I hope you enjoyed the Open Wide conference with Suzy and Kamran Yaraei and Bonnie and Bob Jones. I know I sure did. My CPU is working overtime trying to process everything that was said and done. I am really looking forward to working with the Pastors and Elders, distilling all that was released to us in order that we may steward these promises and see them manifest in our house and region. Since the conference, two of our family members have been promoted from Earth to Heaven. On 1/28 Robert “Bud” Gilmore went to go be with Jesus and, on 1/31 Aaron Barrett was also upgraded with a new glorified body and place of residence. Bud and Aaron will be greatly missed by their family, friends and this church body. Let us remember Corrine Gilmore and Tiffany Barrett in our prayers and let us all be available to be used by the Holy Spirit to encourage, exhort and edify one another during this season. I know
that we all learned so much from Bud and Aaron; they have left a tremendous legacy for us all.

This month we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day, so I thought an appropriate theme for this month’s Empowered Living newsletter would be Love. Our mission statement at Seattle Revival Center is, “You Are Loved!” John 13:34-35 says,

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this  everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

This is truly a Valentine’s Day card from Jesus to us. We are unconditionally loved by God and if we accept this love (by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior) then we must obey Jesus and love one another. Isn’t it fascinating to think that Jesus said we will be known as followers of Christ by our ability to love one another? How are we doing at this?

I believe that we were created by God to receive love from God and that the Devil has worked so hard to keep this from happening. For, if we are able to receive unconditional love from God, then we are also enabled to unconditionally love others. Wasn’t this the ministry model of Jesus? Jesus would receive love from his Father and then, being moved with compassion, he would minister the love of his Father through signs and wonders, miracles, offering forgiveness of sins, and equipping others with inspired teaching.

When Bob Jones died and went to Heaven, the Lord asked him one question, “Did you learn to love?” Our ability to receive love from God will determine the extent that we are able to love each other and our ability to love each other will determine how saved we really are. We will be judged according to the great commandment given by Jesus in Matthew 22:36-40,

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Let us then continue to allow our Father remove obstacles that would separate us from his love and to let him love us so that we can then freely give it away to those who don’t deserve it.

You Are Loved.

 Darren Stott

Lead Pastor