Christine Caine - A Life Interrupted, Part 2
Do you ever feel ordinary, like you are way too normal for God to be able to do anything extraordinary, or important through you. Well you happen to be exactly the type of person God loves to use. So stop what you're doing, and pay attention. This message is for you. I'm Christine Caine and I have a personal mission to Equip and Empower people like you to connect with your God given purpose and potential. I'm so glad that you're joining us today. Let's get right into it.
Hey, I'm so excited to be with you all today. I'm so grateful that you've tuned in. Thanks for joining us, I know that God has got a powerful word for you. We're in the middle of a series, called "A Life Interrupted," and my aim through this series is to prove to you, through scripture, that the interrupted life is the blessed life, the interrupted life is the life that God uses in order to do extraordinary things. And we're in the book of Luke, I'm going to read from Luke chapter 1, a story that so many of us are familiar with, and we're drawing illustrations from the life of Mary. You know there is so about Mary, and I know nobody's ever seen the film, because you are all Christians, but for all the carnal people that are watching on TV today.
We're going to start in Luke 1:26, in the sixth month, angel Gabriel was sent from God, to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man, whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, o favored one, the Lord is with you". But she was greatly troubled at the saying, tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God, and behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and he will be called the son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there will be no end".
And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin"? And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth, in her old age, has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month, with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God". And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word". And the angel departed from her.
I love this. I love this story. You know, we've already learned in this series that God only ever uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. That Mary was a teenage betrothed girl, she was dreaming about her marriage with Joseph, and an angel of the Lord turned up, and interrupted her life, forever. And he gave her a divine invitation for that divine invitation was that would she carry God to her world. And God asks us the same thing, will you carry me to your world? We are containers that house the Spirit of God on the inside of us. And it's Jesus is this hope we have, as an anchor for our soul, and Christ in us is the hope of glory for a lost and a broken world, and we have a world that is in pain, we have a world that is in darkness, we have a world that is suffering. We have a world that needs the love of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God, the compassion of God, the goodness of God, the kindness of God. And that dwells on the inside of us.
We, as Carriers of the Spirit of God, are the ones that are able to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit, in a lost and a broken world. It is us that should be dispensers of love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, long suffering, patience, self control. That's what our world needs, and they are fruits of the Spirit of God, so the Carriers of the Spirit of God ought to be able to produce the Fruit of the Spirit of God. So, in some ways, there are similarities between Mary's divine assignment, and our divine assignment. Of course Mary carried God incarnate, just wrap your head around that for the next three millenniums, and you still won't understand it, but that's okay. She was called to carry God incarnate to her generation. Well, you and I are called to carry God to our generation.
A lot of times we disqualify ourselves, because think, "Who am I"? Well, that is the whole point, who are we? Nobody, but God is somebody, and God has chosen to live in us. And if I can awaken a generation of Christians, to understand God has no plan b, you are it, you are God's plan a, Christ in you, the hope of glory for a lost and a broken world. You and I are God dispensers to our generation. And so God only ever uses ordinary people, and we talked about that. And the fact is that the angel of the Lord turns up, and he says to her, "Greetings, you who are highly favored, and you who have found favor". So twice in the text, he uses the term favor.
Now, this is an interesting greeting. And the fact that Mary says, she wondered what manner of greeting this was. I have to wonder sometimes, was this the only time she ever saw an angel, because the very fact that she didn't faint and die, when the angel came, I mean some of us, we just act like so cool, 'cause we just think it's a little angel playing a harp. This was a thumping, huge angel, that turns, like I'm telling you, while I was getting my hair and makeup done today, if an angel of the Lord came, I would've had to change my underwear, I'm telling you. It's not like ah, this is just like normal, just like, you know, let's just put another eyelash on. This is not. And sometimes, in some circles, we've misunderstood favor. We just think, you know, like favor's not fair, I'm just cool, and you're not.
And sometimes you can get arrogant with that thought of favor, as if somehow that just makes you an exclusive being that kind of floats on the air. But favor is for purpose, not for status. Favor will interrupt your life. Favor is highly inconvenient. Favor will turn your world upside down. Favor is for purpose. If we would understand that, it would change the way we do life. Favor is not for status, favor is not for exclusivity, favor is not to make us arrogant, favor is not to make us think we are better than anybody else. The Bible says you much is given, much is required. And if we understand that our favor is for the purpose of God, in our generation, and if we start using our favor for the purpose of God in our generation, then I'm telling you, many more doors of opportunity would open up, and we would be highly effective for the purposes of God, in our generation.
And so the favor of God does unique things in our life, and I've seen this. A lot of people say, "Christine, you've had so many doors of opportunity open in your life". And it's true, you know, I've just come back from India, where A21 received the Mother Teresa memorial award, for social justice, and it was amazing. Nick and I were sitting there, and all of these unbelievable organizations that were getting these awards, so worthy of it, organizations 10 and 20 and 30 times the size of our organization, and Nick and I were like pinching ourselves, going, "Do you think they're going to realize we're not supposed to be sitting here? Do you think at some point they're going to think like, 'uh, we are sorry, typo, wrong email went to the wrong place'". And I was waiting the whole time, before I got up to speak, for someone to tap me on the shoulder, and go, "Sweetheart, what are you doing here, you're not meant to be here". I was going to say, "I know, I was just waiting for you to know, I know".
But the fact is that favor will cause people to like you that shouldn't like you. Favor will cause doors to open for you that should stay shut. Favor will cause resources to come to you that you don't deserve. Favor will cause awards to come to you that you're not even good enough to get. That's what favor does, but when you understand is for purpose, not for status, it begins to change everything in the whole equation. And so she was planning a wedding, God says I'm going to interrupt your plans, with my purpose, but this is going to mess your life up. This is going to mess it up, upside down. And so you think about how much this was going to mess her life up. She was going to have to tell her fiance that she was pregnant. Now I'm not sure if you're aware, you listened in biology class, about how a baby is conceived. But if you were the fiance, and you knew what you hadn't done, and your fiance came to say, "Guess what, I was just getting ready for the day, and an angel of the Lord appeared, and I'm pregnant".
You know, when Nick and I were engaged, no matter how much he loved me, I'm not sure that was going to fly. I don't think Nick, with all of his love, was going to go, "Awesome". I don't think if I was going to go to my girlfriends, and go, "You just wouldn't believe it, I was getting ready for work today, an angel turned up, and I'm pregnant". You know, my friends would be going, "Really? So Nick's called an angel of the Lord, now, Christine, really"? That's all I'm saying. We just sit there, like this is totally normal. There is nothing normal about what is going on. But you have to know the very nature of an interruption is that you were on your way to doing something else. For God to interrupt, see I think many of us, we miss out on the purposes of God, because we're not willing to be interrupted. We don't want to be inconvenienced. I think we would do so much more for God, if we truly were willing to be interrupted or inconvenienced. If we were truly willing to allow God to interrupt our plan with his purpose.
There's someone here watching this, on the other side of the screen, and God has an incredible plan, purpose and destiny for your life. In fact, in 2 Corinthians, scripture tells us that our eye has not seen, our ear has not heard, nor has it entered into our hearts the things that God has for those that love him. And what you've done, your eyes have seen, your ears have heard, your mind has thought a certain thing. You've got the plan written down, in fact, as I'm speaking to you, I can see a blueprint. You've actually put it all in and you've worked out how you're going to get there, you've got the strategy to the day, the minute, the hour, and you've said this is how it's all going to work, and God's like I'm going to blow that out of the water. This is way too small, you think it's awesome, but what you think is awesome is just my foundation. What was your ceiling is my foundation. If you would entrust your life to God, he will make your ceiling his floor, and he will blow your mind with what he wants to do in and through your life, trust God, trust God to interrupt your plan with his purpose.
I was on my way to speak at a women's conference in Greece, when I saw those posters of missing women and children, and that was the moment that A21 was birthed. God had, at this point, as I'm speaking today, there's 12 A21 offices around the globe. There are multitudes of young women, and children, and men that have been rescued because of the efforts of A21. There have been multitudes that have been restored, and have been reintegrated back into society, and are flourishing today because of A21. There are traffickers that are in jail, trafficking rings, that have broken, why? Because God had a bigger purpose than my limited plan at the time. I thought, at the time, that you know what, I want to travel, and I was being able to speak around the world, and to help build women, and to help build churches, that was what I thought God wanted to do with my life. But God said, "Oh Christine, if you would let me interrupt your plan, with my purpose, I'm going to do exceedingly, abundantly, and beyond anything that you could ever imagine". But I had to allow myself to be interrupted. And you know, it was not convenient. So I had to say yes again.
Now, I couldn't have imagined what God was going to do. Thousands of chapters in, at this point, 45 countries around the world, women being propelled into their passion, and their purpose, and their potential. I would've missed all of that, if I would've just said, no, God, I'm 48, I've done enough. And that's where some of us God, you know what, I just like my little comfortable life. I don't want to take a risk. I didn't think, at 48, I would be all in, all over again. Here we go again. And you know, what is scary, as I'm saying this, on television, is I think that there's something else coming. And I'm in my 50's, and now I'm getting ready to almost put kids in college, and I'm like are you serious, God? But I wouldn't miss the adventure. I wouldn't miss this adventure at all. I could have a nice, small, normal life, and imagine getting to heaven, and Jesus going, Christine, I had all of this for you, and you chose this, because you were scared, or because you just wanted a nice, comfortable life. Or because you just wanted to do what was culturally acceptable, for women to do?
And someone on the other side of the screen, you're sitting on your couch, and you're watching it, and you're squirming as I'm talking. In fact, you've picked up the remote and thought I want to change the channel, and it's not working. And the reason it's not working is because God is stirring you out of your comfort zone. And you've had this inkling in your heart that God had more for you, and that's because he does have more for you. And you know what, if you are willing to give up your comfortable life, your safe life, your predictable life, for the awesome faith adventure that God has for you, you are going to enter in to the abundant life that Jesus came to give you. John 10:10, Jesus said, "I didn't come just so that you can have a life. I came that you might have life, and life more abundant". That word in the Greek is the Zoe life, the abundant, passionate, purpose driven life, that God put you on the planet to have.
Some of us, we settle for a nice, little boring religious existence, hi ho, hi ho, it's off to church I go. And off to church I go, and now I'm going to listen to my little sermonette, and I'm going to do my little pirouette, and then I'm going to go to homette, what a boring life. Gag me with a spoon! And God did not call us to just go through boring, religious rituals. He called us to a faith adventure. He called us to a life that would just blow our mind. Our God is a God of impossibility. Our God calls us to great faith adventures. There are dreams in you, there is potential in you, there is purpose in you. God put those passions in you, for a reason. Christians ought to be the most passionate people on earth. There needs to be a little glint in our eye, a little spring in our step, where people are thinking what are you on? What have you been smoking?
And you say, "Jesus, I have go the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, living on the inside of me. I have taken my Jesus pill". Christians ought to be, there ought to be something about us. Instead of not just some bland, boring, beige, kind of like Christian, I've had a personality bypass, I'm a Christian. I'm just, I'm boring, I don't know, I've been saved, I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't smile, I don't, I don't do anything, because I'm a Christian. Now I don't know what I should be doing, but I'm just trying not to sin, because I'm a Christian, and until I get to heaven, all I'm trying to do is just not have sex, and not do anything, I'm just trying to be a Christian. Hurry up, Jesus, I need the rapture, because I really want to be having fun, but I'm a boring little Christianette, that's all I am, I'm just hanging on, hanging on, trying to be good.
And you think that's all Jesus saved us for, to try to hang on to be called? He saved us for an awesome life. We are saved and called, and propelled into an awesome life, a faith adventure. He hasn't just called us to hang on, 'til the rapture. But he's called us to purpose, he's a creative God, he's an awesome God, he's a huge God, and he's got a great purpose for each and every one of us. Don't settle for a small life. Don't settle for a boring life. Don't settle for a predictable life. Believe for the favor of God on your life. As you get up everyday, believe for favor, I do. I pray it, God I thank you that today, you're going to connect me with people that I don't know, that are going to help propel me into my destiny. Thank you God, that you're going to open doors, that you know, men have tried to keep shut. But I thank you God, that you're going to open those doors. I thank you that you're going to hook me up, with the right people, in the right place, at the right time, so that we can do the right thing.
Father, I pray that you would increase, the favor on my life. God, make people like me that can't stand me. That just gives me great joy, great joy. Make them write really nice things about me, when they want to say really bad things. Have you prayed for favor? Have you prayed for the anointing of God? Because the anointing will take you places that your gift and talent could never take you. The anointing of God, the favor of God, there ought to be something about us, where people will think I don't know why I like them, I don't even know why I'm giving them this opportunity. I don't know why I'm giving them.
I remember once when I was very early on in ministry, so my salary was $60 a week, I was going to change the world. And so, and I decided God, I want to believe you, for something miraculous. I want to buy a house, I was a young, single woman, and I wanted, you know, my family was like, "Christine, you're doing this ministry life, and you know, you just look like a poor loser, basically you've got a university degree, you left a really great corporate job, and this is what, serving God". And I went, "God, I want my family to look at me, and go, 'you know what, we don't know how she's made it, but there's something amazing going on in her life'".
So I remember thinking I want to buy a house, just to blow everyone's mind, on $60 a week. And so I was young and dumb, and sometimes young and dumb really, really helps, because you're too dumb to know that you can't. And so, I just remember I used to just pray, and believe God, and so I made an appointment with the bank manager. I didn't know how you did this stuff. I went across the road, and I had an appointment, and I have like nothing, I had nothing in a bank account, and I was talking, and when I met with the bank manager, she wanted to see me, and I didn't even know why, and how I even got the appointment. But I was running a community based youth center at the time. So I was frequently in the local paper, for all of the work we were doing, with all of the young people. And we were helping at-risk kids, and we were running English as a second language classes, and we were helping doing anti-bullying classes, and just, you know, really, really helping in the community.
And so as we went upstairs, she's asking me all these questions about the work that we were doing, and about the youth center, and all of the results we were having with kids. And she was having a challenge with her own child. And so she was asking me a lot of different things about the programs we were running, and whether I had any suggestions. We talked for an hour. At the end of that hour, she said, "What did you come in for"? And I said, "Because I found this house, and I would like a housing loan". She goes, "Okay". Just like that. She goes, "Do you have an account with us"? I went, "No". She said, "Okay, let's open one". And then I don't know what she did, and who she talked to, and I'll never tell her name on camera, because I'm sure that you're not allowed to do this, but it happened. And so what happened in that sense, she gave me a housing loan, so that I could be able to purchase this house, that I had found, and that was the favor of God.
God made a way, he made someone like me, he made all of the wheels turn. I'm telling you, it was an amazing opportunity, and I'm telling that story today. And I've never told it before on the air, so that someone on the other side of this screen, you can start believing God, start stirring up that gift of faith. Of course, take viable steps, of course then I did get a pay raise, and I did have to repay a loan, so there's a lot of sensible things that go with that. But you know what, you can believe God for open doors of opportunity. You can believe God to make a way where there is no way. Our God is the God of the impossible. Impossible is where God starts, miracles are what God does, that's what he does. Amen, amen.