Last Sunday I talked about a time when God allowed three of Jesus’ disciples to have a life changing supernatural experience. We found out that what God said during this experience can have in impact on our lives today as well. We looked at Matthew chapter 17 when Jesus was transfigured before His disciples. The word "transfigured" in the original is the word “metamorphoo”. And according the Expositor’s Bible Commentary the word metamorpoo, “suggests a change of inward nature that is outwardly visible”. That sounds a lot like what happens to us when we become born again.
We looked at Matthew 17 verse 5 that says:
"While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"
God the Father told the disciples to just do one thing: “Hear Him” or we could say that God told the disciples to “listen to Jesus”. So how do we listen to Jesus today? In addition to Jesus speaking to us in our spirits, we also hear Jesus today by reading God’s Word – the Bible.
That’s where we can hear the voice of God today. That’s where we see the words of Jesus. That’s where we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit and have Him do something in our lives to make us more like Jesus. We simply need to get into the Word of God if we want to hear from Jesus today. And you know what will happen? God will transfigure each one of us. God will do what He did to Jesus. He’ll change us on the inside so that it shows on the outside.
November 24, 2009
July 13, 2009
The Fire Of The Holy Ghost!
Last Sunday I spoke on Holy Ghost Fire. I need it, you need it, our church needs it, and the body of Christ needs it.
We took a look at what the Fire of God is all about, and then at the end of the service we came together to pray for the Fire to burn in us like never before.
In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist said,
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John the Baptist came preaching that the one that would baptize with the Holy Ghost was coming. Not only would He baptize with the Holy Ghost but with Fire.
In Acts Chapter 4, Peter and John were entering the temple to pray when they passed by the crippled beggar. It was the power of the Holy Ghost within them that had transformed these disciples from fear to having the boldness to speak to the beggar these words, “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.”
It was the power of the Holy Ghost that moved upon the disciples and it was the power of the Holy Ghost that moved upon the beggar to heal him and give him strength to begin walking and leaping and praising God. And we as Christians, must have Holy Ghost Fire if we want to have POWER and BOLDNESS to witness, to preach and to minister to the lost.
The Fire of the Holy Ghost melts the heart of stone, and turns it into a heart after God. Like the heat of a volcano on molten lava, our heart begins to flow with the guiding Hand of God to follow the paths that He has made for each one of us. That’s why some people might now want the fire because when fire starts burning, it destroys everything in its path. The fire of God when turned loose in our life will make some changes. The Fire of the Holy Ghost will bring to light the dross or the (filthiness) of our soul and cause us to repent of the sin in our life. Little by little, the Fire of the Holy Ghost burns away those things that are on the inside of us that shouldn’t be there.
The Fire of the Holy Ghost will light a fire on the inside of us after God’s own heart and kindle a love for Jesus Christ that we never knew could be possible. Just as the fires of passion in a marriage relationship should never grow cold, the Fire of the Holy Ghost will keep our love and passion for Jesus fresh and new and growing.
Deuteronomy 4:24 says,
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
The all-consuming Fire of the Holy Ghost will consume our life and immerse us in service for the Lord. God is a jealous God, not like men are jealous, but His greatest desire is to see each of us enter into our reward in the Kingdom of God. In other words, enter into the exact calling on our lives. Exactly what God has called us to do.
Church, we need a fresh Baptism of the Fire of the Holy Ghost more than ever before. The days are getting more and more evil and if we don’t have the power of the Holy Ghost and Fire within us we won’t be able to stand in these last days.
Salvation is only the beginning. Getting saved only just puts us at the starting line. There is so much more to do. God can only use us in a limited way until we are prepared for the Master’s use. Each of us needs the refiner’s Fire of the Holy Ghost to prepare us.
We took a look at what the Fire of God is all about, and then at the end of the service we came together to pray for the Fire to burn in us like never before.
In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist said,
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John the Baptist came preaching that the one that would baptize with the Holy Ghost was coming. Not only would He baptize with the Holy Ghost but with Fire.
In Acts Chapter 4, Peter and John were entering the temple to pray when they passed by the crippled beggar. It was the power of the Holy Ghost within them that had transformed these disciples from fear to having the boldness to speak to the beggar these words, “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.”
It was the power of the Holy Ghost that moved upon the disciples and it was the power of the Holy Ghost that moved upon the beggar to heal him and give him strength to begin walking and leaping and praising God. And we as Christians, must have Holy Ghost Fire if we want to have POWER and BOLDNESS to witness, to preach and to minister to the lost.
The Fire of the Holy Ghost melts the heart of stone, and turns it into a heart after God. Like the heat of a volcano on molten lava, our heart begins to flow with the guiding Hand of God to follow the paths that He has made for each one of us. That’s why some people might now want the fire because when fire starts burning, it destroys everything in its path. The fire of God when turned loose in our life will make some changes. The Fire of the Holy Ghost will bring to light the dross or the (filthiness) of our soul and cause us to repent of the sin in our life. Little by little, the Fire of the Holy Ghost burns away those things that are on the inside of us that shouldn’t be there.
The Fire of the Holy Ghost will light a fire on the inside of us after God’s own heart and kindle a love for Jesus Christ that we never knew could be possible. Just as the fires of passion in a marriage relationship should never grow cold, the Fire of the Holy Ghost will keep our love and passion for Jesus fresh and new and growing.
Deuteronomy 4:24 says,
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
The all-consuming Fire of the Holy Ghost will consume our life and immerse us in service for the Lord. God is a jealous God, not like men are jealous, but His greatest desire is to see each of us enter into our reward in the Kingdom of God. In other words, enter into the exact calling on our lives. Exactly what God has called us to do.
Church, we need a fresh Baptism of the Fire of the Holy Ghost more than ever before. The days are getting more and more evil and if we don’t have the power of the Holy Ghost and Fire within us we won’t be able to stand in these last days.
Salvation is only the beginning. Getting saved only just puts us at the starting line. There is so much more to do. God can only use us in a limited way until we are prepared for the Master’s use. Each of us needs the refiner’s Fire of the Holy Ghost to prepare us.
June 9, 2009
Making The Right Decisions
Last Sunday we looked at the process that will help each of us in making the right decisions. Some decisions we make are easy ones because we can just look at the situation and know in an instant what to decide. Others are not so easy and those are the ones that we need help with. Those are the ones we may even struggle with. Some decisions are BIG, and others are small, but no matter how big or how small the decision is, many of them can be important. It’s amazing to me how many places people will turn to when they need help in making a decision. But when we’re faced with making a decision there’s one place that we should always turn to and that place is the bible.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
These two verses have a lot to say about decision-making. God wants us to make wise decisions. He wants us to follow His guidance. In these verses God gives us three steps we need to take when it comes to making decisions.
The first thing God tells us to do is trust in the Lord. To trust in the Lord is to make a commitment to the Lord. To trust in the Lord is to rely on God and believe that He is big enough to take care of the situation. Then Proverbs tells us how much we're supposed to trust with the words, “with all your heart.” God doesn't want partial devotion, He doesn't want partial trust. He wants our total devotion and our total trust.
The second thing these verses tell us to do is to not lean on our own understanding. Why? Because our understanding is limited. There is no way we can understand everything. From our vantage point we can't see the entire picture. We don’t have all the facts.
The third thing these verses tell us is to acknowledge God in all our ways. God wants us to trust Him because when we trust in our own understanding in all ways of our life we’re in trouble. Notice verse 6 doesn’t say “some” of our ways. It doesn’t say “most” of our ways. It verse says “all” of our ways. All means means trusting God in everything you and I do.
And finally the last phrase of verse 6 tells us that God will direct our paths. Our part is to trust God, not trust our own understanding, acknowledge God in all our ways and then He will do His part, and He shall direct our paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
These two verses have a lot to say about decision-making. God wants us to make wise decisions. He wants us to follow His guidance. In these verses God gives us three steps we need to take when it comes to making decisions.
The first thing God tells us to do is trust in the Lord. To trust in the Lord is to make a commitment to the Lord. To trust in the Lord is to rely on God and believe that He is big enough to take care of the situation. Then Proverbs tells us how much we're supposed to trust with the words, “with all your heart.” God doesn't want partial devotion, He doesn't want partial trust. He wants our total devotion and our total trust.
The second thing these verses tell us to do is to not lean on our own understanding. Why? Because our understanding is limited. There is no way we can understand everything. From our vantage point we can't see the entire picture. We don’t have all the facts.
The third thing these verses tell us is to acknowledge God in all our ways. God wants us to trust Him because when we trust in our own understanding in all ways of our life we’re in trouble. Notice verse 6 doesn’t say “some” of our ways. It doesn’t say “most” of our ways. It verse says “all” of our ways. All means means trusting God in everything you and I do.
And finally the last phrase of verse 6 tells us that God will direct our paths. Our part is to trust God, not trust our own understanding, acknowledge God in all our ways and then He will do His part, and He shall direct our paths.
May 25, 2009
A Special Memorial Day Sunday
Our Memorial Day Sunday service was a special day as we honored those people in the past who wore uniforms representing our country. People who fought against those who were trying to steal our freedom away. On Memorial Day Sunday we also remembered the people in the present, who still fight for our freedoms today. As an American, we can enjoy a freedom and a quality of life that many people in the world don’t have. That freedom that quality of life didn’t just happen out of the blue, it’s something that was earned for us by other people. That’s why we have Memorial Day, to remember and honor those people.
We celebrate Memorial Day once a year to remember those who died for freedom. But every week, every Sunday can be a memorial day as we come to celebrate our life in Christ. Those who were sacrificed in war gave us political freedom, but Jesus Christ gives us eternal freedom. The Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:13 tells us that we as believers have been made alive in Christ. Last Sunday we found out what being alive in Christ really means.
●Being alive in Christ means that we have His life on the inside of us.
1 John 4:13 (NKJV) says "we abide in Him and He in us".
●Being alive in Christ means that we have been forgiven and raised up in Him as His workmanship a new creation.
Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
●Being alive in Christ means that He has joined Himself with each one of us.
Jesus said in John 15:5 (NKJV)
"I am the vine; you are the branches"
●Being alive in Christ means that we are seated with Him in heavenly places.
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:6 (NKJV) says that Jesus has,
Raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
A devout Scotchman, being asked if he ever expected to go to heaven answered, “Why man I live there”. Heaven is not a far distant place of which we know very little about, it can be experienced here and now because of the sacrifice that Christ has made for each one of us. On Memorial Day Sunday we celebrated both being alive and those who have gone on before us. As we prepared to enter into a day to remember those who died for liberty, we also remembered the One who died to set us free. We came together to celebrate being alive in Christ.
We celebrate Memorial Day once a year to remember those who died for freedom. But every week, every Sunday can be a memorial day as we come to celebrate our life in Christ. Those who were sacrificed in war gave us political freedom, but Jesus Christ gives us eternal freedom. The Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:13 tells us that we as believers have been made alive in Christ. Last Sunday we found out what being alive in Christ really means.
●Being alive in Christ means that we have His life on the inside of us.
1 John 4:13 (NKJV) says "we abide in Him and He in us".
●Being alive in Christ means that we have been forgiven and raised up in Him as His workmanship a new creation.
Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
●Being alive in Christ means that He has joined Himself with each one of us.
Jesus said in John 15:5 (NKJV)
"I am the vine; you are the branches"
●Being alive in Christ means that we are seated with Him in heavenly places.
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:6 (NKJV) says that Jesus has,
Raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
A devout Scotchman, being asked if he ever expected to go to heaven answered, “Why man I live there”. Heaven is not a far distant place of which we know very little about, it can be experienced here and now because of the sacrifice that Christ has made for each one of us. On Memorial Day Sunday we celebrated both being alive and those who have gone on before us. As we prepared to enter into a day to remember those who died for liberty, we also remembered the One who died to set us free. We came together to celebrate being alive in Christ.
May 9, 2009
Thanks Mom!
Exodus 20:12 says,
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
Last Sunday on Mother’s Day we honored mothers. We were there to praise mom. We were there to honor our mothers. Paul tells us in Romans 13:6 to give honor to whom honor is due. Honor is certainly due to mothers.
We also looked at three things that we found in the life of the special mom found in Proverbs 31:10-31. The first thing we found was that this mom was a hard worker.
Verse 14 says, “She brings her food from afar.”
Verse 15 says, “She provides food for her household...”
Verse 16 says, “She plants a vineyard...”
Verse 17 says, “She is energetic and strong, a hard worker”.
The second thing we found was that this mom spoke with wisdom. The first part of verse 26 says, "When she speaks, her words are wise”. Then we looked at the many things that mom’s teach us as we are growing up. Mom taught us about contortionism when they said things like, "Look at the dirt on the back of your neck?" Mom also taught us about perseverance with the words, "I don’t care you are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."
The third thing we found from these verses in Proverbs was, she has a hart that loves.
Verses 11-12 says, “Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.
If a husband has full or complete trust in his wife, then you know that she is a woman who loves her husband. Mom’s can be so unselfish at times. They give to others what they should of received themselves. Many of us can remember the times that our mom gave and gave out of a heart of love.
One mother described her life this way:
"I will not have a temper tantrum nor stomp across the floor-
I will not pout, scream or shout or kick against the door-
I will not throw my food around or pick upon another-
I’ll always try to be real good because I am the Mother…"
-author unknown
God bless you mom for all that you have done all that you do and all you will do you are special.
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
Last Sunday on Mother’s Day we honored mothers. We were there to praise mom. We were there to honor our mothers. Paul tells us in Romans 13:6 to give honor to whom honor is due. Honor is certainly due to mothers.
We also looked at three things that we found in the life of the special mom found in Proverbs 31:10-31. The first thing we found was that this mom was a hard worker.
Verse 14 says, “She brings her food from afar.”
Verse 15 says, “She provides food for her household...”
Verse 16 says, “She plants a vineyard...”
Verse 17 says, “She is energetic and strong, a hard worker”.
The second thing we found was that this mom spoke with wisdom. The first part of verse 26 says, "When she speaks, her words are wise”. Then we looked at the many things that mom’s teach us as we are growing up. Mom taught us about contortionism when they said things like, "Look at the dirt on the back of your neck?" Mom also taught us about perseverance with the words, "I don’t care you are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."
The third thing we found from these verses in Proverbs was, she has a hart that loves.
Verses 11-12 says, “Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.
If a husband has full or complete trust in his wife, then you know that she is a woman who loves her husband. Mom’s can be so unselfish at times. They give to others what they should of received themselves. Many of us can remember the times that our mom gave and gave out of a heart of love.
One mother described her life this way:
"I will not have a temper tantrum nor stomp across the floor-
I will not pout, scream or shout or kick against the door-
I will not throw my food around or pick upon another-
I’ll always try to be real good because I am the Mother…"
-author unknown
God bless you mom for all that you have done all that you do and all you will do you are special.
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