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.)
The Kingdom Of God Part 5
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.
The Kingdom of God Part 4
Luke 12:29-34 Don’t worry, but first seek the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom must come first in our lives, even before our families. If you can’t serve in the local church because you’re too busy, you’re putting something else before the kingdom of God. Matt. 18:1-4 tells us to become like a child to enter the kingdom of God, and 1 Cor. 14:20 tells us not to be like children in our understanding, but to be innocent as far as evil is concerned. HOW DOES THE KINGDOM OPERATE? IT OPERATES BY FAITH, NOT BY WORKS. Matt. 20:1-16 is The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. The first workers hired had an agreement to work for a certain amount of pay. Later in the day, the landowner recruited other workers for an amount that he said would be right. When they were paid, the ones who had an agreement were upset, because the later hired workers, who accepted the offer by faith in the landowner’s word, received the same amount of pay. That’s how the kingdom of God operates. It’s not by works, but it’s by faith. Peter didn’t catch any fish, had cleaned up, put his equipment away, but at a preacher’s word (Jesus’), he let Him use his boat and did what he told him to do concerning casting his net. He was rewarded with two boatloads of fish because of his faith in Jesus’ word. What gets rewarded? It’s your faith in Jesus’ word and the Scriptures. Faith is the great equalizer. Do you spend your time doing what matters and what will last?
Fasting and Prayer
January will be a CWI month of fasting. Matt. 6:16 tells about fasting. During this time, turn your ear to the Lord and be open to take a step and spend time in the Word of God. Fasting connects with repentance. Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive (Matt. 21:22). Do you have a prayer life? Are your prayers being answered? We are called to be disciples. Ministry starts with prayer and will take you to limitless places. God wants your prayers answered. James 4:2 says that prayers aren’t answered because we lust, covet, do all kinds of things to get what we want, when what we need to do is ask- pray! DON’T BE A TAME CHRISTIAN. We need prayer and revival and a revival of prayer. Cry out and put energy into prayer by lifting up your voice (Prov. 2:1-3). Prayer begins with devotion to Jesus. The seven basics to how to pray are: 1. Pray to the Father. 2. Pray in the name of Jesus. 3. Pray through the Holy Spirit. 4. Pray in faith. (John 15:7) 5. Persevere. 6. Find someone who knows how to pray and get together with them. 7. Pray until you have His presence, assurance, release, and then praise Him.
Communion
Holy Communion was also one of the early church’s way of experiencing God. Another way the believers connected with God was through liturgy in which the church body would confess and/or repeat the Scriptures that were read. In Hebrews 10 it’s recorded that Jesus said when He came into the world that God didn’t desire sacrifice and offering, but He desired a body prepared for Him. The Last Supper was supernaturally revealed to Paul, since he wasn’t there at the time and no one else told him about it. Do you give thanks to God for the privilege of serving and being a sacrifice to Him? Rise up because your price was paid by Jesus Christ. Sin is costly; Jesus died that your sin would be washed away. Judge yourself before the consequences come. The CWI body received the sacrament of holy communion.
The Kingdom of God Part 3
Offering message: Pastor Syd shared how the Lord blessed him when he was obedient to give to the Lord the only money he had. Sermon Texts: Matt. 16:24-28; Luke 12:29-34; Luke 19:10-24. What you do for the kingdom of God will last forever. How much of your effort and time is spent on earthly things? We are to take all that God has given us and use it for the kingdom. (1 John 3:1-2) We are here for a short time, so spend your time on what matters. Looking out for your own interest is burying what God has given you. Luke 18:18-30 tells us that we will receive many times more for what we leave behind for the kingdom of God, and we have eternal life in the world to come. Value the kingdom of God. The things we need are a by-product of seeking and serving God.
God and Honor Part 2
Children need to be trained by their parents. The first commandment with promise of a long life is to honor your father and mother (Eph. 6:2-3). God honors those who honor Him (1 Sam. 2:17-30). Sow honor in order to reap honor. King Saul gives us an example of not honoring God in 1 Sam. 13:13-14. King David is an example of honoring God (Acts 13:22; 1 Chron. 19:1). We honor by speaking the truth. King David’s men were men of honor and had the heart of a lion (1 Chron. 19:1; 11:20-25) and were willing to risk their lives for their leader (1 Chron. 11:15-18), but they weren’t always like that. They became like their leader, David, even though they started out as men who were desperate, in debt, and bitter in soul (1 Sam. 22:1-2). King David wanted to honor God by building Him a house (1 Chron. 17:1-27). He personally gave of his own treasures. We are to imitate our leaders, Pastor Dale and Teri (and Pastor Syd and Jen). King David sowed honor for his children, and we should. too. Giving your best and of your possessions honors God and brings blessing (Prov. 3:1-6). Honor is tied to giving (Mal. 3:7-18).
The Kingdom of God Part 2
Texts: Luke 12:22-32; Phil. 4:6-7. The Bible clearly tells us not to worry. It is sin, so repent of it, if necessary. Instead, we can expect God to do His Word. Casting your cares on Him will bring you peace. Focus on Jesus and don’t be led around by your needs, and besides, after one is taken care of, there will another one. When we think, “How am I going to pay this?”, we’re not being kingdom-minded. God is our King, and we are His subjects, who are to carry out His will. If something is bad or evil, it’s not from God. Good comes from God and His kingdom, and it’s His report that we should believe. It’s blasphemy to blame God for what the devil does, and for saying that what’s from God is of the devil. Col. 1:9-13 tells us that there are two kingdoms: the kingdom of light (God’s) and the kingdom of darkness (Satan’s). God delights to give us His kingdom. Whatever you do, ask yourself: “How will this affect the kingdom of God?” Be more kingdom-minded than earthly-minded. Is the will of God being done in my life? The kingdom of God is not food nor drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). Where do I need to make adjustments in my focus so it’s kingdom-minded? The great mountain in Daniel 2:25-45 is the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom will be forever, and He will reign forever (Rev. 11:15; 21:1-4; 22:3-5).
God and Honor Part 1
Offering Message: Jesus taught in the synagogue as usual, and He read about Himself from Is. 49:8-9 and 61:1-2 (Luke 4:14-18). Here we find the answer to problems. God sent Jesus to heal (the answer) the brokenhearted (the problem); to bring recovery of sight (answer) to the blind (problem); to proclaim liberty (answer) to the captives (problem). He preached the Good News (answer) to the poor (problem). Jesus is the answer to the problem. In 2 Cor. 8:9 we learn that Jesus became poor so that we can be rich. We have to believe in order for these truths to work for us. Matt. 23:23 says that we must tithe andexercise justice, mercy, and faith. Sermon: Eli’s sons were not honoring God as priests, and Eli was honoring his sons more than God. Honor means to highly esteem, weighty, heavy, valuable, precious; it is not bondage. “Despise” means to lightly regard and to ignore. Do we honor the Word that we hear (Matt. 7:6)? To hear the Word with honor means you hear the Word of God, receive it, let it take root, and it will work effectively in you (1 Thess. 2:11-13). Before judging others, first judge yourself. Honor has thankfulness in it. Do you honor and esteem correction and reproof as precious? God will enlarge what you honor and are grateful for (Matt. 13:44-46). We pay respect to those we owe respect (Rom. 13:7-8); we don’t demand respect and honor. Eph. 6:2-3 tells us to honor our parents- the place they hold in our lives. Respect and honor are choices, not feelings. Honor the words of your mouth. Do you honor and esteem God in what you take time for? He esteems us if we esteem Him.
What Our Daddy Has Told Us
Dale’s sermon from Yerevan, Armenia. When the woman with the issue of blood touched Jesus, He didn’t say, “God healed you,” or “I healed you,” or “My power healed you,” even though all of these were true. He said, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.” She touched Jesus with her faith. Pastor Dale told of how his son reacted when he was little when he told him that he was going to get him a bicycle for his birthday. His son was thanking him and showing joy, even though he didn’t have the bicycle. What he did have was his daddy’s word. Faith is when you can thank God before you see it. Faith is when you cannot be made to doubt. Faith is exercised with a voice of praise. If you can’t act on it, it’s not faith in your heart. Faith is when you cannot stop yourself doing something, such as praising God for your healing. Good news will make you do something. In Acts 14:7-9 Paul perceived a lame man, who heard Paul’s speaking the Good News, had faith to be healed, but he still wasn’t healed. Paul yelled at him to stand up, and he jumped up and started walking around. The man needed to act on his faith in order to release it. God has never failed us. God’s Word is that by His stripes I am healed! You have faith, but it has to touch Jesus. You can’t doubt. Release your faith and act on His Word. God’s Word says that all my needs are met; I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Have you heard the Good News, but you’re still sitting in your problem? The greatest way to release and act on faith is to praise the living God. (There was time for healing and salvation ministry.)
Secret Things Revealed
Pastor Bob gave some prophetic words of encouragement. Text: Rom. 8:5-8. This is a new season for the Body of Christ in which there is an urgency for a deeper revelation of the secrets for the will of God to be put into motion. We can’t miss what God wants us to do individually and corporately. It’s harvest time in the nations, and we are the voice of God to this generation. More than ever, we cannot live fleshly-minded, but we must become spiritually-minded. Maintain praise and worship. Fix your mind on spiritual things. Pray in tongues more than ever before! Please God with your faith and trust in Him (Heb. 11:6; Ps. 34:8; Rom. 8:31, Luke 12:31-32). The divine opportunity is now, and we need to use our tongue and our faith to bring victory. Spend time in the Spirit, and He will give you new ideas, books, sermons, songs. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth (John 16:13-15). Do what the Holy Spirit tells you to do. Present yourself holy , so you are a living sacrifice and can communicate with Him. What are you going to do with the spiritual things God tells you?
Protecting Your Heart
Offering Message: Gal. 6:7-10 and Eph. 6:8. Don’t be deceived. Reaping what you sow is a positive thing. Whatever good each one does, he will receive back from the Lord. God meets your needs on the basis of your sowing. Manifestations of the flesh steal from you, such as not acting on the Word, being deceived into thinking that there’s only one opportunity, and you missed it, and giving up too soon. Sermon notes: Prov. 4:20-23 and Mark 4:13-19. “Keeping” your heart is strategic, because it’s where battles are won or lost. Your heart is a garden; the seed is the Word of God; the soil is your heart. Satan comes to steal the Word with persecution and affliction immediately after you’ve heard it. He doesn’t care about you; he just doesn’t want the Word to grow and produce fruit. God comforts those who suffer to make them able to comfort others who need the same comfort (2 Cor.1:3). Distractions, such as cares, the deceitfulness of riches (materialism), and the lust of other things (being driven and feeling pressure) suck the life (the Word) out of you. The Word will not work in a heart of care, materialism, and lust. Let your heart be good soil: hear the Word, receive it, and do it.
The Kingdom of God Part 1 (Kingdom-Mindedness)
Text: Matt. 6:31-33. Jesus taught and preached the kingdom of God, and He told us clearly that seeking His kingdom and His righteousness must be our first priority. He will provide the things we need, such as food, drink, and clothing, if we seek His kingdom first. Worry gets you nothing good. Put your faith in the Word and don’t worry about your needs. Focus on and be single-minded about what God has told you to do. He is your source, not your job. Jesus taught much more than salvation. He came for kingdom purposes. The kingdom of God is the territory and people subject to and under the rule of God. Matt. 6:9-10 tells us that God’s will is to be carried out on earth as in heaven. In Luke 1:30-33 Gabriel tells Mary about the kingdom of God. In Luke 4:5-7 Satan tempted Jesus with a shortcut to gaining the kingdoms of the world. Jesus rebuked the devil, and when He was raised from death and hell, He established His kingdom. Jesus had to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God, because that was His purpose (Luke 4:43). Other Scriptures about the purpose of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God are: Luke 8:1; Luke 9:1-2, 6, 11, 57, 60-62; Matt. 24. Seeking the kingdom of God must come before family. If you’re regretting what you’ve left behind for God, you’re looking back, and you’re not fit for the kingdom of God. Be kingdom-minded. It should touch everywhere you go.
Healing: Keep Your Heart
Text: Prov. 4:20-23. How do you keep (guard) your heart with all diligence as we are told to do in our text? First of all, you need to walk in the peace of God (Phil. 4:6-7). God wants you to prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers. God works from the inside (your heart) out. When you’re not in peace, your heart is vulnerable. We are NOT to worry, but through prayer with thanksgiving, we are to let our requests be made known to God. Keep in a focused place. A “keep” is a fortification at a strategic place. When you keep your heart, the devil can’t get in. How do you take care of worry? First Peter 5:7 tells you to cast your care on Him, because He cares for you. Don’t try to be stronger than your cares, but start praising Him, replacing the worry with thanksgiving. The result? Peace. Pastor Dale tells about Terry Law’s experience with extreme cares upon the death of his wife and children. When Terry gave his sacrifice of praise, he entered into God’s peace. Keep your mind stayed on God (Is. 26:3), and He will keep your heart in perfect peace. Meditate on Him and be still. Delight in Him, and He will give you the desires of your heart (Ps. 37:4-7). Stay in God’s Word and presence until you get His peace.
Thanksgiving
Text: Ps. 100:1-3. We are to make a joyful noise, serve the Lord with gladness, come before His presence with singing, enter His courts with praise, and be thankful. 1) Thanksgiving requires an action (Heb. 13:15-16). Just like faith needs the action of speaking and also pleases God, so thanksgiving needs a spoken response and pleases God. It strengthens our faith. 2) Thanksgiving provides an entrance into fellowship with God (Ps. 95:1-3). 3) It’s a command (Ps. 50:1; Ps. 107:20-22). It’s not about you, but it’s about God. Prayer, the Word, and praise and worship form a strong balanced foundation in your life. 4) Thanksgiving is wisdom (Eph. 5:17-20; Ps. 92:1). 5) It’s a heart issue. It’s a language of love. 6) It motivates. The person blessing someone else wants to continue to bless more (Phil. 4:6). 7) It’s an endless act (Rev. 7:11). CAUTION: 2 Tim. 3:2-5 These are perilous times when one of the symptoms is being unthankful. Much of our culture is more concerned with self. We need to watch that we don’t allow the Word and our thankfulness to be choked out by the deceitfulness of riches, the lust of the eyes, and the cares of the world. Keep an attitude of gratitude. Be hungry for God.
Healing: It Impacts Others and Starts in the Spirit
Pastor Dale teaches about the importance of miracles and healings in impacting many other people, even as Paul and Silas’ praising opened doors and loosed bands (Acts 10:25-26). In Mark 5:25 the woman with the bleeding problem heard about Jesus. What did she hear about Him? What do people hear about Jesus from you? You can have the power and anointing of God in you, and you don’t know it. You conduct God’s power, and some people will be repelled by you or attracted to you by it. Prov. 4:20-25 and 3 John 2 and Mark 4:14 tell the importance of attending to God’s Word and of our soul prosperity in relation to our health. The challenge is that Satan immediately comes to steal the Word. Do you value the Word? People died to get the Bible available to us. Sometimes traditions make the Word of no effect (Matt. 15:6b and Mark 7:13). Decide as an individual to get into the Word and to not be molded by the pressure of the world. Seek God on your own. Renewing the mind means thinking like God, seeing like God, and reacting like God. Once you’re a new creation, you need to pull down any of Satan’s strongholds that you have (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Get hungrier for the Word, because it’s slipping from our culture.
Healing: Responding to the Spirit of God
There were testimonies of healings during previous services. Pastor Dale tells of many experiences in which the Spirit of God moved in services to bring miracles, healings, and deliverance. Healing may come through the preaching of the Word of God, but there are times when it comes through a move of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will ask what you want, not assuming anything. When the Spirit moves, you must cooperate quickly in order to receive. The anointing is the power of God. There are seasons when the Spirit moves, and we need to move with Him (John 5:1-9). Angels bring new seasons and gifts from heaven. When it’s in season, everyone can get in. He moves to relieve pain, to advertise to others who need to know of His healing power, and to diabolically oppose the devil (Acts 10:38). Don’t live with or cope with sickness. It’s from the devil, and God won’t cooperate with him. When Satan is coming in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will come, too.
Healing: Putting the Word First in Your Life
(Prov. 4:20-23) We need to keep our hearts with all diligence. Just like a farmer checks his fences regularly, we need to be diligent to attend to the Word. The Word will change our lives. Don’t be lazy about getting into the Word, because that’s where there is victory. If the Word is in you, you can handle problems when they come. Rom. 4:17-21 tells us that Abraham strengthened himself in faith, giving glory to God. Enjoy your time with God. Pastor Dale relates how people in Armenia and Russia went out of their way and put much effort into getting someone to a healing service and then saw miracles. If we want to see the power of God, get into prayer and praise and make it a priority. Develop a taste for the glory of God. You’ll never have a strong faith life without a strong praise life. Pastor Dale gives powerful testimonies of people who were healed and delivered. The importance is giving glory to God.
Healing: Faith is An Action
In Luke 5:15-20 people came to hear first and then to be healed. The power of the Lord was present to heal, but the healing that is recorded was a paralyzed man whose friends acted in faith to lower him through a roof to access Jesus. Faith must be a visible act. Jesus demonstrated by healing the paralytic that He also had the power to forgive sins. In John 3:14, 2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 3:13, Rom. 5:12 Jesus’ death on the cross provided for our sacrifice (payment for the consequence of sin) and our substitution (the judgment for our sin). Sickness is the process of death. When Jesus dealt with sin, He dealt with sickness. Stay in and fulfill your purpose. Isaiah 52:13- 53:4 tell us what is Jesus’ finished purpose- salvation, healing, peace. Redemption includes healing (Matt. 8:17, Is. 53:1, 1 Peter 2:24). Because of Jesus, we were and are healed. Choose to believe that you are healed. Pastor Dale shares how he acted on the Word to receive his healing from asthma. Faith is an act. The price was paid on the cross. Put your faith in the direction of your healing.
Healing: The Priority of the Word and Praise
In Acts 4:23 we see healing as a response to political persecution. Our country needs a healing revival. We start by hearing and receiving the Word of God on healing. The Word of God must be a priority in your life. It’s your responsibility to find it for yourself, because the Word is life and healing to you (Luke 5:15; Luke 6:17; Prov. 4:20-23). Step 1 is to get your priorities right by preferring the Word over current events, the doctor’s report, or whatever is coming against you. Pastor Dale shares a powerful testimony of two miracle healings as a result of a woman’s hunger for the Word. The Word must be in your daily life so that you have life and health. Another step is to not be anxious, but to pray and supplicate with thanksgiving, letting your requests be made known to God (Phil. 4:6-8). Meditate and think on the Word and good things, not on things that won’t help you. Praise, thank, and worship God until the peace of God comes that will guard your heart and mind. Even a “little bit” of the Word can bring life and healing to you. The crippled man in Acts 14:7-8 had faith to be healed, but it wasn’t until he acted on it that the man was healed. Get the Word for yourself, thank and praise God, and then act on the Word.