Greg Davenport's Blog

Overcoming the Enemies of My Life (Part 1)

2012-01-16T12:45:00.005-05:00

Today as we remember Martin Luther King, Jr and his legacy, I think on the part of his famous speech that still reverberates through the halls of justice today: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character". In other words, who we really are is more important that what we look like. He was championing that the person you are and are becoming on the inside is one of the most important things in life! Character means moral fiber ... having a backbone to stand for truth ... understanding that there is such a thing as absolute truth to stand upon! Dr. King's character was strong and his legacy has outlived his life by many years!

Character still means the same thing. We just don't lift it as high as we used to. A good character will take you to places you don't have keys to enter otherwise. Good character will set you before important people and give you a platform to say things to people you never thought possible.

Consider Tim Tebow. A man with no over-the-top football ability, but with a drive and character that just simply will not be broken! Because of the stand that he has taken on exalting the Lord Jesus Christ, and the strong character that he possesses, he has a platform greater than many will ever have. Dr. King and Tim Tebow have something in common that gave them such a place to speak into our lives: GOOD & GODLY CHARACTER! This is the kind of character that we all need! This is the kind of character that will make dreams come true! Wishing and hoping doesn't do it. Waiting for Publisher's Clearing House to show up at the door doesn't do it. Only good and Godly character blows open some doors in life.

Have you ever thought, 'what is it that keeps me from realizing my dreams'? 'Am I going to leave a legacy behind to my family, kids, and community'? God says, "For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome." (Jeremiah 29:11, AMP). What opens the door to the life that God says He wants you to have? Have you ever considered your character? Where does this kind of character come from? Someone said it very simply: "Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny".

Character is who you are all the time. Not who you are in front of certain people when you want to make an impression, but being steadfast and the same no matter what. It's understanding who you are in Christ and being comfortable being that new creation that He has formed you into. The key to good character is CONSISTENCY. The key to keeping your job is to be consistent in being on time and doing your job well everyday. The key to a good marriage is to learn how to love your spouse in a way that says love to them and then do that daily. The key to growing in the Lord is to consistently spend time in prayer and the Word of God. As you do that you will develop a Godly character in your life.

It's like disciplining children. If you don't discipline them for doing wrong EVERY TIME you might as well not ever discipline them at all! Why? Because they will think, "I got away with it one time, maybe I will get away with it this time." But, if you discipline them every single time they disobey, they will understand that it will do them no good to try to resist the rules and will learn to conform. Then they will develop self-discipline. There must be consistency or children will continue to do what they want to and be undisciplined when they become adults. The same is true for us! We must be consistent in developing our character into a person that can leave a legacy of Godliness for others to learn from! Consistency develops discipline in our life. Living a loving and disciplined life opens doors for us. We will be given a position, in other's eyes, that allows us to speak to them as no one else can.

The enemy of my life and your life is inconsistency. Hit and miss prayer & bible reading, hit and miss gathering together with other believers will never develop our character to the place where it can withstand the onslaught in these last days. Dr. King's character gave him a platform. People didn't like it and the attacks came. His character caused him to stand strong. Tim Tebow's character is giving him a platform. People don't like it and the attacks are coming hard and furious. But greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world! You are well able to overcome because of the One you are emulating, because of the One whose character you are taking on.

Dr. King was looking for a day in America where people are judged according to the content of their character. Let's ask ourselves, if we were judged on the content of our character, what would the judgment be? If we are lacking, don't worry, let's just ask ourselves where we can be more consistent in our walk with God this year. Let's develop a daily, weekly regimen (a discipline) of walking with the Lord and develop a character that leaves a legacy! Let's walk so close to Him that His character becomes ours! In doing so, the dream of God will be realized in our life and we will experience true success!

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Spiritual Order

2011-12-09T11:11:00.018-05:00

William Bentley, on January 15, 1885, was the first person to ever take a picture of a snowflake (see photo). He proved that every snowflake is a unique creation with no two ever alike by taking over 5,000 photos of snowflakes over his lifetime. A Vermont farmer, Bentley became fascinated by the crystalline structure of the snowflake as a child and began experimenting with trying to capture the singular shape of a snow flake under a microscope with a bellows camera. He was intrigued with the design and order that he discovered in each snowflake that was here only temporarily and then gone forever! God, even in random things, has order and design to everything He does!

Pentecostals love the freedom we have in God's Spirit! 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Raising our hands in surrender to God in worship, God directing certain ones to share a word of wisdom or prophecy in service, and God changing our order of service by His Spirit sometimes are all things we love about how God works sometimes! It's awesome! We also have to keep in mind that allowing our freedom to become fleshly can quench the Spirit. Freedom is great as it works hand in hand with another very important aspect taught in scripture. That is Godly order.

1 Corinthians 12 and 14 talk about the gifts of the spirit being in operation in the church (not just in services, but throughout church life). Chapter 12 talks about the gifts of the Spirit. Chapter 13 tells us that gifts not operated with love are useless. And chapter 14 says gifts without God's order doesn't accomplish God's will. As a matter of fact, the last 15 verses of chapter 14 tell us that we need to be sure that things are done rightly and orderly. Verse 40 says, "Be sure that everything is done properly and in order." It tells us that we can't have several different types of messages going forth at the same time. It tells us that if there are tongues spoken in the church so that everyone hears there must be someone to interpret. Someone cannot say that they were just under the control of the Spirit of God and could not control what they were doing or saying because verses 32-33 says, "Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people." In other words, God doesn't not do anything in spite of your desires and wishes. He does it with your permission and cooperation. Basically, you can control what you do when the Spirit of God is moving whether sharing something or if you need to keep quiet you can, or if you need to wait you can.

As with the snowflake, order is something that can be seen in everything that God does. Look at our bodies. We are not just a random jumble of parts thrown together. God made every part to function in conjunction with every other part down to the smallest organ or tissue! It is amazing! So should the body of Christ function freely, but with Godly order. With that being said, we are ordering things in such a way as to bring proper organization to this living organism called the body of Christ! Let me share some things that are happening now:

Physical Order:

Trash area (in wood paneled area behind Annex building) has been cleaned out completely and all that is left is storage for ladders, etc. for outdoor work. We now have a dumpster behind and on the right side of the Annex building for all trash.

Cleaning Storage Closet (in Annex building in hall) has been completely cleaned out and standardized with a notebook that gives cleaning details and everything that should be in that closet. There is now a latch up high so kids cannot get into the closet and consume something that could harm them. Please help us keep this area orderly.

Floor in Annex building is going to be painted and more easily kept clean since the carpet has been taken up.

There are other things you will hear about soon.

Spiritual Order:

Announcements: We have already worked to eliminate (as much as possible) physically making announcements on Sunday morning. We want the service to flow as well as possible between worship and the Word being presented without breaking it up with announcements. Announcements can still be presented by putting them in the bulletin (get them to Sharron in the office by Thursday morning), by putting them on the Powerpoint announcements (same rule applies here), through a One Call Now phone call (request this by calling the office). There are and have been exceptions to this rule if needed, but they are and should be few and far between. If you have a testimony or announcement to make, please ask about presenting it before Sunday morning.

Tongues: God gives the gift of tongues to be used to edify the body, but that happens when there is someone to interpret (1 Corinthians 14:5). A "prayer language", as some refer to it, is the tongues that we receive when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and it is for us to use in prayer as the Spirit prays through us "with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26). As we understand the biblical use of tongues, we are to not speak in tongues so that the whole body can hear it, unless there is someone to interpret. Otherwise, there is confusion in the body, not order. (1 Corinthians 14:28 NLT, "But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately.") This is God's order. This doesn't mean you can't pray in your prayer language and someone beside you hear it. That is perfectly fine, but if someone is speaking in tongues loudly enough that it overshadows everything else that is being done at that moment, the impression is that it is a word from the Lord that needs to be interpreted and naturally everyone will quiet down to hear what God is saying and to hear the interpretation when there may actually not be one. Thus the flow of the Spirit is quenched, not allowed to move forward.

Prayer: There is prayer and then there is intercession. They are both forms of prayer, but on Sunday mornings we use them both. First, when we have an altar time that we ask for people to come forward to make a decision on the Word of God that they have heard or to get anything right between them and God, we want them to be able to come forward and just spend time with God with no other people involved. We believe that the Bible teaches that we are in a personal relationship with God and thus everyone needs time to deal with what God has spoken to them personally. We want people to feel comfortable to come to the altar and just pray to the Lord if they desire. Second, intercession is when we pray or intercede for someone else or on their behalf. We have Core Leaders and are training a prayer team to help pray (or intercede) for people when we call for that kind of prayer. Sometimes we may have the congregation pray for one another and that is an appropriate time to go to someone and ask if they need prayer for something specifically. The Pastor will call for Core Leaders and the prayer team when intercession is needed. Otherwise we want to allow each person to come to the altar and spend some time one on one with God.

Children: Kids are naturally rambunctious and full of energy and we know they will have a few squirms and wiggles. We also want to teach them what is appropriate behavior in God's house. Running through the sanctuary is not acceptable. Loud talking during worship or another part of the service is disrespectful as well. Not behaving in classes or disrespectful talk to others will not be acceptable either. Babies cooing or making subtle noises is fine. That is what they do. We do encourage all parents to take advantage of the nursery provided during every service. It is a good chance to get them used to you leaving them briefly, but learning that you will return shortly to get them again. Also, it gives you the chance to hear God's word. Also, there is a baby cry room (the spare office off the sanctuary, beside the sound booth) for parents or nursing mothers to use during service time when needed. There is a speaker in that room for you to continue listening to the service. A set of guidelines will be going home shortly so that we are all on the same page with what is expected. Parents are the best teachers and examples of good behavior in church. We don't want to just have rules to have rules, but we want to set up expected behavior patterns for our kids. If they can learn this when they are young, they will know how to behave in society when they get older. It's a great opportunity for them to learn this in God's house, giving Him and others the honor and respect deserved. 1 Timothy 3:4-5, speaking of leaders and their kids, says, "He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)"

These are some biblical or God-led ways that we can honor His order in our midst so that the move of God's Spirit is not hindered in any way. We want to help facilitate the move of God and allow Him to flow freely among us.

The physical order is natural things we can do to promote order so that everyone is on the same page with how we do things like cleaning or organizing, etc.

The spiritual order are things that God leads us to do to allow the freedom of the flow of God's Spirit during our church services. This can sometimes be accomplished by us being quiet, following the order set forth by leadership, or allowing Him to use us to speak a word of wisdom to someone. We must have biblical understanding to know how to follow His leading and when to do what.

For now, the above guidelines will be how we operate on the areas that are mentioned. Other areas will be covered soon. If you have any questions concerning any of this or if you need further explanation, please give me a call! My desire is to be a true Spirit-led church that sees the fullness of God manifest among us! I'm excited to see what's next for us, together!

Pastor Greg

My Big Break!

2011-10-11T16:30:00.005-04:00

Many people are looking for that big break in their life! Some hope they will win the lottery. Some are hoping for that big job offer to come along. Maybe there is a long, lost uncle who is worth millions who died and left me his fortune. Some are looking to find the love of their life. Whatever it is, we all sometimes are looking for that one chance to prove what we can do something or to be given a "leg up" that we need. What we don't realize is that those opportunities come along more often than we realize! It just looks differently that we think it will and we pass it by or turn it down.

John F. Kennedy and a few others have used the following analogy during times of crisis or hardship. "The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis'. One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity." Crisis is not ALL bad, although it seems that way when it comes. It has an element of danger or hardship with it, but also an element of opportunity (or a break). It might just be the 'break' that we are looking for.

Joseph's big break (Genesis 40) came in prison! He had already been disowned by his brothers, thrown into a pit by them, sold as a slave, accused falsely, and thrown into this prison. And God had given him a dream of people bowing down to him! Sure! Who was going to bow to him here in this dungeon! But somehow, Joseph didn't take that attitude! He continued to be faithful! He continued to do everything as unto his God and not just unto man. He could have just sat in prison and thought, "This is it! The end for me! Too much is against me! I give up!" But, it says that the warden saw how well Joseph handled himself and how everything that Joseph did was blessed by God, so he put Joseph in charge! Because of that, when the king's baker and cup bearer were thrown into prison, Joseph was privy to everything that was happening. They probably talked with Joseph about everything that was going on, including a dream they each had on the same night! When Joseph, who was in tune with his God, heard the dreams, God dropped the interpretation of the dreams into his heart and he was faithful to share their meanings. And the dreams came true according to the interpretation that Joseph gave!

In the end, Joseph's "break" was his stint in prison (Genesis 41), not a check from Publisher's Clearing House! Joseph's big opportunity came bound up in the crisis of being thrown into prison! If we are following our God, he is going to bring us out! It doesn't matter what detours may happen or how our enemy tries to stall these plans. God's plan WILL prevail if we will look for and find the opportunity in the midst of our crisis moments! "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way" (Psalm 37:23). Sometimes we are not so sure that where we find ourselves is a place that God has ordered or even can do anything with. But, if we will have faith in His word and be faithful to His word, He will lead us into a place of victory!

Look at your crisis moments in a different light today! They are one part danger and one part opportunity. Opportunity always involves risk, but the rewards of doing things God's way pay high dividends! There is no guarantee that things will work out by only taking earthly, calculated risks, but there is a guarantee that doing things God's way will always work out right!

"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For you Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you" (Psalm 9:10).

Unlocking the Dream

2011-09-27T11:06:00.005-04:00

Joseph had a dream! This dream was from God! All he knew was that the dream said his family would one day bow before him (Genesis 37). This dream from God was to use Joseph in a powerful way! It would include the bowing down of his family and many others to him. But, Joseph was the youngest one and the one who had the least power. How would it happen?

This dream would include some hardship, trials, and distress. But this dream, in the end, would save many lives, including the ones bowing before him. This dream drove Joseph … It propelled him forward … It gave him strength to endure. Why? Because he knew this dream (this vision) was from God! Because he knew that God had a plan for his life! Because he knew that this plan was the only one that would bring him peace and blessing!

See, Joseph understood a key truth: God's plan would NOT fail, if he would faithfully follow God's will for his life! Psalm 37:23 (NKJV), “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.” No matter what happened somehow Joseph understood that God would take care of Him … because the dream was alive within Him!

No matter what happened Joseph knew God was directing Him … no matter what the enemy did he knew God was on his side … if he would just keep following, doing the right thing. And this thought process is what kept Joseph rising to the top every time he got knocked down. He only obeyed his father in checking on his brothers when those same brothers threw him into a pit and sold him as a slave. As a servant to Potiphar, Joseph didn't complain, but worked hard and did the right thing by his master. "The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned" (Genesis 39:2-4).

It is the same in your and my life. We serve the same God that Joseph served! Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has a plan for our life. This plan is for a future and a hope! He has given us a dream! But, we get knocked down … people don’t like our dreams … the enemy tries to steal God’s plan right out from under us … we sometimes feel like “it’s just not meant to be”! It’s like that old commercial with the lady that had fallen and couldn’t get up!

Or we feel like we have been locked out and away from the dream and don’t have the key to get back in! But, I want to tell you today that God cares more about you winning the race of life than you do! There is only one thing: His way and plan, not ours, is the key to unlocking the door to our dreams!

We taught our daughter growing up: It doesn’t matter what other people do or what happens to you, YOU keep doing the right thing and God will bless you! It doesn't matter how unfair something is or how other people seem to prosper when they are in the wrong, you keep doing the right thing before God! In the end, the blessing of God will rest upon you!

This is what got Joseph through! This is what helped Joseph unlock the door to God's dream even though it seemed EVERYTHING was against him! We’ve got to understand that our WORDS & our ACTIONS activate the plan and power of God in our lives! God WILL NOT override our words and deeds and force his blessing on us! God HAS A PLAN, but we are called to ACT and SPEAK so that plan can be set in motion! A great example of this is salvation itself! Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus came and died and wants none to perish, but all to come to eternal life (2 Peter 3:9). So, is everyone saved? No. Only those who come to him in repentance and ask for the forgiveness of their sins. ONLY THOSE WHO ACT AND SPEAK! Those who act by seeking forgiveness and who speak asking for salvation.

What UNLOCKED the door to Joseph’s success with God was consistent faithfulness! What do you know that God has told you to do? KEEP doing it! Keep praying, keep asking, keep acting upon the Word! Keep treating people right when they treat you wrong. Keep assembling yourself together with God's people when you feel like staying home. Keep giving your tithe, when you would rather keep it for yourself. Keep being faithful to others when you feel like giving up. In the end, you WILL WIN! God's word will NOT fail you!

Here is God's heart for you ... "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 1:2, NKJV). God's desire is to be faithful to you! Our CONSISTENT FAITHFULNESS toward Him unlocks His faithfulness toward us!

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"I'm Not Participating in the Recession"

2011-08-31T09:49:00.004-04:00

I recently heard what became the title to this blog at the Assemblies of God's biennial General Council. The pastor that spoke this statement a few years ago to his people is leading a congregation that is in an urban area. The church is full of many who are working low paying jobs and barely making ends meet. Some of them are on food stamps and other government assistance trying to keep their families afloat. So, when this pastor loudly proclaimed this statement to his congregation, he wasn't making it among guarantees that he had big donors backing him or lots of money in the bank. He made this statement as his church was surviving from week to week just as his people were. As goes the finances of the congregation, so goes the finances of the church. (The church IS the congregation.)

The difference for this pastor was that his focus wasn't on money itself, but on truth! He understands something that it would be wise for us to grasp as well. Life is not about money, possessions, relationships, or health! Real life is about truth! We have been wrongly trained to focus on the natural world, not on the supernatural world of God. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Stating that we are not going to participate in the recession goes against all reason! There is no logic to back up a statement like that! It sounds ludicrous! So, what DID he base that statement upon? 3 John 1:2 (NKJV) says, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." Also, Psalm 34:10 says, "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." Then, Philippians 4:19, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." There are other scriptures, but suffice it to say that even when there is lack in the world, God has promised to supply the needs of his people! He didn't say he would make us rich or give us everything that we wanted! But, He did say he would make sure we did not lack in what we needed to live. So, the pastor's statement was based upon truth (the unseen), not the facts (the seen).

This pastor must have known his congregation had learned the principle of sowing and reaping. This is a principle from God's word. 2 Corinthians 9:6, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." This congregation decided that the way out of a recession was not the obviously natural decision to keep what little they had to themselves, but to sow a portion of what they had into advancing the kingdom of God. This congregation decided to tithe (give a tenth) of all they earned to God into the church. This takes care of the operating of the church to do children's & youth ministry, counseling, having a place to worship and gather, discipleship materials for growing believers, benevolence money to help members in need, outreach money to minister to those outside the walls of the church, etc. Then, they did something totally unconventional! They decided to give past their tithe to missions! And the sowing that they did worked!! Last year this congregation gave over $600,000 to missions (local and foreign)! How is that possible for this congregation?! Because, to them, it's not about the money. It is about the truth! The truth of sowing and reaping is producing tremendous results for them as well as for their outreach ministries, their discipleship ministries, and the missions work! They are being blessed by God for their giving! They are being blessed for their obedience! They are beating the recession! God is supplying what they lack! He is supplying their needs! He is blessing them!

2 Corinthians 9:10-11a says, "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion". God WANTS us to beat the recession! He wants us to be blessed enough to be generous in our giving on every occasion! We don't have to participate in the recession! The ability to do this doesn't lie in us, it lies in God. But, for us to rise above it, we must follow the principles of God. It's about the truth of the unseen overcoming the facts of the seen! It's not about money ... it is about SO much more than money! It's about truth! But, the principles of God do affect our money AND everything else in our entire life.

We can use the title of this blog as a body of believers! I am proclaiming it over my life and yours! But, I know for the unseen to be seen in my life in this area or any other, I must put the principles of God to practice in my life. Will you join me? Then, the unseen will become seen for us all. Yes, real life is about truth! The things we need in this life follow us when we follow truth!

I don't know about you, but I've decided that I'm not participating in the recession!

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My Heart & My Flesh

2011-08-23T16:14:00.004-04:00

"My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" (Psalm 84:2). Lately the discourse I've had with God has been about my desire for God. Of course, God is the One who first reaches out to us by His Holy Spirit to convict us and draw us to himself. His love made the first move! Then, we must choose to accept His gracious invitation. And from that point we are born again and have access to know this God of the universe. I have learned that I need to daily make a conscious choice to continue to follow Him. I have a part to play in this growing relationship. It is not a one way street. I am not a puppet that He controls, but a person who can make choices. I can choose to walk away from Him. I can choose to walk closely to Him. I can choose to be obedient to His ways and reap the blessings of those choices or I can choose to allow my flesh to control my choices and reap the consequences of those choices.

When we give our life to the Lord to live for Him, he cleans us up and does away with the sin. Then He gives us our life back and says, "Now don't live that way anymore. Live for me." Like the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Jesus forgave her sin, but then said to her, "Go, and sin no more". We have to choose to 'sin no more'. We must choose to walk with God.

This morning, during my prayer time, God brought the above scripture to my mind, "My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God". God began to show me that my heart has to come first. Unless He has my heart, my flesh will never follow. It's like being in love with your spouse. First, you must give them your heart (your devotion, your will, your life), then you will be able to give them of yourself. A relationship will not last long that is only based upon fleshly things. Some of the most gorgeous people in Hollywood get married and if it was all based upon looks and fleshly, worldly things they would have the best chance of staying together. But, sadly, most of those marriages end in divorce. When we have given God our heart (our devotion, our will, our life) He in turn gives us His! It's a pretty good exchange for us! We give up our junk and get His treasures! But to Him it is worth it! He has what He longs for, a relationship with us.

Once my heart belongs to my beloved, then He has everything else! Once my heart belongs to Him, I have no problem giving Him my time, my talents, or my resources. I don't balk at spending time in prayer when I could be watching a TV show. I don't complain about giving my tithe, thinking I could be buying a new car with it. I don't worry about helping with an outreach or repairing playground equipment at the church. Why? Because I have a relationship with this God and He has done so much for me that I am thrilled to give Him my life in return! I am not driven by duty, I am driven by love!

God is moved by faith that is based upon relationship, not because someone is doing a duty. "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him" (Psalm 91:14, NKJV). Because he loves me, because he has a love relationship with me, therefore will I deliver him, God says. It is because we have set our heart (devotion, will, and life) upon our God that causes our flesh to follow suit. It also brings about the power of God to defend, care for, and love us back!

This is why David can say, "My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God" (Amplified Version of Psalm 84:2). It's like a man who has been away from his wife and family for weeks on a business trip. If his wife has his heart, he longs, yearns, and is homesick to be with her and the kids again! His heart and flesh cry out and sing for joy when he sees them! Give God your heart. I'm talking about your whole heart. Develop that relationship with God that is deep and enduring. Your flesh will follow suit and fall in line with where your heart is living! God loves you, give Him your heart and your flesh today.

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The Extra Mile

2011-08-18T09:29:00.005-04:00

Lately I have been running. I began this regimen with prayer and three miles of power walking. Then I added about a 1/2 mile run at the end. Then I increased the run to one mile. Then I increased it to two miles. Recently, I have increased the running to three miles. When you haven't been running at all, one mile can seem like a lot! But then working up to two miles can really push you. Adding a mile really seems like much farther than only a mile. I'm sure it is true for each mile that you add as you do more and more.

As I have been going through this process (prayer, walking, and running) my mind has been focused on hearing God's voice. He has spoken to me using what I'm doing to get myself in shape spiritually and physically. When thinking on adding another mile to push it to four miles, God spoke to my heart that "going the extra mile" is not always as easy as we think it is. Just as physically adding one more mile to my routine is hard, so it is hard when focusing on what Jesus spoke in Matthew 5:41. " If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." Sometimes following God can be tough on our flesh!

Sometimes Christian can be, pardon the expression, wimps. We too often take the easy way out, all the while justifying our disobedience to God.

Sometimes we walk around holding grudges when the bible tells us "if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24). We take the bait of Satan and take offense and instead of talking with the offender. We take the easy way out and avoid them or even leave the church!
God may speak to our heart to spend more time seeking him and less time with a time-consuming habit. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). But, we discover, sometimes, we really don't want to give up that thing and ignore the call of God.
God calls us to live in submission to those He places over us. "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority (Hebrews 13:17). But sometimes we feel that since we don't totally agree with them, we are not obligated to submit and we don't.

What did Jesus say in Matthew 5:41? "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles"! In the above examples, we are called to reconcile, love, and obey people that are in God's kingdom. That should be the easy part, but here Jesus is calling us to even love and bless people who may or may not be brothers and sisters in Christ. We've GOT to be able to love those in the family of God, then move on from that and begin to love the unlovely. Jesus didn't say if these people were nice, kind, had your best interests in mind, or if it was convenient for you. He said if they even forced you to go one, go two. Jesus even said if someone wants to sue you and take something from you, give him something to go along with it!

Why did Jesus ask us to do these hard things?! Because it proves the power and love of God are within you! He says in that passage that if you only do for, love, and bless those who love you that is no better than the world! They do that, too! But if you love those who wrong you, it proves that you have something they don't. We could see that as being a wimp, but it really takes strength of character, courage, and the love of God to actively love someone who has wronged you or to confront someone (IN LOVE) who may have offended you. THAT is going the extra mile. Running from it, avoiding it, hurting someone back, talking behind their back is the easy way out, the wimpy way to deal with it.

Of course, the only way to do this is with the strength and help of God! No way can we do or be what God calls us to do or be in our own strength! Ask Him today to help you to love the unlovely, to confront the offender (to reconcile), to give to the taker, to bless the one who curses. In this way you prove to them that God lives in you and "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). You may have already been running several miles with this person or situation, but God asks us to make the determination and wants to equip us to go the extra mile.

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Taking What is Ours ... It's Paid In Full!

2011-08-15T11:31:00.003-04:00

Yesterday at Vineyard we discussed what the Bible says about being aggressive when it comes to claiming what Jesus bought with His blood. There is NO reason why we should not stand for what God has promised to us as His children, when Christ paid such a high price for it. All that the word of God promises has been paid for in full by Christ on the cross! Yes, we will face opposition and tough times in this world, but through our Lord we have overcome! I read the following by Charles Spurgeon and just had to post it. Pray it gives you hope to aggressively stand for God's word in your life!

"Do you think you are going to be carried to heaven on a feather bed? Have you got a notion in your heads that the road to paradise is all a lawn, the grass smoothly mown, still waters and green pastures ever and anon to cheer you? You have just got to clear your heads of that deceitful fancy. The way to heaven is up hill and down hill; up hill with difficulty, down hill with trials. It is through fire and through water, through flood and through flame, by the lions and by the leopards. Through the very mouths of dragons is the path to paradise. But the man who finds it so, and who desperately resolves in the strength of God to tread that path—nay, who does not resolve as if he could do nothing else but resolve, but who feels driven, as if with a hurricane behind him, to go into the right road, this man is never unsuccessful, never. Where God has given a violent anxiety for salvation he never disappoints it. No soul that has ever cried for it with a violent cry has been disappointed. From the beginning of creation until now there has never been raised to the throne of God a violent and earnest prayer which missed its answer. Go, soul, in the strong confidence that if thou goest earnestly thou goest successfully. God may sooner deny himself than deny the request of an earnest man. Our God may sooner cease to be "the Lord God, gracious and merciful," than cease to bless the men who seek the gates of heaven, with the violence of faith and prayer."~Charles Spurgeon

'There has never been raised a violent and earnest prayer which missed its answer. Go in the confidence that if you go earnestly, you go successfully'. I love that! In other words, if you go with confidence and fervency in God and what He has promised, you won't be disappointed!

As a child of God you have the right to "come boldly to the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16)! God actually longs for us to have His blessings in our life! Again, they have been paid for by Jesus Christ! But, he tells us to ask, seek, knock and we will receive, find, and have the door opened to us. Asking, seeking, and knocking is our part. His part is the miracle that we need. "John 1:12 (AMP), “But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name”

Trust Him today! Rely on His name today! Take your place as children of God, believe and reach out for what is yours in Him! It's OK to take what already belongs to you! Jesus has paid a high price for you to have it! It has all been paid in full!

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Keeping My Mind Out of the Past

2011-07-25T14:48:00.005-04:00

Mistakes! Wow, haven't we all made them?! From small ones to 'that was a doozy'! Some of our mistakes are ones that can stay with us for a lifetime. Some are the kind that we can have a tough time getting over! That is exactly what winds up happening to us! The mistake, the sin, the failures that we've had can stay with us the rest of our life. Every decision from that point on is in response to that wrong that we committed in the past. Or maybe, every decision that we make is in response to what has happened to us! Maybe it is not something that we have done, but it is something that was done to us. So, because of that sin committed against us, we don't trust anyone or just can't make decisions because of fear. Whichever is the case, the result many times is the same: we live that past wrong over and over again and it controls our present and future.

Philippians 3:12-14 says, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." There is a reason that 'Christ Jesus took hold of me'. Galatians 5:1 tells us that, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free". Jesus wants us free! And Satan is using the past to keep us from moving forward. Paul is saying here that he hasn't obtained all that God has for him yet, but the way he is moving toward receiving it is by leaving his past behind him and keeping the vision of what God has promised him in view and moving with everything he has toward that goal! We need to do the same.

Two things get rid of the past for us and move us forward into the future that God has for us!

One is FORGIVENESS. We must forgive those who have wronged us in the past. Forgiveness does more for us than it does for those we are forgiving. It sets us free from wrongs committed against us so they do not dominate our thinking, and thus our life, anymore. As long as we hold onto the wrongs done to us in the past, we are making ourselves a slave to that wrong and are controlled by it daily. But, when we release it and forgive that person, we are cutting ties with the past and turning our eyes forward again. When Jesus was asked how many times to forgive someone who had wronged them, he said in Matthew 18:22, "Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
The second thing that will get rid of the past is REPENTANCE. Again, we have all sinned and made mistakes in our past, but simply bringing those things before God and repenting (asking forgiveness) will release us from the grip of constantly having the past turn our attention backward instead of forward. Micah 7:19, "You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." King David had a man murdered and committed adultery, but when God confronted him with his sin, he repented. Later David was called, "a man after God's own heart". God used David in mighty ways and led him forward with God on his side. Repentance releases the sin from controlling us. Those sins are hurled into the depths of the sea! The enemy cannot bring them against us anymore, because they have been forgiven! We just must learn to forgive ourselves as well. Someone once said to me, "If we don't forgiven ourselves, we are saying that we are higher (or better) than God, who has forgiven us". Wow!

God has called us to get our minds out of the past and focus on what He is wanting to do in our lives now and get a vision for what He wants to do in our future! But for that to happen, we must not allow the past to control us. Repent of past wrongs and sins. Forgive past wrongs and sins perpetrated against you. When you do, freedom is the result. Freedom to move forward. Freedom to fulfill God's purpose for your life. Freedom to become all that you were meant to become!

Don't bury your head in the past. Look up and see all God has for you ahead. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

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Bread & Water

2011-07-19T16:34:00.006-04:00

In times past people who went to jail sometimes had to live on a diet of bread and water. And they did survive! Sometimes bread is called a 'staple' in many diets around the world. Bread contains many nutrients that are needed to sustain life. Of course, water is needed to keep the body hydrated. There can be many things, herbs and seasonings, that we can add to our diet that can make things taste better. Flavoring can be added to water to give it more of a taste. But bread is a standard that is always good for us and plain water is still what is best for us.

As we read through the scriptures, we see the same two elements mentioned to us in a spiritual sense. In John 6, Jesus feeds 5,000 people with 2 loaves of bread and 5 fish. The next day people approach Jesus looking for another miracle. Jesus said, "Do not work for food that spoils, but food that endures to eternal life" (verse 27). Then in verses 32-34: "Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

At another time, Jesus met the woman at the well. He asked her for a drink, then said (John 4:10-14), "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Bread and water ... two key elements needed for life. The Bread of Life ... Jesus Christ ... the Living Word ... The Word of God. The Living Water ... comes through Jesus ... the Holy Spirit ... power ... refreshing! God gives us other things that we can add to our lives (spouses, children, possessions), but they should never take the place of THE ONE who gave his life for us! At one point Jesus said we must be willing to give up houses, lands, even family to follow him! (Luke 14:26) Other things in life are nice, taste good, are good sometimes, but Jesus is our bread, and his Spirit is our living water! We could live without all the others "extras" in life, but we cannot live without Him!

BUT, when we follow and serve Him we find He is all we need! He is our all in all! When we have Jesus and his Spirit living inside of us, we do not lack! When we put him first, he liberally gives us everything else! Romans 8:32, " He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" On this same topic of putting Him first, but needing the necessities of life, Jesus said, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

It seems that those who "settle" for Bread & Water, actually have it pretty good in the end! The story is told of an old man who had a fabulous estate, paintings by Van Gogh and Rembrandt and much more. He loved art. His son had gone off to war and had died saving a young private. The private was grateful and painted a picture of the man that had died saving him. This private took the picture to the father. The father loved it and cherished it above all the others in his collection. When the father died the news went out that the entire art collection was being offered at an exclusive private auction. Collectors and art experts from around the world gathered for the chance of purchasing one of them. The first painting on the auction block was the soldier's modest rendering of his son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel and asked someone to start the bidding. The sophisticated crowd scoffed and demanded the Van Gogh's and the Rembrandts be brought forth. The auctioneer persisted. "Who will start the bidding? $200? $100?" The crowd continued to turn up their noses, waiting to see the more serious paintings. Still the auctioneer solicited, "The son! The son! Who will take the son? Finally a squeaky voice from the back said, "I'll bid $10 for the son." The bidder was none other than the young soldier the son had died saving. He said, "I didn't come to buy anything and all I have is $10 to my name, but I bid it all." The auctioneer continued seeking a higher bid, but the angry crowd began to chant, "Sell it to him and let's get on with the auction." The auctioneer pounded the gavel and sold the painting for the bid of $10. An eager buyer from the second row bellowed, "Finally, on with the auction." And just then the auctioneer said, "The auction is now officially closed." The hostile crowd demanded to know how after coming, all this way could the auction possibly be over? The president of the auctioning company came to the microphone and said, "When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a stipulation in the will I could not divulge until now. According to the wishes of the deceased only the painting of the son was to be sold today and whoever takes the son gets it all. So today, for $10 this young man has bought one of the world's most priceless art collections and the entire estate in which it is housed -- auction closed." And with the swing of the gavel, the crowd sat in stunned silence staring at the young soldier.

When you have the SON, you really have it all! The Bread of Life and the Living Water is truly all we need!

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Second Wind

2011-07-14T16:31:00.005-04:00

Lately I have had an insatiable desire to get up in the mornings to walk and pray. After I spend at least an hour walking and praying, I will jog at least a mile. Now don't get me wrong, when I walk I push it! My walking could keep up with some people who are slowly jogging. By the time I begin to jog, I have worked up a pretty good sweat. As you run, you can come to a point that you feel exhausted after a short while of exercise. At this point you must press through that feeling to get what some call a second wind. Here is the dictionary definition of second wind: "The return of relative ease of breathing after the initial exhaustion that occurs during continued physical exertion". As you press through the feeling of tiredness and exhaustion, you begin to feel stronger again and sometimes feel as if you could continue on indefinitely. No one is sure where the feeling of strength comes from for sure when we get our second wind, but everyone is glad when it comes.

The same thing is true for our spiritual life. There are times we get exhausted in fighting a battle. We feel as if we can not go on. But, we must press on and press through those feelings of fatigue to catch our second wind. We have to determine that our God is for us and has promised us strength for the battle. Paul said it like this, "...now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

One quality that we all need in our life is perseverance. We need a "don't quit" attitude! Everyone will face trials and some of them hard and long. But, we have the promise of God that he will not leave us alone and that he is our Deliverer! But, if we quit, WE are the ones forfeiting the prize at the end of the run!

Jesus told a story in Luke 18 about a woman who went to a judge to get justice over an adversary. The judge was unjust and would not grant her request. But she knew she was in the right, so she kept going back again and again and again! She would NOT give up! Finally, the judge granted her request "because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!" (Verse 5). Why did Jesus tell this story? The bible gives even the very reason he told this parable. In verse 1 it says, "Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up."

Your second wind doesn't come until AFTER you begin to feel drained of energy! Your strength to endure the hardship doesn't show up until you've exhausted your 'first wind'. When you have persevered, pressed through, endured, and held on, the strength and power of God shows up and ushers you all the way to victory! 1 Peter 5:10, "after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation."

So, hang on to God's powerful hand! Don't give up! Don't throw in the towel! Press on! That second wind (the wind of the Holy Spirit) is coming to empower you to make it all the way to the finish line! Your God is for you!

Developing a Self Feeding Program

2011-07-08T15:30:00.005-04:00

I have heard it time and again over my years in ministry. "I'm just not getting fed", someone will say when preparing to leave a church. Sometimes when I heard this, it was people leaving other churches coming to ours, sometimes the other way around. I have to admit that I hate hearing those words, whether they are talking about our church or another church. It is understandable that when someone is a part of a local body of believers that they want to hear the word of God preached in a manner they can understand and apply to their lives. Anyone would. But, what I don't understand about that statement is why aren't they getting fed? Is it the church's responsibility to spiritually feed people every meal?

Earlier this year, Pastor Tony and I were at a minister's event where Mark Batterson was preaching. Mark is the author of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase. He is also the pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. He mentioned that people say that very thing to him. He told us that he tells his congregation if they are only depending on him to feed them, they are going to starve spiritually. Wayne Cordeiro, pastor of 12,000 member New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii, and author of The Divine Mentor told of a staffer once who had expressed this same thing to him. His response was, "Imagine that my wife sees me one day, gaunt and emaciated. My eyes are sunken into gray sockets, my body is frail, exposing my skeleton; my abdomen is distended from starvation. I’ve obviously not been eating. When she sees me in this condition, she exclaims, “What in the world is happening to you?!” My answer is: “I’m not getting fed around here.” Then, continuing my lament: “No one is feeding me.” What do you think her response would be? “Feed yourself!”

Again, the leadership of a church does have a responsibility to make sure they are preaching and teaching the word of God, but there is no way for a church to cover everything from scripture that needs to be covered in a year. There are only 52 Sundays in a year and only 52 Wednesdays. If we didn't miss a single one, that would only be 104 opportunities to get fed. If I eat three meals a day every day of the year, I will eat 1,095 meals. That is ten times more eating physically than many people eat spiritually. There must be a way to get more spiritual food than that! There is!

Hebrews 5:14 says, "...solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." This passage talks about spiritually going beyond milk that is for infants, growing up and eating solid food. Notice what it says, "... who by CONSTANT USE have TRAINED THEMSELVES ..." CONSTANT USE means more than once or twice per week. TRAINING THEMSELVES means that they have learned to feed themselves on this spiritual food and are being obedient to it. God has called us to develop a self feeding program for ourselves. His word should become so familiar to us that we can quote it like we sing our favorite song! His ways should be so recognizable that we never mistake our own way for his. Why? Because we have, through CONSTANT USE, TRAINED OURSELVES to understand what is right and what is wrong. God is saying that mature people have learned how to eat meat and they do it consistently (daily) and this causes them to have a deeper understanding of right and wrong. This helps them to make good decisions because they are able to apply the word of God to each situation that arises in their life.

Strength comes from taking in nutritious foods. The same is true spiritually! We grow strong through learning how to feed our self upon the word of God. "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty" (Jeremiah 15:16). Notice Jeremiah said, "I ate them". In other words, "I took it upon myself to meditate on the word of God and put it into practice in my life." Again, there is a need for good teaching and preaching of the word of God. We need those with these gifts to bring the sure word of God to us! But, if that is all we ever get, we will not survive the onslaught of the enemy.

Finding a balance between totally depending on others to teach us, and totally depending upon ourselves get all that we need is necessary. It is not either / or, it is BOTH! Get a good dose of preaching on Sunday morning. The kind that challenges your socks off! Then get into a good bible study with others where discussion can happen around the word of God and you can get understanding from others that have gone through things you haven't. Then, between times, feed upon the word of God for yourselves. Meditate on it. Read it. Memorize it.

What is your spiritual growth plan? Do you get fed more than once or twice per week? Growth happens when we allow others to speak the Word of God into our lives AND when we learn to develop our own self feeding program.

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Sailing Vs. Rowing

2011-07-01T14:49:00.006-04:00

A galley is a ship that is propelled by human oarsmen, used for trade and warfare many years past. Galleys dominated naval warfare in the Mediterranean Sea from the 8th century BC until the 16th century. When the 17th century rolled around sailboats were invented as men learned to harness this power of wind that had always been in abundance on the open seas. This freed up many men to train for war and other positions instead of so many having to propel the ship.

The definition of sailing from Wikipedia says: "Sailing is the art of controlling a boat with large (usually fabric) foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or center board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to change the direction and speed of a boat." If you've seen Pirates of the Caribbean or some similar movie, you've seen a sail boat. There are people that have single-handedly sailed across the ocean using a sail boat.

As the Lord impressed upon me the difference between rowing and sailing, I saw how much easier sailing is. Not that sailing is easy, but it is

easier than rowing. God began showing me how many times I live my Christian life in a rowing mode. I work so hard trying to go in the right direction, the direction I feel God wants me to go, but I struggle and strain and sometimes I even wind up somewhere God never intended me to be. We sometimes try to live the Christian life in our own strength. He began to show me that He intended for me to get out of the row boat and get into a sailboat.

Sailboats catch the wind. The one in the sail boat must work, sure, but not like the one in the row boat. The one in the sail boat waits for the wind to blow and uses the sails to catch the breeze and allows it to take them along with it. He makes decisions to help guide the boat by using the rudder or other tools. But it is the wind only that propels the boat forward. In this Christian walk the wind is the Spirit of God. We cannot determine when or where He is going to blow. Only He knows where He wants to take us from day to day. Our goal is to discern what direction He is blowing and work to catch the wind of the Spirit and follow His leading in our day and life.

See, the person in the row boat is the captain of his ship and decides on his own what is best and then heads in that direction working hard. Many times he find himself going against the wind to get to a desired destination, a seemingly good destination. But the one in the sail boat simply listens, waits, and watches for the wind to blow and allows the Holy Spirit to direct his vessel to God's desired destination for us.

Are you still in a row boat? Are you working hard and still winding up at a dead end? Why not give up your row boat and get into a God's sailboat. Let's take the risk and catch the wind of the Spirit! Let's let Him take us to some exotic location that never was even on our radar! Sound scary? Sound adventurous? Sound exciting? It will be all of those things sometime, but it is worth it! Come on ... quit working so hard trying to direct your own life in your own strength. Trust the wind of the Spirit! He will take you to places you could never have gone on your own!

Real Men!

2011-06-21T13:14:00.006-04:00

According to 2009 U.S. Census Bureau data, over 24 million children live apart from their biological fathers. That is 1 out of every 3 (33%) children in America. Nearly 2 in 3 (64%) African American children live in father-absent homes. One in three (34%) Hispanic children, and 1 in 4 (25%) white children live in father-absent homes. In 1960, only 11% of children lived in father-absent homes.

Children who live absent their biological fathers are, on average, at least two to three times more likely to be poor, to use drugs, to experience educational, health, emotional and behavioral problems, to be victims of child abuse, and to engage in criminal behavior than their peers who live with their married, biological (or adoptive) parents. Find these and more stats at http://www.fatherhood.org/Page.aspx?pid=403.

As Men of God, we cannot be absent even though we may be "around". We have a responsibility to be good dads, husbands, friends... We have a calling upon our lives that cannot be put upon someone else! David was called a "man after God's own heart". What does it mean to be God’s man? You can be born a male, but it takes maturity to become a man. Somebody has well said, "You’re only young once, but immaturity can last forever." There is a shortage of REAL men today! Men who will take the lead and guide their families! Real men who will be a man of God whether he is married or not married! Real men who will become God’s man no matter what the world or the devil throws at him!

In Joshua 24:1-27, the leaders of Israel were assembled and were challenged to let go of the things that had crept into their culture and lead their families. Joshua spoke to them and made a determination for himself. He said in verse 15, "...if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua had made his decision!

Each man today has to make that same decision. Are we going to let the idols, temptation, and culture of our day cause us to bow down and be shape into its mold? Or are we going to stand up and be God's man? Today, our society needs guys who are willing to be put onto the Potter's wheel and allow Him to help us to become real men of God!

BECOME - It is a process ... it is a daily walk ... it is a minute by minute decision to follow Him ... it is determining to develop yourself (work out spiritually).

REAL - Be authentic, genuine, be the same at work, home, church ... admit mistakes, be willing to repent to others ... show emotions (let others know you have feelings) ... walk in integrity.

MAN - Be a conqueror of yourself (flesh, natural desires that are sinful) ... Protect your home (just as you keep bugs, animals, and intruders out physically, keep the enemy out spiritually) ... Lead in spiritual matters (pray, give Godly counsel, lead in devotions) ...

OF GOD - Be God's version of a man ... do a study on Biblical manhood ... put what you find into practice ... find a mentor, have an accountability partner ... become a part of a men's group ... read Christian authors on Biblical manhood (see recommended reading list below).

Men … God is calling you (just as in Joshua’s day) to lead … to lead your wife by loving, serving, directing her in the things of God … to lead your children by being the man, the dad, that he has called you to be ... to lead your friends by walking in integrity before God and them … to stop making excuses for why you can’t do it … to throw away any other idols and renew your covenant with God!

The ONLY way this can happen is through a real, vibrant relationship with God! You can't do this on your own! Let me encourage you today. You can become the man you want to be, the man your wife needs, the father your children need, the man who leads boldly! Get to know THE Man ... Jesus Christ and you will become like Him! Step up like the men in Joshua's day and join with them in a covenant with God saying, "as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord"!

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* Taken from Sunday, June 19th (Father's Day) message, "The Man Covenant"

* Recommended Reading list for Men:

i. Maximized Manhood (Edwin Louis Cole)

ii. Wild at Heart (John Eldridge)

iii. Straight Talk to Men: Timeless Principles for Leading Your Family (James Dobson)

iv. The Hidden Value of a Man: Created to Lead, Empowered to Succeed (Gary Smalley)

v. The Man in the Mirror & The Dad in the Mirror (Patrick Morley)

vi. Real Man: Your Role as Father, Husband, Leader, Friend (Edwin Louis Cole)

vii. The Mark of a Man: Following Christ’s Example of Masculinity (Elisabeth Elliot)

viii. Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father’s Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood (Robert Lewis).

ix. She Calls Me Daddy (Robert Wolgemuth)

x. Everyman’s Battle (Stephen Arterburn)

Church

2011-06-14T22:51:00.002-04:00

I have had the privilege of officiating and being a part of several weddings. The evening before the wedding is the rehearsal. Everybody is in jeans, very casual. But the next day everything changes! Tuxedos and beautiful dresses have taken the place of the casualness of the day before. Then the bride comes in and walks down the aisle! That day the bride is radiant! There is a sparkle in her eye...she is glowing! She was beautiful the day before, but there is something different when those doors open and she sees her husband to be. Her focus is on her groom! That day the place where the ceremony is held is important, but the people attending and the bride and groom don't look at the building. They are focused on the couple about to be wed and the joy and happiness in the air that day!

The same is true with church. We are called 'the bride of Christ' in scripture. We are in great preparation for our groom's coming. We are to keep ourselves ready for his return. Just as the bride will do many things to primp and prepare herself for her beloved, so are we to prepare ourselves for our beloved's coming. When He returns for His bride, He is looking for one not marred by the world, not given over to adulterous things. He is looking for a pure bride who is reserving herself for Him.

Many times we will say, "Let's go to church", like church is a building. But church is people! The church is people who have been saved and delivered from the world and are in preparation for their groom coming for the great wedding day! The building that we go to IS important, just as the building on the couple's wedding day is important. But the building is not more important than the people that meet there.

In our purpose statement for Vineyard ("Loving God...Loving Each Other...Discovering Life...Reaching Out") it is so important that we love each other. See, we are the bride. It's not just that I am the bride, but together, we are the bride of Christ. If WE are the bride of Christ and the bride needs to be ready for the bridegroom, then it is partially my responsibility how you are doing in your walk with God AND it is partially your responsibility how other believers you are close to are doing in their walk with God. It all started with Cain and Abel. Cain said, "Am I my brother's keeper"? The unspoken answer is, "yes"! We are our brother and sister's keeper. Because TOGETHER we are the bride of Christ.

So, when you talk about going to church this week, remember, it's really about going to be with other believers, not going to a building. It's about availing ourselves of the opportunity to fellowship, break bread, and be devoted together to Biblical teaching (Acts 2:42). It's about encouraging each other and holding each other accountable. It's about getting involved in bible study with each other and discussing God's world. It's about getting involved in a few other people's lives and asking how they are doing, hearing their stories, and praying with them for God's intervention in their lives. Church is about people, coming together is about others, not just me. It's not just church, it's my church! Church is not just somebody's brothers and sisters, they are MY brothers and sisters!

If you call Vineyard your church home, then church here is about people. It's not about a building, it's not about doctrine, it's not about programs. All of those things have their place, but we have determined that at Vineyard our focus is first about loving God, second about loving each other, and thirdly about finding our place in the body, and last about reaching out to others that need what we have found. Thank you for being not only the church of Jesus Christ at Vineyard, but for being My Church! I truly love you all!

Vision, Part 1

2011-04-11T19:39:00.009-04:00

If you missed the Vision Meeting here is Vineyard Vision 2011 ... and beyond:

· Over the next year:

· Touch 1000 people with God’s love through things such as Under the Big Top Kid's Day, Ladies Car Care Day, Personal Evangelism, Friend Days / Services, VBS, Monthly mailings to newcomers to our community, etc.

· See at least 25 individuals not only saved directly through Vineyard (that’s through you and me), but discipled and become an active part of the church!

· Assimilate 25 new families into the church.

· Have 4 “Fight Nights” where people are prayed over for healing, deliverance, and being set free from Satan’s bondage.

· Have at least 50% of the congregation reading thru the bible in a year!

· Have OVER 50% of congregation into active ministry roles!

· Develop a top rate children’s ministry with committed teachers and helpers.

· Begin an aggressive Discipleship plan for all adults (children will have RR’s & MPact).

· Foster a few grassroots small groups to begin meeting for fellowship & connecting.

· Build a small kitchen in Youth Building for fellowship events.

· Acquire (rent) Henley Salvage, across road from church, for Royal Rangers. <-- This is done!

· Put Baptismal in so that all those people being saved can be baptized right away!

· Begin Marriage Enrichment Seminars (2 per year) beginning this year!

· Pastor Tony to go full time!

· 1-5 years:

· Pay off the mortgage of the church!

· Build 2 story classroom / recreation area & fellowship hall with kitchen downstairs.

· Upstairs to be all classrooms

· Put 2 more classrooms in current youth building.

· Acquire 19 acres of property directly behind our property.

· Begin ministry to Hispanic population in Lee County.

· Begin a satellite church with a pastor.

· 3-8 years:

· Build soccer field with picnic shelter near to use for youth & young adult sporting events / church picnics / Homeschoolers, Royal Rangers, Mpact use

· Vineyard Youth Center

· Afterschool Care

· Tutoring

· Basketball Camp / Training / League

· Soccer Camp / Training / League

· Begin a satellite church with a pastor.

· 6-12 years:

· Christian School

· K-5 to begin … expanding to K-8 … expanding to K-12.

· Christian Counseling Center.

· Begin a satellite church with a pastor.

How are we going to do all of this? Because we are going to stop just COMING to church ... we are going to BE the church. The church (which are the people in a local body of believers) are called to DO LIFE TOGETHER! Think about that phrase and think about what change we might have to make in our life to truly live as a Biblical church! DO LIFE TOGETHER! Read Acts 2:42-47 and see how many thing they did TOGETHER.

We are to experience the presence of God TOGETHER.
Hebrews 10:24 (NIV), “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

We are to love ONE ANOTHER so much that the world stands up and takes notice!
John 13:35 (NLT), “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

We are to give ourselves to being a fully devoted follower of Christ and finding our place IN THE BODY!
Acts 2:42a (NLT), “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…”

We are to take on Christ's mission to share the good news with those around us and those far away.

Matthew 28:19 (NLT), “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

We WILL do this because we ARE the church and Christ's power rests IN His church!

Will you be part of the body that gives themselves to these four simple things?

What is the church (Video): click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifnJtkAnBq4&feature=player_embedded

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Layers

2011-04-04T10:56:00.003-04:00

Life is like an onion. There are layers to our life. If all we ever used of an onion was the first layer, we would miss most of the onion. The same is true of our spiritual walk. What we see on the surface of our walk with God is good, but there is so much more beyond the first layer!

One example is God's call on EACH of our lives to some form of ministry. Ephesians 4:11-12 says, "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 ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,". This passage says that church leadership should equip everyone in the church for their work of ministry. So Christians go out in search of ministry. Some witness to co-workers, some hand out tracts, some take their ministry to their family seriously. All wonderful things! There is another layer, though! The world calls it synergy or teamwork. It is when a group of people join together to accomplish something that, alone, none of them could ever do! Paul in Philippians 1:27 is talking, not to one person, but to the whole church in that city when he says, "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel". Contend as ONE MAN for the gospel! He was calling them to combine forces, to become like ONE person, each one finding their place to work alongside each other. Like how a physical body works together, each organ, muscle, bone, and cell doing its part and TOGETHER accomplishing something extraordinary! This is the example Paul is giving.

There is a layer in our lives of personal responsibility AND there is a layer of corporate (team) responsibility to fulfill the ministry calling on each of our lives. We were not call to sit on the sidelines in this game of life. We are called, each one of us, to get in the game ... with our teammates, and side by side accomplish something supernatural for the kingdom of God! Because when we decide to peel back the layer of corporate responsibility we discover that God is there in a whole new dimension. His power and grace go to a whole new level! Peel back a new level in your walk with God today! Venture out into a new dimension! You will not regret it!

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The Perfect Set!

2011-03-21T10:41:00.010-04:00

I love to watch a good volleyball game! Bump, Set, Spike! It's the perfect combination to score! And when it is done correctly, it is beautiful to see and experience! God has a plan for you to score, to succeed in life, too. But you must learn to take His SET!

Look at the following scriptures:

· John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

· 1 Corinthians 15:56-57, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

· 1 John 4:4, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

1 John 5:4, “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

Overcoming, winning, succeeding is God's plan for us ... BUT, he uses some sources that we don't like sometimes! TRAILS! Trials Get Used to bring us success and to bring God glory! James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

The goal and outcome of the trial is to be that we would be complete and not lack anything we need in our life! But, there is a problem here! WE DON'T LIKE TRIALS! So, when the trial comes our way, God is using it for a perfect SET for us to score and we let the SET fall to the ground, just because it has the word TRIAL written on it. WE MISS THE SCORE BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE THE TRIAL!

So, what do we do to let the SET fall to the ground?

When praying for financial provision, it seems another setback comes. What do we do many times? We stop tithing and giving, when this is the very thing that will bring success to our situation! We let God's SET fall to the ground.

When struggling with a temptation or trial, we become embarrassed or angry and don't go to church. Gathering together with God's people for encouragement and letting God speak into our lives is EXACTLY what we need to do to WIN! We let the SET fall to the ground.

Instead of persevering (which is exactly what James 1 above says we need to do when facing a trial or test) we sometimes bury our head in the sand, stop going to church, run from God, stop praying, stop giving, stop praising.

We must learn to see trials as stepping stones to what God has for us, not stumbling blocks that we cannot get around.

God USES trials to set us up for success and for Him to receive glory! Don't let the perfect set fall to the ground! Let perseverance finish it's work. Keep praying, giving, believing, loving, going, praising! As a matter of fact pray all the more, giving all the more, believing all the more, love all the more, go all the more, praise him all the more! It's the circumstance you are in that God is going to use to PROVE that He is God and that you belong to Him!

Great song by MercyMe encouraging us to keep praising. It's called "Bring the Rain":

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m17af0XmPFo

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That's Just the Way I Am!

2011-03-18T13:34:00.002-04:00

"That's just the way I am!" How often have you heard or even said that statement? But Paul teaches that we were "by nature children of wrath" and that we must be transformed by the truth of God. So "just the way I am" may be, but it doesn't mean it's aligned with the will of God for our lives. We want to be all God wants us to be . . . not our natural way, but our supernatural way in Christ. (From The Daniel Fast Facebook Page)

God didn't make us perfect. He made us to need him to transform us from 'children of wrath' to trophies of God's grace! "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). When we allow ourselves to be deceived into believing that we will always have to be a certain way, we are allowing the devil to trap us (enslave us, put us into bondage). But, when we allow God to transform us in EVERY area of our lives, we begin to live in a supernatural way, not just in the natural. He sets us free from the trap of who we naturally are! Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure." This is why I absolutely hate it when movies have a theme of "follow your heart". DO NOT follow your heart! Allow your heart to be lead by Jesus Christ! Allow your heart to be transformed by His word! Allow the "way you are" to become new!

Don't allow Satan to deceive you into believing that you have to settle for less than what God has for you! Be and become all that God intends. Crucify the flesh and feed your newborn spirit in Christ! And you WILL overcome and the 'way you are' will become like HE is!

If These Walls Could Talk

2011-02-22T15:38:00.003-05:00

During February we have been discussing "Establishing a Godly Home" and how to have the kingdom of God rule there. Sunday, we discussed 'The Door' to our home. Our passion for God causes us to 'possess the gates of our enemies' and keeps him away from our home!

What kinds of thing do we need to allow into our home and what things need to be kept away from ourselves and our kids? A Christian home should be isolated from the things of the world. Titus 2:12 tells us to "say NO to ungodliness and worldly passions". The more we allow ourselves to participate (see, hear, experience) in the things of the world, the more desensitized we become to the depravity in those things. The graphic nature of horror movies today would have made the most hardened person physically sick 50 years ago! Today, many people would laugh at the horror movies made then. What happened? Because we opened ourselves to one degree of gore, that same degree of gore did not satisfy the next time out. So, we had to up the ante. And it continues to get worse and worse and we don't even notice that the devil is turning the heat up in the pot and we are being boiled to death! The bible NEVER tells us to be well informed about the evil in the world! God's word says for us to "be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil" (Romans 16:19).

In many homes today, the devil is turning up the heat and our families are slowly dying. To keep this from happening to us and our family, certain things should not enter our homes:

Music that glorifies immoral behavior or talk.

Movies or TV that promotes loose living and a Godless existence.

Magazines that depict themes and pictures that undermine God's way.

Internet sites that demean God's design for sex and love.

Talk or actions that tear down instead of build up.

There are others, but suffice it to say, we should keep our homes clean of worldly things. Christian parents should never allow their children to have things in their room that will be a GATEWAY for evil. Children don't need a computer in their room with access to the Internet. (Who is talking to your children and who are they talking to?) If a computer is needed, it can be in a family room. Same is true for a cell phone until they are able to handle it (I'm talking until they get a job and can pay for it). They don't need a TV in their room that has access to satellite or cable TV. (What are they watching when you are not looking?) Children should never listen to music in your home that you have not approved or cannot listen to. (What are the lyrics teaching them?) Who's home is this? It is your home and you are the GATEKEEPER to your home! Take the authority that God has given you to keep your home clean of worldly things and keep your kids AND YOURSELVES innocent of evil. You may think this is extreme, but in reality it is a clearly Biblical position. It is not crucial if the kids like it or not. They may not appreciate what you are doing in the moment, but in the long run, it is worth it! In the end they will grow up emotionally, physically, and spiritually balanced because you did the hard part of staying connected with them and them separated from the filth in the world that would try to destroy them.

"If these walls could talk" is a saying that wonders what truly happens in a home when no one else is looking. If the walls of your home could talk ... what would they say your home is like? If your children's walls in their room could talk ... what would they say happens there? You and I are the gatekeepers, we SHOULD know. When we choose to keep worldly things outside our home, it allows the spirit of God (who brings peace, joy, contentment with Him) inside the walls of our home. What would you rather have?

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Defeating the Enemy!

2011-02-07T08:32:00.003-05:00

The bible clearly states, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3:8). God wants to set you and I free from our trials and tests, but he longs to grow us in all areas of our spiritual life as well. So, He uses every situation in our life to bring growth AND blessing! Yesterday, at Vineyard, we discussed that obedience is the foundation in establishing a Godly home and life. I ran across this article that was adapted from Joyce Meyer's book, "Life Without Strife". It went right along with God's word to us yesterday. Let me know your thoughts ...

KEYS TO DEFEATING THE DEVIL
By Joyce Meyer

During the first several years after I became a charismatic Christian, I listened to a lot of teaching on spiritual warfare. I tried to learn all I could to defeat the devil because it was obvious he was giving me a lot of trouble. I wanted the upper hand for a change.

It seemed I gained no victory from applying all the methods I had learned. Then the Lord graciously shared some truths that have become a blessing in my life. He showed me that spiritual warfare "methods" are good--but they are only carriers, or containers, for His real power.

I was busy rebuking, resisting, casting out and off, binding and loosing, fasting and praying--and anything else anyone told me to do. The results were minimal, and I was worn out. I was getting to the point of "spiritual burnout." This occurs when a Christian continues to do things that do not produce positive results.

God opened up a whole new way of looking at spiritual warfare when He challenged me to observe how Jesus dealt with the devil. As I studied His ways, I noticed that Jesus did not do the things I had been doing. For example, I learned that remaining obedient is spiritual warfare.

We often quote only a portion of James 4:7. I usually hear it quoted like this: "Resist the devil and he will flee." However, I knew from experience that couldn't be the whole story because, I was busy resisting, but he was not fleeing. Then I saw the whole Scripture: "So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you" (The Amplified Bible).

The first part about submitting to God is equally as important as the second part about resisting the devil. I realized that I was not as concerned about submitting as I was about resisting. It was a relief to find that my obedience would cause the devil to flee from me.

As we walk in obedience, angels assist us in our warfare. Angel assistance will surely make the task much easier. Angels do not just work on my behalf because I am alive, nor do they work on my behalf just because I believe Jesus is my Savior. They hearken to the Word of God.

As we speak God's Word and walk in obedience and service to God and man, the angels move on our behalf and protect us from principalities and powers. This does not mean that we can never make a mistake or be harmed. It does mean that we must be serious about our lifestyle of obedience.

The Holy Spirit also revealed that the love walk brings spiritual warfare. The devil cannot handle a lover! He could not control Jesus because He walked in obedience and love. Jesus was always loving people and being good to them. The Word of God instructs us to "keep ourselves in the love of God" (Jude 21).

This may have a deeper meaning than just staying in love. It may be saying you will keep yourself from much harm as you remain in love. The Scriptures tell us that in the last days "the love of the great body of people [the church] will grow cold" (Matt. 24:12). This verse tells us that "cold love" will be one of the signs of the last days. Yet the apostle Peter admonishes us: "Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]" (1 Peter 4:8).

The devil brings offense, disharmony and strife among people, but the antidote for the whole poisonous problem is love! We can rebuke all the devils in the world--literally scream at them until we have no voice left--but they will not flee from the person who cares nothing for obedience or the love walk.

Satan knows that Christians who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk" are powerless against him. His end-time warfare strategy is to build a stronghold of cold love. In this way he can keep the church of Jesus Christ powerless, but by remaining in love we can do spiritual warfare and defeat his tactics.

If you're tired of allowing the enemy to wreak havoc in your life, as I was, set him running today. Begin to hit him with the one-two punch of spiritual warfare: obey God (while resisting the devil) and walk in love!

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Team Building

2011-01-12T16:15:00.003-05:00

I remember the first time I was on staff at a church. One elderly lady at the church asked her daughter, who happened to be the secretary, "What are they finding for Greg to do up there all day?" We got a good laugh about that. Some people think all the pastor does is preach twice a week, maybe go to the hospital every once in a while and do a funeral here and there. Those definitely are all things that pastors do and are important, but much more is involved for the pastor that takes his place in the body of Christ seriously. Really, the pastor is a team builder.

Many people may not be aware of team building in scripture. Well, it's not called 'team building', but it is called 'equipping the saints for the work of ministry'. "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13, NIV). The pastor, along with other leaders in the local church, are charged with building the local body of believers. The pastor, "shepherd", and other leaders, are charged to watch over the flock and "equip" them for their place in the body, to see that the local body is "built up" so it can accomplish it's role in advancing the kingdom of God in the community, to bring everyone together under the vision of God so there is "unity" in the local church, to teach the believers the truth of God's word so that they "mature" in Christ and together become the "whole measure of the fullness of Christ" in their community.

All of the above are part of building a team of people whose goal is to overthrow the work of Satan in people's lives and see the Kingdom of God established in their hearts. Leadership's role becomes caring for those whom God brings into the local body, helping them become spiritually healthy, connecting them to others for encouragement and accountability, equipping them to find their place in Christ, and encouraging them to work together to destroy the work of the enemy (1 John 3:8). A quick reading of 1 Corinthians 12 shows us that we cannot be "lone ranger" Christians and expect to accomplish what God has planned for us. "The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you! ...... Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it" (1 Corinthians 12:21,27). Every Christian is to be a part of the body. Not only the global body of Christ, but a specific local body (Hebrews 10:25). Local church leaders lead a local body comprised of local people who are to makeup the representation of Christ to that local community. Back to Ephesians 4, verses 15b-16, "...we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

Part of the local pastor's job is team building. That includes recognizing other leadership gifts and working together with them to accomplish the task of seeing a group of totally diverse people become a loving, caring, powerful, impacting force in their community! Thanks to those who are on the team at Vineyard! Everyone is needed in the body for us to mature and become the powerful force for God in this community. Let's make the commitment to join together more than ever before, realizing that we all truly need each other to fulfill God's plan for our lives! Let's destroy the work of the enemy!

TEAM = Together Experiencing A Ministry!

GO TEAM!

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Truth & Discipleship

2011-01-07T15:36:00.004-05:00

Let me say something controversial right off the bat and get it over with ... you are not necessarily right just because you are speaking the truth! Don't get me wrong, truth is very important and it is the truth that sets us free (John 8:32). But, we must, as fully devoted followers of Christ bring to bear the heart and intent of God as well as the simple facts of truth. Jesus said in John 4:23, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." God, the Father, wants people to serve him in spirit and in truth. Truth alone, sometimes, can be used to harm or even destroy. You can take a truth and beat someone up with it and the intent of that truth does the person NO GOOD! It could actually drive them away from God.

1 Corinthians 13:1-4 says it like this, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." In other words, I could speak in tongues, have the gift of prophecy, have faith enough to move mountains, even become a martyr for the Lord, but if it is not done in the spirit of love ... it does not accomplish what we think it is accomplishing! Wow! Whatever we do, whatever truth we speak, it must be in the spirit that the Father intended for it to produce the results intended! If not, it is not accomplishing anything of eternal consequence.

If we are going to reach for true discipleship (true worshippers) we must serve God in spirit and in truth! It is to be in Spirit because discipleship is all about a relationship with the Master, not in keeping a set of rules or even a set of truths. We gather from Him much more than facts. We get the intent of not only the "what" of truth, but the "how" of carrying it out ... in love, peace, with joy, to reconcile, to draw people to Himself!

We must learn the heart, the passion, the love of God as well as the facts of His word. How can we do that? Become a true disciple ... a fully devoted follower ... a sold out, dedicated believer and lover of God! Only then will the intent of God and the facts of the truth of God come together in our lives and we will REALLY know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth that sets men and women free!

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Listen to the message from Wednesday, January 5th, entitled "Truth & Discipleship" to get more of this teaching.

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2011 - Fully Loved, Fully Devoted, Fully Engaged!

A Proactive Year!

2011-01-03T10:20:00.002-05:00

It's hard to hear sometimes. The fact that we are doing something wrong or are off in some area of our life. I've been there many times. It's a fact of life for us as fallible human beings. At our best, we still get it wrong sometimes and need to make corrections in our life.

One of these issues that we so easily fall into is living a reactive life instead of being proactive. In other words, we spend all of our time just reacting to urgent issues that arise instead of being proactive and planning ahead to avoid some things becoming urgent issues in our life. We began the year of 2011 at Vineyard by discussing becoming "fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ", true discipleship. Not just believers, or even just wearing the tag of Christianity alone, but becoming fully engaged with God's plan and purpose for our lives. To be able to do this I understand that I cannot live a reactive life. A reactive life does not receive all that God has for him or her. To fully engage in the life of a disciple, it means I must actively pursue the things of God. To live fully connected with God I must initiate that. God gives us free will to choose what path our lives will take, but He shows us the way of discipleship and blessing, if we will take it.

It's been stated, "time waits for no man", and it is true. Let's take advantage of the New Year that God has blessed us with and take the initiative to dig deeper into the things of God than ever before. Let's be proactive in becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ!

James 4:7-8 says, "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." The responsibility for humility is ours. The initiative to be close to God begins with us. The liability to purify our hearts is on our shoulders. The responsibility to place our full loyalty with God lies in the decisions we make daily. In other words, God calls us to take charge (be proactive) in the process of the maturity and the discipleship of our lives. Once we come close to Him (initiate contact, show desire), He responds with all the strength and wisdom we need to accomplish all that He asks of us. What a wonderful God we have!

D.A. Carson is quoted as saying, "The Kingdom of heaven is worth infinitely more than the cost of discipleship, and those who know where the treasure lies joyfully abandon everything else to secure it". (See Matthew 13:44.) I'm committed to joyfully abandon stuff of the world this year to become a fully devoted follower of Christ! How about you? I'm committed to be proactive in my pursuit of becoming a true disciple! How about you?

2011 - Fully Loved, Fully Devoted, Fully Engaged!

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A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus Christ!

2010-12-30T15:58:00.004-05:00

As we go into the beginning of a new year, everyone tries to decide what they need to work on this year to become a better person than they were the year before. Talk of weight loss, exercising, quitting smoking, and more time with family top the charts of New Year's resolutions. Many of these things are thrown by the wayside within months if not weeks of January 1. Paul said it like this, "And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway" (Romans 7:18-19, NLT). We all feel this way sometimes and we get so aggravated at ourselves! So, at certain times, like January 1st, we determine to do better. But we discover that on our own, we can't do better! Like the passage above says, nothing good lives in my sinful nature. But, I love the rest of that passage: "Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 7:24, NLT).

The answer is not more will power, not reading another self-help book, not trying harder! The answer is in having a deeper relationship with the only One who can change us! We need to turn from worldly ways and run to God! We can't change our self ... but God can! But, we must decide that change is needed and then put in the time and energy to pursue the lover of our soul! That is what discipleship is all about! Becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ is who we are called to be. To pursue this relationship more than we pursue anything else in our life. But in that pursuit of the ultimate Transformer, we find the strength to become overcomers!

The sermon series in January at Vineyard is called, "Discipleship Below the Surface: Going Deep with God"! It's time for us to go beyond surface Christianity and become fully devoted followers of Christ. It's time for us to quit trying and failing on our own! It's time for us to find the power to overcome our sinful nature in a deep and abiding relationship with the One who loves us with an eternal love! Don't miss perhaps one of the most important series presented in recent months! The most important resolution we could make this year is to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ (his true disciple). Put yourself in position to win this year! Let's start the year off right and see God's will fulfilled in our life in 2011!

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Immanuel, God With Us (Family Devotional)

2010-12-26T08:08:00.001-05:00

IMMANUEL (GOD IS WITH US)

· Scripture: Read Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:17-25; Romans 8:31-32

· Song “Immanuel” by Michael Card: (Listen to at http://ilike.myspacecdn.com/play#Michael+Card:Immanuel:383763:s34473251.9638084.15099602.0.2.58%2Cstd_82d6a974867048b9ac9b1adf1a1e72e3

Or watch on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-vTQqbofuM

Immanuel (Michael Card)

A sign shall be given a virgin will conceive
A human baby bearing undiminished deity
The glory of the nations a light for all to see
That hope for all who will embrace His warm reality

Immanuel our God is with us
And if God is with us who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

For all those who live in the shadow of death
A glorious light has dawned
For all those who stumble in the darkness
Behold your light has come

Immanuel our God is with us
And if God is with us who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

So what will be Your answer? Will You hear the call?
Of Him who did not spare His son but gave Him for us all
On earth there is no power there is no depth or height
That could ever separate us from the love of God in Christ

Immanuel our God is with us
And if God is with us who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

Immanuel our God is with us
And if God is with us who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

· To Think About: (From Immanuel by Michael Card):

The implications of the name Immanuel are both comforting and unsettling. Comforting because He has come to share the danger as well as the drudgery of our everyday lives. He desires to weep with us and to wipe away our tears. And what seems most bizarre, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, longs to share in and to be the source of the laughter and the joy we all too rarely know.

The implications are unsettling. It is one thing to claim that God looks down upon us, from a safe distance, and speaks to us. But to say that He is right here is to put ourselves and Him in a totally new situation. He is no longer the calm and benevolent observer in the sky, the kindly old caricature with the beard. His image becomes that of Jesus, who wept and laughed, who fasted and feasted, and who, above all was fully present to those He loved. He was there with them. He is here with us … today!

Most incredible, however, are the times we know He is with us in the midst of our daily, routine lives. In the middle of cleaning the house, driving the car, going to school, watching TV, or spending time with friends … He stops us in our tracks and makes His presence known. Often it’s in the middle of the most mundane (ordinary) things that He lets us know He is there with us. We realize, then, that there can be no “ordinary” moments for people who live their lives with and for Jesus.

Jesus paid a tremendous price to be with us. Certainly the cross was the most obvious cost.

We focus so much on the fact that Jesus died for us, we sometimes forget that He also lived for us and lives for us still. If Jesus had simply come as Himself, and not as one of us, the Bible makes it quite clear that we could not have borne the sight of His presence, any more than Moses could have looked directly at the face of God.

Imagine what it would be like to be at the Father’s side one moment and struggling to sleep in a cattle trough (manger) the next. Imagine what it would be like to go from hearing the praise of angels to suffering the taunts of stupid men. The cost to Jesus is an indication of the incredible value of what He came to give us. And because no one will ever fully know what that cost Jesus, we can only begin to understand the incredible value of His gift to us.

· Questions for discussion:

o What is our view of God? Is He the God who looks down from the sky, the guy with the white beard? Is He mad? Is He happy? What is the correct view of who God really is?

o How does knowing that He is Immanuel change our view of Him?

o How does knowing that He is with us in every situation, in every place, change how we view God?

o What does it mean when our writing says, “there can be no ‘ordinary’ moments for people who live their lives with and for Jesus”?

o When we realize that Jesus came to be born so that He could understand what it means to be human, how does that change our relationship with Him?

o How is Jesus “Immanuel” in your life?

· Prayer: (Pray a prayer of commitment to live every waking moment understanding that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. Pray a commitment to live no more ‘ordinary’ moments, but power-filled days knowing that our God is with us and that if God is with us no one can stand against us!)

Opportunity!

2010-10-20T11:25:00.006-04:00

Walter Chrysler is quoted as saying: "The reason so many people never get anywhere in life is because when opportunity knocks, they are out in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers". There is a lot of truth in that statement. So many people would rather spend money on lottery tickets than take that very money and put it toward their future or spend that time better positioning themselves for good things.

God gives us many opportunities in our life. Opportunities for love, success, and growth. Many times we miss these. There are several things that get in the way of us recognizing opportunities when they arise.

First, pride keeps us from seeing opportunities. If we think we already know it all, we are not likely to accept help from someone else or receive advice about a way to move forward. The bible tells us, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18, NIV). Pride blinds us to the possibilities before us.

Second, fear thwarts the chances for success that God places in our path. Fear is the inverse of faith. It brings to pass the very opposite of what God plans for our lives. Faith steps out and takes the risk on what God has said. Fear hunkers down in the corner, afraid to try. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of live, and of self discipline".

The third thing that blocks the opportunities of God from becoming reality is laziness. Laziness is the lackadaisical additude that doesn't get up and do what is already known to be true. It's one thing to know truth, to know what needs to be done to see success in life, and it's totally another to buckle down and do the hard work. Philippians 1:12 says (Amplified Version), "work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ)." Salvation is free when we ask for it, but then God expects us to work out all of the wonderful things that He has placed in side of us. This only happens through the rough and tumble of test, trials, and hardships.

Paul told the Corinthians, "a great door of effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me" (1 Corinthians 16:9). I LOVE the way he said that there was a great opportunity AND there is much opposition. Notice he didn't say 'BUT'. Opportunities are all around us AND there is much opposition. Opposition is no reason to step back! I believe that opportunity is knocking at your door today! God has placed some incredible things in your life and wants to help you work them out. Don't let pride, fear, or laziness get in the way of taking advantage of the great blessings that God has in front of you today! Walk through the door today!

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Influence

2010-09-03T06:29:00.003-04:00

Psalm 112:1,6-9, "How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands ... Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor."

This verse says that those who fear the Lord and enjoy walking in His way will not be overcome by evil. They will leave a legacy. They know the Lord will take care of them. They know bad news will come at times, but know God has their back. They face life with confidence. They hold money loosely and give it away when God prompts them. They will be influential.

That last one is something that intrigues me. God will give us influence to make a difference in other's lives. That really is the only reason to have influence ... is to make a difference in someone's life ... for the kingdom of God.

So, the question becomes ... Who am I influencing? Am I trying to influence others by how I live my life? Or am I the one being influenced by others and the world?

Influence is the only way anyone will change. Transformation is God's business, but he uses me and you in His plan to change others. Will we let him transform us enough to be an influence of transformation in someone else's life?

Really, God influences and speaks to us through each other in the body of Christ. I need to be willing to allow others to speak into my life so that the process of transformation will continue in me.

"Without humility there is no submission, without submission there are no relationships of trust, without relationships of trust you won’t make yourself vulnerable, with vulnerability you won’t allow influence, without influence of others you won’t change." -- Bill Hull

Prayer: "God allow me to be vulnerable enough today to bend to your influence whether through your word or through others. Let me be an influence in someone else's life for you today. Amen.

MORE!

2010-06-30T16:07:00.004-04:00

Today I am sitting and working on a teaching for a Wednesday night discussion time. And I am not satisfied. As I study God's word day after day, I just see that there is so much more to our existence here on the earth than what we are living! Oh, it's not that I am dissatisfied with my marriage and family, or with my friends and church. It's just that I realize that there is more ... and I want it! I want the "more" that God wants for me! Philippians 3:12 says, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."

As I get hungrier and thirstier for the "more" of God, he reminds me that it means laying down more of me. More of my time and energy, more of the things of the world, more of what I want to be and do. Wow! That's hard sometimes! But, it's crazy that I fight it! I've been taught all my life that "anything worth having is worthy working for". I know and understand that nothing in life comes just because I wish for it. God asks for more of me, not because he wants to strip me of anything noteworthy, but because he can't give me more of himself when I am in the way. If I will empty myself of me, he can fill me with all that he is! What a thought! And THAT is really what I want and need!

I want more! But to have more, there must be less of me! Crazy thing ... when I chose to lose who I think I am in him, I really discover the "me" I was meant to be! Luke 9:24 (NLT), "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."

Like an old song says ...

Break my heart and change my mind,
Cut me lose from ties that bind,
Lead me as I follow you,
Give me the strength to follow through,
Oh, more, more, I want to be more like Jesus
More of Jesus, Less of me
By His power I will be
Like a flower, In the spring,
Brand new life in everything

Holy Spirit fill me up,
Gently overflow my cup,
Touch my eyes and let me see,
Me in you and you in me,
Oh, more, more, I want to be more like Jesus
More of Jesus, Less of me,
By His power, I will be
Like a flower, in the spring
Brand new life in everything

More, more more,
I want to be more, I need to be more like Jesus ...
More, more, more
I want to be more, I need to be more like Jesus ...

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Surrender!

2010-03-31T12:07:00.003-04:00

For 45 years, Pat Summerall's voice and face spelled football. He anchored CBS and FOX's NFL telecasts (often alongside John Madden) and broadcast 16 Super Bowls (and served as a CBS Radio analyst or pregame reporter for 10 more). This is the part of Pat Summerall's story that most people know. In the Christian sports magazine Sports Spectrum, reporter Art Stricklin tells the rest of Pat's story:

Pat was an only child whose parents divorced before he was born, leaving him feeling empty and alone. He became an alcoholic, living from drink to drink as his body broke
down. During the 1994 Masters tournament—[Summerall also did voiceover work for
high-profile golf tournaments]—he faced up: "I'd been getting sick a lot, throwing up blood—and I got sick again at 4 a.m. I looked in the mirror, saw what a terrible sight I was, and said to myself, This isn't how I want to live."
Pat spent 33 days in the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs, California. This helped alleviate his alcohol problems but didn't address his spiritual vacuum. Then he bumped into [Tom Landry, his old football coach from his days as a star kicker]. [Landry] explained about [Pat's] spiritual need and connected him with Dallas Cowboy's chaplain John Weber. Pat's life was transformed, and he was baptized at age 69.

Art Stricklin closes his article with a few words chaplain John Weber offered to sum up Summerall's journey: "[Pat] was once the life of every party with a drink in his hand. Now he gets his power from another source."

It's all about surrender! What is it in our life that we still want control over, even though it may be hurting us? Isn't it time to lay it ALL down and find the peace, rest, and joy in Christ?

What can you surrender to Christ today?

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Expecting Faith ... Looking for Answers

2010-03-23T16:18:00.003-04:00

What did you expect from this day when we awoke this morning? How did your day turn out? What do you expect when you go to church? How did that turn out? Many times we get what we expect out of life. I'm not saying that there are no surprises. I AM saying that we can become the reason why many of our expectations come true. Our attitude, what we are looking for, and what we say all usually line up with what we expect.

Our attitude drives our actions. If we are constantly acting on a bad attitude, we will drive those things to happen because we will be speaking them over and upon our own life. Do we really understand how much power our words have? "The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences." (Proverbs 18:21). When you meet someone in town and have a certain impression of them, that may or may not be true, you will look for those things in their life and more than likely find them. If we look hard enough for anything, we are likely to find it.

There is something about faith that EXPECTS what it asks for. The expectation itself is the very proof of the faith that is in the heart! It is kind of like the HOPE that we discussed on Sunday morning. This hope is not a wishing kind of hope! This hope that the bible discusses is from an original Greek word (elpis) meaning to anticipate or expect with pleasure! This hope is something that we are eagerly looking for it to happen! We CAN eagerly expect anything that God has promised to us! His word does NOT fail!

So ... ask yourself ... Am I looking for answers? Or am I negating the answers to my prayer by expecting the opposite?

Proverbs 23:18 says it like this, "There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off."

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How Much Faith?

2010-03-16T17:05:00.005-04:00

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that, "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." This month at Vineyard we are discussing "Faith That Overcomes"! When times are hard and it seems nothing is working out ... what do we do? How can we see the promises of God become reality for us? The answer: BY FAITH!

Faith, as the above scripture tells us is the very substance and evidence of what we cannot see yet! Faith is the thing that reaches out and receives what God is offering to us! Faith is the key to the door of God's bounty! Faith is the simple belief that what God has said is true, not for someone else only, but for you! Faith is believing that God's word is true no matter what you see with your eyes! In prayer, we bring our requests to God. We base our requests on what God has promised us in His word. If we know that what we are asking for matches something that He has promised, we can come with confidence. Also, if we know we are not living in some form of sin, we can be confident as well. Sin always blocks what God wants to do in our life. He cannot bless sin. But, if our heart is right with God, we can ask confidently. Not because of who we are, but because of who He is and what He has said! "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 petitions that we have asked of Him." (1 John 5:14-15)

The next questions that begs an answer is, "How much faith will it take"? Again, we go to God's word for the answer. Matthew 17:20b, "...if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." The mustard seed is a very small seed and the point Jesus was making is that it just takes enough faith to say "yes" to God for it to happen for you! Can you say "yes" to God today? In every area? That is really what it takes on our part. Just a simple yes can part the sea in your situation. A little prayer of agreement with the word of God can move a mountain!

This month we are believing for many breakthroughs in lives! Don't miss the powerful times of prayer at the end of our services this month! At the altar there will be faith! How much? Enough to rattle the gates of hell!!

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Discovering Life!

2010-03-11T16:50:00.003-05:00

When Beth Moore and her husband, Keith, spent time in war-torn Angola to draw attention to tens of thousands of malnourished people, they were changed forever. "I learned something in one of the rural villages that will mark my teaching and response to the Word of God," Beth says. "As we stood there, trying to absorb the sights and smells of living death, our new friend, Isak Pretorius, said, 'One of the most frustrating things is that in villages where they received seed, they often eat the seed rather than planting it and bringing forth the harvest.' I couldn't get the statement out of my mind and suddenly had an answer to the question I most often ask God: Why do some people see the results of the Word and others don't?"

Beth continues: "Why have many of us read books on forgiving people, known the teachings were true and right, cried over them, marked them up with highlighters, yet remain in our bitterness? Because we ate the seed instead of sowing it."

Life for the Christian means follow the disciplines that will give us life. That is our part. God will never do our part for us, but when we decide to be obedient, He will empower us and bless everything we put our hand to do! 1 Samuel 15:22b, "Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." In other words, it is better to obey that to go through religious rituals of supposed Godliness. When we sow the seeds of obedience we will reap a harvest of blessing!

Look at the following list of seeds for us to plant and possible fruit and harvest from them:

Seed Planted ... Fruit of Seed ... Harvest

Forgiveness ... Unity ... Joy

Patience ... Order ... Peace

Humility ... Acceptance ... Security

Respect ... Admiration ... Friendship

Honesty ... Trust ... Confidence

Responsibility ... Maturity ... Self-Control

Commitment ... Perseverance ... Strength

Discipline ... Character ... Success

Are you eating your seed? Or are you planting it? Plant the seed of obedience to the things that God calls us to. In the end the harvest WILL come! God's word will NOT fail!

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Danger: Offense! (Loving Each Other)

2010-02-10T13:49:00.004-05:00

Someone once jokingly said, "Church would be great if it were not for the people". But, of course, church is all about people. If you are going to connect to the church, you must connect with people. If you read the scriptures, you know we must learn to work with each other and grow together. The example of the Vine and the branches (John 15) tells us that if we are cut off from the rest of the Vine we will die!

Today one of the greatest tools that Satan is using on the church is offense. What I mean by that is that we are so easily offended. Everyone in life has been wronged, probably multiply times! Luke 17:1, "It is impossible that no offenses should come." People are people, whether they are in a church or not. We are all fallible and make mistakes. We say and do things we should not say and do. Satan divides us by causing offense between us! Instead of following the Biblical way of going to someone who has offended us and dealing with it (read Matthew 5:23-24), we avoid the person who has offended us. Or worse still we leave that body of believers and go to find another one. The problem with this is that until you have dealt with the issue, you are just taking it with you. Do we really think that we will not have someone offend us in another church just because it's in a different location?

Don't we teach our kids to stay and deal with issues at school or with friends instead of running from them? Why then would we do any different when it comes to dealing with offense within the church? "If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offence, if the other person listens and confesses it, you have won the person back" (Matthew 18:15, NLT). Go to the person that has wrong you, in a spirit of humility, and let them know how you felt when they said or did something. Make sure you go in showing them you want to reconcile and make things right. Ask them to forgive you for any unforgiveness or bitterness on your part. But, never, let someone else's actions cause you to run from them or where God has placed you. Do not use an offense as a reason to run! God never leads us to go somewhere by the work of the enemy! God's way is to lead you to go somewhere else with a good attitude and with peace and joy. There will be no animosity or strife when you go.

Author John Bevere calls it "The Bait of Satan". If you are dealing with issues like this, stop before you make any rash decisions! Get rid of the offense, forgive, reconcile.
If you want to do a study on this issue of offence, get John Bevere's book, "The Bait of Satan". It is biblically sound and has helped many people. I have one copy that I do loan out as well.

As scripture tells us, we are to, "work at living in peace with everyone" (Hebrews 12:14, NLT).
Reconciling is God's business. He can and will work in us to consistently be someone who lives at peace with others.

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Loving God!

2010-01-31T22:57:00.002-05:00

A little something below from Mark Batterson, author of "In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day". It exemplifies what we want to see happen in our relationship with God. It is what I desire for myself and for each of you that call Vineyard your home church.

Jesus is called the Lion of Judah.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Think on the above two things as your read the following. Read it, meditate on it, consider it, comment on it below ...

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Criticize by creating. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

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Sunday Devotional & Announcements (1-31-10)

2010-01-30T15:21:00.005-05:00

Due to weather we are not going to meet Sunday, January 31st. Since we cannot have our Sunday service together, I wanted us to have some semblance of normalcy to our time for Sunday. So, if you would like to, use the following link to have some family worship on Sunday morning (www.myspace.com/christomlin). You will recognize at least a couple of the songs we do on Sunday mornings among the ones Chris Tomlin has written. They include "Jesus Messiah", "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)", also "How Can I Keep from Singing" is a great song of praise. You may have some worship CD's that you would prefer to play instead. Also, below is a devotional that you can do or do with your family on Sunday morning. Discuss the questions, read the scriptures, and enjoy where it takes you!

Sunday Devotional: Success In Life

Priorities

Why is it important in life to have priorities?

Illustration: Tim Sanders—former chief solutions officer at Yahoo! and author of Love Is the Killer App—shares the following thought about establishing priorities:

Take your life and all the things that you think are important, and put them in one of three categories. These three categories are represented by three items: glass, metal, and rubber.

The things that are made of rubber, when you drop them, will bounce back. Nothing really happens when these kinds of things get dropped. So, for instance (and I enjoy sporting events, so don't take me wrong here), if I miss a Seahawks' game, my life will bounce along real fine. It doesn't change anything and nothing is lost—my missing a game or a season of football will not alter my marriage or my spiritual life. I can take 'em or leave 'em.

Things that are made of metal, when they get dropped, create a lot of noise. But you can recover from the drop. You miss a meeting at work, you can get the cliff notes. Or if you forget to balance your checkbook and lose track of how much you have in your account, and the bank notifies you that you have been spending more than you have—that's going to create a little bit of noise in your life, but you can recover from it.

Then there are things made of glass. And when you drop one of these, it will shatter into pieces and never be the same. Even though you can piece it back together, it will still be missing some pieces. It certainly won't look the same, and I doubt that you could actually fill it up with water, because the consequences of it be being broken will forever affect how it's used.

The thing is, you're the only person who knows what those things are that you can't afford to drop. More than likely, they have a lot to do with your relationships. God, your marriage, your family, your friends.

Read Matthew 6:19-21; Ephesians 5:15-17

How do we "store up treasures on earth"?

How do we "store up treasures in heaven"?

How can we be sure we are treasuring the right things in our life?

In Ephesians 5, it tells us to live wisely, not foolishly ... how can we do this?

Living wisely is putting priorities in place and then living accordingly.

What in your life is rubber?

What in your life is metal?

What in your life is glass?

In other words what do you really need to do, keep, protect, spend time on the most in this life? And what really isn't that important?

Now, does the way you spend your time, talents, and resources reflect what you say is priority?

What do you need to do to make sure they line up?

Pray for each other to prioritize your lives according to God's word.

Announcements:

Next Sunday is Vision Sunday ... Vision 2010. Immediately after the service we will have lunch together (please bring a covered dish with enough for your family plus one) and then share the vision for 2010, including presenting the budget. ALL MEMBERS NEED TO BE PRESENT, everyone is invited to be present! It's going to be a great time! Exciting plans for every area of ministry will be unveiled including ... growing closer to God in our Spiritual Life, growing close to one another in our Relational Life, growing deeper in our Discipleship Life, and reaching further in our Outreach Life. Plan to stay and enjoy what God is doing. There will be something for the children during the meeting as well.
Wednesday's iValue Series is and has been one of the best teaching series that we have had on Wednesday nights in a long time! Getting back to the basics has never been so much fun and rewarding! Make plans to be present on as many Wednesday nights as possible. You won't regret it!

A couple of people have asked me about giving their tithes and offerings this week. Others may have the same question so I will address that here. There are a couple of ways you can do this:

Simply mail your check the first of the week to the church address: 1922 Henley Road, Sanford, NC 27330, or ...
Go to the church website, www.vineyardassembly.com. On the left hand column right under the church address you can click on the "Donate" button to give using your debit card through PayPal.
Or, you can bring it with you next Sunday.

Praying God's best on your and your family this week! Know we love and pray for each one of you!

Greg and Lisa Davenport

Real Living!

2010-01-21T11:37:00.008-05:00

Flat broke and homeless, brothers Geza and Zslot Peladi literally lived in a cave near Budapest for years. They left their dank home only to scrape together whatever money they could through selling scrap metal and candy. Theirs was a hopeless situation. But then everything changed. One day, out of the blue, charity workers informed the brothers that they had inherited a substantial portion of their late maternal grandmother's $6.6 billion fortune. And just like that, two destitute brothers, should they want to, could call a castle their home when all they had ever known was a cave.

I truly believe Christians sometimes live the same way! We are children of the King of Kings, but live like paupers. The Bible says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3)

Over the next few weeks I am going to be posting blogs that focus on the purpose statement of Vineyard and what it means to us. The two biggest things that Jesus told us was

The Great Commandment ("Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ... Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37&39) This is the first half of the purpose statement ... "Loving God, Loving Others".

The other imperative that Jesus told us is the Great Commission ("Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20). This is the second half to our Purpose Statement "Discovering Life, Reaching Out".

Jesus said that if we would make His business our business that He would take care of everything else that we need in life (Matthew 6:33). February 7 is Vision Sunday! "Vision 2010 ... Where God's Vision Meets Our Business"! It's going to be a great day! The vision of God for Vineyard is going to be shared in a way that will blow your socks off! It's time we get serious about being the church, the people of God! I'm talking about real living! Be in church on Sunday to hear about the call of God to reach out in new and inovating ways! God is doing a new thing! Check back over the next two weeks for four blogs about the Purpose of Vineyard!

Time to quit existing only ... it's time for some REAL LIVING!

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All Things New!

2009-12-30T16:46:00.003-05:00

Some of us definitely are NOT morning people. Staying up half the night talking, watching a movie or something of that nature is not a problem for night owls. But come morning all that can be done by them is to give a grunt in response to a ‘good morning’! The rest of my immediate family, who shall remain nameless, is sometimes that way. If I’ve had enough sleep, though, I love the morning. I remember during summers growing up that I would still get up at a decent hour, maybe 8am, and enjoy the outdoors. The coolness of the morning, the dew on the ground, the fresh air invigorated me. No matter what happened yesterday I knew today was a new start. Something about the sparkle of a new day makes yesterday pale, no matter how bad it might have been.

Well, here we are, 2010, a new year! Last year is gone, no getting it back, no changing it. But today and the rest of the New Year are before us. What are we going to do with these days ahead? After they are lived we will never get them back, plus we will be another year older. How can we make sure that these days are lived to the fullest, with no regrets? Hebrews 3:13, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.” The best way to take advantage of this year is to live it one day at a time with other believers, avoiding the snare of sin and giving ourselves to God. Will we be a better person, in less debt, more loving, closer to God…? We will, if we take God’s principles for living and put them into practice ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Way too many Christians live their todays in response to their yesterdays. Someone inadvertently acted unkind or uncaring toward us. We snap back at them, not necessarily because of what they’ve done, but because we’ve been hurt by someone deeply in the past. We cannot take something out on someone today because of what someone else did to us in the past! We cannot take something out on someone today because of what THEY did in the past. (Have you forgiven them?) Christians put themselves in bondage again because they are responding today to things that happened many years ago. Jesus said in Revelation 21:5, “…He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Also, 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV), “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” It’s time for us let go of the past, even 2009, and move into the ‘new’ that God has for us. Let Him heal the hurts of the past. Let Him deal with areas that are in need. Let’s begin living our todays in response to His plan and purpose!

This year we, Vineyard, are preparing for the awesome move of God! He has great plans! So, we are working toward praying more, praising more, loving more, connecting with each other more, and reaching out more! This new year is going to be a year with "No Limits"! Because we serve a God without boundaries, I am believing God is going to prove Himself to us in incredible ways. Why? Because we are praying and asking Him to do what He promised in His word! Will you join in this?

The most amazing way to embrace something new is with the people you love. I’m so glad you and I are in this together! Let’s experience the fullness of God’s ‘new thing’ in 2010!

The Value of the Giver!

2009-12-16T16:51:00.002-05:00

Sunday we read from Mark 12 about the widow giving less than a penny to the temple treasury and Jesus raving over it! He called his disciples and told them all about what the woman had done. That seems rather silly when you first think about it. Jesus, so proud, over the gift of less than a penny!

The gift wasn't what was important to the Lord, though. What was important to him was that it wasn't an afterthought. Most of the people entering the temple that day gave much larger gifts. But Jesus said that these gifts were from their abundance or overflow and was really an afterthought for them. Jesus values the heart of a giver much more than he values the gift itself. Really Jesus doesn't need a gift, but he does desire a relationship with us. A relationship that is based on love and trust. When we love him for all that he has given to us, we desire to love him back. It's the love that he is looking for, not the gift! It is selflessness he is looking for. It is the thought of gratefulness that he wants to see in our lives.

I don't want to just try to give some gift that is expensive alone. I want the value to be in what our Lord is looking for ... love, gratitude, and selflessness. As the Lord sits and looks into our life and as we come and give of our life to Him, what does he see? Does he see our heart of gratefulness? When we give that way, our gift may seem small sometimes, but I can just see Jesus calling the angels over to look and saying ... "Look ... what a giver"!

The following story is by Brandon O'Brien, Assistant Editor, PreachingToday.com:

I've given several lousy gifts in my short lifetime, but an especially bad one stands out from among the rest.When I was in first or second grade, my school hosted a gift shop that offered us the chance to buy Christmas gifts for our parents. The school sent a catalog home with us a couple of weeks before the sale, so I looked it over and found the perfect items for my parents. On the appointed day, I pulled some birthday money out of my piggybank and headed to school.My class filed down the hall to the room where all the merchandise was kept. I walked in with great intentions; I walked out with a bag full of stuff for myself. I remember vividly that all I could afford for my dad by the end of my shopping spree was a package of miniature screwdrivers, each less than an inch long (but fully-functional, according to the tiny label), attached to a key chain.I felt guilty that I'd skimped. My dad's
gift was an afterthought; I gave him the leftovers after I bought what I wanted. What really stung, though, was that Dad displayed those screwdrivers proudly from the rearview mirror in his truck for years. To me, they served as a monument to my selfishness. But as far as I know, my dad thought the screwdrivers were a gift from the heart, so he loved them because they were from me.In one sense, God is just like my father. He is always thrilled by my gifts, however meager, as long as he knows they are given from the heart. In another sense, though, God is quite different from my dad. He knows when I've given poorly because I'm selfish; he knows when my gift is an afterthought—a leftover—and such gifts are an affront to him. In other words, God is not concerned primarily with the gift, but the giving. He is grieved and
angered when I give reluctantly from my surplus. But in his great mercy, the Father celebrates the trifle given from my poverty.

It's only when we give our life away that we find it! (Matthew 16:25)

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TEAM!

2009-11-24T11:06:00.002-05:00

Sunday we opened the message time by talking about the "miracle on ice", the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey team. A ragtag band of guys that weren't even the best college players in the US. Somehow they came together under the direction of Coach Herb Brooks and beat the best hockey team in the world that winter! The Soviets had won the gold every year since 1956 except one. They had the week previous to the Olympics demolished the NHL All Star team 6-0! How did the USA team do it? The focus of Coach Brooks philosophy was that individual talent doesn't mean much unless it is incorporated into a system that utilizes every one's talent together. In 2004, the move "Miracle" hit the movie screens of America. In that movie Coach Brooks is heard to say, "All-Star teams fail because they rely solely on individual talent. The Soviets win because they take that talent and use it inside a system that is designed for the betterment of the team. My goal is to beat them at their own game." He did just that and this team overcame incredible odds and won the gold medal that year!

There is another team that Jesus is putting together. It's called 'church'. We could call it a team. This team has many different parts to it (1 Corinthians 12). But every part is important ... and needed to accomplish the mission of defeating the work of the enemy in this world!

The problem: most people in local churches don't have a clue they are even suppose to be on a team. Team is the furthest thing from most church-goers minds. Most think they are just supposed to be a member, give some money, and show up about once a week. The American culture causes us to view EVERYTHING including church as a self-serve buffet. And if what you want is not on the buffet, just ask and someone will fix it for you. Church has become all about "me, me, me". And if I don't get what I want out of church, I will go somewhere else where I will have my needs met. Jesus said in Matthew 20:28, "...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Jesus was forsaken and abandoned by His own disciples, but after he rose again, he met them and fed them breakfast on the beach. We get bent out of shape if someone says something out of the way to us or overlooks us for some reason and we are ready to walk out! Let me put out a little bulletin ... if we really want to win in life, it's only going to happen "inside a system that is designed for the betterment of the team". In other words, God has designed us to grow, be strengthened, and overcome in community (read Acts 2:42-47). What needs to happen is that church-goers need to realize that the leadership of a church is put into place to train the team. In talking about church leadership Ephesians 4:12 (NLT) says, "Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ."

I am working right now to build the team. It's my calling. If you are a part of Vineyard God is calling us to ...

* Realize that we are a part of a team.
* Discover our giftings and calling and find our place on the team.
* Get the training to do what we are called to do.

You may not know how to do what you are called to do. That is why I'm here! I will train you to understand your position on the team! Don't miss out! One day we will stand before our maker and most of the stuff we think about and do everyday will not matter at all. What will matter is that we took our place on the team and with the power of the Holy Spirit behind us, we defeated the work of the enemy in our community.

Are you with me?

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Life Saving Station

2009-10-27T07:46:00.004-04:00

If you were at church on Sunday, you heard the heart of God ... God has called us to be the bridge between broken humanity and God himself! "The local church is the hope of the world"! There is no other plan that God has! We are it! Not because of who we are, but because Jesus manifests Himself in His church ... His body!

The Lord wants to show Himself strong IN us. He wants our church to be such an example of love and power that the world is draw to us, like a moth to a flame. Like the early church in the book of Acts, we are God's calling card! I'm reminded of a story I read years, a parable if you will, that illustrates what happens to churches sometimes when they lose their purpose ...

www.intervarsity.org/slj/article/4249/

You are so important in this life saving mission that God designed you with a specific gift to be used in this mission! 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27, "The body is a unit; though it is made up of many parts; and though all it's parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. ... Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." Then, the church (that's us) getting instructions in Philippians 1:27, "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel."

We are one body ... on a mission! The mission that Christ started when He came over 2,000 years ago. To seek and save the lost! Let's join together and BE the church in such a way that the lost can't help but be drawn! Let's LOVE GOD with everything we have and give ourselves with abandon to him and his will. Let's LOVE EACH OTHER with such a love that everyone will know that we are his disciples because of our care and fellowship with each other. Let's DISCOVER LIFE together and grow in our faith, knowing our unique gifts to be used for the building up of this local body we are in. Then, we can REACH OUT and touch our communities with power and see the Lord add daily to our number those who are being saved! We cannot lose our focus, like many have done in the past! Let's be that life saving station!

Clogged

2009-10-13T18:05:00.002-04:00

Today I was deleting email messages, trying to clear my account by getting rid of unwanted or already read mail. Most of the annoying email was from Facebook notifications. I was getting at least 20-25 per day! It was clogging up my inbox! I have missed important messages from people sometimes because it was buried underneath all these notifications that I had already seen on my wall on Facebook. I knew that there must be a way to change my settings to get rid of these emails, but I just never seemed to get time to search and figure it out until today. Changing my Facebook settings today results in me not receiving any more Facebook notifications in my email inbox! Awesome! And it was easy, too!

God showed me that my life is sometimes a very close parallel. My life gets clogged with messages from the world and from the enemy of our soul. Every time I try to see clearly the path of my life that God has for me, my view is blocked by all this extra stuff that I never asked for and never really wanted! God is saying, "there is a way to get rid of all this ... come and sit at my feet each day ... you will be able to hear me clearly the more you sit with me". But, somehow I just don't get the time. Yes, sure, I'm still frustrated with the junk mail that is piling up, but I just get too lazy to do the little things I need to do to clear all the junk from my personal inbox!

If you are feeling clogged up today. Steal some time away from something that really doesn't matter in the long run and spend some time with the one who can clear all the clogs in your life! Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Ahh, rest, that would be nice! It IS nice! It IS available! Let's clear the clogs and see all that He has for us today!! Come on ... steal away with the lover of your soul! you will come away feeling clean and clear!!

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Be Bold and Courageous ... Never Give Up!

2009-10-01T14:19:00.003-04:00

Robert Frost is quoted as saying: "Courage is the human virtue that counts most----courage to act on limited knowledge and insufficient evidence." Naturally speaking we must act on what we cannot humanly see to be a catalyst for the supernatural to happen in our life. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the evidence of what we cannot see. God told Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

This past Wednesday night we had an awesome time in the Word of God!! We discussed how although the Israelites were promised Canaan they still had to march into the land and possess it. They still had to fight and drive out the people that were possessing it. God had given it to them, but they still had to fight to obtain it. But, when they were following God in obedience and stepped out to fight the battle, they won every time! The same is true for us today. Jesus has bought and paid for everything that we need! It's ours in Him! But, the enemy is still going to try to keep it from us. But, if we are walking with the Lord in obedience and stepping out to claim what He purchased with His blood, we will win!

Matthew 11:12 (NKJV) tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force … the AMP version says, “And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize--a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].” In other words, we sometimes must fight for what belongs to us! Just like Jacob struggling with the angel and saying, 'I won't let you go until you bless me.' We already know it is God's will to bless us ... we just need to be bold enough to ask for it and then not let go until it is ours!

Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." It may seem that you are in the fight of your life, but you are not in this to lose! God said he'd never leave or forsake you! He said to be bold! He said to take heart, he has overcome this world! Don't let go! Don't give up! Come boldly to the throne! Not in your own merit, but because of what Jesus has done!

I love the picture below ... it shows visually what we've discussed above. Enjoy ...

THE LIFE!

2009-09-22T15:21:00.002-04:00

Many of us have said or heard someone else say, when feeling particularly good about what is going on at the time, "This is the life". And it is great to enjoy life and do things that are fun. The bible says in James 1:2-3 (NLT), "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." "THE LIFE" is facing the good and the bad in life with the outlook that God is in control and when the rain comes see it as an opportunity to grow. Plants love the sun, but if they didn't get the rain they would shrivel up and die. It's the same with us. We love sunny days when no storm is in sight, but it takes the storms to grow us, too.

The idea is to live our lives in a way that would please God no matter what is going on. Circumstances do not change who God is, and they don't change who we are in Him! Just because it is storming today does not mean that the sun is not there ... or it doesn't mean that we are not still a child of God. You are still more than a conqueror in Jesus! Circumstances do not need to dictate what we do or how we feel. Our faith needs to dictate our every move. Do you know that God is in charge, not matter what is happening around you? Then you CAN face every situation with joy and with confidence. That confidence is not in yourself. It is in the One who has overcome the world!

If we build that kind of life, we will be leaving a legacy where others can see the power of God. When we are building on the foundation of Jesus Christs, obeying Him, trusting totally in Him others will be touched and transformed because of the Lord flowing through us. The way that can happen is that we take the word of God seriously enough to live it out with passion! It's not enough to listen to the word of God for those wanting to life THE LIFE ... they have to walk it out in everyday life.

Truett Cathy has built that kind of a life. The founder of Chick-fil-A restaurants is a successful businessman, but for many, he is even better known—and respected—for letting his faith guide his business operation. Here are a few examples:

Mr. Cathy's restaurants have been closed on Sundays since 1948. The 79-year-old CEO of the nearly 1,000 Chick-fil-A restaurants doesn't mind losing millions of dollars of business to honor the Lord's day.
At his first restaurant in 1948 he hired Eddie J. White, a 12-year-old African American. This was an unpopular choice during a time of segregation. He also mentored an orphan, Woody Faulk, since he was 13. Today Woody is vice president of product development at Chick-fil-A.
Cathy developed a successful foster home system called WinShape Homes. There are now eleven homes in the U.S. and one in Brazil. His daughter Trudy and son-in-law John were Southern Baptist missionaries at the Brazil home for ten years. His Camp WinShape and the WinShape Foundation provide scholarships for kids and college students.

One of Mr. Cathy's favorite truisms is "It's easier to build boys and girls than to mend men and women." Chick-fil-A Kids Meals don't come with promotional toys from the latest popular movie. Instead he offers Veggie-Tales books, audiocassettes of Focus on the Family's "Adventures in Odyssey," and other character-building materials.
Woody Faulk gives a good summary of Cathy's character: "A lot of people look on Truett as Santa Claus, but he's not. He'll meet you halfway so that you can learn a lesson from the process. He's the personification of James 1:22: 'Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.' I sincerely owe my life to that man."

May others be able to look into our life of faithfulness to God through all the storms of life and see our impact on our society. May they look and be able to say, "wow, they have lived THE LIFE"!

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Frustration, Fish, Cars, and Joy!

2009-09-16T10:26:00.004-04:00

Today, I sit here feeling a little frustrated & tired. We are in the market for a used car and have been looking for the last week. We have lost the possibility of getting 2 cars that we thought we wanted within the last 2 days! One nice car I drove from the lot and was having a friend look over for me on Monday evening. He was checking it out mechanically when I got a call from the seller saying that it had been sold (I knew someone else was trying to get it). Yesterday we found a great deal on a used Honda on Craigslist. It was listed at 10:30am and I talked with them in the afternoon. We arranged to go look at it the next morning at 10am. At 7pm last night they called and said it was sold! So, last night I spent an hour or so online looking at Craigslist again and other places trying to find something. We have given my car to Crystal to drive while she is away at college and so we are dealing with one car this week. I have a ton of work to do and am having to spend time trying to find and purchase a car, too. Wow, what a pain!

But, God is reminding me this morning, as I sit here and pour out some of my feelings on the keyboard, that He is in charge and has a plan for us to find the exact car that we need. I am taken back to last week when I was in one of my college classes I'm taking. We read from Mark 6:30-32, "The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place." They were all tired and worn out. But, the people saw they were coming and a large crowd gathered as they landed on shore. Jesus had compassion on the people and began to teach the crowd. Then after a while, since they were so far from town, everyone was hungry and Jesus told the disciples to feed the people. In frustration Philip told the Lord that there was no way to feed the people with what they had. You know the story. Five loaves and two fish was all they had, but Jesus had told the disciples to bring him the bread and fish. He had them seat the people in groups and broke the bread and blessed the food and had them distribute it. Twelve baskets of food were left over! What a day that must have been!

As you read this passage, it says that Jesus had the disciples seat the people in groups of 50 and 100. Also, in John 6:5-6 (the other account of this same story) it says, "When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do." Jesus already had a plan to overcome this seemingly impossible task! "He already had in mind what he was going to do"!! He had them sit in groups because He knew they were going to all eat! He already knew that the bread and fish were going to be multiplied! He already knew that everyone would be fed! He already knew that there would be twelve basketfulls left over! Jesus already had a plan before the disciples knew they had a problem! And the disciples frustration turned to unimaginable joy!

It's the same for me and you today. God already has a plan! Before I knew we would need a car, He had a plan! Before you even knew about the problem you are facing today, he knew what He was going to do in your life to see you through it! He already has a plan to supply even above and beyond the need. But, He may just ask you what you have to contribute to the situation. You may say, "God I only have 5 loaves and 2 fish, that will not even come close to helping in this situation!" God says, "Give it to me ... let's see how far it can go in my hand." And your frustration will be turned to overwhelming joy!

God has a plan today for your good! It's a plan to prosper you, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). But, he may just turn to you like he did to Philip and ask you what do you have to contribute to the situation. And it may not be much, but he is asking you to place that in His hands today and let him multiply it so that it will be enough for you AND enough to bless all those around you today.

Trust Him! He ALREADY knows what He is going to do!!

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Faith ... When It's Hard

2009-09-07T09:32:00.002-04:00

Everybody goes through the ringer at times in life. Whether it's economic trouble or a sickness or relationship problems, etc. Hard times come to us all. How can we cope when times are hard? Some people lose faith in God because somehow they had the impression that tough times don't happen to 'good' people. Well, let's debunk that myth right now. Jesus even told us in John 16:33, "... In this world you will have trouble..." Living in a world dominated by sin is a recipe for trouble all by itself. We are living in a world where our enemy, the devil, is in charge. How can we even think that we will get by in this world without encountering trouble? But, I'm glad for the rest of that scripture ... Jesus didn't stop at telling us that we'd have trouble in this world. John 16:33b, "... But take heart! I have overcome the world."

How do we 'overcome the world' of trouble since we are living in it? 1 John 5:4, "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." Our faith in the One that has already overcome the world is what overcomes the world in our life today! This past Sunday we talked about several things that we need to do to exercise our faith. First, keep being faithful, even when it seems like nothing is happening. Many times the answers don't come right away and that is when faith kicks in. Keep being faithful to do what you know to do. Don't let discouragement cause you to give up the fight. Keep praying, keep gathering together with other believers, keep reading the Word. Second, keep speaking the Word over your circumstances. Don't say what the devil is telling you ... keep speaking the Truth until that truth becomes reality! Thirdly, meditate on the Word. Whatever scriptures the Lord gives you each day, later in the day meditate (recite them over and over in your mind and heart ... think on them through the day). Think on these things ... let them get into your heart. Fourth, keep standing! Don't give up! You are standing on something firm and solid that won't let you down ... the Word of God! It NEVER fails! You don't have to worry about it not doing what it says it will do ... it can't fail!

The world can offer us much grief ... but God offers us much hope! What overcomes the world? Our faith! Yes, sometimes it is hard, but God never said it wouldn't be hard, He just said he would help us overcome it! Kind of like the song from a good number of years ago that said ...

"Life is hard, the world is cold, we're barely young and then we're old. But every falling tear is always understood. Yes, life is hard, but God is good!" -- Pam Thum

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The Road Less Traveled

2009-09-01T10:39:00.005-04:00

When I was in school I remember the time I first read Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken", widely known as "The Road Less Traveled". I don't remember the day or year exactly, but I remember the visual that poem gave me of what my life as a Christian was really about. Here is the first stanza and last three lines ...

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth ... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Many have ideas about the interpretation of this particular poem, but what it said to me was that we have an ultimate choice in life about how we are going to live our life and then daily we have choices still to stay on that path that leads to life. It IS the road less traveled because Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

Sunday we discussed about having a discerning heart (having wisdom) to be able to make insightful daily decisions. Everyone of us face daily decisions that we must make, some over time, some instantaneously. Making the correct decision is important to staying on the narrow path leading to life. We discussed weighing certain things in our own heart that would help us make good decisions. Motivation vs. Manipulation is about weighing the difference between doing "good" things to try to get in good with God so He will bless us and having a loving relationship with Him. A heart that is in love with God and desires to do His will in response to all that He has given will draw the heart and insight of God into it's very being. We discussed Passion vs. Reason. Reason might tell us that the road that is more well worn would be best to take, but a passion for the things of God knows that most people will not be going the way of God and deciding to take the more narrow and harder trail is best. We also discussed that God's wisdom always follows God's purposes. So, we know that if we are truly walking in God's kingdom purposes for our life (which is about time with Him, time with His people, discovering our giftings, and spending time sharing the good news) then God's discernment will always be with us.

Where are you on the road today? Are you facing a tough decision today? Know that as your heart is toward the heart of God, as your passion is to do only what He leads, as you are walking before Him in integrity ... He has promised wisdom. He has said in James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." But know that the way He leads will always be the road less traveled ... but that will make all the difference!

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You Are a Letter!

2009-08-25T11:39:00.004-04:00

The other day I was driving home and saw that signage was being put on the new McDonald's at Tramway. As I looked at the building and the signs by the road I noticed that nowhere did it say the name of the restaurant exactly. Only the golden arches in yellow labeled what the business was. How can they do that without advertising the name? Because all over the world, if you see those arches, you know that it means McDonald's. When you see the big yellow "M", what do you think of? Big Mac, fries, a milkshake? Automatically you know what that symbol means.

I thought of the story I heard of the beginnings of McDonald's. Two brothers, McDonald by name, opening a hamburger stand selling prepackaged hamburgers and cheeseburgers, fries, and shakes. The milkshake machine salesman spoke to them about making their stand into a franchise, which they tried to do with a little success. Finally, this salesman talked them into selling him the business and the rest is history. This man took McDonald's to places never before seen and now there is not only 3 McDonald's in the Sanford area, there is one is communities all over the world! Do you know the name of the milkshake machine salesman? Ray Kroc. Bet most people don't know his name, but they know the name of McDonald's.

As I drove further God dropped a major thought into my heart. We, as Christians, are like Ray Kroc. Not, by ourselves, but as the body of Christ with other Christians, we are to take Christianity to places never before to see the gospel! Jesus said we would ... Matthew 28:18-20a, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." And Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) Also, just as most people don't know Ray Kroc's name, it's not about us either. It's about the One that we are promoting to the world ... it's about spreading THAT name ... it's about making Jesus known. Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 3:3, "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

We are to be a letter from Christ. Just as the golden arches (the big "M") represents McDonald's (Big Mac, fries, shakes) to the world, so we represent Christ (deliverance, peace, eternal life) to the world! Let His word be written on your hearts, be strong through connecting with the rest of the body and let's be a letter from Christ written to a world that needs more than Big Macs ... they need an awesome Savior!

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Staying Strong

2009-08-18T11:25:00.002-04:00

Have you heard the outrageous story of the school principal and the athletic director from a Florida school having criminal charges brought against them for praying? The event they were conducting was for adults who had helped to build a field house, it was not during school hours, and no students were present. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against this school, Pace High School in Santa Rosa County, Florida. The ACLU claimed some teachers and administrators were endorsing religion, but the school chose to give in to the ACLU's demands rather than fight them in court. According to the settlement, all school employees are banned from engaging in prayer or religious activities before, during, or after school hours. So, now the ACLU is bringing criminal contempt charges against the principal and athletic director. (http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=638708)

Yesterday, I read "The Forum", an opinion piece in the USA Today that talks about religion each Monday. The article was titled "Teach the Bible, Of Course". (http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/08/column-teach-the-bible-of-course-.html?loc=interstitialskip). The article is about the battle that rages about teaching the Bible in school and how one side wants to take all references from the Bible out of public life and the other side that wants it given more reverence in the classroom. Many college professors in the article argued that you can't understand (in totality) history, art, music, etc. with out teaching the bible, at least, as literature. The article argues FOR teaching the bible in schools, again, at least as literataure. It sure can seem like a losing battle, though, with the way society is heading.

In the craziness of our world today and with all that is coming against us from economic stress, to society's pressure on our kids to rebel against morality, to the outright hatred against anything Christian in our culture, it could make you feel like the tide has turned against us and there is not much hope.

But, as we discussed Sunday, it seemed like Daniel had no hope in several situations that he and his friends found themselves in. They were in another culture that did not recognize their God and their beliefs. They found themselves being threatened with violence and even death (Lion's Den, Fiery Furnace). So, how did they stand strong in the middle of all that? They were SOLD OUT in their faith in God! They had determined that there is no other way but God's way. They did some ADVANCE PLANNING deciding that they were going to follow the directives of the Lord in their life long before they were faced with the issues that came against them. They didn't freak out when struggles came because they KNEW THAT THEIR FAITH WOULD BE TESTED. James 1:2-3 says we can, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” We can face the hard times because we know that it is only a test that is meant to strengthen us and that God has promised to walk thru these things with us!

Be encouraged today. Be SOLD OUT today! Decide right now that no matter what, your trust is in God! Understand that trials are meant to strengthen us. This trial is not the end. It is only the beginning of something beautiful that God is doing in your life. Stay strong! Even in your weakness you can be strong! God is saying to you today just as He told Paul the Apostle in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

STAY STRONG!

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College, Cars, and Complications

2009-08-11T11:26:00.004-04:00

Life just doesn't seem to work out like you'd want it to or how you dreamed it would be. It's kind of like the book by Dr. Suess, "I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sallew". In the story the little creature wanted to go to this marvelous place called Solla Sallew. There were no problems there just wonderful things all around. He sets out on an ill-fated journey to find a better, less troublesome place: the fabled city of Solla Sollew, no less, "on the banks of the beautiful River Wah-Hoo, where they never have troubles. At least very few." Like most dreamlands, Solla Sollew is harder to attain than expected--nobody seems to know how to get there, and the journey is far worse than anyone anticipated. When the fair city is finally attained there is, of course, a last straw; but a happy twist suggests troubles may be better faced than escaped. It is the same way with the Lord, our troubles are better faced WITH HIM than trying to find some perfect place here on earth that doesn't exist. Now, there is a place where sin, fears, and tears will be no more. It's called heaven, but until we get there, Jesus told us that in this world, "You will have trouble", but He goes on to say, "but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world". We all experience the troubles and trials of this life ... some days it seems brings more trouble than others, but Jesus said to expect them.

We've had our share lately. From Crystal being in a car accident (she is fine, car is not) to one of our cars needing to be fixed to trying to get everything finalized for college looking for scholarship & grant money ... it can all get kind of complicated. But, I've learned that circumstances are just that ... circumstances. And circumstances come and go and change from day to day. But the other thing I've learned is that God never changes! His word is a solid place I can stand in this world of shifting sand. Today, I have made a decision ... I will not depend upon my own understanding, but will acknowledge & trust Him in everything and let Him direct my path. (Proverbs 3:5-6) No matter what comes or what goes ... college, cars, or other complications, God is faithful and always will be. In this life on planet earth there is no such place as Solla Sollew, but we are on our way to an even better place! In that place there is perfect peace and rest. There is perfect joy and love. And we will never be separated from Him. Because of that, I know that I can face all the complications of life. The hope I have is that He will go with me through all the trials I face here and then I get to experience His love for eternity when I leave here.

So, don't be discouraged today! His plan for you in the midst of the complications is to draw you closer to Himself and bless you. Jeremiah 29:11-14a, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity."

I have given up trying to find a Solla Sollew here on this earth. Instead, I have chosen to walk with the One who is perfect and He makes even the crooked places straight and the rough places smooth because I walk in His everlasting love for me. You know, looking at it like that, my complications aren't so complicated after all! God has it all figured out ... He has overcome the world!

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Me ... Better!

2009-08-03T16:57:00.004-04:00

Naturally I am really an introvert. No, really, I am. Some of you may see me preaching and praying for people and think, "he's really an outgoing person". Not deep down. My natural inclination is loving to go off somewhere and read a good book. I love it when I can take my day off and spend a couple of hours in a restaurant getting some breakfast and just read the paper by myself. You might say, 'well, if you are that way, aren't you miserable doing what you do?' My emphatic response is, "NO"! I LOVE what I do! I love praying for people, counseling with people, preaching the word of God to a group of people! So, how can I reconcile these two facts?

God has given me a gift, a calling, that I was not naturally gifted to do. Following God is my hearts desire. He has been to me that "friend that sticks closer than a brother". He has given His all for me and to me and it is my desire and pleasure to serve Him and advance His kingdom. So, whatever He wants, asks, has called me to do, I'll do it. I'll learn, grow, push myself, pray, read, step out in faith ... whatever I need to do to obey that calling.

But, in the steps of faith, in the pushing beyond my natural tendencies, I found myself becoming something other than what I was before. The metamorphosis is taking place. The old really does go, and the new really does come! I find myself doing things that I couldn't do before. I find myself becoming the person God says I am instead of the person I always thought I was. The world lied to me. The world put me in a box and told me who I was, but God is the one who set me free from myself and called me to something bigger and better!

Now, when I counsel with someone I think, "Who is this talking ... how did I know to say that"? See really it's not just me ... it's Christ in me, the hope of glory! It's me in Him and it's Him in me! If it was just me, I would never be able to bring any word to a group of people that would change their life. If it was just me, I would never be able to give any life changing counsel. If it were just me, I would never be able to lead a congregation to advance God's kingdom. If it was just me, I would be at home with my face in a book. But, it's not just me, it's Jesus Christ in me, with me following His lead. No more is it about me and my tendencies. It's me ... better!

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Wednesday night August 5th I will be talking on the Gifts of the Spirit, then the next Wednesday, August 12th, we will be doing a gift assessment that will have each person answer some questions about themselves and how they feel God is leading them to understand and discover maybe what God has called or gifted them to do. I encourage anyone to come out and become a "me ... better" person!

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Open Your Umbrella!

2009-07-23T14:38:00.004-04:00

You know, life is funny ... and by that I don't really mean the "ha ha" kind of funny! A few Sundays ago I preached a message that began with this story ...

The story is told of three farmers who gather daily in a field during a horrible drought. The men are down on their knees, looking upward, and praying the skies will open and pour forth a much-needed rain. Unfortunately, the heavens are silent, and the petitioners become discouraged, but they continue to meet every morning to lift up their request to God.
One morning an uninvited stranger approaches and asks the men what they are doing. They respond, "We're praying for rain."
The newcomer looks at each of them and shakes his head, "No, I don't think so."
The first farmer says, "Of course we're praying. We are down on our knees pleading for rain. Look around, see the drought. We haven't had rain in more than a year!"
The outsider continues to nod his head and advises them their efforts will never work. The second farmer jumps in and says, "We need the rain; we aren't asking only for ourselves, but for our families and livestock."
The man listens, nods, and says he still isn't impressed. "You're wasting your time," he says.
The third farmer can't take any more, and in anger he says, "Okay, what would you do if you were in our shoes?"
The visitor asks, "You really want to know?"
The three landowners answer, "We really want to know! The future of our farmlands is at stake." The guest announces, "I would have brought an umbrella!"

My message had 3 points to it and discussed "Faith Steps" in believing God for what He has promised us. One is "Pack Your Umbrella". You can pray for rain, but if you don't pack your umbrella, you really aren't believing for rain. Second is "Carry Your Umbrella". You can have an umbrella in the car, but if you are really expecting rain, you'll carry your umbrella with you. Third is "Open Your Umbrella". The step of conviction about what God has promised is that you not only pack the umbrella or even carry it, but when you open it (even when you don't see the rain clouds) you are saying that you are convinced that God is going to come through for you!

The next week I had the opportunity to have that tested. On Saturday I woke up with fever, aches, and chills and it would not go away. I went to the doctor several times and every test came back showing I was the picture of health ... except for the fever, aches, and chills I was having. Diagnosis ... virus. I was in the bed or on the couch from Saturday to Saturday, except when I went to the doctor. It was a rough week! But I had my umbrella out and up. I even put one on the front porch and opened it for the devil and everyone to see! Sunday I was still very weak and tired, but I was determined that my "opening my umbrella" was that I was going to show up and preach on Sunday. It was a great day, I felt stronger as I preached, and God moved in a great way!

What are you praying for? What has God promised you? How can you walk in faith for that? Ask God what practical thing you can do to not only pack your umbrella, but what can you do to carry and open it. Listen, God never promised we wouldn't go through troubles, but He did say He would bring us through them. Hold on! And having done all to stand ... stand therefore! It may seem like a drought in your life right now, but keep praying for rain. That rain is coming! But, God may be waiting on you to open your umbrella!

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Persistence Pays Off!

2009-06-30T16:15:00.013-04:00

I was reminded of how hard it is to have patience yesterday when I tried to go to Cary to shop at Sam's Club. This story is for all those who are going through a tough situation in their life and need to understand ... never give up!

I was headed to Cary about noon to shop at Sam's when I realized that someone had told me that the Sam's on Harrison Avenue had moved to another location. I found the number for the new Sam's and called to get directions. They gave me directions but failed to mention anything about getting on I-40 before getting on I-540. I called Glen, my brother, to have him look it up on the computer and give me directions. He had trouble finding it because it was so new. He was going to do some research and call me back. So, I stopped at Chick-Fil-A to eat lunch. After lunch I tried to call Glen back and only got his voicemail so I headed out in the direction that Glen and I had talked about previously (I-40). Pretty soon I was in a traffic jam on the interstate that was moving about 10 miles an hour. I maneuvered across 4 lanes of traffic to get to the next exit with the idea that I would find another way to get there. About that time Glen called me back and said his phone had never rung when I called. Anyway, I told him my dilemma and where I was and he got me going another way. I was headed to Chapel Hill road and was to turn at that intersection and that would take me right where I needed to be. When I got to Chapel Hill road ... it was blocked off by police with a yellow tape across the road ... no access. Now I had to retrace my path and take another 2 roads to come in on Chapel Hill road further down, but everyone was doing this so at the next light traffic was backed up about a half mile. Urrgggg!! Ten minutes later I was moving again. Finally, 1 1/2 hours after I left Chick-Fil-A I made it to my destination. SUCCESS!! It should have only taken about 15 minutes.

You know, life is like that isn't it? No matter where you are headed, it sometimes seems like someone or something is doing everything possible to keep you from getting there. Around every corner there is another wait, traffic jam, or road block. And sometimes you just feel like giving up. But, we can't give up. We have to persevere. God will give us the strength to fight and make it to our destination. God has promised to never leave or forsake. Our ONLY job is to believe what He has said and be persistent. He will do the rest.

Read what Jesus has to say about it:

Luke 18 (The Parable of the Persistent Widow) 1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "
6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Did you see verse 1? Jesus told the story to encourage them to keep praying and to never give up! Don't give up! The devil is telling you it's never going to happen ... you can't do it ... it'll never work. But, don't believe the lies! God is very dislike the unjust judge. He is just and will make sure that you receive what is yours if you will have faith and be persistent!

Hey, you may have to take some detours, but one day soon, you will make it to your Sam's Club, too!

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Defeating Fear & Doubt

2009-06-20T23:34:00.005-04:00

Doubt = "to be uncertain about".
Faith = "being ... certain of what we do not see". (Hebrews 11:1)

Doubt is the inverse or opposite of faith. Fear comes from doubting what God has promised. If we did not doubt the power of God in our lives there would be no reason to fear. That is why the devil uses doubt … it is the one thing that will work against faith in our life. We CANNOT live the life that God has for us without operating in faith! And we cannot operate in faith and give doubt a comfortable spot at our table. Hebrews 11:6, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” If doubt (and thru that fear) works to negate faith in our life and faith is the only way to please God … then we must work to eliminate doubt from our life.

We will never be finished with dealing with doubt, but we can come to a point of faith and trust in God where we can defeat doubt when it comes. In James 1 it talks about asking something of God in faith and says in verse 6, "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." Doubting is not having a thought of doubt enter your mind. Doubting is entertaining that thought and believing it. But 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us that we can defeat these thoughts of doubt ... "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Doubt does not have to defeat you! Take those thoughts captive, cast down thoughts that are not in line with the word of God, and make your thoughts obedient to what you know to be the truth of Christ. Tell the devil, "No", when he tries to make you doubt. Say "yes" to God's word. If you consistently do this, it will become easier and easier to do.

...

Doubt sees the obstacles.
Faith sees the way.
Doubt sees the darkest night.
Faith sees the day.
Doubt dreads to take a step.
Faith soars on high.
Doubt questions "Who believes"?
Faith answers "I".

- Author Unknown

Blowing the Whistle!

2009-06-09T15:07:00.004-04:00

Continuing the conversation from Sunday, we talked about the authority we have as believers. Jesus said in Luke 10:18, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven”. He meant that Satan had been cast down from any position of authority and that we now have power over him. We know that because He goes on to say in the next verse ... verse 19, "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." In this passage Jesus didn't mean that we would never have any problems or feel pain. The phrase "nothing will harm you" literally means "nothing will absolutely bring you down". It's the same as in Psalm 37:24 (NKJV), "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand." Though we sometimes fall or fail, we will never be ultimately, in the end, harmed. Why? Because the Lord upholds us!

Well, if God is for us, who can be against us?! We have been given authority over all the authority of the enemy! We are like referees in a basketball game. No matter how much those players or coaches make, when the referee blows the whistle, play must stop! Whatever call the referee makes has to be heeded. It works like this with us today. When we blow the whistle on the devil, he has to stop! He has to run! James 4:7, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Submission of our life to Christ is key here. We cannot expect the devil to run if we have not surrendered our life to God. If we have, then, the devil must run! Now, he may be stubborn, he may be resistant. It may not happen immediately. But, you have the authority! You must insist! You have to get bold! You (thru the power of Christ) are in charge! Blow the whistle!!

Sunday we talked about Smith Wigglesworth and his insistence that we treat the devil like a little dog that had followed us to the bus stop. We can't be sweet and nice with him. We have to stamp our foot and shout, "Get!" He was certainly possessor of an audacity, a daring, a boldness the like of which is rarely been seen in Christian circles today. It was not uncommon for him to announce in his meetings: “Every sermon that Christ preached was prefaced by a model miracle. We are going to follow His example. The first person in this large audience that stands up, whatever his or her sickness, I’ll pray for that one and God will deliver him or her.” And the first person to stand, even if they were the most deformed cripple, would be healed! That is boldness! That is authority in Jesus! How much of that kind of boldness do we have today?

Speaking of Jesus, Luke 4:36, "All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" We are to have this same boldness today, if we know that something is God's will. Is this really true??!! Yes! Look at this passage: Acts 4:13, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." That boldness to blow the whistle on the devil and His junk is what identifies us with Jesus!

We are to TAKE the authority that the Lord has given us and USE it! Have you gone out and gotten you a whistle yet? You don't have to physically have one, but it is a nice reminder of the authority you have in Jesus. Hang it on your rear view mirror or carry it with you thru the day as you are fighting for what the Lord has promised you! You cannot be denied what belongs to you as a child of God! It's time for the people of God to stand up and be bold in Christ! It's time to start blowing the whistle!

Click on COMMENT below and let us know of what God is doing as you step out in the authority of Jesus!

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CHANGED!

2009-06-04T14:27:00.002-04:00

It is amazing how we get things twisted around in our minds sometimes. God's word says that we are raised up with Christ "so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4) How many Christians really believe that they are saved, but not too saved. They are saved enough to get to heaven, but not saved enough to live a life of total dedication to Christ. They are saved, but not saved enough to see God's power work through them so that others can be set free from their past. They believe they are not saved enough to see people healed, to see transformation happen on a daily basis in their own lives. What a bunch of lies!
Read this story by Skye Jethani (Leadership Magazine, Spring 2009):

"Years ago I was walking in new Delhi, India, with my father. We were hoping to catch a break in the traffic to cross the street when a boy approached us. He was probably six or seven years old, skinny as a rail, and naked but for tattered blue shorts. His legs were stiff and contorted, like a wire hanger twisted upon itself. He waddled on his hands and kneecaps, which were covered with huge calluses from the broken pavement. As I had many other times, in India, I wanted to close my eyes and pretend people in such misery didn't' exist. But this persistent boy wouldn't let me. He shouted at us, "One rupee, please! One rupee!" This little guys was amazingly fast on his kneecaps, managing to stay ahead of us and in our field of vision. Finally, realizing he wasn't going to give up, my father stopped.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"One rupee, sir," the boy said while motioning his hand to his mouth and bowing in deference. My father laughed.
"How about I give you five rupees?" he said. The boys submissive countenance suddenly became defiant. He retracted his hand and sneered at us. He thought my father was joking, having a laugh at his expense. After all, no on would willingly give five rupees. The boy started shuffling away mumbling curses under his breath.
My father reached into his pocket. Hearing the coins jingle, the boy stopped and looked back over his shoulder. My father was holding out a five rupee coin. He approached the stunned boy and placed the coin into his hand. The boy didn't move or say a word. He just stared at the coin. ... This I imagine is how our God sees us - as miserable creatures in desperate need of his help. But rather than asking for what we truly need, rather than desiring what He is able and willing to give, we settle for lesser things. And when God says, "no" to our misled desires and instead offers us more, we reject Him. We turn away, cursing him under our breath. We simply cannot imagine a God who would give five rupees when all we desire is one.
CS Lewis says, "Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

We are far too easily pleased by LESS THAN what God has promised! He wants to do something HUGE in our life and we are settling for just OK. He is offering us His banqueting table and we are satisfied eating crumbs from the table! 2 Peter 1:3-4, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

Like God has spoken to us recently ... we need to ruthlessly get rid of anything that is not God's best. That sometimes includes things that we would categorize as good.
Why? So that He can bless us with a life that is amazing! Why settle for mud pies, when the banqueting table is open to us?

I am not wanting to settle for less than the power and glory and promised provision of an almighty God! Will you go there with me?

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Building the Temple

2009-05-26T07:38:00.002-04:00

Sunday we got a glimpse into what God is wanting to do at Vineyard. He is into having His temple built. He is calling us as he was calling the people in Haggai's day to be about His business and not just our own. Haggai 1:7b-8, "Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD." The people in Haggai's day were too into building their own house and had forgotten the Lord's house. Because of this the Lord's blessings were not upon their lives. It was as if they were putting money into a bag with a hole in it. Their crops were not producing. There was never enough of anything. Once the people decided that it was time to build God's house and put their efforts into putting Him first in their lives ... only then did things turn around. Haggai 2:6-9, "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."

Today, the temple of God is not in a building made with hands, it is in the people of God (you and I). 1 Corinthians 6:19, "...your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit..." God is calling us today to lay down the fleshly building up of our lives and take up the making of ourselves into a holy temple that will house the power and glory of the Lord! Too many today are doing as 2 Timothy 3:5 says ... we have a form of Godliness (go to church, talk the talk, ...) but we deny the power of God by not building His temple in our lives. Remember, if we are Christians, it is usually good that becomes the enemy of God's best in our lives. If we want God's glory, we must ruthlessly deny anything that is not God's best for us!

When we decide to be about building the life of God in us instead of building our own house, then the glory of the Lord will fall in such a way that all the things we were pursuing seem like nothing in the power and glory of the Lord that we will be experiencing. His blessings also will rest upon everything else that we do. God doesn't mind us having a few things in this world as long as the things of this world don't have us! He alone is to have the preeminence in our life!

So, who's house are you and I building today? Are we ruthlessly denying anything that would get in the way of God's best for us? God truly wants to pour out His glory on us. I want that as well. Sunday was just a bit of the glory that He has for us if we will pursue Him with all our heart and build the very life of God in us!

Think on and comment on the following:

What can we lay down to really build God's temple in our life?

How can we pursue God more fully?

What does it really mean to "pursue" God?

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The Overcomer!

2009-05-18T09:30:00.003-04:00

Are you allowing God's process to transform you from being overcome to being an overcomer?

Everyone faces hardships and trials and tests. We will not be able to avoid having issues in life. As a matter of fact Jesus said (John 16:33), "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." And Jesus has shared that victory that he has won with us! The bible says in 1 John 5:4, "everyone born of God overcomes the world."

If you know Jesus as Savior you can be an overcomer! But, it's how we face the issues of our life. Do we allow them to bury us or do we get up when we get knocked down? God is telling us that we don't have to stay down when we get knocked down. He will give us the strength we need to get back up and to move forward with power in our lives!

The parable is told of an old dog that fell into a farmer's well. After assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the dog but decided that neither the dog nor the well were worth the trouble of saving. Instead he planned to bury the old dog in the well and put him out of his misery.
When the farmer began shoveling, initially the old dog was hysterical. But as the farmer continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back he should shake it off and step up. This he did blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself.
No matter how painful the blows or how distressing the situation seemed, the old dog fought panic and just kept shaking it off and stepping up! It was not long before the dog, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well. What seemed as though it would bury him actually benefited him—all because of the way he handled his adversity.
If we face our problems and respond to them positively, refusing to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to bless us! Forgiveness, faith, prayer, praise, and hope are some of the biblical ways to shake it off and step up out of the wells in which we find ourselves.

This is how the verse from Romans 8:28 works ... (NLT), "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."
Remember when the bible talks about the church, God is not talking about an institution, he is talking about me and you. With that in mind don't forget the following ... "I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." (Matthew 16:18)

For the complete message on being "Transformed Into An Overcomer", go to the website (http://www.vineyardassembly.com/) and click on "Pastor's Links", then click on "Sermons".

Walk in His overcoming power this week!

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True Beauty

2009-05-11T09:34:00.005-04:00

In an episode of the Andy Griffith show, Andy is called upon to judge a beauty contest. Upon accepting the role, he comments, "Golly, I think all women are beautiful". All women CAN be beautiful. It is said 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', but the media sure tries to tell us what beauty should and should not be. Yesterday we watched the Dove commercial, "Evolution". It shows a girl being more than made over for an ad campaign. Click here to view: http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/home_films_evolution_v2.swf

What does God consider beauty? 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." The bible isn't telling women that wearing jewelry or braiding their hair, or even wearing nice clothes is wrong, but it is saying that is not the focus of true beauty. True beauty comes from who you are, not what you put on.

It really all goes back to discovering who God made us to be and living in that instead of trying to be something that the world thinks we should be.

Proverbs 31:30 says, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." We have to always be reminded that what we do now that will last beyond our brief lifetime is what should have our focus and attention. Gaining wisdom that comes from time with God and His word. Teaching our children of His ways. Developing deep relationships with those close to us. Loving God with all we are. These are things that make real beauty. Outward beauty fades, but a life lived in tune with God is beautiful forever!

What do you do to keep your focus on things that will last instead of temporary trappings?

How can charm be deceptive?

What does the "fear of the Lord" mean to you?

Give a description of someone you know or have known that you would describe as beautiful even though outwardly they might not have been a beauty queen. What made them beautiful to you?

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Who I Am (My Purpose)

2009-05-04T08:56:00.009-04:00

As I continue to think on what was our topic yesterday at church, I know that everyone of us, including myself, sometimes settle for a "shadow mission" (as John Ortberg calls it). A secondary purpose in life that is NOT God's primary reason for us being here. We too often settle for less than God's best. God is calling us to "come up higher" in our life lately. He is not mad at us ... He is not scolding us ... He just wants to bless us! His ultimate purpose for us is for us to have His best while advancing the cause ... "that none should perish".

Really it's just us living out the two biggest things that Jesus told us while He was on the earth:

1. The Great Commandment:

Matthew 22:36-40, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

In these 2 things Jesus said we would fulfill all the law and the words of the prophets!

Love God and Love Others. This is what we have to determine to do personally (with the help and power of the Holy Spirit).

It looks like this ...

2. The Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

This is our mission in life! To make disciples of others! Someone once said, "You are not a disciple unless you disciple". The word disciple is a noun and a verb at the same time! You ARE a disciple (noun). You are TO disciple others (verb). But the full definition of disciple is both. Disciples (those that love God and love others) disciple (use gifts and callings to reach others with the Good News).

This is something we cannot fully do by ourselves. We MUST connect with the body of Christ to be able to fulfill our calling fully.

It looks like this:

This graphic illustrates the Purpose Statement of Vineyard Assembly, but really is our personal purpose statement.

The question for each of us is have we gotten drawn off track from God's main purpose for our life and into a "shadow mission" or have we discovered our personal calling (in the "Discover Life" quadrant)?

Please click on "comment" button below and discuss with me your thoughts on purpose, mission, and our personal part in this.

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Love the Sinner

2009-04-24T09:45:00.003-04:00

For those who were at our stimulating discussion time on Wednesday night, April 22nd, here are notes for the part we did not get to that night that I promised you... (if you weren't there you can get plenty out of the following, too ...)

Read John 4:1-26 (Story of Jesus encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well)

Don't you think that Jesus knew he might encounter a Samaritan going through Samaria?
Samaritans were considered "sinners" by the Jews ... they did not associate with them at all.
But, Jesus did. I think she was surprised that he even talked to her.
Remember the Pharisees (religious leaders of the day) raked Jesus over the coals for "eating with sinners".
How did Jesus handle loving the sinner without condoning the sin? Here is what I see from this passage and how we can apply it to our life ...

1. Jesus first engaged her on a natural level (needing water for thirst).

We first have to speak to people on their level and let them see that we are normal.
Also, talking to someone about whatever is going on in their life and showing concern for those things is compassionate and loving.

2. Next, Jesus transitioned to a spiritual level.

He took the natural to explain the spiritual ("I have water to drink of that you would never thirst again".)
We must at some point either in the conversation or in the course of the relationship transition to the eternal and use the natural to introduce the supernatural.
How about letting them know that you will pray for a concern that they have AND believe that God will show up and prove Himself to them.
When that happens then we can tell them that God loves them.
They will believe it because they have seen it in us.

3. After that Jesus utilized the supernatural power of God to back up the truth.

He knew that she had multiple husbands and was living in adultery at the time.
We, as we are daily connected to the Lord, will have His power and insight flowing in our life, too. Always be listening to whatever the Lord might lead you to do for His power to be displayed in your life.

4. Lastly, Jesus reveals the good news (gospel) that He is the savior.

Once, people are standing in awe of what God has done for them introduce to them to the good news of what Jesus came to do for them.
Let God lead you to testify of what God has done for you and that you want that for them as well.
If they are willing, lead them into a relationship with God.

People living in sin don't need condemnation ... they are already condemned. They need love. "Love covers a multitude of sin". Love will lead them to believe that God loves them, too. Stand for truth. Don't back down on what the truth is, but show compassion to them. Remember ... "... our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." -- Ephesians 6:12.

For more on the "Surviving Treacherous Times" series listen online at http://www.vineyardassembly.com/. Click on the "Oasis" link. Also, you can get the whole series on CD by signing up at the church.

Emptiness & Filling

2009-04-20T09:37:00.003-04:00

In Philippians 2:5-11, the bible talks about how Jesus came and "made Himself nothing" or "of no reputation". How Jesus came and gave up His right to a title, to be served and made himself nothing so that He could accomplish the ultimate act of love ... laying down His life for us so that we could be saved.

In that passage ... "made Himself nothing" ... the original Greek word is Kenoo or Kenosis, which means 'emptying'. Jesus came and emptied Himself of all that He was so that He could save us. But, because of that emptying it goes on to say "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Because He choose the road of emptying Himself, His Father choose to exalt Him back to His rightful place. There is an example here for us today.

Jesus passed along this idea of emptying our self when He said in Luke 9:48, "For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest." Jesus also said, in Matthew 16:25, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." In verse 8 of Philippians 2 it says of Jesus, "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" Again, Jesus passes along this idea to His own followers by saying in Luke 9:23, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Taking up your cross meant dying. But, Jesus was talking of dying to self and selfish desires. He said if we wanted to be the greatest, we were to humble ourselves to serve and be the least. He said if we really want to find true life, we'd lose it in service to Him and others ... that is when you truly find it!

The reason for all this emptying is the same end result it was for Jesus ... being lifted up and blessed. No, we will never have Jesus place of preeminence, but God does want to lift us up out of the junk of this world and place our feet on a solid path where we can experience His blessings. But the way for that to happen is for us to empty our self of the things of the flesh and the things of the world.

The question becomes are we walking close enough to Jesus to hear Him point out things in our life that we need to deal with or cut out?
Are we letting the Potter trim and cut off of us what doesn't belong as He is shaping us into that vessel that we need to become?
Are we allowing the Gardner trim the dead branches from our life so that we can grow and be fruitful in our life?

Only through death (dying to our natural desires) and pruning can we really find true life. Only through losing our life in Jesus do we find it. Only through becoming the least and humbling our self to serve do we become the greatest.

Where are you in the process of becoming empty of yourself and the world so that He can fill you with Himself?

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Watch this video illustration: http://www.sermonspice.com/videos/15400/empty

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