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.
|
“So, here’s what I want you to do….”
Romans 12:2 The Message
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life–your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life–and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
JOHN 3:20-21 from The Message
This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.
Pray for our nation to run to God.
A WISE PERSON….. Dr. Daniel O.C.
A wise person is a person who possesses a discerning heart that sees and evaluates everything from the point of God’s view and His divine word. Wisdom is one of the greatest treasures of life. Proverbs 3:15
Many spiritual warriors spend all their time in spiritual battles, but the wiser people allow God to do their fighting for them (Exodus 15:3). The warriors may go to the battle and win, but they come back with casualties. But the wiser people will intensify their praise to God until He arises and the enemies scattered. Wisdom is a very good defense (Ecclesiastes 7:13).
THE GOD-FILLED LIFE Titus 2:2 The Message Bible
“Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined.”
This scripture is a challenge to leaders of the church, to all parents, and to all Christians in the church. We walk by God’s grace but we must remember that people, children, and youth do look at our lives.
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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
Whatever Jesus begins, He is going to complete. Be encouraged today that if He has started something in you, He will complete bring it to completeness. That is His faithfulness to us. On the cross, Jesus endured shame, but He did not let it discourage Him. For the joy that was set before Him, He did not consider shame as a reason to turn away from His purpose. What was “the joy that was set before Him”? The joy set before Him was me and you and millions and millions of others like us. Jesus Christ endured the shame of the cross to bring us into His Kingdom.
Pastor Shirley
CONQUER THE GIANTS YOU FACE By Andrew Wommack
What is your giant? Whether it’s our finances, our health, or our marriage, we’ve all faced that one insurmountable battle that felt like it was too much to bear. When it comes to giants, there is one lesson in the Bible that can equip us to defeat any challenge that comes our way, That is the story of David and Goliath. The qualities God instilled in David that enabled him to succeed will work for you, too.
STAND IN FAITH-–You might face opposition when you start communicating what God has put in your heart, but you need to take this stance like David did. He might have been inexperienced and small compared to Goliath, but he knew God had equipped him to overcome.
BE FAITHFUL WITH THE LITTLE–Had David not been faithful with the few sheep the Lord had given him, he never would have been able to stand up to Goliath. Many want to win against the giants when the grandstands are full, but few will be faithful in the little things God gives them when no one is watching.
PURSUE YOUR ENEMIES UNTIL THEY CAN’T COME BACK– If you read the whole story, the Philistines didn’t flee when Goliath first went down. They were at a far distance and didn’t know exactly what had happened. Goliath could have tripped, or maybe he was just wounded and would get back up and win yet. But when David cut off his head and held it up, all doubt was removed, and the enemy fled.
People don’t like to face giants, but David wouldn’t have been a hero if he had slain a midget. The giants in your life are actually great opportunities for God to show Himself strong on your behalf. David’s victory over Goliath catapulted him into his destiny. Are you ready to face your giant so you can be catapulted into yours?
FATHERHOOD REVEALED Andrew Wommack
4 spiritual truths about God’s Fatherhood:
- God the Father does not condemn.
- God’s love for you isn’t based on your performance.
- God’s love isn’t dependent on our love for others.
- The love of God the Father is unconditional.
It doesn’t matter what type of relationship you have with your natural father or if you didn’t have one at all. God’s desire is to heal your heart and demonstrate His love as THE FATHER who will never leave you nor forsake you. Today, open your heart to receive this revelation of His love for you until this truth becomes one with you, healing every broken place within and opening your spiritual eyes to see the arms of the Father extended toward you.
——–OVERCOMER By Mandisa
Standing at a stop sign watching people drive by
T mac on the radio
Got so much on your mind, Nothing’s really going right
Looking for a ray of hope
Whatever it is you may be going through
I know He’s not going to let it get the best of you
You’re an overcomer
Stay in the fight ’til the final round
You’re not going under
‘Cause God is holding you right now
You might be down for the moment
Feeling like it’s hopeless
That’s when He reminds you
That you’re an overcomer
You’re an overcomer
Everybody’s been down Hit the bottom, hit the ground
Ooh, you’re not alone.
Just take a breath, don’t forget Hang on the His promises
He wants you to know
YOU’RE AN OVERCOMER!
BIBLE VERSES FOR FATHERS
Proverbs 20:7 “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.”
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Psalm 127:3-5 “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in the court.”
Proverbs 22:6 “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not depart from him.”
The Wardrobe of a Christian
Colossians 3:13
“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
“GET OUT OF MY GARDEN!”
Gloria Copeland
Satan is an outlaw. God has given us laws to keep him in line, but he won’t abide by them unless we enforce those laws. That’s not really surprising. Things work the same way in the natural realm. In the United States, for example, we have laws against selling drugs. We have laws against murder. We have laws against stealing. But if those laws aren’t enforced, what happens? Thieves and murderers continue to operate. The laws have to be enforced.
Once you understand that, you’ll see why satan works so hard to get you to talk about your problems instead of God’s promises. He knows your authority to enforce God’s law is in your words. If he can can your words going in the wrong direction, he can get authority over your life–even though it doesn’t belong to him.
Satan doesn’t care what belongs to him. He’s a thief. He’s a killer. He takes what he can get. So you have to use the Word of God on him when he tries to come into your garden and spoil it.
That’s what Adam should have done when satan showed up in his garden. The first time that creature opened his mouth to question the Word of God, Adam should have said, “Get out of my garden, you serpent!”
And that’s what you and I should do too. The first time the devil starts trying to bring doubt and unbelief to us–”Do you really think God is going to heal you?” Do you really think God is going to send you the money to pay that bill?”–we should just tell him to take his lies and get out of our lives!
How do you do that? Just say, “ You Doubt, you Unbelief, you Fear–in the Name of Jesus, leave my presence. Yes, I really do believe the Word of God!” Quote the Word and don’t stop. Refuse to listen to words that kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).
Just keep on speaking and studying what the Word of God says about your situation until it’s that Word you’re hearing in your heart all day, instead of those lies of the devil. When you’re walking in the authority God’s given you, and speaking the Word of God, then you’ll have no trouble telling the devil, “Get out of my garden!” And he’ll surely flee.
PSALM 47
“O CLAP YOUR HANDS, ALL YOU PEOPLES! Shout unto God with a voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. He will choose our inheritance for us. The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. GOD HAS GONE UP WITH A SHOUT, The Lord with the sound of a trumpet! SING PRAISES TO GOD, SING PRAISES! SING PRAISES TO OUR KING, SING PRAISES! For God is the King over all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the people have gathered together. The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God ; HE IS GREATLY EXALTED.
KINGDOM DYNAMICS
47:1 “CLAP” To clatter, clang, sound, blow trumpets. Clap, strike. Describes blowing a trumpet or sounding an alarm. It indicates energy and enthusiasm. Here all nations are commanded to clap their hands and shout triumphantly to God. Formalistic religion seeks to discourage this kind of worship, although God has built unto the human being an almost instinctive urge to claqp and shout when victory is experienced.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT LESSON TO LEARN ON MOTHER’S DAY
MATURE IN LOVE Gloria Copeland
“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 18:19
The devil hates agreement between believers. Agreement opens the windows of heaven to us, and it closes the door on every destructive thing he can do. So he will continually try to disrupt that agreement by causing strife and division in the two places where believers come together in the most powerful way; the family and the church.
Until now, you may not have thought of your family as a powerful force for God, but it is if you’re in agreement with one another. So make it your goal to stay out of strife and walk in love at home.
Home is often the most difficult place to be loving. I think that’s because we don’t have our guard up when we’re at home. We’re not worrying about our reputation or trying to impress anyone. At home, nothing will stop you from being selfish–except your commitment to walk in the love of God.
But don’t be fooled into thinking it doesn’t matter how you act at home. It matters a great deal. In fact, years ago, the Lord said this to me and I have never forgotten it: If you allow satan to stop you with strife at your front door, you’ll be not threat to him anywhere else.
So make the commitment to keep strife out of your home. Learn to live a lifestyle of agreement with your spouse and your children. See to it that your prayers prevail by being in harmony with the members of your family. The moment you mess up and get in strife, make it right. Say to the person, “Please forgive me. I love you. I don’t want to be in strife with you.” Then say it to the Lord.
You may have to repent quite a bit at first because you’ve probable developed habits that will take awhile to change. But don’t get disgusted with yourself and give up. Just keep acting on the Word and you’ll continue to mature in love.
“Lord, Bless me!” by Gloria Copeland PURSUIT OF HIS PRESENCE
Have you ever wanted God to bless you? But the fact is, God has already treated us with overwhelming kindness. He has already given us all more than we ever dreamed possible. He has saved us. He has provided healing for us. He has blessed us in a thousand different ways. And that’s what we should remember every time we tithe. We should come before the Lord and thank Him for bringing us into our promised land. Tithe with an attitude of gratitude.
If you’ll read Deuteronomy 26, you’ll see that’s what He instructed the Israelites to do. He didn’t want them to simply plunk their tithe into the offering plate without putting their hearts into it. He commanded them to come very purposefully and worship Him with it.
We would do well to do much the same thing each time we tithe. We should worship the Lord and say, “Father, once I was lost, a prisoner of sin with no hope and no covenant with You. But You sent Jesus to redeem me. You sent Him to shed His precious blood so I could be free. Thank You, Lord, for delivering me out of the kingdom of darkness and translating me into the kingdom of Your dear Son. Thank You for receiving the tithe as a expression of worship to You.”
But we shouldn’t stop with that. We should also say as the Israelites did, “Now, Lord, I have brought the tithe out of my house, I haven’t kept if for myself. But I’ve given it just as You have commanded. So look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless me!” (Deut. 26:13-15)
Does that kind of talk make you nervous? Do you think God will be offended if you tell Him to bless you? He won’t!! He’ll be delighted. After all, blessing us was His idea. It’s what He has wanted to do all along.
So don’t be shy. Tithe boldly! Tithe gladly! Give God the 10 percent of your income that belongs to Him, and give Him 100 percent of your heart. Then rejoice in faith and say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant!” (Psalm 35:27) Begin to expect! Take the limits off God and let Him have a good time blessing YOU!
THE LESSONS FROM NATURE Proverbs 30:24-31 Dr. Daniel O.C.
This portion of the scriptures teaches important lessons from nature. It talks about the four wise things:
THE ANTS-They are diligent in preparing for the future. They have amazing characteristics which even some Christians especially the lazy ones need to learn.
- They are wise and collect their food in proper seasons and are possessively attached to the young.
- They are highly foresighted for others and work quietly without showing off.
- They work together in amazing systems of organization.
- They fight to death to protect their homes and young from the enemy.
- They perform their duties respectively without an overseer or ruler.
THE ROCK BADGERS–They are very shrewd in protecting themselves from larger animals. It is not possible to trap them. Their feet have sharp hoofs which enable them to leap from rock to rock rapidly.
THE LOCUSTS–They are harmonious creatures having no king yet they band together as one and are very destructive. They travel with the wind.
THE SPIDER/HOUSE LIZARD–They are noted for their great flexibility and are curious creatures in the matter of building their houses and taking their prey. Some spiders spin webs, some dig holes in the ground making trap doors for their prey, while others chase their prey upon the ground.
THE FOUR GRACEFUL THINGS
- The lion is more majestic than any other beast.
- The Greyhound or Warhorse that is exceedingly graceful and fleet.
- The He-goat that is both fierce and majestic as the head of the sheep
- The KING who walks boldly and gracefully among his loyal subjects and against whom there is no hope of rebellion.
GOD IS ABLE (Never Lose Heart by Joyce Meyer)
Eph. 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”
This is a powerful Scripture that tells us that our God is able–able to do far above and beyond anything that you and I can ever dare to hope, ask, or even think. We need to pray, to do the asking in faith and in trust. But it is God Who does the work, not us. How does He do it? According to (or by) the power (or Grace of God) that worketh in us. Whatever you and I receive from the Lord is directly related to the amount of grace we learn to receive.
I was putting unbelievable stress on myself trying to change. I was under tremendous condemnation because every message I heard seemed to be telling me to change, yet I couldn’t change no matter how hard I tried, believed, or confessed. I was in a terrible mess because I saw all the things about me that needed to be changed, but I was powerless to bring about those changes.
The Lord has to be our Source and our Supply. He is the only One who can bring about changes in our lives. I had to learn to say, “Father, although I am not worthy of Your help, I know that the changes You want in my life are not going to work unless You add the power.”
CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY–Andrew Wommack
The philosophy of making Jesus Lord means that when God tells you to do something, you just do it. Unfortunately, many Christians debate with God whether or not they are going to do what He asks.
For instance, Scripture (Old Testament) says you’re suppose to give, and the tithe (or 10 percent of your income) is just a starting place. Nothing is required under the New Testament of Grace, but we should desire to give even more. God has promised that if we seek His Kingdom first, He will freely give us the food, clothing, and shelter we need (Matthew 6:33). We need to also give joyfully. 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that y, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
The Bible tells us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who persecute us and despitefully use us (Matthew 5:44). We know we’re supposed to turn the other cheek, and we teach that principle to our children, but how many of us instantly slide into gossip and anger when someone comes against us? When we do that, we aren’t submitting to Jesus as Lord of our lives. Our actions prove who is really sitting on the throne. Pages 92-93
...Whenever we recognize that we are doing something contrary to the Word, we need to humble ourselves and turn back to God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6
He made us accepted in the Beloved. How -”by the glory of His grace.” The Greek meaning of the word “accepted” means more than our understanding of the English word. It means “to make graceful, charming, lovely, agreeable, to surround with favor and to honor with blessings.”
We are our own worst enemy when it comes to seeing ourselves as God has declared us to be. Began to see yourself as blessed, anointed, favored by God. The weapons the enemy wants to use against you began to see them not prospering. Began to look for the new things God is doing in your life.
You are blessed, anointed, and highly favored by God. You have been called forth for such a time as this. No weapon formed against you shall prosper (succeed at reaching its intended purpose). Yes this is the inheritance of God’s Sons and Daughters. Behold look for a new thing is been birthed within you and you shall see it with your eyes and glory in the manifestation of it. Pastor Shirley
GOD CHOOSES THE UNLIKELY by Joyce Meyer from “NEVER LOSE HEART”
When you feel discouraged, remember that God chose you for His very own purpose, however unlikely a candidate you feel. By doing so, He has placed before you a wide open door to show you His boundless grace, mercy, and power to change your life.
When God uses any one of us, though we may all feel inadequate and unworthy, we realize that our source is not in ourselves but in Him alone: “This is because the foolish thing (that has its source in ) God is wiser than men, and the weak thing (that springs) from God is stronger than men.” II Corinthians 1:25
Each of us has a destiny, and there is absolutely no excuse not to fulfill it. We cannot use our weakness as an excuse because God says that His strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). We cannot use the past as an excuse because God tells us through the apostle Paul that if any person is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away, and all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Spend some time with yourself and take an inventory of how yourself. What is your image of yourself? Do you see yourself re-created in God’s image, resurrected to a brand-new life that is just waiting for you to claim it?
Each of us can succeed at being everything god intends us to be.
…for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.
And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are.
So that no mortal man should (have pretense for glorying and ) boast in the presence of God. I Corinthians 1:27-29
MAKING MARRIAGE GREAT AGAIN Pastors Jerry and LaVerne
“The family that prays together stays together.”
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
The pastor sometimes treats his family like the plumber does his own house. He is so busy fixing everyone’s plumbing that his own plumbing problems do not get fixed. Likewise, the pastor can be so busy “fixing” everyone in his church he doesn’t even take time to regularly pray with his wife and family thus fixing issues that need to be fixed. Many couples are so busy and distracted with life that they don’t pray together.
Recently I was talking with a young man (early 40’s) who was sharing how God had answered a prayer that he and his wife had prayed, and it was such an awesome revelation of God’s love for them. He went on to share how so many of their Christian friends do not pray together. It doesn’t matter who leads the prayer, the wife or the husband.
One article I read said only about 4% of Christian couples pray together. This also includes ministry couples. Here are some important issues that praying together as a couple will help:
- Praying together gets anger out of your relationship. It’s difficult to stay angry with each other and pray together.
- Praying together helps resolve conflict.
- Praying together will keep your family vision before you.
- Praying together as a couple is an intimate act. It is an opening up to each other—spirit to spirit—as you communicate together with God.
Satan will fight this. He will do all he can to keep you from praying together. You must determine that this will be a priority in your marriage. Are you leaving a legacy to your children about the importance of prayer?
|
|