Our Mission To love all people at all times and lead them into a new life in Christ.
Our Vision To be a church that will be multicultural and generational, having a lasting impact on the people to whom we minister.
To see the gospel extend beyond the walls of our church through various outreaches.
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As we go back to the Old Testament we read how God commanded the children of Israel to remember the miracles-water from theo now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One rock, parting of the Red Sea, manna daily from Heaven.
Now the devil wants you to remember the bad. He will bring up everything from the past to bring you into condemnation. But the Word tells us in Romans 8:1 “So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One. That is a good remembrance to be reminded of.
Just as God had the children of Israel to take the time to pause and remember we should follow suit and do the same. We can get busy with just living life and become weary. We may need to intentionally put ourselves in remembrance of what all the Lord has done for us.
“I remember to think about the many things You did in years gone by. Psalms 143:5
Romans 8:31 “If God is for us, who can be against us.”
God is “for us” meaning that He is on our side. He is working on our behalf and for our good. Who can be against us. There is absolutely no one or nothing that comes against us is greater than our God. Yes we face opposition but that opposition will not be successful against us.
Real life situations may seem at times to overshadow the words written in Romans 8:31. We must continually go back to the Word for assurance. Psalms 127:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my-life shom shall i be afraid?”
Paul penned Romans 8:31. He wrote from experience. He faced the same struggles we experience in life and many, many more. Over and over again He saw the God who was for him come through time and time again. So do we on this journey called life. We win!
“Therefore hear the parable of the sower.” Matt. 13:18
Parables have often been defined as, “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”. Jesus taught with parables so often that the Bible says that He spoke in parables altogether. Matthew 13:34 says that He did not speak to the multitude without using a parable. Why was this and what was His purpose?
If we search the Scriptures about parables we will find that even His own disciples didn’t understand them. But, they went to Him and asked what the parables meant and Jesus enlightened their understanding by explaining the parable.
Compare this to our reading the Bible to find God’s Word for us. Don’t we often read it and ponder its meaning. We ask, “What does it mean, Lord,” and then The Holy Spirit speaks to our heart with the understanding we need.
Anyone that can read can read the Bible but not many people can get its full meaning on their own. That is why God poured His Spirit out upon His people The Spirit guides us into all truth and shows us things to come because He loves us so much.
Jesus never spoke in mysteries without giving the meaning to anyone willing to ask. The Bible contains no mystery that the Holy Spirit can’t give us the meaning. We ask and then we listen.
L-I-F-E “LIVING IN FAITH EVERYDAY”
Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”.
Paul says, “My new life that I am living now is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that He gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine”.
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Verse 10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. It was supernatural faith that moved us to life (salvation) to the power of living by faith.
Faith is the key ingredient in the recipe called life. Hebrews 11:1 “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living tis oru handle on what we can’t see”.
Ephesians 5:1 “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power”. The unlimited power of Christ is the source of strength for those who belong to Him.
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Our strength as believers is found in Christ. It is Christ who empowers us to do whatever is necessary to accomplish God’s will. It is strength found in Christ that helps us to overcome any attack of the enemy.
In Matthew 6:24 Jesus tells us, “So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble”. Jesus was telling us to take one day at a time. We are to live our lives one day at a time and live in the strength that has been given to us from God.
And as your day, so shall your strength, your rest and security, be. Deuteronomy 33:25
God gives us grace (strength) for one day at a time.
“For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:25
As we look around and listen to all that is going on in our nation and world, we see a lot of chaos that can trouble the soul if we let it. We must not lose sight of whose we are and who is the caretaker of our souls.The above verse tells us how we need to see ourselves in this world and in the Kingdom of God.
If we are children of God, we are citizens of His Kingdom with all its rights and privileges as written in His word. God’s word is the Constitution under which we live. Earthly connections are secondary for us as we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. If we function as citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom, we will have peace in the earth. That doesn’t mean we pay no attention to what is happening around but we must remember our Savior and Overseer is watching over us and goes to “war” on our behalf.
You can find this explained in Hebrews 11:13-16. The God who said, “I will never leave you or forsake you”, is the God whom we serve. He is with us in every situation to perform His word for us. We do not have to fear what man can do to us for we have a God who watches after us like he did the Hebrew Children in the fiery furnace.
Therefore, face every day with its events knowing that God is for us not against us. His eye is on the sparrow and He watches after you. Never forget, YOU ARE BLESSED!
ARISE CHURCH
Arise Church you have been equipped with power
This is the final hour
No time for sitting back
Now is the time to be arise
We are army of God that has been made bold
A mandate from Heaven we have received
Now is the time to go so others can believe
We have been called to break down the walls that
have stood so tall
No longer can we be silent in this day
God has given us something to say
A Word God has place in our heart
That is the place for it to start
The things that have kept us apart
We now know have been the enemies darts
The Bible tells us in James 5:17 that Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have but he prayed and received supernatural answers.
When we read about the prophet Elijah, beginning in I Kings 17, we see an ordinary man who did great exploits, because he believed God. Yes Elijah had his ups and downs, successes and failures. He had times that he spoke God’s word boldly and had instant results and times that he doubted God and ran from his enemy. But Elijah never quit-he got back up. Like Elijah we have ups and downs in life. At times we speak the Word boldly, pray with authority and at the times we wonder where you are God. At times we get an instant answer to prayer and times we are waiting day weeks months or even years for that which we have ask of God to be manifested
The key to living a life of faith as sons and daughters of God is to never quit. Even at the times we have thrown in the towel Jesus is right there waiting. Yep I have done that more than once (you know threw in the towel). But my Jesus is oh so faithful.
Winston Churchill said, “success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. If you’re going through hell, keep going. Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about”.
That last quote got me-really got me. Because even in the times “I quit” there was not a day that went by that I did not think about my Jesus. Let me tell you when you have been touched, really touched by the hand of the Lord-no hope, someone who could have tossed by the wayside and easily forgotten about by the world. Jesus saw something that nobody else saw. He saw worth. He saw value. And when Holy Spirit comes in and radically changes you and continues to do as SM Lockridge said,”You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hands; you can’t live Him and you can’t live without Him. That is my King!
I have good news for you today-God is no respecter of persons. What He has done for me He will do the same for you. You may be discouraged, you may have silently said to yourself, “I quit”. Just living life going through the motions. The Jesus I know has not given up on you. He is going to love you back to His heart.
As born again sons and daughters of God may we never forget our freedom and the “One” who paid the ultimate price.
In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. Galatians 5:1
“I Am Free”
Through you the blind will see Through you the mute will sing
Through you the dead will rise Through you all hearts will praise
Through you the darkness flees Through you my heart screams
I am free Yes, I am free I am free to run I am free to dance
I am free to live for you I am free
Through you the kingdom comes Through you the battle’s won
Through you I’m not afraid Through you the price is paid
Through you there’s victory Because of you my heart sings
I am free Yes, I am free Who the Son sets free – is free indeed
News Boys (song lyrics)
As sure as gold is precious and honey sweet, So you love this city and you love these streets Every child out playing by their own front door Every baby laying on the bedroom floor Every dreamer dreaming in her dead-end job Every driver driving through the rush hour mob I feel it in my spirit, feel it in my bones You’re going to send revival, bring them all back home I can hear that thunder in the distance Like a train on the edge of town I can feel the brooding of Your Spirit “Lay your burdens down, Lay your burdens down” From the Preacher preaching when the well is dry To the lost soul reaching for a higher high From the young man working through his hopes and fears To the widow walking through the veil of tears Every man and woman, every old and young Every father’s daughter, every mother’s son I feel it in my spirit, feel it in my bones You’re going to send revival, bring them all back home I can hear that thunder in the distance Like a train on the edge of town I can feel the brooding of Your Spirit “Lay your burdens down, Lay your burdens down”. Revive us, Revive us, Revive us with your fire!
For God so loved the world…no if’s and’s or but’s about that truth. We all are created in the image of God regardless of gender or race. All He sees are people whe are created in His image hopelessly lost without Him. To every person mentioned in the above lyrics God is bringing them back home. Home is a place of security, a place of hope, a place of peace. I have high expectation that revival is in our nation now and will continue to grow in intensity.
Our Word-faith for the supernatural! This is the time God is saying stretch forth your faith to press into the supernatural. In the supernatural realm there are unlimited turnaround, all are possible, all can be sought after. After all nothing is too hard for our God!
Revive us, Revive us, Revive us with your fire!!!
The book of Judges is about a very dark time in the history of Israel. This was a time when the chosen people of God turned away from Him and did what was right in their own eyes. The book of Judges tells us what happens when an individual or a nation’s turn from following God. God is no longer important and the very center of their lives. The book of Judges can be summed up in Judges 21:25 “Everyone did what was right in their eyes”. The word “eye” in the context of Judges means “sight or perspective or arrogance”. During the time of Judges the people did what they THOUGHT was right–not what WAS right.
Hebrews 12:2 “Fixing our eyes on Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith”. God always has a cure. The cure for eyes that are fixed on doing what we think is right is fixing, or looking at nothing else than Jesus. By bowing our knees to the authority and kingship of Jesus in our lives. Living for Him and not for ourselves! May we never take our eyes of Jesus. Not doing what we think is right. What would Jesus do? When Jesus is King of your heart there won’t be room for self. Let’s not take our eyes off of Jesus!
Let the King of my heart. Be the wind inside my sails. The anchor in the waves. Oh-oh, He is my song. Let the King of my heart. Be the fire inside my veins. The echo of my days. Oh, He is my song. (lyrics to – King of my Heart)
Redemption is a rare and beautiful thing that God provided the world through Christ. Not one person was excluded from the blessing. The only ones that will not take part in the redemption plan of God are those who refuse to accept the plan provided.
We, the Church, hold the key to solve all of man’s problems in the “day” of turmoil we are going through these past few months. We also have a permanent solution for all the hatred and violence we see each day. His name is Jesus the Christ, and He has the answer to all of the problems of the world.“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Eph. 4:30-32 (NKJV)
Man’s entire scale of problems has an answer but not in human capability. The answer to all problems of man are found in the Word of God. It will not be found by seeking it to help our own wants and needs but to consider how God meamnt it to be. We have been so good making the Word of God fit our way. We need to find the truth of His Way. The above verses tell the story. We can’t even do the “easy” things He asks.
Those outside the Church don’t care what God has done. And many in the Church don’t understand what God has done because we try to fit God into our way of thinking. Jesus told us to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as our self. The Word(Bible) says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We are not called to fight the world but to help save it. Let’s stand up and do it!!
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Mattthew 6:25-34
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven of a rushing mighty wind that filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them as tongues of fire and sat upon each other. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4
The church was birthed with power on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit that came on that first Pentecost is the same Holy Spirit that is active in the church and world today. This was a day God was equipping His Church with the power of His Spirit so that He will be glorified among the nations.
The Holy Spirit is given to us not only so that we may know and experience God’s power and love in our lives but also to work in and through us to change both ourselves and the world around us.
My heart has been heavy this past week with so much upheaval in our nation. How we so desperately need a fresh wind of Holy Spirit fire to invade our nation.
I remember the lines of a couple of hymns-“Breath on me, breath of God. Fill me with life anew, that I may live as You did live, and do what You would do”–”Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me, Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me ,and use me. Spirit of the livingGod, fall afresh on me.”
I ask that the Holy Spirit fall on us today-refill us again. That there would be no room for self and that the glory of God would fill our land. We are the presence of Jesus in the world today with the Holy Spirit in us.
John 16:5-7 “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.
In this scripture I believe Jesus was saying not only I am the way to the Father I am the way, truth and life on your journey in the earth now. He knew we would need help on the way.
While you are navigating through life always remember, I Am your way, I Am your truth, I Am your life. When we began to understand the power of-I Am the way, the truth, the life statement that Jesus made we will be overcomers in this life.
You need a way- Jesus says,“I Am the way maker”. You need truth-Jesus says,“I Am truth”. You need life -Jesus says, Follow me I Am the light of life”.
He’s the “I AM”—the Jesus of the now—ready to be whatever we need Him to be!
“I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” Eph. 1:16-18 (NKJV)
There is much being said about prayer during these days of the virus that has led to havoc in all realms of life. As bad as it is, it doesn’t approach the death and destruction caused in the Middle Ages in Europe by the Bubonic plague when nearly half the population died. There are other events in history that I could name but in all of them man found a way to victory over them.
In all the prayers I have heard and said during the days of isolation at home, for what have we been praying? I found myself asking God how I should pray for human conditions. He gave me the Scripture above and a Biblical example of how it works. In 2 Kings 6:11-17, is the story of Elisha and his servant when the enemy had them surrounded in Dothan by thousands of soldiers. The servant was terrified when he saw the enemy army. He asked Elisha what they were going to do. Elisha prayed that God would open his eyes to see the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire all around them. The servant needed to see things from God’s view. All of us need our eyes opened to see God at work. Second Corinthians 4:3-4 tells us that the god of this world has blinded the eyes of people that they can only see the fleshly things and fear. Let’s begin to pray for our leaders in all areas that God will open their eyes as He did for ( over) Elisha’s servant. God is going to bring us through this episode of life. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING but pray the right things.
For at one time you were not God’s people, but now you are. At one time you knew nothing of God’s mercy, because you hadn’t received it yet, but now you are drenched with it! 1Peter 2:10
The fix is in…meaning that the fight has been fixed” or in the sense that someone has paid to determine the outcome of the competition in advance. To make or become firm, stable, or secure.
God has made our salvation secured through Jesus. Our past, present, and future sins are already forgiven. The fix is in. We stand in the position of victory. Ephesians 1:7-11 Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness. He had decided to do this through Christ. He planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth. God also decided ahead of time to choose us through Christ according to his plan, which makes everything work the way he intends. He planned all of this so that we who had already focused our hope on Christ would praise him and give him glory.
I recall to mind the song-I owed a debt I could not pay-He paid the debt he did not owe-I needed someone to wash my sins away-And now I sing a brand new song Amazing Grace All day long Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay-He paid the debt on calvary He saved my soul-He set me free-Am glad that Jesus washed all my sins away-And now I sing a brand new song Amazing Grace all day long-Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.
All because of JESUS!
Romans 2:11 “For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another”. This Scripture I am so thankful for. His invitation is for one and all-come as you are. He receives us in all our mess and as we surrender to Him the transformation starts a brand new life. Yes, a new way of living. We are becoming on the outside what He has made us on the inside at the moment of our salvation. Remember the song-Jesus on the inside working on the outside oh what a change in my life.
The house of the Father has built me and is building me into the person I am today. There is no judgment, no condemnation, no shame in our Fathers presence.
The Word tells us in Psalms 34:8 “O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good;How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who takes refuge in Him”.
Well praise the Lord in whom all blessings flow. May God continue to shower you and your family with kindness, goodness and favor in every area of your lives.
We are living in uncertain times. Our world seems to be changing daily around us. But there is one thing that is sure – the WORD. That is what we return to over and over again in times like these. The Bible tells us in Psalms 119:89 O Lord, your word is established in heaven forever.
For some it is easy to just believe what man has to say about what is happening in the world today. But have you ever thought what is on the heart of the Father concerning the complexities of these uncertain times. I am sure it grieves His heart to see the follies of man as they scurry around trying to find answers to all the things that are happening. Instead of the why let us just find our solace in the Word. That is where the Truth can be found.
One thing the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart a long time ago, God is good and the enemy of your soul is out to do you no good. I remembered the Scripture in John 10:10 “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” God cannot be good and evil at the same time. God’s goodness is running to overtake you. Evil is birthed from the evil one. The enemy of our lives desires to overtake us with fear in the chaos that is happening in the world
Jesus has told us in John 16:33 …..in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]
Brothers and Sisters we live in a fallen world that has not been redeemed. It is groaning to be released and the groans are getting louder and louder as we come ever closer to the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Romans 8:22 We know that all creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time.
Soon and very soon we will be going Home. Until then stay in faith and keep on keeping on. Jesus is Lord and we win.
This old hymn says it all
He lives. He lives.
Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me
And talks with me
Along life’s narrow way
He lives. He lives.
Salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives.
HE LIVES WITHIN MY HEART!
HE
IS
RISEN
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