Worship= surrender!
Romans 6:13 Give yourselves to God, surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.
Worship= surrender?
Surrender is a much disliked word; it means losing something and of course knows one likes to be a loser right?
In our world now everyone likes to talk about winning and never giving up or even giving in to something that could mean a lot… So basically surrendering is not thought of that often.
But surrendering to our lord and savor is the heart of worship; it’s like our response to his amazing love for us.
True worship begins when you dedicate your life Christ and offering all of yourself to him.
Which leads into the surrendering aspect of what I talked about earlier it’s really hard to surrender everything to him, a lot of people have problems with fear, confusion, and do I want to get into a relationship like this?
Fear, can I trust god?
Trust is the most important step in surrendering all of your life over to Christ. But how then do you know God loves you? He says he loves you, has good plans for you life, died on the cross for all your sins and he forgives you! God also gives you things to go through in your life to make you stronger in those areas, so that you will pull yourself closer to God and want to surrender absolutely everything to him.
Confusion
Lots of people are not fully aware of what the bible holds or have read it. There is a lot of people out there like that, and or are confused about the bible so are not fully aware of how amazing he is so there lost. Which is another strong factor of why people do not fully surrender there heart over.
Do I want to get in a relationship with him?
This last little barrier, is like people are sometimes not ready to commit there 100% over to him for many reasons and really are having struggles with certain things.
So if you’re surrendered over to God he gives you battles to fight for you and for him you also don’t react to rude remarks and think of something really quick to defend yourself which you see a lot in relationships, which is probably the best example for this.
What do you get out of God when you surrender everything over to him? You get a definite sence of peace, along with freedom, and God’s power in you life which I think is pretty amazing!
So after you heard all this why not surrender everything thing over to him and fully live your life for him, he is loving and caring and wont give you anything he dosnet think you cant handle!
September 4th 2007
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Sermon: 1 Peter "trails and suffering"
The Trial" Peter teaches that God uses life's trials to help us become Christians, or grow in maturity as Christians. Each trial that we face is a witness to the "Genuineness" of our faith. To reassure us that God has saved us, and to reveal to others the difference that salvation makes.
1 peter 3:8-17 (verses taken from www.biblegateway.com)
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For,
"Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
11He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."[a]
13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear[b]; do not be frightened."[c] 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
-Peter is suffering because he is doing none other than obeying God
-Peter is saying that the suffering is a weight that we are carrying around. It can also become an identity or an excuse to sin for some of us.
-We will suffer being Christians -- the level is rising too
-When people are hurting of suffering that is all they really think about
*How to help your suffering*
Get in fellowship before it gets even more hectic. (1 peter 3.8)
Use the bible in YOUR suffering (1 peter 3.9-11)
It's harder to believe God loves you when you are suffering (1 peter 3.12-14)
But the turn around of our sufferings can be used to share the good news and EVANGELIZE!! (1 peter 3:15-17)-- Sometimes your self suffering can become your identity and selfishness . Suffering people need to see that other people are suffering to share their love with them to possibly save them.
Jesus knows everything we are going through, and are going to go through. Jesus has experienced everything and can sympathize with you about your sufferings.
1 peter 3:8-17 (verses taken from www.biblegateway.com)
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For,
"Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
11He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."[a]
13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear[b]; do not be frightened."[c] 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
-Peter is suffering because he is doing none other than obeying God
-Peter is saying that the suffering is a weight that we are carrying around. It can also become an identity or an excuse to sin for some of us.
-We will suffer being Christians -- the level is rising too
-When people are hurting of suffering that is all they really think about
*How to help your suffering*
Get in fellowship before it gets even more hectic. (1 peter 3.8)
Use the bible in YOUR suffering (1 peter 3.9-11)
It's harder to believe God loves you when you are suffering (1 peter 3.12-14)
But the turn around of our sufferings can be used to share the good news and EVANGELIZE!! (1 peter 3:15-17)-- Sometimes your self suffering can become your identity and selfishness . Suffering people need to see that other people are suffering to share their love with them to possibly save them.
Jesus knows everything we are going through, and are going to go through. Jesus has experienced everything and can sympathize with you about your sufferings.
We think it's our life but it's really God's
Matthew 16.26 "What Good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
God has created everyone in His image and has given us a "God given soul."
So now you must be thinking why aren't we all Christians then? Even though it says in Psalms 18.30 "AS for God, his way is perfect, the word of the Lord is flawless." God gave us all free will, and that included a chance for us to either accept Him as our Lord and savior (which there might be another chance for others who haven't) or down the path of distruction.
God is the great designer for each and every single person out in the world. He cared about us so much, that when we go to heaven (or die) our bodies die but our soul/spirit goes to heaven. God created us to have fellowship with Him either way. Just like Adam and Eve were created to fellowship with God before they created sin.
"We were equipped by our creator not only to live on this earth, but also to live in touch with heaven."- Billy Grahm
-January 11th 2010
God has created everyone in His image and has given us a "God given soul."
So now you must be thinking why aren't we all Christians then? Even though it says in Psalms 18.30 "AS for God, his way is perfect, the word of the Lord is flawless." God gave us all free will, and that included a chance for us to either accept Him as our Lord and savior (which there might be another chance for others who haven't) or down the path of distruction.
God is the great designer for each and every single person out in the world. He cared about us so much, that when we go to heaven (or die) our bodies die but our soul/spirit goes to heaven. God created us to have fellowship with Him either way. Just like Adam and Eve were created to fellowship with God before they created sin.
"We were equipped by our creator not only to live on this earth, but also to live in touch with heaven."- Billy Grahm
-January 11th 2010
Friday, July 8, 2011
Poem: "Life Is But A Vapor"
Life goes by way to fast.
It goes by almost so fast that we can't even get a glimpse.
People come and go in our lives almost at an unplesent rate, you can't keep everyone you come in contact with, but there a few that will stick for life.
Those are the people that stick with you through the thick and thin. They go through life with you, no matter what. To capture those once in a life time memories together that go by so quickly that we get that one glimpse.
It's so short to pick and choose who are the best and who aren't worth keeping.
Let your true friends shine, and enjoy life with them, and don't look back at the past.
Keep pushing forward, because you know there is even more. Don't ever let go.
Just look forward for more to come.
It goes by almost so fast that we can't even get a glimpse.
People come and go in our lives almost at an unplesent rate, you can't keep everyone you come in contact with, but there a few that will stick for life.
Those are the people that stick with you through the thick and thin. They go through life with you, no matter what. To capture those once in a life time memories together that go by so quickly that we get that one glimpse.
It's so short to pick and choose who are the best and who aren't worth keeping.
Let your true friends shine, and enjoy life with them, and don't look back at the past.
Keep pushing forward, because you know there is even more. Don't ever let go.
Just look forward for more to come.
Sermon: "Consumed In An Unholy World"
Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
2-3You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
4-6You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble."
The Message (MSG) James 4:1-6
What are the ungodly desires that we have kringing inside of us? Is it having the latest car or having the hottest clothing of the month or having that "I want it, until I get it" attitude? Yes! It doesn't matter now days in the United States how you get it, but you must get is ASAP so you can fit in. Our world has just gone to filth and greed because of this. Did you know more than 60% of Americans are in debt because of this? Lame!
But really to narrow this down, what does this have to do with the christians.. Well first off, we have to many lukewarm christians who don't care much about there relationship with God, but are more focused on there "status" in the church. There small group friends or even people are getting promoted all around them, but there not. They get so Jelous or filled with bitterness to the point of "how can I get where they are?" I can't just be happy for them or for what they Got. But now I MUST have. They will kill Godly relationships or even leave churches to get that one promotion or to get that "leadership status." If they keep leaving going around year after year looking for new churches where I can be a leader right away.. How am I supposed to even get planted or be that leader?! Good Idea-- Why not focus on God and your relationship with Him, and pray about that promotion or being a leader instead of floating around and being unstable? Once again the book of James mentions, "Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind."
God would rather have you to have that "kill to get it" attitude towards Him. He woud rather have you do everything in your power to get to know Him, rather then only wordly things. God has so much to Unleash in us, and through this generation and the churches. But the first thing we must do, is get out of this lukewarm mentallity and come to Him for what we need and not follow the customs of the world. God will give you the desires of your heart if you come to Him asking with a pure heart.
What direction will you take? Be of the world and ready to kill for it? Or come to God who Gives you everything?
2-3You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
4-6You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble."
The Message (MSG) James 4:1-6
What are the ungodly desires that we have kringing inside of us? Is it having the latest car or having the hottest clothing of the month or having that "I want it, until I get it" attitude? Yes! It doesn't matter now days in the United States how you get it, but you must get is ASAP so you can fit in. Our world has just gone to filth and greed because of this. Did you know more than 60% of Americans are in debt because of this? Lame!
But really to narrow this down, what does this have to do with the christians.. Well first off, we have to many lukewarm christians who don't care much about there relationship with God, but are more focused on there "status" in the church. There small group friends or even people are getting promoted all around them, but there not. They get so Jelous or filled with bitterness to the point of "how can I get where they are?" I can't just be happy for them or for what they Got. But now I MUST have. They will kill Godly relationships or even leave churches to get that one promotion or to get that "leadership status." If they keep leaving going around year after year looking for new churches where I can be a leader right away.. How am I supposed to even get planted or be that leader?! Good Idea-- Why not focus on God and your relationship with Him, and pray about that promotion or being a leader instead of floating around and being unstable? Once again the book of James mentions, "Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind."
God would rather have you to have that "kill to get it" attitude towards Him. He woud rather have you do everything in your power to get to know Him, rather then only wordly things. God has so much to Unleash in us, and through this generation and the churches. But the first thing we must do, is get out of this lukewarm mentallity and come to Him for what we need and not follow the customs of the world. God will give you the desires of your heart if you come to Him asking with a pure heart.
What direction will you take? Be of the world and ready to kill for it? Or come to God who Gives you everything?
Sermon: "Sailing Through The Storm Of Grace"
Today I am going to write about christian making it through storms and not making it and what the bible says about them!
*Here this is what James says about going through storms:
James 1:2-5 When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. he will not rebuke you for asking.
What this says to me is when troubles come, go through it with faith and not giving up. If you need help in a trial or storm, to ask God for the wisdom and strength to get you through what you are going through. I think storms in your life also to build character in people. It's either a make or break situation, not saying God will ever leave nor forsake you, but if you win one trial without giving up and being victorious you will want to win many more.
James 1:6-11 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
Believers who are a poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.
Then I think what this other part is saying; Don't go to God self doubtingly and double minded, thinking is God really there for me, or is He really not there at all? It shows that your unstable, unreliable, and uncertain in your faith. This is when the devil can come in, when your weak and uncertian and start telling you even more lies that will pull you even further away from your faith.
James 1:12-18 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong,a and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
This last part shows that God bless those who make it through the storms with full endurance in the testing of temptations. God is not the one who is the one who is tempting you to do "sin" so don't be made at God when trials and storms come your way, just think of them as great Gifts to build your faith and your character.
Here is even more scripture in Romans saying that we can make it through trails with endurance!
Romans 5:3-5 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
1 peter 1:3-9 So be truly glad.There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
I think it's so amazing, that God loves us that he would put us through storms so that we can build character in our lives to become better christians and to over come those temptations in our lives as well. I know for myself I have had some storms come up in my life such as my family. When I was young my family and I did everything together, and we were such a fun loving family, and then when I got saved in 5th grade my whole life got flipped upside down. I thought to myself what a great salvation present from God having all this family drama and such. I thought to myself many times when I wanted to get saved in the first place so I could go through all this and feel so crappy? Well that was the scenario it took me many years to go through this storm until I finally figured out why I was going through it and why it took me so many years to go through it. Would you like to know why? Because I wasn't relying on God and who he is, and seeing the bigger end of things. I was caught in this world of self emptiness filling it up with other things because I was so empty inside. Until I finally noticed what was going on, things started to gradually get better in that storm. Defiantly I just had to give it all to God and build my faith up, and know that He is God and will never leave in this or lead me astray. After that things starting piecing together, as if all that emptiness was gone and I saw the light out of this storm. How much of a difference there was in my life from what happened at the beginning and to the end of this. I was so happy when I got to the end of it, and understood why God had put me through that and other storms, I was actually excited that God loved me that much that He wanted to see changes in ME, and to build more character in me. Along with being able to share my sufferings with other people, I can't wait to be a youth pastor now in the future because I think going through all the things I did, will better equip me for my future being able to minister to the people that God wants me to. So God Brought me out of this season, and put me into a new season and he can do the same for you. But make sure you don't give up on your faith I know it's not easy because we all have trouble with it but God will get you through it, and when you beat one storm, and become victorious, you will want to take on more!
*Here this is what James says about going through storms:
James 1:2-5 When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. he will not rebuke you for asking.
What this says to me is when troubles come, go through it with faith and not giving up. If you need help in a trial or storm, to ask God for the wisdom and strength to get you through what you are going through. I think storms in your life also to build character in people. It's either a make or break situation, not saying God will ever leave nor forsake you, but if you win one trial without giving up and being victorious you will want to win many more.
James 1:6-11 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
Believers who are a poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.
Then I think what this other part is saying; Don't go to God self doubtingly and double minded, thinking is God really there for me, or is He really not there at all? It shows that your unstable, unreliable, and uncertain in your faith. This is when the devil can come in, when your weak and uncertian and start telling you even more lies that will pull you even further away from your faith.
James 1:12-18 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong,a and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
This last part shows that God bless those who make it through the storms with full endurance in the testing of temptations. God is not the one who is the one who is tempting you to do "sin" so don't be made at God when trials and storms come your way, just think of them as great Gifts to build your faith and your character.
Here is even more scripture in Romans saying that we can make it through trails with endurance!
Romans 5:3-5 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
1 peter 1:3-9 So be truly glad.There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
I think it's so amazing, that God loves us that he would put us through storms so that we can build character in our lives to become better christians and to over come those temptations in our lives as well. I know for myself I have had some storms come up in my life such as my family. When I was young my family and I did everything together, and we were such a fun loving family, and then when I got saved in 5th grade my whole life got flipped upside down. I thought to myself what a great salvation present from God having all this family drama and such. I thought to myself many times when I wanted to get saved in the first place so I could go through all this and feel so crappy? Well that was the scenario it took me many years to go through this storm until I finally figured out why I was going through it and why it took me so many years to go through it. Would you like to know why? Because I wasn't relying on God and who he is, and seeing the bigger end of things. I was caught in this world of self emptiness filling it up with other things because I was so empty inside. Until I finally noticed what was going on, things started to gradually get better in that storm. Defiantly I just had to give it all to God and build my faith up, and know that He is God and will never leave in this or lead me astray. After that things starting piecing together, as if all that emptiness was gone and I saw the light out of this storm. How much of a difference there was in my life from what happened at the beginning and to the end of this. I was so happy when I got to the end of it, and understood why God had put me through that and other storms, I was actually excited that God loved me that much that He wanted to see changes in ME, and to build more character in me. Along with being able to share my sufferings with other people, I can't wait to be a youth pastor now in the future because I think going through all the things I did, will better equip me for my future being able to minister to the people that God wants me to. So God Brought me out of this season, and put me into a new season and he can do the same for you. But make sure you don't give up on your faith I know it's not easy because we all have trouble with it but God will get you through it, and when you beat one storm, and become victorious, you will want to take on more!
What Our Youth Suffer- At Risk Youth & Homlessness.
Homelessness & At Risk Youth
This is my hearts desire to see in the university district! Seeing seeds planted and freedom in young peoples lives. They all deserve a second chance at life, and someone to sit down and talk with. They may be on the streets for reasons we don't even know about EXP. being kicked out or abused and no where to go... So I think it would be awesome if we could go out of our four walls at church, and BE the church and reach our harvest. There are so many bible verses in Psalms about reaching out to the poor.God blesses us and anoints us as we take care of the poor. Our lives are not our own, and life is but a vapor, and we need to share are gift of salvation to others.
God has totally put a burden on my heart for homeless Women/Men, and at risk youth. Let’s look at some detailed facts, and get a better understanding why all this is going on, and where we get some information on getting help, for ourselves, friends, or loved ones we know.
These were percentiles taken in 2009 on the homeless; this gives us a better figure of how many people there actually are out on the street and what types of people. They have also increased through out the years due to losing jobs, low income, kicked out, and the falling economy.
*Single men 44%
*Single women 14%
*Families with children 36%
*More than 66%-85% deal with addictions, alcoholism, drugs, mental disorders
*22% have been physically assaulted
*8% sexually assaulted
*More than 35% of people have been homeless for more than two years. That makes you think, has any of your friends or family been homeless before and they have never told you before?
In addition, most homeless either are addicts to them, or are the “products of dysfunctional families and broken homes, that the families were impacted by addictions themselves such as drugs, anger, depression, alcoholism.
It is hard for the homeless to get much help because, many of the shelters are closing down, and some of them do not have recovery programs. They just get the people back on there feet into the “working world” and not help them with their deeper issues. I Don’t know if that would be their ( the shelters) job or would it be our job as Christians to share the good news with them, and how much God really loves them and cares about them and that he has Such an amazing calling on each and everyone of there lives. All I can think of when I say that, as Christians is Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do Good, Seek justice, help the oppressed, defend the cause of the orphans. Fight for rights of the widows. James 1.27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. It breaks my heart to see these people out on the street and there are so many of them. I cannot believe I used to be one, I can tell you it was defiantly a scary world out there. Now all I see is broken people that are stuck in addictions, or there heart is just broken and they are just crying out for help and not knowing where to get it from, but other places like their addictions. I want to see these people come into the church, to get there lives back, in full restoration, the broken hearts be healed, and finding something else to fill that addiction with. What can we do? We cannot be silent anymore. We only have one opportunity here on earth.
However, did you know, there is more programs targeted for at youth risk than there is homeless people? Studies shown that the younger the teens are, as they get into programs they can break these addictions off. The addictions they deal with are pretty much the same as, the homeless ranging from, drug abuse, alcoholism, pregnancy, dysfunctional families to abuse. They have many of these programs around for teens; they even have them at some schools too. The definition of an at risk teen is, one that is exposed to; Sex, Drugs, Alcohol, Rock ‘n’ roll at an early age. Alternatively, various problems at home; violence at home, inconsistent disincline, poor family function, low parent educations/ income and over controlling. These issues can lead other problems, and be the start of what causes at risk youth (Violence, abuse, suicide, stress, eating disorders.) They also cannot handle themselves in complex situations, such as dealing with peers, teachers, family, or at social events, they may seem very withdrawn from the way they have been in the past. There are still many parents out there who do the best they can, to raise their kids but they still fall into some sort of trouble or addictions. However, let us look at some statistics to see how many kids fall into some sort of addictions, violence or other problems.
*In 2002 877,700 young people, ages 10-24 were injured from a violent crime, and 1:13 were hospitalized.
*In 2001 5,468 Young people, ages 10-24 were murdered, that is an average of someone dying every 15 seconds, everyday through out the year.
*17% of students carry a weapon (gun, knife, club, pepper spray) to school because they fell unsafe.
*33% Reported being in a physical fight one or more times in a 12 month period.
* In 2001 5,468 young people ages 10-24 were involved in homicide. 85% (4,695) were males, and 15% (827) were females.
*In 2005 10.5 million people, ages 12-20 have consumed alcohol underage. Then 3 out of 4 students consume more than just a sip of alcohol before the end of their senior year of high school.
*In 2005 9.9% of youth ages, 12-17 were current drug users; 68% used marijuana, 3.3% prescription drugs, 1.2% inhalants, .8% hallucinogens, .6% cocaine. More than 50% of teens will try a drug before they finish high school!!
* It’s even getting more and more easier to get drugs and alcohol underage.
*My long term goal, is to see the light brought into peoples lives- to see that there is more then there drug and alcohol addictions. One word spoken into there lives or one encounter with God can change there perspectives forever!
This is my hearts desire to see in the university district! Seeing seeds planted and freedom in young peoples lives. They all deserve a second chance at life, and someone to sit down and talk with. They may be on the streets for reasons we don't even know about EXP. being kicked out or abused and no where to go... So I think it would be awesome if we could go out of our four walls at church, and BE the church and reach our harvest. There are so many bible verses in Psalms about reaching out to the poor.God blesses us and anoints us as we take care of the poor. Our lives are not our own, and life is but a vapor, and we need to share are gift of salvation to others.
God has totally put a burden on my heart for homeless Women/Men, and at risk youth. Let’s look at some detailed facts, and get a better understanding why all this is going on, and where we get some information on getting help, for ourselves, friends, or loved ones we know.
These were percentiles taken in 2009 on the homeless; this gives us a better figure of how many people there actually are out on the street and what types of people. They have also increased through out the years due to losing jobs, low income, kicked out, and the falling economy.
*Single men 44%
*Single women 14%
*Families with children 36%
*More than 66%-85% deal with addictions, alcoholism, drugs, mental disorders
*22% have been physically assaulted
*8% sexually assaulted
*More than 35% of people have been homeless for more than two years. That makes you think, has any of your friends or family been homeless before and they have never told you before?
In addition, most homeless either are addicts to them, or are the “products of dysfunctional families and broken homes, that the families were impacted by addictions themselves such as drugs, anger, depression, alcoholism.
It is hard for the homeless to get much help because, many of the shelters are closing down, and some of them do not have recovery programs. They just get the people back on there feet into the “working world” and not help them with their deeper issues. I Don’t know if that would be their ( the shelters) job or would it be our job as Christians to share the good news with them, and how much God really loves them and cares about them and that he has Such an amazing calling on each and everyone of there lives. All I can think of when I say that, as Christians is Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do Good, Seek justice, help the oppressed, defend the cause of the orphans. Fight for rights of the widows. James 1.27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. It breaks my heart to see these people out on the street and there are so many of them. I cannot believe I used to be one, I can tell you it was defiantly a scary world out there. Now all I see is broken people that are stuck in addictions, or there heart is just broken and they are just crying out for help and not knowing where to get it from, but other places like their addictions. I want to see these people come into the church, to get there lives back, in full restoration, the broken hearts be healed, and finding something else to fill that addiction with. What can we do? We cannot be silent anymore. We only have one opportunity here on earth.
However, did you know, there is more programs targeted for at youth risk than there is homeless people? Studies shown that the younger the teens are, as they get into programs they can break these addictions off. The addictions they deal with are pretty much the same as, the homeless ranging from, drug abuse, alcoholism, pregnancy, dysfunctional families to abuse. They have many of these programs around for teens; they even have them at some schools too. The definition of an at risk teen is, one that is exposed to; Sex, Drugs, Alcohol, Rock ‘n’ roll at an early age. Alternatively, various problems at home; violence at home, inconsistent disincline, poor family function, low parent educations/ income and over controlling. These issues can lead other problems, and be the start of what causes at risk youth (Violence, abuse, suicide, stress, eating disorders.) They also cannot handle themselves in complex situations, such as dealing with peers, teachers, family, or at social events, they may seem very withdrawn from the way they have been in the past. There are still many parents out there who do the best they can, to raise their kids but they still fall into some sort of trouble or addictions. However, let us look at some statistics to see how many kids fall into some sort of addictions, violence or other problems.
*In 2002 877,700 young people, ages 10-24 were injured from a violent crime, and 1:13 were hospitalized.
*In 2001 5,468 Young people, ages 10-24 were murdered, that is an average of someone dying every 15 seconds, everyday through out the year.
*17% of students carry a weapon (gun, knife, club, pepper spray) to school because they fell unsafe.
*33% Reported being in a physical fight one or more times in a 12 month period.
* In 2001 5,468 young people ages 10-24 were involved in homicide. 85% (4,695) were males, and 15% (827) were females.
*In 2005 10.5 million people, ages 12-20 have consumed alcohol underage. Then 3 out of 4 students consume more than just a sip of alcohol before the end of their senior year of high school.
*In 2005 9.9% of youth ages, 12-17 were current drug users; 68% used marijuana, 3.3% prescription drugs, 1.2% inhalants, .8% hallucinogens, .6% cocaine. More than 50% of teens will try a drug before they finish high school!!
* It’s even getting more and more easier to get drugs and alcohol underage.
*My long term goal, is to see the light brought into peoples lives- to see that there is more then there drug and alcohol addictions. One word spoken into there lives or one encounter with God can change there perspectives forever!
Sermon: "Kingdom Perspective (Matthew)"
*Matthew 8:3
Jesus reached out and touched him...( a leper)
So basically back in that time, lepers were not supposed to be touched because everyone was scared of getting the disease. But Jesus healed the man with leprosy. He had enough love and compassion to heal the leper. Jesus always did His healing one on one, never in a huge setting so he could show each individual how much they were to Him.
If Jesus had the faith to heal anyone, then as Christians we shouldn't be scared to reach out to others like the homeless for example. Just as Jesus reached out to that leper, we should be able to reach out to others no matter what they look or act like. We really need to just reach out to them with love and compassion. Then my view of compassion would be: giving a taste of God to unsuspecting people..anyone, anytime, in YOUR area of influence. Really though.. Who are you reaching? Who is in YOUR area of influence? (family friends?) It might be easier for us to look at people as a "soul" than as a person. God showed me a few days ago and spoke to me, "that it doesn't matter what the person looks like or how smart they are. But it's about there soul." That said to me that everyone has value, there like a hidden gem and that we all need and deserve to enter the kingdom. It kind of reminded me of the verse "the kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in the field" but that there souls are the hidden treasures that we need to reach! That really put a new perspective for me, and now I look at people completely different. "with a kingdom perspective."
Then if we go back and look at the verse in Matthew "Jesus reached out and touched him and he was healed." It made me think about the homeless.. That we just don't give them a second though and just look beyond them. And I compare the leper and a homeless person because they are alot alike. All they are looking for is that loving hand to reach out and touch them, so they can encounter Gods love and His healing power. But still do we pass them by? In John 14:12 it says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works that I have done or even GREATER! So if Jesus said right there in that verse that we can go out and do greater works, then why aren't we doing them?! It takes faith and desire to take a step out in faith, and as I said before there are only certain people you can reach in YOUR life. God is looking for people that want to serve HIM and would do anything bodly for His kingdom, no matter the cost. People are FRESH and waiting for some JESUS. The harvest is ripe. Next time the Holy Spirit tells you to go talk to someone, please go do it. It could be your last chance seeing them or the possibility of there last day of being able to enter the kingdom. Be bold and step out in faith, there is nothing to lose if you obey the Holy SPirit. God will give you so much more if you continue to follow His ways he will show you much more you could never dream or imagine of..
Lastly but not least in James 1:27 it says " real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father is this: reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight and guard against corruptive of the Godless world." God blesses those who reach out to the homeless and protects them. God sure does love the homeless just as much as the leper. So my point being know matter if it's a leper or a homeless person or someone that needs to be reached.. I challenge you to step out in and reach that person know matter how hard it is. God will bless you. If Jesus is Love, we can show His love to other and be the salt and light in the world!
Jesus reached out and touched him...( a leper)
So basically back in that time, lepers were not supposed to be touched because everyone was scared of getting the disease. But Jesus healed the man with leprosy. He had enough love and compassion to heal the leper. Jesus always did His healing one on one, never in a huge setting so he could show each individual how much they were to Him.
If Jesus had the faith to heal anyone, then as Christians we shouldn't be scared to reach out to others like the homeless for example. Just as Jesus reached out to that leper, we should be able to reach out to others no matter what they look or act like. We really need to just reach out to them with love and compassion. Then my view of compassion would be: giving a taste of God to unsuspecting people..anyone, anytime, in YOUR area of influence. Really though.. Who are you reaching? Who is in YOUR area of influence? (family friends?) It might be easier for us to look at people as a "soul" than as a person. God showed me a few days ago and spoke to me, "that it doesn't matter what the person looks like or how smart they are. But it's about there soul." That said to me that everyone has value, there like a hidden gem and that we all need and deserve to enter the kingdom. It kind of reminded me of the verse "the kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in the field" but that there souls are the hidden treasures that we need to reach! That really put a new perspective for me, and now I look at people completely different. "with a kingdom perspective."
Then if we go back and look at the verse in Matthew "Jesus reached out and touched him and he was healed." It made me think about the homeless.. That we just don't give them a second though and just look beyond them. And I compare the leper and a homeless person because they are alot alike. All they are looking for is that loving hand to reach out and touch them, so they can encounter Gods love and His healing power. But still do we pass them by? In John 14:12 it says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works that I have done or even GREATER! So if Jesus said right there in that verse that we can go out and do greater works, then why aren't we doing them?! It takes faith and desire to take a step out in faith, and as I said before there are only certain people you can reach in YOUR life. God is looking for people that want to serve HIM and would do anything bodly for His kingdom, no matter the cost. People are FRESH and waiting for some JESUS. The harvest is ripe. Next time the Holy Spirit tells you to go talk to someone, please go do it. It could be your last chance seeing them or the possibility of there last day of being able to enter the kingdom. Be bold and step out in faith, there is nothing to lose if you obey the Holy SPirit. God will give you so much more if you continue to follow His ways he will show you much more you could never dream or imagine of..
Lastly but not least in James 1:27 it says " real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father is this: reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight and guard against corruptive of the Godless world." God blesses those who reach out to the homeless and protects them. God sure does love the homeless just as much as the leper. So my point being know matter if it's a leper or a homeless person or someone that needs to be reached.. I challenge you to step out in and reach that person know matter how hard it is. God will bless you. If Jesus is Love, we can show His love to other and be the salt and light in the world!
Golden Nugget: "Mysteries Unfold?"
I believe that we are in the last days. There will be a huge spiritual battle, but ppl will be drawn out in black and white, meaning your either staying with God or you will be plucked away. I believe this time now is prep for raising anointed warriors who will be fearless and ready to lead the troops. And that we will see things none have. We will be history makers, and every sickness and disease will be healed and hospitals will be emptied. There are also hidden gems, there are hidden gems, talents and people in this generation. Things we have never seen before, gifting that we have never seen before will arise in this generation.
The apostle Paul said, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels…" It is time to “shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars” so that we can unearth the “treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places."
The apostle Paul said, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels…" It is time to “shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars” so that we can unearth the “treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places."
Golden Nugget: "Unseen Generation"
God wants a generation set apart and on fire for Him. No more in between (lukewarmness) Rev 3.6 "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" God is seeking for people that are willing to give EVERYTHING over to HIM, and to live a life of complete holiness and obidence. He is seeking true worshipers in the hour! Who will worship Him in spirit, mind, and truth. (John 4.23) God wants it ALL- He is soo ready to OUT POUR His spirit upon us.. I feel in my spirit an "acts 2" kind of out pouring really soon. Something I have been praying for. People that flow in the supernaturl and see in the supernatural have high expectations for the moving and flowing power of God on a daily basis. We are not normal christians- we are abmormal on fire people wanting to see heaven invade earth! This is why God has brought us all together for a reason. A) so we can be influencers for other people in our areas of influence and get them fired up and set apart. B) we are world changers. We will go different places or stay here, but we will always be together. As pastor Brian Houston said last week- life is short but life is long. We need to start living in TODAY and use that power that we have in today and GO use it!!
Sermon: "A Call To Repentance"
A call to repentance
What is repentance? Repentance is, “to change, or to turn”. Once a person hears the gospel and is convicted of his way of living is wrong, he/she must change their ‘present’ behavior. Repentance is not just a feeling either- it’s a heart change. Repentance brings fruit into your life, if you really are repenting for a sin in your life, there will be fruit showing you changed. Have you fully repented for your sins? Or have you just put off asking for Gods forgiveness or just blocked them off and put a wall up?
I think a lot of times in the American culture, we are so busy and caught up- doing things that we really don’t need to be doing. We don’t need to be going to every party or every event. We get so caught up doing things, and get so side tracked from God. There are times that we sin and think nothing of it, we just go on with our days saying, “oh I will repent later” Or “I will go pray later” but it really never happens. It just begins to pill up, and then after awhile you feel so overwhelmed and don’t know what to do with your self. Our generation needs to start being more obedient to God and the Holy Spirit. We never hear the word repentance much anymore; it’s just like a word that’s just disapered from religion these days. It’s almost as if, in the churches now we have a: “just believe, accept Christ, you will be saved kind of attitude.” Which shouldn’t be what we are striving for, we should be in the puriest form reflecting Christ image. I want to live a pure and holy life in front of my savior. Not one where I just cover things, up and hide them in the darkness. Taking care of the root issue (sin) right when it happens before it turns into something bigger is the best way to deal with things. What happens is, that when you don’t take care of things right away, the devil leaves a stronghold in your life, and has a hook on you that you leave so the devil can still have access to you because you haven’t taken care of your sin. So what we need to do is stop giving the devil access to our lives, but asking God for forgiveness right away and turning from that sin so that the devil has know footholds in our lives, so we don’t have to uproot covered up sins that should have dealt with along time ago. “You can enter God’s kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate it wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only very few find it.” (Matthew 7.13&14) Even though we me be “saved” it still doesn’t mean that we will make it to heaven. God doesn’t want us to just go through an easy life having a “free will” because we really don’t. God wants our lives to reflect the bible and Him.
Let’s take a look at some stories in the bible that talk about repentance. A lot of the Old Testament prophets were called to bring judgment and repentance to their people, and to their land. Amos for one was not really considered a prophet in the eyes of others but in Gods eyes he was. Amos told Judah to repent of their sins and that God would bring judgment to that land if they didn’t. But they didn’t listen and their hearts were hardened to what God was saying because the land was cursed from their sins which they didn’t repent of.” When your hearts are hardened, your eyes are blinded and your ears are closed from the word of God and it’s very hard to hear from Him.” (Matthew 13.14&15) God told Amos to go to the land one last time and give a call to repentance, and that if they didn’t repent - there would be, famines, earthquakes, floods, disease, and plagues. “Therefore, I will bring upon you all the disasters I have announced. Prepare to meet your God in judgment, you people of Israel!” (Amos 4.12) God is serious when He asks you to repent for your sins. That is just one out of many stories in the bible about repentance.
I do believe that right now, the hour we are in. That God is asking/seeking serious people. That we don’t have time to dilly dally around. He wants us to repent and to move forward with our walk with God. The time is NOW. America right now is in great need of serious people who will rise up, and deliver a message of repentance to the people. There is so much darkness in western Washington right now and deception. Look at 1 Timothy 1.8-11, 4:12. It talks about how deceived people really are, and that they are living in their flesh even though they are Christians. Right now God is just waiting, he wants us to go out and tell these people about repentance. He is giving us HUGE warning signs now- and that’s how much he loves us, to warn His people before He wipes us out. I know that’s deep but it’s the truth. Look at the times- and what it says in the book of Revelation. In the book of Revelation it talks about two end times harvest, (Revelations 14.14-20) 1. The harvest of souls (14.14-16) 2.The harvest of sin (14.17-20). With that harvest of “sin” we can change that with our message of repentance to the deceived people in the “last days”. Their hearts will be so hardened by what’s going on in the world and from people falling from the church. But it’s never too late- we just need to respond NOW, and go out and do our parts. That’s why it’s so serious to repent from your sin and not put it off till it gets too late.
What is repentance? Repentance is, “to change, or to turn”. Once a person hears the gospel and is convicted of his way of living is wrong, he/she must change their ‘present’ behavior. Repentance is not just a feeling either- it’s a heart change. Repentance brings fruit into your life, if you really are repenting for a sin in your life, there will be fruit showing you changed. Have you fully repented for your sins? Or have you just put off asking for Gods forgiveness or just blocked them off and put a wall up?
I think a lot of times in the American culture, we are so busy and caught up- doing things that we really don’t need to be doing. We don’t need to be going to every party or every event. We get so caught up doing things, and get so side tracked from God. There are times that we sin and think nothing of it, we just go on with our days saying, “oh I will repent later” Or “I will go pray later” but it really never happens. It just begins to pill up, and then after awhile you feel so overwhelmed and don’t know what to do with your self. Our generation needs to start being more obedient to God and the Holy Spirit. We never hear the word repentance much anymore; it’s just like a word that’s just disapered from religion these days. It’s almost as if, in the churches now we have a: “just believe, accept Christ, you will be saved kind of attitude.” Which shouldn’t be what we are striving for, we should be in the puriest form reflecting Christ image. I want to live a pure and holy life in front of my savior. Not one where I just cover things, up and hide them in the darkness. Taking care of the root issue (sin) right when it happens before it turns into something bigger is the best way to deal with things. What happens is, that when you don’t take care of things right away, the devil leaves a stronghold in your life, and has a hook on you that you leave so the devil can still have access to you because you haven’t taken care of your sin. So what we need to do is stop giving the devil access to our lives, but asking God for forgiveness right away and turning from that sin so that the devil has know footholds in our lives, so we don’t have to uproot covered up sins that should have dealt with along time ago. “You can enter God’s kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate it wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only very few find it.” (Matthew 7.13&14) Even though we me be “saved” it still doesn’t mean that we will make it to heaven. God doesn’t want us to just go through an easy life having a “free will” because we really don’t. God wants our lives to reflect the bible and Him.
Let’s take a look at some stories in the bible that talk about repentance. A lot of the Old Testament prophets were called to bring judgment and repentance to their people, and to their land. Amos for one was not really considered a prophet in the eyes of others but in Gods eyes he was. Amos told Judah to repent of their sins and that God would bring judgment to that land if they didn’t. But they didn’t listen and their hearts were hardened to what God was saying because the land was cursed from their sins which they didn’t repent of.” When your hearts are hardened, your eyes are blinded and your ears are closed from the word of God and it’s very hard to hear from Him.” (Matthew 13.14&15) God told Amos to go to the land one last time and give a call to repentance, and that if they didn’t repent - there would be, famines, earthquakes, floods, disease, and plagues. “Therefore, I will bring upon you all the disasters I have announced. Prepare to meet your God in judgment, you people of Israel!” (Amos 4.12) God is serious when He asks you to repent for your sins. That is just one out of many stories in the bible about repentance.
I do believe that right now, the hour we are in. That God is asking/seeking serious people. That we don’t have time to dilly dally around. He wants us to repent and to move forward with our walk with God. The time is NOW. America right now is in great need of serious people who will rise up, and deliver a message of repentance to the people. There is so much darkness in western Washington right now and deception. Look at 1 Timothy 1.8-11, 4:12. It talks about how deceived people really are, and that they are living in their flesh even though they are Christians. Right now God is just waiting, he wants us to go out and tell these people about repentance. He is giving us HUGE warning signs now- and that’s how much he loves us, to warn His people before He wipes us out. I know that’s deep but it’s the truth. Look at the times- and what it says in the book of Revelation. In the book of Revelation it talks about two end times harvest, (Revelations 14.14-20) 1. The harvest of souls (14.14-16) 2.The harvest of sin (14.17-20). With that harvest of “sin” we can change that with our message of repentance to the deceived people in the “last days”. Their hearts will be so hardened by what’s going on in the world and from people falling from the church. But it’s never too late- we just need to respond NOW, and go out and do our parts. That’s why it’s so serious to repent from your sin and not put it off till it gets too late.
Sermon: "Endurance"
endurance = patience
We need both of those with our everyday walk with God. When we have endurance we must press through with our walk God and be patience in those trying times so we don't give up.
Jesus was first : “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1.8) Jesus paved the way for each and every single one of us, so know one was left behind. Knowing that He went first should be very comforting to us in our walks with God. Jesus was a forerunner for us- He went along the blazing trail to make us forerunners after Him. 'A forerunner is someone who get's a glimps of the future before other people, and the forerunner paves the way before others.' (Hebrews 6.19&20 ")
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." Even though our soul is firm and secure, we must watch our souls, meaning in the time that we are in, we must guard our hearts. When we endure trials and temptations in our lives, the devil thinks we are at our "weakest" during those times, but when we are at our weakest we are at our strongest. “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21. 34-36) During these times we must run the race and put our eyes on Him.. So we don't give up on our callings or whatever God asks us to do.
But without God we cannot get anywhere. (Hebrews 11.39-40) "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."
THE "RACE OF FAITH" IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT...
1. It does not require one quick burst of energy, in which the
race is soon over
2. This "race" requires a sustained effort over a long period of
time
ENDURANCE IS A NECESSARY QUALITY...
1. Jesus often taught His disciples concerning the need for
endurance (i.e., patience)
a. In the parable of The Sower -
Lk 8:12
a. In preparing the disciples for the Limited Commission -
Mt
10:22
b. In His discourse on the Mount of Olives -
Mt 24:13
2. The writer to the Hebrews had stressed this virtue earlier
a. In which he appealed to the example of Abraham - He 6:11-15
b. In which he quoted from Habakkuk -
He 10:36-39
3. We can develop such patience with the help of the Scriptures
- Ro 15:4
a. As we read of the faithfulness of God Who fulfills His
promises
b. As we read of the ultimate end of those persevered in
faithfulness
We need both of those with our everyday walk with God. When we have endurance we must press through with our walk God and be patience in those trying times so we don't give up.
Jesus was first : “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1.8) Jesus paved the way for each and every single one of us, so know one was left behind. Knowing that He went first should be very comforting to us in our walks with God. Jesus was a forerunner for us- He went along the blazing trail to make us forerunners after Him. 'A forerunner is someone who get's a glimps of the future before other people, and the forerunner paves the way before others.' (Hebrews 6.19&20 ")
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." Even though our soul is firm and secure, we must watch our souls, meaning in the time that we are in, we must guard our hearts. When we endure trials and temptations in our lives, the devil thinks we are at our "weakest" during those times, but when we are at our weakest we are at our strongest. “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21. 34-36) During these times we must run the race and put our eyes on Him.. So we don't give up on our callings or whatever God asks us to do.
But without God we cannot get anywhere. (Hebrews 11.39-40) "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."
THE "RACE OF FAITH" IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT...
1. It does not require one quick burst of energy, in which the
race is soon over
2. This "race" requires a sustained effort over a long period of
time
ENDURANCE IS A NECESSARY QUALITY...
1. Jesus often taught His disciples concerning the need for
endurance (i.e., patience)
a. In the parable of The Sower -
Lk 8:12
a. In preparing the disciples for the Limited Commission -
Mt
10:22
b. In His discourse on the Mount of Olives -
Mt 24:13
2. The writer to the Hebrews had stressed this virtue earlier
a. In which he appealed to the example of Abraham - He 6:11-15
b. In which he quoted from Habakkuk -
He 10:36-39
3. We can develop such patience with the help of the Scriptures
- Ro 15:4
a. As we read of the faithfulness of God Who fulfills His
promises
b. As we read of the ultimate end of those persevered in
faithfulness
Sermon: "Refined By Fire"
Refined by Fire!
Refining is a process by which everything else is removed and only the pure metal remains. It is accomplished through firing, putting the metal over the fire until it is a liquid from which
can be drawn from.
God sent a message to the prophet Zechariah- (Zechariah 13.9) “This third I will put into the fire;
I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name
and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people, and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.”
1) Look for the ways God is using your difficulties to refine you. Don’t rebel against the work God is trying to do in your life. We all have to be refined in our lives.
(1 Peter 1.7) “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
2) The Lord does not willingly afflict, yet His wise love often appoints sharp trials, to show His people their hearts and to do them good in the latter end. In the end result- God wants a generation of young believers who’s hearts are pure and holy towards God. With no bitterness, anger Ect.. But true and holy believers who are really ready to carry out the gospel and to bring the end time harvest in.
God wants us to be as- Holy as Holy as I am. He wants us to mirror image His life, His holiness to be complete and perfect. The refining process (going through the fire) is not the easiest thing to go through as a Christian. But each time you go through a trail, or refining period- God is trying to show how much He loves you. He wants you to be perfect like Him. An atmosphere of complete holiness would be, in a broken position before the Lord, letting Him come in and do the work that He needs to do, and be vulnerable enough. A lot of times, it will be a very painful and emotional thing- a lot of times you will end up in tears or crying your eyes out not really knowing why. But God is trying uproot all the impure things in your life.
**Pain and suffering can have a diving purpose in preparing us for Glory (2 Corinthians 4.16-18) “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. “ Peter was tested daily on his faith, being tested each day- or even going through the “fire” shows the strengths and weaknesses of your faith..
(Habakkuk 3.17-19) “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. *Sometimes we are forced to turn to God. But yet we will rejoice in the Lord, and be joyful. Even though we go through some of the hardest things in our lives, God will always be there and we can TRUST in HIM.
(2 Corinthians 1.3-5) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”
Do you see that? God comforts us in our “troubles” so that we can go out and comfort other people! WOA! The trails that you go through, are not only for yourself but they are also for other people. That you can go out and share your testimony with others and show and tell them how you made it through things, and that they can make it through as well! Bearing pain and suffering can be an inspiration to others. .( just like the apostle Paul to the message of Christ to almost everyone in the new testament! )
Lastly! (1 Timothy 6.12) Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
KEEP FIGHTING NO MATTER WHAT! Don’t give up just because you are going through something hard. Keep pressing forward to receive the crown of life! (eternal life)God would never give you something you can’t handle and would never ‘not’ be there with you through the fire. Fire produces endurance and character! Don’t give up!
Refining is a process by which everything else is removed and only the pure metal remains. It is accomplished through firing, putting the metal over the fire until it is a liquid from which
can be drawn from.
God sent a message to the prophet Zechariah- (Zechariah 13.9) “This third I will put into the fire;
I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name
and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people, and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.”
1) Look for the ways God is using your difficulties to refine you. Don’t rebel against the work God is trying to do in your life. We all have to be refined in our lives.
(1 Peter 1.7) “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
2) The Lord does not willingly afflict, yet His wise love often appoints sharp trials, to show His people their hearts and to do them good in the latter end. In the end result- God wants a generation of young believers who’s hearts are pure and holy towards God. With no bitterness, anger Ect.. But true and holy believers who are really ready to carry out the gospel and to bring the end time harvest in.
God wants us to be as- Holy as Holy as I am. He wants us to mirror image His life, His holiness to be complete and perfect. The refining process (going through the fire) is not the easiest thing to go through as a Christian. But each time you go through a trail, or refining period- God is trying to show how much He loves you. He wants you to be perfect like Him. An atmosphere of complete holiness would be, in a broken position before the Lord, letting Him come in and do the work that He needs to do, and be vulnerable enough. A lot of times, it will be a very painful and emotional thing- a lot of times you will end up in tears or crying your eyes out not really knowing why. But God is trying uproot all the impure things in your life.
**Pain and suffering can have a diving purpose in preparing us for Glory (2 Corinthians 4.16-18) “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. “ Peter was tested daily on his faith, being tested each day- or even going through the “fire” shows the strengths and weaknesses of your faith..
(Habakkuk 3.17-19) “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. *Sometimes we are forced to turn to God. But yet we will rejoice in the Lord, and be joyful. Even though we go through some of the hardest things in our lives, God will always be there and we can TRUST in HIM.
(2 Corinthians 1.3-5) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”
Do you see that? God comforts us in our “troubles” so that we can go out and comfort other people! WOA! The trails that you go through, are not only for yourself but they are also for other people. That you can go out and share your testimony with others and show and tell them how you made it through things, and that they can make it through as well! Bearing pain and suffering can be an inspiration to others. .( just like the apostle Paul to the message of Christ to almost everyone in the new testament! )
Lastly! (1 Timothy 6.12) Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
KEEP FIGHTING NO MATTER WHAT! Don’t give up just because you are going through something hard. Keep pressing forward to receive the crown of life! (eternal life)God would never give you something you can’t handle and would never ‘not’ be there with you through the fire. Fire produces endurance and character! Don’t give up!
Sermon: "Spiritual Warefare"
Spiritual Warfare
What is spiritual warfare?There is no biblical scripture on spiritual warfare with the meaning. But, spiritual warfare is a pro-active approach to our faith. We actively resist the devil when his “hosts” (demonic forces) harass us. We actively pursue spiritual disciplines that will make us stronger and better prepared. We actively fight the enemy when people are in “spiritual” bondage.
*Here are the only two verses that I could find in the bible on warfare
1) 2 Corinthians 10.3-6 (Message)
“The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.”
2) Ephesians 6.10-12 (Message)
“And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.”
Later in Ephesians 6 apostle Paul talks about the ‘Armor’ of God. We must put this one each day, before we go out into battle!
A) <span class=" fbUnderline">Helmet of Salvation-</span> The first place the devil wants to attack is our mind. This is where our ideas come from, that may lead into temptations, actions, or sins. We must transform and renew our minds daily. (Romans 12.2)
B) Breastplate of righteousness- the second place the devil tries to attack is our hearts. The devil will try to come back, and remind you of past hurts, and wounds that you have had in your heart. But the devil will also bring our “secret sin” out of our hearts and broadcast it to everyone. That’s why we must stay righteous and “clean” our armor daily.
C) <span class=" fbUnderline"> The belt of TRUTH-</span> Jesus walks into battle with us everyday! Jesus is the WAY the TRUTH, and the LIFE. (John 14.6) Jesus keeps our lives in order and from being bad! Because He walks with us daily.
D) <span class=" fbUnderline">Sword of the spirit- </span>the spirit and the truth (the sword and the belt) come together as one. We beat down any spiritual stronghold with the word of God (Revelation 19.21)
E) <span class=" fbUnderline">Shoes of the Gospel-</span> We must be prepared in and out of season, to go out into battle and preach the good news. We must have the word of God hidden in our hearts.
F) <span class=" fbUnderline">Clock of Zeal-</span> (Isaiah 59.17) We must wrap ourselves in the cloak of zeal- to show our passion for God
<span class=" fbUnderline">So what does spiritual warfare have to do with us in this time, and in our church?</span> In our American culture “Christians” get so lazy. We just check-in, meaning we just go to church on a Sunday or Wednesday and we think that’s good enough and we have paid our dues, but we really haven’t (just thinking about that thought, scares me!) So many Christians have become so fearful and lazy. This is not the life style that God really wanted us to live at all. He wants us to go out and fill the great commission (Mark 16.15-18) But so many of us have become captives to the devil, and not doing anything about it. Lets take a look at what has happened to “us” as Christians- what we have been filled with.
*The bible talks about Curses that can enter our lives, there are too many to be listed but you can look at the bible passage and look into them. A curse is- a repeated sin that happens over and over- and you don’t repent of it, and it takes foothold in your life. (Psalm 119.21) In Deuteronomy 27:15-26 is a list of sins that release the curses. Deuteronomy 28:15-65 is a list of or the results of the curses. Wow. <span class=" fbUnderline">Can we get rid of curses I am sure is your next question right? </span>YES WE CAN! Breaking a curse come through “true” repentance. Not just asking God for forgiveness but acting out on that repentance. You also need to take spiritual authority over it, and cast it out in the name of JESUS. (2 Corinthians 7:10&11) A lot of times the demonic forces that are in a person- mess with the persons mind telling them “they are okay” and have them think that there is nothing wrong. That’s why people stay in bondage for a long time!
*<span class=" fbUnderline">Now we have a battlefield of the mind.</span> Where the devil comes in and puts, lies, threats, Intimidation, fear, lust, and false accusations in our head. One of the worst examples is: a child being abused. I say this because, a child grows up getting abused, and the devil constantly lies to the child saying “it’s their fault” or “you deserved that.” Which totally are all lies from the devil, but growing up, you my not have known or felt that way. And the child will grow up with, confusion, shame, fear, depression, anxiety ect. The child will start looking at their own shortcomings and perceive rejection from others. Others may not really be rejecting them but the child feels that way, because they have been sound bound with lies in their heads. Then if we look up to our parents lacking the character/ mirror image of God, we see our God as a completely different figure. We see Him as a non-loving God, and one lacking compassion. Then we go into adulthood with extra.. Baggage?! What’s that? The weight of things one carries while the growing up. Of being in controlling situations, in manipulative situations, and in emotional and physical abuse. Wow. That really does take a long time to heal from so dear friends be patient with ones that have been abused! I can promise you God will restore them! And me. This is what happens to a lot of Americans- the grow up hurt from families or something that happened to them as a child and they have something so deeply rooted in them that it’s very hard to uproot yourself. Many adults who are full of anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. Some time in their life, often in childhood, they have been hurt deeply by someone. The enemy will constantly give them "flashback memories" of that situation in the past. Which constantly stirs everything up again! Thanks devil! <span class=" fbUnderline">Now what do we do to correct or mind that is such a battlefield</span>?
A) Renew our image of God. We must know the “character” of God
B) What is my Identity in Christ. What does God say about me?
C) Fill your mind with Gods WORD
D) PRAY! Romans 12.2 Philippians 4.6&7
*<span class=" fbUnderline">How do we know that we are oppressed or have something wrong with us? We can notice problems in our physical bodies..</span>
1) Extremely low self-image (unworthy, a failure, no good - a constant undermining of the self-identity.)
2) Violent thoughts (suicidal, homicidal, encouraging self-abuse, etc.)
3) Deep depression and despondency (frequently and timely)
4) Irrational fears - panic attacks – phobias
5) Eating obsessions - bulimia, anorexia nervosa
6) Extreme restlessness (especially in a spiritual environment)
7) Voices are heard in the mind (they mock, intimidate, accuse, threaten or bargain)
8) Pain (without justifiable explanation - especially in head and/or stomach)
9) Physical ailments can often be alleviated immediately by a command of spiritual authority (i.e. epileptic seizure, asthma attacks, various pains)
10) Sudden interference with bodily functions (temporary) - buzzing in ears, inability to speak or hear, sudden severe headache, hypersensitivity in hearing or touch, sudden chills or overwhelming heat in body, numbness in arms or legs, temporary paralysis
This is what we must go out and fight against in the spiritual realm this is why apostle Paul warns us to put on our armor daily, and Jesus tells us to renew our minds daily with the word of God, and to pray. So we don’t let curses and strong holds, and oppression enter our lives. Paul was a “spiritual warrior” he was fearless and took the full authority that God had given him and casted things out in the name of JESUS.
How do you command the spirits to leave and get delivered.
A) Identify what the spirits are
B) Repent
C) Cast them out in the name of Jesus or Nazareth
D) Keep your temple clean daily. Renew, renew, RENEW!
**Prophetically speaking- God is raising up an army NOW. To fight in the spiritual realm. For ourselves, for our families, for our friends. We must take all the authority that Gods has given us, and go take authority over what the devil is trying to take from us, and fight back. Yes God can intervine and fight our battles for us, but we learn nothing and will not be called "warriors" when He fights for us.
God showed me a vision a few nights ago when I was having my own warfare- God showed me demons fighting angels, and God spoke to me that " there is not enough people fighting in my army, and that there has to be more leaders "warriors" raised up." Then God woke me up again, and told me to start interceding for our group. Then the next night I come home, and that exact image I saw the night before was on the TV, being referenced from the book of Revelation. Don't lose sight of what God has given or shown you, it will come to pass. Right now, God wants us to fight. God out and fight for other peoples lives, our own, and our families. Yes it's hard, but this is what we are called to do as FOLLOWERS/DISCIPLES of CHRIST. Set the captives free! It reminds me of Gideons army!
What is spiritual warfare?There is no biblical scripture on spiritual warfare with the meaning. But, spiritual warfare is a pro-active approach to our faith. We actively resist the devil when his “hosts” (demonic forces) harass us. We actively pursue spiritual disciplines that will make us stronger and better prepared. We actively fight the enemy when people are in “spiritual” bondage.
*Here are the only two verses that I could find in the bible on warfare
1) 2 Corinthians 10.3-6 (Message)
“The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.”
2) Ephesians 6.10-12 (Message)
“And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.”
Later in Ephesians 6 apostle Paul talks about the ‘Armor’ of God. We must put this one each day, before we go out into battle!
A) <span class=" fbUnderline">Helmet of Salvation-</span> The first place the devil wants to attack is our mind. This is where our ideas come from, that may lead into temptations, actions, or sins. We must transform and renew our minds daily. (Romans 12.2)
B) Breastplate of righteousness- the second place the devil tries to attack is our hearts. The devil will try to come back, and remind you of past hurts, and wounds that you have had in your heart. But the devil will also bring our “secret sin” out of our hearts and broadcast it to everyone. That’s why we must stay righteous and “clean” our armor daily.
C) <span class=" fbUnderline"> The belt of TRUTH-</span> Jesus walks into battle with us everyday! Jesus is the WAY the TRUTH, and the LIFE. (John 14.6) Jesus keeps our lives in order and from being bad! Because He walks with us daily.
D) <span class=" fbUnderline">Sword of the spirit- </span>the spirit and the truth (the sword and the belt) come together as one. We beat down any spiritual stronghold with the word of God (Revelation 19.21)
E) <span class=" fbUnderline">Shoes of the Gospel-</span> We must be prepared in and out of season, to go out into battle and preach the good news. We must have the word of God hidden in our hearts.
F) <span class=" fbUnderline">Clock of Zeal-</span> (Isaiah 59.17) We must wrap ourselves in the cloak of zeal- to show our passion for God
<span class=" fbUnderline">So what does spiritual warfare have to do with us in this time, and in our church?</span> In our American culture “Christians” get so lazy. We just check-in, meaning we just go to church on a Sunday or Wednesday and we think that’s good enough and we have paid our dues, but we really haven’t (just thinking about that thought, scares me!) So many Christians have become so fearful and lazy. This is not the life style that God really wanted us to live at all. He wants us to go out and fill the great commission (Mark 16.15-18) But so many of us have become captives to the devil, and not doing anything about it. Lets take a look at what has happened to “us” as Christians- what we have been filled with.
*The bible talks about Curses that can enter our lives, there are too many to be listed but you can look at the bible passage and look into them. A curse is- a repeated sin that happens over and over- and you don’t repent of it, and it takes foothold in your life. (Psalm 119.21) In Deuteronomy 27:15-26 is a list of sins that release the curses. Deuteronomy 28:15-65 is a list of or the results of the curses. Wow. <span class=" fbUnderline">Can we get rid of curses I am sure is your next question right? </span>YES WE CAN! Breaking a curse come through “true” repentance. Not just asking God for forgiveness but acting out on that repentance. You also need to take spiritual authority over it, and cast it out in the name of JESUS. (2 Corinthians 7:10&11) A lot of times the demonic forces that are in a person- mess with the persons mind telling them “they are okay” and have them think that there is nothing wrong. That’s why people stay in bondage for a long time!
*<span class=" fbUnderline">Now we have a battlefield of the mind.</span> Where the devil comes in and puts, lies, threats, Intimidation, fear, lust, and false accusations in our head. One of the worst examples is: a child being abused. I say this because, a child grows up getting abused, and the devil constantly lies to the child saying “it’s their fault” or “you deserved that.” Which totally are all lies from the devil, but growing up, you my not have known or felt that way. And the child will grow up with, confusion, shame, fear, depression, anxiety ect. The child will start looking at their own shortcomings and perceive rejection from others. Others may not really be rejecting them but the child feels that way, because they have been sound bound with lies in their heads. Then if we look up to our parents lacking the character/ mirror image of God, we see our God as a completely different figure. We see Him as a non-loving God, and one lacking compassion. Then we go into adulthood with extra.. Baggage?! What’s that? The weight of things one carries while the growing up. Of being in controlling situations, in manipulative situations, and in emotional and physical abuse. Wow. That really does take a long time to heal from so dear friends be patient with ones that have been abused! I can promise you God will restore them! And me. This is what happens to a lot of Americans- the grow up hurt from families or something that happened to them as a child and they have something so deeply rooted in them that it’s very hard to uproot yourself. Many adults who are full of anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. Some time in their life, often in childhood, they have been hurt deeply by someone. The enemy will constantly give them "flashback memories" of that situation in the past. Which constantly stirs everything up again! Thanks devil! <span class=" fbUnderline">Now what do we do to correct or mind that is such a battlefield</span>?
A) Renew our image of God. We must know the “character” of God
B) What is my Identity in Christ. What does God say about me?
C) Fill your mind with Gods WORD
D) PRAY! Romans 12.2 Philippians 4.6&7
*<span class=" fbUnderline">How do we know that we are oppressed or have something wrong with us? We can notice problems in our physical bodies..</span>
1) Extremely low self-image (unworthy, a failure, no good - a constant undermining of the self-identity.)
2) Violent thoughts (suicidal, homicidal, encouraging self-abuse, etc.)
3) Deep depression and despondency (frequently and timely)
4) Irrational fears - panic attacks – phobias
5) Eating obsessions - bulimia, anorexia nervosa
6) Extreme restlessness (especially in a spiritual environment)
7) Voices are heard in the mind (they mock, intimidate, accuse, threaten or bargain)
8) Pain (without justifiable explanation - especially in head and/or stomach)
9) Physical ailments can often be alleviated immediately by a command of spiritual authority (i.e. epileptic seizure, asthma attacks, various pains)
10) Sudden interference with bodily functions (temporary) - buzzing in ears, inability to speak or hear, sudden severe headache, hypersensitivity in hearing or touch, sudden chills or overwhelming heat in body, numbness in arms or legs, temporary paralysis
This is what we must go out and fight against in the spiritual realm this is why apostle Paul warns us to put on our armor daily, and Jesus tells us to renew our minds daily with the word of God, and to pray. So we don’t let curses and strong holds, and oppression enter our lives. Paul was a “spiritual warrior” he was fearless and took the full authority that God had given him and casted things out in the name of JESUS.
How do you command the spirits to leave and get delivered.
A) Identify what the spirits are
B) Repent
C) Cast them out in the name of Jesus or Nazareth
D) Keep your temple clean daily. Renew, renew, RENEW!
**Prophetically speaking- God is raising up an army NOW. To fight in the spiritual realm. For ourselves, for our families, for our friends. We must take all the authority that Gods has given us, and go take authority over what the devil is trying to take from us, and fight back. Yes God can intervine and fight our battles for us, but we learn nothing and will not be called "warriors" when He fights for us.
God showed me a vision a few nights ago when I was having my own warfare- God showed me demons fighting angels, and God spoke to me that " there is not enough people fighting in my army, and that there has to be more leaders "warriors" raised up." Then God woke me up again, and told me to start interceding for our group. Then the next night I come home, and that exact image I saw the night before was on the TV, being referenced from the book of Revelation. Don't lose sight of what God has given or shown you, it will come to pass. Right now, God wants us to fight. God out and fight for other peoples lives, our own, and our families. Yes it's hard, but this is what we are called to do as FOLLOWERS/DISCIPLES of CHRIST. Set the captives free! It reminds me of Gideons army!
Sermon: "Spiritual Gifts"
*Spiritual Gifts*
What is a spiritual gift.. Gifts given from God and the Holy Spirit, to strengthen and edify the church. Gifts are not talents or skills that you just grow up with, but they are supernatural gifts from God that we cannot do with natural capabilities. In the bible they talk about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4.
1 Corinthians 12:1-14 (9 spiritual gifts)
(Giftings that REVEAL something)
*Wisdom--This is supernatural knowledge applied in a godly or correct way. (1 Corinthians 12:8)
*Knowledge--This is supernatural knowledge of facts and information that can only be revealed by God (1 Corinthians 12:8)
*Discerning various spirits--This is the supernatural ability to distinguish between spirits such as good and evil, truthful or deceiving, prophetic versus satanic. (1 Corinthians 12:10)
(Giftings that SAY something)
*Speaking in tongues--This is a supernatural utterance in an unlearned language, which is interpreted so that the entire body will be edified. Tongues may also be a sign to unbelievers (1 Corinthians 12:10)
*Interpretation of tongues--This is a supernatural interpretation of a message in tongues, translated into the known language so that the hearers (the entire body) will be edified. (1 Corinthians 12:10)
*Prophecy--This is the "forth telling" of the inspired Word of God primarily to the church, for the purpose of confirming the written Word and building up the entire body. (1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Romans 12:6, Ephesians 4:11)
(Giftings that DO something)
*Faith—This is special, supernatural faith given by the Spirit to receive miracles or to believe God for miracles. (1 Corinthians 12:9)
*Working of miracles—This is the supernatural suspension of the natural laws, or an intervention by the Holy Spirit into the laws of nature. (1 Corinthians 12:10, 12:28)
*Healing— This is supernatural healing, beyond natural means, given by the Spirit. (1Corinthians 12:9, 12:28)
Ephesians 4:11 (5 fold ministry)
*Apostle --An apostle establishes and builds churches; they are a church planter. An apostle may function in many or all of the ministry gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11)
*Prophet--Prophet in the Greek means to "forth tell" in the sense of speaking for another. A prophet functions as God's mouthpiece, speaking forth God's Word. And they point out sin and the future.
*Evangelist-- An evangelist is called to be a witness for Jesus Christ. They work for the local church to bring people into the body of Christ where they can be discipled. They may evangelize through music, preaching, and other ways (Ephesians 4:11)
*Pastor --The pastor is the shepherd of the people. A true shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Ephesians 4:11)
*Teacher--The teacher and the pastor are often a shared office, but not always. The teacher lays the foundation and is concerned with detail and accuracy. They delight in research to validate truth. (1 Corinthians 12:28, Romans 12:7, Ephesians 4:11)
Romans 12:6-8 (Other Gifts)
* Prophecy-- the "seers" or "eyes" of the body. They have insight, foresight, and act like watchdogs in the church. They warn of sin or reveal sin. They are usually very verbal and may come across as judgmental and impersonal; they are loyal to truth over friendship, serious, dedicated.
*Ministry--"hands" of the body. They are concerned with meeting needs; they are highly motivated, doers. They may tend to over commit, but find joy in serving and meeting short-term goals.
* Teaching--"mind" of the body. They realize their gift is foundational; they emphasize accuracy of words and love to study; they delight in research to validate truth.
* Exhortation--"mouth" of the body. Like cheerleaders, they encourage other believers and are motivated by a desire to see people grow and mature in the Lord. They are practical and positive and they seek positive responses.
*Giving --"arms" of the body. They truly enjoy reaching out in giving. They are excited by the prospect of blessing others; they desire to give quietly, in secret, but will also motivate others to give. They are alert to people's needs; they give cheerfully and always give the best that they can. (Romans 12:8)
*Leading--"head" of the body. They have the ability to see the overall picture and set long-term goals; they are good organizers and find efficient ways of getting work done. Although they may not seek leadership, they will assume it when no leader is available. They receive fulfillment when others come together to complete a task.
*Compassion--"heart" of the body. They easily sense the joy or distress in other people and are sensitive to feelings and needs. They are attracted to and patient with people in need, motivated by a desire to see people healed of hurts. They are truly meek in nature and avoid firmness. (Romans 12:8)
And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:6&7)
How do I know I have these spiritual giftings?
A) Spend time in prayer, and fast. If you have doubts, have God reveal Himself to you. He always will.
B) Investigate. Figure out what you are passionate about. Do you want to see the sick healed, do you have unknown knowledge? It’s all about the passion that God puts in YOUR heart.
C) Get involved in a area of ministry. God told Timothy to go stir up his giftings. So go out there and try them out.
What is a spiritual gift.. Gifts given from God and the Holy Spirit, to strengthen and edify the church. Gifts are not talents or skills that you just grow up with, but they are supernatural gifts from God that we cannot do with natural capabilities. In the bible they talk about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4.
1 Corinthians 12:1-14 (9 spiritual gifts)
(Giftings that REVEAL something)
*Wisdom--This is supernatural knowledge applied in a godly or correct way. (1 Corinthians 12:8)
*Knowledge--This is supernatural knowledge of facts and information that can only be revealed by God (1 Corinthians 12:8)
*Discerning various spirits--This is the supernatural ability to distinguish between spirits such as good and evil, truthful or deceiving, prophetic versus satanic. (1 Corinthians 12:10)
(Giftings that SAY something)
*Speaking in tongues--This is a supernatural utterance in an unlearned language, which is interpreted so that the entire body will be edified. Tongues may also be a sign to unbelievers (1 Corinthians 12:10)
*Interpretation of tongues--This is a supernatural interpretation of a message in tongues, translated into the known language so that the hearers (the entire body) will be edified. (1 Corinthians 12:10)
*Prophecy--This is the "forth telling" of the inspired Word of God primarily to the church, for the purpose of confirming the written Word and building up the entire body. (1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Romans 12:6, Ephesians 4:11)
(Giftings that DO something)
*Faith—This is special, supernatural faith given by the Spirit to receive miracles or to believe God for miracles. (1 Corinthians 12:9)
*Working of miracles—This is the supernatural suspension of the natural laws, or an intervention by the Holy Spirit into the laws of nature. (1 Corinthians 12:10, 12:28)
*Healing— This is supernatural healing, beyond natural means, given by the Spirit. (1Corinthians 12:9, 12:28)
Ephesians 4:11 (5 fold ministry)
*Apostle --An apostle establishes and builds churches; they are a church planter. An apostle may function in many or all of the ministry gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11)
*Prophet--Prophet in the Greek means to "forth tell" in the sense of speaking for another. A prophet functions as God's mouthpiece, speaking forth God's Word. And they point out sin and the future.
*Evangelist-- An evangelist is called to be a witness for Jesus Christ. They work for the local church to bring people into the body of Christ where they can be discipled. They may evangelize through music, preaching, and other ways (Ephesians 4:11)
*Pastor --The pastor is the shepherd of the people. A true shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Ephesians 4:11)
*Teacher--The teacher and the pastor are often a shared office, but not always. The teacher lays the foundation and is concerned with detail and accuracy. They delight in research to validate truth. (1 Corinthians 12:28, Romans 12:7, Ephesians 4:11)
Romans 12:6-8 (Other Gifts)
* Prophecy-- the "seers" or "eyes" of the body. They have insight, foresight, and act like watchdogs in the church. They warn of sin or reveal sin. They are usually very verbal and may come across as judgmental and impersonal; they are loyal to truth over friendship, serious, dedicated.
*Ministry--"hands" of the body. They are concerned with meeting needs; they are highly motivated, doers. They may tend to over commit, but find joy in serving and meeting short-term goals.
* Teaching--"mind" of the body. They realize their gift is foundational; they emphasize accuracy of words and love to study; they delight in research to validate truth.
* Exhortation--"mouth" of the body. Like cheerleaders, they encourage other believers and are motivated by a desire to see people grow and mature in the Lord. They are practical and positive and they seek positive responses.
*Giving --"arms" of the body. They truly enjoy reaching out in giving. They are excited by the prospect of blessing others; they desire to give quietly, in secret, but will also motivate others to give. They are alert to people's needs; they give cheerfully and always give the best that they can. (Romans 12:8)
*Leading--"head" of the body. They have the ability to see the overall picture and set long-term goals; they are good organizers and find efficient ways of getting work done. Although they may not seek leadership, they will assume it when no leader is available. They receive fulfillment when others come together to complete a task.
*Compassion--"heart" of the body. They easily sense the joy or distress in other people and are sensitive to feelings and needs. They are attracted to and patient with people in need, motivated by a desire to see people healed of hurts. They are truly meek in nature and avoid firmness. (Romans 12:8)
And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:6&7)
How do I know I have these spiritual giftings?
A) Spend time in prayer, and fast. If you have doubts, have God reveal Himself to you. He always will.
B) Investigate. Figure out what you are passionate about. Do you want to see the sick healed, do you have unknown knowledge? It’s all about the passion that God puts in YOUR heart.
C) Get involved in a area of ministry. God told Timothy to go stir up his giftings. So go out there and try them out.
Sermon: "Living In The Light Of Jesus"
Living in the light of Jesus
Are you living in the light? Or stumbling around in the darkness? What does it mean to walk in the light of Jesus..
A lot of times in our day and age as Christians, we come across every day issues that we just deal with. Or we might hear other deceptive teaching about who God is. The message of Jesus now days, is becoming such a mixed bag, that many don’t know the truth and are living in “darkness.” What it means to live in “darkness” is, in the physical world in which we live darkness is passive. Darkness exists wherever there is an absence of light. Wherever light shines, darkness is automatically eliminated. But this is not so with spiritual darkness. Spiritual darkness is not passive, but active, and it is active on two levels.
1) (Spiritual) Spiritual forces promote darkness by the devil. The devil wants you to live the rest of your life in darkness. Having every truth that is spoken by God in your life to be taken away by the lies of the enemy
2) (Physical) We become ignorant to God and His truth and don’t listen then Satan has a foothold in our lives that leads to bondage, sin, and death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. “ (Romans 6.23)
(1 John 1:6) “So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.”
(Job 24:13,15,17) "There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths... The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, 'No eye will see me,' and he keeps his face concealed... For all of them, deep darkness is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness."
Rise up from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.” (Romans 5.12)
(2 john 1:7-11) “I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.”
People are so deceived in our age RIGHT NOW. That they are preaching the gospel, and they are living in Sin. They are leading Christians astray.
How do we bring our sins to the light?
(1 John 1:9) “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” We must confess our sins to God and to someone else. So that our sin can be ‘exposed’ into the light. Once we do that the truth can be brought forth into our lives and can set us free. In God's light, pride melts like wax, and the impulse of the flesh is to run for cover. But, if we resist the temptation to "darken the light", then God will illuminate the weaknesses that we "stumble over". This is part of the "truth" that will "set us free". (Proverbs 28:13) “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
Now that we have brought our sin into the “light” we can now be the light for others.
Eph 5:8-14 once you were "darkness", but now as Christians you are "light". Live then as children of the light. The light produces in men all that is good and right and true. Let your lives be living proofs of the things, which please God. Steer clear of the fruitless activities of darkness; let your lives expose their futility we are the light of the world, God has bright us out of the darkness, to become lights for other people to see!
God is going to start exposing our sins into the light, so we can be in the purest form. In the time that we are in, people are going to be so deceived and stuck in the darkness and not know right from wrong. God is looking for people that are willing to fear Him in the darkness and let their sin be brought to the light. So that in the end-times they will not be deceived by the antichrist
Are you living in the light? Or stumbling around in the darkness? What does it mean to walk in the light of Jesus..
A lot of times in our day and age as Christians, we come across every day issues that we just deal with. Or we might hear other deceptive teaching about who God is. The message of Jesus now days, is becoming such a mixed bag, that many don’t know the truth and are living in “darkness.” What it means to live in “darkness” is, in the physical world in which we live darkness is passive. Darkness exists wherever there is an absence of light. Wherever light shines, darkness is automatically eliminated. But this is not so with spiritual darkness. Spiritual darkness is not passive, but active, and it is active on two levels.
1) (Spiritual) Spiritual forces promote darkness by the devil. The devil wants you to live the rest of your life in darkness. Having every truth that is spoken by God in your life to be taken away by the lies of the enemy
2) (Physical) We become ignorant to God and His truth and don’t listen then Satan has a foothold in our lives that leads to bondage, sin, and death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. “ (Romans 6.23)
(1 John 1:6) “So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.”
(Job 24:13,15,17) "There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths... The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, 'No eye will see me,' and he keeps his face concealed... For all of them, deep darkness is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness."
- Our sin manifest in the darkness- we keep on living unrularly lives. We keep sinning and going on with our ever day lives, hoping that our secret sin will not be exposed. But we are being dead to ourselves, and not being alive in Him. The sin is killing us.. Sin= darkness
Rise up from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.” (Romans 5.12)
(2 john 1:7-11) “I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.”
People are so deceived in our age RIGHT NOW. That they are preaching the gospel, and they are living in Sin. They are leading Christians astray.
How do we bring our sins to the light?
(1 John 1:9) “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” We must confess our sins to God and to someone else. So that our sin can be ‘exposed’ into the light. Once we do that the truth can be brought forth into our lives and can set us free. In God's light, pride melts like wax, and the impulse of the flesh is to run for cover. But, if we resist the temptation to "darken the light", then God will illuminate the weaknesses that we "stumble over". This is part of the "truth" that will "set us free". (Proverbs 28:13) “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
Now that we have brought our sin into the “light” we can now be the light for others.
Eph 5:8-14 once you were "darkness", but now as Christians you are "light". Live then as children of the light. The light produces in men all that is good and right and true. Let your lives be living proofs of the things, which please God. Steer clear of the fruitless activities of darkness; let your lives expose their futility we are the light of the world, God has bright us out of the darkness, to become lights for other people to see!
God is going to start exposing our sins into the light, so we can be in the purest form. In the time that we are in, people are going to be so deceived and stuck in the darkness and not know right from wrong. God is looking for people that are willing to fear Him in the darkness and let their sin be brought to the light. So that in the end-times they will not be deceived by the antichrist
Sermon: "We Glow With God's Glory"
*Gods GLORY *
God spoke a blessing upon His people, saying that His face would shine upon them and that He would lift up His countenace upon them.
(Numbers 6:25&26 ) "The LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Our countenance is simply the way we look. When people look at us, we want them to see something about us that is difference from what they see about everyone else. They cannot read our minds or see into our hearts, but they can see from the glow on our faces that we have something awesome and wonderful.
Our countenance is important. The lookk we have on our faces at work and our tone of voice at home are important. It is important that we smile at one another, haha that we are pleasant and just downright nice to each other. We are supposed to be loving people who reflect God's joy on our faces.. But how do we do that?
The bible talks about Jesus countenance and how it was 'transfigured' when He communed with God the father on the mountian. "His face shone clear and bring like the sun" (Matthew 17.2) We need that same experiance, and it comes to us as it did to Jesus through worshiping God. We look better when we worship God. Worship puts a msile on our faces, and makes us cry at times.. It is almost impossible to have a frown on our faces while we are worshiping or praising God.. If we regularly spend time fellowshipping with God and worshiping Him, our countenacne will carry His presence. We will look strong, joyfull, blissfull, peaceful, instead of stressed..
It's important to spend time with God in prayer and worship each morning so we are filled up and ready to go, before we go out to school and our work places. We want to be filled with Gods glory so the people we encounter each day can encounter God and His presence. The best thing to do is that we, spend more time talkint to God and thanking Him for what He has done in our lives- reconizing the Goodness of God in our lives, then the problems
God spoke a blessing upon His people, saying that His face would shine upon them and that He would lift up His countenace upon them.
(Numbers 6:25&26 ) "The LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Our countenance is simply the way we look. When people look at us, we want them to see something about us that is difference from what they see about everyone else. They cannot read our minds or see into our hearts, but they can see from the glow on our faces that we have something awesome and wonderful.
Our countenance is important. The lookk we have on our faces at work and our tone of voice at home are important. It is important that we smile at one another, haha that we are pleasant and just downright nice to each other. We are supposed to be loving people who reflect God's joy on our faces.. But how do we do that?
The bible talks about Jesus countenance and how it was 'transfigured' when He communed with God the father on the mountian. "His face shone clear and bring like the sun" (Matthew 17.2) We need that same experiance, and it comes to us as it did to Jesus through worshiping God. We look better when we worship God. Worship puts a msile on our faces, and makes us cry at times.. It is almost impossible to have a frown on our faces while we are worshiping or praising God.. If we regularly spend time fellowshipping with God and worshiping Him, our countenacne will carry His presence. We will look strong, joyfull, blissfull, peaceful, instead of stressed..
It's important to spend time with God in prayer and worship each morning so we are filled up and ready to go, before we go out to school and our work places. We want to be filled with Gods glory so the people we encounter each day can encounter God and His presence. The best thing to do is that we, spend more time talkint to God and thanking Him for what He has done in our lives- reconizing the Goodness of God in our lives, then the problems
Sermon: "Prayer"
What is prayer? : A solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God, or it can be an object of worship.
Every prayer that we pray, has meaning and purpose to it. Our prayers affect our own lives, and the lives of others. As well as it’s communication for us to God. A lot of Christians become lazy and don’t pray anymore after a few years of their relationship with Christ. Why? Because they get frustrated that they may not be seeing immediate results, or getting what they want. Everything thing is on Gods timing-( Let your will be done, not my own.) But God has given us everything we need (all the authority) but we don’t use it, because we are LAZY.
(Matthew 13.18,19)
“I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth, will be forbidden in heaven. And whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
God wants His glory and presence to come down to earth but we stop believing and praying that –we are born from above.. Then our eyes can’t be opened when we do not believe that we are born from above. When we start believing that we have that kingdom mentality and that we ARE born from above it leads us to pray more and more.. Then we see the supernatural happen.
Every prayer that we pray, has meaning and purpose to it. Our prayers affect our own lives, and the lives of others. As well as it’s communication for us to God. A lot of Christians become lazy and don’t pray anymore after a few years of their relationship with Christ. Why? Because they get frustrated that they may not be seeing immediate results, or getting what they want. Everything thing is on Gods timing-( Let your will be done, not my own.) But God has given us everything we need (all the authority) but we don’t use it, because we are LAZY.
(Matthew 13.18,19)
“I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth, will be forbidden in heaven. And whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
- God gives us authority in order to bring His will to earth. (Not bringing our own to pass.) We have spiritual authority so why don’t we exercise it?
- We are Gods servants, so He desires us to pray and pray.. (to pull heaven down to earth.)
God wants His glory and presence to come down to earth but we stop believing and praying that –we are born from above.. Then our eyes can’t be opened when we do not believe that we are born from above. When we start believing that we have that kingdom mentality and that we ARE born from above it leads us to pray more and more.. Then we see the supernatural happen.
Sermon: "Bliss Report"
What is BLISS? It's a heavenly joy! (Something that is tangible!)
Let's be INTOXICATED WITH BLISS!
"You prepared a table for me over against those who afflict me, you anointed my head with oil, and your cup was supremely intoxicating." (Psalm 23.5)
"And overwhelming astonishment and ectasy seized them all, and they reconized, and praised and thanked God; and they were filled with and controlled by reverential fear and kept saying, We have seen wonderful and strange and incredible and unthinkable things today!" (Luke 5.26)
"Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5.18)
So there is three passages that talk about being intoxicated with the "goodness" being so filled with Gods spirit that it's intoxicating.. Christ has the good wine! There is no age limit for drinking in the spirit of God. The presence of God can really do anything. Just because, everything is not recorded in the bible of the works of the Holy Spirit that Jesus perfomred doesn't mean it can't happen. The more and more we obey the Holy Spirit, the more we shall see unravel.
Anything can happen with Christ.. You can be so filled up to the point where you are intoxicated, you can be healed from cancer..There really is NO limit to the power of God and what He can do. This is just one example of the power of God and what He can do! "For NOTHING is impossible with God" (Luke 1.37) When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and become born again, we recieve all the power and authority from Jesus, because His spirit dwells in us. So then we can go out and fill the great commission that it talks about in(Mark 16.15-18) "He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it
will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
There ya go. Jesus has given us everything already so lets take that authority and go fill the great commission and then signs and wonders will follow. Christianity is not supposed to be a complicated thing... We just need to start taking little steps of faith instead of withholding ourselves then we can see these things happen.
"And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!"( Exodus 3.14) We just need to have the faith, everything is provided already. We have been baptized with Christ- When Christ died on the cross He took our sickness and sins on the cross. Then when He died and rose again, He didn't come back with sickness or death. So we should BELEIVE that everything can be healed, because sickness is NOT from God. "Sickness has no authority or power, because it's already been taken, so we are FREE! He has already accomplished our healing, so we should live in that absolute freedom and not worry about sickness or anything else that comes our way.. Shoot we can drink deadly poison and be ok! (Don't try it!)
When does the true freedom come? When we start having a TRUE relationship with Christ. Not one wavering back and forth, and not having all of our trust in God. He wants it all. It means renewing your mind daily (Romans 12.2), and telling yourself that you do beleive the promises of God. (We worship what we fear.) That you are chosen and a royal (1 Peter 2.9). Once you get to a point where your faith is so high, and this stuff dosen't even phase your mind anymore, that's when you start to see the miraculous. The Holy Spirit is already inside of us, we just have to have the faith to activate what's inside dwelling in and through us.
Then in these times, if we don't rejoyce with victory the enemy will come in, so that's why we must always be soaking in the presence of God or as Georgian Banvo calls it a: "love spa." Everything in life, is about Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The more we obey Him, the more easier life gets. The more time we spend with Him, the more we know His heart.
<span class=" fbUnderline">Psalms 126</span>
it was like a dream!
We were filled with laughter,
and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
“What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
What joy!
Restore our fortunes, Lord,
as streams renew the desert.
Those who plant in tears
will harvest with shouts of joy.
They weep as they go to plant their seed,
but they sing as they return with the harvest.
Let's be INTOXICATED WITH BLISS!
"You prepared a table for me over against those who afflict me, you anointed my head with oil, and your cup was supremely intoxicating." (Psalm 23.5)
"And overwhelming astonishment and ectasy seized them all, and they reconized, and praised and thanked God; and they were filled with and controlled by reverential fear and kept saying, We have seen wonderful and strange and incredible and unthinkable things today!" (Luke 5.26)
"Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5.18)
So there is three passages that talk about being intoxicated with the "goodness" being so filled with Gods spirit that it's intoxicating.. Christ has the good wine! There is no age limit for drinking in the spirit of God. The presence of God can really do anything. Just because, everything is not recorded in the bible of the works of the Holy Spirit that Jesus perfomred doesn't mean it can't happen. The more and more we obey the Holy Spirit, the more we shall see unravel.
Anything can happen with Christ.. You can be so filled up to the point where you are intoxicated, you can be healed from cancer..There really is NO limit to the power of God and what He can do. This is just one example of the power of God and what He can do! "For NOTHING is impossible with God" (Luke 1.37) When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and become born again, we recieve all the power and authority from Jesus, because His spirit dwells in us. So then we can go out and fill the great commission that it talks about in(Mark 16.15-18) "He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it
will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
There ya go. Jesus has given us everything already so lets take that authority and go fill the great commission and then signs and wonders will follow. Christianity is not supposed to be a complicated thing... We just need to start taking little steps of faith instead of withholding ourselves then we can see these things happen.
"And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!"( Exodus 3.14) We just need to have the faith, everything is provided already. We have been baptized with Christ- When Christ died on the cross He took our sickness and sins on the cross. Then when He died and rose again, He didn't come back with sickness or death. So we should BELEIVE that everything can be healed, because sickness is NOT from God. "Sickness has no authority or power, because it's already been taken, so we are FREE! He has already accomplished our healing, so we should live in that absolute freedom and not worry about sickness or anything else that comes our way.. Shoot we can drink deadly poison and be ok! (Don't try it!)
When does the true freedom come? When we start having a TRUE relationship with Christ. Not one wavering back and forth, and not having all of our trust in God. He wants it all. It means renewing your mind daily (Romans 12.2), and telling yourself that you do beleive the promises of God. (We worship what we fear.) That you are chosen and a royal (1 Peter 2.9). Once you get to a point where your faith is so high, and this stuff dosen't even phase your mind anymore, that's when you start to see the miraculous. The Holy Spirit is already inside of us, we just have to have the faith to activate what's inside dwelling in and through us.
Then in these times, if we don't rejoyce with victory the enemy will come in, so that's why we must always be soaking in the presence of God or as Georgian Banvo calls it a: "love spa." Everything in life, is about Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The more we obey Him, the more easier life gets. The more time we spend with Him, the more we know His heart.
<span class=" fbUnderline">Psalms 126</span>
it was like a dream!
We were filled with laughter,
and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
“What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
What joy!
Restore our fortunes, Lord,
as streams renew the desert.
Those who plant in tears
will harvest with shouts of joy.
They weep as they go to plant their seed,
but they sing as they return with the harvest.
Sermon: "The Facebook Friend"
Facebook Friend
Friendships are a complex thing to explain. What do they look like? Is sending a text message back and forth keeping a relationship, or is chatting over Facebook a valued friendship? Or is it how many friends I can get on facebook, does it really show how popular I am? Haha no. In America we are so techiquaoligiy advanced that we really don’t do very much in our relationships or value them. We think just sending a text to someone or sending them a message over facebook is good. A friendship should be more than that. We get so busy with our lives and so consumed with other things that we don’t give the people the time of day, or really don’t want to know them. When that starts happening, I find it very hard to hold a genuine relationship with someone. Don’t get my wrong, we all get busy, and people move. But if this is becoming a constant thing in your relationships you might want to change that… So lets unpack relationships with some stories from the bible.
We are so much like chicks from the chicken farm. Chicks are very social and form strong friendships. As soon as they hatch, they know right away who to stay with and who not to be with. Chicks are always in pairs, just like humans! And if you look in the bible, there is a great “pair” of friends, Jonathan and David. In (1&2 Samuel.)
God stood as a witness between the two (1 Samuel 20:42). Most significant was the spirituality of the friendship: Jonathan sought to give David strength in the Lord, not in their relationship (1 Samuel 23:16-18). Then in Ecclesiastes 4 it shows a model of what friends should do for one another.
(Eccles 4.7-12)
*4.9 – (a discussion of the reward of friendship) two are better than one
*4.10- (when one falls you lift them back up)
*4.11- (Bringing protection)
*4.12- (Spiritual presence)
“ Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
But spiritual friendship is not merely the enjoyment of another. It is companionship and mutual encouragement along the path of discipleship; it is friendship with Christ together. We should always be pointing each other to Christ.
not done yet!
Friendships are a complex thing to explain. What do they look like? Is sending a text message back and forth keeping a relationship, or is chatting over Facebook a valued friendship? Or is it how many friends I can get on facebook, does it really show how popular I am? Haha no. In America we are so techiquaoligiy advanced that we really don’t do very much in our relationships or value them. We think just sending a text to someone or sending them a message over facebook is good. A friendship should be more than that. We get so busy with our lives and so consumed with other things that we don’t give the people the time of day, or really don’t want to know them. When that starts happening, I find it very hard to hold a genuine relationship with someone. Don’t get my wrong, we all get busy, and people move. But if this is becoming a constant thing in your relationships you might want to change that… So lets unpack relationships with some stories from the bible.
We are so much like chicks from the chicken farm. Chicks are very social and form strong friendships. As soon as they hatch, they know right away who to stay with and who not to be with. Chicks are always in pairs, just like humans! And if you look in the bible, there is a great “pair” of friends, Jonathan and David. In (1&2 Samuel.)
God stood as a witness between the two (1 Samuel 20:42). Most significant was the spirituality of the friendship: Jonathan sought to give David strength in the Lord, not in their relationship (1 Samuel 23:16-18). Then in Ecclesiastes 4 it shows a model of what friends should do for one another.
(Eccles 4.7-12)
*4.9 – (a discussion of the reward of friendship) two are better than one
*4.10- (when one falls you lift them back up)
*4.11- (Bringing protection)
*4.12- (Spiritual presence)
“ Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
But spiritual friendship is not merely the enjoyment of another. It is companionship and mutual encouragement along the path of discipleship; it is friendship with Christ together. We should always be pointing each other to Christ.
not done yet!
Sermon: "Nothing Is Impossible"
Nothing is Impossible
As we look at our lives today, what do we see? Do we see ourselves believing in what the world has to say about situations and relying on technology or are we relying on God? Are we believing the bad out comes from the doctors and taking meds or believing for a miracle? These are some thoughts that we all should be thinking about.. Well in this sermon, I will be showing you how God takes the "impossible" situations and makes them possible. With examples from the bible and in my life!
A) In our day and age, I see and believe that Christians now days do not believe or have the faith that they can be healed from any sickness or disease..They go to the doctors and get a bad report and take pills and fade away. But that's NOT TRUE. Our God is a healer Jahova Jehra! Let's take a look at our first example in the bible about what it says about healing and faith.. (Matthew 9.20-22) "And behold, a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment; For she kept saying to herself, If I only touch His garment, I shall be restored to health. Jesus turned around and, seeing her, He said, Take courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well. And at once the woman was restored to health." In the bible it says "Nothing is impossible for God" (Luke 1.37) Honestly nothing is impossible for God to do. Just because we see thing different in the "natural" realm of life the "impossible" situation means that God can make it possible through the supernatural realm, which brings the miracles through out lives. Then in Matthew we see the story of the Sumeritan women, who had an issue of bleeding for twelve years. She went to the doctor and they could not do anything for her, so she kept believing that she would be healed and didn't give up. She heard Jesus was in town and she went and gathered with all the others, and surrounded Jesus. She new that if she touched Him she would be healed. So out of the crowd, she reached out and touched His garment, and power left His body so He turned around and asked who had touched Him, and the women told Him that she had, and He told her "Your faith has made you well."
The Sumeritan women didn't lose sight of here healing, she kept having faith and believing that she would be healed and she was. There is a one example from the bible, of a person having (single faith) meaning she had enough faith alone to be healed.
B) Then we will look at another example in the bible, but with (group faith). Group faith is having a group of people believing and praying with you in faith, that you will be healed or that an impossible situation will become possible through Christ! (Luke 5.18- 25) "And behold, some men were bringing on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to carry him in and lay him before [Jesus]. But finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him with his stretcher through the tiles into the midst, in front of Jesus. And when He saw [their confidence in Him, springing from] their faith, He said, Man, your sins are forgiven you! And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason and question and argue, saying, Who is this [Man] Who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? But Jesus, knowing their thoughts and questionings, answered them, Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk [about]? But that you may know that the Son of Man has the [[a]power of] authority and right on earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralyzed man, I say to you, arise, pick up your litter (stretcher), and go to your own house! And instantly [the man] stood up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went away to his house, [b]recognizing and praising and thanking God." So this is the story of the paralytic who had great friends that wanted to see him healed. So once again Jesus was in town at a house, there were so many people at the house that they couldn't get the paralytic inside the house so they lowered him through the roof to Jesus. Then Jesus saw his friends doing this for him, so He had compassion for the paralytic and healed him. He told the man to pick up his mat and walk! And he did! But the cool story about the paralytic was, that he was not saved, but Jesus still healed him because He had love and compassion for the man. The paralytic did get saved, but there is one instance that shows that God can heal anyone if they believe they can be. And if your faith is lacking but your friends have really high faith for you to be healed you can still be healed! So there is story number two out of the bible on seeing a miracle happen!
C) But lastly here is my story- Last year I was at college camp, and I picked up this blood disease that was very uncommon in adults with no cure. I would have to say after I was diagnosed with the disease I was scared to live with something that had no cure. But afterward I got really sick and was in and out of the hospital and infectious disease specialist, still to hear.. that there was no cure, and that I was just getting sicker. I still was not going to give up the battle, just over a bad doctors report. So I kept on praying and believing that I would be healed.. So one day, I was really sick and my good friend prayed for me. It was like we had a little mini prayer surgery session lol. But then after that, I went back to the doctor and had some test done, to hear that I was disease free. The doctors couldn't understand how that could be. But that's how good the GOD we serve is! He wants to heal every sickness and disease.
So really! There you go. Three examples of how God can take an impossible situation and make it possible. It doesn't just have to be with healing a sickness or a disease but He can do it for anything! Those were just some examples that had been on my heart. But we all must remember that if you get a bad report don't give up, keep the faith alive. Praying and believing for the best, and the best has yet to come!
God is will to provide any miracle to your life. (Revelation 12.11) "And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing]." Once you have encountered a miracle in your life, go out and share it with others so they can hear the good news about GOD! They can be set free and healed as well!
As we look at our lives today, what do we see? Do we see ourselves believing in what the world has to say about situations and relying on technology or are we relying on God? Are we believing the bad out comes from the doctors and taking meds or believing for a miracle? These are some thoughts that we all should be thinking about.. Well in this sermon, I will be showing you how God takes the "impossible" situations and makes them possible. With examples from the bible and in my life!
A) In our day and age, I see and believe that Christians now days do not believe or have the faith that they can be healed from any sickness or disease..They go to the doctors and get a bad report and take pills and fade away. But that's NOT TRUE. Our God is a healer Jahova Jehra! Let's take a look at our first example in the bible about what it says about healing and faith.. (Matthew 9.20-22) "And behold, a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment; For she kept saying to herself, If I only touch His garment, I shall be restored to health. Jesus turned around and, seeing her, He said, Take courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well. And at once the woman was restored to health." In the bible it says "Nothing is impossible for God" (Luke 1.37) Honestly nothing is impossible for God to do. Just because we see thing different in the "natural" realm of life the "impossible" situation means that God can make it possible through the supernatural realm, which brings the miracles through out lives. Then in Matthew we see the story of the Sumeritan women, who had an issue of bleeding for twelve years. She went to the doctor and they could not do anything for her, so she kept believing that she would be healed and didn't give up. She heard Jesus was in town and she went and gathered with all the others, and surrounded Jesus. She new that if she touched Him she would be healed. So out of the crowd, she reached out and touched His garment, and power left His body so He turned around and asked who had touched Him, and the women told Him that she had, and He told her "Your faith has made you well."
The Sumeritan women didn't lose sight of here healing, she kept having faith and believing that she would be healed and she was. There is a one example from the bible, of a person having (single faith) meaning she had enough faith alone to be healed.
B) Then we will look at another example in the bible, but with (group faith). Group faith is having a group of people believing and praying with you in faith, that you will be healed or that an impossible situation will become possible through Christ! (Luke 5.18- 25) "And behold, some men were bringing on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to carry him in and lay him before [Jesus]. But finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him with his stretcher through the tiles into the midst, in front of Jesus. And when He saw [their confidence in Him, springing from] their faith, He said, Man, your sins are forgiven you! And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason and question and argue, saying, Who is this [Man] Who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? But Jesus, knowing their thoughts and questionings, answered them, Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk [about]? But that you may know that the Son of Man has the [[a]power of] authority and right on earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralyzed man, I say to you, arise, pick up your litter (stretcher), and go to your own house! And instantly [the man] stood up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went away to his house, [b]recognizing and praising and thanking God." So this is the story of the paralytic who had great friends that wanted to see him healed. So once again Jesus was in town at a house, there were so many people at the house that they couldn't get the paralytic inside the house so they lowered him through the roof to Jesus. Then Jesus saw his friends doing this for him, so He had compassion for the paralytic and healed him. He told the man to pick up his mat and walk! And he did! But the cool story about the paralytic was, that he was not saved, but Jesus still healed him because He had love and compassion for the man. The paralytic did get saved, but there is one instance that shows that God can heal anyone if they believe they can be. And if your faith is lacking but your friends have really high faith for you to be healed you can still be healed! So there is story number two out of the bible on seeing a miracle happen!
C) But lastly here is my story- Last year I was at college camp, and I picked up this blood disease that was very uncommon in adults with no cure. I would have to say after I was diagnosed with the disease I was scared to live with something that had no cure. But afterward I got really sick and was in and out of the hospital and infectious disease specialist, still to hear.. that there was no cure, and that I was just getting sicker. I still was not going to give up the battle, just over a bad doctors report. So I kept on praying and believing that I would be healed.. So one day, I was really sick and my good friend prayed for me. It was like we had a little mini prayer surgery session lol. But then after that, I went back to the doctor and had some test done, to hear that I was disease free. The doctors couldn't understand how that could be. But that's how good the GOD we serve is! He wants to heal every sickness and disease.
So really! There you go. Three examples of how God can take an impossible situation and make it possible. It doesn't just have to be with healing a sickness or a disease but He can do it for anything! Those were just some examples that had been on my heart. But we all must remember that if you get a bad report don't give up, keep the faith alive. Praying and believing for the best, and the best has yet to come!
God is will to provide any miracle to your life. (Revelation 12.11) "And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing]." Once you have encountered a miracle in your life, go out and share it with others so they can hear the good news about GOD! They can be set free and healed as well!
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