Carlene shares a powerful testimony of God’s creative power in blessing and developing a baby in the womb. I John 5:14 and 15 tell us that we have the confidence in God that He hears us if we ask according to His will and knowing that He hears us, we have confidence that we will receive what we have asked for. We must pray according to the will of God, which is what the Bible says. People often pray like they’re playing Russian roulette. If a person prays, “If it’s Your will…” and the person being prayed for doesn’t get healed, for example, then the person praying can say that it wasn’t God’s will. Really, we can know that it’s God’s will, because Jesus came to bring healing to us. To say that it wasn’t God’s will, is unscriptural and full of pride. You need to know your rights and what the Bible says and what His promises are. God said, and He keeps His Word. In Mark 11:12-24 Jesus cursed the fig tree- not that it would die, but that no man would eat food from it forever. Pastor Dale told of a young girl speaking to the warts on her hands and how the warts disappeared. Speak blessings. In Mark 11:23 Jesus raised the stakes from speaking to the fig tree to speaking to the mountain. Your words will work for you. You’ll get what you say, not what you believe. What do you desire? Mark 11:24 says whatever you desire when you pray believe, you will have. Prayer will have power when you have a strong desire to see the answer. Pray for the people on your top 10 list. Dwight Miller shared a testimony about warts being removed by speaking to them.
Confidence in Prayer
The Foundation of the Word
Communion message: I Cor. 11:23-26 Jesus paid an amazing price for our lives. He gave thanks to lay down His life for us. He was thankful for the healing of our bodies. Is. 53:4-11. Offering message: Mal. 3:8-11 We give to God, not to man. We rob God in tithes and offerings. Be wary of anyone who tries to explain away the simple truths of the Scripture. Tithing is for today. The principle is not to try to make people do anything. It is to enjoy the favor and blessings of the Lord, because He is so good to us. The devil is rebuked in our lives. We hold the Lord to His Word. What we don’t receive from God is what we really deserve. Sermon message: The chapters of the Sermon on the Mount have become the core of Christianity and give the structure of what it means to be a believer. His teaching was revolutionary in His day, such as when He addressed God as His Father, and then taught His disciples to call Him Father, too. Matt. 7:24-29 is the summation of the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus taught, He took the Messiah’s authority starting from the Beatitudes. He used the analogy of the wise or foolish man. Caution: Don’t fall for lies saying that the Word on different topics only applied to people in the past. Act on the Word you hear. He will liken us to a wise man. Start acting wise. Watch and do what Jesus did in different situations. Be careful where you go to church and what they teach. Most people who come for counsel already know what to do, but they aren’t doing it. It’s foolishness to know what to do and to not do it. We are equipped for victory. In Mark 5 the woman with the issue of blood acted on the Word she heard, and she received her healing. Pastor Dale tells of his experience of being depressed and not wanting to act on what he heard from Kenneth Hagin and Kenneth Copeland, who said to take the path that is the hardest. Finish what you start and fulfill your word. The hard way is to build on the Rock. The foundation is the Word, not just a move of the Spirit, a vision, a dream, a prophetic word, which are given at a moment of time. Make sure that what you are receiving is based on the Word and remember that the Word and the Spirit always agree. The Word never passes, never wanes. James 2:15 Faith without corresponding action is dead. Faith is an act. When Jesus ministered healing, He tried to get the people to act, because faith needs action. Rom. 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word. The foolish man had faith, because he heard the Word, but he didn’t act upon it. It doesn’t matter what you believe, but what you believe and act on. You can measure your Christianity by your acts. Who are you? Do you give, pray, serve…? Luke 5:1-5 There must be hunger in us to receive the Word. Peter responded at Jesus’ word. Launch out and do His Word. Search the Word to find out what to put into action. Take Him at His Word and act on it, whether it’s in tithing or whatever.
Back to the Basics: Prayer
Matt. 6:9. This scripture says to pray in the manner of the Lord’s Prayer. It begins (“Our Father, hallowed be Your name”) with an acknowledgment and recognition of the Lord and His presence. It’s being with Him, (as your devotional time should be). It invokes His name, meaning that it’s using His name to get access and also it’s summoning His presence. It’s the believer’s privilege to access Him and to summon His presence. Everything falls under control by its name. In heaven you get your real name. “Your kingdom come” invokes His power. We learn to pray step-by-step. Praying is hard work and is tough on the flesh. Mark 1:35 If Jesus made prayer a priority, how much more should we? Make prayer a habit. Have a place and a time that will give prayer a priority in your day, such as in the shower, in your commuting time, on lunch break. Create a habit of prayer. You need personal, private prayer times before your expectations and results increase in corporate prayer. It’s relationship first. Suggestions and reminders: record what and who God puts on your heart in times of personal prayer; have a top ten (10) list of people the Lord lays on your heart to pray for salvation.
Back to Basics
Offering Message: Luke 6:38. We give our tithe willingly. Giving is an opportunity. It is a seed. When a seed is planted, you wait for the final product. What you plant, God gives back multiplied. Giving is a choice, but the giving back to you is a sure thing. He packs in the blessings. We plant and tend our seed by believing that God will bring increase. We water it by speaking positively. We weed it by watching what comes out of our mouths. Speaking negatively is stomping on your young plants. Numbers 23:19 God doesn’t lie. He does what He says. Sermon Message: Texts: Gen. 1 and 2; Matt. 13:10, 11; Ps. 8:3-9; Rom. 8:19; Matt. 22:30. We were created to speak things into existence. We were created to take dominion over the earth, not over people. We were created in God’s image. We were created in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Dwight uses the analogy of an egg to describe God the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The shell is like the body of Jesus; the egg white is to be compared to the Holy Spirit; the yolk is compared to the Father. The whole egg is like God. We are a spirit, live in a body, and have a soul. The Holy Spirit hovered over the earth to create it. Jesus was the Word, and as the Word went forth, the Holy Spirit created and fulfilled what the Word said. The Holy Spirit hovers over our words to perform the words that we speak that are out of the Father. You cannot get to the Father without going through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, and you can only go to the Holy Spirit through the broken body of Jesus. When you receive Jesus, the Holy Spirit will reveal the Father to you. We will judge the angels, so we are higher than angels. We have power in our words. We should have dominion over sin, sickness, and disease. God gave us dominion, so the earth is to be under our control. Adam was to till the garden, which he did by his words. He was to be fruitful and multiply and the Garden would have expanded. God breathed into Adam His Spirit, and God lives in us. The Garden was God’s plan for us. Adam was in control. The earth is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed, the revelation that we have control and dominion. The earth is waiting for us to say “no” to the things that are not from God. A kingdom is a place to rule. When Jesus cursed the fig tree, He took the purpose of the fig tree out of it. Our purpose is to take control and to spread the Gospel. Take dominion over your body. After God made Adam, He said that it was not good for man to be alone, so He took the female “side, half” (meaning of the word “rib”), and made a woman. That meant that neither the man nor the woman is complete without the other. Your mate completes you. Listen to what your spouse says. You become one flesh and complete each other. Whatever the husband and wife agree upon (two or three), God is there, and it is established. Adam was to operate as God did, by speaking to things (that was his toil) and by taking authority over every area of life.
A Foundation in the Word Part 2
Offering message: II Cor. 9:6, 7 Sow to the Spirit and reap life. There is joy in giving, but hilarity in giving is when you see it working. Never give grudgingly, because then God can’t give the blessing. Giving is good for you. You need to give; don’t give only when there is a need. Sermon message: Text: Matt. 7:24-29. When you hear His sayings, do them, and then you’ll look like a wise man. Start doing what you know is right. Knowledge that is not acted upon is a waste and leads to self-deception. Use the knowledge you have. We know enough to live a life in victory and breakthrough and to win souls. Write down what God speaks to you. The foolish man built on the sand. It is easier and there is less resistance to build there. #1 The storms came to both men. Being established in the Word of Faith prepares you for the storms of life. You will encounter crises and conflicts. Religion dwells on the storms and the problems. #2 Both men built a house, but they built on different foundations. Your life is what you make it. You have to work at building your future. It is not easy to build on the foundation of the Word. Listen and do the Word. Begin where you are and think about eternity. Building on the sand is thinking that the storm won’t come to you. When the house fell, that represents a life or a marriage. It’s God idea that there wouldn’t be storms that defeat us. In Psalms 91:7-10 He says, … “it shall not come near to you, because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, your dwelling place.” We model the Word of God for others. He tells us who to follow. The issue is: Are you building on the sand or on the Rock? Joshua 1:8 informs us to meditate, observe, and do the Word if you want to see the result of standing through the storms. Build a strong foundation by praying and meditating and working. Help, don’t enable others. When you don’t know what to do, meditate on the Word and then act on it, and then you’ll make your way prosperous, and then you’ll have good success. Prov. 4:20-23. Keep your heart with all diligence. It’s a battle to focus on your destiny and on doing the Word. Guard your heart.
Pray in Jesus Name
There is power in praying in Jesus’ name. We represent God and His authority. Ps. 9:10; Ps. 44:4, 5; John 14:13. If we ask anything in Jesus’ name, He will do it, so the Jesus can bring glory to God the Father. There are many names for Jesus: Prince of Peace, Lion of the tribe of Judah, Lifter of heads, Light, Almighty, Scepter, Lord of lords… Art tells of a man who was called to a very dangerous area of China. Everyone feared to go with him, but he went, and many people were healed and saved. When he returned, everyone was shocked that he was not attacked by thieves, but the reports came in that eleven soldiers were seen with the man. Eleven people from the church that supported him were praying for his safety at that date and time. God was a Wall of Fire for the missionary as in Zech. 2:1-5. In Gethsemane Jesus asked His disciples to pray with Him for one hour. Art had a video clip of a five-year old boy declaring, decreeing, and interceding for babies being dedicated in a church service. There was a period of prayer, supplication, and intercession, and we were encouraged to do this on our own at home.
A Foundation in the Word
Offering Message: Revivalists Finney, Moody, and Wesley all had people behind them financing them. In Luke 8:2, 3 we are told that certain women, such as Mary Magdalene, provided for Jesus’ ministry, out of appreciation and gratefulness for what He had done for them. Sermon message: Matt. 7:24-29 is the parable of the wise and foolish builders. The difference is that the wise man built on the rock (Jesus Christ) and the other built on the sand (things of the world). The storms of life came to both. There are seasons of the evil day. The foundation is the Word, which you not only need to have, but must use and apply. Sometimes you can follow others who are wise and just act like them until you gain experience and wisdom. Pastor Dale told of one of his elders who watched and learned from a veteran who had survived a previous beachhead attack, and he in turn survived five other beachheads. It’s hard to fight when you’re losing the battle, but when you have built on the Word foundation, you can have peace and confidence in the midst of the battle. Ps. 112 tells us to not be afraid of evil tidings. Grab the respect of others when they go through a battle. You not only should be in the Word, but you can delight in it. Make the Word a priority. Pastor Dale tells of his cousin who died three times and how the Lord reminded him to not be afraid of evil tidings and to not make haste, and he saw a miracle. Make sure the foundation of the Word is in you. Go where God is feeding you. Get the Word at any cost. Listen to and get the Word in you, and when you face a crisis, you won’t react. Preparation meets opportunity. You can be in the bubble of God’s grace in a time of horror. Eph. 6:13 tells us to take on the armor of God. Not every thought is safe. You can’t trust them, but you can trust the Word. The grace of God is eternal life. Double-up on the Word of God, and when things are easy and going smoothly don’t slack off.
Prayer
In 1 Tim. 2:1-4 Paul write to Timothy exhorting him first of all to supplicate, pray, intercede, and give thanks for all men, for kings, and for all who are in authority. Our first ministry is to pray. It’s the first step in every endeavor. Praying is not just for a certain group of people but is what all believers are to do. Prayer is meant for answers. It is being with the Lord, but it will bring miracles and change. Spending time with God without getting answers is like spending time with Tiger Woods and never talking about golf with him. Don’t let the devil make you think that your prayers aren’t working. Your prayers for the President of our country are effective. You do have a sphere of influence; you will get more details when praying for those people and situations. Pastor Dale shares two experiences of answered prayer, one concerning the sale of a house and another concerning friends for his boys when they were living in Moscow. Prayer is the first step in being a Christian. You don’t need to know how to pray. Just do it! You’ll learn to pray by praying. You need to be encouraged to pray. There are different kinds of prayer: supplication, faith, salvation, consecration, thanksgiving, intercession, and others. Some prayers don’t work in certain situations. First John 5:14, 15 says that we can be confident that if we ask anything according to His will (what is in the Word), He will hear us, and that we will have the petitions that we have asked of Him. Your prayers will work when you know the will of God, so you don’t have to say, “If it is Your will.” We have confidence when we know what the will of God is from the Word of God. Pray to get the will of God. Then you can pray with knowledge. When we pray the Spirit will tell us what to pray. Eph. 6:18 says that we are to pray always with all manner of prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Intercession is praying for someone else. Your life of prayer is effective. The highest forms of prayer are praise and intercession.
The Five-Fold Ministry
Offering message: Release your tithe with your faith. Jesus was strengthened by angels, and He could have called angels to keep Him from having to go to the cross. We have divine protection. Ps. 30:5 God’s favor lasts a lifetime. His anger goes away, but not His favor toward us. God is for us. Be passionate about the things you hate, such as sin. God rebukes the devil for our sakes. God is our rear guard, and His armor is covering us in the front. Interlude message: The Holy Spirit is real and is in us. Pastor Dale tells of the first time he was confronted with the Holy Spirit manifesting in tongues and praise. It is God’s heart for men to praise Him, stand in the gap, worship Him in spirit and truth, and be righteous. Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel. The presence of God will hit people and change them. Pastor Dale tells of two drunks who came to a service to heckle, but who were saved, one of them who is now a missionary. Sermon message: (Eph. 2:19-22) We are to build on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, not just those went before, but those who are living now. First Peter 2:3-6 says that we are living stones, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, and He is alive. These scriptures refer to the apostles and prophets who are living now. Apostolic ministry must be present tense. First Cor. 12:27-31 names the five-fold ministry gifts. Pastor Dale relates about the experience of being on a train in Bulgaria with an atheistic woman who spoke English and an elderly believer who never had a Bible. You can survive without teachers, apostles, pastors, prophets, and evangelists, but why would you want to. The Word is precious, but we miss out when the apostolic and the prophetic are taken out. Want all of God. (Eph. 4:7) The gift of Christ is apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists. The order is not in rank or value, but in the process of time. The measure of the gift of Christ comes first and then the grace comes. If you see a need, you may be the one who has the grace to meet it. Follow the grace that’s on you. Our yoke is easy and our burden is light. Grace is contagious. Jesus dropped His mantle on the church. The apostolic minister networks the gifts together. Anointings can be on you; you take on those aspects. If you hang around prophets, you’ll prophesy. You may take on the characteristics of all of the five-fold ministry gifts, but you need more. We’re after the image of Christ. The ministry gifts are for equipping of the saints for the work of ministry and for edifying the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12-16). An effective believer needs input from all the five-fold ministry gifts. Speak the truth in love that we may grow in all things into Him. Receive what God is doing. You develop easier and better if you receive from the five-fold ministry gifts. John 15:5 tells us the importance of abiding in Him, with bearing fruit as the by-product. Work in the flesh will come to nothing. Your talent is not your ministry. If you can do it without Jesus, it’s not a ministry.
You Are Blessed
Num. 23:19-20 tells us about God: He doesn’t lie, repent, or change His mind; He does what He says He will do. He speaks and then acts on His Word. When the Bible says, “Behold”, or “Verily, verily”, or “Of a truth”, it means that it is something amazing, something that is hard to believe. God commands a blessing, and His blessing cannot be reversed. In Ps. 30:5 we learn that God’s anger is momentary, but His favor lasts for a lifetime. His anger comes and goes, but He doesn’t change His mind about His favor and blessings. His favor doesn’t wear off. Eph. 1:3 says that God has (past tense) blessed us with every spiritual blessing. His blessings are not because of our performance, but because we are in the Kingdom of God. You don’t have to wait for the blessings. You are blessed. Deut. 28:1, 2 states that blessings shall overtake you. Under the Old Testament, blessings came from obedience to the law. In the New Testament you are blessed and then opportunity finds you. Everything you put your hand on is blessed. Expect the best, bounty, plenty, what you’re looking for, blessings. Speak and see blessing. Is. 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper. Don’t allow Satan’s power and witchcraft to put you in fear, and don’t let your thought-life tend toward the negative.
Delegated Authority
Offering Message: Mark 10:17-26. The rich young ruler came to Jesus with questions. Jesus loved the man. He is always against lack and need, and He was pointing out to the man that he was lacking something. The man was distracted by materialism, but he was held back by what he was lacking. What is holding you back? Pastor Dale shares how a thought of not being able to move to Moscow because someone had just blessed him with beautiful bookshelves in his office. The disciples must have had money, because they questioned who could be saved if it’s difficult for those who trust in riches to be saved. The call of God on your life is greater than anything you possess. There is no man who has left, not given, houses, etc., who won’t receive a blessing. Every quality decision you make qualifies you for a blessing. With persecution means that Satan doesn’t like you getting blessed, and he will try to steal your joy and peace. Don’t back off. Hold to God’s standard. Robert Cox shared a testimony of God’s healing power; Jay and Kim Stoltzfus were anointed as pastors, and a word of encouragement was given about the CWI church. Sermon message: Matt. 8:5-13 tells of Jesus’ healing the centurion’s servant. Jesus used His faith in the Word. Speak the Word only. You’ll never have more authority than you’re under. The centurion understood authority, but it was his faith that Jesus commented about. We do and are expected to obey what He has told us to do. Pastor Dale tells about his giving a gift to a man he had a rift with. He did it in obedience to God when his wife was in the hospital after the birth of their first child. Her condition changed as a result of his obedience. Luke 8:49, 50 says to believe only. Matt. 8 indicates that the Roman centurion begged Jesus, but Luke’s account in chapter 7 verses 1 to 10 says it was the elders of the Jews who came to Jesus. The centurion was not worthy to come to Jesus, so the centurion had delegated the power to the Jewish elders. When we say, “Be healed in Jesus’ name”, it is really Jesus saying it. In 2 Cor. 5:17-21 we learn that we are new creations, that old things have passed away, and that we have the ministry of reconciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ. Receive from God in spite of the messenger. The message you bring changes people. Don’t let the Word slip. The message is more important that the messenger. Is. 55:8-11 God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. His Word shall prosper. Think and act in God’s ways and thoughts. When you speak His Word, you are His delegate.
The Anointing: How to Place a Demand on the Anointing
Offering Message: Phil. 4:19 tells us that God shall provide for all your needs according to His riches in glory. That’s a promise that you’ll always have needs. Children don’t worry about their needs if they have a father. You are your Father’s child. Pastor Dale tells of a time when he needed money to pay a hotel bill and how God provided from an unlikely source. Pastor Dale told of God relaying to him that if he wouldn’t have started this church, other ministries wouldn’t be sent out. Robert Cox shared about his recent trip to Switzerland and the walk of faith that it was for him. Sermon: In 2 Kings 2:8 Elijah took the mantle, struck the Jordan River, and it divided. Joshua had parted the Jordan before. The anointing blesses you or curses the enemy. It becomes a chain to the person who rejects the anointing. Satan hates the anointing! After the Ark of the Covenant was put in the river, and the waters parted, it became the Ark of the Testimony. Elijah deliberately used the anointing to bring about a miracle. Jesus said that He was meek and lowly of heart, but He could be bold in the Spirit, because He was going to use the anointing to bring a miracle. Kenneth Hagin deliberately put a demand on the anointing. God touched His hands and the people he ministered to received healing, because the anointing heals. In Mark 5:25 the woman touched the hem of His garment. He told her that her faith made her well. She drew the anointing out of Jesus. When the minister is moving in the anointing, believers should draw on it. While Pastor Dale was in Kiev, he ministered as a teacher . When he was staying at a pastor’s home, he had a dream about the worship leader that he and his wife were fighting about his wanting to go to America alone. Pastor Dale told him that the Lord told him in a dream that he shouldn’t go, but he went anyway. He was killed in an accident and shortly afterward his wife who did not go to America, was attacked, but God protected her. Later, in another place in Kiev, Pastor Dale was introduced as a prophet. In Matt. 10:40-42 Jesus said that whoever received Him received the Father. If you receive a prophet, you can receive a prophet’s reward. The gift that God has given you is NOT for yourself, but for other people. We’re channels of blessing. Smith Wigglesworth ministered with kidney stones while he ministered the anointing for healing to others. Don’t grieve the Spirit by not receiving the anointing. There are many anointings here that we must draw on. Say with your mouth and by your actions that you receive. John 4:6 tells of the Samaritan woman whom Jesus asked to give him water. That just did not happen in that culture. #1 She was a woman. #2 She was a Samaritan, and a Jewish male would never talk to one. Remember that in Matt. 10:42 Jesus said that whoever gives a little one a cup of water in the name of a disciple would not lose his reward. In 1 Kings 17:9 a widow woman was to sustain Elijah. Elijah asked for a little water and for a cake. Jesus and Elijah put the person in a position of receiving.
What Are You Looking At
Offering Message: I Cor. 15:57 God gives us the victory through Jesus Christ. There’s always more grace. Move forward in God and be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Sermon Text: 2 Cor. 5:7 We walk by faith and not by sight. We don’t ignore our circumstances, but we look at faith and the promises. In 2 Cor. 4:16-18 the inward man is being renewed daily. Don’t look at your light affliction, but look at what is not seen. Don’t look at the problem you have today, but look at the promises. It’s not enough to turn away from temptation or a problem. It’s important what you turn and look at. In 2 Kings 4, the barren woman was given a prophetic word and as a result of God’s promise to her, she gave birth to a son, but the son died. She spoke words of faith when she told her husband and the prophet that he was well, although he really was dead. She was stubborn and wouldn’t speak death over him, but spoke words of faith, and God raised the child from the dead. Verse 27 says that her soul was vexed within her. That same expression is used in describing Samson and Jesus. Samson failed. Jesus didn’t. When she released her faith, she remained steadfast to what she said. DON’T WAVER IN BELIEVING. Decide not to quit. Lazarus was sick, but Jesus delayed coming to him for two days (John 11:3-44). The first time Jesus didn’t say that Lazarus was dead, but that he was sleeping. He didn’t want to speak death, and He was looking at the glory of God. He was looking for a live man in the tomb. Look for the good and positive in people. Rom. 4:17 says that Abraham was made a father of many nations by God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. God will honor your word if you don’t break it. Looking at your problem causes your faith to waver. Don’t let your faith waver. Look up! Face the impossibility and look at God. Repent if you messed up, and ask for His forgiveness.
The Intent is to Get People Saved
Offering Message: Matt. 5:23 and 24. God will speak to you in your time of offering and worship. If you bring your gift and remember that someone has something against you, leave your gift, reconcile yourself to your brother, and then offer the gift. Bare your heart before the Lord. God speaks when we get our hearts right. Pray for God to search your heart. Pastor Dale shared about a recent experience of humbling himself to make things right with a pastor friend. Remember: Love never fails. Don’t be wrong with your brother. Sermon message: Pastor Dale tells of the time he was in charge of the youth in his denominational church. Rumors and accusations by people in the church who were against the baptism of the Holy Spirit caused him to be removed. Listen as he tells how he handled the situation and how he ministered Matthew 18 to the adults. In Matt. 18:1-20 Jesus is talking to adults and referring to the newly-converted as the “little ones”. Omar Carberra, who was a powerful leader in the Argentine revival, said that it takes humility to reach the world for God. You have to humble yourself; God doesn’t humble you. The body of Christ must be strong for ministering restoration. We need restorative power in the church. Resisting the Holy Spirit and causing offenses made Jesus Christ very angry. We cannot become offended by the people who are being saved. We need the grace of God, which along with forgiveness is free. The devil’s intent is to get us off God’s intent. Offenses and strife kill. Pride is deceiving, because you don’t know you have it. The world is interested in reputation, whereas the Christian should be concerned about character. When a brother trespasses against you, you go to him alone. Don’t go to anyone else. Don’t resist the grace of God. If the person will not hear you, then go with 1 or 2 more people. The purpose of going to him is to restore him to the Lord and the church. If he continues to refuse hearing them, then go to the church leadership. If he doesn’t hear them, he must be an unbeliever, and then you minister salvation to him. The world should not be dealing with church issues. Privacy is necessary for restoration. Verses 18 to20 tell us to loose the person and to bind the devil. Pastor Dale tells of a time a pastor stole Dale’s church from him. God told him and Teri, “He can’t steal what you give him.” They gave him the church, loosed the pastor and bound the devil. In verses 19 and 20 the 2 or 3 are the people who went through the process of restoration. The purpose is to protect the person. Prov. 17:9 Repentance is not a cover-up; he who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. In 1 Peter 4:7 and 8 we are told to have fervent love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Prov. 11:13 says that a talebearer reveals secrets. A talebearer is not a gossip. He who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
What It Takes To Overcome
The account of David in 1 Sam. 1-6 tells of a time when David and his men returned to Ziklag to find that their wives and families had been taken captive and the city burned. The men were so distraught that they wanted to stone David. First Samuel 30 verse 6 says that David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. There will be times when no one will encourage you, and tragedy often turns people against their leaders. You can’t help others until you are strong enough yourself. How do you get stronger? Encourage yourself in the Lord. Give Him praise and thanks. Everything you have has been given to you from the Lord in the first place. AND if God gave it to you once, He can give it to you again. God is your source, so focus on Him in the middle of whatever you are facing. Ps. 30:5 His anger is but for a moment; His favor is for life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. There’s a time to weep and a time for joy. Even though David had no more power to weep when Bathsheba’s first son was sick, he had power to praise when he died. Heb. 13:15 Offer your sacrifice of praise continually. Eph. 5:20 Give thanks always for all things unto God, but don’t thank Him for what He doesn’t give. First Thess. 5:16 Rejoice evermore. Pastor Dale tells of Terry Law’s experience of bitterness after the death of his wife and children while he was in England serving the Lord. Oral Roberts ministered to him only by telling Terry to get on his knees and praise God and thank Him. After about twenty minutes of doing that, he experienced a breakthrough in the Holy Spirit. Thank God for what He gives and who He is. Worship fixes what is in you. Submit to God by worshiping Him. The Holy Spirit inhabits the praises of His people. Is. 40:28-31 God is bigger, so look to Him. He gives power to the faint and to those who have no strength He gives strength. Wait of the Lord, like the priests in the Old Testament, listening to Him, praying to Him, spending time with Him. God wipes out the bitterness. Minister to the Lord. Your praises may set your family free. What happened when David praised God? In 1 Sam. 30:7 and 8 we learn that they overtook and recovered all. Praise gets you to a place where you can hear from the Lord. Paul and Silas praised God when they were in deplorable conditions in an inner jail cell in Acts 16:25. Their praise was so loud all the prisoners could hear them. What was the result? All the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were loosed, and the jailor’s household was saved. Phil. 4:6 tells you to not be anxious, but let your requests be made known to God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Peace comes by giving praise to God with thanksgiving.
Seven Things You Can Know About the Anointing Part 2
Offering message: Text: Ps. 107:1, 20-21. Offerings are tied to worship. Our offerings are an expression of our love for God the Father and His Son, Jesus. In Mark 4 the seed is the Word in your heart. Everything we receive from God is from the seed of the Word. Sermon: Pastor Dale talked about the blessing of Ralph Wilkerson to the Body of Christ and to his family as they visited with Ralph and Aileen. In 2 Kings 2:7-9 it is recorded that fifty men were watching Elijah and Elisha, but only those two men went through the Jordan. The anointing is the power of God for ministry. What you do gets different results when the anointing is there. Pastor Dale shares about the anointing on him setting a co-worker free from demonic spirits and releasing the power for him to be saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. We need the anointing to minister. We should be more moved by the love of Jesus than our love for other people. Jesus never asked Peter if he loved people. He asked him if he loved Him. You need to ask for the anointing. Elisha asked for a double portion, which had a higher cost to go with it, but hardships can’t compare to the blessings. Pastor Dale tells about Brother Dresner being anointed to deliver healing to a family who sacrificed to have Dale and him stay with them. Expect God to provide the anointing for you, but ask for it. Ethen Armstrong was anointed and blessed at the end of the service.
It Starts With the Heart
Brian Rohrer shares his testimony as a pastor’s son. He tells how being hurt by church-goers and judging God by looking at people caused him to question and run from God. He saw his father going out of his comfort-zone to minister to troubled kids on drugs. Through different changes, his dad decided to have a church to reach kids like Brian, and his desires shifted to wanting to preach and sing and being excited about Jesus. Once again, something happened causing a church-split, and Brian poured his life into his work, but when his position was eliminated, he was forced to face himself. Through another process, he broke down and chose to forgive himself and others. What did he learn? Among other things: To whom much is forgiven, much is required; we are covered by the blood; we need to offer ourselves to God 100%; we have weapons of the blood of Jesus, the word of our testimony, the Word of God, and the power of prayer. In an instant God can wipe away a lifetime of sin. On the road to redemption, we find out that we are not under condemnation. Jesus does not leave people where they are. Revival is work. It is touching the father’s heart. Signs and wonders should be following us or they can become distractions. Satan wants us to keep begging for forgiveness and living in condemnation, but our fight is already won!
The Anointing Breaks Through the Obstacles
Pastor Dale- Offering Message: Ps. 112:1-3 Your seed (descendants, your words) will be mighty on earth. We are the generation of the upright, and we are blessed. Wealth and riches are in our house. Wealth is works of art and investments. Riches is money that passes through our hands to bless others. Moody, Finney, and other revivalists had rich people behind them. Women helped to finance Jesus’ ministry. Sermon notes: Ps. 103:1-5 Bless the Lord and remember all His benefits- salvation from sin, healing of bodies, redemption from death, youth renewed. Bless His holy name! Learn the language of revival. God spoke the Word and created the universe. We need a fresh understanding of why we are on the earth. God has triumphed over our enemies. There’s nothing wrong with God, and His Word will not return void. The world is looking for what’s real. God wants to renew us; we need a touch of God for our bodies. We are joint-heirs with Christ. Break through the obstacles. In Acts 10:38 we find that God anointed Jesus. God was with Him. Jesus Christ is the answer. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a mandate for the church. Come into the power of God. John the Baptist baptized Jesus and the Spirit descended on Him, and then He began His ministry. In Matt. 4:18 and 19 Jesus told the disciples to follow Him. They immediately left their nets, and He made them fishers of men. The church needs the anointing. You have to follow Him, allowing Him to go before you, so you can see what He’s doing and know how to treat people. He had compassion. Mark 1:36 Simon and others with Jesus searched for Jesus. They searched for Him and His presence, because He carried the anointing. People don’t want to follow us when what we talk about is problems. The priests had to wear bells on their clothing when they went into the Holy of Holies. There is a sound from heaven, a sound of praise. Taste and see that the Lord is good. The men bringing the paralytic to Jesus had expectancy. They wanted to get to the real Jesus, and their faith broke through the obstacles and what others thought. A touch from Jesus is needed for life. Be filled with His Spirit again. There is a sound of faith and victory. Do you have a meaningful relationship with Christ? There was a time of ministry for salvation, healing, and a refilling of the Holy Spirit.
The Fire of the Holy Spirit, Winds of Revival, and the Call and Gifts of God
(Pastor Dale Armstrong- offering and communion messages) Offering message: 2 Cor. 9:8 tells us that God is able to make all grace abound to us. We have sufficiency in all things that we may abound to every good work. We believe for faith for the harvest and for those of us already a part of CWI Lancaster to abound. Get ready for abundance and for the harvest of souls. Communion message: First Peter 1:18-19 tells us that Jesus Christ’s blood saves and redeems us. As believers, we should expect daily times of confession of our sins. First John 1:9 to 2:2 affirms that if we confess our sins to Him, He will forgive us and cleanse us. Jesus Christ is our Advocate and the propitiation for our sins. He paid the price and received the punishment for our sins. Is. 53:6 shows us that God’s wrath against sin was poured out on Christ for us. Don’t carry sin. His faithfulness, righteousness, and justice apply to us and restores us to a holy place with God. Know the power of His righteousness in the presence of God. We can go to the throne room and know that we are His beloved. Sermon message: Gal. 6:7-9 Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Sow to the Spirit. Don’t get weary and lose heart. Advance the kingdom by doing what the Word says. Are we doing what God wants us to do? Celebrate Pentecost, the day of the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to be ignited in you again and go out as carriers and demonstrators of of the power of God to the world. The wind is blowing again and rekindles the fire the hotspots that spread. There is a fire coming that will build. The Church is rising with a voice and healing in its wings. We need the wind of Pentecost. Luke 19:11 is the Parable of the Minas. The disciples thought the Kingdom of God was going to be immediate. We have to hear what the Spirit is saying to us. It is not normal for us to tolerate what the devil is doing to us. We have gifts in our lives. The call of God changes you as you find your purpose and plan of God for your life. Be the evidence and the carriers. Don’t just wait for the rapture. The church cannot make excuses. Become the evidence of the Word. There are many who don’t want Jesus to reign over them. He came to bless people. The church has buried its talent and gifts given to them. What are you doing with your gifts? If you buried them, His return will not be a happy day. Every kingdom has its own rules. We must do things His way, whether it’s salvation, being filled with the Holy Spirit, using your gifts, living in forgiveness, sowing into His Kingdom. Whose rules are you going to live under? We need to know God. WE MUST DO IT HIS WAY! We are carriers of His anointing. There’s a cry in us – Phil. 3:10 “That I May Know Him.” In 2 Tim. 4:3-7 tells about the time (now) when people won’t listen to sound doctrine, and they will do their own thing. We must be watchful is all things. Our God is awesome! Endure afflictions and do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry gift. We are called by God.
Walk Worthy of Your Calling
The church is lagging behind where God wants us to be. The early church had more evidence of the revelation of God. Paul had an amazing encounter. We need an encounter with God. Revival will cause us to rise up with signs and wonders. We must be the church until Jesus returns; don’t sit back waiting for the rapture. The revelation of the disciples has eroded. We have an eternal purpose. If you mess up, don’t give up, but press in. God wants to take us into something so big and amazing. The text is Eph. 3:11 through 4:1. The eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus is how we can have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. To have confidence, we need an encounter with God. You need to be strengthened in your inner man. Christ dwells in our hearts through faith, and we have a revelation of Jesus Christ. God wants us to comprehend the love of Christ and the power in His name. We can’t comprehend by our minds, but by our spirits, that we may be filled with the fullness of God. We already have the power, because He tells us that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above what we can ask or think, according to the power that works in us. We are to walk worthy of the calling in which we were called, consistently. How do we glorify God? We glorify Him when we lay hands on the sick and when we testify … In 2 Kings 3:16- they dug ditches. Dig ditches in your life to make a place for God to come to us so the revival will remain and the enemy will be defeated. Change how you speak to speaking the Word, and renew your mind.