Prayer is communion with God, a relationship with Him, and being mindful of His presence. In Eph. 6:10- tells us about the whole armor of God and that we are to pray always with all kinds of prayer and supplication. James 5:13-18 reveals how to pray effectively and how to pray for healing. Prayer can be unfruitful: praying according to your lusts, praying against God’s will, praying religious, mindless, repetitive prayers. Prayer is not rebuking the devil, because that’s taking authority over the enemy. Don’t disconnect from communion with God. We know we are to pray to God, the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ (John 16:23). You can talk to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit, but prayer is to God. How do you know if your prayer is effective? When you are in good communion with God. Adam and Eve had good communion with God before the Fall, and Enoch’s communion was so good, he was taken up. Luke 18:10-14 mentions the prayer of humility (knowing who you are with God and knowing who you are without Him) compared to the one who speaks the “prayer” of self-justification. Is. 56:7 tells about God’s saying that His house should be a house of prayer. The congregation spent time praying in the Spirit.

Offering message: The key to miracles is to do whatever He tells you to do. The tithe is 10%, and offerings are your giving beyond the tithe. Sermon message: Pastor Syd shares many personal experiences on listening to God’s voice. Scriptures: John 2:1-11; John 10:1-27; John 14; Ps. 66:18; Acts 24:16; Romans 9:1; Rom. 8:14,16; II Peter 1:16-21; II Tim. 3:16-17; John 16:8,13-16; I John 2:27; Luke 1:1-4; Acts 15:22-36. If we are Jesus Christ’s sheep, we will hear His voice and follow Him. When won’t you hear His voice? 1- If you’re not His sheep. 2- If you’re praying for something for which the Bible has already given you an answer. 3- Because God has already told you what to do, but you haven’t obeyed Him. 4- If you have known, unconfessed sin in your life. 5- You are hearing from the wrong source. How does God speak to us? 1- Through His Word. 2- By His Spirit. 3- Through other people. When does He use other people to speak to you? 1- If you’re hard of hearing. 2- To bolster you for rough sailing. 3- To confirm what you already know. Don’t be led by money. Do what seems good to you (God’s peace). Following God’s voice will save you time, money, lives.

In Gen. 18:1-8 we see that Abraham was hospitable and giving to strangers. Do we make the gospel attractive? Giving is a test of love. In Gen. 8:9-15 those same “strangers” (angels) told Abraham and Sarah about the son that they would have, and in 16-33 Abraham boldly intercedes with the Lord for his nephew, Lot and the righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah. We need to ask for boldness and urgency for the lost, whether one person or many. Ps. 2:8 says to ask God for the nations. #1 Ask for boldness (Eph. 6:19-20), #2 for a door to be opened into their lives (Col. 4:2-6), and #3 ask for good ground (hearts) to sow the Word into (1 Thess. 3:1; Is. 55:10-11). Seek the lost. Isaiah 60:21-22 tells us that it’s God’s will that the kingdom of God would grow. Sow the Word into people’s lives.

You are made in Jesus Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). You won’t have boldness if you don’t know you’re righteous in Him. We are righteous through faith in Jesus, and His blood justifies us (Rom. 3:10-26). We can have boldness in the day of judgment (1 John 4:16, 17) because our wrongs are covered, erased, and forgiven (1 John 1:9). Heb. 7:25 Jesus pleads (intercedes) on our behalf, and if our hearts don’t condemn us, we can have confidence toward God. (Rom. 5:17). Jesus became sin, so we can come to the Father and can be the righteousness of God, walking in boldness. Heb. 12:18-24 Our spirits are made perfect; Jesus is our mediator of the new covenant. Heb. 4:14-16 Jesus was tempted as we are, so hold fast your confession and come boldly to the throne of grace. Rom. 8:28-38 God freely gives us all things, and we are more than conquerors. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

To go with God’s momentum, be a doer of the Word (2 Tim. 3:7) and check out your beliefs, because wrong beliefs about God equal a wrong approach to Him. We start with Jesus and then move to His truths. A key truth is the fear of the Lord. It contains and provides for great promises. It is not a spirit of fear nor stiffness nor lack of fun (Heb. 13:5; Ps. 23; 1 John 4:17, 18; Is. 29:13). The fear of God must be balanced with the love of God. The fear of God is the fear of wrath and judgment of God, the awareness of and faith in God, the divine order before His glory and presence, and judgment. If we want the glory of God and His presence, we must be in divine order and be in reverence and awe of Him (Heb. 5:7; Heb. 12:25-29; 2 Cor. 7:1), or we will be judged. Revival is the refreshing of new fire, a greater presence of God, and reverence and awe. Do not have a casual attitude toward God and don’t stop revival.

Faith is important and foundational. We must walk in and live by  faith (Heb. 10:38 ) in every aspect of life. Putting faith with love equals victory. Rom. 10:9-10, 13 tells what is the first step of faith, and Rom. 14:23 says that what’s not of faith is sin. We can’t please God without faith (Heb. 11:6). How does faith in God come? It comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). We can know that God is good, and we can trust Him and His Word. Some of what God’s Word says is conditional and situational. You meet the qualifications and criteria for His promises to come to pass for you. Faith isn’t hope, which is future. You can’t have faith for something for which you didn’t get someone’s (or God’s) word. Faith is now. Faith will cause you to take action. Faith is agreeing with the Word of God. Unbelief is taking sides against the Word of God. What’s the difference between head and heart faith? Head faith is based on the five senses, mental persuasion, emotion, and the physical realm (Example: Thomas in John 20:24-31). Abraham is an example of heart faith (Rom. 4:16-22). It’s getting God’s Word and then putting your trust into it and Him. It is based on the spiritual realm and the Word, speaking it out, and acting on it. Thank God for His promises when you pray and when you receive. Pastor Syd shares testimonies of using faith to believe for his healing.

Faith in God or the faith of God is complete persuasion and assurance in God. (Mark 11:12, 20-24; Matt. 21:20-22; 2 Tim. 1:12b; Heb. 11:1) Whom do you believe in? God is our Source. Bible hope (trust, expectation, and anticipation) is different from today’s worldly hope (want and desire). You don’t have any more faith than you have patience. Consider how you use the name of Jesus. In Acts 19:13-17 the Seven Sons of Sceva used Jesus’ name and reaped some bad results. Be careful not to use His name as an incantation or formula. Stir yourself up when you realize your faith is waning from when you first stood in faith. The trying of your faith is the passage of time. Pastor Syd read all of Hebrews 11 which records those people who lived by faith. Heb. 12:1-2 reminds us to run the race with patience.

Word given by Larry Hostetter: Children, you don’t know how special you are, how special I have made you. Those giftings that I have put in you. When I [had] created you, I [had] placed giftings within you. There are many different giftings. There are giftings of the Spirit. Have you found them? Have you found those giftings that I want for you, found in the baptism of the Holy Spirit? It’ll set you free. It’ll change your life. It’ll help you walk the walk that I have called for you, the plan that I have for you. It’ll take you there. It’ll take you there. It’s where I want you to go. As you follow Me, as you learn My Word and place [My] Word in your heart, I’m going to change you into a vehicle that will glorify My Name. It’s not about you. It’s about the One who lives in you.  Don’t forget that. I placed giftings in you, but they are supernatural giftings that I want you to work in, I want you to move in, but it’s done by the Spirit. So, train your ears to hear His Word, so put His Word in your heart so you can hear His Word, that you can hear His voice and learn to know the difference. The Word says you have to judge the spirits. There are many spirits in the world, but there’s only one true God. There’s only one living God. There’s only one God that paid the price. That glorious salvation that He provided for you is free. There’s no price in it, except for your life, except for your heart. That’s a big price for some people to pay, but that’s the price that I accept. That’s the price that Jesus died for. So, be willing My children. Hunger and thirst after Me, after My righteousness for your life needs to be changed. It needs to be changed, one day at a time, one surrender at a time. When I put My finger on something, get it out, get it out! When you see it, when you hear it, get it out! Get it out! There’s a price to pay. Time for surrender… It’s time for us to surrender in Jesus’ name.

Offering: Pastor Syd shares a testimony about his obedience to God and the blessing that followed (2 Cor. 8:9; 2 Cor. 9:6). Sermon: The Word can bring revival in our marriages. All marriage problems stem from selfishness. Are you doing marriage the way God said? Gen. 2:15-25 tells about Adam in the Garden of Eden. God made Eve to be Adam’s helper. Christ is the head of the man; man is the head of his wife; and God is Christ’s head (1 Cor. 11:3). The husband is the leader, and the wife is the helper. Except for 1 Cor. 7:1-6, marriage is NOT 50/50. (Eph. 5:15-22; Heb. 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-17). Honor is big with God. Choose to respect and honor, even if the person doesn’t deserve it. Refuse to fight. Submit (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:7; Eph. 5:24-33; Col. 3:18-19; Eph. 5:22-33). Every question about marriage is answered in how Christ functions in the Church. 1- Submission is not agreement, and in fact, you don’t need to submit if you agree. You can submit when you don’t agree. 2-Submission isn’t easy. 3-Submission is not weakness (1 Peter 3:1). 4-Submission isn’t forced. No form of making someone do something is from God. It’s manipulation. Serve. Marriage is to be a picture of Christ and the Church. Walk in your own place. Submission is your own choice.

Text: Heb. 12:1-2. We are to lay aside every weight and sin that ensnares us. Don’t get tripped up , but stay in faith. The things that ensnare us can be the little things that catch your attention and cause you to fall away from faith, things like not walking in love. Keep  your eyes on Jesus. When you put your faith in God, there is nothing that Satan can do to stop God’s Word from working, so he will try to get your eyes off of Jesus to destroy you. James 1:5-8 tells us to ask God in faith if we lack wisdom. If we waver in faith, we won’t receive anything. Doubting is being double-minded and driven by circumstances; it’s thinking about two different things at the same time and not being able to make a decision. Angels are sent out to serve those who inherit salvation (Heb. 1:13-14). Pastor Syd gives an analogy of how we advance our angel(s) or cause them to retreat from us by our confession of faith. Peter walked to Jesus in the storm on the sea in faith (Matt. 14:25-29), but he didn’t keep his eyes on Jesus. Fear opens the door to Satan, but praise opens the door to God. Don’t look at the problem and don’t give in to fear. Martha had too many things getting her attention. Make a choice about your thoughts. If they are thoughts of fear, Satan wants you to think they’re your thoughts, so take them captive and make them come into the obedience of Jesus Christ. The incident of Moses and the bronze snake is another example of keeping your eyes on Jesus (Num. 21:4-8). God has put everything under Jesus’ feet Eph. 1:20-23). Keep your eyes on Him.

The Holy Spirit told Pastor Syd: “God’s mercy and His provision are indelibly linked. They cannot be separated. His compassion provides the interchange.” His compassion transfers (connects) His mercy to His provision.  Where God’s mercy is, His provision is there. (Ex. Matt. 20:29-34; Is. 63:7)

The Word of God will come against what the devil brings to us. Text: Is. 7:1-9. Fear is deadly, and stress and worry are forms of fear. You can have fear but still stand in faith. We can resist fear by humbling ourselves before God, realizing that He is our source. Fear is a roadblock to what God wants to do. Don’t fear what everyone else is fearing. God is our source, and we are to fear Him only. The condition is believing the word of the Lord. Think only what the Lord has said. An example is David with Goliath. David could have faith to defeat him because he compared Goliath to God. We have God’s promises: Is. 41:10-13; Ps. 34:1-22; Is. 26:3; Ps. 23. When your faith believes that it receives, it rejoices. Seek the Lord, and He will deliver you from all fear. He will keep you in perfect peace if you keep your eyes on Him. Pastor Syd tells what all God’s peace means. Do you tremble at the word of God? Pastor Sydney shares powerful testimonies he and his wife experienced in the valley of the shadow of death.

Offering message: In 2 Kings 5:1-18 Naaman learned that the key to miracles is to do what God tells you to do. Sermon message: Text: Matt. 8:18-20 and 16:19 tell us that when two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name and agree about any matter that they pray for, it will be done. We pray in Jesus’ name, ask according to God’s will (1 John 5:14),  have child-like faith, and the result is that we will have what we ask. Pastor Syd gave three examples of when he asked God with child-like faith. Hardening of the heart happens when you don’t get what you prayed for; the devil will even use Scripture against you to cause you to doubt. Exercise the Word of God. Believe it. God says, “I’ve done my part. Now do yours.” (There was a time of corporate prayer.)

God’s plan for your life is a good one, one of peace and hope ( Jer. 29:11-14). If we pray to Him and seek Him, He will listen. Shalom is peace, perfect, prosperity, rest, safety, welfare, wholly well. You have to make a choice for life. Are the promises in the Old Testament for us today? YES! Gal. 3:13-14, 26-29, and 4:4 establish the truth that we are sons and heirs of God and that the blessing of Abraham has come to us through faith in Jesus Christ. What are some of those promises? Matt. 11:28-30 tells us that God gives us rest, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light, because we’re yoked with Him. Rom. 5:17 tells us that we will receive grace and the gift of righteousness to reign in life through Jesus Christ. Rom. 8:14-17 lets us know that we are God’s heirs. Rom. 8:31-38 says that God is for us and that nothing can separate us from His love. You’ll get excited and bold about the Word of God when it’s working for you. A quote from Keith Moore: “The plan of God is the glory of God prepared by the love of God especially for the children of God, me!” Our response is praise, joy, shouts of jubilation (Ps. 32:11; 35:27; 47:1; 100:1-4). Rely on His strength and His good plan for you.

Pastor Syd reviewed last Wednesday’s message from Jer. 29:11-14 (God’s promise for our peace and plans to prosper us applies to us today; we must make a choice for God’s plan; God’s plan should be easy if we are yoked with Jesus; if we believe God’s plan for us, we’ll be excited about it, and it will work for us.) His plan gives us hope and hope produces joy. Faith produces peace. Hope expects.  Faith receives. Faith, hope, and love are the armor and the weapons. We need to put on the helmet of salvation to think God’s thoughts, not the enemy’s. Watch your words, because they carry spiritual significance. Allow yourself to express joy and praise in your worship and root out the spirit of pride. Use praise as a sword to open the door to the Father with power. Laugh at the devil and his plans. Remember: he is NOT the equal opposite of God. Don’t agree with his thoughts and feelings and fears. Death is our enemy, but we don’t need to be afraid of it. Other texts: Luke 4:16-19; Matt. 11:28-30; Ps. 32:11; 47:1; Prov. 10:28; Rom. 15:13; Rom. 5:1-2; 1 Thess. 5:5-8; 1 Peter 1:6-8; Ps. 149:3-5; 2:1-4; 37:12; Job 5:22; 1 Cor. 15:52-55.

Pastor Syd reviews and builds on last Wednesday’s message. God’s promises are for you. His plan for you is good. You have to choose God’s plan and to believe it. We are yoked with God, and His yoke is easy and His burden is light. If you believe His plan for you, you’ll be excited about it. Praising God is a two-edged sword. God laughs at the devil and his wicked schemes. Walk in faith. Speak in faith. God’s vision for you is a picture (Prov. 29:18). Get a picture in your mind of how God sees you. Write down the vision (Hab. 2:2). Which plan is playing in your mind? When you speak the Word of God, your ears hear it, and your mind shows you a picture of it. We focus and speak what is in the unseen and eternal. Abraham, Noah, Joseph, and Joshua had a picture of God’s plan that they held on to for years. Prov. 4:10, 18, and 20-22 tell us to listen and see and get God’s revelation. The result will be living many years and having health in your whole body. (Tom Fuss gave a word to Pastors Dale and Syd.)

God’s vision of you is expressed in Jer. 29:11-14. Mark 16:15-18 is God’s working orders. Eph. 3:20-21 tells us that God is able to do great things for us through the power that works in us. God made Jesus to be head over everything for the church. There are two visions competing for you in your mind: God’s and Satan’s. Choose life and choose God’s plan. What is the image that you keep  in front of you? If it’s carnal and flesh-minded, it will produce death. Think on good, God-things. Jacob had a bad vision in his head: “Everything happens to me.” When everything seems to fall apart, God’s plan is still there. In contrast, Joseph held onto God’s vision for him, and that plan was to preserve life. God will take what comes to you and turn it to good. Everyday is a good day. Joy is your strength and proves that you believe God’s plan for you. Be glad! (Prov. 10:28; Ps. 32:11; Ps. 40:16; Ps. 68:3; Ps. 126:1) Yielding to the Holy Spirit, especially to the point of being “drunk in the Holy Spirit”, will bring excitement, joy, and laughter and the glory of God will be on you.

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.

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).

Listen to Pastor Sydney’s testimonies of miracles that God did for him, Jen, and his family. Rom. 1 and 1 Cor. 1 tell us that the Gospel, the Word of God, is power. What has Pastor Sydney noticed about the miracles of God in his life? #1 There was a desperation, a knowing that God was his/their only source. Desperation creates a cry in your heart. Go to God’s throne-room, and God will grant justice swiftly. God’s time is now, and you’ll see the manifestation at the appointed time. First get the victory in your heart and take your case to the Almighty. #2 Find the Word concerning your situation and stand on it and speak it. The Word is the will of God, so then you know how to pray. Is. 55:7-9 says about the wicked, that they don’t have the thoughts of God. But God has revealed His thoughts to those who have the Spirit of God. The command of God always carries the grace to do it. #3 Release your faith by speaking and acting on the Word. The Word only does something for you when you act on it. Remember, the Gospel is the power of God. Make the Word yours.

Offering Message: Texts: 1 Peter 2:5; Ex. 35-36:7; 40:34-35; 1 Chron. 29:3-20; 2 Cor. 8:6-11; 2 Cor. 9:6-12. Physical offerings carry spiritual significance. We are to give cheerfully, with delight, honoring God, and He graces us for our work, honors us, and enriches us. Sermon Message: Luke 4:16-19; 1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 2:14-16. Pastor Sydney shared his testimony of opening a door to destruction at a very early age and his deliverance and victory in Jesus Christ from the wound of rejection. Be constantly led by the Spirit in your home. Take captive memories and thoughts and bring them into obedience of Jesus Christ. There is victory through Christ Jesus.

Offering Message by Gene English: Bring all the tithes into the storehouse. Speak the Word to receive from God. Read the “all” references in these Scriptures: Mal. 3:10; Ps. 103:1-3; Luke10:27; Proverbs 3:4-5. Sermon by Sydney Ropp: John 14:16; 16:13-15. Decisions determine direction, and direction determines destiny. Live by being completely led by the Holy Spirit. How are we led by the Spirit? We know God’s voice. When won’t you hear His voice? 1) When you’re not born-again; 2) When you’re not following Jesus, because you have one foot in the world and one in the church; 3) When you haven’t obeyed what He has already told you to do; 4)  When  you have known or unknown sin in your life, and your heart is seared and hardened; 5) When you are not submitting to Him; 6) When you’re trying to hear from the wrong place (from your senses, instead of your spirit). Rom. 8:14 All those who are led by God’s Spirit are sons of God. Always make sure what you think you’ve heard lines up with the Scriptures. God speaks to us through our spirits, not through the flesh. He speaks to us through His Word, angels, visions, dreams, other people, through His Spirit, by the inner witness- His Spirit testifying with our spirit, when you have a spirit of peace, and it seems like the right thing to do. Watch what you submit to, and make sure it’s not the devil, but trust in the Lord. Be led by the Spirit of God, the umpire of peace. Pay attention to what He is leading you to do, and don’t quench the Spirit.

Gene English shared during offering. Sydney Ropp had message. 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9. We are priests, and we give spiritual offerings. What makes our offerings acceptable to the Lord? 1) When we give to the LORD. 2) When we give our best. 3) When we give with thankfulness. Tithes are included with offerings, but offerings are not tithes; both are used in worship. Tithe means tenth, like a sheep owner counting and every tenth one went to the LORD. You are not sowing seed with your tithe, because it belongs to the LORD. The tithe existed before the law (Gen. 14:17-18; 28:10-20), during the law, and after the law. Giving the tithe is acknowledging God as your source. It’s a covenant with God and a covenant of prosperity. Look for the covenant: if I do this, God will do this. The first-fruit is different from the tithe. Tithing brings a blessing. Give to the LORD- first. (Other Scriptures: 2 Cor.  9:7; 1 Chron. 16:29; Mal. 3:6-7; Lev. 27:30-34; Heb. 13:15; Heb. 6:20-7:7; Heb. 8:1-2, 6; Luke 20:20-25; 1 Cor. 16:1-2)

Texts: 1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 2:14. Capacity is the largest number or amount that can be held. How do we increase our capacity? The answer is thankfulness. Thankfulness increases our capacity, and conversely, thanklessness decreases our capacity for victory. The Israelites grieved, tempted, provoked, limited, and didn’t remember God’s power (Ps. 78:40; Ps. 143:3-6). Grumbling opens the door to the devil. There are three steps to victory: #1 Believe the Word. Believe the promises. Recognize that His Word is the final Word. Everything must bow to Jesus. (Is. 55:11; 2 Cor. 1:20; Jer. 1:12; Luke 11:9-13) When the enemy comes, combat him with the Word. Submit to God, to the Word, and then the enemy must go. Christ is in you. Let Him have the right of way. (Rom. 4:20-21) #2 Rejoice at the promise. We can say and believe that we have the victory over anything that comes our way. Faith that believes that it receives can only rejoice. Just as children start thanking their dad when he says they are going for ice cream, so we can rejoice at our Father’s word. They don’t have the ice cream in their hands, but they believe that they will because of their dad’s promise. We have the promise of victory. All of the promises of God are in the face of the enemy. Refuse to get off the promise. #3 Tell someone about it. Tell about the LORD in your testimony. (Ps. 95:1-2)

Offering message (Karen Burrows): Learn for the purpose of taking action. Think about what you are saying about your finances. Speak God’s Word and speak positively. Sermon: Our minds think in pictures. The dominant picture will direct your life. What are your dominant pictures? What are you looking at with your spiritual eyes? Elisha’s servant’s perspective changed when he saw the reality of God (2 Kings 6:8-20). Your perspective will change, too, if you change the picture in your mind. You can renew your mind through God’s Word (Romans 12:2). Transformation takes your involvement and allows us to know the will of God. Think about what you’re thinking about. To be conformed means being pressed, squeezed, and shaped into a mold. Allow God to conform you into His image. You decide what will form you by what you choose to think about. The angel called Gideon “a mighty man of God”, but that’s not how he saw himself. As soon as he accepted God’s word about himself, he became the mighty man of God. Think about what God thinks about you. A thought can be carnal or spiritual. What you think about, you will say and eventually do. Words are carriers of thoughts. Your thoughts are powerful. Wrong thinking about God leads you to deception. When you’re wrong but you think you’re right, you won’t change. Our problem is wrong thinking. To think like He thinks, you must be willing to change, and you must immerse yourself in the Word. To overcome, feed your spirit with the Word. What is on the inside needs to be addressed. Don’t treat only what’s happening on the outside. Find out the cause and let the Word put pressure on the inside. What you focus on is what you will see clearly and that’s where you’ll go. Ask yourself if what you’re thinking on is true, pure, noble, just. Speak the Word! Don’t talk about your problems. Our mistakes can be huge successes through Him. In the storm, think on these things. Take captive every thought and make it come into the obedience of Jesus Christ. Pray in line with the will of God. Stop yourself and ask, “What am I thinking about?” (Luke 8:35; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Corinthians 2; Philippians 4:4-7)

Texts: Acts 4:33-34; James 4:6. With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all, and the result was that no one lacked, because they share their possessions. God gives more grace to the humble. Throughout the New Testament letters, Paul wrote about grace, often opening and closing his letters with a blessing of grace, but it was more than just a greeting. Just as God said, “Light be!” in Genesis, Paul said, “Grace be upon you.” Grace can be increased. We can grow in grace. We can take a stand in grace. A dictionary definition of grace is unmerited favor. The Greek word for grace is the same as for favor. “Grace” conveys the picture of a superior stooping down to help an inferior. Mainly, grace is God’s ability and empowerment. We are told to come boldly to the throne of grace (God’s ability), so that we can obtain God’s strength, wisdom, and ability. If grace would be increased in our lives, hard things would become easy. Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Grace is NOT mercy. Mercy is not getting the judgment you deserve. Grace helps you with the ability and empowerment to get out of what you needed mercy for. In Genesis 6:5-8, God saw man’s wickedness and regretted He created him, and if Noah wouldn’t have found grace in the eyes of the Lord, He would have wiped out all men and animals from the earth. We’re here because He gave grace to Noah- grace to build an ark and to do what he needed to do. Grace picks us where mercy ends. It was God’s mercy to the Israelites when they complained, that His wrath didn’t wipe them out, but His grace was shown when Moses extended his rod and the Red Sea parted. God’s grace was shown when Peter walked on the water, and Jesus’ mercy was demonstrated when Jesus reached out for Peter when his focus turned away from Him, and he doubted. We need God’s grace!

The Israelite army fled from the Philistines, but four of David’s mighty men fought against eight hundred of the enemy (2 Samuel 23:9-12). Eleazar stood against the enemy and fought to the point of his hand being stuck to his sword. The men stood and fought, and the Lord brought about a great victory. God will do that for us, but we must stand, clinging to the Word of God. Proverbs 4:13, 20-23 tells us to hold onto instruction (the Word) and guard it, because it’s your life. When we delight in His Word, we delight in Him. First of all, we have to get the Word of God into us. Every day at home, get into His presence and into His Word. That’s where you will receive strength for what’s ahead of you. Your hand will grab onto the sword (the Word of God), and you won’t let go of it, because you have a foundation of truth inside of you. Meditate on the Word and sing Scripture songs. If you have the Word in the proper perspective, you will live according to it. The Word is health. Guard what you allow to come in, which guards your heart, and allow the Word to come out of your mouth. The battles that we fight are spiritual ones (Ephesians 6:10-18), and the way to have victory is to take up the full armor and stand, being full of the Word of God. Every part of the armor really is based on the Word of God, whether it’s the belt, shield of faith, or any other part of the armor. The Word in our mouths is truth. Psalm 119:162 tells us to rejoice in the Word as one who finds great treasure. The entrance of God’s Word gives light and understanding (Psalm 119:130).  Praise God, sing, dance, be joyful, let praise be in our mouths and a two-edged sword in your hand (Psalm 149:1:6). Get the Word in you and cling to it.

Word Given During CWI Service
“Get Ready for the Outpouring” Given by Larry Hostetter:
My children, the shaking is coming. Get yourselves ready. Get yourselves in the Word, because you have to trust in Me like you’ve needed trusted in Me before, but My power and My love is sufficient. I have a boldness, a boldness for you, a boldness you have never experienced in your life, and a love, and a power, and an anointing that you’ve never experienced in your life, because it’s time for the outpouring. So, get ready! Get ready! Get on your knees. It’s time to be holy. It’s time to put things aside. It’s time to shake yourselves. Shake off those things that have a hold on you. They don’t belong to Me! They don’t belong to Me, and you need all of Me that you can get.
Be ready, My children! Be ready, My children for I’m coming soon! I’m coming soon! I’m coming soon! Get ready! Get ready! Get ready!
It seems like a long time coming, but time is very, very short, so be ready. Be ready! Be in your Word. Be on your knees. Be opened to hear the Holy Spirit, and do what He says.
There’s so much to be done. I want to see souls come flooding into My kingdom. I want to see peoples’ lives changed by the power of a living God, because you can’t do it on your own. It’s not by might. It’s not by power. It’s by the Spirit of the living God. You need to know Me more and more and more. You need to know Me more and more and more.

Pastor Sydney Ropp “More Grace”
Texts: James 4:6; Acts 4:33. The grace of God is His favor, His wisdom, and His empowerment. Our part is to be humble, living to do His will, not our own will. We are to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). With enough grace I can do anything He asks me to do. We have to come to God boldly and humbly (Hebrews 4:16). Grace is NOT God covering-up or overlooking my sin. It is God’s empowerment for me not to sin. Sin should no longer be our master (Romans 6:14). If you are in a “wilderness experience”, it could be because of hardness of heart. God graces you to come out of the wilderness, but you still will have to face enemies, and then His grace is there for you, if you are obedient. Grace, proclaimed to her by the angel Gabriel, made a huge difference in Mary’s life (Luke 1:26-30). God’s grace was on Jesus (Luke 2:40). God does give more grace to some people than to others. Jesus grew in wisdom, grace, and stature as a child (Luke 2:52). John 1:14-17 says that Jesus was full of grace and truth. We have received grace upon grace from Jesus’ fullness. It is by His grace that we can go through the valleys in life. We need God’s grace now more than ever, because there are more people on the earth than ever before. Ask Him for more of His grace.

We are told to be doers of the Word and not hearers only, and if we don’t, we are self-deceived (James 1:22-25). To remember the Word, so write it down. Pastor Sydney asked God for dreams and visions, and He gave him a dream about financial wisdom. He was sure he would remember it in the morning, but he didn’t value it enough to write it down, and in the morning he could not remember it. Joshua 1:8 states how important it is to keep the Word and meditate on it. Knowing the truth does not change anything, unless you act on it. Live in the Word. We can become deceived in our relationship with the Father, if we do not talk to Him. You cannot have a relationship with someone you do not talk to. Be a hearer, doer, and you will be blessed. Ezekiel 33:30-32 relates about people who hear what to do but do not do it. “Doing it” is not talking about it, planning to do it, and wanting to do it. The Word has to be what sustains us. Walk in the light that you have. He will bring to your remembrance what you have put into yourself in the past. We let the Word slip if we are not doing it, and we are deceiving ourselves. God’s Word brings light and understanding. Are you walking in the light that you have? Build your life on the solid rock. How you stand in a storm reveals how established you are in the Word. Use what you have (Luke 19:20-26).

Texts: Acts 4:33; Exodus 33:1-6, 11-17. Moses told God that he would not leave Sinai and go into the Promised Land without the Lord. He asked God for grace for Him to show Moses His way and that Moses would know Him. God said that Moses found grace in His sight and that His presence would go with him. God’s presence is God’s grace. Greater grace results in greater peace. Peace is the indicator of God’s grace. Pastor Sydney and his wife, Jenn, tell of the grace that God gave Jenn after surrendering and submitting to Him when He told them that they were to move to Lancaster at a very inconvenient time. You eat the good of the land if you are obedient and willing. You have to submit to God’s will (James 4:6-7). Get into His presence. Get into His grace. You can get out of God’s grace by regarding the wind and the waves, the outside pressures, and worries. The “Yeah, buts” will sink you. An idol is anything that takes the place of your Source. It’s you thinking you can do it yourself in your own ability. God’s grace is in everything. Don’t think you can do it on your own. The time is short. We need great grace. The word of grace is to empower you (Acts 20:32). Rotten talk tears you down (Ephesians 4:29). Minister life and encouragement. Grace is the opportunity for you to have faith.

Text: James 1:22-23. In order to remember the Word, we need to speak it, write it down, and reread it. Ezekiel 33:30-32 gives a description of people who were excited to hear the Word of the Lord, but they didn’t obey it. Their mouths spoke much love, but their hearts pursued their own gain. The Word should change us and we should act according to it. Knowing what the Bible says isn’t enough. John 8:31-32 tells us that we must continue in the Word to be a disciple of Jesus. It’s the truth you know (intimately) that sets you free. Knowing is in the heart, not just the head. Freedom comes when you continue in the truth. The one who keeps His commandments is the one who loves Jesus (John 14:21). You are deceiving yourself if you think you are doing the Word and really you just know it in your head. You will be blessed in what you do if you continue to do the Word (James 1:21-25). Doing the Word is walking in the light. If your spiritual eyes are good, your whole body is full of light. The light shines into our spiritual eyes. Light exposes what is in the dark. Don’t keep walking around in the dark, but walk in the light. Ephesians 5:8-14 says that we should walk as children of light. We should judge ourselves, but before we judge anyone else, we need to remove the “planks” in our own eyes (Matthew 7:1-6). Are we walking in the light of the Word about our speech? About tithing? About walking in love? Know the truth and walk in it. Judge yourself. When light comes in, rejoice.

(There was communion and children departments’ participation.) Text: Acts 4:33. Pastor Sydney reviewed about grace. When we are in God’s presence and experiencing His grace, we enter into peace, joy, and victory (Psalm16:11; Psalm 5:11-12; Psalm 30:5, 7). How can we receive more of God’s grace? Psalm 89:17 tells us that pleasing God releases His grace. Even your enemies are at peace with you (Proverbs 16:7) and they don’t triumph over you (Psalm 41:10-11) when you please God. It was the grace of God that protected Jesus, and He had that grace because He always did what pleased the Father (John 8:29). We should walk as He did, always pleasing the Father. You can choose to delight to do His will by agreeing with Him quickly.

Text: James 1:22. Are you practicing in faith what you have heard about healing, tithing, etc.? Talking and making plans are not the same as doing what you have heard. Be a faith-walker and do what you say. God is light, and when we walk with Him we are in the light, but when we walk away from Him, we enter areas of darkness. In darkness, you lose your direction and get confused. The Word you see is the Word you need to walk in. Don’t move away from God and from His light. Darkness is sin and is a violation of the light you have. Look for the light.

Pastor Sydney shared his testimony of his salvation and peace in a serious accident. Because of what Jesus did for us in the New Covenant, we can come boldly into the throne room. Covenant means to cut where blood flows. It is a binding, unending agreement with one another. Jesus’ covenant is unending. In a covenant each person loses his own identity and individuality. Some covenants were made by cutting wrists and intermingling the blood and then catching the blood in a cup of wine and then each one drank it. Sometimes an animal is cut in half with parts opposite each other. The participants would walk through the blood to the other person and so on. It’s because of the blood that we can see glory. Hebrews 8:6-10 tells us that Jesus is the Mediator of a better covenant. Abram and God made the first blood covenant (Genesis 15). Each animal God told him to bring to Him symbolized something: the cow (wealth), the goat (strength), the ram (political power and favor), the turtledove (love forever), and the young pigeon (dependency). David and Jonathan had cut a covenant (1 Samuel 18; 2 Samuel 9). God’s covenant never weakens. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:11-10:23). Jesus’ sacrifice was done once. Jesus took away the first covenant (Hebrews 10:9). We should not lack because of our covenant (Psalm 23:1). He restores our soul. He leads us on the right path. We don’t need to fear evil even when we are in the valley of the shadow of death. He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. This is our covenant meal. We participated in the Lord’s communion.

We should hold the Word more valuable than anything else. Those who came to Jesus for healing honored, obeyed, and believed Him. We can be hardened by unbelief. Believing is simple. The Isaiah 53:1-9 account of Jesus’ stripes healing us was written hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth. Matthew 8:16-17 and 1 Peter 2:24 were written when and after Jesus was here. By His stripes we were healed. Jesus suffered in hell to pay the price for us. (Acts 2:25-31)  He tasted spiritual death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:9) He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18) He not only had the sin of everyone on Him, He had people against Him. When He was being “tried”, He did not open His mouth to answer their accusations. To be forgiven, we must forgive. It is not a “tack on” to His instruction to make prayer work, but it is actually the condition for it to work. (Matthew 6:9-15) Unforgiveness places you under the curse of the law, even though Jesus took the curse for us, and we are redeemed through His blood. (Galatians 3:13) We must forgive in order to be healed. Forgiveness is a choice to release the other person. Go to the person privately; bind the evil spirit; loose the plan of God. (Matthew 18:15-20) Be quick to repent when you sin. (Matthew 5:23-24). Faith does not work if you’re in unforgiveness. (Mark 11:20-26) If you are blaming God, you must forgive Him, even though He did nothing wrong. Jesus took all injustices upon Himself. What did Jesus say on the cross? “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” For Him to stay in faith, He had to forgive those who were killing Him. (Luke 23:32-46) He died in faith and forgiveness. He paid the price for our sin and sicknesses.

God has a good plan full of hope and peace for you. God is the author of good things. Peace (shalom) means completeness, soundness, welfare, safety, health, prosperity, tranquility, contentment, and friendship. Isaiah 26 verses 12 and 3 say that God will establish shalom for us. You can be in a crisis on the outside and still have peace on the inside, like Jesus asleep in the boat in the midst of a big storm. Jesus expected His disciples to deal with the storm by speaking peace to it. If you can stand in peace, you can get the victory. If you can’t, then you need to get into the Word. You will get to the point that you can even laugh in the circumstances by keeping your mind on Him. A requirement is forgiveness. In Mark 11:26 we are informed that if we don’t forgive, God can’t forgive us our sins. The blood washes away my sin, but if I refuse to forgive, He can’t forgive us. What do you do about it? You say that you forgive the person and release them. When the thought of that person and your unforgiveness come up, take captive that thought. Thinking on the problem is thinking on the flesh, which is death. Set your mind by the power of the Word and truth, submitting to God’s plan. If we are not walking in forgiveness, we are in darkness. Jesus is light, and if we walk in the light, we walk in love and fellowship with one another, and Jesus’ blood can cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:5-10). Once we are born-again, we have the power and ability to walk without sin. If we say that we have fellowship with God, but we walk in darkness, we lie. We must be hearers and doers of the Word. We are deceived if we know to walk in the light, but we don’t do it. Judge yourself and examine yourself by the light of the Holy Spirit. If Christ is in you, the flesh is dead! When that memory comes from the “dead man”, tell him to be quiet. Say, “NO! I have forgiven them!” Unforgiveness keeps your prayers from being answered. God’s love is never taken from us, but we separate ourselves from Him by our unforgiveness (Romans 8:9-39). (We received communion after self-examination.)

Pastor Sydney, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, had three young men tell about Samuel, Judas Iscariot, and Peter. Each Bible character was called, but each responded differently. Pastor Sydney then read the books of Ephesians, Jude, and Titus. (There was a word given at the beginning of the service.)   

We have more and more of God in our lives (Proverbs 4:18). God gives increase (Psalm 115:14). Isaac sowed in famine, and he went forward and got richer (Genesis 26:12-15). The believer should be the envy of the world. God told the Israelites to obey His voice and walk in His will, that it would go well with them, but they disobeyed and went backward (Jeremiah 7:23-24). We are family. Don’t look back and think about those who have left. Be committed to one another. Sit down with the person who wants to leave. Release them and forgive them. Walk in love. We’re in covenant. We need to be committed to each other. Ask people who come to your church why they left their previous church. The only reason should be that the Lord told them to go. There is a place where you are supposed to be. Be in His will. When leaving a church, pray through it with them. The timing and the place are important for a blessing. Your leaving should leave everyone brighter. Submit to authority and repent if you left a church the wrong way. Some of the people Jesus called were looking back in a longing way (Luke 9:59-62). Look to the future. Hebrews 10:38 says that if anyone draws back, God has no pleasure in him. God’s time is now. Step into obedience.

The path of the just shines brighter and brighter, and the just shall live by faith (Proverbs 4:18 and Hebrews 10:38). We are different because of the light in our lives. Our future is brighter and brighter, and we are going forward with increase. Looking backwards will cause you to stumble and fall. Pulling back is the opposite of going forward in faith. Keep your eyes looking ahead. Complaining is looking back longingly. The Israelites couldn’t enter the Promised Land because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:7-19; 4:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-12). What you look at, you will desire. Look to the future, where you victory is. It’s ahead of you (Exodus 14:10-23; Number 11:4-20). If you look behind yourself, you miss the miracle that you’re experiencing now. Don’t hate the provision of the Lord. Rejoice in His provision for you today. Look forward in faith. Philippians 3:12-15 says to forget those things which are behind and reach forward to the things that are ahead. 

Texts: Proverbs 4:18-27 and 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. There is natural and spiritual seeing. Spiritual seeing is getting an image from the Lord. David was able to defeat Goliath because he built a desire by his repeated asking about the reward for the one who would defeat him. He did not want the giant to keep defying God, so he kept his focus on the promise. Don’t look at the fear side of things but on the faith side. Keep God’s Word in your heart. Guard your heart. Look straight ahead. You go where you look, so don’t look at the problem. Proverbs 29:18 says that we need revelation (prophetic vision) and to listen to instruction to be happy. Otherwise, we’ll run wild, casting off moral restraint. Habakkuk 2:2-3 tells us to write down the vision. This is so that our eyes will be focused on it. Hebrews 10:38-39 and 11:1-12:2 tell examples of people who lived by faith by focusing on the eternal and spiritual (not seen) promise. Psalm 123:1-2 tell us to keep our eyes on the Lord.

Genesis 2:16-17 and 3:1-6 tell of Adam and Eve hanging around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve became deceived by what she was looking at, and Adam was deceived because he obeyed his wife rather than God. Looking at the tree brought desire, which is a great motivating force. You will go after the greatest desire you have. Desire will lead to action. Keep your eyes where God wants to take you. Husbands and wives should make a list of the positive attributes of their spouses and keep focusing on the positive list. You become what you look at. Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:15-26). If you look at the wrong thing long enough, you will become dull and insensitive. If God tells you to do something new and difficult, don’t look back longingly. Make sure that what you’re looking at brings light and not darkness (Luke 11:34-36). Desire the best gifts, the gifts of the Spirit, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Expect miracles. [Other Scriptures: Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 1 John 3:2.]

Pastor Syd has found three conditions in the miracles he has seen in his own life. They are: #1 Having a great desire or desperation; #2 Finding the Word of God concerning your situation; and #3 Releasing your faith by speaking it out and acting on it. Luke 18:1-8 tells about persistent faith. The trial of your faith is patience, the lapse of time until you see the manifestation. The gospel is the power of God (Romans 1:16-19). We will press in when we see God as our only source, and we don’t back off of it. Pastor Syd shares how he believed God for a set of new tires and how God provided for them without his sharing the need with anyone else. We have God’s thoughts, and He has revealed the deep things to His people. Find the will of God for your situation by getting His Word on it, and then you can pray according to it. Don’t be money-led. His power is in His Word, and when you take it like a pill, it releases His power and faith. Pastor Syd relates how the Lord supernaturally told him to which school to send his son. In Luke 17:11-19 the ten lepers were cleansed because they were desperate and acted on Jesus’ word to go to the priest. The one leper who returned to thank Jesus was saved and made whole – spirit and body (sozo). Pastor Syd demonstrated point #3 by the supernatural way God took care of their need for their house after the economic crash in 2008. In Acts 14:7-10 a lame man heard the gospel, had faith that could be seen, and then released that faith by acting on it by leaping up and walking. You can stand on the Word, because it will work for you. Release your faith by speaking and acting as though it is true.

Message is similar to July 26, but is condensed. Pastor Syd has found three conditions in the miracles he has seen in his own life. They are: #1 Having a great desire or desperation; #2 Finding the Word of God concerning your situation; and #3 Releasing your faith by speaking it out and acting on it. Luke 18:1-8 tells about persistent faith. The trial of your faith is patience, the lapse of time until you see the manifestation. The gospel is the power of God (Romans 1:16-19). We will press in when we see God as our only source, and we don’t back off of it. Pastor Syd shares how he believed God for a set of new tires and how God provided for them without his sharing the need with anyone else. We have God’s thoughts, and He has revealed the deep things to His people. Find the will of God for your situation by getting His Word on it, and then you can pray according to it. Don’t be money-led. His power is in His Word, and when you take it like a pill, it releases His power and faith. Pastor Syd relates how the Lord supernaturally told him to which school to send his son. In Luke 17:11-19 the ten lepers were cleansed because they were desperate and acted on Jesus’ word to go to the priest. The one leper who returned to thank Jesus was saved and made whole – spirit and body (sozo). Pastor Syd demonstrated point #3 by the supernatural way God took care of their need for their house after the economic crash in 2008. In Acts 14:7-10 a lame man heard the gospel, had faith that could be seen, and then released that faith by acting on it by leaping up and walking. You can stand on the Word, because it will work for you. Release your faith by speaking and acting as though it is true.

In Mark 4:35-41, after His teaching on the Parable of the Sower, Jesus told His disciples that they were going to the other side of the lake. That word was the seed, and His disciples heard it. However, cares and fear overtook them when their boat was filling up because of a violent storm and high waves. Jesus was sleeping, and after rebuking the wind and calming the sea, He rebuked them for not believing His word. Everything that God tells you to do has the grace in it for it to be done. Being obedient does not mean you will never have storms. When storms come, the devil will tell you that you were not obedient, and if you believe him, fear and doubt come in. Psalm 34:17 tells us that God delivers us from destructions. He does not say that we will not have problems but that you can come through them unscathed. Get rid of nightmares by changing what you are thinking about when you go to bed. Fear is a spirit. It does not go away by mental exercise. The enemy will often tell you that God does not love you. Do not question God’s love for you or His character. Faith works through love. We must believe that He loves us. God will NOT abandon you in any crisis. The power is in the Word of God. When He gives you a word, speak to the mountain, and it must be removed. Find God’s Word and speak it in Jesus’ name. In Acts 27:9-24 Paul spiritually saw trouble ahead on a voyage he had to take, but when the storm lasted for days and days, he did not command the storm to stop. Why? An angel of the Lord told him not to be afraid, that he and all the other people on the ship would arrive. Why did the angel tell him not to be afraid? It was so that he would know the will of God in the situation and so that fear and doubt could not get in, if he believed the angel. Faith begins where the will of God is known. God leads you by a spirit of peace, but you need to follow His leading. Determine God’s will for yourself and let Him guide you by His peace. How do you know if it is the devil putting fear on you or God warning you? If it inspires fear, it is of the devil. If it is of peace, it is from God, even if it does not make sense. We need to have a sincere and genuine faith that believes what God has promised. We should build each other up in our faith (2 Timothy 1:2-5). Fear is a spirit, so take authority over it, and even better, do not let it in. Only Caleb and Joshua believed the Lord when they spied out the Promised Land. Caleb had a different spirit – one of faith (Numbers 14:24). Listen to the Holy Spirit; He will guide you (John 14:1, 26, 27). Speak to fear and tell it to get out! Make null and void any agreements you may have made with the devil. Do not let fear in!

Text: Mark 4:35-41. God’s Word carries us to the power of God. God had to speak to bring forth the power of God (at and since creation). Do not hide fear, but walk in faith. There are times when you need to command, rather than to pray. When you have God’s Word, and He has already said something to you, you command whatever would try to hinder or stop that from happening to leave in Jesus’ name. Jesus could command because He was saying what the Father had already said. Praying is asking; the disciples were praying because they were in fear and did not yield to faith in what Jesus had said. There are difference levels of fear and faith. The difference is how much you yield to one or the other. Fear is a spirit and must be dealt with spiritually, not mentally. Resist and command fear to go (John 14:1, 26-27). We have believed and therefore speak because we have the same spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). The spirit of fear and the spirit of faith are both looking for someone to come into and express themselves through. Speak His Word. The spirit of faith will come because you have yielded to it. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. Fear of death is the power of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Beware that many ads use fear to get you to buy their products. Do not let fear come in, but yield to faith. Satan cannot force you into fear, nor can Jesus force you into faith. How can you tell if you are in faith or fear? Faith accompanies hope. Fear accompanies dread. If you have no rest, you are in fear. Job said what he feared came upon him. Fear starts an expectation of whatever you are fearful of. That expectation is a force that causes an intersection later. What do you do with fear? You resist it and replace it. Guard your heart and do not yield to fear (Isaiah 7:2-4). The Lord is with you to fight your battles (2 Chronicles 32). Faith never brags on its opponent. For every fear that will put you in bondage there is a truth that will set you free.

Offering message: Karen Burrows gave an inspirational word about finances. Is our praying complaining? God told Charles Capps, “I would appreciate it if you would stop telling Me what the devil said.” We bind God by the words of our own mouth. We must change our confession and agree with God’s Word. Confess aloud God’s promises. Sow more in tough times with joy. Sermon: Fear can influence our decisions and bind us up. Fear goes to whoever yields to it. Text: Mark 4:35-41. One way to get a truth down in you is to hear it again and again. Ask God to show you where you have yielded to fear, and then yield to His Spirit in faith. Fear is invasive. Choose to resist fear. Pastor Syd shares the testimony of overcoming fear which was trying to fill him and his wife in her high-risk pregnancy by confessing the Word and getting agreement with a faith-buddy. Pastor Dale used his authority to command the spirit of death to leave, and she was healed. During times when you are in the thick of things, you need to have someone, who is not emotionally attached, to come alongside to help you. We have authority over fear. The name of Jesus is greater than any phobia. Have a faith-buddy. Do not hide fear or be so full of pride that you do not ask for help. There is a spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). The Spirit of Jesus is the spirit of faith. Both the spirit of fear and the spirit of faith want to use your tongue. What do we do with fear? #1) We resist it. #2) We replace it with the Word of God. For every fear that would bind you up, there is a truth that will set you free. Where there is fear, there is no rest. Paul said that they had no rest, because there were troubles and fears, but God comforted them (2 Corinthians 7:5). To get rid of nightmares, go to bed without fear. No demon can force you to fear. Pastor Syd shared about the ALS challenge and what he learned about ALS. As he was reading that it can happen to anyone, fear tried to come in. He immediately replaced it with the Word. The first person mentioned having his part in the lake of fire in verse 8 of Revelation 21 is the coward (Revelation 21:6-8). The other sins named are based on fear. When you have the truth before you, but you are afraid to operate on it, there is no more help for you. Yielding to fear keeps you from being an overcomer. Those who believe, enter the rest (Hebrews 3:12-4:12). Monitor peace and joy in your life. We can be at rest believing in His promises and His Word since the foundation of the world. We can rest in the truth that our righteousness is in Christ, not in any works. Make every effort to enter into His rest in the Word. Declare the Word as truth over your problem. Live in love and have boldness. Love drives out and has no room for fear (1 John 4:15-18). Fear is a form of hell on earth. Heaven is living love, peace, and joy. Job yielded to the spirit of fear. Psalm 91 is a place of resting.

Psalm 91 belongs to us and tells us that we do not need to fear any evil. The first person mentioned having his part in the lake of fire in verse 8 of Revelation 21 is the coward (Revelation 21:6-8). The other sins named are based on fear. Ask yourself what you are expecting? Are you in fear or in faith? A spirit of fear will grow on you if you yield to it. Fear is a spirit. We are a spirit. The spirit of faith is not knowledge. We are to operate in it. The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of faith. What do we do with fear? #1) We resist it. #2) We replace it with the Word of God. Fear is so pervasive that it can become a basis of what we do. Ask God to show you where you have been operating in a spirit of fear. Root out fear! It is our responsibility to walk in faith. Rest, taking hold of His Word and promises.

LaVere Soper, a missionary and evangelist from Scotland, preached on the timeline of God’s visitations to the earth starting from 1184. Do we understand what is happening in the world? (Luke 12:56; Luke 19:41-44) The percentage of Christians has dropped compared to the population. God wants to use us now! Romans 13:11 says that our salvation is nearer than we first believed. God can give you a vision of what is going to happen. (Ephesians 5:15-17; Revelation 7:9-10) The revival is coming, and we need to be alert and self-controlled (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6). LaVere compared the number of churches to the number of unreached people groups. (Matthew 24:14; 2 Peter 3:11-12). For what is ahead of us, we must be strong and courageous. Four different times and with four different circumstances, we read that someone (and that includes us) needed to be strong, to be of good courage, not to fear, and not to be dismayed. In Joshua 1:1-9 God was speaking to Joshua. I Deuteronomy 31:1-8 Moses was speaking to Joshua. In 1 Chronicles 28:20 David was speaking to Solomon when he was turning the kingdom over to him. In 2 Chronicles 32:7 Hezekiah told his military captains to be strong and courageous, neither be afraid or dismayed. In Revelation 21:8 God said that cowards will go to the lake of fire. Are you willing to die for Jesus? An extremely high number of people are martyred every day for their faith. How can you be strong? It is a command. There are seven keys that make it possible to be bold, courageous, not fear, and not be dismayed. 1) Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us the Lord goes with us. 2) He does not leave or forsake us. 3) He goes before us. God has already finished the works He has for you to do. 4) Joshua 1:8 God is not a respecter of persons. 5) 2 Chronicles 32:7 says there are more with us than with the enemy. 6) 2 Chronicles 32:8 tells us that the Lord is with us to fight our battles. 7) 1 Chronicles 28:20 He will not leave until the job is finished. What are the reasons that we can be motivated? 1) We will inherit the promises of God (Deuteronomy 31:7). 2) No man shall be able to stand before us. (Joshua 1:5). 3) Obeying God prospers you wherever you go (Joshua 1:7). What are some practical things for you to do? 1) Seek God (2 Chronicles 15:2-15. 2) Be loyal to God (2 Chronicles 16:9). 3) Hear and received words and prophecies of God. Get fear out of your mind and soul by filling your mind with faith. The more faith you put into yourself, the less room there is for fear. [Communion was served.]

[There was a word at the beginning of the sermon about whom will you serve.] Text: Mark 4:35-41. In this passage it mentions that there were other boats with Jesus. Maybe there was a lot of fear in those people in the other boats. Those people benefitted also when Jesus calmed the sea. Sometimes we can experience what someone else is going through, especially when we are helping that other person. Learn what to yield to and what to resist. The disciples were expecting to die. Jesus told us not to worry and that we should not say things about lack or loss (Matthew 6:25-31). We are to ask in faith, not in fear and doubt (James 1:5-6). Are you expecting hope or dread? Fear is contagious. In Luke 8 Jairus would have had reason to fear, especially when the report came that his daughter was dead, but he stayed in faith. Fear will stop your miracle. Do not be afraid but only believe. How can we not be in fear? The God of hope fills us with joy and peace in believing so that we may abound in hope (Romans15:13). He has promised us the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57-58). Trusting in man brings a snare, but we are safe if we are trusting in God (Proverbs 29:25). Do not be led by the fear of man. If God tells you to do something, do it! People are held as slaves by fear (Hebrews 2:15). Do not be afraid of death. The Lord is our light and our salvation, whom shall I fear? God will conceal me in the day of adversity. Wait on the Lord. Your assignment: Personalize Psalm 34 and declare it. [Kaytie Lueke shared a testimony about trusting God completely.]

Offering message: Love compels you to give. God gave His very best. Why do you give? Godly love has to give. God wanted a people to give to and to love. Luke 6:38 (Give and it shall be given to you. With whatever measure you give, you shall be given.) We have to be good givers and receivers. Just say, “Thank you”, when someone gives you something. Loving means trusting. 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 (As every man purposes in his heart.) Give to God. Receive from the Lord. Sermon: Ephesians 4:1-16. Grace was given to each one according to the measure of the Messiah’s gift. The five-fold ministry is to train and equip in the work of the ministry, to build up the body of Christ. There should be unity of the faith and the knowledge of God’s Son. Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission). All authority was given to Jesus. He told us to go and make disciples of all nations. This includes training in the work of the body and expanding and growing the body. Go out and put into practice what you learn. Prepare the ground with prayer. Mark 16:14-20 tells us to go and act as an agent on Christ’s behalf, laying hands on the sick, casting out demons. This is what we are to do in the world. Unbelief is not believing in the face of evidence.  James 5:13-18 is written to the church; what to do when someone is sick, when you pray. Church has to be happening outside these four walls. Are you listening to the Lord? All of us are commanded to make disciples and to lay hands on the sick. Be looking to be used. Church is about proclaiming the Good News.

John 14:15-20. If we keep God’s commandments, we love Him and Jesus will love us and reveal/manifest Himself to us. Jesus is in me and I am in Him. Don’t separate yourself from God. You have His righteousness. When you obey His commands is to have more of Him. Acts 1:8 says that the disciples would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon them. Then they would be His witnesses. Acts 1:15 says that they were praying. Church is more than what happens in these four walls. The function is what is happening outside these walls. Acts 2 is about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He came upon them so they would receive power. When you receive Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes in you. When He comes upon you, it is for power. When the church gathers together, we worship and get equipped to go out to the battlefield. Live dangerously and He will keep you safe and secure. Even after the disciples were imprisoned, they went back preaching. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission). All authority was given to Jesus. He told us to go and make disciples of all nations. This includes training in the work of the body and expanding and growing the body. Go out and put into practice what you learn. Prepare the ground with prayer. Mark 16:14-20. If you’re not “fishing” for Jesus, you’re not following Him. Everything I need is in this Word. We can obey the Word. We are equipped in boldness. We can go in faith. Father, let Your Spirit be bold in me.  Signs will follow those who believe. Operate in His name always. Luke 10:18-20 (snakes, poison). The disciples went out and preached and signs followed them. In following His commands, you are qualified for His protection.

Psalm 91. Faith for protection comes from hearing the Word on it. Our part to protection is #1 Say God is my refuge and my fortress. #2 Have faith and trust. #3 Do not fear. God’s part in verse 3 is to care for us, deliver us, and cover us. The world is not a safe place to live, but you can be safe in it. Psalm 91:11 and 12 tell us that God has angels to protect us, and He will give them orders concerning us to protect us. Our part is to have faith. Psalm 34:7 says that the LORD encamps all around those who fear and honor Him, and He delivers them from danger. We have a personal angel. Matthew 18:10 says the little ones have angels, and they do not leave when the little ones grow up. Do not try to test your angel. Angels are created, whereas we are born. We are sons of the Most High; the angels are not. Angels are not feminine. Hebrews 13:2 relates that we can meet and interact with angels without knowing it, because they can take on human form. Do not look for angels, and do not worship them. Do not pray to or converse with angels. We can talk to God through the Holy Spirit. Make sure what they say lines up with the Word of God. If it does not, it might be an angel of light (of the devil). There are doctrines of devils. God’s angels are powerful. In 2 Kings 19:32-37 (and 2 Chronicles 32:21) the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 people, who were like the special forces of that army. Psalm 68:17 tells us that there are thousands of thousands of angels. Elisha prayed that his servant would be able to see that there were more angelic forces than physical enemies. There is rank among angels, such as archangels. What is our part in working with angels? Psalm 103 notes that angels obey God’s Word, listening to the voice of His Word. Hebrews 1:13 and 14 say that ministering spirits are for those who will inherit salvation. Our part is to speak the Word of God. Acts 12:1-19 is about an angel freeing Peter from prison, while the church was praying. Sixteen lives were lost to save Peter, because the guards were executed for letting a prisoner “escape”. Angels assisted Lot and his family, the three men in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lions’ den, and Paul and Silas in prison. God respects (honors) faith, not people. How do we qualify for God’s protection? We must be in the secret place. We must be obedient – going and telling others about the Word and Jesus. The Lord has given His angels charge over you.

Psalm 91. Faith for protection comes from hearing the Word on it. Our part to protection is #1 Say God is my refuge and my fortress. #2 Have faith and trust. #3 Do not fear. God’s part in verse 3 is to care for us, deliver us, and cover us. The world is not a safe place to live, but you can be safe in it. Psalm 91:11 and 12 tell us that God has angels to protect us, and He will give them orders concerning us to protect us. Our part is to have faith. Psalm 34:7 says that the LORD encamps all around those who fear and honor Him, and He delivers them from danger. We have a personal angel. Matthew 18:10 says the little ones have angels, and they do not leave when the little ones grow up. Do not try to test your angel. Angels are created, whereas we are born. We are sons of the Most High; the angels are not. Angels are not feminine. Hebrews 13:2 relates that we can meet and interact with angels without knowing it, because they can take on human form. Do not look for angels, and do not worship them. Do not pray to or converse with angels. We can talk to God through the Holy Spirit. Make sure what they say lines up with the Word of God. If it does not, it might be an angel of light (of the devil). There are doctrines of devils. God’s angels are powerful. In 2 Kings 19:32-37 (and 2 Chronicles 32:21) the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 people, who were like the special forces of that army. Psalm 68:17 tells us that there are thousands of thousands of angels. Elisha prayed that his servant would be able to see that there were more angelic forces than physical enemies. There is rank among angels, such as archangels. What is our part in working with angels? Psalm 103 notes that angels obey God’s Word, listening to the voice of His Word. Hebrews 1:13 and 14 say that ministering spirits are for those who will inherit salvation. Our part is to speak the Word of God. Acts 12:1-19 is about an angel freeing Peter from prison, while the church was praying. Sixteen lives were lost to save Peter, because the guards were executed for letting a prisoner “escape”. Angels assisted Lot and his family, the three men in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lions’ den, and Paul and Silas in prison. God respects (honors) faith, not people. How do we qualify for God’s protection? We must be in the secret place. We must be obedient – going and telling others about the Word and Jesus. The Lord has given His angels charge over you.

Pre-sermon message: In Ezekiel 36:25 God said that He would give us a heart of flesh and would give His Spirit in us. He has done that since Jesus came. Your harvest field is where you are placed. Go! If you are not fishing, you are not following Jesus. Am I a follower or a fan of Jesus? We do not want to be a church that has lost its saltiness, thinking we do not need Jesus and not having a heart for the lost. Be a person who cares. Listen and pray for the lost. Show Jesus’ love to them and disciple them. Sermon message: Psalm 110:1-3 says we are to make His enemies His footstool by putting the enemy under our feet by using His authority. We are to rule and reign in the authority of His name. We are also to be willing volunteers. Isaiah 1:18-19 informs us that we are to be both willing and obedient in order to eat the good of the land. Obedience means listening with the intent of understanding and doing. All of God’s blessings belong to us, but it is up to us to do what is needed to receive them. Pastor Syd tells of a Hell’s Angel who became gloriously converted but didn’t understand how to convince his friend of Jesus’ goodness. Forcing his friend into praying the sinner’s prayer did not change his heart, because he was not willing and his heart was not right. To receive salvation requires both a willing heart belief and a confession of faith. Be sowers of compliments, compassion, and life. What is the perfect heart? Is it not a heart which goes after God whole-heartedly? God through Samuel said that He looks at the heart, not the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). His eyes go to and fro looking for those whose hearts are perfect, whole-heartedly, completely willing, completely given to Him. He shows Himself strong to those whose hearts are perfect toward Him.  In 2 Chronicles 15:16 and 16:9-12 it is recorded that King Asa was wholehearted for the Lord his whole life yet he made mistakes. God judges our hearts. We can make mistakes and still have a whole heart toward Him. Likewise, you can do the right things but have a wrong heart. In 2 Chronicles 25:2 Amaziah did what was right but not with a perfect heart. Be full of mercy. Mercy comes before judgment. Do not judge the other person’s heart. Pastor Syd was feeling condemned about never being brave against something, and the Lord reminded him of a time he chased a wolf who was eyeing their chickens for his dinner. Let God comfort you when you have been too hard on yourself. Samuel told Saul that he was foolish and that God wanted a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:13-). Check in your heart: Am I willing?” Psalm 37:3, 4 says to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts. David was humble and grateful. David asked God to restore the joy of His salvation and uphold a willing heart in him (Psalm 51:12). We do not want hardened hearts (Psalm 16:5-11). Have a heart after God.

Offering sermon by Karen Burrows: 3 John 2; Deuteronomy 8:18-19; Malachi 3:9, 10; 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Galatians 6:7-9. It is the Lord your God who gives you the power to get wealth. Do not forget to thank and follow Him when you prosper. Bring your tithes into the storehouse and be obedient to Him and His Word. Remember, what you sow, you shall reap. Give as God purposes in your heart, cheerfully. Do not complain, but give back (speak) His Words.

Pre-sermon message: In Ezekiel 36:25 God said that He would give us a heart of flesh and would give His Spirit in us. He has done that since Jesus came. Your harvest field is where you are placed. Go! If you are not fishing, you are not following Jesus. Am I a follower or a fan of Jesus? We do not want to be a church that has lost its saltiness, thinking we do not need Jesus and not having a heart for the lost. Be a person who cares. Listen and pray for the lost. Show Jesus’ love to them and disciple them. Sermon message: Psalm 110:1-3 says we are to make His enemies His footstool by putting the enemy under our feet by using His authority. We are to rule and reign in the authority of His name. We are also to be willing volunteers. Isaiah 1:18-19 informs us that we are to be both willing and obedient in order to eat the good of the land. Obedience means listening with the intent of understanding and doing. All of God’s blessings belong to us, but it is up to us to do what is needed to receive them. Pastor Syd tells of a Hell’s Angel who became gloriously converted but didn’t understand how to convince his friend of Jesus’ goodness. Forcing his friend into praying the sinner’s prayer did not change his heart, because he was not willing and his heart was not right. To receive salvation requires both a willing heart belief and a confession of faith. Be sowers of compliments, compassion, and life. What is the perfect heart? Is it not a heart which goes after God whole-heartedly? God through Samuel said that He looks at the heart, not the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). His eyes go to and fro looking for those whose hearts are perfect, whole-heartedly, completely willing, completely given to Him. He shows Himself strong to those whose hearts are perfect toward Him. In 2 Chronicles 15:16 and 16:9-12 it is recorded that King Asa was wholehearted for the Lord his whole life yet he made mistakes. God judges our hearts. We can make mistakes and still have a whole heart toward Him. Likewise, you can do the right things but have a wrong heart. In 2 Chronicles 25:2 Amaziah did what was right but not with a perfect heart. Be full of mercy. Mercy comes before judgment. Do not judge the other person’s heart. Pastor Syd was feeling condemned about never being brave against something, and the Lord reminded him of a time he chased a wolf who was eyeing their chickens for his dinner. Let God comfort you when you have been too hard on yourself. Samuel told Saul that he was foolish and that God wanted a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:13-). Check in your heart: Am I willing?” Psalm 37:3, 4 says to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts. David was humble and grateful. David asked God to restore the joy of His salvation and uphold a willing heart in him (Psalm 51:12). We do not want hardened hearts (Psalm 16:5-11). Have a heart after God.

Offering message: 3 John 2; Deuteronomy 8:18; Job 36:11; Psalm 35:27; Psalm 118:24, 25; 1 Chronicles 4:10. God gives us the power to gain wealth, and He has pleasure in our prosperity. God’s prosperity adds no pain with it. Sermon message: How can we have a heart after God? He wants us to get in line with Him. Isaiah 1:18 and 19 say that we will eat the good of the land if we are willing and obedient. He is your Source, and He wants you to be blessed. Our being willing and obedient ties in with seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. A heart after God is a willing heart. Money reveals the heart. Each one of us must examine his or her own heart. Covetousness blocks blessings. Where your money is, there your heart will be. Matthew 19:16 tells of a rich ruler to whom Jesus told to sell all his belongings and give to the poor and follow Him. He went away sorrowful. Jesus said, “How hard it is for who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:23-31 says that those who leave houses and family for His sake will receive 100 times more now. You can desire to do things for Him but not really be willing. In this country we are self-sufficient and do not depend on God. In Luke 19:1 Zacchaeus gave half his goods and restored four-fold whatever he took. Jesus did not have to ask him to do that because Zacchaeus had a willing heart. God looks at your heart. If you are willing, it is the same as doing it. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac showed God his heart. We must be both willing and obedient. A lot of times money is not the problem, but it is a lack of faith and willingness. Get willing, and then you will get the vision and the faith. God is not against our having riches, but we are not to trust in them (1 Timothy 6:17-19). In fact, He became poor that through His poverty we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He richly provides us with all things to enjoy. We can have full enjoyment by doing good, being generous, being willing to share, or in other words, seeking first the kingdom of God. We read of the Corinthians giving an offering willingly (2 Corinthians 8, 9). Ask God for finances to give where you want to give. It is okay to exhort to give. He who sows bountifully, reaps bountifully. Each person should give as he purposes in his heart. Are you willing in your heart? We should give because we love God. Be moved by compassion, not because of need. God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you may have sufficiency and abundance. Give yourself willingly to Jesus.

Psalm 110:1-3; Isaiah 1:18, 19. God is our Source. Money reveals your heart. Where are you putting your money? The source is not your money. How are we to eat the good of the land and have a heart after Him? The answer is by seeking first His kingdom and by willing and obedient. A perfect heart is wholehearted. Matthew 19:16-22 and Luke 19:1-10 contrast two different people with two different kinds of hearts, one not willing and the other one willing. Are we trusting God for our finances? If we put ourselves last, He will put us first. It is covetousness to think, “I can’t believe they spent that much on that.” If we surrender and submit ourselves to God, we will not need to hear from the Lord to give something. Do you have a willing heart? In 1 Timothy 6:17-19 God was talking to the rich. That’s us! See yourself as rich, because He has made you rich (2 Corinthians 8). He gives us richly all things to enjoy. To fully enjoy all things, do good, be rich in good works, be willing to share, and be ready to give. See that the work of God gets accomplished. It is God’s will that you have the good of the land. Be willing and do His will.

Offering message: Acts 20:35 says it is more blessed to give than to receive. Giving 1) obeys God’s laws, 2) submits to God’s lordship, 3) exhibits God’s heart, 4) illustrates His salvation, 5) recognizes God as your source, 6) widens God’s smile, 7) advances His kingdom, 8) in faith releases God’s power, and 9) is an act of worship. Sermon message: The CWI Prophetic Conference could be called a Revelation or Power or Speaking or Holy Spirit conference. God wants us to prepare our hearts to be stirred up and to receive from Him, so we can go out to others. When Israel was returning to Jerusalem, the Babylonian king sent the captives back with provisions. Those who went back were those people whose hearts God had stirred (Ezra 1:5). We should be stirred up and willing. In Ezra 7:9b, 10 Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Lord, to do His will, and to teach His ordinances. The gracious heart of God will be on you. Prepare your heart with only His agenda. Do not stifle Him. God’s truth, wisdom, and understanding will come into you and flow out of you when you get into His presence (Psalm 73:13-16). His power in us is to flow out of us to others. We need singleness of purpose to expand the kingdom. We need boldness. Psalm 126:1-6. We need to see the lost and to be “salty” people. Let the compassion of God fill you as you pray and want His agenda. Use the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) praying (Ephesians 6:17-18). Pray at all times. Pray in the Spirit. Stay alert. Pray for all the saints in the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 is the core Scripture for this conference. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in everything. Do not despise prophecy. Test prophecies. Hold onto what is good in the prophecy. Treat the Lord’s Word as precious. Stay away from every form of evil, because it dilutes the power of God in your life. The gifts of the Spirit are for each as He wills. (The rest of the service was spent in prayer.)

When Israel was returning to Jerusalem, the Babylonian king sent the captives back with provisions. Those who went back were those people whose hearts God had stirred (Ezra 1:5). In Ezra 7:9b, 10 Ezra had prepared his heart to study the Word, to obey it, and to teach it. You should not ignore a stirred heart. Take the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) with praying out the Word, praying at all times in the Spirit (tongues) with a posture of prayer (Ephesians 6:17-18). Yield to the Holy Spirit and push away the clutter. We need boldness. Allow the Holy Spirit to empower you. Stay alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. The power for this area to be changed is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in everything. Do not despise prophecy. Test prophecies. Hold onto what is good in the prophecy. Treat the Lord’s Word as precious. Stay away from every form of evil, because it dilutes the power of God in your life. Esteem and hold onto what God has said. Ask, “Father, how can You use me?” (We spent time in prayer.)

Text: Joshua 5:13-6:1. Even though the Israelites knew they were going to the Promised Land, they still had to fight to take it. Even those who believed Joshua and Caleb’s report had to go through the wilderness. The victory at Jericho was the beginning of taking back what the Lord had for them. It took obedience and faith with a willing heart. Jeremiah 33 is about God’s covenant to David, stating that David would never fail to have a man sitting on the throne, and that is Jesus. We have been grafted into the house of Israel. Joel 2:28-3:21 is about God’s promising the Holy Spirit and His pronouncement of judgment. Amos 9:11-15 is God’s declaration of restoration. This is the time when the harvesters overtake the sowers. Brother Ron Cohn: encouraged us to go up to a new level. He shared about the two swords mentioned in the Bible. There is the sword of the enemy, of death, of darkness, and of conflict without solution. The other sword is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. This Sword of the Spirit will bring life or death, death if you lack experience and discipline and use it as religion. The degree of your effectiveness in this world and success as a child of God will depend on how disciplined and trained and skillful you are in using the Word of God. It is a sword. You need to know how to use the Sword so that it severs, separates, brings healing, and ministers. God placed cherubim at the east gate of the Garden of Eden and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:23-24). The flaming sword is a type of the Spirit and the Word of God. The typologies of the Spirit in the Bible are oil, water, wind, and fire. Typology means sketches, outlines, hints. The Gospel books are transition books. The New Testament from Acts to Revelation has only some typologies. The flaming sword turned eight ways. We are to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Do not seek experiences. You will have experiences because you serve God. Seek the Word, the Sword of the Spirit.

Pastor Sydney shared his heart about what is happening in this country and what is our responsibility. The Constitution is the highest authority in our government. The role of judges is to uphold the law, not to make it. What is our role? We need to pray and vote for just judges. If someone is attacking you, turn the other cheek, but if there is an attack against your family or others, be prepared to protect them. Be armed. You have the Holy Spirit in you. Pray in the Spirit. Surrender is different from being overpowered. Jesus told His disciples to get swords in the Garden of Gethsemane. Raise your kids to respect authority and to love justice and truth. Justice is not the same as getting even or getting revenge. Justice has to do with what is right. Our families should raise a generation that loves truth. In one generation we can change a nation. Bring changes. Rise up and change this nation. People who blame others will not change, do not take responsibility, and are not in faith. Do not blame your spouse. Do not blame groups in society, political or otherwise. Bring righteousness back to this nation. Pray and walk it out. Faith activates works.

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.

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.

Jesus said that it was better for Him to go to heaven than to stay here on earth, so the Holy Spirit could come to us (John 16:5-7). Jesus said that we would do even greater things than He did, because He was going away (John14:12). First Corinthians 14:1 states that we are to pursue love and to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. Do you desire spiritual gifts? Do you strongly want them? Ask and you will receive. Make it your burning desire to have God’s spiritual gifts. God has established strength to silence the enemy and the avenger (Psalm 8:1-2). Take authority. Your tongue can establish or tear down strongholds. For example, both Goliath and David used their tongues to decree, but David spoke God’s Word. The Holy Spirit prompts us to declare and decree things. He waits for our words to be spoken. (Kevin Burrows ministered a word and song, and released the anointing to an individual. Larry Hostettter shared a word of testimony and encouragement.)

Offering Message: The Word is working mightily in me. Just as your soul prospers, which is mind renewal with the Word, so will you be in health (3 John 1, 2). We believe in our heart (our spirit) and confess with our mouth (our flesh). Deliverance does not give you mind-renewal. Thinking God’s thoughts in our soul prospers us. We will work Your Word, Lord. Sermon Message: Political correctness is a cancer in this nation and is trying to shut down truth. It started in the church by our allowing political correctness, and what the church allows, grows. The earth is our place, and we have God’s authority here. We must repent, walk in a love of truth, and be able to discern when and what to speak. We need to speak the truth in love. Ezekiel 3:10, 11 tell us to receive God’s Word into our hearts and hear with our ears. Jesus said that he who comes, listens, and does is a wise man. Speaking truth does not depend on the other person’s receptivity to it. Jesus is the truth. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. His Word gives us access to His presence (John 1:1-18). His Word is the doorway and leads us into God’s presence. Let’s love the Word. Let’s love Jesus. Matthew 8:5-13. God sent His Word and healed them. His Word brings the Presence of God. His Word and His Presence are one.

Text: Matthew 25:31-40. We serve God by serving one another. Serving other believers is horizontal service, and vertical serving God is worship. Romans 12:1 tells us to present our own bodies as living sacrifices to God, which is our reasonable service. We should be worship and service- minded. The church should be overflowing with serving people. Serving the church includes the service you do for your own family. There should be no lack in the church. SERVICE means to wait on, to serve. Where am I serving the Lord? Am I serving Him? Talk to the Lord about what you should be doing. If you are not serving, you are not loving. Galatians 5:13 says that we are called to freedom, the freedom to serve one another through love. Secret serving is openly rewarded. The churches of Macedonia first gave of themselves to the Lord and then to others by the will of God (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). God gave the Levites to the Israelites as a gift to serve the people, which was service to the Lord (Number 18:6, 7). Now we are priests and are to serve each other and God. What is my service to the Lord? You can serve, but if it is working to earn something, it will cause you to burn out, or instead, you can serve as unto the Lord. The women whom Jesus healed served Him (Luke 8:1-3). Peter’s mother-in-law was healed and immediately served Jesus. Dorcas, a widow, was known for serving others. She became sick and died, but Peter raised her from the dead, so she could continue serving others and God. Serving others is a commandment, and Jesus said that if we keep His commands and abide in His love, His joy will be complete in us. It is a joy to lay down one’s life for his friends. This may literally mean dying for someone else, but it can also mean first putting others’ wants and needs before ours.

Pastor Syd showed pictures and told of his trip with Apostle Dale in the Ukraine. He reported on his travels there and his time with Apostle Dale at a Bible School of over 500 students, some of whom were from Russia. They preached to pastors and cell group leaders. Apostle Dale preached a powerful sermon about the church and the country. Our hearts should be stirred up to pray for Apostle Dale and what he is doing in Ukraine. The church there can change that nation. Pastor Syd told about the importance of chaplains who go to the front lines to minister. He told about a movie on Netflix called Winter on (or of?) Fire, which is a documentary of what happened in Ukraine two years ago. Pastor Syd also went to Istanbul, Turkey. Much of the New Testament happened in Greece and what is now Turkey. He showed a map where the different churches were that Paul started or preached at. Now only about .2% (about 2,000) of Turkey’s people are Protestant. It is a problem when comfortable becomes more important than the kingdom of God. Is our testimony touching those around us? We are to be witnesses to what God has done in our lives, where we live, and then beyond (Acts 1:7, 8). When we share our testimony, it releases and enacts the power of the Holy Spirit. If we are not fishing, we are not followers. There was a physical flood (Genesis 7:11, 17), and now we need a spiritual flood of the Holy Spirit, symbolized by water. This year (2016) is critical as far as electing officials at all levels. There are 469 Congressional seats for reelection. There are 7,383 legislative positions through the states for reelection. There are 36,000 municipal, township, and other offices to be filled. We need to fill these positions. We need to be salt by words and actions. We need to come together. We are to be the Good News. God’s power is available now because He poured out His Spirit. It is the power to save. Give your testimony and the power of God will be there. Offering message: Philippians 4:10-20. Our God does supply your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. What is important is the fruit that comes from the gift. Shannon Flynn shared about her mission trip to Kenya.

This service was orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. The Word benefits us only when we hear and do what it says. We are to give God our best. The tithes, the first tenth, belong to Him. What we give beyond that is an offering (Malachi 3:8-12). Second Corinthians 8:9 is in the context of giving an offering. You cannot sow your tithe, because that belongs to God (2 Corinthians 9:6-15). You sow when you give what belongs to you. Our needs are met by our giving. Pastor Syd shared how the Lord blessed him and his family in multiplication when he was obedient to sow the only money he had, which was four dollars. Larry Hostetter gave a word that we make God too small. We prayed for those who need miracles in their lives. An offering was taken to bless Pastor Syd and Jen. Karen Burrows shared a testimony of how the Lord provided for her to go to Andrew Wommack’s pastors’ conference when she was obedient to sow her $192 in coins. There was ministry to those people who need jobs.

The church should communicate truth and be salt. Find out what your school’s policies are. Communicate with your representatives. Fight against unrighteousness. It took eighty years of preachers’ (The Black Regiment) preaching truth in the early colonies before it was put into effect when the Constitution was written. We need to apply the truth to our lives. God’s principles work even for the unsaved. We must live by His principles. Eli, the priest, displeased God by honoring his sons more than he did God (1 Samuel 2:29). Eli knew his sons were sinning against God and His temple, but he did not stop them. God said that He will honor those who honor Him. If you want to be honored, you must honor truth. Honor means “weighty, of value, of great importance.” How do we honor God? We honor Him by honoring what He honors. God cannot lie. There is power in His Word. God made everything. In Isaiah 66:1, 2 God said that He will look favorably on one who is humble and submissive and who trembles at His Word, a person who hurries to keep God’s commands (Psalm 119:57-60). God’s Word is truth. We can rejoice at His Word like one who has found a treasure (Psalm 119:162). The entrance of His Word gives light to those who are humble and open-minded (Psalm 119:130). Buy truth, and do not sell it (Proverbs 23:23). Do not let money pull you away from what is truth.  Bribes prevent justice. Do not allow money to buy and pervert justice and truth. How valuable is truth? Are you willing to stand alone for truth? As a church, we must be established on the truth. Truth will cost you something. You may have to choose between truth and family and your friends. How do we know if we have the truth? It is in the Word. If you find a verse, read the context of that verse and search for more than one witness in the rest of the Word. Make sure that what is being said is right in the Scriptures. Be a student of the Word. The deceived ones do not have the love of the truth in them.

Pray for those who are affected by their loved ones who gave their lives for our freedom. In 1 Samuel 2:30, God says that He will honor those who honor Him. We can know what we honor by what we spend our time and money on. If you honor the Lord, you will honor His Word. If you honor His Word, you honor truth. The Word is the Book of Life. There are 1500 verses about civil government. Public schools were started so people could read the Bible. Children were taught from the Bible. The Word tells us how to handle things. We should go to the Bible to get truth rather than trying to prove that what we believe is truth. The Word of the Lord was rare because the people did not honor the truth (1 Samuel 3:1). We should honor and look favorably on the Word (Isaiah 66:2; Psalm 119:161, 162).  We should not compromise the truth (Proverbs 23:23). What truth are you willing to die for? Truth will cost you something. You are compromising when you do not believe the whole truth of God’s Word. Other Scriptures that show the Word is to be valued are: Matthew 13:44; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. We are warned of a time when people will not look for truth but only for what they desire (1 Timothy 4:3). A Christian should not be a conspiracy theorist. Be wiser than children of darkness and do not be gullible. Think of truth. If people turn away from truth, they turn to myths. John 8:31, 32 tell us that the truth that we know shall make us free. What does the Word say? You must put the Word in you. Luke 8:4-8, 11-15 is the Parable of the Sower and the Seed. The seed is the truth. You may hear it and immediately reject it. You may get excited about it but then backslide. The seed may sprout but other things grow up and choke it out. Or the seed may fall on a good, honest heart which holds on to the truth and bears fruit. The one who endures bears fruit (1 John 2:3-6). Those who abide in Him ought to walk as Jesus did. He loved truth, and He gave His life for truth.

We should value and apply truth and let go of what is not truth. What we believe must come from the Word of God. You have to answer for yourself. Am I grounded in the Word of God? There will be deceptive signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:10-13). People will perish because they do not receive the truth and are sold over to deception. How do we guard our hearts? God gives more grace (James 4:6). The more I put the Word in my mind, the more I have God’s pictures and thoughts. That is the natural way to renew our minds. However, it is by faith that the things that were not possible before, become possible. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). We are in pride when we exalt ourselves above God’s truth. Go to the Word to get your belief. How can you keep yourself from being deceived? Be humble. Be willing to change. Be willing to repent. People who reject God’s truth should weep and mourn in repentance. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord. Psalm 51 is David’s showing his heart of humility and repentance, allowing God to move through him. The Lord can use anyone. Pastor Syd, Jon Fike, and Herb Baughman shared testimonies of God’s goodness in financial blessings.

Our fathers are symbolic of God, the Father. God is the example of a father. Be an example of the Father’s heart. The mark of ministry is working with God (2 Corinthians 6:1, 2). We are not to receive God’s grace in vain. Look, now is the acceptable time. Now is the season. Are you working together with Him? Are you on the job? We do not receive the ministry in vain when we work with Him. We are God’s co-workers (1 Corinthians 3:9). If you do not show up, it slows down what needs to be done, and it affects others. Be faithful. Faithfulness to God is huge to Him. Do as unto the Lord, and value what the Lord values. Work with the Lord. Concerning the gifts of the Spirit, we speak under the inspiration of God. There are different gifts, different administrations, and different activities. Desire the gifts of the Spirit. It is how we work with Him. The Spirit gives the gifts. Jesus administrates them. God brings about the results. God works it. Some Biblical examples of men working with God: Elijah had to go to the brook to be where he would be fed and get water (1 Kings 17). Philip worked with the Lord by obeying to go over to the Ethiopian eunuch’s chariot (Acts 8:26). We work together with God by being obedient. If you need a miracle, there is an act of obedience that goes with it. We have to be listening and acting when He prompts us. Let God bring the result. Cornelius and Peter worked with God to bring about salvation and the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:1-48). We must work with the Lord. Mark 16 tells us to go, preach, teach, and baptize. That is working with the Lord.

Offering sermon: Pastor Syd shared the testimony of giving his firstfruit and reaping a blessing for a new vehicle, and his children sowing a hamster and being given a puppy. God will do what He said He would do. God wants to be the central theme of your day. (There was a word given about coming back to the true and living God, seeking Him, praying for Donald Trump, repentance, revival, and a move of God.) Sermon: Schools in America were started to teach people how to read the Bible, and then the Bible was used to teach other subjects. We have let drop the responsibility for education and government. We must bring change from the inside. Pastor Syd read the Declaration of Independence. Many of the fifty-six signers were Christians. Now the agenda is to remove the how and why of whom we are. We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, according to the Declaration of Independence, but that right is falling away. What rights does the baby in the womb have against abortion? Although the main concern was taxation without representation, there were other abuses that the signers had concerns with, such as religion. For them to stand up and to think they would win against England was like Hawaii taking on a war against all of the U. S. government. How did the colonists do it? There was no way other than by divine help! They were willing to fight for something they believed in. Be thankful for the freedoms we have. Our nation was founded on the rock, but it is now in the sand. We need to pray for and act on what we have been entrusted with. Talk to your representatives and Senators and encourage them. Pastor Syd shared about swimming in the Green River in Utah where there was quicksand in the bottom. If he would have stayed in the quicksand, he would have sunk into death. Our nation is now in quicksand. The time and season we are in is one of praying and acting. Be a person of prayer. Ask God what we are to do, and be willing to obey. Focus and desire God above everything else. Make God the central part of your day. Be the church outside these walls. Meditate on Colossians 3:1-4, setting your mind on things above, on those things that have eternal impact. Set your mind of His thoughts. Be moldable to His desires, and then He will give you the desires of your heart. Ask God what is important to Him.

Pastor Syd read through the book of Zephaniah and Haggai. The book of Zephaniah is about the day of the Lord, a call to repentance, judgment on the nations that do not wholeheartedly worship the Lord God, and the faithful remnant. Haggai is also about the shaking of the earth and the glory of God’s house. Zephaniah got a word from the Lord. The day of the Lord is about the destruction and gloom against the nations that worship false gods. It will be a day of great shaking. Hebrews 12:25-29 warns us to not refuse God and Jesus, and that there will be a shaking. What cannot be shaken will remain. What cannot be shaken? It is God’s kingdom. We are to have grace, so that we may serve God with godly fear. God is a consuming fire. Other Scriptures referring to the shaking and day of the Lord are found in: Isaiah 13:13; Haggai 2:6, 7; Matthew 24:35; 2 Peter 3:10-13. The believer will not be caught unaware (1 Thessalonians 5:2-5). We are to earnestly desire the coming day of the Lord. We wait for the new heaven and earth. Therefore, we are to be in peace, bring salvation to the lost, be on your guard, and grow in grace and the knowledge of God. The day of eternity begins on the great day of the Lord. The books of Revelation and Isaiah are books of prophecy, but the events are not written in chronological order. To better understand this period of prophecy, read what Jesus taught about end times, because His teaching is more in chronological order, and then go to the other books of Isaiah and Revelation. The earth will burn and melt away. There is a call to repentance. Bend yourselves together. Yield to the Lord. We still have time at this moment. Seek the Lord, righteousness, and humility. Perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the Lord. Seek God. Ask God what He wants you to do each day. Seek righteousness. Seek to help people to be right with the Lord. Repent for yourself, your church, the universal church, and the nation. Pride and arrogance bring woe to the cities. Think carefully about your ways. God said His house was in ruins, while the people were living in finished houses. The temple was not being rebuilt. We need to honor God with our finances. They should be for God’s purposes. Check yourself. Think about your ways. Am I honoring Him with my time and things? The people obeyed God’s instructions and feared Him. We must hear and do the Word. We cannot walk in our own ways and expect God to bless us. Be strong. Work. Do not quit now. Do not be afraid. God will shake the nations. The gold belongs to Him. In Habakkuk 3:16-19, Habakkuk expresses his confidence in God. Yet will I praise and triumph in the Lord even in the worst of times. I will rejoice in the promises of God. He enables me. Set your mind of things above.

God wants the Body of Christ to be in unity. We need to be built up by reading the Word and Christian books and listening to teachings and sermons. Chapter two of Zephaniah is a call to repentance, seeking God, seeking righteousness, and seeking humility. It may be that we will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger. [We watched Kenneth Copeland ministering at the 2016 Southwest Believers’ Convention. He spoke about a great outpouring, great reconciliation between God’s people and between nations, a great move of God, and great change coming to North America. There will be changes in the people and in the mechanical structure of this planet. God has heard the heartfelt prayers of His people. We are to rest in Him, pray, hold fast before Him, pay attention to the Spirit, and pray in the Spirit. God is moving now, and things will not look like it looks now. The awakening is here. There will be change between now and the political conventions. God’s people who harken and follow Him can walk in the most prosperous times. For those who refuse Him, it will get worse and worse. More is coming that is disastrous. Walk by faith and the disaster will go around and over you. Stay in the Word. Stay in love. Stay in faith. He loves us. Walk in His love. Do not allow strife in your house. It is the most dangerous serpent. Serve God with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things, and you will walk free. The angels get excited when they can work for the Creator, but they only do what we have faith for. Stay in the love of God. Prayer changes things.] The United States is the only country started by people who loved God. Pastor Syd read Isaiah 58-60:5, which tells about the restorer of the wall and building up foundations and fasting and praying. We should be fasting for our nation, for the church, and for the unbelief to be driven out. Be real in your fasting and do it without strife. Prayer and fasting is for today. Paul told the Gentile churches to do it. Joel said that the result of prayer and fasting would be His pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. It was what was happening in the upper room before Pentecost. It is a time of putting God before yourself.

(Tongues and an interpretation were given: God’s heart is for us. He raised us up to be His warriors. Will you take up the challenge to do His Word? Will you take up the challenge to speak to others about Him?) (Levi Lapp shared about an upcoming mission trip to Guatemala in December.) Sermon: There is really one race, the human race, but there are many ethnicities. The problem of racism cannot be fixed by government or other natural means. There is currently more focus on racism, which brings fear and makes it more of an issue. [What you fear, you empower.] Racism is a sin issue. People need the love of Christ. We are made new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God set apart the race of Jews to be priests, but Jesus made us one in Him. Galatians 3:28 says that there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, or male nor female. All have equal rights to the kingdom of God. Prejudice can be based on ethnicity, race, or income. The problem is based on sin. It must be addressed at the root. Jesus died for each person. We need to focus on bringing the Word. See people as God sees them. Our instruction on how to walk in these times is found in Philippians 2:3,4 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.God is not a respecter of persons but a respecter of faith. Prejudice is also a result of selfishness. We are to honor everyone (1 Peter 2:17), forgive those who have wronged us with words and attitudes of prejudice, love others without hypocrisy, detest evil, cling to what is good, look for truth, serve the Lord, and overcome evil with good (Romans 12:9-21).

Text: Joel 1:14; 2:1-3:21. What was for the Jews is for us, since we are grafted in. We are to call for repentance. Pray for the bigger picture, God’s picture, to be developed. Real change comes when it comes to our hearts. Even though we have sinned, the Lord restores us. Keep a long-term perspective. Pastor Syd and Jen had missionaries from Ephesus, Turkey visiting them this week. They shared about the many Muslims who experienced dreams of Jesus appearing to them, and then they, the missionaries, lead them to Jesus. A neighboring land-and-shop-owner had a dream of Jesus ten years ago, and he gave his life to Jesus through the missionaries. A student at the university in the city got saved, and when the missionaries asked what his father would do when he told his about his conversion, the student said he did not know. In the meantime, the father had a dream about Jesus’ saying to him, “Follow Me.” He said he would, but that He had to tell his wife. The same night his wife had a dream about Jesus’ saying to her, “Follow Me.” She said she would, but that He had to tell her husband. In the morning they struggled with how they were going to tell the other, and after doing so, they prayed, “You will have to tell our son.” God is so good! Pray for your neighbors to have dreams of Jesus. The Lord told Pastor Syd in June that in three months he would be going to Ephesus at the end of September. Pray for hearts to be prepared. We are to be witnesses here at home, in our region, in similar cultures, AND to the uttermost places in the earth. (We spent time in corporate prayer.)

Pastor Syd: Studies done by Harvard and Yale showed that without a divine move of the Lord this nation will sink. Isaiah 60:1-5. The light is shining even in the darkness. Raise your eyes. Look at what is eternal. Be full of faith. Second Chronicles 7:14 is a promise, regardless of who is elected to be president. Stand in faith and take authority. If My people … then the last part will come. The lies are: if so and so gets elected, we’re through; only so and so can save us now. We aren’t done, regardless of who is elected. We walk by faith. Our country began with a covenant in 1607 at Jamestown, between Reverend Hunt and the people of the ship. They prayed and dedicated the land to reach the people of the new land with the gospel. They prayed for the people to be used to evangelize the world, so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.

The second part is a prophetic word given in Oregon for the congregation there and for our congregation here and now. Pastor Syd and Jen heard the word as though it was spoken to us here. Keep praying. Keep hope alive. Don’t give up. It is a new season. What you prayed for is being released. I will not relent. The greatest push of My kingdom is coming quickly. What’s coming we’ve never seen before. It is the third great awakening. It is the season of My surge. It will be like the book of Acts on steroids! There is a new breed of remnant warriors for this hour. They have the countenance of Daniel and Esther and the heart of David and the wisdom of Solomon. They won’t be bought and won’t compromise. They are humble. They determine culture and turn the world upside down. The regulators of the culture are coming to their posts. You will know angels are helping you. There will be revelation from messenger angels. Signs and wonders will be breaking out because of angelic activity and the Holy Spirit. He is going to move into the world where life happens. Students will stand up in the classroom, and they will have angelic support and evident support. Focus on Jesus and partner with His angels. The remnant will pray and resist and stand for truth. I will battle for My people. I will not be indifferent. I will thunder against unrighteous roots. I will not be mocked. You are warriors of purpose. I will reveal revival fire engines, places emanating with Holy Spirit fire. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the tangible presence of God will turn this nation. Vortexes of “tornadic” fire will spin through regions. Lay hold by faith. The Holy Spirit winds are fanned. Consume with Holy Spirit fire. It must be supernatural. Remnant warriors burn with My presence. People will come to watch us burn. Messengers of faith will be Holy Spirit-possessed reformers. They will release My power. There will be creative miracles. When the miracles start, everything will change. I am bringing forth a new Pentecost. You will war differently. Breathe deeper. Dominate hell’s kingdom. Push the gates of hell. You shall be more than conquerors, so shift. Change. Think differently. Pray differently. He is coming for a glorious church, His bride. We are on the winning side. Shift into the new season that He has ordained. It is the season of My awakening, the harvest. Rise with Me and move into destiny. Rise and receive your Pentecost. The prophetic speaker then prayed for passion, humility, desperation, prayer, worship, and for that church (and ours) to be one of the fire engine places, the firstfruits of this awakening. God will speak in new ways and on new levels with His thoughts. There will be a marriage between the generations. An army of young warriors will be sent around the world. Get out of every box and take off the lid. Inwardly, let My wild nature come. Let your worship be radical and your faith strong and radical. I will cause the gift of faith to come on you. Come into your apostolic calling. Holy Spirit fire be released. Let the leaders drink of this fullness. Let the angelic host be released and My mercy be released so schools, homes, and churches burn. May people be dissatisfied with religion and seek the anointing.

There are three main things Jesus did for us: 1) He wiped out our debt of sin; 2) He credited us with His righteousness; and 3) He intercedes for us. Scriptures on thankfulness: Deuteronomy 28:46, 47 (curses because you did not serve the Lord with joy and gladness of heart); Philippians 4:4-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:16; 1 Chronicles 16:34 ; Colossians 3:17; 1 Timothy 4:4; Psalm 100:4; Psalm 95:2; 1 Corinthians 15:56, 57. Rejoicing in the Lord strengthens you. Pastor Syd told of the history of the Pilgrims and how we have come to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The Pilgrims wanted to separate from the state church, so they went to Holland, but their children were losing their English culture, so they decided to go to the new world. After much difficulty from both humans and nature, they arrived at Plymouth Rock. The ones who made the voyage signed a written agreement when they arrived. It was at Plymouth that they found houses and corn buried in sand, and since there was no one there to pay for it, they ate the corn and lived in the houses. Later they paid the Indians back. Their first completed building was a meetinghouse that was finished on December 25, 1620. It was a terrible winter, and many of the people died. In the spring Samoset, an Indian, walked in the settlement and spoke English to them, and they fed him. He came back the next day, which was a Sunday and wanted to trade with them, but they wouldn’t, because it was a Sunday. Squanto came with Samoset, and they showed the settlers how to plant and harvest food. It was a great harvest in 1621, so they wanted to thank God for His blessings and for the Indians. There were thirty Pilgrims, only four white women, and ninety Indians who gathered for a three day feast. They found out that the reason there were provisions there when they landed was because the tribe of Indians who had lived there had died from an epidemic. There had been a prophecy warning that tribe. Concerning Pennsylvania, when William Penn’s father died, the king could not pay back his debt to him, so he gave him the land of Penn’s Woods. Penn bought it from the Indians, but because multiple tribes said they owned the land, Penn paid for it multiple times. Pastor Syd told of the many proclamations for days of thanksgiving. In 1863 President Lincoln issued a thanksgiving proclamation at a time of great division and death. It was after he saw the 60,000 dead at Gettysburg that he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. Be grateful to God.

Colossians 1:26 tells us that the mystery is Christ in me. Am I acting like I believe that Christ is in me? How much different would we live if we really believed and acted like we believe that Christ is in us? Would we expect people to be healed when we lay hands on them? We do not go by our feelings but by faith. Hope is confident expectation. Christ in you is the confident expectation of glory. What brings glory? It is when the Body of Christ defeats the enemy, such as sickness. Mark 16 says that we shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Christ is in me. He hears my prayer. God shares His glory with you. Other Scriptures about Christ being in us: John 17:2; Romans 5:2; 9:23; 8:9-11; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 2:20; 4:4-7; Ephesians 3:16-20. Do we act on what we say we believe? God dwells in our hearts. We receive Jesus Christ into our hearts by saying, acting, and believing in our hearts that Jesus Christ is the Messiah (Romans 10:9-13). Pastor Syd read a children’s story

Larry Hostetter shared a testimony of taking authority over death in the name of Jesus Christ. Pastor Sydney shared some prophetic insights into 2017. We will reap where others have sown. There will be shakings. He encouraged us to pray over the news we read and hear. He declared 2017 to be a year of prayer. Jesus prayed that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. God hears our cry. Lift others up to Him. We speak in an awakening to God and the things of God. Islamic nations will not be known as Islamic years from now. Jesus caused multiplication to feed the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44). There were twelve baskets left over, more than enough. God wants to show off. The key to miracles is obedience to God and to His Word, spoken and written. Pastor Syd shared about an elderly woman who was choking and how he obeyed the prompting of the Lord to pray in the Spirit and to take authority over death. The woman came out of unconsciousness and could breath without anyone helping her in the natural, and she was okay. Be prepared and ready to obey. Follow God’s promptings. Pastor Syd also told of a time when he was just recently filled with the Holy Spirit. He was not a pastor at the time. He had torn his ACL and reinjured it playing flag football. It was swollen, painful, and could not bend. He remembered just learning about taking authority, and he laid hands on it and commanded it to be whole. The swelling went down immediately, and the pain left, and he could not make it hurt! Thank You, Jesus! After he started pastoring, he prayed for a three or four year old child, who was brain damaged. He prayed for the child to have normal brain activity and blood flow. For the first time in her life, her forehead was warm and pink. She was healed and caught up developmentally with the other children her age. OBEY!

Psalm 23 only applies to you if Jesus is your Shepherd. He is the God of abundance. He provides what you need. He restores your emotions, wills, and minds. He causes your life to return. He leads rightly for His name’s sake. Even in the scary places, you do not fear any evil. He has a rod and staff to protect you and to bring you into safety. You resist the devil, if He is your Shepherd. You can eat an abundance in the presence of your enemies. He anoints you. Your cup overflows. He is the God of more than enough. [In OT times, covenanted kings would eat a covenant meal before going out against the enemy of either one of them. Take communion when you are fighting sickness. It is covenant.] Only goodness and mercy, His faithful love, shall chase or follow you all the days of your life, and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He will extend your days.| Matthew 28:16-20 is the Great Commission. The accurate translation is “Having gone,” which is an expected action, then disciple all nations, baptizing them, teaching them to observe (keep) all that He has commanded you. A “keep” was the most secure building. We are to make sure the teachings are followed. We are to make disciples, not converts. Disciples forsake everything and follow Christ.| Ephesians 4:11-16 tells about the five-fold ministry which is for the training of the saints in the work of serving, until we all reach unity. CWI’s vision is to Transform, Equip, And, Mobilize people for the work of the ministry. The benefits of having home groups are that they are: a way to get the Word into us in a more intimate way; a way to build the Kingdom of God and reach out (your own family is a great place to start); a way for more people to operate in their gifts; a way of building relationships within the church by doing life together; a way of providing greater accountability; and a way to plant churches. [Pastor Syd gave details about the home groups starting later in February.]

God is holy. This is the season of answered prayer. In the book of Revelation, the angels, elders, and living creatures worship God for He is holy. [There was a tongue and interpretation about how precious you are to Him, no matter what is going on in your life and heart. He has called you. His blood covers you. He is preparing you to walk in His holiness and His blessing. Jesus stands with you. Continue to walk in His Word, truth, and the Holy Spirit. Do you know Him? He is real and alive and He speaks to you. Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to live in you. God lives in you. May you know the goodness of God. He puts a hunger in you for His Word. Go and be Jesus to others. The anointing lives in you.] [Shane shared about his knowing that God’s hands were holding his during the worship time. God was saying, “I love you,” and Shane was experiencing the glory of God. Pastor Syd said that Shane’s feet will go to the nations whose names he does not even know how to pronounce.] Pastor Syd shared that this morning he made a special request to the Lord, asking for His Presence to be known and to take over the service. Offering sermon: Jesus asked the disciples how many loaves they had in Mark 8:1-21. Where Jesus’ compassion is, the need is met. He wants to work with what you have already. Jesus told all of the multitude to sit down. Order comes before increase. Know your finances. Jesus did what the Father told Him to do in faith. When He fed over five thousand men, twelve small baskets were left. When He fed four thousand men, seven large baskets were left, baskets the size for a person to fit into. Jesus redeems us from stupid with His wisdom. Right after the miracle of feeding the huge crowd, the Pharisees met them. The disciples forgot to bring enough bread. Their minds were stuck in a natural problem. Jesus did not want the disciples to be spiritually misled. Jesus was saying, “I am your source. Stop limiting yourself to your resources.” God is your source. Look at God and obey Him, and then rest in faith. When you give an offering to the Lord, do what He tells you to do. Have compassion. Pastor Syd shared a powerful testimony of how He provided for their recent medical costs. [Levi Lapp shared about collecting baby clothes and items for them to take along with them to an orphanage in Guatemala.]

This is Victory Sunday. Everyday is a great day to praise the Lord. Let’s be worshipers in truth. God gives grace for finances (2 Corinthians 9:8), so that we can bless others. Pray for greater needs. Sermon: The spiritual side of living long is different from the world’s view. The question is how long is it before I die? People have used Genesis 6:3 which says that man will live 120 years, but that was how many years it was until the flood. Psalm 90:10, which is a prayer of Moses, says that we will live 70 years or if by reason of strength, 80 years. Eighty years is not really long. This was a complaint and was considered short because of a curse. Ask God if you are finished, or if you are short on vision. Some people put more faith in the latest supplement than they do on the Word. It is godly wisdom to take care of your body. Ask God what you are to do to take care of your body. Scriptures to increase your faith for long life are: Psalm 91:14-16; Proverbs 9:10-11; 3:13, 16-18; 4:10; 10:27; 28:16; Isaiah 65:20; 1 Peter 3:10-12; and Ephesians 6:2-3. There is not a set day or time for you to die. You can lengthen your days, so we can do things to shorten our days. Death is an upgrade. We are not afraid of dying. We want to live long to accomplish the most we can on this earth. You can ask God for something more to accomplish. Keep your tongue from evil. Honor your parents. Our faith is not in exercise or a supplement or pill. Charles Capps taught that you can have what you say. He had exactly what he said he would have. Your words will work for you.

John Lehman shared about his trip to Ethiopia. In John 17 Jesus prayed for us, that we would be one as He and the Father are one. Eternal life is that we may know God and Jesus Christ. It is a father-son, Father-Son, relationship. God goes with us and is in us. It is a personal relationship. Prayer is not an appointment with God and then we leave Him. He wants us to have eternal life and to be with Him constantly. Don’t limit God by being too busy to hear Him. What do you do when you are bored? Let that be a trigger to prompt you to listen to what He wants you to hear. The rest of the service was the congregation’s sharing of their personal relationship with God in action.

Pastor Sydney read out of Psalm 35 and Mathew 18:21. He spoke on getting back to the simple things, the simple love you had at first for Jesus. God is calling everyone to repentance. “Every hindrance and every wall be removed,” was prayed by Pastor Sydney. One of the key subjects talked about was on forgiveness. Unforgiveness will keep a person in bondage. While in Iraq Pastor Sydney had seen a photo of Jesus laughing. The same image kept appearing. The picture of Jesus laughing represented the joy of the Lord. The Lord had given Larry Hostetter a message for the congregation. Larry had a dream that he had several times before. In that dream the demonstration of how God is a God of order was what had been represented in a church service. In that service one by one someone ministered a word, sang, or played and instrument. Jen Ropp had spoke about her encounter with a cashier at the grocery store and the takeaway was what your vision is for your life or situation. Anastashia Groff had shared that seeing Pastor Sydney and Jen’s son miraculously being healed step by step of type 1 Diabetes is her vision. Herb Baughman had talked about the power of forgiveness and how a relative decide to stick with unforgievness and eventually died from bone cancer.

Pastor Sydney spoke out of Joel 3:10, Isaiah 35, and Isaiah 51:9. Wake up and put on the Lord’s power. How do you put it on? It is with your mouth. Wake up in the morning; Pastor Sydney referenced Habakkuk 3:17-19 and Micah 3:8. This is a special church and the victory is ours because of Jesus, who is the one that strengthens us had been spoken through Larry Hostetter. Pastor Sydney mentioned that we were born to create and talked about how Adam and Eve were created. It was that both male and female were created in His likeness. Jeremiah 2:1-4 was also referenced. God wants us to stop waiting on feeling something in order to go out and minister or witness.

Pastor Sydney shared with the congregation how much money was gifted to Sky and Noelle Barkley, who were our guest speakers at the July 9, 2017 service. Pastor Sydney also shared the Chief of police’s gratitude and thanks for the invitation and prayers from the congregation. Pastor Sydney also shared with the congregation that a fruit basket that was gifted to him, that him and his wife had given it to the police department and prayed for the gentleman that had received the basket. Later on that very same officer had been in the newspaper for and act of heroism, which goes to show that our prayers for protection does make an impact.

Pastor Sydney mentioned that we must know our identity in Him. He pointed out that you cannot walk into anything if you do not know your identity first. If you made Jesus the Lord of your life we have to come to reality who we are. Most temptations are an attack of the enemy of your identity in Christ. The devil will always come against your identity. Pastor Sydney read from Romans 6:1. Consider yourself dead to sin. He also reads from 1 Peter 2:9-10, ‘You are royalty…”. In Galatians 3:27 we are shown to put on Christ. Pastor Sydney mentioned that if you are not secure in Jesus you will not walk in His good work.

Pastor Sydney mentioned that you fulfilling your purpose and your destiny depends upon your ability to hear and be led by the Spirit of God. He gave a couple of examples of when he followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Pastor Sydney references 1 John 2:27 and John 14:29. He mentions that people are forever wanting to learn more and never really come to know the truth. People are ever learning, but not knowing the truth. The reason for that is that they have not made the Holy Spirit their teacher. They are always looking to man to be their teacher. Ephesians 4 Pastor Sydney references. Pastor Sydney read from John 14:16 and John 16:13-15. Reasons why you may not be hearing: 1) Are you a sheep? We have to stop being natural hearers. If you are not hearing the Lord, it is that He is not speaking to you. It is the matter of the people not listening or responding. 2) Because you got one foot in the church and one foot in the world. Pastor Sydney mentions the word already tells us what to do or has the answers for us. 3) If you have known unconfessed sin in your life. You to go back and clear up the unconfessed sin. Deal with sin quickly. Pastor Sydney references Psalms 66:18. Spiritual wisdom is what we need in decision making. He talked about a time where he prayed about what school for his children to attend and got no answer. He wondered why he didn’t get an answer and recognized that he had spoken curses over the schools he attended growing up. Once he repented he had gotten answers to where he should send his children for schooling. 4) You’re trying to hear from the wrong place.You cannot hear from the Lord if you are trying to hear from the wrong source. You would just end up getting burned. We are so reason and logic led. When the Lord gives us a word, we question on where it came from. It is the inner witness on the inside that would help us discern if it is God or not. If it is from the Lord, it will line up with the scripture. Pastor Sydney references 2 Timothy 3, Acts 1:2, Acts 8:29, Acts 10:19, Acts 11:12, and Acts 13:2 showing that the Spirit speaks. He also referenced Romans 8:14, 16, Acts 15. Check in your spirit all that you hear.  You want to have peace about the situation, Romans 8:6. Don’t be voice led, be peace led. Pastor Sydney referenced Acts 16. Follow the empire of peace. Colossians 3:15, be led by His Holy Spirit.

1) Acknowledge the person you are thanking. 2) Praise is when you brag on someone. We can boast about the Lord to one another. 3) We can worship the Lord and only Him. Pastor Sydney reads from Psalm 30. He mentions that the last recorded words of Mary is “to do what He tells you to do”.  Pastor Sydney talked about the need of having his wife in the service so that God could use her to share testimonies with the body. Pastor Sydney encourages us to do our part in the Body of Christ, and to do it unto the Lord. Pastor Sydney reads from Romans 1. The Lord has placed on his heart is to go back and listen to the messages from the beginning sermons. The Lord wants to focus on the foundation.  Pastor Sydney refers to Matthew 23:8. In Ephesians, Jesus gave us a teacher. We depend on our father or someone we look to to be our guide or mentor. We have to recognize who “The Father” is. We are not to look at man to be our teacher, but we are to look to the Holy Spirit. Pastor Sydney read from Romans 1:16. God’s righteousness is revealed. The measure of faith is your ability to believe the promise that what Jesus did was for you. The good news is the very power of God. When the good news comes to you the power of God comes with that. It is important that we be speakers of the Word. Never underestimate the seeds that have been planted. Pastor Sydney references Ephesians 2. Mark 4:2, in sowing, some of the seeds fell on the ground and some on the pathway. Mark 4:13-20, the sower sows the word. When you go about things in your life in sowing the Word. It is not our job to determine where the Word gets sown at. Pastor Sydney encouraged us to not give into the temptation. Where ever we have sown seed that it will still grow. Plant the seed, even if it is not good soil. Be sowers of the Word of God into your hearts first then to others. Paul says that one plants, the other one waters, and God gives the increase and causes growth. Let’s be Planters of the Word!

The Gospel is the power of God. Pastor Sydney read from Romans 1:16. Ways to find the power of God;  a) Open up your bible, b) Ask Him, c) Follow the Spirit of God. God is the one that gives the ability to understanding, Pastor Sydney references Ephesians 1. Prayer is important. When we pray out then the change comes. Pastor Sydney read from Romans 10:17 and referenced John 3:8. You can believe something and it’s not faith. Real true faith comes from what God has said. James 5 shows the power in praying God’s word. John 3:16, God loves you and wants to save you from the mess you are in. Romans 15:17, preaching the good news of God. Pastor Sydney read from Acts 13:48, Acts 14:1, and Acts 14:8. Pastor Sydney talked about an experience while preaching in Liberia Isaiah 53 was read. Ninety percent of the people that were healed had gotten healed after the word of God was read or spoken out. The Gospel is the power of God. Pastor Sydney read from Mark 4:2. He also talked about how the seed is planted for a purpose to life and that nothing is cancelled but, to be revealed. Pastor Sydney read from Acts 20:32. The sower sows the word. We are farmers! The power is in the seed. Pastor Sydney encourages us to sow into our hearts first. Don’t stop desiring the truth and continue to have revelation of God’s word. Abide in His word and let His word abide in you.

Pastor Sydney mentions that we are coming into a season of change. He reminds us that the Lord knows what is going to happen way before we do and that He has the answers to those problems. We allow the lack of time to destroy our faith. 1) Trial of your faith works patience. 2) The problem is bearing down and there is no time to believe God. Take the limit off of God. Pastor Sydney shared about how they started their ministry in Colorado. Don’t allow your failure to pray in the past. God has given us boldness and confidence. Pastor Sydney read out of Joshua 1-6. We are leaving things and we are going to things. Pastor Sydney mentioned that it is important what the Lord has done for us in the past and to look at that as a memorial which, is not to be worshiped. In Joshua 5, Pastor Sydney mentioned that there was some cutting off before moving forward. In Joshua 6, It is very important that the instructions given by the Lord had been followed. Just as it is important  to take instruction for what is to come for the year of 2018. Pastor Sydney asked what is it that the Lord wants us to do for 2018? What territories is it that the Lord wants us to overtake? Are we going to do life as we did in 2017 or are we going to make changes in 2018 and tell people about the gospel and what the Lord has done for us? True circumcision is of the heart. Uncut portions of our heart is where the condemnation lie and needs to be dealt with. We need a renewed focus and renewed agreement with the Father.

Pastor Sydney mentioned that prayer should touch every area of our lives. When we go to the Father in prayer we are not trying get His attention or to change His decision. Pastor Sydney read from Hebrews 4, high priest is a go between. It is between just you and the Lord. Where you find His compassion, is where you will find His mercy and grace. Receive mercy and you will have grace. Pastor Sydney mentioned that as a believer we have been given several weapons. 1). The name of Jesus. 2). The Word (when we pray/speak the Word), remember that the believing comes first. 3). The power of the Holy Spirit,  Romans 8:26-29. We must enter into His rest!

Pastor Sydney read from Hebrews 10:19. What are you confessing? Promote or provoke love in someone. Act into accordance where our faith is. He mentioned that we live in a society that praises rebellion. Rebellion is never of God. When a person rebels he is under another’s authority and he would be rebelling against their authority. Use the word resist instead. Pastor Sydney mentioned that prayer and faith have to be grounded. You have to know the Will of God. We have the desire but, no  faith. Stir yourself up first and then pray. John 14:13, we are not demanding God. We demand for the situation to change. Praying and say are two different things. Pastor Sydney read from Matthew 10:21 and Acts 3, if God gave you the authority, you can’t put it back onto Him.

Pastor Sydney gave an overview  of the difference between saying and praying. He read from John 16:23 (saying/requiring part) and John 14. We have to do something first, 1 Timothy 2:1. We don’t pray to Jesus, the angels, or to Saint Mary. We pray to the Father through Jesus Christ. 1) Intercession be made. 2) Luke 18:1, pray always and be conscious of His Spirit. Prayer is proper  and is a legal thing. God is not an unjust God.2) God will not delay to help us. God is looking for someone that  will take Him at His word. Pastor Sydney read from Luke 13:1. Repenting is our way out. Part of repentance is to judge yourself truthfully. We don’t want to reap the bad seed that had been planted. He took our harvest and gave us His (eternal life). Being an intercessor is where a person stands in the gap asking God for mercy instead of judgement. Pastor Sydney encourages us to allow ourselves to be an intercessor.

Pastor Sydney talked about how his children asked him why Good Friday is called Good Friday if Jesus was put onto the cross? He mentioned that it is called Good Friday because Jesus had given everything for us. “Because, I should have been on the cross”. Pastor Sydney read Jeremiah 17:5 and 1Corinthians 13. Pastor Sydney mentioned the greatest of the three (faith, love, and hope) is love. God is the light of heaven. Love will remain. Pastor Sydney talked about the story of Adam and Eve. Condemnation was among them when God came to the garden. Pastor Sydney compared Adam and Eve to a container, the gasoline represented the sin, and the fire represented God. The gasoline and fire cannot sustain together. Just like what happens when we go to the Lord, we cannot bare the  environment. Jesus could have a relationship with God because, He wasn’t full of gasoline. Take the gasoline out of the container and place oil instead. Set it in the fire, the oil burns instead with being the light. Pastor Sydney referenced John 3:16, God sent His only son. He read out of 2 Corinthians 5:21 and mentioned about going out on dates with the Lord. God had created Adam and Eve because He wanted that relationship.  He read out of Matthew 27:50 and Hebrews 2:9. 1 Corinthians 15, not everyone will die. Colossians 1:18, He was made sin. Jesus died spiritually. Revelation 1:18 and Acts 2:14, righteousness and justice had to be accomplished through Jesus Christ. Acts 13:30, His Spirit bears witness within us. The gasoline had to be gotten rid of out of the container. It had to be dealt with, so that he could have a relationship with mankind!