I recently read how some friends, recognizing signs of depression in another friend, staged an intervention
Their goal was not to make the friend feel bad, but instead, to affirm the friend was loved
Many people initially respond to an intervention with anger, frustration, and embarrassment
However most times they eventually come to realize, it was done with love and it actually helps them
The thing I want you to see is that, we are to abide in Christ always and because of that we bear much fruit
However, sometimes, things pull us away and we get lost in our walk
When that happens, our brothers and sisters in Christ need to stage an intervention
First, we must draw close enough to one another that we can recognize the struggles
Second, the intervention is always done because of love
The goal is always to help each other find our way back to the right walk
If we abide in His love, we are doing exactly what we are called to do
I’m convinced that God’s people have forgotten what it means to abide in His love
We become lost in our walk and don’t even realize it, because we have walked so far away
What if, first we abide in Him and second we actually share His love with others
We would truly become close to our brothers and sisters, instead of just being someone we see at church sometimes
This bond of love stretches from God, to you, to those around you and it becomes a three stranded cord not easily broken
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love!
Understand, that this is a commandment, which means we are called to show His love with ALL people
Not only do we need to stage an intervention within the church and God’s people,
We also need to intervene in the world, to help people see what they really need
People are searching for everything and anything in this world and we know what they really need
God’s love!! If we are abiding in Christ and He is in us, we can show others the love they are searching out
We are more likely to perform an intervention if someone is depressed, or addicted, which is good,
What about when they need to find the true love that will give them salvation
Interventions are not easy because most people don’t want them
But only through an intervention can some people finally see what they really need
Are you ready?
- Mar 20, 2022Time For An Intervention
Time For An Intervention
I recently read how some friends, recognizing signs of depression in another friend, staged an intervention
Their goal was not to make the friend feel bad, but instead, to affirm the friend was loved
Many people initially respond to an intervention with anger, frustration, and embarrassment
However most times they eventually come to realize, it was done with love and it actually helps them
The thing I want you to see is that, we are to abide in Christ always and because of that we bear much fruit
However, sometimes, things pull us away and we get lost in our walk
When that happens, our brothers and sisters in Christ need to stage an intervention
First, we must draw close enough to one another that we can recognize the struggles
Second, the intervention is always done because of love
The goal is always to help each other find our way back to the right walk
If we abide in His love, we are doing exactly what we are called to do
I’m convinced that God’s people have forgotten what it means to abide in His love
We become lost in our walk and don’t even realize it, because we have walked so far away
What if, first we abide in Him and second we actually share His love with others
We would truly become close to our brothers and sisters, instead of just being someone we see at church sometimes
This bond of love stretches from God, to you, to those around you and it becomes a three stranded cord not easily broken
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love!
This is My commandment!Understand, that this is a commandment, which means we are called to show His love with ALL people
Not only do we need to stage an intervention within the church and God’s people,
We also need to intervene in the world, to help people see what they really need
People are searching for everything and anything in this world and we know what they really need
God’s love!! If we are abiding in Christ and He is in us, we can show others the love they are searching out
We are more likely to perform an intervention if someone is depressed, or addicted, which is good,
What about when they need to find the true love that will give them salvation
Interventions are not easy because most people don’t want them
But only through an intervention can some people finally see what they really need
Are you ready?
- Mar 13, 202210 Second Wait
10 Second Wait
We live in the microwave generation and expect everything to happen quickly
Research shows that most people expect to wait only 2 seconds for an online video to load
After 5 seconds 25% of people leave the site and after 10 seconds the abandonment rate is 50%
Half the people can’t even wait 10 seconds for something they desired in the first place
Today I want to start with a verse that is out of order in the passage we will look at
This verse says we do not know how to pray and as previously mentioned we don’t want to wait either
We are trying to move through life at warp speed and we try to make our relationship with God fit that mold
But a 10 second wait may not be enough for the Spirit to show us how to pray
This verse says the Spirit intercedes with groaning too deep for words
Certainly most of us have had hearts that were full but didn’t know how to express our feelings
Every time we spend time we God, we don’t have to know what to say and sometimes we just need to open our hearts to Him
You see we are living in a world that is not our home and this wait for redemption takes a toll
This is not a 10 second wait. This wait is a lifetime and we must listen to the Holy Spirit as our guide
The point is, one of the reasons our relationship is not deeper, is that we aren’t waiting on the Holy Spirit to guide us
Today’s believer spends most of their prayer time giving God a want list
But true prayer is when we wait on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us what to pray because that is what God wants for us
We have been saved with the Hope of salvation. Not hope meaning a wish but hope meaning an assurance
If our hope is in Christ we wait eagerly for that day when our hope shows us Glory
While we wait we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes that voice is simply groanings within our being that we don’t know how to express
Instead of giving up when we aren’t sure what to say, let the Spirit reveal the answer
Most of the time this is more than a 10 second wait
We don’t know how to pray but the Spirit intercedes for us
What if we took some real time and listened to the Spirit, instead of just speaking words
What if we truly prayed what God wanted us to pray
If we pray what God is telling us to pray the answer will be amazing and the blessings incredible
One of the biggest problems we have today, is we are structured for that 2 second wait
Stop trying to fit a Holy God into our worldly mold and instead climb into a new mold, with the Holy Spirit as the guide
Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come and be our helper.
Isn’t it time you listened to the one that was sent to help you in the first place
Have you ever listened to the Spirit?
Do you know God?
Today I plead with you to listen, even if it takes a while for you to hear, and then respond.
- Mar 6, 2022Be A Good Steward
Be A Good Steward
Probably many of you, like me, grew up hearing about being a good steward
For most of us that was always taught about money
Since God gave you the money, be a good steward of it and tithe, use it wisely not foolishly
Let me start by saying that is all good practice and being a good steward of God’s money is something we should all do
However, today I want to look at that phrase “Be a Good Steward” in another light
In this passage what we are seeing is that we are to be good stewards of everything God has given us
This means our time, our gifts, our money, our friendships, our love, everything
Vs 7
“The end of all things is near”I don’t know when the end will come but I know we are closer today than we were yesterday.
As people find out that their lives are coming to an end it causes them to reflect on what is really important
They may think about how they have lived and wish they had lived better.
The one thing almost everyone has in common, when that reality sets in, is what about eternity
This verse is telling us that as the end grows nearer every day we need to focus our relationship with God through prayer
When we figure out how to be purposeful about that prayer relationship, we are in a closer walk with God and things become clear
So we need to be good stewards with our time and make sure God gets that time
Vs 8 says “keep fervent in your love for one another”
This world needs a lot more love! If we are good stewards of our love, we will give it freely and often
I’m speaking of course of God’s love. What if we daily worked to show God’s love to everyone we came in contact with
I believe conflict with people would all but disappear and certainly more people would be open to hear the gospel
This seems so easy but in reality it’s probably the hardest thing for most of us to do
The biggest reason this is so hard, is the world has taught us everything is about you……but it isn’t
“Each one has a special gift” We have probably all been told this in our life but most people never explore their gift
Most of us believers have not identified what our special gifts are and so therefore we are not good stewards of them
If we identified our gifts and used them as God intended them to be used, I believe our world would look so much different
When we don’t use God’s gifts in the way He wants, we are not good stewards of that gift
Basically what we see here is that when our gifts are used, they should directly point to the God that gave them
If we are truly good stewards of the things that God has given, (and He gave everything) He is glorified
When our lives glorify God, we receive that Joy of knowing we are being good stewards and living our purpose
The bottom line is that if we as the children of God, work to be good stewards of the things God gave us, people will see Jesus in us
However, you can’t use your gifts for a God you don’t know
Do you know Him today?
- Feb 27, 2022Here We Grow
Here We Grow
Last week we heard a great message about self examination
We all need to come to a place where we have complete assurance of our salvation
If you have not yet gotten to that place, I would love to talk to you after the service today
If you know, without a doubt, that you have the salvation that Jesus offers, then it is time to Grow!
Perhaps you say “We understand this because we have known Christ a long time.”
You see, we are never too old to keep growing
Understand that we all have been given tasks according to how God saw fit to give them
Some preachers, some teachers, some apostles and some evangelists
The point here is that he didn’t appoint any of us to do nothing
He appointed all of us for the building up of the body of Christ
Vs 13 is talking about when we are in Glory and we have become mature
The point is, that until that time, none of us will reach full maturity
Then we will no longer be infants, but for now…
Tossed back and forth, blown here and there, this is how we are if we are not trying to Grow
If you have received salvation, you are to put off your old self and put on the new self to be like GodWe have to grow! We begin with the spiritual milk immediately after salvation as an infant in Christ
Infants do not stay infants! As they take nutrients, their physical body develops
As spiritual infants, we need the spiritual nutrients to grow in Christ
Speech, conduct, love, faith and in purity
Devote yourselves to reading of scripture, preaching and teachingLike Psalm 92:13 says “plant yourself in the house of the Lord” both physically and spiritually
Plant yourself through your own reading and studying of God’s word
Plant yourself through the corporate teaching and preaching of God’s word
Always devote yourself to a time of prayer daily
If I planted a Satsuma tree, and it didn’t grow to produce fruit, I would cut it down.
When we are planted in salvation, we need to Grow and produce fruit as the sower expected us to do.
Have you been planted in salvation?
- Feb 20, 2022Self-Examination
Self-Examination
- Feb 13, 2022A New Perspective
A New Perspective
- Feb 6, 2022Vacation Or Peace
Vacation Or Peace
Probably every person in this room or listening online has spoken these words:
I NEED A VACATION!!
Life gets hard and sometimes we just feel the need to unplug from everything
I don’t know about you, but after almost every vacation I have ever taken, when I get home, I need another vacation
Unplugging from the daily grind is good, but, while it brings some relief, it adds other stressors too
"It costs more than I planned for; I’m running late to the next place; I can’t sleep in this bed…….. "
Do you know that Jesus said we would have tribulation in this world?
It is not a quick vacation, or stress break, or shopping trip, or any of these things we need:
We need the peace that only God can give.
Jesus was talking to His disciples here, and they had finally believed that He was God
Vs 31 Jesus says “Do you now believe?”
Guess what, now that you finally believe you are about to find trouble
Just like I talked about on Wed night, it is when you act upon those things of God that Satan comes against you
You will be scattered, you will have tribulation, in other words this world is going to be against you!
New believers often have trouble because somehow, they thought, once they accepted Christ, trouble was over
Jesus never ever told us that we would not have trouble, in fact twice in this passage He warns of trouble
So a vacation, while it is good to relax a little, doesn’t solve the problems in our world
What we really need is the peace that only God can give.
So how do we get that?
“in Me you may have peace”
The greatest thing about God’s peace is that He gives it to us freely.
Believing in Jesus, and walking with God daily brings peace greater than anything in this world can give
The next part of vs 33 immediately says “in the world you have tribulation”
You see the peace that God gives doesn’t stop tribulation; while we are in this world, it will come
One of the greatest phrases ever spoken is the end of
vs 33“take courage, I have overcome the world”
Jesus conquered the grave, and overcame this earthly world so that we too can have that power
Don’t be disheartened when trouble comes, but, instead hold onto that peace in God, knowing He has overcome ALL
Are you finally ready to accept that peace that passes all understanding today?
- Jan 30, 2022A Blessed Man
A Blessed Man
- Jan 23, 2022Send Me
Send Me
On January 20, 1961 President John F. Kennedy made this statement:
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”
As we began our study in Nehemiah this week, that thought pattern came to mind about believers and God
What if we stopped asking God to give us everything and make our lives easy and instead asked...
How can we serve you, Father?
For the first time really in Isaiah’s life he saw the glory of God and how small and sinful he was.
What if we could each have that experience of seeing the true Glory of God
The reality is that through Isaiah’s experience we should be able to see ourselves in that throne room
The experience was amazing, beautiful, and terrifying all at the same time
Most importantly, it truly showed Isaiah the sinfulness of his self and it shook him to the core
“Woe is me, for I am ruined”
Perhaps that is the true thing that we all need to see, how sinful and ruined we truly are next to Holy God
But Isaiah was not allowed to wallow in his realization of sin
His sin was taken away by the Holiness of God
Even in our sinful state God loves us and is willing to cleanse you
Why?
He created you for a purpose and He wants you to be used for that purpose
If God had nothing for us, once He cleansed us, He would simply take us home
Once Isaiah saw his sin, then was cleansed, he heard the voice of the Lord
God asked “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”
Without any hesitation Isaiah said “here I am, send me”
Today as believers we seem to be more concerned in what can God do for us.
What if……think about this
What if God’s people paused for a moment and considered not what God can do for us
Instead what can we do for God!
John F. Kennedy’s speech moved thousands of Americans to civic work that had never considered that before
If believers could get that message and move to action I have no doubt there would be a revival like has never been
Will you ask God,
"What can I do for you in 2022?"Maybe what you need to do is give your life to Him in the first place. Are you ready?
- Jan 16, 2022All God’s Children
All God’s Children
Tomorrow is a Federal Holiday marking Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday
He spent his life preaching that ALL people were created in God’s image and we need to love one another
Today, the divisions between people simply because of skin color, are still in full existence
Even though God created ALL people in His image, the world has divided us because we look different
We are ALL God’s children! We are ALL created in His image!
He loves us ALL!There is only one hope for all this racisim and division to be healed, and that is humility
Yes, I have preached on this passage before and, to be honest, I will probably preach on it again later
Our world today is not what Martin Luther King Jr dreamed about
But it can be!
“If My people, who are called by My name”
Understand that God’s people, who are called by His name, do not have a race
Our race is “God’s people”, no matter what we look like on the outside.
Only if you are identical twins, do any of us actually look just like one another
We are all unique creations and if we have given our life to Christ, we are ALL God’s children
You say, "Preacher, we know that!"
But do you live that way?
How many people, who say they are believers, have close friends of another ethnicity?
Do you have them over to your house for dinner?
Do you go to their's?If my people….”will humble themselves”
Humility is exactly what we all need to live. When we do that, we are pleasing to God.
When we stop thinking so highly of ourselves, we can live in Christ, as we are called to do
When ALL God’s children humble themselves, and make friendships, and let others see, it is amazing!
If my people….”and pray and seek My face”
How do we live as God’s children? We pray and seek His face
It is when we pray and seek Him that we hear from Him, and know how to live each day
If my people……”and turn from their wicked ways”
When we don’t treat people as one of God’s children, it is hatred of that person, and that is wicked
We can say, "I don’t hate people, I just don’t have anything in common with them"
But we don’t know because we haven’t tried to get to know them
I’m specifically talking about ALL people who look different from you
“Then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”
So, we know the answer to all the division and hatred in our land today, so let’s just do it.
God created every single life in this world today, yesterday, and tomorrow
ALL God’s children
Are you called by His name today? Then, it is time we act like it!
If you don’t know Him, do you want to?
- Jan 9, 2022Another Chance To Be Perfect
Another Chance To Be Perfect
So you finally began a New Year
Many people determine at the New Year to make changes in their lives
Some, who are already believers, determine to live more fully for Christ
Some, after deciding to examine Christianity, have actually become believers
For everyone, once a decision is made, what does that actually look like?
I want to do better but what does that actually mean in my everyday walk?
This is another chance for you to be perfect
Perfect? That isn’t even possible!
Before we get to the topic of perfection, let’s look at vs 44-45
In these verses we are called to do something that is not natural
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
The world would say NO!
Look again at verse 45
This is possible through our Father in Heaven
Understand that this verse means that God loves ALL people, even your enemies
Perhaps, when we strive to love them and pray for them, we will learn about them
Maybe they shouldn’t be our enemies, but we haven’t given them a chance
Maybe they are our enemies because of something we have done
Maybe they have never felt the love of God that you know
When we decide that we need to make a change, the place we start is with us!
But I’m a nice person, just ask any of my friends
See, being nice and loving those who love you is easy
It is really truly striving to LOVE those who persecute you, that is so HARD
This is how you make that change that you decided to make.
This is your first step as a new believer and as a believer that wants to live better
We must strive to be perfect by living like our Father in heaven, not the world
This verse is clear, we are to be perfect, even if, as humans, we know that is impossible
The perfect that we need to be, is to live like Jesus every day
In our own strength, it is not possible, but God’s love is perfect, so will you live in that love every day?
Every day is another chance to be perfect. Will you take that opportunity every day?
First, you must give your life to the perfect Father.
Will you take that step today?
- Jan 2, 2022Another Year Another Chance
Another Year Another Chance
What does a New Year make you think of?
All the things you didn’t do last year that you wanted too?
All the things you want to strive for in the new year?
It always makes me think about a chalk board
No matter how many things are written on it, they can always be erased; and you are left with a brand new space
Old things have passed away and all things are now New
As a believer in Christ, there is a verse that comes to my mind
The old has passed away and the new things have come; just as 2021 is gone and 2022 is here.
The great thing about a new year, is that it hasn’t been written yet. Everything you do is the first time this year.
Now look at verse 18-19“Now ALL things are from God”
“who gave us the ministry of reconciliation”
I’m sure that I’m not the only one that made mistakes last year
This is a new year for us to be reconciled again with God, and for us to reconcile with others because of God
One of the greatest barricades to destroying racism is the unwillingness to reconcile with the past
In order to be better this year, we need to be purposeful about reconciling with others
This means we must use the power that God gave us if we are ever to get there
He gave us the word of reconciliation, and, as we are reconciled with Him, we lead others to do the same
The only hope that we have for this world of ours is to show everyone Jesus is the ONLY answer
It is another year and another chance to be an ambassador for Christ
Did any of you men ever participate in RAs as a child?RA stands for Royal Ambassadors for Christ
You see, what we have another chance to do this year is be the child of the King that we are supposed to be
We can serve as an ambassador to show every person the way to the King and eternal salvation
He became sin that we might become righteousness
Another year means another chance to lead people to Christ
Last year and the year before that I challenged you to strive to lead just one person to Christ
In order to lead one, you have to talk to many
I wonder how many actually met the challenge and led someone to Christ.
Another year, another chance
Last year, in this church, the baptismal pool remained dry
Let’s be His ambassadors this year and see that pool full often.
You can’t be His ambassador if you haven’t committed your life to Him yet
