Prophet Bob ministered an impartation to those who have an evangelistic call on their lives. Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19. We are blessed if we suffer reproach for the name of Christ. Verse 18 says “…the righteous one is saved with difficulty”. We must make a change in the compromising church in America. Judgment begins in the house of the Lord. We need to know Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:10). There are many who go by the broad way, but few take the narrow and difficult way to life (Matthew 7:13-20). There are many false prophets, and we need to know them by what they produce. The Word strongly states that every tree not bearing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Even people who have done wonders won’t be with Him, because they didn’t know Jesus Christ. We need to know God in order to know how to love others. Pray that the wicked things in you would be exposed. Let Him operate on you and know Him.
Preparation for His Presence Part 2
Preparation for His Presence Part 1: Being a Carrier of His Presence
Prophet Bob gave words for the church, and there was a tongue and interpretation with a song given. Sermon: 2 Tim. 3:1-5 tells of the danger of the last days. Sin is the problem, and we’re in a war against the powers of darkness. We should be wearing God’s armor, and Satan is under our feet. We need to allow God to search us intimately each day (Ps. 139:23-24), so that we can be in intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. Live a lifestyle of being saturated with His presence. We are to fear God; God will bring every work into judgment (Eccl. 12:13). The fight is our “crucifying ourselves”, judging ourselves, and getting rid of the judgment against others. God is preparing us to carry His presence to the nations, so we will have layers of our inner man peeled off as we have #1 the fear of the Lord, #2 walk in His love, and #3 walk in the Holy Spirit and power. We also have to judge ourselves whether we are in faith or not, if we are bearing proper fruits, and not disqualifying ourselves at the end (2 Cor. 13:5). Ask yourself: What am I doing? What are my thoughts and attitudes? What are my emotions, body, and mind doing? Examine yourself. Remember, you are a missionary wherever you go.
Two Years to Repentance
2 Chron. 7:14 tells the Body of Christ to humble themselves, seek God, and pray. God needs men to stand in the gap and pray (Ezekiel 22:23-31). Daniel prayed a prayer of repentance in Daniel 9:1-19. Repentance should start in the Church, not just for the wrong we’ve done, but for what we should do and don’t. God wants our obedience. When we come to worship and together, we must come with expectation in our spirits to give to God, to meet with Him, and with thanksgiving. Religion is anything that takes from or adds to the truth of the Word. We must believe the truth. In 2 Chron. 7:1-16 the glory of God filled the temple on its dedication day. Intercede for your family and this land. We have access to the throne of God and are kings and priests because of Jesus’ sacrifice. We need both the fear of God and the love of our Heavenly Father. There was a time of corporate and personal worship, repentance, and prayer.
Submission to Authority Part 2 – Training Your Children
(Steve Broich shared a testimony of forgiveness, and there was ministry for salvation and baptism in the Holy Spirit.) God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submission is voluntarily done by the person himself. Humility is submission under God’s authority. Do not talk like the devil, saying things like, “I am proud of …”, but talk like God: “I admire …, or “I honor …”, or “I am pleased with …”. Submit yourself to God in obedience. How do you make your children submit? Prov. 22:6; 13:24; 23:13-14; 22:15; Eph. 6:4 instruct how to train up children in the Lord. Training is not teaching and starts at infancy. When a child is able to crawl, he can learn “no”. The adult must be disciplined in order to discipline a child. The child is to submit to you, not the other way around. The child’s will is to be broken in order for him to be submitted. DON’T ABUSE! Do not tolerate lying and rebellion. Pastor Sydney goes through the order for discipline from making clear rules to restoring everyone involved after an incident. Training helps a child know there is a higher authority and to be led by the Holy Spirit, so they can be used in the Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God Part 9 (The Keys To The Kingdom)
Matt. 16:13-19 When Jesus told Peter that God revealed to him that Jesus is the Messiah, He said that Peter was a rock (like a piece of rock) and on the rock (the bedrock) He would build His Church. The bedrock is that Jesus is the Messiah. (Pastor Syd referred to Daniel 2:31-35, 44-46. God will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed.) Jesus gave us the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Keys are authority, and authority was given to Jesus and He gave it to us to go and make disciples. The keys are that we can bind and loose. In fact, it’s our responsibility to bind and to loose on earth (Matt. 16:18). Don’t pray for what you need to speak to. Jesus lived totally by faith, which is seeing things in the spiritual realm that you can’t see in the natural realm. Jesus used the keys of speaking, loosing, and binding. He did great works as a man by the anointing of God. Speak to the mountain. Declare what you need to declare, rather than asking the Father in prayer for what He has given you the authority to do. Use your authority. Operate with the keys. We are authorized to do even greater works than He did (John 14:12-13). Use His authority to do His will. Speak to your problem. Declare what should be in your body and circumstances.
Submission to Authority Part 1 – You Submit to God’s Authority
Giving to God is an act of worship and submission. James 4:6-8 gives strong advice: don’t be proud; submit to God; draw near to Him; purify your hearts; submit to Him; then resist the devil, and he will flee. God is good (James 1:16-17), so if there is stealing, killing, and destruction in your life, it’s of the devil. Gen. 1:26 God created man (Adam and Eve) to rule and have dominion (prevail against, tread over, take). We, too, are to rule and reign in life by Christ Jesus. The god of this world is Satan. Why? Adam chose to submit to the devil and to give his authority to Satan. When he tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:5-8), he had the authority to do so, because he held the authority. The devil is a master of shortcuts and leads to bondage to whomever will follow him. Temptation is not sin, but if you don’t make the thoughts of it come into obedience of Jesus Christ, the result is sin and death. BUT God raised Jesus from the dead, seated Him above all authority, put all things under His feet, and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church (Eph. 1:20-23). The one sacrifice for sin was offered forever. People get the wrong idea when they hear certain Bible terms, such as deliverance, prosperity, and submission. Find out who God is and who you are (Gal. 2:20). FIRST Submit to God- YOU DO IT! God doesn’t make us do it. Then resist the devil. Rom. 13:1 Authorities are instituted by God. There’s rank in demons, heaven, earth, the church. Keep rank (1 Chron. 12:3-38). There will be people over and under us. There’s freedom in submission. There is grace for your place. Study: 1 Cor. 15:23-28; Matt. 8:5-13.
The Joy of the Lord
Joy is not happiness. Happiness is grounded on the world and on the flesh, whereas joy is a condition of the spirit. The joy of the Lord is physical, spiritual, and emotional. It is a stronghold (done so repeatedly that you can’t get out of it) and gives you strength (Neh. 8:9-11). If you aren’t in joy, and you don’t speak up, the devil will take everything away from you. Joy works with faith. We start with expectancy, and then we can progress to hope, and then onto faith. Faith connects the natural with the supernatural. Faith is the perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses (Heb. 11:1-2). The joy of the Lord moves circumstances by faith such as in the life of Abraham (Rom. 4:17-21) and will cause you to walk in victory. Faith sees the end result. Rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4-7). Gentleness is strength and peace, which supplies understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Josh shares a testimony of joy and faith in his personal life and the victory over several serious diseases.
The Gifts of the Spirit
Before the sermon, Pastor Dale shared experiences of a former pastor who walked away from his salvation, even though he was miraculously delivered and filled with the Spirit. God doesn’t give up on us. Don’t give up on Him. Psalm 37: 18, 33. Focus on the next step and not the whole plan. God knows the days of the righteous, and their inheritance will be forever.
In 1 Cor. 12 Paul tells believers what we need to know about spiritual gifts. God wants to use each one of us differently and distributes the gifts as He wills, so listen to Him (He does speak to us !!!) and be led by His Spirit. When He speaks, the gifts are close, and be ready for more than one gift to be in operation. For example, a word of knowledge may be followed by the gift of healing. When He starts using you, don’t get so excited you stop the flow of the gifts after the first one is manifested. Go by the voice of the Lord. When someone prophesies over you, check if it reflects on Jesus. Obey Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives the ministries (v. 5), the Holy Spirit gives the gifts, and God works the gifts in all the ministries. Eph. 4:7 says that each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Rom. 12:4-6 says that all members do not have the same function or office. We are members of one body (the Church) and are members of one another. We have different gifts according to the grace that is given to us. First there’s a call, then God gives us the grace we need to do what He has told us, and then He gives gifts to give away. 1 Cor. 14:1 Pursue love, desire spiritual gifts, but especially prophesy. Say, “I want to be used by You, Lord!”
Siberia Trip
Pastor Dale outlines his trip to Siberia and tells of Jesus Christ’s amazing life changing power in men in Siberia and how they are being used by the Lord in Russian churches. He shared his prayer requests for Teri and himself and his family, as well as for the Siberian pastors and people. Dan and Betty, Pastor Syd, and the congregation prayed over and for Pastor Dale and Teri.
The Kingdom of God Part 8
The kingdom of God is the realm in which God’s will is fulfilled. Luke 12:29-31 tells about the kingdom principle of sowing and reaping. Worry blocks the kingdom. When you focus on developing the kingdom, your living will come to you, because He will see that your needs are met. Your peace and joy levels are gauges of your faith. God is a giver. We should be sowing where we will reap a spiritual harvest. Mark 4:26-32 includes the Parable of the Mustard Seed. The kingdom is about people. How are you giving? The world’s way is taking, but God’s way is giving. If you are giving as if you’re bartering or trading or earning favor, you won’t receive any spiritual benefit. Love gives freely. Jesus bought us back. Sowing is giving because of love. Give of yourself not expecting anything in return. God is a giver: rest, keys of heaven, His life, the Holy Spirit. Sowing is a heart decision, and what you sow, you must release. Pastor Dale sowed a church, and it affects us even now. What you sow affects others. The opposite of giving, sowing, and loving is fear. Rev. 21:5-8 says that the cowards (fearful) will be in the lake of fire. Fearfulness will steal your seed. Faith and giving must be done in love (1 Cor. 13:3; Gal. 5:6-6:10). Sows as God sows.
State of the Church Address
Offering message: In the Parable of the Talents, the man in Matt. 25:14-21 gave talents and then left to come back later. Just as those men were to put to use what was given them, so we need to use what God has given us. Your problems are opportunities for God to show up. Sermon: Text: Matt. 18:11-35. Pastor Dale explained the process of dealing with someone in the church who has sinned. We are the church, and when as an apostle, Pastor Dale is away, we should be able to carry on, because we are caring for one another and are gathered together, agreeing on the Scriptures in Jesus’ name. He has given us authority to bind and loose and to bring reconciliation to others. Pastor Dale desires to see that the sheepfold increased when he comes back from being away. There are many open doors, but beyond those doors are many adversaries (1 Cor. 16:9). To see a need is a call to serve. We are family, and we all need to work for one another. The focus of this church is missions. You need to develop what God has given you, whether it’s like Moses’ rod or the talents given out. Pastor Dale shared some of the “open doors” and asked for prayer for him on his long trip to Siberia. Find your place in this family. We need watchdogs. What’s in your hand?
Prayer Night
A word of encouragement was given. We spent the time in prayer.
Wake Up Citizens
An 8 minute audio clip of Dale’s challenge of the government’s view of gun control. Pray for the churches in Syria, as Muslim sects are persecuting Christians. It is imperative for Christians to be good citizens. Politics tries to hide the real issue, such as changing the rights of a baby to life being changed to a woman’s right. The original meaning of the right to bear arms was to protect the citizens from government that had gone the wrong direction and to keep the balance of power. We need to pray for our country and government. Wake up!
Prayer: Abiding With the Father
John 15:1-7. If a fruit tree isn’t pruned, the “suckers” take away from the fruit. If we are to bear fruit, we need to cut some things off. Your life will change when you prune it. If we abide in Him, we’ll bear much fruit. The root of failure is our lack of daily time with God. Get into the Word to know God’s will. When you abide in Him, you can trust your desires. Prayerlessness is a sin. Pastor Dale tells about almost losing his wife and son and how it changed when they prayed. There are turning points of answered prayer or negligence. Someone’s life could depend on your obedience to pray. When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was at a breaking point, but He knew the Father’s will and obeyed Him. We need to have the Word in us and be prayed up, so we can handle the pressure when it comes. During the Finney revival there was the prevalence of prevailing prayer, spontaneous prayer, and intercessory prayer groups. Be hungry after God
The Kingdom of God Part 7
Offering message: The poor widow gave 100% of what she had, which is recorded as being more than what the rich people gave. Gal.6:7-9 gives the basic principle of the kingdom: you reap what you sow. Be moved by faith and compassion, not by need. Sermon: (Kingdom Principles) Luke 12:29-32 Seek first the kingdom. God delights to give you the kingdom. Text: Matt. 13:1-32. Everything in the kingdom operates on seedtime and harvest, sowing and reaping. The seed is the Word of God. We need to hear it, understand it, and do it, and then we can bear fruit. Every thought is a seed. To enter God’s kingdom, you must be born-again (John 3:1-8). A test of your love is your giving. We sow seeds in relationships, time, money, and all parts of our lives. There are also bad seeds – from Satan. Guard against fear, doubt, stress, strife, frustration. Weed your garden and take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ. It’s easier to root out seeds than it is a plant or tree. Don’t agree with Satan’s thoughts, but be proactive and take care of thoughts at the seed level. The seed you speak is the seed that will grow. Be kingdom and seed-minded. Sow and reap in faith and be motivated by love. Other Scriptures: Luke 8:11; 1 John 2:24; John 3:1-8; 1 John 3:1-3; Gal. 5:6.
Prayer: The Will of God
(Kevin Burrows shared a vision the Lord showed him, and there was an altar call for repentance of unforgiveness. Kathy Neff told about a picture she had about receiving our inheritance.) Sermon: John 15:1-7. The goal of our Christian walk is to abide in Jesus. Don’t get your eyes on the fruit but on abiding and seeking God. The first indication of fruit in a disciple’s life is answered prayer. If you’re abiding in Him, then ask what you desire. The only reason Jesus prayed, “If it be Your will,” is that He didn’t know the Father’s will. We can know what His will is by reading His Word. Abiding is being at home with God, thinking like He does, seeing things like He does. When we know His will, we can be confident that we’ll get what we pray (1 John 5:14). Don’t pray, “If it is Your will,” and if your prayers failed, don’t say it was God’s will not to answer it. Don’t blame God if your prayers failed, but agree with God’s Word (Mark 9:14), Abide, let the Word get in you, and stand in faith. You should have a daily time of prayer. Get into the presence of God. Consecrate to unite with the will of God. Ask for your daily bread. Forgive.
The Kingdom of God Part 6
Luke 12:22-32 The Father knows what we need, but we still ask. Seek the kingdom and cast your cares on him. Thank Him for the harvest. It’s the doer of the Word who will enter heaven (Matt. 7:21). Matt. 21:28-32is the parable of the two sons. Do we realize it’s the Lord speaking to us, when we’re asked to do something? God talks to us by the inner witness- peace or no peace. His Spirit witnesses to our spirit. Be careful what you say: Don’t say that you can’t hear God’s voice, but say, “I hear the voice of the Lord.” Reason comes when you listen to your flesh, when it says, “That’s not God.” Later, when you pray, you get confused. If you know it’s God, obey. If you deceive yourself into believing it’s not God, and it is, then you need to repent, and do what you were told to do. God reveals truth through the Holy Spirit. Deception’s symptoms are strife and confusion. Pastor Syd gave the example of Jonah and also of himself, when he didn’t obey God’s voice about getting on a plane to come to Lancaster the morning after God told him to do so. Both repented and obeyed, after the delay in obedience. Serving the Lord is worship. Matt. 25:1-13 is the parable of the 10 virgins. Be ready. Have additional resources (a “God account”), do the preparation, be committed and prayed up and studied-up and be healthy to do the work of the kingdom. Faith gets rewarded. Get prepared to move at a moment’s notice.
Prayer: The Discipline of Prayer
Offering message: Realize: Jesus is alive! Heb. 7:4. Pastor Dale prayed over Gene English, and Kevin Burrows had a word for him. Sermon: The disciples raised up a crippled man on their way to prayer (Acts 3). They had the discipline of praying at certain times in the day. Don’t let go of your prayer life. We need the discipline of prayer. When you keep your eyes on the goal, the discipline needed to reach it isn’t drudgery. Pastor Dale explains discipline from the perspective of desire, such as saving for a trip to Hawaii. Discipline is not drudgery if you keep the desire. Have the desire and discipline for prayer in your life. The devil hates prayer because he’s afraid of it. Discipline in doing natural things takes time and money. Acts 16 tells how prayer changed things. If we want to see things happen, we need to bathe and birth them in prayer. In Rev. 3:15 God says that He will spew out of His mouth those who are neither hot nor cold for Him. Prayer avails much (James 5:16-17). Christianity is a relationship of love and prayer with God and the Holy Spirit. Let your desire for prayer determine your discipline for prayer. As you go through your day, “see” the call to prayer. Be a people of desire. Desire brings you into prayer. Fasting is putting away carnal desires for spiritual ones, which results in spiritual fervency.
The Kingdom Of God Part 5
Both John the Baptist and Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” A kingdom is a realm in which a king rules. The kingdom of heaven, also referred to as the kingdom of God, is God’s way of doing things. The Holy Spirit hovered over the earth waiting to perform God’s word, and then God spoke it into existence, and the Holy Spirit performed it. Jesus operated like God does and manifested God’s way of doing things. Adam and Eve lost the way to operate like God does, but then Jesus showed how the kingdom is to operate by speaking out God’s will and word. We should operate the same way. Read and meditate on Scriptures about the kingdom of heaven. You can apply the kingdom in your life by praying in the Spirit, being sensitive to Him, and spending time with Him. (We then prayed in the Spirit, asking Him how to specifically pray over our offering.)
Love the Church and Serve
Offering message: Matt. 6:1-2. Never let tradition steal from you that God wants to reward you. He wants us full and overflowing so we can bless others for His kingdom. We need to believe God is a rewarder. Sermon message: Eph. 5:23-2. Do we love the church and are we ready to give ourselves for it? How committed are we? God gave us Jesus, who gave His life for us. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The individual has value. When Jesus left the ninety-nine to go after the one, they had to make it on their own. Follow the Holy Spirit. Pastor Dale told about rescuing children who lived in the sewers and how the former “sewer rats” ministered to the young new additions. This is a picture of what the church is to be: the ones who have been set free ministering to the lost and the newly saved ones. Comparing it to the role of a coach, the five-fold ministry (Eph. 4:11-13) is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body. The saints are to do the work. We need believers who are servants.