(When you serve the Lord by serving others, expect to be watered back by the Lord and His people.) The word “grace” (favor, thanks) appears 156 times in the New Covenant. Do we understand it? What is grace? The dictionary says that it is unmerited favor. We incorrectly use grace and mercy interchangeably. Pastor demonstrated the grace of God using a bright flashlight. It enables you to see things, if you turn it on. You have to receive grace to use it. Shining the flashlight in your eyes is like misapplying grace. Grace makes things easier. Grace is available, even if you are not using it. Grace and favor are interchangeable. It is God’s ability, support, wisdom, helping you, empowerment to you, presence, and it is God doing for you what you could not do for yourself or your own. The charisma gifts, the five-fold ministries, and serving are called graces. It is the New Testament word that describes the fullness of the New Covenant that dwells in Christ and is available for mankind. Grace never allows God to overlook or put up with our sin. Grace does not make a situation acceptable. Jesus grew in wisdom and grace (Luke 2:40, 52). He walked as a man. He did not need mercy. Grace is the ability to not sin, but to walk supernaturally. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Peter’s walking on the water was God’s grace. It brings you the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 2:14). You can grow in grace. Jesus needed God to open His ear, and so do we (Isaiah 50:4-6). We have received grace from Jesus’ fullness (John 1:14-17). The apostles witnessed with great power and great grace on them all (Acts 4:33). We have to step out to use His grace. Imagine you have great grace. Abide in grace in faith (Romans 5:1-2, 17). There is an overflow of grace. Grace with a right standing with God empowers you to reign in life. How do you receive more grace? God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). 1) Humble yourself before the Lord. 2) Ask Him for help. Approach the throne of grace, so you receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Pastor led us in a prayer to receive more grace. Tongues, be loosed. Increase our boldness, hearing, and seeing. Thank God for the increase of grace to all parts of the ministry. Release words of encouragement by giving grace to one another.

“Preppers” are people who prepare for something bad that is to happen. Have you prepared for end times? Hard times will come in the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Why do people prepare? They prepare out of fear, or because they see danger coming. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Prepping in the natural has definite limitations. Our prepping needs to be in the spiritual, seeing God as our Source. Proverbs 11:23-28. No amount of prepping can save you from disaster. Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, or your savings account, etc. Have confidence in the Lord, do not worry or fear, and remain fruitful (Jeremiah 17:5-8). God loves us. Rise up and stand strong (Psalm 20:7-9). Isaiah 61:3; 58:9. How do you properly prepare? The Spirit of the Lord will tell you.

Samson and Daniel would approach killing a lion differently. Isaac and Joseph handled famine differently. We are the righteousness of God and have a better covenant than these men, so God will protect and provide for us. Psalm 1. Step one is to delight in the Lord. Step two is to declare His lordship. Step three is to trust in Him. Step four is to not fear. Trust that God loves you.

Pastor Syd told of a time in Colorado when the Lord warned him to be careful where he stood, or he would be crushed. Praise God, he listened, and it saved his life. Fear is optional. Resist it. When we are afraid, we will trust in God (Psalm 56:1-13). Trust in the Lord, live in the land securely, take delight in the Lord, be humble, and be gracious and giving (Psalm 37:1-40). No created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God. You can lie down and sleep, because God makes us live in safety (Psalm 4:8). When the Word says that He has made us more than conquerors, it means that we have to take ground back from the enemy. Remember: Nothing shall harm you.

Pastor Syd preaches a word from the Lord for this time. God [will vomit out] the lukewarm church like Laodicea of Revelation 3:14-21. Ezekiel 37:1-14 is the text. There were three levels of the dry bones coming to life. The dry bones heard the word of the Lord prophesied to them. Ezekiel first prophesied that the bones come together. Then he prophesied to the breath in Ezekiel 37:9. They were a standing army, which symbolizes the body of Christ feeling like they need not to carry out the Great Commission. Finally, he prophesied to open up their graves and put God’s Spirit into them, which is for the Spirit-filled church. To see the power, you have to go out. People have received miracles during the reading of Isaiah 53. We preach, and then signs and wonders follow. People go through a season of revival and then dryness. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you. There is both a personal and regional move of the Lord. We are God’s temple, and water represents the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel 47:1-12 portrays walking in the Spirit as a progression from ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep, and finally swimming deep. The trees alongside the river represent the fruit of the Spirit, which does not run out if we remain hooked up to the Source. We drink from the Spirit all day. Pastor Syd called forth the five-fold ministers to take their places. Be willing to go, run, and swim. He prayed a blessing over the children to be a prophesying generation, to release their gifts, and for the older generations to train them.

Peter loved his life more than Jesus, and Judas loved money more than Jesus. Jesus saw fit to use Peter. Jesus is alive, and it took His resurrection for victory for us. Pastor Syd did a review of the Bible from Genesis to the Acts. God and Jesus (and the Holy Spirit) created the world and human beings in God’s image. He gave dominion over the earth to man. We have all chosen to do the wrong thing, handing the rights over to Satan. Jesus overcame Satan’s temptations (Luke 4). The god of this world has blinded people from believing the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Unbelievers become slaves to whatever they yield to. God redeemed man to Himself, first through a covenant with Abraham and then through His giving the law to Moses to show our sin and need for a Savior. Jesus lived under the law, and laid aside His godship by taking our sin on Himself. He paid the debt by dying and being raised from the dead. We are to walk in Jesus (Colossians 2:6-15). The Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). His blood is enough because He became sin for us. Jesus disgraced the devil publicly, and we have been spiritually crucified with Christ. His death is counted as my death. (Romans 1:16-17; Colossians 1:13-27) He has rescued us from the domain of darkness, given us redemption and the forgiveness of sin, reconciled us to present us holy, faultless, and blameless. The mystery of Christ is in us, the hope, the confident expectation, of glory. He is now waiting until His enemies are made His footstool (Hebrews 10:10-13). A king is glorified when his enemies are defeated. We have a cloud of witnesses, so let us lay aside the weights, run, and keep our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us (Romans 8:34). He will complete the good work in us (Philippians 1:6). Pastor Syd played a recording of a testimony of an angelic vision he had that demonstrated Jesus’ blood covering sins. God needs confident, bold believers. Communion was served.

Four men from the Ten Men Project and Gene English shared of their recent mission trips. God wants to reveal Himself to His people. He wants us to know He loves us. God sees us as precious as Jesus. God is good (Psalm 145:9; 25:8; 119:68; 34:8; 86:5, 15; 100:5; Ex. 34:6; Nahum 1:7; Jeremiah 29:11; Lam. 3:25; Ps. 31:19; Acts 10:38; Romans 5:8; Acts 2). There was ministry in the Holy Spirit.