The CHARIS INTERNATIONAL Ministry is headed by Rev. Margaret Williams from Trinidad and Tobago.

From the 20th to the 22nd of March, 2009 CHARIS INTERNATIONAL hosted its Annual Women’s Conference under the Theme “Soaring to Higher Heights in Christ.  

Minister Denise Harris was the featured speaker, below are some highlights from that conference.

Soaring to higher heights in Christ – Denise Harris March 21, 2009

First of all we have to take some time and define some words

     a. Soaring – Tall, high, towering, elevated/ prominent

     b. Heights – Height, altitude, stature – in other words we would like to gain higher altitude in Christ.

Most if not all of us would have experience traveling via air-plain and you would have heard the captain saying the amount of ALTITUDE he will take the plain to during flight-           time. 

The astrologists teach that “more power and energy is expended during lift-off and in clearing the earth’s gravity than in NAVIGATING a million miles and returning to earth” 

Similarly, we would have to expend more effort and energy is starting a new behavior – old habits bring to bear a powerful pull.

Rom 7:21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. If we are going to soar, there must be a lifting-off. The desire to soar indicates that we are getting ready to move from ground/flat level. This is no easy task.

Some of us may begin to wonder if it’s worth the commitment and for this reason most of us operate and “ground/basic” level. [in Guyana we call it yard-foul]

    - At ground level, we can only see as far as the trees, cars, corners or what have you allows us to view.

    - Ground level don’t show the entire picture

    - Ground level restricts us to, stop lights, major roads, pedestrian crossing…

Before you think about soaring you must

      1. COUNT THE COST – if we don’t, we would be mocked by a. Others b. ourselves.  In every environment there are powerful restraining forces at work to pull down any new             trust. – It would take braking of old habits of procrastination, criticism, overeating or oversleeping, involves more than a little WILL POWER.

      2. GET READY TO SACRIFICES YOUR FREEDOM – you cannot do what you feel like or what comes naturally.  Just as the Astronauts is buffeted by the forces of nature as they             clear the PULL of “GROUND FORCES” of gravity, so we will experience some rigors (or as we would say it in Guyana, so ruffing up) as we attempt to overcome the pull of the           carnal nature.

          We have to win our private battles (attitude, pride, selfish ambitions) building internal strength to deal with external forces, giving us the right amount of lifting power to soar           in Christ.

      3. INCREASE YOUR LUNG CAPACITY – (spiritual capacity) – If you are not use to running 3 miles every day and I say to you, today we are running 3 miles, first of all you will ask             me if I’m MAD or even if you think you can handle it, you will find that your body would be crying out for oxygen by the time you reach less than ½ mile.  Lack of oxygen                 leads to – stroke – heart attack and – death. 

          In order for any one of us to run 3 miles, it would take building up – regularly – gradually and – daily. 

  THIS CAN ONLY HAPPEN if we:

1. Gain perspective 

2. Make the right decisions 

3. Commitments in the light of the perspective

4. Balance our habit system – practice 

5. Balance our value system – character 

NOTE: if our habit and value systems are not in order we are subjecting ourselves to internal doubts and resistance which can result in aborting the vision/flight.

Paul address the ‘high’ issue in Christ: Eph 3:17-20 reads “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, v18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, v19. and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. v20. 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.”

LUNCH!

4.  WE HAVE TO BE FIT TO SOUR -  (Fit = robust, able-bodied, healthy) 

o Stick-to-it-eve-ness (staying power)  

o Lu 9:62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” 

   Let’s look at a woman in the bible that demonstrated this level of fitness – She is known as the CANAANITE WOMAN.

        - Mt 15:22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-          possession."

o This woman had no claim on account of her nationality: she was a Gentile of the worst sort, of a race long before condemned to die. Love to her daughter led her to                      travel, to cry, to beseech, to seek mercy.

        -  23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."

o "Not a word", not a word from him whose every word is power!

o This was a heavy discouragement. Yet she was not silenced by the Lord's silence – She PRESS harder, she was not discouraged

o The disciples were mistaken when they said, "She crieth after us." The lady was crying after the master, not them.

o Send her away – was a cold response from the guys that too did not stop her!

       -  24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

o Mt 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.

o Mt 10:6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

o She was not of "the house of Israel”/not a part of us – yet she intensify her pleading.

       - Mt 15:25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.

o The lady refused to be intimidated by the pull of gravity, today is souring day! Instead of backing off she came closer and "worshipped him."

o She was not responsible for the problem that comes with not being a Jew, her race(dog), nor her sex(female)

       -  vs. 26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

o The Canaanites heathen character made them like dogs (living anyhow, without the true God in their lives.

       -  vs. 27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

o The woman showed humility, bravely and insight to the capacity of what the master (Jesus Christ) could do for her. 

-  vs. 28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

o Finally she is off the ground souring in her victory - her daughter's cure was immediate, perfect, and enduring. We can trust the Lord for our daughter, our sisters, of    mothers and even for our brothers, fathers and sons.

-  vs. 29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.

NOTE: this woman broke Jesus’ timeline because of her faith “more power and energy is expended during lift-off and in clearing the earth’s gravity than in NAVIGATING a million miles and returning to earth” – check this

- Ge 22:18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (God was speaking to Abraham)

- Ps 86:9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.

- Isa 49:6 he says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a   light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

  In Mt 15: 24Jesus told this woman "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." 

o At this point of his ministry Jesus was not yet ready to reach out to that group of people – this woman clearly did not allow:

-  Any external conditions to stop her.

-  Insults to cause her to back out of her trust

- Could not care less about people’s opinions (the disciples)

- The law/programme of the master to bring one second of doubt to her mind.

- She got the Master to bring future into present

o The disciples did not get this understanding until after Jesus was crucified, raised from the dead and went back to Father – check this

- Eph 3:6 This mystery (it was a mystery for them) is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and   sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

- Ac 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. (Philip preached to them)

NOTE: This woman discovered way before Paul expressed in; Ro 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God (the ability to soar), which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- Ro 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

By Denise Harris