Scripture text: Romans 15:16-16:27. Paul preached the Word, and it was accompanied with signs, wonders, and the power of the Holy Spirit. (1 Thess. 1:5-6; 1 Cor. 2:2-5). You can be a witness by sharing what God has done for you. If you pray but are not in faith, pray again. If you are praying for others, God will give them opportunities to come to Him, but they can reject Him. Pastor Syd stressed how women were an important part of the ministry (Acts 18:1-3, 11, 18-19, 24-26; 2 Timothy 4:19). Paul warned the Roman church to keep an eye on certain people, because of their causing strife and division (1 Cor. 5:9-11; Titus 3:9-11; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 2 Tim. 2:16-18; Heb. 12:15). Other Scriptures: Proverbs 14:15; John 17:17; Psalm 19:7; Psalm 119:130. To be established, allow the gospel to be rooted in you.
Romans – part 14
Romans – part 13
Scripture text: Romans 14-15:13. The fulfillment of the law is love, which is
the focus of these chapters. There are settled matters, such as doctrine, but
there are also matters of opinion and conscience. In writing to Jews and
Gentiles, Paul makes a point of expressing their liberties not causing them to
look down on others or to put a stumbling block in another person's path.
The kingdom of God is a matter of power and righteousness, peace, and joy
in the Holy Spirit. Conforming is not unity. Live in harmony with one another
according to Christ Jesus. Other: Prov. 13:10; Col. 2:8, 14-17; 2 John 9; 1
Cor. 4:6; 1 Tim. 4:1-6; Phil. 3:16-20; Rom. 10:23.
Romans – part 12
Pastor Syd opened the service with Scriptures about Jesus’ and our authority over the devil and his power. We are more than conquerors and need to hold onto our confession when intensity against us increases. With boldness we must provoke love and good works, continuing to assemble ourselves together. He led us in a prayer to break the enemy’s tactics and establish our faith. There was a time when we encouraged each other. Sermon: Romans 12: 17-13:9. Pastor Syd explained vengeance belongs to the Lord and the role of the Christian in submission to government compared to obedience. There are four kinds of government: self, family, church, and civil. Listen to find out if you should disobey civil government.
We Are More Then Conquerors
Pastor Syd opened the service with Scriptures about Jesus’ and our authority over the devil and his power. We are more than conquerors and need to hold onto our confession when intensity against us increases. With boldness we must provoke love and good works, continuing to assemble ourselves together. He led us in a prayer to break the enemy’s tactics and establish our faith. There was a time when we encouraged each other. Sermon: Romans 12: 17-13:9. Pastor Syd explained vengeance belongs to the Lord and the role of the Christian in submission to government compared to obedience. There are four kinds of government: self, family, church, and civil. Listen to find out if you should disobey civil government.
Romans – part 11
Pastor Syd teaches on Romans 12:3-16. He talked about self-worth versus pride, the measure of faith, the body of Christ compared to a person’s body, grace for the different gifts, agape love, detesting evil, clinging to what is good, serving the Lord, being cheerfully expectant in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer, sharing with your spiritual family, and being hospitable. Other Scriptures: 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12:4-24; Ephesians 4:1-16; Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 8:13; Psalm 45:7; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 6:6-11.
Romans – part 10
Pastor Syd expounds on Romans 12:1-2. He explains what it means to be a living sacrifice and how we renew our minds.
Romans – part 9 – The Israel of God – Chapter 10 & 11
Pastor Syd reviewed with the congregation Romans 9-10:13. Romans 10 and 11 are about the relationship of Israel and the church. In Romans 10 Paul prayed for ethnic Israel to be saved. (Ethnic Israel is different from the Israel of God, or the saved Jews.) A sign of a hardened heart is deception.
The word of faith for salvation and righteousness consists of confession and belief that God raised Jesus from the dead. Whoever calls on the Lord shall be saved. Faith is followed by action. Israel can be saved, if they hear about Jesus Christ, and if a sent one preaches Jesus. Faith is birthed in a heart that responds to God’s anointed utterance of the Anointed One, from hearing the Rhema (word) of God, a living word to you.
Present Israel can be saved (Romans 11; Romans 1:16). The Israel of God, that is the believing Jews or the elect, and the church are one. Romans 11 is not about the return of a Davidic kingdom or the national state of Israel. The Israel of God is Jew and Gentile. There are different theologies about end times: 1) everything is Revelation has past; 2) all of Revelation is symbolic; 3) it is a mixture of some of it prophetically and symbolism. The Gentile has been adopted into the original root of the family of God. Pride leads to unbelief (vs. 18). The ethnic Jew can be grafted into the tree. A partial hardening has come upon Israel all the way through, as far as, until it is completed (the fullness of the Gentiles become Israel) (1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 4:12). Israel is either ethnic Israel or the saved Israel. Israel and the church: 1) Ephesians 2:14-22 (one new man); 2) Ephesians 3:4-11 (co-heirs in the same body); 3) Romans 11:1-17 (grafted into the same tree); 4) Galatians 3:16-29 (We are called the seed of Abraham)(It is a horrible idea if they rebuild the temple.); 5) Galatians 4:22-26 (the heavenly Jerusalem); 6) Galatians 4:27-31 (children of the promise and the free woman); 7) Romans 9:6-8 (Not all Israel is the elect Israel.); 8) Galatians 6:15-16 (The Israel of God is not excusive to ethnic Israel.); 9) Romans 2:28-29 (not a Jew outwardly; circumcision of the heart); 10) Hebrews 12:22-24 (Mt. Zion compared to Mt. Sinai); 11) Matthew 16:18; Acts 7:38; Hebrews 2:11-13 (Jesus says I will build My church.); 12) Hebrews 7 and 8 (new covenant with the house of Israel and Jesus as the High Priest); 13) 1 Peter 2:9-10 (chosen race); 14) James 1:1 (the dispersion of the believing 12 tribes); 15) Galatians 2:1-16 (the Judaizers); 16) Acts 15:9-11 (saved by grace); 17) Jeremiah 33:14-18: Isaiah 9:6-7 (types and shadows and promises of the temple;); 18) Luke 24:44 (the Davidic throne of Jesus). End times study should be based from the teachings of Paul and Jesus. Daniel, Isaiah, and Revelation have mixed up timelines.
Romans – part 8
Scripture text: Romans 9:1-10:13. Romans is about the gospel (good news) being for both the Jews and Gentile believers who live by faith (Romans 1:16). Paul’s conscience and the Holy Spirit agree that he is telling the truth. Your conscience is a co-perception between yours and another one. Your conscience can be trained wrong, and if so, it needs to be renewed, retrained. Your conscience is not the same thing as your heart or faith (1 Timothy 1:5, 18-19). You can have a clear conscience (Acts 24:16). David’s conscience bothered him when he cut off Saul’s garment (1 Samuel 24). Repentance is the way out of a guilty conscience. (1 Timothy 3:9; Hebrews 13:18; 1 Corinthians 8:7-12; Titus 1:15; 1 Timothy 4:1-2.) The Lord wants to minister to your spirit, but your conscience may need to be retrained. (Hebrews 10:19-22; 9:14; 1 Peter 3:21; Colossians 3:14-17; 1 John 3:18-24.) God is just, but it is a person’s choice to let his hearts be hardened. God does not create evil people and then judge them. He has a destiny for you, but His will will not happen for you for sure. Your heart can be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness and by His giving you over to the hardening effects of sin (Psalm 81:11-12; Romans 1:24-28; Hebrews 3:13). It is up to you if you are hardened. No one was created for God’s wrath. Jews and Gentiles are one. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your hear that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. It is about believing and confessing Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Faith is voice-activated. (Other Scriptures: Jeremiah 18:1-11; 2 Corinthians 3:14-16; Romans 1:18; Romans 2:5, 8; John 3:36)
Vision, Provision, Healing
Pastor Syd shares about divine appointments and connections, such as with Apostle Dale Armstrong, Tim Ratcliffe, and Prophet Bob Hawk. (Deuteronomy 32:13). He shares how he met Tim at a Kenneth Copeland executive protection training. Later Tim gave him a confirming word about Turkey, which led to a connection with the Mirabellas in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. Tim again gave him a confirming word: “Be faithful with what He is saying to you now.” Tim shares his testimony of having a pulmonary embolism and going into massive heart failure after surgery. He kept declaring words of victory and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Peace hit him, and he started laughing. The result was that he miraculously has no lung or heart damage. He could not work for ten months, and the Lord took care of them. Study the word “shalom,” which means nothing missing, nothing lacking, and nothing broken, and complete wholeness. Yield to the Lord. On August 24th his word for us was that it is the time and be yielded. Pastor Syd has bought the plane. Years ago Apostle Dale considered getting his pilot’s license, but the Lord told him, “I have a man for you.” Various words were given to Pastor Syd about: houses, buildings, and arenas; church plantings, thinking bigger and having a higher vision, getting his pilot’s license, and buying an airplane. The Lord gave him Isaiah 58:14 and “Honey from the rock”
Lying Question
Your comfort zone is not your God. Truth does not need a defense. Pastor Syd addresses the question, “Is it always wrong to lie or deceive?” He does this by presenting Scripture. Scriptures: Proverbs 6:12-19; 12:22; Exodus 20:16; Leviticus 19:11; Zechariah 8:16; Ephesians 4:25; Revelation 21:8; Colossians 3:8-10; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; Hebrews 6:18. Satan is the father of lies: John 8:44. Lying within a family should not be tolerated. The cure for lying is to stop it immediately, repent, and correct your lie. There are three types of lies: 1) bearing false witness against someone, 2) deceiving for personal gain or profit (Proverbs 11:1), and 3) denying or suppressing the truth of God (1 John 2:22). The cases for lying for justice: Exodus 1:15-21 (the Hebrew midwives feared God and He blessed them with families); Acts 5:1-11 (Ananias and Sapphira killed by God for lying to the Holy Spirit for self-interest). Murder was okay at God’s command. Judgment was carried out by His people. Other examples of lying: Numbers 25:1-13; Psalm 106:28-31; Joshua 2:1-24, Hebrews 11:31, and James 2:24-26 (Rahab); Joshua 8:1-29; Judges 4:1-9 13-22; Judges 5:24; Judges 7:16-22; Judges 16:4-20; 1 Samuel 16:1-ff; 1 Samuel 20:4-30; 1 Samuel 21:1-15; Matthew 12:1-6; 1 Samuel 22:9-23; 1 Samuel 27:7-13; 2 Samuel 15:13-17, 23-31; 2 Samuel 17:1-22; 2 Kings 8:7-15; 2 Chronicles 18:1-22; Ezekiel 14:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Jeremiah 38:14-28; John 7:1-10; Matthew 10:16-25. In WWII Corrie ten Boom lied about hiding Jews. The police and FBI lie when they go undercover. The man who videotaped Planned Parenthood harvesting baby body parts of live babies and Bible smugglers had to lie. Whatever you do, be innocent in your motives. It is very likely that we will be faced with situations similar to these in the future. Consider how you will handle it, follow the Spirit’s prompting in that moment, and do not criticize those who handle it differently than you did. Whatever you do, do it in faith.
Elementary Teaching- How to Hear God
Pastors Syd and Jen conducted the church service as a class of six-seven year olds in Children’s Church. They held the class in front of the congregation, teaching on hearing God through pictures.
Fasting
There was a communion service. Text: Matthew 6:1-6, 16; Matthew 17:19-21. Jesus taught us to be persistent in prayer. References to fasting: Daniel 9:3; Acts 10:30; Acts 13:1-3. In Matthew 6 Jesus taught people how to give to the poor, to pray, and to fast, by doing them in secret and God’s rewarding them. When trying to cast out a demon in a boy, the disciples discovered that they needed to fast and pray to get rid of their unbelief. Jesus lived a fasted and prayer life. There are many kinds of fasts. The purpose of fasting is to affect you and to provide for spending time with the Lord. It means you can do something with the Lord. It does NOT give you more authority or power. It gives you the ability to say “no” to your flesh. Being S(s)pirit-led means your flesh is not your decider. The more you do something, the easier it gets to yield to it. We can become more spirit-led. The answer to fleshiness is to serve others (Mark 9:33-35). Fasting is a form of self-humbling (Psalm 35:13). The humble get the grace. Fasting is so that you serve others and do the work of the kingdom. Comfort zones are deadly. Show your flesh that it is not the boss (Isaiah 58:1-14). Seek God’s kingdom. Be ready for service (Luke12:31-38). Fasting will help you pray according to His will. Pastor Syd encouraged everyone to fast up to the election. His prayer requests were: 1) Pray for the Lord’s direction for church planting in Virginia and Connecticut (A word was given for houses, buildings, and arenas.); 2) Pray for doors to open and supernatural connections; 3) Pray for financial provision to plant churches (buildings and an airplane); 4) Pray for revival in our own church and our own lives; 5) Pray for an awakening of evangelism in our church and our personal lives. Pastor Syd shared about the purchase of an airplane.
Love Endures Long- Walking In Love
Enjoy life. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. We owe love to one another. The commandments are all based and fulfilled in love. Matthew 24 tells us to see that our hearts are not troubled. Deny the situation the right to steal your joy. Believe in and love on people. Text: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Love endures long. Walking in love is not jealous. You want the other person to do better. Jealousy is not the problem; it is a love problem. Verse 5: God’s love does not insist on its own rights or its own way. Concerning marriage, love your enemies! The answer is to fix you, and walk in the love of God. Smith Wigglesworth was saved because of his wife’s love of God and him. Love caused Apostle Dale to go to a church in New Jersey to minister, which was a great experience. Love establishes you. Love does not say, “What about me?” It is not self-seeking. Love is the way life works. In 1 Corinthians 13, put your name in place of the word “love.” Faith works by love. When you ask the Father to forgive you, He deletes the sin (Isaiah 43:25). Love brings you to a place of victory. Verse 6: Love speaks the truth. Verse 7: Love finds the good in the other person. Do not let circumstances take your hope and joy. Something good is going to happen to you today. Find someone and bless them. Verse 8: Love never fails! Say: (My name) never fails! There is no fear here (1 John 4:17-21). Live in the light of eternity. You do not need to cast out fear. You need to walk in love. Walk in victory. What you do to others, you do unto Jesus. Love never fails.
Believing The Good Plan
Text: Jeremiah 29:11; 1-32. Jeremiah was writing this text to people who had lost everything and were living in a foreign country. He wrote a letter which is recorded in 29:4-14. God took ownership of their deportation to Babylon. He told the people to multiply and to pray for the place where they were to thrive, and then they would thrive, too. Pray for your workplace. God told them they would be there for seventy years. They were to plant, marry, have children, and pursue the welfare of the city: prosperity, abundance, and peace. Put others first. God said that His purpose for them was to give them a future and a hope, when it looked hopeless. Daniel found the words of what to do when the seventy years were done, and that was to fast and pray (Daniel 9:1-2). Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). He will surely do Jeremiah 29:11 for us because of His redemption. He is over every ruler and authority. He erased the certificate of debt with its obligations (Colossians 2:9-10). We are redeemed from the self-inflicted curses, when we repent. All blessings will come and overtake you because you obey the Lord (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). He will bless everything you do. The Spirit of God did not live in the Jews during this time, and yet He called them holy. Condemnation is a curse. The Lord keeps His promises. The blessings of the Lord are the plans and future of the Lord (even in evil times). Be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor (Ephesians 6:10-19). Feed on God’s promises. Pastor Syd encouraged us to pray for one another by name in the Spirit and in English.
1st Love and Intimacy
Scripture texts: Mark 14:1-9; John 11. Pastor Jake Kail preaches on a place of intimacy with God, a first love, in worship and prayer and intercession with a life perspective of eternity. Religion loves the concept and laws of God but rejects God Himself. The Pharisees rejected and hated the Spirit of God. Mary’s anointing Jesus with the expensive fragrant oil before His death was considered by some to be a waste. Jesus refuted that by saying that what she was doing was a good work and would be remembered as a memorial, which it is to this day. Mary was the same woman who prayed when her brother, Lazarus, died, and her prayer was answered. Martha, her sister, was worried about many things. Mary had a first love devotion to Jesus. The devil will get you distracted by serving if he cannot get you into sin. Ministry is not to take the place of intimacy with God. Mary had a posture of devotion to Jesus and the right priority. Prayer depends on the person who is praying. Prayer that brings resurrection comes out of devotion and worship to Jesus. Mary broke the flask of perfume. It was costly, and some thought of it as waste. The lukewarm and complacent church asks, “Why the waste?” Radical commitment upsets the religious. Are we willing to live our lives in such a way that others look at us as if we have gone over the edge? We are not to live as the world. Mary had a clear revelation of who Jesus was. Our love comes as a response of His love. Many people want the good things Jesus can do, but they do not want Jesus. Do not allow the criticism of others to lower your standard of devotion to God. Choose Jesus first, because He is worthy. Wanting Jesus comes out of a revelation of the reality of eternity, eternal things. Mary’s act is still being told. The world is being built on the present, but we should live in the light of eternity. Have an eternal perspective. James 4:13-14. Your life is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Are you living today for what will matter then? Life here is prep for eternity. Allow your work to turn into worship with eternity in mind. Ask yourself: Is what I am spending so much time on going to matter years from now? Get into the secret place to be with Him. A great awakening is needed for our country. Revival comes through the prayers of people who are fully devoted to Jesus. Eternal things come to the forefront, and then God shows up. People and cities are swept into the kingdom of God. It is a glimpse of eternity. There are intercessors behind every revival. Be drawn into a deeper place. Say “yes” to break the flask. There was time given to prayer and intercession.
Romans – part 7
Pastor Syd opened his sermon on Romans 8:17-39 by reading Ephesians 1:3-2:10. He explained about our redemption and predestination to be adopted, but it is dependent on our receiving it. Romans 8:18 reveals that there will be sufferings as a believer. Other Scriptures confirming that are: 1 Peter 4:12-14; Acts 14:22; John 16:33. There is a glorification coming as we will be like Jesus (1 John 3:1-2; 2 Corinthians 4:17). Your spirit is redeemed, but your soul and body are not. Ask yourself: Is what I am dealing with that will matter in ten years? To eagerly wait with anticipation is like stretching your neck forward (Romans 8:19). The earth is in a state of decay (8:21-22). There will be a new heaven and earth (2 Peter 3:13; Isaiah 11:6-9). There was a fear of man for the animals after Noah and the flood. We have a down-payment for our bodies’ redemption, and we will have a glorious body (Philippians 3:21). Hope, which is confident expectation, produces patience (8:23-24). You do not hope for what you already have. The Spirit helps us in our weakness by interceding for us, but really it is Jesus Christ who intercedes for us (8:26-27, 34; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1). The Spirit of Christ within you will know how to pray. God is NOT the one doing accidents. All things are working for good considering: 1) you are praying in the Spirit, 2) you love God, and 3) you are called according to His purpose. God is NOT in control of everything, although He is sovereign. Pastor Syd gave the example of being sovereign over his children’s bedrooms but not being totally in control of them. Why should you be guilty of sin if God made you that way? He is not in control of you. It is not His will that people die, but they do. Foreknowing is knowing beforehand (8:29-30). We are predestined, called, justified, and glorified, but not everybody fulfills their destiny. Paul asks rhetorical questions (8:31-35). Romans 8:36 is taken from a negative Psalm 44. Romans 8:37 refutes that verse in Psalms by emphatically saying, “NO!” We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. He mentions all kinds of things that cannot keep God’s love from us, but he does not mention the past, because it does not exist (8:38-39). The Spirit of God lives in me. 2 Peter 1:3-8, 11. Everything you need, you have the right to and is available to you.
Romans – part 6
Pastor Syd continues his series on the book of Romans by teaching on Romans 8:1-17. Romans eight is like the climax of the previous chapters and is the answer to Romans seven’s conflict of soul and body. Paul uses the word “spirit” or “Spirit” twenty-two times in chapter eight. There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Condemnation means an adverse sentence or verdict. It is like a condemned building which is unfit for use and ought to be destroyed. Do not condemn yourself or listen to condemnation from others, or the enemy will build on that. Tell the devil and those feelings to get out. You must be in Christ Jesus. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made you free from the law of sin and death. Condemnation comes with the law of sin and death, and it brings defeat. He Spirit of Christ is the reborn spirit in you. He is preparing you for the new heaven and new earth. Is your mind set on the things of the Spirit? If you have thoughts of death, examine your mindset, because you are living in the flesh. Life and peace can be your mindset, if you are in the Spirit. Your flesh will die, but your body will be upgraded. Living in the flesh is hostile to God and cannot please God. You are in the Spirit if the Spirit of God lives in you. The Spirit gives life because of the righteousness of what Jesus did. Those who are led by God’s Spirit are the sons of God. The law revealed the natural slavery of sin and your need for a Savior. The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Colossians 3:15. The Spirit is the umpire of our peace. Invite the author of the Word when you read it, and the Bible will speak to you. The Spirit also leads you with your inward spirit. If you have a decision to make, make it based on whether you have a spirit of peace. Pay attention to it! Listen for God in the right place at the right time. Do not put out fleeces, which open you up to deception! The Spirit of God resides in you. God may lead you by giving you a picture, or by knowing a Scripture, or by repeating the voice of someone you know. He is bringing it to your remembrance. NEVER VIOLATE PEACE! 1 John 5:10; 1 John 3:24. Say no to condemnation. Be an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ.
Romans – part 5
Text: Romans 6:21-8:17. Romans 7 and 13 are probably the most misunderstood chapters in Romans. Romans 7 is about living by the law, being “married” to the law, which is “sin unmasked.” The law reveals what sin has been there all along. Genesis 4:6-7. Living by the flesh and the law cannot save you. It is possible, but not good, for a saved person to be living under the law. If you are born again, you are crucified with Christ and should be living by faith. Romans 7:14-24 is not an excuse to live by sin. We are to live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:13-22). If you live and walk by and in the Spirit, you will not do the things of the flesh. Your flesh and your soul did not get saved. You renew your mind and live in the Spirit realm. There is now no condemnation, no judgment for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). The law of the Spirit of life and peace has set you free from the law of sin and death. If your mind is set on the Spirit, you will walk and live by the Spirit. To fight the flesh, speak out loud the things you want to think. Those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. We are children and heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Pastor Syd asked the congregation to pray for their revelation to see truth in the book of Romans and for him to explain it clearly. [He answered a question about voting, and two ladies shared their visions during prayer.]
Romans – part 4
[Romans 5:12 to 6:23] Death for all came through Adam, but life for all comes through Jesus Christ. The grace of God is God’s coming to help you do something you could not do on your own. It is a gift. It is His empowering you. The original sin changed the DNA of the human race, introducing spiritual death. We can reign in life and walk in faith and victory. Kings reign by giving orders that come from authority and responsibility. Choose to walk in Christ’s authority by opening your mouth and declaring the Word over yourself. Get back up when you get down by speaking who you are in Christ. Reign with your mouth. Speak to what is causing you to fall down. It has to go! The Lord is the Enforcer. (James 4:7) Reigning in life is now. There is only one sin that the blood of Jesus will not cleanse: the unpardonable sin, which means that you are out of reach of the Holy Spirit, a person who is completely withdrawn from the Spirit. As long as you have that draw, you have not committed the unpardonable sin. Paul makes sure that grace does not give permission to sin. Being immersed in Jesus Christ and His Spirit means being buried into His death and raised with Him, so we can walk in a new way of life. Our old man was crucified with Him (Galatians 2:20). Christ lives in us. We are spirit beings, have a soul, and live in an earth suit. The spirit needs to be born again and the soul renewed by the truth of the Word. (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10) To be sanctified you need to renew your mind by the Word. Live and walk free from sin. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Do not let sin reign in your body, but use it for righteousness. You are not a victim of flesh and corruption. Temptation is not a sin. Satan tries to accuse and condemn you, whereas the Holy Spirit invites, convicts, and convinces you toward God. You sin when you make his thoughts, yours. (1 John 5:3-4) Love God. Keep His commands. Conquer the world by your faith and the Word. Grace gives us the ability to not sin. What you obey, you become a slave to. When you disobey, you open the door to Satan. Obey from the heart (Isaiah 1:19). Be sold out to righteousness, set apart for holiness. The outcome is eternal life. The pay of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Be a slave to the Holy One. Reign in life, eternal life.
Undivided Devotion
Worship is honoring God. There are hindrances to worship. Show up on time. Cell phones are a distraction to focusing on God. Worshiping God is not like sitting and watching TV for hours. We are to lay aside every weight and sin and run the race (Hebrews 12:1). Lay aside what is on your mind. Anything that demands more of your attention is a god. Make God first. Jon shared about ripping a wooden idol off an Indian man’s neck and how he was set free. Get rid of your gods. What do you bring to church? There is a weightiness to worship, but the enemy brings counterfeits. We please God in our worship with our faith. Believe Him in the songs you sing and diligently seek Him. Look for opportunities to be with people in everyday evangelism. If what you wear causes people to think of something else, it is not a good thing. Am I a distraction to worship? There is a courtship with God, an atmosphere of romance. Reverence God. True worship costs you something- your time, effort, or money. Engage in worship with clapping, dancing, and rejoicing. Romans 12:1. Another definition of worship is your reasonable service, like the woman with the alabaster flask. Be a fool for God. You are peculiar because you praise God. What are you meditating on (Philippians 4:8)? Keep your heart with all diligence. Choose life. Our motive for worship is loving God. Surrender your heart, and walk in the Spirit. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Where do you live? Where is your dwelling place (Psalm 91)? Are you stepping out of the Spirit? Jon shared about getting a word of knowledge for a couple at Mardi Gras. Your assignment is to worship like you never did before.