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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God Is Good! This is a phrase most of us are familiar with. It is easy to see God’s goodness when life is going good. But sometimes life is hard and we just don’t have the answers to it all. And that is ok, for we walk by faith, not by sight. The Bible tells us that God is good. It is in the hard times we must hold on to this truth found in Psalm 100:5 “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever: his faithfulness continues through all generations. God’s goodness is based on His character. It is not just that He does good things, He is good. With all the inconsistency we see in the world today, God is consistent, and He does not change.
I am reminded of the song written and sung by Don Moen “God Is Good All The Time”. These are a few of the words to the song.
If you’re walking through the valley And there are shadows all around, Do not fear, He will guide you He will keep you safe and sound He has promised to never leave you Or forsake you, and His word is true God is good all the time He put a song of praise in the heart of mine God is good all the time Through the darkest night His light will shine God is good We were sinners and so unworthy Still for us He chose to die Filled us with His Holy Spirit Now we can stand and testify That His love is everlasting And His mercies they will never end God is good all the time He put a song of praise in this heart of mine Though I may not understand All the plans you have for me My life is in your hands And through the eyes of faith I can clearly see That God is good all the time He put a song of praise in this heart of mine God is good all the time – All the time God is good!
Let God do the heavy lifting.
Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail). Psalm 55:22
I never watched the movie that came out in 2015 called “The War Room”. I did read the reviews this past week of what the movie was about. A couple who had great jobs, a beautiful home, a beautiful daughter. On the outside, it seemed they had it all. But appearances can be deceiving. The Jordan’s marriage was falling apart. But their lives take an unexpected turn when the wife meets her newest client, Miss Clara, who encourages the couple to find healing and happiness through prayer. Miss Clara was a woman of prayer. And she passed on to Miss Jordan the power of prayer.
Her words were, “God showed me it was not my job to do the heavy lifting. This was something He could and would do. It was my job to seek him, to trust him and to stand on his Word”!
This reminded me of the Scripture we have been looking into the last couple of weeks. Psalm 46:10 “ Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God”. “Be still’ means to stop striving, stop fighting, relax. It also means to “put your hands down”.
Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7
God kind of Love: Living Overcoming Victory Everyday
Psalm 108:4 “God’s love goes higher than the heavens and his faithfulness reaches to the clouds”. Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Paul wrote the above Scripture at a time of persecution for being a Christian. In a prison cell, Paul wrote about the love of God that he experienced and covered him all the days of his life.
As believers we are fully persuaded that we can experience this God kind of love. Even in the hard times we go through. God’s love for us does not waver. Neither should our love for Him waver in those hard times.
Paul had found through the experiences of life a “word truth” that would hold him steady in the times of trouble. He became fully persuaded that nothing could or would separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The word “persuaded” is the Greek word “peitho”. It means to be convinced, to persuade, to have confidence. He had been persuaded and fully convinced and confident of the love God had for him and his love for his God. Paul says that neither life nor death would separate him from the love of God. Let us look at those two words: death-life. Death comes from the Greek word “thanatos” which describes physical death. When we die and step into Heaven the love of God does not stop. We then will be in the presence of HIM who is love. The word life comes from the Greek word “zoe” which refers to physical life. Paul reminds us in death that the love of God will be there. He reminds us the things we will encounter on this path called life will not be strong enough to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Things present nor even things to come shall separate us from this God kind of love! As Paul, may we be fully persuaded, fully convinced, and fully confident in this love to live overcoming victory every day and all the days of our lives!
FOR I AM GOD
For when used in a sentence is to talk about a purpose or a reason for something. There is a reason and a purpose for God to be called I AM. And it is for our greatest benefit as believers to understand the meaning of “I Am God”! We read Exodus 3 :14 where God states His own name for the first time: “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you. Verse 15 …..This is my name forever and this is my memorial to all generations. Yes, Yes, Yes this is for us the believers in this time! Notes in the Spirit Filled Life Bible: God identifies Himself as I AM WHO I AM. Revealing His divine name declares his character and attributes, reinforcing that the issue is not who Moses is, but who is with him. This name is related to the Hebrew verb meaning “to be,” and so implies the absolute existence of God. The Hebrew here is also the source of the English, “Yahweh,” Jehovah, “or Lord. The “I AM is still the same I AM” today. What he did for His people then He will do the same today. Our God brought his people out of Egyptian bondage on the authority of his name “I AM.”
Malachi 3:6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” While everything around us is changing, there is the one thing we can depend on and that is God – the I AM will show up on our behalf.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Co. 5:17-19(NKJV)
This is New Year’s Eve and that is a good time to think about new things. The Bible says His “mercies are new every morning”. That means His grace is new as well. There is an old expression, sinned away his day of grace, but I question the truth of that saying.
If we are in Christ Jesus, all things are made new, and all things are of God. Mercy is renewed every morning so it never dissipates. Since grace belongs to God and He never changes it then grace is in His charge. We have nothing to do with grace except to believe in it. God is in charge of making it work. We can’t sin it away because we never had anything to do with it being here to begin with.
Our part is to just believe we receive it from God so He can reconcile us to Himself. We choose to be reconciled to God by faith in the blood sacrifice made by Jesus. It washed away our sins forever as long as our faith is in God’s works and not ours. Jesus died once for all time for our sins. Paul said, “ if righteousness comes from keeping the law, Christ died for nothing”. GAL. 2:21
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel.” Is. 7:14 (NKJV)
Last Sunday Pastor Shirley preached a sermon she called, “What’s in a name” and she was referring to the name Jesus, which means “Salvation”. It was a good and thought provoking message. Today’s sermon is chapter two.
“You shall call His name Immanuel.” There are at least 17 different names for God in the Old Testament. All of them are used to present a unique characteristic of “I am who I am”, the name He revealed to Moses.
Jesus made it very clear in Scripture that He and God were one. Jesus was the Word in the beginning and the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. Jesus became God’s Son when He was conceived by Mary. The first name He was called was in Isaiah. You shall call His name Immanuel. The Word, Jesus Christ, Lord, and Immanuel are the names of the Son of God. Yes, all the other names used for God are said of Jesus but only two were given by the angel to Mary and Joseph, Jesus and Immanuel.
Last week it was Jesus and this week it is Immanuel, which means “God with us”. How awesome to know that God wanted us to know He is at home with us every day.
There should never be a day that we think God has left us. He promised He would never leave us or forsake us no matter what. Love never fails and God doesn’t love, HE IS LOVE. Jesus and God are One and we are One with them. Knowing and believing this should solve all the problems we might face in our lives.
Remembering the good things God has done will keep you encouraged. Now the enemy wants you to focus on those unanswered prayers. The enemy comes with “if God said”, “what if it doesn’t happen”. What are you focusing on today? The whispers of the enemy or the whispers of Holy Spirit. When we hear a condemning voice-you know that whisper that says, “you gotta do this to get God to do what you are praying, believing Him for”. Holy Spirit will never speak with condemnation to us. Holy Spirit helps us discern the voice of God or the voice of the enemy. He is our discerner and more.
John 16:7 tells us-”But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. I like that word, “stand by.” According to the dictionary, a standby is someone to be relied on, especially during emergencies. ready or available for immediate action or use. It is a favorable or reliable choice or resource; it is one held in reserve ready for us. I don’t know about you but have listened to the voice of condemnation. Those whispers always made me feel less than. I am learning to discern the voice that brings condemnation or the voice of Holy Spirit who is my Helper.
The Greek word used in John 16:7 in reference to the Holy Spirit is Parakletos, which means one who is called to one’s side, especially to help.
May we be continually encouraged to remember the good things God has done. Listen intentionally to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who is God, who is standing by your side right now as you read this!.
For you will overcome and see the glory of your God. So continue to press forward even on the days you feel like all is to no avail. Yes, your Lord God will give you supernatural strength to keep on the journey called life. When others may look and say, “for surely they will not make it”. Your outcome is not what others say but what God has already declared over your life. The Word is Truth and faith is found in the knowledge of Truth. Hope will rise in you as you begin to gain knowledge of the promises of the written Word. The more you know about the promises of the written Word the more hope comes to you. And hope will keep faith alive until the promises of God manifest in your life.
Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. Hebrews 11:1
Romans 8:24-25 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
We are now in the month of December. Soon this year will be behind us. I always try to remember that yes it is the end of a year but it is the beginning of a new year.
Psalm 23:1 was our Scripture for 2023-”The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack”. In John 10:11 Jesus declares that He is the good shepherd. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Psalms 100:3 As we look back I am sure we have seen the hand of the Shepherd in our lives. Our God has a good track record of taking care of those who put their trust in him. Just as God has taken care of his sheep in the past He will continue to do so.
The Word says in Psalms 65:11 “ You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance”.
Thanksgiving 2023 is now over. We celebrated with family and friends and were reminded how thankful we should be.
I will never forget what Holy Spirit whispered to me, “A thankful heart God will never never turn away.”
According to Strong’s definitions, the Hebrew word thanksgiving is tôwdâh (to-daw’) and it means confession, praise, and offering. The Webster dictionary defines thanksgiving as, “the act of giving thanks. A public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness.
I am reminded of Psalms 69:30 “I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.” when we magnify God with a thankful heart he is lifted above our present circumstances..
Thanksgiving and praise always go together. Psalms 100:4 “Enter his gates (his presence) with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! WHY? v.5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
I like the word rejoice. This word gives an open door to have joy! “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”
“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” Gal. 3:3
Were you born into the Kingdom of God or did you get in some other way? Jesus told Nicodemus, “you must be born again”. If you weren’t born into the Kingdom you are not in the Kingdom.
The only way into the Kingdom of God is to believe that Jesus took away your sins when He nailed them to the cross. To be in the Kinkdom you must believe Jesus took your sins and set you free.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteous of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21) You do not achieve righteousness by doing any “good works” after you are saved to be applied to your record. Believing God’s “Word” makes us righteous just like it did Abraham.
When Jesus said, as He was on the cross, “it is finished” what did He mean? He meant man’s salvation was bought and paid for. We don’t add “a thing” to the work that is already finished!
GOD’S GRACE SAVED US, OUR FAITH ACCEPTS IT, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERS US TO WALK IN IT!!
We don’t need to add anything to it. We just need to walk in it and let it change us into what we already are in the heart and eyes of The Lord God.
Mark 11:20-24 Kingdom Dynamics Jesus on “Faith’s Confession”.
From Jesus’ own lips we receive the most direct and practical instruction concerning our exercise of faith. Consider three points. 1 – It is to be “in God.” Faith that speaks is first that seeks. The Almighty One is the Source and Grounds of our faith and being. Faith only flows to Him because of the faithfulness that flows from Him. 2- Faith is not a trick performed with our lips, but a spoken expression that springs from the conviction of our hearts. The idea that faith’s confession is a “formula” for getting things from God is unbiblical. But the fact that the faith in our hearts is to be spoken and, thereby becomes active and effective toward specific results, is taught here by the Lord Jesus. 3 – Jesus word’s “whatever things” apply this principle to every aspect of our lives. The only restrictions are that your faith be “in God” our living Father and in alignment with His will and word. And that we “believe” without doubting in our hearts. Thus “say” unto this mountain is not a vain or superstitious exercise or indulgence in humanistic mind science. But instead becomes an applied release of God’s creative word of promise.
How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people – free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free – signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. Ephesians 1:3-10
Trouble is no respecter of people. The people who lived in Bible times were no strangers to times of trouble. In our lives, we will experience times of trouble. Trouble comes to disturb the peace of God in our lives. Disturb means to interrupt the quiet, rest, peace-to interfere with; interrupt; or hinder.
I have heard the Holy Spirit say, “These are the days of refreshing in my presence. Don’t allow the troubles of this present time to envelop you as fog would cover the earth. For I will renew hope in my people so they will see beyond their present troubles. Take rest in me. The peace that I have given you will transcend over you and bring an assurance of good things I have already given you. So look up for surely you will overcome.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1-3
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27
“Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed”. Isaiah 53:5
“As it is written, “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases”. Matthew 8:17
The words “we are healed” are in past tense and meaning that our healing Has been fully secured on the cross by Christ. Jesus bore our sicknesses in His own body on the cross, and by His stripes you are healed. If Jesus paid the bill then we do not have to pay in any way for our healing. The good news is that Jesus did pay the price! Sickness and disease were covered in Christ’s atonement. We do not have to be afraid of any reports of sickness or disease. We have a greater report. Christ He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.
Healing has been made available to you by the death of Jesus on the Cross.
He is the Lord that has healed you! Receive your healing now in Jesus Name!
“And he (Abraham) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Gen. 15:6(NKJV)
Here we are told that Abraham believed the Lord and it was accounted to him for righteousness. This verse is referenced at least four times in the New Testament to confirm that Abraham was righteous because he had faith in God. They are Romans 4:9, 22; Gal. 3:6, and James 2:23.
Galatians 3 gives us a good reference to understand that it is the faith of Abraham, not the Law, that makes us right with God. Good works come as a result of our faith in God and the presence of The Spirit living in our hearts.
Our job is to develop our faith in God. When Jesus came down from the Mount after being transfigured and met a man with a demon possessed son who asked Jesus for help. Jesus told him that all things are possible to him who believes. The father said to Jesus, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”
We are taught through-out the Scriptures that our life must be based on our faith in God. The more we attend to our believing in God the more of God’s life is infused in us. Therefore faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. As the man mentioned above, b we at times must call out to God, “Lord I believe, please help my unbelief.”
“And he (Abraham) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Gen. 15:6(NKJV)
Here we are told that Abraham believed the Lord and it was accounted to him for righteousness. This verse is referenced at least four times in the New Testament to confirm that Abraham was righteous because he had faith in God. They are Romans 4:9, 22; Gal. 3:6, and James 2:23.
Galatians 3 gives us a good reference to understand that it is the faith of Abraham, not the Law, that makes us right with God. Good works come as a result of our faith in God and the presence of The Spirit living in our hearts.
Our job is to develop our faith in God. When Jesus came down from the Mount after being transfigured and met a man with a demon possessed son who asked Jesus for help. Jesus told him that all things are possible to him who believes. The father said to Jesus, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”
We are taught through-out the Scriptures that our life must be based on our faith in God. The more we attend to our believing in God the more of God’s life is infused in us. Therefore faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. As the man mentioned above, b we at times must call out to God, “Lord I believe, please help my unbelief.”
So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. And I pray that he will unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding- this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God! Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. Now we offer up to God all the glorious praise that rises from every church in every generation through Jesus Christ—and all that will yet be manifest through time and eternity. Amen Ephesians 3:14-21
Luke 17:20-21 “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Jesus told his followers that the kingdom of God was “in [their] midst,” meaning that it was present because Jesus himself was there among them.
Today, because Jesus is present in us through the Holy Spirit, we can bring the presence of God’s kingdom wherever we are. We are carriers of the Kingdom. Wherever we go we the kingdom of God goes with us.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior you have the Kingdom of God in. When you take ownership of it you will begin to walk in authority of the King of the Kingdom. As you embrace the calling you have as a believer-to share the Good News- you will begin to walk with confidence. Wherever we go is an opportunity for the Kingdom to shine forth.
I declare over you all Heaven is applauding you and the gates of hell fears you! Step forth into your new day!
Luke 17:20-21 “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Jesus told his followers that the kingdom of God was “in [their] midst,” meaning that it was present because Jesus himself was there among them. Today, because Jesus is present in us through the Holy Spirit, we can bring the presence of God’s kingdom wherever we are. We are carriers of the Kingdom. Wherever we go we the kingdom of God goes with us.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior you have the Kingdom of God in. When you take ownership of it you will begin to walk in authority of the King of the Kingdom. As you embrace the calling you have as a believer-to share the Good News- you will begin to walk with confidence. Wherever we go is an opportunity for the Kingdom to shine forth.
I declare over you all Heaven is applauding you and the gates of hell fears you! Step forth into your new day!
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