Josh Yoder read a word that the Lord gave him, and then he expounded on it. God wants intimacy with us. There should be a longing, a passion, a desire in us for Him. We might learn and perform good “dance steps”, but if we don’t have the passion with joy, it is just like good works. God’s heart is for His people to be as free as He is. Let ever increasing revelation come to each Scripture. A revelation makes you vulnerable to it. Read John 3:16, 17. Give yourself as Jesus gave Himself. Don’t jump off the altar when the fire gets hot. You can come out with victory. God will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death. We are to help and give water to those in the dry places and help those in the wilderness. When you plateau, you wither and are thrown in the fire (John 15). Judgment is grace. God judged Jesus so we can have grace. Judge yourself. Prune off the dead. Are you and do you stay fired up? Dry times are your fault, not God’s. If entertainment is filling you, it’s wrong. Relaxation is from the Lord. You can get dry if you’re putting other things in. It’s like giving salt to an already thirsty person. We are only fed by the Word of God. Do something to keep yourself awake. Get the Word into you. The Word must be in quality, along with love and works. James 2:17 says that faith without works is dead. A good dancer may have good steps, but an elite dancer does the steps with passion. In James 2:18-26 Abraham’s faith was backed up with good works. What you connect to, you act with and build on. 2 Corinthians 3:6 says that the letter of the law kills. You must have the Spirit and the Word. You need intimacy with God. Don’t allow questions to ruin your foundation. Seek God and the result will be the revealed Word. You attraction is based on your desires. What do you desire? Delight in the Lord. Bend yourself toward Him. Stretching is painful. Getting in the Word can be like stretching. Get closer to the Lord. How do we flex the Word when we are in tragedy? Moving in love in the dance is love. We know in part. We are beginning to know who we are in Christ. It comes through intimacy. The Holy Spirit guides us through the things of God. What are ears to hear? Our spiritual ears work only in an atmosphere of love.
Good Steps or Intimacy
Making Covenant with the Lord and Each Other
How should you find a spouse? Seek the Lord first, and then He will show you or lead you to His choice for a spouse. You make a covenant when you set yourself apart to God. Hebrews 11:6 tells us to draw near to God, seek Him, believe that He exists, and believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He rewards our seeking Him and our drawing near to Him. Faith pleases Him. We get faith by hearing and hearing by the Word. Proverbs 18:22 says that he who finds a good wife finds a good thing, and he obtains favor from the Lord. Seek God and then the blessings come, but do not seek Him just for the blessings. Make God your number one priority. Seek the Lord, and you will not lack any good thing (Psalm 34:10). As you get closer to God, you are getting closer to your future spouse. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). If you abide in God, He will abide in you; you shall ask whatever you desire, and it shall be done for you (John 15:7). Matthew 6:33 commands us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these other things will be provided. God spoke a blessing over Israel and to us, that His plans for us are to give us a future and a hope, but we must seek Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:10-14). [There was a service of covenant and communion for singles and then for married couples.]
Marriage and Divorce: Legal Covenant – Oct 18
The Pharisees asked Jesus if it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason (Matthew 19:3-12). God’s plan is that a male and female leave their parents and be joined together. Jesus said that what God has joined together must not be separated. Moses said that a man may not remarry his wife, if she has married another in between. Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of their hearts. When you divorce, you are in your own plan, not God’s. Jesus said the only exception for divorce is sexual immorality (Matthew 19:9). Paul wished that all men would be unmarried (1 Corinthians 7:6-16). Your marital status does not indicate your spiritual status. The Lord commands that a wife is not to leave her husband. If she does leave him, she is not to remarry or be reconciled to her husband. A husband is not to divorce his wife. Paul said that a believer should stay with an unbelieving wife, if she is willing to live with him, and not to divorce her (or vice versa wife for husband). The believing spouse is set apart by the believing spouse. You are still in oneness, and there is still an open door to the spouse. God has a covenant with the believer. Submit your life to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:27, 28 tell us to not seek to be loosed from a wife. Married people have trouble in the flesh. If you are looking for a loophole to get out of marriage, you are like a Pharisee. The sin of divorce is forgivable. Repent and live in the new covenant. While talking to the Samaritan woman, Jesus recognized the five marriages she had had (John 4:17-19). A wife is bound to her husband as long as her husband lives (1 Corinthians 7:39, 40). In Genesis 15 after Abram rescued people from Sodom and Gomorrah, God made a blood covenant with him that he would inherit the land and have many descendants. He and Sarai took things into their own hands and caused an Ishmael. God reestablished His covenant with Abram, changed his name to Abraham, told him he would be the father of many nations, and renamed him Abraham with a blood covenant. God renewed His covenant with Israel, whom He considered as His wife (Exodus 24:1-18). Throughout the Old Testament, such as in Jeremiah and Isaiah, God was angered by Israel’s adultery against Him. When Moses was on the Mt. Sinai for forty days, with smoke and fire coming from the mountain, he received the two stone tablets (Exodus 24-31). The words of the covenant were called The Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). The people had corrupted themselves, while Moses was up on the mountain (Exodus 32:7). Moses (a type of Christ), interceded for God’s people and reminded God of His covenant with the Israelites, and God relented (Exodus 32:7-14). Why did God change during this “melt-down marriage” problem with Israel? It was because of His covenant with them. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Husbands, walk in the ministry of reconciliation. We are reconciled to Him because of the New Covenant. Baby dedication and offering message is placed after the message.
Go in the Name of Jesus
Text: John 4. As a result of the testimony of the “woman at the well” in Samaria, many believed, heard Jesus, and believed in Him. Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. Jesus’ name is to be glorified, not our own. God can use us to change those around us. He has a plan and sees great things for each one of us. He saw a great plan for Abram and named him Abraham, the father of many nations, when he and his wife were childless. He is looking for one person who will say “yes” to Him. Who is willing to go? Who is willing to deny himself? Today the church is compromising the truth. Some preachers will not say “Jesus” in public, because they are ashamed of the name of Jesus Christ. Paul, and we, must suffer for His name’s sake. Acts 4:17 tells about a time when the early church disciples were forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus. Why? Salvation is in the name of Jesus. Healing is in the name of Jesus. We should not be ashamed of the name of Jesus, the Anointed One. Jesus is coming back to take His beloved ones who are reigning. Let’s be witnesses everywhere and use every opportunity (Acts 1:8). We are witnesses and light. Without us there is darkness. Being a witness is our primary calling. Jesus was compelled by the Holy Spirit to go through Samaria. It was a divine appointment. We must be willing to go, even if we do not want to go. If we obey, we will see His mighty hand. Pastor Demeke told of a successful man in Canada who was called to go back to a remote area of Ethiopia. There was no clean water, cars, or bikes, but there were demonic forces there. He joined a society to help the people, living with and like the people there. The whole community came to the Lord, and they prospered. If Jesus can find one person who is willing, he/she can change the world. The well where the unnamed woman was in John 4 was Jacob’s well that he gave to his son, Joseph. It was a gift. Jesus came to the gift (the well) as the gift. In John 4:10 He said that He was the gift of God. Jesus broke the unspoken rules: Jews did not associate with Samaritans. The unnamed woman had hurdles she had to deal with in order to enter Jesus’ fullness. Her manmade boxes were: 1) her race; 2) she did not like men; 3) religion and her belief; and 4) sin. Before we can worship God, we need to deal with our barriers. He told her that we are to worship in spirit and truth. We know that sin has no power when we encounter Jesus. How did Jesus get into her heart? He asked her to give Him a drink. Jesus was saying, “I need you. I am willing to drink from your cup. I want to commune with you. You are important to Me.” That opened her up to Him. He won her with His love. We should be willing to drink from the same cup as others. Salvation is the well of water into everlasting life, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit brings living rivers out of us. We should not be satisfied with what the world gives.
Holiness- Wholly for God
Marriage is to reflect Christ and the Church. We are to be set apart for and to God. Proverbs 18:22 says that the man who finds a wife finds a good thing. Psalm 34:10 says that those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. If you are looking for a good wife, first seek the Lord. A video with John Bevere being interviewed with Sheila Walsh and Randy Robison about John’s book, Good or God? was shown. Have we replaced good for our relationship with God? Jesus is coming back for a holy church. The angels cry out, “Holy, holy, holy!” Holiness means that we are set apart to be completely His. Pursue holiness and chase after it. There are two aspects of holiness. One is positional, as seen in Ephesians one. He chose us to be holy and without blame before Him in love. The second aspect is behavioral. We either act like the world or behave like Jesus. We have been created for intimacy with God. We draw near to Him because we love Him, not because we want something from Him. James 4:5 tells us that the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously. God is a jealous God. He is jealous for you. God wants our whole heart. To want or have the world in any part of you is adultery against God. A person can change when he or she is in the presence of God.
Marriage: Getting and Staying Out of Strife – Sept 27
(There was a word given.) God made them male and female, so that they could become one flesh as husband and wife (Matthew 19:4-6). We are to reflect Christ and His Church in our marriage, which is why Satan hates it. We are not to separate a-God-joined marriage or other relationships. Pastor Syd gave the example of Abram and Lot. Any home or city divided against itself will not stand (Matthew 12:25), so Satan tries to bring division. We are to love our neighbor, which includes our spouse (Galatians 5:13, 14). If you devour one another, you will be consumed by one another. Where there is strife, there is every evil work. Unity in your marriage is your strong man. It is how you walk together, even if you disagree. If you walk in love with your family, you can walk in love with anyone. James 3 tells about the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 states that life and death are in the power of the tongue. There are three keys to victory using your speech. 1) Love: never quits; 2) Faith: all things are possible to him who believes. Do not release death. Change the words of your mouth by saying what God says about the situation; 3) Release God’s truth. Speak it. Speak God’s truth in love and faith. The four things to be Spirit-led (the rules for speaking): 1) If I say … (Proverbs 10:19; James 1:19; Proverbs 13:3; 2) What you say (Ephesians 4:29); 3) When you say it (Proverbs 30:32, 33; Proverbs 25:11); 4) How you say it (Proverbs 15:1; 16:21). God brought us out of the fire and water to a place of rich fulfillment (Psalm 66:12). Peace is the manifest presence of God, and strife is the manifest presence of Satan. You do not have to speak how you feel when you are with your spouse in a time of disagreement. Pride tells and demands. Speak God’s truth into your marriage, so you give Him an open door to your spouse’s life. Declare the Word of the Lord. Truth is eternal, but facts can change.
Trust in the Lord – Sept 20
Texts: 2 Corinthians 5:7 and Proverbs 3:5, 6. We are to walk by faith, not by sight, and to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding. [Apostle Dale had a word for Jon Fike.] There is the role of the heart and the role of our understanding, and sometimes they conflict. We do not ignore the understanding, but we must factor in God and what He says. Which do you go with – your heart or your understanding (mind)? You can always trust in the Lord with all your heart. Knowledge can lead to pride. Understanding needs to submit to faith. James 4:13, 14. You do not know what tomorrow holds, but you can live according to God’s will. Apostle Dale told of how he started the church here in Lancaster, and how if he had chosen what seemed to make more sense, it would hindered him in what he is doing now. Obey God. Following God’s will brings grace, favor, and freedom. God wants us to do something specifically for Him. He puts desires in us. Acknowledge Him in all your ways. Apostle Dale told of divine connections in the Ukraine. God has a plan for you. Understanding can either bless or hinder your faith. Romans 12:1, 2 tell us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and not to be conformed to this world. We should be a people who listen, follow, and obey God more than following our understanding. God will use you wherever you go. See the simplicity of your lives and acknowledge God in all your ways.
Times and Seasons
The Holy Spirit shows us things to come. Pray for the eyes of the Muslims to be opened and for workers to be sent to minister and witness of the Gospel to the refugees, wherever they go. Pray for your neighbors and our cities. Be a witness. Are you willing to be used by God? Text: Acts 1:3-8. The disciples were to wait for the immersion, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had gone from disappointment to joy when they saw Him after His death and burial. They expected Him to physically restore the kingdom of God to Israel. It is not for us to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. There are many pieces of the puzzle of the times we are in, but the important thing is DO NOT GET INTO FEAR! GET INTO PREPARATION, and do not let the enemy in by being in fear. Ask God how you should get ready to be prepared. Jesus told the disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit had come upon them. What was the reason for needing the power? It was (and is for us) so that they would be witnesses of Jesus Christ locally and around the world. What is your witness? It is what you have experienced of Jesus’ working in your life. When you witness, the power will go from you into the ones you are witnessing to. Make an agreement that you will operate in His power. Be bold. Boldness is a manifestation of His power. He can reveal Himself to others through you. The power will meet you as you step out.
Marriage – Trouble in the Flesh
Pre-sermon notes: Words of edification, exhortation, and comfort, revelations, and a message in song were given by members of the church. The theme of the words was to walk in love, not to fear, and to be comforters of our land, because we have true love and the true Comforter. Offering message: Jesus gave boat-sinking increase to Peter. God’s goodness leads us to repentance. His goodness to you is showing His love to you. We are humbled by His goodness. Sermon message: Matthew 12:25-29 states that no city or house (family) which is divided against itself can stand or survive. God releases great power through a married couple’s unity, but there is an enemy of that unity. The devil cannot break your marriage. Only you can do that, but Satan will try to bring strife and division and present opportunities for you to be selfish. The devil must first bind up the strongman before he can plunder you. What is the strongman of your marriage? It is the unity of the two of you. In 1 Corinthians 7:28 we are told that married people will have trouble in the flesh. When you marry, you become one flesh, not one spirit. The flesh realm is where there is selfishness with the possible result of divorce. If you walk in love in your home, you can walk in love anywhere. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). Most problems in a marriage stem from selfishness and from the words we speak to each other. The words we speak can release victory if we speak with: 1) love, 2) faith, and 3) truth (the Word of God). Love never fails means that love never ends, stops, or gives up. God brings us out to rich fulfillment (Psalm 66:12), and this can be true of your marriage.
Marriage – Unity and Power
Pre-sermon notes: When the Israelites became unthankful, snakes were biting people. God told Moses to make a brass (judgment) serpent on a pole, and if the people looked on it, they would be healed, similar to Jesus taking our sin by hanging on the cross. How much of the blood of Jesus did it take to forgive your sin? It took all of it. Jesus paid the debt. He gave His all to save and to keep us. May we have a greater understanding of the length Jesus Christ went to, to save us. A testimony is the result of overcoming a test. A great need is an opportunity for a great miracle. Do not confuse laziness with faith. Sermon: In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul tells us that the believer should stay with an unbelieving spouse so the other one is sanctified (set apart unto God). The believer becomes the open door for the Lord to keep knocking on the spouse’s heart door. The purpose of marriage is to have and raise godly children. It is NOT to make you happy, fulfilled, or contented. Marriage actually multiplies your problems, because you have to think about the other person, and you cannot be selfish. If you think marriage will make you happy, after a while you will become bitter and hate your spouse. The only sure cure for your life is your relationship with God. In Genesis 2, we are told that God created Eve to help Adam. (See Ecclesiastes 4:9.) Another main reason God created marriage was so that He could release power through the unity of the husband and wife. There is a lot more strength in two becoming one flesh in a marriage. One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight. Genesis 11 tells about negative unity when the people tried to build the Tower of Babel. God said that nothing they plan to do would be impossible. The authority and power of a husband and wife is why Satan tries so hard to break the unity of marriage. Psalm 133 compares unity with the anointing of God. (Also Matthew 18:18-20.) Out of unity comes authority and dominion.A purpose of marriage is for unity and power to multiply our effectiveness.
The Hope of Glory
What does it mean to be family? It is caring for each other, loving, checking in with one another, showing hospitality. When someone is grieving, we mourn with them. We know that the person who has passed into heaven is gain, but those left here deal with grief for a time. God is the God of all comfort: Isaiah 61:1-3 and 2 Corinthians 1:3-6. Christ died for our sins. It is because of His resurrection that we know we will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15). We will leave this earth and body of corruption and mortality, and it will come to pass, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” Death is an enemy. Jesus and our loved ones who are born-again are in our future (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We can know that we will have the hope of eternity with Jesus and God if we confess and believe, making Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives (Romans 8:8-10). Make Jesus not just your Savior, but also your Lord.
Youth Trip to Peru; In God’s Presence
The youth did a skit to demonstrate Jesus’ saving power, and then they shared their testimonies of how the mission trip to Peru changed them. Chester and Samantha Petersheim preached about engaging God by getting into His presence. Moses, Noah, Paul, Peter, Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego all experienced the presence of God. When we engage God, He can give us dreams, directions, healing, deliverance, prophecy, love, freedom, peace, grace, strength, protection, and more. Know God. Encounter His presence and see what will happen.
Be Transformed by Meditating in the Word of God – Aug 9
Second Timothy 3:12-17 begins by stating that all who live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The world is getting darker with deception, but as the dark gets darker, the light gets brighter. Hard times can show you the true value of hope. People are realizing that society has failed. We need to go to the foundation of the Scriptures. Scripture is profitable. There is a profit factor in spending time in the Word: joy, victory, and blessings. It is profitable for doctrine (teaching which way to go), for reproof (when you get off the road), for correction (to get you back on the road), and for instruction in righteousness (to stay on the road). When you reach you destiny, you should be prepared for it (2 Timothy 3:17). The Bible is transformational. It will change who you are. Life may scar you, but there is something more transformational in your life than your experiences. The Word of God is personally transformational. Apostle Dale told of a man who broke his back, lost his job, had no insurance, and experienced his finance breaking up with him, but when the Word of God took root in him, he came into victory. Some people’s hearts have been scarred. They feel trapped and in fear. Even more powerful than negative experiences is the power of God’s Word and the New Birth. Apostle Dale also told of a former abused child who became a Hell’s Angel. He was gloriously saved, but he felt like something still needed to be fixed. His soul, his emotions and mind, needed to be renewed with the Word. Romans 12:1 and 2 tell about the renewing of the mind, which brings about a metamorphosis. People should not intimidate you. You are a child of the King. Joshua 1:5-8 tells us to be strong and of good courage. You will experience every promise that is coming to you. All the commandments are fulfilled in one word – love. Good success and prosperity come after meditating in the Word. Come face to face with God’s Word day and night. It will transform you. How you respond brings transformation. Be scarred the right way and do what is right. Meditate in the Word. Meditation comes before giving. Second Timothy3:17 says that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. First, become a man of God, and then you can experience success. Transformation is on a personal level before circumstances change. Meditate on the Word of God so it can transform you.
Are You at Your There
(We declared the manifest presence, power, and goodness of our Lord and God over those people and jobs that impact our lives.) In 1 Kings 17:1-4 Elijah boldly said to the king of Israel that there would not be dew or rain except at his word. When we have the Word in us, we need to be powerful to speak it out as God’s Word. God promised to feed Elijah with ravens, because He had commanded the ravens, and to supply water for him by the Brook Cherith. If you are not willing to obey what God has already told you, he will not give you any more responsibility. Have you done what He has already told you to do? 1) Believe the Word of God. 2) Trust that God has your best interest in mind. 3) Provision is not necessarily where you are. It is where He has told you to be. Jay shared a testimony of the Lord’s preparing him to sell his business when it looked like the church (in Colorado) was so small and unable to support him. In order to walk on the water, you need to step out of your boat. To get a miracle, you have to be in a tight fix. Be obedient to the Lord. Every blessing carries a responsibility. Be at your “there”. If you are not, you will not be sustained. Face things. Obedience matters. When you hear something that does not line up with the Word, do not receive it. Let the boldness that is in you come out of you. Are you at your there? There is where your provision is.08.02.15 Sunday AM Jay Stoltzfus “Are You at Your ‘There’?”
(We declared the manifest presence, power, and goodness of our Lord and God over those people and jobs that impact our lives.) In 1 Kings 17:1-4 Elijah boldly said to the king of Israel that there would not be dew or rain except at his word. When we have the Word in us, we need to be powerful to speak it out as God’s Word. God promised to feed Elijah with ravens, because He had commanded the ravens, and to supply water for him by the Brook Cherith. If you are not willing to obey what God has already told you, he will not give you any more responsibility. Have you done what He has already told you to do? 1) Believe the Word of God. 2) Trust that God has your best interest in mind. 3) Provision is not necessarily where you are. It is where He has told you to be. Jay shared a testimony of the Lord’s preparing him to sell his business when it looked like the church (in Colorado) was so small and unable to support him. In order to walk on the water, you need to step out of your boat. To get a miracle, you have to be in a tight fix. Be obedient to the Lord. Every blessing carries a responsibility. Be at your “there”. If you are not, you will not be sustained. Face things. Obedience matters. When you hear something that does not line up with the Word, do not receive it. Let the boldness that is in you come out of you. Are you at your there? There is where your provision is.
Why Marry – July 26
Sermon: Romans 12:1, 2 tells us to be transformed continuously. God created marriage and His manual for it, the Bible. Why should a couple get married? A piece of paper does not make or break a marriage, since it is just a legal document with the state. Marriage is a public commitment and covenant with God. It is a covenant of oneness. What is the purpose of marriage? It is for reproduction and to raise godly children (Malachi 2:13-15). The world sees and experiences broken homes, which distorts their view of marriage. Marriage is NOT to make you happy (1 Corinthians 7:39, 40). The Apostle Paul’s thoughts were that you would be happier if you remained single. Marriage is NOT to keep you from being lonely. If your spouse does not meet your needs according to your expectations, you separate from your spouse and eventually from God. When man was sinless, before The Fall, God told Adam that it was not good for man to be alone. Wrong expectations and demands bring disappointment. Any problem you had before you were married are amplified after you are married. Marriage cannot substitute what God is meant to fulfill. A husband and wife are two spirits but one flesh (Genesis 1:18-24). Offering message: God established the law of sowing and reaping in Genesis 1:29. His plan was to bring multiplication to the earth through Adam and Eve. God is “I Am”, the God of increase, and when we give to Him, we can apply the law of sowing and reaping to our finances.
Marriage and Submission to God – July 19
Text: James 4:6, 7, 10. When you submit in marriage and in other relationships, God’s grace is released. Satan hates submission, because that was the area in which he fell. God’s grace makes it possible for us to walk in His plan. Submission is not agreement. You submit to someone else’s will when you do not agree with it. If we don’t submit to the one God has put us under, we will not submit to God. Who should submit to whom? We should submit our flesh to our born again spirit (1 Corinthians 9:27); children to their parents; the wife to her own husband; the younger to the elder (1 Peter 5:5); employees to employers (Titus 2:9, 10); and citizens to their governing authority (Romans 13). The head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God (1 Corinthians 11:3). It is not the husband’s job to make the wife submit. Your job is not to make the other spouse submit. The wife decides to submit. Ephesians 5:22-24 tells about the wife and 5:25-30 tells about the husband. Wives, submit to your own husband in everything. The husband’s role is to love his wife and to be constant. Her role is to submit to her husband, even if he is being ugly or mean. Your role is your role to the end of time. Colossians 3:18 tells the wife to submit to her own husband. Submission and obedience are not the same thing. Obey God. Peter submitted to the authorities, but he obeyed God when he was told to not preach in the name of Jesus. Marriage is a God-ordained relationship. Slaves are to submit to their masters, even if they are harsh (1 Peter 18-25). Submission brings grace. In the same way that slaves are to submit to their masters, so the wife is to submit to her own husband, even if he does not obey the word, so that those without the word, may be won by their wife’s conduct (1 Peter 3:1, 2). If your husband is abusive, and you can stay by faith, God’s grace will come to you. If you are not in faith, you may need to get out. A husband is to live with his wife with understanding, giving honor to his wife (1 Peter 3:7). Jesus became obedient to the point of death. Because He submitted, God gave Him grace (Philippians 2:8-15). Submit in your relationships. It allows God’s grace to work for you.
God Made Man in His Image – July 12
[Brother Cohn ministered under the anointing to an individual.] Praise puts a beautiful garment on you. God hides things for us, and the way to find them is to dig into the Word night and day. Then He can make our way prosperous, and then we can have good success. Even unbelievers can get results if they apply Biblical principles. The last great frontier is walking in the life of God every day. You can see God on people. Genesis 1:26-28 shows us that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit were in the creation of man. God turned to Jesus and the Holy Spirit when He said, “Let Us make man in our image.” We were made after God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and their image. In the Hebrew language this Scripture means that when God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit all came together, Jesus and the Holy Spirit got their instructions from the Father. They yielded to the Father. Image means representation. In Ephesians 5:1 we are told to be followers or imitators of God as dear children. We should imitate Him in everything. Be a creator by the words of your mouth. Create a new world. We can frame our world by our words. God made man to look, sound, act, create, and speak like God.
Marriage – Submission – July 5
Text: James 4:6-10. Submission is always your choice, because it cannot be forced on you. You choose to submit when you do not agree. The world thinks of submission in terms of bondage, but godly submission requires humility and opens the door for the person who is submitting to receive God’s grace. When we submit to God’s will, God tells us that He will lift us up. Satan did not submit to God, and he hates when we do, so he comes to steal the truth from us immediately. We are to submit to God and resist the devil. Satan wants to rob God’s grace (His power) from you by stealing your submission from you. Submission means under in rank, but not under in value. What is submission? 1) It is not agreement. 2) It is not easy. 3) It is not being forced. 4) It is not weakness. You have to be humble to submit. It is a safety net against deception. Who do we submit to? 1) To God. 2) To your own spirit. 3) Children to their parents. 4) Wives to their husbands. 5) Younger to the elder. 6) Employees to employers. 7) Citizens to civil leaders. (Pastor Syd cited Scriptures for each of these.) The time to not submit to authority is when the one over you directly goes against what the Word tells you. Philippians 2:8-15 says that Jesus humbled Himself by being obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. God exalted Jesus for His obedience and gave Him the name above all over names. When we submit to God, His grace can come to us.
Don’t Go to Church, Be the Church – June 28
Your faith can cause someone who is in unbelief to receive from God. You are the church. Do not let others’ unbelief stop you, but be bold and step out. You do not need a word from the Lord to pray and lay hands on someone. Have compassion. There is a world that needs Jesus. To fight for freedom is to fight to serve. Christ came to set you free. If you are free, you will not allow Satan to get to you. We are to re-present true love. Everything Jesus did was done in love. Homosexuality is a deceptive spirit. It comes out of wanting attention, rejection, as well as from other things. Our mission is to bring heaven to people. Jesus came to manifest glory to God. You fulfill God and are messengers of deliverance, love, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Live a life of love. To not rest is a sin. Jesus only did what God told Him to do. Be effective by having a relationship with the Father. He did the Father’s agenda. Do not be a slave to works, but spend time with the Father, loving Him above loving the work of the kingdom. Homosexuals do not know who they are but have a spirit of confusion. Matthew 5:11 tells us that living out the Beatitudes is persecution. If someone does not hate you, you are probably not representing Jesus. Satan tries to get you into self-pity. Loving Jesus strongly will bring persecution. Deliverance for the homosexual is a one-step process: JESUS! Matthew 5 leads to Matthew 6, which instructs us to pray, give, and fast in love. Treasure Jesus, and do not treasure the work of the kingdom, which is a works mentality and will not cause people to change. Walk in love and get yourself out of the way. Your needs are already met.
The Father’s Heart – June 21
(Marie shared her testimony.) Fathers, do not take the fight out of your strong-willed boys but direct them. We need men and boys with backbone. Have we forgotten what men are? Text: Revelation 12:7-11. Fight the right thing. God wants us to overcome – by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of our testimony, loving not ours lives unto death. Know what you are fighting for and against. The Ukrainians do not what they are fighting for, because they have not experienced it. They understand family, but they do not understand freedom. The fight needs to come back into the church. (Apostle Dale shared about a leader in the Armenian church who was killed in Syria a couple days ago.) What really matters? Revival will come when what is not important and is not of content goes. Catch the spirit to fight and go. Be tough. What is your concept of overcoming? Pray for all in authority. There is purpose in overcoming. Get rid of the apathy. A rebuke is spoken. The illegitimate child does not receive chastisement from the Lord, because He is not their Father. Overcoming is based on Jesus’ blood and by our using our mouths to say something. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. When we praise God, we set the stage for God to do it again.