus has to offer out of the wellspring of his overflowing merciful love.  But to drink means something more than just coming to Jesus.  In the gospel we read about Bartimaeus who daringly made his way to Jesus.  But Jesus would not allow things to end there.  Jesus asked Bart, “What do you want me to do for you?”  Bart’s thirst to “see” was only satisfied after he not only came to Jesus but also specifically responded to Jesus’ clarifying question.

It seems that many may make their way to Jesus yet never drink in what they specifically thirst for.  Perhaps some do not really know what they thirst for.  Others may know but not feel worthy to ask for anything.  Yet I know there are many who simply think that coming to Jesus is enough without the pursuit of and a focused application of the specific gospel provision that would satisfy their thirst.  I see this played out in the context of thirsty people attending church regularly but who never ask for prayer or respond to ministry invitations where God often moves with supernatural power.  These are the people most vulnerable to discouragement and despair.  My encouragement to such people is, “Please receive a drink from the cup that Jesus has put within your reach!”

Jesus promises streams of living water to those who would indeed come to him and drink.  A provision of “flowing streams” is no doubt more than enough to satisfy one’s thirst.  Jesus is and offers more than enough!  May it never be said of us that we have not because we asked not.

What do you have a thirst for?  What might it mean for you to come to Jesus and drink?