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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“”Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli…..the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” Luke 3:23, 38(NKJV)
Every father needs a father as a good example of how to be a father. Did you understand that statement? Many fathers and potential fathers have no good example of what a father should be. In instances like that I suggest you use the first father as your example. I am not talking about Adam. I am talking about God. How did God treat his son, Adam? One must look at the whole picture and understand the nature and character of God the Father. Today, in part, we will attempt to do that. As a father, how much like God am I?
“Samuel Osherson did a study of 370 men who graduated from Harvard in the mid-1960s. They became successful men in their fields of endeavor. Osherson found out that many were scarred and wounded by the relationship with their fathers. Osherson summed up his research: ‘The interviews that I have had with men in their thirties and forties convince me that the psychological or physical absence of fathers from their families is one of the great underestimated tragedies of our times.’ As these successful men looked back over their lives, it became apparent that in more than ninety-five percent of the cases, fathers were either cited as negative examples or were mentioned as people who were not influences.”(Point Man by Steve Farrar, p 47)
How does this fit into explaining the condition of society today? We have had fifty years in which things have only gotten worse. Fathers, let us determine to make a positive difference!
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ANGELIC PROTECTION
Matthew 18:10 “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”
ANGELIC PROTECTION MATTHEW 18:10-11
We have angels assigned to us. Hebrews 1:14 further reveals that their purpose is to minister to us (i.e. on our behalf). In the Old Testament, Psalm 91 teaches on the ministry of angels to God’s people.
Some have realized this truth and have taken it even further to say that we are supposed to speak to our angels and they will obey our commands. There is no instruction in scripture to do this nor is there any example of it being done. Many of the angels’ protective duties described in Psalm 91 are preventative, and we certainly could not effectively command these activities.
Rather, these angels are dispatched exactly as this verse describes – by looking at the Father’s face. God Almighty controls them for us; however, we do have a part to play. In Psalm 91 it is those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High, that are able to benefit from angelic activity (v. 1). Verse 2 further instructs us to say that the Lord is our refuge and fortress and that we are trusting in Him.
It is the combination of our faith in God and His faithfulness to us that releases the angels on our behalf. If it was solely up to God, His provision would be the same for everyone because of His mercy and grace. However, we have to receive God’s grace by faith (Eph. 2:8). As you seek the Lord, become aware of His ministering spirits which were created to minister for us, and speak forth your faith in this area, He will send forth His angels on your behalf. Andrew Wommack
“This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” Acts 24:16
What do you spend your conscience time thinking about and meditating on? We all have a thought life. Sometimes it is good and sometimes it is not so good. How do you think about yourself? The way you think about you is the way you will live. If you only see your weaknesses you will live as though you are weak. If you only see your failures you will continually fail. You must see who you are in Christ.
Apart from Christ life is just a gamble. Can I win or will I lose? You will do what you believe you can and nothing more. In every arena of thinking those who succeed are those who have a positive view of themselves and the things around them. Being “in Christ” removes the risk of ultimate failure. To activate this in your life you must get a Biblical view of who you are. You cannot see yourself as “just an old sinner saved by grace” and get a true picture of who you are. You must see yourself as a “new creature in Christ Jesus.”
There are certain attitudes that you must adopt if you are to be victorious in your daily life. One of the first things you must overcome is being sin conscience. You must quit looking for sin in your life. If you look for it you will find it every time. Instead of sin start looking for righteousness. The Bible says you are “the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.” Can you see that about yourself? Start living being conscience of righteousness rather than being sin conscience. I promise it will change your life when sin disappears from your view.
“And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.” Mk 16:20(NKJV)
Last Sunday Pastor Shirley Powell led an awesome service here at New Life. The anointing of God was very strong, the Spirit was moving mightily, and the word preached was powerful. God honored it by the signs that followed. It should be the expectation that this will happen every time we gather together in His name. Don’t miss! You never know what you will miss if you miss!
Sister Darlene Campbell shared on Facebook about her trip to minister at the nursing home this week. One of the residents came up to her after ministry time and asked, “What must I do to be saved?” What an awesome thing. They baptized her that night. That is the results of going out “preaching everywhere.”
We are the church. What we do, the church is doing. New Life is only a part of the “church.” Praise God you are a part of this church, but you ARE the church. Everything we do as a person represents the church. More than the local church we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. What we decide to do for the Kingdom God will work with us by confirming the Word we preach. To quote Bishop Jack Ernest it is time we “get ‘er done.” “Expectation is the breeding ground for miracles.”-Pastor Rod Parsley
Isaiah 54:17 says. But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord.
The Bible does not say that there will not be any weapon formed against us. It does assure us that the weapon formed against us will not prosper. No weapon formed against me shall prosper it says. Prosper meaning, “succeed at reaching its intended purpose.” What a promise from God!
The Bible says that the devil comes to steal, kill and to destroy. (John 10:10) The purpose of the weapons that are formed against is to discourage us to the point of giving up. And while he continues to try and bring death and destruction to your life and to mine, he has no power to succeed.
The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]. (1John3:8)
Between you and the weapon (of the enemy), there is the Lord God Almighty. God is all around you. God goes for battle every time the enemy shows up, and He looks at your enemy as His own. An attack against you is an attack against the Lord God Almighty.
Be encouraged and know that God is for you regardless who or what might be against you.
“You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I Pet. 2:9 NKJV
My confession: “I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. I proclaim the praises of Him who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
This is who we are. We are anointed with the anointing of the Anointed One! In His Name, we lay hands on the sick and they recover. We cast out devils. We speak the Word of God in faith and set the captives free! We are NOT unworthy sinners. (Kenneth Copeland)
“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” Eph. 5:1(NKJV)
I know you are familiar with the saying, “like father like son”. Ever hear someone say, “She is just like her mother.” What prompts this kind of statements? Usually it is because the person sees so much similarity between the child’s actions and looks and the parent.
As a child of God do you look and act like Him? If children love their parents it is common for them to want to be like them, to imitate them. Are we enough in love with God to desire to look and be like Him? What do people see in us? Is there any God-like presence around us or do we act like the devil?
I am not expecting any of us to be exactly like Jesus, but there should be enough resemblance that the world can tell we are related. We all mess up at times and do things of which our Father would not approve. But, over all, are we attempting to imitate Him with our lives? It comes from our choices. Remember, “What would Jesus do?”WWJD
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jo. 3:16(NKJV)
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” I John 2:15(NKJV)
One of the most widely used and most undervalued words in the English language is the word love. We love God and we love mashed potatoes. We love the Lord and we love to watch television. There is not a real appreciation for the most grandeur word of mankind. Is God’s idea of love the same as man’s idea? How could it be in light of the Scriptures above? How can God love the world and tell us not to love it? Only if we understand the word and how to define it can we understand the meaning. We use the word love in too many instances that are a miss use of the term.
What does the Bible tell us to love? We are to love God, Jesus Christ, one another, the Word, righteousness, and truth. Love is only used in describing relationships between God and man and between humans. It should be reserved to reflect its true meaning, not our idea about it.
The way we use the word love is so “common” it dilutes the true value of the expression. If “God is love” and I Corinthians 13 is correct, how can we lightly refer to loving some thing? Does “I love these shoes!” and “I love Jesus!” reflect the same degree of emotion? Let us purify the use and idea of love and elevate it to its higher meaning.
“A Different Kind of Heresy”
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” 2 Pet. 2:1-2(NKJV)
One of the things the early church was forced to deal with was the rise of heretical doctrine coming from self taught or poorly trained individuals. There was no record to follow except the Old Testament. Even that was only relevant to Jewish believers since Gentiles were not subject to the Law. The general practice of heresy is to take a truth and add to it or misinterpret the meaning of a truth and make that your theology.
One man’s theology is another man’s heresy. In a narrow sense, heresy is the belief of another that differs from the way I believe. But, in reality, heresy is anything that contradicts what the Bible teaches. As an example, let me use speaking in tongues. There are those who believe the modern teachings on the subject are heresy. They also will say, “Speaking in tongues is of the devil.” These are opinions until we call on Scriptures for clarification of the facts. What do the Scriptures say? Do they say, “I would that you all speak in tongues?” Yes. Is there any mention of tongues being from the devil? No! Lay aside opinion and doctrines of man and come to a conclusion. Which is more likely to be right based on Bible content? It is dangerous to build a doctrine on what the Bible does not say rather than what it does say.
Heresy is a deliberate choice to believe error instead of truth. Ignorant and unlearned is believe because you haven’t been taught the truth. Does God still heal today or has healing passed away? One or the other is heresy. What do the Scriptures say? In all your theology, what do the Scriptures say? Don’t give an opinion. Give the truth.
JUST WORDS
Matthew 12:37, “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
MATTHEW 12:34-37
God created the heavens and the earth and everything that is in the earth by His words (Heb. 11:3). The whole creation was made by, and responds to, words. Our words, when spoken in faith, release either life or death (Prov. 18:21) and will affect people, things, and circumstances. We can release the power that is in faith by our words.
Every word counts. There is no such thing as an “idle” word which will not work for us or against us. Our words can be our most powerful weapon against the devil, or they can become a snare of the devil (Prov. 6:2). Faith-filled words can move mountains.
The faith that made Jesus marvel was a faith in the authority of the spoken word (Mt. 8:8, 10). We are to believe in the power of our words. If we begin to speak words in faith that line up with God’s Word, then we will have the positive results that follow. But if we continue to speak words of doubt, we will eventually believe them and have the negative things that these words produce. Death or life is in the power of every word we speak.
Faith is released by speaking words. Jesus encouraged us to speak to mountains or to whatever our problem might be. Most people speak to God about their problem, but few follow Jesus’ instructions and speak directly to the “mountain.” God has put certain things under our authority and we must exercise it. When a problem stands in our way, we must speak to the problem and command it to get out of our way in the name of Jesus. Speak God’s Word today. His Words will produce life.
—-From Andrew Wommack
“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Rom. 3:20(NKJV) “And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Gen. 2:9(NKJV) “And the Lord commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.” Gen. 2:16-17(NKJV)
Adam and Eve had no sense of sin until they disobeyed God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Contrast the two trees mentioned in this Scripture. The tree of life and, not the tree of death, but of the “knowledge” of good and evil. This implies that two much knowledge is dangerous. But, the danger is not the amount of knowledge rather the kind of knowledge. Without the law there is no knowledge of sin. Law is recognized as the orders we receive from God, His commandments. Adam had one commandment to keep. He did not know what it was like to sin until he ate the fruit. At that point he became aware of the difference between good and evil. It became, “this is good but this is evil.”
There was a “knowing” that happened that changed the mind of humanity. From then on man has been controlling his own life with his choices. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the “Law” of that day. Which is better, the tree of life(JESUS) or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil(THE LAW)? Man, even Christians, is still trying to eat from the wrong tree. When we try to be justified by the law, we die. But, when we eat of the tree of Life we receive the life of Jesus in us. Today is our resurrection day. We have new life in Christ, our sacrifice. Man was never right before God because he kept the law. He was right before God because of the atonement sacrifices. Our “Lamb” has been slain. We are right with God! Hallelujah!!!
We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay, filthy rich, dirt poor, yo no habla Ingles. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying new-borns, skinny as a rail or could afford to lose a few pounds.
We welcome you if you can sing like Andrea Bocelli or like some who can’t carry a note in a bucket. You’re welcome here if you’re “just browsing,” just woke up or just got out of jail. We don’t care if you’re more Catholic than the Pope, or haven’t been in church since little Joey’s Baptism.
We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome soccer moms, NASCAR dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you’re having problems or you’re down in the dumps or if you don’t like “organized religion,” we’ve been there too.
If you blew all your offering money at the dog track, you’re welcome here. We offer a special welcome to those who think the earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or because grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.
We welcome those who are inked, pierced or both. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid or got lost in traffic and wound up here by mistake. We welcome tourists, seekers and doubters, bleeding hearts … and you!
Because everyone needs Jesus. (reprinted)
“Tell the daughter of Zion, behold your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Matt. 21:5(NKJV) “Then the multitude who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” Matt. 21:9(NKJV) “The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” John 12:12-13(NKJV)
Today is what the Christian world calls Palm Sunday. It is the time when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the final week of His life. It was a day of joy and rejoicing for the followers of Jesus. The Son of David, the King of Israel, was arriving at His Capital city. They were thinking, “Now we will see the Kingdom come.” I am sure they were expecting something quite different from what actually happened that week.
The section heading in most Bibles calls this event “The Triumphal Entry.” Think about it. What triumph were they celebrating? They were celebrating the coming of their King. The King is here. Now He will fix things and make all things right. What followed was the worst week in human history and the best week in eternity. It all happened at once. The outcome for the people was determined by which “eyes” they used to view the event. Through natural eyes it was the worst week. Through the eyes of faith it was the best week in eternity. Whatever your week may be like, look at it through the eyes of faith. It will look much better than through the natural eye. If you are a Christian, your King has already arrived. Now, believe it, celebrate it, and live like it.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2:4-7 (NKJV) This is only one sentence long. Pay attention.
Do you know who you are? Better yet, do you know where you are? Are you a Christian? If so, let me tell you where you are. You are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You are not under the devil’s thumb. You are not under his feet. He is under yours. You are not “in trouble.” You are not “under the circumstances.” You are not defeated. You are not a “victim!”
Our situations and circumstances change but not our position in Christ Jesus. When we were dead in sins, we were made alive and seated in heavenly places with the devil under our feet. The devil does not want us to know about that. When we find out about it, he does not want us to believe it. When we start to believe it, he does not want us to live like it. But, we must make the decision to live our lives as God said we could.
Can you see the devil under your feet? If not, feed on God’s word until you can. Do you believe God loves you and is on your side? If you are not sure, feed on God’s Word until you are. You must never accept information that conflicts with what the Word says.
“Keep on keeping on, keep on keeping on, trusting in the Lord. Keep on keeping on, keep on keeping on standing on His Word. As you learn to walk by faith and not to walk by sight, you can keep on keeping on, keep on keeping on every day and night.” (chorus to a Reliford song from years ago) It will still work today!
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Eph. 4:11-16 (NKJV)
Why such a long portion of Scripture to quote for this article? Because this Scripture is only one sentence long it must be talking about one subject. Seven verses in one complete sentence tell me the subject matter is highly related. It is sometimes easy to separate verses into different subjects but sentences are not that easily separated into different subject matter. One sentence is normally limited to one subject matter.
This sentence begins with who, continues with what, moves on with how, and ends with why. Each part of the sentence is important in order to fully understand the thought presented. Every thought conveyed is important to every other thought and presents the full idea Paul is trying to convey. The thought is that every member of the body has something to add to make the body complete. What is your part? Are you providing that to help the whole body grow? Without you we are not complete. Don’t let us down.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Eph. 6:10 (NKJV)
Do you ever get tired? Considering all the demands that everyday life makes on us, it can be easy to feel like it is more than we can handle. What is the key to avoiding being overwhelmed by our responsibilities?
Do you ever get exhausted serving the Lord? Trying to live up to the standards of the Word can kill an ordinary person. You cannot live up to the demands of the Law. They are more than any person can fulfill. In order to “be strong” we must not be ordinary we must supernatural.
A supernatural person is not a special person with special powers. Supernatural people are made, after being born twice. Being supernatural means we are “strong in the Lord and the power of His might.” “Trust in the Lord and be established.”
Did you know, “the joy of the Lord will be your strength?” This does not mean being joyful all the time will give you strength. You can get tired trying to be joyful. What actually is the Joy of the Lord? “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the JOY that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2 (NKJV)
The true joy of the Lord was and is our salvation. At salvation God’s grace is activated in us and we become supernatural people. It ceases to be our effort that strengthens us but Christ in us that provides the “power of His might.”
“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY.” Col. 1:27 (NKJV)
From: Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural
- While reading the Scriptures this morning, God gave me a revelation on healing for both of us! John 10:10 “The thief does not come but to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.”
- Sickness is NOT from God but is a thief and trespasser. In fact, the Greek word for sickness can be translated “evil.” Evil comes from the devil and we must resist! Where we get trapped is when we do not see instant results…, we stop resisting and give up. The devil will send his evil symptoms to you until he knows you will not give up.
- He will even send the symptoms after we have manifested a healing. We then think we are sick again and roll over and accept the lie.
- In Matthew 8:2, Jesus could see the faith of the paralyzed man. Can the devil see your faith? Don’t give up! Through faith and patience you will inherit the promises. Our Scripture verse to meditate on this week has all the truth you need to put the evil thief in his place!
“The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.” ~Deuteronomy 28:8
Don’t be discouraged if your offerings are not as much as you would like them to be. Remember the poor widow with two mites? She gave more than the rich men in the temple. It is the portion of the whole amount that you give, not the amount itself, which determines the abundance of your gift. With the same measure that you give, God will give back to you. Hallelujah!
from Lidie Gray
“But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” Heb. 8:6
We live in a world that relies greatly on covenants. The difference is that we don’t call them covenants we call them contracts. We make contracts about everything. Everything we buy that we don’t pay cash for is bought on contract. Even giving a check to pay the full amount is a contract. You sign a piece of paper that your bank has agreed to pay provided you have a valid contract with the bank.
Buying anything is usually done by a contract. You get your electricity, water, and gas with a contract. I know that most people that have business dealings do not like so much “paperwork”. Pages and pages to initial and sign. During my hospital experience last year I signed dozens of forms. All of them were to make sure both parties fulfilled our promise.
Whatever happened to the handshake contract? We began to lose the truth and honesty of the handshake. To many people today it means little or nothing to them if their interest is affected. Do we understand that a contract is a covenant? How can we trust another potential liar(man) with all of our wants and needs and then doubt the Covenant God made with us? God is not a man that He should lie. If He said it He will do it. Trust Him. He will keep His covenant promises to you. You can count on it.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petition that we have asked of Him.” I John 5:14-15 (NKJV)
How much plainer could the Scriptures be than what we just read? There is no secret code to decipher or hidden message to be revealed. Yet, as children of God and citizens of the Kingdom do we really believe these words are true? If we really believe them why is it that we fail to act like we do on many occasions?
We need to be living and talking like we really believe. The basis for our faith in God is “believing that God is.” Many times our attitude is prove it then I will believe it when it should be I believe and the proof comes. The word of God has been given freely for us to know about God and life. When we choose to believe, God’s promises go into effect for us.
“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” Heb. 10:35-36 (NKJV)
You know the will of God by knowing the Word. We are so “big” on the idea of works righteousness. Jesus disciples asked Him how they could work the works of God. Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” Jn. 6:29 (NKJV)
There is nothing we can do to help achieve our salvation except to believe and receive all that Jesus bought for us at Calvary. Scripture refers to God’s care of man as His promise. That promise includes everything we need concerning life and Godliness. We must choose to receive it and walk in it.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” Heb. 11:6 (NKJV)
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